Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Most Problems Are Solved with Firm Resolve (5)
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"Phew, nothing much to show for today either."
"Yeah..."
The Harkur Marquisate, north of Rebascal—a massive cave.
From the cave entrance, wide enough for ten people to walk abreast, four figures emerged.
A towering black-haired man over 2 meters tall.
A brown-haired man dressed as a priest but somehow giving off a delinquent vibe.
An elf woman with long, pointed ears and striking beauty.
And finally, a red-haired beauty who looked slender yet wielded a greatsword as tall as herself in one hand.
It was the Scarlett Party, renowned as the strongest adventurer party in existence.
But why were they here?
Because Marquis Sain Harkur, who had succeeded the position of Marquis Harkur, had made a request.
"This the place with the demon invasion? We need some way to pinpoint it."
"We did spot a few mutated beasts, sure."
The request was to locate any demon invasion occurring within the massive cave they'd just exited—Basque Cave.
And, if possible, to purify it.
A demon invasion in a perfectly fine cave out of nowhere? It sounded odd.
But demons from the demon realm could emerge anywhere on the continent.
Once they appeared, they turned the surrounding land to ruin with overwhelming power no ordinary human could withstand.
That made them the top priority for heroes and champions.
In fact, the very reason heroes and champions played the most crucial roles in this world was...
Occasional demon invasions that could strike anywhere on the continent.
"Stage 2, right?"
"Yeah, that's when damage starts showing up around the area."
Demon appearances came with precursors.
Divided into four stages.
Stage 1: Without any special reason, wild animals and monsters in a specific area migrate elsewhere.
The beasts nearest the demon emergence sense the danger first and flee.
About a week after Stage 1 signs appear on average, it advances to Stage 2.
Stage 2: Demonic energy kills nearby plants, and some animals and monsters mutate into weak magical beasts.
Damage begins at this point, even if minor.
Exposure to demonic energy harms fruits, herbs, and crops.
And while mutated beasts are weaker than true ones, they're still beyond ordinary people.
At minimum, a C-rank adventurer party or formal knights are needed to handle them.
Up to this stage, a few with light-attribute magic or holy power can gather to purify the land.
About a month later, it enters Stage 3.
At that point, only those with top-tier holy power can purify it.
Stage 3: The land turns black, and true demon realm beasts erupt from underground, assaulting the surroundings.
From here, it's considered an active demon invasion.
True magical beasts appear, not the weak ones from Stage 2.
The damage to the area becomes severe.
To properly contain it requires a B-rank adventurer party, five or more knights, or at least one hero.
A week after Stage 3...
Stage 4: Demon appearance.
With the demon's arrival, the full invasion begins.
"It's been two weeks since Stage 2 started. If we don't find it soon, Stage 3 kicks in."
"But this cave is just so damn huge..."
A week ago, Stage 2 precursors appeared in Basque Cave, so Marquis Sain's precise request was to find and purify the source of the demonic energy.
Conveniently, they had Ron, a B-rank adventurer and advanced priest, who could handle purification.
But Basque Cave was one of the empire's largest, ranking in the top ten.
Finding the demonic energy source wasn't easy.
"Once it hits Stage 3, it's no longer our jurisdiction. That's champion territory."
"We gotta find it quick..."
Ron clicked his tongue and scratched his head at Jerome's words.
Marquis Sain had been clear.
On average, a month from Stage 2 to 3.
With five days left, he'd pull the Scarlett Party and formally request champions or the church.
That was the normal procedure.
If they could just pinpoint the location, they'd have contacted the church for purification.
'Asking them to find the spot too costs too much. Can't afford champions or heroes.'
Cost was a big factor in hiring an adventurer party.
Of course, using the marquisate's own soldiers would be most efficient for saving money.
'But I don't want to spread word of a demon invasion. The territory's people might panic.'
This operation was top secret.
Witnesses to the beasts were silenced, and no one outside the Scarlett Party was informed.
He worried the people would panic or live in fear, unable to work properly.
Demon invasions were that terrifying.
Cheap, mediocre parties risked too much.
'I don't trust other adventurer parties. Scarlett, I'm entrusting this to your party because I trust you.'
Trust was an issue too.
They had about 16-17 days.
A week was already gone.
"Roughly ten days left?"
"...Feels like we've only covered half the cave."
"Nah, for this size, a week's progress is pretty good."
They sighed deeply.
They figured they could make the deadline, but something told them it wouldn't be smooth.
It'd be nice if they could use the marquisate's soldiers or knights, but that wasn't possible.
"...A demon invasion. Couldn't we handle a mid-tier one ourselves?"
