CH 369

“I’m sorry, but I still can’t find him.”

“It can’t be helped. But the deadline’s almost there, okay?”

“…… What about our marriage–“

Afmand tried to put her hand on Helena’s shoulder, but she ducked and turned on her heel. As Afmand chuckles at losing his balance, Helena continues.

“The answer is no. I came here to thank my father who did his best to let my mother escape, but if I can’t see him, I’m leaving. There is no way that he doesn’t know that he will be punished, and if he still doesn’t show himself, then there must be a reason, I guess.”

“Then we can hold you here for your father’s crimes, you know?”

When Afmand said this, Helena just glanced at him and sighed.

“I’m sure you’re aware of the fact that I’m going to reject you even more if you do? I’d like to remind you that the “You won’t get the end of it” I said when we met up is not a threat, a brave act, or a rumor.”

“Hahaha, I’m just kidding. I don’t want you to kill yourself by forcibly attacking you, after all. Good night, Helena.”

“……”

Afmand said to Helena and walked in the opposite direction. Helena turned around and watched Afmand’s back with narrowed eyes.

They had tea together every day as a routine, but nothing more than asking her how she had been spending her time, and not forcing her to spend the night with him. He can say what he want, but he can’t do it because he’s the king.

“…… I wonder what she’s thinking about?”

As he left Helena’s side, muttering to himself, Afmand was heading for the basement of the castle. The place was dimly lit and unsuitable for a king.

“How are you, your majesty? No, it’s just Geiri now.”

“……”

The man in chains was Geiri, the former king of Sandiola. Afmand crouches down, makes eye contact, and speaks to the former king who stares at him silently.

“I’ve been giving you food, but you’ve lost weight. I can see how much luxury you’ve been enjoying at our expense. So, will you start talking now?”

“What do you want me to tell you now ……?”

“……!”

The man who had visited and spoken to him many times before, but had closed his mouth like a shell, opened his mouth slowly, and Afmand’s eyes widened in surprise, after a short pause and a deep breath, he began to speak.

“…… Two years. It may seem short, but it’s been a very long time for me. Now that you’re ready to talk a little, let me ask you something. Why did you increase the slaves to this much? Even if I hadn’t done it, there would have been others like me sooner or later, and the country would have been destroyed if I hadn’t. You must have known that.”

The former king gulped down a glass of water and took a breath.

“Fuh …… It’s a bit more humid than it is outside, but it does make you thirsty. Now, if you ask me why, I can only say that it is because I am human.”

“What?”

“Human beings are greedy creatures. If we can have it easy, we’d rather do that, right? Besides, we will surely die one day. So wouldn’t it be better to live the way you want?”

“……”

Afmand listens with one eye narrowed.

“It’s the result of following my own desires. It doesn’t matter if the country crumbles, as long as you are satisfied with what you have now, that’s all that matters. You’ve become a king, so why don’t you just live a life of luxury?”

“You son of a bitch …… you treated us like tools because of that ……”

“Kukuku …… That’s right. This will continue as long as this country exists, and no matter what kind of justice you try to mete out, it won’t change that easily.”

“I won’t be! I will definitely free the slaves–“

“Free them? What about the work, the houses, the monsters, the food? You can’t, not without something that will fundamentally change this country.”

The scrawny former king chuckled and shook his chains, leaning his back against the stone wall as he said this. Afmand asked the next question in annoyance.

“…… Next, where did you hide the Sandiola treasure? We took the king’s token, but Abol says it’s the only thing we can’t find.”

“…… That, huh …… All I can say is, stop exploring for that. I’m done talking. I’m tired because it’s been a while since I’ve talked.”

“Hey ……! Damn it ……”

Geiri, the former king, shuts up with his eyes. Afmand stood up and turned on his heel, as if he couldn’t take any more.

Then–

“…… About a hundred years ago, a man was born into royalty. His skill was rare a once-in-a-century skill, and as he grew older he learned about the anomalies in this country and tried to do something about it.”

“…… What about it …..?”

“The man was ostracized by his parents and siblings who wanted him to continue this life of luxury. They said he was useless. He can use swords and magic, but he didn’t expect to be attacked in his sleep by his own people. You’d better be careful, too.”

“…… Keep talking, I’ll make sure you tell me where the treasure is.”

Geiri muttered to himself in his cell as Afmand climbed the stairs and disappeared.

“Two years, huh …… That’s so fast. Is it time for Darva to make his move? The Gospel’s Descent, I hope that they’ll be useful?”

◆ 　 ◇ 　 ◆

“ …… N, nnnnn …….”

“Okay, maintain that constant level of magic power. Hey, you’re in disarray!”

“Ouch!? It’s because Dibit-san is stroking my head and poking me on the cheek!?”

“You idiot, there’s no way you can use transfer magic with that kind of concentration. It’s a trump card when you really need to escape in a dungeon. This is why it is absolutely necessary to conserve your magic power and have the concentration to transfer even with all your friends. You’re still far if you rattled by a little tinkering.”

The transfer magic is delicate, said Dibit-san, who, with a cigarette in his mouth, transferred a suitable stone and dropped it on my head. I’m concentrating my magic power while avoiding it. Oh, this one’s stable, so it might work ……

“Hoh, you’re good. Oi, Makina, can you come here for a bit?”

“Huh? What is it?”

“What?”

For some reason, Dibit-san is calling for Makina. I have a bad feeling about this, but I’m almost ready to transfer, so whatever you do, it’s too late.

“Lars’ transfer magic, does it send the stone flying instead of himself?”

“Yeah, that’s why I need Makina’s help for something …… There!”

“Kyaaaaaaa!?”

“Makina!? Aah!?”

I lose my concentration at Makina’s scream, and the transfer fails. When I looked at Makina in a panic, I saw her standing there with her belt cut off and her underwear exposed.

“Ha-ha-ha! As expected, you’ll react to her screams, well, but that can’t be helped since these kind of things–“

“You’re the worst!”

“Die!”

“I know you’re my mentor, but this is unacceptable!”

“Guaaaaaaaah!?”

Dibit-san rolls around on the hard ground of the valley after being hit by me, Makina and Fath-san. I know you want to break my concentration, but that’s not a good idea ……

And so the training continued, and after about four days, I was able to transfer myself reasonably well. If you know exactly where you’re going, you can control your magic power and reduce the distance to zero, but moving objects is quite difficult.

I thought I’d have time to learn it slowly, but when an entity that we couldn’t ignore came to the village, we’ll get involved into a dirty fight.

“I’m surprised to find a village here. Now, here comes the peddler!”

Next time, that man will definitely ……

Thank you for reading!

[Afterword Theater]

“Well, I wonder how good is his ability ……!”

Well, there’s no way he can beat Lars.