Chapter 58: The Worst Reunion (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 58: The Worst Reunion (4)
A person had clearly died, yet…
“Count Dakuus, please take a photo with me!”
It was a festival like no other.
The adventurers from Lukart, seeing two of those precious war veterans in one place, cheered wildly and swarmed them.
Narupa, the businesswoman, had introduced disposable magitech cameras she’d developed. Everyone scrambled to buy one and immediately rushed toward Dakuus and Levantello.
“Please, an autograph on the photo as well!”
“Of course! What is your name?”
“It’s Claude.”
The eyes of the people from Hus shifted for a brief moment.
Claude.
That was the name they already knew through Nasian.
The despicable, wretched fellow who had seduced half the women in Alto’s party.
“I have always admired you, Count Dakuus, the Master Strategist of the Final War.”
“You know your stuff. A weapon is useless if you lack the strategy to wield it.”
“You are absolutely right, sir.”
Gerend, another target of their revenge, rushed toward Levantello, staying true to his own temperament.
“The God of Cavalry! I heard that whenever you charged, the demons were completely wiped out.”
“Ha! I like this young man’s spirit.”
“Please sign right here. Write: ‘To the Spirited Gerend, from Levantello, the God of Cavalry.’”
And, naturally, there was a woman present who was beyond excited—so much so she was practically plugging a nosebleed.
“Dammit, dammit! I fell behind because I couldn’t decide who to take a picture with first.”
It was Mirei.
With a face flushing redder every time she looked at Claude, Mirei stood in Levantello’s line like a fangirl, waiting impatiently for the queue to move.
Narupa, noticing Mirei’s party, approached Airune and whispered in her ear.
Airune, who had been reacting sourly since their argument in the carriage the previous night, saw her expression transform the moment she heard Narupa’s words.
“Ah… so it’s them?”
So it’s these bitches?
The ones who drove a stake through my Alto’s heart.
Just as she was casting a spiteful glare, two men approached them.
“Lady Narupa, it is an honor to meet you. I am Claude, a Gold-rank adventurer from Lukart.”
“Ho, you look quite refined, yet you wear such heavy armor. I like the imbalance.”
Claude and Gerend.
Having received their photos and autographs, they had come to strike up a conversation with Narupa and Airune.
“If you wouldn’t mind, perhaps you would care to join us for a cup of tea?”
“I refuse.”
Talking to me with such a disgusting face.
Narupa’s eyes darted around restlessly.
“Tea? You’re as stiff as a scholar as always, Claude. How about we go for beers instead?”
“Get lost. Don’t talk to us.”
Airune, reacting even more harshly than Narupa, was also hurriedly scanning her surroundings.
If Alto saw this, he might be disappointed.
Furthermore, she knew exactly what kind of men these two were.
She needed to ignore them and make them leave quickly, but she couldn’t think of any way to do it other than punching them in the face.
“Leave while I’m still being polite.”
“Lady Narupa, a man like me, Claude, is considered top-tier even in Lukart. For someone like me to make the first move…”
“I am Narupa Diberuper, the only daughter of the hero Bisharen Diberuper and the head of the Diberum Group, which holds more wealth through magitech than the Kingdom and the Duchy combined. Furthermore, the lady beside me is Airune Dakuren, the only daughter of the hero Vanguardier Dakuren and the heir to the Hus region. Do you truly think you can hit on us for the mere, paltry reason that you are men?”
“M-my apologies.”
At Narupa’s thunderous scolding, Claude and Gerend recoiled in fear.
Though they retreated obediently on the surface, the two men’s hearts were racing at the women’s unusual reactions.
Wealth that surpasses the Kingdom and the Duchy? I want to find a way to ruin that prim and proper beauty.
Dakuren! If I crush that bitch under me, the entire Hus region falls into my hands! Her face is more than decent, too—she’d be worth keeping around for a lifetime!
If Narupa had mastered mind-reading, the two of them would have surely exploded from the inside out.
Regardless, as attention shifted toward them following Narupa’s outburst, Dakuus waved his hand, attempting to settle the situation.
Until she appeared.
“Oh my~, what a strange coincidence for the daughters of heroes to be gathered in one place!”
Yarismal, who had just arrived with the Lukart Adventurer Guild Branch Manager and the Carriage Station Manager flanking her, didn’t have a single drop of sweat on her brow.
“Yarismal Bichante, a member of the Adventurer Guild headquarters and a novice nun of the Holy Church, offers her greetings to the daughters of the heroes.”
As Yarismal bowed gracefully, Narupa and Airune returned the gesture with equal etiquette.
“Greetings to Lady Yarismal, daughter of the hero Mirachi Bichante.”
“Greetings.”
Though they all wore smiling faces, sparks flew where their gazes met.
Instinctively, they recognized each other as love rivals.
“Now then! Since it seems all the important figures are gathered, shall we hold a strategy meeting?”
Clapping her hands, Yarismal signaled the Lukart Branch Manager with a glance.
The Branch Manager, quick on the uptake, shouted for the adventurers to return to camp and reorganize, causing the crowd to disperse.
“I didn’t get my autograph!”
Mirei looked ready to cry, but Resin, who had always been the salutatorian at the Magic Tower, glared at Narupa with gritted teeth before returning to the camp.
However, Narupa didn’t even realize Resin was there.
