Chapter 216 - A Dark Future

"... My God. Is that truly the chief elder we knew?"

At Guild headquarters, the footage Hillen Cargill had captured in his recording orb was played before all the elders and Argan. It contained every shameless act and every display of fanaticism by the chief elder.

"That's just like those fanatics..."

"Watch your tongue!"

"Do not speak that name lightly!"

The Argan who had been murmuring dazedly fell silent. But the others were thinking much the same thing; they simply had not voiced it.

With no evidence, corroboration, or witnesses, the chief elder had blindly branded Hillen a traitor on the Guildmaster's word alone. Anyone could see that he was a fanatic.

"... Where is the Guildmaster?"

"My apologies."

Tristano Kaniev, the oldest of the three remaining elders, questioned his aide. Hillen Cargill had informed him before the others, and he had secretly dispatched people to find the Guildmaster. But his whereabouts remained a mystery.

"Surely the Guildmaster couldn't be..."

"That's impossible!"

"But..."

"That man lived hundreds of years ago!"

"Don't they say he became a god?"

"You believe such preposterous nonsense?"

The elders and Argan argued back and forth. Common sense said it was impossible, but the chief elder's behavior had left far too powerful an impression.

Could he really have acted that way unless Daniel Deirus was still alive?

After a brief spell of contemplation, Tristano opened his eyes.

"... This must never get out."

He did not know why the chief elder had tried to brand Hillen Cargill a traitor, but that was not what mattered. What mattered was that the chief elder in the footage was the very picture of a fanatic.

The great hero who had appeared hundreds of years ago had become a traitor by being worshipped as a god. It was a matter that provoked the wrath of kings and royal houses, and now his was a forbidden name no one dared utter.

If it became known that the Heroes' Guild's Guildmaster and chief elder were somehow connected to him, the Guild's already declining reputation would plummet beyond recovery.

This had to be concealed.

No matter what.

"Of course."

Every elder and Argan understood and agreed. Just then, Hillen raised his hand and was given the floor.

"But the truth is bound to come out eventually. We must resolve this before it causes trouble."

"That goes without saying, but do you have a good solution?"

"We now know for certain that the Guildmaster is connected to those fanatics, whether directly or indirectly."

"Indeed."

"Surely we cannot allow such a man to remain Guildmaster?"

"...!"

"...!"

His words changed the atmosphere in the meeting room.

"Of course, you are not wrong, but..."

Tristano shook his head.

"It is impossible for now. Surely you understand why."

"Because we don't know the Guildmaster's whereabouts?"

"Correct. If we dismiss him at our own discretion and elect a new Guildmaster without knowing precisely where he is or what he intends, what happens if he suddenly returns? The Guild's reputation will be ruined."

"What would you do if we could establish exactly where he is?"

"What do you mean? Are you saying you know?"

"Not me, but there are heroes who do."

"There are people who know?"

"Who are they?"

The Argan's murmuring grew louder. Tristano raised a hand to quiet them.

"Who are they?"

"I have already summoned them all to headquarters. May they join this meeting?"

"What are you talking about? Those without the proper standing cannot enter this meeting."

"They have more than sufficient standing. They are the Stars who went on the recent hero's journey."

"... What?"

Tristano's brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

The other elders hurried to question him. Without a word, Hillen turned and opened the door himself.

The Stars stood outside.

Roselle Charnt, Aina Diaphrin, Watton Collo, Ralph Schmitz, and Pablo Barkat.

All five surviving Stars had gathered in one place. They confidently followed Hillen to the front of the room.

"... I have not yet granted you permission to enter."

"What more is there to say?"

Roselle Charnt snorted.

"Every hero who went on that journey saw it that day."

"The Guildmaster? But there was no reason for the Guildmaster to suddenly appear there—"

"Balaf Dislord. We saw his skin peel away, revealing the Guildmaster."

"...!"

"...!"

The elders and Argan were appalled.

"Balaf Dislord was actually the Guildmaster?"

