Chapter 145: Small Change (7)

Three members of the hero’s party sat in the conference room. Mobius, Alexander, and Wolf. Alexander glanced at the empty seats before looking back at Wolf. Wolf, his face shadowed, just stared at the empty chairs. The empty seats were labeled ‘Fabian’ and ‘Petunia Titi’.

Alexander realized anew that three people was a very small number. The empty seats, which he hadn’t noticed when there were four of them, felt particularly large now. The official reason for Fabian’s absence from today’s meeting was ‘mission assignment’. But Alexander knew the real reason was the emotional spat between Wolf and Fabian.

Mobius also kept glancing at the empty seats, showing his discomfort, and Wolf spoke.

“Let’s start the meeting.”

“Ah, right. Yeah.”

Alexander nodded, startled by Wolf’s dry opening to the meeting. In front of him lay the issues that needed to be addressed in this meeting. Alexander opened the topmost document and said,

“First, the Flancia family filed a complaint, saying the thieves’ guild isn’t doing its job properly. Not only did they fail the commission, but they’re also refusing the subsequent assassination request. They want us to eliminate this guy named Evan…”

“Leave it.”

Wolf cut Alexander off. Alexander blinked and looked at Wolf. Wolf stared at the empty chair and said,

“I heard he was a former slave. He’s probably an old friend of Fabian’s. Tell the Flancia family to stop messing around and behave themselves.”

Alexander snorted and nodded. He could feel, from that one sentence, that despite their spat, they were still comrades. Mobius also relaxed his expression, stroking his beard with a faint smile. Wouldn’t the atmosphere have been a little more cheerful if Fabian had been here today? He thought.

Thinking of Fabian as a friend who didn’t know how to read the room, Alexander turned to the next agenda item.

“And, we’ve received news that a demon legion has risen in the north. Villages along the northern mountain ridges are already being devastated, and even the mines have been hit. It’s a serious situation. The beastmen living in the northern highlands seem to have joined forces with these demon legions, causing quite a headache.”

Mobius and Wolf frowned. The kingdom was already in chaos these days, and now a demon legion had appeared; it couldn’t be more troublesome. Wolf asked,

“Who is this demon? What kind of guy is rampaging in the north?”

“It seems to be an Imp. Based on the reports from the north, everyone says the leader is an Imp named Drak-Sai. There are many Imps in the demon legion too.”

“Imps? Ho ho ho! Imps?”

Mobius laughed. Alexander nodded along with his laughter, chuckling. Wolf also relaxed his tense shoulders. They knew what kind of race Imps were. They were a bottom-tier race even in the Demon Realm; any Imp the hero’s party encountered would beg for their lives and grovel. During their journey to defeat the Demon King in the Demon Realm, the party had never once faced hardship because of Imps, nor had they ever met a strong Imp. As they got closer to the Demon King’s castle, Imps were relegated to the position of errand boys or servants, crawling around.

‘Imps aren’t a strong race.’

‘They can’t become strong either.’

That was the common sense of the hero’s party. Just like people who overcome hardship and succeed, they too were convinced their common sense was the absolute truth.

Mobius said,

“If that’s the case… it’s actually good. Why don’t we send an army to subjugate them this time? It’s a perfect opportunity. We’re already getting complaints from all over the place; this will be a good chance to appease the public.”

Alexander nodded at Mobius’s words.

“Right. If the leader is an Imp, the level of his subordinates is predictable. Just in case, let’s pick two or three skilled priests to send, and fill the remaining adjutant positions with our own people.”

Alexander was the type who believed some preparations were necessary, even against Imps. So, he planned to select the most skilled and diligent priests he knew as commanders for the unit. Because filling the unit with incompetent people would mean losing even a winnable battle.

Alexander said,

“Wolf. Don’t you have any relatives who are idle because there are no positions available? How about we slip those guys in as adjutants too? Catching Imps is a suitable pretext for awarding them for meritorious service in the north.”

“That’s a good idea. Let’s do that then. I’ll contact my relatives.”

