Episode 62: Plan B and Some B
“I… I speak… I do speak… I… I am… Cassas’ apostle. One of the apostles who upholds the great will of Cassas…”
It took Jermi Balkin, who knew nothing, about an hour to transform into “Dr. Know-It-All Jermi.”
I nodded contentedly with a smile.
“Dr. Know-It-All Jermi knows everything. If you ask, he’ll tell you anything.”
“…”
“Isn’t that right, Dr. Know-It-All?”
“Um… yeah, that’s right.”
I loudly muttered for Jermi to hear, and Jermi, with a tense face, struggled to swallow.
Good. The “Dr. Know-It-All Jermi” skin had been applied perfectly. I decided to immediately demonstrate its function.
“You. What’s your purpose?”
“… My purpose is… to surveil and report on your group.”
A roughly predicted answer emerged. The real problem was starting now.
I nodded to the terrified Jermi and continued asking questions.
“Why.”
“… What?”
“Why are you surveilling us? What have we done wrong?”
“That… I don’t know.”
“…”
“Tch.”
The skin application wasn’t complete. A bug, perhaps? I immediately signaled Ruci, who was standing by.
However, Jermi, who had instantly understood the meaning of my signal, raised his voice in panic.
“R, really! I, I, am a low-ranking apostle! All I’ve been ordered to do is really just surveil you! I truly don’t know anything else!”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
“Yes! Please! So please… no B course!”
Watching him desperately plead while spilling tears and snot, he seemed genuine. If it were a lie, this guy should win the Best Supporting Actor award at the Grand Bell Awards.
I clenched my fist and sent a stop signal to the Demon King.
“Ruci. Stop.”
“… Tch.”
The Demon King, looking slightly disappointed, licked his lips and gently caressed Jermi’s cheek with a subtle smile.
“You were lucky, you fake hero. Hehe.”
“…”
Jermi shivered in terror, his face filled with fear.
Anyway, things having turned out this way, it was necessary to change the direction of the questioning. I suddenly asked without hesitation.
“What is this Cassas that you’re talking about? What kind of place is it?”
“Cassas, not Cassas.”
Seems like the skin is reacting even to this small contradiction. I immediately snapped back with my two eyebrows raised.
“Hey, it’s all the same to me. Trying to pick a fight?”
“M, sorry! Please, no more B Course…!”
As soon as he saw my disturbed expression, the guy instantly apologized.
… The trauma from the B Course is pretty deep, it seems. He’s practically become a “B Course Virgin,” almost like how the Demon King mentions the “Chamber of Truth.”
I shook my head and redirected the diverged conversation.
“Anyway, what kind of place is it? Surely, it can’t be an organization solely created to surveil me.”
“We are… an organization that rectifies the crumbling balance of this world.”
“… Balance?”
Some vague, lofty talk came out.
For reference, I hate such strange fairy-tale stories. Words should strip away unnecessary verbosity and be straightforward.
I held up an Ether bottle, shaking it as I brought it close to the guy’s face.
“Explain within ten seconds in a way that’s easy to understand. Subject, Object, Predicate.”
“W, what?”
“10. 9. 8… ”
“Wait! Um, that is to say…!”
With overt intimidation, Jermi’s face turned pale.
As I began folding down my fingers, he started rolling his eyes anxiously before opening his mouth hurriedly.
“In short, we protect the balance of power between the Demon King and the Hero!”
“Subject, Object, Predicate.”
“Cassas! The Demon King and the Hero! We moderate to ensure neither side gains dominance! Satisfied?”
Jermi finally yelled, unable to endure my overbearing attitude any longer.
Anyway, once the information came out, I don’t think I really cared much about it, but upon sorting it all out, this was a rather shocking statement.
Without noticing it, I had tightly closed my mouth, and then a perplexed question escaped:
“Mediation? Aren’t you the Hero? So, you’re also blocking the Hero from winning?”
“… Yes.”
“No. Why on earth?”
“That’s….”
Jermi opened his mouth to speak when suddenly,
“Cough.”
A cough echoed out. Instead of words coming out of Jermi’s parted lips, a gush of blood sprayed out like a fountain.
Neither Jermi nor me nor the Demon King could respond. We all blankly stared at the blood on the floor.
“… Co, kuh?”
