Chapter 29: Chapter 29
With its disbandment, the exploration team ‘Green Eyes’ became a legend in Shedil City.
Because it brought into reality the dream desired by many explorers visiting the city adjacent to the Demonic Realm… the ideal of succeeding in one short, intense strike and retiring.
And among its members, the renown of the legendary warrior Shan (who was famous for his overwhelming combat prowess and had virtually defeated a cockatrice in single combat) rose so high that it could go no higher.
“Oh, Mr. Shan! Over here, over here! Let’s have a drink!”
Whenever he dropped by the Explorers Guild, every explorer wanted to get close to him.
Who knew if building a friendship now might earn them a spot in the future if Green Eyes were ever revived?
Even in the past, when he defeated several people with his swordsmanship or when rumors spread that he had subdued a knight, he was a popular figure, but his current standing was on a whole different level from back then.
Now, explorers used honorifics toward an Altoan boy who was not even half their age as if he were their superior.
To his fellow Altoans, he had practically become something akin to an object of worship.
“Sounds good!”
Naturally, since others said they liked him, Shan simply giggled, sat down with them, and enjoyed free food and alcohol.
“Now, look here. Put this in this container, roll it, and if you match the number that comes out…”
Once, he even learned dice gambling and played a few rounds.
It had been proposed by explorers who intended to squeeze money out of him through gambling, knowing the young fellow had earned a fairly large sum of money.
In the middle of cheerfully rolling the dice, the man who had invited Shan smiled with his eyes curling into crescents and spoke.
“Mr. Shan, I heard you work with that fellow named Roden?”
“Yes. But why do you ask?”
“How are you splitting the profits, by any chance?”
He babbled confidently, claiming that Roden was a fraud who only looked good on the outside and was leeching off Shan, and that if Shan joined him, he could guarantee even greater profits.
In the midst of that, the moment he locked eyes with Shan, he unwittingly shut his mouth.
‘No, what kind of eyes…’
As those green eyes, which had looked gentle with their slightly drooped outer corners, stared intently at him, an unknown chill washed over him.
A feeling as if his neck were about to be sliced open by a blade at any second…
As the vicinity of the gambling table (which had been noisy just a moment ago) grew quiet, Shan gestured with his chin toward the door and spoke low.
“Get out.”
There was no need to wretchedly tack on the remaining words, ‘if you don’t want to die.’
The man bowed deeply and fled like the wind.
Even after that, Shan enjoyed playing dice with other people a few more times, but he was expelled before long.
It was because he was caught using his sharp eyes and fingertips to read the exact face values when it was not his turn, and perfectly manipulating each die’s result when he rolled the cup himself.
While Shan spent his time so leisurely, Roden was quite busy.
Negotiating the price of mana stones with the Explorers Guild, completing the transaction, and remitting the shares to Vent’s monastery and Zerpo’s school…
Since they planned to rest for the time being, he also had to resell the magic tools and various potions they had purchased but not used.
Most of them had expiration dates, so leaving them alone would render them useless trash.
Around the time the work was roughly wrapped up and they were about to get some rest, the two received an invitation from the Count.
“Roden too?”
“Yes. His Excellency the Count has summoned both of you.”
Unlike last time, the guard politely used honorifics as he escorted Shan and Roden to the Count’s castle.
The magistrate was the same.
He addressed the two as ‘Mr. Shan’ and ‘Mr. Weavers,’ and did not leave them standing in the waiting room for a long time before meeting the Count.
“Oh, oh, the heroes of our fief have arrived! Come, hurry and have a cup of tea!”
Even the Count’s reaction went one step further.
Where had his arrogant appearance (looking down on them while making them kneel beneath the stairs) gone? The old bear acted warmly as if they were old friends he hadn’t seen in a long time.
“I greet His Excellency Count of Shedil, Shield of the East and Commander of the Demonic Realm Frontier Order of Knights. I am…”
“Ah, ah, forget such stiff formalities! I am acquainted with your father, so we can hardly be called strangers. Good to see you, Roden!”
