The Hunt - Part 3
Nahen’s latest scheme was to spread baseless rumors throughout the human realm and lure adventurers into a trap. To make it work, he had manipulated the minds of the captured humans, turning them into unwitting spies.
When it was time to send the brainwashed humans back as planned, Nahen left one final instruction for Rin.
“Understood.”
Nahen knew exactly who was waiting in Soter City. Among the human factions that appeared in Evil Queen Maker, a few were particularly troublesome to deal with. One of them was Adelbert Grantz, the master of the adventurer guild in Soter City.
As guild master, he was also the most outstanding active-duty assassin in the current generation. With the sharp judgment and keen insight befitting a professional killer, he was the single greatest obstacle to Nahen’s plan.
That was why Nahen had deliberately sent people to Soter City last. Even if Adelbert noticed something suspicious, the situation would already be beyond his ability to handle.
And just as Nahen predicted, it worked perfectly. By the time Adelbert, sensing the oddity, tried to contact the other guilds, they had already dispatched adventurers into the Demon Realm.
Standing atop a high ridge, Baruna watched the staggering number of adventurers pouring through the portals toward the entrance of the Demon Realm and let out a dry chuckle.
“They’re swarming in like ants, Commander.”
“It seems Lord Nahen’s plan has succeeded.”
“The more I see of him, the more incredible he seems.”
Rin gave a small snort of laughter. The very same Baruna who had once despised Nahen so fiercely had now come to acknowledge him completely.
She cautioned him all the same.
“For Lord Nahen’s strategy to reach completion, we must perform our part perfectly. So don’t get too excited, Baruna.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Baruna likewise gripped his signature weapon, a long spear. Behind him, the elite soldiers of the 4th Legion—the strongest force on the 72nd Floor—drew their weapons in perfect unison.
“You heard her. We must do this right. Capture as many as possible alive.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Begin, Argol.”
At Baruna’s command, a dark shadow fell across the sky. Something massive plummeted toward the heads of the teeming adventurers.
BOOM!!
“What the—”
Several adventurers were instantly crushed to death. Overwhelmed by the sight, the rest held their breath as they stared at the enormous statue that had crashed down among them.
One experienced adventurer, an A-rank marked by the insignia on his pauldron, cried out in shock.
“A g-gargoyle!?”
“By my lord’s command, I shall eliminate the intruders.”
The colossal gargoyle, Argol, unfurled his wings. The resulting gust sent adventurers tumbling backward, shattering their formation and deepening the chaos.
Rin, who had been watching the situation closely, raised her hand. At her forward signal, the legion soldiers stepped forward and produced large, barrel-shaped devices—mana-powered launchers designed to fire nets.
There was no need to explain why they had brought them.
“Fire.”
WHOOSH! FWOOM!
Hundreds of nets shot into the air, fueled by the soldiers’ mana, then rained down upon the adventurers below.
“Aaaah!”
“What the hell is this?!”
“Nets!? What is this supposed to—”
The sudden downpour of nets threw the already disoriented adventurers into complete pandemonium. Many were now helplessly entangled, like fish caught in a trawling net.
Confirming the result, Rin drew her sword.
“Advance.”
She was the first to descend the ridge, followed immediately by Baruna. The legion soldiers moved in disciplined ranks behind them. Their movements were flawless, without a single wasted motion. They flowed like a single organism—an echo of the legendary legions from the era of the previous Demon King, Seir von Devata.
On the opposite ridge, another force had been lying in wait. They were originally Sitri’s troops, but now served under Seere. At Nahen’s suggestion, they had been reorganized into a brand-new legion—the 5th Legion under Seere von Devata.
Commanding the 5th Legion was Epsilon, who had originally led the forces dispatched to the 72nd Floor. His second-in-command was a capable officer named Zeta, recommended by Epsilon himself.
Epsilon, waiting on the opposite ridge, watched as Rin led her troops down the far slope. Without hesitation, he drew his own sword and pointed it toward the adventurers below.
“Capture them all!”
“By your command!”
The sudden appearance of demon soldiers from both front and rear sent the already panicked adventurers spiraling into full-blown hysteria.
“G-guardians!?”
