#201
Second Continental Summit (2)
“Let me be blunt. You are a mercenary by trade, are you not? I wish to place a private commission with you.”
These were the first words spoken by Arch-Shaman Morna as she brought Halli to her quarters and offered him a drink.
“Well, I welcome anything as long as the terms are right! But there’s been something bothering me since earlier; might I ask about that first?”
“Heh-heh-heh—of course, by all means.”
His gaze shifted to a young woman sitting in the corner, staring blankly in their direction.
Though an absolutely undeniable hulk of heavy muscle radiated presence with all its might, her eyes subtly missed their mark, as if she could not see him at all.
“...What is that young lady doing over there? Do shamans see ghosts or something?”
“Ah—that child is my aide. She is simply watching yesterday’s scenery all by herself. Do not mind her. Kekeke!”
“Goodness, you are an inscrutable one. Well, putting that aside, what exactly is your motive for suddenly proposing a request to me like this?”
He posed the question directly to Morna.
He already knew she had recommended him, and he knew the situation in the south; for her to come to him with a request now reeked of something foul.
“Ahem... Shamans, you see, unlike mages who value reason, are beings for whom emotion plays a vital role.”
“Huh—so?”
“To put it bluntly, an arch-shaman of my caliber can sense things others cannot—the traces left upon your body, as well as abstract concepts like fate and bonds.”
Even though the conversation had turned to his own body, Halli showed little reaction.
To begin with, his past was already known to those around him through “Halli’s Great Adventure,” and he had been making such a name for himself lately that there was little point in hiding anything now.
“You seem to know already, but recommending you to the vanguard was merely a process to meet you naturally. After all, it was something you could have refused if you had wished to, was it not?”
“Goodness, was there really a need to go through all that just to meet me? No, if I recall, you simply watched me from afar during the first summit?”
“...Keh-heh-heh, it was not such a simple situation...”
Morna’s expression suddenly darkened, and she let out a bitter, hollow laugh.
“That is precisely why I wanted to see you. The moment I heard of your exploits in the Tulk Kingdom, I knew. You are the one who can solve the problem currently facing Kalkos!”
In other words, it was nothing more than an “arch-shaman’s intuition.”
And she added that the moment she faced Halli directly, that intuition had become conviction, and she had bided her time for an opportunity to make contact until now.
‘So the problem facing Kalkos is a coup d’état? It seems this old woman is on the opposing side.’
As he had expected, the request was to resolve the secretly ongoing matter in the southern continent and eliminate the mastermind.
The reward was comprehensive shamanic assistance and other aid she could provide as an arch-shaman.
“I brought up the War King to pique your interest, but truth be told, I do not recommend it. Since you have already received the Great Warrior’s Brand, you must know the conditions for branding?”
“You mean the karma befitting it! Becoming a Great Warrior meant handling an ogre single-handedly, right?”
“Kekeke... An ogre is, indeed, the bare minimum. Though with your current strength, you could easily handle far more.”
Morna chuckled briefly before opening her mouth with a serious expression once more.
“For starters, the vitality flowing through your body is sufficient to receive the War King’s Brand. Honestly, it is hardly believable even taking into account that you are dragonkin... Hah, you have become more of a monster than when I first saw you. Have you been eating whatever is good for your body?”
The documents she had accessed after becoming an arch-shaman contained information on dragonkin as well.
According to them, while it was true they possessed bodies sturdier than humans, the source of their strength lay in an innate talent for mana, not the brute physical vitality that Halli possessed.
“...Setting that aside, the strain placed upon the recipient is said to be beyond imagination. According to tradition, it was a hundred times more painful than receiving the Great Warrior’s Brand. It is a record left by the last War King hundreds of years ago, so it is trustworthy. Kekeke.”
But when Halli wore a nonchalant expression even at her words, she smacked her lips in embarrassment.
“More than anything, the decisive factor is the fitting karma I mentioned. The War King’s Brand does not merely end in side effects if the condition is not met. You will simply die on the spot.”
“Hey, you have been beating around the bush since earlier, so stop dragging it out! Did I not say I am busy?”
