Chapter 10

### Previous Story

- Saint Tasha tortured spy Asura in the witch-hunting trial.

- Asura confessed to destroying the magical runes on the back of the hero's neck.

- Asura was executed by Saint Tasha due to additional crimes.

- Lord Mithra of the Raksasha family received the report of the Yaksha family's attack half a day after Balad and his group's assault.

- The Raksasha family is the leading clan among the seven spy families, known as the "Ears of the King." They primarily monitor domestic affairs to prevent corruption and rebellion, essentially overseeing the security department. They also oversee the other spy clans, including the Yaksha family.

- After visiting the Yaksha family and completing the investigation of the crime scene, Mithra imposed a gag order on the assault and instructed that Asura be reported as ill for the time being. He then went to report to King Alerista Darius.

- In the corridor leading to King Darius's office, he encountered Crown Prince Asur. Asur, a handsome man in his late twenties with flamboyant red hair and luxurious attire, is a magic knight like his younger brother Maysin. However, due to his position as Crown Prince, he does not go to the front lines and serves as the lord of the Manglar region, which is close to the capital.

- In contrast, Mithra, in his mid-thirties, is tall with black hair, cold eyes reminiscent of a snake, and a lithe build.

- Asur had probably been talking with King Darius. When Mithra knelt in the corridor to wait for him to pass, Asur stopped in front of him.

"Is something the matter? Hell's Ear?"

"I am the King's Ear, Your Highness."

"Do you have nothing to say to me?"

Asur said this in a haughty tone and laughed.

"I apologize."

"Very well. Keep up the good work."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Asur left.

Mithra stood up again and entered King Darius's office. In addition to King Darius and his attendants, Prince Maysin was also present. Mithra requested to speak in private, but King Darius told Prince Maysin to stay.

King Darius announced:

"Due to the success in defeating the Demon King, I have decided to change the Crown Prince to Maysin. The official announcement will be made at the state funeral, but from today, you should be aware of this."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Mithra responded calmly.

This was a development he had foreseen once the Demon King was defeated. King Darius and Prince Asur did not get along well. Although Prince Asur was designated as the heir due to the tradition of primogeniture, their disagreements had increased in recent years, and their relationship had deteriorated.

Regardless, this was not a matter for Mithra to comment on. He reported the Yaksha family's attack and Asura's disappearance as planned.

King Darius and Prince Maysin showed serious expressions.

"Is the identity of the attackers unknown?"

"The details are unclear. According to the Yaksha family, it seems a powerful magician was involved."

"Is there a possibility of retaliation from the Demon King's army?"

King Darius asked again.

"It cannot be determined at this time."

"Understood. I will entrust the investigation to you. Conduct it secretly and prioritize it."

"Yes, Your Majesty. On a different matter, it appears a large-scale flood has occurred in the Duchy of Tarmikash."

"I have not heard of this."

King Darius frowned.

"It seems that Duke Tarmikash accepted bribes from trading companies and allowed shortcuts in flood control projects. He is trying to cover up the existence of the flood, but this has hindered disaster response. Immediate action is necessary."

"Very well, I will hear from the Duke himself later. You may leave."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After leaving the office, Mithra returned to the Raksasha family's residence, where his subordinates had already compiled the initial report.

"There have been sightings of a carriage believed to belong to the attackers in the northern part of the capital."

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In the chapel of the cursed church, Bozen and I listened to Tasha's story.

The remains of Asura, which had been torn apart, were compressed and buried in the ground using Bozen's gravity magic.

"The runes on the back of the neck?"

I knew about the mark on Veldt's neck. It was a circular, coiled line, but it was actually a magical rune that read "emeth."

The command given to Asura by Maysin was to cut the "e" at the left end.

I found it hard to understand, but Bozen seemed to have some thoughts, and he hummed.

"Those are runes used to control golems."

"Golems?"

Ancient alchemical civilization's humanoid magical beings.

"Emeth, in magical runes, means 'truth.' If the 'e' at the beginning is removed, it becomes 'meth,' which means 'death,' and the golem stops functioning. The fact that it stopped working with just a shallow cut is likely due to this. If Veldt is a golem, then—"

"Is he a golem?"

I started to say "That's ridiculous," but then I remembered something.

Veldt's growth was slow. When we first met, I thought he was around ten years old, but even after ten years, he still looked like he was only sixteen or seventeen. He could wield weapons much larger than his own weight with ease and never got out of breath no matter how much he moved. His magical power was virtually inexhaustible. Moreover, Veldt's body has not decomposed even now. While it doesn't match the typical image of a stone giant golem, it is undoubtedly not a normal living being. His pink hair might also be related to this.

"If the emeth rune is real, the words of the aberrant god might not be entirely false."

"Can he be resurrected?"

"For a regular golem, it would be enough to rewrite the 'e.' Whether the same method can be used to resurrect Veldt needs further consideration."

"We need to retrieve Veldt himself."

Even to consider resurrection methods, Veldt's body is necessary. However, Veldt's remains are enshrined in the mausoleum within the Alerista palace. A direct assault like the one on the Yaksha family won't work. Using a teleportation spell to directly retrieve the body would be simple, but there are anti-teleportation measures in place.

"The only option is to infiltrate the state funeral."

The plan would be to infiltrate the state funeral, disable the anti-teleportation measures, retrieve Veldt's body, and escape using Bozen's teleportation spell.

"Do you have a plan?"

"I have a big catch among Veldt's acquaintances from before he became a hero. If I explain the situation, they might help—"

Just then, a pigeon flew into the church. A Torrel homing pigeon, which flies to a person registered by magic rather than relying on its homing instinct. When I extended my hand, the pigeon landed on my wrist. A small canister containing a message was attached to its leg.

After removing the canister, the pigeon flew away, returning to its owner. Inside the canister were two folded letters.

"What is it?"

"It's from an acquaintance. It seems they've caught wind of something. Alerista's spy network is heading this way."

We should probably move to a different location.