Chapter 369
Chapter 369
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 369
>Chapter Title: …It Was a Dead End
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The front lines bordering the Hoaksen Kingdom.
A remote mountain valley.
Sallie sat cross-legged on a flat rock, eyes closed.
Outwardly, she appeared deep in breathing exercises, but her senses were focused nearby—on the black-robed figures.
To be precise, on their center.
On one old man.
*Something's off.*
It was an instinctive feeling.
- Child, so you're of Decullan blood?
That gaze, that expression, that tone.
If "benevolence" took human form, would it look like that? He was a kindly old man straight out of a fairy tale, yet Sallie couldn't shake the chill.
How to put it.
It felt like gazing upon something not quite human.
And so.
- Ho ho, yes, that's right. I'm the aide your father sent. Here... he told me to show you this.
Even when the old man presented a token only the Decullan Patriarch could issue, Sallie didn't lower her guard.
No, she couldn't.
If he truly was an aide from her father, he would be a powerhouse beyond her power to resist if he harbored ill intent... but this was survival instinct.
Especially.
- Hmm, what an intriguing training method.
When he observed her practice, that gaze was so unnerving.
- This old man has an intriguing training method too. Shall we give it a try?
Yet when he mentioned that "intriguing training method," his tone was so alluring.
Probably...
- Live well. Don't break.
- And remember this: only you can break yourself. If you endure without breaking... you'll surely rise.
If not for her master's timely words rising in her mind, Sallie might have unwittingly accepted the old man's offer.
...That was why Sallie remained wary of him.
But what to do.
*...Father.*
With his absolute command, refusal was impossible.
On the other hand, she was puzzled.
Why had her father sent these people as aides?
And moreover...
*What on earth are they doing?*
Why stay holed up in these endless mountains through the changing seasons?
To find "Grimoire fragments," they should venture onto the continent and search, but the old man hadn't taken a single step from this place.
When Sallie finally couldn't bear it and asked, "Is it really okay to keep doing this?" the old man always replied with vague words: "Ho ho, the children are all preparing. Just wait."
True, his minions seemed to depart for the continent one by one.
From over ten, now only five remained, so the missing ones must have gone.
But that didn't dispel her doubts.
*Suspicious.*
That was her feeling when...
"...Ho!"
A sudden hollow laugh.
"...?"
Sallie opened her eyes and looked at the old man.
He sat as always, surrounded by his minions, but his expression was different from usual.
He was smiling, as always...
...but wickedly.
Like he'd cast off a mask, an utterly sinister and eerie smile.
Strictly speaking, though, it wasn't a "smile."
Rather, rage.
"You lot... you're the ones who went to Megarium."
Killing intent laced his voice.
At that intent, Sallie swallowed hard. Her instincts screamed: Danger. Look away now.
But like a cat unable to resist curiosity, Sallie held her breath and watched the old man intently.
He let out several more hollow "ho ho"s in disbelief, then snapped his fingers.
Sallie gasped right after.
*Wh-what is...*
The moment the old man snapped, a pale haze rose before him.
No, not haze.
It was...
*...People? Humans? No, no. That's not human.*
She knew instinctively.
It *had been* human.
Something commonly called a "soul."
Two "souls" appeared before the old man, writhing in agony as they hovered around him.
"...Yes, I see. I understand your grudges well. Yes, this old man's heart isn't at ease either. Children I raised with such care aren't common even for me."
He conversed with the souls as if soothing them, a sight enough to make Sallie realize what he was.
An eerie aura.
And souls.
As far as she knew, only one type dealt in such things.
*...Black Mage.*
Wicked beings who handled taboos.
Realizing that, doubts arose.
*Why would Father associate with such... No, too soon to judge. Father might not have known...*
...Sallie stopped there. She had to.
It was a foolish thought, even to her.
What kind of man was her father, not to know their true nature? He surely did.
Then why send her to them...?
*...No way?*
A grim suspicion flashed.
That was when.
"...You tried to sneak back easily with a little trickery, but instead of Infinite Chain, you come as souls. Yes, my fault. Unsure if that professor rabble even had Infinite Chain."
...Infinite Chain?
"Yes, yes. I understand. So, can I see the face of the one who did this to you?"
The souls' forms changed right then.
And when the change ended.
*...!*
Sallie doubted her eyes for a moment.
The form the souls showed.
...A mask, gray hair, and a somehow familiar robe.
It was all too familiar to Sallie.
*...Master?*
Faced with a familiar figure in this unexpected situation, her mind grew chaotic.
