#158
After the Invasion of the Capital (2)
They moved to a quiet garden to talk.
“I’ve heard the stories. They say you went all the way to Jeron this time and played a great role.”
A neat, formal outfit, and hair slicked straight back with oil.
The man in his late thirties, who introduced himself as Patrick, gave an impression more like a civil servant than a mercenary.
“As you may know, with the death in battle of Lord Kanble, who was the Mercenary King, our guild has fallen into considerable confusion.”
One could disparage him as merely the leader of a band of mercenaries, but on this continent, the position of Mercenary King was not so light.
In this world, where monsters and bandits were part of everyday life, mercenary was a profession seen everywhere.
Naturally, they came to need organizations that would represent their interests, and thus countless minor guilds sprang up all over the land.
And the one who integrated those scattered guilds and bound their strength together to establish the present system was the first Mercenary King, three hundred years ago.
With his martial power that had reached transcendence and the continent-wide influence he wielded through the guild, he eventually had the title of “king” recognized by the other powers.
To mercenaries, he was a legendary great figure.
‘He was also a member of the death squad that defeated the second Immortal King.’
But as was widely known, the end of that death squad had not been a good one.
The Mercenary King, too, had somehow survived until the final battle, but in the end, even he had died at the place where the present Great Temple of Picaol, where the Sacred Sword had been sealed, was later built.
Afterward, in order to honor him, the Mercenary Guild began passing down the title of “Mercenary King,” and as the other powers tolerated it, it became cemented as a tradition as it was today.
‘That’s why the Mercenary King can’t be left out of the fight against the Immortal King. If Kanble hadn’t died to Hans back then, he probably would have had to volunteer for the Hero’s party, whether he liked it or not. Or else he would have retired outright.’
Regardless of whether Heinrich would have accepted him or not.
“After the Mercenary King’s seat became vacant, the situation has been flowing in a very complicated direction. The largest faction within the guild essentially lost most of its influence with the deaths of Lord Kanble and Lord Payton, and the other faction that absorbed that power should, normally, be putting forward the next Mercenary King… but…”
Patrick, who had been speaking calmly, soon gave a meaningful smile.
“If one becomes the Mercenary King, one must somehow participate in the death squad, you see. Even if the Saint were to refuse and they were unable to take part, that in itself would lead to controversy over their qualifications, so no one can step forward carelessly.”
In the end, it meant they were all merely watching one another.
“Hmph! So what are you telling me to do about it? Why are you suddenly laying all that out to me?”
Harley knew the man before him well.
Of course, since he too was someone included in the delegation, the investigation on him had already been completed.
The secretary-general of the Mercenary Guild was a position appointed directly by the Mercenary King, and he was someone who had only recently risen to that seat as the successor to the retired former secretary-general.
In other words, he had been one of Kanble’s close aides and, at the same time, a member of what had been the largest faction in the guild.
The very faction that, as he himself had said, had now become nothing more than a name.
‘Actually, this guy is on pretty thin ice too. If he’d been outside the barrier when Hans attacked the Great Temple, I would’ve just dealt with him along with the rest.’
As a result of cross-checking various investigative findings, rather than taking the initiative to commit evil deeds, he had been the sort to clean up what happened according to orders from above.
A typical yes-man, one might say.
But the fact that he had done his job well enough to be trusted by a bad guy meant he couldn’t be called completely innocent either.
“Lord Harley, you voluntarily stepped forward in the fight against the Immortal King Hans this time.”
“Ah, well, they said he was stronger than the Hero, so I was itching all over! Well… he certainly was strong. Still, I thought I’d be able to land at least one hit on him!”
“No, apart from the results, Lord Harley, you have already proven sufficient courage and martial power. That much has already been acknowledged by the Saint as well.”
At that moment, the eyes of the man, who had been speaking calmly the entire time, flashed sharply.
“Lord Harley, by any chance, are you interested in the seat of Mercenary King?”
“…Ho?”
At that, Harley could clearly grasp this man’s intentions.
‘So you’re planning to throw away the rotten rope and switch lines?’
Given the situation, he was still maintaining his position for now, but his fate was to inevitably fall from power the moment the next Mercenary King was chosen.
