I desperately tried to recall past events. No matter how hard I thought about it, nothing came to mind about a demon king being summoned in the north. It was strange.
This was a different case from the Black Swamp Demon King and Blood Moon Demon King. Those two demon kings were summoned secretly. The methods were generally unknown, and the events never spread widely. I had been a cripple with my tendons cut, so it was natural that I'd never heard about them.
However, the case of a demon king being summoned through the remains of Frost Giant Ymir in the north was completely different. This was a major event that could turn the entire empire upside down. No matter how pathetic I was, I still would've heard rumors about it.
So at this point, I was forced to admit an uncomfortable truth: The future was definitely changing. My future knowledge was becoming obsolete.
Damn. It's been less than a year.
In other words, it meant that the changes I'd made in one year were just that significant.
"If this speculation is true, the situation might be much worse than we think," Sandra said.
"In what way?" Araxad asked.
"First of all, there is an absolute shortage of manpower. If the church is summoning a demon king, all the core forces of the Golden Horn will have been mobilized here. It would be impossible to go against them with only the people gathered here."
That was true even considering Verita, who was at least S-class in strength, and Lanfero, whose strength was unknown.
Sandra sighed, continuing, "The Golden Horn members are especially strong when it comes to individual fighting power. Just look at Corrupt Swordsman Conrad. He was one of the top five knights of the empire, but now he is a leader in the Dark Church."
I had heard of Sir Conrad before. He'd once been a member of the empire's Imperial Knights. Then at some point, he changed sides and joined the church. If his reputation was accurate, his strength was equal to at least that of an S-class hero. Add the Dark Church's dark arts and he could be even stronger than that.
"How are we supposed to deal with this?" Araxad asked.
"This is beyond the scale that a clan like ours can handle. We need to ask for reinforcements," Ramon answered.
Araxad shook his head. "From where? The imperial family? The headquarters of the Hero Society? Either way, it will take them at least ten days to get here. It would take a similar amount of time to receive our report, so it will take twenty days at a minimum. It is too late."
There was less than a week left until the demon king was summoned. That could only mean one thing.
Ramon said, "No matter what, we have to do this ourselves."
The air became several times heavier in the desperate situation. It was a very depressing atmosphere, but no one panicked. Perhaps it was because all those present were heroes. I didn't know if that was a good thing or not.
"What about the others? Even if they aren't from the Hero Society, aren't there quite a few strong people in this vast northern land?" I suggested.
"For example?"
I listed off several famous people in the north that even I knew about. "The Iceclaw, a tribe of giants known for their bravery; the hunter group, Frozen Hunt; I also heard that the guards and commander of the Utgard camp are very talented."
"You know quite a bit. However, we can't ask for help from any of them." Ramon smiled bitterly. "The Iceclaw tribe is in the deepest part of the north, so making contact with them is extremely difficult. In addition, they are strongly hostile to outsiders. There is a high possibility that they won't respond to requests for help. As for Frozen Hunt, they are a nomadic hunting tribe. The chances of running into them on this vast land are extremely low. Finally, Utgard..."
"We will get the door slammed in our faces." Sandra continued where Ramon left off. "They are only concerned with managing criminals. They would refuse to get involved in anything outside of that, even if it involves the Dark Church."
Hearing all of this, I thought to myself that it was a really chaotic land. If we could somehow gather all the power in the north, maybe we'd be able to form an iron fortress that even the Dark Church couldn't touch.
However, each group had an extremely strong sense of individualism. Still, it wasn't chaotic in the same way as the east, where everyone was openly hostile to each other. Here, no one cooperated due to being isolated.
"It seems that informing Heavenly Wind Knight Feed should be our top priority," I said.
"Yes, I suppose so."
If there was only one sliver of hope, it was the other heroes who had come all the way to the north. Of course, it was still difficult to guarantee victory even if all of them were combined. It was like raising our fighting strength from the level of a rat's claw to maybe a rat's toe.
The most important question was how to deliver this information to them.
"Senior Ramon, how long would it take to get to the Frostwolf Tribe's village from here?" I asked.
"Wait a minute." Ramon pulled out an old map and spread it out on the table. "This is Snowville Village. This is the Frostwolf Village. No matter how quickly we traveled, it would take at least five days. Depending on the weather, it could take double that time. The problem is that we would have to cross the icy lake first."
There were simultaneous sighs here and there. There were only six days left until the full moon, so it would be meaningless if it took five days to get there.
Ramon hesitated for a moment before looking at Lanfero and asking, "However, if it is Brother, you can arrive there in two days, right?"
