Chapter 169: Magus Kailas (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 169: Magus Kailas (1)
Line suddenly looked ahead.
The scenery before her was incredibly surreal.
It was a world where everything appeared hazy and murky.
Yet, within that gloom, a single small cabin emitted a warm, solitary light.
The moment she saw that cabin, Line realized she was in a dream.
She had been having this same dream consistently for over ten years now.
I don't want to go in, the thought flashed through her mind.
She had experienced this exact dream dozens, no, hundreds of times. Because she knew exactly what awaited her inside that cabin, she had no desire to step through the door.
However, her body soon began to move.
As long as she didn't enter the cabin, this dream would never end.
“…….”
She walked forward in silence.
With every step Line took, the cabin drew closer.
Finally reaching the destination, she stared at the door for a moment before pulling it open.
Creeeeeak—!
What unfolded before her eyes was a gruesome sight.
The corpse of a woman whose throat had been torn open.
The corpse of a man whose limbs were twisted in impossible directions.
And the bodies of three children, dead after hemorrhaging blood from every orifice.
It was far from pleasant, but it was a sight Line was intimately familiar with.
Not only had she seen it many times before, but she had also created such corpses with her own hands.
And yet, despite that—
“Haah—haah—”
Her once-calm eyes were stained with terror.
Her heart began to race.
It was as if she had been transported back ten years to that very day.
…To the day she found the bodies of her parents and siblings.
And then—
And then—
And then—
“!”
Line snapped her eyes open and looked around.
The scenery had changed in an instant.
She saw her room, the place where she had fallen asleep, clearly now.
There were no corpses, no blood, and no cabin emitting a warm light. It was just a room bathed in the morning sunlight.
“……Sigh.”
She covered her face with her hands, looking exhausted.
For some unknown reason, these nightmares had been occurring more frequently of late.
Because of that.
“…….”
Line remained on her sweat-soaked bed for a long time, unable to get up.
* * *
After the ball had completely concluded.
“Phew.”
Shuhtalian V, who had boarded his carriage to return to the kingdom, rubbed his eyes with a weary expression.
This is no way to live.
In truth, he hadn't particularly wanted to attend this ball.
But he had no choice.
There were political reasons, of course, but above all, it was to clean up the mess left behind by Duke Comallon.
…To put it more bluntly.
By attending this ball, he was elevating the status of the Queen of Asteria and saving the Queen’s face, all in hopes of reducing the scale of reparations for the Artificial Outer God incident.
In short, he was paying his debts with his presence.
As Shuhtalian V let out another deep sigh.
“O King of Humans.”
He turned his head at the sound of a voice.
There stood a man whose entire body was encased in armor.
A being he had brought along through a secret contract with the demi-humans for the tasks ahead.
The man suddenly posed a question.
His tone was incredibly arrogant for someone addressing a king.
However, Shuhtalian V didn't feel the slightest bit of offense.
He knew.
He knew that the entity inside that armor and helmet was a powerhouse strong enough to forgo honorifics when speaking to a king.
“……It’s fine when it’s just the two of us, but I’d appreciate it if you watched your tongue when others are around.”
“Do not worry. I shall play along with your little game.”
“So, what is it you want to ask?”
At Shuhtalian V’s question, Kurak the Engraved remained silent for a moment before speaking.
“Do you remember the man in the black coat at the ball?”
“……A black coat? Weren't there many nobles wearing black coats?”
“I am talking about the man whose face showed no emotion.”
It wasn't difficult for Shuhtalian V to realize who he was talking about.
“……Are you referring to Marquis Palatio?”
“Is that his name?”
“Yes. He’s quite famous within the United Kingdoms.”
“He seems to have built quite a reputation. Can you tell me about him?”
“I’m not particularly fond of the idea, but that much isn't difficult.”
Shuhtalian V began to recount stories related to Marquis Palatio one by one.
After some time had passed.
