NOVEL NEXT chapter 37
37 – Fate sets in motion
“…You don’t know about him? He?”
Artan tilted his head at Lashtea’s words.
To say that a person with the size of a toho is such an honorific.
Besides, doesn’t it seem to make the woman stand out more in front of herself, her crown prince?
“I saw Your Highness’ work, ‘The Landscape of Repentance’. Did you get her help when you were in a crisis?”
A picture of a man and a woman who expresses Quilière.
Some people don’t know, but it was completely based on a true story. That’s why Lasitaa asked.
“That’s right. I was immature. Ten years ago that day… I left the palace on my own and fell off the carriage…”
Toho listened attentively to the words of the prince.
Broken wagon and crash. She gathered a number that was not like an extreme exaltation. However, there was one doubt.
“The murderers in dark suits? Were they aiming for Your Highness?”
“No. They came after her.”
“·······Yes?”
Lassithea was greatly surprised.
Do you mean that there are diabolical villains who dare to target the goddess?
I asked back in bewilderment.
“Did you figure out their identity?”
“… No. I’m angry, but I’m still in the dark. I had no clue what to pursue.”
Artan bowed her head in resentment.
He felt helpless. On the other hand, Lasithea was engrossed in the identities of the villains.
Hana immediately shook her head.
Since the Empire’s information network did not reach them, there would be no way to know now.
A moment of silence. The prince, who had regained his heat, asked.
“Now tell me. What is her reason for calling her her own?”
Lassithea pondered and said.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
“Yes.”
“Shouldn’t people meet people?”
“…Yes?”
Sounds somewhat hazy.
Hana Artan was ashamed that she seemed to see through her own heart.
Because of that, I noticed her strange part belatedly.
“She’s saying she’s not human?”
“Maybe.”
“Such…!”
Toho watched the startled Artan.
Avoid affirmations. Nothing was to be asserted about the existence of a higher dimension.
Instead, you have to attract the opponent.
“Didn’t His Highness feel it vaguely?”
“That’s for sure…”
The prince swallowed his saliva.
The color of the world that transcends species and the appearance of turning the human body into fog. I thought it was a mysterious magic, but it wasn’t?
Lassithea, who was examining him, pointed out.
“Can a man kill a god?”
Quilière subdued the snake god.
Artan asked.
“It’s not a real god. It’s a false god. It’s a fake that can’t be compared to the majesty of a god recorded in ancient documents.”
The tone was hard to believe.
Lassithea just smiled.
“At that one fake god, Eustia couldn’t move. Including veteran mages and regular knights of the duchy.”
“·······.”
That was it.
In the first place, it was right to exclude the standard external teeth from the real god. Artan did not see the snake god, but even if he was a false god, his power would be enormous.
Even though he was convinced, the prince’s aspiration was still the same.
Lassithea suddenly wanted to test him.
“Your Highness will not know the details. Then I will explain…”
How she killed the snake god.
That story echoed in the quiet room.
The evil snake god.
A woman who stood up against him calmly enough to be considered arrogant. She caused a blizzard to turn her streets into her realm, and punished her single body.
The thrill was indescribable.
Lasithea’s body trembled slightly, and Artan’s expression was dumbfounded.
Toho exhaled and asked.
“How about it, are you still of the same mind?”
A sharp question.
Artan nodded without hesitation.
It was obviously shocking, but it was not enough to create a ripple in the mind.
“It’s still the same.”
“…It must have been a very impressive meeting. But will he be like that too?”
Lasithea thought it was because he didn’t know much about her.
There was an error, and he pointed to one side.
There was a music box.
“It’s his thing.”
“···!”
The prince’s eyes widened.
A ghost that always followed when mentioning Toho. There were only hypotheses about its origin, but was it even a trace of her!
“I received a treasure called a music box from him. It must have been his favor.”
It will.
Because it has contributed greatly to the development of the city.
As such, the absolute reveals her own good will. Lasithea put strength into her voice.
“But what have you received, Your Highness? If you have nothing, I would advise you not to dream in vain.”
