Chapter 164
ohZSE“When do you plan to leave, young master?”2LATYI
xRPd70jHyde was tapping his foot on the ground, impatient.D4B
xjm1AHalf a day had passed, and Fernan showed no signs of returning since he had gone down.JzsVg2A
e92He had only said he would take a quick look to check the mine, so if he took too long, it was obvious they would come looking for him.ukG
849O7A4And in that case, if they asked where Fernan was, he would have a hard time answering.VL2
SdaRQ“Could something have happened to him…?”9ih1zh
c9zlnNo, thinking it through, remembering what Fernan wore around his neck, that was impossible.tabjcLF
cxkFor Hyde, even if a demon appeared before his eyes, Fernan would return alive.t3D
Lj4“Don’t worry, I’m fine.”KWA
r3Rid0Fernan’s head suddenly popped out of the same hole he had disappeared into, accompanied by a slight tremor.uISS
g3k“You’re way too late! Didn’t you say you’d only check the mine for a moment?”O86
ZCeT6Jd“There was an unexpected situation.”zDU
8Ad“Unexpected?”i4w
eOX“Nice to meet you.”BakE
N8iNext to Fernan’s head appeared another—of a dwarf.8uq
Zi9b“…What does this mean?”QTYSU
NcMhSCr“I found a dwarf city underground. I was talking with them.”mpZH
mn8C“Sir! How can you speak of the city so lightly?”bX6oCaq
RsdCC“It’s not lightly. Hyde, you’re my most loyal companion. Do you really think I can hide something from you, when you were the first one here with me?”QCNQ
jSE7WiB“…You mustn’t do it again. Seriously.”FVP
XG2LCa“I’ll keep that in mind.”8MuLq
hlNqFernan nodded, although Hyde immediately noticed it was just a gesture, with no real intent to obey.EXCN2aD
XAvb‘So he caught a clueless dwarf. And he made a deal with the young master without even a contract!’iHL
JPZs“Anyway, Hyde. Let’s return to the main camp. We have to prepare a few things and then go back to the underground city.”dLpSpMw
YFRQ6“Back again?”5st
uC1Fernan looked at Ahgrot and then whispered in Hyde’s ear.YRYWq
hA2“With so many dwarves rolling around, how can I just leave them be?”XlJIA
jlO6Tp2He had to turn them into labor for the Pellenbergs.2gg
vZkQP“What did you talk about?”KLkCQ
2Lj“Nothing special. I just mentioned that in the underground city I found traces of the corrupt.”efE7zu
pf3D3xT…Corrupt?AVFZs
2NX7WP“Are you saying there were corrupt ones there?”NGWC7fx
T2Yr“Yes. I saw them.”kHNm
I0D“Wait, wait. Are you saying there’s a corrupt person in our city?”FtQqcuv
bSGEven if dwarves lived in isolation, they weren’t so ignorant as to not know what the corrupt were.5YCe2
oIE7jN“And you’re saying you saw one with your own eyes? Who is it?! Who’s the traitor who sold out their race?”R6V
TXUz“I’m busy now, I’ll tell you later. Also, I didn’t see it directly.”Jbver7l
PtosL5r‘He must’ve seen it in the prophecy book!’3Zig
krqk8hHyde understood the hidden meaning in Fernan’s words.3ZJH
U0GVvAThe fact that even in the dwarves’ underground city a corrupt person was hiding was alarming.G0V
WlC“That’s… impossible…”mNq
Zo4kIeO“I already spoke about this with the mayor. Ahgrot, stay hidden near here. I’ll be back in less than a week.”Oyt9X
BSdvAhgrot reluctantly agreed.887pWTZ
Fp2Y7“…Understood. I will. But will you really be back in a week?”0ZfYG
X6DIuN“Don’t talk nonsense and think carefully about what we discussed earlier.”qLjiKS8
U3ExB“…Alright. Ah, and please, never reveal anything about us to any outsider. Promise it!”crhcfm
rs81Ahgrot disappeared behind the rocky mountains, perhaps to inspect the surroundings or maybe to return to the mayor and ask about the corrupt.3x4Jp4x
OOllG“What were you talking about?”WDQV3bi
1huy9yF“That he’s 21 years old.”e08WwL
5wSpr9“With that face?”sgNam
2Sn“Don’t you dare say it to him. He gets mad.”wFp
1Yxi“But it’s obvious… did you say it to his face?”nOr2D
