The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 86
Twelve Divine Beasts.
Twelve mystical creatures that existed in the world.
Originally, they were the leaders of various monster factions that served the Demon King, but after the Demon King was killed by the first wizard, they accepted the wizard as their new master. This allowed them to remain in the world without being confined underground.
Their names and powers had been passed down through a single descendant, and currently, only one of them was the original divine beast from ancient times, while the others were its descendants.
They were bound to their respective territories and never left their domains, nor did they harm humans.
This was due to a pact made with the first wizard, agreeing not to interfere in the affairs of the world.
The power of these twelve monsters was vast and mysterious, even influencing nature itself.
For example, Frikkanlisk, the dragon that governed winter and resided in the northern part of the Troa Empire, could cause avalanches in the snowy mountains of Dortmund when it became angry, and hail fell when it wept in sorrow.
We had revered this incredible power since ancient times, but we did not worship it because we followed the one true God, Yggdrasil.
However, their awe-inspiring power and authority deserved respect, so we had separately referred to these twelve monsters as the <Divine Beasts>.
⎯Excerpt from [The History of the Troa Empire and the Twelve Divine Beasts], page 251, first line.
***
To reiterate, what I aimed to gain from this episode was the head of Archbishop Ami.
Killing him and obtaining the Judgment Weapon was my primary objective.
As long as things didn’t go off track, I should naturally be able to ride the flow.
However, there was a small problem.
The incident that happened to Helion and his companions during this summer vacation was more like a side story that deviated entirely from the main plot, so my knowledge was extremely limited.
According to the known storyline, Helion and his group, who came to subdue Frikkanlisk, discovered some sort of connection between Frikkanlisk and Archbishop Ami. Despite the terrifying power of these two, they did not back down and managed to claim victory.
With Frikkanlisk’s death, the climate in Dortmund and its vicinity returned to normal, and the head of Ami, one of the fifteen archbishops, fell into darkness, greatly elevating the status of the Church.
Moreover, Helion’s already illustrious achievements became even more brilliant, and his hero ranking soon rose from 7th to 6th place.
Many people mistakenly equated the hero ranking with combat power, and while that was not entirely wrong, it was more accurately a measure of <contribution>.
It was a ranking based on how much someone had contributed to making the world a better place.
In any case, if the original storyline proceeded as it should, Helion would rise from 7th to 6th place, and his team members would share in that honor.
Considering the power and damage of the archbishop, it was only fitting. ⎯This was how it was known, and it was described that the students of Academia, upon hearing the news, were all busy idolizing him.
… but there was something unsettling about it.
Helion’s power was indeed extraordinary, enough to reach the 2nd rank in the hero rankings in the future.
So, it didn’t seem strange that he and his companions managed to capture Archbishop Ami and Frikkanlisk, one of the Twelve Divine Beasts.
The others also ranked quite high, except for one who died in the process.
Hmm. But… but you see…
⎯Swoosh!
A certain movement, a certain breath, repeatedly cut through the air. My flow of thought was momentarily interrupted by the sound, and my gaze was naturally drawn.
The man wielding the iron sword, Finn Troa Toiren, had a well-trained body that sharply contrasted with the surrounding temperature.
The heat emanating from Finn’s body raised the room’s temperature.
Just being near him felt as hot as steam from a heated kettle.
Since joining the research group, Finn had been tirelessly repeating a single movement.
It was the most basic of basic techniques, aiming swiftly at the opponent’s head, with no variations or applications. It was just one single-minded move.
“… you’ve improved somewhat, but it’s still far from enough.”
This was my honest impression.
After tens of thousands of repetitions, it was still crude.
Given that Finn’s training was aided by a relic of Helion, which was somewhat disconnected from pure swordsmanship and involved mana, it could be said that his current level was purely the result of his own efforts.
Therefore, it was disappointing.
It seemed that the weight of the iron sword was not typical, and even the sandbags he had been carrying were over 70 kilograms, yet there didn’t seem to be much effect.
‘This should suffice for confirming things about this guy.’
This place was one of the old lodgings in Dortmund, the northernmost city of the Troa Empire.
Canella, who was guiding us, instructed us to wait here while he went to fetch Helion and the group.
So, Finn and I decided to use this spare time for our personal maintenance.
As always, Finn swung his heavy iron sword, while I checked on the state of my familiars and supplied them with mana.
Familiars couldn’t be raised with just affection. Proper management and timely supply of high-quality mana were essential.
Obviously, it was much more demanding than raising pets.
⎯Grrr.
As I gently combed the fur of the wolf familiar, it expressed its pleasure with its whole body.
It rubbed its face against me, trying to snuggle closer.
At first glance, it might seem like it was trying to burrow in for warmth due to the cold… truly, it was unbearably cute.
Anyway.
Dortmund was a city where snow was ever-present, being the northernmost part of the vast Troa Empire.
If we hadn’t taken the high-speed airship before boarding the carriage, it would have taken us weeks to get here, that was how far it was.
It was only natural that the landscape visible through the rattling window, covered in white snow, wasn’t unusual.
… that was, unless the snow was falling so heavily that it obscured the view outside.
“This is no joke. I’ve heard about Dortmund, but I never imagined the snowstorm would be this intense, even in summer.”
The noise of the window seemed to have broken Finn’s concentration as well.
Before I knew it, he was also gazing out of the window with me.
