episode_0082

In Eisenwald, the northernmost region of the Sephiroth Empire, there is a place called Mount Bellendorf.

Known as an extremely treacherous area, it is a bitterly cold region that even most knights or hunters are reluctant to enter.

Eisenwald is originally famous for being quite cold and having long winters, but it is not a place where the weather feels like it is perpetually freezing all year round.

However, Mount Bellendorf can be described as a place that maintains winter all four seasons of the year.

Thus, the northern residents call Mount Bellendorf by the ominous nickname “Devil’s Mountain,” and this mountain invariably appears in northern scary stories and strange tales.

The legend of the white dragon that carries disobedient children in a net bag and takes them away on the last day of December.

Representative stories include that of the giant brothers who throw huge chunks of ice at each other and make the mountain tremble when the new moon rises.

The fear that northerners have for Mount Bellendorf is so great that such stories circulate.

Especially over the past five years, with an increase in the number of people going missing after entering this place, this ancient mountain has ultimately become a restricted area.

The Duke of Valencia, who is said to hold equal authority to the Emperor in Eisenwald, was the one who issued the entry ban.

And ironically, today, in a mountain lodge on Mount Bellendorf, is Duke Valencia himself, the one who issued the ban.

Rodrigo, who exchanged brief and simple greetings with the high-ranking demon, Hermes, rose from his seat and strode towards the kitchen.

What he brought were two bottles of wine.

The mana flowing from Rodrigo’s hand warmed the wine bottles.

He popped the cork with his hand and then offered it to Hermes.

“Drink. Warm wine enjoyed in a snowy mountain lodge is a delicacy.”

“Thank you.”

Hermes promptly took the wine without much fuss or excessive formality, and swallowed a mouthful.

“It’s… wonderful. This is what’s good about coming to the Empire. The taste of ‘luxury goods’…”

Completely unbefitting her indifferent and cold appearance, Hermes savored the wine, slightly smacking her lips.

Azuldha was not a country with much developed commerce, so ‘imported goods’ were unconditionally popular.

To the extent that the cigar, Kashrum, which was offloaded as drug inventory from Kashmir, sold like hotcakes without any hesitation.

Anyway, there’s a saying that a good way to break down the wall of tension during a first meeting is to eat something, and that was exactly the situation now.

The mountain lodge, which had been radiating a cold atmosphere due to considerable tension despite the politeness, began to warm up snugly with a bit of camaraderie.

“It’s quite a high-quality item, and there’s more, so take some when you leave. Anyway… I’ll get straight to the point. So, what kind of negotiation does the Hegemon of Azuldha’s West desire from this old man…”

“Hehe. I’d like to warm myself up a bit, so I’ll answer you right after I drink a little more.”

Gulp, gulp.

Hermes, easily downing an entire bottle of wine from her seat, looked like the enchanting snow maiden from Eisenwald’s local folklore.

In that fleeting moment of gazing at her beautiful form, Rodrigo recalled his first meeting with Hermes.

*

It was about a month ago.

There was a significant disturbance and invasion in the immediate border area with Azuldha, located at the northernmost tip of Eisenwald.

A faction that had won in the Azuldha demons’ unique ‘pecking order’ boldly invaded the border during their southward advance and attempted to occupy part of Eisenwald.

The southward-advancing force was quite large, creating a situation that would cause a major headache for cleanup, but it was Hermes who appeared before the marching Rodrigo.

This beautiful and powerful demon introduced herself as the Hegemon of Azuldha’s West and a close subordinate of the next Demon King, Kardmos, and rattled off information about the southward-advancing force.

For Rodrigo, who had a good understanding of demon ecology, this kind of intelligence was not particularly surprising.

Azuldha’s demons have no ties with demons outside their own faction or power, and are rather close to being hostile.

Therefore, to strike at hostile forces, they would often join hands with humans, whom they usually ignored and despised.

However, in a situation where Hermes might be a spy for the southward-advancing demon force, Rodrigo couldn’t trust her recklessly.

“The choice is yours, Grand Duke. After all, the moment I revealed myself before someone who has reached the realm of profound insight, my life ceased to be my own, didn’t it?”

However, Rodrigo decided to trust Hermes, who, with a relaxed demeanor, showed a willingness to be executed on the spot if her words proved false.

It wasn’t a decision made because Rodrigo was a gullible fool or enchanted by Hermes’s beauty.

It could be seen that the warrior’s ‘instinct’, honed countless times on the battlefield for over half a century, led to that decision.

The blade-like senses of a seasoned warrior who had reached the realm of profound insight, which themselves served as clear evidence.

Furthermore, Hermes was an intelligent demon with such keen observation and senses that she even noticed Rodrigo’s own profound insight, which he had carefully concealed, leading to even greater trust.

And his faith and choice based on his intuition brought Rodrigo victory without fail.

Additionally, the level of information Hermes brought was so high that Rodrigo was able to achieve a far more overwhelming victory than usual.

“Grand Duke, I will quietly disappear. However, with this much, you can consider that we have earned your trust, can’t you? The promised location and time are…”

Thus, on a certain month and day, the two, who had agreed to meet where people’s attention wouldn’t reach, finally met today in this secluded mountain lodge.

“Ah… it truly was a moment as sweet as honey, and so happy. I apologize for showing such an undignified display. To get straight to the point, our Emperor wishes to join hands with the Grand Duke. A kind of political partner, perhaps?”

“A political partner… but that’s too vague a proposal. I don’t like beating around the bush or testing the waters…”

Rodrigo quietly drew forth his mana, as solid and heavy as a massive snow-covered mountain.

