331. Fissure (2)
331. Fissure (2)
- 1 -
Harai's pupils dilated in an instant.
It was her. There was no mistaking it.
The asymmetrical bob cut, gently rippling at the nape of her neck, with a faint pink and golden glow spreading softly between the strands.
Eyes as sharp as a Kal blade, and an expressionless face that thoroughly concealed all emotion.
The unfamiliar traditional attire wrapping her body, worn only by the nobles of the Western Continent.
She was unmistakably the woman who had stood guard beside Philia.
'How is she here...'
The moment he tried to voice that question, Saya looked at him and placed a finger to her lips.
'Shh.'
A sharp smile blooming beyond that finger.
A chilling shiver ran down Harai's spine.
Philia had foreseen all of this.
He still didn't know why she had given him power, but it was becoming increasingly clear just how dangerous a person she was.
But now, he was bound to her.
- 2 -
"Guild Master!!"
"We're so sorry... because of us...!"
After emerging from the dungeon, Harai met the young adventurers he had promised to save back in Elienisi.
Their eyes sparkled when they saw Saya, who had come out alongside the Guild Master.
"These people helped you too, Guild Master!"
"They saved us from the ogre as well!"
"Is that so? What a relief..."
Harai realized it through intuition.
That 'ogre' had also been Elienisi's doing.
They had rescued the adventurers from their clutches as promised, but they hadn't guaranteed their safety.
No, perhaps they had driven them into an even more dangerous place.
"... Thank you. Truly."
"Not at all."
Saya expressed her humility as if this was fated. Her face remained cool and composed.
Harai's mind was immensely tangled.
'Was my choice the right one?'
Backing out of the negotiation with the villains, and handing over the core.
He didn't regret handing the dungeon core over to Branden.
That had been an unavoidable choice for the sake of the adventurers' lives.
But what if he had racked his brain just a little more back then?
What if he had stalled for just a little more time?
He might have been able to save the adventurers and protect the core.
'But I don't have that kind of brain.'
Harai let out a hollow laugh.
It wasn't self-loathing. He simply felt the inadequacy of his own abilities.
"Hoo..."
And on top of that, what was he supposed to do about the compensation to be paid to the expedition adventurers?
Philia, the master of the black-haired woman beside him, came to mind, but it was preposterous to borrow her power again for something so arbitrary.
In the end, he would have no choice but to endure Catherine's relentless nagging and mobilize the guild's assets.
"Guild Master."
At that moment, Saya approached him and whispered.
"May we speak in private?"
Her voice, secretive like a shadow yet clear, pierced into Harai's ear.
Harai swallowed unconsciously.
The gazes of the surrounding adventurers were directed at them. Eyes filled with curiosity, every one of them.
"Of course."
He answered, taking care not to let his voice tremble, and followed Saya into the carriage.
The moment the shadow warrior's slender fingers brushed against the hilt of the sword at her waist as if caressing it, golden lightning flashed, enveloping the inside of the carriage.
A barrier spell. A space had been created where no one could eavesdrop.
"What...?"
"No one will be able to hear our conversation. Now, please sit."
The two sat facing each other on boxes loaded with cargo.
But Harai couldn't meet her eyes.
Saya was clearly facing him, and her tone was polite.
Yet somehow, Harai felt as though she were looking down on him.
Moreover, although they had succeeded in the request given by the Alliance, there wasn't a single core or treasure that should have resulted from it.
And to make things worse, the person before him was the escort of the power behind the very client and sponsor who had made that request.
As an Adventurer Guild Master, it was a truly shameful situation.
"Originally, that dungeon was scheduled to completely collapse after one hour. The nobles of Elienisi had no intention of letting you all leave alive."
But the calm voice of the person opposite him offered a story completely contrary to what he had expected.
Harai looked at her with astonished eyes.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Please listen, first."
Saya raised a hand to stop his words.
"In the midst of all that, your choice was wise. Prioritizing human lives. It brilliantly created a difference between the actions of Elienisi and Hysen."
"That's..."
Harai swallowed dryly.
