Chapter 190

Chapter 190

Investing Through the Status Window.

Episode 190: The Finger Of God (5)

Vermandois isolated those who had become immortal in the underground prison. Deprived of sleep and reason, they had already turned into beasts of rage, no longer beings that could be called humans.

Since that chaos erupted, there had been no more victims of the curse in Vermandois. No matter how tempting the offer of immortality, if it came with eternal suffering, it had to be avoided.

As expected, the Milk-Jug Mage heard from Group Leader Grenzo that the capital also experienced a major uproar caused by the immortal rioters. Being much larger than Vermandois, the scale of the riot seemed enormous.

“It seems they have realized the seriousness of the situation. Soon, there will be a Top 10 meeting in the capital.”

Of course, as promised in the scenario, the Top 10 meeting was scheduled to be held in the capital. In fact, Allen wasn’t part of the Top 10, so he wasn’t particularly involved, but there was a high chance Viola would designate him as her companion. If that happened, he had no intention of refusing.

This was an event that extended all the way to the Imperial Palace. Meaning, the rewards for completing the event were enormous.

…Of course, the event itself was incredibly annoying, but he had grown so much that he could no longer be satisfied with mere scraps of rewards. And since it was time to begin the groundwork to eventually become part of the Top 10, participating in such large-scale events was advantageous whenever possible.

Meanwhile, the Blind Saintess was also fuming with anger, determined to find and deal with the mastermind behind this incident. Moreover, after learning the details of the incident, she even spoke as if she had received a revelation.

-It is only right to return the finger to God!

In any case, Vermandois, which had briefly heated up due to the incident, returned to its usual state. Very occasionally, there were cases where immortals were found not isolated in civilian homes, but it never escalated into a major incident. No matter how immortal they were, they didn’t suddenly gain extraordinary strength or anything like that.

Of course, there were often attempts by those facing incurable diseases or imminent death to contact the so-called Liberation Army. There were also the severely starving beggars or those living rock-bottom lives, saying that if they had to live like this, wouldn’t immortality be better? Whether living this way or that, the theory was that it would be better to be liberated from death.

While their trivial debates were taking place, a summons arrived from the capital.

A summons for the Top 10.

However, it was not a matter agreed upon by the Top 10 themselves, but an imperial decree from the palace. Since the palace specially recognized the Top 10 and even gave them titles, the imperial decree was something they could not refuse. If they didn’t like it, they could give up their spot in the Top 10.

Of course, Group Leader Viola moved her heavy bottom to heed the imperial command. As expected, the one designated to accompany was Group Leader Allen. Even before the official designation, Allen, who had received a hint on the bed, was already prepared to depart for the capital.

Thus, the Viola-Mercenary Group and Allen-Mercenary Group headed to the capital with a splendid procession, arriving before the Gione-Mercenary Group.

They arrived at the capital after a long time.

However, the capital was exuding a peculiar atmosphere, unlike usual. Of course, the vibrant look was the same, but the underlying sense of disorder was…

The scale of the commotion that erupted in the capital seemed to be beyond imagination. It was said that even some nobles were at the center of the incident. The desire to overcome death was a universal wish for all humans, regardless of their rank.

As evidence of a great catastrophe, remnants of the chaos still lingered throughout the capital. Even the security forces patrolling every nook and cranny of the back alleys felt distinctly different from before.

If a suspicious figure was spotted, anyone, without exception, was subject to a sudden inspection. Of course, the inspection was simple. They just needed to check if the person had an index finger.

“Both Vermandois and the capital are in utter chaos.”

Furball Geese clicked his tongue, sensing the grim atmosphere.

Of course, compared to Vermandois, where incidents never ceased, it was quite unusual for such riots to occur in the typically peaceful capital, so it was understandable that they were reacting so dramatically. Moreover, wasn’t this the place where the Emperor, the continent’s supreme leader, resided?

Anyway, the two mercenary groups settled at a luxury inn near the East Gate and unpacked. Rumor had it that there were still about two of the Top 10 yet to arrive. Still, they should all arrive within at most two weeks.

Allen granted his members some free time. Of course, he repeatedly warned them not to get involved in any commotion. In this peculiar period, being the talk of others wouldn’t do their reputation any good.

The Group Leader, accompanied by the Cautious Archer Gheorghe, went to meet Prophetess Aloa after a long time. Having come all the way to this distant capital, it was only polite to visit and greet her.

“Allen!”

“Miss Aloa.”

