Chapter 31 : For the worst

The underground prison of the royal palace.

In the deep darkness, where not a single ray of sunlight could penetrate, there were rusty iron bars. Inside, two men and women, dressed in tattered rags soaked in blood, were bound.

Yesterday afternoon, they were captured by Kael and handed over to the royal palace. They were the high-ranking members of Worst who had failed the great mission.

They were bound in mana-sealing shackles, unable to receive a single ray of light, left in the dark prison, blankly staring into space.

It had only been a day, but the extreme darkness had shattered their sense of time.

Not only was it dark, but they hadn’t eaten a single meal or had a drop of water, and their minds were growing increasingly fragile.

This was a prison designed to mentally torture notorious criminals to extract confessions, and there were no guards stationed at the prison door, not even the faintest sign of another person.

It was a prison where they had to hope that those outside would come to rescue them before they died.

Trapped in such a prison, Benjamin and Sherda spent their time in a daze.

They were so drained that they couldn’t even think, only staring at the darkness before their eyes.

Then, at that very moment, a faint shape began to appear in their vision.

Saaaah

Suddenly, a light appeared in the darkness, taking form.

Just a moment ago, it had been an absolute darkness where no sunlight could penetrate, so the light that appeared was incredibly dim, but to them, it was almost like the brightness of the sun.

“Ugh…?!”

“Ugh… What’s going on…?!”

Benjamin and Sherda screamed as they shut their eyes tightly from the sudden appearance of the light.

It wasn’t until several seconds passed, and their eyes grew accustomed to the light, that they could open their eyes again.

Finally, when they lifted their eyelids and their eyes adjusted to the light, Benjamin and Sherda both shouted in unison when they saw the form the light had taken.

“Leader?!”

“Leader!”

The figure that emerged from the light was none other than the leader of Worst, Chain.

Shocked by his sudden appearance, the two shouted, but soon forgot about the hunger and thirst that had been torturing them and their eyes shone with hope.

“You’ve come to save us, Leader. We can finally leave this place…!”

“We’re alive… I thought we were going to die from the suffering. Thank you so much, Leader.”

They had been rotting away in this prison for a whole day, and how difficult it had been.

Because of that, they were feeling a hope they had never felt so intensely before.

However, Chain, instead of responding, simply looked at them in silence, alternately glancing at them.

His silent gaze began to suppress the hope that had grown within Benjamin and Sherda.

And just before they could ask why he was silent, Chain finally opened his mouth, not in the way they had expected.

[Sorry, but right now I don’t have the power to save you. Unfortunately, the one in front of you right now is just an illusion created from the mana embedded in the demon regeneration factor that was injected into your bodies.]

Thus, Chain added that without physical power, he could not save them.

At his words, despair crossed Benjamin and Sherda’s faces, which had been filled with hope.

But that despair was fleeting, and soon they pushed the feeling away and looked at Chain again.

After all, Chain wouldn’t have just appeared for no reason.

If he hadn’t come to save them, perhaps he had come to tell them about the plan to save them?

Such thoughts crossed their minds.

However, sadly, their thoughts were soon disproven as their bodies slowly began to ‘swell up.’

[Although I don’t have the physical strength to save you… I can at least cause the demon regeneration factor to go into overload.]

Grrr…

Benjamin and Sherda’s bodies began to swell, their skin and muscles bulging grotesquely.

“Le… Leader…? What’s happening…?”

“Ugh… Ughhh…!!”

Breathing became difficult as their bodies struggled, and Benjamin asked weakly, while Sherda vomited a mouthful of dark, dead blood.

Seeing this, Chain opened his mouth, showing a look of regret.

[I wish I could save you if I could. But since I can’t… it might be better to kill you before you can reveal any information.]

“Le… Leader…”

[If you were to pass on the information about our organization, it would be a big problem… There’s no choice. Die here for Worst. Benjamin, Sherda.]

“21, G… No, Chain, you bastard…!!”

Their deep resentment, so concentrated that it stung, was directed at Chain.

However, despite the resentment, Chain received it all without a word, and with a bitter smile, he snapped his fingers.

[As for your revenge, I’ll make sure it happens.]

Taaack!

With that final word, the blood splattered.

The swelling bodies of Benjamin and Sherda finally burst, spilling so much blood that it flooded the floor.

And with their fantasy bodies untouched by the blood, Chain gently touched their lifeless forms, before the illusion faded and he disappeared.

[It’s time to move on to the next plan.]

It had been a while since I met Arad, and since we were in a private setting, we chatted happily, catching up.

We talked about everything from recent events, the current political situation in the kingdom, the troubles caused by the royal family’s prince and princess, the confession that took place during the festival between me and Ruina, and so on.

There were many things to discuss, and we still had more stories to share.

At that moment, we were talking about the people who had caused the riot yesterday and discussing the underworld.

“Did you say you were becoming a mercenary? There’s really no need for that, is there? You’re not short on money, so why would you…?”

When I mentioned that I would become a mercenary once I settled in the kingdom, Arad tilted his head, looking puzzled.

It seemed that, from Arad’s perspective, mercenaries were like street warriors banding together to make money, so it was hard for him to understand.

