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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Tirpitz. I have something to tell you.”
“….?”
Tirpitz struggled to maintain his composure.
How did this boy know his name?
Aside from the Pope, the Emperor, and a few Cardinals, no one should know the Great Sage’s true name.
Then he remembered Cardinal Hainkel.
Perhaps Schlus’s blood relative had revealed it.
That had to be it.
“Yes. What is it that you wish to tell me?”
This boy was probably trying to assert some sense of superiority by knowing his name, but it was futile.
Tirpitz wouldn’t indulge him in such a petty satisfaction.
“I will tell you the location of Durandal.”
“…!”
A chill ran down Tirpitz’s spine at Schlus’s next words.
Durandal.
One of the legendary weapons said to have been sealed away by the strongest Majin during the war between humans and Majin’s.
Its existence was unconfirmed, but rumors claimed it could cleave dimensions.
Why was this human boy mentioning it?
It made no sense.
“I… I’m not familiar with Durandal…”
“Time is short, so I’ll be brief. Durandal is embedded at the bottom of Lake Mystil in the Kingdom of Trud. I understand it’s hard to believe. But when you confirm the truth of my words, remember this. You are indebted to me, Schlus Hainkel.”
“….”
Nonsense.
This boy was spouting utter nonsense with a straight face.
Just then, the perception-blocking barrier dissolved.
“My apologies, Great Sage. I am truly sorry for interrupting your prayers.”
“Ah, it’s alright…”
The boy had reverted to his polite demeanor.
Madman.
Tirpitz couldn’t think of any other explanation.
Was he hiding his true nature from the Saintess?
Whatever the reason, it was none of his concern.
This was simply another instance of a foolish lamb being disrespectful, something he had experienced countless times.
A simple smile was enough to dismiss it.
“Then we’ll be going.”
“Yes. You are welcome to visit again.”
The door closed with a thud.
The smile vanished from Tirpitz’s face.
That madman’s ramblings were nothing but lies.
But no matter how hard he tried to convince himself, a nagging feeling of unease lingered in his heart.
“Why Durandal of all things…”
If he was going to bluff, he could have chosen any other legendary weapon.
The Day of Judgement, said to have been wielded by the heroic human, Gawayn.
Or perhaps another sealed weapon, like Vafe…
But why Durandal?
The very sword that vanished right before it could be his during the ancient war.
The sword he had searched for relentlessly across the continent, a secret he had kept even from his fellow Majin’s.
How did this boy know…?
“Just who is this man?!”
It was unbelievable.
Even other Majin’s were unaware of his desire for Durandal.
Could it be a mere coincidence? That someone who knew his name happened to mention Durandal?
That was even more unbelievable.
He was reluctant to admit it, but the only logical conclusion, after careful consideration, was this.
“He knows my true identity…”
The boy had known from the very beginning.
That he was a Majin.
And as a final confirmation, he had said,
“Remember that you are indebted to Schlus Hainkel…”
“Damn it.”
How much did he actually know?
Tirpitz, as the representative of the Majin’s, had long been tasked with mediating the conflict between humans and Majin’s.
He couldn’t afford to appear anything but a guardian of justice, even superficially.
He had a debt to repay.
“No way… Surely not.”
There was no way that was actually the location of Durandal.
The bottom of Lake Mystil in the Kingdom of Trud?
Preposterous.
He was now more inclined to believe it was a coincidence.
“Ugh… Seriously!”
He had a headache.
He had to go and search for Durandal, but two conflicting desires battled within him.
He both desperately hoped it was there and that it wasn’t.
He couldn’t ignore the possibility.
Durandal held that much significance for him.
“Alexia…”
He was starting to resent Alexia.
She had only warned him about Schlus Hainkel being an unusual human, not a madman who could see through his disguise.
She should have given him a proper warning.
If she had, he wouldn’t have underestimated the boy.
He would have taken precautions.
“Ugh…”
In the worst-case scenario, Schlus Hainkel could demand Tirpitz’s assistance.
He was a figure the Emperor was wary of, someone who was potentially laying the groundwork to overthrow the Emperor.
If he needed Tirpitz’s help, it would likely be…
“I hate getting involved in wars!”
…when he was challenging the Empire, and Tirpitz might be forced to use his power against the continent’s ruling power.
He was already racking his brains, trying to come up with excuses to avoid being dragged into a war.
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“I miss Emilia’s cooking.”
“Huh? What was that?”
“…Nothing.”
Perhaps he had become too accustomed to Emilia’s food.
The moment he tasted the soup the innkeeper had provided, Emilia came to mind.
He wondered how she was doing.
She was probably away from the mansion, reunited with the Intelligence Agency, and perhaps even with Hertlocker.
It would be too lonely for her to stay in that huge mansion all by herself.
“We’re leaving.”
“Already? We haven’t rested much.”
“We didn’t stop to rest. The horses have been changed and we’ve resupplied. We need to depart immediately.”
He dismissed Ainz’s childish complaint.
They hadn’t come here to meet the Pope.
He had only done so because they had to stop anyway.
Despite his efforts, the meeting had been unsuccessful.
