Xenon stood with his arms crossed, silently gazing ahead.
Those who had attacked Anelli amidst the earlier chaos were presumed to be mercenaries.
‘They’re probably from the same organization as the assassins who have been attacking us until now.’
While Samuel was picking apart their behavior, Xenon approached the nearby guards.
These were the ones who had scrambled out in a panic upon hearing news of the Dullahan’s appearance, yet they hadn’t even been able to approach the Dullahan, merely trembling in fear.
‘Rather than wasting time worrying like this, they should quickly clean up here and give chase.’
If they could just quickly settle this commotion, the sparrow and hawk waiting in the tree, along with the horse standing dumbfounded over there after losing its owner, would take Xenon and Samuel to Anelli.
Having composed himself, Xenon urged the guards on.
“Why aren’t you arresting them immediately?”
A few excited locals who happened to be nearby promptly backed Xenon up.
“That’s right! Arrest them at once!”
“Why are you just standing there watching!”
It seemed witnessing the Resurrected One being kidnapped right before their eyes had fueled the locals’ anger. And to think it was because of those mercenaries—how furious they must be.
As the surrounding locals raised their voices, demanding the immediate arrest of those scoundrels and a rescue mission for the Resurrected One, the mercenaries wore bewildered expressions.
“We were hired to guard His Highness the Crown Prince!”
The mercenaries, being pressed hard, finally dragged Maxel into it. But Samuel, curling his lip askew, retorted as if he had been waiting for this.
“Ah, so you’re confessing who hired you?”
“How dare you insult the imperial family!”
Even Maxel’s guard knight stepped forward, raising his voice. As the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, Lilia, who had been standing at the back watching the situation, interjected with her delicate face.
“These people are good people. They travel around performing the service of hunting Monsters for only a modest fee. They couldn’t possibly do such a frightening thing.”
It was likely intended to defend the mercenaries. But that was precisely the kind of statement Samuel and Xenon welcomed.
“If they’re Monster hunters, then they’re part of the group trying to harm the Resurrected One, aren’t they?”
“Looking at it now, it was a deliberate approach from the very beginning, wasn’t it?”
As soon as Samuel’s cold words ended, Xenon slapped his palm down with a *thwack* and raised his voice.
Then Samuel nodded and muttered in a grave tone.
“So they joined as the Crown Prince’s guards after hearing the Resurrected One would come to subdue the Dullahan.”
“My, how incredibly calculated. Too wicked for mere mercenaries to have planned—could it be there’s a larger force behind them?”
Xenon, naturally picking up the thread, glanced sidelong at the guards. The guards, who had been standing awkwardly, subdued the mercenaries as if pushed into it.
Maxel and Lilia seemed unable to comprehend how their conversation had flowed this way.
But there was no one present to explain it to them.
“This doesn’t seem like an incident the local city guard can handle, does it? Investigators will come from the capital. Actually, before coming here, the Resurrected One had some instructions for the Captain of the guard—fortunately so.”
Xenon nonchalantly chattered, grabbing hold of some local whose identity he didn’t even know. Samuel also nodded indifferently, supporting his words.
“This is a matter that should warrant a dispatch from the High Temple as well.”
“How dare you presume to judge the severity of the matter on your own, not knowing who I am!”
Maxel, who had likely been refraining from stepping forward to maintain his dignity as Crown Prince, finally couldn’t hold back and raised his voice.
For the moment, Xenon closed his mouth. After all, in terms of status alone, no one here could recklessly oppose him.
Though, the person to deal with the Crown Prince was just arriving over there.
Maxel, having also spotted the person running this way, called out to him loudly.
“Baron Ruejak!”
It was unclear how much of the news he had heard, but Baron Ruejak’s face was deathly pale.
As he drew near, Maxel quickly opened his mouth.
“Listen, these insolent fellows……!”
But before he could finish his sentence, Baron Ruejak first looked around and asked,
“Is it true the Resurrected One was kidnapped by the Dullahan!”
“Yes. Because of those people over there.”
Samuel jerked his chin toward the mercenaries. Baron Ruejak’s expression twisted strangely upon confirming them.
“They are the mercenaries hired as His Highness the Crown Prince’s guards.”
As Baron Ruejak recognized them, Maxel, his face flushed with anger, promptly spoke up.
“That’s right! Can you believe these people dared to… without even seeking my permission, the ones I hired…!”
“What are you doing! Arrest them immediately!”
Baron Ruejak urged the guards on as if he hadn’t heard Maxel’s words. Maxel’s expression contorted miserably.
“Baron!”
Only upon hearing that sharp call did Baron Ruejak turn to look at Maxel.
“Your Highness, please understand the urgency of the matter. If they are innocent, they will be released unharmed.”
Baron Ruejak’s voice was so stiff as he said this that it seemed absolutely certain he would never let the mercenaries go.
Well, from Baron Ruejak’s perspective, the Resurrected One, who was supposed to protect his territory, had been kidnapped—how infuriating that must be.
