Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: The Demon King's Army's Spy
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Episode 57: The Demon King's Army's Spy
Kubare, a spy for the Demon King's army, had much on his mind.
“After all that effort… it had all come to nothing.”
He had planned to finish his work quickly and return.
But a hero candidate he thought was completely broken had spread his wings once more.
“Jace Crodain…”
The heir to the Crodain family, a thorn in the side of the Demon King’s army.
Deeming him the most troublesome of the hero candidates, he had orchestrated his corruption.
He had proceeded cautiously to erase all traces.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly from start to finish, but a reversal occurred at the very end.
“This is… problematic.”
He had let the fish he’d all but caught get away.
That meant he had wasted that much time.
Failure to produce results would surely lead to a reprimand.
That was something he desperately wanted to avoid.
Although Kubare was a high-ranking officer, one misstep could cost him his position.
“I must achieve something this time.”
From what he had seen, all the hero candidates possessed outstanding potential.
But would the higher-ups even acknowledge the elimination of just one of them?
He was highly skeptical.
It would be far better to make one of them a traitor.
Corrupting humanity's hope and turning him into an officer of the Demon King's army.
A truly magnificent plan.
Only something of that magnitude would make the effort worthwhile.
“That said, I can’t go after Jace Crodain again.”
It was far too risky.
He had narrowly avoided being discovered, and a failed operation was best forgotten completely.
What had gone wrong?
This was no time to dwell on such questions.
As the saying goes, if you can’t have a pheasant, take a chicken.
Kubare turned his attention to the others, excluding Jace.
As it happened, there was a hero candidate who perfectly suited his tastes.
Cedric Venice. He could feel a vile darkness emanating from him.
Despair, frustration, jealousy, and so on…
He confirmed that the boy was floundering in anguish.
He had already successfully planted the ‘seed.’
It was a different method than the one he used to break Jace.
With the right trigger, a major stimulus would cause him to be reborn.
Though not on the same level as the Crodain family,
the Venice family also held great renown in the human world.
If the heir to that family were to betray humanity,
he presumed a considerable number of humans would be thrown into chaos.
“It will take some time, but it can’t be helped…”
Kubare decided to wait patiently.
The moment he tried to do more, he might leave a trail.
In fact, several of his subordinates had been ‘hunted’ without a trace.
It was the work of the Hero Academy’s student council president, that detestable demon hunter.
“I should lay low for now…”
Confirming the master of the Holy Sword was also important.
There was a high chance it would be overlooked again, but one never knew.
Well, it was merely a precaution, just in case.
As a member of the Demon King's army, Kubare was certain of a landslide victory for the great and powerful Demon King.
That aside…
Just what was that human, Jace?
Even as he tried to dismiss his interest, the thought of him kept resurfacing.
He had no intention of messing with him again, but a minimal investigation seemed necessary.
***
*CRASH!*
Cedric slammed his fist into the wall with all his might.
The entire training hall shook, but his fury did not subside in the slightest.
“Jace Crodain…”
He spat the name of the one he hated.
A torrent of curses rose to the back of his throat.
It would have been one thing if nothing had happened.
But the guy he thought was finished was now showcasing the very essence of rapid growth.
A monster who grew stronger by the day.
He had felt his formidability before, but it was even more pronounced now.
Truly, the more he watched, the more astonishing it was.
Despite once losing everything, he ultimately shattered everyone’s expectations and soared once more.
Cedric asked himself.
What if I had lost my dantian? Could I have overcome it like Jace?
“Not a chance…”
A will that transcended human limits.
It was as if he were proclaiming his right to be the hero.
It would be nice if he could just accept it with an open heart.
But from Cedric’s perspective, it was absolutely unacceptable.
Was this the sorrow of being second best?
The Venice family had never once surpassed the Crodain family.
Because of that, he was always being compared.
From a young age, he was pressured to become stronger than Jace.
It might have been different if they were fated rivals.