Clearly, last time he seemed to have growled about driving Callion out himself, yet his tone sounded like that of a rather close acquaintance to anyone watching.
The room he brought them to for a cup of tea was also entirely different from the grand yet rugged reception room or dining hall they had seen before.
First of all, even though it was a windowless space, glowing magic devices were embedded all across the ceiling and walls, and the overall atmosphere was elegant and luxurious.
On the wall hung a painting that moved by itself, and the chandelier on the ceiling shone strangely in various colors.
‘I thought the Count’s taste leaned toward the simpler side.’
As Shan was marveling at it, the Count brought his tea to his lips once and immediately posed a question.
“I heard you disbanded your exploration team?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Do you perhaps intend to no longer explore the Demonic Realm?”
Why such a question all of a sudden?
Although Shan was puzzled, instead of answering directly, he glanced at Roden beside him.
Receiving the glance, Roden answered on his behalf.
“For now, we plan to rest for a while. We need to recruit new members… and our last exploration was quite arduous.”
One of the things they had learned from two explorations was that they had to find truly trustworthy people as companions.
Because during an exploration, occasions where they had to confirm each other’s friendship and trust arose far more frequently than expected.
Although they were talents Roden had specially handpicked, it was strokes of luck that their first companions, Vent and Zerpo, were reliable people.
Moreover, aside from that, time to rest was also necessary.
Because the physical and mental exhaustion from two months of exploring the Demonic Realm was not something as easy to deal with as one might think.
“Mmm, is that so? Then it can’t be helped. I shall inform my butler and the guildmaster, so if you experience any inconveniences, seek their aid. By any chance, is your current lodging uncomfortable? I can spare a vacant room in the castle.”
“Thank you for your kind words, but we plan to return to the capital before long… When we return, we will gladly accept your favor.”
“I see. You are welcome anytime, so be sure to return.”
At the mention of returning to the capital, the Count frowned, but he did not press further and simply nodded quietly.
Just then, Roden asked the Count low.
“Your Excellency the Count.”
“What is it?”
“Is your statement that it is difficult to knight Shan still valid?”
The Count, who hesitated for a moment, let out a small groan and nodded.
“This room is luxurious, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Befitting a lord of the Demonic Realm frontier, the sight filled with all sorts of magic devices made one feel as if they had entered a different world just by looking at it.
Rather, it was so excessively ornate that it felt vulgar, evoking a slight sense of aversion.
“The reason I made that shabby reception room separately despite having a place like this is nothing special. I have to look as pitiful as possible to those who occasionally visit from the capital. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
“I understand.”
It was the Count’s way of indirectly expressing (in a manner that did not lose his dignity) that it was impossible because he could not overcome the territorialism of the capital nobles.
Afterward, they exchanged well-wishes a few times and parted ways, saying they would see each other next time.
On the way back, Shan checked that there was no one nearby and asked Roden.
“By the way, returning to the capital? Weren’t we going to stay here for a few months until we disposed of the relics?”
“That was originally the plan, but something felt strange. Don’t you think the Count is treating us too well?”
“Is that so?”
Shan simply thought it was natural.
Ever since he returned with the head of the cockatrice, everyone had been kind and warm to him.
Of course, there were a few bugs who tried to drive a wedge between Shan and Roden or ambushed them in back alleys aiming for the money from selling the mana stones, only to end up dead…
“Even considering that, it’s excessive. I thought maybe he changed his mind and was trying to curry favor to knight you, but that doesn’t seem to be it either.”
“I see.”
In truth, one of the things Roden worried about was whether the Count had noticed the concealment of the relics.
The relics secured in this expedition had been buried and hidden nearby rather than brought into Shedil City so they could be sold slowly later; as a result, the monster byproducts that ought to have been present were excessively meager.