“Well, that’s about it.”
“Is that so?”
“But—to be honest, some of it might be exaggerated.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Of course, Marquis Palatio’s abilities are beyond doubt at this point, but regardless of that, things can get inflated as they are passed along. For instance, the rumors that he handled an Outer God in the North all by himself.”
At first, it was just that Marquis Palatio had provided significant help.
But as the story grew, it turned into a rumor that ‘the Marquis defeated an Outer God.’
Kurak, who had been quietly listening to Shuhtalian V’s story, spoke up.
“In my opinion, if anything, he is even more impressive. I do not think the stories are exaggerated at all.”
“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said. The rumors about Marquis Palatio do not seem to be distorted.”
“……You sound quite certain. Why is that?”
At Shuhtalian V’s question, Kurak smirked.
“Because that man is capable of such things.”
“Capable……?”
He answered simply.
Shuhtalian V asked back, his voice full of doubt.
However, Kurak did not respond and simply recalled the Marquis Palatio he had seen a few days ago.
The man who had met his gaze with an indifferent stare.
…The being who walked around with a grotesque thing attached to his back—a thing so foul that merely perceiving it would cause one to weep tears of blood.
Kurak was not the type to take such an interest in others.
Even with a threatening presence behind the man, his stance remained the same.
He had more urgent matters to attend to, and it was for those matters that he had bothered to cooperate with humans and step out into the world.
The fundamental reason Kurak was interested in Marquis Palatio was—
……How on earth is that man wearing the Gauntlet of the Primordial Elf—no, the Gauntlet of the Grand Master of the Holy Star?
It was because the man was wearing the Gauntlet of the Grand Master.
The Grand Master.
The savior who had once rescued the demi-humans abandoned by the gods—the one the elves arbitrarily called the Primordial Elf. The man was wearing the very gauntlet that savior had used.
At first, he thought he had misseen it.
But the gauntlet the man wore was undoubtedly the one used by the Grand Master.
The memories etched into the Engraving passed down through hundreds of generations told him that the gauntlet was, without a doubt, the Grand Master’s.
And that wasn't all.
He wouldn't have been convinced Marquis Palatio was the Grand Master based on the gauntlet alone.
…If not for the Black Leaves surrounding Marquis Palatio.
There were at least six of them.
Kurak recalled the six elves who had been loitering near Marquis Palatio.
Beings organized solely to protect High Elves, each possessing power equivalent to a Sword Master.
They were operating in the shadows around Marquis Palatio.
If the Black Leaves, who could only be moved by the Queen, were protecting him, there was only one possibility.
“……Ha.”
Kurak let out an absurd chuckle.
Even to him, it sounded nonsensical.
A dead man had returned?
There was no way that could—
Be possible.
It shouldn't be possible.
And yet, a being that made him imagine such an unrealistic hypothesis had appeared before him.
After being lost in thought for a while, Kurak broke the silence.
“Prepare a letter for me when we return.”
“……I believe it isn't time for your report yet.”
“It isn't, but something has come up that I must send. If—if what I am thinking is true—”
He smirked.
“—Everyone will need to prepare.”
Because the world might just be turned upside down.
* * *
It had been about four days since Alon’s group left Teria for Lartania.
Alon, who had been traveling at a leisurely pace, suddenly stopped.
“……Marquis?”
“Deus?”
Unexpectedly, he ran into Deus in a village not far from Lartania.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes, have you been well in the meantime?”
The moment he saw Alon, Deus rushed over and bowed his head deeply.
“But what are you doing here?”
Alon asked, feeling bewildered behind his expressionless face. Deus replied.
“I was on my way to Lartania.”
“……To Lartania?”
“Yes.”
“……Then there was no need for you to stop here, was there?”
As Alon pointed out, Deus shouldn't have been in this location.
With Lartania as the center, Asteria was to the east and Calliban was to the west.