A groan filled with confusion and pain escaped.
Then suddenly, with a thud, Jermi’s head dropped. Simultaneously, all the strength drained from his body.
I stared blankly at Jermi, activating the Eye of Mimir.
[Name: Jermi Balkin]
[Alias: The 151668943rd Hero, Apostles of Cassas, Expert]
[Level: 92]
[Health: 0/1100 ?Mana: 0/750]
His health was at 0.
He was dead. Truly dead.
— Tongue-tied apostles are unnecessary for Cassas. Jermi Balkin.
Then, through the corpse of Jermi Balkin, came a distorted, otherworldly voice.
I felt my blood freeze. I couldn’t move at the sight of Jermi Balkin suddenly turning into a cold corpse before my very eyes.
Just a moment ago, we were having a normal conversation. Now, he was a body.
Strange. Even though I’ve died countless times, his death hit me much more shockingly than expected.
“The, after dying, it’s time to…?”
I cut off my thought mid-sentence and suppressed a hollow laugh.
That’s absurd. Go back and what? Should I put a “Don’t acknowledge suspected stalkers” note in the Box of the Dead?
When Jermi was alive, we didn’t even know how he would react to us.
“This is unavoidable. It has to be.”
A complete stranger. I’m the type who struggles just to protect what I have in my hands.
I’m not a hero. I can’t save everyone.
“… What the hell is that anyway?”
I vented my frustrations at the corpse due to my tangled thoughts.
Then suddenly, the corpse moved.
“What the hell?!”
Due to my Undead trauma, my body reacted faster than my thoughts.
SWOOSH! I drew the black and white dual swords from my waist and immediately pointed them at Jermi’s corpse.
“I just saw…”
Before I could doubt my own eyes, the corpse slowly started to move.
The corpse silently stared at me with blank pupils. I remained rigid, silently staring back.
Then the corpse slowly opened its mouth and said,
— Hmm. For someone who has hunted down something as great as an Eldritch, you lack the guts, don’t you?
It wasn’t an Undead’s scratching voice.
Based on my experience with Undeads, this isn’t an Undead.
Rather… it seems like someone is speaking through the corpse’s voice. Like that certain pint-sized detective from Japan.
‘No, more importantly’
What did that kid just say?
A hunter of the Eldritch. It naturally refers to me. The issue here is…
“You. How do you know that?”
— That is none of your concern. Mr. Park Jeong-yong, the Hero. Or should I say, Mr. Park Jeong-yong, the Eldritch Slayer.
My question was cut off before it could begin.
As if predicting what I would say, the voice beyond the corpse started speaking first.
— We have been watching you since your stay in Hasenberg, right after the Eldritch was hunted down. We’ve been tracing the hunter ever since that moment.
“…”
–So much can be understood. The 163417413th Hero, Park Jeong-yong. One who received Ashin’s direct protection and mysterious privileges. And, a Hero who suspiciously travels alongside the immortal Demon King of resurrection. Haha. A Hero with such an exceptional record is a first in the history of Cassas’ apostles.
“Who are you?”
I muttered grimly and carefully approached the corpse.
SIZZLE! With each sword generating 7 blades, a total of 14 magical blades spread behind me like wings.
But even with my threats, the expression on the corpse didn’t change. It rather smiled faintly.
— Surprised? This level of information is something that any top-tier Hero would possess.
“…!”
–The Eldritch was a major demon under the infamous immortal Demon King. It was quite the mysterious Hero who, with just a marginal baron, managed to eliminate such a great Demon. Wouldn’t you be curious if you were him?
“…”
— You’re much more famous than you think, Park Jeong-yong.
The corpse, with blood-streaked lips, smirked. Watching that grotesque expression, I suddenly widened my eyes.
Squelch. The face of the corpse was melting away. Realizing this, I looked closer, and his form—not just the face—was disintegrating bit by bit.
— You too will be monitored, Demon King of Resurrection. We’ll meet again soon.
The flesh was melting, leaving only the skull, which clicked as it finished its last words. Then, with a thud, it fell to the ground and crumbled.
I stared at the blood and slime flowing on the floor.
CHIRR. I dispelled the magical blades that were lined up behind me.
“… Something doesn’t feel right…”
I glanced at the Demon King of Resurrection, who had been silent all this while, and mumbled.
