246 Fire Junction (6)
What kind of mistake did he make to do that?
I didn’t even think like that.
Sure enough, Misha has been watching me for the longest time.
Barbarian reading a book.
A barbarian who knows how to act as a explorer.
He pretends to be ignorant, but is actually a clever barbarian.
A barbarian who always knew what others didn’t know.
There must have been many and many suspicious things in the past.
Well, up until now, I would have just moved on saying that there might be such a person… … .
It must have resonated with what happened that day.
Because he knows the most about me.
[Is there any reason to do what the enemy wants?]
He continued to avoid answering with a barbarian reason, but it must have seemed strange to Misha’s eyes.
At least he doesn’t know that I become stubborn only when there is a reason.
[If you don’t answer, I’ll kill that enemy clan?]
Even when I heard that from the white tiger, I felt a deep sense of despair.
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Maybe Misha even felt this.
That I am at a dead end and desperately putting up with an answer.
“… … disappearing, what do you mean?”
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Midnight when everyone was asleep.
Watching Misha cautiously approaching her and showing her anxiety, I pretended not to know anything and answered.
“Why am I suddenly disappearing?”
“Oh no, that’s… … . Yes, just because of a nightmare.”
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Misha turned away, citing her dream as a reason.
He seemed to think that it might really be like that if he brought out the anxiety inside him.
“dream? If you are really scared, you can sleep next to me!”
“Well, it’s not like that, is it? Chi, that’s it! If you’re going to be joking, go to sleep, you barbarian senile!”
Soon after, I left the room asking what Misha was talking about, and I let out a silent sigh.
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My chest was tight.
‘Suddenly disappear… … .’
I know why you said that.
Well, yesterday, I sneaked into his room and read the book on the desk.
It was a book I had read in the library before.
A book that summarizes some patterns and habits of demons.
[Evil spirits are good at acting and are clever. Also, it is not related to relationships. When a crisis arises that could reveal their identity, they cut off all ties and choose to hide.]
It was a phrase that made sense.
Isn’t it fate that there is nothing but ruin if the identity is revealed?
First, try to distance yourself from the people around you as much as possible, and if that doesn’t work, you will eventually try to change your identity.
And if even that option is blocked… … .
‘I will go to Noark.’
In fact, Noark is a city made up of such people. Criminals or evil spirits unable to remain in Lafdonia hide in the sewers, and Noark collects them.
‘Even a clown is famous for joining Orculis as soon as it was discovered that he was an evil spirit.’
I lay on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.
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My mind was very complicated.
‘If you find out that I am a demon… … .’
How will the guys react?
Do you feel betrayed and angry for being deceived?
Well, I don’t know.
At least, Misha was more anxious that I would disappear from my side even if I was a demon.
‘Damn white tiger.’
I finally admitted it.
I am afraid that my true identity will be revealed to them.
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More than a guillotine that might be dragged away.
I’m more afraid that everything I’ve built up will collapse.
Even if it’s like a sand castle.
hoo.
I took out the magic tools in the subspace.
A magic tool that allows you to talk secretly.
[Okay, I’ll take your place away if you want. Hans Chryssen is a demon! I have the evidence in my backpack—]
For reference, there was also a recording function, so the dwarf I met in the doppelganger forest used it to drive Hans G to a dead end.
Click.
As soon as they pressed the groove under the magic tool, the conversation the two had had at that time was vividly reproduced.
[What are you so worried about? They’re NPCs anyway.]
[However, the colleague I’ve been with so far—]
[This is funny. Do you think they would think like that even if they knew your identity?]
Hans G did not respond to the dwarf’s words.
that’s what you know
[It is really Hans that your colleagues thought of as friends. And, as you know, the real Hans is no longer in this world.]
we are demons
No matter what kind of relationship you build here, it is bound to be a precarious relationship built on lies.
[However… … . I think they are really my colleagues.]
Hans G answered that day.
But what was the actual action?
[why······.]
[Mi, I’m sorry.]
When the dwarf in crisis forcibly revealed his identity, Hans G poured flames on the warrior’s body and caught on to the dwarf.
In fact, I knew it myself.
I can’t go back to the same relationship as before.
The once precious colleague will now see himself as an ‘enemy’.
Click.
I pressed the button again to turn the sound off.
Suddenly, Takelan’s words came to mind.
[Someday you will feel the same way as me.]
What the guy said was wrong.
If such a moment of despair comes to me too.
It would be a more terrifying and wretched word.
***
Another two days passed.
In the meantime, nothing had happened.
There were no further clues about the large clan that was presumed to be behind the assassination, and in the end, the incident of the day ended in a cut-and-dry fashion.
There were no more cases to dig into.
Ah, but thanks to that, the number of escort knights increased.
As it was proved that there were forces targeting me with malice in the royal family, I put extra effort into it.
Well, a little overkill.
‘Ha, this is why I can’t go anywhere.’
There are already three close escorts.
Of course, this is only happening inside the house, and there are more than 30 knights standing on guard outside. Also, when I go out, all the personnel follow me.
Oh, it even has a stigma attached to it.
“I’m afraid I might be poisoned, so I’ll eat it first.”
At every meal, the article that specializes in poison tolerance tastes first.
“Oh, no need to do that! My, where can I harm Bjorn… … .”
“Because it’s good to be certain. Well, it’s delicious. It seems that Karlstein’s workmanship is very good.”
“Hey, saying that won’t comfort you!”
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Misha didn’t seem to be in a good mood because she was like that at every meal… … .
Still, seeing this inflexibility makes it more reliable.
‘Even if you send an assassin from the Noark side, you don’t have to worry about this.’