“Keuh—robbing an old woman of her fun.”
Morna grumbled briefly before reluctantly opening her mouth under Halli’s sharp gaze.
Of course, the condition for the karma she spoke of was a trial so difficult it was nearly impossible.
“...It is to personally hunt an adult dragon or greater! And merely participating in a group battle will not suffice. Inflicting a mortal wound is the bare minimum, and you must sever its final breath with your own hands for it to be recognized as karma!”
—That would have been the case, under normal circumstances.
“Of course, since you are dragonkin and dragons are hard to find these days, anything of a similar class would do...”
“Ah, whatever. Forget that! Anyway, you are saying it can be done?”
“...Uh? Well, yes... But as I said, if you fail to satisfy the karma... No, wait.”
At Halli’s strangely confident attitude, she tilted her head and trailed off, her mouth snapping shut in an instant.
And with a strange, eerie glint in her eyes, she silently observed him...
“What in the world is this now?”
A displeased voice escaped her unwittingly.
“I thought, since you are dragonkin, it would make sense for some dragon karma to be mixed in, but this is not merely dragon karma—it is Dragon Slayer (龍殺)!”
“Huh? You can tell that?”
As expected of an arch-shaman.
The old shaman woman who had first branded him had been doubtful even after seeing ogre byproducts, yet Morna seemed able to determine whether he had satisfied the condition simply by focusing her gaze on him.
“A dragonkin killed a dragon? And at this level, it is not just any adult dragon? You inflicted the fatal blow and severed its life as well... Just what in the world are you?”
Even she, who had exuded an air of enlightened composure throughout, blinked her eyes in bewilderment, seemingly truly flustered for the first time.
‘So that ended up helping here.’
Halli was the one who had dug into the chest of the Mad Dragon Heratos in battle and devoured everything from its heart to its Dragon Heart.
It was only natural that he had satisfied the necessary conditions.
“Kwahaha—! Well, whatever the case, is this not a good thing! In any case, we now roughly know what each other wants, so let us talk in more detail!”
The timing was perfect, as he had been awaiting a report on the Tribal Alliance’s situation and preparing to intervene somehow.
He had also been planning to visit soon, as he normally styled himself as a southern barbarian warrior.
Thus, it would not be a bad idea to extract information from Morna, a high-ranking official of Kalkos, and stick a straw into the south to siphon off some karma while he was at it.
“Ah, right, old-timer. You know the advance payment is separate, yes?”
Of course, he would settle the accounts properly first.
***
Arch-Shaman Morna was in a state where her movements were so restricted that she had to resort to such complicated methods.
Unless she was inside the Great Divine Hall as she was now, she could not do anything at all; her every move was monitored and controlled in real time.
‘So the former Great Chieftain, who was expelled for dictatorship, is swallowing up the Tribal Alliance? And by any means necessary?’
Listening to her story, the extent of it was no trivial matter.
Not only had she taken hostages and seized weaknesses from each tribe’s chieftains, but the situation was so serious that she was even mobilizing mind control...
‘Even if she targeted only the high-ranking officials including the chieftains, the fact that information has been controlled this thoroughly is certainly no ordinary feat.’
Amidst all this, even Arch-Shaman Morna had her family and disciples taken hostage, leaving her unable to move freely.
Furthermore, the reason she could participate as the Tribal Alliance’s representative was that, among the high-ranking figures who had not succumbed to mind control, she was the most cooperative.
‘Though they did attach my aide as a separate watcher, of course. Still, for them to go that far means there is definitely something about them that they find truly threatening, does it not?’
The conference venue was the Great Divine Hall, located in the heart of the Church of the Supreme God’s holy land, where the Saint and Saintess were both present, and among the participants were many who had reached the pinnacle of their respective fields, including archmages.
Naturally, it was an environment that anyone with something to hide would want to avoid.
That Morna had chosen Halli over the Church under these circumstances was likely thanks in no small part to whatever “arch-shaman’s intuition” she had spoken of.
