Chapter 5

Martial Papal Capital.

I heard the news of Verkto's death at the headquarters of the chartered company.

"Is he really dead?!"

I confirmed with Gram, the secretary who brought the report. A beautiful woman with chestnut hair and eyes, wearing glasses. She looks around twenty, but being a half-elf, she is actually older than me. She is the daughter of a general from one of the major human nations, Luna. Due to a certain unfortunate incident, she was not heavily favored in Luna, but she has military talent surpassing her father and is well-versed in military and logistics. The rapid growth of the chartered company as an armed economic organization supporting the hero and the human alliance is largely due to her skills.

"According to information from the Luna army and the Martial Cathedral Knights, the demon king Gares was successfully defeated. Hero Verkto was killed by a curse Gares cast in his dying moments. The returnees from Gorma Castle are Prince Meishin and Lady Asura. Lady Tasha and Lord Izuma are reported to have died in battle with Gares. Hero Verkto's body is being transported to Aleista by Prince Meishin and the Aleista army, and is expected to be given a state funeral as a hero of Aleista upon return."

Gram said this with a pale face and a trembling voice.

Gram and I, and Verkto, were friends before we started the chartered company. Gram was also the first employee of the chartered company. She came to us, determined to support Verkto. That's why it's difficult for her to maintain her composure now.

"Body? Not bones?"

If he was cremated, that would be fine, but the demon territory is tropical. Without proper treatment, the body would decay before reaching Aleista. Unless we have an ice storage magic circuit, which is our company's exclusive technology and not yet provided elsewhere.

"According to unconfirmed reports, Hero Verkto's body is unharmed."

"What does that mean?"

It's a strange story, but it doesn't seem impossible. Verkto has always been extraordinary. It wouldn't be surprising if he didn't decay even in death.

I looked out the window. It was already night. The reflection of a middle-aged man with a desperate look in his eyes appeared in the black glass.

"What do you think?"

I asked Gram in a whisper.

"Doesn't it seem too convenient? Was he really killed by a curse? Did the Vais Lexima magic circuit fail? Verkto, the Holy Maiden, and Lord Izuma are all dead, and only Meishin and Asura from Aleista survived and returned. According to the last letter he sent, the demons are ultimately human, and Verkto and Izuma wanted peace between humans and demons. The Holy Maiden seemed more pragmatic, but she didn't advocate for the continuation of war or extermination after the demon king's defeat. If those three had returned alive, they would have been troublesome for those who advocate the eradication of demons and the complete purification of the south. So, couldn't it be that Meishin and Asura, after defeating Gares and being exhausted, attacked and killed Verkto and the others? Is that a possibility?"

"I can't say for sure," Gram said, her voice trembling.

"Is it just a delusion?"

I said with a self-deprecating tone.

Is it just that I can't accept the death of my friend of ten years and am lashing out at Aleista and Meishin out of emotion?

My head is in chaos.

I'm not sure if I can think logically.

"I can't say for sure," Gram repeated.

"There's not enough information to draw a conclusion. However, the Martial Cathedral Knights also have doubts about Gares's curse."

"What do you mean?"

"The kind of curse that can cause death usually remains on the body after death, but there was no sign of it. Since the witness is Prince Meishin of Aleista, they didn't press the issue, but it seems unlikely to be a curse death. Additionally, the bodies or remains of Lady Tasha and Lord Izuma have not been returned. According to Prince Meishin, they were completely erased by Gares's magic, but our company provided them with weapons and armor made of Orichalcum Adamantium alloy. Even the demon king Gares would find it difficult to completely erase them."

"Any search for the bodies?"

"The Cathedral Knights have requested permission to search for Lady Tasha's body at Gorma Castle, but it has not been granted. There is a fear of residual forces of the demon army inside, so the castle is sealed by the Aleista army. They plan to flood the castle by diverting the river nearby."

"Water siege after the fall of the castle. It sounds like they don't want anything to be found, so they're sinking the castle... Is it just a wild guess?"

"No," Gram shook her head.

"I can't say for sure. We need to investigate."

"......You're right."

There's no point in doubting here.

We need to investigate.

If it really was Gares's curse, that's fine.

But if there's political involvement from Meishin, Asura, or Aleista, I can't let it end here.

I can't let them live.

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First, I wrote a letter to a friend in the Aleista capital, expressing my doubts about Verkto's death and my intention to investigate. If my suspicions are close to the truth, he should help me. I entrusted the sending of the letter to Gram and then headed to Gorma Castle, the site of the final battle between the hero and the demon king.

I attached a small golden round shield to my suit belt and left the papal capital.

The name of the golden round shield is Libra Lexima. It was one of the pieces of equipment that competed with Vais Lexima for the position of the hero's weapon. As the name suggests, a magic circuit shaped like a balance scale is embedded on the surface of the shield. There are holders on each side of the balance for card-type magic circuits.

