episode_0080

“Ah, is it finally moving?”

“That’s right.”

The voice of an old man, who had no strength and seemed to just throw something away, came from somewhere.

Conductor Impale occupied a position in the 12 Conductors, which can be considered the executives of the circular bridge.

Of course, there were no longer 12 conductors and the presence of the circular bridge was gradually decreasing, but in any case, the existence of conductors was still not something to be ignored.

“So that’s it… .”

“No, it’s a good thing. Thanks for telling me Hug.”

When Impale was about to say something with an uncharacteristically troubled expression on his face, his voice was interrupted by the voice of a man who was talking to him.

No, like Impale, the face was that of an old man who had aged to some extent, but the form was an indescribable sight.

He was a man who was probably close to 2 meters tall and had a burly physique that made you think he was a bodybuilder who would wear a grandfather mask and take hidden cameras when he walked around the streets.

In general, as one gets older, muscles gradually break down and skin becomes saggy, but I could only wonder if the existence of time had been spared only for this old man.

There are usually several cases like this. It could be said that this old man was using drugs, or else that he had undergone some kind of magical treatment. It is not a body that can come out naturally.

“… Why is that a good thing for you?”

Impale’s eyes widen when he turns his head and sees the Collector thanking him.

Then the collector naturally places his hand on his shoulder.

Not in a weird way, just so naturally. With a smile on his face, like someone casually asking for something while putting his arm around the other person’s shoulder, the Collector said this to Hug.

“First of all, I will continue to carry out what I said. Hug.”

“Oh, that’s what you mean… . This ability is not something I can use as I wish… Wow!”

A sudden pressure pressing down on my shoulders. The Collector’s hand on his shoulder was held tightly.

The force was so heavy for Impale, an old man over 60, that he broke into a cold sweat.

“Oh, no, it wasn’t perfect, but I could still see it. Northmund is on the move.”

“Did he prevent this?”

“That… Up to that point. Ugh! Hey, let go of this.”

“Hugh.”

The Collector takes a quiet breath and makes an insignificant expression. Conductor Impale and Hug have no understanding of what the current situation is.

They only knew that the Collector’s plan was in progress, but they had no idea what his plan was.

But what is this attitude? It’s as if a secret story is being told in slang that only you know.

Of course, as if it is assumed that the other person will know what you know, the conversation will only continue without the subject.

When the pain in his shoulder exceeded his limit and Impale tried to get up from his seat.

“I see. The One still made a good choice. No, it had no choice but to be like this.”

“Bo, if there is an uprising, The One has decided that now is the only time. As it goes on, it will only gradually lose its power to Gigi and Northmund.”

“Ah, is it The One’s doing to borrow the Corruptor from Alexstras?”

Impale frowned upon hearing the Collector’s words and clenched his right hand tightly. A collector who casually refers to the head of the circular bridge as if he were calling out to the city administration.

However, nothing would change the situation just because Impale clenched his fist, so I had no choice but to slowly nod my head and agree with his words.

The Collector, seeing his head move, smirks and raises the corners of his mouth.

“Huh, I never thought Alexstras would lend me a high-class bug. Even if he’s a Corruptor or something, isn’t he also a noble with a title in the demon world?”

“… That means Won is risking his life and death on this matter.”

Even though it is a demon world, it does not mean that monsters are endlessly springing up. The mid-level monsters are actually not that numerous in number, and the upper-level monsters are even more precious.

If you are a top-level monster, you must be a direct descendant or close associate of the ruler, Alexstras.

” Huh, aren’t they trash who can’t even have a proper conversation anyway? I find it unpleasant that an intelligent being exists in a place like the Demon World.”

“… .”

“Isn’t that right? Isn’t it funny how people with less intelligence than monkeys talk about nobility among themselves? Oh well, Archduke Alex seems a little different.”

The Collector touches the amulet hanging around his neck. A mysterious artifact he is wearing. Considering that he possesses the abilities of Conductor L, it is presumed that he absorbs his opponent’s abilities.

No one knows who received that artifact or what its origin is. He doesn’t seem to have any intention of telling me either.

At least, one thing was certain: it had not been received from Alexstras, who had distributed the power to everyone in the circular bridge.

“By the way. When is the date of the religious uprising?”

“… That is.”

“Aren’t you going to tell me? What happened?”

Before his amulet had finished clicking, and before Impale had even properly processed the visual information coming into his eyes, the Collector had stood up and was standing in the doorway.

Judging from the wind, it seemed like he was moving at high speed rather than teleporting, but Impale couldn’t even follow his traces.

