Chapter 92

“*Gasp, gasp…*”

“I won’t give you time to catch your breath. But if you try anything stupid, be prepared.”

Brother Nigelung was sitting comfortably, catching his breath.

But right in front of him, my fist, fully charged with mana, was waiting, ready to strike at any moment.

“Alright, alright. I’ll tell you the truth this time, so can you please put that fist away?”

“You said the same thing earlier. If you were me, would you believe that?”

“Yeah, I guess not. *Sigh*, where should I even start?”

***

“I need to go to Rostia.”

At the Vanguard headquarters.

Commander Balthazar, after watching the troops training, casually tossed the words to his aide, Nigelung.

“Huh? What do you mean, suddenly? What business do you have in Rostia?”

“Kairon seems to be doing far better than I expected. Honestly, I didn’t think he’d do this well.”

“Did the Crow bring some news?”

“Ronos is dead.”

“Wha… what?”

Nigelung couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

Ronos, the demon who had been cooperating with Commander Balthazar for a long time at the Rostia Magic Tower.

Not only was he the teacher of Riana, Balthazar’s only daughter, but he was also a powerful demon who held the position of Archmage in the Magic Tower.

“Does that mean… the one who killed Ronos is…?”

“Kairon. Impressive, isn’t it? I told you why I sent Kairon, didn’t I?”

“Yes, I remember. It was for ‘stimulation’ and ‘acceleration.'”

“Exactly. But the result turned out completely different from what I intended. Kairon teamed up with Abelin and took down Ronos. However, there’s a helper that’s been bothering me.”

“A helper? As far as I know, neither Kairon nor Abelin knows anyone in Rostia.”

“Rostia. The one who helped them was that very name.”

“The Archmage…?”

“I need to go. Get ready. Let’s make it quick, just the two of us.”

‘Kairon and the Archmage? How on earth…?’

“Aide?”

“Yes, sir!”

Nigelung’s mind was in chaos, but he quickly pulled himself together.

Thinking was the Commander’s job; he was just an aide by his side.

“Yes, I’ll prepare right away!”

Nigelung answered in a booming voice.

***

“There’s one thing that’s particularly bothering me.”

I frowned and asked.

“What’s this about the Crow bringing news?”

“That, that’s… *cough*!”

Brother Nigelung took a mana-packed punch straight to the face and was sent flying.

Caught off guard without any preparation, the punch landed cleanly, leaving his arms and legs limp.

“Don’t drag it out. I don’t have the patience for that right now. If you don’t answer right away, I’ll make it even more painful for you. So, what’s this about the Crow bringing news?”

“Ugh, it’s exactly what it sounds like. All the Crows in this world pledged their loyalty to the Crow God the moment He reached out to this world. What they see and hear, He can know.”

“Him. So that means…”

“*Cough*!”

I kicked him in the side out of irritation, and Nigelung rolled on the floor, clutching his side.

“So you’re one of their minions too.”

“Them? How dare you! They are not beings you can speak of so casually, Kairon! If you don’t take back those words right now… *cough*.”

Nigelung couldn’t finish his sentence.

I kicked him in the head, knocking him out.

“Oh no! What do we do now that he’s unconscious, Kairon oppa!”

“He… no, that guy made me angry. Besides, Commander Balthazar isn’t coming to save him. If he were, he would’ve come by now. We have plenty of time to interrogate him. If only we had a place to keep him… Ah, that place will do.”

Riana and I hid Nigelung deep in an alley and went out to get a large sack.

We then stuffed the unconscious Nigelung into it, slung it over my shoulder, and moved carefully to avoid being seen.

The place we arrived at.

“Welcome… huh?”

In front of the large gate of the Rostia Magic Tower, there was a small house.

The old Gatekeeper, who had come out to greet visitors, couldn’t hide his confusion upon seeing me, Riana, and the large sack I was carrying.

“If my eyes don’t deceive me, that sack contains a person, doesn’t it, Kairon?”

“As expected of a sage who has lived for so long, your eyes are sharp.”

“Sage, sage… Such flattery must mean you want something from me, right?”

“That’s right, sage! I like how quick you are! By the way, we’re in a hurry, so could you open the door?”

“No. My instincts are telling me that a very troublesome problem has arisen, and if I let you two into my house now, I’ll get dragged into it too. So at least explain what’s going on before…”

“Ah, this is so frustrating! We’re in a hurry, so move aside, Gatekeeper grandpa!”

“Whoa, whoa…!”

The Gatekeeper obediently stepped aside at Riana’s shout.

Thanks to that, Riana and I safely entered and tied Nigelung up tightly with ropes in the deepest part of the Gatekeeper’s house.

We tied multiple knots, but the bindings were still too flimsy to hold someone of Nigelung’s caliber.

“Hmm, this isn’t enough to keep him tied up.”

“Not enough? What do you mean?”

“You know, Riana. Nigelung is a skilled fighter. He’s a high-ranking officer in the guard and your father’s closest aide. If he wakes up, these ropes won’t hold him. Isn’t there something better?”

“How about using this?”

The Gatekeeper, who had been watching from behind, suddenly offered something.

It was a wristband made of a strange material.

“What’s this?”

“It may look shabby, but it’s a manacle made by the Archmage, Lady Rostia herself. There’s nothing better for restraining someone who uses mana. It slightly drains the wearer’s mana and then returns it, but with a little electric shock.”

“…Why do you have something so terrifying, Gatekeeper?”

“A Gatekeeper deals with all sorts of people. So something like this is essential. Normally, we’d use incense to make them drowsy before putting this on, but since he’s already unconscious, that’s not necessary.”

“This is an amazing item. As expected of a sage.”

“Haha, that title isn’t so bad to hear.”

“By the way, Gatekeeper, I can’t help but feel like you’re enjoying this, despite your earlier firm refusal. Am I wrong?”

“No, I am enjoying it. Since I’m already involved, I might as well enjoy it. It’s not so bad. I’ve lived my whole life righteously and honestly, so having a bit of fun at the end isn’t so bad. Besides, it’s related to the ever-so-kind Lady Riana, so I’ve decided not to doubt it.”

“Th-thank you, Gatekeeper grandpa.”

Though the Gatekeeper’s sudden change of heart and full cooperation were surprising, it wasn’t a bad thing for us.

When we put the manacle on Nigelung, his body twitched for a moment before going still.

The manacle seemed to be working properly.

“Lady Rostia is truly amazing. How did she even make something like this for situations like this?”

“So, what did this person do wrong?”

“Simply put, he cooperated with a demon.”

“Oh, like Ronos?”

“…You know about that?”

“I can guess. Didn’t Kairon, who set out to eliminate demons, have the most intense clashes with Ronos? And not long ago, Kairon took Riana and left, and Ronos was so angry that he destroyed the outer walls of the Magic Tower and stormed out. And he never came back. Isn’t that enough of an explanation?”

“No, that’s a perfect deduction. I can’t argue with that. Anyway, let’s wait. Until he wakes up.”

“Oh, sure. Would you like some tea? Or, harsh as it may be, we could wake him up right now.”

“Really? How?”

“Very simply.”

The Gatekeeper approached the bound Nigelung and lightly tapped the manacle three times.

Nigelung’s body trembled violently, then began to convulse.

“Ahhhhh!”

When the Gatekeeper tapped the manacle three more times, Nigelung stopped convulsing and gasped for breath.

“Wha… what is this…?”

“Awake now?”

Hearing my voice, Nigelung finally looked around and noticed us staring down at him.

“Uh, ugh…”

“Hope you had a good nap, because now it’s time for some very enlightening and mind-blowing fun…!”