At those words, our gazes fell on Lanfero. He frowned like he was uncomfortable being looked at this way.
"Yes. I will still be affected by the weather, but I can get there in three days at the latest."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. But wouldn't it be a bit reckless for me to leave my post?"
Apparently, Lanfero was worried that something would happen while he wasn't here. Surprisingly, he seemed to have a sense of responsibility as a clan leader.
Ramon said with a smile, "The right person in the right place. Isn't that your motto, Brother? Everyone has their own role to play. Right now, there is no one who can convey the information faster than you." d
"Mm." Lanfero sighed. "It would be like spitting in my own face if I argue any further. It can't be helped. I will go and come back."
He thought for a moment before pointing to the map. "Right now, we can consider the entire north to be the territory of the church. There is no guarantee I will arrive in time. So let's decide in advance."
"What?"
"If I don't come back by the morning of the sixth day, you will become a separate unit. Enter the stone gate and disrupt the church as much as possible. Risk your life to create a gap in their plan," Lanfero continued. "Even if I'm a bit late, I should be able to meet the Heavenly Wind Knight in time. The moment I meet him, I will explain the situation to him and start looking for a stone door. I just don't know how long it will take."
"What if there isn't a stone door anywhere nearby?"
"It is unlikely. In the first place, a lot of giants have already disappeared, right? I thought it was strange when I heard about it. They are so large that they wouldn't be hard to find even if they were buried beneath the snow. The fact that they vanished without a trace means there must be a stone door nearby."
"Mm."
"So let's set a date to act. The day before the full moon, five days from now."
We all nodded at the same time.
***
It seemed that Lanfero would leave immediately.
I asked him whether he would wait until daylight to leave and he responded, "Right now it is daytime to me."
Come to think of it, Lanfero was a vampire. Unlike me, he was in peak condition at night.
"So, I'll be counting on you, Luan."
"Should you be saying this to the most junior member?"
"You aren't the most junior in terms of skills."
"Well, that is true."
Lanfero laughed and black air currents swirled all over his body. In an instant, he turned into a swarm of bats. The air turned cold as the bats flew forth into the darkness.
"He really is a vampire," I remarked.
It was fascinating to watch the bat transformation, one of the most iconic abilities of a vampire. In any case, he looked much faster than most carriages. He could fly so he wouldn't have a problem crossing the icy lake.
"To be honest, I haven't heard a single good rumor about Corrupted," Sandra murmured as she watched Lanfero disappearing into the distance. "It is surprising."
"What is?"
"Lanfero, was it? The clan leader said that if he doesn't make it back, all of you should carry out the assault on your own. Then everyone else easily agreed."
I listened quietly.
"The clan leader gave an order to be a decoy and risk your lives, and the clan members accepted it. Heroes with such a sense of responsibility are rare these days. Today's heroes put skills first. Due to that, most of them treat character and beliefs as insignificant." Sandra shrugged before continuing, "Well, I'm not in any position to say anything. I think similarly. It is out of fashion to risk your life for your beliefs."
"Really?"
Sandra smiled slightly and patted me on the shoulder. "You are young but you have a lot of courage. You also seem to be quite skilled. I like it."
"I'm honored that you think so highly of me."
"What is your rank? You must be quite a pretty famous rookie."
"I'm B-class."
"You are higher-ranked than me."
After that casual conversation, Ramon and I returned to the northern mansion, which had become a temporary hideout for us.
I asked, "Why are we going there?"
"You have to sign the documents. You haven't officially joined Corrupted yet."
"Ah."
"By the way, Sister and Miss Mir have already finished."
Even in such a situation, he hadn't forgotten about joining the clan. I looked at Ramon again. Certainly, this goblin was definitely an unusual talent. All of Corrupted was like this.
Before leaving, I waved my hand in front of Mir, who seemed completely dazed, and asked, "Hey, Mir. Are you okay?"
"I'm okay," Mir said with an expression that looked completely not okay.
Come to think of it, she really admires Ymir. That meant Mir being in such a state was natural. She didn't know whether her family was alive or dead. Then she'd heard that the corpse of the hero she idolized was being dishonored.
It was hard to judge someone else's feelings, but I guessed she had to be full of frustration and helplessness.
I didn't particularly comfort or encourage Mir. Somehow, I decided that she needed time to herself to organize her thoughts. I left her alone and headed to the northern mansion.
It was an exceptionally sunny day today. The wind wasn't blowing and the sky was clear. However, the fact that the church members were plotting the descent of a demon king here made me feel terrible.
