Chapter 73 Convocation (2)
I repeated a deep deep breath in my mind.
Zodiac Power Convocation. It’s natural because it’s a matter, but it means a lot to me.
‘People who compare or go beyond Heldre gather here.’
When I confronted Heldre, I was able to oppose him because I brought Heldre into my area of operation.
He was able to gain an advantage because he was behind with information that the other party did not know and was aiming for a loophole.
Besides, Renzo actually finished the finale, so I can’t even say that I beat Heldre.
‘I think I’ve grown a lot since then.’
Through the training I’ve been doing, my close combat has increased quite a bit, and more than anything else, I’ve learned a lot from Yeranhes’s wall. The amount of Heukcheon increased unparalleled, the chronic mana shortage was resolved with Helheim’s mana, and even the ‘sixth sense’ was obtained.
However, I could not objectively judge my current ability. Even when he was against Edden, he didn’t fight properly.
‘How about compared to the zodiac I am now.’
You will soon find out.
jerk.
The sound of footsteps coming from far away as if reading my thoughts.
What seemed like a single footstep at first became more and more numerous.
“Look, this is right. You idiot!”
“You also said that the meeting room was right for you at first?”
“It’s because you’re talking so confidently! Because of you, the whole Zodiac was standing in the meeting room!”
“No power. Because there was no lead.”
“You say that—.”
A pair of men and women walking from the front, fighting fiercely in a light atmosphere.
“Is your Majesty okay? It’s hard to contain your impatience.”
“How many times are you asking me? One of Constell’s students did a good job blocking it.”
“Unbelievable until you see it for yourself!”
“Yes, yes.”
Behind him is a man full of enthusiasm and another man who overturns his words.
“The boy who blocked the surprise, said he had a pretty face, right?”
“Arthur Lily. He is the son of Mr. Ampere.”
“Eh. Nope. It wasn’t the name Atzier!”
“So the second son. What did you say? Frontier or something.”
“Frondie, Frontier.”
A somewhat bewitching voice and a slightly hoarse voice that restrained it. There was even another person who meddled in a word.
Each of them was talking to each other and approaching this place.
‘Heavy.’
I felt it in the mansion at the nobility council in the past, but when it comes to nobles or zodiac of a prestigious family, tremendous momentum overflows. At that time, the body was heavy with that terrifying force, but this time all the Zodiac.
Except for the lead, 11 people all stood in front of me.
Although they each had their own way of capturing it, the momentum felt by the original strong was not hidden at all, and as if he had no intention of hiding it, he knocked on the entire room.
“Yeah, is it this guy?”
Among the men and women who took the lead, a woman looked at me and opened her mouth. Naturally, all the zodiac’s eyes turned to me.
With each breath in, their auras mix and seem to pierce the lungs.
Accepting that immense pressure, I laughed.
“–Nice to meet you.”
Their expressions changed slightly as they responded to my response and voice. But I didn’t care.
I fought Renzo and defeated Heldre. Against Edden, he had a complete victory in his hands.
Unlike when I first came to this world, I was so used to the atmosphere of the strong.
“This is Frontier de Roach.”
* * *
This place where Bartello, Zodiac, and Frontier are gathered is the Emperor’s bedroom.
Usually, when calling the zodiac, they gather in the Imperial Palace meeting room, but this case was moved because it was an incident that directly targeted the emperor’s life. Because the emperor’s sleeping quarters are the safest place in this palace.
Bartello is lying on his bed and being carefully examined by the doctor. It was said that Frontier did a good job of blocking it, but maybe because they were attacked by an attack they didn’t know about.
Zodiac and Frontier removed all the decorations from the long table and took a chair and sat down. After all the zodiacs had gathered, the knights of the Imperial Palace had withdrawn, and now the zodiac, the frontier, and one of the servants who will explain the situation to the zodiac is sitting in this chair.
Philly also wanted to participate, but there is no way that the enemies targeting the emperor will not be aiming for the empress, so now Philly has also moved to a safe place.
“therefore.”
After hearing all the explanations, a man, one of the zodiac, opened his mouth.
“Is this, Frontier, the only one who can find a monster?”
It was Ludovic de Favre, the man who was at the forefront when we first entered.
Zodiac can be older, like Heldre or Reidwe, but there are plenty of people who are much younger than that.
The Zodiac is the 12 combat weapons designated to defend the Empire. This number ’12’ must be kept, so if someone in the zodiac dies, someone else will fill the place within a certain period of time. Just as Reidwe filled the place after Heldre died.
So, if you have a reputation that is recognized by the citizens of the Empire along with your skills, you can become a Zodiac even if you are young. like Ludovic.
‘Ludovic, Edden was number one professional before, but after gaining a place in the Zodiac, he became a head of state.’
Ludovic is the ruler of the current southern part of the empire, guarding the wall of the coast of a region called Babia. In other words, they do something similar to what Reidwe and Ampere do.
Babia is not an area where monsters come often or in large numbers like Yeranhes, but those crawling out of the depths of the sea sometimes appear absurdly scary.
