Episode 338
The moment we stepped out of the room, the anxiously waiting Assad looked at us with a somewhat tense expression.
I said with a serious expression, "The surgery was successful. You can rest assured."
"Surgery?"
"No, it is healing."
It was a slip of the tongue. He looked so serious that I couldn't help talking nonsense. I punished myself by tapping my lips with my fingers.
Assad sighed as if relieved by my relaxed attitude, saying, "I'm glad. I'm really glad. By the way, when do you think Delac will wake up?"
"Putting aside his physical rehabilitation, if it is only regaining consciousness, then it shouldn't take long. I can't say for sure," Verita replied.
I silently agreed with Verita's answer. I remembered that before my regression, the Iron-Blooded Lord had chased after me relatively quickly. This treatment was completed much more neatly than back then, so maybe it would happen sooner. It was evening, so he would probably wake up around dawn or in the morning.
"I see. Wait a moment."
Assad asked to excuse himself and entered the room. It seemed he was checking how much miasma was left in Delac's body.
It naturally didn't take long for him to return. Assad's expression brightened up quickly as he said, "The miasma has completely vanished. It is an unbelievable sight even seeing it with my own eyes."
"Thank you," Verita answered.
"By the way, what did you do with the miasma extracted from Delac?"
Assad's tone was nonchalant, but I couldn't help feeling a bit nervous. I'd had a fairly long conversation with Verita before coming here, and I naturally prepared model answers for most questions. Now Assad had brought up the most dangerous one out of all the lines I scripted in advance.
"I used a divine relic," Verita replied.
"A divine relic?" Assad asked.
"Yes. It is a relic that can store miasma."
"Really? Can I see it?"
"Ah..." Verita trailed off as if flustered.
Assad narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "What is it? Is there a reason why you can't show it?"
"No, that isn't it. Um. Please wait a moment." Verita hesitated before taking something out. It was a broken rosary.
"This is it?"
"Yes. It is a relic that can store miasma."
Assad looked at the rosary intently. There was a bluish glow in his eyes. It seemed he was using mana to check it. After a long silence that was quite heavy and hard to endure, he finally shook his head and remarked, "It seems to be a pretty valuable relic. How should I compensate for it?"
I inwardly sighed with relief. The plan seemed to have worked.
Of course, the rosary wasn't a divine relic. It looked like something very old at first glance, but it had no special abilities. There was no way to distinguish between a relic that had already lost its efficacy and an old antique, because the end result would be basically identical.
Of course, the decisive reason why Assad had let go of his doubts was because the rosary still contained lingering traces of Dark Qi. Before I came here, I'd used Dark Qi to break it in advance.
An Archmage's insight would see that the Dark Qi was the same as Behemoth's, which had encroached on the Iron-Blooded Lord's body. After all, the root of my Dark Qi was that very same source.
I felt relieved again, as I'd quietly overcome the biggest crisis. I scolded Assad in a casual tone, "You have a lot of doubts. She is someone who went out of her way to help us. Aren't you being too rude?"
"It isn't that I don't trust her. I am just being careful," Assad said, sounding somewhat embarrassed. Then he coughed in an exaggerated manner. "In any case, both of you worked very hard. Sister Razbet, you are especially skilled."
"I just did what I had to do."
"Badnikers never forget a favor. Until Delac wakes up, we will treat you as an honored guest, so rest well. We will take care of you without any inconveniences."
"Mm." Verita paused for a moment before looking at Assad. With one glance, she seemed to have realized the true meaning behind the favorable words.
If someone listened without thinking, it would sound like a promise of utmost hospitality. In reality, it was a ploy to keep her here in case the Iron-Blooded Lord didn't wake up or something went wrong.
These are the Badnikers, after all, I thought. I could somewhat understand it, but on the other hand, it made me think that it was no wonder why the outside evaluation of the Badnikers was so bad.
"Let's do that."
Fortunately, Verita nodded with a smile, not showing any signs of displeasure.
***
I lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. I had deliberately put on uncomfortable clothes so I could get up at any time. Lying on the bed in this outfit made me feel strange, so I was able to maintain a certain level of tension despite the bed being so comfortable.
I flailed my limbs as I started thinking. First of all, I've achieved my biggest goal.
Unlike the past, I'd succeeded in neatly treating the Iron-Blooded Lord. I'd avoided being suspected as a believer this time. As a bonus, I'd absorbed the Iron-Blooded Lord's Dark Qi twice, advancing the Dark Sky Moonward Peak.
Based on the results alone, I couldn't be more satisfied. Part of that was because I didn't have as much trouble persuading Verita as I had expected.
