80 – 35. Giving Flesh and Taking Bones.
The situation of the demons couldn’t be described as empty words.
Although four out of the seven great demons had been annihilated, the most threatening was Ian’s growth.
‘It’s absolutely incomprehensible. It was strong to begin with, but I never expected it to grow this much all of a sudden.’
If asked who the most formidable enemy is in the enemy’s position within the demon realm, the natural answer would be a warrior wielding the Holy Sword.
However, the thoughts of the demons had been a bit different so far… The person they had been most cautious of was none other than Ian Volkano.
‘We thought Ian was the core of the party, and dealing with him would be the best approach.’
Considering that the bond among the warrior and his comrades was so strong, it was thought that positive results could be achieved if Ian alone could be dealt with.
That’s why.
‘So we mainly attacked Ian.’
What they were more interested in than the warrior was the intelligence that had just come in, stating that Ian Volkano couldn’t use swordsmanship.
In a situation where he couldn’t use his most significant weapon, they believed that even a formidable enemy would crumble.
‘In the end, all that remains is a series of failures.’
The demon lord Destonan, furious at the disastrous outcome, bowed his head deeply.
Could there be such humiliation in addition to this humiliation?
It would be nice to blame someone else in this frustrating situation, but Destonan didn’t think that would be the fundamental solution.
Now is not the time to find the cause of the problem externally.
‘Ian was stronger than expected. I didn’t know he would bring a new weapon, martial arts. Disregard such nonsense. The problem itself was trying to deal with the warrior after eliminating the strongest enemy.’
The plan was flawed from the beginning.
After going to great lengths to provoke Ian, what did they get in return? Nothing but losses.
Persistently trying to kill Ian even in this situation would only turn a simple problem into a dilemma.
‘In cases like this, it’s better to go back to the beginning.’
While other demons might not have realized it, Destonan gained enlightenment. Thanks to that, indeed.
‘From the beginning, there was no need to target Ian… There’s nothing they can do if we just kill the hero. I don’t know why he came back like this, clueless.’
The reason I could be sure that the person who needed to be killed was none other than Ariel.
For the current demons, the most threatening thing is the Holy Sword that Ariel Volkanoth possesses. If we just take care of that, there won’t be a big problem.
“Yeah. If we just take care of Ariel, everything will be over.”
At that moment, when Destonan raised the corner of his mouth, his gaze fell on the map hanging on the wall.
Thud!
“Hey, Destonan, are you still hiding in the corner?”
“Is it Delon?”
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A mine named Delon approached, trembling at Destonan’s gaze.
“What a gaze. It’s awfully cruel. So do you have any thoughts about it? Weren’t you hiding in the corner even after Pleta died? You’ve been doing that for two whole days?”
“Has it already been that long? It doesn’t matter anyway. I’ve found a way.”
“Oh? Can I hear it then?”
Delon, filled with anticipation, leaned in, but Destonan didn’t answer.
He just pointed to a place with his finger.
“There. It’s clear.”
The place his finger pointed to was the map. The location marked in red on the map that filled one side of the wall.
Delon knew exactly where that was.
“Is that the enemy’s stronghold? The one that used to be in the southern part of the empire?”
A building that was deemed irreparable after an explosion accident a long time ago and was relocated.
It was also a place where people rarely went, and now it was close to being a ruin, often used as a hiding place.
“So, are you planning to use that?”
“Yeah. I’ll lure them in and deal with it there.”
“Hmm. Lure, huh.”
Certainly not a bad idea. It’s a well-known fact that defense is much easier than offense.
It would be a good method if only we could lure the enemies.
However, knowing Ian’s movements so far, there was unavoidable doubt.
“Destonan… It’s not that I don’t trust you, but Ian, who easily cleared dungeons like Fort Pleta. Honestly, I wonder if that method will work.”
It’s Ian, who conquers dungeons with unconventional methods.
Whether I know how he does it or not, I still can’t forget how he effortlessly neutralized traps.
