The Grasping Hand of Pursuit
It turns out this whole "pursuit's grasping hand" thing reminds me of something I read in a book once. Apparently, even after a person's head gets cut off, the brain stays conscious for a few minutes. I waved my palm wildly in front of the eyes while holding the head, but I couldn't really tell. The pupils might've moved, or maybe they didn't. Either way, that arrogant narcissist of an S-rank adventurer had become a headless ghost. Thanks to him, I'd once again confirmed just how ridiculously powerful Tirga was. If I could get my hands on two or three more SSS-rank summons, there'd be nothing left in this world to fear. I wonder what the actual drop rate for SSS-ranks is? Probably absurdly low. Even SSRs barely ever show up.
"Boss, why are you still holding that creepy severed head?"
"Huh? I was just curious about something."
"I can never figure you out, Boss. You seem like a good person, but sometimes you're downright terrifying..."
"Life's boring if you're too straightforward."
Anyway, hanging around a crime scene was never a good idea. This time I decided to get out of there fast and test out the airship the dwarf had given me. When I summoned the Provecti, it descended to the ground with a strong gust of wind. Unlike Solaris, it didn't have instant teleportation, so I had to board it manually every time—that was a bit of a downside. Still, it looked pretty damn cool. Had that nice steampunk vibe going for it.
"W-what is this thing, Boss?"
"My new summon and ride."
"Ooh, looks sturdy. Mind if I give it a whack, Master?"
"Absolutely not!"
This brainless summon... Was she planning to smash her master's property and empty his wallet? I'd have to teach her a lesson in bed tonight.
***
This place was the headquarters of the Northern Federation's Ferrum Marcus army—better known as the Red Army or the Revolutionary Army. Officers in dark brown uniforms with red-starred epaulets had gathered for a meeting. Humans, beastmen, orcs, dark elves—their races were all over the place. That made sense; they'd all fled north to escape the Silvareich Empire's genocide against non-elves. Some had sought refuge in the Holy Empire instead.
The Silvareich Empire treated every race except humans (for breeding) and dwarves (for their engineering skills) like insects. They threw people into camps or used them as test subjects, committing atrocities too vile for words. The Revolutionary Army took in all the refugees, and their propaganda about equality worked well to unite so many different races.
"The situation is dire, Comrade Leader! The Holy Empire's forces are marching north to slaughter our comrades."
"Meanwhile, we haven't even finished dealing with the filthy northern nobles yet. If this keeps up, we'll be fighting on two fronts!"
As the conversation made clear, the Revolutionary Army's leadership was in crisis over the Holy Empire's intervention in their civil war. The Red Army had been holding its own against the White Army of the nobles, but the Holy Empire's entry had put them in danger of being crushed between two sides.
Just then, the door burst open and a beastman rushed in.
"Urgent news, comrades! The Holy Empire's elite force—the Paladin Order—that was entering the north has been completely annihilated!"
"What?! Who could have done that?"
"It doesn't matter who did it. The gods have aided us!"
"Comrade, did you just say the gods helped us? Your ideology is impure."
When the leader, who had been silently lost in thought, finally spoke, the atmosphere in the room turned ice-cold. He summoned a soldier waiting outside and ordered the beastman who had mentioned the gods to be dragged off to a labor re-education camp. Religion was the opium of the people, and such talk was absolutely unacceptable in the Red Army.
"P-please, spare me! I was wrong!"
"What kind of revolutionary calls himself a warrior of the revolution when his head is full of nonsense? Isn't that right, Comrade Blanov?"
"Indeed, Comrade Leader."
"Radimir—no, Comrade Leader—do you have any good ideas?"
"Of course I do. Did you really think I'd be incompetent enough to send our great revolutionary comrades to their deaths?"
Radimir looked like an arctic fox beastman—snow-white hair, small and cute ears. But despite her adorable appearance, she was cunning and shrewd. She was the one who had sparked the communist revolution in the Northern Federation and now led the Revolutionary Army. Originally just a laborer and lower-class citizen in the largest, wealthiest northern territory, she had awakened to communist ideology after meeting Blanov. She gathered the people, formed a revolutionary group, and the corrupt, incompetent nobles and lords couldn't stop them. In the end, the territory fell to Radimir, Blanov, and the communists. The lord and nobles were executed after people's trials. That marked the true beginning of the revolution and rebellion. From there, they expanded their influence until they were fighting on equal footing with the ruling class led by the Grand Duke of the North.
"Those greenhouse flowers from the Holy Empire don't understand our harsh northern terrain. Besides, the ferocious monsters can be considered our allies."