After breakfast, Ainar went out to the holy land and Erwen went out to meet his younger brother.
And this is also true of me.
“… … Are you leaving?”
“Now, I have to work.”
Now that you’ve rested long enough, it’s time to work hard again and get back to doing the things you’ve been putting off.
“Are you going to go buy something else for work?”
“No, this time it’s for a different business.”
“Um?”
I usually have time for shopping during maintenance, but that’s not the purpose today.
I made a lot of money this time, but… … .
‘If you stand still, the value will go up, so there’s no reason to shop now.’
First of all, equipment prices have already started to plummet.
This is because many of the explorers, who were the main customers, died and demand decreased.
On the other hand, food prices rose.
The hoarding began due to concerns that the mana stone supply might decrease from next month.
‘For now, let’s try not to spend cash as much as possible.’
The money here is not just a piece of paper made by social consensus.
has real value.
That’s because it’s a world that lives on manastones, an all-purpose substance that turns into iron and wheat at the hands of an alchemist.
There is no depreciation of the currency.
I don’t know if the value of labor force hits the bottom.
‘Is Hikurod okay? … ?’
Suddenly, a dwarf came to mind.
Lately, the blacksmith business seems to be doing well, but in the present time, only flies are flying, right?
it’s kinda boring
You opened a store with all your fortune, and that’s what happened.
‘He said, ‘I’ll visit him later when he has time…’ … .’
I simply got dressed and went out with Misha.
Outside stood a carriage prepared by the knights.
I think it’s too much of a treat, but… … .
“Take a ride.”
Now I got used to getting on the carriage.
It doesn’t cost money anyway, but it’s because it’s much easier to escort here, so what can I do?
“Where can I take you?”
“To the Great Temple of the Atlas Church.”
As soon as I told the coach of my destination, the carriage departed.
“… … Reatlas? Why are you suddenly going there?”
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Misha’s eyes looked somewhat anxious.
The sentiment was understandable.
Because the religious forces here are no less than the natural enemies of evil spirits.
‘Jeep, it seems that the suspicion has not yet been completely cleared.’
For a day or two, Misha read a book about evil spirits and said meaningful things to me, but those things disappeared after a while.
So I thought it was just my mood, and I thought I’d concluded that I couldn’t really be a demon.
‘… … In such a case, it would be better for me to just leave it alone rather than do anything.’
So, we just continued the conversation normally.
“If there are any remaining priests, I will ask for them.”
“… … Any remaining priests? Ho, are you going to leave the team?”
“What are you talking about?”
“But by the time the priest came, we were already five… … ah! Maybe someone… … .”
Oh, what are you really saying?
I sighed and cut it off.
“I never leave the team, and no one else leaves my team.”
“yes? Then why is the priest… … .”
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Misha still blurs her tail to see if the question is still unresolved.
I talked about my future plans.
“Now we have to prepare to go up to the sixth floor.”
“Huh, the 6th floor? Yeah, that’s right. But what does that have to do with this?”
“I will make a clan.”
The five-member team is about to graduate.
***
Even a small clan is classified as a clan with more than 5 members. This is because the number of people must be divided into two or more teams.
“clan? So from now on, you’re moving with 10 people?”
Well, it looks like it will eventually happen.
not right now
‘Erwen can act as a explorer, so for now, one priest should be enough.’
From the 6th floor, you must recruit one more explorer in a special position.
Then there are eight people in total.
‘If we’re at our level now, even if we divide into four, we’ll be able to climb up to the 5th floor without any problems.’
Well, I’m not really worried about this part.
If it doesn’t work out, meeting on the 2nd floor is one way.
Depending on where you start, it will take some time to join, you will get a personnel penalty on the 4th floor and it will be slower… … .
‘We’re not even a large clan.’
Unless the goal is to control the hunting grounds, a difference of a day or two is not meaningful to a small clan.
Rather, the problem is something else.
‘When will the labyrinth return to its original state?’
If the angle does not come out, I plan to survive for a few more months. It takes that much time to finish preparing to go to the 6th floor in the first place.
“Im here.”
As I was organizing my thoughts, the carriage stopped in front of the Great Hall.
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Most of the knights wait in the wagon.
I went inside with only three close escorts and Misha.
“Chief Krovitz is out for work.”
It wasn’t Paal Krovitz with whom I had a relationship, another paladin welcomed me.
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My name is Sven Farab.
Was it the deputy commander of the 2nd Holy Knights of the Lesser Atlas Church?
“It is an honor to meet you like this. Baron Bjorn Jandel. What business did you come to the church for today?”
I briefly told him about my future plans.
A statement about the plan to form a clan, and wishing to bring in a priest if possible.
As for the result, it was rejected at once.
“Hmm, even if you’re a semi-baron, that must be a little difficult.”
Neither the reputation of being a ‘giant’ nor the status of a nobility as a semi-baron did not work in the denomination.
It is only a basic condition.
Public values were required to recruit new officers.
‘Who, why is this inflexibility the same as the game?’
Since it was within the expected range, I asked how to raise public figures and got detailed answers.
‘All but a few are similar to games.’
In the end, the answer seems to be nogada.
Well, I’ll do it in advance.
“Did you say Pharaoh? Thank you for today. Come back next time.”
“Yes, we are always waiting for the hero to visit.”
After a short service, I said goodbye to Parab and turned my back.
And just as I was about to open the drawing room door and leave.
“The conditions for the activation of Star Protection have been met.”
The last vine that had prevented the affair with the dragon killer was cut off.
“… … .”
Shit.
It’s a real mountain over a mountain.
Amelia again?
Oof, things are about to get intense again.