The Purge Begins
The massive purification operation was underway. As the Lucy siblings approached without the slightest hesitation, the elves panicked and tried to stop them.
But the Lucy siblings paid no attention to the elves' warnings and walked straight into the swarm of ants. The elves nearly had a heart attack at the sight, yet they let out a sigh of relief when they saw how docile the ants were. Even the academy students who had followed the siblings remained relatively calm, making the elves wonder if they had overreacted.
That thought vanished the moment they looked at the things above the campsite.
Mornon, the captain of the Elvenheim Guard and a dark elf, stared at the horrific scene before him with trembling eyes. Traces of a massacre that had claimed at least a thousand lives. Survivors lost in panic after being overwhelmed by terror. Adventurers radiating power so intense that even he, a Master, felt the pressure. Everything was far from ordinary, but what truly unnerved the elves wasn't the human weapons known as adventurers. It was the ants that filled the area.
Eyes as inorganic as soulless puppets. Pure killing intent devoid of any emotion. Thousands of living weapons created solely for war were crawling about, and a wave of fear washed over them. Especially since they knew exactly what these ants were, thanks to their exchanges with the North.
'He's controlling War Ants? How is that even possible?'
It was a sight that defied all of Mornon's common sense. Yet no matter how much he wanted to deny it, the evidence was right in front of him. How could he look away?
Steeling his trembling heart, Mornon offered a polite bow to the one who appeared to be the group's leader.
After the brief self-introductions and explanations of their purpose, Mornon's expression brightened slightly. He'd been worried the ants might mean this person was dangerous, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
Yet he wasn't the only one who relaxed. I, too, let out a small sigh of relief at Mornon's words.
I was worried he'd suddenly lose his mind and demand we hand over the High Elf. Looks like that won't be an issue.
The Elf Kingdom was a close ally of the North. Since it was the most comfortable region for heterogeneous races to operate in, exchanges between them were naturally frequent. They had built enough trust that Kierre, a High Elf, could serve as the leader of the guild's information team. Unlike the Empire, they couldn't afford to act like reckless fools.
Of course, they knew that as well, so they would likely remain friendly toward us.
Mornon glanced around before asking, "If it's not too much trouble, could you tell me where the World Tree's Gardener and the other members of our kin are?"
Mornon looked astonished at my explanation. However, he didn't doubt the truth of my words. After all, Mysteries that granted conditional immortality existed. Why wouldn't a pocket dimension capable of housing people be possible? Strictly speaking, it wasn't even a Mystery, but explaining that would take too long. I'd given a simplified version, and Mornon accepted it with a look of admiration.
Judging by how the elves called them Benefactors, it seemed the siblings had gone through quite an ordeal themselves. I wondered how they had managed to rise to Gold-class all the way from the Central region. Swallowing my curiosity, I looked at Mornon.
Mornon nodded in understanding. It was indeed an awkward situation. The person we needed to protect was the same, but our destinations were different. As I pondered what to do, Mornon took a step back.
His words put me at ease. The people who had commissioned me would be satisfied as long as their kin and family were safe, so sending the High Elf to Elvenheim wouldn't be a problem. Still, as the adventurer who had accepted the request, I would have felt uneasy about failing to escort every heterogeneous race back to the North. Knowing I could fulfill the commission perfectly lifted a weight from my shoulders.
Just then, a commotion broke out nearby.
Viscount Nerim, who had been prostrated on the ground, looked up and his face twisted in shock upon spotting the Lucy siblings and the academy students. For a moment I wondered why he looked like he'd seen a ghost, but then I remembered which factions they belonged to and understood.
The First Prince's faction and the First Princess's faction have run into each other.
Strictly speaking, the Lucy siblings belonged to the North, but because they were academy students, other factions saw them as part of the First Princess's camp. And with two new Masters added to that side, the hostility would be immense.
Having enemy Masters appear right before his eyes left Viscount Nerim's face deathly pale. At the same time, he kept glancing at me, clearly hoping I would intervene if anything went wrong.
