Chapter 78 : The Affairs of the Future
Chapter 78-Unedited: The Affairs of the Future
With all the demonic hounds dying, Arkan’s plan fell apart.
Naturally, the schedule was delayed.
“Elder sister, can you make the demonic hounds again?”
“Time.”
“How long?”
Lavinia spread both hands. Cain brightened, but ten days was not truly ten days.
“None.”
“Ah, you’ll need wolves, won’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any by-products of monsters?”
“Nothing.”
“I’ll immediately send word to the kingdom to procure the materials.”
They had named them demonic hounds, but the base was wolves. Onto the flesh of wolves, they overlaid a monster’s demonic energy, making them extremely sensitive to demonic energy.
Their combat ability was not outstanding, but when it came to detecting demonic energy, they surpassed most heroes or mages.
Thus, they allotted at least two to three weeks.
Cain did not waste that time.
“Through the Mercenary Guild and Information Guild, inquire after a guide well acquainted with Ergest.”
“Tell them that if there is anyone who knows even a little about the kinds of monsters, the environment, or the terrain in Ergest, a great reward will be paid.”
They released a massive amount of money.
The Kingdom of Arkan held great expectations for this matter, and if a bit of money could bring even slightly better results, they were willing to spend as much as needed.
But then—
“A guest has arrived.”
“A guest?”
“Yes. He claims to know Ergest well. However…”
“However?”
“He is an elf named Granada.”
“From the Red Hawk Assault Unit?”
He had not expected to reel in a big fish like Granada and the Red Hawk Assault Unit.
“Hero Hillan Cargill sent me.”
Moreover, if this was not coincidence but a deliberate approach?
When Granada and the Red Hawk Assault Unit first came, Cain was pleased.
“Granada and the Red Hawk Assault Unit would be…”
“They are Hero Hillan Cargill’s assault unit.”
“Hillan Cargill…”
The hero who had made his name known by slaying the previous Lust Demon King and then proven his worth by even dealing with the Beast Demon King.
Currently, he sought to become the Argann of the Guild, aiming to shoulder not only power but authority as well.
That alone made him impossible to ignore, yet recently he had achieved another feat that sent the continent buzzing.
“I heard he saved the princess of the Dwarven Kingdom, who was about to be kidnapped by the new Lust Demon King.”
“Yes.”
“Is it true? I find it hard to believe that anyone could know in advance that a Demon King would attempt a kidnapping.”
“They say it was coincidence. Hillan Cargill went to the Dwarven Kingdom as an envoy of the Hero Guild.”
“He went as an envoy and happened to get tangled up with the princess, and at that precise timing the Demon King attempted a kidnapping?”
“Yes.”
“He is fortunate.”
“You cannot see it as simple luck. Even for a hero, finding a Demon King who hides with full intent is no easy task, so ultimately…”
“You mean Hillan Cargill is that exceptional.”
True, it would be stranger for a hero who had slain two Demon Kings to be ordinary.
“So, it wasn’t that he foresaw the kidnapping in advance.”
“That is impossible.”
“I thought so. But then why are his subordinates in Hortonwork?”
“He says he wishes to speak about that in person.”
“Then I must receive him. Tell him to come.”
A short while later, Granada arrived.
“I greet Your Highness, the Prince of Arkan. I am Granada, warrior of the Maple Leaf Tribe.”
“I am Cain Arkan.”
He was an elf with green hair and deep-green eyes. The muscles visible beneath his light leather armor were quite impressive.
“Sit. Coffee? Tea? What would you like?”
“Yes, tea please.”
At his gesture, the knight who had brought Granada withdrew. After a moment, an attendant brought tea and refreshments.
“This is tea made from dried leaves of the Zarvin. The aroma should not be bad.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Granada savored the scent of the tea. Cain crunched a soft cookie between his teeth.
“I heard you are seeking a guide who knows Ergest well.”
Granada was the first to broach the subject.
“Yes.”
“I believe I can be of help.”
“In what way, exactly?”
“I and the Red Hawk Assault Unit once joined Lord Hillan’s hero’s march and climbed Ergest. We did not find the tower, but we wandered the mountain for quite a long time, and I believe this experience will be of help to Your Highness.”
“Of course it will.”
Cain did not deny it.
“But it is also true that it is suspicious.”
A big name Cain had never imagined appeared at too convenient a timing. Could he accept this without question?
“What part do you mean?”
“I heard Hillan Cargill was in the Kingdom of Berfht.”
