NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36
The situation at the Magic Tower was chaotic. Caprice’s Magic Tower operated as an independent entity, not bound by the Royal Family or the Imperial Assembly, but under the pact established between the Sage Gwen and the Hero Walter, the tower was obligated to use all available reconnaissance assets to monitor the Demon King’s Army and report the results regularly.
That day, Gwen walked to the top of the Magic Tower, where the Great Sage’s staff was placed, to receive the day’s reconnaissance results as usual. The Great Sage’s staff, topped with a red orb said to be used by ancient sages, emitted a shimmering light and stored all the information about everything that could be observed in the crystal orb.
Gwen removed the orb from the end of the staff, placed it on the stand, and gently caressed it.
“Great Sage’s orb, grant me the sight to observe the enemy’s movements and prepare for any threats within my reach.”
Soon, scenes regarding the movements of the Demon King’s Army began to flicker across the surface of the crystal orb. The Demon King’s side was almost always using standard defensive magic, making it impossible to monitor every little action unless it was a significant event.
As always, there were blank spaces, blank spaces, and more blank spaces. Although there was uncertainty about the likelihood of localized provocations or attacks, Gwen confirmed there were no signs of a major offensive, and carefully lifted the orb to return it to the staff.
Then, at that moment, an image flashed across the orb that captivated the Sage’s eyes.
“…A ship?”
A ship. A tool used to cross water. Among these, a massive vessel capable of carrying hundreds of people was something utilized by professional merchants or armies preparing for naval warfare.
Where the Sage’s orb was showing was undeniably the Demon King’s territory. Specifically, it appeared to be a military garrison facility.
A vast army was repairing aging ships and constructing new ones from scratch. Some entities that seemed to assist in this process appeared to be the tentacles of the sea monster, Kraken, using magic.
Although it was a fleeting image, the significance of this shocking sight was clear. The Demon King’s Army was planning a maritime landing operation towards the Empire.
“I must inform them.”
Gwen mumbled with a shocked expression. It was common knowledge that the Kraken, alongside hostile merfolk tribes, was capable of giving the Demon King’s Army aquatic powers, typically used to interfere with human trade and movement, yet there hadn’t been any precedent for it being actively utilized in a landing operation.
Moreover, the sight of more than a hundred ships waiting in a row indicated an unprecedented invasion was being prepared.
The only one Gwen needed to inform about this critical news was one. She hastily placed the orb back on the Great Sage’s staff and dashed down the stairs of the Magic Tower to catch the nearest wizard.
“Immediately inform Walter H. Hellhound! Have him come to the Magic Tower at once, no matter what important matters he has to set aside!”
“That person is not the type to set aside anything he considers important, you know? Wouldn’t it be better to give him a rough idea of what’s going on?”
The wizard, who was heading to the laboratory, grumbled slightly upon receiving the messenger command. Gwen struck the wizard on the back and yelled as if she were about to explode.
“You damn fool! You should just follow the orders given by the old man! If you really want to know, fine! Let him know that the Demon King’s Army is preparing for a landing somewhere in the Empire soon! Go inform him immediately!”
Only then did the young wizard, who had grasped the situation, open his eyes wide and rush outside the Magic Tower. It took about 40 minutes for this young wizard to reach Walter Hellhound, running frantically.
Under normal circumstances, a capable wizard from the Magic Tower wouldn’t take that long to reach a famous person, but Walter was in quite a secluded and secretive place today.
The Hero was currently interrogating two surviving members among those who ambushed his loyal hunters in the Imperial underground prison.
“So, you seriously don’t even remember when or where you met the Succubus? But you’re certain you were bewitched, right?”
Walter asked, looking at the two assassins with a look of disdain. The terrified assassins clung to each other and nodded repeatedly.
Walter sighed deeply, removing his monocle and putting it back on. Bernard, who was watching Walter from the side, shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s not common for someone bewitched by a Succubus to not remember their actions. If I had known that, I wouldn’t have left the remaining two alive. I’m feeling uneasy about this.”
“Bernard, stop with the pointless guilt. These guys aren’t clean either. From a glance, they’re the kind of alley thugs who got entrapped by a Succubus while running an illegal brothel, defying my battle command. Am I wrong?”
“Th…that’s…”
“I asked if I’m wrong.”
“Y…Yes, that’s correct. I’m truly grateful. Eek! Please don’t hit me!”
Walter had no intention of hitting them. But sensing the fear in the posture of the Hero, sitting exhausted and raising his hand merely to remove his glasses, the two assailants trembled in terror.
“Anyway, if the trial goes through, you’ll face prison time. Even if being bewitched by a Succubus could be a mitigating factor for attempted murder, defying my orders while operating and running a business won’t reduce your sentence. And since you’re thugs, you probably have plenty of minor crimes as well. Isn’t that right?”
The villains didn’t deny it. Walter nodded once, producing a sound as he clicked his tongue, and a faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
“However, the fact that you got bewitched by a Succubus might not be acknowledged in court. You have nothing to say about that, do you?”
“P…please not the death penalty! Please let us live! I don’t want to die!”
“Then speak plainly! Describe how the Succubus looked, when and where you met her, and how the connection was made properly, and you might avoid execution!”
