Chapter 83
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: A Golden Opportunity
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“…Hm?”
A strange presence made the man, Bairan Osmond, tilt his head.
“Is something wrong?”
“I thought something snuck in…”
He’d sensed a presence behind the flowerpot. Bairan strode over to check, but there was nothing there.
A lone fly that had been resting on a leaf buzzed into the air.
“Just an insect.”
*Tsk.* Bairan crushed the fly with a flick of his hand.
“I should have an insect-repelling sigil inscribed.”
“An excessive number of magic circles would only arouse suspicion.”
“I know that.”
That was why he had only inscribed a soundproofing circle and nothing more.
After all, carving multiple sigils into the home of an ordinary mercenary captain was as good as announcing that something was amiss.
Above all, his profession as a mercenary meant countless people came and went from his home, requiring even greater caution.
“Continue with your report. The academy brought students here?”
“Yes. And among those students, it is said, is Aint Armian.”
“Aint Armian…?”
His eyes widened.
“That cursed bloodline has come here?”
*Slam!* Bairan struck the table. Papers, an inkwell, and a golden ashtray engraved with a star pattern fell to the floor.
“This is an opportunity…!”
“An opportunity, you say?”
“A golden opportunity to devour not just Aint Armian, but the entire future of the Empire!”
Bairan’s shout echoed through the office.
“If I eliminate him, I will receive an even greater blessing!”
“Will it be possible?”
“We will make it possible! Contact His Excellency immediately and request support! Even if it costs us everything, we will kill all of them from the academy! Especially Aint Armian, that cursed bastard!”
“But His Excellency ordered us to remain quiet until the time is…”
*Crack—*
“Krrgh…!”
A rough hand seized the butler’s throat. Lifted a foot off the floor, he struggled, his face turning pale.
“I said I would send a letter to His Excellency.”
*Thump!* The butler was thrown to the floor.
“Cough, cough…! B-but even Lord Comentas and Sir Andromalius failed…!”
“That fool Comentas faced him without any proper preparation! He was caught setting a trap and was taken down on the spot.”
Besides, Comentas was never a particularly powerful vile breed. Comparing him to Comentas was an insult.
“And Lord Andromalius was not properly summoned. His Excellency’s plans were disrupted by that cursed follower, forcing a hasty summoning.”
A hastily summoned Andromalius was like a firefly compared to the full moon that was the Andromalius of hell.
“But I am different!”
He might be less than the firefly Andromalius, but unlike Andromalius, he was not alone.
“We have demonic beasts. We can just summon more and kill them.”
A legion of demonic beasts.
Bairan had earned the right to offer sacrifices and partially open a gateway to hell.
The appearance of the demonic beasts that had thrown Altriark and the continent into chaos was his doing, under His Excellency’s command.
“Best of all, they are marching to the battlefield. Willingly!”
In the chaos of that melee, in that pandemonium, who could say what might happen?
“This is an opportunity. If we let this slip by, I—and His Excellency—will regret it for the rest of our lives…!”
Conversely, if they succeeded, only the bright flames of hell would light his path forward.
“…Understood.”
In the end, the butler had no choice but to obey.
Bairan began to hastily scribble a letter.
【To the great…】
Unlike his urgent gestures and movements, the handwriting and tone of the letter were impeccably polite.
“Where are those bastards from the academy now?”
“They are having dinner with the steward at the lord’s castle this evening and will depart for the ramparts with the knight order at dawn tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow, is it? The key will be how long they stay.”
“From what I have gathered, they are scheduled to be at the ramparts for two weeks.”
“Is that so?”
It was a tight schedule. But if he pushed it, it wasn't impossible.
Bairan neatly folded the letter, placed it in an envelope, sealed it, and stood up.
“I’m heading to the desert immediately. You are to deliver this to His Excellency.”
“Right now? After we receive permission from His Excellency…”
“What did you just say?”
“Two weeks…”
“By the time we receive a reply from His Excellency, it will be too late. Does it make sense to let a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to kill that cursed whelp slip away so pointlessly?”
“But we lack the sacrifices to summon the demonic beasts!”
“I’ll take care of that myself!”
With a low growl, he left the office. He would summon his mercenaries at once and depart for the desert.
“…I must deliver this quickly.”
After staring at the door through which his master had disappeared, the butler took the letter and hurried out.
And a moment later.
*‘Looks like they’re all gone.’*
*Pop—*
The golem that had been hiding behind the plant peeked its head out.
***
A golem is not a living being.
When completely deactivated, it was nothing more than a stray stone.
Wooden had ceased all functions and hidden itself in the soil of the flowerpot, only peeking its head out as soon as Bairan returned to his desk.
Its black exterior, with occasional white markings, blended perfectly with the black and white pebbles, providing the ultimate camouflage.
And so Wooden—and Pernyan—heard everything.
“……”
Pernyan, who had been observing Bairan’s office through Wooden, opened his eyes in his own room.
*‘Judging by their conversation, they can summon demonic beasts.’*
So they were the cause of this whole crisis.
He’d thought they were merely after the Bell of Ruin, but they were bigger players than he had anticipated.
*‘How absurd.’*
The vile breed that had plunged Altriark into crisis was hiding in Artk, the capital of Altriark.
And as mercenaries, no less, slowly siphoning away Altriark’s funds.
There was a limit to how dark it could be under the lamp. If this had been Fallenberg instead of Artk…
“…being torn limb from limb would be a merciful death.”
A thick killing intent filled Pernyan’s eyes.
“In any case, they’ll come on their own.”
There was no need to do anything drastic.
As long as Aint bore the surname Armian, he would be irresistible bait to that man.