Therefore, Babia is more optimized to deal with one huge and threatening monster than to annihilate multiple monsters.
Ludovic’s own main skill is also suitable for catching one monster rather than many.
“How the hell do you find that monster?”
Ludovic asked me like a nerd.
I thought for a moment and then said.
“… … I find it by feeling.”
There was nothing wrong with it, but Ludovic’s eyebrows twitched quickly.
“Do you want to joke about me?”
“I’m not kidding. I don’t know why I’m the only one looking for him.”
I didn’t dare say that the konjac monster came from another world.
Amferna Atzier understands what I’ve been doing in Yeranges, so it’s understandable, not something I want to tell other people.
“You don’t know why… … .”
This time, someone else spoke up. This is the woman who was arguing with Ludovic. This girl’s name is Daisy Foster. Currently, there are only two women in the Zodiac, one of them.
“Then maybe there are some of us who can detect the monster?”
“… … Yes. I hope so too.”
I answered that way, but I know the odds are slim. Because I have Helheim’s mana in my body, so I sensed him.
“Boy.”
And somewhere else, another woman talking to me in a distinct voice.
“I heard you were the only one who had a good relationship with that monster, did you find out anything?”
“… … .”
I didn’t answer him right away and looked at the woman for a moment.
To be honest, I don’t want to be photographed by this woman.
The girl’s name is Lia Ris. Players just call him ‘Lily’. There are a few people in this world who call it that.
Lili is reminiscent of the devil ‘Lilith’, as if it was deliberately created with that name. She has a very bewitching face and body, and her voice and expressions are as pretty as if they were beautifully decorated.
In other words, if the ‘acting’ that Selena was trying to do when she seduced me became her nature, would she become Lily? She is a mysterious woman whose age is still unknown.
Unlike Selena, she really reveals a man and likes men. In fact, he is said to be very good at men’s abilities, and he tends to look only at his appearance.
If this woman is taken for good or for bad, the back will be very tired. That’s why I don’t want to be seen by this woman as much as possible.
“yes? how is it? It would be nice to have more information.”
I sighed inwardly at Lili’s still urging question.
Anyway, sharing information is necessary. It’s not something you can just ignore. It is best to know as much information as possible about the monster.
“It felt as if the monster had just been born.”
“… … just born? Does that mean that I haven’t been able to control myself properly?”
I shook my head at the other man’s question.
“I only realized when I stabbed him in the back.”
At that time, the konjac monster stabbed me in the back and fell to the floor. My sword pierced the floor, leaving me almost completely immobilized.
But for a while, he struggled to get out of it as if he didn’t know the pain.
“… … Screaming?”
“Yes. I wondered if the scream itself was a curse that had some effect, but it wasn’t. At the time, everyone was fine.”
“Then is it just a simple scream?”
“Yes. The curious thing is, why did the scream come out so late?”
One thing I guessed there.
Wasn’t that guy imitating everything human at that time one by one?
“The monster had no face when it first tried to attack His Majesty. Only after I blocked it did the face pop out and imitate the eyes, nose, and mouth. I remember those eyes were on His Majesty.”
“… … It’s not just a simple imitation. It’s actually mimicking that function.”
“Yes. At that time, he couldn’t make a sound with his mouth. The fact that I screamed a long time after I put him in the back, I think it was only then that I learned to ‘shout’.”
“… … Is it a monster that learns its surroundings at a fast rate?”
As I nodded at that, the others fell into their own thoughts.
A creature that can imitate eyes, mouths, and even making sounds. Even if you don’t know how the inside is, you have to see that everything can be imitated.
I said.
“I can’t say for sure as I’ve never seen a mechanism that moves like a gnome, but learning usually presupposes high intelligence.”
“… … Does he also have enough intelligence?”
“It is one of the possibilities. And if that intelligence is comparable to or greater than that of a human.”
I’ve been thinking about it ever since I found out he had that possibility.
If I were that monster, what would I do now with that learning ability and imitation ability?
The answer came quickly.
“He might mimic me.”
“… … !”
From the moment it appeared, it created a head and created eyes, nose, and mouth.
I was obviously trying to imitate a human.
Because I can find him, I am near the emperor.
If the copy becomes indistinguishable from a normal human, there is a high probability that it will imitate me.
“What if that is true?”
Lily asked me.
Somehow, the twinkle in the eyes that looked at me seems to have been added, but let’s ignore it for now.
“Nothing will change.”
“Nothing to change?”
“Yes. If the monster imitates me is indistinguishable from the real me, then of course he will seek out your majesty. In that case, please kill him without hesitation. If he’s a fake, he’ll just be beaten to death.”
The Zodiacs who were listening to me were silent for a moment. Then, as soon as everyone understood the meaning of my words, they looked at me with an absurd face.
I just said If he’s a fake, he’ll be beaten as it is.
That is to say, vice versa.
“Wow.”
Lily said with her eyes shining.
“Are you really saying you won’t get hit?”