“I…really can’t remember! We’re trying our best to recall, but that memory has been completely erased, truly!”
Walter stood up in annoyance and kicked the iron bars. The metallic echo reverberated through the entire prison, intensifying the fear felt by the criminals.
Bernard glanced at Walter and then advised him.
“Succubi are known for manipulating memories, right? Their testimonies might be genuine.”
Walter slightly leaned toward Bernard. Realizing Walter intended to whisper, Bernard brought his ear closer.
“Usual Succubi can’t completely erase memories to this extent. I don’t know why, but a significant player seems to be involved on their end in this petty plot.”
“I’ll have to probe the memories.”
“The kind of wizard capable of that isn’t here right now. Well, I might have let him go. But whether these guys really lost their memories or are merely pretending remains to be seen. If they indeed lost their memories… things could get a little complicated.”
After whispering, Walter turned back to the assailants. The assassins who attacked Bernard huddled together and trembled simply from Walter’s gaze.
“Then shall we start over from the beginning? Let’s see what you did that day to this kind hunter—”
At that moment, the prison door burst open, and a strange man in a yellow robe dashed into the cell. Walter, startled by the sudden intrusion, turned around and quickly recognized that this was a wizard from the Magic Tower interrupting his terrifying interrogation.
“Hero! Hero Walter H. Hellhound, is that you?”
“Yes, I am Walter Hellhound, but what on earth… to have kindly come to find me when I was quite busy.”
Walter felt a strange expression creep across his face at having his interrogation disrupted. Nevertheless, the wizard, panting heavily after having found Walter in just 40 minutes, began to spill out his reasons without catching his breath.
“The Sage is looking for you! It’s an urgent matter!”
“Gwen is calling for me? Is it something tremendously urgent? Because I also have my own pressing matters here.”
“I anticipated that’s why I prepared the information. Actually, it’s about…”
This time, the wizard leaned over to whisper to Walter. Walter kindly inclined his ear towards the wizard.
“It seems that something important was seen in the Great Sage’s orb. I heard that the Demon King’s army is preparing for a large-scale landing.”
“Is that true?!”
Walter momentarily forgot to lower his voice as he shouted. The captured villains, witnessing Walter’s reaction, began to sparkle with hope that this terrifying interrogation might soon come to an end.
Walter leaned over to the wizard this time, whispering softly.
“How large is the scale? Where are they headed?”
“I don’t know. So I urge you to go meet them directly. I was just given that message.”
As Walter wore a rather serious expression, Bernard, filled with curiosity, approached Walter. The hunter raised an eyebrow and asked.
“What’s going on? Do you need to go quickly?”
“It appears so. Damn it, the situation I feared the most might be unfolding right now.”
As Walter hurriedly prepared to leave the prison, he glanced back at the prisoners and the wizard, still feeling uneasy about the incomplete interrogation. Suddenly, the Hero clapped his hands, as if he had thought of a brilliant idea, and asked the wizard.
“Are you skilled in mental magic? For instance, looking into erased memories?”
The wizard made a slightly puzzled expression at the unexpected inquiry but nodded nonetheless.
“I’m about average in that regard. It’s not something I specialize in.”
“That’s great. Could you perhaps delve into the minds of those criminals? It seems they’ve had their memories erased by a Succubus, and I have a feeling those erased memories could hold quite crucial intelligence for this war. It could even lead to clues about the Succubus Queen.”
“Is that really the case?!”
The wizard couldn’t hide his astonishment upon hearing such significant news. Walter raised his tail and nodded.
“It’s true. Would I be foolish enough to ignore the call from Sage Gwen while busy? But it’s clear that the matter from the Magic Tower is more important, so I will head there. Please interrogate them for me. Is that alright?”
“Well, I will try, but don’t hold too high expectations.”
“Then I’ll look forward to it.”
Walter left the prison with a nonchalant demeanor, while the wizard looked at Walter’s retreating figure with a bewildered expression before turning to Bernard.
“Is he generally this reckless?”
“Would he be able to survive and thrive here if he weren’t? You can’t get by one day as a Hero without some guts.”
Bernard spoke genuinely. While he had his own grievances about Walter’s reckless and extreme attitude, he acknowledged that those traits were Walter’s most significant strengths and deserved respect.
Reading the respect for the Hero from Bernard’s tone, the wizard nodded.
“He truly is an extraordinary person.”
“Have you lived in the Audrich Empire without recognizing how amazing the Hero is? Now, let’s begin with whatever task that extraordinary person has assigned. I’m quite curious about how a wizard extracts memories from a person’s mind.”
The wizard nodded and drew small magic circles with both hands. As he approached the two criminals with rounded magic in hand, the two criminals began to shake in fear, regretting their foolishness of having thought they’d be safe now that Walter was gone.
“It will hurt a little. It’s unlikely your body will feel pain, but your mind sure might.”
The wizard warned as he brought one hand toward each of the two criminals’ heads. Moments later, a sharp and chilling scream resonated throughout the prison as Bernard grimaced and covered his ears. If someone were to overhear it, they might mistakenly think that a dreadful torture device had been revived in the Audrich Empire’s underground prison once again.