Honestly, I had been very worried about whether Verita would actually help with the Iron-Blooded Lord's treatment. After all, the person who'd fought the Iron-Blooded Lord was none other than the Colorless Demon King, Senior Brother He Lou. To Verita, the Iron-Blooded Lord would no doubt be a heretic opposing the god she believed in.
I'd initially thought about hiding the facts. Then I figured it would cause more trouble if she found out later, so I informed Verita in advance.
In response, she'd casually told me it was okay. It was almost as if she didn't think Senior Brother He Lou could lose. I had a strange feeling that the evaluation was somewhat different from blind faith.
At this point, I wondered what the Colorless believers were really up to. I would need to figure out their thoughts and purpose at some point, but not right now. I had to do my own thing after the Iron-Blooded Lord woke up.
I thought about going to the south. If Big Boss Gustav, the mastermind of the Utgard incident, had been sent to the south, there was a high probability that the incident would occur in the south. As for the north, not only was the mastermind gone, but the Golden Horn faction had already made trouble. Utgard's vigilance would have been further strengthened.
I carefully recalled what I knew about Gustav's location.
The Rahild Labor Camp was called a hell for prisoners in a different sense from Utgard. It was a crazy place where people worked at least sixteen hours under the scorching sun. There was naturally no concept of human rights. Unlike the Utgard Camp, about which information was strictly controlled, the Rahild Labor Camp was quite famous in the south. The massive labor camp covered eight million square meters, and there was no other place like it in the empire.
The reason why such a large labor camp had been created was due to the excavation of relics. In the southern desert, a land of weathering and forgetfulness, artifacts of enormous value were constantly unearthed.
The place where the Rahild Labor Camp had been built was once the capital of Ra-Hildaras, known as the Golden Kingdom. The name was so long and hard to remember that even the desert locals abbreviated it as they liked. That was why it was called Rahild.
For now, I had to assume that would be my next destination. Based on what I knew, Seren would be somewhere nearby. I could drop by where she was on the way.
The important question was how to infiltrate Rahild. Entering as an overseer would probably be impossible. The most plausible plan was to create a false identity and sneak in as a prisoner.
To be honest, it was hard to make concrete plans right now. There was too little information, and I didn't know how things would develop.
Another problem was Evan. I wanted to reunite with him on this trip and move together, but unlike Seren, I had no idea where he was or what he was doing. I had already sent word through Mir, so he would eventually know my whereabouts. Even then, it could be a long time before I actually saw him. After all, traveling from the north to the south could take several months depending on the situation.
I was a bit worried about dealing with the situation with only Seren, so I thought about it for a moment. I needed at least one reliable person, ideally three more. Just finding Gustav in that massive labor camp would be an incredibly difficult task.
Verita would probably follow if asked, but she wouldn't be able to play a big role in the south, as the southern desert was the place with the most nonbelievers in the empire. The ethnic minorities of the eastern grasslands worshiped their own ancestral gods, but they still showed respect to the Seventy-Two Churches to some extent. However, the southern desert was a land of savagery and superstition, where church members ran rampant. Straightforward strength was more revered than religion.
Moreover, anyone who accompanied me would have to enter the labor camp as a prisoner. It was unlikely that Verita or Seren could perform this role well. That was why I needed Evan. At the very least, his acting skills were reliable.
I briefly considered the other talents I knew. Most of Corrupted were from lesser races and wouldn't be of much help. Lanfero looked human and could probably conceal his identity, but I wasn't sure if a man vulnerable to the sun could endure the desert.
It couldn't be helped. At this point, aside from Corrupted and my fellow hero disciples, I had only one connection left. So, I decided to make use of family connections for once. I got up and planned to visit my siblings one by one.
First of all, there was one person who had the highest probability of joining. He was a fellow active hero like me and had expressed regret for not joining the last mission. If anyone were to join, it would definitely be my reliable eldest brother.
"I'm sorry. I already have a mission," Heero told me when I asked.
"Ah." I immediately sighed with a sullen expression.
Heero looked at me with pity and added, "Just so you know, you won't get any help if you ask Nero. She is scheduled to carry out the same mission as me."
"Really? It is a pity."
It was likely obvious from their names, but Heero and Nero shared the same mother. It normally didn't feel like the two of them were very close, but they had the same mother, so they were a bit closer than the other siblings.
I definitely felt the manpower shortage. Heero probably had missions scheduled a year in advance, as the total number of requests pouring into the Hero Society easily surpassed the current number of heroes.
The scary thing was that this was just the beginning. The golden age of the Dark Church would start soon.
The Nameless Empire was called an empire, but in reality, it was as huge as dozens of kingdoms combined. No matter how large the Hero Society was or how many members there were, it couldn't suppress every incident or disaster in the empire. There would inevitably be gaps somewhere. Every time, damage would occur.
