Chapter 57: The Deal with Caron (2)

I curled my thumb and index finger into a circle, touching them together.

Through the gap, I looked at Caron and said,

"Hehe, the information is fine. But this is more urgent..."

Whoosh.

Caron threw a small leather pouch.

Since I wasn't being malicious, I caught it without any trouble.

Rustle.

The pouch made a rustling sound.

'Just how much is in there?'

As I tucked the pouch into my pocket, I opened the subspace window.

Sure enough, 20 gold had been added.

Of course, being the final boss, he's generous.

"Thank you for the good deal."

I bowed deeply, bending my waist.

Caron clicked his tongue, clearly displeased.

I was genuinely expressing my gratitude.

"Tsk, cut the act. I know your heart is darker than anyone else's."

"Hehe, that's a misunderstanding."

"…That's exactly what makes your heart dark. Anyway, try not to draw attention."

Caron turned his body towards the window.

His attitude suggested he was ready to leave now that the business was done.

Being able to enter and exit through the window like a bird was a bit enviable.

Birds and freedom...

'Wait, now that I think about it... Caron is free, isn't he?'

I am currently bound to Andwood Academy.

There are hundreds of hidden pieces outside the academy, but they are just pie in the sky until I leave.

'But if the diligent Caron brings them to me one by one?'

I might be able to get a few even from here.

A capable Caron who can verify information in a day would surely listen to my request.

'This is like getting a free meal while lying down.'

A business relationship. I decided to actively use it.

First, I thought it would be good to start with something simple to build trust.

"I have one request."

"…What is it?"

"I need an artifact."

"An artifact?"

In this world, there are things called artifacts.

They can contain magic, physical enhancements, and mysterious powers that are theoretically inexplicable.

'Rodelin's necklace has three spells in it.'

It was an artifact comparable to the ultimate item.

Well, being the youngest daughter of the Lucid family, it was only natural for her to have something like that.

"…What kind of artifact do you need?"

"Hehe, a 'Shield' would be nice."

"Arrogant brat. You're asking for something quite expensive."

"Ah, wait. I'm not done yet."

"?"

"Enhanced magic resistance, pain reduction, Fly, Strength, any artifact that can cast spells, and also…"

Rattle, rattle.

I started listing artifacts with protective functions.

Because my life is precious.

When I had listed about 20, Caron raised his hand to stop me.

"…Enough. I've lost all desire to help you."

"Hehe, but I can provide information in return."

"Arrogant brat. Do you even know what information I need?"

"Of course not. How could I know if you don't tell me?"

Caron's expression momentarily froze.

Why was he reacting like that? I was just stating an obvious fact.

"I told you to cut the act."

"Hehe, ask me anything. You never know, I might know something."

"…"

Caron fell into thought.

He wasn't angry. He was just organizing his thoughts to decide what information to ask for.

After about three minutes, he spoke.

"Hus is chasing a black mage who provided information. He's not very good at covering his tracks. The pursuit is slow, but he'll catch him eventually."

"That's fortunate."

"…The problem is, we have no idea what he's doing."

The mysterious black mage who dealt with Hus.

He was definitely plotting something sinister. The issue was when, what, and where.

'The empire's intelligence department is skilled at tracking.'

Even they needed time, suggesting he had moved around a lot.

My worries grew. Curses and grave robbing were bad enough, but.

'He might sacrifice an entire village.'

A ritual to summon a demon.

It's not easy. The larger the scale, the more time, resources, manpower, and effort it requires.

But Hus has been dealing with the black mage for quite some time.

So it's not strange for Caron to ask me.

Until the black mage is caught, we won't know what he's plotting.

Of course, I.

'Already know.'

I fell into thought.

Providing the information was a done deal.

Not just to get the artifact.

It was a well-considered decision.

'Now, how to provide the information?'

The story of the information and the information to hide.

Combining the two wasn't difficult.

One of the hundreds of quests in "The Hero of the Academy" came to mind.

"Hehe, the information Hus provided… was it about missing persons?"

"…Yes. Specifically, hiding missing persons."

"Hiding missing persons?"

"Shredding missing person flyers from the village and hiding the fact that people were missing from us."

"Can you tell me which region?"

"Gallatea Province. It's the territory of Count Musto."

