Leon, the young lord, suddenly realized the meeting was about to begin.
However, he didn’t think about it for long. As a young lord, he didn’t need to be overly concerned about a meeting between lords.
Of course, some might have sent young lords or aides in their stead… but in his case, that would have only been disadvantageous. Most of the time, meetings like that implicitly pushed for sacrifices, so it was better that he did not attend.
Rather than stressing out about that, it would be more productive for him to deal with the matters that had been postponed due to the meeting preparations.
With that thought in mind, he decided to work. There was also something he urgently had to take care of.
He had received reports that the beast incident in Camborough had subsided, but no one knew how long that would last.
While it might tolerate some delay in his actions, it would be foolish to believe the Skyflow Tiger would wait patiently or let him go. With that in mind, he quickly wrote up an announcement on the annulment of his engagement.
“Young Lord, are you sure those vines were unrelated to the esteemed Skyflow Tiger’s wrath?”
“Absolutely. It’s just the work of the Hero and her Companions doing their best to protect our people from the Great Demon’s remnants.”
“The people are growing increasingly anxious. Rumors are spreading that the esteemed Skyflow Tiger is very angry, and if it leaves, the city will fall.”“Those are just baseless rumors. Besides, why would this land fall into ruin in the Skyflow Tiger’s absence? The Sea Dragon has also disappeared, but the West isn’t experiencing any problems.”
But what were these new troubles being thrown at him while his complicated feelings swirled within?
He bit his lip as he learned of these new rumors and how they swayed the people.
Fortunately, the scandal between him, Young Lady Camborough, and the Skyflow Tiger hadn’t been revealed, but that didn’t mean things looked good.
The root of all this trouble was the Skyflow Tiger, but these rumors twisted things in a way that made the people more inclined to defend it.
He hated that thought, so he had been trying to shift some of its actions to others, continuously leaking information about the Great Demon’s subjugation so the people would focus on that… However, this trend felt ominous.
The people were frightened by the giant vines that had sprouted from the ground overnight, leading them to suddenly find their long-lost faith that had been gathering dust in some corner for ages.
Should things continue like this, even if the Skyflow Tiger, who had devoured the Demon’s corpse, transformed into a Demon itself, hunting it down would be difficult. Well, at least until they endured as much suffering as the West.
“This is driving me crazy…”
Vowing to conceal all traces of the Skyflow Tiger, he finished writing the central part of the document. He gradually finished the letter without even a mention of the ‘S’ of Skyflow Tiger.
> [Are you ashamed of me? Why is there no mention of me in there? Didn’t I clearly tell you to declare that you belong to me?]
A dark, cold breath brushed against his back. The foul stench that often accompanied rotting meat assaulted his nostrils.
> [Or could it be…]
The weight pressing down on his shoulders caused cold sweat to gather on his forehead. But simultaneously, he turned his head slightly to fulfill his responsibility.
The responsibility of assessing the Skyflow Tiger’s condition.
> [Are you planning to ask those mortals who defeated the Great Demon to kill me?]
But where did those cherry blossom pink eyes go? The only thing remaining in them was a murky red.
> [That’s useless. They cannot kill me. I even ate that vile thing to ensure that.]
A giant hand clamped over his mouth, lifting him off the ground.
> [There’s no need to hesitate any further. Let us return to my nest.]
* * *
In the end, Deb still followed us. After emphasizing his necessity—he could provide testimony—and expressing his great discomfort with staying at the Temple, it was decided he could come along.
“I finally feel like I can breathe.”
“Is staying in the Temple that uncomfortable for you?”
“Yeah, I can’t really explain it…”
After pondering for some time, Deb described it using words like staying in a “maggot pit” or “a hole filled with rotting corpses.” I couldn’t say I completely agreed, but I understood what he meant.
He probably meant to say that he felt a revulsion similar to how ordinary people felt when faced with such things.
“Is it because of the Demonic Energy…?”
“Did the Demon Worshipers you’ve caught never express feeling that way?”
“The ones we captured would usually get thrown straight into the torture chamber. Do you really think they would feel like sharing how they felt?”
“…Guess I’m lucky I didn’t end up in one then.”
“Don’t worry. As long as you don’t actually betray us, that won’t happen.”
Deb shook his head in sheer disgust at the Inquisitor’s words.