Because he had surmised that the conversation now unfolding would never end within a microscopic scope.
"Now the Alliance has gained something, albeit a small one — just cause. An enemy nation's noble who captured and threatened our citizens. It should be enough to start a territorial war."
"Are you saying... you used me?"
"You should see it as a transaction. Think about what you have gained, and what you will gain in the future."
Saya fixed her gaze on Harai and raised one finger.
"You did well. As a result, Miss Catherine is likely astonished by the assets the Alliance has supported you with, and..."
"For that, I am grate..."
"A healer should have gone to your daughter by now as well."
"Pardon?"
When the second long, white finger unfurled, Harai couldn't suppress his surprise and met Saya's eyes directly.
"B-but, I was told that no healer can cure my daughter's illness, no matter who comes..."
"That would have been the case. The truth is, the illness your daughter suffers from cannot be cured even if a cleric were to come."
"Are you saying..."
She nodded once and continued.
"In fact, it is not an illness. It is a type of constitution, called 'Mana Overadaptation.'"
"You mean to say..."
"This constitution grants exceptional talent in handling mana, but it manifests in those who did not receive proper education during childhood. It is a condition primarily suffered by 'geniuses' who were unable to learn about magic."
If those words were true...
Harai felt a pang in his chest.
It meant that during the time he had been unable to settle into family life properly and was wandering outside, if he had been home and provided his daughter with teachings about mana from a young age, she might have been able to overcome it.
"But it is fine. Countess Philia is well acquainted with that symptom, and the healer we sent is someone who can properly treat it."
Having spoken that far, she leaned back comfortably against the wall.
A sign that she had said all she needed to. At the same time, it also meant that he could ask questions if he had any.
And for Harai, now that all his troubles had been resolved, there was only one question to ask.
"... Once this whole affair is over, what is going to happen?"
A thin smile rose to Saya's lips.
"You will see when it happens. Because it is not far off."
The corners of her eyes curved ever so slightly.
A face possessing a strange brightness, as if affection, respect, worship, and desire had all been mixed and clumped together to create such an expression.
"When that matter is accomplished, you will receive our 'gratitude' once again. Harai."
It was the brightest expression Harai had ever seen on Saya's face, and at the same time, the most deeply saturated.
- 3 -
"... Such matters occurred. Master."
"You did well. Saving the young adventurers, and the measures taken afterward. You handled everything appropriately."
When I praised her, a distinct look of bashfulness rose to her face.
It would be a rare sight for her, who others said showed very little emotion.
Of course, for me, it was an everyday occurrence, though.
"Such affairs, both great and small, have also been occurring in the Hilsa and Zenota directions, and they have all now returned home due to severe restrictions. It has been done as my husband wished."
At Ran's report, I nodded slowly. A smile lingered at my lips.
What I had sought to gain through this action were just two things.
First, to create a justification for displaying our power to foreign nations.
And second, specifically...
"Once a single spark was ignited, they began dividing opinions amongst themselves of their own accord. Foolish."
"An individual may be wise, but the masses are always greedy. Just as my dungeon is. Thus, one must always be wary of the group's actions and present them with guidance. Now, then..."
The second was to shatter the driving force that allowed adventurers across the entire continent to unite their wills toward a single goal.
So that even if my true nature as a demon were revealed someday, only a portion of them would attack, and they would not all recognize me as a common threat.
"Now, inform Agares and Eligos as well. Tell them that the 'gifts' are ready, and to begin their actions."
For this purpose of mine, I could not act alone.
- 4 -
The audience chamber of the Royal Palace of Elienisi.
As the massive crystal chandelier on the ceiling emitted a blue-green light, Baron Brandon Hillake knelt, gazing toward the throne.
Fatigue was evident around his eyes, but his expression was filled with a sense of triumph.
Before him sat the young King Henricus III upon a splendid amethyst throne.
He was a king who, in normal times, was lost in debauchery, paying attention only to drink and women, but today, exceptionally, he seemed focused on affairs of state.
"Your Highness."
Branden's voice overflowed with confidence. Still kneeling, he raised the object wrapped in a velvet cloth high toward the king.
