Episode 158 The Aftermath of the Capital Invasion (2)
They moved to a secluded garden to talk.
"I've heard the stories. You went all the way to Jeron and made a great contribution."
He was in his late thirties, dressed neatly in a formal attire, his hair slicked back with oil.
The man, who introduced himself as Patrick, looked more like a civil servant than a mercenary.
"As you know, our guild is in a state of turmoil with the death of Kanbul, the Mercenary King."
One might belittle him as just the head of mercenaries, but the position of Mercenary King wasn't a light one in this continent.
In this world where monsters and bandits were commonplace, mercenaries were a common profession.
Naturally, they needed a group to represent their interests, and as a result, countless small guilds were formed in various places.
And it was the first Mercenary King, 300 years ago, who united those scattered guilds and established the current system.
He was a legendary figure to mercenaries, having earned the title of 'King' from other forces based on his transcendental strength and the continental influence he gained through the guild.
'And he was also a member of the expedition that defeated the second Immortal King.'
But as everyone knew, the expedition's end wasn't good.
The Mercenary King somehow survived until the final battle, but he eventually died in the place where the current Picaol Cathedral was built, where the holy sword was sealed.
After that, the Mercenary Guild started to inherit the title of 'Mercenary King' to honor him, and other forces accepted it, solidifying it as a tradition.
'So the Mercenary King can't be excluded from the fight against the Immortal King. Kanbul would have also reluctantly volunteered for the hero party if he hadn't died at Hans's hands back then. Or he would have just retired.'
Whether Heinrich accepted him or not.
"After the Mercenary King's position became vacant, the situation has become very complicated. The largest faction in the guild practically lost most of its influence with the deaths of Kanbul and Payton, and the other factions that absorbed their power are trying to put forward the next Mercenary King… but…"
Patrick, who had been speaking calmly, smiled meaningfully.
"If you become the Mercenary King, you inevitably have to participate in the expedition. And even if the Saint refuses you, it'll lead to controversy over your qualifications, so they're hesitant to step forward."
In other words, they were just watching each other.
"Sniff! So what? Why are you telling me all this?"
Harley knew this man well.
Naturally, he was also part of the envoy, so he had already been investigated.
The secretary general of the Mercenary Guild was a position directly appointed by the Mercenary King, and he had only recently taken over the position after the previous secretary general retired.
In other words, he was a member of the largest faction in the guild, which was Kanbul's faction.
The faction that had become powerless, as he himself had said.
'Actually, this guy is also in a precarious position. If he had been outside the barrier when Hans attacked the cathedral, I would have just eliminated him.'
According to various investigations, he was more the type to clean up the mess after following orders from above than to actively commit evil deeds.
He could be considered a typical yes-man.
But it also meant that he was competent enough to be trusted by a bad guy, so he couldn't be considered completely innocent.
"You voluntarily participated in the fight against Immortal King Hans this time, Harley."
"Ah, I couldn't just sit there when I heard he was stronger than the Hero! Well… he was definitely strong. But I thought I could at least land one hit!"
"No, regardless of the result, you've already proven your bravery and strength. Even the Saint acknowledged it."
His eyes, which had been speaking calmly, suddenly flashed sharply.
"Harley, are you interested in the position of Mercenary King?"
"…Oh?"
Harley could clearly see his intentions.
'He's switching sides.'
He was still maintaining his position because of the current situation, but he would inevitably lose his position once the next Mercenary King was elected.
It was only natural for him to be frustrated, as he had finally reached this position after years of hard work.
So it seemed like the breakthrough he found was Harley, who didn't belong to any particular faction and whose strength had been proven.
'Come to think of it, he recommended Harley after Kanbul died. As the secretary general, he would be well-informed about each branch… Is he trying to maintain his power by becoming a kingmaker?'
Strength was the top priority in the Mercenary Guild, but it was also a large organization that had existed for over 300 years, so naturally, they couldn't ignore the political aspects.
And if Patrick, who was still the secretary general, combined his authority with Harley, who had strength but no foundation in the guild?
"Hahaha! Mercenary King? That's an interesting offer! Shall we discuss it in more detail?"
There was no need to refuse an opportunity that came knocking.
____________________
'Eternal Labyrinth', the ultimate spell that only Archmages who had reached transcendence could use.
The inside was like a small, isolated world, impossible to escape unless certain conditions were met, and the outside was also unscathed by any attack that didn't cut through dimensions.
And the caster could manipulate everything inside, which was usually used to eliminate intruders, as befitting the name 'labyrinth'…
'It's amazing.'
Hans actively utilized it for housing, decorating his own castle.
"Huff—!"
"······!"
Black bricks that seemed to absorb even light, menacing decorations of demons and skulls engraved everywhere, tall and sharp spires like thorns.
Dark storm clouds hung in the sky above the castle, and black fog covered the surroundings, creating an eerie wind.
[Kyaaaaagh—!]
Clatter, clatter!
And with the addition of ghostly wails and the undead army, a demon king's castle with a perfect atmosphere was complete.
[Hehehe— It's better not to even think about escaping. You can't get out anyway.]
Hans, who gave a soft warning to the two imperial hostages, entered, feeling a sense of accomplishment at their reactions.
The interior was also decorated similarly to the outside, but unlike the exterior, he had prepared a separate space where living beings could also live.
