Chapter 83

“…Hm?”

Sensing something strange, Bairan Osmond turned his head.

“Is something wrong, sir?”

“I felt as if something had slipped in…”

He approached the flowerpot where he had sensed the presence, but there was nothing there.

Only a fly perched on a leaf, which flew off with a buzz when it flapped its wings.

“It was an insect.”

Smash. Bairan crushed it with a simple motion of his hand.

“I’d better have a pest-extermination seal engraved.”

“But too many magic engravings would raise suspicion.”

“I know.”

That’s why he had only placed a soundproofing seal.

After all, a mere mercenary’s household full of magic engravings would be too suspicious.

Moreover, many people came and went in his residence due to his profession, so he had to be more careful than anyone.

“All right, continue your report. You said the Academy brought students here.”

“Yes, sir. Among them is Aint Armian.”

“Aint Armian…?”

Bairan’s eyes widened.

“So the cursed blood has come to this place?”

Bam! He slammed the table with such force that papers, inkpot, and the golden ashtray with engraved stars fell to the floor.

“This is the opportunity…!”

“Opportunity, sir?”

“Not only to devour Aint Armian, but to swallow the entire future of the Empire!”

His shout echoed through the office.

“If I eliminate him, I’ll receive an even greater blessing!”

“Do you think it will be possible?”

“It must be! Send a message to His Excellency right away and request reinforcements. Even if we lose everything, we’ll kill them all, every last one of those Academy brats. Especially that damned Aint Armian!”

“But His Excellency ordered us to wait for the right moment…”

Crack.

“Kugh!”

Bairan’s sudden grip tightened around the butler’s neck, lifting him thirty centimeters off the floor. The servant struggled, his face pale.

“I said send the letter.”

Bam! He threw him to the ground.

“Cough, cough… B-but even Duke Comentus and the demon Andromalius failed…!”

“That fool Comentus fell because he was caught in an ambush! He wasn’t prepared.”

In truth, Comentus had never been one of the most powerful corrupt ones. Comparing them was an insult.

“And Lord Andromalius wasn’t even summoned properly. Everything went awry because of that damn brat, and the summoning had to be rushed.”

That rushed Andromalius was nothing more than a firefly compared to the full moon.

“But I am different!”

Maybe he wouldn’t match that fully-powered Andromalius, but unlike him, Bairan wasn’t alone.

“We have the monsters. We’ll summon more and crush them.”

The horde of magical beasts.

Bairan had received from His Excellency the right to sacrifice offerings and open a partial passage to hell.

The monster outbreak shaking Altrierc and the entire continent was his doing.

“And the best part is that those brats will march willingly to the frontlines.”

In the midst of that chaos, who could guarantee what would happen?

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we waste it, both I and His Excellency will regret it for all eternity.”

If, on the other hand, he succeeded, all that awaited him was the brilliant infernal flame of glory.

“…Understood.”

The butler had no choice but to obey.

Bairan began hurriedly writing the letter.

【To Your Excellency…】

Though his hand moved urgently, the tone was respectful and servile.

“Where are those Academy bastards now?”

“In the count’s castle. Tonight, they’ll dine with the governor general, and at dawn they’ll depart with the knights’ order to the wall.”

“So, tomorrow. It’ll depend on how long they stay.”

“From what I’ve investigated, they’re expected to remain at the wall for about two weeks.”

“Two weeks?”

It wasn’t much time. But if he hurried, it wasn’t impossible.

He sealed the letter and handed it to the servant.

“I’ll head to the desert myself. You deliver this to His Excellency.”

“Right now? Shouldn’t we wait for authorization…?”

“What did you say?”

“Th-that it’s only two weeks…”

“If we wait for a response, it’ll be too late. Does it make sense to waste the only chance to kill that bastard?”

“B-but we don’t have enough sacrifices to summon more magical beasts!”

“I’ll take care of that!”

With a low growl, he left the office. He would gather his mercenary company and march to the desert immediately.

“…I must deliver this as quickly as possible.”

The butler watched him disappear through the door, then took the letter and hurried away.

And a moment later.

‘They’re all gone.’

Peeking out from behind the flowerpot was the small golem who had remained hidden.

***

The golem was not a living being.

If it completely shut down its functions, it was nothing more than a stone rolling around.

Wooden shut down all his systems and hid in the soil of a flowerpot. Only when Bairan returned to his desk did he slightly raise his head.

His black appearance, with white decorations here and there, blended perfectly with the white and black stones in the pot, becoming the perfect camouflage.

That way, Wooden—and therefore Fernan—heard everything.

“……”

When he finished spying on Bairan’s office through Wooden, Fernan opened his eyes in his room.

‘From what I gathered in the conversation, those guys can summon demonic beasts.’

So they were the ones behind this whole situation.

He thought they only wanted to destroy the Pasa Bell, but it turned out they were far more dangerous than expected.

‘Incredible…’

The corrupt ones threatening Altrierc were hiding in none other than the capital, Artc. And they did it while draining money from the region under the guise of a mercenary group.

Not even under the streetlight was it so dark. If it had been in Pellenberg instead of Artc…

“…Tearing them apart would be too merciful.”

