Ch.386Alfodhr?

Assassination.

And not just any assassination, but one targeting a king of a kingdom.

It wasn’t something to be mentioned as a joke.

“Assassinate the King of Panam…? Are you serious about this?”

I had said such things before, but it was merely an expression of anger, not a genuine desire to assassinate the King of Panam.

In fact, I had half-forgotten about it during my stay in Landenburg.

“I am serious. Danon has crossed the line, and by quite a margin.”

However, unlike me, Leopold’s resolve was firm.

His eyes were filled with such cold murderous intent when speaking the Panam King’s name.

“Crossed the line?”

He had always despised the King of Panam, but I’d never seen him with such murderous intent before.

What could have happened in the meantime?

“Secret collusion with Dane. Blatantly anti-imperial behavior and demands dripping with arrogance. And then, he dared to… Eleonora… let’s skip that part. Anyway, it’s crystal clear that Danon harbors hostility toward the Empire. If we don’t bury him now, he’ll eventually invade the southern territories of the Empire to fulfill his ambitions. He’ll strike when the Empire is at its weakest, when the world is in its most chaotic state. How is that any different from what the Werebeasts would do?”

Leopold criticized the King of Panam with a tone full of hostility, as if grinding his teeth.

Seeing how he stopped himself when mentioning his sister, it seems the biggest reason for deciding on assassination must be related to her… but I didn’t want to pry into what he deliberately withheld.

She must have suffered something too difficult to speak about.

“So you want me to assassinate the King of Panam?”

“After much consideration, you’re the only suitable candidate. The sprout of evil has emerged, and we must cut it down before it blooms and scatters its seeds. For the sake of humanity’s peace, I hope you’ll accept my request. Would it be difficult?”

It wouldn’t be difficult. The aftermath is the problem.

“Well… I’d welcome killing him, but what about the aftermath?”

“I’ve already prepared a complete plan.”

Leopold explained the detailed assassination plan.

First, I would cross the border with intelligence agents disguised as merchants, then make contact with an agent in the Panam capital.

Afterward, I would cooperate with local agents to infiltrate the palace at night, find my way alone to the king’s chambers, assassinate Danon, and escape.

“Danon is guarded by two Master-level knights. Either ambush and eliminate them in advance or approach while avoiding their eyes.”

Once Danon’s body is discovered, chaos will ensue, and during that confusion, other agents will rescue Queen Eleonora and escape the palace.

After completing the mission, we would split into two groups and return to the Empire.

Rather than a meticulous plan, it heavily relied on my abilities.

After all, I was probably the only one who could kill two Masters without causing a commotion.

“What about Eleonora’s child? If Danon dies, that child would be the legitimate heir. Do you plan to bring the child along with Queen Eleonora?”

“No. If Eleonora desperately wishes it, we’ll have no choice, but preferably the child should remain in Panam. A young heir without backing versus grown illegitimate sons—it’s the perfect setup for a power struggle. In such chaos, they won’t have the capacity to investigate the assassination or even think about targeting the Empire. And when Panam falls into such a state, Dane will have no choice but to take a step back as well.”

The coldness of not only making a child an orphan but also using them as a sacrifice in a power struggle, yet the tenderness of being willing to give up the advantage if Eleonora desperately wished it—it was an answer truly befitting Leopold.

“Come to think of it, one of the illegitimate sons is in the Empire as a special admission student, isn’t he? Have you met him by chance? What kind of person is he?”

Is he talking about Evian?

That golden-haired, tanned playboy.

“Seems like someone who’ll spend his entire life chasing women.”

“Excellent.”

Leopold smiled coldly.

—-

“Anyway, that’s the plan. What do you think? Is it feasible?”

“Hmm… it all sounds good, but I’m not sure if I can blend in well in Panam. A Ka’har half-blood with black hair—isn’t that too distinctive?”

For an assassin or spy, distinctive features are not an advantage but a fatal flaw.

If I were seen just once in Panam, my identity as the assassin would be known worldwide.

“Don’t worry about that. Hair color can be changed with alchemists’ reagents, and you can avoid inspections by hiding in a secret compartment of the wagon.”

Leopold smiled gently, as if to reassure me.

“Additionally, we plan to provide you with the Cloak of Concealment that we acquired during the Militia uprising, so unless you make a serious mistake, you won’t be detected.”

“Ah, right. I forgot about that cloak. I already have one, so you don’t need to provide me with another.”