However, Hermes merely smiled faintly without much agitation.

“Please calm your power. There was no intention to anger you. To speak without concealment… first, our Emperor possesses some degree of the power to read the heavens, that is, the future.”

“…”

Rodrigo couldn’t even manage a bitter laugh at this utterly absurd explanation of the situation. Reading the future? It was just a preposterous tale.

However, Hermes remained unfazed by his reaction, took out a black orb from within her robe, and silently shattered it.

Poof-

As the orb vanished without leaving a single fragment or trace of dust, scattering as it disappeared, the mountain lodge on Mount Bellendorf began to change.

“Is it illusion magic?”

Hermes shook her head and replied to Rodrigo’s unenthusiastic question.

“No. Rather than an illusion, it’s a sculpted memory of the future that His Majesty has seen. I will not explain further. After seeing this magic, you only need to decide whether you will meet with our Emperor or let this connection cease to exist.”

“Hmm… I don’t know what it is, but I’ll give it a try.”

With Rodrigo’s slightly unenthusiastic reply, the two entered the magic.

*

With a whoosh of sound, Rodrigo and Hermes stood in the grand central plaza of Sephyr, the Imperial Capital.

On a day when the sunlight was particularly dazzling and scorching, people swarmed like ants in the vast plaza of the imperial capital.

This plaza, named Agora, is a famous landmark in Sephyr, home to a massive obelisk erected to commemorate the achievements of the Founding Emperor.

Although it is also used as the endpoint for parade shows during imperial festivals, very occasionally it is used for quite brutal purposes.

When someone commits treason against the Imperial Family, Agora is the location used for public executions for such acts.

It is a long-standing custom and tradition for the reigning Emperor of Sephiroth to serve as the executioner.

A type of imperial law dictates that a great traitor who dares to directly challenge imperial authority must be personally crushed by the Emperor himself.

“Great traitor Rodrigo, raise your head.”

The beautiful young man speaking lightly and sonorously was the Empire’s First Imperial Prince, Leontidas.

The Imperial Prince, looking not much different from his current appearance, stood in the position of the executioner, holding the Emperor’s exclusive armor and sword.

And kneeling before the dignified and elegant Emperor, grinding his teeth, was Rodrigo.

Gone was the image of a majestic and powerful general; he was merely bound and helpless.

The ‘real’ Rodrigo, who had entered the magic, simply watched that pathetic sight in silence.

The magic continued to unfold.

“You… Leon… how dare you…”

The Rodrigo in the magic, grinding his teeth and glaring at Leon as if to kill him, but the situation did not change.

“Listen, Grandfather. Shouldn’t you have tempered your ambition? Grand Emperor, Regent… Do you truly think such a thing is permissible in this Empire? The lust for power is truly terrifying. For my own grandfather to be a madman who tries to marry off his own daughter, disguised as a granddaughter, to his grandson… just die.”

Swish-!

With that, the sword came down, and blood gushed out like a fountain.

Clang. Thud…

Rodrigo’s cleanly severed head rolled across the plaza, and shouts erupted from the people lined up throughout the square.

“Hooray…!! The traitor has been executed!! Long live Emperor Leontidas!!!! Long live the Empire!!!”

The ear-splitting cheers that echoed throughout the plaza faded into the distance, and the illusion, or rather, the sculpted memory… such magic, dispersed.

Thus, the two returned to the snowy mountain lodge, along with the shattered magic.

The warm atmosphere that had been heated by a glass of wine vanished without a trace.

“……What in the world is this trickery?”

In a voice filled with rage, Rodrigo drew forth his massive blue mana.

With a crack of sound, cracks began to spread across the walls of the mountain lodge.

“Whoa, whoa~ There was no intention to anger the Grand Duke. But, even though the Grand Duke is angry… don’t you already know? The ‘truth’ contained within His Majesty’s magic.”

“……”

Rodrigo did not reply.

And the next moment, he reached out his hand like lightning, seized Hermes by the nape of her neck, and snapped her neck.

Rodrigo threw the dead-eyed Hermes, who couldn’t even let out a dying scream, onto the floor.

But, the dead-eyed Hermes opened her mouth and continued to speak in a horrifying, creaking voice.

“It’s not as if I didn’t expect such a reaction. How could you not be confused when a demon you’ve never seen before knows a secret that only three people in the world should know?”

“S-Shut… up…”

However, Hermes was not a demon who served Rodrigo as her master, so she had no reason to obey him.

With a creaking sound, she got up and sat back down.

“His Majesty needs the Grand Duke’s power. This isn’t the only future he knows. If you join hands… making that secret desire deep within your heart a reality would not be a difficult task.”

Hermes then slowly crumbled away like a snowman under the sunlight.

“Shouldn’t a treaty be made between ‘kings’, not mere messengers like myself? Let’s meet again here on the first Friday of June. At that time, our Emperor will personally make the journey… though I will first visit the Grand Ducal castle as a messenger before then.”

With that, Hermes vanished like a phantom.

“Cunning bitch… as expected, they didn’t send the real one from the start. Well… whether demon or human, everyone digs a hole to save their own skin, I suppose….”

For the murmuring Rodrigo, the fact that the Hermes who died and disappeared wasn’t the real one was not a particularly important matter.

Far more important than that was….

Why did Kardmos, the man who called himself the Demon King, know that Marisa was his biological daughter?

“June… will be truly busy.”

Rodrigo opened the wine bottle and drank it down in one gulp.

The wine, once warmed and then cooled again, tasted terrible.