"I can no longer be an adventurer," she said.
"Hmm, what should we do? Go back to Ijaniya?"
"I don't want to hear that kind of bad joke."
In an alley where even the moonlight could not reach, two petite girls were communicating swiftly with special hand signs. Their golden hair was tied up like sheaves of wheat, and their faces were almost identical. They were the ninja sisters, Tia and Tina, from the Blue Rose.
This was within the empire. The reason they had come to the sorcerer kingdom's vassal state was, firstly, a counterintuitive move, and secondly, they had nowhere else to go.
To reach the place beyond the map, even with teleportation, they needed to properly organize their equipment and consumables, as there would be many perilous areas along the way that even steel-class adventurers could not afford to be careless about.
However, places to replenish supplies had become hard to find.
The kingdom no longer existed. The Slane Theocracy and the Blue Rose had parted ways, and it was difficult to infiltrate the theocracy's social management system; the Council State and the Holy Kingdom of Lorbulgrud were in the opposite direction and fraught with issues.
As for the Dragon Kingdom, although it seemed convenient, they planned to pass through it as quickly as possible without stopping.
According to the intelligence gathered by the Blue Rose, the stance of that country was probably even worse than that of the vassal state. It had relied entirely on the Sorcerer King's power to repel the orcs, and there was also the mysterious disappearance of the steel-class adventurer team Crystal Tears, which raised serious concerns.
Thus, by simple process of elimination, only the empire remained.
Moreover, there were still several old hideouts of Tia and Tina in the empire from their Ijaniya days, such as this one.
The underground hideout in the alley had a womb-like structure. Although the total area of the secret room was not small, about forty square meters, most of it was narrow passages—Gagaran could only squeeze through sideways except in the room at the very end.
The twins guarding outside were still silently discussing.
"It's not entirely a joke, you know. What should we do? We can no longer act as adventurers. We have completely gone underground, just like in the old days of Ijaniya."
Even steel-class adventurers, in the absence of their homeland, could only be considered exiles.
When their mother country was slaughtered to the last, they chose to flee. No matter how famous they once were, they could no longer operate on the surface of the world.
Indeed, the adventurer's code stipulates that adventurers must not interfere in the disputes between nations. However, the war between the sorcerer kingdom and the kingdom could hardly be called anything other than a war between alien races and human races, and the means were extremely extreme.
So even if the adventurer community understood, the general public would give them some unpleasant nicknames, such as "the roses of the fallen kingdom."
If anyone still wanted to hire them, it would be for jobs of a different nature—the clients would be interested only in their strength, and the content of the work would be on the edge of morality and law.
As the "steel" rose, perhaps it had withered forever.
"Most importantly, it's about them. We can survive no matter what."
"Can the rose still bloom?"
Seeing her twin sister ask such a poetic and naive question, Tina couldn't help but pause her fingers (speechless).
"Maybe if we dismantle the Sorcerer King and use him as fertilizer, the rose might bloom again."
Seeing the mockery, Tia could only offer a wry smile.
In the deepest room of the hideout, a single bed and a set of table and chairs filled the space. A pair of rusty shackles were nailed to the wall, and a star-like magical light shone on the table.
The atmosphere was despondent.
Gagaran, without her equipment and dressed in plain clothes, sat by the table staring at her war hammer, which had accompanied her for many years. Iburiel stood in the twilight, her expression hidden behind her mask.
As for Lakyus, she had cried an unprecedented amount of tears not long ago.
She couldn't stop, and her helpless, tearful appearance was like that of a child. Now she finally lay on the bed, facing the wall and curled up, asleep.
But even with such uncontrollable emotions, the only thing she said to her companions was—"Thank you, thank you all."
From the first time they met, it was the same. Iburiel thought to herself.
She had thought that Lakyus was just a young lady who had impulsively come out to adventure, the type who would complain about going home after a minor injury, but she turned out to be surprisingly strong-willed, completely contrary to her pretty appearance.
If Lakyus had raged and cursed at the people who had taken her away, Iburiel might have felt a bit better, and the guilt of everyone would have been less. However, unfortunately, this "cunning" captain had understood the actions of her companions from the very beginning.
(Ah... such a cunning person, Lakyus.)
If Lakyus had flown into a rage, it would have been enough to slap her awake to make her come to her senses, and everyone's guilt would have been reduced a lot. However, the "cunning" captain had understood her companions' actions from the very beginning.
(Ah... Such a feeling of loss, it's a once-in-two-hundred-years occurrence.)
"...Rigrit...?"
After an unknown amount of time had passed, Gagaran broke the silence.
"Yeah, we've contacted her. We'll wait for her in the「Royal Capital」."
"Is that so..."
The conversation was interrupted. The atmosphere was filled with an air of hesitation, making it irritable.
