Son of Man (3)

In the barren land that had become desolate due to the clashes between the <Wind’s Tomb>.

Now incorporated into Alfheim’s territory, Nina was watching Lost and his companions as they disappeared into the distance.

Lost had gained a lot from this incident.

He had recruited the trials <Wanderer> and <Wind’s Tomb> as allies.

His companions had gained immense power. Though they had to go through corresponding hardships, fortunately, they managed to acquire everything without losing anything.

“Now we too must prepare for war.”

The world is rushing toward destruction.

In such a situation, how many will actually be able to survive?

Originally, Alfheim was planning to completely lock its doors, but that’s no longer possible.

Because a variable has appeared in a war they thought they could only lose. Because a seeker who burns himself to stop evil has appeared.

“I will believe in you. Vicarious Saint, Cielo. No…”

Humans came up with gods after witnessing transcendent phenomena. If human faith created ideal gods, then.

What form would the ideal ‘human’ as imagined by the gods take?

“Son of Man (Ben Adam).”

The being who will reveal that answer has now set out on his journey.

*     *      *

The recent political climate hasn’t been very good.

That’s what I’ve felt while passing through several villages and cities after leaving Alfheim.

“I hear Duke Wallace Hope has been out of the public eye recently. They say he didn’t even appear at the Emperor’s summons.”

“There’s a rumor that he’s in critical condition after being ambushed by soldiers from the Ares Kingdom. They say Young Master Another is practically running the Hope duchy now.”

“Actually, I’ve also heard rumors that he’s already dead, and I’m worried that a war might break out soon.”

The rumors heard in inns, taverns, and restaurants are quite unsettling.

Wallace Hope in critical condition? Possibly already dead?

That’s nonsense. He’s clearly planning something big.

I suspect he’s trying to redirect the sword and spear that was pointed at the Ares Kingdom in the opposite direction. If I think about the timing of the war I remember, it’s roughly the same as now.

Though I’ve ruined many of his major plans, those are just a fraction of what he’s capable of.

There might be adjustments, but no abandonment.

And there’s another important point.

“I hear that life at the border has become very difficult? They say even Young Master Another Hope has become brutal.”

“Yes, that’s right. I heard he executed all the bandits he encountered recently without letting a single one live? He’s becoming more suitable for his noble position, so it’s not all bad, right?”

“Of course. When a lord acts decisively, his subjects don’t suffer. That’s the way it is.”

The recent movements of Another Hope, whom Belial had infiltrated into the faction opposing him, are also concerning.

The Another Hope I met was a man with chivalrous spirit.

Executed all the bandits immediately?

It’s not necessarily a bad thing. They are criminals after all, and if spared, who knows what they might do.

But what if such incidents aren’t just isolated? The issue isn’t that he executed bandits, but that he’s becoming more comfortable with bloodshed.

“Has he abandoned the plan? Or was that also a deception?”

Another Hope represents a typical hero figure. Righteous and upright.

It’s natural to find such a character reassuring as an ally.

Belial tried to exploit that aspect, and that was something I knew but couldn’t counter.

Because at least Another Hope was sincere. Even while dangling from Belial’s strings, the fact that he was a righteous and upright young man remained unchanged.

That was the problem.

If I were to suggest excluding him because he might ruin things later, it would definitely face backlash.

But now, things have changed. Looking at Another Hope’s recent actions, he seems destined to be implicated alongside Belial when he makes his move.

It all feels quite clumsy. Both Belial and Another Hope’s actions.

The guy who used to move carefully to avoid detection is now openly scattering suspicious circumstances.

“I need to adjust the trajectory a bit.”

If I were to define the current situation in one word, it would be the calm before the storm.

In such a situation, there’s not enough time to journey to the location of <One Who Halts Steps> Skadi.

Considering we’d have to penetrate into Skadi’s domain at the northern end of the continent, it would be difficult to respond to whatever might happen during that time.

“We’re heading to Arcanum.”

There’s someone who has lived in Skadi’s domain before and has the capability to endure there.

Ilina Crowley.

I need to persuade her again.

“Stop muttering to yourself while eating. Lost.”

“Right, I’m always the only serious one.”

“Um, I was listening, you know?”

“Alright, Línea. Then could you explain what I just said?”

“Lost, this is delicious.”

“……”

Was my story that boring?

*     *      *

About three months have passed since we changed our destination.

We’ve arrived at Arcanum.

Honestly, I’m surprised we arrived faster than expected.

There was barely any hindrance to our movement, which makes me think Belial is planning something substantial.

To be honest, the proportion of human bandits was even higher than half-demons.

Thanks to that, we were able to reach Arcanum before any major incident occurred in the world.

“Aaargh! This is match-fixing! How could a 5-meter golem get stomped by a giant boar?!”

And we were able to find Ilina Crowley easily.

Just in case, I checked the arena and saw her shouting at the top of her lungs. Old habits die hard; she seems to still enjoy betting at the arena. It’s quite something, considering she doesn’t even need to save money anymore.

“Ah.”

“……”

As I was watching her unseemly and pitiful appearance.

She must have felt my gaze as she turned her head and froze.

Well, it’s not a particularly presentable sight. And we did make a promise.

-So this relationship ends here. Let’s settle all debts and grudges, so when we meet next time, we can build a new relationship.