“Where did all these numbers come from?!”
Especially the inexperienced adventurers were completely helpless. The only ones who managed to keep their wits were the A-rank and above—the veterans with both skill and experience.
Most of them were stronger than ordinary soldiers, making them difficult targets to capture. But they were not an army.
“Hey, help me over here!”
“Shut up and stop ordering me around! I’ve got my own hands full!”
They were free-spirited adventurers, not a trained military. There was no chain of command to speak of. A few quick-witted ones tried to cooperate, but…
Slash!
“Over here! I’m hit!!”
“How is it so fast?!”
Those few were quickly dealt with by Rin, Baruna, Epsilon, and Zeta.
Then one adventurer drew a massive greatsword and roared.
“Anyone who can still fight, follow me!”
His pauldron bore three A insignias. Excluding the pinnacle S-rank, this was the highest grade possible. A triple-A rank adventurer possessed strength comparable to an elite knight of a nation.
Joseph Rosenbach. He was one of the top three active Crusader-class adventurers currently operating.
When such a prominent figure stepped forward, the chaotic atmosphere among the adventurers shifted slightly.
Rin, seeing this, gave Baruna an order.
“Handle him.”
“Leave it to me, Commander.”
As Baruna stepped forward with his long spear, Joseph raised his holy greatsword with a menacing aura.
“Filthy demon scum! Release the people you’ve captured at once!!”
“A mere insect should know when to shut its mouth.”
In that instant, Baruna’s appearance began to change. His fangs grew long and razor-sharp, and his eyes glowed blood-red. The demonic visage made Joseph flinch.
The Asura tribe. Baruna’s people were known even among demons as a “battle race,” renowned for their overwhelming martial prowess.
“Execution.”
WHOOSH!!
Baruna’s spear pierced Joseph’s side before he could even react. The speed was beyond imagination. Before he could activate his protective holy blessing, the blow landed cleanly. Blood poured from the gap in his shattered armor.
Joseph collapsed with a groan of agony.
“Guh… ughhh…”
“J-Joseph!”
Several adventurers from the same guild stared in horror at Baruna, who had felled their strongest member in a single strike. The glowing red eyes and massive fangs inspired primal terror.
“U-uaaaagh!”
One adventurer even turned tail and fled in fear. Baruna looked at them with the disdain one might show to pathetic insects.
He ordered the legion soldiers behind him.
“Don’t let any escape. Capture them all.”
“Yes, sir.”
For a variety of reasons, the number of adventurers who had entered the Demon Realm should have been far too great to subdue easily. Yet in the end, they were completely overwhelmed by the soldiers of the 72nd Floor without putting up any real resistance.
“You’ve all worked hard, Commander Rin.”
In his office, Nahen clapped after hearing the report. The operation had captured a vast number of humans with far fewer casualties than expected. They had also seized their weapons, tools, medicines, and other supplies as bonuses. The sheer volume had noticeably filled the warehouses.
Thanks to that, they could move the next phase of the plan forward slightly sooner.
Nahen looked over the report detailing the spoils and number of prisoners, then praised Rin and Baruna.
“We simply followed Lord Nahen’s plan to the letter.”
“Indeed.”
“I only created the plan. The ones who carried it out were the commander and vice-commander. You should be proud.”
Nahen turned to the side. There stood Epsilon and Zeta, who had participated in their first battle since the 5th Legion’s recent formation.
“Commander Epsilon. Vice-Commander Zeta.”
“Yes.”
“Here.”
“You two worked hard as well. I’m glad you returned safely.”
Epsilon was slightly surprised by the words. He had expected praise for following the plan well or for completing the mission flawlessly.
Thank you for coming back safely…
A pleasant smile formed on Epsilon’s lips as he gave a small bow.
“Thank you.”
“I look forward to your future accomplishments.”
After dismissing the four, Nahen called for Kain. Kain entered the office with Seere in tow.
“Teacher~!”
Seere scampered over and naturally reached out to sit on Nahen’s lap. He gently lifted her up, settled her on his knee, and spoke to Kain.
“Kain, it’s time to start leaking information to the merchants of the Demon Realm.”
“Understood.”
“And you see the number of prisoners listed here.”
