Chapter 57
I made a circle with my thumb and forefinger, touching them together.
Through that gap, I looked at Caron and said,
"Keke, forget the information. What I need right now is more urgent..."
Swoosh-.
Caron threw a small leather pouch my way.
Since it wasn't thrown in malice, I caught it easily.
Jingle.
The sound of jingling from the pouch.
'How much is in here?'
As I stored the pouch in my pocket, I opened the pocket dimension window.
There was an increase of 20 gold.
Perhaps it's because he's the ultimate boss. He's quite generous.
"Good trade, thank you."
I bowed deeply, folding at the waist.
Caron clicked his tongue, clearly displeased.
I was just expressing my genuine thanks.
"Tch, stop your games. I know better than anyone how dark your heart is."
"Keke, you misunderstand."
"...It's exactly that which makes you dark. Anyway, keep a low profile."
Caron turned towards the window.
It was a sign that his business here was done.
The way he moves in and out of the window like a bird is slightly enviable.
Birds, and freedom...
'Wait, Caron is free, isn't he?'
Currently, I'm tied down to Annwood Academy.
While there are hundreds of hidden pieces outside, they are out of reach until I leave this place.
'But if the diligent Caron could fetch them for me?'
I might be able to obtain quite a few from inside here.
Caron, efficient enough to verify information in a day, would he entertain my request?
'This is like getting a free ride.'
We are in a business relationship. I decided to use that to my advantage.
First, it seemed best to build trust by asking for simple things.
"I have a request."
"What is it?"
"I need an artifact."
"An artifact?"
In this world, there are items called artifacts.
They bestow magic, physical enhancement, and even mysterious powers beyond theoretical explanation.
'Rodelin's necklace contains three spells.'
[Levitation], [Strength], and [Perfect Healing].
Artifacts comparable to endgame items.
Well, being the youngest daughter of the Lucid family, it was only natural for her to have such.
"...What kind of artifact do you need exactly?"
"Keke, a 'shield' would be nice."
"Impudent brat. You're asking for something quite expensive."
"Ah, wait. I'm not finished yet."
"?"
"An artifact with magic resistance, pain reduction, flight, strength, the ability to use magic, anything... and more..."
On and on.
I listed artifacts focused on protection.
After all, I only have one life.
It was when I had listed about 20. Caron raised his hand to stop me.
"...Enough. You've completely killed my desire to help."
"Keke, even though I'll provide information in return?"
"Impudent brat. Do you even know what kind of information I need?"
"Of course, I don't. How could I know if you don't tell me?"
Caron's expression blanked for a moment.
Why is he reacting like that? I just stated the obvious.
"I told you to stop playing around."
"Keke, ask me anything. Who knows? I might have the information you need."
"..."
Caron fell into thought.
He wasn't getting angry. He was sorting out in his mind what information to ask for.
It was about three minutes later when he finally spoke.
"Hus has been passing information to a dark mage we're tracking. Not very talented at covering his tracks. The pursuit is slow, but we'll catch him eventually."
"That's fortunate."
"...The problem is, we have no idea what he's up to."
This mysterious dark mage, in dealings with Hus.
It was certain he was plotting something sinister. The problem was not knowing when, what, or where.
'The empire's intelligence should be adept at tracking.'
Even they are taking time, which means he must have traveled quite extensively.
I couldn't help but worry. Not just about curses or grave robbing.
'A whole village could be offered as a sacrifice.'
A ritual for summoning demons.
It's not easy. The larger the scope, the more time, resources, manpower, and effort are required.
However, Hus had been dealing with the dark mage for quite some time.
So, it wasn't strange for Caron to be asking me about this.
It means we don't know what sinister plan is being concocted until the dark mage is caught.
Of course, I.
'Know about it.'
I pondered for a moment.
Deciding to pass on the information was certain.
Not just to obtain the artifact.
It was a conclusion reached after ample thought.
'Now, the remaining question is how to pass on the information.'
The story of the information, and what needs to be hidden.
Combining these two wasn't difficult.
Because one of the hundreds of quests in 'Hero of the Academy' came to mind.
"Was the information passed on by Hus about missing people?"
"Yes, precisely. He was hiding the missing people."
"Hiding missing people?"
"He destroyed missing person flyers and related information from a village, concealing the occurrence of disappearances from us."
"Can you tell me which region?"
"Galeta region. It's the territory of Count Musto."
Just as I knew.
A place located in the heart of the empire, and also a location one must pass through to get to Annwood Academy.
