Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Demonic Energy
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Frontier Manor, third floor.
Splat.
Thud.
"Failed again?"
Anna, who had tumbled from the strong impact, hurriedly stood up.
"I'm sorry, Madam."
Nothing had been going right lately.
After marrying the Frontier Viscount, everything had gone smoothly.
She had pushed out the children from the first wife and worked to make her own child the heir.
And those efforts had been successful.
Until Elwin came back from the dead.
"What about the cleanup?"
"We never revealed her identity from the start."
"Even so, Elwin would have figured it out."
"There's no evidence. We confirmed the Sweeper Mercenary Corps is all dead too."
Brilda collapsed into her chair like she was crumbling.
"Did you find out why he gathered the mercenaries?"
"I'm sorry, but it seems related to trolls."
"Trolls?"
Trolls were hard to hunt with regular soldiers.
So it made sense if that's why he called in mercenaries.
"Why do you think that?"
"Because of the commission fee."
"Go on."
"We pay mercenaries for monster subjugation commissions. The amount paid suggests trolls."
"Isn't that obvious? They're stronger than goblins or orcs."
"Even accounting for that, it's a lot."
Looking at Elwin's actions so far,
he wouldn't move without reason.
Brilda roughly swept back her hair.
"Who knew a magicless Elwin could be such a pain. What about Gibson?"
"The young master is learning magic quickly."
For the first time, Brilda's stiff lips curved softly.
*
*
*
West River Heir's office.
The door opened, and Aine entered.
"Sit. How's the mercenary situation?"
Since the Sweeper Mercenary Corps incident,
he'd been checking on mercenaries frequently.
"The influx is actually increasing."
"Increasing?"
"Even when murders happened in the field, the guild just stood by. But you didn't, Heir. And treating the injured with potions helped too."
It seemed good public opinion had formed thanks to his handling and follow-up.
"That's a relief. How's the goblin subjugation prep?"
"Over 100 mercenaries have signed up."
"Good. We depart in three days. Keep an eye on it till the end."
"Understood."
.
.
.
Goblin subjugation battle.
Participating mercenaries: 170.
Participating hunters: 25.
Around 200 people crossed the field toward the area thick with demonic energy.
The mercenaries' mood was quite upbeat.
It was a goblin subjugation— the weakest monsters— but the rewards were orc-level or better.
To the mercenaries, it felt like easy money.
And in a way, it was.
"But... why did the branch chief come along?"
"Staying cooped up in the office was boring."
After the Sweeper incident, the guild branch chief had been going out more.
Not just mercenary matters, but everything else too.
"If it's about Sweeper, you don't need to worry."
"Haha. Still feels bad."
He must have lingering guilt for not handling it properly as branch chief.
At that moment,
a hunter signaled to stop.
The mercenaries' eyes sharpened along with him.
Kaiman was no different.
They took combat stances and slowly approached the demonic energy zone.
"This is..."
"Ho... even the Heir feels it? It's awfully thick demonic energy."
His swordsmanship and magic talent were poor, but he could clearly sense demonic energy.
As they kept walking,
more mercenaries felt it the closer they got to the center.
The moment over half the mercenaries felt uncomfortable from the demonic energy,
a goblin pack appeared ahead.
"What kind of goblins are..."
Goblins were normally small.
Elementary school kid size,
and even regular people could handle them if they knew weapons.
But these goblins were different from normal ones.
If he had to describe them, middle school wrestler vibe.
A bit taller, and much bulkier.
While I was sizing up the goblins,
combat broke out between the mercenaries and goblins.
170 mercenaries vs. 150 goblins.
As expected, the battle overwhelmingly favored the mercenaries.
But not as much as hoped.
'A bit weaker than orcs?'
He knew demonic energy strengthened monsters.
Island monsters were stronger than mainland ones, after all.
But he hadn't expected this much.
A little stronger, and they'd surpass their species.
After the battle ended, the mercenaries moved again.
As I followed them,
Kaiman, walking beside me, spoke.
"Does the Heir feel it?"
"The demonic energy?"
"That too, but the thicker it gets, the harder mana control becomes. At this rate, sword users will struggle a lot."
Taking Kaiman's advice, from the next battle, he changed tactics.
Only about twenty sword expert-level mercenaries attacked aggressively; the rest fought defensively.
After two more battles like that,
they reached the center of the thick demonic energy.
There,
"Can goblins grow that big?"
A goblin taller than a human,
with muscles more developed than an orc.
If not for the face, you'd think another species.