But it was all the more pathetic because he was the only one obsessed with it.
“Fine, that much I can handle. But…”
Cedric gritted his teeth.
He could tolerate Jace being exceptional.
But he absolutely could not forgive him for being friendly with Chloe.
His sister, more lovely than anyone.
They were half-siblings, but they had once been on reasonably good terms.
Whenever he struggled with his training as the heir,
Chloe would come to him and take care of him with great attention.
She was the only light in Cedric’s life.
His affection deepened with the passing of time…
Eventually, it led him to commit an unfortunate act.
He came to his senses and stopped midway, but the emotional scars on the girl remained.
“……”
He was filled with endless regret.
Everything had changed since then.
The cute and gentle girl had become a villainess because of him.
Cedric couldn't bring himself to ask for forgiveness.
He still hadn't abandoned his twisted desires.
The best he could do was to avoid contact as much as possible.
If he became the hero, Chloe’s hatred would surely vanish.
He had endured with that belief, but Jace’s existence was too bothersome.
Everyone trusted that bastard.
With even Chloe now on his side, he absolutely could not yield the position of hero.
“…There’s still a chance.”
Clumsy tricks wouldn't work.
Acting directly was the surest way.
What if he settled things as soon as Jace rose to S-rank?
Even if it meant becoming enemies with the Crodain family,
he felt he had to completely destroy him in that duel.
If even that failed, he would have no choice but to sell his soul to a demon…
His anger and hatred grew ever larger.
Under their influence, the seed of evil had sprouted.
Before long, Cedric’s darkness had grown uncontrollably vast.
***
Around the time I was merrily beating up the A-rank score dispensers,
Chloe requested a conversation, looking as if she were about to die from unease.
“I had a strange dream.”
“……”
I wasn't particularly interested, but I had no good way to shut her up.
Hmm, could it be? Was this just an excuse to spend time with me?
But her attitude seemed quite serious for that.
She looked a bit pale, as if she'd had a nightmare.
“You’re not going to laugh, are you? Even I think it was a ridiculous dream.”
Laying the groundwork in advance, are we…
That just makes me look forward to it, you know?
Ah, wait a minute…
It’s not going to be about her suddenly crashing my wedding with Ceria and making a scene, is it?
“Cedric was swayed by a spy from the Demon King’s army.”
“—??”
“He betrayed humanity and became one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings. He constantly stood in our way, only to meet a miserable end… that was the gist of it.”
“……”
Why does that sound so familiar?
Ah! I just got goosebumps…
Isn’t that just replacing the original story’s Jace with Cedric?
“Isn’t it funny? You look rather serious.”
If I hadn't known anything, I would have found it absurd.
But from my perspective, I couldn't just dismiss it as a ridiculous dream.
“I’ve thought about it a bit, and I think it’s my subconscious manifesting because he’s someone I hate.”
Could be? That’s plausible.
But from where I stood, it was practically a prophetic dream.
A highly rational suspicion was triggered.
The target may have changed, but the spy from the Demon King’s army was more than capable of doing such a thing.
“That is a strange dream…”
Since I couldn't reveal my thoughts,
I ended up giving a conventional response.
“Yes, a totally ridiculous dream. No matter how much of a scumbag Cedric is, as the heir to his family, there’s no reason for him to abandon that position. Still, the dream was so vivid it’s left me feeling unsettled.”
When I asked if she was worried,
she shook her head vigorously, as if to say, ‘What are you talking about?’
“If the dream were to come true, there would be pros and cons. The pro is that I’d be able to pass judgment on Cedric. Unlike now, no one would say a word if I were to execute that bastard.”
“……”
Is it because we’ve gotten closer?
She’s not hiding her inner thoughts at all.
It's not new, but it seems she hates him enough to want him dead.
“The con is that my family might be half-ruined.”
If Cedric were to betray humanity,
the entire family would come under suspicion.
Oh? Your heir became a member of the Demon King’s army?