Whether it’s called the Cloak of Concealment or the Cloak of Hiding, anyway, that green cloak.

It’s been stuffed in the corner of my wardrobe at home, and I’ve barely used it, so I completely forgot about it.

It was effective enough that Werebeast warriors could pass by openly without being noticed.

“…Why do you have one? We collected all of them and kept them confidential…”

Ah, this was the one Ophelia had pilfered. I misspoke.

I should make up an excuse.

“Well, when the Werebeasts invaded the Special Gallery, I kept one as a memento… Was I supposed to return it?”

“Hmm… then it’s fine. No need to return it; just use that one.”

Whether my on-the-spot excuse worked or not, Leopold didn’t press the matter further. That’s fortunate.

—-

Leopold’s assurance that preparations were complete wasn’t an empty promise.

The carriage, the disguised merchant group—everything was already arranged near the border, so we could depart as early as tomorrow.

We could have left today, actually, but I asked for a time allowance until tomorrow.

Since this was a confidential assassination mission, I couldn’t bring the others along, so I needed to tell them I’d be away for a while.

Especially Lacy.

After leaving the Imperial Palace by carriage, I headed to the cathedral.

“You’re asking me to wait about ten more days?”

Lacy, who had greeted my return with a bright smile, immediately showed signs of anxiety when I mentioned needing a ten-day extension.

“Ten days, ten days… I was just thanking Elpinel that the schedule had been moved up, but now it’s extended by ten days. It’s hard to contain my disappointment. If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask why?”

“I’m sorry, but that would be difficult. It’s confidential.”

Even though Lacy was on my side, I couldn’t tell her I was going to assassinate the King of Panam.

Assassination isn’t something a church member would condone.

“Is that so… that’s unfortunate. Is it something that must be done right now?”

“I believe so.”

Given the choice between going to war and carrying out an assassination, I had to choose the latter.

“…If Baron Median thinks so, then this must also be Elpinel’s will. I will pray here for your safe return.”

Lacy let out a faint sigh.

Lately, it feels like everyone around me is constantly sighing. Probably not my fault, though.

“Thanks for understanding. I’ll try to return as quickly as possible.”

“…Even if you’re delayed, I can endure it. Please don’t push yourself and prioritize your safety above all else.”

She’s pretending to be fine, but I can clearly see the anxiety in her eyes.

Judging by her expression, the situation in the Holy State isn’t very good either.

“I’ll try not to get hurt, so don’t worry.”

I gave her a confident smile to reassure her.

My smile didn’t seem to work very well, but Lacy responded with a light smile of her own.

—-

“Oh, and I’ve completed the translation of that ancient text you asked about before. The script itself is very similar to ancient Dane language. It’s just one sentence, so I can’t determine its detailed meaning.”

“Ancient text…? Ah, the one we found in the Carmaine Forest dungeon. I had completely forgotten about it.”

With so much happening lately, I had completely forgotten about it.

Seeing how long it took, I wonder if Lacy had half-forgotten about it too?

“So, what does it mean?”

“‘Alföðr hlýtur að vera bölvað’… which translates to ‘Curse upon Alfodhr.'”

Alfodhr.

I’ve heard that name somewhere… ah, I remember now.

The father of all things, Alfodhr.

That was the name of one of the ancient gods.

I remember reading about the setting.

Before the 11 Main Gods religion led by the Church of Elpinel rose to prominence, there was an ancient faith that worshipped four great gods.

Yemo, who created the laws.

Gemina, who bestowed life.

Alfodhr, who led chaos.

Bellona, who brought death.

Those were definitely the names. It was related to the “Church of Forgotten Gods” that appeared in the latter part of the episodes.

Their executive apostles would often invoke these gods’ names.

So, does this mean the ancient people of that ruin were hostile to the four ancient gods?

But then, what about the monsters that kept emerging from the ruins? Ancient gods and monsters shouldn’t have much connection, I think.

The god of monsters and the final boss of this game didn’t have such a name.

“This Alfodhr, at the very least, was the main deity of the ancient Dane people from over a thousand years ago. They had a religion that worshipped four gods, similar to the heretical Ancient God Faith, but detailed information hasn’t been passed down.”

…”Similar to the Ancient God Faith”?

What does that mean? From the name Alfodhr alone, it’s clearly the Ancient God Faith.

Except for the change in the main deity’s role from Yemo to Alfodhr.