It was half sincere.
Finally, she lowered her eyes and paid her respects.
Artan closed her eyes.
“·······.”
I wasn’t angry or anything.
But she was in agony. She faced the agony she had been carrying all this time.
Silence and music box. Melody and emptiness mingled and formed a harmony.
Before long, my deeply closed eyes opened.
The resolute words escaped my lips.
“My life was saved.”
“·······!?”
At that suddenness, at her heaviness, Lasithea lost her words. She stared at the man in front of her again.
She just thought she was a manly fever or a childish mentality in her prime.
The strong will that the boy did not have shook.
He was an adult.
“She… Do you know where he went? A hint would be fine.”
Artan asked politely.
Lassitea was displeased at the high courtesan’s changed attitude.
The Crown Prince was never a politically or diplomatically deficient person.
But it’s like this.
“···I’m really desperate.”
How strong is her heart?
Rash*thea had to revise her attitude. She put her hands together and thought.
Strands caught only recently.
The clue I realized gave me a very plausible hypothesis. Quillier said he was going east.
As she guessed, there was only one place to figure out if it was a high-dimensional being—the ‘Goddess of Winter’. She carefully opened her mouth.
“East.”
“…East?”
“There are two most famous demon scenes.”
That was enough.
Artan jumped up and thanked him.
“I will remember.”
Is this correct?
Feeling concerned, Lassithea gave another advice.
“Many heroes have met their ruin by embracing their gods undeservedly. Legends and myths are examples of that.”
“I know.”
The prince did not waver.
Instead, he revealed his rugged conviction.
“I will take care of everything.”
Then he turned his back.
Maybe it’s because I’ve finally reached my long-cherished wish.
A cool breeze permeated like a blessing.
Entrance to the mansion through the garden.
Hill Oz, the commander of the guards in front of the imperial carriage, came running.
“Your Highness! Are you all right!”
Artan smiled bitterly.
As a swordsman, he was excellent, but as a servant, he was overly concerned.
He’s not supposed to be a kid anymore.
“It’s fine.”
The moment I threw it and tried to get on the carriage.
He saw two men and women on his knees facing him.
“Who are you?”
He murmured at random.
One or two reacted suddenly.
“I am Sohrab, commander of the ‘secret sword’ that protects Krasse.”
“I am Shigila, the leader of the shadow unit attached to the secret sword. I am helping the commander-in-chief.”
The answers were from a man and a woman, respectively.
Artan just nodded his head.
Judging by the spirit, they weren’t ordinary talented people. But he didn’t matter.
As I was leaving without hesitation, I suddenly looked back at Sigira. Purple hair.
“·······.”
I felt a strange sense of incongruity.
Artan, who bent his head in a corner, soon decided that it was because of his mood.
“Let’s go!”
“Yes.”
By the time the wagon rattled and started, he had already forgotten about the women he had been before.
Ten years have turned an immature child into an adult.
His hair was long and his expression changed.
The two did not recognize each other.
Artan’s eyes sank as he looked out the window.
“…It was long.”
My heart was beating furiously.
Ten years of waiting. Longing and pursuit.
I finally got a clue.
“Ice Mountains.”
The Eastern Demonic View that everyone on the continent knows.
Beyond that, there is a snowy field famous for the ‘trial of winter’ in the past.
A place that only the heroes of heroes have reached.
“It’s still going to be tough…”
Although he has endlessly trained his talent called Shinjae, he still has a long way to go. Its potential is so vast that the currently blossomed skills are less than half of the total.
Going to that level would have been suicidal.
But I couldn’t put her in front of her and focus on her training.
“Ah.”
Then one thing came to my mind.
Sir Agnatz’s latest invention.
Although not open to the public, the crown prince exists beyond those restrictions.
That invention would be of great help.
The place to go has been decided.
The road to the guild.
I took a deep breath and controlled the mana circuit. The fluttering energy was drawn and circulated.
“Whoa.”
I never played while I was confined to Snow Castle.
