◈ Episode 447. Suitable Because It Is You
A big shot was, indeed, a big shot.
Murmur, murmur.
The commotion did not easily die down.
“I simply cannot believe it.”
“Good heavens, that they would, of their own accord……”
“In any case, will it not be a great contribution to the Empire’s public order?”
Antonium, the capital of the Empire.
Having returned to the imperial palace, I briefly conveyed the situation.
That the Shadow Mercenary Corps and the Frenzy Association had annihilated each other after a battle.
Of course, in Granfell-style speech, I stated only the core of the matter without embellishment.
Because of that, I had not explained the circumstances before and after. ‘Has everyone gotten used to this way of speaking?’ There was no one who pressed me for every detail.
A rumor naturally spreading outward from the imperial palace.
The news quickly reached the streets of Antonium as well.
Naturally, messages flickered before my eyes.
[News of the dissolution of a major power spreads through the underworld.]
[The morale of evildoers greatly decreases for a certain period of time.]
[Public order in Antonium, the imperial capital, rises.]
As expected of big shots.
To think messages would appear simply because they had disbanded. Though it did not show on my shameless iron face, I had actually flinched when I heard Wolf speak of dissolution.
The hidden mastermind acknowledged by the AAU, the Shadow Mercenary Corps.
Because they had so much concealed,
it was only natural that no one could tell where they might leap next.
By dissolving, might those hidden masterminds instead have a harmful effect on the Arcana Continent?
Might they become a headache for me as well? That was what I had worried about, out of needless concern.
However.
“Please use us as you see fit.”
To think the relationship and affinity values that had reached their maximum would shine here……! That was right. Excluding the Eighth Seat Nadivo, who had died in battle, I gained command over the nine members of the Shadow Mercenary Corps, including the deserter Kichi. ‘Though I don’t know the exact circumstances.’ The Akshan relics.
I could say I had benefited from them. Whether the Shadow Mercenary Corps, whose lives had been saved thanks to the Akshan relics, underwent some change of heart at death’s door, or something else entirely, I could not know. ‘In any case, it worked out well.’ The Shadow Mercenary Corps.
With only the news that they had disbanded,
the evildoers of Arcana grew dispirited and public order rose.
In truth, I was already well aware of how strong they were.
After all, even when we had cleared the rifts where Demon Kings had appeared in reality, it had been the same. I could still vividly remember the evaluations of the Magic Tower seniors who had been with the Shadow Mercenary Corps.
“They are not people who can be evaluated simply.”
“……
They were definitely hiding something.”
“They did not put forth their full strength.”
As lofty as the Magic Tower stood,
the pride of the senior mages of the Magic Tower was just as high.
Yet those seniors had all rated the Shadow Mercenary Corps highly. ‘And such formidable people will obediently follow my words.’ In the past,
I might have jumped for joy out of pure happiness.
In the days when I had nothing, a reliable ally was always welcome.
But not anymore.
As the number of forces following my words had increased,
and as the threat of high-ranking Demon Kings had begun,
the burden I bore had also become immense.
I had to make careful and optimal decisions.
And so……
Claudi Territory.
“We have assembled according to your will, Commander-in-Chief.”
Returning to the mansion, I summoned every member of the Shadow Mercenary Corps. Then I put on an air of gravity. It was teatime, but there were no teacups. Now was not the time to make the atmosphere seem light with dangling green tea bags, was it, Granfell? ‘Let’s hold back this time.’
As if responding to my words,
Granfell’s lips parted.
A solemn and endlessly grave voice followed.
“I have decided how you shall be used.”
Wolf answered.
“Whatever it may be, we will obey.”
Yes, you said it yourself, didn’t you?
That you would obey, whatever it may be.
And everyone clearly nodded in agreement, right?
At that point, I continued speaking.
“From this moment onward, you are……”
……
Gulp.
“incorporated into my direct unit.”
“……
Direct unit?”
Calling it a direct unit made it sound plausible,
but in reality, it was not.
Yes, it was that infamous “name.”
Everyone in the world knew their unfortunate situation.
Naturally, there was no way they would be pleased. ‘In practice, it’s no different from a punishment.’ But even if they said they disliked it now, I had absolutely no intention of changing the decision.
Because if they were the Shadow Mercenary Corps,
they were personnel perfectly suited to that name.
Let’s see. ‘I think this is the first time I’m openly revealing it in front of someone.’
Ahem.
Now that we were in the same boat, there was nothing to hide.
