Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: The Land of Rhodes
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Rhodes had long been a closed-off nation.
Once part of a single landmass, it became isolated from the continent long ago, after the roots of the world tree that once gripped the world withered away.
Centuries later, this is now the Autonomous Duchy of Rhodes, a place where ancient legacies remain, as if abandoned.
While other nations formed states, established borders, and declared independence on the continent, Rhodes alone maintained its tribal structure, its people living on lands divided amongst themselves.
Rhodes, where tribes constantly fought over territory in endless civil wars, underwent a great transformation during the period later known as the War of the Seven Duchies.
They formed an alliance to face a common enemy—invaders from the island—raised a joint army, waged war, and prepared for the future.
The allied military force created then is now the ‘Knightly Order.’
In essence, the small island of Rhodes was a microcosm of the Grafton Kingdom, mirroring its process of ending wars, and its Knightly Order was twin-like in nature to the Union.
Though one of the autonomous duchies, it was a place without a ruler or family who had unified the nation.
Aside from the chairman of the tribal alliance being granted the convenient title of ‘Duke’ by the King of Grafton, nothing had really changed in Rhodes.
It remained defensive and secretive toward outsiders, a nature that lingered throughout the island.
And in the hearts of its people.
So, under the pretext of amity with neighboring duchies and keeping the Grafton Kingdom in check—
Costas Silas, the alliance chairman and honorary duke who had dispatched a large delegation to grant his precious niece Philippa’s wish to see high society—
"What in the world is all this?!"
was now utterly enraged.
For those who returned were half out of their minds.
Giggling foolishly, bursting into tears for no reason, screaming, singing, picking fights with anyone and everyone—they all acted as if possessed.
His niece Philippa’s condition was particularly severe.
"What on earth happened to that gentle, innocent child!"
She would chatter cheerfully all day, then fly into a rage over nothing, only to suddenly break down into fits of sobbing.
Then she would stare blankly out the window, each action as unpredictable as if she had eaten hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Watching his niece’s transformation was agonizing.
Chairman Costas questioned those who were still lucid, getting an hour-by-hour account of the voyage from the moment the ship left until its arrival, and from this, he drew a conclusion.
Judging by his niece’s condition, it was akin to lovesickness.
The object of her affection was a handsome man with whom she had danced at the ball.
They said he had boarded the ship at sea by some mysterious means and spent time with Philippa until they reached Rhodes. However.
"To think he would defile my niece and then flee with another woman… What a shameless scoundrel!"
Just as he had performed some strange feat to board the ship, he must have done something wicked while escaping.
He had either drugged the passengers or laid some kind of curse on them.
Chairman Costas commanded the Knightly Order in a voice as sharp as frost.
“Ruang Alvre of Versa. A Runner from the Union. I don't know which identity is real, but he is undoubtedly the culprit behind this incident. Find him.”
The chairman put even greater pressure on the member of the Knightly Order who hailed from the Union.
"You will show me where your true roots lie with your results."
A man bowed his head deeply in response.
* * *
Loan was deeply moved by the scenery of Rhodes.
It was because the ancient world he had read about in books remained everywhere.
Plants and trees he had never seen before formed primeval forests in every corner, and ruins of unknown origin lay scattered about, broken and weathered.
Furthermore, the concentration of mana in the air was considerable.
Whether light or dark, or both.
"Hah…"
Just by breathing slowly, the Convection that bound Loan and Bella together grew richer, and he felt strength return to his steps.
"Ugh…"
His companion, on the other hand, was not faring as well.
He glanced to his side, and Bella looked up, her expression gaunt.
Loan asked.
"Are you still not going to tell me our destination?"
Bella said she was going by instinct.
To a place pointed to by her memories from when she was a pure demon.
Or a place her instincts were leading her to.
"It’s not that I won’t, it’s that I can’t."
Her voice was weak.
Loan knew very well why she had been so exhausted since arriving on the island.
It was something he had learned after a full day of traveling beside the demon.
It was the effect of the Convection enveloping them.
Just as Loan recovered his energy through mana breathing, so did a demon.
On the ship, the flow had been so faint that he hadn't noticed any pattern.
He belatedly understood it by recalling what his former teacher had once told him.
That the mortal realm and the demon realm were completely separate, but the human heart was not.
That dark emotions were easily exposed to dark mana.
The people influenced by Bella poured out their emotions and eventually became dolls; the interaction that occurred then was in the same context as mana breathing.
‘She must have received compensation for influencing people.’
Surrounded by the Convection, Bella couldn't absorb dark mana from the outside.
This was true even though the island of Rhodes had a higher saturation of dark mana in its atmosphere compared to other places.
‘To me, there’s no difference between regular mana and dark mana.’
The dark mana he inhaled passed through the rotation of his heart, circulated rapidly through his body, and was then expelled in a purified state.
Whether it was from the atmosphere or emitted by Bella, it had no effect on him.
If anything, he was now receiving a simultaneous supply of mana from both nature and Bella.
It was a weak but constantly active source of mana.
"Ah, I'm dying… Why is this so hard?"
Bella whined weakly.
Without an understanding of Loan’s ability, it was difficult for her to know why.
The only reason she hadn't collapsed was thanks to the Stone of Goetia in Loan's possession, and the faint dark mana flowing from it.
She was, in a sense, barely surviving on the Stone of Goetia in an environment cut off from the outside.
"Loan, I'm serious this time, no tricks… Can't you lend me your arm?"
