Episode 134
“That’s…”
Eileen’s hand trembled.
As if recalling a memory she didn’t want to recall, she hesitated for a moment before asking me.
“…What do you want to know about the Condor Mercenaries?”
“Here is this guy.”
I held out only Caria.
Then his condition, which I had hidden for a while, was revealed in front of me.
“This is the same as then…!”
The first to respond was, of course, Milium.
She was about to run towards me at any moment, but I stopped her again.
“If you think of your son, you shouldn’t come any closer, Sir Milium.”
“What are you talking about!”
“I think you must have already guessed the reason.”
Milium stopped at my words.
I understand to some extent how she feels now. Parental love takes precedence over anything else in the world.
“that…”
“Of course I know it’s not easy to say. It’s strange to hear that story in a place like this… …“
People were slowly gathering around.
I can’t say anything about Cariaman or the Condor Mercenaries in a place like this.
‘Anyway, it seems to be true that there is something I haven’t heard.’
need to be sure
If the speculation I came up with is true, it needs to be resolved quickly.
“Let’s change seats.”
“Where?”
Milium asked me.
Instead of answering her words, I pointed my finger in the direction.
If it’s not a lawless zone, there’s only one tall, solid wall between them.
A barrier guarding the borders of the Empire.
“…Marquee?”
“That’s right. I guess I’ll have to talk to the highest person in the area.”
Although it is still only speculation.
Should I say intuition?
These days, my intuition is rarely wrong.
It seemed that this was not just about Milium or her son.
“Ha, but my child…”
“For now, it’s okay. I also gave first aid. It won’t get any worse than this.”
Of course, that alone isn’t enough.
I had to talk to Marquis about the details and make it clear.
“So let’s move first.”
* * *
Marquis Ision looked out the window with his arms crossed.
From his room, he has a clear view of the border beyond, including the lawless zone.
He assigned his room here so that he could check the situation outside at any time.
It’s like being on the battlefield all the time.
‘It’s been peaceful for quite some time, but now it’s something we don’t know.’
Recently, the emperor directly issued an imperial decree to the Margrave, telling him to be wary of the ‘unknown enemy’.
devil.
Beings that spread ominous evil and harm humans.
Just a year or two ago, the idea of defending the borders of the empire from demons was nothing more than a delusion.
But now it’s different.
The emperor of this empire himself said that it was not a ‘delusion’.
If so, you should prepare.
The Marquis was never a foolish person who settled for peace.
Wasn’t it his mission to protect the empire in some way?
“under.”
Thinking so, the Marquis laughed.
I thought I had to prepare, but since it was a devil, I couldn’t think of how to respond right away.
Although the Marquis is a veteran of the reversal.
What should the devil do… ….
It’s because he’s never had much contact with him.
Breaking people’s heads is his specialty, but unfortunately the devil can’t.
‘If I could get some advice from the rumored hero, it might make things easier.’
But it doesn’t seem very likely.
It is said that the hero of the time is capricious and is not swayed by others’ words, so he would not be a being that the Marquis could call because he wanted to meet him.
The Marquis also has a duty to protect this barrier, so he cannot leave his seat.
I just have to wait for the warrior to visit here someday.
It was when I was thinking so.
thud!
“…hmm?”
Suddenly, a sound rang from the mansion.
The Marquis’ eyes suddenly sharpened, and he put his hand on the sword at his waist.
‘There must have been guards guarding the mansion.’
They are all competent.
As much as guarding the borders of the empire, there were no weak soldiers or knights guarding this place.
Among them, those who protect themselves are the elite of the elite.
But what they didn’t even notice.
‘Could it be the devil.’
The emperor’s warning came to mind.
The devil can come at any time and you should never let go of your guard.
Especially the Marquis himself.
The Marquis quickly checked the holy water he had prepared.
The amount is enough, so maybe it will work somehow.
The Marquis, who had prepared to draw his sword at any moment, approached the visit little by little.
As soon as the enemy is seen, the sword… ….
“hello.”
“…?!”
Suddenly, the Marquis was startled by a voice from behind.
Reflexively, the sword was pulled from its scabbard and swung at the owner of the voice with lightning speed.
‘Oops.’
Marquis belatedly regretted it.
The opponent who swung the sword just now didn’t feel any aura that could be said to be ominous.
However, the sword that has already been swung cannot be retrieved.
The sword simply kills the opponent… ….
Caang!
“…hmm?!”
couldn’t cut
Marquis’ sword bounced off the transparent membrane created by the opponent.
‘Magic?’
The Marquis’ eyes flinched.
It was none other than magic that blocked his sword.
But no matter how much magic it is, it’s enough to block one’s own blow… ….
“Who are you? Reveal your identity.”
“First of all, let me say that I am sorry for meeting you like this, Marshal Ision.”
He quietly bowed in front of the Marquis and introduced himself.
