Chapter 25
Chapter 25 - A Cruel World
"You're not a hero summoned from another world, are you?"
"… !!"
I've been caught.
No. Maybe I was already caught from the beginning?
Without any warning, my identity was exposed, and I involuntarily closed my mouth. This was essentially an admission of guilt. By the time I realized it, Halcenberg was already nodding as if he had known all along.
"This Mittelland is a magical country ruled by seven Demon Lords. I'm also a wizard. Your bio-mana is fundamentally different from the humans of this world."
"... Y-Yes, that's right."
"Be glad Leila isn't at that level. Hahaha."
Damn. So that's how it is.
But it's too early to give up. If this guy had intended to kill me, I would have died without even noticing at this point. The fact that we're having this conversation means there's still a possibility of negotiation. That's what I decided to think.
"Yes. I actually wanted to ask for your help regarding the Leila issue."
Since things have come to this, I decided to go all out.
Fuck it, I'll lay down my cards and ask for help. There's no other way now.
"Hmm. Go ahead."
Halcenberg narrowed his eyes and stared at me quietly, seemingly trying to gauge my intentions.
I looked at Halcenberg with the most desperate expression and said, "To be honest, I was initially hired to survive."
"Oh?"
"So, I was hoping you could help me out. Could you set it up that I was hired by the Margrave as a mercenary from today? Otherwise, I might really die. Please."
Halcenberg, who listened to my words to the end, bowed his head deeply.
What? Is he angry? I was wondering whether I should bow down or prostrate myself when suddenly—
"Hahahahaha! How interesting. You're really an interesting fellow!"
The Margrave burst into hearty laughter.
The undead lady sitting next to him was startled by the sound. Of course, I was too.
Interesting and funny?
I'm being serious right now.
I've died 21 times, for God's sake! All because you didn't manage your servants properly!
Whether he knows my boiling inner thoughts or not, Halcenberg soon nodded coolly.
"Understood. I'll have it recorded that you're hired by me."
"Oh, thank you, Margrave!"
"However."
I flinched.
However. The word 'however' suggests a condition.
I waited anxiously for Halcenberg's next words. He still looked intrigued.
"I'll need to change your job a bit."
"... Pardon?"
My internal idiot sensor went crazy.
This doesn't sound good. The Margrave's expression reminds me of something—it's the look of a battalion commander about to drag off soldiers for work.
The moment I thought that—
"I'd like you to help me block the northern demon tribes."
A bolt from the blue.
I kept exclaiming, wondering if I'd misheard, but when I saw Halcenberg's direct gaze, I soon realized.
I heard correctly.
Who came up with the idiom "adding insult to injury"?
Immediately after, a panel appeared with a ding.
[Quest Branching Point Reached!]
[Your choice will determine the direction of the quest - 'Escaping the Abandoned Castle'.]
[Choice 1. Help Margrave Halcenberg and eliminate the northern demon tribes.]
[Choice 2. Continue helping Leila and eliminate the goblins in the sewers.]
The moment of choice has arrived.
"What will you do? You choose."
The Margrave prompted me subtly. Only then did I start contemplating.
I looked at Halcenberg fidgeting in front of me, then thought of Leila.
This choice is crucial. It can't be undone. I calculated the potential gains and losses as much as I could.
I've decided.
I raised my head. And said,
"I..."
* * *
I returned to the room as if possessed.
With a squeak and a clunk of the door, Leila, who had been nodding off by the bedside, suddenly lifted her head. Her unfocused eyes turned to me.
"Ah... You're back. How did the conversation go?"
"Well, sort of alright."
"That's a relief... *yawn*"
Leila rubbed her eyes and stretched with a long yawn.
"Then, I'm sleepy, so... See you tomorrow, junior."
As she stretched and got up, Leila walked towards the door. I casually dropped a comment to her retreating back.
"I'm going to hunt ancient demon tribes with the Margrave starting tomorrow."
"... What?"
Leila, who was about to leave the room, stopped abruptly. Her eyes looking at me were more swollen than ever before.
I calmly informed Leila of my decision.
"He said he wants to go hunt demon tribes right away since we've built up some experience from today's hunt. So I agreed."
"No, but... The Lord would never decide to hunt demon tribes so easily..."
