Chapter 33
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Demon God's Fragment (1)
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Roin and Jerka had expected something entirely different to come flying out.
A fragment of the Demon God.
And this one looked extremely familiar to Roin's eyes.
Judging by its size, shape, and all.
'No doubt about it. This is the fragment I pulled out of Kaib's body.'
He couldn't help but wonder why it was in their hands.
From what Roin knew, the Demon God's fragment he'd retrieved from the Goddess's Lake was being stored in a magic research lab in Endla.
If it was here, that meant...
"Did you steal it?"
It was the only conclusion that fit the circumstances.
The man glared at Roin with a look of utter disbelief.
"Steal? You're the thieves!"
Only then did Roin realize their stories weren't lining up.
Roin rummaged through the man's belt.
Finally, what he'd been looking for appeared.
A small silver medallion.
It symbolized affiliation with the Delont Kingdom's Knight Order.
And this man belonged to a unit called 'Diob.'
Unlike other kingdom knight orders, Diob consisted entirely of knights from commoner backgrounds.
The man before him was a senior knight from Diob named Den.
He glared sharply at Roin and asked,
"Didn't you even know I was with the kingdom's knight order?"
"No clue. I figured you were Ouphr thieves sneaking onto the ship."
Roin released his grip on Den's collar.
The misunderstanding between them began to clear up.
Now they finally understood how each side had ended up on the ship.
Den apologized to Roin and Jerka on behalf of the knights.
"I apologize for not realizing who you were."
"Forget it. These things happen."
Roin accepted their apology coolly.
Den and the kingdom knights were escorting the Demon God's fragment to the Bertium Research Lab for further study and investigation.
Roin and Jerka shared that they were on an Ouphr transport mission.
Even so, Jerka still hadn't fully shaken off his doubts.
"Is it really okay to transport the Demon God's fragment this carelessly? It's an incredibly important item."
The influence of the Demon God's fragment was immense.
A being infused with powerful demonic energy.
Whoever swallowed it could temporarily wield the Demon God's power.
Just like Kaib, who had swallowed a fragment and commanded the monster horde to toy with the entire Sendri Ruins.
Moreover, gathering the fragments and assembling them into one form could summon the Demon God Inkra himself.
That was why Ratio was desperately after the Demon God's fragments.
Given its importance, the kingdom should have been taking extra precautions.
Yet here they were, moving it with just one senior knight and four mid knights. Jerka could only shake his head in disbelief.
But Den had his own side to the story.
"Escorting it with a full platoon would draw Ratio's surveillance nets too easily. That's why we're disguised as merchants to slip past their eyes."
Darkness under the lampstand, as they say.
Ratio would never suspect they were transporting the fragment so sloppily.
The kingdom knights were exploiting that blind spot.
In fact, they'd brought it all the way to Inot without raising a single suspicion.
Plus, with an all-commoner knight unit, they could put on a pretty natural act.
Right up until Roin and Jerka caught them.
Having heard the full story, Jerka nodded several times, his doubts finally easing.
Roin understood their situation too.
But something still bothered him.
Ratio.
"Ratio aren't the type to let this slide easily. They'll catch on eventually."
"We just need to get the fragment to Bertium safely before then."
That was Den's thinking.
But Roin, with his past life experience clashing against Ratio multiple times, wasn't so sure.
'Too complacent.'
The Demon God's fragment held enough power to engulf the entire continent in evil.
Transporting the means to summon such a being so carelessly?
'Who was Diob's captain again? Oh, right. That idiot got promoted to rookie captain a month before I reincarnated.'
The memory suddenly surfaced, making Roin grimace.
One of the few true idiots was in Diob.
'No wonder it ends up like this with morons in charge.'
Roin could only click his tongue inwardly.
Three days into the voyage since leaving Inot.
Jerka, enjoying the sea breeze on deck, turned toward Zivner as he approached.
"You're here, Sir Jerka. Where's Sir Roin?"
"Probably in his cabin. He hates the sea windsays he doesn't want to go out."
Jerka, on the other hand, had been jogging and doing strength training on deck every morning since waking up.
Even on a mission, physical conditioning couldn't be skipped.
But Roin showed no such habits.
Oil massages, skin treatments from estheticians.
That was pretty much his daily routine.
Roin and Jerka, polar opposites in every way.
Every time Zivner saw them, a question arose.
"It's amazing you two ended up on the same mission."
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, no insult intended to either of you, Sir Jerka or Sir Roin. I just mean... usually, trainees with similar personalities team up for missions, right? That's what I know, anyway. You two are such an exception that I've been curious since we first met."