“He was. Now he has returned to the Hero Guild, and only I and the Red Hawk Assault Unit came here separately.”
“Why?”
“You may not know, but the Red Hawk Assault Unit was originally a mercenary group. They lived several years in Hortonwork and regarded this place as home. Now they came out on a short break for peace of mind.”
Which meant—
“Is it too forced?”
“Yes.”
“Hero Hillan Cargill sent us.”
“That explanation is, in fact, far more convincing.”
But that only made it closer to the truth—his suspicions remained.
“Why did Hillan Cargill send you to us? And how did he know we were here?”
“Do you know? In the past we failed to find even the Demon King’s tower.”
“There is no one who does not know that.”
“But you would not know what happened inside. How many became food for monsters, how many froze to death on the cold snowy fields. And how it felt to witness that.”
“…I understand.”
“Lord Hillan, and we, still dream nightmares of that day. We can never forget, and we chew on the thought of vengeance.”
“That is true of anyone…”
No one likes failure. No one wants to repeat failure. And humans naturally desire to repay in equal measure what was done to them.
“But few take direct action.”
“Action?”
“In the city closest to Ergest—the final city reached by the hero’s march, and the city where the Demon King kidnapped the princess of Zespine—we planted people here in Hortonwork.”
“For what purpose?”
“To find the Demon King and the demon race.”
“You think the Demon King will come to Hortonwork?”
“He kidnapped the princess here. If he did it once, is the possibility of a second time not there?”
“Is that not too optimistic?”
Cain voiced his doubt. The massive Ergest mountain range bordered three kingdoms, and there were countless cities.
Among them, Hortonwork was merely the closest and most famous. The possible routes from the mountains into the continent were innumerable.
Moreover, there was no guarantee the Demon King would descend into a city at all.
“Well then, that optimism bore fruit.”
“Fruit?”
“How do you think we saved the Princess of Berfht?”
“That was because the Guild happened to be pursuing an agreement…”
Cain’s pupils widened.
“That was merely the public explanation for the eyes of the world.”
“No, wait. Even if you planted people in Hortonwork, the Demon King of Dark Flame and the Lust Demon King are different, aren’t they?”
“Don’t the Demon Kings have their gatherings?”
A secret that was hardly a secret. Anyone of high rank in a kingdom of some standing knew that much.
“Ha.”
Cain let out a hollow laugh.
“What passed through Hortonwork?”
“A succubus. We tracked her, and the trail ended in Berfht. If you doubt it, you may ask Princess Louise Berfht yourself.”
“There’s no way I’d ask her directly.”
Cain, knowing the crazy rumors surrounding Louise, had no desire to do so.
Granada continued.
“We digressed a little, but thanks to that, we learned what Arkan intends to do in Hortonwork. And Hero Hillan, and we, do not want to miss this opportunity.”
“...What do you want?”
“Find the tower. We will assist with everything we have!”
Just that one thing!
Granada cried out desperately.
‘Following Hillan Cargill around must have improved my acting somewhat.’
A single tear dropped.
Cain, uneasy but convinced, gave Granada and the Red Hawk Assault Unit an entire annex of the lord’s manor.
“Never in my life did I think I’d be invited into a lord’s manor.”
The former mercenary captain, Bark, looked around at the scenery of the manor.
“Don’t act like some country bumpkin.”
“True enough. We call ourselves an assault unit, yet we’re acting like rural mercenaries…”
“You were all rural mercenaries.”
Granada ignored the chatter of his members and turned his gaze to the knight guiding them.
‘He doesn’t seem like a knight of Hortonwork.’
It hadn’t been long, but Granada had lived as a mercenary in Hortonwork. He had clashed with its soldiers and knights many times, and he noticed instantly that the aura and air about this knight were different.
‘Then he must be Arkan…’
A guest receiving another guest in a manor with a rightful lord? It was clearly not normal.
“We officially rented ten annex buildings inside the lord’s manor.”
Noticing his thoughts, the knight explained first.
“You are not guests of the lord, but guests of Arkan. Please keep that in mind.”
“Yes. But that is…”
“Monster?”
“It’s a monster!”
The members drew their weapons. The knight hastily blocked them.
“Put your weapons away! That is not a monster!”
“A chimera?”
In one corner of the garden stood a giant over five meters tall. He was crouched, staring at Granada.
The giant emanated a faint demonic energy.
The members reluctantly sheathed their weapons.
“Yes. A chimera created by Her Highness the Princess. It won’t attack first, so do not show hostility.”