At any rate, his judgment was that rather than staying here right now, it would be better to return to the capital to get out of the Count’s sphere of influence.
If his choice had something to do with political matters, he could also collect information with the help of his father, Callion.
Shan fully trusted Roden’s judgment in such matters.
“Then shall we go back, home!”
“It’s not my home, though.”
“Don’t say that and just count it as home.”
*
The next day, Shan and Roden immediately left Shedil City and headed west.
Wary that the Count might deploy troops, they rode until their horses were on the verge of exhaustion on the first day and slept outdoors; from the second day, when they felt no one was following them, they leisurely dropped by nearby villages and stayed.
Wiping his sword after dispatching a few gnolls he encountered along the way, Shan voiced a thought that suddenly came to mind.
“We’re in trouble.”
“What is it?”
“Eastern Pendia has already begun to look peaceful.”
This land (where one encountered a horde or two of monsters every day while traveling) was literally hell in the eyes of people from other countries, but after going into the real Demonic Realm and returning, it felt downright comfortable.
If you could eat berries found along the road and drink cool water from a stream, what was that if not paradise?
Roden also understood what he meant and chuckled.
Of course, in other countries like Libert, although living conditions were good, bandits and pirates infested the land; even so, Pendia’s people often mocked foreigners for being weak and fragile.
After laughing for a moment, Roden looked around as if realizing something and let out a small exclamation.
“Come to think of it, I think Mr. Vent’s monastery is around here. Do you want to drop by and say hello?”
“Is it close?”
“Probably. Judging by what I heard before, it should appear if we travel about half a day toward that hill.”
“That sounds great!”
Vent’s monastery was situated next to a fairly large village called Moniv, and like many settlements in Pendia, it was protected like a fortress by sturdy wooden palisades.
Upon giving the name of Green Eyes, they were immediately welcomed as honored guests and allowed inside.
“Look who’s here! Good to see you!”
“Long time no see, Priest!”
“Did you receive the money properly?”
“Of course, it came through securely, so don’t worry.”
Whether returning home had given peace to his heart, even though only a few weeks had passed, Vent had gained weight on his face and had a healthy complexion.
After warmly welcoming them for a moment, Vent looked around and asked in a low voice.
“Did something happen by any chance?”
“I don’t think it’s what you’re thinking… probably.”
Killing a noble of the Ajun Kingdom, concealing powerful magic devices, and the like… the secrets entwined among them were not few.
However, Roden shook his head, denying it.
“We just panicked because the Count was acting so friendly and temporarily took refuge. By any chance, do you know anything about that?”
“What would I know?”
There was no way meaningful information would be delivered to someone who had retired from explorer work and shut himself up in a monastery.
In the middle of their conversation, Shan realized that someone was peeking in their direction and snapped his head around.
A girl with hooved feet was startled and fled.
“Come to think of it, this monastery has quite a lot of Altoan children.”
“Since they live tough lives, many orphans lose their parents, and when they find it difficult to raise them themselves, they often entrust them to the monastery.”
If it were a monastery run by Old Faith believers, it would be unthinkable, but the New Faith believers taught that Altoans were also children of the Goddess.
Of course, that did not mean all New Faith believers refrained from discriminating against Altoans, however.
Just then, Vent hesitated for a moment before adding.
“Not long ago, the children raised by those people also arrived.”
“Those people…?”
“I mean the Altoan exploration team that targeted us.”
“Ah.”
“That girl just now is one of them as well.”
The Altoan exploration team that had ambushed them in the past and been wiped out, ‘Nimble Seekers,’ was a group formed by fairly skilled individuals gathered from several nearby Altoan villages.
They had steadily explored over the past few years and built up a solid career, but after suffering consecutive slumps over the last few months, they had gone missing.
The reason they went missing was, naturally, that as a final desperate struggle they tried to rob Shan’s party, only to be counterattacked.