You claim you’re innocent? Then prove your purity, even if you have to cry out for it!
The entire continent would pressure them in that manner.
In that case, the family would have only one path to choose.
The best course of action would be to eliminate Cedric by any means necessary.
They would have to send all the family’s military forces to the battlefield,
and fund the war with the wealth they had painstakingly accumulated, just to survive.
The Crodain family in the original story had done the same.
They fought to the death to prove their innocence.
Chloe had predicted all of this, yet for some reason, she seemed at ease.
“From my perspective, it could also be an opportunity.”
“—??”
“If Cedric disappears, I will take his place as the heir.”
“……”
Wait, you’re seeing an angle in this?
That was a frighteningly cold calculation.
Even if it were half-ruined, the prestige of a great family does not fade easily.
If she, who was on my side, became the family head, it might not be so bad.
I was lost in thought for a moment.
I imagined Chloe’s ridiculous dream coming true.
It was a huge leap in logic,
but I couldn't overlook the slight possibility.
He had been looking unwell lately, anyway.
As if he were about to burst from frustration because things weren't going his way…
If Cedric really did turn to the dark side,
a lot of people would be shocked and shaken.
But from a broader perspective, it could actually be advantageous.
It's always best to eliminate variables.
If that guy started trolling on the allied side, it would be a huge headache.
I could just picture him, right when we needed a decisive team fight,
getting caught while selfishly split-pushing.
In that case, it would be better to just let him go.
Perhaps that incident would even strengthen the bond between the hero candidates.
“……”
I concluded my thoughts.
It would be wrong to be a complete bystander, but it was only a possibility for now.
Besides, there was no need for me to get involved in the first place.
To stop Cedric’s corruption, the spy had to be caught.
And that job had long been the exclusive domain of the ‘demon hunter.’
The student council president, Landegarde.
At this point in time, he was a powerhouse who surpassed the hero candidates in skill.
Along with his Dragonkin background, he was a kind of hidden character.
An S-rank companion who could only be recruited after fulfilling certain conditions.
There’s an event where he teams up with the protagonist to root out the spy from the Demon King’s army.
That event was set to occur in the next quarter,
but since the Jace of the original story wasn’t the protagonist, it seemed to have nothing to do with me.
“……”
Well, Landegarde will take care of it.
If the spy is eliminated beforehand, that’s great. And if Chloe’s dream comes true, that wouldn't be so bad either.
“Um… I feel like I’ve just told you something useless. Sorry for taking up your time.”
No, that's not it.
It was so realistic it might as well have been a prophetic dream.
The difference between being aware of it beforehand and not was quite significant.
If I hadn't known, I would have been flustered, but now I could respond as I saw fit.
“It was actually helpful.”
“I’m glad to hear that. To be honest, I kind of hope it happens just like the dream. That way, I could be of more help to you.”
The girl flashed a refreshing smile.
She wanted to become the head of her family to support me.
Hmm, that’s actually not a bad idea.
The military power of the Crodain family and the wealth of the Venice family.
If our two great families joined hands, there would be nothing to fear.
The same would be true even after defeating the Demon King’s army.
I have plans to do business, like producing and selling merchandise of our little cutie,
or opening a chain of chicken restaurants across the continent. Her help would be invaluable in many ways.
Anyway.
I had no intention of getting involved in Cedric's fate.
The upcoming event was more important.
How could I pass up free S-rank equipment?
The Hero Academy had a sort of agreement with a Dwarf Tribe.
The setup was that they would custom-make equipment for outstanding students.
In other words, the hero candidates were the targets.
And I was currently outside that criterion.
“……”
What should I do about this?
Waiting for the next opportunity would take too long.
But since I was a former hero candidate, couldn't something be worked out?
As I was pondering this, Chloe said something unexpected.
“Um, you’ll probably be included too.”
“—??”
“You placed an order last time, remember? It should be finished by now…”
Huh? Something like that happened?
I didn't really know, but a glimmer of hope had appeared.