Chapter 102 : It was a Snowfield
Chapter 102: It was a Snowfield
Mercenary Guild.
Just as all heroes joined the Hero Guild, all mercenaries joined the Mercenary Guild.
Unlike the Hero Guild, it was not mandatory, but the reputation, trust, and system they had built up over a long time made it so.
Because people trusted those who carried mercenary badges more than those who did not.
‘They must be alive.’
The Mercenary Guild existed anywhere people gathered. This place, the very front line against the snowfield, was no exception.
Granada took time out of his schedule and headed for the Mercenary Guild.
Although the Red Hawk had become an assault unit, at their core they were still a mercenary group. If they were alive, they would surely be resting in a familiar Mercenary Guild.
‘They’re not all dead… right?’
They usually showed that they knew how to survive on their own. Of course, that came with the problem of prioritizing their own lives over missions, but this was not the time to nitpick over that.
It had already been over a year since they had been together, and both fondness and resentment had long since taken root.
‘Just in case.’
Anxiety coiled tightly.
Even though their survival skills were excellent, what had happened in the snowfield was not something that guaranteed survival.
Demons and monsters, monsters overflowing everywhere. The harsh natural environment was also a problem.
No matter how much mercy the Frost Demon King had shown, there were those who had died. Their survival could not be guaranteed.
Creeeak-
“Drink more, more!”
“Vice-captain, after eating snow like that in the snowfield, is there even room for alcohol in you?”
“Maybe it’s because you slept wrapped in monster hides while saying you were freezing to death. You even said that disgusting lump of meat was delicious and ate it all by yourself, didn’t you?”
“Shut up, you bastards! If I can’t empty this barrel, I’m not the vice-captain anymore, I’m going back to being the youngest!”
“Ohhh, that’s a good proposal!”
“Youngest, and I’ll even take being a servant! I’ll challenge you too!”
And the moment he opened the door to the branch, that worry vanished.
The guild branch of the northern city, overflowing with endless work in the form of snowfield monsters, had no choice but to be large.
A large building naturally drew many mercenaries. In such a bustling place, the voice of the former commander of the Red Hawk Mercenary Company stood out in particular.
Granada walked between the tables.
The heavy stench of alcohol.
Loud laughter.
A feast of various foods mixed with the smell of sweat.
He arrived in front of the place with the loudest voices, the noisiest of all.
Ignoring the startled eyes, he pointed at them one by one with his finger.
“One, two, three… thirty-two.”
“C-Commander.”
“So everyone survived?”
Not a single one missing.
Granada smiled. The members gave awkward smiles in return.
“Haha… After holding out for a few days, the pursuit strangely loosened up, so…”
“I know. You did well.”
“R-Really?”
“Yes. You did well surviving, but…”
Crack-
Granada tore off the armrest of a nearby chair and turned it into a club.
“Playing around so wildly without even reporting your survival to me—no matter how I look at it, that can’t be called doing well, can it?”
“C-Commander!”
“L-Let’s talk this out, talk it out.”
“Dialogue! Humans are humans because they know how to talk!”
“I’m an elf, you little shits!”
The beating continued.
The Red Hawk members fled in all directions, and the surrounding mercenaries, enraged by their drinks being knocked over, started fighting among themselves.
It was utter chaos.
* * *
“So you’re saying we have to pay compensation, so you want money?”
Is this insane?
“…Because these guys completely wrecked the tavern.”
“Excuse me? That was the com—mmph!”
Berje let out a hollow laugh. Granada deliberately averted his gaze.
“You’re causing trouble again already. Elves are usually well-mannered—are you even an elf?”
“······.”
“I shouldn’t have said anything. Just follow me.”
“Did something happen?”
“Hillan Cargill woke up.”
A knight of the Chernian Frontier Count came to inform them of the fact.
He made arrangements so that Berje and Granada could meet Hillan.
When they entered the single-patient room, Hillan was sitting blankly on the bed.
“···This place is…”
“The northern fortress Cherbil. The lord’s castle there.”
“···So I survived.”
Hillan’s last memory was the snowfield. Berje falling from the sky and mana cannons spewing firepower.
The resumed escape and the blaring horn that shook the snowfield.
“Thank you.”
Hillan lowered his head.
“Thanks to you, I lived.”