But for me, becoming a mercenary was more of a half-hearted hobby.

It wasn’t something I could easily explain to make Arad understand, so after some thought, I answered his question.

“Being a mercenary… well, it’s kind of fun.”

“THO… Is that really so?”

“Yeah, even I can’t just sit around and do nothing all day in the kingdom. I’ve farmed enough in the countryside, so in the kingdom, I thought I’d try doing mercenary work, taking on requests and helping out.”

“Still, someone of your standing, Lord Kael, becoming a mercenary… Why not just return to your position as the Royal Guard Captain? I’ll take good care of you…”

“Hey, are you joking? Go back to that hellish place?”

At Arad’s suggestion, which he spoke so casually, I shuddered and waved my hand.

The Royal Guard Captain.

It was the position I held in the royal palace before the war ended, a place where I was constantly subjected to the kingdom’s politics.

Though things had calmed down in the palace now, and Arad had firmly taken power, the terrible memories from that time still haunted me.

So, I immediately rejected his suggestion and quickly returned to the main topic, mentioning something I hadn’t said yet.

“Besides, it’s not just that being a mercenary seems fun. It’s not just a hobby. It’s more about showing that I’m still as strong as ever, just like I was back then.”

“Hmm… That raises another question. Of course, eight years have passed, and there are those who have forgotten about you, Lord Kael. But almost everyone still knows what you achieved in the war.”

“They say many people know, but the truth is, I haven’t done anything for the past eight years, and my reputation has rusted, hasn’t it?”

“…… That is certainly true.”

By nature, as time passes, people tend to forget even the greatest things easily.

There’s a reason why humans are called creatures of forgetfulness.

Even the Demon-Beast War, which once had the potential to bring ruin to the continent, had ended.

Now, eight years later, no one clearly remembered the nightmares of that time.

Of course, the perception gap between the soldiers who fought on the front lines and the citizens who were protected within the kingdom was vast, like the difference between the sky and the earth.

However, in the end, the memories of that fearful time no longer carried significant emotions.

If that was how people viewed the war, then what about their perception of me?

Although the title of “war hero” and the treatment that came with it still remained, few people clearly remembered the extent of my power.

That is why I chose to work as a mercenary.

To erase the rust on my name and make people recognize my strength once again.

For what reason?

“You’re aware that something unusual has been happening in the underworld recently, right?”

To push the kingdom into taking action against Worst.

Arad nodded in response to my question and answered.

“Of course, I am aware. Wasn’t yesterday’s riot also caused by those from the underworld? From what we have gathered, it seems to be a clash within the underworld as someone attempts to seize control.”

“You’ve assessed it correctly. That’s exactly what I found out as well.”

Just as I had planned before, Worst was not a group I could take on alone, nor did I intend to.

Because now, I had Ruina and Elia with me.

I had no intention of throwing myself into a life-or-death battle alone.

However, Worst was the worst villainous organization in history—one that had to be stopped someday.

So when Worst began making significant moves, I wanted to push the hesitant kingdom into action by proving my strength once more.

If the kingdom provided me with full support, I wouldn’t have to risk my life alone.

Victory in a war against the underworld would be certain.

Since I had the opportunity to meet Arad today, I decided to plant the idea of being cautious about Worst in his mind.

“The two guys I captured and handed over yesterday—those two are most likely closely connected to the one trying to take over the underworld. Not only were they quite strong, but their abilities were anything but ordinary.”

“Abilities…?”

“Their regeneration ability… It wasn’t as strong as that of demons, but it was almost on par with them.”

“…… Demons, you say?!”

At my words, a look of seriousness flashed through Arad’s eyes.

Unlike our previous conversation topics, he now realized this was not something to laugh off.

With the Demon-Beast War over, demons had become nothing more than a fading memory of the past.

Bringing them up now was something that should not be done.

“The one trying to take over the underworld isn’t someone to be taken lightly. They are already causing trouble in the kingdom while pretending it’s unintentional. If we ignore them now, they might try to swallow up the kingdom itself.”

“Hah… I thought that during their struggle to seize control of the underworld, they would either fall apart or, at best, achieve only an unstable dominance. But are you saying they have grown to such a level already?”

A reasonable judgment.

Since it was impossible to gain accurate information about the underworld from the outside, Arad’s conclusion based on available intel was the most rational.

But I knew the future.

I had knowledge of the game.

Even though reality had already changed because of me, the leader of Worst—his danger remained unchanged.

So, with conviction, I nodded.

“If my intuition is correct, it is certain.”

At my words, Arad’s expression grew contemplative.

He hadn’t expected me to assess the one trying to seize the underworld so highly, and it seemed to be weighing on his mind.

But then, a voice from the throne’s direction put an end to his hesitation.

“Y-Your Majesty!!”

“Is it you, Knight Commander? What’s the—”

It was Zenre, calling Arad in a highly flustered tone.

As we turned our heads toward her, we saw her gripping a communication device, her face filled with alarm as she looked at us.

And then, the words that left her mouth—

“T-The two criminals who were imprisoned in the underground prison… They have just been confirmed dead.”

“…What?”

With that, Arad’s hesitation was shattered.