Episode 142 Recruiting Talent (2)
As the surroundings gradually darkened,
Clatter, clatter—
A beautiful woman with pink hair and purple eyes was quietly looking out the window of a carriage running down the main street of the city.
Her face, with a gentle smile, had an innocent expression, as if she didn't know anything, but her heart was far from peaceful.
'This is…'
Siana, the woman, focused her gaze outside the window and spread her senses to detect the surroundings, feeling an unsettling dissonance.
One, two, three…
The number of ghostly beings had clearly increased compared to before.
And some of them were even following the carriage at a distance, as if they had set her as a surveillance target.
And at that point, she was able to realize it for sure.
'I've been caught!'
That Banshee Queen Olivia of the immortal army was investigating her.
But she couldn't figure out why she had been discovered.
They shouldn't have been able to see through her perfect human disguise just with ghostly beings.
'No, they wouldn't have figured out that I'm Siana yet. They must have started investigating for some other reason.'
If Olivia knew that she was 'Succubus Siana' and had set her as a surveillance target, they would have been more thorough.
Their current actions were a bit sloppy for an information war against her.
'Then where was I caught? It couldn't be as an imperial noble… Oath of Heaven's Defiance activities? Through Old Man?'
Her mind raced.
But he wouldn't know her real name, Siana, or even that her base was in the Empire.
They were just at that level of cooperation.
'I've been uneasy ever since those I sent to Talaria suddenly lost contact. Don't tell me this is related to that incident?'
She couldn't help but conclude that her location had been exposed through various complex paths she couldn't immediately grasp.
'Whatever the cause, I can't stay here anymore now that I've attracted their attention. I have to leave.'
It was a difficult decision, as she would have to give up many things.
After all, the Azeria Empire noble identity she currently had was something she had painstakingly built over a long time.
But it was an unavoidable situation.
The fact that Olivia was interested meant that the Immortal King's gaze was also directed towards her.
If she delayed any longer, she might be dragged back into the immortal army.
'No! Joining the army again! I'd rather die!'
She could always create a new identity and position.
But if she was caught by the Immortal King this time, she would be eternally bound to him until he was subjugated.
'Right, let's escape.'
She was able to firmly make up her mind, but there were many things she was reluctant to abandon and just run away.
'I've worked so hard to build my foundation!'
Shouldn't she at least make some arrangements for when she returned?
And she also needed to secure some funds for a fresh start…
'…They wouldn't just barge in right now, would they? A big shot like the Immortal King wouldn't personally intervene.'
He would probably only send his executives, including Olivia.
And she was in the middle of an imperial city, so they wouldn't be able to easily do anything just with them.
That meant she had at least a few days until they were ready to come after her.
Siana, unable to let go of her greed, rationalized her actions and headed back to the mansion.
And among the useful things she needed to secure, 'Andrew Weber' was also included.
He had an ability that was unparalleled in grasping the situation throughout the continent from a single location, even though there were some limitations.
Clatter, clatter— Thud!
As soon as she arrived at the mansion, she immediately opened the door and got out, ignoring the greetings of the servants who came to greet her, and headed straight towards where Andrew's presence was felt.
Boom—!
The door made a loud noise as she flung it open without hesitation.
But she didn't have the time to care about such trivial things right now.
"Andrew—!"
"Huh? Sis? What's going on…?"
"Get ready to move right away!"
"…Oh! As expected, you also thought so! I was just about to tell…"
"Just do it!"
Andrew, who had been sprawled out in an armchair, dazed from alcohol, staggered to his feet at her forceful command.
While Siana was busy packing the necessary items in a subspace created with dark magic and thinking about how to minimize her losses,
'I have to take this… It's a shame to give up on this after all the effort I put in. Is there any way to at least maintain the status quo? And that…'
But while she was preparing to escape,
Swoosh—
A chilling sensation grazed the back of her neck.
'Ah?'
She knew this feeling very well.
An incomprehensibly thick, overwhelming power that enveloped the security barriers densely installed in the mansion.
Deep, dark, heavy, and sticky.
Death, like an abyss that devoured everything.
His presence, which she had been dreading.
'Aaack—! I should have just abandoned everything and run away!'
Siana, sensing her fate, could only close her eyes tightly.
____________________
'Tobea City… It's not a metropolis, but it's not small enough to be ignored.'
And a city of this size inevitably had thorough defenses against all sorts of contingencies.
In other words, it wasn't easy to infiltrate quietly from the beginning…
And it meant that it would be difficult to completely conceal the aftereffects of his magic power, no matter how thoroughly he constructed a concealment barrier.
It was impossible to just quietly finish his business and leave.
So he prepared.
Wheeeng— Wheeeng—!
Boom—!
"Ugh! What was that?!"
"Kyaaaack—!"
Emergency sirens blared throughout the city, followed by explosions.
The explosions, which started in luxurious mansions and shabby back alleys alike, instantly threw the city, which had been gradually sinking into darkness, into chaos.
'Now, shall we go?'
If it was difficult to move quietly, he could just move in the midst of the commotion.
Hans quietly infiltrated the barrier he had set up beforehand while his subordinates were starting their activities.
An ordinary-looking noble's mansion inside the barrier.
