Chapter 116. The Wisdom of Charbon

The sound of waves echoed in my ears, and the open view was captured in my retina.

Yesterday, I spent the whole day being tormented by the three heroes, but today, surprisingly, I passed the day quietly alone, except for the morning.

Perhaps because there was so much to think about.

Or maybe because my heart felt restless.

I did nothing but stare blankly at the sea, and before I knew it, the sky had turned a yellowish hue.

Growl…

“Come to think of it, I haven’t eaten anything today.”

I left the house without even having a proper spoonful of soup.

Ah, my fate.

How did I end up wandering around without eating like this?

I groaned as I got up from my seat. I dusted off the sand from my backside and turned to head back home.

The thought of running into the three heroes again made me feel suffocated, but I couldn’t let them take over my house while I slept on the street.

But is it okay not to patrol?

The thought suddenly crossed my mind, and I stopped walking.

Just yesterday, a ghoul appeared on this beach. Even though it was a minor one, I felt uneasy. I had to consider the possibility of a group of undead nearby.

“Ugh, why is there so much to worry about?”

I was also concerned about Mihail and Claude being quiet. I was also worried about how Johann spent his day.

The peaceful days truly shattered like glass dropped on the floor.

“Hmm?”

At that moment, something caught my eye.

I turned my body slightly back toward the sea.

“What is it? Did I see wrong?”

Only the crashing waves greeted me.

Strange.

I was sure I saw something black floating in the sea…

“Am I seeing things because I’m tired?”

It’s all because of the stress from those three heroes.

I blamed the crazy people as I resumed my steps, thinking it might have been a fish jumping out of the water.

* * *

Growl…

Bubbles rose to the surface.

“Puhah!”

Soon, a man emerged from the water.

“Hah, hah…”

He had held his breath for too long.

Curious, he ventured out to the sea, but he almost got caught.

Letting the water drip from his drenched robe, Cardiff moved into the cave behind the cliff.

Crunch, crunch.

The round pebbles made a loud noise underfoot.

“Cartina.”

Cardiff called to the lich sitting quietly inside the cave. Cartina turned her head.

“Wrong again, wrong again.”

Somehow, that purifier must be killed…

Cardiff bit his nails with a grinding sound.

Leaving that annoying purifier alive would ruin his plans. She had to be killed.

Originally, he had been circling Elmon, Sahar, and Hilton in a triangle, but when Seraphina suddenly became elusive, Cardiff had to exert himself to find her.

He finally tracked her down by communicating with the undead through Cartina.

It took half a year.

But the moment he sent ghouls to the purifier he had found with such difficulty, Claude showed up, causing him a great deal of sweat.

Cardiff had no choice but to retreat.

Because of the Guardian of the North, the grand plan he intended to carry out in the Grodes Mountains was being postponed…

Even the Emperor and the Holy Knight Order’s commander were here.

If he recklessly moved the undead army, they might sense the energy and discover his presence. It would be different if he were hiding far away, but now he was too close.

“How did I find this place, only for those three to be here, here…”

Cardiff anxiously rocked back and forth, sitting beside Cartina.

“My beloved sister, Cartina.”

Holding her broom-like hair tenderly, Cardiff continued to speak.

“My sister, who was once called the Wisdom of Charbon, my sister. Give me an answer, an answer…”

His intelligent sister who had given him countless pieces of advice when alive was now an undead.

Her once bright eyes had turned into black holes, and where her lips that spoke gentle words once were, only unsightly teeth remained.

Cartina spoke in the language of the lich.

And Cardiff despaired.

“To give a command? No, no.”

This isn’t it.

This kind of…

Cardiff hugged Cartina tightly. The lich did not resist.

“I can’t bring the undead army here. Not here.”

Bringing the undead to the insignificant and sparsely populated south was a waste. He had already checked, and there wasn’t much energy below this land to resurrect as the undead.

“I’m going to destroy Elmon, Elmon. I need to kill as many as possible, as many as possible…”

Cardiff muttered to himself, as if trying to devise a method.

Then, suddenly, a beam of light flashed across his darkened face.

“Oh, I have a good idea. A good idea.”