I swallowed a cough and continued. I uttered “that name.”
“The last.”
“……
The last?”
“The only.”
“……
The only?”
“And therefore, I, who am ‘Akshan’ itself, have so decided.”
“!!!”
*
Commander-in-Chief Lee Hoyeol.
He was a demon hunter of Akshan.
They had vaguely guessed as much from the moment they witnessed the Akshan wolf. The Third Seat, Henderson, stroked his beard.
“The only ones who can save those possessed by demons are…… certainly said to be demon hunters. Well, I’ve never actually seen them myself, but that’s what the rumors said.”
The Cataclysm.
Before the flooding of the Arcana Continent by the Demon World began in earnest,
Akshan had fallen.
And there had been no end to false rumors concerning it.
Wolf shrugged.
“When an incident breaks out on the Arcana Continent, the first people they seek out are us. I think similar rumors were circulating back then as well. To know for certain, I would have to check the ledger, but as far as I know, the Shadow Mercenary Corps was not involved in Akshan’s final days.”
Rockid sneered.
“Hmph. As if the Shadow Mercenary Corps would ever have taken on a mission related to Akshan. Big shots of the underworld, for mere Akshan? Even that dead bastard Nadivo would laugh.”
“Nadivo never once laughed at your jokes, though.”
“Shut up, brat.”
Rockid ground his teeth at the Ninth Seat, Deshev, for only a moment.
Then he subtly turned his head.
He saw Kichi quietly following behind them.
Scritch, scritch.
Rockid scratched his head and muttered to himself.
“Damn it, the human who was our former captain is completely down in the dumps for some reason. And the bastard who’s the current captain not only disbanded the Shadow Mercenary Corps……”
It was a lament over his own lot.
“He sold us off to the Commander-in-Chief’s special task force…… No, to Akshan. Damn it! At this rate, what I said earlier about Akshan being insignificant is like spitting in my own face, isn’t it?”
“Klk, klk.”
“Hey, does this look funny to you, old man?”
“There’s a demon right here, yet we’re demon hunters. Klk, klk.”
“What? You’re calling me a demon?!”
Wolf looked at the noisy group. ‘It seems we’ll need some time to adjust.’
It had happened in the span of a single morning.
From the Shadow Mercenary Corps to Akshan.
Their affiliation had changed.
Wolf’s gaze turned toward Kichi. ‘The captain is probably concerned about it.’
He could guess why Kichi was sparing her words.
More than anyone, she was conflicted within herself.
Whether we, who had been the Shadow Mercenary Corps,
were allowed to inherit the name of Akshan.
Wolf’s mouth opened.
“……
Who knows.”
“What’s with the sudden ‘who knows’?”
The one who asked back was the Fifth Seat, Herchiora.
Wolf spoke once more.
“That, too, who knows.”
Tch. Herchiora clicked her tongue and sneered.
“Honestly, everyone’s lost their minds.”
Lost their minds, was it.
“That is true.”
They certainly were not in their right minds.
In truth, he had felt a strange sense of incongruity from the Frenzy Association’s hideout onward.
He did not know why he had come to feel such an emotion, but…… ‘He said they were Akshan relics, didn’t he?’
Weapons said to be capable of killing Claudi.
The moment the rays of light pouring from the seven silver magic tools touched him,
Wolf witnessed a strange afterimage.
Kichi left all alone.
An afterimage as if she were looking at him with empty eyes.
It had been only an instant, but it was horrifying.
Kichi making such a chilling expression, one he had never seen even during a commission—
even recalling it again made a chill run down his spine.
Was it because he had witnessed that horrifying afterimage? ‘Right now, I am simply grateful.’
Wolf did not find the current scene all that bad.
Of course, whether they were qualified to place themselves in Akshan
was something Wolf himself questioned.
“Akshan, huh.”
He did not know much about Akshan in detail.
They had never once become the leading actors on the Arcana Continent,
and had been forgotten existences. ‘Should I say they were born in the wrong era?’
But what was certain was this. ‘The Commander-in-Chief is the final survivor of that Akshan.’
Perhaps Akshan and its people possessed a hidden truth unknown to the continent. If so, the burden borne by those of us who had placed ourselves in Akshan might truly be immense. ‘Are we supposed to restore Akshan’s honor?’
Far from restoring its honor, might they not tarnish it instead?
From now on, even exercising the utmost caution in their words and actions would not be enough.
Wolf, the most heinous villain of the Arcana Continent,
smiled bitterly.