To begin with, someone like Resin wasn’t worth Narupa’s attention.
“Old man, I played along with this chaos as you wanted, but frankly, it was unpleasant.”
“Let’s just call it a warm-up for future pleasures.”
“I am a soldier, not a clown.”
“Politics is the art of making everyone, including oneself, into a clown.”
“And what do you gain by doing that?”
“Overwhelming power that allows you to possess whatever you desire.”
“Yes, yes, I’ve heard enough of you old geezers’ stale talk. That’s not what’s important right now.”
Boldly, it was Narupa who interrupted the war veterans.
Having attempted to circulate her mana several times since arriving, Narupa had been sensing something ominous.
“Do you see this? I’m simply trying to draw out and release mana, but it’s not working well. I’m having to use a significant amount of control just to conjure a mere shimmer. It’s as if something is interfering.”
The crimson mana Narupa produced failed to coalesce properly on her palm, drifting away like mist instead of its usual form.
“I have something to say regarding that as well.”
Yarismal raised her hand.
“I can sense demonic energy throughout this entire area. But it’s different. Demonic energy is naturally cold, but this feels… sticky and viscous.”
“Cold yet sticky…?”
Repeating the words, Levantello suddenly remembered that this tall, bronze-skinned woman was of the Bierma tribe.
“The Bierma are all of shamanic blood. I heard they sense spirits and the aura of death constantly.”
“And those descriptions are exactly what Lord Mirachi used to say whenever demons were present.”
Demons.
The word uttered by Dakuus caused the atmosphere to turn heavy in an instant.
“Does the presence of demons make mana manipulation difficult?”
“No, Lady Narupa. That is a completely separate matter. If that were the case, Lord Bisharen wouldn’t have been able to use magic effectively on the battlefield.”
“Interference with mana manipulation and a strange demonic energy…”
As Narupa pondered, a hypothesis flashed through her mind.
“Is there a dungeon nearby?”
“Yes, that’s right. If you enter the area bordering the opposite side of this reed field, there is a small dungeon. Its scale is small, but the monsters that emerge from it are high-ranking.”
Yarismal’s answer, coming from someone at the guild headquarters who knew every dungeon location, gave weight to Narupa’s hypothesis.
“A dungeon is formed when the Essence of the Demon Race takes root and taints the surroundings with demonic energy.”
“Which means…?”
“Wait a moment, Count. Let me think a bit more. Yesterday, Baron Giamant said Yobeste told him this: ‘That is why I intend to return. To the time when I lived with the pride of a patriarch protecting his family.’”
Count Dakuus and Levantello realized the meaning instantly.
Dakuus felt like punching himself for why he hadn’t taken those words seriously.
“The pride of protecting his family… that time would surely be during the Final War. Yobeste wants to return to the era when we were at war with the demons! To the time when there was at least glory and honor!”
“By what means? Old man, no matter how crazy he is, how could he possibly bring back the demons who are long dead?”
“No. That’s not it.”
To Levantello’s question, Narupa provided a devastating answer.
“I just told you. A dungeon itself exists because the Essence of the Demon Race remains and taints the area with demonic energy. Strictly speaking, the existence of the demons hasn’t been annihilated. They are still exerting an indirect influence. And…”
Whoosh.
She tried to manifest her mana once more.
It still didn’t work properly.
“My father’s books said that demonic energy and mana aren’t much different, aside from the inherent evil. Add to that the sensation of demonic energy that Lord Mirachi often mentioned before demons appeared…”
“Narupa, so what’s the conclusion? Tell us quickly.”
As Airune urged her, tired of the circular conversation, Narupa let out a sigh filled with anxiety.
“It’s possible that this area has a natural geographical structure that prevents the Essence of the Demon Race from resurrecting into actual demons. And my hypothesis is that Yobeste might be planning to take this area as his territory and take certain measures to resurrect the demons.”
The resurrection of the Demon Race.
Levantello’s mustache quivered as he clenched his fist.
“Is he insane? Has he lost his mind after losing his wife?”
“Treat a war veteran like that, and they’re bound to go mad.”
“Old man! We must call Alto. We need Alto to enter Yobeste’s fortified territory!”
“Lower your voice, Levantello! Alto’s presence must not be revealed yet! He has already begun his role. More importantly, we must verify if Lady Narupa’s hypothesis is correct. Call Giamant.”
However, Levantello raised an eyebrow and questioned him.
“Giamant? Why Giamant?”
“To confirm exactly what Yobeste said! Where is Giamant? Surely, when you arrived at dawn, you brought him…”
Count Dakuus, looking around, suddenly stopped moving.
Could it be?
“Levantello, you…!”
“I don’t know why you’re looking for Giamant. Baron Giamant surely must have been killed by Yobeste, along with Baron Kavito?”
“Is that the will of the Duchy!”
“It’s a warning to those insolent nobles who dared to defy a war veteran.”
“Levantello!”
“Old man, didn’t you say politics is the art of making everyone around you, including yourself, into a clown?”
“…And what do you gain from that?”
Levantello laughed hollowly.
“I can survive by the side of the one who has the power to possess whatever he desires.”
Neigh!
In the distance, Levantello’s horse let out a cry.
As he left the area, the God of Cavalry left one final question for the Master Strategist.
“Will the day ever truly come when we receive pure gratitude and treatment for the price of our blood and that of our comrades?”