But Iburiel didn't say anything more. Improving the atmosphere had always been Gagaran's responsibility, and she acted like an older brother in this all-female team.
Although even this "older brother" was now finding it hard to find a breakthrough in the atmosphere, Iburiel still decided to leave everything to her and apologized quietly in her heart.
"...The world of humans really seems very, very small, Iburiel. If you're not careful, they'll go extinct, won't they?"
Under the light, Gagaran's eyes became somewhat narrow, and the non-human spell caster, who had long ceased to be human, just shrugged her shoulders, indicating that it was only natural.
"Ah, the world has never been dominated by humans, and it won't be in the future, either. Only humans think that human nations are strong. The truth is, humans are just barely surviving in the cracks formed by the truly strong."
Although her lines didn't match her childish voice, making her image seem a bit "all grown up in appearance but still a child at heart," and even making Gagaran unable to help but let out a faint smile, it had to be admitted that what Iburiel said was the truth.
Why do the maps of all the countries only cover that small part in the northeast corner of the continent? Isn't it because ninety-nine percent of humans simply can't make it back alive from the middle of the continent?
Not to mention the ancient legends that humans were once on the brink of being "completely eliminated" by other races.
"If there were more strong people like Momon, humanity might have a chance, right?"
Iburiel couldn't agree with Gagaran's sigh at all.
Subhumans admire and worship the strong. The weak either have the ambition to become strong or follow the strong wholeheartedly. So for subhumans, the logic that the more strong people there are, the stronger the group becomes, holds true.
But humans are different. Although there is also admiration and worship of the strong in human culture, that's just on the surface. The real core logic is actually "using the strong."
Among the weak and powerless commoners, there is the mindset of "the capable do more." The protection of the strong often leads to the laziness of the weak. The stronger the strong become, the more the weak depend on them—although there are indeed exceptions, but that's the general case.
Not to mention those nobles who always want to use the rare strong people who do emerge as their pawns, to control and exploit them for their own benefit.
So, Gagaran's wish is unattainable. If there were really more people like Momon, the world of humans would probably become even more chaotic, leading to a decline in overall strength, Iburiel thought to herself.
However, she didn't argue, because first of all, she wasn't that inept in social skills, and secondly, one name had already completely occupied her thoughts.
It was the only name in two hundred years that she admired and loved—Momon.
"Lord Momon...!"
As if casting some super high - level magic, for the first time, a feeling similar to "hope" appeared in Iburiel's voice when she chanted this name.
Torch. Yes, that's right, the torch. That pitch - black existence is simply the only torch now.
If it were him, he would definitely be able to break the status quo, right!
Iburiel believed that Momon could break through all the dangers in the world. His dual swords were invincible, and under his cloak was the safest haven in the world.
But—
"Iburiel, do you think Momon can defeat the Sorcerer King?"
Iburiel couldn't help but glare at Gagaran for asking this. If there hadn't been a mask to cover her face, the other party would definitely have trembled a bit.
The reason for her anger was that Gagaran reminded her of "reality."
How Iburiel wished she could give an affirmative answer right away!
Of course! Why not? Lord Momon must be able to eliminate the Sorcerer King! —She really wanted to reply with such confidence.
In fact, before encountering the rescue team from the Holy Kingdom, Iburiel was indeed that convinced.
But after receiving the intelligence about Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth in the Holy Kingdom, the rational side of Iburiel forced herself to admit a "possibility," that is, Momon's strength might be weaker than that of Jaldabaoth and the Sorcerer King.
Why didn't Jaldabaoth reveal his "true form" in the battle with Momon?
The answer to this question is probably hidden in the reason why Momon was able to defeat the mysterious vampire, Hen... something—powerful magical artifacts.
The reason why Jaldabaoth didn't use his full strength might be that he was wary of the numerous magical artifacts that Momon possessed.
Come to think of it, Momon used two very powerful magical weapons of ice and fire in the battle, and those were just in front of her... He must have used even more before entering her line of sight... That powerful earthquake might also have been caused by some kind of crystal sealing high - level magic.
And Momon used these precious magical artifacts without any hesitation, as if he had plenty of them!
Jaldabaoth might have been very cautious because he couldn't see through Momon's bottom cards, and thus, he also refrained from showing his true form!
That makes sense. If I were to fight an enemy who kept taking out powerful artifacts, I would also be very cautious and avoid revealing my bottom cards first.
However, Momon fought Jaldabaoth to a draw, even though he used some of his artifacts.
It's obvious that Momon's true strength is weaker than Jaldabaoth's. Therefore, of course, it's also weaker than that of the Sorcerer King, who can defeat Jaldabaoth.
And the reason why the Sorcerer King is wary of Momon is probably the same as Jaldabaoth's.
