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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 190: Now, it's my turn.
As soon as I escaped the magic circle, I went up to the first floor and peeked out at the street from the tavern.
The night sky was pitch black, and there were no people around.
It felt like three or four hours had passed.
I quietly closed the tavern door and sat cross-legged on a table on the first floor.
'That masked bastard was the Phantom Thief.'
The white mask that was in the magic realm, smoking a long pipe and puffing out gray smoke. As expected, the man using the sacred object, 'Rojekko', was not the Clown.
'There are seven of them in total.'
White Heron. Clown. Phantom Thief. Thousand-Faced Fox. Wolf. Carpenter. Asura.
Asura mask, which Black Star had mentioned, was also there.
I don't know what kind of ridiculous role-playing they're doing, but anyway, those seven are the masterminds behind this situation, the core members of the Myriad Demon Assembly.
They call themselves the Seven Demons.
I can't quite figure out their identities. But one person's laughter sounded particularly familiar.
'The crazy bald guy?'
It was a long time ago, but his unique cackling laughter remained a strong memory.
Of course, it wasn't just his laughter.
People naturally want to fill their shortcomings.
'Did he wear a long-haired mask because he's bald?'
The long hair covering the Wolf mask seemed unusual.
I stopped meditating and went into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of clean moonshine without any magic, and sat back down at the table.
Looking at Dante, who was lying dead, I poured the moonshine into a glass and drank.
"Thank you, Kaplan Branch Manager, you bastard."
After downing three glasses in a row, I started meditating again.
"... ..."
I had no idea where I had been transported to.
I tried to figure out my location from the moment I entered the magic circle, but there was nothing to deduce.
Darkness stretched endlessly in all directions. It felt like standing in the middle of a vast ocean.
What was certain was that the round table seen through the window was much farther away than it appeared.
If I had broken the window and gone out, it was highly likely that a completely different space would have appeared.
Thanks to that, my identity might not have been revealed... ... .
Actually, it was a bit dangerous at the end.
The guy I killed in the magic realm seemed to be the Attendant.
The title Attendant appeared to be a role similar to the masked titles like Clown or Phantom Thief.
It seemed to signify someone who handled dirty work for the Seven Demons.
I had thought it odd that they allowed me to listen to their conversation so openly...
Apparently, aside from one person destined to become an Attendant, the other two were planning to kill me immediately.
What scary bastards.
Fortunately, I noticed first and killed the other two.
"There was a reason why Dante approached me in such a hurry."
No. 2 brought the seal Golden Myriad Trading Guild's Master as his trump card.
No. 6 poisoned the eldest son of the Ziek clan as his trump card.
No. 18, Dante, was going to bring me as his trump card.
"There are so many cunning bastards in the world."
I brought another bottle of moonshine and this time drank it straight from the bottle, quenching my thirst.
* * *
Although the Seven Demons were on equal footing, there was a hierarchy among them.
White Heron is the leader.
Carpenter, Asura, and Thousand-Faced Fox are in the middle ranks.
Clown is at the bottom.
I can't quite figure out Phantom Thief and Wolf.
Everyone seemed a bit cautious when dealing with Phantom Thief and Wolf, especially Wolf.
Originally, I'm quite good at scheming and playing mind games, but deducing this kind of hidden plot isn't really my forte.
But when I go crazy, I can really go crazy.
I kept drinking moonshine and racking my brains like crazy.
As I started to feel slightly dizzy, my thoughts began to organize themselves.
To summarize:
First, these guys aren't afraid of the vassal or divine clans.
It seems like they've already infiltrated both types of clans long ago and secured positions within them.
Their objective is clear: to 'subjugate' key figures in the clans and instigate chaos across the continent.
Moreover, when these guys use the word "subjugate," it's not just empty talk.
It means transforming humans into monsters or demonic soul humans.
It's highly likely that those seven masked figures are already demonized themselves.
If the demons of the past sought the extinction of humanity, do the demons of the present aim to enslave humanity?
Second, they don't know each other's true identities.
They share the same goal, but they don't know each other's true identities.
The atmosphere was a bit strange when Carpenter tried to deduce Clown's identity.
There's no trust among them; instead, they seem full of suspicion.
Perhaps they even consider each other competitors.
This was evident when they jumped at the chance to criticize Clown as soon as the word "traitor" was mentioned.
What I've been suspicious of from the beginning is…
…that the seven masks at the round table might not be their true selves.
