Chapter 62
Chapter 62 - Plan B and Somewhat B
"Ma, speaking... speaking... I, I am... Ka, Casas... a disciple of Casas. One of the disciples who upholds the great will of Casas."
From the moment Jermi Balkin, who knew nothing, changed into the 'Dr. Know-It-All Jermi' skin, about 1 hour had passed.
I nodded my head and smiled contentedly.
"Dr. Know-It-All Jermi knows everything. If you ask a question, he'll tell you anything."
"……."
"Right, Dr. Know-It-All?"
"…… Ye, yes. That's right."
I spoke loudly to myself so Jermi could hear. Jermi swallowed a dry saliva with a tense face.
Good. The skin has been well applied. I immediately decided to test drive the Dr. Know-It-All Jermi skin.
"You. What's your purpose?"
"... My purpose is... monitoring and reporting your group."
A roughly expected answer came out. The problem starts now.
I nodded to Jermi, who was terrified, and continued questioning.
"Why."
"... What?"
"Why are you monitoring us? What have we done wrong?"
"That... I don't know."
"…… Tsk."
The skin application seems incomplete. Is it a bug? I immediately gestured to Lucy who was waiting.
Then Jermi, who first grasped the meaning of the gesture, raised his voice urgently.
"It, it's true! I, I, I am a low-ranking disciple! I was only ordered to monitor you! I really know nothing else!"
"Hmm. Is that so?"
"It is! Please! So please just spare me from the B plan...!"
Seeing him begging while crying and snotting, it doesn't seem to be a lie. If that's a lie, he should win a Best Supporting Actor award.
I clenched my fist and signaled the Demon King to stop.
"Lucy. Stop."
"... Tch."
The Demon King clicked her tongue regretfully, then gently smiled and lightly stroked Jermi's cheek.
"You were lucky, little hero. Hehe."
"……."
Jermi shuddered with a face full of terror.
Anyway, I need to change the direction of questioning. I suddenly asked.
"What does this Casus place originally do?"
"It's not Casus, it's Casas."
Now the skin is even talking back. I immediately raised my eyebrows.
"Punk, are you trying to nitpick?"
"I, I'm sorry! Please just spare me from the B plan...!"
He immediately apologized when he saw I was displeased.
... It seems the B plan trauma is deeply embedded. He became a B plan recipient. It's almost at the same level as when mentioning the 'room of truth' to the Demon King.
I shook my head and brought the derailed story back on track.
"Anyway, what do they originally do there? It's not an organization created just to monitor me, right?"
"We... are an organization that restores the crumbling balance of this world."
"... Balance?"
A vague, cloud-catching statement came out.
Incidentally, I hate such dreamy, fairyland talk the most. Words should remove useless rhetoric and be simple and clear.
I deliberately swirled the ether bottle and pushed it close to his face.
"Summarize what you mean in 10 seconds. Subject, object, predicate."
"Wh, what?"
"10. 9. 8…."
"Wait! So, so...!"
Jermi's face turned haggard under the blatant threat.
As I began to fold my fingers one by one, he rolled his eyes and quickly opened his mouth.
"In, in short, we protect the power balance between the Demon King and the Hero!"
"Subject, object, predicate."
"Casas! The Demon King and the Hero! Adjusts so that neither side becomes too dominant! Got it!"
Jermi finally shouted, unable to bear my tyranny.
While I didn't particularly care since all the information was out, when organized, it was quite shocking.
I unconsciously closed my mouth, and soon an absurd question flowed out.
"Mediating? You're a hero. Yet you're preventing the hero's side from winning?"
"... That's right."
"Why on earth?"
"That is..."
At that moment Jermi opened his mouth to speak.
"Cough."
A cough sounded. Instead of words, a blood clot sprayed from Jermi's open mouth like a fountain.
I, Jermi, and the Demon King blankly stared at the blood on the floor.
"... Uh, heuk?"
A groan mixed with confusion and pain seemed to leak out, and then.
Plop. Jermi's head dropped. Simultaneously, strength drained from his entire body.
