A Just Reward
The adventurer guild's information network was competent. Not just a little competent, but extraordinarily so. They guided us through the complicated paths without the slightest hesitation and organized all the intelligence they'd gathered here before sharing it.
"There are currently 1,829 personnel in the encampment. Four hundred and eighty-three were killed in the recent battle. Reinforcements from other regions who heard the news late will arrive to fill the gaps, but it's unclear what choice Count Serbia, the commander of the encampment, will make."
"Is this Serbia or Sergei guy the mastermind behind all this?"
"Yes. Officially, he announced that suspicious movements had been detected among the heterogeneous races gathered in the forest."
"His real goal is probably kidnapping those races."
"A textbook example of an incompetent noble. He was in such a rush to bolster his numbers that he failed to notice black mages, imperial separatists, and seven other organizations slipping into the encampment."
That's impressive in more ways than one. I couldn't help but marvel at the count's staggering incompetence. The mere thought of how he'd been running his territory all this time made me sigh.
The information officer, who had taken the seventh path at an eighteen-way fork, delivered the shocking news.
"The First Prince's faction has been making moves to contact the High Elf by any means necessary."
"I think I get it. They're trying to grind favor with the Elf Kingdom, right?"
"Close. The official objective is to establish diplomatic relations with the Elf Kingdom. The unofficial one is to obtain a spiritual elixir to cure the First Prince's curse. That's actually why they moved so recklessly, even at the risk of friction with the North. The Second Prince's faction intervened to obstruct them."
"Curse?"
I frowned at the sudden revelation. The information officer gave a small smile and unveiled an enormous secret.
"The imperial family of the empire carries a curse that manifests irregularly due to some unknown power."
"What kind of curse?"
"Even we don't know the details. What we do know is that most members of the imperial family die young, unable to endure it."
"So the First Prince has it."
"Treatment cases are extremely rare, and both the manifestation rate and mortality rate for those of imperial blood are incredibly high. That's why the First Princess, who was born to a maid and whose identity remained hidden until she was five, was still officially recognized as a member of the imperial family."
"Holy shit."
As the bigger picture formed in my mind, the curse slipped out before I could stop it. Considering the average moral character of the central nobles, the bright demeanor the First Princess had shown was nothing short of a miracle. When I pictured her enjoying academy life with the Luci siblings right about now, the information officer glanced at my expression and corrected my assumption.
"They say the siblings got along well when they were young, so the First Princess didn't face any particular discrimination."
"Really?"
"Yes. However, they grew distant as they aged. When the curse manifested in the First Prince—who had seemed perfectly healthy—their relationship completely collapsed."
"That's enough. Even if I know her, it's rude to gather information behind her back."
It was incredibly juicy intel—the kind that made me want to pop some popcorn. But since it might be part of the First Princess's past that she wouldn't want revealed, I stopped the information officer there. He nodded in understanding.
It'd be nice to hear the rest directly from her someday. I had no idea where these people dug up information like this.
"To summarize, the First Prince's goal is rescuing the High Elf, the Second Prince's is to interfere, and everyone else is after the High Elf and the other races. Correct?"
"Precisely."
"Good enough. We kill everyone who gets in the way. Those who surrender get locked up, hauled in front of a Priest of Truth, have their sins weighed, and receive appropriate punishment."
Most of them would probably end up as lifelong slaves anyway.
After traveling for some time without offering even a shred of sympathy to the prospective slaves who would have to endure the malice of monsters literally born to torment people in the most creative ways possible, we finally reached our destination. The maze of distorted paths vanished, and a beautiful forest unveiled by moonlight welcomed us. Pure white moonlight bathed the land, and at the center of a mystical clearing thick with lunar energy stood a village housing what had to be hundreds of heterogeneous races.
The wooden structures were of superb quality—clearly built by dwarves. Werewolves from the village outskirts came running at incredible speed. They had used anthropomorphosis to transform into massive wolfmen. They approached me, sniffed, and their fur immediately bristled.
"Sniff, sniff. The scent of the strong!"
"Just smelling it makes my fur stand on end!"
"As expected, every Northerner is powerful!"
As I watched them with a slightly dumbfounded look, a beautiful voice like rolling jade beads came from among the werewolves.
"Have you visited all the assembly points?"
It was my first time hearing the voice, but I immediately guessed the speaker's identity. I answered with proper courtesy.
"Yes. As you requested, I stopped at every remaining assembly point and transported the heterogeneous races to the Water Realm. Once we move the races from the Moonlight Tree Forest, everything will be finished."
"That's a relief. Everyone was worried after sensing the chaos in the Central region, but you've eased our concerns."
"We simply carried out the commission. It was only possible thanks to those who haven't forgotten their families and neighbors in the North."
The werewolves crowding around me parted, revealing the High Elf. Fair, flawless skin. Hair like strands of woven platinum. Beautiful emerald eyes. Everything about her seemed unreal, but the most striking feature was the sprouts growing from the ground where she stood—some blooming into flowers, others becoming grass, and still others growing into saplings.
While the adventurers exclaimed in wonder at the sight of life being born in fast-forward, I—who could read the flow of the mysterious phenomenon—immediately understood her condition.