"Please accept this gift I have brought, risking my life. It is an elite-grade dungeon core."
As he carefully unwrapped the velvet cloth —
Fwoosh!
A blue-green light burst forth from it.
The dazzling blue light filled the audience chamber, overpowering even the light of the chandelier on the ceiling.
In an instant, the faces of the assembled subjects in the audience chamber were dyed blue.
It was a bizarre spectacle, as if they had been submerged underwater.
The audience chamber sank into a silence where even breathing could not be heard.
"A tribute?"
Henricus III's voice, as he rose from his seat, echoed coldly.
"Did you say a tribute just now? Baron Brandon Hillake."
At that cold voice, Branden made a bewildered expression.
The king's face was contorted with fury.
"Do you have any idea what outrageous nonsense you're spouting right now?!"
Duke Rotar, who had been standing behind, stepped forward.
"Your Highness. Baron Branden merely, for the sake of the motherland..."
"Silence. Duke."
Henricus raised a hand, cutting off his uncle's words.
The young king glared at Branden with fierce eyes, a stark contrast to his usual languid and gentle demeanor.
"Conflict with Hysen is about to break out because of you, and you call that a tribute?! Do you desire a full-scale war with the Grakheizen Alliance?!"
In the king's eyes, fear was mixed with anger.
He remembered the two previous military disturbances.
The time the Hinness Duchy was carved up and shared with Kakia, and the incident where Kakia, for whatever reason, had actively attacked Hysen.
In both instances, the armies of Hysen and Kiza had succeeded in pushing their forces back without difficulty.
On the contrary, those had been painful memories where they had only suffered property damage from moving their military forces.
That could happen again. During his reign!
"Wh-what in the..."
Branden's eyes wavered uneasily, turning toward Duke Rotar and the other regents who had given him orders.
Lothar coldly turned away from his gaze, as if he were a stranger.
Having grasped that look, Henricus briefly glared at the duke before continuing to speak.
"An official letter of protest has already arrived from Hysen. It states there is testimony that a noble of Elienisi disguised as an adventurer and forcibly stole a dungeon core! And that they even tried to kill Hysen's citizens, the adventurers!"
Branden's face turned pale.
"Th-that can't be...!"
If his plan had proceeded normally, everyone at that scene should have died.
The adventurers would have been buried in the dungeon or suffocated by the lack of oxygen inside, and the entrusted adventurers brought outside would have been caught by the ogre.
But somehow, Harai had survived.
And in the end, he had aided Hysen's official announcement.
"Furthermore."
Henricus's voice suddenly became calm.
Branden felt an even more ominous feeling.
No matter how he looked at it, it felt like he was conserving his strength to become angrier.
"You, Baron. I hear you took Hysen's adventurers hostage to obtain the core? Do you consider this a just method?"
Duke Rotar stepped forward again.
"Your Majesty. Now is not the time to debate justice. To face the matter at hand, a more realistic — "
"Realistic?"
The king cut him off with a sneer.
"So, Duke, you are telling me it is 'realistic' for our kingdom to violate the Adventurers' Association's rules and threaten the adventurers of a neighboring country to steal a core?"
The king's words were cold and firm.
His gaze, which had been sweeping over the three regents, fixed on a gaunt old man with a splendid mustache.
"Prime Minister."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Surely you did not also approve of this reckless act?"
Sebastian answered calmly, without any agitation.
"I have never said such a thing. However, I believe we should have discussed the matter in a way that does not worsen it further."
The king stared at the prime minister's face for a long moment before turning his head away.
"This matter must be handled properly. However, in a direction that does not further deteriorate our relationship with Hysen. Though our relationship with Kakia is said to be important, we will suffer greater losses if relations with them go sour. Understood?"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Branden remained silent, his head bowed.
The core in his hand still emitted a blue light, but now that light approached him not as hope, but as despair.
Lothar and the other regents exchanged glances.
Anxiety that this incident would not simply end as a border dispute filled the audience chamber.
None of them noticed the small bit of magic planted within the core.