‘If traps become useless, there’s really no point in defending.’
In the past, when there were plenty of opportunities, a single failure might not have been fatal. But now?
I don’t distrust Destonan, but I couldn’t help but hesitate.
“Are you worried? Worried that my plan might fail?”
“Huh? It’s not that, just genuinely concerned.”
“Well, I always think this, Delon. You’re not good at lying. It shows on your face.”
Of course, Destonan was aware of that.
“It’s doubtful whether luring Ian into the ruins of the former enemy stronghold will lead to his capture. Don’t you think?”
“I can’t lie in front of you, that’s true. Honestly, I’m not convinced. I don’t even think we can catch Ian that way.”
“I know. I’m well aware of how much of an adversary Ian is. But… what if my target isn’t him?”
“You mean it’s not Ian?”
Deleon’s mouth widened, causing Destonan’s eyebrows to shoot up.
“Yeah, that’s right. I’m not aiming for Ian; it’s Arielle. If we leak intel about demons hiding in the ruins, she’ll come on her own. Then, I’ll target the warrior.”
Targeting Arielle would make things much simpler than dealing with Ian. However, a lingering issue remained.
“It’s indeed a good plan, but pulling them into the ruins, is that feasible? Even if we leak information, what if Arielle doesn’t show up?”
“Don’t worry about that. We’ll make sure she has no choice but to come.”
“Make sure she has no choice?”
Is that even possible? Deleon quizzically tilted his head. Destonan stood up and approached the map.
His finger pointed at the dungeons around the enemy’s demon tower that they had marked.
“There are several hideouts we use around the enemy’s demon tower for this operation. Of course, this place hasn’t been exposed to the imperial guys yet.”
“Why bother about those hideouts? We’re using the enemy’s demon tower anyway.”
“Well, because we’re going to reveal these places.”
“What? Reveal them? What are you talking about?”
Reveal the hideouts? Is he out of his mind?
Deleon couldn’t fathom the reason behind saying such things when they had prepared a method to lure Arielle.
“Hey, Destonan, explain in detail. If we reveal the hideouts, won’t it be a loss for us? What’s the basis for being sure that revealing them will lure Arielle in?”
“What you’re worried about, Deleon, is whether we can lure them into the enemy’s demon tower. I understand it’s a valid concern. If we recklessly leak info about us infiltrating the enemy’s demon tower, it might not work.”
Even if Arielle says demons have an advantage, there’s no reason to send warriors to raid their hideouts from the imperial standpoint.
It’s not like they were made for the imperial knights to use in such situations.
“But what if the sudden exposure of their main base causes a problem?”
If issues arise beyond the available manpower, then things will change from that point onward.
The royal palace will send a knight order to the most crucial dungeon, and they’ll likely recruit additional manpower from Arc due to the shortage.
In reality, Arc is also a coeducational institution. It’s entirely possible as a candidate for the knight order.
There were indeed several cases.
“If all important strongholds are revealed, the enemies will redirect their main forces there. The enemy’s matap with relatively less attention will only receive surveillance and simple searches. That’s when we target Ariel.”
“Trading flesh for information, isn’t it?”
Delon pondered deeply, while Destonan was confident.
If it were Ian, Ariel could be captured easily.
“According to the information obtained after the death of Leviathan, Ariel doesn’t get along well with her current colleagues. Discord soon leads to a decline in skill… Can she survive in such a situation?”
The trap hidden in the enemy’s matap was the portal connecting Astelgia and this place.
Monsters would swarm out like crazy as long as the portal was maintained, threatening her trapped without any movement.
“She definitely won’t survive. Warrior.”
Destonan showed a confident face. At the same time, Delon nodded.
“Indeed, it’s a good plan… Let’s get ready.”
It was the moment when a true threat emerged for Ariel.
***
After the meeting with Glendia, Ian immediately set foot in the empire.
According to her, Ariel did go to meet Hexasar. However, Ian didn’t feel the need to go looking for her.