"Oh, you're here! Your Majesty!"
"Aah—! The righteous judge of this wicked world!"
"Ugh… blood and death…"
It was because of them.
A dark mage who had been kidnapping people and conducting human experiments, a dark warrior who had gone mad from absorbing too much dark magic power and was obsessed with slaughter, a demon worshipper who had been sacrificing living beings to summon a high-ranking demon, a fanatic who worshipped the returned Immortal King as a god and wanted to spread death throughout the world…
They were the cancers of the world that Hans had diligently collected, those who had been causing trouble in various parts of the continent.
The two imperial hostages froze at the sight of the abnormal group of humans, something they had never seen before.
'Hmm, it's not a good idea to keep them with these guys. Should I create a separate isolation area?'
This was a space entirely under his control.
The moment he willed it, the phenomenon occurred.
They were now in a separate living space from where they had been before.
And the one in charge of monitoring them and assisting with their daily lives…
"Ugh, to think I ended up in such a desolate place…"
"…Be quiet, Andrew. I'm the one who wants to cry."
Was Andrew Weber, the awakened one from Earth who had ended up in the demon king's castle, and Siana, the succubus.
'Siana's disguise ability is excellent. There's no one better than her to take care of Princess Riley.'
He could treat the Crown Prince carelessly, as long as he was alive, but he felt a bit uneasy about doing the same to the princess, whom he had brought along by chance.
…He felt sorry for Isea, who was sighing constantly, seemingly troubled, next to Heinrich.
'Hmm— It's not a good idea to keep the princess in this environment for long. I need to come up with a liberation scenario quickly.'
Actually, he already had something in mind.
An ingenious plan to use this opportunity to gain both the princess and the Archmage's favor while also benefiting himself.
____________________
'It's a mess.'
Heinrich, who had visited the imperial palace to discuss future plans and countermeasures, couldn't help but shake his head as he left the conference room.
He had expected it to some extent, but the aftereffects of Hans's attack on the capital were more serious than he thought.
First, many influential figures residing in the capital had suffered significant damage, and some had even lost their lives.
And on top of that, the two imperial family members who were closest to inheriting the throne had disappeared without a trace.
Even the Emperor, who had been watching his successors to pass on the throne, couldn't help but be flustered…
And it was only natural for the crew on the ship without a captain to start testing the waters.
The Crown Prince's faction, which had the time advantage and had formed the largest force centered on the conservatives.
The Fifth Princess's faction, which had rapidly grown in size, led by newly emerged nobles, thanks to her intelligence and political skills.
And the second prince, who had been pushed aside and was now seizing the opportunity, and the sixth prince, who had been unable to exert his influence…
The political situation would only become more chaotic as the situation dragged on.
Because of their greed for power, separate from the Immortal King.
"Whew— I apologize, Saint. I was a bit late because I had to go and comfort our people."
And the one who was working hard to minimize the defection from the Fifth Princess's faction was Isea Pristine.
She still had a low title despite her level because she hadn't made any significant contributions yet, but her voice within the faction was undeniable, as she was the Fifth Princess's closest aide and a powerful Archmage.
'She's preparing for when the princess returns. It would be a problem if there was no place for her when she's rescued.'
It was impressive to see her calmly taking care of things one by one, despite her anxiety, as expected of an Archmage.
"So, Saint? When are you going to attack the Immortal King? Ah! First, we need to recruit more people to join us, if you leave it to me, I'll personally bring… no, escort capable individuals from each country…"
Her words weren't exactly calm, but it was a minor issue.
"I've already carefully selected a few people. Since mobility and teamwork are very important in this mission, I'm not planning to accept just anyone. After all, they'll have to fight the Immortal King eventually."
"…Is that so? That's a shame."
Isea licked her lips with an expressionless face.
It seemed like she was a bit too aggressive.
"But Saint? I'm not doubting you, but are you really sure it's okay? To respond to an attack without any warning or preparation. It's true that you warned us about this incident, but in the end, things turned out this way because we weren't prepared enough…"
She sighed worriedly as she walked down the hallway with Heinrich.
It seemed like she regretted going outside that day.
"It's okay."
And he answered firmly, his voice full of conviction, to her worried words.
"I didn't just make that offer to him. As long as the Main God guides us, everything will go smoothly. …I'm still lacking, so I can't guarantee that I can perfectly respond to every situation."
The devout believer… or more bluntly, the fanatic gimmick, was very convenient because it could crush any doubts.
They couldn't easily question the authority of the Main God and the Saint.
Of course, he didn't forget to leave himself an escape route by adding a light comment at the end.
"Ah! And the princess will also return safely soon. I can feel it. My intuition is quite accurate, so you can trust me."
"…I hope so. I wonder if that child can endure such an environment. She's quite picky about food… Ah! I'm sorry. Pretend you didn't hear that."
She flinched and lightly tapped her mouth as she muttered something that sounded more like a mother than an older sister.
There was a considerable dissonance between Isea, who looked like a middle school student, and Princess Riley, who was a mature woman, but…
'Anyway, now it's time to crush the annoying ones!'
And so, 'Home Theater' smoothly moved on to the next chapter, starting with the hero's sinister thoughts, after the event of the princess and the Archmage joining the party.