The Process of Change - 2
Dane, who had briefly crossed over into the Holy Kingdom, surveyed his surroundings. Whenever he came to the Holy Kingdom, he always took care to observe his surroundings carefully, wary of Adelbert, the assassin adventurer affiliated with the Holy Kingdom. After all, Adelbert was the one who had killed Luke, and Dane would eventually need to exact his revenge—though the time was not yet right. His opponent was an S-rank adventurer, and of all things, a rogue class like Dane himself: an Assassin. Even if Dane's skills had improved dramatically, no one understood assassins better than another assassin. Adelbert was likely to see through Dane's methods. So if he was going to take revenge…
'It would be best to receive a little help from Lord Nahen.'
The revenge itself would be carried out by his own hand, but the best approach was to receive Nahen's assistance in the method. However, Dane currently had no way of knowing Nahen's whereabouts, and carrying out his orders took priority. That was why Dane had chosen to gather information only in cities far removed from Soter City, where Adelbert was based.
Dane had arrived in Aniceto City, one of the Holy Kingdom's outer cities. He headed straight for a nearby tavern. This establishment, which operated from morning onward, was frequently visited by adventurers who were active at night. For them, day was night, and they could enjoy a drink before heading off to sleep.
"Innkeeper."
"Welcome. What can I get you?"
"A rum."
"Coming right up."
Rum. Along with gin and vodka, it was considered one of the cheapest among cheap liquors, but its potency meant that those who had acquired a taste for it always sought it out. However, the people who ordered such drinks were generally those who had lived at the very bottom of society. Cheap, strong liquor was typically sought by those without money.
When someone ordered rum in broad daylight, the innkeeper and nearby patrons all turned to look. His appearance was quite disheveled, making him seem like someone who operated in the slums.
"Tsk, a beggar coming into the shop like this."
One adventurer drinking grumbled openly. This was the typical perception ordinary people held of those from the slums. Dane had ordered rum specifically because he wondered if someone from the slums might be here.
'No reaction.'
Many people from the slums didn't even have proper identities. Extracting information from them made it convenient to eliminate them afterward. He had set a trap, but there was no reaction. Regrettably, it seemed he would have to finish his drink and leave.
Receiving his glass from the innkeeper, Dane raised it to down it in one go when someone suddenly sat down beside him.
'This guy…'
He hadn't noticed. This man—Dane hadn't sensed his approach at all until just now. The man who had naturally taken the seat beside him spoke in a hearty tone.
"A fellow who knows how to enjoy rum, I see."
"…Do you like it too?"
"Of course. Innkeeper, give me a dark rum as well."
"…Understood."
The man seemed to want to chat with Dane until the drinks arrived, asking various questions.
"Are you an outsider?"
"Just passing through on my travels."
"I see. Where did you learn to drink rum, by any chance?"
"…I used to work as a sailor once. Ever since I learned it then… I've kept seeking it out."
"Ah, a sailor. No wonder you enjoy rum."
"Here you are."
The man's drink arrived as well. He raised his glass and extended it toward Dane, whose own glass was still untouched.
"No one who enjoys rum is a bad person."
"…Is that so."
Dane clinked glasses with the man. But just as he was about to drink, he noticed something strange. After their glasses had touched, poison had been smeared on his own glass. A deadly toxin. If he drank it and wiped the droplets near his lips with his hand, that would be the end.
"……"
"Hm? Why aren't you drinking?"
"…You."
Dane set his glass down.
"What's wrong?"
"Who sent you?"
At Dane's question, the man met his gaze for a moment. Then his lips curled upward as he spoke with admiration.
"You know what kind of poison it is."
"…I asked who put you up to this."
"It wasn't an order, Dane. This was my decision."
"……?!"
Dane quickly stood up and drew his dagger. The man laughed as he spoke.
"I've been looking for you for so long. Ever since Luke showed up in that state, I've been searching. And then recently, news came in, didn't it?"
The man grabbed his own facial skin. With a light tearing sound, he peeled it away.
"A rogue adventurer with gray hair and brown eyes has been appearing in the outer cities of the Holy Kingdom."
"…You."
It was a face Dane recognized. No, it was a face he knew all too well. Though the skin was a bit more tanned than in his memories, the scar over the eye was unmistakably that man's. Dane swallowed hard and asked.
"Why is the Guild Master of Soter City here?"
Adelbert Grantz.
"Why do you think?"
The strongest assassin-class adventurer alive, and…
"I've come to deal with you, who has fallen to being a demon's pawn."
He was an enemy to Dane. Dane glanced around. If Adelbert was here, his subordinates were likely present as well. The fact that Adelbert remained relaxed even with Dane holding a dagger in front of him confirmed it. In such a situation, this narrow tavern with open surroundings wasn't ideal for fighting multiple opponents. Enemies could attack from all sides.
