episode_0052

A less extravagant but constructive landscape than the Empire.

A high wall surrounding the city. And the gate that welcomes us.

There is no particular reason why the word ‘cloud’ is added in front of the word ‘cloud city.’

It’s just that Cloud Village is often covered in clouds.

It was especially cloudy here, as if the distant coast was sending all the clouds this way, and it rained a lot.

Thanks to this, the size of the waterways is also quite large compared to other cities, which is a useful setting.

Another feature is that the nearby village is located quite close to the Demon World.

“You’re finally here! Welcome!”

As the gate opened and we went inside, a man greeted us.

The clothes he was wearing were quite expensive, and judging by the number of knights lined up behind him, he seemed to be the lord of this place.

As he welcomed her, the saint stepped forward and began a conversation.

“Hello. Are you the lord of this place? The messenger said that the Demon King’s army recently attacked a nearby village···.”

“Yes, that’s right! It’s already been almost a month. It happened just a few kilometers away from my city… I was really anxious, wondering when the monsters would invade our village.”

Perhaps he had been going through a lot of mental anguish during the past month since we arrived. The lord confided his grievances to the saint for a while.

“You must have had a hard time. But don’t worry now that we’re here. Have there been any monster invasions, even small ones?”

“Fortunately···there hasn’t been any yet. After the village in front was destroyed, they lived with the gates on that side practically closed.”

“Well done. That’s a good choice.”

In times like these, it was actually more convenient to have party members. At least I wouldn’t have to talk to the lord anymore. If I tried to talk to him with all the curses on me, he would be reluctant at first. From a third-party perspective, it’s so convenient to just listen.

I approached the saint a little and whispered quietly in her ear.

“Could you please tell me if there were any survivors in the village that was attacked, and what kind of demon it was···?”

“Yes? Oh yes···.”

Perhaps surprised by my sudden approach, she seemed taken aback for a moment, but quickly came to her senses and relayed my words to the lord.

“Yes, of course I sent scouts several times to check. I had to collect the bodies and investigate the monsters. But do you know what’s strange?”

He continued with a fearful look in his eyes.

“Everything was gone! The corpses of the villagers! The monsters that attacked! It was as if it had been a ghost town from the beginning, there was nothing living.”

“It was gone?”

The saintess was startled and asked back.

Adele, who was listening to the story, said something with a serious face.

“You’re a puppet.”

“Ugh··· This is going to be a headache.”

I haven’t even mentioned the next Four Heavenly Kings yet, but everyone seems to know.

Of course. The puppet master was one of the Four Heavenly Kings who had been active long before I became a warrior.

The first recorded time in history was probably the 15th warrior?

They are said to be the elder Four Heavenly Kings who have been active for at least several hundred years.

Unlike King Chung, who first appeared in the previous generation.

Because of that, there had to be a lot of information about him.

“Are you talking about a puppet company?”

“There is. There is a guy like that.”

“First of all, I’m not sure if it’s the guy···.”

“I think it would be better to go to that village first. Could you open the door for a moment?”

“Ah, yes! I’ll open it right now!”

When Camilla asked, the lord nodded his head vigorously.

Even though he was the lord of a city, he could not be compared to the nobles of the empire.

Especially if you are a high-ranking noble like Camilla.

“Ah, before that···.”

As they were about to set off, the lord hesitated and opened his mouth.

There was a faint anticipation in his eyes. Camilla tilted her head at the sight and asked.

“What’s going on?”

“Excuse me… Didn’t you come this time? I’m a bit old, but I really like hearing about you. If I get the chance, I’d like to meet you.”

“Ah.”

Camilla made an embarrassed face when she heard that. Then she looked at him and asked what he was going to do.

It seemed that rumors about the empire had not spread this far.

What can I do? If you insist on destroying my dream, I have to step forward myself.

I took a few steps forward, took off the hood I had been wearing, and looked at him and said a word.

“Nice to meet you. You are a warrior.”

“···Ah.”