Oi3grQuHyde let out a disbelieving laugh.JnltD7
Tkyi“That’s why I told him to enroll at the Academy.”Yj2RE
DIHs4“Isn’t it too late already?”Vwc
RcKlz“Even if it is, he must join.”Ocmya
YzNx“Is it really worth it?”GTP97
P6sX“He’s one of Aint’s companions recognized by the prophecy.”qYzY9
yNk0“…Ah, I see.”lHlhzmt
MdpVeWAlthough they had left early in the morning, the sun was already setting when they started heading back.L66OTk
w8qkZ2s“I understand why you want to go back there. But if the elves find out, it’ll be a problem.”wq1TI
jc48WnIf they found out that, in their own territory, the dwarves had dug out a city and lived there, they wouldn’t stay silent.H4xZ
5dali“Then they simply mustn’t find out.”MyrtFn
nYi“And what excuse will you give to go back in?”Gwwk
L4UoW“If I say that I haven’t been getting results lately and want to check personally, they’ll accept.”ipb6
nP3wJqK“Especially after asking for so many escorts for safety. They’ll have to follow you.”JBWzEbz
VkgFLast time, he had managed to slip away by saying he’d just take a quick look, but next time he would have to be gone for at least a week.Tb3Z
gj6And all those escorts assigned for security had become more of a burden than help.djWma2W
ZapqM“The dwarves gave me a one-week deadline. Isn’t there a way to confirm in that time whether there’s a corrupt person or not?”4Yy
19ihfGC“Exactly because it’s difficult that you planned to observe long term, no?”wDcfBi
WbOK“Yes, I know.”Ykz
KA3The most logical thing was to take it slowly, but the image of the dwarf city kept circling in his mind.rzpu
coJj“If we leave the city unattended, they’ll summon a demon. Looking at it, that’s the most urgent issue.”pEAhqo
9msIY“…What? Another demon will descend?”f52Dvm
1mF“Probably.”NLaEAn
wJ1ZEk“That would be terrible…!”Cx9KUH
XvmLeuHyde suddenly went silent. Even though the camp was still far off, they felt many presences approaching.6DR
elqSoon after, elves appeared.XmMQf
VwTn7p“There they are! We found them!”VUhH
lLU“The young master is here!”WZdPEeq
8YLUqUKIt was a search party organized because Fernan had taken too long to return.yCHV
2bJwQF1Fernan returned with them to the camp, where he met Adolf, who sighed in relief.awwiJI
q46fBa“I’m glad you’re safe. We were so worried we sent out a patrol.”4Fq
nboucdX“Sorry for the worry. I got too focused on tracking the mine…”ngKpDhk
dnkdLJ“From now on, I’ll always go with you.”xczII
D8vH2r‘Looking at him this way, maybe he’s not a corrupt.’5cf
rBFw2SvIf Adolf really were one, upon hearing that Fernan and Aint were targets of the corrupt, he shouldn’t be relieved, but the opposite.Qu1eXb
IBarDhB‘Though it could also mean he’s acting very well…’okLVgH9
eS59vCIn that case, Adolf would be a better actor than knight, because so far, he hadn’t raised Fernan’s suspicions at all.85j
JaOThat day ended like that.2X5T
4MGXmZ“Fernan, you saw it! The thing about Aym being summoned!”aiVxhfW
SijmsBack at his tent, while unpacking, Gismond came to see him.KYK
sRbJc“You saw it too, senior?”GQt4aO
dy1Hn“Of course. So now what? Do you have a plan?”zC6
pOO7zIm“Yes. Don’t worry. We’ve defeated demons before. We’ll do it again.”MDYCN
YoPNSoOHis plan was to stop the summoning, like what happened with Seir.t3k
C76F“If you say so, I’m relieved. Sorry, it’s just the thought of a demon of rank 58 got me nervous.”N7JnGO0
ZVGWith those words, Gismond encouraged him and left.LxIAd
sHzZh8Thanks to that, Fernan realized something else.n11EBMc
QYLngR‘So these visions aren’t unique prophecies, but shared among several.’tWX0JF
wT7AkPnCould the reverse also be possible?BIoMwu
abTIt was something new, but not so extraordinary.XgrQch
iQuThe next day, Fernan left again under the pretext of exploration, and Adolf accompanied him along with the other escorts.BKn5IU