He honed mana control and leadership skills that were terribly difficult by modern standards. As a result, the magical capacity and control power increased.
“It’s a little better.”
He learned not only that, but also several skills.
Because of her nature as a snow woman, she cannot learn any magic, so she picked out useful ones and trained them.
At that time, she also learned the trick that increases the recovery rate by circulating mana like she does now.
“Hey there, Mr. Quilly…”
A sagging voice came from behind.
For some reason, Cigna was depressed.
“I’ve always believed that money is the best…”
“Really?”
“Yes. …But that determination is about to be shaken today.”
Her complexion looked tired.
She must have been affected by the ordeals she went through in a short while.
Cigna asked with innocent eyes.
“I received a nomination request… But I also received a large amount of money… How long do I have to do this?”
Come to think of it, I didn’t even set a deadline.
It was because she was seduced by a large amount of gold coins and was fed up with vulgar language.
I needed to point this out.
When I turned around, Cigna flinched.
“No, that’s it. Should I say it’s a bit different from what I originally thought? At most, I only considered the Holy Knights, but I think there was even the Dark Saints. It seems more dangerous than I thought…?”
“It’s not like that.”
I nodded.
I understand what you mean, so I said it calmly.
“One week.”
“Yes?”
“Deadline. One week.”
At that point, I was able to put an end to it.
She followed little by little.
“One week…”
“It’s definitely dangerous. If you’re not confident, stop now.”
It would be a mutual loss if we held on to the person we didn’t like.
Cigna seemed tempted to say quit.
“I don’t have much self-confidence… Uh, is that so? Uh… But then what about money?”
“I have to pay back.”
Did even the gold plated adventurers feel a strong sense of danger?
I didn’t know that the Dark Saints would intervene. I spoke like a knife.
She pondered and sighed.
“It can’t be helped~ It can’t be helped~”
Then he took out her purse and opened it.
It was roughly the same amount as I gave.
As she was about to hand it to me, she hesitated.
“…Wait a minute.”
It was a serious face that seemed to have seen the end of the world.
“If I return this as it is… I will drink a lot of blood and be stamped out by the Dark Saints… What kind of hardships did I have to do…?”
Confused expression.
I smiled and entered the adventurer’s guild. Adventurers gathered in the guild as if they were discussing something.
They saw me and shut up.
I winked at one of them. Kelly picked up my cue and came to the corner.
She looked down at him and asked.
“I have a question for you about Nel Sartilla.”
“Uh… The red plague?”
“Nell Sartilla.”
It was a thoughtless correction.
Hana, as usual, her tone was cool.
Maybe that’s why Kelly couldn’t meet my eyes.
“The rumor that Nell is a disaster was born right after the flood?”
The Curse of Blood.
I thought that was the cause of the disaster, but it was confirmed that it was the intervention of the Dark Saints.
“Yes. That’s right. At that time, many adventurers saw disaster… Nel Sartilla. Everyone must have felt ominous.”
I wonder if they were there too.
It’s already too late to figure that out.
“You said you were there too.”
I’ve said that before.
Kelly muttered, nodding.
“Her ominousness seems to grow stronger the closer she is to Sartilla, the stronger she is in her power…”
It was true.
Knowing that means being near Nell at the time.
Rather than that, I recalled the question.
“If I had handled the flood alone, I would have saved many people.”
It is strange that he was stigmatized as a disaster overnight despite such an active performance.
Even if there is a blood curse, it is possible for him to recognize that he has been saved.
The Dark Saints who live in the shadows have such political power?
What did you use?
Just as I was about to ask about him, the front door burst open.
“Mr. Quilly! Mr. Quilly!”
It was Cigna.
“What happened?”
“The knights are coming! It’s not because of us!?”
She made a fuss about her and pointed outside her.
Before I could say anything, I heard the sound of magnificent armor and dozens of knights entered.
Rumble-!
With the advent of the Holy Knights, the adventurers fell back like the ebb tide.
It was like a furious road.
If Cigna had just heard the sound, she would have been quite far away. A man came out when I was embarrassed.