Leila grabbed her forehead, looking confused. After rambling for a while, she suddenly stared at me.
Her gaze contained an extremely cold energy.
"Junior. Aren't you hiding something from me?"
"... No. Nothing at all."
Intimidated by Leila's fierce demeanor, I involuntarily averted my gaze. Although I made an excuse, there was already a sense of certainty in Leila's voice.
"How long do you think I've worked in this castle? That decision is strange. Unless you're hiding something, there's no way the Lord would take you on a demon tribe hunt."
She's sharp.
But this level of questioning was something I had also anticipated. I immediately flicked my shoulder and responded casually.
"He said it himself. He said he's now old, and even neutralizing the undead curse of this land is already burdensome for him. He conveniently needed a new hunter."
"... That."
"I heard it all. Didn't you say the 100-person corps was already wiped out long ago? Essentially, the Margrave of Halcenberg has been the only one keeping this place alive until now. I thought there seemed to be too few people around."
"……."
"Well, in other words, it wasn't just you who needed a successor."
Incidentally, everything I said was true.
The Margrave actually spoke to me in that manner. As soon as I accepted the proposal, he shared many facts about this castle with me.
–I too was once called a wizard rivaling the Seven Demon Lords... but now I'm old. It's already difficult to carry so many curses on my shoulders alone.
One of the reasons. The Margrave's nightly visits to the audience chamber filled with corpses are not simply to act melancholic.
The corpses are not gathered to create a horror atmosphere.
The Margrave, an outstanding knight and also a wizard, is suppressing the endlessly reviving undead in this land. During the day it's fine, but at night the curse becomes stronger, and corpses wander the streets. He said he gathers the corpses and subdues them with his magic.
Facing his rotting wife, crawling with maggots.
Holding her hand, neutralizing the curse.
"…… Tch."
Leila bit her lips as if frustrated.
A gaze definitely convinced that something more exists. However, since my excuse seems reasonable, she can't refute it, which is why she's making such an expression.
When I accepted the Margrave's proposal, I recalled his sighs.
–Keep your identity a secret from Leila. If she learns your true nature, she'll harbor an uncontrollable murderous intent.
And he also added:
–But don't hate her too much. From her perspective, she has no other choice. She can't survive without hating the heroes.
–Why on earth do they hate the heroes so much?
When I asked that, the Margrave pondered for a while and finally spoke to me in a solemn voice:
–Gwyn. Speak that name. If willing, they might tell you the details.
Gwyn, he said. Come to think of it, one of Leila's epithets was probably 'Gwyn's lover'.
I carefully spoke to Leila, who was glaring at me suspiciously:
"The Margrave said that your strong wariness of outsiders is because of someone named 'Gwyn'."
"…!"
Leila's eyes widened. Her pupils were trembling uncontrollably. Her stammering voice was also trembling.
"Did... did he say that? My master?"
"I only know the name. He said if I want to hear more, you should tell me."
"……."
"Well, if you don't want to talk, don't. Just don't interfere with me going."
I declared that and sat down heavily on the bed. And quietly watched Leila.
The dice have been cast.
If she voluntarily reveals the details, it would be easier to plan a safer escape. But it's also fine to help Halcenberg and find an opportunity to escape.
Since Leila is a maid, she won't go against the Margrave. As long as I've stepped forward as his hunting companion, Leila won't try to harm me.
The biggest reason I readily accepted the Margrave's proposal was precisely that.
I don't want my head chopped off by this woman anymore.
"……."
"……."
How long had they been in a standoff?
Leila, who had been staring at the ground for a long time, finally sighed. Opening the door and leaving, she glanced back at me.
"... Follow me."
I stared blankly for a moment, and when Leila's urging gaze poured down, I finally stood up. And followed her steps.
"I'll show you. How cruel this world was to the person I loved."
Snap. She snapped her fingers and lit the hand lantern. And headed towards the increasingly dark outskirts of the castle.
"This way."
Stairs leading downward appeared. She descended into the underground without hesitation. I stopped for a moment in the suffocating darkness leading underground.
The lantern light swayed in the darkness, urging me. Leila turned back to me, who was standing still.
"Come down. Are you scared now?"
Leila laughed mockingly, as if deliberately scratching my pride. In that moment, I flared up and quickly followed behind her.
We descended deeper and deeper underground.