"Comrade Leader is correct. If we form agile, hardy guerrilla units to tie them down at the borders, they won't dare advance recklessly."
"Ooh, as expected of our great Comrade Leader!"
"But what if those filthy imperial elves join the war too? Won't that be dangerous?"
"Don't worry about that. I'll meet with the Empire's Chancellor directly and sign a non-aggression pact."
After various opinions were exchanged, the Red Army officers left the meeting room feeling reassured. No matter their race, everyone wanted a strong leader to guide and protect them. They simply trusted Radimir.
Once everyone had gone, only Radimir and Blanov remained.
"Comrade Blanov."
"Yes, Comrade Leader."
"Did you perhaps hire some skilled mercenaries without my knowledge?"
"What do you mean...?"
"Even our swift and sharp-toothed comrades struggle against the Holy Empire's paladins. Yet an entire paladin order was wiped out without a single survivor? No matter how I think about it, it doesn't add up. I suspect our clever comrade has been scheming behind the scenes."
"I truly know nothing about this."
Radimir stared at Blanov with suspicious eyes, but Blanov met her gaze without flinching, looking genuinely wronged.
"Could it be the work of those black-hearted elves? I can't even begin to imagine who or how they managed to slaughter thousands of elite troops."
"I agree. Shall we investigate this matter?"
"Do that. And find a way to recruit such a capable individual and their forces into our Revolutionary Army. That's an order. Understood?"
"Yes, Comrade."
Thus, Blanov began deploying his intelligence agents to search both inside and outside the Revolutionary Army. Of course, the Revolutionary Army wasn't the only one looking for this monstrous mercenary. Richel's pursuit team, working with the Empire's Security Bureau, was also on Marquelon's trail. Richel's unit had been searching the area around the Xeno Prison Camp where Marquelon was last seen when they found a clue.
"Sergeant Richel, the human's tracks end here."
"Does that mean he flew away like a bird?"
"He might have used magic, but that's the only explanation we have right now."
"He's a summoner. It wouldn't be strange if he used some bizarre summon to travel. Any word from the Security Bureau?"
"None. It seems he's left the Empire."
Richel felt her heart burning. While she had a duty to bring a talented individual back to the Empire, her personal longing for Marquelon was far stronger. She kept reminiscing about the passionate nights they'd spent together at Troopers Castle. Just thinking about it made her body and mind ache with desire—so much so that her thighs grew damp.
'Ah, Marquelon... where are you? Next time we meet, should I tie up your arms and legs so you can't run? No, that's impossible with that terrifying woman by his side.'
With no other choice, the pursuit team had to withdraw. Even the spirit- and magic-armed Imperial Guard found tracking someone easy, but pursuing someone who had escaped into the sky was impossible.
Meanwhile, the one who had caused all this chaos...
***
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Drinking in the middle of the day felt a little sinful, but on a day this joyful, booze was mandatory. I still couldn't forget the looks on their faces. The gangsters had clearly thought I'd been killed by Hureyu, so when they saw me, they looked like they'd seen a ghost and collapsed. Ulk's expression was especially priceless. The moment he saw me, the cigar fell right out of his mouth, and when he spotted Hureyu's severed head, his jaw dropped. He had his subordinate bring me a box containing 100 gold, and even threw in a few expensive jewels on top.
When you make big money, it's only natural to treat people. Repairing Solaris wasn't urgent, and with this much cash I could afford all kinds of luxuries. So there I was, throwing a drinking party in a room salon with beautiful non-human girls—beastmen, dark elves, humans. Orcs were excluded, of course. Even I had my limits when it came to embracing orc women!
I'd given Tirga and Lati some money and sent them off to buy something tasty, telling them I had business to handle. They'd had their fill often enough; sometimes other women deserved a taste too. Besides, I'd never been with a dark elf woman before, so I'd asked Ulk to invite Kathleen—the one I'd seen on stage that day—to join us.
The protagonist always appears last. Platinum-blonde hair cascading like waves, a smooth, round forehead like an overturned bowl, golden eyes as dazzling as gold bars. But my gaze had already locked onto the deep cleavage of her dress. It was inevitable. No man with a girlfriend or wife could see that without his eyes going wide.
"Sorry I'm late. I shouldn't keep an important guest waiting."
"So you're Kathleen? I enjoyed your performance yesterday. Have a drink first."
Even the way she drank was beautiful. I felt the urge to cover those lips with my own right away. But everything has its time. Just like you should enjoy all the different dishes at a buffet, here I should enjoy all the women. Stuffing yourself with only the expensive food without thinking looks tacky. So I embraced every girl.
"Alright, one more toast!"
"Cheers!"