There was no need for that, though. Given the Lucy siblings' personalities, they wouldn't show open hostility unless someone messed with their acquaintances.
See? They were busy poking at the ants, yet they only showed interest in Payran, whom they seemed to know. If things continued like this, the atmosphere I'd worked so hard to create would crumble. I decided to wrap up the First Prince's faction.
At my words, the viscount's desperate attempt to cling to my coattails froze. When he looked up with trembling eyes, I gave him a sly grin and casually revealed the truth he was trying to hide.
I gave a light smile and recalled one of the functions of my Mystery: the shop inventory. The shop from Argo Saga, the game I had played in my previous life, contained many items that would seem extraordinary by this world's standards. Things like elixirs, for example.
Thanks to the reality patch, they were ridiculously expensive, but they were worth every penny as recovery items. I smiled meaningfully as I remembered them. While shop items didn't increase mana or strengthen the body, they were the ultimate recovery potions that could heal all debuffs and restore spent stamina.
Leaving the viscount behind, whose mind had grown complicated after roughly understanding my words, I recalled the ants. Mornon, who had been watching the ants disappear through dozens of fissures, spoke with a worried expression.
His advice was reasonable. If word got out that the campsite's personnel had been annihilated by a late-arriving force, the Empire's nobles would be furious. Especially those who feared retaliation; they would act first to eliminate the threat.
But there was one thing he didn't know. Behind me stood a Grand Duke.
When Mornon looked puzzled, unable to grasp my meaning, I simply smiled in response. He would understand soon enough without any explanation. With so many nobles about to be purged, there was no way he wouldn't find out.
The Lucy siblings seemed to have guessed the situation and naturally sent the elves away.
The elves, filled with trust toward the Lucy siblings after whatever they had done in Elvenheim, returned with peace of mind. There were many things I wanted to ask about after seeing that, but the siblings acted faster than I could.
They approached with sparkling eyes.
Even the usually calm and gentle Ruin wanted to join in. It seemed that living in the Central region had shown them plenty of nobles who didn't act like nobles. I knew they wouldn't miss a chance to legally crush nobles, but I hadn't expected such an intense reaction.
After a moment of stunned silence, I smiled at the addition of such powerful allies and nodded.
The fact that the academy group had come here meant an incident was bound to occur. That fate couldn't be avoided just by sending them back. In that case, it was better to face it with reliable reinforcements at my side. The Saintess who traveled with the Lucy siblings, the second daughter of the Golden Merchant Company, and the academy students all wore expressions that said, Is this really okay? But perhaps it was because they had already experienced so many incidents while following the siblings.
They had entered full whatever, let's enjoy this mode. It was also a good opportunity to tighten internal discipline in preparation for the coming chaos.
In a dark underground prison, built secretly to avoid prying eyes, young girls clung to one another.
An elf girl did her best to stay calm while soothing her terrified younger sisters. She looked around with anxious eyes. Broken slaves lay scattered throughout the prison. Their dead eyes stared into empty space as they barely clung to life. The sight filled her with terror, but she forced herself to remain rational for the sake of the children younger than her.
She muttered words that might have been meant for herself as much as the others, trying to steady her ragged breathing. The children beside her were all of different races, but they shared one common trait: despite their young age, they were all beautiful. Only children who would one day stir hearts with their loveliness were locked away here. It wasn't hard to imagine what kind of fate awaited them. The broken women were proof enough.
That was why she was more afraid than anyone, but she couldn't show weakness. Not when these children trusted and relied on her.
She swallowed the tears threatening to fall and waited. How long had it been? From the guards' chatter, she guessed they would soon be called to the bedroom. As the elf girl steeled herself, a loud crash echoed.
BANG!
The thick door burst open violently, and a fat, blood-soaked man tumbled inside. He was an imperial count, the owner who had purchased the elf girl.
With all four limbs broken and blood pouring from his body, the count looked up the stairs in terror at the man descending. The children screamed at the sudden chaos and buried themselves in the elf girl's arms. She held them all tightly, her own eyes trembling as she stole glances outside the iron bars.
