Chapter 224 : Alforam (8)
Chapter 224: Alforam (8)
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"What do you think of Laysis?"
To the question of the King of the Kingdom of Alforam, Carl responded with an awkward smile.
“She’s a good friend.”
“If she’s old enough to serve as a representative of the Madeira Trading House, she can’t be that dense. Is there something bothering you?”
“There’s nothing like that. It’s just that the topic was a bit sudden.”
“It’s not sudden at all. Would you like to see the letters she sent to the royal family during her first semester?”
The king rummaged through a drawer and showed a large stack of letters.
The neat handwriting unmistakably belonged to Laysis.
In the beginning, the content was strictly businesslike reports about her life in Bayern, but at some point, Carl’s name began appearing more and more frequently.
“‘Carl is,’ ‘With Carl,’ ‘If it’s Carl.’ Before I knew it, the letters were filled with your name more than my daughter’s. She seems to like you a lot.”
“……”
Carl quietly read the letters, then closed them and set them down on the table.
Reading any further would only be a disservice to Laysis.
“In Alforam, members of the royal family must marry upon reaching adulthood. In Laysis’s case, she’s already quite late. So the matter must be resolved by this year.”
“That caused Lady Laysis considerable stress.”
“I’m sure it did. She had someone in her heart, yet the royal family kept trying to pair her with someone she didn’t care for.”
Had they always intended for him to be Laysis’s partner?
Perhaps the talk of engagement had been a ploy to lure him to Alforam.
“I hear you've been helping Laysis prepare for defection.”
“……”
Carl gave another awkward smile, avoiding a direct answer.
Talking about defection from the Empire in front of the King of Alforam was hardly appropriate.
‘It seems there are eyes watching in Bayern as well.’
Even though everything had been handled in absolute secrecy under his guidance, Alforam’s intelligence capabilities were sharper than expected.
“If she can be happy, I don’t care whether it’s defection or engagement. She’s finding her own path. In fact…”
In fact?
The King of Alforam held back the rest of his words.
What had he been about to say?
“……”
While conversing, Carl scanned the king’s entire aura.
Since he suspected the king was the mastermind behind the Demon Realm’s forces, he had expected to find some kind of trace.
But neither in the king’s gaze nor in his mana was there even a sliver of demonic energy.
‘Did I get it wrong?’
Structurally, it would’ve been difficult for anyone but the king to interfere so deeply in royal affairs.
Was there another mastermind behind it all?
Yet, the faint demonic energy that flowed throughout the royal palace still irritated Carl’s senses.
After receiving Kylos’s divinity, he had become sensitive to such energy, making it nearly impossible to deceive him.
This meant the King of Alforam had no direct ties to the forces of the Demon Realm.
‘But there’s no way he’s completely uninvolved. If he’s not a fool, he must realize something is wrong with his kingdom.’
Perhaps he was turning a blind eye for some reason, or he was being used as a puppet with his senses dulled.
Carl judged the former to be more likely.
It was possible he was being coerced through threats or hostages.
That might explain why he welcomed Laysis’s defection or why he wanted Carl’s help in sending her away.
Conversely, it was also possible the king was putting on an act to deceive him, so Carl couldn’t afford to lower his guard.
“In any case, I hope a decision is made before the year ends. That is the destiny of Alforam’s royalty.”
“Understood. Then I will send a reply no later than today.”
“Haha, you’ve made up your mind. Good. I’ll be waiting.”
“Before that, may I say a word as the representative of Madeira?”
“Go ahead. I heard the establishment of a Madeira branch near the capital has been decided.”
“That hasn’t been finalized yet. Key figures from Madeira are scheduled to arrive in the capital this evening. So we’re planning to host a modest banquet for the nobles and royal family…”
“That sounds wonderful. If you need help, we can provide support on our end.”
“If we could borrow the royal banquet hall, that would be enough. We’ll handle the rest of the preparations.”
“Very well.”
The King of Alforam agreed without hesitation.
Perhaps he was in a good mood because things had gone well regarding his daughter.
“You’re leaving tomorrow afternoon, correct? Stop by again before then.”
“Understood. Then I wish you peace.”
After the audience with the King of Alforam, Carl returned to his room.
Once he sealed the room with a barrier, he looked up at the ceiling and spoke.
“Nine. Are you ready?”
“Everything is perfectly prepared. Once it’s time, we’ll move through the Teleport Gate and arrive in Alforam.”
“I’ve received the king’s permission for the banquet. There will be many who need to be eliminated, so prepare thoroughly.”
“Understood.”
Carl drank some water and gazed at the royal garden visible through the window.
Today would likely be remembered as one of the worst days in Alforam’s history.
But it was unavoidable.
To ensure survival, the rotten parts had to be cut out.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Carl was genuinely looking forward to tonight’s banquet.
As evening fell, the executives of the Madeira Trading House arrived in Alforam through the Teleport Gate.
The banquet, organized by Carl, welcomed both Madeira’s executives and nobles from the Kingdom of Alforam and unfolded as a grand event.
Mana Beads, which were rare even in the Empire, were placed throughout the banquet hall, and numerous gifts had been prepared for the guests.
