Chapter 13
“A white-haired knight and a boy.”
Crackle—
The paper in the black-clad man’s hand vanished as if it were being devoured by fire.
It was information sent by an informant planted in Ronier.
The informant had once served as a Bernice knight, so even if time had weathered him, the report would be accurate.
The man casually brushed off the hand that had been holding the paper, leaving not a trace behind, and looked up at the sky.
The rain that had begun falling after nightfall was starting to let up.
A snake?
The man’s name was Arim, though he was far better known by the title Moving Shadow than by his real name.
The reason his nickname had become Moving Shadow was simple.
He clung naturally to the edge of the light like a shadow, yet slipped through darkness with perfect coordination to handle all manner of inconvenient business.
From Ronier to the farthest corners of the kingdom, Arim traveled everywhere and did anything that could make money.
Even if that meant releasing monsters into human society.
“You’re here at last… Ah, welcome.”
“Mm.”
Jingle—
Arim entered the familiar inn in Ronier, set a pouch of coins on the counter without a word, and took the key the owner held out to him.
With the key in hand, Arim slowly climbed the stairs to the second floor.
Room 307, his room.
Creak—
The moment he stepped inside, Arim looked around once and immediately confirmed there were no listening devices, tracking spells, or anything of the sort in the room.
That was one of the reasons he had never been caught despite all the illegal work he did.
Arim’s “eyes” were special.
They were not mere magic, but an ability closer to those of a monster or a beast.
Whatever it was, if there was even the slightest hint of danger, Arim’s eyes would catch it immediately.
After confirming there was nothing suspicious in sight, Arim slowly sat on the bed.
According to the information he’d received, those who had come out of the Demon Realm were highly likely to be snakes.
In his experience, when they took human form, those with white hair were usually white snakes.
“They just went out not long ago and now they’re out again? If they keep leaving this often, it’s going to be a problem.”
Arim muttered to himself in the empty room.
The most recent monster he’d smuggled out of the Demon Realm had probably been a snake too.
Knock, knock—
At the sound of someone knocking on the door, Arim reflexively checked the clock hanging in the room.
It showed exactly 3:00 a.m.
Unlike the last one, this one has some manners.
Arim thought of the snake from last time and rose to his feet.
That one had shown up a full thirty minutes before three and made a scene, demanding to be taken out immediately.
Of course, after Arim gave him a little treatment, he had quickly behaved himself.
Though he operated in the underworld, Arim was roughly the equivalent of an Upper Knight in rank.
In other words, he could fully manifest sword energy.
For someone like him, it was nothing at all to rough up a mere snake.
Creak—
Thinking himself lucky that this snake seemed to have better timing, Arim slowly opened the door.
“H, h-hhngh!”
And the very next moment the worn door swung open, Arim stumbled backward, sucking in a sharp breath before he could even think.
It was an instinctive reaction that leapt out before his mind could form a thought.
Arim’s special eyes.
The instant the door opened, they began to tremble and send out fierce warnings.
How should he put it?
The being standing before him was not merely a threat.
It was a colossal wall—or rather, a chasm that seemed ready to swallow everything in existence.
Something beyond the reach of human language.
W-what the hell is this…!
Arim had seen countless people stronger than himself.
Back when he had still dreamed of becoming a knight, he had even seen Bernice Empire’s famed Blood Sun, Evan Erche, in person.
Even now, Evan Erche remained vivid in Arim’s memory.
At the time, Arim hadn’t even been able to look at him properly.
The Sun of Bernice, several dimensions beyond Arim, had been little different from a massive threat.
Simply looking at him had made Arim lower his head.
The sensation he had felt when he saw Evan Erche then had been the greatest threat he had ever experienced.
A threat so overwhelming that even crossing swords with him had seemed forbidden.
This is… beyond that…!
After that day, Arim had seen a few strong men comparable to Evan Erche, but never anything that made him feel this kind of threat.
And now that Evan Erche was dead, Arim had thought he would never again feel anything greater.
Yet now, in a situation no one could have anticipated, that fear—and that longing—had been shattered to pieces.
The person standing before him now, no, the being before him, was without question the greatest threat he had ever seen.
Jolt— jolt—
Only after his legs went numb did Arim realize he had collapsed onto the floor at some point.
He tried to force strength into his legs and stand, but they refused to obey.
“You are—”
Thump— thump—
At the voice from the doorway, Arim could only barely lift his head.
The informant had been right.
A man with long white hair.
And even after seeing Arim crumpled on the floor, the man showed no trace of agitation and continued speaking in a flat, emotionless tone.
“That broker.”
Gulp—
Arim did everything he could to steady his trembling arms and legs, and managed to lift his head just enough to take the white-haired man into view.
As with Evan Erche before, he sensed that fear and longing toward the being before him would only sharpen his sight and strengthen his life going forward.
At the same time, Arim felt it instinctively.
Something impossible had come out of the Demon Realm.
*
“Is that so.”
“Y-yes. I’ll do my utmost to escort you.”
The negotiation with the broker Banua had mentioned ended unexpectedly easily.
No matter what conditions I named, the broker said they were all possible and promised to take me all the way to the Bernice Empire.
