Chapter 113 – Adversary (4)
If you delay too much, there is a possibility that the hero will fully prepare for the next attack or disappear with the bowl, so there is not much time to spare.
When you’re not ready yet, you have to hit him quickly with a quick attack.
If the Warmela Territory, where Roden and Roxia are located, had been located not too far away from the Nation of Darkness, Merlin would have carried out an assault with a mass teleport mobilizing a large number of black hounds.
However, the distance from the demon castle located in the northeast of the kingdom of demons to the Warmela Territory located in the westernmost part of the continent is the same as the distance between the ends of the continent.
Even Merlin, who has risen to the ranks of the Archmage, has considerable difficulties in moving a large number of people over such a long distance. Especially if it is an unfamiliar coordinate.
With Merlin’s magic, there is only one person who can travel a long distance together. In that case, it is best to bring someone with the highest combat power.
“Now you’re back. You guys have been away for quite some time today for some reason. Did anything interesting happen?”
“… Are you here?”
In such a situation, the moment he saw Escaros personally visiting his room, Merlin thought that the most suitable person to take to dispose of the vessel of the hero and the demon king would not be him, who is the undisputed number one in the present Nation of the Underworld. Passed by.
The sharpness of swordsmanship and the destructive power of magic that Escaros showed on the battlefield of the civil war of the Makai Kingdom are so strong that even a hero can reach them without fail.
Merlin during the Man-Human War was unable to keep the Demon King’s side because he was dealing with the men of the human coalition separately while recovering from his injuries, but now he can help his master.
Moreover, even if he does this and that, in the end, he is a human.
Seeing again, the hero’s eyes and mood are not as sharp as they were 15 years ago. Perhaps this is a golden opportunity to give Escaros the experience of dealing with a worthy adversary and a suitable trial.
Resolved, Merlin rose from his seat and looked at Escaros in a low voice.
“Escaros-sama. The other day, dispatching spies to the human land… Do you remember?”
“Hmm? Every time I remember, you’re talking about sending a few people wearing polymorphs.”
Merlin nodded and opened the map in his bosom on the table.
“According to reports, the Demon King’s vessel is hiding in this city.”
“Oh, I finally found it. Your guess that he might be outside the Netherworld was correct. Are the spies bringing him to the Netherworld?”
“Unfortunately, no. There was a big variable. That is why I was away a little while ago.”
“It’s a big variable… What is it?”
“This will be a little longer. Please sit back.”
Merlin, who began to explain the rough process by which the black hound dispatched to the human land investigated this city and eventually reached Barmela’s territory, knew only Merlin and the black hound crew that they secretly killed their own people. The only truth was never spoken.
While Merlin pursued maximum efficiency, she arbitrarily gave instructions to the Black Hound crew members to kill their own people in order to knock out the weak demons as a bonus.
Since it was being done outside the Kingdom of Evil, there was little chance of being discovered by Escaros, but after handling it just in case, the corpse was conspicuously mutilated and decorated as a hate crime against different races by human absolutists.
“… So, I visited the city myself to check what had happened because the last time I didn’t receive a regular report about contacting the target found at the potion shop… There was an unexpected presence there.”
Merlin told Escaros, who was interested in her own story, about Roden, a man who lived as an alchemist in a remote area and a former hero.
“To think that the hero who was known to have died with the demon lord 15 years ago was staying with the demon lord of this generation in such a place. What a surprise.”
“It’s an arrogance, but he doesn’t have the right to be called the Demon King. He was thoroughly brainwashed by the brave guy.”
“… Please tell me in detail.”
“As a result of observing it through the familiar, the bowl obediently obeyed the hero, calling it ‘master’ as a slave or a useful title.
ㅡKuddeuk… ．
I hear the sound of tightening my molars.
From the moment he heard the word ‘brainwashing’, the anger on Escaros’ face was clearly visible.