In other words, if Deus had headed to Lartania from Calliban, there was no reason for him to pass through this area. As Alon expressed his doubt.
“Ah, actually, there was something I needed to get around here, so I came this way.”
“Something to get?”
“Yes.”
“……Ah, now that I think about it, I heard you were making something. Is it because of that?”
“Yes, I was making a gift for you, Marquis.”
“A gift for me?”
This was news to him.
“Yes.”
“……Is that what you’ve been making?”
“That is correct.”
Deus nodded vigorously with a confident expression.
Seeing that pure, expectant look, Alon felt a bit sheepish for no reason.
The thought 'Suddenly?' crossed his mind.
But hearing that a gift was being made for him made him feel good despite himself.
He felt a bit sorry seeing Deus running around in person like this, but…
……Well, the happiness outweighed the guilt.
“Where are you headed, Marquis?”
This time, Deus asked.
“I am also going to Lartania.”
“Then let us go together.”
“……Let’s do that.”
Deus joined Alon’s group.
The next day.
Alon met Deus’s younger sister for the first time in a very long while.
“Say hello, Silli.”
“……Hello.”
“……? Right.”
Alon was inwardly glad to see her, but Silli—
“…….”
She had an incredibly complex and subtle expression, one that even held a tiny hint of resentment…….
* * *
In a basement on the outskirts of Lartania.
‘Ron,’ the manager in charge of the Lartania branch of the Information Guild, was silently staring at the hooded woman in front of him.
Rustle— rustle—
Every time the woman tilted her head and moved her hand, the paper flipped to the next page.
The next page.
And the next.
After reading every single page to the end, the woman placed the papers on the desk made of Black Wood and spoke leisurely.
“Hmm—this isn't quite enough. Is there anything more?”
“More?”
“Yeah.”
“If you want deeper information, the money you brought won't be enough.”
“Really? I thought it was quite a lot.”
“……Ten gold coins is a generous price for this much. Information on High Councilor Line is expensive.”
At Ron’s blunt answer, the woman hummed and seemed to be calculating something intently before she smirked and shrugged.
“Fine. Honestly, more information would be nice, but this is enough for now.”
“Then leave.”
“Aren't you being a bit too cold to a woman like me?”
“Your face is hidden by that hood so I can't even see it properly. Besides, this is a place of business.”
She giggled at Ron’s cold attitude.
“Then how about we talk business?”
“……As I said, you need money to talk business.”
“I heard you also buy useful information?”
“Hmph, do you really think you have information worth buying?”
“Of course. At this point, I’m the only one who knows it.”
Ron looked down at the woman with a skeptical expression.
However.
“I’ll hear the information first and then decide the price. If it’s something we already have, I won't pay a cent.”
He couldn't afford to miss a potential lead.
“Fine—well, I don't know if you’ll be able to pay the price, though.”
“……?”
He gave the woman a chance.
Soon, the woman slowly approached Ron, brought her face close to his ear, and—
“M҉a҉m҉m҉o҉n҉ b҉e҉n҉e҉a҉t҉h҉ t҉h҉e҉ r҉o҉o҉t҉s҉”
“……?”
She whispered quietly.
At the same time Ron felt a sense of confusion.
“!”
He ‘perceived’ it.
A black mist clouded his vision where the woman’s face had been.
A bizarre object began to take shape—
The moment the eye of that bizarre object slowly opened.
Splat—!
Ron’s head exploded.
Blood instantly stained the dark room crimson.
And then.
“See? I told you that you wouldn't be able to pay.”
The woman—no, the Apostle of Greed—looked down at Ron’s headless corpse.
With a twisted smile, she pushed the blood-stained papers on the desk into thin air.
“Now that the preparations are complete—”
An Abyss Body emitting an ominous aura momentarily revealed itself through the ripples as the papers were sucked in.
“—Well then—shall we get moving?”
Soon, as the Apostle of Greed quietly slipped out of the dark room, no one was left behind.