“This matter cannot be simply overlooked. Is the Resurrected One an ordinary person?”
Depending on how one heard it, this could be understood as meaning the Resurrected One, Anelli, was far more important than the Crown Prince, Maxel.
Xenon quietly took in the hostile atmosphere.
The Dullahan’s sudden action had been extremely bewildering, but thanks to it making such a spectacle of taking Anelli away, the situation was becoming more serious than they had planned. Xenon inwardly suppressed a laugh.
‘Well done.’
Yes, this incident was destined to be blown up very, very big. So big it would swell until it went *pop* and burst.
* * *
[This land feels unpleasant.]
Bark, who had emerged from the pocket dimension, muttered in disgust upon seeing the land turned pitch black.
[And there are unpleasant Monsters on top of it.]
Tristan, who had also revealed himself, trembled and burrowed into the folds of my cloak.
“Eek, it feels awful…!”
As for Pallides, needless to say, she jumped and began to sniffle.
Dasha, who hadn’t even had a chance for a proper reunion with her long-lost comrades before being met with intense revulsion, seemed quite disheartened.
[These are the soldiers I gathered for revenge….]
It seemed Dasha truly wanted to take revenge on the world with all her heart. But despite Dasha’s efforts, the Skeletons didn’t look like very reliable soldiers.
Even if I were to lead a Skeleton army to take revenge on the whole world, I doubted they would last even a day.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who thought so, as Bark began poking the wobbly Skeletons with his large front paws, picking a fight.
Finding this amusing, Tristan transformed into a Dullahan and joined in, and Pallides also stealthily participated.
[Ah, my soldiers…!]
While watching the Skeletons, which had now become playthings for the Dullahans, I casually spoke to Dasha.
“So, why did you go berserk? Are you still in a berserk state?”
[I… I didn’t even know I had gone berserk.]
According to her, until just before meeting me, only the thought that she must immediately kill the proxy of Birth had dominated her consciousness.
[Remembering that the Captain had failed, and thinking this world had become Birth’s, I vowed to destroy everything.]
In the midst of that, Lilia happened to be lurking nearby, which caused Dasha’s mind to completely snap.
Even now, while explaining to me, she was intermittently emitting dark energy, creating a gloomy atmosphere.
No matter how you looked at it, Dasha didn’t seem fully calmed down yet. I cautiously patted Dasha’s arm and said,
“Calm down. If we leave her be, she’ll ruin everything.”
In fact, it should be considered already ruined. Though she herself seemed unaware.
At my words, Dasha retorted in a gloomy voice.
[But she is the proxy of Birth and the spool winding the threads of fate. She must be completely destroyed.]
Among her hostile words, one term particularly stood out.
“……Spool?”
[That woman had the threads of fate shining all over her body, tightly wound around her, and she was weaving them in all directions, wasn’t she?]
The shining threads of fate on Lilia’s skin were something I could see too. I had also guessed that Lilia’s existence seemed to influence those around her.
But that conclusion was entirely based on the experience I had accumulated from dealing with her.
It was impossible for Dasha, who had seen Lilia only a few times, to have reached the same conclusion as I did by the same method. I looked at Dasha with curious eyes.
“You can see that?”
[I can sense it. The threads of fate and that spool.]
A spool. I felt like I had heard that term somewhere before.
Racking my memory, it suddenly came to me—the monastery. The statue that the Captain of the past had beheaded. It was said to be a spool.
So this time, is Lilia serving in place of that statue?
[I am the tenth knight and the minstrel who proclaimed the Captain’s sacrifice. I know all the stories of the world, and I am familiar with the artificial stories Birth weaves.]
If Lilia is not merely the proxy of Birth but also a spool…
“Then the people who form relationships with Lilia become immersed in that artificial story.”
Her family members, Maxel—everyone suddenly changed, and the fact that I foolishly danced in the palm of her hand—all of it.
Was it because they were assigned roles within her artificial story?
A chilling feeling ran through me. Until now, I had known Lilia was the proxy of Birth, but I hadn’t felt it keenly.
Perhaps the real power Birth gave her wasn’t foresight, but the ability to influence those around her to realize that foresight.
‘A life predetermined by someone….’
Suddenly, I recalled the Captain of the past, who had thrown herself into the River of Forgetfulness, saying she didn’t want to live as a puppet of the gods.
I understood a little of how she must have felt. A life being manipulated without my knowledge—I truly wanted to decline.
[Now I sing of revenge. They will pay the price.]
While I was lost in thought for a moment, Dasha quickly reverted to her gloomy self, emitting dark energy.
To calm Dasha down, I quickly opened my mouth.
“There’s no need for revenge. The Authority didn’t fail.”
[Huh?]
“It’s merely incomplete. But it will be completed soon.”
The amount of dark energy emanating from Dasha’s body decreased.
“I will retrieve your heads and return your rest to you.”
As soon as my words ended, Dasha cried out in a voice pale with shock.
[That won’t do!]