We had such a beautiful farewell.

At that time, she did ask me not to disappoint her…

Well, whether I’m disappointed is another matter.

“Ilina-unnie? Is something wrong?”

Just then, a familiar face appeared behind the frozen Ilina Crowley.

This is something else, it’s not like we’re at a gathering place.

I never expected to meet her here. Well, actually, the probability of meeting her here wasn’t zero.

I just wasn’t thinking about it.

“Oh! It’s Lost-oppa! Heeheeheehee! Long time no see!”

Spiky, disheveled hair.

A lively girl with red eyes, not forgetting her signature black long coat even in the warm spring weather.

“Yeah, you’re here too, Lilia. I heard rumors that you’ve been traveling with Eremus recently.”

At the place where we had parted, we once again exchanged words of reunion.

*     *      *

“Heeheeheehee! Is everyone gathering here? I’m so excited to meet everyone after so long!”

“Yeah, they’ll be here soon.”

Leading Lilia and Ilina Crowley from the arena, I headed to the inn where I was supposed to meet my companions.

We had scattered to gather information and planned to meet here…

“…Why are you guys already here?”

Titan and Claire were sitting at the table eating as if they had never left in the first place.

At least Línea seemed to have properly gone to gather information, which is a relief.

Well, if even she had abandoned her duty to play around, the shock would have been considerable.

“Huh?!”

Claire, who had been looking at me with sleepy eyes as if wondering what I was staring at, suddenly widened her eyes.

This adolescent kid has been glaring at me a lot lately due to her rebellious phase. But now that I’ve brought Lilia, I believe she’ll show a more mature side.

“Lili… a?”

“Long time no see! Claire-unnie!”

And so, the kid smiled brightly at the sight of another kid.

*     *      *

I wanted to get straight to the point, but sensing that Línea might feel left out if we just talked among ourselves, I decided to find her first.

Since we had each set a direction for information gathering, it shouldn’t be difficult.

With various inquiries to make, I should be able to find her and join up quickly.

For now, I left Lilia and Ilina Crowley at the inn and went out alone.

Claire and Lilia probably have a lot to talk about, and Ilina Crowley needs time to compose herself after her unsightly display.

Though for a princess of a country, her behavior is quite unseemly, there’s no need to be that embarrassed.

To put it bluntly, isn’t it something everyone in the academic city already knows?

“Wow!”

“Found you.”

“I was trying to surprise you…”

Fortunately, I was able to join up with Línea shortly.

It’s something I always feel, but I find it difficult to locate Línea.

Whatever ability it is, she always spots me first.

So I rarely get surprised by these things anymore.

Even if I can’t find her, she always manages to find me.

“I found Ilina Crowley. Let’s head back now.”

“Okay.”

When I gently pinched the cheek of Línea, who was pouting after her failed attempt to surprise me, she smiled brightly.

Recently, we’ve been at this level of closeness.

I feel that I’m getting closer to her, gradually but steadily.

*     *      *

To be honest, I expected a warm and cozy atmosphere.

After all, we had reunited with Ilina Crowley and Lilia.

So I thought it would be a warm, heartwarming, and cozy atmosphere.

However, the problem erupted from a completely unexpected direction.

“It’s been a while, Lost.”

As if she had decided to pretend her previous unseemly behavior never happened, Ilina Crowley sat demurely and greeted me.

“What a meeting, honestly, I feel like it’s a bit of fate. Hehe.”

Ilina Crowley’s sudden transformation into some sort of lady was, well, somewhat charming. Though bewildering would be a more accurate description.

Honestly, I just went with it.

Her previous demeanor wasn’t exactly presentable to others.

Moreover, she did have some feelings for me, so her desire to appear favorable is understandable.

However, there was someone who couldn’t accept this.

“My, doesn’t Lost refuse to dine with women who have smaller chests than me? I wonder why this person is sitting here?”

It was Línea.

Línea’s counterattack, having been rejected by Ilina Crowley before on the same topic. Quite fierce.

Well, from her perspective, Ilina Crowley would be a competitor to be wary of.

The subtle defamation of me is a bit much though…

But I wasn’t in a position to point that out given the atmosphere.

“Haha, then I must be someone special enough to make him ignore such criteria.”

Ilina Crowley’s counterattack.

There were tears in her eyes, but the fact that she managed to counter even in that state is quite admirable.

Yes, physical issues can’t be overturned no matter how hard one tries.

Still, it’s impressive how well she’s holding herself together.

-Hoeeee, what are you doing, Rata? Hurry up and bring some popcorn!

“Zik… Zik…”

Hecate, who has recently completely dominated Ratatoskr, snickers as if finding this entertaining.

“Looking up is straining my neck, Hecate. I wish I had something to lean on.”

-I-I’ll bring it right away.

But someone has appeared to challenge her dominance, namely Eremus, who is possessing the lion doll.

His majesty seems to remain intact.

It looks incredibly natural how he commands Hecate with just a tilt of his chin.

It’s sad that none of the others seem interested in intervening in this situation.

Meanwhile, everyone else seems to think of the current situation as a spectacle.

“…Alright, the signs aren’t good from the start. I was wondering why my luck had been so good lately. It was for this.”

I’m afraid this battle of wills might escalate into an international issue.