Chapter 80
My gaze towards Caron turned sour.
To give Luna an S-grade endgame item.
It was impossible to explain except for him being a lolicon.
'I need to be cautious. That's an incurable disease.'
Rustle-.
I distanced myself from Caron.
Who knows? He might have a thing for boys too.
Being a (questionable) pretty boy, it was only right for me to be cautious.
It was when I was desperately trying to put distance between us in the cramped room.
"I get what you're thinking, but it's totally not like that, so don't worry."
"Ke, keke... Well, that's good to hear. Don't worry, I won't disclose this information to anyone."
Caron let out a deep sigh.
Rubbing his forehead as if exhausted, he finally spoke.
"I told you, didn't I? I had a deal with Renia."
"Keke, what a convenient excuse."
"Isn't that the same for you?"
"Me?"
Caron's gaze was filled with annoyance.
Well, I did swear on Renia's name to escape my predicament.
But isn't it a different case?
I used it to escape being labeled a pervert, but Caron used it to escape being labeled a criminal(?).
Pervert vs. Criminal.
Anyone would say the latter is more problematic, right?
"Anyway, that should be enough for the price of the information. Now hand over what you know about the Creator of Madness. I'll pay well, so don't worry."
An S-grade artifact that can overcome death once in battle.
Indeed, it was more than a fair price.
Except for the part where it was supposed to be given to Luna, not me.
Puff-.
I puffed up my cheeks in dissatisfaction. Then,
"What's that? You want to die?"
Of course not. I immediately deflated my cheeks.
Imitating Luna didn't quite have the desired effect.
Had I been a girl, surely, as a super cute girl, it would have worked.
'Sigh, finally got that sorted.'
I might have unintentionally angered Caron, but it wasn't without results.
Information I could share and information I couldn't.
I was able to sort it out in my mind.
With a seemingly serious expression, I spoke.
"I've had dealings with some low-level black mages. Weird guys with one part of their body or another ruined."
A common trait among black mages who follow the Creator of Madness.
One or two parts of their body missing or fused with a demon's body.
And this trait becomes more pronounced as their rank increases.
"They said their leader was even more extraordinary. Carrying demons within his body. I thought it was impossible, but..."
"No, it's true. I've seen it myself, so it's confirmed."
"Carrying demons and still being fine?"
Recalling the Creator of Madness, Caron slightly furrowed his brows.
Well, I understand.
The one and only illustration of the Creator of Madness.
But no one could forget that illustration, even if they saw it just once.
It became famous on internet communities as a disturbing image and still occasionally makes appearances.
It was such a grotesque illustration that one could easily imagine what he might look like in reality.
'I hope Caron kills him before I have to see him.'
I'm a fragile and innocent child.
Seeing something so horrifying might cause me to faint.
"Whether he should be called human is questionable, but his mind seemed human."
"I see. So the one they follow is indeed the 'Creator of Madness'..."
I raised my left hand to my chin, adopting the pose of someone deep in thought.
Quietly muttering to myself in this posture.
"I thought it was impossible, but if what they say is true, could that mean this is also real?"
While pondering, I inadvertently murmured to myself.
Caron didn't miss my words.
I had walked into my own trap.
"What do you mean? What's real?"
"Oh, I've made a mistake. Please don't mind it. It's not confirmed information, after all..."
"I said I would handle the refining of the information, didn't I? All you need to do is spit it out. Make sure to reveal everything you know."
Isn't it comfortable working with someone who does their job well?
I chuckled inwardly as I spoke.
"They said that there exists a high-ranking black mage who can communicate with the legion commander of the demon realm."
"Legion commander...!"
Caron's face was filled with horror.
It was a natural reaction. If a legion commander were to descend, the continent would be filled with blood and flesh.
It's not just a simple metaphor.
The battlefield against a legion commander.
The only things that exist there are blood and flesh.
'Because it's a war on a different scale, with all of humanity participating.'
In every country in this world, there is one common treaty.
The first and the last.
A treaty that all countries must adhere to.
- In case of the legion commander's descent, humanity must immediately cease all hostilities and unite their strength to oppose the legion commander.
Empires and holy kingdoms, duchies, kingdoms, etc.
All of humanity forms a united front against the legion commander.
Only by combining the strength of all humanity can they barely oppose him.
Such was the power of the legion commander of the demon realm.
'In the game setting, the most recent one to have descended was the 5th legion commander, Crowley.'
About 40 years ago.
A kingdom was destroyed with the descent of the 5th legion commander, and a war that would determine the survival of humanity began.
The result was a victory for the human alliance. But it was a victory with only scars.
Because 10% of humanity was sacrificed.
But everyone unanimously said, 'The damage was minimal.'
'Because previously, at least 20% of the population died.'
A significant percentage of those were young people. It was as if the driving force for humanity's growth had been abruptly cut off.
Thus, the descent of a legion commander can be said to be a disaster in itself for the human side.
'And there exists someone who can communicate with that legion commander? It's no wonder it's shocking.'
As if to prove his point, Caron was still unable to shake off the shock.