“I am Bleper, Commander of the Holy Knights.”
He was a sharp-tongued person.
His eyes swept the hall and fell right on me.
“The stranger. He must have called Quilière.”
“… What?”
“Where did you hide the red plague?”
“!”
A great shock hit me as if I had been hit with a hammer.
How did you find out?
Perhaps at the inn… No, the knights didn’t see me. Besides, it seemed that he had already figured out the situation.
It was then.
“·······.”
Kelly slipped away from me.
I suddenly remembered that he and Cigna were the only people who saw me helping Nell.
His attitude, which had not been able to meet my eyes for a long time, approached me differently.
I stared at him.
“Is that you?”
“······That.”
“Is it you?”
At my accusation, he closed his eyes and shouted.
“Yes, yes! I said, it’s a disaster!”
It was a de facto confession.
My brow furrowed even more.
“You wouldn’t know if you saw it up close!”
“I don’t know.”
“I know! The fear I felt when I looked up at the blood-splattered thing. Those red eyes and long fangs. Even the way he craved human blood… That wasn’t human!”
Once the water was opened, his words burst out like a tsunami.
I saw fear in my eyes.
I thought he was a timid guy, but he seems to have a wicked temper.
Did it explode while engaging with the curse of blood?
I couldn’t understand what it was, so I bit my lip.
“What, what?! Kelly, what are you talking about!”
“Sister…”
“What if I do something like that on my own anyway!”
Cigna, who was staring blankly at me and Kelly, shouted. She also seemed a bit perplexed.
Kelly shook her head with her blurry face.
“…Even if it wasn’t for me, it would have happened like this. More than that, why is your sister there? Come here quickly.”
“You, you really…”
He didn’t seem to know about my deal with Cigna.
Kelly nailed her fidgeting.
“Your sister came back to Disdel in the first place because she received a letter from me, right? A letter asking you to get rid of the disaster. But why are you siding with it? Can’t you see the Holy Knights over there? If you’re there, your sister will be taken away too!”
“Ugh…!”
Cigna’s eyes trembled at his earnest words. She looked around at Kelly and her adventurers and knights and at the end she looked at me.
Then she shook her head.
“I’ll return the money…”
“I understand.”
Long conversations were pointless.
I silently took the money bag, and Cigna avoided her seat.
There were no allies anymore.
Blepper, who watched the series of processes, said vigorously.
“I’ll ask again. Where is the Red Plague?”
Annoyance soared.
I was chewing and spitting out my brain.
“I don’t know.”
“Where did you hide it?”
“I didn’t hide it.”
The knight commander’s eyebrows gathered in the palm of his hand.
“I can’t believe it. There’s a person who circulates around disaster.”
“Nell is not a disaster.”
“!”
Bleper’s pupils widened at my answer.
The face was distorted.
“…Isn’t it a disaster? Is it true that the matter authorized by the temple and acknowledged by the Archbishop is a lie!”
“A great cult?”
There was no time to think.
The frenzied blepper drew his sword.
“You apostate! I’ll tell you what he’s up to!”
Following him, the knights also prepared for battle.
Chaeeng- The silver swords reflected the light.
Execution.
It was the moment when I clicked my tongue and put my hand in the bag.
The window broke and something rolled in.
“Stop it!”
Red-red hair swaying in front of my eyes.
Even his unique dangerous aura.
It was Nell.
Her red eyes looked straight at me.
I casually said hello.
“…Hello.”
I saw you next time, but I thought I’d already meet you.
I was glad to see you.
But Nell frowned at her.
“Hello, hello! Hey, why are you doing this alone! Why am I shielding myself like an iron wall!”
“·······.”
She looked really upset.
“It’s not charity work!”
“No.”
“Then what?!”
Nell is my second character and my true ancestor with overwhelming potential. She doesn’t even know her own race though.
She needed to tell me about herself.
Not now, but next time.
“I’ll tell you later.”
For some reason, the interpretation and translation went well.
Nel opened her mouth with a puzzled expression.
