Chapter 91. A Continent in Turmoil (2)
A Hidden Quest appeared before my eyes.
“......”
I was at a loss for words.
All I could say was that whoever made this was truly insane.
I waved my hand, scattering the message before my eyes. Naturally, I had no intention of completing it.
The quest had been forcibly accepted.
However, whether I completed the quest was for me to decide.
Had it somehow read my unwavering will?
== [I’ll Steal Her Away] ==
[Objective]—Kiss Isolde!
[Reward]—Change in Isolde’s disposition
[Upon Failure]—No penalty
When the Hidden Quest message appeared again, the reward had changed.
Apparently, the previous reward had merely been part of its overreaction, but—
‘No matter how I look at it, this thing seems to possess a mind of its own.’
At this point, I could be almost certain of it. I still had no idea what mechanism governed the quests.
However, there clearly seemed to be some sort of “entity” that issued them.
In any case.
The problem was never the [Reward] in the first place, but the [Objective].
Why in the world would I ever complete that?
Pretend to be insane and try to get some quest-clear experience?
As the expression implied, that would be an insane thing to do. Hidden Quests did not even grant experience upon completion.
I waved my hand again, scattering the message before my eyes. Nevertheless, the quest message continued to clutter my vision.
Continuing to scatter it, I headed toward the place where all the Visters of Violess, including Black Grasp, had assembled.
‘I’m not doing it.’
Even with the changed reward, I had absolutely no intention of completing the quest.
* * *
The place that had once been Violess’ plaza....
Thousands of Visters had gathered there.
They murmured among themselves, each carrying different flags and weapons.
A man slowly stepped forward, parting the sea of thousands of Visters.
He had black hair and red eyes.
….But something about him was strange. Not a single sound came from him.
The man’s footsteps were slow. Yet, as if sound itself could not keep up with him, not a single noise could be heard from his movements.
The wind swept past and made his long black coat flutter, yet even that produced no sound, making it appear as though he were cloaked in darkness.
The man ascended the tallest platform at the very front of the thousands of Visters.
His gaze slowly swept across them. That gaze alone silenced the murmuring crowd.
“From now on, you will follow me to a new place and make a fresh start.”
His voice overwhelmed everyone present.
An intimidating air surrounded the man as he looked down upon the Visters.
“If any of you have complaints, step forward now.”
Not a single person stepped forward.
However, the Visters began looking at one another and murmuring.
Amid them, someone cautiously whispered—
“Um.... Ark Master.”
“What?”
“Honestly, is there any reason for us to follow that bastard?”
“He’s right. Why should we follow someone whose name we don’t even know?”
“That black-haired bastard looks damned unpleasant.”
The Visters began shouting their complaints one after another. Their discontent spread like a contagious disease.
It rapidly intensified as though a riot were about to erupt. And yet Sarpedon, the Ark Master of Black Grasp, merely looked indifferent.
“So?”
“Pardon?”
“So what do you want us to do? Pick a fight with him?”
“Shouldn’t we at least try to resist—”
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“Are you a fucking idiot?”
“....Pardon?”
“Aren’t the parasites living inside your body telling you to shut the hell up?”
“What do you mean by—?”
“I’m telling you to shut your mouth if you want to live, you fucking moron!”
Smack—!
“God, you empty-headed bastard! Did you see what happened when Lyla of the Crimson Soiree defied that man and still decide to spout that nonsense?”
“And Lyla wasn’t alone! There were hundreds of Visters from the Crimson Soiree with her. What happened to all of them?”
They all died.
It had taken only three minutes. To be precise, it had taken less than three minutes.
Of course, several thousand Visters had gathered here.
They possessed an overwhelming numerical advantage, but Sarpedon knew better.
If enough trolls gathered, they might somehow manage to hunt an ogre.
However, no matter how many trolls assembled into an army, they could never hunt a Dragon.
“More importantly, have you already forgotten who took down that colossal monster? Even a goldfish would remember that, you bastard.”
“Of course I know that, but....”
“You know, yet you still say something that stupid?”
“Then wouldn’t it be better to follow that beautiful woman over there—”
Smaaack—!!
“Your way of thinking is fucking unbelievable! Was that what you wanted all along?”
Thud—!
“There should be a limit to how thoroughly your dick controls your brain!”
Smack!
“When your mother was alive, she tried so hard to find even one good thing about you!”
Thud! Thump!
“And this is the bullshit her son comes up with? ‘Can’t we follow the beautiful woman over there?’”
“A-Aaagh! P-Please stop hitting me!”