It was around then that the Archmage looked toward me.
“How about you? Are you okay?”
Me? Well… I wouldn’t call the Temple a comfortable place for me.
At some point, I started to feel like a thousand needles were pricking my body, and like hundreds of eyeballs were floating in the air, watching me from all directions. It also felt like tons of tiny insects were crawling all over my skin.
However, to maintain my character, I wouldn’t shy away from anything. So I decided not to avoid this place.
I probably wouldn’t have tried to avoid this place even if I didn’t have to worry about that.
In any case, instead of expressing these feelings, I simply quickened my pace, blocking any follow-up questions that might come my way. As a result, I didn’t notice the Archmage behind me falling into deep thoughts over something.
We soon arrived at the manor, where a guide came out to lead me and my Companions inside.
Perhaps because they’d judged the reception room to be too small, we were led to what appeared to be a banquet hall.
“It’s pretty spacious.”
“There’ll probably be many participants.”
As I listened to their conversation, I briefly hesitated at the entrance.
I was hoping my character wouldn’t draw any unwanted attention from the lords and that this wouldn’t lead to an all-out war or something.
“Demon Knight, aren’t you coming?”
“…”
But after I had come all the way here, there was no way I could just turn back. Hiding my anxious thoughts, I walked inside.
“But just how are they going to hold this meeting?”
“They’ll scan everyone’s appearance with Arcane Power, then project those images as illusions into this place. Conversely, this place’s appearance will also be transmitted to them in the same manner.”
The Archmage was giving Deb a lecture about something right in front of the entrance, pointing toward the floor.
“The surroundings starting from this line will be transmitted to the others. So, if you have something to say, be sure to stand within this area. The same goes for you, Inquisitor.”
“Understood.”
“Then, will I also…?”
“How could there be different rules for you? However, in my opinion… it would be better if you speak up a bit later.”
“In that case, I’ll step forward when you give me a signal.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
This conversation reminded me that science and magic weren’t actually all that different. It seemed like a holographic version of a video conference.
“Is everyone here?”
At that moment, someone entered the hall. It was the lord who had taken care of all this and whom I hadn’t seen before.
“Lord Munmund has declared that he won’t be attending. He says a Demon horde just decided to attack at the worst possible time, but he assured us that he would follow whatever is decided in this meeting no matter what. The rest have expressed their intention to attend.”
“I see. Understood.”
The lord who’d taken charge of the proceedings didn’t seem in the best condition. He was frail, barely able to walk on his own, despite being of the Shaggi race.
It didn’t look like he’d been ill for only a day or two.
“Ah, Miss Hero. I see the sage and your other Companions are also here. My apologies for my belated greetings.”
Despite being so sickly, his spirit didn’t seem to have suffered.
The lord’s shirt hung loosely on his frame, and his fur seemed matted and tangled, but his eyes still gleamed with a sharpness akin to a knife.
“No need. It seems the meeting is about to start, so let’s save the formalities for later.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
As the Archmage and the lord exchanged brief greetings, the other attendees’ images began to be projected around the great table within the banquet hall.
* * *
“Now that everyone has gathered, let us begin the meeting. Lord Munmund will not be able to attend, sadly.”
The lord of Ednium, who presided over this meeting from the head of the table, started it with this announcement.
“Let me state upfront that Ednium is prepared to make any sacrifice necessary to deal with this situation.”
─ What exactly do you mean by sacrifice…? –
“Exactly what I said.”
─ Can I take it to mean you’re prepared to fight against the Skyflow Tiger, then? –
“If that is what everyone agrees on, then yes. If not, then we won’t.”
─ So, you’re saying… –
“If you want me, as a father, to explicitly talk about sacrificing my son, then just say it. Don’t waste our time by beating around the bush.”
─ Ahem. –
The flow of the meeting was pretty much what we had expected.
─ But is this discussion truly necessary? While all of this is rather unfortunate for you, Lord Ednium, I believe just sending the young lord should be enough to placate the Skyflow Tiger. –
─ Even the part about it eating the corpse of a Demon… Wasn’t that just to rid it of this land? Just what is the Skyflow Tiger, and why is it such a problem that it ate a mere Demon? –
─ So, I think we should just wrap things up here. There’s no way this will have any consequences, and we don’t know what dangers might occur should we antagonize the Skyflow Tiger. Why cause any unnecessary trouble? –
─ Exactly. There’s no reason to make trouble where there is none. –
Most of the lords wanted to just quietly sweep this matter under the rug.