I stared at Jermi blankly and activated Mimir's eye.
[Name: Jermi Balkin]
[Title: 151668943rd Hero, Apostle of Casas, Master]
[LV. 92]
[Health: 0/1100 Mana: 0/750]
The health is pointing to 0.
He died. He truly died.
― A long-tongued disciple is unnecessary to Casas. Jermi Balkin.
And from the dead Jermi Balkin's mouth, a bizarrely distorted voice of someone else flowed out.
I couldn't move, feeling my blood freeze. Because of Jermi Balkin, who had suddenly turned into a cold corpse in front of me.
The person I was just talking normally to had suddenly become a corpse.
It was strange. Even though I've died countless times myself, this fact was shockingly overwhelming.
'Oh, I'll die and regress...'
I stopped there and let out a bitter laugh.
That's nonsense. What would I do by going back? 'Don't act like you know anyone when you discover a suspected stalker'?
Not knowing how Jermi Balkin would treat us if he were alive?
'This is unavoidable.'
He's a complete stranger. I'm already struggling to protect what I have.
To put it bluntly, I'm not a hero. I can't save every life.
"... What in the world am I talking about?"
I got irritated and snapped at the corpse because of my increasingly complicated mind.
Then suddenly, with a start, the corpse moved.
"Oh, what the f*ck?!"
Having an undead trauma, my body moved even before I could think.
Swish! Drawing black and white twin swords from both sides of my waist, I immediately pointed the blades at Jermi's corpse.
"Just now, definitely...!"
Without even having time to doubt my eyes, the corpse slowly wriggled and raised its body.
The corpse stared at me fixedly with unfocused pupils. I also stood frozen, staring back.
Then the corpse slowly opened its mouth and spoke.
―Hmm. For a notable one who hunted Eldritch, your resolve is feeble.
It wasn't the scratchy voice of an undead.
Based on my experience with undead authorities, this was not an undead.
Rather... it seemed someone was speaking through the corpse's voice. Like a detective kid from Japan. [TL/N: Conan]
'No. More importantly.'
What did this bastard just say?
A hunter of Eldritch. Obviously referring to me. The problem is...
"How do you know tha–"
―There's nothing to know. Hero Park Jeong-yong. No, Eldritch Slayer Park Jeong-yong.
My question was cut off the moment it began.
As if predicting what I was about to say, someone beyond the corpse spoke first.
―We've been watching you since you were in Halcenberg. We started tracking the hunter from the moment Eldritch was hunted.
"……!"
―We learned a lot. 163,417,413rd Hero Park Jeong-yong. Directly receiving the protection of Ahsin, receiving unknown special privileges. And a suspicious figure who is a Hero and acts alongside the resurrected immortal demon king. Heh. Such a unique career for a Hero is unprecedented since the founding of Casas' apostles.
"Who are you?"
I muttered coldly, slowly approaching the corpse.
Buzz! 7 magical swords per blade, totaling 14, stretched out behind me like wings.
But even with my threat, the corpse didn't change expression. Instead, it smiled faintly.
―Surprised? This level of information is what any high-ranking Hero would have.
"…!"
―Eldritch is a great demon tribe under the infamous immortal demon king. A mysterious Hero who eliminated that powerful demon tribe with just a margrave, with the sacrifice of numerous Heroes. Wouldn't you be curious if you were in my position?
"……."
―You're more famous than you think. Park Jeong-yong.
Jermi's corpse twists its bloody lips and chuckles. Looking at it disgustedly, I suddenly opened my eyes wide.
Drip. Its face was melting. When I finally came to my senses and looked again, not just its face, but its entire form was slowly crumbling.
―We will also watch you, immortal demon king. We'll meet again soon....
The skull left after flesh melted clicked out its last words. Then with a plop, it collapsed and disintegrated.
I quietly stared at the flowing flesh and mucus on the floor.
Sizzle. I disbanded the magical swords I had lined up behind me.
"... This doesn't feel good...."
Staring silently at the immortal demon king, Lucy, I muttered.