To an outsider, it was only natural to think that.
Jerka, the diligent prodigy who worked harder than anyone.
Roin, the effortless genius.
They seemed like water and oil, water and fire.
Jerka gave a faint smile.
"At first, I thought Roin and I were total opposites too. But as time went on... how should I put it? I got more and more curious about him."
Maybe because he was so different.
His curiosity about Roin only grew.
What allowed Roin to always stay ahead?
Jerka wanted to uncover that secret somehow.
That's why he'd signed up for this Ouphr transport mission.
Zivner, hearing this unexpected backstory from Jerka, let out a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha. I get that feeling a bit myself. Beyond our Griffner Merchant Group, there are countless merchant groups across the Redinus Continent, right? One of them is Equid, which you know about, Sir Jerka?"
"Yeah. The biggest one out there, isn't it?"
"And our direct competitor. Even I look at Equid's head, Dian, and think, 'How does he have such business savvy?' sometimes."
Dian was the man who'd conquered the continent with his business acumen.
It was only natural.
"When you see someone with skills you lack, you get curious and want to learn from them. Don't you feel that way too, Sir Jerka?"
"Learn from him..."
They were chatting when Roin finally emerged on deck for the first time in three days.
The cabin must've gotten stuffy.
But his getup was a sight.
Parasol in hand, face mask on, body slathered so thickly in sunscreen that no skin showed.
Jerka gave a wry smile at the look.
Then muttered to Zivner,
"Nah. I don't think I'll ever want to 'learn' from him."
For once, he couldn't agree with Zivner.
Day four of the voyage.
Just one more day without incident, and Roin and Jerka could clear the mission successfully.
Roin lay on the bed, heading to sleep.
Staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, he sank into thought.
"Helond should be almost at Inot by now."
He'd arranged for Helond to buy a small amount of Ouphr with cash.
Helond had moved his base to Endla until Roin passed his mid knight exam.
He'd jump into action to carry out Roin's orders.
'I told him to hand it straight to the lab once he got the Ouphr.'
In his past life, Roin had set up his own beauty research lab to fix his appearance.
It had disbanded after Rodri vanished.
But now, under Roin's command, the researchers were reassembling, and the lab was being reestablished.
A beauty lab for Roin, by Roin, of Roin.
Once the team was back, he'd have them develop products perfect for his skin, hair, teeth whitening, and more.
For that, raw materials like Ouphr were essential.
'The commercial beauty products are good...'
But custom ones tailored to his body were best.
Beauty products for one person only.
What a beautiful ring to it.
"Wait."
A sudden idea flashed in Roin's mind.
"Who knows when I'll get another chance to buy Ouphr."
It was rare, so this opportunity might not come again.
Since it had come to this...
"Should I sweet-talk Zivner into selling me more?"
He wanted it all, but that seemed unlikely.
There were probably pre-reserved buyers.
"Still, I'll float the idea."
Roin left his room, steps quickening.
But as soon as he stepped into the corridor, he scowled.
Pitch darkness hit him firstno visibility even a foot ahead.
"What the hell. Why's it so dark?"
Did someone put out the lights?
That was his first thought.
Or maybe they forgot to turn them on.
'No way.'
As Roin reached to relight them himself, a presence stirred nearby.
Someone was watching him.
Not just one.
'Three of them.'
Three assailants rushed at Roin.
Hostile footsteps.
Without hesitation, Roin drew his dagger.
He plunged it into the first assailant's side.
"Urk!"
A scream escaped the man.
Roin didn't care.
He abandoned the embedded dagger, snatched the assailant's knife, and hurled it at the second one.
Thuck!
It pierced the man's thigh clean through.
Roin kicked the gaping hole in the thigh.
"Aaaargh!!!"
A scream soaked in agony erupted.
The third assailant, shocked by Roin's skill, gave up attacking and bolted.
Roin had subdued two in an instant.
That's when Jerka spotted him and shouted,
"Roin! Assailants!"
"I know."
Roin retrieved his sword and started striding off somewhere.
Jerka yelled after him,
"Check the Demon God's fragment first! Hurry!"
"You nuts?"
The fragment wasn't Roin's priority now.
"Ouphr's more important!"
Jerka thought Roin was prioritizing the mission's Ouphr.
But that was just a misunderstanding from not knowing Roin well yet.
'It's mine now. No way I'm letting it go!'
For Roin, his beauty routine trumped even a Demon God descent.