─ It seems you all are taking Young Lord Ednium’s sacrifice for granted. Is this really the right thing to do? –
─ I do feel sorry for Lord Ednium, but… we can’t let every city suffer just to save the young lord. –
─ If Lord Ednium were to step forward to save his son, I could understand his decision. However, even if we understand, Bemurchen will not support it. –
─ The Magic Tower of Bemurchen is of the same opinion. Right now, the sea is full of vicious Demons, and we don’t want to add this region’s ruler to our list of enemies. –
Young Lord Leon’s sacrifice? It wasn’t even treated as a controversial matter.
If one person’s sacrifice could appease the Skyflow Tiger, so be it. That was the general consensus.
I knew that sacrificing the few for the greater good was common in this world, but the way they acted as if it was someone else’s problem was rather disgusting.
What made this matter even more unsettling was that both a father about to lose his only son and Young Lady Camborough, who was about to lose her lover, were also present.
─ As for the damages dealt to Camborough… let’s be honest, it wasn’t that bad, was it? It’s not as if the city is on the verge of collapse. –
─ Are you done talking nonsense? Not that bad? Would you care to say that to our citizens who are currently protesting in the streets? –
─ Ahem… Young Lady Camborough, your words are a bit… –
─ If you want me to respond like a civilized person, you should have spoken like one first. –
Of course, neither showed how they truly felt inside. Instead, they acted so calmly that the other people aware of the situation felt even more uneasy.
One of the lords, seeing how the young lady of Camborough fiercely bit back at others, muttered under his breath, “As expected from the daughter of a knight…”
“Erm…”
Clunk.
But just as the Archmage raised her hand, preparing to join in, the banquet hall doors opened. It wasn’t that loud, so the other lords didn’t seem to notice. In the first place, the doors were outside the area getting transmitted, so they wouldn’t have been able to see this either.
“My lord.”
A knight with a stern expression approached the lord.
“The young lord…”
He lowered his voice to a mere whisper… but unfortunately, I could hear everything. It appeared the Skyflow Tiger had already caused trouble.
“The young lord has been kidnapped…!”
“Madam Archmage!”
The Inquisitor, who had been anxiously wanting to interfere for some time now, whipped around to face the Archmage. She, too, was caught off guard by this situation, her expression hardening a little.
─ What happened, Lord Ednium? –
─ Is this something we should know about as well? –
Meanwhile, Lord Ednium, having just received the news of his son’s disappearance, blinked slowly.
“I’ve been told that the Skyflow Tiger has taken my son.”
Perhaps because of the current mood, this middle-aged man’s voice sounded a bit deeper than before.
─ Is that even a problem? Weren’t we planning to offer him up anyway…? –
─ If one’s mind is lacking, perhaps it is wiser to restrain one’s tongue, Lord Dwarfmain. –
─ Young Lady Camborough! Such insolence! –
─ Your intelligence, or lack thereof, seems rather insolent toward Lord Ednium, as well. –
Even the young lady of Camborough seemed a little shaken. However, for someone who was shaken, she sure spoke well.
“What a mess… I didn’t expect the Skyflow Tiger to act like this.”
In the meantime, the Archmage softly muttered as she thought. She was probably quite worried not only for the young lord’s safety but also about the many complications that would accompany his disappearance.
It would be nice if she could only worry about the people, but for someone of the Archmage’s status, she also had to consider what would happen afterward.
“This is outrageous!”
“Should I go catch that tiger? Berserk is very good at catching tigers.”
“It’s not time for that yet, so don’t get excited…”
And I was equally worried as well.
It probably hadn’t captured and killed him since he was the one it loved, but being alive didn’t always mean that everything was fine.
Besides… this might sound a bit cold, but without the young lord, we had no peaceful way of ascertaining the Skyflow Tiger’s condition.
If anyone else were to question the Skyflow Tiger, they would have to stake their lives, but things were different for the young lord.
The young lord knew that as well, so he secretly promised us that he would try to find out about the Skyflow Tiger’s condition when he called it.