“My name is Mikhail Walpurgis, a former warrior of the time.”
“Wait a minute, a warrior?”
When the unexpected name came out, the Marquis opened his mouth.
“Yes that’s right.”
“A warrior…Home invasion?”
“….”
At those words, Mikhail slightly averted his gaze.
The scenery outside the window was truly desolate.
Soon, Mikhail answered with a clear smile.
“It is a basic requirement.”
“….”
Without saying a word, the Marquis looked at Mikhail with heavy eyes.
Silence passed between the two.
* * *
“…her.”
The Marquis looked only at Caria with a firm expression.
Although the erosion of Caria Bay has now stopped, the part that has been eroded until then remains intact.
“What the hell… …The Marquis
sighed briefly as he looked at the condition of Caria Bay.
He had something to do with Milium.
Of course, I’m sure you’ll feel pretty sorry about Cariaman.
“The reason I came here is because I decided that your Excellency also needs to hear about the current situation.”
“What do you mean by circumstances?”
“For now, I’m assuming it’s something related to the devil.”
“devil…!”
The Marquis’ face hardened.
I looked towards Milium and Eileen.
These two are directly involved in this case.
“It is an undeniable fact that Lord Milium’s son has been eroded by monsters.”
“…I see.”
“Fortunately, your son’s erosion did not go to a serious level, so it is at a level that I can purify right away.”
Milium shouted at my words.
“Then do it right away, benefactor! If you save this child, grace… …!”
“Just before that.”
I cut her off and went straight to the point.
“I had a question earlier. Exactly what happened with the Condor Mercenaries.”
“…!”
“I heard from Aileen that the Condor Mercenaries made a ‘mistake’. There was a problem in the process of hunting demons.”
I know that far.
The question is exactly what happened to cause Caria Bay to be eroded by monsters and to come this far.
The first time she saw Cariaman’s face, she screamed.
It was a response that he did not know that his son had been eroded by a monster.
But there will be clues.
“Sir Milium must tell me the truth so that I can respond appropriately. I’m hoping my guess isn’t true.”
“that…”
Milium frowned.
It’s like remembering what happened back then.
“Does the benefactor think that the condor mercenaries have something to do with my son’s erosion?”
“For now, I’m thinking of it as one of the possibilities.”
At my words, Milium frowned and muttered.
“It’s a possibility…. It’s not that there weren’t any suspicious corners.”
“What if it wasn’t there?”
“They were wary of me.”
It’s not strange.
Strictly speaking, Milium and Eileen would have been merely guests of the mercenary corps.
It is quite possible to be wary of outsiders.
but.
“That ‘boundary’ doesn’t have the usual meaning.”
“yes.”
Milium nodded.
“Don’t the Condor mercenaries give their members ‘new names’? It is known to the world that it establishes one’s identity as a mercenary.”
“It is.”
The condor mercenary group is different from the general mercenary group.
As mercenaries, it is true that they pursue profit to some extent, but all the requests they receive have a clear ‘justice’.
That’s why someone called them knights wearing the mask of mercenaries.
In fact, the mercenary commander, Mylus, was also that knight at one time.
The problem is that what Milium is talking about now doesn’t seem to be a tradition with such justification.
“But there was something strange about that ‘new name’. I don’t know if it’s been like that since the beginning or if it’s been like that since my son.”
“Are you saying the Condor Mercenaries have something to do with the devil? Anyway, that friend of Mylus isn’t the kind of person to be involved in that kind of thing.”
The Marquis shook his head in disbelief.
“It was a knight who knew honor. Isn’t the Condor Mercenary Corps created by that friend? of course…”
“Sir Ision I have been with the Mercenary Corps for over a year and have never seen Sir Mylus.”
“yes?”
Marquis Baek looked at Milium with a puzzled expression.
She nodded with a serious expression.
“At first, I thought it was because he was simply a busy person. At least…Until my son becomes like this.”
“No wait…The Marquis
touched his forehead with a confused expression.
“Are you really suspicious of the Condor Mercenaries? Really that devil… …Are you related?”
“There is no possibility.”
As I listened to the conversation between the two, I intervened in the middle when my thoughts were organized in my head to some extent.
Both eyes focused on me.
“Do you know the name Sir Milium’s son received in the mercenary corps?”
“I remember. It was called ‘Mel Orn’.”
Mel Orn.
At that moment, I frowned.
It was public.
Should I say no?
Looking at Kariaman, who was trembling in pain, I recalled the knowledge I knew for a moment.
‘Mel.’
It occurred to me that perhaps this was a trivial devil’s trick.
“The word Elm is often used in the names that demons give to my people.”
“…What do you mean?”
“The word Elm works not only with its exact spelling, but also with slight variations. For example…“
Yes.
“It wouldn’t matter too much if I changed it to Mel.”
It could certainly be called a demonic deception.
Great mage who transcends by regression
