For Worst
The underground prison of the royal palace. Iron bars stood in the stale darkness where not a single ray of sunlight could reach. Inside, two figures—a man and a woman—were bound, clad in rags soaked with blood. They were the executives of Worst who had been captured by Kael yesterday afternoon and handed over to the palace after failing in their grand scheme. Their limbs were restrained by mana-sealing orbs, leaving them locked away in that lightless cell. Though only a day had passed, the oppressive darkness had shattered their sense of time. They had received neither food nor water, and their minds grew increasingly desolate. This prison existed to mentally torture the most vicious criminals and extract confessions, so no guards were posted outside—there were not even footsteps to indicate another soul nearby. It was a place where the only hope was that someone from the outside would pull you free before death claimed you.
Trapped in such a prison, Benjamin and Sherda simply passed the time in a daze. With no strength left even to think, the two stared blankly into the darkness before them. And it was at that very moment that a hazy figure began to take shape in their vision.
Saaaah───
Suddenly, a mass of light appeared in the darkness and began to assume a form. Until moments ago, not a single ray of sunlight had penetrated this place, so the light that now manifested was faint, yet to the two prisoners it shone as brightly as the sun itself.
“Kgh……?!”
“Ugh…… What the hell……!”
Benjamin and Sherda cried out, squeezing their eyes shut against the sudden light. It took several dozen seconds before they could open them again, their vision slowly adjusting. When they finally lifted their eyelids, both of them shouted without thinking at the sight of the figure the light had formed.
“Leader?!”
“Leader!”
The figure that had appeared was none other than Chain, the leader of Worst. Startled by his sudden arrival, the two called out, but soon their faces lit up with hope, forgetting even the hunger and thirst that had tormented them.
“You’ve come to save us, Leader. We can finally get out of here……!”
“We’re saved…… I thought I was going to die from the misery. Thank you so much, Leader.”
They had been rotting away in this cell for an entire day. The relief they felt now was greater than any they had known in their lives, and they reveled in it.
[…….]
Chain merely remained silent, his gaze shifting between the two of them. His wordless stare gradually began to smother their hope. Just as they were about to ask why he was only standing there in silence, Chain’s lips finally parted.
[I’m sorry, but the me standing before you right now has no power to save you. Unfortunately, what you see is nothing more than an illusion woven from the mana I implanted within the Demon Regeneration Factor I injected into your bodies.]
He added that, lacking physical form, he could not free them. Despair flashed across Benjamin and Sherda’s faces, which had been filled with hope only moments before. Yet it lasted only an instant. They quickly pushed the despair aside and looked at Chain once more. There was no way he would have appeared without reason. If he had not come to rescue them, then surely he had come to share a plan for their salvation. That was the hopeful thought that rose in their minds.
Unfortunately, that assumption was soon shattered by the sight of their own bodies slowly swelling.
[Even if I cannot save you without physical form…… I can still trigger the Demon Regeneration Factor to go berserk.]
Gururururuk───
Benjamin and Sherda’s skin and muscles began to swell, turning a dark blue, as though bubbles were rising from stagnant water.
“L-Leader……? What…… is this…….”
“Ugh…… Uweeegh……!!”
Benjamin struggled to speak as breathing grew difficult, while Sherda vomited a thick mouthful of blackened blood. Watching them, Chain spoke with a regretful expression.
[I would have saved you if I could. But since that is impossible…… it would be better to kill you before you can hand over any information, wouldn’t it?]
“L-Leader……”
[If you were to leak our organization’s secrets, it would be disastrous…… There’s truly no other choice. Die here for Worst, Benjamin, Sherda.]
“Lea…… No, Chain, you son of a bitch……!!”
Resentment—thick, concentrated resentment—poured toward Chain. Yet even in the face of that hatred, Chain accepted it fully, offering only a bitter smile as he snapped his fingers.
[I’ll carry out your revenge in your stead.]
Crack──!
With those final words, blood sprayed everywhere. Their bodies, swollen like balloons, finally burst, flooding the floor with so much blood that it seemed to submerge the cell. Chain gently touched the corpses of Benjamin and Sherda—though his illusory form could not truly feel them—before vanishing along with the dispersing illusion.
[It’s time to move on to the next phase of the plan.]
* * *
Arad and I, reunited after so long, spoke freely and pleasantly in private. We talked about everything that had happened since we last met, the current state of the kingdom, the recent mischief caused by the royal princes and princesses, and even the confession Luina and I had shared during the festival. There were still so many stories left to tell. Right now, we were discussing the rioters from yesterday and the underworld.
“You intend to work as a mercenary? There’s no need for that, is there? You’re not short on money, so why go out of your way to…….”