"Impossible."

"A person was wearing another person's shell? Is that even possible?"

"Wait, but Balaf Dislord is dead, isn't he?"

"Then..."

Every gaze fixed on the Stars. Barely regaining his composure, Tristano asked,

"What sort of absurd—"

"One person's word might be a lie, but every one of those seven hundred-plus heroes witnessed it. Could that be a lie?"

All the other Stars nodded.

"... Then why has no rumor spread?"

"Because we swore an oath."

The answer came from Hillen Cargill.

"An oath?"

"We too are heroes and members of the Heroes' Guild. We do not wish to see the Guild's honor trampled. So we all swore on our dimensional interference that we would tell no one but the Guild's heroes."

They had done no such thing. But they had become the Demon King's servants, and he had instructed them to keep it secret. In a sense, that bound them even more firmly than an oath sworn on dimensional interference.

"So you are saying that Balaf Dislord truly was the Guildmaster?"

"Yes."

"But Balaf Dislord is..."

"Yes, dead. That is why I am proposing the election of a new Guildmaster."

"My God."

Tristano staggered. The sheer number of shocks had left his mind numb, and he was not alone.

Everyone present was denying reality.

"Why don't you stop denying reality? What will you do if the Guild actually collapses while you sit there saying it's hard to believe?"

"Balaf Dislord was the Guildmaster, and he is dead. Those are the facts."

"I stake my honor as a prince on it. It is unquestionably true."

"That's right. As a great mage who has never told a lie, I assure you."

"It is true."

Yet every Star was making the same consistent claim.

It made no sense that they would band together to confuse the elders and Argan. They had never been particularly close to begin with, and if the Guildmaster returned alive, their lie would be exposed.

Above all...

"..."

"..."

Tristano's eyes met his granddaughter's. Her steady gaze did not look as though she was trying to deceive him. Nor was she that sort of child.

"... Even so, we need time to accept this. It is difficult enough to accept that the Guildmaster and chief elder are connected to those fanatics, but that he was actually Balaf Dislord, and is dead? Electing a Guildmaster must wait until afterward—"

"No. As a Star of the Guild, I would like to make a proposal."

It was his granddaughter.

"What is it?"

"The Demon Kings have become incomparably stronger than before. As a result, the Guild's reputation is falling without end. I believe now is precisely when a strong Guildmaster must set the Guild back on its feet. The Guildmaster is the symbol of the Guild, after all."

"... That is..."

"That is why I nominate Hillen Cargill as Guildmaster."

"...!"

"...!"

With her sheathed sword slung over her shoulder, Aina Diaphrin dropped her bombshell. Her gaze remained fixed on Tristano throughout.

* * *

While the Heroes' Guild was being turned upside down by this sudden crisis, Berge was spending peaceful days in the Kingdom of Akan.

Preparing for the hero's journey was the business of the military and the mage tower; Berge was merely joining as a guest. Until the day the army actually marched, he had nothing in particular to do.

"Ah."

Ah, there was one thing. Looking after a squirrel-like princess who followed him everywhere.

'Am I a nanny or what?'

Despite his grumbling, he tossed her a chocolate out of habit. His aim was slightly off, but Lavinia caught it in her mouth without trouble.

"When did you say your brother was coming?"

"Soon."

Hardly had Lavinia finished speaking when footsteps sounded.

"Your Highness Lavinia, Master Pale, His Highness Cain is here."

"Come in."

The door opened. Cain entered, leaving his escort knight outside.

"It's been a while, Master Pale."

"We saw each other the day before yesterday."

"Are any mages still bothering you? I did give them a firm warning."

"No."

When he had first settled into the detached palace, mages after his blood had swarmed in like bees. But Pale had summoned Cain and Roselle and threatened to leave if it continued. In the end, Cain had mobilized the royal soldiers to keep the mages out.

Some mages had also stopped visiting of their own accord after being told that their persistence would only reduce the amount of blood they could obtain.

