Ending Maker Chapter 43
Ending Maker Chapter 43
Chapter 11 - Frost Anvil
Countless demon worshippers existed in Pleiades.
Their lineage had begun long ago, when two of the Infernal Lords descended upon the mortal realm, and it had persisted tenaciously for over a thousand years to this day.
'The demon worshippers are not one united group.'
Contrary to common perception, they were not all in league with one another.
That was because each served a different Infernal Lord.
Like the Infernal Lords themselves, the demon worshippers feuded and competed with one another, sometimes even resorting to bloody conflict.
Devil's Hand.
They served Asmodeus of Lust, one of the five Infernal Lords, and their ultimate goal was to summon Asmodeus into the mortal realm and realize her hell, Savath, upon the earth.
"The offering has left the eagle's embrace."
The headquarters of Devil's Hand.
At the organization's headquarters in the heart of the Saelun Kingdom, the core executives of Devil's Hand had gathered.
Some were present in the flesh, while others were spectral forms manifested through magic.
The executives seated at each point of the hexagram turned their attention to the black-haired woman responsible for northern Saelun—the Demonic Human Soluzia.
The offering had left the eagle.
It meant that Cordelia Chase had slipped out from under the protection of the Count Hraesvelgr Household.
"How did this happen?"
It was a woman's voice, low but soothing.
At the question from the woman who led the Devil's Hand, Soluzia explained the situation in detail.
"Cordelia Chase set out on a honeymoon trip with her fiancé, Yuder Bayel."
"Even after being attacked twice?"
Koros, a Demonic Human occupying one point of the hexagram, gave an incredulous laugh as he asked. The other executives looked equally baffled.
The first attack was one thing, but the second had made it clear that Devil's Hand was targeting Cordelia and Lucas.
But that was not the last surprise.
"Furthermore...."
"Furthermore?"
"It is an elopement. Just the two of them. The Count Hraesvelgr Household has people searching everywhere for them as we speak."
"They're insane."
At Koros's assessment, the other executives nodded as well.
Then, as if emboldened, Koros added a few more words.
"So they're empty-headed teenagers blinded by love?"
"For now...... that seems to be the case."
Soluzia, who had answered with some difficulty, turned back toward the leader and continued.
"Cordelia Chase's destination is presumed to be Frost Anvil."
"On what basis?"
"Cordelia Chase visited the Count Hraesvelgr Household in the first place because of the legendary Sunflower Herb said to bloom at Frost Anvil. It is a potent cure for her fiancé Yuder Bayel's chronic illness."
"The two of them set out alone to find a cure for her fiancé? I can imagine what was going through their heads."
When Koros murmured again, Soluzia frowned but did not deny it.
Soluzia thought the same thing.
There were two reasons Soluzia had furrowed her brow.
One was the fact that Koros had butted into a conversation with the leader she revered, and the other was the fact that, because of those immature, empty-headed teenagers, they had already lost three Demonic Humans and over a hundred combatants.
Both operations had been devised by Soluzia, so stepping back to look at it, in the end the immature teenagers had made a fool of Soluzia twice.
"We cannot take them lightly. We have already lost three Demonic Humans to those children."
The Demonic Humans Minos and Barus, and Viscount Norden.
All three had been low-ranking Demonic Humans, but they had been Demonic Humans nonetheless. Creating them required considerable time, effort, and resources.
Moreover, losing Viscount Norden had been more painful than the previous two.
Before he was a Demonic Human, he had been a legitimate noble of the kingdom with his own territory.
"If not for the Iron Man, we would not have lost the Demonic Humans. Those brats are merely lucky."
The Iron Man Landius.
When Koros spoke in a somewhat grumbling tone, the leader wore a gentle smile.
"Yes. If the Iron Man had not intervened, Soluzia's second operation would not have failed. But do not forget one thing: those children defeated Minos."
Moreover, that was not all.
Even with help from the witch's soul, they had also killed Asmodeus's magic beast that had slumbered in Trafalgar Forest.
They were by no means children to be taken lightly.
"Soluzia, is there any other basis?"
"There is. We questioned civilians along the route from Vedrfolnir, where the Count Hraesvelgr Household is located, to Frost Anvil. A small number reported seeing people believed to be Cordelia Chase and Yuder Bayel."
"And?"
"Kanos's foresight also points to Frost Anvil."
The Demonic Human Kanos.
He was one of the few Demonic Humans with the power of foresight and had effectively been designated as Soluzia's successor.
"The drawback is that Kanos cannot invoke his foresight whenever he wants... but when a vision does come, it tends to be accurate."
One of the executives spoke in a low voice, as if supporting Soluzia.
It was Nemea, a Demonic Human active on the Argon Empire front.
The blue-haired leader closed her eyes. After a short silence to gather her thoughts, she opened them again and spoke.
"Soluzia."
"Yes, my leader."
"What do you intend to do?"
"Considering their movement speed so far, Cordelia Chase will need two more days to reach Frost Anvil. Therefore, before then, I intend to deploy forces at the Great Gate, the only entrance to Frost Anvil, and capture the two of them."
It was not a bad plan.
Moreover, the Iron Man Landius had already left the Count Hraesvelgr territory and was heading toward the center.
There would be no more sudden interventions.
"Soluzia, I will trust you once more."
"Thank you. I will certainly live up to your expectations."
At the leader's permission, Soluzia bowed her head deeply and answered.
Koros snorted at the voice that was tinged, if only slightly, with tears, but in truth all of the executives, including him, were deeply devoted to the leader.
