Chapter 171
Chapter 171
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: Division (2)
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“What are you talking about right now?”
Athena shouted with a flustered face.
“Dad’s a fake?”
“That’s not your father. It’s merely a finely crafted doll.”
“Don’t talk nonsense! This is the Fafnir Mercenary Group! Who the hell would do such a thing!”
“I don’t know that either.”
In truth, Demian already knew who the culprit was.
Right now, within this mercenary group, there was only one person capable of creating such an intricate fake body.
Rubia, the great black mage and disciple of the great evil Sla.
“Who made the fake Mercenary King. Who swapped out the Mercenary King. I don’t know the details. But the one thing I can say for certain is that it’s a fake.”
However, Demian did not tell Athena everything.
If he explained in too much detail, it might backfire and make Demian himself suspicious.
An outsider like Demian knowing the inner workings of the mercenary group so well would raise red flags in many ways.
“Even if what you’re saying is true…… There’s no way no one would have noticed. This is the Fafnir Mercenary Group, you know!”
Athena could not easily believe Demian’s words.
It was only natural. This place was filled with Master Class experts.
Master Class individuals had their five senses, as well as their ability to detect mana, all honed to the extreme.
It was impossible to fool them.
But Rubia was a great black mage and, at the same time, the disciple of the great evil Sla.
As far as Demian knew, there was no one in Pandemonium more knowledgeable about human bodies than Sla.
For Sla’s disciple Rubia, crafting a doll intricate enough to fool the senses of Master Class experts was child’s play.
“That’s how meticulously it was made. If I hadn’t been involved with the church, even I wouldn’t have recognized it.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“When I visited the main headquarters of the Holy Church in the past, I saw a similar doll. They said it was something they recovered after killing a great black mage. That’s how I was able to spot it.”
“Great black mage……?”
At the mention of great black mage, Athena seemed somewhat convinced.
A great black mage was certainly capable of fooling the eyes of Master Class experts.
“If you don’t believe me, I’ll go prove it right now.”
The reason Demian had deliberately revealed this fact to Athena was to prevent the Fafnir Mercenary Group from fracturing.
They needed to find the real Mercenary King as soon as possible.
But it had already been a week since the Mercenary King fell. That meant Rubia had whisked him away a week ago.
Even for Demian, tracking traces from a week ago was impossible.
So, his plan was to expose the fact that the Mercenary King was a fake and mobilize the entire Fafnir Mercenary Group to search for the real one.
And to secure Athena’s help in that process, he had informed her of the truth first.
“……You can really prove it?”
“Of course.”
“Then let’s go take a look.”
It was just as the two were about to head to the chambers where the fake Mercenary King was.
The flap of the tent where the meeting was being held opened, and two people stepped out from inside.
The one standing at the front was Clea Fowler. And beside her stood a man with broad shoulders.
The Executioner, Ulric Hopper.
A Master who had swept across battlefields alongside the Mercenary King during the War of Ruin.
A figure whose skills were vividly etched in Demian’s memory.
“You were right here. This saves me some trouble.”
Clea Fowler said, looking at Athena. Athena asked warily.
“What’s going on?”
Clea Fowler did not answer. Instead, she merely glanced at the Executioner, Ulric Hopper.
“Ulric. I’m counting on you.”
“Mother, do we really have to do this?”
The Executioner asked with a displeased expression. At his words, Clea snapped angrily.
“Ulric! Your father might have collapsed because of that girl, and you want to show her sympathy?”
Athena cried out in shock at Clea’s words.
“What are you talking about? Why would I be the culprit?”
“Don’t play innocent. Out of all of us, you’re the one who spent the most time with Karl. If not you, then who the hell turned Karl into that?”
Athena made a dumbfounded face at Clea’s words.
“Don’t talk nonsense! Why would I do something like that to my father!”
“We’ll find that out from now on. Ulric, what are you doing? Arrest those two quickly.”
The Executioner let out a short sigh and gestured. At that, the mercenaries around them surrounded the two.
“I’m arresting you two as prime suspects.”
He said to the flustered pair, his face bitter.
“If you resist, I’ll have to handle it myself.”
* * *
The two captured by the mercenaries were dragged to separate locations.
The place Demian arrived at was a mobile prison on the outskirts of the mercenary camp.
All four sides were covered in iron plating, with wheels attached to the bottom.