“So you do know. I already heard everything from Granada. You said demons and monsters poured out?”
“Yes. It was the first time they opened the tower gate and came out first.”
“It wasn’t the first.”
“Wasn’t it different in the Demon King’s case?”
It was on an entirely different level from a few monsters launching a surprise attack in the dead of night.
“Did you stop me back then because you foresaw this situation?”
“At the very least, I expected that you wouldn’t succeed easily. I didn’t know it would go this far.”
“…Even after hunting two Demon Kings, it’s still not enough.”
“It’s been close to a hundred years since Reina descended upon Arein. No matter how many heroes there are, Demon Kings are among the strongest even in the Demon Realm. They’re not beings you can take lightly.”
“I felt that deeply.”
Hillan nodded.
When Berje appeared and saved him, he truly felt it to the bone. That he still should not leave the Demon King’s protection.
Perhaps all of this had been part of Berje’s scheme. But what defeated them had been entirely the Frost Demon King’s power, and Hillan realized that they were still far too lacking to face Demon Kings who had endured for decades.
“I like that expression. How’s your body?”
“Other than feeling a bit sluggish, it’s not bad.”
“You didn’t have any serious injuries to begin with, so that’s only natural. Now that you’ve woken up, the Frontier Count will probably look for you soon. He might look for you and us together.”
“The Frontier Count…”
Just as the Frontier Count wanted to establish ties with Hillan, the reverse was also true.
Although he did not wield great influence in the central political arena due to his duty of defending the north, he was a man who possessed authority in the north and military power counted among the strongest even within the Empire.
“Whatever kind of connection you form with the Frontier Count, whatever schemes you may have, I won’t concern myself with them.”
“Thank you.”
“However. Do not let his interest turn toward me.”
“Wouldn’t it be so bad for the Demon King to step forward openly?”
“Don’t say things you don’t mean.”
Of course, it wasn’t bad. But in the end, Berje was a Demon King. He was not as versed in acting or in human society as Hillan was.
Berje had realized it upon meeting Cain of Arkan.
The longer the tail, the more likely it was to be stepped on.
As long as figures like Hillan Cargill and Granada existed, there was no need for him to step into the spotlight himself. Simply maintaining an appropriate relationship with Arkan—that was enough.
“Yes. I’ll do so.”
“Now that you’ve woken up, there’s no need for me to stay here any longer.”
“If you leave, the Chernian Frontier Count won’t look kindly on it.”
“Do I really need to care about the gaze of some human Frontier Count?”
“It may not concern the Demon King, but it does concern me and Hillan Cargill.”
“That’s why.”
Berje turned his gaze to Hillan Cargill.
“I waited until this one woke up.”
“What…?”
“Yes.”
Hillan nodded.
“I’ll handle it myself.”
“You can tie Arkan and me together. It’s true that we’re already appropriately connected.”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll contact you again if something comes up later.”
“Yes.”
Creak-
Berje opened the window.
“Ah, would you please leave confidently through the front gate? If you say you’re going out for some air, they’ll let you go easily. Since I’ll be staying here.”
“Very well.”
He left through the door.
* * *
“I thought you weren’t coming.”
At the northern fortress, about 20 kilometers from Cherbil, at the boundary between the snowfield and the Empire. Having walked here alone and hidden herself in the snow once more, Ernan sniffled.
“Hillan woke up later than expected.”
“Still, it seems he woke up safely.”
“His injuries weren’t very deep to begin with.”
“But you never know.”
“Looks like you didn’t run into any monsters.”
“I hid well and came. I was so nervous, wondering if demons would appear.”
“You did well.”
“Is that all?”
“What else would there be?”
“I spent the whole day buried in the snow, wandered the snowfield alone, and then stayed buried in the snow for several more days, you know?”
“I said you did well.”
“…Yes. Fine.”
“Let’s return south. I’m curious what the Empire and the Southern Union are up to.”
“Ah. Right. I’d completely forgotten.”
That was how grueling the matters of the north had been.
The snowfield, where the cold pressed in and demons had to be considered at every moment, gnawed away at one’s mental strength just by remaining there.
“Instead of Cherbil, we’ll go to another city and use a transport magic circle. We’ll have to properly cover our hair and eyes so we don’t get noticed.”
