Episode 77: Those Who Scheme in the Shadows
Roa’s report instantly extinguished my lust, and I immediately left the bathhouse and headed for the prison.
Currently, Nephthys’ torture chamber.
“What in the world happened?”
“Suddenly, a person wearing a Perception-Blocking Robe launched a solo attack on the separate building. All the guards were knocked unconscious with a single blow, and the culprit infiltrated the underground prison. The soldiers inside were also subdued, and Nephthys was either assassinated or escaped.”
“A single blow? That’s hard to believe…”
Given the scale of the previous attack, security had been tight.
The Satella-Class individuals within the fortress were being held in the dining hall.
There lay Nephthys’ corpse, blood flowing from his eyes, nose, and mouth.
“Healing Magic?”
“The weapon used was Demon Beast Poison.”
“Ah, I see.”
A Poison Throwing Knife used in the crime was lying nearby.
Picking it up, it resembled the Star Tool Aquila had used.
Could a Hero from the Alliance be involved?
“Please be careful. It seems to be a throwing weapon coated in Demon Beast Poison.”
Even Stella-Class individuals can die from Demon Beast Poison.
Once it circulates throughout the body, there’s no way to save them.
“I know. Any other casualties?”
“Several injured, but no other deaths.”
Hearing from Nicoletta that none of her subordinates had died, I felt relieved.
“Brother, even with a surprise attack, only a Stella-Class could break through this level of security… I think. But how could we not find them even after searching the entire fortress?”
Roa said, looking perplexed.
He probably realized the contradictory nature of the situation himself.
Upon receiving the report of Nephthys’ assassination, I immediately activated Detection Magic, but there were no Stella-Class individuals nearby.
“It’s unlikely the culprit is Stella-Class. Even if a Stella-Class had newly arrived after the search, either Roa or I would have noticed. That means the culprit was already inside the fortress when the search began and possessed a way to conceal their power while still being as strong as a Stella-Class.”
If there was someone who could slip past our Magical Power Detection…
“Could it be the Beastman Hero…?”
“If we eliminate the other possibilities, that’s the only thing that makes sense.”
The Beastman Hero that came to mind was the guy called Lynx.
I thought we had dealt with him, but was he still alive, or was it someone else?
Perhaps we should have made Lynx the priority back then.
I regret misjudging the order of importance.
“…………cough”
“…Could it be, is he still breathing?”
A faint sound of breath escaped from Nephthys.
But he probably couldn’t be saved anymore.
Facing the dying man, I lowered my shoulders.
“…Sorry for making you suffer, Nephthys. I’ll end it now.”
I decided to grant Nephthys a merciful end.
I had only known Nephthys for about two weeks, but I had grown fond of him in a way.
No matter how much I tried to persuade him, his loyalty never wavered. It was genuine.
Even as an enemy, that was something to be admired.
It was too unfortunate that Alberto had sent an assassin after him, and I sympathized with him.
“Brother…”
I felt a little awkward with Roa watching.
“Everyone, could you step outside for a moment?”
“…Understood.”
“Brother, please don’t worry too much.”
“Yeah.”
Nicoletta and the other Military Officials left the torture chamber.
Roa also reluctantly exited, looking back as he did so.
Only I and the dying Nephthys remained in the torture chamber.
“There were still so many things I wanted to ask you…”
“…………cough”
Nephthys’ eyes, devoid of light, seemed to be looking at me.
Was he feeling resentment at dying in such a way?
I didn’t know what he was thinking, but I could sense his will to live.
“Haa, don’t look at me like that.”
Nephthys was someone who had been involved in the education of the Naia royal family and possessed a great deal of central information.
If I could save him, I would want to.
But Healing Magic was useless against Demon Beast Poison.
There was nothing I could do.
“…No, wait, maybe.”
Only one possibility came to mind.
That magic whose effects were too uncertain and whose risks were immeasurable.
Because I had memories of my previous life, using it on someone was something I strongly resisted.