A dense bloodlust shone in Fernan’s eyes.

“In any case, they’ll come on their own.”

There was no need to prepare anything complicated. As long as Aint bore the Armian name, he would be the juiciest bait for them.

The final result didn’t matter.

‘If they’re going to come anyway, it’s enough to always keep a strong force near Aint.’

As long as they didn’t leave the walls, there would be no problem.

But.

Should he really settle for that?

‘Wouldn’t that be too lenient on these vermin who’ve been toying with humans for centuries?’

If he could completely ruin their plans and cause them enormous losses, wouldn’t that be better?

‘In the end, what matters here is that Aint gets the chance to face Bairan Osmond.’

That was enough. Even if the prophecy veered slightly, Aint’s experience would be secured.

The enemy seemed strong—strong enough to be a good match for the current Aint, the one who defeated Andromalius.

Tap, tap.

At that moment, someone tapped him on the cheek. It was Wooden, who had returned from his mission and now stood before him.

— Kkung kkung!

He pointed at Fernan’s hand and then tapped his own head.

Fernan patted his helmet, and the red pupils inside curved into a crescent moon shape.

“Yes, good job. Thanks to you, we got a lot.”

— Kkuuuung, kkung?

“I was just about to say it. It looks like I can finally keep my promise to you.”

Fernan’s fingers glowed with mana, which Wooden immediately absorbed.

The dense flow of energy made his arms tremble violently.

Spirits loved their contractor’s mana—with it, they grow, resonate, and evolve.

For Wooden, Fernan’s mana was the best possible reward. For Luina, it was chocolate; for him, this.

In any case.

‘He said he needed sacrifices to summon demonic beasts.’

Then where would he get them?

The answer was obvious.

Life. Animals, plants… but most likely, humans.

And in this region, the only place he could easily get them wasn’t the Empire or the Kingdom of Alprocen.

“The desert.”

The nomadic clans that survived in the Taklakan Desert. Naturally strong people, obsessed with strength.

‘If they managed to live even amidst that chaos…’

He had heard that, after the initial split, the army of demonic beasts had divided into two—one part attacked the Empire and the Kingdom, and the other scattered through the desert.

‘Then, probably what remains are surviving tribes…’

Tap, tap.

“Fernan, it’s time to go. Dinner’s ready.”

“I’m coming.”

It was Luina’s voice.

When he looked out the window, the sun was already setting. It was time to meet with the butler.

***

The castle’s dining hall was very spacious, though not ostentatious.

It conveyed a sense of practical sobriety, in stark contrast to Pellenberg, where luxury and extravagance were considered necessary.

“Welcome to Altrierc. Please understand that His Excellency cannot greet you personally due to the beast attacks.”

The chief butler was a robust man in his forties, from the viscountial House Javert, vassals of Altrierc.

“We’ve already received more hospitality than we deserve. I’m Grad Xanth.”

“I’m Harke Javert.”

“Rosalia Vienderk.”

After a brief exchange with the professors, the butler also addressed the students.

“Please, take your seats. The castle chef is excellent.”

Before long, dishes began arriving one after another, filling the long table.

“As you know, at dawn tomorrow you’ll depart with the cavalry order toward the walls.”

“This is my first time in Altrierc. How long will the journey take, approximately?”

“On horseback, about two days.”

Most of the conversation occurred between the butler and Professor Grad.

“And what’s the situation like at the wall?”

“After the initial great wave, things are relatively under control. There were critical moments when a thousand beasts attacked at once, but ever since the count and countess personally took the front, we’ve managed to hold them back.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“However, the attacks are more frequent than before. Things are probably quite chaotic.”

“That’s fine. That’s exactly what we came to experience.”

Dinner ended two hours later.

“Ah, you might have the chance to see what lies beyond the walls.”

“Beyond?”

“The count believes the constant increase in beasts may be due to a rift to the underworld. He’s preparing an expedition to seal it.”

His eyes briefly drifted toward Aint.

Fernan immediately understood—the butler was revealing that information on purpose.

‘He thinks Aint Armian might be able to locate the rift.’

It made sense to place that hope in him—a descendant of the Armians, natural enemies of demons. Surely, once they arrived, a meeting between Aint and the count would be arranged.

‘That can’t happen.’

Whether Aint had a method or not, the one who should take action was Fernan.

His goal was to seize the opportunity, gain benefits, and hand over the credit to Aint.

When dinner ended and everyone was standing up, Fernan took the chance to discreetly hand an envelope to the butler.

“What’s this?”

“I ask that you deliver it personally to the count. It’s a proposal from me.”

“From whom? Student Fernan or Fernan Pellenberg?”

“The second.”

The butler’s gaze hardened.

“May I read it first?”

“I actually want you to read it. That way, you’ll understand how important it is.”

The man opened the note cautiously, and his pupils widened.

“One of the problems you mentioned earlier—I can solve it.”

He looked at Fernan in disbelief, alternating his gaze between him and the paper.

“…This…”

“It’s true.”

Fernan had written only two lines.

【I wish to negotiate with the count.

I know the next plan of the corrupt infiltrators in Altrierc.】

Two lines—enough to shake the entire ruling family of Altrierc.