Disappointment appeared in the lord’s eyes.

“”Haha. As expected of a warrior··· Your spirit is extraordinary··· Haha.”

Seeing how the atmosphere was maintained in such a situation, it seemed that the nobles were indeed nobles.

*

“···It’s desolate.”

“There really isn’t even a shadow of a person.”

The village we arrived at was one where we couldn’t help but be speechless for a moment.

Even if there are human or monster corpses piled up on the ground, he frowns.

But it’s literally empty, so I can’t react.

There was no blood on the ground, and no sign of houses being destroyed. If I hadn’t heard the report first, I would have thought that the villagers had moved out in groups.

“The situation is serious.”

Adele, who was investigating the traces, muttered with a stern face.

The saintess, hearing that voice, asks cautiously.

“How did this happen? No matter what, is it possible for a group of people to disappear like this···.”

“It’s possible. The monsters are too smart and strong, so they were captured without even putting up a fight, or······.”

Adele’s blue eyes sink deep.

“Walked somewhere and disappeared.”

“Yes?”

The saint asked back.

“Oh my god, is that possible?”

“It’s possible. If it’s a puppet, then it’s possible.”

This time, it was Lily who answered. She was drawing a magic circle with her hand and examining the surrounding magical traces. Despite her thorough examination, there weren’t many magical traces.

This is because the original abilities are not easily caught in such investigations.

She muttered quietly as she surveyed her surroundings.

“It would have been easier if it had been electronic···.”

I nodded enthusiastically.

It would have been much better to just have a bunch of incredibly strong monsters attack.

At least they were less annoying than this guy.

‘I never thought the Four Heavenly Kings would attack me in person…’

The timing was much faster than in the game. This also seemed to be due to the influence of the prohibition that the goddess had spoken of.

Enen’s mistake of squandering all his wealth on the previous warriors came into play again this time.

‘I didn’t expect that. You fucking retard.’

I was lost in thought, screaming curses that would have made the saint extremely angry if she had heard them.

The puppet master himself attacked. This wasn’t a problem that could be solved simply by the disappearance of a village.

As I said last time, the guy can brainwash people.

You never know what they might do with it.

In fact, I’ve only seen him fight directly in the game a handful of times. Even though his own strength is not weak, he starts by using his own abilities to start things off.

So when that guy shows up, you have other things to worry about.

It’s not a fight between monsters and humans. It’s a fight between humans that we have to keep in mind.

For a moment, my consciousness sank into a deep place.

We need to figure out what the guy’s intentions are. Let’s see… Why did he invade such a small village?

What benefit can be gained by invading something like this······.

As I was thinking about that, a sense of discomfort suddenly came to my mind, an error that I hadn’t thought of until I got here.

for a moment······.

“By the way, how did the scout realize that this was an attack by the Demon King’s army?”

“Huh?”

“What does that mean?”

Party members ask questions here and there.

Regardless, I continued the conversation that was almost like a monologue.

“No, that’s right. There’s nothing here that would suggest the Demon King’s army. No monster corpses, no blood on the floor, not even a broken building. If I had first discovered this, I would have thought it was just a strange disappearance rather than a Demon King’s army attack. Or maybe just a mass migration.”

However, the scouts concluded that it was an attack by the Demon King’s army.

Why?

Did they also realize that this was the work of a puppet?

No, at least the lord couldn’t even think of the word puppet. When we went to see him and mentioned it, he barely noticed.

Of course, it’s possible that the scout forgot and didn’t relay the information… But if he forgot to do that in the first place, he would be disqualified as a scout.

In short, even the scouts did not recognize the word puppet.

However, the scouts concluded that it was an attack by the Demon King’s army.

And so quickly, as if it were a given.

For a moment, a creepy hypothesis popped into my head.

An assumption that may have already become reality.

“This maybe···.”

I looked at them and opened my mouth cautiously.

“There may already be brainwashed people among the scouts.”

The poison spread by the puppet master had already seeped into the human world.