"Tch."
Dane threw a smoke bomb on the floor. He quickly escaped through the tavern window and scaled the wall of the adjacent building. There were bound to be other adventurers at the street corners.
"…Ho, your judgment has become remarkably quick. You've achieved tremendous growth over the years."
Adelbert honestly assessed Dane's skills. However, based on what he'd shown so far…
"But is that all?"
Adelbert paid the innkeeper for both Dane's and his own drinks. Stepping outside the tavern, he muttered.
"I'll dedicate that last drink to your soul."
# Kingdom of Partias
In Lutetium City, there was a newlywed who had recently become extremely popular in the neighborhood. A woman whose mere presence seemed to radiate loveliness. Eri. With her gentle and kind personality, warm impression, and adorable appearance, she had already become the favorite of all the neighborhood aunties.
When Eri met the neighbor lady, she received something from her again.
"Here, dear. This is from my hometown this time. It tastes wonderful."
"Thank you, ma'am! I'll enjoy it!"
"Aigoo, good. Eat well. By the way, dear."
"Yes?"
"It seems a bit heated at night lately. Are you perhaps planning for a child?"
"N-Neeeh!?"
"Oh, I didn't hear anything~."
At the neighbor's joke, Eri's face turned bright red as she stammered in embarrassment. It seemed the soundproofing in that house wasn't as good as she'd thought. …Though she thought that, it was actually just that Eri's voice had grown loud enough to be overheard. The homeowner had closed their eyes and covered their ears, but the neighbor lady apparently couldn't resist commenting.
"Right, right. It's already been two years since you moved here, so it's about time to start planning for the second generation~. I was wondering when you'd have a baby."
"Ah, no! That's not it!!"
"What do you mean no? You still act like a virgin sometimes~."
While they were exchanging such pointless banter, someone was watching Eri and the neighbor.
"?"
Eri noticed immediately and turned to look, but the neighbor, completely unaware, continued chattering.
"So, does your husband put in some effort at night? You're screaming so loudly…"
"Just a moment, ma'am."
"Hm?"
When Eri's expression grew serious, the neighbor tilted her head.
"What's wrong?"
Eri smiled brightly at her.
"I'll come back later. Something urgent came up at home."
"Oh, is that so? Alright, go on then. Hurry along."
"Yes, I'll enjoy this."
Eri said this and walked away. The neighbor watched her go, tilting her head.
"Hm? That's not the newlywed's house, is it?"
Eri headed toward where the person watching them had been. She took a small tree branch from her pocket.
"Return to your original form. Dispel transformation."
Transform Cancellation
The branch transformed into a large staff. Holding the ancient wood staff with the magical artifact Nahen had given her attached to the end, Eri pointed it at the other person.
"Who are you."
"…It was you after all."
It was a woman's voice. When she slowly revealed herself, Eri's eyes widened.
"A-Angela?!"
"It's been a while, Eri."
It was Angela, the guild receptionist from Soter City. Unable to understand why she was here, Eri couldn't hide her bewilderment.
"Seeing that you're alone… Dane must have gone somewhere."
"!?"
She even knew that Dane was with her. Eri looked at Angela with a serious expression, unable to comprehend where the information had leaked from.
"Why… did you come looking for us?"
"For a simple reason."
Angela clapped her hands lightly. Adventurers she had brought with her poured out.
"To find the demon's pawns."
"…What did you say?"
"I already know everything, so don't bother denying it, Eri."
"What evidence do you have for saying that?"
"Evidence, huh."
Angela laughed mockingly.
"Luke came back in that state. How would you two, who were captured together, be any different?"
"…Bringing up Luke now."
Eri furrowed her brow.
"You're mentioning Luke!? You know Adelbert Grantz killed him!!"
"It's true that the Master killed him, but there's one thing you don't know."
Angela made a meaningful statement to Eri.
"What drove him to death was the Demon Realm."
"…Nonsense."
However, Eri dismissed Angela's words as nonsense. Her strong will made it clear she wouldn't even consider it. Angela was surprised by Eri's reaction.
"How can you so coldly reject an opportunity to learn the truth about your friend's death?"
"What good would knowing the circumstances do? The fact that you killed Luke remains unchanged."
Though she said this, Eri had another reason as well. It was her relationship with Dane. If there was truth about Luke's death, knowing it would make it impossible to properly continue her relationship with Dane.
"So you came to capture me?"
"I brought the optimal combination to deal with you, a mage. Warriors, knights, priests, and mages."
"Ha…"
Eri was certain. Angela had come here confident that Eri was present. Then who had leaked the information? …Ah. And she realized. The image of the neighbor lady reflected in the artifact embedded in Eri's staff. Even with so many adventurers appearing, the woman hadn't returned home and was watching the situation.