It was not adopted as a hero's equipment because it requires a brain-embedded magic circuit for operation, but I have a brain-embedded magic circuit for my prosthetic hand, so I can use it without any problems.

First, I needed a means to reach Gorma Castle. I went to the shipyard of the chartered company in the neighboring country of Jis.

Standing in front of a small boat in the dock, I called out, "Professor Bosen." An old man with a pointed hat, who was working on the mast, turned around.

"Oh, President, what brings you here suddenly?"

As he said this, the old man floated down from the mast like cotton fluff.

Gravity control.

A high-level magic, but for this old man, it's just a convenient daily spell.

The Great Sage Bosen.

He is the grandfather of the magician Farem, who was one of Verkto's and my companions. Initially, we invited him to design and integrate the Vais Lexima magic circuit, but he seemed to enjoy the company's atmosphere and stayed after the completion of Vais Lexima, occupying the Jis shipyard to study ancient alchemical civilization's ships.

"Can you prepare the Lavanas for me?"

"What happened?"

Bosen, a research bug, was unaware of the demon king's defeat and Verkto's death. After explaining the situation, Bosen said sternly, "I understand."

"The maintenance is just finished. Let's prepare for departure immediately."

The Lavanas is a magic ship named after Lavanas, one of Verkto's first companions, a now deceased dragon knight. It was a ship from the ancient magic civilization discovered by Bosen's grandson Farem, which Bosen studied and restored. It is highly automated and can navigate against the wind and currents thanks to its magic circuits, but it requires considerable magical ability to operate. Currently, only Bosen, who oversaw the restoration, can handle it.

The name is Lavanas, not Farem, apparently because Bosen has a principle against using his grandson's name on practical items.

So, the two of us, a middle-aged man in his forties and a sage in his seventies, set sail for Gorma Castle.

The shortest route is to follow the Azon River, which flows through the Southern Great Forest, to approach Gorma Castle. However, the tributary that flows the shortest distance has been dammed as a preliminary step for the water siege. We landed from a slightly longer tributary and joined the Martial Cathedral Knights, who were encamped near Gorma Castle.

I had known the Cathedral Knights before and had built a relationship of trust through the supply of weapons and materials. The fine wine I brought as a gift helped, and they provided detailed information about the situation around Gorma Castle. However, there didn't seem to be any significant developments. The Aleista army's blockade was still in place, and there were no signs of surviving demons inside. The preparations for the water siege were proceeding smoothly and were expected to begin as early as tomorrow.

"There are no more demons in that castle. They are all dead."

Looking down at Gorma Castle from the Cathedral Knights' camp, Bosen said.

"Verkto and the others?"

"No, it was Gares. He seems to have spread a strong miasma inside, killing the demons and monsters within."

"Is it dangerous to enter?"

"It should be fine now. The miasma has dissipated with Gares's death. Let's go in immediately."

"Alright."

The area around Gorma Castle was surrounded by Aleista soldiers, but Bosen, being a Great Sage, used a short-range teleportation spell to easily enter the castle. Normally, such castles have anti-teleportation barriers, but they seem to have lost their function after the demon king's death.

"Let's go."

As Bosen raised his staff, a light appeared at its tip. We followed the light into the castle and entered the throne room, which was the site of the final battle between the demon king and Verkto. The walls and ceiling were shattered and destroyed. After searching, we found no remains.

Instead, there was a large hole.

A deep, dark crevasse that seemed to reach the bottom of the earth.

From its depths, a strange, eerie sound could be heard.

It sounded like the breathing of a beast.

Something was crawling up the vertical shaft.

Bosen increased the light from his staff to illuminate the depths.

A strange figure appeared.

A gaunt body, glowing eyes, fingers with peeling nails, and a woman with a demonic appearance, climbing up the rock wall like a spider.

Our eyes met.

At that moment, the woman let out a bird-like scream.

Vaaaaaaa!

She roared as if spitting blood and closed the distance.

"What is this?!"

Bosen raised his staff, but he noticed just in time.

"That's... Lady Tasha!"

She looked more like a mountain hag or a cave dweller than a Holy Maiden, but her features were still recognizable.

I extended my right arm, which is made of magic mercury and can be controlled and shaped by thought, and called out her name.

"Tasha!"

Aaaaaaaa!

She let out a primal scream and approached. Her appearance was terrifying, but there was no time to be scared. I extended my arm like a rope, grabbed her, and pulled her up to the floor.

Even after reaching the ground, she remained in a state of excitement and madness. She rolled on the floor, using her clawless fingers to scratch the ground, and continued to scream.

"Calm down, Lady Tasha. You're safe now."

I opened a water bottle from my suitcase and poured water over her face. She must have been without food and water for a long time. She opened her mouth wide like an animal in a drought and drank the water, then fainted.

"She was down there."

"Probably."

If she had been trapped underground since the demon king's defeat, it's no wonder she had become somewhat deranged.