However, even as I hesitated, Nephthys was drawing closer to death.
“Well, if there’s a possibility, I should try it. There’s no point in being scared forever.”
I took a deep breath, concentrated, and refined my Magical Power.
Then, I extended my right hand in front of Nephthys and executed that magic.
◇◇◇◇
A certain forest in the Ortenos territory.
It was constantly shrouded in fog, making it impossible to see far ahead.
There were even rumors that a terrifying witch lived deep within the Fog Forest.
A large man wearing a Perception-Blocking Robe walked along the path, relying on a faint scent.
Then, a man of medium build, also wearing a Perception-Blocking Robe, appeared.
“Drowin, how did it go?”
“Lupus, huh? No problem, I took care of the Naia general who was imprisoned.”
The man called Lupus was of medium build, while the man called Drowin was large.
Drowin reported the completion of the request to Lupus.
“So, the Naia guys alone weren’t enough. It was the right call to send you as a precaution.”
“Gahaha, it’s also because the Ortenos soldiers were strong, but with my power, it was a piece of cake. Well, thanks to that, I owe Serpens and Naia a big favor.”
Drowin said, laughing contentedly.
“Did you leave behind evidence of the Alliance?”
“Yeah, I left the Poison Knife they gave me.”
“Good.”
“Why did you make me do something so roundabout? I could have killed him without leaving any evidence.”
Drowin questioned Lupus in a rough tone.
“To see Shalka’s reaction.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Two weeks have passed since Lynx and Aquila went missing. If Shalka killed them, he should take some action.”
Lupus said, crossing his arms and leaning against a tree.
From his tone, it was clear that Lupus was acquainted with the two Heroes of the Alliance.
“Those two are Heroes who are listed in the ‘Alliance Thirteen Constellations’, even if they are lower in the hierarchy. I don’t think they would be defeated so easily… but after seeing that Shalka…”
Drowin put his hand to his mouth and pondered.
Lupus was curious about Drowin’s words and asked.
“Hmm, what do you mean?”
“You know that Serpens’ failure was deployed in this operation, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Shalka took him down with a single blow. The technique he used to take him down was the Demonbane Ray. That guy is a Demonbane Warrior.”
Drowin said with a solemn face.
Lupus was momentarily taken aback, but soon began to laugh as if he understood.
“A Demonbane Warrior…? Kukuku, I see… I wondered what happened when Serpens’ pet project failed two weeks ago… so that’s what it was, Shalka. Kukuku, I can’t believe it…”
“You still have that creepy laugh…”
Drowin stared at Lupus with a grimace.
“Drowin. Can you keep this a secret from The Guide?”
“Haa?! What if it gets out?”
The Heroes of the Alliance are strongly instructed to obey The Guide.
Drowin couldn’t believe that Lupus would do something that went against that.
“It won’t get out. The Alliance is focused on Naia right now, so they don’t care about us.”
“That may be true, but…”
“Shalka will probably become the eye of the storm from now on. We should just lie low until it subsides.”
Drowin couldn’t understand Lupus’s thinking.
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, it’s a hunch.”
Even though he was in the Hero Alliance, Lupus had his own unique way of thinking.
Drowin trusted him because he had been helped by Lupus’s hunches many times before.
“A hunch, huh? But is that okay? It just feels like our goal is getting further away…”
“It’s fine. The situation is chaotic right now, and I can’t read what’s going to happen. I’m also concerned about the movements of the top members of the Alliance Thirteen Constellations who are infiltrating various countries. It would be interesting if Shalka clashed with them and took out a few of them.”
Lupus didn’t seem to care what happened to the Heroes of the Alliance, who were supposed to be his allies.
“Will it go that well?”
“Kukuku, it will definitely go well. In the immediate future, there’s the ceasefire talks between Naia and Ortenos. I wonder what Serpens will do. Our course of action will be determined by the results.”
The Hero Alliance began to operate behind the scenes.
The day of the ceasefire talks was approaching —