“Yes.”
Nahen pointed at the figure 672 written in the report.
“Select only two hundred of the highest-value ones for sale.”
“Pardon?”
“The rest will be sent back.”
Kain asked with a puzzled expression.
“What do you mean? Surely you don’t intend to brainwash all of them and use them as spies?”
He was referring to how Nahen had previously manipulated the minds of several humans to serve as agents. But Nahen shook his head.
“No, that’s not the plan.”
“Then why return the humans we went through such trouble to capture?”
“We’re not simply letting them go. Keeping all of them here would be difficult to manage, and we can’t predict how the humans might react. We need to strike first.”
Nahen smiled faintly.
“We’ll wring out every drop of profit we can.”
“…Forgive me for asking, but are you truly planning to negotiate with the human nations?”
“That’s exactly what I intend to do.”
“You mustn’t!”
Kain’s sudden outburst made Seere puff her cheeks in displeasure. Noticing her expression, Kain flinched and quickly bowed his head.
“…My apologies. I was startled and spoke out of turn.”
“Why do you say it mustn’t be done, Kain?”
“May I speak freely?”
When the now much more cautious Kain asked, Nahen told him to speak comfortably.
“By all means.”
“Although you have greatly strengthened our forces, Lord Nahen, I believe it is still too early to take any direct action against the human nations.”
“Which nations do you believe we cannot yet face?”
“…The Holy Kingdom, the Empire, and the Northern Alliance must be approached with extreme caution.”
The Felix Holy Kingdom—the only religious state in the human realm—the Bismarck Empire, the sole nation to claim the title of Emperor, and the Northern Alliance formed by the seven northern cities. In the world of Evil Queen Maker, these were the most powerful human factions.
Nahen was satisfied that Kain had identified them correctly and continued.
“So you believe we should avoid negotiating with those powers?”
“Yes.”
“You’re mistaken, Kain.”
“Pardon?”
Not only Kain but even Seere, who had been listening, tilted her head in confusion.
“On the contrary, we must negotiate firmly with the strongest nations.”
“B-but why? If we provoke them unnecessarily…”
“Don’t worry. They will be unable to mobilize their armies.”
Seeing Nahen speak with such absolute certainty, Kain wore an expression of utter incomprehension. Seere, her curiosity now thoroughly piqued, raised her hand high and asked.
“Why?”
“The larger a ruler’s country and the more people they must lead, the more cautious they become. On top of that, they bear the responsibility of protecting their citizens.”
Nahen stroked Seere’s hair as he explained.
“Therefore, they cannot ignore our demands. Doing so would cost them the trust of their people.”
“Is that how it works?”
“Indeed. You must always keep this in mind when governing the Demon King’s castle. Above all else, a Demon King must maintain their own forces.”
Whether she fully understood or not, Seere blinked and nodded.
Kain bowed his head after listening to Nahen’s explanation.
“Then I shall follow your will, Lord Nahen. I will select roughly two hundred prisoners based purely on their market value, regardless of origin or status.”
“Do so. And one more thing.”
“Yes?”
Besides leaking information to the merchants and sorting the usable prisoners, Nahen had one more request for Kain.
“Bring me the best blacksmiths from both the 72nd and 70th Floors.”
“Blacksmiths, my lord?”
“Yes. Gather only the most skilled ones.”
“Understood.”
Though he didn’t know what Nahen was planning, Kain accepted the order without question.
After Kain left the office, Seere looked up at Nahen.
“What are you going to make?”
“Products to sell, of course.”
“Huh?”
Among the items seized from the human adventurers were many high-quality weapons and armor. Demons, born with innate mana, had the convenient tool of magic at their disposal. As a result, the overall quality of weapons in the Demon Realm was lower compared to the human realm, where people had to rely entirely on physical arms for protection.
It was only natural that human weapons were of superior quality.
Therefore, Nahen intended to teach the blacksmiths under Seere’s command. He would have them analyze the captured weapons and replicate them to the highest possible standard. By selling these newly crafted arms, he could also replace the outdated equipment of Seere’s soldiers.
With a gentle smile, Nahen offered Seere some advice.
“Even from your enemies, there are always things worth learning.”