CH 304

“However, now-”

“We have a shared interest in it. Please.”

“Ah…… that…… I can give you my word, but-”

Even the hero of the 2nd human-demon war could not meet the king at any time. This was especially true for NPCs who value laws in the Royal Palace. Most importantly, Browless was a person officially excluded by those inside. The captain couldn’t move easily. Between the impatient Browless and the troubled royal guard captain, a woman with flowing black hair ran in.

Wait for Ha Leeha to contact her?

Waiting silently in the royal palace until he contacts her?

“Requesting an audience in the name of the Sacred Knights, I believe that Browless-nim brought confidential information that could threaten the country. I need to see his majesty right away.”

It was something that did not fit the character of Shin Nara. She promised herself that she would contact Leeha first if he did not contact her, which made her bolder than usual.

Chalkang- Chalkang-!

Her steel boots hit the marble and made a cold sound. Seeing her sharp and determined expression, the captain of the royal guard found it difficult to refuse.

“Okay. I will tell His Highness right away.”

Most importantly, it was an urgent request under the name of the Sacred Knights. The captain of the royal guard immediately rushed into the audience room.

“Dame?! What-”

“I thought you were in trouble. If it’s okay with you, can you tell me?”

“……Of course. With the help of the strongest woman in the Sacred Knights, I would have nothing more to ask for.”

Browless was taken aback for a moment, but he immediately took off his hat and bowed to Shin Nara. In response to the gentlemanly action, Shin Nara also bowed her head. A secret alliance was formed in an instant. If Browless had known that the reason Shin Nara made her move was only because of Ha Leeha, he wouldn’t have accepted either.

“Your Highness asks you to come in.”

After a while, the captain of the royal guard came out and led the two inside. In the audience room, with the king at the forefront, the captain of the royal guard, mage chief, and other reporting NPCs stood. Browless and Shin Nara briefly met eyes with Lotzac, the chief of mages.

“What is it, Browless? And even Dame Shin Nara. What is the threat to the capital?”

“Have you been well, Your Majesty?”

“There’s no need for such formality between us.”

Browless and Shin Nara, who have knelt, stood up immediately after the King of Fibiel beckoned. Browless looked around for a moment before opening his mouth.

“I just got back from the Sentinel Mountains because of a mission from the Pope. One of the Fragments of the Demon King, Bluebeard, went there.”

“Bluebeard?”

The king’s eyes widened. The captain of the royal guards also showed a very surprised expression when he heard the name. Shin Nara quickly scanned the NPCs. And the outstanding dynamical eyesight of the fencer, 4th in the ranking, did not miss the sight of Lotzak biting his lip, even just a little.

‘What is that expression…?’

The NPCs were the same. There were those who came as messengers representing the knights, and there were noble NPCs who were the lords of territories. All the NPCs who were of a certain age or were perfectly familiar with Middle Earth’s settings looked surprised.

However, only Lotzac was different.

‘Is he… regretting?’

It contained a nuance that it was a waste. Without being able to check again, the mage chief maintained his poker face and looked at Shin Nara. Shin Nara made eye contact with him for a moment, then lowered her head.

‘What’s wrong? The other NPCs must have been surprised by the fact that the monster called Bluebeard, actually appeared in Fibiel.’

Bluebeard, a Fragment of the Demon King. Even Shin Nara knew about it.

Wasn’t it said that the Pope even mentioned ex-communication just for the peace treaty to be signed? Therefore, everyone gathered here must have at least been aware that Bluebeard had appeared. However, the fact that Bluebeard had appeared ‘within the country’ was another story. So, they must have been surprised.

‘But Lotzac wasn’t surprised. No, he was rather disappointed. ‘Huh?’ Why was he disappointed?’

Shin Nara looked at Browless standing next to her, but his eyes were completely focused on the king. He probably hasn’t seen it.

“Then, what should we do? Where did Bluebeard go? Did that guy- come to the capital with the ghost army?”

“No, Your Highness. My students and I followed after him, but we could only find traces. Based on the traces found by the best adventurer on the continent, it is estimated that Bluebeard is currently roaming around the continent.”

“Pheeeew……. The continent.”

The king breathed out a big breath similar to a sigh. It appeared that it was a sigh of relief.

“Furthermore, while he is wandering around the continent, if you consider the appearance of ghostly monsters that took place in various parts of the country today, the reason why Bluebeard is roaming around becomes clear.”

Browless was convinced.

Newly created monsters all over Fibiel Kingdom, the users were calling the ghostly monsters as new Field Bosses.

And that guess was infallible.

The king and other NPCs made gloomy expressions as they listened to Browless’ report.

The reason why Bluebeard was roaming around, those who went through the 2nd Human-Demon War could not not have known. The king opened his mouth.

“……He is looking for other Fragments of the Demon King.”

“I can only think of that. At first, I thought Bluebeard was just trying to awaken and rally the ghostly legion- but I changed my opinion in the Sentinel Mountains.”

“Why?”

