episode_0029

“Uh, how….?”

“If I say that now, the contract won’t be formed. But…..”

— Swish….

“When did I ever say something couldn’t be done?”

“………..”

An expression full of worry and hesitation.

Julia, who had been staring at my outstretched hand for a long time, opened her mouth hesitantly.

“What are the conditions?”

“Conditions….?”

“Yes. I don’t think you mean to say you’d do that for free, given your usual behavior.”

I see.

From Julia’s perspective, who still hasn’t come to terms with Hyunwoo, it would be hard to accept that a suspicious guy like me would help her without any conditions.

Well, I was thinking of being satisfied with just waiving off one debt to Julia…

If she really wants it, it might not be a bad idea to just say it ‘explicitly’.

“It’s nothing special, just do me a favor later.”

“Please…?”

“Yeah.”

“What on earth are you trying to ask me to do….”

Julia glares at me with eyes full of suspicion and anxiety.

I shook my head leisurely and added further explanation.

“I’ll tell you the details of the request later. Of course, if you think it’s a request you can never accept, you can refuse. ”

“……….”

But the look of doubt in those eyes has not yet disappeared.

Did they decide that they had no choice but to take that level of risk for the absolute purpose of ‘pulling Lucius down from his position as governor’?

Julia nodded.

“Okay.”

“……….”

“Then…. Please explain what means you will use to remove your brother from the position of Governor.”

“That’s right…..”

at that time.

“——!! …… -!!?”

“…….!! …….?”

From the direction of the hall, something like loud shouting and a commotion began to be heard.

…….It looks like it’s started.

“What…is going on?”

“Well.”

Julia, who saw my smiling expression, quickly turned around and headed towards the hall….

I followed him leisurely and stepped into the hall.

“You… What the hell were you talking about? I have poor hearing, so I didn’t hear you very well… Say it again. Okay? ”

“Gasp, ugh…. Ugh…. Whoosh…..”

The opponent Lucius is pushing forward.

The rider, whose clothes were stained with blood, mucus, and brain fluid, took a breath with difficulty and opened his mouth again.

“A large number of demons have appeared in the nearby area. It is estimated that their number is close to ten thousand. They are currently approaching this place, Dalek City, in a state of siege. The Skyspear Knights are currently engaged in combat.”

“Ugh….!!”

“The Full-Proc Commander and his staff have judged that the odds of victory are slim given the current situation, and that the possibility of the Knights being annihilated cannot be ruled out. Therefore, His Excellency the Governor has sent word to evacuate as soon as possible.”

“Sir… F*ck, what the… nonsense…! Where the hell did those guys crawl out of!! Did they crawl out of the ground? Did they fall from the sky? What the hell happened to cause this ridiculous situation! Give me a reasonable explanation!!”

Is it because he is unable to accept the sudden change in circumstances and is showing violence?

Lucius throws bottles and plates and kicks those around him, causing a frenzy.

Julia looked at him with a contemptuous expression and then quietly asked me a question.

“What the hell happened? Tens of thousands of demons….”

“The northern residents who lost their lives in this incident and those infected with the ghoul plague all mutated into ghouls and began to move.”

“Plague…. Infected people? However, the plague patients were all recovering, and until recently, there was no sign of that…..”

Around that time.

–Whaaah…..

With a sudden feeling of the surrounding temperature dropping.

A thick fog begins to rise and cover the surroundings.

and….

The thick smell of corpses rose up, causing everyone in the hall to rise from their seats, groaning.

“What, what is this…?”

“What is this all of a sudden…..?”

Wait a moment until the commotion dies down.

I threw out a word with magic in my voice.

“–He’s coming.”

Lucius flinched, then turned his head towards me.

“That guy…? What are you talking about?”

“The real culprit of this plague. The one who joined hands with the Count of Change to turn the entire North into hell. ”

“………..”

“A member of the Demon King’s Twelve Horsemen. The best shaman on the continent… Barteloume. ”

— Pass the….

— Pak, popak… slap slap…

As if to lend credibility to my words.

The ground near the hall shook and corpses began to crawl out one by one.

“Eek….!!”

“Gyaaah…!! Mommyaaaahh …

“Tch…. !!”

— Paaah….!!

The summoning of the demons was stopped by Krimhilt’s hastily deployed sanctuary, but the atmosphere of fear that had engulfed the entire hall did not disappear.

“What, what is it… Why on earth… Why is that guy popping out?”

“Of course it’s because of you.”

“What…? What, what did I… do?”

