episode_0129

Abyssal priest of the Reverse Heaven Council, Orde Zenbel.

The true identity of the suspicious man wearing a robe was surprisingly revealed to be a villain. The moment his deeds were known, all the nearby holy knights gathered around him with fiery eyes, as if he were an archvillain.

It was just a setting, but his name was mentioned in the original novel.

“Orde Zenbel…? Could it be that he’s the nightmare of Bizenberg, the demon worshipper Orde?”

Freid exclaimed in surprise, seeming to know about his opponent’s notoriety.

“…Arrogant little brat. Are you his offspring?”

Offspring. Well, looking at appearances alone, one could easily make that mistake.

…So, does he not know anything about Freid? Well, that was fortunate.

If Orde knew that Freid was a holy warrior, he wouldn’t be casually making noise like this; instead, he would have tried to kill us outright.

“If you’re an offspring, teach them well. Uttering your opponent’s nickname lightly is no different from challenging them to a duel.”

There was a hint of anger in Orde’s voice.

He must dislike being called a demon worshipper.

While ‘the nightmare of Bizenberg’ might have been a title that he considered evidence of his reputation, ‘demon worshipper’ was a derogatory term filled with contempt and ridicule.

“You speak well. Don’t you consider ‘the traitorous knight’ a nickname?”

He was quick to call me a traitorous knight upon seeing me, yet he got upset when he was given a nickname. His double standards were truly at a Jekyll and Hyde level.

“…That was rude of me. I thought ‘Ironhide’ was a more favorable title than others.”

Orde apologized for his rudeness. It was hard to tell if his tone was sincere or mocking, but either way, he made a formal apology.

“You seem to know my nickname very well. Did you do your research thoroughly? I don’t appreciate it.”

I glared at him as I slightly drew my longsword from its scabbard.

Although I told him not to be wary since he wasn’t an enemy, I couldn’t help but remain cautious.

If Orde Zenbel—meaning one of the high-ranking priests of the Reverse Heaven Council—was indeed real, he would be a more formidable foe than any pursuer I had encountered before.

Orde Zenbel, the abyss mage who used dark magic to control monsters, destroying seven villages and cities including Bizenberg.

Although he didn’t seem to bring along the monster legion that enabled such destruction… there was a part of me that believed he stood there calmly because he trusted in something.

“Moreover, the fact that he appeared so boldly in front of us… should we consider everything up until now as mere stalking? Surely it wasn’t just a coincidence.”

One of the five high-ranking abyssal priests in the world. What are the chances of encountering such a being by chance on the road?

Perhaps it was similar to the probability of winning a gacha item subtly lowered by a money-hungry game developer?

Therefore, the encounter with him could only be seen as inevitable rather than coincidental.

Like many pursuers I had faced recently, he must have been tracking me.

Despite taking care to conceal my tracks, I still got caught so easily. What kind of tactics did he use?

“It’s not stalking, it’s tracking. I was careful to hide my movements, but it wasn’t perfect. Using ‘dogs’ made it easier than I thought.”

“Dogs? Dogs?”

Did he use hunting dogs to track me?

No, that couldn’t be it. If tracking me was that easy, the pursuer would have multiplied fiftyfold by now.

“If you want to see, I’ll show you. If you don’t mistake it for a threat and attack.”

Orde seemed amused by my reaction, chuckling softly, then flicked his finger, summoning something.

“Grrrr….”

The sound of an animal howling behind him. In the darkness of the shadowy forest, concealed by shadows, a pair of red eyes gleamed like small torches.

Was that the ‘dog’?

I extended my left hand to the side, ready to draw the Holy Sword at any moment, aiming at Freide who was revealing himself gradually, and stared fiercely at the ‘dog’ that resembled its name.

A head resembling a dog, covered in black and rough fur. A body resembling a monkey with three tentacles protruding instead of a tail.

A monster equivalent to Wight, known as a Maghound.

“The sense of smell of a Maghound is incomparable to that of an ordinary hunting dog, making it perfect for tracking something. I imprinted your scent on him and had him chase you.”

Orde explained how he pursued me while stroking the Maghound’s head.

There seemed to be a strange affection in his touch, as if he knew the reason for being labeled as a “Demon Hunter.”

“Due to traveling by river, the scent was lost, causing some trouble… but there was a particularly strong scent lingering around here. Did you have business under the river?”

“That’s none of your concern. More importantly, imprinting the scent? How did you manage that?”

“Curious? Hmm, alright then. It wouldn’t hurt to offer a piece of advice while strengthening our friendship.”

Orde chuckled knowingly. His tone seemed to suggest even his existing friends were getting tired of him.

“Advice?”

“If you were planning to hide your identity and move stealthily, you should have paid more attention to disposing of your belongings. Your management in that regard was quite lacking.”

Orde pulled out a bundle of cloth from his pocket.

It was dark, but as soon as I saw it, I understood what he was talking about.

“…That clothing looks very familiar.”

“Naturally. It’s the clothing you wore. He’s selling them for a price five times higher than the cost of fine new clothes.”