Just like how Phantom Thief appeared in the demon realm before, those gathered at the round table might not be their true selves.
Third, Samael's downfall was indeed due to demons.
What exactly is the 'Revelation'?
They said the Revelation told them to erase Samael.
Among the words they used, there were a few with unclear meanings, like 'Revelation.' The most concerning one is…
"He said the summoning would begin, didn't he?"
The 'summoning' was mentioned again.
The summoning was what all Seven Demons considered most important.
Based on the meaning alone, it feels like they're summoning 'demons,' but I can't be sure.
What immediately comes to mind is the restricted magic realm in the westernmost part of Keplan.
However, there are too many other possibilities.
It could be something happening in a completely unrelated region that I don't know about.
Having finished my contemplation, I released my meditative posture and started to put away the moonshine bottles.
Whirr—
Then, I placed my hand on Dante's body and activated my dark lightning.
Dante's corpse vanished without a trace into the darkness.
"Come to think of it, Kant was right."
Since Dante was a member of the Myriad Demon Assembly, it makes sense that Kant would have had trouble investigating Keplan.
Suddenly, I remembered the message written on the palm of the messenger Kant had sent.
It said that the vice clan head of Bellusia and the Blue Magic Tower Master, Karios, were suspicious.
Judging from Thousand-Faced Fox's words, it's certain that the Vice clan head of Bellusia has already been subjugated by the Myriad Demon Assembly.
Then, what about Karios…?
"Hmm."
After briefly organizing my thoughts, I ignited a bright flame in the air and started to clean up the tavern.
For now, I intended to do what I had to do.
There was no point in worrying about a few unanswered questions right now.
After cleaning up the first floor of the tavern, I went down the basement stairs.
I erased my footprints and messed up the lounge area as much as possible to resemble its original state.
The problem was the wall I had broken... ... .
"Illusion."
With a short incantation, I created an illusionary field in front of the broken wall, replicating the mana flow of the magic circle I had seen earlier as closely as possible.
Since the principle behind illusion magic is the same, it wouldn't be easy for anyone to notice unless they had exceptionally keen senses.
"Whew."
After cleaning the tavern from the basement to the first floor, I sat down at the table again.
As I thought about what I had to do at daybreak, I slowly drank the last bottle of moonshine.
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
Dante was gone now.
On a whim, I took out the gray mask and held it to my face.
With a snap, the mask adhered closely.
For now, I am the Attendant.
Bang—!
.
.
.
Bang, bang—!
.
.
.
"... ... What's that?"
I had fallen asleep at the table and was suddenly awakened by a loud noise coming from outside.
What time is it?
I looked through the small hole in the kitchen window frame. It was still dark outside.
Bang— Bang, bang—!
The moment I realized that the banging on the closed front door was getting louder, I was wide awake.
'No way?'
It's not common for someone to bang on the door of a closed tavern this late at night.
The circumstances weren't favorable to assume it was just a drunkard.
The Myriad Demon Assembly might have noticed.
Bang, bang, bang—!
The door shook as if it were about to break.
I pressed myself against the wall next to the door and watched the situation.
Crash—!
The moment the door broke and a group of people rushed in, I also sprang into action.
"Hmm?"
As I launched myself forward, the moonlight illuminated the tavern, momentarily revealing the face of one of them.
The one who met my eyes was startled and shouted,
"Who the hell are you!"
I let out a sigh of relief, stopped my attack, and looked at the fools.
"Where were you all? I've been looking everywhere."
"Shut up! Where's the Commander?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Didn't our Commander come in here? You must have heard of the Commander of the Crazy Mage Squad."
"You're talking nonsense."
"This guy's suspicious. Where's our Commander?! Makan! Subdue him first."
The moment Zion charged at me with flames blazing in both hands, I smacked him on the forehead.
With a whack—!, Zion fell backward with a look of disbelief on his face.
"You..."
Arin, who had been watching the situation closely, said,
"I think he's the Commander."
Only then did I realize I was still wearing the gray mask. As soon as I ripped it off with a gust of wind, the fools exclaimed in surprise.
"What, it was the Commander?"
"These guys couldn't recognize me with a mask on."
I looked around and said,
"By the way, where were you all? I couldn't find you anywhere."
"There were no decent places to stay in the south."
"We were running around looking for a house!"
"I guess we missed each other."