“He’s a member of the Demon King’s army. He has a considerable amount of information. He must also know that you’re passing through here to inspect the north.”

“Ugh….!”

“He is the true owner of this territory and the heir to the royal bloodline– Governor Lucius Philipp von Rekaia–and he intends to take this territory for himself. Running away will be useless, so I recommend that you prepare properly and fight rather than running away carelessly. ”

Well, in reality, I don’t even care about that kind of idiot…

It seems that he is mobilizing all his forces to eliminate Krimhild, the guardian knight of the sect who poses the greatest threat to him.

“Damn it…! Hey, chief!! Hey, isn’t there a place… where I can hide?”

“Yes? Oh, over there… That’s… There’s a basement in the hallway. If you hide there…”

“Fuck, then what are you dawdling about!! Guide me right now!! And you guys, warrior party!!”

“Yes.”

“Please speak.”

“………”

“If you’re a party of warriors, you should be able to handle one or two of those monsters!! Fight with your life on the line to protect me!! And then, let me know when you’re completely safe!!”

“……..”

“Do you understand? If you get even one scratch on my body, you will all be executed!!”

Ignoring the warrior party members who looked at him with contempt.

Lucius took refuge in the basement with only a few of his confidants.

A few of the village girls he used to hang out with tried to follow him in a hurry, but he kicked and stabbed them with his sword and drove them away.

“Haaah…. Me too. That kind of idiot is the governor…. He’s just talking. I’m really tired of hanging out with idiots….”

Hyunwoo mutters while shaking his head.

…..I never imagined that in my life, I would hear someone say something like that to you.

Is this what is meant by hate towards one’s own race?

After Lucius and his entourage disappeared into the basement.

I gathered the party members together and quickly explained the strategy and made them familiar with a few precautions.

And… a little while later.

— Thump, thump, thump….

With an ominous sound of footsteps, the bastard revealed himself.

“Hehehe…. This is it. Who would have thought that I would meet such nobles in such a remote place…. I have lived a long life and seen many things. It is my first time meeting you. I am Bartelomera Hao, a lowly villager who occupies the lowest position in the Demon King’s army.”

His appearance, shabby attire, and laid-back tone of voice make him seem like nothing more than a small old man.

While the other party members showed a little bewilderment, Krimhilt pressed on with sharp words.

“Is your spirit the one who spread the plague here… in the North?”

“That’s right.”

After accepting Krimhilt’s question without a moment’s hesitation.

The man continued answering while looking at Krimhilt with narrowed eyes.

“You little bugs wriggling across this earth. I tried to make those scumbags my servants in the netherworld and give meaning to their worthless lives… I never thought my plan would fail so easily.”

“……….”

“It was a plan that I had been carrying out step by step, taking my time and being as careful as possible so as not to be noticed by the scum of the church, until the situation was ripe… But I can’t believe that a stinky little girl who wears diapers like this has ruined all my plans… Hehehe… Seriously, this is such a farce that I can’t even laugh out loud.”

“Hey, you don’t wear diapers or anything!!?”

……Is that the part where you should react?

Looking at Krimhilt, who was refuting with her ears reddened.

Bartholomew took out a short, oddly shaped staff from his bosom.

“Servant of the filthy goddess. I will trample on your obscene body until it becomes a rag, and pour the rotten semen of the ghouls until your womb bursts… Be prepared.”

— Guuung…..!!

With a deep resonance.

A chillingly evil magic emanated from the tip of the bastard’s staff.

and–

“–Everyone, prepare for battle!!”

At the same time that I am giving instructions.

A black tombstone fell from the night sky and crashed into the ground.

— Kuuuung….!!

“Tch….!!”

“Such an evil magic…..!!”

Krimhilt and Sion step back hesitantly, as if overwhelmed by the evil aura rising from the tombstone.

After confirming the positional relationship between Bartholomew and the tombstone, I opened my mouth, convinced that the pattern was not much different from the original.

“As explained earlier, the pattern is grandiose, but there are no major twists. If you fight calmly, you won’t have any trouble. Everyone, prepare your battle formation as instructed in advance. ”

“Yes!!”

“Okay….”

“Geuhehehehe…. You’re talking nonsense that’s not even funny. You’re making fun of my power as the best sorcerer in the Demon King’s army…. Alright. I’ll teach you….. the true fear of death!!”

— Thud, thud, thud…..

— Geee… Extreme, geee…..

After a while.

Demonic spirits began to crawl out of the ground, centered around the tombstone summoned by Bartholomew.