When I told him I planned to take on mercenary work once I settled in the kingdom, Arad tilted his head in confusion. To him, mercenaries were little more than street fighters gathered to earn coin, so he struggled to understand.
Of course, my desire to become a mercenary was only half for fun. Since I couldn’t easily explain it in a way Arad would accept, I thought for a moment before answering.
“Mercenary work is…… well, partly for enjoyment.”
“Enjoyment…… sir?”
“Yeah. Even someone like me can’t just laze around the kingdom all day doing nothing. I’ve had my fill of farming in the countryside, so I figured I’d help out with requests in the capital as a mercenary.”
“Even so, for someone of your stature to become a mercenary…… Wouldn’t it be better to return as the Captain of the Royal Guard? I could make sure you’re well taken care of……”
“Hey, are you joking? Go back to that hellhole?”
I shuddered and waved my hand dismissively at Arad’s casual suggestion. The position of Captain of the Royal Guard—the post I had held until the end of the war—had meant enduring the kingdom’s politics day in and day out. Though the political climate in the palace had calmed now that Arad held real power, the terrible memories were still burned into my mind. I immediately refused and quickly changed the subject back to what I hadn’t yet said.
“More than that, while mercenary work does look fun, I’m not doing it just as a hobby. It’s also to show that I’m still as strong as ever.”
“Hmm…… That raises another question. It’s been eight years, so some people have forgotten your name, but nearly everyone still remembers the achievements you made during the war.”
“They remember, sure, but it’s also true that doing nothing for the past eight years has let rust settle on my reputation.”
“Well…… I suppose that’s true as well.”
People tend to forget even the greatest deeds as time passes. There was a reason humans were called creatures of oblivion. Even the Human-Demon War, which had once threatened to destroy the continent, had faded from clear memory now that eight years had passed since its end. Of course, there was a vast difference in perception between the soldiers who had fought on the front lines and the citizens who had been protected within the kingdom, but even the terror of that time no longer stirred strong emotions. If that was how the war itself was remembered, how would people remember me? Though the title of war hero and the respect that came with it still remained, few truly recalled the full extent of my power. That was why I wanted to work as a mercenary—to wipe the rust from my name and remind everyone of my strength once more. And for what purpose?
“You know something unusual has been happening in the underworld lately, right?”
To push the kingdom into standing against Worst. At my question, Arad nodded.
“Of course. The riot yesterday was also the work of underworld figures. From what we’ve gathered, it seems to be a clash between underworld factions amid someone’s attempt to seize control of it……”
“You’ve got it exactly right. That’s what I found out as well.”
As I had planned before, Worst was not an organization I could stop alone—and I had no intention of trying. I had Luina and Elia now. I had no desire to throw my life away on my own for something this dangerous. But Worst was the worst villainous organization the continent had ever seen, one that had to be stopped eventually. So when they made their move, I intended to prove my strength once more to push the hesitant kingdom forward. If the kingdom gave me its full support, we could win the war against the underworld without me having to risk my life alone.
Since I had the chance to meet Arad today, I decided to plant a sense of urgency about Worst in him.
“Those two I caught and handed over yesterday. They’re probably closely connected to the one trying to take over the underworld. They were quite strong, and the abilities they showed were anything but ordinary.”
“Abilities……?”
“Their regeneration…… It wasn’t quite at the level of demons, but it was nearly as powerful.”
“……Demons, you say?!”
At my words, Arad’s eyes grew serious. Unlike our previous topics, this was no laughing matter. With the Human-Demon War over, demons were nothing more than fading memories of the past—memories that should not be dredged up now.
“In my opinion, the one trying to seize the underworld right now is not someone we can afford to underestimate. They’re already causing trouble in the kingdom while pretending it’s unintentional. If we ignore them, they might even try to swallow the kingdom whole.”
“Goodness…… I thought they would either collapse while trying to take over the underworld or end up with a flawed organization even if they succeeded. But are you saying they could grow to that extent?”
It was a reasonable judgment. Since information from the underworld was hard to obtain from the outside, Arad’s assessment based on what little was known was the most logical conclusion. But I knew the future. I knew the game’s information. Even though reality had already changed because of me, the danger posed by Worst’s leader remained unchanged. I nodded with certainty.
“If my instincts are right, then yes. It’s certain.”
Concern filled Arad’s eyes. He seemed surprised that I would rate the one trying to take over the underworld so highly. But before he could dwell on it further, a voice called out from the direction of the throne.
“Y-Your Majesty!!”
“What is it, Captain?”
Zenle called for Arad in a highly flustered voice. When we turned to look, we saw her holding a communication orb, her face filled with panic. Then the words left her mouth.
“Th-The two prisoners locked in the underground prison…… have been found dead.”
“……What?”
It drove the final nail into Arad’s troubled thoughts.