I knew the future, but even I couldn't intervene in every minor incident. Previously, when I was stationed in the south as a mercenary, I'd only heard rumors about the biggest incidents that shook the world.
In any case, I had instantly lost my two most reliable people. I quickly made contact with the next person, but something similar happened.
"I'm sorry. Even now, I barely managed to get some spare time. I urgently need to return to the knights," Hector told me.
Just like that, I was also rejected by Hector, whom I had trusted. So I made a mental tally of who was left.
The eldest daughter, Aquata, wouldn't be of any help.
The third daughter, Lina, was a mage, but she had been holed up in a mage tower and was no better. Most southern mages were war mages. Unlike ordinary mages, they were extremely violent and hot-tempered. Bringing along someone like Lina would only cause unnecessary trouble. Besides, she wasn't very close to me in the first place, so I didn't think she would agree.
There was no need to mention Everan, who was busy with his fashion business.
The only other one likely to be helpful was Olivia, who was a mercenary.
Otherwise, there was only one choice left.
"So, Brother Ludwig, you are my only option," I said.
"Can you not reveal my identity as if it is obvious?" Ludwig replied in exasperation, still wearing his collector disguise.
On the other hand, I said shamelessly, "Stop pretending. You weren't really planning to hide your identity completely, right?"
"Well, it is home after all, so I did relax a bit. In any case, Sir Benga knows my situation."
"Eh? Last time, you said the only ones who knew you were alive were you and Father."
"That's right. Still, how can there be an eternal secret in the world? There are too many things to do. Father is always busy and it is hard for the two of us to discuss every situation. That means the number of people who know my identity has gradually increased."
Even so, I figured it had to be a very small number.
Ludwig crossed his arms and muttered, "If it is the south, the last time I went there was around two years ago. In fact, excluding the capital and the east, it is the most likely place an incident could break out."
"Do you believe me? It is still just speculation."
"It is hard not to believe after everything you have done so far. The Golden Fairy brings along incidents, disasters, and demons."
Sometimes it was helpful to be constantly entangled with demon kings.
"Then will you help me?" I asked.
"I will review it positively."
These words were enough for the moment, so I gave a thumbs up.
***
Time seemed to drag out when one was working or busy, but it flew when one was idle. I was able to laze around for the first time in ages.
There was no other way; I was forced to stay here while Verita was bound to the main house. I couldn't leave her with the Badnikers alone.
However, I became a bit more anxious after one, two, three, and then four days passed. The Iron-Blooded Lord showed no signs of waking up. So from then on, I visited the Iron-Blooded Lord once a day with Assad's permission to check his condition, but there was nothing unusual.
"His damaged body is recovering quickly. Perhaps it is taking longer for him to regain consciousness because all his mental strength is being poured into physical recovery," Assad explained.
It made sense on the surface. However, as someone who knew the past, I couldn't help feeling puzzled. At that time, he'd gotten straight up and chased after me.
However, this didn't mean something had gone wrong with the treatment. There definitely wasn't any more Dark Qi left in the Iron-Blooded Lord's body.
In the midst of doubts and unease, time passed without any solution. Eventually, a week passed. By then, even the optimistic Assad couldn't help checking on the Iron-Blooded Lord's condition again, his expression slightly tense.
"Hm. No matter how you look at it, there is nothing wrong with his body."
"Yes. On the contrary, his condition is good."
Assad and Verita expressed their usual diagnosis.
In the meantime, I had nothing else to do, so I looked down at the Iron-Blooded Lord on the bed. His complexion had improved significantly. He looked like he was just taking a nap, compared to when he had been weakly lingering on the brink of death.
"So why aren't you waking up?" I muttered.
At that very moment, the Iron-Blooded Lord's eyes suddenly opened without any warning.
"Eh?" I exclaimed in surprise. Our eyes met and I reflexively closed my mouth. Many thoughts crossed my mind, but I somehow couldn't manage to say anything. I wondered why he'd suddenly opened his eyes.
"What's going on?" Assad exclaimed.
"Brother? Ah—" Verita said at the same time.
I could feel the eyes of the two people shifting toward me. They'd finally noticed that the Iron-Blooded Lord had regained consciousness.
However, the eyes of the Iron-Blooded Lord were still fixed on me. Then—
"Excuse me." He stared at me for a while before asking in a somewhat uneasy voice, "Brother, who am I?"
Time froze. A very long, heavy silence filled the room.
Archmage Assad, Colorless Believer Verita, and Golden Fairy Luan Badniker were all battle-hardened people who had been through many things. We all had a monstrous level of composure that meant we wouldn't be shaken or flustered no matter the situation, but this moment was an exception.
As silent shock filled the room, the one who finally broke the silence was Assad.
"Fuck."
"Yes," I muttered.
Things were seriously fucked up.