“It wasn’t always like this. The weather is just out of sorts right now.”
“Is this Frikkanlisk’s doing?”
“Yes. Its rampage has led to the current situation.”
The reason Helion’s team was summoned by the Central Church was simple, to subdue Frikkanlisk, which was wreaking havoc near Dortmund.
The dragon of winter, one of the Twelve Divine Beasts, was causing extreme weather conditions, leading to numerous deaths from the cold in this already harsh region.
Crop failure, livestock losses, human casualties, and building collapses were just a few of the disasters that had followed.
As a result, the economy was collapsing, and people who hadn’t been rescued were dying.
So, the Church decided to eliminate Frikkanlisk after assessing the situation, but the heroes stationed in the local church weren’t strong enough to capture Frikkanlisk, so they requested help from the Central Church.
That was how we ended up coming to this far-off place.
⎯Grrr.
The wolf, <Wolfie>, who had been calm as if he would peacefully fall asleep in my arms, suddenly bristled his fur and ground his teeth.
He turned his head towards the door, taking a defensive stance.
I gently patted his back to calm him down. The person who entered after opening the door was Canella, who had guided us here.
“Sorry, did you wait long? There was more information to check than I expected, so it took longer.”
A man who seemed somewhat familiar approached from behind her. He greeted us with a warm smile. Even though there was no real emotion behind it, it looked quite natural.
“You’ve been through a lot to get here. Student Vargan, Student Finn, you both seem much stronger than the last time I saw you.”
Finn bowed at a 90-degree angle.
“It’s been a while, Lord Helion…!”
“The quality of the relic you gave us was so outstanding that we were able to achieve quite satisfactory results.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Helion’s eyes remained completely still.
It was only natural to wonder if that was really the face of someone who felt a sense of accomplishment, but since we had grown accustomed to Helion’s way of speaking, it didn’t feel awkward.
He was not perfect at handling expressions naturally.
He didn’t waste time.
“Then, let me explain this mission right away. Let’s move to another room.”
***
[Can you swear that what you just said is not a lie? If it turns out you were lying, I’ll kill you on the spot, whether we’re in a temporary alliance or not.]
A teenage boy on a grotesque-looking horse stared at a man wearing a hood.
His vertically slit pupils reminded one of the late Archbishop Zagan, who had horizontal slits in her eyes.
Archbishop Ami wore a chilling expression.
He had recently heard about the death of his younger sister, Zagan. His days had been filled with a foul mood, so if this was a joke, he wouldn’t take it lightly.
The hooded man, speaking in his naturally gloomy tone, calmly conveyed the truth to the archbishop. He wasn’t lying.
“I have no reason to lie. There’s nothing in it for me.”
Ami said nothing more, glaring at the man under the hood as if to pierce through him.
Sensing that the man was telling the truth, Ami’s mouth stretched into a wide grin.
It was a smile that was both pure and cruel.
Ami was delighted.
He was so excited by the prospect of savoring an incredibly delicious soul, aged for 15 years, that he almost forgot Zagan’s death.
He couldn’t wait to meet him.
He wanted to meet him right away and devour him greedily.
Leaving not a single piece behind…!
Ami licked his lips as he looked down at the distant city of Dortmund. It was as if he were staring at a prime cut of meat on a plate.
“If Helion’s here, rushing things could make it all go wrong. Stick to the priorities.”
Even though Ami’s gaze remained fixed on the distant city, he was aware of the situation. His primary reason for coming here wasn’t Helion.
[I’ve waited 15 years. I’m not going to lose my head just because it gets delayed by a few more weeks. But…]
Ami’s eyes narrowed as he turned toward the hooded man.
Suddenly.
“Arrrgh…!”
The man began to writhe in agony. It wasn’t due to any external stimulus but as if something deep inside his body was causing the pain, as if he were trying to clutch at his heart.
The hooded man rolled around in the snow, getting white flakes all over his body.
Ami lightly dismounted from his horse and lifted the man’s chin with his foot, continuing what he was saying.
Ami’s gaze was indifferent, as if looking at a being lower than livestock.
“Don’t get too full of yourself, human.”
Although his face was obscured by the hood, it was easy to tell that his expression was heavily distorted.
Inside his body, a <divine bug> had taken root.
The wbug, having consumed Ami’s blood, could turn Craine into an Altife at Ami’s will and cause him pain whenever Ami desired.
“Our alliance is temporary. And it’s not on equal terms.”
Like most alliances or contracts, it was nearly impossible to establish one in a state of complete equality.
The alliance between Archbishop Ami and the hero under the hood was the same.
They temporarily joined forces for this mission, and even that was under unequal terms.
“I’ll give you what you want. But don’t forget, if you piss me off, I won’t hesitate to cut your head off, even if it means suffering some losses.”
The hooded man listened to Ami’s chilling voice, but instead of being afraid, he began to laugh maniacally.
He wasn’t driven mad by pain or fear.
“Yeah… that’ll do… that’s enough.”
This was the kind of person he was. A hero who, when he desired something, would stop at nothing to achieve it. His intense desire for something had made him this way.
If it meant getting what he wanted, he didn’t care if his allies were demons or Altifes—he would join forces with anyone. After all, the hero didn’t love humanity.
“Heh, heh…”
Despite the pain of his heart being devoured, he could genuinely laugh if it meant getting closer to the source of his desire.