The man arrived before the count with a casual demeanor and sneered. The elf girl watching from inside the prison swallowed hard at his arrogant attitude, as if the Empire were beneath his notice. The man thrust the sword-spear slung over his shoulder into the count's stomach and spoke in a chilling voice.
The man twisted the sword-spear to inflict more pain, radiating killing intent.
With those final words, he pulled out the sword-spear. The count's mouth opened as if to say something, but his breath stopped. Silence fell over the underground prison.
The man had put on a performance shocking enough to snap even the broken slaves back to their senses. Now he wore a gentle smile that contrasted sharply with the expression he'd shown the count.
Argo, the man who had killed the count, gave his sword-spear a single spin. The iron bars that had seemed so sturdy were sliced apart like tofu. The moment the bars that had imprisoned them vanished, the elf girl finally realized this was real. She burst into tears and began sobbing uncontrollably. Her crying proved contagious, and soon the sound of weeping filled every corner of the prison.
Even after rescuing the imprisoned people, I felt a bitter taste in my mouth. I approached Neon, who had come down the stairs, and whispered quietly.
At Neon's gesture, the count's soul was dragged out and sucked into the lantern. The faint screams coming from inside the lantern sounded strangely sweet.
While Neon took care of the people trapped in the prison, I went aboveground and looked around. The luxurious corridors built by sucking the lifeblood of people had vanished without a trace. In their place were the remnants of judgment against those who had broken continental law. Those who had feasted alongside the count were either dead or would soon become volunteer laborers. In this hideous place, the few admirable people who had kept their humanity until the end would manage the territory and restore the broken system.
I watched with satisfaction as the heir received the handover with a dazed expression, then drew a line through the name I had written in my notebook.
I felt a surge of emotion as I confirmed that the once-thick list of names to kill had grown thin. In my heart, I wanted to kill them all with my own hands, but time simply didn't allow it. There were still heterogeneous races in the Water Realm, and with only a few dozen people, we couldn't chase down every fleeing noble. So I had accepted a bit of outside help. People like the First Princess, who was close to the Lucy siblings, or the Holy Kingdom, which was currently obsessed with hunting heretics.
Karen, the First Princess, whose lips refused to stop smiling at the prospective count's loyalty, formally accepted his pledge and then trotted after me. She had used her signature friendliness to thoroughly win over the prospective count. Now she giggled and flattered me.
It seemed the bad blood between the siblings was real. The moment the princes were mentioned, her face crumpled. Remembering Viscount Nerim and Payran from the campsite, I shrugged.
Karen spoke calmly as she looked around the devastated lord's castle.
The First Princess answered confidently, her eyes turning to the Lucy siblings who were busy breaking open the vault. She revealed her determination.
The last reason seemed to be the biggest. She still hadn't managed to win over the Lucy siblings' hearts, so she awkwardly admitted she was only loosely affiliated with her own faction. Then she flashed a bright smile.
She certainly had talent. To build her own faction in an academy teeming with rival groups, and then rise to a position where she could contend with the princes, was impressive.
In the end, it all came back to a recruitment pitch. I snorted at her obvious scheme and refused. She gave up as if she'd expected it.
She had touched on the exact issue that had been weighing on my mind while purging the nobles. I cleared my throat. It was a little embarrassing to have my inner thoughts exposed, but hearing an imperial princess say such things was somewhat reassuring.
Karen watched the Lucy siblings happily smashing open the vault and taking the gold and jewels inside, then muttered.
Her voice was filled with complicated emotions. Deep distrust and frustration, yet a faint trace of remaining trust, and many other feelings mixed together. I couldn't even begin to guess what she truly felt.
Her expression reminded me of the information my informant had given me. I recalled that the siblings had been very close when they were young. I couldn't understand how a pair of siblings who had once been so affectionate had ended up aiming for each other's throats.
The situation in the Central region really was complicated.
I quietly withdrew so she could have some time alone. I should go over there and help the Lucy siblings loot the vault.