Ending Maker Chapter 51
Ending Maker Chapter 51
Chapter 15 - Intersection
The Demonic Humans Paragot and Vilkeil were dead, and the demon Sisiot had been annihilated.
Soluzia, the Demonic Human overseeing the Devil's Hand's northern branch in the Saelun Kingdom, stared at the Demon Register with a dazed expression.
"This is absurd."
The Demon Register, which recorded the names of the demons and Demonic Humans affiliated with the Devil's Hand, had one special function.
When an affiliated demon was annihilated, a red line was drawn through the middle of its name. No matter how many times she looked again, the red line remained.
'Failed? No, they were wiped out?'
Two Demonic Humans and one demon, plus nearly a hundred combatants.
Under normal circumstances, this was impossible.
Could the Iron Man Landius have appeared once again?
'No, that's not it.'
The Iron Man's movements had been spotted in the central region of the Saelun Kingdom. He was not in the north right now.
'Yuder Bayel and Cordelia Chase.'
There was something about those two.
If she considered only their skill, the odds that those two had annihilated Paragot, Vilkeil, and even Sisiot were practically zero, but she still could not ignore their connection.
After all, those forces had been dispatched specifically to target the two of them.
'They're a walking calamity.'
Come to think of it, five Demonic Humans had already died because of those two. On top of that, she had to account for one demon and over two hundred combatants. The damage caused by them was truly severe.
'This can't go on.'
They had suffered too many losses.
Moreover, having failed three times in a row, there was no way the other executives would stay quiet. They would try to tear her down somehow.
That was not the only thing she feared.
No, what she truly feared was something else.
'What will the leader think of me? If he considers me useless and casts me out entirely...'
The mere thought was horrifying.
The thought of the leader looking at her with contemptuous eyes made being alive itself a torment.
'I must make amends somehow.'
No, it was already beyond making amends.
Damage control was the more fitting expression.
Capture Yuder Bayel and Cordelia Chase. Inflict the torments of hell upon those two brats. Use them as sacrifices to summon a demon far more powerful than Sisiot.
"Hah."
Soluzia closed her eyes. She shut the Demon Register, steadied her breathing, and slowly rose from her seat.
"Kanos."
"Yes, Soluzia."
Kanos's low reply came from the long shadow cast by a pillar.
Soluzia continued speaking to Kanos, who was already prostrate at her feet.
"Find Cordelia Chase's whereabouts. This time, I will move personally. Mobilize the full strength of the northern branch."
"Understood."
Kanos also recognized the gravity of the situation, so he did not raise any objections.
Capturing Yuder Bayel and Cordelia Chase by any means necessary was the only way for Soluzia and Kanos to earn absolution.
Soluzia looked into the distance.
She glared toward the north, where Frost Anvil was located.
* * *
"Thank you for your work. Take care."
"Yes, yes. Thank you for hiring me."
At the entrance of Lankebust, the largest trading city in the Hraesvelgr territory.
In the first alley after passing through the city gate, Yuder and Cordelia handed a payment to a large man.
He was a man who lived in a village near Lankebust, whom they had met yesterday and hired for the day.
"Please keep it a secret."
"Of course. Even with a blade at my throat, I would keep the secret."
The man, who had thumped his chest and boasted, left the alley with a broad grin.
Then Cordelia spoke.
"He won't keep the secret, will he?"
"If someone slips him a little money and asks, he'll spill it right away. Still, it's fine. It's not the kind of information he'd actively go around selling."
Aside from being a remarkably handsome young man and beautiful young woman, there was nothing particularly identifying about them.
Moreover, the two of them were currently in a disguise of sorts.
"Think they'll take us for siblings since our hair color matches?"
"When people hear things secondhand, even small details can throw them off. It's better than nothing."
The two, who had both dyed their hair brown, were for now acting as siblings.
"The Count Hraesvelgr Household will be looking for a young man and a young woman. Add just one more person and they'll have a much harder time finding us."
That was the reason they had deliberately hired a local young man to pass through the city gate together.
"Will they really be fooled that easily?"
"Those two are madly in love. Think about it from a step back. Would two people who've already run away from home several times, claiming they're going on a honeymoon trip, deliberately add someone else to their journey?"
Cordelia thought it over and was ultimately convinced.
"I understand, but it's kind of sad."
The public perception, that is.
"Me too."
Yuder was the very person who had created that perception, but he nodded in agreement and moved on to another topic.
"Anyway, let's hurry. There's a good chance the Devil's Hand will make another move."
"Ugh... After taking this much damage, won't Soluzia move personally?"
"Most likely."
A high-ranking Demonic Human overseeing the northern branch.