“All the money they earned in the meantime went to the villagers, and when they ran a deficit in that state, they took out loans from loan sharks in Shedil. Then, when it became certain they were dead, the loan sharks tried to extort money from their families, so they brought them here to take refuge. A few children had already been dragged away before that.”
To loan sharks, young children were a resource worth taking in a pinch.
If they had neat appearances, they could be used for prostitution regardless of gender, and if not, they could be sold to thugs to be used as pickpockets or assassins.
For plunging a knife into someone’s back from behind, surprisingly, a child was often better than an adult who aroused vigilance.
“Mmm.”
Since they died while trying to rob them, there was no particular room for sympathy for the parties themselves, but one couldn’t help but feel somewhat bothered for their families.
Shan watched the Altoan children looking at him from far away with glowing eyes.
“To those kids, I’m the enemy.”
“Even so, do not feel sorry. One cannot simply die for a robber out of pity, can they? I haven’t told the children, so don’t bring up unnecessary words.”
“Are you fine with this, Priest?”
“What do you mean?”
“That is…”
Shan did not know how to express the discomfort he was feeling right now.
A feeling as though his chest were stifled, yet he lacked the vocabulary to explain it.
As he could not continue speaking, Vent gave a warm smile as if he understood everything and nodded.
“I understand. You probably feel like you’ve needlessly become a bad person even though you didn’t do anything wrong. Those children’s gazes must be uncomfortable, too. Distinguishing good from evil in places like this is far too complex and difficult a problem for a mere human to handle. I, too, suffered a lot while experiencing such things in my youth, but now I’ve decided to let go to some extent. Everything will come to pass as the Goddess wills.”
At Vent’s words, Shan realized what the identity of the strange psychological barrier he felt when he first saw this priest was.
He had likely lived through more years than others, frequently seeing yesterday’s friend become today’s enemy, or vice versa.
In that process, had he come to be reluctant about growing emotionally too close to other people?
Because when someone thought to be close betrayed him, the wound would be all the larger.
Priest Vent suggested that since they had visited, they stay for a day before leaving, but Shan and Roden adamantly declined and left the monastery.
On the way away, Shan, swaying his body to the horse’s pace, spoke low to Roden.
“Those explorers back then were those children’s parents, brothers, and sisters, right?”
“Probably.”
“It feels strange.”
Until now, he had never truly felt that every person he killed had fine families and friends.
Because to Shan, every enemy that threatened him was nothing more than something similar to a monster like a goblin.
Of course, that did not mean guilt over the people he had killed suddenly surged up so intensely that he could not bear it, but at least he came to feel a bit of the weight of taking human lives.
Even if not as a warrior, as a human being, he had taken a step forward.
*
Hasra, the capital returned to after a long time, was still grand and bustling.
People gathered from all over walked back and forth along the streets indifferently without paying much attention to one another.
Returning from a celebrity in Shedil City back to one person among a countless crowd, Shan chuckled to himself, finding it amusing that no one paid attention to him.
Interest had merely ceased, yet it felt as if he had become an invisible man.
Because they had not contacted him in advance, Callion was not at the Weavers mansion, so Tata the butler welcomed them instead.
Callion returned in the evening, after the two had washed themselves in the luxurious bathhouse they had missed and filled their bellies with delicious food.
“According to your letter, you were planning to stay a bit longer?”
“Some things came up.”
“Things… I heard that you caught a cockatrice, though.”
Even as he said that, Callion clicked his tongue, as if he could hardly believe it.
Although he had invested believing they would become big shots, to think they would commit such a massive feat in so short a time.
Yet, to treat it as a lie, the memory of seeing the cockatrice’s head placed in the garden was still vivid.
He had no choice but to say he had underestimated the potential the boy possessed.
Next, after listening to Roden’s explanation of the situation, Callion frowned and nodded.
“Indeed, I see. Welcome back. If you had stayed there, things would have gotten annoying in one way or another.”
“What kind of matter is it?”