“Stop hitting you, my ass, you fucker! Just die, you son of a bitch!!”
Thwack!
“Didn’t you see what that beautiful woman did to Lyla? That beautiful woman you’re talking about intended to kill every last one of us!”
Thud!
“That man is letting us live! Why can’t you understand that he’s taking us in, you empty-headed bastard?!”
Thud-thud-thud!
“Ark Master! You’re going to kill him!”
“I’m beating him because I want him dead! If I don’t kill this bastard, he’s going to get all of us killed!”
“A-Ark Master!!”
Only after the other Visters restrained him did Sarpedon finally calm down.
Sarpedon huffed and released several ragged breaths before saying—
“Unless your skulls are stuffed with noodles instead of brains, keep your mouths shut and do whatever that man tells you. Understood?”
“....Yes.”
The Visters of Violess could neither speak nor resist.
All they could do was obey.
* * *
An abrupt commotion broke out. The commotion steadily intensified until it became an uproar.
However, I did not intervene.
‘I guess there’s no need to intimidate them too much.’
To be honest, I had planned to beat nearly all the Visters here half to death.
These Visters had spent practically every day fighting. They were vicious bastards who still retained their criminal habits.
How could I possibly take people like them into the County?
In other words, if I wanted to train and rehabilitate them as members of the Coalition Forces, I needed to beat them within an inch of their lives, just as the saying went.
More importantly, taking them in did not mean forgiving them. I was merely giving them an “opportunity” to change.
In other words, if they crossed the line like the Visters of the Crimson Soiree—
Or if they openly defied me, I intended to kill them without hesitation, but—
Was this happening because the title <Emperor of the Underworld> increased the success rate of negotiation, intimidation, and persuasion by [+250%]?
—Die! Die, you empty-headed bastard!!
—U-Ugh!
They were already crawling on the ground of their own accord.
‘We can leave immediately.’
It seemed safe to take them straight to the County and begin their training.
* * *
News that Violess, the Lawless City, had disappeared.
The rumor that had spread through Caravana rapidly swept across the entire continent.
“The Saintess personally stepped forward and resolved the situation....”
“Now I finally understand why she is praised as the greatest Saintess in history!”
“Long live the Saintess!!”
“Long live the Holy Kingdom!!”
Now, wherever one went on the continent, praise for the Saintess Isolde and the Holy Kingdom could be heard without end.
And yet, no one anywhere—
Mentioned the name Adrian.
Jerasmir, the Grand Duke of the Kingdom of Ironguard.
Jerasmir was a Master-level knight known as the “Incarnation of the Sword”, as well as a heroic figure of the Kingdom of Ironguard.
In his youth, he had displayed overwhelming prowess and leadership against barbarians who invaded the kingdom.
After saving the imperiled kingdom, his achievements were recognized, and he received the title of Grand Duke.
He had a precious daughter named Amelia, but—
Not long ago, Amelia had suddenly disappeared.
Then, a letter arrived for Jerasmir.
[Assist the internal rebellion. Otherwise, your daughter will die.]
From that day onward, every day was filled with agony for Jerasmir.
There was Jerasmir, the father who wanted to protect his daughter. And there was Jerasmir, the knight of the kingdom and Grand Duke of its people.
Whichever side he chose—
It was certain that an eternally indelible wound would be carved into his soul.
The agonizing conflict weighed heavily upon Jerasmir’s heart.
Just as his gaze and thoughts finally began turning toward the edge of his sword—
“Your Highness!!”
A butler burst into Jerasmir’s office as though smashing through the door.
“Outside—! I think you must go outside immediately!!”
Jerasmir’s eyebrows twitched.
At the same time, he looked through his office window.
Beyond the panoramic view of the duchy outside—
The gates of the ducal castle opened, and someone emerged.
Her clothes were old and shabby. Her hair was ragged and disheveled. Her filthy appearance made it difficult even to recognize her face, but—
“Amelia....?”
Jerasmir immediately leaped through the window. The drop was dozens of meters, but he paid it no heed.
Boooom!
The tremendous roar produced by his landing instantly drew everyone’s attention.
“Father...!!”
“Is it truly you....? Have you truly returned....?”
His voice trembled.
Faint tears gathered around Jerasmir’s eyes.
Emotions welled up within him. With tears flowing down his face, Jerasmir pulled Amelia tightly into his embrace.
He could feel Amelia’s slender frame beneath his fingertips. Only then did Jerasmir truly realize that his daughter had returned.