Arna shook her head at Ron's question.
"Don't talk nonsense. Even Scarlett would struggle against a mid-tier demon."
She shuddered as if recalling a terrifying past memory.
Demons had ranks too.
Low-tier demons could be held off by a company with ten-plus knights or an A-rank party.
But mid-tier demons exceeded humanity's manageable level.
At minimum, five hero parties or a champion party were needed.
In other words, five out of 30-40 active heroes per nation.
Or one champion out of about ten per nation, plus three hero party members.
Nothing less could stop it.
High-tier demons were near-mythical.
Appearing once every 30 years across the continent, their emergence alone threatened the world.
One champion couldn't handle it.
At least 3-4 champion parties and dozens of heroes were required.
Even with that many superhumans, it was barely containable—regular armies stood no chance.
Historically, a few humans had faced high-tier demons alone.
The most recent was Marquis Harkur.
"It won't be a Demon King, right?"
"...The Demon King is just a legend, Ron."
Legends spoke of even greater beings.
The 'Demon King'.
The term for six absolute rulers of the demon realm—practically mythical.
The last descent was 300 years ago.
If a Demon King descended, it'd bring dozens of high-tier demons, hundreds of mid and low-tier.
Humanity's end.
Legends said the ultimate champion always appeared to slay it and drive them back.
But the continent still ended up ravaged.
"Come on, if it were a Demon King, the precursors wouldn't be this mild. The marquisate would be toast already... Ahem."
Arna stared at Ron incredulously but cut herself off, remembering Scarlett was beside her.
"Haha, what can ya do? Search again tomorrow?"
Scarlett ignored it all, laughing as usual and walking on.
"...Huh?"
Suddenly, she stopped and pulled something from the magic pouch at her waist.
"Portable communicator?"
It was a portable version of the expensive communication orb—something even the wealthy rarely carried.
Not even an S-rank adventurer should have one.
Marquis Sain had given it to her for occasional contact.
"Contact from Marquis Sain?"
Naturally, they'd assume so at this timing.
But the caller was unexpected.
"Big Brother Kane?"
"Huh?"
"What?"
The voice from the communicator belonged to Kane.
Highly unusual, but since it was Kane, Scarlett happily answered.
"Big Brother Kane! What's up?"
Scarlett's energy hovered between hearty and bubbly.
"Kane! Long time no see!"
"Ooh, Kane bro! Made it to Hassler alright?"
The other members crowded excitedly around the orb.
But Kane's voice from the other end sounded anxious and urgent.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ah, Miss Scarlett. And everyone else, hello. Are you busy? I have a favor to ask...] "Huh? What favor?"
His uneasy tone.
And Kane was the type to grant favors, not ask them.
So she listened more seriously than usual.
The others fell silent, sensing the off vibe, and paid close attention.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [There's a troll anomaly in Hassler.]
To sum up Kane's words: He suspected a Troll Lord's revival.
To stop it, they'd need serious firepower—could they help?
"Hmm..."
Scarlett and the party pondered.
A Troll Lord was bad news.
Left alone, it'd threaten not just Hassler but nearby villages and cities.
But the Harkur Marquisate was dangerous too if ignored.
Once the demon invasion hit Stage 3, it couldn't be hidden anymore.
Fearsome magical beasts assaulting the people would be irreversible.
"Got it. We'll wrap things up here first, then head your way."
Weighing both incidents, Scarlett prioritized the marquisate's demon issue.
Even without that, handling the immediate problem made sense.
Besides, if the Troll Lord was already active, they might arrive too late.
Hassler and the Harkur Marquisate were on opposite sides of the empire's capital—minimum two weeks, even rushing.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Thank you. I'll contact you again later.]
The call ended.
"......"
"......"
The party's expressions darkened.
"A Troll Lord... Kane bro'll be okay, right?"
A Troll Lord was as big a threat as a demon invasion.
It awakened maybe once every few decades—right when Kane arrived in Hassler.
As the mood dipped...
"It's fine. Heroes and champions won't sit idle anyway. And Big Brother Kane? He'll figure it out."
Scarlett grinned brightly.
"Yeah, probably."
"True, Kane bro's no slouch."
"Right, right. Let's grab some food!"
Her cheer lifted their spirits.
They hurried toward Rebascal before sundown.
"......"
But once out of sight...
She wore an uncharacteristically serious look, deep in thought.
'Why do I feel so uneasy...'
The demon invasion precursors in the Harkur Marquisate.
The sudden Troll Lord emergence.
For some reason, they felt connected.
And this wasn't the end.
Enveloped in inexplicable anxiety.