“His Majesty the King’s health has worsened significantly recently. I heard it’s difficult for him to even get out of bed.”
King Gizel III of Pendia was forty-six years old this year.
Considering he was a well-cared-for royal, it was an age where he ought to still be healthy and robust.
Of course, since health differed individually, it would not be strange for someone to fall gravely ill or die.
But what on earth did Count of Shedil’s attitude have to do with the King’s health?
Sensing their questioning gazes, Callion immediately added further details.
“This is a rumor circulating among court figures, but they say the King declared he would appoint whichever of his children brings a way to restore his health (regardless of the means or methods) as his successor.”
“Something so absurd…”
The one who restores the King’s health shall become the next king.
At a story that seemed fit only to appear in an old fairy tale, Roden groaned low.
Just then, Shan, who had been listening quietly beside them, asked.
“But what does that have to do with Count of Shedil?”
“Methods that could help restore health would be sacred relics of the Goddess Faith or magic devices with healing power, but there is no way to obtain the former without waging war against another country. In contrast, the latter has a possibility of being obtained in the Demonic Realm.”
“Mmm… Ah, so that’s how it is!”
“If you had stayed in Shedil City, you would have almost gotten ambiguously entangled between the Count and the two princes. Both would poke around claiming they wanted the best explorers, while the Count would pretend to be your sponsor to serve his own self-interest. If we are to do anything, we must hold the initiative while securing as much information as possible.”
Since Shan was not an absolute idiot, once it was explained this far, he could understand the context.
If whoever obtained a magic device to restore the King’s health became the next king, Count of Shedil had no choice but to want to control explorers, especially ones like Shan.
The moment explorers brought back a single powerful healing magic device, the Count (who had been on the periphery of the kingdom’s political sphere) would gain the authority to influence the throne.
“Then we have come to learn one fact that others do not know. Currently, Count of Shedil does not possess a magic device capable of restoring His Majesty’s health.”
“Indeed.”
House Shedil was the descendant of the Eastern Knights who had pioneered the Demonic Realm since the days of the old Arman Empire.
No one knew exactly how many magic devices they secretly harbored without selling them elsewhere.
If among the magic devices the Count possessed there was one capable of restoring the King’s health, there would have been no reason for him to adopt a low posture with Shan and Roden in the first place.
Because he could simply make a deal with one of the successors using that.
While Callion was contemplating how to utilize this information, Roden spoke with a small groan.
“More than that, it bothers me more that the unwritten rule is so rigid that even in such a situation, an Altoan cannot be made a knight…”
“It probably isn’t simply because of that. It’s likely because both candidates considered for the next king are not figures favorable toward Altoans.”
The Kingdom of Pendia had two princes: the eldest, Conrad, was a devout Old Faith believer, while the second, Elvin, had the Ruman royal family (which had experienced an Altoan rebellion in the past) as his maternal family.
If one intended to establish a connection with one of them in the future, it would be troublesome to appear as a figure excessively friendly to Altoans.
And that was a troublesome matter for Callion as well.
Wholeheartedly supporting Shan (who was virtually sworn brothers with his son Roden) was entirely to take advantage of having a formidable knight as backing to enjoy the reflected glory.
Yet at this rate, no matter how well things went, it seemed it would end with merely creating the greatest monster hunter in history.
Of course, it was true that even that alone was a tremendous personal connection, but it went without saying that having the kingdom’s greatest, perhaps even the Arman Alliance’s greatest, knight as backing would be several times better.
In the first place, predicting that a king not even fifty years old would suddenly collapse was impossible, so it could not be helped.
“For now, I shall use all the personal connections I can leverage to make contact. Prince Conrad seems unlikely, so it would be better to try talking to Prince Elvin, who at least likes making acquaintances far and wide.”
Looking at Callion, who spoke with a solemn expression, Shan imagined him casting aside all his pride to flatter the ‘connections’ he could use.