“I decided that it would be difficult for me to handle the hero on my own, so I returned for a while. If you delay too much, there is a possibility that he will disappear, so I select one of the highest-ranking demons as a helper… “
“There is no need for that.”
“Yes?”
“I want to see for myself the appearance and skills of the hero who defeated the previous demon king.”
“However, if I and Lord Escaros are away at the same time, there is a possibility of a rebellion…”
“Most of the internal forces that go against our will have been subdued, so a day or two is no problem.”
Merlin never gave up on his will, looking into the eyes of Escaros, who showed a strong will, and even though he had a troubled expression, he called for joy inside.
As a result of this and other things going on afterward. Long-distance teleport was used in succession to supplement Merlin’s mana, which was consumed quite a bit.
* * *
Early in the evening just before the sunset slowly appears in the sky.
ㅡRumbling…
The twin sisters who successfully completed the quest to subjugate the hobgoblin in the mining town are sitting at the back of a wagon rented as a silver level adventurer’s benefit and chatting leisurely.
Junoa, the only prisoner in the group, opened her mouth with an expression that she was finally freed.
“Ah… ! I won’t be able to explore mines again.”
“Ahh, it must have been huge for Junoa because it smelled stinging to us as well.
“It’s nothing to laugh at, Merim. I thought my nose would go numb because the smell of coal and goblins’ excrement and urine were a mess.”
Because Junoa had been exposed to her pungent odor for a long time, she blew her nose, which was still not functioning, several times.
Watching her, and holding back her laughter, Marill looked from her coachman’s seat to Finn driving her horses.
“This time, the search went smoothly thanks to the captain guiding us.”
“Yeah~ I didn’t know that Cap had a career working in that mine.”
“Haha, I prepared equipment with the money I worked there in the past and jumped into the adventurer front. Anyway, it feels very strange to be treated as a superior by two silver-ranked people.”
“Don’t mind us, it’s more convenient to call us that way, too. Captain.”
“I’m embarrassed, so it’s a bit embarrassing…”
While the party, including the twin sisters, was talking loudly, each saying a word, the backs of the two were gradually revealed in the ever-changing scenery.
The first to notice it was Finn, who was sitting in the driver’s seat. He narrowed his eyes and spoke out.
“I can see people walking on the highway in front of me. Seeing as there are only two of them, it doesn’t seem like they are a group of robbers.”
Upon hearing Finn’s words, the party’s eyes naturally focused on the two.
One was a stout man (probably) wearing all-black full-plate armor with a horned helmet, and the other was an old man clad in a robe and holding a cane.
Is it a relationship between an employer and an escort? The distance between them and the two gradually narrows as they raise the same kind of question in their heads.
Hearing the sound of the carriage creaking, the two also turned their heads and looked at the party, exchanging words with each other.
Finn, who looked anxiously at the old man walking down the street, stopped the carriage right next to the two after getting permission from the party in advance.
“Seniors, we are a group of adventurers on our way back to Barmela Manor.
The old man stared blankly at the pin for a few seconds, then smiled broadly.
“Haha! This is a rare kind adventurer. Will you really be okay?”
“There’s plenty of room for two people, so there’s nothing to say no to.”
“Is it? It’s a long-awaited favor, so let’s be grateful for it. We were also on our way to Barmela.”
“…”
Unlike the old man who burst into laughter in a row, the man in black armor just nodded her head without saying anything.
ㅡ Flutter.
It was only after the old man raised his cane and removed his robe to get on the carriage that the party learned later that he was a one-armed man with only his right arm left.
Marill rose from her seat and stretched out her hand toward the old man.
“Hold your hand here, Grandpa.”
“Thank you, young lady. Not only your face is beautiful, but your heart is also very beautiful.”
“Ahahaha…”
Subsequently, the man in black armor also lightly climbed into the carriage and sat down next to the old man in silence.
And so, the brief and bizarre journey of the twin sisters and the two travelers, to be exact, Merlin and Escaros, began.
