Chapter 7 – The Former Demon King Encounters the Strongest Ancient Artifact
“It seems the orientation has been postponed.”
Odette informed me when she visited my lodging a few days after I had met with Iris.
“Until the culprit behind the ‘Specter Summoning Incident’ is captured, or until the interior’s safety can be confirmed, Elysium, the Capital of Ancient Magical Civilization, is now off-limits.”
“Can’t be helped, considering the safety risks.”
“The mastermind of the incident is Dorothea Samuels. A rogue mage.”
“A user of ‘Ancient Magic’ that the Guild doesn’t even know about?”
“That is troublesome. Indeed.”
“Yep.”
It was no wonder the Magic Guild was on high alert. Dorothea’s objective was unknown, but it was certain she was a worshiper of the Sanctuary Church Elysium Temple.
…Good grief. I never thought the Sanctuary Church would be chasing me even after I reincarnated. If it weren’t for them, I never would have made Lyle cry. Alice would never have had to go through all that pain to be reincarnated. I was so relieved they were long gone, but now there are remnants? Reviving even after being destroyed… they’re no better than undead. And that’s rich, coming from the people who called me a monster over and over in my past life.
“They’re such a damned nuisance, the Sanctuary Church.”
“Completely,” Odette agreed. “I need to become a C-rank mage as soon as possible, but with Elysium sealed…”
“You want to be a C-rank mage?”
“Y-Yes. I have my reasons. I want to enter the dungeon—Elysium—and achieve results quickly.”
“Results, huh. But no one can get into Elysium right now.”
“That’s true.”
“Speaking of results, didn’t they say you’d get a noble title for capturing this Dorothea person?”
“That is a job for high-ranking mages. It has nothing to do with us.”
“But if she’s one of the Church’s survivors, she might have information no one else does…”
“…That is conceivable.”
““For example…””
Yuuki and Odette met each other’s gaze.
“Like the whereabouts of a villager from a certain village who infiltrated the Sanctuary Church?”
“Or information on ‘Ancient Magic’ and ‘Ancient Artifacts’ that no one else knows?”
Their voices overlapped.
“…Yuuki. What are you thinking?”
“Nothing?”
“I will say this again: the search for Dorothea is being handled by the Guild’s high-ranking mages. There is no place for trainees like us.”
“I know, I know.”
“In particular, the four-person team known as the ‘Quartet,’ which includes the B-rank mage Cain-sama, is said to be the Guild’s best. They will be making a move this time, so it will likely be resolved quickly.”
“Do they have any idea where she is?”
“No.”
Odette spread a piece of parchment on the table. One sheet was a sketch of Dorothea Samuels. The other was a map of the area around the capital, a simple one showing the roads, forests, and mountains.
“Odette… you even got a sketch.”
“I merely acquired this by chance. It is not as if I am thinking of capturing her, you understand.”
“Right. Got it.”
Odette was too earnest. She’d never openly say, “Let’s pull a fast one on the high-ranking mages.” But I wanted to catch Dorothea myself if possible. If she was one of the Church’s remnants, I had a mountain of questions to ask and complaints to lodge.
“The high-ranking mages are investigating the area around the capital, right?” I pointed at the map.
“Yes. They are currently visiting the villages near the capital, conducting interviews and searching for any sign of her. After that, they plan to sweep the outskirts of the forest.”
“And we trainees are supposed to be subjugating monsters in the area under an instructor’s guidance, right?”
“Yes. To make it easier for the senior mages to conduct their investigation.” Odette pointed to a road near the capital. “The location is around here. Will you be participating, Yuuki?”
“I’m scheduled to accompany Iris as her ‘Guardian Knight.’”
“So Princess Iris will be working as a Guild trainee this time as well.”
“Yeah, though our job is just to clear the path for the senior mages.”
The senior mages needed to conserve their strength to capture Dorothea, so they were having the trainees handle the monsters on the roads and around the villages. The Guild mages really were “wise” in more ways than one.
“Yuuki. Choose your words carefully.”
I realized Odette was glaring at me, even though her lips were smiling.
“I’m not complaining. And of course, I’m planning to participate.”
In fact, I thought it would be a good experience. I was fundamentally immortal, so in 10 or 20 years, I wouldn’t be able to live in the human world anymore. Until then, I figured I should rack up as much “human experience” as possible.
“It’s a good opportunity to gain some experience, after all.”
“As expected of you. I must learn from that drive to improve,” Odette said, puffing her chest out. “Now that we cannot enter Elysium, we must raise our experience however we can.”
“My main job is protecting Iris, so I’ll be in a support role for you when it comes to monster hunting, Odette.”
“That would be a great help.”
Odette and I continued to plan our strategy for the subjugation.
And so, we were to receive our first official job from the Magic Guild. While the senior mages hunted for the mastermind of the ‘Specter Summoning Incident,’ Iris, Odette, and I would be hunting monsters on the road under an instructor’s supervision.