The old man's voice rang in her ears right then.
"Tower Lord, yes. He's the Tower Lord. That professor Parun isn't, so this must be. But... ho ho. What a coincidence."
The old man recalled events from the great forest years ago. And recent academy events.
Both had something in common.
His plans ruined... by the masked man.
He compared the forms the souls of his Golden Demon Squad had shown then with the one before him.
Immediately, a smile crept across the old man's face.
"Tower Lord... our fates are deeply intertwined. Deeply."
Sallie shuddered at that smile.
An evil spirit's chilling grin.
Sallie knew.
*...Master is in danger.*
She had to do something.
But right now, Sallie could do nothing.
"Received a gift, so we should return one. How complete are the traps near Megarium?"
"Preparations are finished, but remote activation won't yield even half the expected effect."
"That's enough. Let's send a modest gift."
Sallie squeezed her eyes shut.
Chewing on her helplessness.
* * *
While Sallie trembled in terror for a long while.
Aster, having dealt with the Golden Demon Squad corpses, headed to the inn where Parun and Professor Pelina were staying.
*...What the hell?*
The unexpected Golden Demon Squad appearance left Aster with an indelible unease.
If Decullan's minions had been watching Parun and Pelina, it wouldn't have felt so off.
It would be natural for them to monitor Parun.
But Golden Demon Squad?
*...Why?*
Of course, he had some inkling.
'Prizen's artifact.'
Pelina had researched it.
If they noticed, monitoring her wouldn't be too strange...
*...No, that's not it.*
The timing didn't match.
If it were about Prizen's artifact, they'd have watched her long ago.
Then why?
[Friend, what're you doing?]
The wyvern, hidden in an alley corner, approached and asked, but Aster ignored it, lost in thought.
Their appearance was that shocking, but then a voice reached his ear.
"So it was you after all."
A familiar voice.
"Parun."
Aster looked at the owner, glanced around, then scooped up the abandoned wyvern and asked.
"I heard this building was just for you two. Right?"
"Yeah. Didn't I say appearances matter when meeting merchants?"
"But why..."
Aster trailed off.
He wanted to ask if the Golden Demon Squad was watching you, but Parun led him inside.
"Come in first. We'll talk inside."
Aster followed without protest.
The inn was far too luxurious to call mere "lodging."
Opening the door revealed a vast lobby like a noble's mansion, with a chandelier on the ceiling.
Several servants waited, but Parun waved them off and climbed the stairs.
"Megarium merchants value such pomp. They gauge your assets from your lodgings. This isn't even that flashy—just meets their minimum standard."
"..."
"To converse with them, this expense is quite cheap. They all influence the imperial artifact market somehow. But of course..."
Parun opened a door, trailing off. As Aster entered and he closed it, his expression changed.
"The talk we have isn't that kind."
"...You knew? How long?"
To Aster's question, Parun replied calmly.
"Late spring. They said rat pups latched on."
"'They said?'"
"Not me who noticed. Professor Pelina did. Golden Demon Squad, right? She had an artifact to detect their presence."
"Then how'd you know I came?"
"I had that artifact. Their presence vanished like smoke. A bit early, but figured it might be you. And it was."
"That artifact now..."
As Aster started to speak, Parun snapped his fingers with a "tak!"
At the sudden move, Aster narrowed his eyes.
A silent *What are you doing?* Parun sat on the reception sofa, lit a cigarillo.
He spoke right after.
"Things are a bit urgent now. Serious, needs caution, but not *that* urgent."
"That... hm."
Aster paused, reflecting on himself. It didn't take long to admit Parun was right.
"True, I was hasty."
"Not strange to panic."
"Not strange..."
Aster sank into thought.
Because.
To him, it *was* strange enough.
In his past life, no event ever shook his composure. He always judged coolly, one step removed.
Yet here he was.
"Let's chat about something else till you calm down."
"Something else?"
"Yeah."
Aster leaned back on the sofa, eyeing Parun. *What's your angle?* Parun chuckled at the look.
"Seeing you in that mask, figured you'd muddle past the Golden Demon Squad thing vaguely. Time to come clean, no?"
"Clean what?"
To Aster's question, Parun tapped ash off his cigar, then drummed his fingertips on his own face.
"What's under that mask."
"..."
"The name you're hiding."
Aster groaned "ngh..." right as the words ended.
Because.
He'd hoped to vaguely slide past using the Golden Demon Squad as excuse.
"How's that? Fine topic to settle your nerves. One we must discuss someday."
……It was a dead end.