The Banquet's Shadow
The atmosphere in the Harmun border count's mansion was exceptionally warm and lively. The Count of Harmun, having squeezed every last drop of effort from his chefs to prepare the feast, had transformed the banquet hall into a grand dining chamber and welcomed us with open arms. At a table spacious enough to seat dozens with room to spare, the count and Owen engaged in conversation.
"I've heard about the events in the Edenberg territory. A high-ranking War Ant descended to the front lines and established a nest there."
"It's an absolute nuisance, I tell you~ When thousands of ants the size of people come charging at you, even the most tolerant stomach turns at the sight."
"I-I see."
The count broke into an awkward smile, beads of cold sweat forming on his brow at Owen's casual exaggeration. To those from the Central region, thousands of War Ants—creatures on par with orcs—were nothing short of a calamity. Though the count possessed considerable strength as a border lord and commanded thousands of elite soldiers, eradicating a War Ant nest would demand an enormous sacrifice. Yet such disasters struck the North several times a year, and the North's resilience in resolving them left the count deep in thought.
'Aligning with the North was indeed the correct choice.'
The political struggle between the Central nobility and the North. As a border lord situated in the neutral zone of that conflict, he knew precisely with whom he should maintain close ties. Officially, he professed neutrality to facilitate smooth exchanges between North and Central, but with his lands directly bordering the North, how could he possibly reject them? Rejection would mean his territory being overrun by monsters. Without the North's regular support, recovery from the damage would have been impossible.
Having swiftly completed his calculations, the count rose from his seat and raised his goblet high.
"Today is a truly joyous occasion! The renowned Gold-class adventurer Owen has graced my house with his presence! While everyone works tirelessly day and night for the harmony between North and Central, how could we possibly forgo the wine? Drink to your hearts' content, everyone!"
At the count's toast, his retainers heartily downed their drinks. Being close to the North, their culture had seeped in, making them remarkably boisterous.
"Oh? This wine is quite delicious."
"Is that so? It's a brew that's been gaining popularity in my territory lately. I'll have some prepared for you later."
"I'd be most grateful if you did."
Had the Central nobility witnessed this scene, they would have been utterly horrified. It was as if the Sword of the Grond Kingdom, the Guardian of the North, the proud lion, had bowed his head to a mere adventurer. But what could they do? In the Central region he might be a lion, yet in the North he was nothing more than a cat. The border count, despite his imposing physique, was far from an ordinary man—he was remarkably astute.
"By the way, I've recently hit a wall in my training. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter, Sir Owen. If it's not too presumptuous…?"
"After receiving such hospitality, it would be rude of me not to offer assistance. Shall we head to the training grounds right away?"
"Hahaha! Your straightforwardness is truly admirable, Sir Owen! In that case, there's no time to waste—let's go at once!"
"I-I'd like to go as well!"
"I don't need instruction! I just want to watch him swing his sword from the side…!"
As the burly men swarmed after Owen toward the training grounds, the banquet hall fell silent in an instant. Quietly eating my meal, I set down my fork at the chilling aura emanating from the count's wife. The count had really done it this time. Crunch.
"My apologies. My husband has a condition where he loses all sense when he encounters a strong individual. Please overlook his unseemly behavior today."
"It's quite all right. The North values boisterousness as a virtue, after all."
"No, it is not. There will be no repeat of such unseemly conduct in the future."
Grid tried his best to defend the count, but it was already too late.
"To display such behavior before honored guests… When you visit next time, I shall ensure you are treated with even greater perfection."
Before long, the count would pay the price for leaving the banquet hall of his own accord. Judging by the power she wielded as a mage, his retainers would not escape unscathed either. The count's wife let out a gentle laugh and resumed her meal. Taking the cue, the rest of us picked up our utensils once more. The count getting what was coming to him was one thing; food was another. It would be a sin to leave such delicious dishes untouched. Thanks to the mass exodus, there were fewer mouths to feed, but that hardly mattered. The adventurers present were living power generators who burned through more calories than anyone else in their battles against monsters.
Having cleanly devoured the feast prepared with the chefs' utmost sincerity, we spent a peaceful day at the mansion under the bewildered service of the attendants. After a restful sleep in plush beds, we decided to depart without lingering further, as we needed to reach the Holy Kingdom as quickly as possible.
"W-Well then, travel safely, everyone."
"Yes. I hope you fare well as well, Count Harmun."
The count, with ice crystals forming at the tips of his hair, saw us off with visible difficulty. Mana had gathered toward the main building last night, suggesting the lady of the house had overturned the place in a single bout. Though the count sent us a pleading look to stay longer, we still had a long road ahead. Coldly ignoring his silent plea, we left the mansion and felt gazes piercing us from all directions. Interest, curiosity, competitive spirit, jealousy, admiration—every manner of gaze rained down upon us. Adela tilted her head in puzzlement.
"I can feel stares coming from everywhere."
"That's normal. Northerners don't usually leave the North."
"Really?"
"They're too busy hunting monsters and earning honor. When would they have time to head down to other regions?"
At my explanation, Adela's expression shifted from confusion to understanding.
"I see. Northerners aren't normal, after all."
"……You're not wrong."
What other region was so obsessed with honor that its people made a living by slaying monsters, swarming toward any powerful beast that appeared? Of course, they did travel for various reasons, but it was true that Northerners moved far less than people from the South, West, Central, or East. Environmental factors played a role, but more than that, Northerners felt a strong duty to protect the North and one day reclaim the land. In any case, I brushed off the citizens' stares—rarely did they get to see Northerners even in Harmun—and explained to Adela.
"That said, a fair number of them are likely informants."