One of the six executives of the Devil's Hand.
Cordelia, who briefly recalled her appearance, clutched the back of her neck and spoke.
"There's something about this, you know."
"Yeah, something."
"We're getting stronger way faster than in the game, but the enemies are also getting stronger—no, appearing way faster. That's the feeling."
"It's not a feeling, it's true. And it'll probably keep happening."
"Why?"
"Why do you think? Because we're winning battles we were originally supposed to lose, and by getting ahead of the situation, we're breaking the original flow."
They had repelled the Demonic Human Minos to neutralize the Devil's Hand's kidnapping attempt itself, and as a result, after defeating many of the Devil's Hand's Demonic Humans, they had forced Soluzia onto the board far earlier than in the original.
This phenomenon would probably continue in the future.
"One obstacle after another."
"So let's hurry up and get stronger."
"Sob, but what if Soluzia comes at us seriously? If she's a high-ranking Demonic Human, we wouldn't stand a chance."
Cordelia's concern was valid. So Yuder nodded and answered in a fairly serious tone.
"It'll be fine as long as we don't drag out the schedule too much. The Wild Lands beyond the border are the Devil's Eye's territory. Even the northern branch leader of the Devil's Hand won't be able to chase us across the border."
The Devil's Hand and the Devil's Eye were rival groups serving different Infernal Lords.
If someone as important as Soluzia, the northern branch leader, made a move, the Devil's Eye would respond in kind. So once they crossed the border, they could stop worrying about the Devil's Hand.
"It kind of feels like entering a tiger's den to avoid a lion, though."
"Well... we do have to clash with the Devil's Eye too, so you're not wrong."
When Yuder shrugged, Cordelia sighed again, but only briefly.
As if deliberately mustering her energy, she shook her body with a shiver and continued in a lively voice.
"Alright, anyway, now we need to meet Red Wind."
"You like Red Wind too?"
"Yeah, second only to Cordelia?"
"Just asking out of curiosity, but how much did you like Yuder?"
"Second from the bottom? Since he's the bastard who tried to steal Cordelia away."
"R-right."
At least he wasn't at the very bottom, so maybe that was a relief.
At Yuder's answer, Cordelia giggled and continued.
"Anyway, at this point in time... she's probably locked up in a slave auction house, right?"
"Yeah, considering when she appears, she should be locked up around now. She was probably captured about a week ago."
Since Red Wind was one of the Playable Characters, Cordelia also knew her early movements in considerable detail.
Red Wind had infiltrated Count Hraesvelgr's territory in the Saelun Kingdom beyond the border to obtain medicine for her father, Red Gale, but infiltration was asking too much of someone who had spent her entire life in the Wild Lands.
In the end, Red Wind's identity was discovered early, and she was captured by slave traders and reduced to slavery.
"Red Wind is pretty, after all."
"The Great Storm tribe is practically elves."
The northern barbarian tribes consisted of dozens of tribes, and among them were tribes whose very species differed entirely.
The Great Storm Tribe carried Forest Elf blood—specifically, the blood of Winter Elves.
"Red Wind's early scenario was escaping from the slave auction house, so... we just need to help her escape, right?"
When Cordelia spoke with a smile, as if excited just thinking about it, Yuder shook his head.
"No, why would we do that?"
"What do you mean, why? Aren't we going to rescue Red Wind?"
"We are. But like I said earlier, our schedule is tight. The reason Red Wind was able to escape the slave auction house was because a raid on the auction house happened to occur, but for that event to happen, we'd have to wait another month."
"Can't we just infiltrate it ourselves and yoink her out?"
"It won't be easy. It'll be dangerous. The place where Red Wind is locked up is the largest slave auction house in the north."
"Then what exactly are you suggesting?"
"Red Wind is a slave right now."
"She is."
"Right, so couldn't we just buy her?"
"Buy Red Wind?"
"Yeah, peacefully buy her with money. Without fighting."
Yuder even showed a bright smile, as if to say what a clear solution this was, but Cordelia pouted her lips.
"I don't like it for some reason."
"Why?"
"Just because."
She had imagined a future where they punished the wicked slave traders and became Red Wind's benefactors.
And on top of that, how to put it, the situation of Yuder buying Red Wind as a slave itself was somehow unpleasant.
"Now that I think about it, there's one more thing that bothers me."
"One more?"
"What about the money?"
Red Wind was beautiful, just as Cordelia said, and therefore had been given a very high price.
The two had cleared minor events along the way and had some money to spare, but only by the standards of ordinary travel expenses.
According to Cordelia's memory, Red Wind's product grade was upper-middle.
To buy someone like her, they would need truly enormous wealth.