If he had been in the same situation, Koros would likely have shown a similar reaction.
"The discussion is roughly concluded, so let us end today's council here. May the favor of Lady Asmodeus be with you all."
"May her favor be with us."
As if continuing the leader's words, the executives spoke in unison.
And a few seconds later.
Soluzia slowly steadied her breathing. When she opened her eyes, the hexagram was gone; before her stood a broad dais and the subordinates who had been waiting for her return.
"Lady Soluzia."
At the call of the Demonic Human Kanos, who was extremely tall, approaching two meters, Soluzia slowly nodded.
"The leader has granted permission. But this is the last chance. We must mobilize all our strength and secure Cordelia Chase."
Cordelia Chase was certainly a precious offering capable of summoning a high-ranking demon.
But now it was no longer simply a matter of securing an offering.
To retain the leader's trust and preserve her standing among the executives, she absolutely had to capture Cordelia alive.
"The Demonic Humans Paragot and Vilkeil, along with the demon Sisiot, have already reached the vicinity of Frost Anvil. By now they are probably setting up camp in front of the Great Gate."
They needed the Great Gate secured before Cordelia Chase arrived, so considerable preparations were already complete.
"This time, we must succeed."
"We will certainly succeed. The only entrance leading to Frost Anvil is the Great Gate, after all. Moreover, this time we have mobilized two Demonic Humans and even a demon...... unless the Iron Man appears once again, those brats have no hope."
Soluzia agreed as well.
If they lay in ambush at the only entrance, what could those brats do?
Would they teleport into the interior of Frost Anvil or something?
'That's absurd.'
It was an ancient dwarf kingdom that had perished over a thousand years ago.
Who on earth would possess teleport coordinates leading to such ancient ruins?
Moreover, teleportation was not magic that could be used so casually.
Unless, perhaps, one were one of the legendary fairies who could freely roam space and time.
"Execute it. May the favor of Lady Asmodeus be with you."
"May her favor be with us."
Kanos smiled as he replied, and Soluzia also allowed herself a small smile.
* * *
At the same time, in the first-floor corridor of Frost Anvil.
Yuder looked once more at the Great Gate—more precisely, at its inner face—and said,
"As you know, monsters are going to swarm in."
"Because of the Sunflower Herb, right?"
"Right. The Sunflower Herb's blooming is imminent. The monsters in the vicinity have probably almost all gathered near Frost Anvil already."
The distinctive scent wafting from the Sunflower Herb.
Humans could barely smell it, but monsters were another matter.
Moreover, the fragrance of the Sunflower Herb had the power to lure monsters.
The closer the flower came to blooming, the stronger its fragrance became. In a few days, countless monsters would come charging toward Frost Anvil.
"The best option would be to leave some forces at the Great Gate to defend it......."
"There are only the two of us, so that's impossible."
"Right, so there's only one option left."
They would make use of the fact that Frost Anvil was essentially a single-path layout up to a certain floor.
"If we lay down a ton of traps, they'll die on the way in."
A simple but clear answer.
Yuder had spent the entire journey drawing magic circles in preparation for this day.
"We can't let anything interrupt us while we harvest the Sunflower Herb, so let's use as many as we need."
"You do know I'm the one putting mana into the magic circles, right?"
"Of course I know, my lady. That's why I've prepared a hefty supply of mana potions."
"I hate you so much."
Bickering as always, Yuder and Cordelia installed magic circles across nearly the entire first-floor passage, then caught their breath once more in the first-floor rest area.
"From here, the route itself is simple. We just have to keep heading down to the seventh underground floor, where the Sunflower Herb blooms."
"Stopping by the armory on the way?"
"Exactly."
The progression in the original had been a little different.
The original route was the same up to reaching the seventh floor for the Sunflower Herb. But a powerful boss there forced the player to detour to the armory, obtain a weapon capable of defeating it, and then return to the seventh floor.
"We already know, so there's no need to make the trip twice."
First, they would stop by the armory and secure the ancient dwarf relics known as 'Power Weapons.'
"I'm looking forward to the Power Weapons."
"In the original, we only managed to get exactly one thing that was really needed."
But now it was reality.
They would surely be able to take several useful items.
"New equipment is always welcome."
"Shopping first when you enter a new town is an RPG tradition."
"Oh, you know your stuff?"
"Isn't that the whole point of playing RPGs?"
"Yes, Mom. You're right, Mom."
"That's right, so listen to your mother."
After joking around as usual, the two secured their gear, then turned to each other one last time.
"Let's go."
They said it at the same time, then stepped forward side by side.
And again at the same time, in front of the Great Gate, the entrance to Frost Anvil.
"Don't let even a single rat through."
At the command of the Demonic Human Paragot, who had an abnormally massive right arm, the combatants of Devil's Hand moved swiftly and began installing traps throughout the Great Gate.
The Demonic Human Vilkeil, a red-haired witch, narrowed her eyes toward the south, while the demon Sisiot—his entire body bound in sealing restraints—let out a chilling laugh.
They would capture Cordelia Chase and Yuder Bayel at the Great Gate.
'Lady Soluzia will be pleased.'
And this time, he would surpass that bastard Kanos and monopolize Lady Soluzia's favor.
Paragot, who let out a low laugh, planted himself before the sturdy doors of the Great Gate and gazed southward, where Cordelia and Yuder would appear.
But three days later.
What appeared before the Demonic Human Paragot was not a peerlessly beautiful girl and a peerlessly handsome boy, but a vast horde of monsters.