Feeling despair at the fact that the gap between them was showing, Impale opened his mouth.

“You, what is your purpose?”

“Ah. Don’t you know yet? Hug, I thought you would know.”

Impale’s body trembled at the sound of his voice as if he was embarrassed by the topic that was suddenly thrown at him and was rather curious about something he didn’t know.

“… Please let me know. Still, aren’t we in the same boat? Of course, you are the captain of the ship, but if you could tell me… .”

“Well, that’s true too. My purpose is… .”

The hinges of the door squeaked. This is because the collector is out the door.

“If you haven’t figured it out yet, you don’t have to keep noticing it. That’s all you can do anyway.”

Impale had a straight face at those words, but the Collector had already left.

Although it has succumbed to his power and cooperated, Impale does not follow him. Judging from his reaction, it appears that the Collector also has no intention of using him properly.

If that’s the case, the relationship isn’t going to be deep anyway.

‘There’s something I didn’t tell him.’

Impale let out a small sigh with a disapproving look on his face.

‘I didn’t say anything, but this time I definitely saw the future.’

He laughed softly in his heart. He’s pretending to be strong anyway, but he’s just a human in the middle of the day. He was a man with a force that would force an ordinary person to take their breath away just by looking at him, but that was all.

‘Hmph, let’s see how long you can smile.’

Impale was so angry in his heart.

*

“… I don’t know.”

“Oh, that’s it.”

I looked at a man lying on the bed with a dumbfounded expression.

Even though it is a bed, it does not mean that it was just lying down comfortably like at home. Now he is lying in a hospital bed.

His name is Paul Holland. He was a colleague of Rania White, who runs a NewTube channel about me, and was also the person who was with the Corruptor until the end.

And the man standing in front of him, that is, I, was hitting the cane with my palm and catching it with a thud.

Although he was a man who brought a woman with a horn into a hospital in Romania as if she was visiting a sick person, he was clearly a wizard.

To be exact, he might be a magic swordsman, but people on Earth don’t know such details, so let’s just call him a wizard.

A unique wizard wielding a great sword, that’s the man’s perception right now.

And the gold-plated metallic cane that I am holding gives off an intimidating feeling in itself.

The staff held by such an eccentric wizard wielding a great sword cannot be an ordinary staff. It gives that kind of feeling.

Therefore, Holland, as if overwhelmed by the intimidation, was stuttering in poor English, even though it was his native language.

I don’t know if it was because he had his back to the sun and his face was shadowed and dark, or if he was overwhelmed by my intimidation, but it seemed clear that he was on the verge of peeing his pants.

“Oh, no, I really don’t know. I just drove. Although I am a co-worker, I was hired later, and Rania White shares important things only with her lover, Daniel Bryce─”

“What kind of nonsense is it that you say you were driving but you don’t know? Didn’t you hear me just now?”

When I hit the floor with my cane, the tiles on the floor crack and make a cracking sound. And at that sound, Yoon Sia’s face frowns as if she is giving me support.

Rather, he waved his hand at her as if he was more surprised by the reaction of the woman known as the Dragon Lady than by my actions.

When I saw that scene, I felt a little embarrassed. Is it because she polymorphed into a human, or is she scarier than me?

A slightly ambiguous feeling passed through my heart, but I did not show it and urged him on.

“On our first day in Romania, we rented a car and drove to Bacau with Daniel at the wheel. And there Daniel and I switched driver’s seats and I drove. I turned off the headlights and just drove where she instructed.”

“Rania White gave the order?”

“Yes. She said she received the request from an anonymous informant. Hide your tracks as much as possible and tell me to come to a certain location. Damn, Rania said it was okay, but that informant was really suspicious. I knew it would end up like this!”

“Hmm.”

In general, I had heard about the situation to some extent from Paul Holland. The anonymous informant who had been relaying information to them for quite some time.

Considering that he knew where the gate would occur, I think he was probably one of the characters in the ring bridge.

If such a report had been made in a situation where it had already been announced that the gate on Earth was opened by a circular bridge, they would have been able to vaguely guess the identity of the informant.

Or did I know it and just ignore it?

To summarize his words, it is said that after arriving at the location mentioned by the informant, Paul Holland did not follow them but was guarding the car.

However, after a long time passed and his colleagues who had gone to film did not return, he began to feel strange. When he saw a strange reaction from afar, he got scared and drove away.

Holland, who was running away at full speed, got into a car accident on a national highway and was hospitalized. Soon after, I showed up looking for him.

‘No, this isn’t important right now.’

I shook my head slightly and replayed his words in my mind again.