“We understand.”
They had already heard about the chimera from the Demon King. But seeing it in person caused some resistance.
At that moment, the giant stood.
With heavy thuds, he walked toward them.
“Huh?”
“Uh? Is this safe?”
But their panic proved needless. The giant stopped right before them.
“Elf.”
A graceful, unfitting voice was heard. Granada lifted his head. A young woman sat on the giant’s shoulder.
“I greet Your Highness.”
The knight lowered his head. The princess hopped lightly down.
Her eyes, red like the chimera’s, were striking as she scanned Granada from head to toe.
“I am Granada, vice-captain of the Red Hawk Assault Unit, Your Highness.”
“Lavinia.”
“I heard this chimera was created by Your Highness.”
“Cher.”
“Cher is its name.”
“Friend.”
“You and Cher are friends, Your Highness?”
“Yes.”
She pursed her lips. Granada waited for her to speak, but her mouth did not open for a long time.
“…….”
“…….”
A long silence passed, and the members awkwardly glanced at one another.
“Elf heart.”
Then Lavinia reached out. Her pale hand poked Granada’s chest.
“Warm.”
“Yes?”
“Give.”
“…Pardon?”
“You must not, Your Highness.”
A chill crawled down his spine and Granada instinctively slapped her hand away. But the answer came not from him, but from the knight.
“No?”
“Sir Granada has come to help us, Your Highness.”
“Ah. Sorry. Mistake.”
“…It’s fine.”
With a deep bow, Lavinia climbed back onto Cher’s shoulder. Cher lumbered back to its original spot.
“...My apologies.”
“What was that just now…”
“Since she grew up only in the imperial palace, she is a little unskilled at dealing with people. I apologize on Her Highness’s behalf. This will never happen again.”
“...Ah, yes.”
At the knight’s polite apology, Granada could only nod stiffly.
* * *
『Have you heard?』
While Berje was thinking of ways to crush Arkan’s forces, Reina Sordein contacted him.
She complained about the failed kidnapping.
“I heard. Hillan Cargill thwarted Vivian, right?”
『Unbelievably awful luck. Of all moments, Hillan Cargill happened to be visiting the Kingdom of Berfht as the Guild’s envoy…』
“A shame. It would have been a perfect chance to identify the culprit.”
Berje barely suppressed a smile threatening to spread across his lips.
『Indeed. But in some ways, Vivian Blunt’s stupidity is something this lady can only lament.』
『She must have clearly heard that Hillan Cargill arrived in Berfht, yet she carelessly made her move.』
But she could never have imagined he would be guarding the princess’s chambers.
As the mastermind behind everything, Berje could easily picture Vivian’s flustered face.
“So what do you plan to do now?”
『This time, this lady will act personally.』
“…What?”
『They’ll assume we won’t attempt it again after a failure.』
『And Hillan Cargill returned to the Hero Guild, so it is the perfect chance.』
No. Absolutely not.
Louise Berfht must not be kidnapped.
“That can’t happen.”
『Can’t? What do you mean?』
Berje’s mind raced desperately.
He spoke as casually as he could.
“Louise Berfht won’t disappear anywhere anyway. There’s no rush.”
『True, but that is hardly a reason not to kidnap her.』
“I need your help. Leave Louise’s kidnapping to Ugar and assist me instead.”
『Ugar Velbek cannot operate freely in the Dwarven Kingdom.』
He knew that. The underground city of Berfht—home of the dwarves—was not spacious.
For a Titan of the giant race, entering was impossible.
That was precisely why Berje mentioned Ugar—to avoid suspicion as much as possible.
『But help? Is something wrong?』
‘Why do I say that?’
He could not summon Reina Sordein to the tower. There were no monsters, and only the dwarf hero and princess remained. Even Reina would certainly rage.
Given her upright personality, she might even have reported to Archduke Arkaine.
‘Something else. Something that will divert Reina’s attention.’
『If you are telling this lady directly, it must not be trivial.』
Damn it. His dilemma deepened.
『Is it embarrassing for a Demon King to ask another for help? Of course, pride is proper for a Demon King. But Arein is different. We agreed to cooperate, so feel free to speak to this lady when needed.』
To hell with it.
“…I misspoke. It isn’t my issue—it's yours.”
『My issue?』
“Gillian Aint.”
One of the great heroes.
“The White Eagle Assault Unit is searching for the tower, isn’t it? If you let that go unchecked, you will face disaster.”
This had not yet happened in this timeline—but in the world before his regression, it had.