Chapter 58: The Mission 2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 58: The Mission 2
"Your Majesty, may I take my leave now?"
After handing over a significant amount of information regarding today’s events and Death Heaven, I addressed the Emperor.
Right now, all I wanted to do was collapse onto my bed in the dorms and pass out.
"There is still more to discuss."
However, the Emperor did not grant me permission to leave.
"The Imperial leadership was in a frenzy this morning. I assume you know why?"
"Of course. It must be because a Necromancer appeared."
When a Necromancer uses their power, they leave traces behind. Usually, unless they use a powerful corpse, those traces are difficult to find. But Mordor had summoned several high-level corpses before I used that technique.
"How much do they know about the Necromancer’s appearance?"
"I haven't spoken of it publicly, as I cannot risk causing unnecessary chaos and plunging the people into a state of anxiety. However, a few individuals and the Holy Kingdom likely know the truth."
This was exactly as I expected.
"A meeting was held immediately after the Necromancer's traces were discovered. Most of them speculated that only one Necromancer has survived since the war."
Unfortunately, there were actually nine Necromancers remaining. Since I had already told the Emperor that more existed, he likely had a good idea of the reality.
"Oh boy, then things are going to get quite busy today. They don't know the Necromancer is dead yet, do they?"
"Naturally, they don't. Right now, they are likely still investigating the sewers where the traces were found."
The Emperor answered everything I was curious about.
"May I ask what was discovered in the sewers?"
"They found the bodies of people marked with skull symbols, the corpses of children who were already dead, and finally, charred human remains."
I had burned Mordor’s body immediately, but I hadn't been able to deal with the other bodies or the children.
‘Junior, dealing with the aftermath is a hassle, so let’s think about it later. Can you come somewhere with me?’
Because I had been scooped up in Johanna’s arms, petted, and then whisked straight to the children’s graves.
This was bad. Just recalling that situation caused my poker face to shatter instantly.
‘To think my poker face would break just from imagining it.’
I couldn't even fathom what would happen if I actually met Johanna right now. If I hadn't been wearing my mask, the Emperor would have seen my face turning bright red.
"Are those charred remains the Necromancer? Is there anything else you're curious about?"
Hearing the Emperor’s words, I hesitated for a moment before deciding to speak up.
"Your Majesty, is it really alright for you to tell me all this?"
The investigation regarding the Necromancer was likely top secret. Was it okay for me to know everything?
"There is likely no one who knows the current situation better than you, so it doesn't particularly matter if I tell you. If anything, if there are errors in our findings, you can correct them."
The Emperor then added, "And..."
"I will announce that the Necromancer is dead, but I won't say that you were the one who killed him. However, so many people saw you running around with Lady Freya this morning that you might be found out anyway."
I had acted quite conspicuously. Honestly, moving quietly would have been best, but I was too agitated at the time to think straight.
"That's fine."
The Emperor looked at me and continued.
"All sorts of people will take an interest in you. I will keep it a secret as much as possible, but those who need to know will find out soon enough. Even if you are in the Academy, they will find a way to contact you."
Everyone who knew about this incident was a high-ranking official. For people like that, contacting someone inside the Academy would be trivial.
An ordinary person would find such attention burdensome, but...
"Do you really think I would fear that kind of attention?" I spoke while gesturing to my mask and red cloak.
"Hah."
The Emperor let out a faint laugh at the sight of my mask and cloak.
"Still, if possible, please try to keep it under wraps. I don't mind the attention of others, but I'd rather not have the Necromancers interested in me."
If they found out I was the one who killed Mordor, the Necromancers would definitely try to kill me. Not to avenge Mordor, but for the sake of Death Heaven’s solidarity.
Death Heaven was an organization created by Necromancers primarily to avoid death. Now that one of their own had been killed, they would feel compelled to eliminate the person responsible to maintain the group's cohesion.
‘If I were strong enough, it wouldn't matter.’
In fact, if that were the case, I would welcome the Necromancers coming to me. It would save me the trouble of hunting them down. But for now, it was too much.
I had killed Mordor, but that was only because his abilities are easy to counter if you already know them. Many of the other Necromancers have abilities that are impossible to deal with even if you know what they are.