“What happened to you....? Where in the world have you been all this time....?!”
“The truth is....”
Afterward, Amelia told him the truth behind the incident.
Through her story, Jerasmir realized that the rumor currently shaking the continent was true.
“We owe the Holy Kingdom an immeasurable debt.”
“....No.”
However, Amelia’s account differed from the rumor.
“The person who saved me wasn’t the Saintess.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s true that the Saintess helped me. But....”
Amelia swallowed once before continuing.
“There was someone else who truly helped me.”
“Who was it?”
“Well.... I don’t know who he was because he never revealed his name....”
As though recalling that moment, Amelia gently closed her eyes. Perhaps the fear and nightmares of that day were resurfacing.
Amelia’s body began to tremble.
“You do not have to force yourself to remember.”
“N-No, it’s all right.”
However, Amelia gathered her courage.
“H-He was a man with....red eyes and black hair.”
She managed to remember what had happened that day.
She knew neither his name nor his face, but black hair was uncommon on the continent.
Jerasmir engraved the information about his benefactor deep within his mind.
* * *
And that was not all.
Most of the slaves and impoverished people of Violess had nowhere to return to.
But every once in a while—
On truly rare occasions, there were exceptions.
Some turned out to be secret children of prestigious noble families.
Some had been exiled after being falsely accused of treason, only for their names to later be cleared.
Some were the last surviving descendants of royal families.
Stories resembling fairy tales occasionally unfolded.
“My lady—! My lady has returned!!”
“The young master has just—!”
“Madam!! Madam!! Please wake up!!!”
The children of noble and royal families returned to their houses.
As they returned safely, the continent was shaken and drowned in an ocean of tears.
“A black-haired gentleman saved me—”
“I couldn’t see his face, but he carried himself like a nobleman....”
“A black-haired man—”
Among those who knew the truth, rumors about a “black-haired man” quietly began to spread.
* * *
A very long time ago—
There were beings who strengthened themselves by feeding upon human dreams and desires from within the darkness.
Nightmares.
The female form of a Nightmare was a Succubus.
The male form of a Nightmare was an Incubus.
However, Nightmares had no physical bodies and therefore could not conceive children of their own.
Thus, a Nightmare would transform into a Succubus and take the vital essence of a human man.
It would then transform into an Incubus and use the essence it had taken to impregnate a human woman.
Both sets of genes in the conceived child belonged to humans, but the Nightmare’s energy interfered with the process, giving birth to a new race.
Cambions.
They were the illegitimate offspring of Nightmares and humans.
Like their Nightmare parents, they possessed the power to seduce humans and absorb their vital essence.
By absorbing people’s vital essence, they could demonstrate extraordinary abilities.
They easily distinguished themselves from others, but as demonic blood flowed through their veins, they also displayed prominent evil tendencies.
However, in the distant past—
Just as one or two wolves from a pack had boldly begun relying upon humans, eventually giving rise to the species known as dogs—
Some Cambions no longer wished to remain bound by greed and desire.
They abandoned their means of survival based upon physical seduction and lust, yearning instead to live in harmony.
They developed the abilities and powers once used to manipulate human dreams and desires into a means of communicating with nature.
Through this, they discovered the dreams of nature and the existence of Spirits.
They purified their nature by forming contracts with Spirits and ultimately transformed into a new race that lived in harmony with the natural world.
Thus was born the race known as Elves.
Through the power of Spirits, Elves completely cast aside their former means of survival based upon physical seduction and desire.
At the same time, they fully inherited the beautiful appearances and alluring physiques of the Nightmares.
By human standards of beauty, Elves were a race of astonishingly beautiful people.
Moreover, since they no longer absorbed human vital essence—
Humans began using Elves as sex slaves, regardless of gender. In the end, the Elves withdrew into the forests to escape humanity.
A great many years passed after Elves and humans severed contact.
Located deep within a vast mountain range, the Elven land known as Sylvandir Forest gradually faded from human memory.
Enveloped in a mist created by Spirits, Sylvandir Forest had never once permitted an outsider to enter.
Enormous trees that had lived for centuries shimmered with emerald light.
Between the glowing trees, slender vines descended and enveloped the entire forest like ornaments crafted by nature itself, creating a mystical landscape.
“Forest Keeper! Forest Keeper!”
An Elven sentinel urgently pounded on the Forest Keeper’s tree.
“The Singing Wind brought word that the missing Silmarien has returned!”
Rielin, the Forest Keeper, sprang to her feet.
No comments yet. Be the first to leave a review!