Leaving aside the question of who would be devoured.
*‘If they’re coming anyway, I just need to keep powerful forces around Aint at all times.’*
There was no need to overcomplicate things; as long as they didn’t leave the ramparts, they would be fine.
However.
Did he really have to?
*‘Isn’t that too lenient a fate for a vermin who has made a mockery of humanity for so long?’*
If he could completely derail that overconfident plan and inflict even greater damage, there was no downside.
*‘In any case, the most important thing here is to create a stage for Aint to fight Bairan Osmond.’*
As long as that was possible, he didn’t need to worry about Aint’s experience, even if things deviated slightly from the prophecy.
The man seemed quite strong. He would be a worthy opponent for the current Aint, who had defeated Andromalius.
*Tap, tap—*
Just then, someone tapped his cheek. It was Wooden, returned from its long dispatch.
*-Kkoong kkoong!*
It pointed at Pernyan’s hand, then gestured to its own head with the other.
When Pernyan stroked its head, the red pupils inside its helmet curved into crescents.
“Yes, you did well. I learned a great deal thanks to you. Thank you.”
*-Kkoooong, kkoong?*
“I was just about to tell you. It seems I’ll be able to keep my promise.”
Mana gathered at Pernyan’s fingertips. The mana was then absorbed directly into Wooden.
At the dense mana, Wooden’s arms trembled violently.
Spirits love their contractor’s mana. They grow by gaining experience, resonating with their contractor, and receiving mana.
To Wooden, Pernyan’s mana was the sweetest reward imaginable. For Ruina, it would be the equivalent of chocolate.
Anyway.
*‘He said he needs sacrifices to summon the demonic beasts.’*
So where would he procure those sacrifices?
It was obvious.
Life. Living beings, whether animal or plant.
It would most likely be human.
And as far as Pernyan knew, the easiest place to find a large number of humans nearby wasn't the Empire, where the legions were gathered, nor the Alfrosen Kingdom.
“The desert.”
The desert tribes living in the barren land of the Taklakan Desert.
A people strong in their own right, obsessed with power.
*‘They’ve survived even amidst all that chaos.’*
He’d heard that after being summoned, the legion of demonic beasts had split into two, dealt a heavy blow to Alfrosen and the Empire, and then scattered throughout the desert.
*‘So the surviving tribes probably…’*
*Knock, knock—*
Just then.
“Pernyan. Please come out. It’s time for dinner.”
“I’m coming.”
It was Ruina.
Looking out the window, he saw the sun was already setting. It was time to meet the steward.
***
The dining hall of the lord’s castle was quite spacious but not ostentatious.
It had a moderately practical feel. That wasn’t a bad thing.
It was simply the opposite of the Fallenberg way, which considered a certain level of luxury and display to be necessary.
“Welcome to Altriark. Please understand that His Excellency is unable to greet you personally due to the situation with the demonic beasts.”
The steward was a dignified man in his forties, from the Javer Viscounty, a vassal family of Altriark.
“We have already received an extravagant welcome. I am Grad Xant.”
“I am Harke Javer.”
“I am Rosalia Vienderk.”
After a brief exchange of greetings with the professors, he also exchanged names with the students.
“Please, have a seat. The castle chef’s skills are astounding.”
A moment later, course after course of the banquet was served on the long table.
“As you may have already heard, you will be moving with the knight order heading to the ramparts at dawn.”
“I’ve never been to this part of Altriark before. Roughly how long will it take?”
“On horseback, it will take approximately two days.”
The conversation was led mainly by the steward and Professor Grad.
“What is the situation at the ramparts?”
“After the initial big wave, it’s been manageable. We had a crisis when a thousand demonic beasts attacked at once, but since His Excellency the Count and the Countess personally intervened, the ramparts have held firm.”
“That’s a relief.”
“However, the frequency of attacks has increased compared to before the demonic beasts appeared. It will likely be quite chaotic.”
“It may be strange to say, but that’s the kind of experience we’re here for, so it’s fine.”
The meal ended exactly two hours later.
“Ah, you may even get to experience what lies beyond the ramparts.”
“Beyond the ramparts?”
“Seeing the steady increase in demonic beasts, His Excellency suspects a rift to hell may have opened. He is therefore preparing a plan to venture out and subjugate it.”
For a fleeting moment, the steward’s gaze flickered to Aint.
Pernyan realized he had deliberately revealed the subjugation plan.
*‘He’s hoping Aint Armian might have a way to find the rift.’*
He was pinning his hopes on the Armians, known as the adversaries of demons. Pernyan suspected that upon their arrival, Aint would be summoned for a meeting with the Count.
*‘That won’t do.’*
Regardless of whether Aint had a method or not, the one to take the lead had to be Pernyan, not Aint.
His goal was to reap the benefits and then pass the renown on to Aint.
As the meal concluded and people began to rise from their seats, Pernyan discreetly handed a pre-written letter to the steward.
“What is this?”
“Please ensure this reaches His Excellency the Count. It’s a proposal from me.”
“A proposal? From Pernyan the student, or Pernyan Fallenberg?”
“The latter.”
The steward’s gaze grew much more serious.
“May I read it?”
“On the contrary, I would prefer that you read it and realize its importance.”
Carefully unfolding the note, the steward’s eyes widened.
“I believe I can resolve one of the problems you mentioned earlier.”
His eyes, trembling with disbelief, darted between the note and Pernyan.
“…This.”
“Is the truth.”
The note contained only two lines.
【I wish to make a deal with the Count.】
【I know the next move of the vile breed secretly operating in Artk.】
But they were two lines that could completely upend the House of Count Altriark.