How could anyone stop a Necromancer who controls over a thousand corpses, even if they knew that was their power?
"Well then, I shall truly take my leave..."
"I still have more to say."
Was it because I was exhausted from everything that happened today? Or was it because my poker face had broken earlier when thinking about Johanna?
"Eh... is there still more to talk about?"
A complaining tone slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. Even though I had learned Shadow Step from the Emperor and had met him quite a few times, this was undeniably a rude act.
"Hahaha! Could you perhaps pretend you didn't hear what I just said?"
"Hahahaha!"
Instead, the Emperor laughed at my reaction.
"I intended to call for you even if this morning's events hadn't occurred. The Necromancer business just made me call you a bit earlier."
The Emperor paused for a moment before speaking.
"You remember Baron Ashro, don't you?"
"Pardon? Of course I do."
I wondered why that name was coming up now, but I answered regardless.
Baron Ashro. In the game, he was the man who addicted villagers to drugs and turned peaceful people into murderers. However, because I had disguised myself as Cardinal the Phantom Thief and stolen all the drugs from the Baron's estate, that tragedy never occurred.
"Have you not dealt with him yet?"
This was honestly unexpected. I thought the Emperor would have executed him immediately.
"I am currently having the Shadows monitor him. I simply cannot fathom where a man like Baron Ashro obtained those drugs."
Now that I thought about it, it was strange. How did a mere backwater Baron obtain drugs that were strictly prohibited by law? That was never revealed in the game. Neither I nor other players had paid much attention to that detail.
"You are aware that the Special Class you belong to receives requests, unlike the other first-years, correct?"
This was also a sudden shift in topic.
"Yes, I am aware."
The third-years were already taking on requests. Through the request system, students could gain practical combat experience while helping citizens solve their problems.
"But what does that have to do with Baron Ashro... Wait, surely you don't mean...?"
Mid-sentence, a realization struck me.
"That 'surely' is correct. A request has been submitted to the Special Class. The client is Baron Ashro. The content of the request is to find a certain item stolen by Cardinal the Phantom Thief."
I was the Cardinal who stole it, and he’s asking the Special Class I belong to for help?
"Hahahaha! This is absurd."
"Haha, as you say, it is absurd."
The Emperor and I both burst into laughter. It was hard to tell if it was a hollow laugh at the absurdity of it all or a sneer directed at Baron Ashro.
"..."
"..."
We both stopped laughing.
"But didn't Baron Ashro tell the newspapers that Cardinal the Phantom Thief didn't steal anything?"
And yet, the request was to find the items stolen by Cardinal.
"According to him, he only said that because he was embarrassed..."
"Suspicious."
"Very suspicious."
What I had stolen from Baron Ashro while disguised as Cardinal was drugs. It was understandable why he’d hide that. If he were caught with drugs, he’d lose his title at the very least.
But to request help from the Special Class? What was he going to do if the Special Class students realized that what Cardinal stole was drugs?
"What do you think of this situation?"
The Emperor must have already formed his own conclusion before asking me. The reason he was asking... was likely to test me.
"It’s one of two things. Either he absolutely must find the drugs even if it means making a request, or he had business with the Special Class students from the start."
Hearing my words, the Emperor tapped his chair and asked, "Which of the two do you think is more likely?"
"The latter is far more likely, of course. If he absolutely had to find the drugs, it would be better to spend his fortune hiring mercenaries. To request the Special Class despite the risk of the drugs being discovered? If that were truly the case, we’d have to worry about Baron Ashro’s intelligence level."
Tap, tap.
"Then why did you mention the first possibility instead of just the second?"
"Well, obviously," I replied. "If he were intelligent, he wouldn't have had the drugs in the first place."
The Emperor burst into laughter at my remark.
"That is true."
.
.
.
The next morning, I ran into Johanna.
"..."
"..."
The silence continued, and just as I was about to speak first to break the awkwardness—
""Um...""
Johanna and I spoke at the same time.
"Senior, you go first."
"Well... my father said he wants me to bring you home once."
"Me??"
Johanna nodded.