Of course, those gifts were also made of Mana Beads.
“Never in my life did I expect to see so many Mana Beads.”
“Just bringing these back to our knight order would make us several times stronger.”
The nobles attending the banquet stared at Carl with greed in their eyes.
When Carl had first arrived in Alforam as Madeira’s representative, they hadn’t expected much. But seeing the sheer number of Mana Beads laid out made them realize just how formidable he was.
The young noblewomen approached him more proactively, while the nobles hovered around Carl, eager to exchange even a few words with him.
The executives from Madeira were equally popular.
Unlike Carl, they were directly involved in centers of power and wealth, which led to more serious conversations.
“When is it going to start? I’m so annoyed I can’t wait any longer.”
“Just hold on a little longer. They won’t keep us waiting too much longer.”
Seeing Second’s deeply furrowed brow, Queen spoke gently to calm her down.
For the operation to purge Alforam, several of NOX’s Black Label executives had mobilized.
Everyone except King, who was guarding the headquarters in the capital, acted as Madeira employees and blended into the banquet.
“So, we’re supposed to kill them all, right?”
“Yeah. We only invited the ones we intended to kill in the first place.”
The two discussed the plan without hesitation.
After all, it was drowned out by the music and loud conversations.
After glancing at the clock for a moment, Queen raised her head with a look that said “any minute now.”
“About now, the signal should come.”
“...Gah!”
Sure enough, chaos erupted.
A noble who had consumed a Mana Bead clutched his neck, staggering as he foamed at the mouth.
Crash!
Eventually, he toppled a table and collapsed to the floor in convulsions.
“What’s going on?!”
Six, who was also pretending to be a Madeira employee, rushed over with a panicked expression and asked.
Then, the young noblewoman beside the convulsing man looked equally frantic as she spoke.
“H-He ate a Mana Bead, and then suddenly he started…!”
“I see. Then there’s nothing that can be done.”
“...Huh? What does that mean—”
Slice.
Before the young lady could say another word, a red line appeared at her throat.
Six gave a faint smile as he twirled a knife in his hand.
“The Mana Beads brought here contain Holy Water. For Demon Humans, it’s fatal. Not just the Mana Beads, but it’s in all the food and drink, so some of you must be feeling uncomfortable by now.”
Thud, roll.
The young lady’s head dropped.
At the same time, a few nobles who saw it began gagging and retching.
Not because of the corpse, but from the internal reaction already taking place.
“Gyaaah! Aaaah!!”
“Save me! It’s poison! There’s poison in the food...!”
“Uuuurgh.”
The banquet descended into chaos in an instant.
Then, one of the nobles who had just been drinking moments ago grabbed Carl and demanded an explanation.
“Lord Carlos! What the hell is happening?! You were in charge of the food and drink for this banquet—!”
“I didn’t do anything in particular. I simply infused everything with the hope that you would all be healthier, using Holy Water and blessings directly transported from the Holy Nation. I am deeply moved by your enthusiastic reaction.”
“...Holy Water!”
The noble’s face turned pale.
If a Demon Human ingested Holy Water, the best-case scenario was partial paralysis.
Without healing from a demon or another Demon Human, they would suffer fatal wounds and teeter on the edge of death.
To normal humans, it might be a blessing—but to Demon Humans, it was no different from poison.
“Don’t worry, I ordered the highest grade Holy Water. Please, enjoy yourselves to the fullest.”
“Y-You bastard...!”
Watching Carl speak with such composure, the noble scratched his cheek in horror.
He had to have known from the start.
That’s why he had prepared the banquet himself.
But it was already far too late.
Sizzle.
As the Holy Water activated inside the Demon Humans’ bodies, it triggered a violent reaction.
The banquet grew even more horrific as nobles screamed and vomited in agony.
“...Good thing we didn’t invite Laysis.”
Yuria, standing beside Carl, watched the banquet with a grimace.
Even just watching it was ghastly—if Laysis, who had ties to these people, were present, her heart would’ve broken.
Unaware of the banquet taking place, Laysis would be sleeping peacefully.
“Yuria. You should head in as well.”
“Why? Isn’t it already over?”
“No. It’s just beginning.”
At Carl’s signal, NOX members moved in and began eliminating the remaining attendees.
Every last person who had come to the banquet.
“Everyone who attended is just chaff. The real ones are still hiding deep within the palace.”
“...Depending on how this goes, it could be seen as a noble from the Empire attacking a kingdom. That’s a consequence we have to consider.”
“Don’t worry. You won’t suffer any harm. Madeira, Carlos, and the wizard Cloaren will be reported as victims attacked by mysterious assailants who invaded the palace.”
That plan had already been perfectly arranged.
There were no witnesses left from the banquet, so who would testify?
At most, the Madeira side would spin the story, claiming they were attacked by intruders.
If it were doomed to fail, he wouldn’t have started it to begin with.
“Wipe them all out.”
“As you command.”
At Carl’s command, NOX agents spread not only through the banquet hall but throughout the entire palace.
Subduing royal knights and killing targets, all to purge Alforam.
Step.
Carl, too, moved forward.
Toward the place where Alforam’s mastermind awaited.