When Lavinia learned of it and joined in, the mages could do nothing but stamp their feet in frustration.

"That's a relief. But, Sister..."

"Yes."

"Do you truly intend not to share anything about Cher with the mages?"

"Yes."

"They don't seem ready to back down easily."

"Can't."

"You've never been like this before."

"Can't."

"... Understood. I respect your wishes."

In truth, mages were free to keep their research secret.

Whether to keep it to themselves or share it for honor and wealth was their choice. Lavinia Akan had simply shared everything willingly because she had no interest in monopolizing it.

'It's not as though the mages mistake that for their right, but...'

They always paid a fair price and never tried to seize anything by force.

They were probably so persistent because Cher's transformation was too astounding to let pass.

He could understand that, too.

"... By the way, what have you been eating all this time?"

As Cain pondered for a moment, something odd caught his eye. Lavinia's mouth kept working, something kept going into it, and Pale kept tossing that something to her.

"Chocolate."

"Chocolate? But you don't particularly like sweets, Sister."

"I do."

"You've grown to like them?"

Cain tilted his head.

"Of course, tastes can change, so you might have grown to like them, but Master Pale feeding them to you—"

Cain stopped speaking.

'Feeding her?'

Now that he thought about it, there had been more than a few signs.

They had spent months together in Erjest.

Cher, who allowed no one but Lavinia and a select few onto its shoulder, willingly let Pale ride there.

And however fed up she was with the mages' persistence, his sister had not hesitated to stay in the same detached palace as a man who was not family.

'And now they're giving and accepting chocolates without the slightest hesitation.'

Weren't they the very picture of a couple?

'... Really?'

Cain looked back and forth between Pale and Lavinia. Those casual movements were certainly not something they had done only once or twice.

'Then...'

Hope stirred in Cain.

'Is love finally blossoming for my sister too?'

Cain loved Lavinia, but he had never imagined she would meet a normal man and marry.

She excelled beyond anyone else at magic and creating chimeras, but in every other area she was practically clueless. Her habit of running away over chimeras and constantly behaving eccentrically made it all the more unlikely.

How many men would want to marry a woman whose speech was difficult to understand unless they had spent years with her, and who constantly indulged in bizarre behavior?

Lavinia herself had little interest in such things. So Cain had never imagined she would end up with anyone. Never, until now.

But things were different now. The evidence was right before his eyes, and Cain did not want to miss this opportunity—the first since he was very young.

He carefully inspected Pale's face.

'His looks pass muster.'

Objectively speaking, he was handsome. Annoyingly so, as far as another man was concerned.

'His magic, too...'

His skills were excellent, more than sufficient for a princess's husband.

'He has plenty of money, too.'

There was no shortage of mages who would bring bags of money to lay at his feet if he sold even a little blood.

'His unclear background is a drawback, but...'

He had said he was royalty from somewhere, but frankly, Cain had been unable to find it. That meant he was concealing his identity. Still, Cain believed Akan could readily accommodate him.

If it couldn't, he would make it happen. Anything to protect his sister's love.

"... What is it? That's a decidedly unpleasant look you're giving me."

"Nothing. I just thought you two looked good together."

Berge frowned.

"Didn't you say you were coming because you had something to tell us?"

"Ah, yes. The main force leaves for Traparta in a week. You can join them then."

"Is that all?"

"That's all. It's getting late, and I shouldn't interrupt."

"Interrupt? What?"

"Ah, nothing."

Cain shook his head.

"I have work to do, so I'll be going now."

"Already?"

"Yes, Sister. Have a lovely time."

"Lovely time?"

"Ah, my unruly tongue. Enjoy your rest."

Cain winked at Lavinia and disappeared.

"... Strange."

"Yes. The way he kept grinning made me want to tear his mouth apart."

"My brother. Don't."

"Don't worry. I won't kill him unless he picks a fight first."

"Okay."

"Still, for a prince to have so little dignity..."

Akan's future was dark indeed.

Berge clicked his tongue.