Not only what side effects may have come from consuming the Demon, but also what that agreement between the Skyflow Tiger and the Demon entailed.
“With things as they are, hmm… things will be difficult. It’ll be very hard to persuade them with the cards we have.”
However, if things continued like this, it was highly probable that we would remain utterly clueless about the Skyflow Tiger’s condition, becoming mere bystanders.
I glanced at the muttering Archmage. She appeared to have reached the same conclusion, considering how her expression darkened considerably before she stepped forward.
─ And you are…? –
“I am but an old woman who humbly accompanies the Hero.”
─ Aah, the Great Sage. I have heard a lot about you. –
The lords, who had narrowed their eyes in displeasure at the unwelcome and sudden interruption, quickly changed their attitude the moment the Archmage revealed her identity.
“While nothing much, I would like to share something that I believe you will find rather helpful. Before making any rash decisions, why not hear me out first?”
Anyway, she relayed the information Deb had given us: that the Great Demon might still be alive, and that the Skyflow Tiger might have made some sort of pact with said Great Demon.
Those were the two main points.
─ But I heard that the Great Demon has been killed? –
─ Were you mistaken? –
“Well, it is rather hard for anyone to imagine that it survived, especially after falling thousands of meters to the ground with a sword embedded between its brows. However, Great Demons have existed on this land for a long time. It wouldn’t be surprising if they wielded powers we mortals have no knowledge of.”
─ That may be true, but are you absolutely certain that the Great Demon is still alive? –
“We captured someone who has made a pact with it. We can’t dismiss that person’s testimony so lightly.”
─ But how do we know this isn't a trap meant to destroy the whole East? –
─ Exactly! We can’t trust the words of a being of such vile nature! –
However, the Archmage hadn’t kept her mouth shut until now for nothing. Those people would simply continue to nitpick her every word just because they didn’t want to face the Skyflow Tiger.
I could understand them, but honestly…
‘It would be better if we just killed them all.’
Yeah. It was rather frustrating.
This was precisely the kind of cliché where things went terribly wrong because those guys kept hesitating.
“…? This…”
“What’s the matter, young hunter?”
“Is something wrong, troublemaker?”
“…It’s nothing. And please stop calling me troublemaker.”
At that moment, Deb’s ears perked up. He then looked toward the door with a rather complicated expression before turning and walking toward me.
After opening and closing his mouth for a while, he finally managed to ask me a question.
“When did you put in a request to the Information Guild?”
That whispered question seemed a bit sudden to me. But before I could even think the word ‘What do you mean?’ something flashed through my mind.
Deb was with the Information Guild as well.
“…Erm, since I’m also part of the Information Guild, I’m sometimes used as a type of messenger. That’s how I know… so no need to be suspicious.”
However, judging by how he reacted, it seemed he had just received the information, as well.
How was he able to receive a message from inside this sealed room? Curious about this matter, I glanced at Deb. He was still trembling, still uncomfortable with facing me.
“I haven’t seen the contents, I swear.”
Even so, he managed to hand me something. It was a scroll that didn’t look to have been made by a civilized person. It was made entirely out of leaves.
“…This.”
But this could be the key to turning this around.
I quickly opened the scroll. Unintelligible letters appeared before me, along with their translation.
“What are you two talking about over there?”
“Is there a problem?”
By the time Bers and the Inquisitor came over, curious about what was happening, I had finished reading the scroll, by which I meant its translation.
This should do. At least, that’s what I was hoping for.
“Demon Knight?”
“M-Mister…”
I strode forward, coming to a halt right next to the Archmage, who looked as if she was about to say something.
For a moment, it crossed my mind that this might be seen as an insolent interruption or earn me the lords’ ire, but I decided it would be worth it.
Determined to trust in my judgment, I made my move.
“The Skyflow Tiger must die.”
After all, it was pretty much the rule that you should wash away the frustration stuck in your chest with something as refreshing as cider.
“You…?”
“Oh.”
─ And who are you to suddenly declare something like that…? –
“Unless you want these lands to suffer droughts forever, that’s what you should do.”
So, in order to bring this suffocatingly frustrating meeting to an end, I decided to give them a clear reason why the Skyflow Tiger had to be killed.
After all, the conclusion they had come to was merely an excuse made because they didn’t want to suffer any losses without gaining anything.
____
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