DGHk7cn“This is how I make mana resonate with the earth to detect what’s underneath.”iKG16
Ewp7O9“It’s different from spirit magic.”m3R8xD
692“Can you use spirits to track mineral veins?”qf82
uL2RN2H“It’s possible, but consumes so much mana that it’s very inefficient.”ikmKMs
2ty5ZCFernan took the opportunity to provoke conversation with Adolf.K6rBN
nL2“It’s a shame about the meeting of the prince-electors. Even if we can’t help with the post-conflict, we have no objection to Fridian participating as a prince-elector.”PLp4D
vvrwvi“But they say you don’t actively support Fridian either.”n1oE
bc9z2“Recognizing something and supporting it are different things. We don’t have to earn the enmity of the other electors in Fridian’s name.”YrkI5x9
oGy6uDI“…That does sound like the Pellenbergs.”QZCT
sBe8Maybe in a casual conversation, he’d slip up.B45ah3S
13WUG“I heard something interesting: demons don’t value minerals. Not even the Three Great Metals, nor gold. Isn’t that odd?”n8tKB
Hf5TWLO“Then the Pellenbergs and the demons are irreconcilable.”XYY
F47d“It may seem like it, but it’s actually useful. What we want is trash to them. So we can take it all with no problem.”wfzz
jremzPeople often made mistakes during casual conversation.1AgAG
N6qm“In a way, I understand the corrupt. What hope could they have had, to end up selling their soul to demons?”MZi
zFeq“But they’re still corrupt.”gcD
i9V“Of course. I’m not saying I justify them. It’s just sad. If they’d sold their souls to the Pellenbergs, at least we’d have paid them well for it.”9Vc
eBtFqoIt might have sounded too blatant, but time was against him.wb6GQ
EH4X7Three days passed like that.FvzJfY
Tw4Xcaw“Did you find anything?”C2Tc
LcpWN“Nothing.”vaZK
1aTuRAdolf gave no cracks. Not even when Fernan made remarks that sounded like sympathy for the corrupt.UwLM
6NZm5Only four days remained of the deadline promised to the dwarves.QgfB
Cfcw5b9Could he find proof—or at least confirm that Adolf wasn’t corrupt?YPfg4
eMg6Fernan was starting to get nervous.mq7A
mv5a9iJ“We’ve got no choice. We’ll use an extreme method.”rjP4M
ndWDtM“Extreme method?”dHLYX9
2bw“Jeffrey. If they find out that someone whose memory was erased still has memories, how would they react?”khGg
xpS“They’d try to fix the mistake and bring things back in line.”8v56ZF
6A2ppG“Exactly.”ovua
Qc1That was the point.qyN9
s1U“It’s a bit extreme, but it’s a good plan.”sSrAAk
hRRM“…Is it really, miss? If we do that, the subcommander won’t leave me alone.”iZ0m
2lHj9P“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”3TLP2
22ROBqC“But…”gWfzfYl
9nuJTvK“Trust me. Or do you want Fridian to fall into the hands of the corrupt?”asS
oxefQ“…Understood.”yieUh
0W0DaAt first, Jeffrey refused, but under Aria’s pressure, he finally agreed.ePoyJO
RHtLl***GDf
w2Xc‘Why the hell me…?’ueCx0Ab
2weaNZSince he recovered his memory, Jeffrey had been having nightmares every night.uTf4UAn
N1evDm0That day. Gravely wounded, hearing Adolf Fridian suggest overthrowing the Empire, pressing him with words, with that hand that covered his entire vision.Ha8MAM
U59EPA memory he didn’t want to recall, but that lingered like a curse.RzWE
Vroc1These days, just seeing the face of the deputy commander made his skin crawl. And now he had to go and tell him to his face that he had regained his memories, to ask him why he had done it.3FZveE
5lSHe didn’t want to do it at all, but it was the lady’s order. It was the path for Fridian.n6VK
eqR‘I am a knight.’ddHYztM
AUq5RA knight of Fridian.QiIN
pPDZ2He had sworn to be its sword and shield. He was willing to give his life for Fridian.HYCYU
ZaZH5MLate at night, Jeffrey, having renewed his resolve, entered the deputy commander’s tent.Q7TIF
I7J“Deputy Commander.”QJb
41kN“What is it, Jeffrey?”B6W4