But it was just a facade, and the inside was extraordinary…
'As expected, they put in quite a bit of effort. Ordinary people wouldn't even be able to detect these security devices.'
Abilities like "Path of Magic" and "Magic Domination" activated one after another, rapidly analyzing the magic installed in the mansion.
From perception distortion to concealment of energy and barriers to eliminate intruders.
They were all high-level spells, so it would have taken a considerable amount of time to properly break through them, but…
Crackle—!
Crackle!
Of course, it didn't apply to the Immortal King, who possessed overwhelming power.
Just by moving with his energy raised, the complex magic structure of the security barrier was crushed and neutralized by the overwhelming density of dark magic power dwelling in his body.
'Let's see, then first…'
Wooong—
A wave of energy, emanating from Hans's body as he instantly entered, distorting space with his presence, spread throughout the mansion.
At the same time, he could feel the presence of those inside collapsing one by one…
And then, those who resisted it were detected.
[There you are.]
And in the next moment,
Hans was already standing before them.
"H-h-hiik…!"
There was a blonde man, trembling violently at the sight of him, who had suddenly appeared as if tearing through space…
[Hmm? And you are?]
And a woman with pink hair, who was already prostrating herself before him.
"Ah—! Your Majesty, you've finally arrived. This girl has been eagerly awaiting your return!"
"S-sis?"
Unconditional submission that was obvious at a glance.
The blonde man's expression twisted awkwardly at her sudden change in attitude, but she didn't have the time to care about him right now.
"Ohoho… This girl has diligently prepared so that Your Majesty can conquer the continent more comfortably and surely. I've infiltrated humans and endured for a long time, with only loyalty to Your Majesty in my heart…"
The pink-haired woman even sweated as she desperately made excuses.
And Hans, the Immortal King, who was looking down at her, could immediately tell why she was acting like this.
'Demon Succubus, Siana.'
She was perfectly disguised as a human, to the point where even a high priest wouldn't be able to tell, but she couldn't escape his "Abyssal Eye", which detected all evil.
'She was ranked close to 10th under the previous Immortal King.'
She was a demon summoned from the demon world, a neighboring dimension, and she had practically joined the immortal army by chance.
He searched his memories and found that she was a useful talent in other areas, like Olivia, even though her combat power was just decent.
'Well, it's not easy for a demon to pretend to be an imperial noble. She's definitely skilled.'
It meant that she had even fooled the eyes of the strongest individuals, including the temple, so she was truly the best when it came to covert operations.
Of course, she was just a former executive who had gone into hiding and was caught.
[Hehehe, it seems like you've been living a very comfortable life.]
"T-that's not true! This girl has been eagerly awaiting this day…"
[But you seem to have hidden yourself quite well.]
"H-ho… I deeply apologize… for not contacting you…"
She started to make excuses again, but he didn't want to listen to her nonsense anymore.
"…But it was all for the sake of completing the mission more thoroughly, I didn't do it for my own personal gain…"
[Siana—]
"Hiik?!"
Wooong—
The moment he spoke her name, a strange resonance spread and penetrated her body.
And the forced contract from three hundred years ago was renewed and overlaid.
"Ah…"
She moaned, unaware that horns had sprouted from her head, as the Immortal King's energy flowed into her body.
Unlike the other undead executives, she didn't become stronger from the power of death…
'She's back in the army.'
That was enough for her to be subordinate to the Immortal King again.
Teardrop—
A teardrop unconsciously rolled down her cheek at the unwanted reenlistment.
"Ah, ah? Th-these are tears of joy? This is proof of my loyalty! Ohoho…"
But she diligently spoke, driven by her survival instincts.
Hans nodded with satisfaction and then turned his gaze to the man who was still stiff and fidgeting.
'What's with this guy? He's full of mana, but there are no traces of him learning magic or aura.'
The blonde man with a dissolute appearance froze at his gaze, but Hans casually examined him up and down, like a predator looking over its prey.
'There are no traces of training, but his physical abilities are strangely good. It's like… Huh? Don't tell me?'
Physical enhancement caused by external influence, not through normal training.
He knew this phenomenon very well.
"It seems like His Majesty is interested in this child. Andrew! Greet him properly."
"Y-yes! Greetings! I'm Andrew Weber. Um… nice to meet you?"
Andrew, the blonde man, acted awkwardly in the sudden situation.
But what interested Hans right now was his true identity.
And Siana, who had become a master manipulator, started to reveal information he hadn't even asked about, trying to win his favor.
"Andrew is also a talent I recruited for the great undertaking. Your Majesty will be surprised to see how useful his ability is. His achievements so far…"
And at the end of her story, the information he had been waiting for finally came out.
"…And another surprising fact is that he's an otherworlder! He's from a completely different dimension, not the demon world or the spirit world. Ohoho."
[…Oh? Another dimension?]
Hans's eyes flashed as he stared at him.
Andrew couldn't even protest as Siana casually revealed his personal information and just smiled obsequiously, forcing the corners of his lips upwards.
"Y-yes… Immortal King. I, I'm from a place called Earth. Hehe… It'll be almost nine years soon, yes, sir."
And his answer evoked a special feeling in Hans.
'Another… awakened one from Earth, besides me.'
It had been almost two years since he was transferred to the Auterica Dimension.
It was the moment he met someone from his hometown for the first time.