“It is because the number is too few, and the forces were dispersed. The ghostly army, the more they gather, the more powerful they become. Your Highness knows because you have experienced it, but-”

“It is one of my most terrifying memory.”

“Yes. There’s no way Bluebeard doesn’t know that. But instead of using his own forces and agglomerating their strength, he is just simply raising troops by infusing his mana everywhere … it has become a war of attrition, and wasting time. It means his main purpose is different.”

Browless’ words were logical.

To the extent that even Shin Nara, who has heard about the situation for the first time, could clearly understand the situation. It was Lotzak who intervened when Browless gave people a moment to think.

“But isn’t it strange, Browless. As you and I know, the Demon King’s army fled across the sea. Across the sea of dawn. Wouldn’t it be stranger to find the Fragments of the Demon King here now? What is Bluebeard-”

“The mage chief must know it as well. The fact that Bluebeard was among the Demon King’s army that left the sea. However, the place where Bluebeard was found was in the wasteland, under the Land of the Dead. My student first discovered Bluebeard In the ‘Mouth of the Abyss’.”

“Hmmmm…… Well…… Even if you say that, I wouldn’t know. There have been many hypotheses that the mouth of the abyss serves as a passageway, but it has never been verified.”

“It’s not a passageway, Lord Lotzac, Bluebeard sealed himself in front of the mouth of the abyss, wrapped in red crystals. It means that the last place he was seen was an illusion. In order not to shed even a single ray of mana and not to let anyone know his location, he thoroughly hid after dropping the illusion as bait.”

“That too…… it doesn’t add up. Then how did your student find him? How did he come back alive after discovering him?”

“It happened by accident……”

“Bluebeard hid himself in a place where he was discovered by chance, and Bluebeard accidentally saved the human who saved him. Huh, that’s pretty easy to believe.”

Lotzak nodded sarcastically. The NPC nobles around them also moved their heads and agreed with Lotzac’s words.

Before Browless could say anything, the senile old man spoke again. The old man’s voice grew louder and louder.

“I believe that the pope confirmed that Bluebeard appeared, but I think it is unreasonable to connect Bluebeard with another Fragment of the Demon King in a series of events. Do you want to sign a peace treaty with those cunning Minis and Kraven for something we are not sure about? How…… how could you say such a thing in front of His Majesty!”

The other NPCs couldn’t open their mouths at Lotzac’s momentum, which was almost trembling.

“We won’t be compensated for threatening His Majesty’s safety! At the very least, shouldn’t we demand thorough punitive damages so that they don’t dare attack us again? How could a peace treaty be signed if there’s no condition of obtaining land, wealth, and a full sincere apology? A peace treaty is not the end of the war, Browless! Are you scorning His Majesty and ignoring our country?”

“Not ignoring-”

“Then? Are you telling me to accept and sign the treaty without any financial reparations, on the same terms as the existing border, because there is mutual damage? Do you mean that?”

Browless fell silent as Lotzak went into a fit of rage.

Inside the Royal Palace, the mage chief’s words were strong. Most importantly, it was also a problem that the nobles around him started to take his side when the story related to ‘practical interests’ came out.

“L-Lord Lotzac is right, Browless. Do you know how much damage has been done in this war? At least three cities or four castles should be given, but their ridiculous offers are killing me.”

“How about Kraven? Ignoring all the 100 battleships we requested and the culverin cannons included in them, they only sent a few cannons. What about the ships we lost and the lives of our people?”

It was Shin Nara who felt cramped while listening to the words of the castle lord near Marching Plains and Dike Beach.

‘This is why it is hard to deal with NPCs……. It is impossible to communicate once their eyes are blinded with greed.’

Kraven’s case was a little different, but since Minis and Fibiel insisted that they were the ‘winner’, the negotiation table became inevitably intense.

‘If this is the case, wouldn’t we get excommunicated and the possibility of going to war again go higher? I heard that the users who participated in the peace treaty negotiation couldn’t sleep properly and were busy reviewing the documents…’

Whenever Browless and Lotzak argued with each other, the nobles raised their voices as they divided sides.

It was then that the plan of Browless and the Pope, to try and convince the king to sign the peace treaty right away and focus on Bluebeard, collapsed.

Human greed can be a cause for anger.

***

“Huh? What?”

After stopping by Hell Anvil, Leeha could not hide his surprise.

“T-The shutters are really closed?”

Because Bottleneck’s smithy was closed. Knock,knock, he called out to Bottleneck or Beard brothers, but there was no answer from the dwarves.

“No way, did they…… move?”

It had been a long time since he visited once to supply ammunition during the war, so he did not know the situation well.

‘This is the only place to make bullets. Seeing that there was no word from Kidd or Luger even during the time of Crawlang……

If so, it means that the transfer was relatively recent.

In the end, Leeha had no choice but to ask around. Leeha went around and asked other dwarves about Bottleneck Blacksmith.

“Bottleneck? Didn’t those guys get kicked out for fooling around? I heard they moved somewhere on the other side of the mountain?”

(To be continued…)