"Hmm..."
I raised my left hand to my chin.
The so-called 'thinking pose'.
There was no better posture for pretending to be deep in thought.
"...Surgical grafting."
"On my way to the academy, I discovered a body."
It was a bizarre corpse.
A human torso with disproportionately large arms, dozens of eyes, traces of surgical stitches here and there, and.
"Signs of a failed attempt to transplant a demon's heart."
"...!!"
Galeta region is currently the area where one of the Four Heavenly Kings is active.
The craziest among the crazed dark mages.
'The Creator of Madness, Lucius Black.'
And what he is attempting now.
"Demon grafting surgery. An experiment to graft demons onto human bodies."
Shock filled Caron's eyes.
* * *
"This is insane...!!"
Caron cursed.
It was a deed horrific enough to elicit curses from the composed Caron.
'It won't hurt to warn in advance.'
It's about time I come across information about the chimera.
Encountering a chimera, a fusion of human and demon, happens no earlier than the beginning of chapter three.
Now is when the Creator of Madness is vigorously pursuing his research.
'The problem is, I'll obtain information about the chimera, but not know exactly what it is.'
There's not much effort put into the pursuit.
Fusing a demon with a frail human body only weakens it.
It was dismissed as a foolish prank by dark mages.
However, the Galeta region soon suffers near-devastating damage due to the chimeras.
'It's all too easy for erosion to take root in a land without forces.'
Thus, the empire carelessly loses a vital part of its central territory.
'With the central region blocked, it became difficult to travel anywhere - north, south, east, or west.'
Travel had to be done around it or risk life crossing the central region.
The issue of passage caused more serious problems than anticipated.
The economy suffered greatly, and support couldn't reach the regions where the attacks began.
When reinforcements finally arrived, taking two to three times longer, they faced only two things.
Chaos and destruction.
Two things that people would frequently confront in the future.
'The beginning of it all was the downfall of the Galeta region.'
Thus, my decision was to provide the information and prevent the creation of chimeras.
"That's certain. I saw it clearly with my own eyes."
In fact, the information I provided was a blend of quests and stories from 'Hero of the Academy'.
'Almost no player starts the game in the Galeta region.'
That's because, practically from chapter one, players are continually attacked by dark mages.
'The command of His Darkness. Offer your bodies.'
Why not offer their own bodies, you ask?
...For your information, many of their bodies are mismatched.
Meaning they've already offered parts of themselves.
'Yet they still faithfully execute the orders.'
Typical of minions following the Creator of Madness.
They were truly mad.
"What did you do with that body?"
"I burned it. I thought it would be bad if someone found it."
Starting as an extra character, wandering around the Galeta region, players eventually encounter something bizarre.
A failed attempt to combine a demon with a human.
And if you choose 'Investigate', soon a young boy appears.
"Adventurer! Please avenge my father!"
A request to avenge his father.
The reward is 5 copper. Not gold, not even silver, but copper.
A trivial amount for us, but a significant sum for the boy.
Kind-hearted players accept the quest here.
And then they face...
True despair.
'If you continue investigating, you'll die at the hands of a dark mage or chimera, and your body will be stolen.'
If you ask for help from nearby villagers, people come, beat you up, and hang you.
"How dare you help the family of a demon! Are you out of your mind?"
They choose to eliminate the source of their fear.
Next to me hangs the boy's body, and the font [GAME OVER] appears.
Yes, this world was such a world.
A world where hurting others to save oneself was thoughtlessly commonplace.
'Of course, there's not just one way out.'
The only way to escape the Galeta region.
Burning the chimera's body to erase its traces.
With no body of his father, the boy who gives the quest continues a normal life in the village.
Believing his father will return someday.
'A happy ending.'
It's good for the boy who gets to live in the village.
Good for the villagers who don't ostracize the boy.
Good for the player who can continue their journey.
A happy ending where no one loses, a happy ending.
A happy ending for everyone.
Right?
"...But it's strange. Why attempt to graft a demon's body onto a human?"
Caron's question was valid.
Having a demon's body implies the summoning ritual was successful.
The demon has been brought to this continent.
'A summoned demon can exert the same power in this world as in the demonic realm.'
There's no need to merge it with a human.
The demon is far stronger on its own.
"Is it a disguise? A strategy to sow chaos among humans while wearing a human shell?"
No, there's a more serious issue.
A problem that normal human imagination could never fathom.
--TL Notes--
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