Even Caron was overwhelmed with fear.
But the surprise was far from over.
"The one called the Creator of Madness is one of the high-ranking black mages who can communicate with the legion commander."
"One of them?"
He nodded.
"They said there are four high-ranking black mages. It's not certain information, but if what they say is true..."
"There are at least three more individuals of the Creator of Madness's caliber."
Typical of Caron. Give him one piece of information, and he understands ten.
And this was exactly my purpose.
'To reveal the existence of the Four Heavenly Kings.'
With this information alone, Caron could produce meaningful results.
If we're lucky, we might even be able to eliminate one or two in advance.
Caron muttered to himself after a moment of thought.
"Lizbeth... She must be one of them."
"Lizbeth?"
I knew who she was, but pretended not to and asked.
One of the Four Heavenly Kings is a woman.
How did Caron know that name?
After a moment of thought, he spoke.
"...You said you dream of being a rat, didn't you?"
"Keke, not anymore. Now that there's no one to follow..."
"That's not important. Anyway, if you dream of being a rat, you should get used to cruelty."
"Keke, I think I'm quite accustomed to it."
"Then I can tell you. What I'm about to say is top-secret, so make sure never to disclose it."
Caron's story began.
About investigating the Galeta region, encountering the Creator of Madness, having a conversation that wasn't quite a conversation, facing a chimera.
And the significance of the chimera's experiment and the stories of the people who were sacrificed.
It was surprising since it wasn't content from the game, but there was something even more astonishing.
'That he would share such information with a mere student like me.'
He must have hidden some parts, but even this much was significant.
'It's evidence that he's starting to trust me.'
It was encouraging. My fists clenched instinctively.
We'll be exchanging various pieces of information going forward, and I'll be able to receive compensation for that.
He said, trying hard to hide his excitement.
"Lizbeth... With this, it's confirmed. There are at least two, and at most four, beings who can oppose you."
"Not to the extent of opposing. He fled, after all."
He grumbled.
It seems the Creator of Madness really infuriated him.
Well, hearing what Caron went through, I too felt anger rising within me.
'Using even young children as experimental materials...'
In the game, the death of young children is a common occurrence.
But facing that reality didn't feel good at all.
"Preparations to defend against chimeras will soon start throughout the empire. Although no special measures have been devised yet, we are researching the corpses, so we expect results soon."
It was regrettable that research on chimeras couldn't be delayed, but it wasn't bad.
This alone would significantly change the future.
"High-ranking black mages... It seems certain that there are at least two. The problem is whether the other two actually exist..."
The claim that there are four high-ranking black mages capable of communicating with the legion commander.
This information came from the mouth of a mere low-ranking black mage.
It was natural for Caron to distrust it.
The existence of the Creator of Madness and Lizbeth was confirmed, but it's hard to be sure that such powerful beings could exist beyond them.
The typical bluster of the lower ranks. Caron did not dismiss this possibility.
"But if we can confirm just one more, it wouldn't be wrong to say the information about the existence of four is accurate."
"...Right."
Two out of four, three out of four.
If three exist, the probability that the fourth also exists is high. No, it's certain.
This is rational thinking and logic.
In other words, my current task is to inform Caron about the existence of another one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
"..."
He walked around the room in a posture that suggested his deductive skills were increasing.
Pretending as if something was on the verge of coming to mind.
The reaction came immediately.
"Do you have information?"
"...Not that I don't, but this seems off."
"I said earlier, didn't I? Your role is to expel information."
...Didn't he say it was my role to spit it out? I'm not sure why it suddenly changed to expelling.
But this was according to plan.
"I heard it while wandering through the black market. There's a rumor that corpses are wandering around."
"...Corpses?"
Caron frowned.
It must be because I blurted out something nonsensical.
Zombies, ghouls, skeletons, death knights, etc.
Because it's a time when undead monsters haven't appeared yet.
That's right. They haven't appeared 'yet', but they will soon.
'That's why it will bring even more tremendous fear and plunge the continent into chaos.'
These beings are quite familiar to us, but not to the people of this world.
If they encounter for the first time the sight of corpses they thought were dead moving and increasing their numbers.
Anyone would be consumed by fear.
"Well, if there's no significant information, there's nothing we can do. We have no choice but to track that down. Where is it?"
"Kalos."
"Kalos? That place is definitely..."
A kingdom that had achieved a brilliant civilization and was on the verge of proclaiming itself an empire, chasing the Annwood Empire to its limits—the Golden Kingdom.
And.
"40 years ago, the place where the 5th legion commander of the demon realm, Crowley, descended..."
"The capital of Rohan Kingdom, Kalos...!"
And it's not just that.
An enemy that grows the more you fight.
The increasingly grim prospects as time passes.
The worst battlefield where you have to kill even your allies, who were comrades.
Yes, in Kalos right now, he is there.
The pinnacle of necromancy, commanding the corpses and bringing death.
One of the Four Heavenly Kings.
The Maestro of the Battlefield, 'Volkan'.
--TL Notes--
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