This time too, the expert mercenaries charged to start the fight.
They cut through the bulked-up goblins toward the one that looked like the boss.
Among them, the Innocent Mercenary Corps stood out most.
Boom!
The moment Innocent Mercenary Corps leader Inon's sword clashed with the goblin boss's,
Inon's body floated up and flew back several meters.
As Inon collapsed pathetically,
the other members switched to defense and held out.
Even that didn't look easy.
'And Innocent is the strongest here.'
It was a goblin subjugation, so top-tier mercenaries hadn't joined much.
Shing.
"Worth all the running around. I'll handle this."
.
.
.
30 minutes after Kaiman joined.
All goblins, including the boss, were slain.
Now, they were collecting byproducts and cleaning up.
Then,
"Heir, look at this."
Where the hunter's voice came from, there was a black stone the size of a person's torso.
The moment he saw the stone, he felt it was the source filling the area with demonic energy.
As he stared at the stone, Kaiman's voice came from behind.
"A mana stone."
Mana stone.
A stone containing mana.
Even finger-joint-sized ones were pricey.
But this size?
"Different from normal mana stones. Like it's polluted."
Kaiman's words deflated his excitement.
"Can't use it then?"
"Not sure, but value's way down. Even this close, it's unpleasant."
That wouldn't do.
He needed money.
Money was power.
With money, he could build a stronger force.
He slowly approached and touched the mana stone.
"Heir, that's dangerous..."
He gestured it was fine and closed his eyes.
Earth Restoration (Lv 5)
Purifies polluted land.
Earth Restoration was a skill to purify land.
But what if it could purify the mana stone too?
Money.
A huge sum.
He focused his mind completely.
Like when purifying land polluted by demonic energy.
After concentrating for a long time,
results came.
'Got it. I can do this.'
He hadn't felt if his efforts were working.
But the system mentioned Earth Restoration as a hint.
Meaning it could be done this way.
"Kaiman-nim, leave a few mercenaries and send the rest back."
"Got it."
Following Kaiman's orders, most mercenaries returned with monster byproducts.
Only a few mercenaries remained.
The Innocent Mercenary Corps.
And Simon's group.
All people connected to him.
Kaiman's consideration, no doubt.
After thanking them, he focused again.
To remove the demonic energy from the mana stone.
1 hour. 2 hours.
As he lost track of time,
the sun illuminating the land vanished.
Yet the demonic energy he'd removed was minimal.
'At this rate, over a week. But... no choice.'
The first to notice the demonic energy decreasing was Kaiman.
The second was Innocent leader Inon.
On the second night of purification,
Inon approached.
"What's up?"
"Was the rumor about the Heir true?"
"What rumor?"
"That you met the Goddess."
Goddess?
An unexpected question.
He pulled his hand from the mana stone and turned to Inon.
"What's this suddenly?"
"I grew up in a temple orphanage. Though I wasn't chosen by the Goddess and left, I've never forgotten her."
He knew Inon's background.
How righteously he'd lived.
Hadn't he faced troubles helping those in crisis?
Inon detailed his life.
After the long explanation, Inon met his eyes.
"I've told you everything. So, to ask again: did you really meet the Goddess?"
Inon's serious face filled his view.
The face of someone with great resolve.
That made him hesitate to answer lightly.
'But... I can't tell just Inon the truth.'
The lie about the Goddess to hide the system.
That lie had grown too big.
"You could... say that."
Thud.
Inon dropped to both knees.
And banged his forehead on the ground.
"Accept me. If the Goddess's will is with the Heir, I want to join too."
Inon was plenty useful.
Excellent personal skill, and his character meant no betrayal.
More loyal knight than mercenary.
But if that's why he'd follow...
"Sorry. Can't do that."
"Heir."
Inon crawled and grabbed his feet.
"My body and soul are the Goddess's. I want to serve her. So... please..."
The lie that started it all had ballooned.
Yet his mind pictured Inon joining.
And that vision grew clearer.
'Tempting. Too tempting.'
This time, he knelt.
And clasped his hands in prayer.
Not to use a skill like before.
A sincere prayer to the Earth Goddess.
'I'll take Inon. In return, I'll build a grand temple for you. If you dislike it even now, say so.'
He half-opened one eye.
No reaction around.
'No word means acceptance, right?'
'Honestly, Inon wasn't even chosen by you.'
'I won't tarnish your name. I'll glorify it. So let me have Inon.'
After the long prayer, he opened his eyes.
And met Inon's gaze.
"Inon. Join me."
"Thank you, Heir!"