Well... The southern region was already one where the Church of the Supreme God held little sway due to the presence of shamans, and with the continent currently standing at the crossroads of destruction, it must have been difficult to receive substantial aid.
‘In that regard, that old woman did well choosing her contractor.’
With the information problem resolved thanks to an insider’s help, there was no longer anything holding him back.
It was a secret he told no one, but... was not tearing apart boards set up by others his specialty?
‘Former Great Chieftain Balteon. One who has been waiting for chaos to commit all manner of filthy schemes and realize his ambitions. He reeks to high heaven.’
...Whether Halli was moving personally.
‘Come to think of it, Siana did say that. A hidden executive in the south opened the Gate of the Abyss.’
And as it happened, by necessity, and by sheer coincidence—whether it was the Undead King moving personally.
‘Got you, bastard.’
Sharp fangs flashed savagely from the long, torn corners of Halli’s mouth.
***
Murmur, murmur—
The people gathered in the massive conference room were each forming groups and conversing among themselves.
Some initiated conversation with other groups while appearing friendly, while others avoided interaction warily; some smiled to hide their true intentions as they sought weaknesses, and some bluffed to aggrandize themselves.
It was, quite literally, a scene where one could see the complex state of the world at a glance.
And then...
Clunk—
The massive doors opened, and another group revealed themselves inside the conference room.
They were dressed in luxurious yet splendid attire.
At their head was a beautiful woman with brilliant blonde hair that seemed woven from gold and jewel-like turquoise eyes, leading them.
“Ah, have you arrived? Your Imperial Highness. Good morning.”
“As expected, you are beautiful today as well! Why, it is blinding! Hehehe!”
As soon as she appeared, those who had been conversing among themselves began subtly drifting toward her.
They had been steadily greeting her and forging a certain rapport over the past few days, but everyone was in a similar situation.
In such gatherings, what mattered was appearing “closer than others” to the strong; thus, this was a very natural phenomenon.
For she was Riley Carte Azerion, the current first in line for the imperial throne of the Azerion Empire, the continent’s strongest nation.
“Greetings, everyone. I heard there is much to discuss, so this may stretch late into the night; I wonder if everyone slept well?”
“Hahaha! Of course! I, for one, have complete confidence in my stamina.”
“Are you alright, Your Imperial Highness? If you grow tired later, I shall request a break from the Church on your behalf.”
They subtly latched onto her side, repeating only agreeable words.
They were all top figures in their respective lands, so they did not bow and scrape openly, but the weight of being the next emperor was enough to humble their usual arrogance.
Riley maintained a smile at her lips while treating them professionally, yet not too coldly.
Winning over opportunists and drawing them to her side was something she had done as naturally as breathing in recent years.
Dealing with foreigners was no different.
In the grand conference hall, where conversation flowed on the surface with apparent warmth while each harbored their own ulterior motives...
Clunk—
Once again.
The sound of doors opening rang out.
“Oh?”
“They are...”
And those who had turned their heads toward the door at the sound sealed their lips one by one with stiff expressions, unlike when the imperial delegation had entered.
As if the warm atmosphere from moments ago had never existed, a chilling silence began to envelop the grand conference hall at the reaction spreading in an instant.
Thud, thud—
Within that silence, the footsteps of the group entering through the door echoed softly.
At the head of the group, all of whom entered dressed in dark attire, was a beautiful man with jet-black hair that seemed spun from darkness and jewel-like blood-red eyes.
He exuded an overwhelming, oppressive presence simply by being seen.
Gulp—
“.......”
“Hmm, as expected...”
The atmosphere of those following behind him, standing in formation, was equally ominous.
With each step they took, an inexplicable chill and a faint scent of blood wafted through the air.
‘So that is them.’
Princess Riley, who had been at the center of attention, quietly flashed her eyes as she looked at them.
Yes, they were the ones who would serve as an axis of new change—
The delegation from the Kingdom of Tahlia, and the vampires of the Hybrid Vampire Clan Alliance.
They, who had hidden in the shadows, were finally revealing themselves in the heart of the Church of the Supreme God, the very symbol of light.