“Wow, I really-“
“It’s a red disaster!”
At that time, the stiff knights came to their senses.
Their swords aimed at Nell in unison.
A sense of intimidation leaked out, perhaps because he was nervous about facing the first-degree wanted man.
“You’re crazy to show up on your own!”
“Damn it.”
“What, what?!”
“What the f*ck did I do you bastards!”
Nell let out her long-standing resentment.
“Don’t compare it to disaster! Rather, I helped people. I even saved that ungrateful guy over there!”
“Uh, uh!?”
The object Nell pointed to, Kelly trembled with her body.
Cigna’s eyes widened as the adventurers moved away from him like flies.
“Really, really? Kelly!”
“That… That’s right. That’s right, but that’s all the circumstances—”
“f*ck the circumstances!”
The moment Nell’s figure swayed, Kelly’s scream rang out. It was a movement close to speed.
She clenched her collar in her kelly and swung her fist.
“Is it the reason why I saved you because I thought you’d go crazy if you left it alone!? You bastard! You bastard who doesn’t even know how to be grateful!”
“Ah! Ahh! Ahhh!”
Jinjo’s physical abilities surpass those of humans.
Every time her fists were swung, blood burst and her teeth shattered. The adventurers got further and further away, and the bleppers rushed in.
“Calamity is running rampant! Catch it!”
“Save the adventurers!”
It was an immediate situation.
At this rate, it would have spread to a blood clot. It’s a bad trend for both sides.
First of all, the atmosphere had to be cooled.
I took out ‘Catalyst’ and created magic.
Attribute amplification has strengthened the blizzard.
Kwaaah-!
“······Ugh!”
There was a strong wind and ice crystals.
The guild on a warm afternoon suddenly turned into an unexplored land in the cold.
The knights stopped as if their legs had been nailed, and their fists that cut through the wind hardened.
“······!”
The whole area froze in astonishment.
The blue crystal in his raised right hand shone.
I looked around at the crowd with eyes emitting deep blue light.
“Stop.”
Suddenly, a cold voice came out.
No one opened their mouth, so I continued.
“Noisy. Stop it.”
“···Instead of you······.”
It was Nell who spoke first.
I glanced at her and glared at her blepper.
“···Suck!”
Watch the winter.
Feeling the cold, he swallowed in vain.
“I’ll correct it. Nell is not human.”
I overturned the game at once, but since I don’t have the magic to maintain it, it won’t take long.
Before that, you need to sort things out.
My brain was spinning fast.
First of all, it is right to help Nell.
Aside from my selfishness, her power will be of great help. It turns out that it was her Dark Saints who framed her, so if she planted that fact, she could very easily make her an ally.
“Are you finally admitting it! If that’s true—”
“But it’s not a disaster either.”
“What is…?”
However, in order to do that, she had to clear her name. It was indispensable because even I was involved.
I rolled my tongue to get the words across.
All eyes in the hall were on me.
There I dropped the bomb.
“Nell… Is not a human, but a sub-species.”
“···!”
A cold declaration.
Of course, the person who was most surprised and reacted first was Nell.
“You, you… What the hell are you talking about…?”
It was a complex tone that blended shock, surprise, and bewilderment.
She exclaimed.
“Tell me! What do you know? How can you do something I don’t know…!”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Blepper sighed as he cut off Nell’s speech.
A look of disbelief was evident in his eyes.
“No sub-species with these characteristics have ever been found! There is no race that deals with blood in any literature, folktale, or history book!”
“I guess so.”
His suspicions were valid.
Because it’s a world view without vampires.
No matter what I said here, there was no way they would believe it.
So I had to borrow another medium.
Something that holy knights who don’t even listen to people can accept without a shadow of a doubt.
The place where I am right now is Gyoguk.
And the Astar Religion had a tradition that had been handed down since its founding.
I put super-precipitation.
“Open the place of proof.”
─I’ll prove everything there.
“·······.”
When I mentioned the ceremony expressed by God, the knight commander couldn’t speak any more.