For him, who had finally climbed to that position after many long years of hardship, it could only feel unfair.
And it seemed the breakthrough he had found was Harley, who did not belong to any particular faction yet had proven his martial power.
‘Come to think of it, it was also after Kanble died that he recommended Harley. Someone at the level of secretary-general would know the information from each branch inside out… So he wants to become a kingmaker and maintain his power.’
By its nature, the Mercenary Guild valued martial power above all else, but since it was an organization that had continued for more than three hundred years, of course political aspects could not be ignored either.
And if Patrick’s authority, as he still held the position of secretary-general, were added to Harley, who had sufficient martial power but no particular foundation within the guild?
“Kahahah! The Mercenary King, you say? An interesting proposal! Shall we discuss the details a bit more?”
There was no need to refuse an opportunity that had come looking for him.
***
The ultimate spell that only a warlock who had reached transcendence could use, the “Eternal Labyrinth.”
Its interior was like a single isolated little world, and unless certain conditions were satisfied, one could not escape it. As for the outside that surrounded it, it would not even be scratched unless struck by an attack on the level of cutting through dimensions.
In addition, every part of it could be manipulated according to the caster’s will. Usually, true to the name labyrinth, it was a function used to exclude intruders, but…
‘Splendid.’
Hans actively used it for housing, decorating a castle of his very own.
“Hup—!”
“……!”
Black bricks that seemed to swallow even light, gruesome ornaments such as demons and skeletons carved here and there, spires raised high and sharp like thorns.
Black storm clouds hung over the castle’s sky, while thick black fog blanketed the surroundings and an eerie wind blew.
[Kyaaaak—!]
Clatter, clatter!
On top of that, when the finishing touch of ghostly wails and an army of undead was added, an absolutely fantastic Demon King’s Castle was completed.
[Keukeuk— You’d best not even think about escaping. Not that you could get outside anyway.]
After giving a low warning to the two imperial captives, Hans entered the interior while feeling inwardly pleased with their reactions.
The basic interior design inside was no different from the exterior, but unlike outside, he had prepared separate spaces where living beings could survive.
“Oh, you have come! My king!”
“Aah—! O judge of this corrupt world!”
“Uuuh… Blood and death…”
All because of these bastards.
A warlock who had kidnapped residents to conduct human experiments, a dark warrior who had accepted too much black mana and gone mad with slaughter, a demon worshiper who had offered living sacrifices to summon a high-ranking demon, fanatics who worshiped the resurrected Immortal King as a god and claimed they would spread death throughout the world, and so on…
They were the cancerous lumps of the world that Hans had diligently collected, troublemakers from all across the continent.
At the sight of this group of humans who were obviously abnormal at a glance, the two imperial family members, who had never had occasion to see such types before, froze on the spot.
‘Hmm, it wouldn’t be a very good choice to leave them with these guys. Shall I make a separate isolation area?’
This was a space entirely under his control.
As soon as his will arose, the phenomenon occurred at once.
Before they knew it, they were standing in a residential space separate from where they had been until just now.
And the ones responsible for watching over them and assisting with their lives for a while would be…
“Ugh, how did I end up in a bleak place like this…”
“…Be quiet, Andrew. I’m the one who wants to cry.”
Andrew Weaver, an Awakened from Earth who had ended up coming all the way to the Demon King’s Castle, and the succubus Siana.
‘Siana’s disguise ability is outstanding too. There really isn’t anyone better suited to be in charge of Princess Riley.’
It was one thing for the Crown Prince to be left barely breathing, but it felt rather uncomfortable to treat the imperial princess he had brought along by accident in the same way.
…He also felt bad seeing Isea beside Heinrich right now, sighing repeatedly in distress.
‘Hmm— It’d be a bit much to keep the princess trapped in this environment for long after all. I should quickly devise a liberation scenario.’
In truth, he had already thought of something separately.
A subtle method to use this opportunity, in which he could gain the goodwill of both the princess and the archmage, in the most efficient way while still benefiting himself.
***
‘What a mess.’
Heinrich, who had visited the imperial palace to discuss future matters and come up with countermeasures, shook his head involuntarily as he left the meeting room.