“She probably went because she had concerns. Even if I go looking for her, what can I do? It’s not like I can drag her back bluntly.”
He felt upset after quarreling with friends. In such cases, he would go to comfort them subtly. But this time, the problem was none other than himself.
“It would be fortunate if I don’t hear her telling me to buzz off after going there.”
He went without thinking, and it could turn into a problem.
In that case, it would be better to give him time. Isn’t there a saying that time is medicine? It wasn’t just a random phrase.
“Yeah, no news is good news.”
Ian, who had lost interest, moved his feet to the smoking area. It would be a good idea to stop worrying about Ariel.
“Yeah, let’s be happy that we made the most of our vacation.”
After all the hard work, there was no reason to have a headache with negative thoughts when there was so much to be gained and even just imagining happiness was not enough.
In that moment, Ian’s gaze turned downwards.
More precisely, it was towards Nathalion, who was holding his left hand and following him hesitantly.
– Hm? What’s wrong, Ian?
“Oh, nothing. I was just wondering if your condition has improved.”
– Yeah! I’m fine now! I got better while playing! I like the swimming pool!
“That’s good to hear. Are you okay if I hug you?”
– Okay! But can you take off the ring? It hurts when it touches me.
“Oh right. You have a dark attribute, so it’s opposite to the light attribute.”
When Nathalion’s mouth pouted at the sight of the guardian’s silver ring on his middle finger, Ian put the ring in his pocket and hugged Nathalion.
She had consumed a lot of divine power while dealing with the Leviathan, which had caused her to return to her slime form, but now she had fully regained her original appearance.
“I purposely only used ether at the Florian mansion, and while talking to Raymond, I told Igor to stick with you… It seems like it was helpful.”
Just as enough time had been spent resting, it seemed that the consumed divine power had also been restored.
As he stroked Nathalion’s head, who was nestled in his arms with a bright smile, Ian smiled gently.
But she was called a goddess. It must have caused her so much pain, not much different from a young child.
Even though it was a situation where she could play tricks, she must have used her divine power excessively to fulfill the contract of helping.
“It’s purely my fault. I should apologize. I have to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Of course, she couldn’t promise not to overexert herself, considering the considerable number of remaining enemies…
But at least she could reduce the burden on her.
“I also released the seal of Lebryon using the key I obtained from the mansion.”
Ian usually used Nathalion in two situations.
When a overwhelming number of enemies gathered that he couldn’t handle alone. Or when the enemy’s level was too high.
In the latter case, it was worth consuming divine power. But at least the former wasn’t like that.
“They’re nothing if it’s one-on-one, but I had to use divine power because they came in numbers… Well, I don’t think that will happen anymore.”
In that aspect, Lebryon would be a good solution.
If he infused mana into it, he could create a powerful attack like Elysion.
If he faced multiple enemies, he could use the Protection of the Guardian to send out a Holy Attribute attack.
If he was facing one opponent, it would be good to add Nathalion’s divine power to Lebryon.
“I’ve also reduced a lot of weaknesses… It wasn’t a bad vacation.”
He smirked, seeing his growth compared to before.
[Danger detected for Ariel Volkanoft!]
[Emergency quest ‘Lure’ has occurred! To uncover the secret, you must prevent Ariel Volkanoft’s death. Will you accept?]
[Reward upon acceptance: Special Mock Battle / Failure: Eternal Death]
“Danger detected for Ariel? What is she up to….”
The moment when the opportunity to feel growth arrived.
What is she doing that a situation threatening her occurred?
At that peculiar moment when she was tilting her head in confusion, the vibration of the device she had placed in her embrace was felt.
In curiosity, as I took it out and checked the screen, I could understand.
“Sergeant?”
[If you’ve seen this message, come to the smoking area right away.]
It was the moment of realizing that something extraordinary was happening.
it’s been a while, but reading this quest failure means eternal death always make my mood downhill