vdKpjJust seeing his face weakened his resolve.EowU
g6G1j1‘I am a knight of Fridian.’odT
J9MewHe forced himself to remember it and got straight to the point, before he lost his nerve by hesitating any longer.zstTA
N0w“I want to ask you something.”p2LB9yY
b3xe“What is it?”FQ9GwjN
2LO5G0j“That day, why did you do it?”Bf6c
jA9“That day?”CSjki
HZDBqk“The day the magical beasts appeared in the south and I was gravely wounded.”SNy
DY21HfI still don’t really understand what you meant by those words.7Tr
8fMI“Did you really want to overthrow Fridian?”x9xMF
43Mtq“……”FGR4
6e17iSZAt that moment.0cDMF
O1f2bMJeffrey’s entire body trembled.yfvH
BDZi5vA massive pressure crushed him, leaving him breathless.gBSNDy
oCL“What do you mean by that, Knight Jeffrey?”yuxuw
UCXLIRpIn the midst of that pressure, he heard Adolf’s low voice.pCB3C
4QF4P6S“Me, trying to overthrow Fridian?”KMyfuIp
mMzbe“All I did was heal your wounds, didn’t I?”0wAr
9BJjbJeffrey’s face turned pale.1jSeKB
MC8j***hBxuM
J4F3aCIn a dimly lit tunnel.Dy8
AeDnX“P-Please, spare me…!”u95
veDA mortally wounded dwarf dragged himself along the ground.74AYHbw
Qi9myepAdguif stepped forward and crushed his leg.oCD
TULfCrunch.zDJTXtr
7TPR6“Aaaaghhh!”xoqN
iuziRThe dwarf screamed in pain.QCGuY7
5gvlUH“Two days ago, a human entered this city. Do you know how happy that news made me? Probably not.”fcbwpeZ
sHTZB3I was so happy I jumped like a child.HQpfYI
p1Scj“I thought a new wind was finally blowing in this rotten, stagnant city, that change had finally arrived.”LPD
19vBut in the end, the human was expelled immediately.mIZb
IpMEven if the mayor said he’d return in a week—so what?AdMZ44e
n5x“Dwarves…”0YAKDIN
YBZ09Crunch!L1J
774“Again…!”mjiES2H
4HzrCrunch!79npYn
2xy8soc“Chose the path of isolation of their own will!”NFM2C
OczOgc“Aaaaaghhh!”dj87gF
nPT57With each stomp from Adguif, the dwarf’s leg bones were pulverized.deNSBQ
9f8w4“Do you know? Humans dominate the continent. Even the elves raised their kingdom and are now part of the Empire. And us? What about the dwarves?”9aUr
qKhONot a single country of our own, scattered like parasites across foreign lands.cLqukZ
ych7“While we live like parasites, they live in luxury. Do you think that’s fair?”Ru314Lo
Wp4“No, no…! Please, no…!”pHwA
jssuThe dwarf clung to Adguif’s leg, nodding desperately with a blank stare.EB2RWY
PzL12l“I knew you’d think like me.”USou
4GGNAdguif leaned down, grabbed his chin, and forced him to look into his eyes.K8pQ
nW8xZR“That’s why I want to redirect this rotten swamp. You’ll come with me, won’t you?”buWbyD
OPJMWLT“Yes, of course. I will, I will…”XY1ec
3A6The dwarf nodded frantically.p6F4Mib
FAiSEX“Thank you. Your noble sacrifice will never be forgotten.”7v5pcIp
YasWIml“Yes, yes… what?”Ax4Jzs
aRlh5“The spirit of your decision will be an example for all dwarves. Your blood and your life, along with the others’, will bring new flow to this rusted race.”8DIn
OTcpAdguif raised his axe.029JCz
Cxl“No, wait! I want to live…!”Vlc
m7sW1IwCrunch!MXx
jbgwNlBThe axe severed the dwarf’s neck.jOEJ
1bg7iThe body fell first, and a moment later the head rolled across the ground.BXsV1
7XI8OVJ“A dwarf who takes back his words with the same mouth doesn’t deserve to live.”b4cNI
t3ivgz“Gather every last corpse. Leave nothing.”6Yr8K
Cft“Yes. But… wasn’t what you did this time a bit too risky?”eYS
G09The dwarves who followed him began collecting the remains.Wd7y09
RWtvs9“And what?”rlnZH
SzxEk“It’s just…”5LNMU
YIo“This city wasted its last chance. I won’t hesitate anymore.”GlDIt
5WhThere would be no more doubts.nTQ
P3QPNo matter what, he would make the dwarves see the light of the surface.AiRg
onMj7P2Adguif swung his axe, wiping off the blood in wide strokes.7fI
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