CH 106

20. Aphoris, the Fortress on the Sea

“Oh, no. That can’t be true. It’s Aphoris, not anywhere else.”

“Uh, I know something about it. It’s real.”

“What? How do you know about Aphoris?”

Whenever two or more people got together, the streets were filled with talk about Aphoris.

Not to mention the taverns, where many people came and went.

The men at the table at the back of the shop were chattering away.

“A relative of my neighbor’s father-in-law, who’s the brother of a friend of a friend of mine, was in charge of transporting the prisoners to Aphoris, so I was able to get some information.”

“Is that enough? I think I have more to do with the dog that walked by there.”

“Then you don’t need to hear this, do you?”

“Well, I guess I shouldn’t be talking, I’m too curious.”

The man shrugged, enjoying the attention of his acquaintances.

Then he continued, his tone almost boastful.

“Well, I’ll tell you something in particular: a relative of my neighbor’s father-in-law, who’s the brother of a friend of a friend of mine was transporting criminals and something strange happened.”

“That’s all well and good, but how long are you going to go on about your friend’s friend’s brother blah, blah, blah, blah? Make it short.”

“You’re being picky. I see. Anyway, he’s loading up the wagon with criminals and heading to Aphoris…….”

“And?”

The man paused, and when he didn’t say anything, the others in the room erupted in laughter.

“And you’re going to listen to this valuable information with your bare mouth?”

“I’ll buy you a beer when you’re done, so go ahead.”

“There’s no such thing as postpaid in my life. I make it my principle to be paid up front.”

“Ah. Wow. I’ve never heard anything like it. Boss, give us a generous portion of beer here!”

The man’s acquaintances clucked their tongues but eventually ordered beer.

The man grinned from ear to ear as he accepted the free beer and downed it in one gulp.

Then his expression suddenly stiffens.

“But then, the carriage suddenly stopped.”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

By now, everyone in the tavern was perking up and listening to the man’s story.

“When he woke up again, he saw all the knights guarding the carriage had fallen to the ground, and when he rushed to check it out, he found it empty. The criminals had all fled.”

“What’s all this talk about? Didn’t he just steal the criminals and lie about it?”

“No. What kind of power does this fellow have to overpower the imperial knights and steal the criminals? Besides, the knights and soldiers immediately mobilized and scoured the mountains, and they said the criminals were nowhere to be seen.”

“I see. That’s another one.”

The others nodded in agreement as the man spoke.

“Heh. Indeed. I can’t believe it even after hearing it with my own ears. How could that happen?”

“That’s right. I can’t believe how this country is trying to operate…….”

“The most shocking thing of all is that the imperial knights lost sight of the criminals and couldn’t find them.”

“I mean, there’s no guarantee this won’t happen again.”

The people fidgeted uneasily.

“I don’t know what they’ve done, since we commoners don’t have the details, but they’re obviously bad enough to be imprisoned in Aphoris. The streets are going to be nasty for a while.”

“Yeah. Let’s finish this and get in.”

The men clicked their tongues and swallowed their beer.

The next day, the empire was turned upside down once more.

The missing criminals had appeared in Aphoris and were imprisoned.

The men in the tavern were all talking about it.

“No. But did the criminals enter Aphoris of their own accord? Are they out of their minds?”

“Of course they didn’t go voluntarily. Someone found them and took them to Aphoris.”

“What? Who could have done such a thing?”

The person who did it was—

“I’ve come back with more news. Gather round if you want to hear it. It is said that the man who took the sinners back to Aphoris is the Mad Dog of Palesdon!”

“My dear man, there are technically two mad dogs in Palesdon, so you must tell us exactly which one you mean.”

“Ah. Right. The Duchess of Palesdon, the mad dog of Brighton and the mad dog of Palesdon.”

It was Roselina.

* * *

Back in time, on the day of the Rose of Harmony research presentation.

“I see. Let’s imprison those criminals in Aphoris.”

As I listened to the Emperor’s decision, a text popped up.

[A new quest has arisen. Would you like to check it out?]

‘More work to do?’

The system has no conscience.

‘Look at how much work I’ve done in the palace today.’

I could have written dozens of novels about it.

‘I’m going to go home and get some rest.’

[A new quest has arisen. Do you want to check it out?]