"Informants?"
"Spies sent by Central nobles or other nations."
"Why?"
"Because we're difficult for them to control."
Who would want suspicious individuals lurking near their home? Especially if those individuals were monsters capable of smashing houses with their fists. To the nobility, we were exactly that—monsters who could demolish buildings. I glanced at Owen, who stood beside me with a cheerful grin.
"My, the stares are so sharp I can hardly move~"
"Sharp, my foot. If Sir Owen finds them sharp, the rest of us would have been dead long ago."
Grid's words carried the air of a carefree idler as he chuckled, but the moment he spoke, some of the gazes scattered. The informants from other factions had withdrawn their attention upon hearing Owen's words amid the commotion. They couldn't risk provoking trouble. From their perspective, it was like a bolt from the blue. Even a Silver-class adventurer would warrant a report to their superiors, but a Gold-class one meant an emergency at the highest levels.
'Central is going to get noisy soon.'
They were already troubled by Baron Hornst, and now a Gold-class adventurer had appeared. It must have felt like a bomb had dropped on their side. The sharper ones were probably already planning emergency meetings.
"Ah, before we leave, shall we sell some monster materials to the merchants? They seem to be waiting for us."
"We don't have to sell them, do we?"
"If we put them in our debt with something like this, we can make use of it later."
At Owen's words, I shrugged and pulled monster materials from my inventory after confirming the merchants' pitiful gazes—like puppies eyeing snacks.
"First come, first served! Selling to the merchant offering the best price!"
At my shout, the merchants rushed forward, each clutching a hefty pouch.
A room filled with darkness. A space whose location was known to only a select few. Robed figures had gathered there. Seated around a central bonfire, they maintained a heavy silence. But that silence did not last long.
BOOM!
"So! What are we going to do now?!"
One man—particularly large and hot-tempered—slammed the table and shouted.
"That so-called doctor took our precious research personnel from the Flame of Doom to the North and got himself killed! Even the survivors who made it back got sniffed out and crushed by the North! And the raid on Orbis Academy was a spectacular failure! Twice, no less!"
"Hmm."
One of those present swallowed a groan at the man's words. Painful failures had piled up recently. Not only had they lost numerous valuable personnel, but their carefully laid plans had come to nothing. Losing such skilled researchers was especially devastating—it would take five to ten years to train replacements of that caliber. The hot-tempered man's fury was understandable.
"Hey! Crow! Wasn't the doctor one of your subordinates? How do you plan to take responsibility for this loss?"
"Rhinoceros. Do you see the Flame of Doom as such a fragile organization that it would be shaken by something like this? We have plenty of other researchers besides them."
The woman called Crow responded leisurely to the man named Rhinoceros. She lounged back in her chair with an air of complete nonchalance, as though such sacrifices meant nothing to her.
"More importantly, they're better off than those fools."
Crow sneered, mentioning an organization that was likely being thoroughly dismantled at that very moment. Those who hadn't understood at first now realized whom she meant and chuckled.
"Those idiots sent personnel to kidnap the Seraris young lady and ended up as ant food, then even drew Baron Hornst down upon them. And now they're being happily dismantled by the Heresy Inquisitors."
There was no greater fool. Not only had their long-prepared plans been ruined, but they'd lost a significant number of subordinates and had their very infrastructure properly ransacked by the Heresy Inquisitors. How they had laughed upon hearing that an organization once capable of shaking the Holy Kingdom from the shadows had collapsed so absurdly. The Holy Kingdom was also foolish for failing to notice them, but those who got caught and immediately crushed were fools as well.
"Enough."
As the atmosphere in the room lightened thanks to those fools, the man seated at the head—who had been sitting with his eyes closed—spoke, and silence fell instantly. The man. The leader of the Flame of Doom opened his pitch-black eyes and regarded his executives.
"Our top priority is the empire's destruction. Losing researchers in the North is regrettable, but that's all. Focus on the plan."
"Then, Leader, what about the North?"
"The North?"
"Yes. We lost subordinates there. At the very least, some form of revenge…"
At the leader's words, Rhinoceros brought up revenge. A plump, good-natured man who had been rolling gold coins between his fingers cut him off.
"Have you lost your mind? Attack the North?"
"That's not what I meant! I'm saying we should only kill the ones who made us fail to recover the surviving researchers!"
"That's the same thing! If you don't want to see the Flame of Doom split in half, give it up!"
The plump man—Badger—shuddered. As the one responsible for the organization's finances through dealings with the North, he knew all too well how terrifying that place was.
"Remember this. Even if we possess the power to overthrow the empire, touching the North is the act of an idiot."
"Hah. Rolling gold coins around and now you're scared?"
"It's not fear. It's seeing reality. Does the North look easy to you? That place is a demon realm where humans should never set foot."
At Badger's words, Rhinoceros wore an expression of disbelief. Though his activities were centered in the Central region, he wasn't ignorant of news from other areas. But even so, failing to take revenge would tarnish the Flame of Doom's name. With critical parts of their plan already underway, if other organizations looked down on them, troublesome matters would arise. How could he possibly endure that? Already on bad terms with Badger, Rhinoceros was about to press him to settle their hierarchy when the leader spoke first.
"Enough. Revenge can wait until later."
""Yes.""
At the leader's command, Rhinoceros and Badger immediately fell silent and bowed their heads, as though their argument had never happened. The leader's orders were absolute within the Flame of Doom.
'Argo and Neon, was it. If the opportunity arises, I'll kill them without fail.'
Though frustrated, Rhinoceros decided to postpone his revenge. He silently repeated the names of the masterminds who had provoked their organization.