"By the way, Senior," I asked Ramon.
"Yes?"
"Is this all of Corrupted's power? Are you and Senior Araxad the only ones we can call on right now?"
I'd heard that there were nine clan members in Corrupted. According to Lanfero, they were a group with a bad track record, but that didn't mean they lacked skills.
Based on what I saw, the lizardmen called Araxad seemed quite skilled. The fact that I couldn't gauge his strength meant that he would be at least on par with me if we were to fight.
"Ah. There is one slime. I don't think we can count on it."
"What about the rest?"
"Um. I don't know."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, They usually act individually. Someone might be back if we head to the mansion right now. However, it is rare to see their faces even after several months."
"This is an intriguing clan."
"That is Brother Lanfero's policy."
I didn't know much about the clans of the Hero Society, but I could tell that this wasn't normal.
We arrived at the northern mansion as we talked. Then I waited patiently for Ramon to bring me the documents.
Ramon suddenly said before leaving, "Ah. Speaking of which, there is one clan member I haven't introduced."
"The slime?"
"No. I haven't seen it yet either. However, they said they moved it to the basement. Why don't you go and say hello briefly?" It will take me a while to find the documents," Ramon said before entering the office.
"Moved it?" I wondered. It sounded like he was talking about an object. Something felt suspicious.
Still, I had nothing better to do, so I wandered down to the basement. I descended the dusty stairs and was greeted by a dimly lit space. It wasn't completely dark. The poor construction left gaps between the wooden planks, letting light from the first floor filter through.
Besides that, it seemed like no one was here. I was quite sensitive to the presence of living things, but I didn't feel anything in particular. Just to be sure, I turned on my Eyes of Fire to check.
I could only see the clan's common items and unused items piled up messily. I wondered if people could really live in such a dirty place. It was so messy that it would've been infested with insects and rats if it weren't for the cold northern climate.
Ah. There was one thing that was unusual. It was a giant golem sitting at the end of the basement. It seemed to be an old model, as the design was very crude and heavy compared to the White Knights produced by the dean at the academy. It was covered in rust and didn't seem to be maintained at all, so it looked like it wouldn't work.
There was nothing else down here, so I tried to head back up to the first floor.
Then Ramon peeked out from the basement stairs and asked me, "Did you say hello?"
"Senior, are you messing with the newbies? There's no one here."
"Huh? What are you saying when it is right in front of you?"
"Uh?" I blinked before looking in front of me again. "Is it this golem?"
"Hihit. That's right." Ramon laughed mischievously. "Golden Golem Noren. It is a relic from an ancient era, one that has an ego. Its internal structure is said to be so advanced that modern alchemy can't decipher or reproduce it."
"Um. It's just like a big tin can."
The golem was sitting down, but its enormous size was clear. It was so big that I couldn't imagine how they moved it down to this basement.
I asked, "It even has an ego? Does it even work?"
"It is usually resting. What was it called? Power saving mode? Still, it wakes up once or twice a month and we can converse with it."
"Mm."
It was called a golden golem, but it didn't look like it was made of gold. Maybe some parts beneath the surface or on the inside were made of gold.
I was observing the rusty surface when Ramon approached, saying, "It might look like this on the outside, but it is incredibly tough. I heard that even Brother Araxad, attacking with all his strength, couldn't even leave a scratch on it."
"Really?"
"Really. Besides, Noren is a relic from the ancient dwarf kingdom. I heard it even defeated a dragon."
"Oh?"
I had heard of such a thing from a fairy tale. The relationship between the dragons and the dwarves was the worst. It was said that the dragons coveted the weapons, armor and artwork of the dwarves. In other words, this was a weapon created by the ancient dwarves to fight dragons.
I wondered, "Then it must be incredibly strong, right?"
"That's right."
"This is too much. If we have such a powerful senior, why didn't you mention it earlier? Wake it up quickly. Let's ask it for help."
"Uh..." Ramon had a slightly troubled expression. "I wish that was possible. However, there is a big problem."
"A problem?"
"Yes. The golem needs fuel to move."
"Then can't we just supply it with fuel?"
"We can't. At least, our clan can't."
"Why?" I stared blankly.
Ramon averted his gaze and muttered, "Noren's fuel is gold."
"What?"
"It takes ten kilograms of gold to run for an hour."
"Ah." I said, "So that's why it's called the golden golem."
"That's right."
I was immediately convinced. Even something shiny wasn't as good as it looked.