During my days as an active adventurer, I had sold off the Nubi armor and pants to merchants for money. What he held were those pieces of clothing.

…

So, this guy… managed to track me down by finding and obtaining the clothing I used to wear, following my scent.

Kind of like a crazy stalker, isn’t he?

Ugh, gives me the creeps.

I shuddered reflexively. From my arms to my back, it felt like goosebumps were spreading all over my upper body.

“Tsk…!”

Freide also seemed to share a similar sentiment, glaring more fiercely at the clothing Orde held with a more menacing look than before.

It was like the gaze of a monster looking at a golden ring that reveals writing when put into fire.

“Well, are your doubts cleared now?”

“…Chasing after the scent left on the clothes is a bit disgusting. I feel like burning them right away.”

“If you wish.”

Orde readily nodded and conjured a small flame to burn my old clothes to ashes.

…What’s going on? Why is this guy being so kind? It was a strangely friendly attitude. Especially for a Abyss Priest.

He talked about enemies and such, but could it be that he was sincere?

“Are your curiosities satisfied? If so, let’s get to the point.”

After scattering the remaining ashes into the wind, Orde turned even the Maghound back, showing me his right hand as if to shake hands.

A normal palm without a trace of magical aura, as if suggesting we should shake hands.

And then…

“I’ll be straightforward. Will you join us?”

Suddenly, he spoke with a bark that could rival a military command, urging me to become his companion.

◆◆

Orde, the Abyss Priest, who extends his hand as if he’s becoming the next Pirate King, inviting me to join him as a comrade.

“…What? Join you for what?”

I forgot what I wanted to say and stood there dumbfounded.

Shock, confusion, disbelief.

And a hint of discomfort.

Wouldn’t women who receive confessions from vastly inferior men feel like this?

A sense of self-disgust and discomfort, feeling like even such a lowly creature is looking down on me. That’s the kind of feeling it was.

Seriously.

The whole world may treat me as a criminal, but no matter what, it’s not like that. Why did the abyss priest come looking for me to become his companion and fall for it?

In these kids’ eyes, I seem to be seen as human waste just like them. It was a severe insult.

“How dare you…!”

Instead of me, Freide distorted her expression. Even her breath seemed more furious than mine.

“Just a moment… Just calm down for now.”

“Hilde, but…!”

“I’ll handle it. So just stay quiet for a moment.”

I grabbed Freide’s shoulder to calm her down, then looked back at Ord and asked.

“What do you mean by those words? Trying to make me a reverse priest… No, trying to recruit me into the Abyss Order?”

What kind of nonsense is it to suggest joining forces?

“It’s similar but slightly different. Since you’re neither a mage nor a priest, you can’t serve the Abyss with us as compatriots. However, even if you can’t be a compatriot, can’t you be a companion?”

Ord replied, shaking his head. He meant not to make me an Abyss Order priest, but simply to join hands.

“It’s not a bad offer for you. By joining us, you can escape the threats of relentless pursuers, and our goals align with yours.”

Are you trying to achieve world peace or something?

“Well, it doesn’t seem like it.”

“…You talk excessively contrary to rumors. Stop interrupting and listen to the end. The story isn’t over yet.”

Seemingly annoyed by the continuous interruptions, Ord grumbled, putting his hand into his hood and rubbing his forehead.

“……”

“Sigh… Let me explain again. Our – the Abyss Order’s goal… So, our current goal is one thing. Disposing of trash who call themselves heroes.”

Ah, is that so?

Of course, that makes sense.

I nodded with a sullen face. It was truly an unsurprising statement.

It is the role of an Abyss priest to obtain power from knights and heroes, so naturally, they must kill heroes among themselves.

Even though one of those heroes is standing right next to me.

…They would attack immediately if they found out, right?

Can I win if we fight? I deliberately dragged out the conversation to recover some strength… But I still don’t know.

“More precisely, it’s about eliminating the champion of Herbor, Haid Gardarik Herbor. That is our goal.”

Ah, I agree with that too.

They were unexpectedly trying to do something good. The intention itself might be trashy for some reason, but the results should be good.

“You were aiming for Gunter Hagen of Burgrun, right? They said you failed to assassinate him and his followers.”

…That’s just a false accusation.

Far from assassination, I almost fell victim to them. Thanks to quickly fleeing the first time, and Freide helping me the second time, I barely survived.

“If you become our ally in removing Haid, we will also help you deal with Gunter. How about that? Isn’t it a satisfactory proposal?”

Once again, Ord extended his hand to me. With an air of absolute confidence that there was no reason to refuse.

“Um……”

I released my right hand from the hilt of the sword, wrapped my chin with it, and pondered for a moment.

About his proposal. About what choice I should make.

And…

“…Alright, not bad. As long as we can trust each other.”

I nodded, relaxing my guard stance. I responded with a willingness to accept the proposal.

Freide, who was standing beside me, looked at me in astonishment, but when I firmly grabbed her shoulders and pressed down, she soon calmed down.