But at Cordelia's objection, far from being daunted, Yuder gave a wicked smile.
"Heh heh heh... I already have a plan for that, my lady."
"Wh-what is it?"
When Cordelia, who had unconsciously taken a step back, asked, Yuder, instead of answering, grabbed her wrist.
"Follow me. You'll find out soon enough."
What on earth was he talking about?
Cordelia nodded with an uneasy expression.
And about twenty minutes later.
Standing before a large, lavish building, Cordelia blinked blankly, then turned her head.
"That's your way of making money?"
"That's it."
At Yuder's confident answer, Cordelia looked forward again and read the letters on the large sign.
Lankebust Casino.
Dreams and hope for you.
There was nothing more to say. Cordelia immediately turned around and began mercilessly smacking Yuder's back.
"Ow! Ow!"
"Hurt more! Hurt more!"
Cordelia dragged Yuder into an alley to avoid people's gazes, hit him a few more times, then shouted.
"You idiot! You brought me to a gambling den to make money? I can't believe you!"
"Come on, I'm telling you it's fine."
"Fine my ass! Engagement's off! Off! Gambler, out!"
Yuder stepped back to avoid Cordelia, who opened her mouth as if she might actually bite him, and quickly spoke while extending one hand forward like a tamer calming a wild beast.
"It's really fine. You know who I am, right?"
"A gambler?"
"...Outboxer009. The undisputed #1 in Hero Legend 2."
"I suddenly want to hit you more."
"Anyway, trust me. Have you ever seen me talk nonsense?"
Yuder spoke seriously and looked Cordelia straight in the eye. She furrowed her brow for a moment, then finally let her shoulders droop with a sigh.
"Can you really do it?"
"I can."
"Fine, I'll trust you."
"Thank you, my lady. I'll make you rich overnight, so look forward to it."
"Just don't blow it all. If you do, the engagement is off immediately. Got it, my fiancé?"
"Of course I do. Follow me."
Yuder extended his hand to Cordelia as if escorting her, and Cordelia, albeit with a displeased face, took his hand.
"Now then, shall we go win big?"
"You'd better win."
"Come on, I told you not to worry. And... honestly, you trust me too, right?"
Because it was Yuder, of all people.
"Hmph, no I don't?"
Cordelia immediately snorted, but her eyes gave her away.
No, if she truly had no faith, she would have opposed it to the end.
"I'll live up to that faith, miss."
"I said I don't have any, and you keep saying that."
Whatever she said, the two of them walked side by side toward the casino.
And at the same time.
In Baylun, a border city that could be called the southernmost region of the north, a very important meeting was taking place.
"I can no longer just stand by and watch."
The one speaking in a very serious tone was Count Bayel, one of the Ten Great Swordsmen of the Saelun Kingdom and Yuder Bayel's father.
"If the current situation continues, Count Hraesvelgr will have no choice but to issue a wanted order. And that... would truly be the worst possible situation."
Despite their engagement already being recognized by both families, all three count households would issue wanted notices across the north to capture the two young lovers who had run away together.
There was no greater disgrace.
Moreover, the Devil's Hand's movements also weighed on his mind. They had to secure the two before something truly serious happened.
"It would be good if either you or I could move personally, but... that would be difficult."
At Count Bayel's words, Count Chase nodded silently.
Whether it was Count Bayel, who ruled Baylun, or Count Chase, the head of the Red Dawn Tower, neither could simply travel all the way to the distant Count Hraesvelgr territory.
If worst came to worst, they might have to be away from their posts for over a month.
"So instead, I'm thinking of sending Gale."
Gale Bayel.
Count Bayel's eldest son and Yuder's older brother.
Count Chase nodded at what was effectively the strongest card the Count Bayel Household could play.
"On our side, I'll send Adelia."
"Adelia? Isn't that child in the capital right now?"
Her situation was different from Gale's, who was staying at the Count Bayel Household to inherit the territory.
Count Chase's eldest daughter was one of the seven commanders of the Royal Guard Magic Corps, after all.
"She took leave and came down. She seems to have a lot of complaints about what's been happening between that Yuder brat and Cordelia lately."
Count Chase chose not to mention his eldest daughter's words: 'It's obvious that pretty-boy bastard Yuder is toying with our kind, innocent, angelic Cordelia!'
"Gale and Adelia... That should be sufficient."
"It should be."
"When do they depart?"
"They could leave right this moment."
"Same on our side."
Because they could no longer stand by and watch Yuder and Cordelia cause trouble for Count Hraesvelgr.
Moreover, they were fathers who were deeply worried about the two's safety.
And one hour later.
Gale Bayel and Adelia Chase departed the border city of Baylun to arrest the maddening couple.