The Prophetess smiled brightly as if she were greeting her husband returning home after a long day. Although she wanted to express her joy by throwing herself into his arms… they were nothing more than friendly acquaintances, so she had to be content with a warm handshake.

“How did you get here…?”

“I joined as a companion of Group Leader Viola. The Top 10 gathering will be held soon.”

“Ah, I see. Oh, my mind’s a mess. Please, have a seat.”

Aloa, who had been gloomy since dreaming of the prophecy of the Finger of God, felt a sense of happiness, momentarily forgetting her worries and concerns.

“I’ve been using the gift you sent very well. Thank you, truly.”

“Not at all. I received so much support from you all this time. It was a great help during difficult times. Thank you.”

Allen gently reached out and warmly caressed the back of Aloa’s hand on the table.

Ah.

The Prophetess couldn’t contain her joyful laughter, overwhelmed by the warmth emanating from his hand.

She wanted to say,

Because supporting one’s husband is a wife’s duty…

But she held back. After all, an innocent soul wouldn’t change.

“I have received your warning about the Finger of God well.”

…Ah…

“Was there any further prophecy after that?”

Allen asked, just in case. Though he was well-versed about [Guild Master], this was reality, not a game. It was always wise to assume that phenomena he wasn’t aware of could occur and to constantly stay vigilant.

“I had similar dreams about it twice more, but there was nothing particularly new.”

“Is that so?”

“It was unsettling. You must be careful…!”

“Don’t worry. I’m always careful. If I’m not, I could end up dead without anyone noticing.”

Dying by a blind sword. For a leader without strength, that was the greatest danger. So he always stayed in the third line, protected by mages or healers, but he still had to be cautious.

If I had even the slightest talent for martial arts, I would have trained harder, but unfortunately, this damned body is far from any martial prowess.

Other than being well-endowed and handsome, there’s nothing useful about it!

Strictly speaking, all the knowledge he displayed now came from Jihoo during his Earth days, not from Allen’s original knowledge, which was nonexistent. He was only capable of clumsy attempts at things. Honestly, it was understandable why Charlotte looked down on him.

The two chatted quietly about this and that, starting with greetings. Then, suddenly realizing the time, they noticed the sun was already setting.

Allen stood up before it got too late.

“Well, I should be going now. I had a good time today.”

“Oh, yes… Then, see you next time…!”

Aloa was quite reluctant, but she couldn’t see him off with a sad face as he was leaving.

The sun had set.

Allen and the Cautious Archer returned to the inn, walking silently along the crimson-tinted road.

He planned to have a hearty dinner with his group members for the first time in a while, intending to fill his belly with some good food, but…

What’s this?!

An unexpected figure had visited the inn and was waiting for him in the reception room.

“…Who did you say it was?”

“It’s His Highness, the Prince…!”

Ah.

It seemed that the middle-aged prince, with whom he once carried out the fake gold mission, had visited this place.

There was no way His Highness, the Prince, would have come all this way just for social activities. He speculated it might be related to the current immortal situation. After all, this was something that the Imperial Palace was gravely concerned about. And there was no way he would remain idle in such an important mission.

Thus, Allen headed to the reception room on the third floor, where His Highness the Prince was said to be waiting. Seeing the knights in gleaming armor standing guard outside made it really sink in that the prince was here.

“It’s Group Leader Allen.”

-Come in.

With permission granted, Allen entered the reception room.

“Speak of the devil, and he appears! Our protagonist has arrived right on cue!”

The middle-aged Prince warmly greeted Allen with a hearty laugh.

“How have you been, Your Highness?”

“Good, have you been well?”

“Yes, I’ve been well without any trouble.”

In the room, excluding Allen, there were a total of five people.

Three men, two women.

The three men were the Prince and his shadow, Baron Bornov, and Ghost Flame Grenzo.

And the two women were Group Leader Viola and… and…

…Ah…

The moment Allen saw the woman sitting demurely next to the Prince, his thoughts came to a sudden halt.

“Ah, right. I haven’t introduced you to this person yet.”

As Allen’s gaze reached her, the Prince smiled deeply and glanced at the woman, as if looking at a matching pair.

It had been several years since he left Earth, but her face was still vividly imprinted in his mind. So, the moment he saw her, her identity was firmly fixed in his head.

…How could he forget?! She was the last character he conquered before coming here.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Agnes Neptune.”

A maiden with a sharp aura like a single sharpened sword.

A woman who was noted as the next Sword Emperor before the appearance of Itty Titty Swordswoman Natasha.

A named character notoriously difficult to conquer.

Agnes Neptune.

Allen had finally come face to face with that esteemed visage.