Chapter 98: Back to Batevil
Elwin let out a snort after resurrecting Zeraphe Gnaude and making him an ally.
There had been a slight deviation due to Depicio’s unexpected actions, which differed from the original, but the plan was proceeding smoothly within the larger framework.
‘Now that I’ve recruited Zeraphe, I should be able to checkmate the Gnaude tribe’s sacrificial offering.’
Zeraphe Gnaude, after being devoured by the Manticore in LAMPAS...
So-called, the Awakened Zeraphe Gnaude—his performance was quite impressive.
‘In the early stages with no proper equipment and low level, he's basically a thug.’
It was the result of the fusion between Zeraphe Gnaude’s innate abilities and the Manticore’s powers.
The Gnaude tribe’s signature tree roots were now fused with the Manticore’s traits—
Barbed, poisonous spikes had hardened like armor over the tree roots. Despite being a mage with a fragile body, his physical strength and speed had surpassed that of a warrior.
He lost his original Ice affinity, and in exchange, gained a Dark affinity—on top of that, the Manticore’s own mana traits, Poison and Malice, had mixed in to form a rare attribute:
—Death.
Zeraphe Gnaude had gained the very power he once so desperately craved.
By experiencing a single horrific death.
‘I’d like to persuade them with words if possible… but even for Zeraphe Gnaude, that would be a tall order.’
If that were possible, there wouldn’t be such things as cults or fanatics in this world.
The Gnaude tribe had always stood on the losing side throughout their long history.
The only time they’d ever won—or rather, had been treated like proper humans—was ironically during the reign of the Beastkin King about 500 years ago.
Beastkin King Balan had been a contradictory figure who mercilessly slaughtered humans, yet didn’t lay a finger on other races.
No wonder the Gnaude tribe couldn’t forget those days of abundance.
‘They were probably indoctrinated from childhood—taught that the tribe must be revived by resurrecting the Beastkin King.’
As if brainwashed.
‘In that sense, Depicio and the Gnaude tribe are no different. They're exactly the same.’
Elwin twisted his lips into a bitter smile.
This world, LAMPAS, was once again making it clear—brutality and violence were deeply entrenched here.
Vile Geoma opened their jaws to devour humans.
And rather than unite, humans divided themselves, waged war, and hated each other.
If someone said they could strengthen their own power by sacrificing a few others, many savage humans would leap at the chance.
The only reason the Gnaude tribe hadn’t been sacrificed yet was thanks to the Beastkin King.
During his reign, he had erased all information about the Gnaude tribe.
‘Anyway, with this, I've found a way to suppress the Gnaude tribe's interference in the Beastkin King’s resurrection ritual…’
Elwin tapped his desk, lost in thought. Yet a lingering unease remained.
“How do they know...?”
The Beastkin King’s body had been utterly destroyed by the Top Hunters of his era—drawn and quartered, then publicly dismembered—he hadn’t even left behind ashes.
Yet his soul remained bound to this world even after hundreds of years.
But Depicio shouldn’t have known that.
Because in LAMPAS, the only ones capable of interacting with souls were fairies, witches, and...
‘Outsiders.’
Which of those variables had tipped off Depicio?
“Fuuuuh…”
Elwin leaned back in his chair, letting out a brief sigh after intensely working his brain. He was tired.
“Hey theere~?”
Just then, the person who’d been quietly sitting in the office, Gale, raised a hand and spoke like a child about to present in class.
He had actually been waiting for quite a while but had hesitated to speak because Elwin looked too serious.
“Oh, right.”
Elwin finally turned his gaze toward Gale.
“You were here, huh?”
“I’ve been here since earlier, okay?!”
Gale barked in frustration.
“And you’re saying my presence is that forgettable?!”
“When someone’s deep in thought, that can happen.”
“Uh, no it can’t?! I’ve been sitting directly in front of you the entire time!”
“Then it’s Gale’s fault. You should work on being more attention-grabbing. Do better next time.”
“What did you just say?!”
As usual, the two bickered.
Elwin, who usually acted more mature than his age, looked just his age whenever he teased Gale like this.
‘Sheesh. What a kid-like boss.’
Gale snorted—internally, of course.
If he actually said it aloud, he’d probably pay the price later.
Elwin was surprisingly petty.
“Anyway, where are we headed now?”
Gale asked cautiously, watching Elwin.
“…Aha?”
Elwin narrowed his eyes. He clearly sensed something.
Gale flinched and looked away.
“You lost to Miss Sercia and Mister Calix at rock-paper-scissors, didn’t you?”
“Ugh! You figured it out right away. You little psychic.”
Elwin chuckled like a boy.
“No way I wouldn’t notice. It’s happened several times already.”
He started counting on his fingers.
“This time and last time were Gale. The time before that was Miss Sercia. Before that was Mister Calix. And then—”
“Okay, okay, enough! You win! You’ve got a damn elephant’s memory.”
Gale looked defeated.
The members of Spero had come to understand Elwin’s patterns while working with him.
Elwin was always planning something massive in his head, and the members served as his hands and feet.
Put another way, Elwin played chess, and they were the pieces on the board.