Zion, rubbing his forehead as he got up, replied,
"Where did you go, Commander? Someone said they saw you here, so we searched every tavern but couldn't find you."
Then Zion pointed at my hand.
"What's with that mask?"
Suddenly, the fools' eyes focused on the mask, and one by one, they gasped.
"That's the one we saw in the demon realm..."
"It's the same mask that demon guy was wearing."
I closed the tavern's front door, making sure no light escaped through the cracks, and said,
"Gather around."
As the Crazy Mage Squad members gathered around me, sensing the unusual atmosphere, I cast a common incantation around our table.
6th Circle, Noise Protection.
Unlike a knight's aura, this magic left no trace detectable from the outside.
I poured a glass of moonshine for each member and began my story.
I recounted the contents of the book I saw in the White Magic Tower's library, the purpose of the Myriad Demon Assembly, the Seven Demons, and the conversations they had.
The members' expressions grew serious.
"... ... No wonder that Bellusia guy was acting strange back in the demon realm."
"What's this about a summoning?"
"... ... By North, he probably means Arihama and Baltahar, who are guarding the northern border."
After conversing in hushed tones, I decided it was time and gave instructions to the members.
"Iron and Ain, you two go back to Samael. Tell the Clan head and the elders what you heard today. Inform the White Horse Knight as well. The Clown said he's going to start making his move, so something strange is bound to happen soon. I'll send a separate message as well."
"Understood, Commander."
"Zion, you're in charge of sending a message to Ardehain. We can't trust the other vassal clans. Fichte will understand. Makan, Arin, and Palge, move together. Go to the westernmost city of the magic towers and check the demon realm for anything unusual, then wait there."
"Is this because you're worried about the summoning?"
"Yes. If anything happens, we'll meet at Hote's tavern."
Zion asked,
"What about you, Commander?"
"I'll contact Black Star separately."
At this point, Black Star was the only person in the divine clans I could trust.
***
As soon as day broke, I parted ways with the squad members and headed straight to the liaison office in eastern Keplan.
There, I sent a message to Black Star using the prearranged method.
I decided to intentionally leave Dante's tavern empty.
Judging from the Myriad Demon Assembly's past behavior, they were likely to contact me through written correspondence.
Surely, someone would try to reach the Attendant. I concluded that leaving the tavern empty would appear more natural.
Next, I immediately headed to the Blue Magic Tower in southern Keplan.
"I apologize."
"You're late. Did you receive any messages?"
"There haven't been any messages yet."
Karios' absence was longer than expected.
"It can't be helped. Tell him I'd like to see him as soon as he returns."
"Understood."
Without hesitation, I headed to the next location.
My destination was the Golden Myriad Trading Guild headquarters, located slightly west of Keplan's city center.
I had originally planned to visit the Magic Tower Alliance and meet with the Alliance Head first, but I changed my mind on the way.
It wasn't difficult to find the Golden Myriad Trading Guild building, as the entire structure was painted gold.
"If you're the Crazy Mage Commander, could you be... ... the Dark Light of Samael?"
As soon as I revealed my identity at the entrance, a man who appeared to be the person in charge rushed out barefoot from inside.
"Welcome, Crazy Mage Commander!"
"I'd like to meet the Master of the Golden Myriad Trading Guild... ... Is he here by any chance?"
The person in charge nodded.
"Yes, he was originally at the headquarters in Karen in the north, but he's been staying here for the past month."
"That's good. Tell him I'd like to see him."
The person in charge stammered with a flustered look on his face.
"Ah, well, about that..."
"Do I need an appointment to see him? It's urgent, so please just tell him I'm here."
"He's currently meeting with someone else."
"At least tell him I'm here."
"... ..."
"Why? Who is he meeting?"
The person in charge hesitated and couldn't answer.
Looking closely at him, I noticed he seemed extremely anxious. As I glanced around, I saw that the employees of the Golden Myriad Trading Guild were all trembling with fear.
"Tell me. What's going on?"
The person in charge replied with a hesitant expression,
"He's meeting with the Bellusia clan head."
"The Blood King Serpent?"
"... ... That's correct."
My eyes gleamed as I asked,
"Did they have an appointment?"
"No, they didn't. The Master was originally scheduled to leave for an appointment at the Alliance today, but..."
"So the Bellusia clan head barged in uninvited. I understand."
"Pardon?"
"What floor is the Master on?"
"... ..."
Leaving the speechless person in charge behind, I started climbing the stairs in front of me.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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