"…Right, I understand where you got the information. But there's still something I'm curious about."
"What would that be?"
"The information that Dane and I were scheming here and there—that information must have existed for you to even think of searching for us. Where did that information come from?"
"……Hehe, Eri."
Angela smiled.
"You're smarter than I thought."
"Whose orders are you acting on? There's no way the guild would allow this kind of movement in Soter City."
Adventurer guilds couldn't mobilize on their own unless it was something significant. That meant someone capable of moving them had requested the guild for a commission.
"The Pope?"
"Close, but completely wrong."
"What?"
"It's not the Holy Kingdom."
With those words, Angela gave orders to the adventurers.
"Capture her. Keep her alive if possible."
"Got it!"
"Leave it to us."
The moment the adventurers rushed toward Eri, she understood the meaning of Angela's words. Similar to the Pope, but completely different. And it wasn't a request from the Holy Kingdom.
'…Ha.'
Yes. Then there was only one person. At least in the current human realm, there was only one person capable of seeing through that someone—moreover, the Demon Realm—was scheming to prolong their civil war.
"Princess Charlotte."
The princess of the Bismarck Empire commissioning the Holy Kingdom's guild. And the Guild Master Adelbert accepting it—that wasn't a judgment an ordinary person would make either.
"My, really…"
Angela smiled.
"What remarkable deductive ability."
Just as the adventurers were about to pounce on Eri, her staff glowed.
"But Angela, you misjudged."
Eri pointed her staff not at the charging adventurers, but at her own feet.
"You should have brought an Assassin instead of warriors."
A magic circle unfolded. In an instant. Far exceeding the casting speed of ordinary mages.
"Wait…!"
"Move to the designated location."
Teleportation
Crash!! The warriors' and knights' swords struck the empty ground.
"Wh-What happened!?"
"What was that casting speed just now? Was that even magic?"
Angela narrowed her eyes and muttered.
"It seems… she had already prepared an escape route."
#
"Hah… hah!"
High-speed chanting. It placed a severe burden on the mage's body. Because a human without magical power was rapidly drawing on the artifact's magic.
"Dane…"
There was an emergency escape magical tool that Nahen had given Dane so that he could come here if anything happened. Eri tried to wait for him for a moment, but feeling the surroundings grow dark, she sighed.
"I should head back first…"
Eri reluctantly stepped toward the Demon Realm portal. Dane would have escaped even better than she had, so there shouldn't be any problems.
"…Humans really can't be trusted after all."
Eri stepped into the portal. Returning to the Demon Realm, Eri ascended from the 72nd Floor to the 69th Floor and announced her return at the Demon King's castle. Secily greeted her and asked.
"Eri, where's Dane?"
"…Well, you see."
After Eri explained everything that had happened, Secily asked with a slightly serious expression.
"When did Dane leave?"
"He left in the morning. He sometimes doesn't return until dawn the next day, so…"
"…Wait a moment, Eri."
"Yes?"
"Sniff sniff."
Secily suddenly started sniffing. Circling around Eri.
After wandering around for a while, Secily tilted her head.
"That's strange."
"Yes?"
"Besides Eri's scent, I smell something else."
"What??"
"I don't know where it's coming from. Should we tell the Head Maid for now? Her Majesty is away."
"Ah, yes."
Secily took Eri to Rea. Explaining Eri's situation to Rea, she said.
"Shouldn't we report this to Her Majesty? It would be good to go fetch Dane as well. Lord Nahen wouldn't want to lose him either."
"…Understood. I'll ask Her Majesty about that. More importantly, what did you say earlier, Secily?"
"I said Eri has a different scent."
"……"
Rea tapped a crystal ball on her desk and spoke into it.
"Eldin, come to my room."
A moment later, Eldin entered with a respectful bow.
"You called for me."
"Why did you call Eldin?"
Eri asked, and Rea answered simply.
"Eldin, check if Eri is pregnant."
"Understood."
"…What? W-Wait a moment!?"
While Eri was flustered, Eldin took her wrist. He fully manifested the unique power of the incubus race. But Eri only stared blankly at Eldin.
"Wh-What are you doing?"
Eldin released her wrist and said.
"My apologies, Eri."
"Ah… It's fine. But what did you do?"
"Confirmation. Whether you're pregnant or not. You heard what was said earlier, didn't you?"
"What!?"
"So, what's the result?"
At Rea's question, Eldin spoke.
"It's certain. She is pregnant. Eri is with child."
"…Hm, as expected."
"Ah, so that's why there was a different scent."
"……"
Eri listened to their conversation in a daze before suddenly exclaiming in shock.
"Wh-Whaaaaat!?"