A few days later, we departed for the monster subjugation near the capital as planned. The party consisted of me, Iris, Odette, and our instructor, the C-rank mage Demeter.
We all wore robes over our Magic Guild uniforms. Since there were no regulations on robes, I wore the custom-made one I’d used in the magic duel against Alex. I’d grown fond of it; it was durable and easy to move in. Demeter wore a similar outfit, the only difference being the C-rank insignia on her collar.
“I have no concerns with you, Your Highness, Lord Yuuki, and Lady Odette,” Demeter said, shaking her green hair with a satisfied nod. “Our objective is to patrol the road. I will handle any powerful monsters, so please be careful not to overexert yourselves.”
“““Yes, ma’am!”””
We three replied in unison. We wouldn’t overexert ourselves. Or rather, there was no need to. I had already finished all my real preparations yesterday.
“Master~. A report from a comrade~. There’s a pack of Large Rabbits to the west~.”
“Thanks, Dick. And the others?”
“Heading to their designated search points~.”
Dick replied from his perch on my shoulder. Before we’d set out, I had given a large dose of my ‘Mistel Blood’ to a contingent of bats. There were twelve in all, including Dick, Niil, and Gail. I had them split up to investigate all the suspicious locations.
“Demeter-sensei.”
“Yes, Yuuki Grossalia?”
“The senior mages are currently conducting interviews in the surrounding villages, correct?” I asked, spreading my map. “I’ve heard that the most likely places for a criminal to hide are the rocky mountains near the capital, the caves, and the ‘Black Forest.’ Are they not searching those areas?”
This was information I’d gotten from Odette yesterday when I asked about potential hideouts.
“Those areas are scheduled to be searched last. You need not worry,” Demeter replied.
“So, just to confirm, none of the senior mages are in those locations right now?”
“That is correct. The ‘Black Forest,’ in particular, is dark even in broad daylight. It requires thorough preparation. It is too dangerous to enter without confirmation that Dorothea Samuels is actually there.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
I backed down obediently. I had the information I needed. This was the one thing I had to get from Demeter herself.
I was planning to use the Bat Network to find Dorothea, but I needed to confirm the senior mages’ locations first. I didn’t want to send Dick and the others into an area where mages, already on edge about the Sanctuary Church, were operating. It would be a huge pain if they got caught. I really didn’t want to be suspected of being ‘Dorothea’s accomplice’ or ‘making contact.’
Since the senior mages weren’t there, I could safely send in the bats. I’d have them check the rocky mountains, the caves, and the ‘Black Forest.’
“…If I find a lead, I’m splitting off,” I whispered to Iris. “If that happens, I need you to distract Demeter-sensei.”
“…Can’t I go with you?”
“…It’ll cause a huge panic if a princess suddenly vanishes.”
“…Ugh.”
Iris, her face hidden by her hood, looked at me with worry. “But I can be useful to you, my Lord. Please summon me if you’re in trouble.”
“I’ll send the signal to Niil if it comes to that.”
“Promise me.”
A short time later—
“There! Monsters! To the west! Large Rabbits!”
“““Acknowledged!”””
At Demeter’s signal, we entered combat.
In the end, only small-fry monsters appeared on the road. We spent the first night in a nearby village and spent the second day hunting monsters along the road again. After defeating a few, we returned to the village as evening approached. Dick and the others returned right after that.
“—Master~. Report from the Bat Network~! It’s the ‘Black Forest’~!”
“What’d you find?”
“At the entrance to the forest, hidden between the trees—there was a small carriage parked~! And on the ground, there was a robe! It had a ‘Crouching Wolf’ crest on it~!”
“A crouching wolf?”
I glanced at Demeter-sensei, who was busy talking with the villagers, likely gathering more information.
“Iris, Odette, listen up. A ‘Crouching Wolf’ crest—that’s…”
“…The House of Wolfgang,” Iris said, understanding immediately.
“…What about it?” Odette asked, looking at me curiously.
I explained what the bats had found.
“Dorothea Samuels was an acquaintance of the Wolfgang family. It wouldn’t be strange for her to have received a carriage or a robe from them.”
“…That is certainly true.”
Or, she stole it. Either way, there was a good chance she was there.
“The ‘Black Forest’ is close to here,” Odette noted. “About two hours on foot, or less than an hour by horse.”
“Right. I’ll head over once it gets dark.”
Odette looked at me, exasperated. “Yuuki. You don’t seriously intend to capture her by yourself, do you?”
“I’m just going to gather information.”
“If anything happens, you will call for me, my Lord,” Iris insisted.
“I don’t plan on fighting if I don’t have to. Besides, I have an ace up my sleeve.” I nodded to them both. I would make my move at night. Time to see with my own eyes what this sympathizer of the Sanctuary Church was plotting.
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