Mobius looked at Alexander and said,

“Still, it’s a site where demons are running rampant. Shouldn’t you, who bear the name of a Saint, go yourself? If you step forward, you could sweep away all the demons before the unit is even organized.”

Alexander chuckled and shook his head at Mobius’s question.

“Old man. I can’t just live well and prosper all by myself. If we’re to continue living luxuriously and splendidly, we need people who support us. It’s not like a regional commander-level demon has appeared, just an Imp, right? Sending high-ranking priests is already overkill.”

“Still, just in case, it would be better if you went yourself…”

“You worry too much, old man. Think about it. What kind of demon would call itself an Imp and give itself an Imp-like name? With all its subordinates calling it the great ‘Imp’, isn’t it strange if it isn’t an Imp at this point? There are quite a few Imps among its subordinates, and Imps tend to stick together. It’s probably just a mutant Imp that’s a bit stronger than the others. We just need to wipe out these demons before they can fully mature.”

“……You have a point.”

Mobius nodded at Alexander’s words. As a priest, Alexander was knowledgeable about demons. Even during their journey to defeat the Demon King in the Demon Realm, his knowledge was crucial in exploiting weaknesses or guessing opponents’ identities, and his immense holy power allowed the hero’s party to move safely even in the heart of the Demon Realm. Mobius nodding also signified his respect for Alexander’s judgment regarding demons. As he said, it was highly probable they were indeed Imps. And if they were just Imps, sending high-ranking priests was more than enough.

Alexander said with a smile,

“Speaking of Imps… It reminds me of that time. Wolf. Do you remember when we went to the Demon King’s castle? When we let one of those regional commander demons slip away and were running down the corridor.”

Mobius closed his eyes as if recalling, then burst into laughter and nodded. Wolf seemed unable to recall it yet, but Mobius was laughing so hard tears welled up. Wolf tilted his head and asked,

“What was it?”

“Ah, you forgot that? Wolf. We were running down the corridor then, and there was an Imp carrying luggage. As soon as it saw us, it froze right there! And you said… ‘Have you seen a Baphomet passing through here?’ Do you remember what it replied?”

“Ah-. I remember. Yeah. That’s right. There was an Imp then.”

A faint smile touched Wolf’s lips. It was one of the few moments they had all laughed together in front of the Demon King’s castle. Seeing Wolf smile, Alexander nodded and said,

“Yeah. That Imp opened its mouth wide and then fell backward like it was acting in a play. When Petunia went to check on it, they said it was already dead. Seriously…! It’s still ridiculous thinking about it now. What, a hero who can kill demons just by making eye contact? What kind of nonsense is that? Uhuhuhu!”

“Ho ho ho ho! Now I remember it too…! Ho ho!”

Mobius started laughing too. Wolf gazed at the empty seats, a subtle smile playing on his lips, making it hard to tell if he was laughing. After staring at the names Fabian and Petunia Titi for a while, Alexander said to him,

“Wolf. We were really happy back then, weren’t we? Weren’t we?”

Wolf nodded. Ironically, the party had been more harmonious back when they were chasing the Demon King than they were now, with their luxurious homes and endless power.

“We were.”

“Wolf. I’m saying this now, but I was happy even back then. I even thought it wouldn’t matter if I died without getting my revenge.”

“Even if you died without revenge?”

Alexander said to Wolf,

“You were the only one who treated me like a person when I was treated like trash in my family. Wolf.”

Mobius said,

“You were the one who told me, an old man confined to my room, to go hunt the Demon King.”

Alexander added,

“And who was it that saved Fabian, the slave?”

Wolf’s stoic face began to crack. He faced the empty seats, his expression contorting as if he might cry or laugh.

‘Friends.’

‘Precious friends who were always together.’

Wolf thought that perhaps Fabian might be right. But on the other hand, he still couldn’t abandon his family.

“My head is a mess. Let’s stop here for today.”

Saying that, Wolf opened the door and left.

Alexander, remaining in the conference room, said with a smile,

“Once this matter is safely concluded and our people are settled, let’s talk again. Old man. It’s about time we ended this murder spree, don’t you think?”

Mobius nodded.