He stood up abruptly. Then, he gave a glistening smile to Cartina, who was looking up at him blankly.

“Indeed, when I hold you, the answers come to mind, the answers. You’re a genius, a genius.”

Cardiff reached under the tattered clothes like rags.

“Cartina.”

Cartina took his offered hand and stood up.

Like a slave obedient to its master’s call.

With eyes filled with madness, Cardiff looked somewhere beyond the distant void.

“Let’s go to the Grodes Mountains. Prepare for the ritual, the ritual…”

While the three heroes and the annoying purifier were at the southern end, he planned to quickly head north and execute his plan.

* * *

Creak.

I returned home in a gloomy mood. Even the sound of the slowly opening door seemed to reflect my melancholy, sounding sorrowful.

“I’m home.”

Whether they heard or not.

I announced in a very small voice that the homeowner had returned.

Thinking that the heroes with excellent hearing would surely hear.

But the house was unusually quiet.

“Seraphina is home. I’m back!”

Why isn’t anyone coming out?

Even if they don’t come to the entrance, shouldn’t there be some response?

Could it be that no one is here? Have they all left? Did you all go back?

With a faint feeling of either expectation or disappointment, I walked toward the living room.

And then…

Clatter, clatter.

“……?”

What’s that sound?

As I was about to go blank looking at the empty living room, an unknown noise came from somewhere. I decided to walk toward the source of the sound.

It was coming from Mihail’s room.

“What are you doing here?”

“Oh, you’re back.”

“What is all this?”

I stood there, dumbfounded, my mouth agape.

This guy?

I let a poor soul with nowhere to go stay for a while, and now he seems to want to settle here permanently?

With trembling eyes, I carefully looked around Mihail’s transformed room.

The fabric I had layered on the floor was neatly folded in the corner. And in its place, a plush bed was confidently set up.

“…How long are you planning to stay?”

I asked, bewildered.

Mihail, oblivious to my thoughts, remained calm.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be staying, so I should set it up properly.”

“The bed is one thing, but why do you need a cabinet and picture frames?”

This is absurd!

Click. Thud.

Just then, another sound came from the adjacent room.

This is ominous.

I quickly ran to Claude’s room.

“……”

These guys, really…

Do you think I’m a pushover just because I was a bit scared and stayed quiet?

“What are you doing?! Where did you get those deer antlers?”

“It’s my taste. I found them at a general store.”

Oh my…

I was so shocked by Claude’s room that I almost fell over. A miniature Hilton Castle was spread out here. The nightmare of the Grodes Mountains resurfaced.

Click.

At that moment, I heard the sound of the front door opening.

“This way.”

It was Johann’s voice.

What does he mean by ‘this way’? Who is he talking to?

I hurriedly went outside, confused. Johann had brought porters who were carrying furniture inside in a line.

Right.

This guy is an emperor.

As I recalled the splendor of the Imperial Palace in Elmon, my vision went dark.

Among the three, Johann undoubtedly had the most lavish taste.

This bastard…

First, he told me to leave, and now he’s nesting in someone else’s house?!

I looked at him with mixed feelings. I couldn’t understand what he was thinking.

I thought he was extremely angry…

He spoke so coldly, as if we’d never see each other again, piercing my heart, and now he’s doing this…

“Your Majesty.”

I called him in a subdued voice.

Johann, who had been avoiding my gaze while giving various instructions to the porters, turned his head.

Our eyes met.

A brief silence passed.

Even without words, I could tell Johann was recalling the same moment I was.

That moment this morning on the street overlooking Ponitan’s scenery, where we hurt each other.

But since I wasn’t allowed to retire, there was no helping it.

Returning to the main residence in Elmon meant that the hellish cycle of deployments would start again.

I had barely carved out a second life.

I was just beginning to fill my life with things I loved.

It was hard to give up my desires.

And it was the same for Johann. He broke the silence with a firm voice.

“Even if Marseus’s eyes are filled with dirt¹it means even if he’ll die, your resignation will never be accepted.”

“……!”

“But if you like this rural town so much…”

Johann continued with a leisurely smile, as if he was doing me a favor.

“I’ll let you stay a little longer.”