She had learned early on that she couldn't face Loan without her demonic power.
So now, she had no choice but to be obedient.
She chose to ask politely rather than risk having her arm cut off for some foolish prank.
One might have felt sorry for Bella, but Loan did not.
"Rest for a bit."
He then gestured with his eyes toward a flat stone by the roadside.
Bella let out a small sigh and plopped down on the stone.
Loan looked down at her for a moment before carefully surveying their surroundings.
He did so just in case, but there was no one nearby for Bella to harm.
Wooooong—
Loan gently released the Convection that enveloped them, giving Bella a moment to breathe.
Bella, who had been looking down, suddenly lifted her head and glanced around.
Then she stared intently at Loan.
"What was that? Magic?"
"What?"
"I mean… I was wondering if you cast some kind of spell on me. It suddenly became easier to breathe."
He hadn't cast a spell on her, but rather released her from one.
But it wasn't exactly wrong.
"…Rest."
As if reading an affirmative answer in his attitude, Bella smiled.
Seeing the color return to her raised cheekbones, she certainly seemed a little better.
Loan stood beside Bella, slowly taking in every detail of the landscape.
Bella, who had been gazing at him, asked.
"By the way, Loan. How did you make a contract with Stolas?"
"I have no reason to answer you."
"You, are you deliberately talking like an adult?"
"…"
Wondering what this was about, he stared at Bella.
The corners of Bella’s mouth lifted slightly.
"You seem to be trying too hard. I heard you were very cute in the old days."
"Nonsense."
"That's what Amy's memories say."
"You must be feeling better. Keep talking like that and I'll gag you, tie you up, and drag you along."
"And you know where we're going?"
"There are ways to make you talk."
"Ah… Stolas?"
"Aul."
"Right. I saw you put Aul on someone before and ask a bunch of questions. So it makes people tell the truth?"
He recalled the time he had desperately showered Amy with questions while Aul covered her face.
Since she had been inside the host’s body and seen it, there was no point in denying it.
From her question, it seemed she knew Stolas's real name but was unaware of Aul's abilities.
"Yes."
"So it must be something like a Mask of Truth."
He had never thought of it, but that name wasn't bad.
However, the Mask of Truth should only be used when minimal safety is guaranteed.
Now was not that time.
Loan deftly changed the subject.
"What kind of place is Rhodes to demons? I've heard the Stone of Goetia originated here."
"What kind of place… Well, a place I’d rather not come to?"
"Why?"
"I have no reason to answer you."
Bella mimicked the expression and tone Loan had used earlier, throwing his words right back at him.
As an exasperated Loan let out a short breath, Bella lifted her legs and cackled with laughter as if she found it hilarious.
Loan left her to it for a while.
Wiping tears from her eyes, Bella asked.
"Anyway, Loan. It’s getting dark. Are we going to keep walking?"
"Is a demon afraid of the night?"
"What are you talking about? I'm hungry and tired. Demons eat and sleep and do everything else, you know. At least, when we have to live in a human body."
"Then why not just come out?"
"Tch."
He didn't like her persistent attempts to be friendly, but her point wasn't one to be ignored.
This was his first time here, and their destination was unclear.
No matter how much he replenished his energy with mana, there was a limit.
He was still at an age where he needed to eat well and grow.
In his prime, Loan was practically a glutton.
‘Then, for now, here…’
The spot Loan had chosen to rest at, after sensitively surveying the area, was also suitable for camping.
It was a narrow path, but with a clear line of sight to both ends, making it easy to keep watch.
Surrounded by a gently sloping primeval forest where a fair number of wild animals could be seen, securing food wouldn't be too difficult.
"Even if you don't know the destination, you can sense how far we have left, right?"
"Yeah. I don’t know how rough the path will be, but if we keep walking like we did today, we should get there in three or four days."
"By ‘rough,’ you don't just mean the terrain."
"Right. It won’t be easy. All sorts of riffraff gather in places where the boundaries are blurred."
Her casual remark. The phrase ‘where the boundaries are blurred’ stuck with him.
Worried that Bella might notice the feeling he'd had, Loan deliberately provoked her.
"Is there any riffraff worse than a demon?"
"Demons aren't all that special. There are plenty of sinister things among those that can't speak."
"Beasts?"
"To be precise, you should call them demonic beasts. Just as humans become dolls, beasts exposed to dark energy for a long time turn into monsters. Grrr!"
"…"
Bella finished her sentence by raising both hands in a scratching pose.
Whose personality was this? It was a side he hadn't seen in Amy. Perhaps she had never shown it. He didn't know Bella. They'd never had a chance to get close.
Bella kept her claws out, waiting for Loan to react.
Loan shot to his feet, shaking off the untimely thoughts, and looked back the way they had come.
He had extended a barrier of perception far ahead and behind them, and now there was a reaction from the rear.
However, it was hard to call it dark.
A subtle turbidity.
And the aura of mana was somehow not entirely unfamiliar.
Loan said.
"Someone's coming."
As they drew closer, the flow of mana and the movements of its owner felt more familiar, so Loan didn't hide but stood his ground in the middle of the path.
He had to keep Bella by his side.
To prevent her from influencing anyone else, he had to surround them with the Convection.
It was a strange scene: a man and a woman standing side by side, demurely waiting for someone who was clearly pursuing them.
A short while later.
"Loan?"
The man who finally appeared.
It was Boris, the Runner from the Practical Division who had been stationed full-time in Denton.