42 – Obeying the Command

Watching Dale collapse onto the table, head hitting the surface, unconscious, I turned my gaze back to Llewellyn.

The noisy one had quieted, a signal to return to the matter at hand, and I met his eyes.

Llewellyn nodded, resuming his explanation calmly.

“To continue where I left off, the Order’s charitable organizations are, under the guise of service, selling vagrants to black mages.”

I nodded, acknowledging I remembered the previous conversation.

Llewellyn then began detailing the specifics.

“It’s quite intricately entangled, but to put it simply, their so-called ‘service’ is a business where the interests of three groups converge.”

The city benefited from legally disposing of the vagrants who were not only useless but also tarnished the city’s reputation.

Some corrupt priests could legitimately extract donations from the imperial family and wealthy organizations under the pretense of charitable work.

And the black mages could secure a steady supply of people who wouldn’t be missed, making it illogical *not* to participate.

‘So *that’s* why there were so many human test subjects at the black mages’ stronghold.’

With the Order, which was supposed to be monitoring them, openly turning a blind eye to human trafficking, there was no problem even with such a high number being taken.

‘Especially now, during the war with the demons.’

Whether they wanted to or not, people who had lost their homes and hometowns were flooding into the city, causing the number of vagrants to swell to an unbelievable degree.

Meaning they could continue to sell them off without it being too noticeable.

As I chuckled bitterly at their behavior, treating humans as mere currency, Llewellyn spoke to me in a composed voice.

“Therefore, would you be willing to investigate and eradicate the associated charitable organizations?”

Eradicate… The word was quite extreme, so I turned to Llewellyn, slightly surprised.

Llewellyn then drew an old codex from his pocket and said to me.

“Of course, compensation has been prepared…! It hasn’t been fully deciphered yet, so we don’t know what it contains, but according to Liana, it’s highly likely to be a codex containing a remarkably powerful technique.”

Hearing those words, I looked at it in silence.

A battered book radiating an intense mana.

Such an object was never mentioned in the original story, so I had no idea what was inside, but I was certain it was no ordinary item.

I was just then dwelling on the artifacts the Saintess had given to Dale in the original story, certain that this one was no ordinary thing.

Ruen, seemingly apologetic for assigning me this case, hesitated before speaking.

“If it were possible, I would join the investigation… but I have a place I must urgently attend to, so I cannot accompany you.”

“A place you must urgently attend to?”

“Ah, yes. Pernoa Cliff, have you heard of it? I heard there’s been a large-scale monster outbreak, with many injured.”

Of course, I knew it.

Pernoa Cliff was the place where Ruen and Dale first met in the original story.

The place where Dale saved Ruen from a desperate crisis.

In other words, Ruen going to Pernoa Cliff meant she was fated to be in danger, so I couldn’t help but voice my worry.

“That sounds incredibly dangerous. Shouldn’t you at least take a large contingent of soldiers with you?”

“Ah… the Order is in a state of disarray right now. There are several complicated issues, so that would be difficult.”

The complicated issues Ruen spoke of likely referred to the problems caused by the ‘corrupted members of the Order’ who were trying to keep her in check.

I pondered her words for a moment before nodding, glancing sideways at Desooni, who was screeching beside me.

‘It would be best to have that one accompany her.’

It would increase her safety, and Dale could gain experience points, so it wasn’t a bad solution.

I told Ruen to take Desooni with her, then turned to Desooni to tell it to follow Ruen and slay some monsters, when—

“Ueeeaack! Damian!”

Dale, with a flushed face, fiddled with his glass, and posed a question.

“That… something feels off, don’t it…?”

“What?”

“In the original, Elysia wasn’t, like… this extreme, see?!”

Of course. Many things that shouldn’t have happened in the original story had happened, and things that should have happened hadn’t.

“Uh!? Something’s wrong… Is she being controlled by a black mage?!”

“Controlled?”

“It can’t be anything else…”

Controlled by a black mage… Listening to this rather intriguing speculation, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

‘Come to think of it, Elysia’s actions have been quite primal compared to the original.’

She, who always valued efficiency and cut away anything unnecessary, had suddenly become overly attached to affection, which was a bit strange.

Of course, if I were to guess the reason, I wouldn’t be completely clueless.

Elysia, you see, was not just ‘suffering from prolonged hallucinations and auditory delusions.’ These things had morphed into nightmares.

Barely managing two hours of sleep a day, she lived a life perpetually cursed by phantoms.

‘So, of course, even someone with the strongest mettle would be utterly shattered.’