Upon entering, he saw a single iron cage set up in the center.
“Stay put in there!”
The mercenaries shoved Demian inside the cage. They locked it and exited the prison.
Demian’s hands were bound in large manacles. They were magic tools designed to disrupt mana flow.
Demian tapped the cage bars with the manacles. They seemed extremely sturdy.
“I don’t have time to be stuck like this.”
He hadn’t expected to get caught up like this when he needed to find the Mercenary King.
“I’ll have to look for an opening to escape.”
The reason Demian had allowed himself to be captured without resistance was the Executioner.
Even for Demian, fighting a Master Class head-on was impossible.
But slipping away when the chance arose would be easy. Neither the manacles nor the cage posed a significant problem for him.
“The problem is how to find the Mercenary King…….”
With things tangled up like this, expecting cooperation from the mercenary group was out of the question.
The only option left was to escape the camp and search on his own.
It was while Demian was deep in thought.
The prison door opened, and a woman entered.
A woman so breathtakingly beautiful it was hard to believe one’s eyes.
It was Rubia.
“Thank you for opening it.”
“N-No problem.”
At Rubia’s words, the mercenary blushed and closed the prison door.
Only after confirming the door was shut did Rubia approach Demian.
“This must be the second time we’re facing each other like this.”
Rubia said with a smile.
Even in this filthy prison, Rubia’s beauty shone radiantly.
“We don’t have time for this.”
Demian had no interest whatsoever in Rubia’s appearance.
He already knew her true nature well, and that her looks were artificial.
“You’re as cold as ever.”
Rubia said, sounding a bit hurt. Suddenly, the entire prison filled with a sweet fragrance.
It was pheromones, the signature technique of the great evil Sla. Anyone who inhaled this scent, man or woman, fell head over heels for Rubia.
“If you have something to say, say it quick and get out.”
Of course, it had no effect on Demian. He even covered his nose with the back of his hand, as if it were unpleasant.
At his reaction, Rubia looked at Demian with curiosity.
“Fascinating. Other men lose their minds the moment they see me. But you don’t show even a hint of it.”
“You seem overly confident. I don’t find you all that appealing.”
At Demian’s retort, Rubia burst into laughter.
“You’re the one who got me locked up.”
At Demian’s words, Rubia nodded nonchalantly.
“You catch on quick.”
“You showed up the moment I got locked up. Anyone who doesn’t notice at this point is an idiot, right?”
“Fair enough. But you still don’t know why I had you locked up, do you?”
Rubia said, scanning Demian up and down.
“I’m a black mage.”
Demian made an incredulous face. He hadn’t expected her to reveal it first.
“There’s someone looking for talent like yours. I plan to offer you to him.”
“Who is this person?”
“You don’t need to know that much. Just one thing…… He’s a truly great man.”
Rubia’s face took on a slightly dreamy expression.
Demian fell into brief thought. He had a feeling he knew who Rubia was referring to.
“So originally, I asked Garlot to capture you alive…… But the fool failed miserably and got himself killed instead. So I had to step in.”
“Kidnapping me in a place full of Master Class experts? Sounds impossible.”
“There are ways.”
Rubia pulled out a small bead and tossed it to the ground.
The bead rapidly expanded, then began to flow and ooze.
It looked like a mass of undulating flesh chunks mashed together. Just looking at it was nauseating.
“Watch closely.”
Rubia waved her hand in the air, and the flesh mass transformed into an exact replica of Demian Haksen.
“Perfect, right? A little tweak to the scent and mana aura, and they’ll all fall for it. I plan to use this to fake your death.”
As Demian had suspected, Rubia was the one who made the fake Mercenary King.
“You’re awfully calm. Or have you resigned yourself?”
When Demian said nothing, Rubia smiled and spoke.
From his position, he was grateful that Rubia would get him out without the hassle of breaking out himself.
Then, suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.
A perfect way to learn the Mercenary King’s location without him having to lift a finger.
“Kidnapping me will only backfire.”
“Oh? Suddenly so talkative. Scared now that you’re being taken by a black mage?”
“Dorgo won’t be pleased if you bring me to him.”
The moment Demian uttered that name, Rubia’s eyes widened twofold.
“Y-You! H-How do you know that, that great man’s name?”
“How could I not know?”
Demian struck a haughty pose as he spoke.
“I’m Dorgo’s direct attendant.”