"It looks like you're still clumsy at controlling that power."
The High Elf looked startled. She clearly hadn't expected anyone to realize the display was the result of awkward power handling. Her voice carried genuine surprise when she answered.
"That's correct. Mastering this power requires a great deal of time, and I need guidance from my older sister or brother who became High Elves before me."
"When you head north, Kierre will look after you. I hear he's been a High Elf for a hundred years now."
I spoke while opening a rift connected to the Water Realm in midair. The High Elf smiled brightly.
"My name is Eliane. I will never forget your kindness."
"If you're grateful, treat us to a big meal later."
"I will."
Eliane chuckled, apparently amused by our conversation, and gazed at the rift leading to the Water Realm with curious eyes.
"Gardener of the World Tree, I will guide both you and these people to the Water Realm."
"Then I'll leave it to you."
The information officer had moved to Eliane's side at some point. He bowed politely and escorted her through. The werewolves who remained behind called the villagers over and guided them into the Water Realm. Since multiple rifts connected to it, the evacuation proceeded in orderly fashion and finished in moments.
"Then let's head in ourselves."
"Uahaha! So we go in and come out in the North?"
Once the last werewolves had gone through, only the adventurers remained in the Moonlight Tree Forest. After confirming that everyone they were responsible for had reached safety, a strange fervor burned in the adventurers' eyes. Every shackle that had been holding them back had finally been released.
They had restrained themselves for the artisans who crafted excellent equipment for them. They had held back for the heterogeneous races who had fought alongside them for the North. Every time they walked the streets of central cities and witnessed citizens' growing resentment toward greedy nobles—and learned how openly those nobles' crimes were known—they felt ashamed that such people shared the noble title with those of the North.
They wanted to kill them all. But they had endured and suppressed that urge constantly to avoid a single casualty. Now their gazes turned to me—like demons begging for the seal to be broken.
I shed the polite mask I'd worn in front of Eliane and gave a savage grin. In an atmosphere so tense a bomb might go off at any moment, Adela spoke to me with her usual blank expression.
"Argo, all preparations are complete."
"Let's head out to the forest."
I left dozens of rifts around the now-empty village and moved beyond the treeline. With the werewolves who had maintained the barrier gone, the path had returned to normal and was absurdly shorter than when we'd entered. It didn't take long before the encampment beyond the forest came into view.
Faint shouts reached my ears.
"What are you fools doing! The barrier is down, so prepare the troops and advance!"
The count—who hadn't shown even a single hair when we attacked the encampment—was now rampaging like a tyrant, urging his soldiers on.
"So that greedy, ugly old bastard is Count Serbia."
"He's acting exactly like he looks."
"If he steps forward like that, it's good for us."
Unlike Owen, he really did act like his appearance suggested. I sneered and stepped out of the forest. The knights, sensing our presence late, hurriedly drew their swords. When Count Serbia spotted me, his face filled with terror.
"E-Edenberg's Summoner?!"
The person who should have entered the forest and never come out had appeared. He unconsciously stepped back, but conscious of the surrounding eyes, he shouted in a trembling voice.
"M-Master of the North! What you have done is a grave sin that could create a rift between the Central and Northern regions!"
His voice had been shaking at first. But as I stayed silent and countless eyes focused on him, he gained confidence. His voice grew stronger. Shoving aside the knights trying to restrain him, the count stepped forward and even pointed accusingly, spittle flying.
I watched quietly, then finally couldn't hold back and let out a laugh.
Of course he wouldn't be scared. At his level, he was a full-fledged high noble. He probably believed he wouldn't be harmed because of the political repercussions.
Too bad. My backer, the Grand Duke, had said I could kill anyone below the count rank as I pleased.
Sword-Spear Throw
In an instant, light flashed. The sword-spear that vanished from my hand pierced through the seven guards protecting the count and embedded itself precisely in his abdomen.
......!
Everyone in the encampment froze in shock at the completely unexpected development. No one had imagined I would actually kill the count. They stood petrified as if under a time-stop spell. I used Blink to appear before the fallen count, grabbed his neck, and lifted him up.
"Guh...!"
"C-Count!"
"You bastard! Remove your hand from the Count at once!"
The knights finally snapped out of it and leveled their weapons in fury. But they still hadn't fully recovered from the shock—their sword tips trembled like aspen leaves, and their eyes darted frantically between me and the count.
Yeah, you thought this was WWE? Sorry, it's UFC.
As I smiled at finally turning an imagined scenario into reality, the mage from Count Serbia's household shouted.
"Master of the North! How do you plan to handle the repercussions of attacking the Count?!"
"His Highness the Grand Duke gave permission."
"What...?!"
The mage looked incredulous, but what could he do about it? Even if I went around slaughtering nobles, the empire stayed silent. All he could do was realize the truth when he saw it. By then, maybe everyone here would be doing volunteer labor in the North?
Crack.
"Guh...!"
I squeezed, snapping the count's neck, then casually tossed his impaled body toward the knights. As they scrambled in panic to catch the corpse, I swung the sword-spear in a graceful arc. The brilliant aura blade drew a perfect semicircle, severing the upper and lower halves of the surrounding knights.