… Yet, Elysia was Elysia. It felt strange that only this could break her. I couldn’t help but harbor doubts.

As I mulled over these thoughts.

Desun, sitting before me, downed her drink and said,

“Hallucinations, auditory delusions… and headaches too? Sounds like black magic…”

With those words, she promptly passed out.

I watched Daisy, nestled in my arms, spring up and whack Desun on the back of the head, lost in thought.

‘Could it really be connected to black magic, like Dale suggested?’

If I were a key figure within the eldest son’s faction, knowledgeable about the artificial sun.

I would want to be rid of Elysia, who, besides making enormous contributions to the North, also openly displayed ambition for the seat of the head of the family.

In other words, it was highly probable that someone had sabotaged Elysia to prevent her from wielding her power effectively.

‘Black magic, huh…’

The thought struck me: only Elysia in the North had been suffering.

I shook my head, dismissing it with a scoff.

‘Not my problem.’

Whatever black magic was involved, it’s already over, and it no longer concerns me.

I chewed my tongue, deciding Elysia wasn’t worth my concern, whether she lived or died, and spoke to Dale.

“Stop with the nonsense and just follow the Saintess later.”

“……”

No response.

Looking at Dale, I shook my head, thinking, ‘Well, I’ve used it for a long time,’ and got up from my seat.

* * *

After receiving the volunteer organization documents from Liana and returning to my lodgings, Damian’s mother suggested I return to the main family home with her.

“Won’t you come home with me?”

I said I’d come later, as I had a mountain of work to do at the moment.

Damian’s mother embraced me gently and spoke with warmth.

“Yes, it would do you good to unwind after your travels. But your family will worry, so come back as soon as you can.”

“Yes.”

I saw Demian’s mother off, and then, with a composed gaze, addressed Liana.

“Take me to where the aid organization is.”

“Yes. This way, please.”

It seemed best to assess the situation first, so I followed Liana forward, only to be confronted by a somewhat shocking sight.

Hordes of vagrants pouring out of a sewer that connected to the outside world, amidst whom priests were carrying out relief efforts.

The sight was so densely packed, as if humanity was being crammed into a tube and crushed, that I frowned in silence.

As I watched, Liana handed me an artifact and continued.

“It’s an artifact that can conceal your identity, so please wear it. With this, unless it’s a mage of a high caliber, you won’t be discovered.”

“Thank you.”

“Hehe. It’s no trouble to help the Saintess.”

Though, there was a high possibility that a high-level dark mage was mixed in there.

Bearing this in mind, I thought it best to pull a helmet low over my face and purchased one nearby to obscure my features.

I confirmed that my, Siren’s, and Liana’s disguises were complete.

Then, I began walking towards the aid-related building near the sewer that Liana had pointed out.

*

Entering the building wasn’t difficult.

Even though I was wearing a bizarre helmet, I was dressed in fine clothes and had said I would “make a donation.”

The soldiers hadn’t even suspected me and opened the gate.

I scowled, taking in the interior of the building, which felt more like a den of thugs or a gangster’s stronghold than an aid organization. At that moment, someone who seemed to hold a decent rank rushed down the stairs and addressed me.

“Oh my, what brings you here?”

A man with a rat-like face and a crafty expression clasped his hands together and spoke to me.

Looking at him, I adopted the most arrogant aristocratic tone I could muster and said succinctly.

“I’ve come to make a donation and obtain certain things in return.”

“Ah… ‘Obtain’ as in… what do you mean? I’d be grateful if you could explain in more detail.”

He wore an expression of such genuine confusion as he questioned me that I momentarily wondered if he really didn’t know.

But Siren, who was standing beside me, whispered into my ear, “Judging by the way mana is fluctuating, he’s lying,” revealing the truth.

After murmuring a small “thank you” to Siren, I clicked my tongue as loudly as possible and replied.

“Do I really need to explain?”

He glanced around, subtly checking the mood, and spoke to me softly.

“… I, I apologize. Let us continue the discussion upstairs.”

I nodded, and he guided me towards the stairs, ascending with a quick, composed pace.

Noticing the slight wear on the carpet, I realized a considerable number of people had passed through, and followed him upwards.

He led me to the best seat, and addressed me.

“If I may be so bold, could you perhaps elaborate on your reasons?”

To that, I gave a composed nod, answering with a touch of brazenness.

“I come bearing the orders of Lady Elysia, to procure sacrifices for the opening of the rift. How many souls are you prepared to part with?”