He had expected it to some extent, but the aftermath brought about by Hans’s invasion of the capital was even more severe than he had thought.
First of all, many powerful figures residing in the capital had suffered considerable damage, and among them, not a few had lost their lives.
Even that alone could be called tremendous damage, yet two imperial family members closest to the succession had simultaneously become impossible to confirm as alive or dead.
That fact could not help but fluster even the Emperor, who had been watching the heirs in order to pass down the throne…
And it was also only natural that the sailors on a ship whose captain had disappeared would begin to waver and test the waters.
The Crown Prince’s faction, which had formed the largest force around the conservatives while holding the advantage of time.
The 5th Imperial Princess’s faction, which had rapidly expanded in scale with the rising nobles at its core through her outstanding intellect and political ability.
And even the 2nd Imperial Prince, who had already been pushed out of the mainstream, and the 6th Imperial Prince, who had been unable to raise his head until now, began moving at the right time, seeking an opportunity.
The longer this situation dragged on, the more the political situation would inevitably fall into chaos.
Apart from the Immortal King, solely because of their greed for power.
“Phew— I apologize, Saint. I was a little late because I had to soothe our people for a moment.”
And the one doing everything she could to minimize defections from the 5th Imperial Princess’s faction was her, Isea Pristin.
Although she had not yet achieved any particular merits and thus possessed a low title compared to her realm, as the 5th Imperial Princess’s closest aide and also a powerful archmage, her voice within the faction absolutely could not be ignored.
‘She’s probably preparing for when the princess returns later. If we go to all the trouble of saving her and find there’s no place for her left, that would be a problem too.’
Even though she must have been quite impatient, seeing her handle the things that had to be done step by step like this made her seem as cool-headed as one would expect of an archmage.
“So, Saint? When will you be attacking the Immortal King? Ah! First, I suppose we should replenish those who will be joining us. If you leave it to me, I will personally drag— no, escort capable individuals from each country…”
The lines she uttered in that calm voice were not cool-headed at all, but that much could be considered a minor issue.
“I’ve already chosen a few after careful consideration. For this matter, mobility is important, of course, but so is our coordination with one another, so I don’t intend to accept just anyone. In the end, we will have to fight alongside one another against the Immortal King, after all.”
“…Is that so. What a shame.”
Isea lightly licked her lips with an expressionless face.
It did seem she had become a little extreme after all.
“By the way, Saint? I’m not doubting you, but will it truly be all right? You’re asking us to respond to an attack with no warning or signs. In truth, even this time, though you did warn us in advance, Saint, in the end our preparations were lacking, and matters turned out like this…”
As she walked down the corridor side by side with Heinrich, she let out a worried sigh.
Even thinking about it again, it seemed she regretted having gone outside on that particular day.
“It will be all right.”
And to her worried words, he answered firmly in a voice full of conviction.
“I did not make that proposal to him for no reason. So long as the Lord God illuminates the path, all things will flow according to providence. …Though I myself am still greatly lacking, so I cannot assure you that I will be able to respond with certainty to every situation.”
The gimmick of a faithful priest… or, to put it more bluntly, a fanatic, was extremely convenient, as it could crush any doubt.
After all, the other party could not easily raise objections to the authority of the Lord God and the Saint.
Of course, he did not forget to lightly add a single line at the end to create an escape route for himself later.
“Ah! And I believe the princess will also be able to return unharmed soon. That is how I feel. My intuition is fairly accurate, so you may trust it.”
“…I really hope so. I wonder whether that young child can endure well in such an environment. She’s surprisingly picky about food too… Ah! I’m sorry. Please pretend you didn’t hear that.”
She, who had been muttering words more like a mother than an older sister, flinched and lightly tapped her own mouth.
Considering the appearance of Isea, who looked like a middle schooler, and Princess Riley, a mature adult woman, it did feel like quite the disconnect.
‘Anyway, then shall I now start smashing the things that are truly getting on my nerves?’
Thus, after the event of the kidnapped princess and the archmage joining the party…
Starting with thoughts too vicious to belong to a Hero’s inner mind, the “home theater” smoothly entered its next chapter.