From a monster’s point of view, this human called a broker was in the absolute position of power, so I’d expected him to make outrageous demands. But none of that happened.
Maybe Banua had warned him in advance, or maybe he was already one of Banua’s subordinates, because the broker was practically devoting himself to me.
Though his habit of constantly sniffing me was a little irritating.
“I’d prefer to leave as soon as possible.”
“O-Of course. We can depart as soon as dawn breaks.”
“Is there some reason we have to wait for dawn?”
“N-no! There isn’t! If you wish it, we can leave immediately!”
“…”
Somehow, this felt like a reaction I’d seen recently.
I’d only asked because I was sincerely curious, but the broker flinched as if he’d committed some grave offense and started blurting out excuses.
When I had been Evan Erche, I at least hadn’t gotten reactions like this.
Well, the faster we leave, the better.
When I nodded, the broker kept nodding furiously in return and said he would prepare for departure as quickly as possible.
Leaving behind the broker, who looked as though he had no intention of lifting his head until I was gone, I stepped out of Room 307.
He looks pretty strong.
I’d expected him to be formidable simply because he was a human who dealt with monsters, but the broker looked even stronger than I’d imagined.
At minimum, he was an Upper Knight; if I were being generous, he might even be elite.
I don’t like it, though.
I wasn’t pleased that someone that strong was the sort who released monsters into the human world, but right now I was also no longer human—I was a monster.
It was a contradictory feeling: I disliked the deed, but I also had no right to complain about it.
The problem is Cabin.
I glanced at Cabin, who had been shrinking more and more ever since the innkeeper’s men had gotten the better of him earlier.
From the beginning, I had no intention of taking Cabin to the Bernice Empire.
I hadn’t even meant to bring him out of the Demon Realm, but somehow he’d ended up coming along.
I’d originally planned to part ways here, but seeing him looking so cowed for no reason made it hard to just leave him behind.
It felt a little like ignoring a trainee knight who had just been crushed by the wall before him and walking away without a word.
“Haa…”
“Lord Evan.”
Just as I let out a sigh heavy with indecision, Cabin appeared at my side as if he had sensed I was talking about him.
I’d told him I’d go to Room 307 alone in case it turned dangerous, and asked him to keep watch outside the inn instead.
“What is it?”
“I, I want to go with you too!”
Cabin cut in as though he could read my mind.
He dropped to one knee with a desperate expression and spoke in a voice full of pleading, and I found that I couldn’t bring myself to say no.
As I said before, I really am weak to this sort of trainee knight.
Especially one with this much fire in him.
“But—”
“Like you said earlier, Lord Evan, I won’t fall for the same trick twice!”
“…”
“I’ll learn more and grow under you! From now on, I won’t be a nuisance—never, ever!”
Desperation spilled thickly from Cabin’s voice.
He still looked every bit the boy, with his neat brown hair brushed to one side and his earnest face.
Watching him, there was no mistaking him for anything but a trainee knight, and suddenly an idea came to me.
“Then let’s do this.”
I opened my mouth to the boy, whose eyes had begun to sparkle with hope as he looked at me.
If he had any common sense at all, he wouldn’t be able to follow me after hearing this condition.
*
“Huuuaah, haaah…”
Arim was still panting for breath, trying to calm his shaking body.
The being from a moment ago was no ordinary snake.
No matter how special Arim’s abilities were, with his pitiful human eyes he couldn’t even begin to guess what that thing truly was.
I have to get moving and prepare the carriage as fast as possible!
Once his body finally started obeying him again, Arim steeled himself.
He had to leave quickly, before he somehow irritated that person.
Creak—
“Hiiik!”
“Ah, you’ve come out at just the right time.”
Arim, who had been hurrying out to find a carriage, ended up collapsing to the floor again.
He had only just gotten his trembling under control, and now that same person was standing right in front of the door.
“W-what is it this time!”
“I couldn’t say it earlier. There are two.”
“…Pardon?”
Arim asked back, not understanding immediately.
The instant he did, he realized with a jolt that he had just dared to question the pronouncement of such a great being, but it was already too late.
“I’m taking one more vampire with us. He’s an annoying one in many ways, but still.”
“Ah! Understood!”
Arim bowed his head and answered with all the sincerity he could muster.
An annoying vampire.
In all his life, Arim had never once heard another monster describe a vampire as “annoying.”
Even though they were so rare they were almost never seen in person, vampires were among the most powerful monsters in single combat.
The world didn’t know much about vampires as a species, but Arim, who dealt with monsters regularly, knew quite a lot about them.
Vampires were more haughty than anyone, proud to the bone, and possessed strength to match.
He had no idea what this person truly was, but to dismiss a vampire as if it were nothing more than an inconvenient burden...
Wait. If it’s a vampire…
“When you’re ready to depart, tell the innkeeper.”
“…Y-yes, sir!”
Arim hurriedly pushed aside his other thoughts and answered the great being before him.
How dare he think of anything else in this person’s presence.
And yet, it was something he couldn’t help thinking about.
Do I tell them, or not?
Head lowered, Arim recalled something that had happened not long ago.
If a vampire tried to leave the Demon Realm without giving prior warning, he was to contact them immediately.
A cold, low female voice replayed itself in his head.
“Damn it…”
Arim was on the verge of tears.