But as if to emphasize, a notification flashed.

Reluctantly, I checked the quest.

[Quest scenario ﹤Hero of the Empire!(5)﹥

You have averted a foretold catastrophe and uncovered the secrets of the demons, a feat no one else has accomplished.

But you still have a long way to go.

The people who became demons as you guessed are the work of unbelievers, and if you kill them, they will live indefinitely and destroy the Empire.

So you can’t kill them, and you’ve come up with the idea of Aphoris, a fortress on the sea.

It’s a great plan, but it’s not an inherent solution.

So what should you do? Find an intrinsic solution!

The fate of the empire depends on you!

-Requirements: Resolve the Demon Crisis created by the Unbelievers

-Reward: Trigger the Scenario ﹤Hero of the Empire!﹥ buff]

‘What is this?’

But after checking out the quest, I’m despairing.

‘This is so absurd.’

It’s bad enough that I’m being asked to clean up other people’s mess, but the reward is vague.

‘The buff from the scenario ﹤Hero of the Empire!﹥? That scenario has been auto-playing for a while, and it hasn’t done anything for me, so what am I supposed to do now?’

But eventually I accepted the quest.

‘After all, the system saved my father’s and Leodor’s lives.’

I was also bothered by the mention of “The End of the Empire” in the quest.

“The guilty will be held in Imperial Prison for questioning while we prepare to transport them to Aphoris. However, I would like to request the assistance of the Duchess of Palesdon.”

“Why do you seek my daughter-in-law?”

The Emperor suddenly turned to me, and Catalina reacted before I did.

“The Duchess of Palesdon is the only one who has succeeded in subduing them in this gathering of the continent’s greatest minds, so, just in case, Godfather Palesdon, please forgive me.”

“Yes, my daughter-in-law is the strongest, but I’m not sure I want to…….”

Conflict flashed across Catalina’s face.

Then she slapped Argention on the back beside her.

“You’re no use to me at a time like this! You shouldn’t be getting in my daughter-in-law’s way!”

“I apologize.”

What are you two doing……?

The sight of Catalina scolding her nephew, whom she cherishes so dearly, or Argention apologizing so sincerely for her outrageous remark made me dumbfounded.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks so, and I feel their stares sting.

“At Your Majesty’s command, I will keep an eye on them to ensure they don’t do anything foolish.”

“Good. With the Duchess of Palesdon on our side, I’m sure we can rest easy.”

I set out to organize this situation quickly.

‘After all, I’ll have to make contact with them to solve the quest.’

Suddenly, I felt a tremendous push from the side.

I glanced over and saw Catalina’s expression was grim.

She was breathing heavily, and her eyes were glazed over.

“Catalina, are you okay?”

“Ah! Of course I’m fine! I’ve always been healthy! With such a great opportunity, I have to be!”

“What? What’s that…….”

I asked cautiously, and she nodded gravely.

“I can’t send my daughter-in-law off to a dangerous place alone, so it’s only right that I give you an escort.”

“No, no. I’m fine…….”

It was obvious that having someone else besides me would interfere with my quest.

“Ah. I’m getting dizzy…….”

I was about to decline when Catalina made a sickening sound and staggered away.

“Lady Catalina. Are you okay?”

“No, I think I’m going to collapse with worry about my good, stupid daughter-in-law, and I don’t know what to do about it…….”

“Your complexion is too good for that to be true.”

“Agh. This time I have a headache…….”

Catalina checked my expression as she spoke and narrowed her eyes.

‘It’s a trick. This is bullshit.’

I tried to decline her offer firmly.

But I hesitated when I remembered Catalina’s weakness and her need for rest.

Finally, as a last resort, I looked at Argention.

“Argention. Could you possibly…….”

“I should be your escort, I can’t let anyone else do this.”

I gave him a look that was meant to say, “Do something about this,” yet he blurted something out.

“Very well, then the Duke and Duchess of Palesdon can keep an eye on them.”

The Emperor nodded his approval.

“What the…….”

I muttered in disbelief, then felt a slight warmth in my hand.

“What do you think? Did I do a good job?”

Catalina’s hand was wrapped around mine and she was looking at me warmly.

‘She thought I was in love with Argention.’

Catalina had been trying to find time for me and Argention to be together.

‘But it’s not like this……!’