The soldiers watching the spectacle stared with faces full of terror.
I unleashed all the anger I'd been suppressing without restraint. The faint-hearted couldn't endure it and fainted on the spot. Ignoring them, I gave the rest one final chance. Smiling fiercely, I raised the hand not holding the sword-spear and brought it down. It was the signal I'd promised Adela before leaving the forest.
Having confirmed the signal, Adela exerted her dominance for the first time since birth, calling forth the beings she'd hidden beneath the forest floor.
"Kiiik."
"Kiiiik."
"Keeck."
The war ants that had been cleverly concealed in the moonlight revealed themselves. Among the hundreds of individuals, every single one was either a special or higher species. Behind them, the ordinary war ant legion poured out from the rifts like a waterfall.
Beatrice, who had appeared alongside the legion, smiled seductively and pointed at the encampment.
"My children, teach the ignorant enemies before you the meaning of fear."
"""Kieeeeeeeeeek!!!"""
The war ant legion—created from the genes they'd absorbed—burst out of the forest and assaulted the encampment. The adventurers, who had been itching for action, cheered and raised their weapons.
"Kyaaahoo! It's justice time!"
"I couldn't just stand by and watch trash that tarnishes the honor of nobles who sacrifice for the North simply by existing. Finally!"
"Rip them apart and kill them!"
"How painful this time of patience has been!"
With ecstatic smiles, the adventurers swept away every piece of trash in sight. The massacre that followed made the one-sided trampling from mere minutes ago look like child's play. People's reactions split into two groups.
"We surrender! We surrendeeeer!"
"Everyone drop your weapons! Do not resist!"
"Fuck! There was nothing in the contract about fighting monsters like these!"
"I-I only came because my lord ordered me to! Please, spare me!"
One group surrendered to survive—either because their crimes were relatively light or, like the First Prince's faction, because they had come for different reasons. The other group—those with heavy sins or who didn't trust the surrender offer—resisted desperately.
"Shut up and pick up your weapons!"
"You think they'll accept our surrender?!"
"I'm running!"
The resisting side seemed confident in their skills and managed to take out a few war ants, but that was the extent of it.
"Aaaaaagh!"
"S-Spare me! I'll surrender! Please!"
"Guh...!"
The majority couldn't withstand the wave of war ants rushing over them like a tide and were torn apart alive. Those who held out even slightly were finished off by the higher species or the adventurers. In less than ten minutes, aside from the small number who had surrendered, every last enemy was annihilated. The sea of ants covering the encampment let out a victorious roar.
"Kiiiiik!"
"Keeeeeeek!"
They emitted a vivid presence as if declaring to all rivals that this place was now their territory. I watched with satisfaction, then turned to look at the First Prince's faction kneeling on the ground. Their faces had gone pale at the ants' roars, but the fact that they still maintained their reason was commendable.
"Summoner of Edenberg, we have no intention of opposing you. In fact, we never planned to kidnap the heterogeneous races to begin with. If it is not too rude, please grant us the opportunity to speak with you."
"Fine."
I accepted their request for dialogue. In front of the watching war ant legion and adventurers, Viscount Nerim opened his mouth.
"It is an honor to meet the Summoner of Edenberg. I am Viscount Nerim, who serves His Highness the First Prince..."
"Skip it. Get to the point."
"...I will assist in dealing with the nobles who have offended you."
"I was going to hunt them down and kill them anyway."
"Th-then, are you aware that high-ranking black mages are targeting the High Elf? We will help stop them from targeting the heterogeneous races as well!"
"Nah, I'm good."
Sorry, but I only said I'd listen to the conversation. I never said I'd listen to the end.
As I looked at the dejected Viscount Nerim, I fell into thought. According to the information officers, the only relatively decent factions in the rotting empire were the First and Second Princes' factions and the First Princess's faction. If I killed them all, there would be no empire officials left to clean up the aftermath of my noble hunt. I was pondering what to do about it when—
"W-What the...?!"
"Hm?"
A shocked voice came from the direction we'd arrived in the carriage. I turned my head. Heavily armed elves stood there, staring at us with unconcealed astonishment. From their appearance, they didn't look like members of some hidden village in the Central region.
Had the Elf Kingdom sent people to rescue the High Elf?
I rubbed my chin, lost in thought for a moment. Then I spotted the people emerging from among the elves, and my thoughts ground to a halt.
"Whoa! War ants!"
"First time seeing them in person. So this is what they look like?"
Appearances that resembled the sun itself. An overwhelmingly distinct presence. An aura that didn't lose out even when compared to mine. The ones who had appeared among the elves were watching the war ants with sparkling eyes.
Unable to stay silent, I spoke up.
"Why are you guys here?"
"The Elf Kingdom asked us to come rescue the High Elf!"
"We knew you'd take care of it anyway, Argo, so we weren't too worried. But the elves were anxious."
I stared at the Luci siblings with a dumbfounded expression.
No, you two are academy students. How does the Elf Kingdom end up asking students for help? If there were protagonists in this world, it would probably be these two. I let out a hollow laugh.