As I know.

It's located in the heart of the empire and is also a place one must pass through to reach Andwood Academy.

"Hmm…"

I raised my left hand and placed it on my chin.

The classic thinking pose.

There was no better way to pretend to be thinking.

"…Surgical fusion."

"?"

"On my way to the academy, I found a body."

It was a bizarre body.

A human torso with disproportionately large arms, dozens of eyes, and visible surgical scars, and.

"There were signs of an attempt to implant a demon's heart. It seemed to have failed."

"…!!"

Gallatea Province is currently the territory where one of the Four Heavenly Kings is active.

The most insane of the mad black mages.

'The Mad Creator, Lucius Black.'

And what he is currently attempting is.

"Demon fusion. He is experimenting with fusing demons with human bodies."

Caron's eyes widened in shock.

* * *

"Such madness!!"

Caron cursed.

It was that horrifying.

Even the cold Caron was cursing.

'Telling him in advance won't hurt.'

It's about time to start gathering information about the chimera.

Encountering a chimera, a creature made by fusing humans and demons, is at the beginning of Chapter 3 at the earliest.

Right now, the Mad Creator is in the midst of his research.

'The problem is, while I have information about the chimera, I don't know exactly what it is.'

They aren't putting much effort into tracking.

Fusing a demon with a weak human body would only make it weaker.

They dismissed it as a foolish prank by black mages.

But in the future, Gallatea Province will suffer near-total destruction by the chimera.

'Infiltrating a land without troops is far too easy.'

Thus, the empire will lose a central territory.

Losing the very heart of the empire while wide awake.

'With the heart blocked, travel to any direction became impossible.'

One had to take a detour or risk crossing the heart.

The travel issue caused more serious problems than expected.

The economy suffered a major blow, and support couldn't reach the attacked regions.

When the support troops arrived, which took two to three times longer than usual, they faced only two things.

Chaos and destruction.

Two things people would often encounter in the future.

'The beginning of it all was the fall of Gallatea Province.'

So I decided to provide the information and prevent the creation of the chimera.

"It's certain. I saw it with my own eyes."

The information I provided was a combination of quests and stories from "The Hero of the Academy."

'Almost no players start in Gallatea Province.'

Because black mages keep attacking in the first chapter.

'Their god's command. Offer your body.'

Why do they target players and not themselves?

…By the way, most of their bodies are already offered.

'Yet they faithfully follow the command.'

They are true followers of the Mad Creator.

Madmen.

"What did you do with the body?"

"I burned it. I thought it would be bad if someone found it."

Starting as an extra character, if you wander around Gallatea Province, you'll encounter something bizarre.

Signs of an attempt to fuse a demon with a human.

If you choose to investigate, a boy will soon appear.

"Adventurer! Avenge my father!"

A request for revenge.

The reward is 5 copper. Not gold or silver, but copper.

A trivial amount to us, but a significant sum to the boy.

Good players accept the quest.

And they face.

True despair.

'If you continue the investigation, you'll die at the hands of a black mage or a chimera, or have your body stolen.'

If you seek help from a nearby village, the villagers will beat you and hang you.

"How dare you listen to a demon's family! Are you in your right mind?"

Driven by fear, they decided to eliminate the source of terror.

Next to me, the boy's neck is hanging, and the [GAME OVER] font appears.

Yes, this is the kind of world.

A world where hurting others to survive is considered normal.

'Of course, there is a way out.'

The only way to escape Gallatea Province.

Burning the chimera's body to erase all traces.

The boy who gives the quest continues to live a normal life in the village without his father's body.

Believing his father will return one day.

'A happy ending.'

The boy is happy to live in the village.

The villagers are happy not to reject the boy.

The player is happy to continue their journey.

A happy ending for everyone, a happy ending.

Isn't it?

"…But it's strange. Why fuse a demon's body with a human's?"

Caron's question was valid.

The existence of a demon's body means the summoning ritual was successful.

The demon has been summoned to this continent.

'A demon can exert the same power in this world as in the demon realm.'

There's no need to fuse it with a human.

The demon is simply much stronger.

"Is it for disguise? To blend in with people and cause chaos?"

No, there's a more serious issue.

A problem that normal human imagination can't fathom.