In any case, the situation on the front lines was dire.
They had to reach their destination as soon as possible.
“Schlus.”
“…?”
As he gathered his belongings and was about to leave the inn, he felt someone tugging at his sleeve.
He turned around and saw Iris.
She was clearly waiting for an opportunity to speak to him privately.
They couldn’t do so on the return journey since Trie would be waiting for them.
“What did you talk about with the Great Sage?”
“I’m not obligated to tell you.”
“But… don’t you trust me yet? I thought…”
“I trust you, Iris.”
He meant it.
He didn’t want her to misunderstand.
To convey his sincerity, he took both of her hands and looked her in the eye.
“You are the person I trust most in this group. You have saved my life twice, and I will forever be grateful to you. I will live to repay your kindness. I will live, waiting for the day I can sacrifice my life for you.”
“There’s no need for that…”
“No, I must.”
There was a slight exaggeration, but mostly truth in his words.
He trusted Trie the most, but… Iris didn’t seem to notice the subtle deception.
It was the first time he had seen Iris avoid his gaze.
She must have been deeply moved.
It was understandable.
She had found him on the verge of death and helped him become a functional human.
Now he was even enrolled in the Empire’s most prestigious university, causing all sorts of trouble.
“I will live for you, Iris.”
“Schlus… You shouldn’t say that.”
“What do you mean?”
“You shouldn’t say that when your attendant isn’t present.”
“…”
He didn’t understand why Emilia was suddenly being mentioned.
“Ah, I understand. I know you trust me…”
Iris pulled away from him, her voice trembling slightly.
She must have been deeply touched.
Perhaps she was thinking,
‘This is why I became a Saintess.’
“So… make sure you have a plan. The future I saw… we were all in a panic, and we were defeated.”
“Is that true?”
“Of course. Don’t you trust me?”
“…”
He wasn’t sure if she was telling the truth or just trying to scare him.
Either way, he had achieved his goal.
She had let go of the question about the Great Sage.
“Let’s go.”
Before Iris could bring it up again, he joined the others.
“We’re here.”
“Ugh… Huh?”
The carriage came to an abrupt halt in the middle of a grassy plain, the sun setting in the distance.
He nudged Ainz and Erica awake.
Iris and Trie hadn’t slept at all, seemingly alert the entire time.
He had been out cold, succumbing to motion sickness.
“There’s nothing around here.”
Erica said, looking around in confusion.
“Shh.”
He hushed her as he stepped out of the carriage.
Ainz, quicker on the uptake, followed suit, keeping his mouth shut and crouching low.
There was no need to explain anything to Trie or Iris.
Trie could sense the situation just by breathing the air of the battlefield, and Iris had already seen the future.
“Why are we stopping here? We need to reach the castle.”
“The castle that the suppression force occupied no longer exists. The entire south is essentially under enemy control.”
“What… What… What?!”
Had he forgotten to mention that they had lost all of the castles?
Erica was so shocked and confused that she couldn’t speak.
“Th-then what do we do?!”
“There’s a fortress where the remaining suppression forces are stationed. We need to get there… The problem is, it’s highly likely that it’s surrounded by the enemy.”
That was why the carriage had stopped in the middle of this remote plain.
It would be disastrous if they encountered the enemy while approaching the fortress.
He could have blasted their way through with magic, but… he didn’t want to reveal his presence to the enemy just yet.
It was best to keep the arrival of a powerful mage a secret.
“You can turn back now if you wish.”
“Are you trying to get us killed, Schlus?!”
“Don’t worry.”
He had taken precautions.
There was nothing to worry about.
He ignored Erica, who was still staring at him with suspicion, and took the lead, moving forward cautiously.
Trie stood at the rear, keeping watch.
They could see the fortress in the distance and just beyond it, enemy troops had set up camp.
But there wasn’t just one camp.
There were multiple enemy camps, spaced about 200 meters apart, forming a circle around the fortress.
They would have to sneak through.
“Are you sure about this? We’re going to crawl between enemy camps to reach the fortress?”
“If you just keep quiet, we can make it. So please, shut up, Erica.”
“Fine…”
He wished she could skip the response as well.
He shook his head and was about to move forward when—
Thump…
“Hm?”
He tripped over something.
It wasn’t hard like a rock.
He gulped and parted the tall grass.
“Gah?!”
“…”
It was a beastman soldier, sound asleep in the tall grass.
Schlus swiftly drew his sword with his left hand and held it to the soldier’s throat.
“If you make a sound…”
“Intruder! Intruder! Five intruders here!!!”
“Damn it…”
A piercing shriek, like a siren, rang through the air.
Before Schlus could react—
“Intruder…”
Swoosh!
A flash of silver, and the soldier’s head rolled off his shoulders.
He turned and saw Trie calmly wiping the blood off her sword with a cloth.
“Ah…”
Erica and Ainz looked bewildered.
It seemed like they had never seen someone killed before.
But he didn’t have time to coddle them.
Bwoooon!
“Intruders!”
“Over there! Surround them!”
Beastman soldiers swarmed towards them from all directions, surrounding them.
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