“Like I can just abandon that habit.”
However, Wolf kept one thing firmly in mind.
Yes.
Even if he could not believe in himself,
“Suitable because it is you.”
the Commander-in-Chief had said so.
All they could do was believe in and follow the Commander-in-Chief who trusted them.
Wolf opened his mouth.
“Then, let us begin.”
Right now, their first mission as Akshan.
*
[Class Quest: Rebuilding Akshan]
The vanished Akshan have revived as legends of the new era.
However, what the Arcana Continent needs is not a legend that drifts about as a tale, but a living legend. Last demon hunter, rebuild Akshan of the new era together with the legends of the past.
—Hunt demons. (Repeat)
The class quest was quiet.
No new objective appeared.
Perhaps it did not acknowledge it. ‘My choice.’
But who was our Lord Granfell?
“What leads is not something so trifling as letters.”
He was the proud final demon hunter of Akshan, who regarded levels and stats as mere numbers and brushed off quest messages as mere letters.
“It is solely my judgment.”
That was right.
I, Lee Hoyeol.
On the Arcana Continent,
I sentenced the worst criminal organization, the Shadow Mercenary Corps,
to nothing less than an “Akshan sentence”!
What would our Akshan seniors say?
Would they think Akshan had really gone to hell in a handbasket? When I activated
[Akshan’s Will],
would I end up getting an earful from the seniors in hell?
I was deeply concerned.
However, I murmured with confidence.
“If there are any objections, raise them as much as you like.”
If you’ve got a problem, come at me.
There was a reason behind my and Granfell’s judgment.
I had been starting to feel the limits. ‘As expected of one of the Ten Thrones, they are cunning.’
The Ten Thrones had engraved their influence into rifts that were generated at random.
Through the Evil Eye, they were stirring up negative emotions in reality.
Granfell would not admit it, but…… ‘Honestly, it’s beyond me.’
I have said it again and again, but I do not have multiple bodies.
Reality and the Arcana Continent. Beyond that, I would even be traveling to and from the Demon World. At this rate, some incident would undoubtedly break out somewhere while I was away. ‘Of course, everyone is making an effort.’
The Holy War Alliance Army was steadily growing.
Whether they had been infected by pride or had truly come to understand pride,
they were doing their utmost to strengthen their forces.
But it was not enough.
The goal of me and Granfell was not merely to respond to demons.
It was to drive demons into fear instead, and hunt them.
That was why I had taken a new first step toward that goal.
Akshan.
With that name alone resounding across the Arcana Continent,
demons would tremble in fear.
A world message appeared.
[The natural enemy of demons has returned to the Arcana Continent.]
Wooooong.
The grand mansion of Claudi Territory.
In a separate room,
the seven Akshan relics shone.
[The seven relics permit Akshan’s return.]
In that sense, the Shadow Mercenary Corps were personnel perfectly suited to Akshan. Did you think I called it an “Akshan sentence” for no reason? Just thinking about it was already exhausting.
Akshan, the daily routine of demon hunters!
By now, the Shadow Mercenary Corps should be in the midst of physical training.
Push-ups and running.
They must be working up a sweat for the first time in a while. ‘More than anything.’
They carry out commissions by any means necessary.
They hunt demons by any means necessary.
The common ground was clear, wasn’t it?
Demons are sensitive to news from the Arcana Continent.
The infamous Shadow Mercenary Corps had not fallen into demons,
but had instead been reborn as Akshan?
That news alone would make demons tremble.
So I declared before the relics.
“It will be different from before.”
Even in the days when Akshan was nothing more than a laughingstock,
demons had feared Akshan.
Then what would happen if the name of Akshan,
the reputation of Akshan, grew even higher?
If Akshan’s achievements came to be properly recognized……
“As all things return to their rightful place.”
My gaze sank coldly.
“Inferior races, too, shall head to hell on their own feet.”
Of course, before that, a settlement was necessary.
Yes, because there was still something remaining between us.
I checked the message that had been flickering for a while.
[Your affinity with the Shadow God has reached its lowest point.]
A message from an employer furious that his employees had been taken away.
But this side was furious as well.
Because I had not forgotten.
“In all things, there is give and take.”
The debt owed to Granfell’s elder sister.
“Come whenever you wish. It is what I have been waiting for.”
……
That was what I said, but……
[A hidden piece, “Corridor of Shadows,” appears on the Arcana Continent.]
Even so, isn’t this way too fast?!