But the Spero members were still people. Though they had joined the organization due to aligned interests—
When people live under one roof, curiosity about each other naturally arises.
They were curious about Elwin.
Of course, there was some self-interest too. After all, the three of them were rivals trying to earn Elwin’s trust.
Even the smallest bit of information was precious.
“So… you can’t tell me? If it’s too hard, you don’t have to.”
Gale scratched his head. Elwin smiled as if giving in.
‘It’s hard to keep a strictly professional relationship, huh.’
It wasn’t that Elwin had refused to share information or emotional connections with the Spero members.
He just didn’t think there was any need to.
‘I never intended to get close to them.’
That way, when the time came to make cold-hearted decisions on their journey, he wouldn’t waver.
But for some reason, the three seemed genuinely fond of Elwin. He couldn’t guess why…
That alone made Elwin feel a little unfamiliar… and frankly, awkward.
Of course, Elwin liked them too—he’d always liked these characters in his past life, as figures from a game. That was all.
He hadn’t recruited Gale and the others because they were original characters.
There were plenty of people stronger than them right now. And as the Top Hunter of Yellow, Elwin could easily recruit such powerful allies.
‘But… that would only make them more wary of me.’
If he formed a group of only the strong at this point and tried to make a move—
‘Then Familia would go completely underground, leaving only a decoy shell behind.’
After all, Familia wasn’t an organization built purely on might.
To catch the tail and wipe them out completely, the initial approach had to be strategic.
That’s why Elwin chose the most potentially exceptional people.
Those who would one day leave a great mark on LAMPAS.
‘…No helping it.’
Elwin decided to take a step back.
Even someone who controlled everything like a puppet master couldn’t control people’s hearts.
He reminded himself again, compulsively: this world is reality.
“It’s not hard. I’ll gladly tell you.”
Smiling, Elwin snapped out of his thoughts.
“We’re going to the Batevil royal family. More precisely, to meet the royals residing there.”
“…Wha—ROYA-A-ALS?!”
Gale shrieked.
“Huh? I thought you already had a rough idea?”
“Uh, y-yeah… I figured we might meet royalty eventually, considering Depicio’s goal. But I didn’t know it’d be now—or that we were coming along…”
It all felt unreal.
“Hm? Oh, I see.”
Elwin tilted his head, then quickly figured it out.
“Gale, I know why you’re awkward around ‘high and mighty’ people. But you should start getting used to it.”
He continued gently.
“Top Hunters have the right to meet with a nation’s king, emperor, or equivalent administrative leaders. In urgent cases, they can even do so without prior notice. And they’ll receive top-priority treatment, like a state guest.”
But that wasn’t what unsettled Gale. His red pupils trembled.
“Kehek! You knew why I’m uncomfortable around high-ranking folks…?”
“Because of the princess of Godard, right?”
Elwin replied with a smooth smile.
“…How’d you know?!”
Gale raised his voice, then deflated with a sigh.
“Ah, forget it. Don’t say anything. You probably found out through some shady route. This old man’s kinda gotten used to it by now~ yeah.”
His face wilted like boiled greens.
“But seriously, can I ask you one favor? The princess of Godard makes me feel really awkward and uneasy. If we ever go meet her, leave me out.”
“Hm. I don’t think we’ll be heading to Godard anytime soon… but unless something urgent comes up, fine. I’ll do that.”
Then—
Knock knock.
A neat knock echoed through Elwin’s office.
“Come in.”
With Elwin’s permission, the door opened silently, and Nahrhan stepped inside.
He bowed lightly and spoke quickly.
“Master. We’ve entered the airspace above Skya, the capital of the Batevil Kingdom. We’ll arrive at the royal palace in 30 minutes.”
“Perfect. Assemble everyone. Tell the Spero members to come in full uniform and cloak.”
Elwin sprang up and gave his orders.
“Nahr, switch the airship to stealth mode and remain on standby. Nero, Hake, and Miss Jana will stay aboard as well, but there’s something to convey. Call them to the deck.”
“Understood.”
Nahrhan bowed again and hurried out of the office, while Gale, who’d been goofing off, rushed to his room to change.
As he brushed past Nahrhan, a curious thought crossed Gale’s mind.
‘Why did he ask me to handle Zeraphe Gnaude’s resurrection?’
If Light and Holy attributes were required, then Elwin should’ve asked his most trusted subordinate, Nahrhan Ferdic—since Nahrhan had the Holy attribute.
But Gale had no time to dwell on that mystery.
Kuuuuuuung—
The airship came to a halt hundreds of meters above the Batevil royal family’s palace.
On the deck, Elwin whispered discreet instructions to Nero, Hake, and Jana before spinning around.
“You’re here. This time, just the four of us will go. We’ll descend directly, so get ready to jump.”
Elwin gave them a meaningful look—no room for mistakes.
Nero grinned mischievously, Hake clenched his fists in determination, and Jana nodded ever so slightly in understanding.
“Let’s go!”
“Ohh!”
“I’ll follow.”
Elwin jumped first, and the others followed.
But moments later, what they saw—
“…!!”
“Damn it!”
“…No way!”
—was the horrific scene of the Batevil royal family, slaughtered.