“In our current state, doesn’t it not matter?”
“I slipped out without the Frontier Count knowing.”
“What? Then won’t that cause trouble?”
“That’s why Hillan and Granada are there—to handle things like that.”
“Hmm.”
That was when—
Woooong-
The communication device in Berje’s embrace vibrated. It was a private communicator with Reina. With a gesture, he sent Ernan far away.
『Berje Deias.』
“What is it?”
『Where are you right now? You don’t seem to be at the tower.』
“I’m in the Ergest Mountains. I stepped outside briefly to take monsters in as vassals.”
A Demon King was not absolutely forbidden from leaving the tower.
It was just that when heroes entered the tower, he had to be at the summit without fail.
And he could not let humans see him wandering about without dignity.
If one were to nitpick, it wasn’t much different from not being able to wander freely at all, but moving around to take monsters in as vassals was not particularly strange.
『I see.』
“So what is it?”
『You will remember that this one said she would capture Hillan Cargill.』
“I remember. You said you’d spare the other humans and heroes, but kill Hillan Cargill as an example. Did you succeed?”
『I failed.』
“Failed? You wouldn’t have prepared carelessly.”
『I prepared as much as possible, but it seems it was not enough. I underestimated the power of humans.』
“This is Arein. Carelessness is ill-advised.”
『I will take your advice to heart. But that aside.』
She paused for a moment. That brief silence felt like hours to Berje.
‘Did she realize something?’
There was nothing in particular that should have tipped her off. But perhaps because of a guilty conscience, he felt uneasy.
Somehow, he could guess her next words.
『The high-ranking demon race I sent to capture Hillan Cargill said something strange.』
『He said he saw you.』
As expected.
Berje answered as calmly as possible, his face twisted into a puzzled expression.
“Me?”
『Let me correct that. To be precise, he said he saw a human who looked exactly like you.』
“A human who looks exactly like me… That’s an amusing thing to say.”
Berje snorted.
“What did that human do?”
『He rescued Hillan Cargill when he was almost captured and fled. You could say he was the one who ruined this one’s plan.』
“Kill that demon.”
『What do you mean?』
“I have never left the Ergest Mountains. He dared to slander another Demon King to cover up his own failure. I mean that killing him on the spot wouldn’t even be enough.”
As Berje growled, a soft chuckle came through.
『I did not specifically say that human was you.』
『I was told that aside from the hair, the eyes, and the aura, everything looked exactly the same.』
“Do you know what that’s usually called?”
『What is it?』
“It’s called being completely different.”
『That does sound plausible.』
“Why would you even tell me something like that? Did you really think I might have done it?”
『That is not the case.』
“If it were me, Hillan Cargill’s head would have been rolling around in the snow long ago. I have old grudges against him as well.”
『If you were offended, I will apologize. I merely vented my irritation to you.』
『I was confident of success, and failing has put me in a poor mood.』
『Even so, it is not as though I can bare my heart to my subordinates.』
“That much is true. But remember this. I will never do anything that brings harm to you. We agreed to cooperate, and above all else, I believe trust between us must come first.”
『I apologize. This one will apologize.』
“…I’ll accept it. What do you plan to do now?”
『I intend to think it over from now on.』
A faint anger could be felt in her words. Berje carefully maintained his expression and continued.
“I have nothing to say regarding the failure. You’ll succeed next time.”
『Yes.』
The connection was cut.
Berje released the breath he had been holding.
“…It went over well, right?”
It should have.
By common sense, no one would identify a Demon King and a human who gave off no demonic energy as the same person merely because they looked alike.
From the start, Reina’s words sounded less like suspicion and more like simply mentioning an amusing issue.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Berje and Ernan hastened their steps once more.
* * *
Northern snowfield, Frost Tower.
For a long while, Reina could not take her eyes off the now-dark communication device.
Sensing something amiss, Nina called out to her.
“Demon King?”
“…It was.”
“…Pardon?”
“…It was a snowfield…”
The communicator only covered a very narrow range, but it also showed the surrounding environment.
What had been visible behind Berje was a snow-covered plain.
A vast open field.
A sight utterly familiar to Reina Sordein.
Even if it was closer to the Empire than to her own domain.
It was unmistakably—
A snowfield.
“It was a snowfield…”
Reina muttered as if possessed.