This is the "rational Iburiel"'s realization of the fact.
—Momon is not an invincible existence. This great hero is actually just trying to maintain a balance in the cracks of the absolute strong (OVERLORD). And if there is an emergency, this delicate balance can easily be broken—such as the situation where the entire kingdom is slaughtered.
Since that's the case...
"Muscle woman, after Lakyus wakes up, I want to discuss something with her..."
"Discuss going to see Momon, right?" Gagaran revealed a sarcastic - like smile.
"Huh? How did you know!"
"Ha! Can't I see through your little thoughts?"
"...Yeah, that's right, Gagaran. I want to formally discuss with Lord Momon... Depending on the situation, I might take Lord Momon to the「Royal Capital」with me."
If you consider Momon's position in Ylan - til, which is similar to that of a "tribune," taking him away would definitely arouse the resentment of the people there.
But after the kingdom was slaughtered, the significance of "tribune" has undergone a major change.
In this extreme situation, the neutral path can be said to have been cut off. If Momon, the hero, continues to stay in Ylan - til, then over time, he will only have two paths to choose from.
Either, he will be regarded as "the only hope" by the angry but powerless people, and in the hollow cries, he will be pushed onto the path of resisting the Sorcerer King. And according to Iburiel's previous reasoning, this will be a doomed struggle.
Or, completely ignore the people's adoration, and instead, seriously fulfill his own duties, and slaughter all the inevitable angry rebels, and finally stand completely on the opposite side of the people, becoming a pawn of the Sorcerer King.
No matter which path, it will lead "the Black" to its end.
And what the Sorcerer King probably hopes for is that Momon will take the second path and become his real subordinate! It even makes one feel that the extreme act of slaughtering the kingdom itself might have included the purpose of forcing Momon to make a "choice."
... What a terrifying strategist.
It was based on this understanding that Iburiel thought it was necessary to "save" Momon as soon as possible.
That is, the "third path"—to run away. Although it sounds a bit unpleasant, and to a certain extent, it is equivalent to abandoning the people of Ylan - til, but from a long - term perspective, it is undoubtedly the best solution.
Just like the "Blue Rose" at this moment. Run away.
In that case, "the Black" will no longer be able to be adventurers... Maybe then, Lord Momon will become the first male member in the history of "Blue Rose"?
... Although it seems a bit like Lord Momon's "harem." And not to mention Nabe, even Lakyus would make Iburiel feel a bit insecure.
But to ask if there is no selfishness in Iburiel's proposal, that is absolutely not the case.
If the discussion goes well, there might really be a chance to adventure with Lord Momon! This is simply—simply the happiest thing in the world!
... This little bit of "selfishness" will evolve into a "sense of guilt" that will torture her in the long run in the future. But at the moment, of course she was completely unaware of that...
She put forward her proposal:
"Under the current circumstances, it would be foolish to let "the Black" stay in Ylan - til any longer. Before the Sorcerer King makes a move against them, we must take the initiative to save them."
"Is that so, is that so... Hey! Lakyus, stop pretending to be asleep, you're awake already, right? Come and make a decision!"
In response, the body that seemed delicate, curled up on the single bed, moved slightly, and then slowly sat up.
The face looked pale, as if having lost several pounds.
The beautiful golden hair, although disheveled, still had a luster, and the eyes that had cried before had returned to calmness, like a windless lake—only lacking a bit of gentleness and having a bit more coldness.
"Damn it, I've been awake for a while."
Although it was just an extremely subtle change, it was enough to make Iburiel turn her face away, unable to bear to look at Lakyus now. Seeing this, Lakyus forced herself to smile.
"Iburiel... let's do it. I agree. "The Black" is the hope of humanity. Since we've realized their predicament, we should do our best to save them... But you know..."
Facing Lakyus's frown, Iburiel nodded to show her understanding.
"Ah, I know. He is currently... on the side of the Sorcerer Kingdom."
That is to say, the possibility of being betrayed must be considered. Maybe Momon has already made a "choice," maybe he has really defected to the Sorcerer King.
But this "possibility," for Iburiel, is simply unacceptable. If someone outside of "Blue Rose" dared to hint at such a "possibility" to her, Iburiel would definitely immediately emit a lion - like aura of anger.
"Lakyus, Lord Momon is impossible...!"
Lakyus raised her hand to stop Iburiel's declaration.
"I understand, Iburiel. Although I don't feel as strongly as you do, I also believe that Mr. Momon is a noble person... I'm afraid he is also suffering a lot because of the Sorcerer King's atrocities now."
Thinking of the undead who killed her best friend and everyone in the kingdom, Lakyus showed a look of righteous indignation.
That expression finally had some of the brave and determined temperament of the old days.
"Let's contact "the Black" early tomorrow."
...
To be continued