The Hero Party Couldn’t Kill Me

Chapter 4: First Revenge (9)

A tempting suggestion.

Because I can see that artifact is what I really need.

But the more I did, the more I had to stay calm. Even if the princess is cooperating with me now, she might turn into an enemy at any moment.

“… It’s fake.”

The absolute mask that Mina showed me right away was also a fake.

“Then you thought you would bring the real one? Don’t worry. If you follow me, Her Highness the Princess will give you the real one. You know the princess’ personality. Don’t cheat with this.”

“So, what do you want in return?”

“Well? I haven’t heard the details either. For now… Follow me back to the empire now. That is the first condition.”

“… ….”

“What are you so worried about? Isn’t this a good deal? You’re thinking of returning to the Empire anyway. You know very well what will happen if you walk around with that face. No, before that, do you have the confidence to return to the Empire without being caught by the Rogue Mage Tower watchers?”

That sounded like a point, but she was wrong.

First of all, even if it’s not a mask, there is a way to change the appearance. You can use transformation magic or transformation potion.

However, it is a great merit that there is no such worry with that mask, whereas these things are at risk of being exposed if other wizards decide and detect them.

And the second. It is not necessary to secretly return to the Empire only through Mina.

I had another card.

“Tell Her Highness the Princess. There is still work to be done in Speth. I still have work to do with this year.”

“Huh, are you really okay? This opportunity, this may be the first and last. Honestly, the work you did today is so gorgeous, isn’t it? No matter how romantic the princess is, do you think it will pass as it is?”

Mina asked as she put her mask back into the space.

With those words, I got a crucial hint.

She wants to get me under her control as soon as possible.

If she agrees with my goals, she won’t.

“If you present detailed conditions, tell me that you will think about it again. Until then, I will follow my plan.”

“Is it because you got hit in the back of the head by the warrior party? How romantic is Her Highness, the princess. You know that. Courting you was not just for political reasons.”

“I know.”

“But why?”

“Now is not the time to go back.”

I said vaguely. But the truth is, even if the princess offered detailed conditions, she had no intention of getting into her grasp.

“I won’t tell Her Highness, so tell me honestly. Even after this job is over, you have no intention of joining Her Highness.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Aren’t you already thinking of another route? But when Her Highness came out like this, the plan was disrupted. And the other route… It’s obvious. It must be the Blanc Magic Tower.”

Then Mina stabbed her right in the middle.

Actually, it was my plan to hide in Blanc Magic Tower. More precisely, he intended to hide in the secret hideout of the Blanc Tower.

… Also, she was no ordinary bet.

“Then shall I only tell you? Why am I reluctant to go under the princess now?”

As it turned out, I decided to be honest with her.

I asked, lowering my voice, making sure that Calia was still passed out and that she was no one around.

“What is it?”

“Now the Imperial Army is defeated, and the hero has failed to kill me. Right?”

“Yes.”

“Then, how do you get out of Etoile?”

“For now, its status will fall. I tried to talk about the will of the goddess, but failed….”

“No, that would be it. How do you think they will respond?”

At my question, Mina’s signature smile disappeared.

“Yes, if I am Etoile, I will definitely blame someone. And with a high probability, he would point to the princess. Perhaps soon the princess will try to put pressure on Etoile.”

“… Then, if her tail is long, she might get stepped on?”

“Yes. It’s dangerous now.”

“Then what about Blanc Magic Tower? You might want to attack it at this time.”

“You came to see Marion yourself. At that time, there were Mage Wizards sent by the Etoile Church. How was it?”

At my question, Mina immediately put on an expression of understanding. With that, I felt it again.

Marion’s condition is worse than expected.

“Okay. Then, I’ll speak well to Her Highness, the princess. But you, too, will have to convince Her Highness.”

“I’ll take care of that.”

I said with a smile. Just as her Mina was about to disappear, I grabbed her again.

“Hey, Mina Yoon.”

“Why?”

“… Be careful too.”

“What should I be careful about?”

“You can rob at Etoile too.”

“Oh, you’re scared, are you saying you’re touching me? On what basis?”

“That’s right, you don’t believe in the goddess Etoile.”

In spite of my warning, Mina snorted.

“Hey, do I look like someone who will die easily? Worry about you.”

With those words, Mina disappeared.

Well, you should have listened to me more. But what can I do?

Anyway, time was delayed.

I headed to Speth with Calia.

***

“We captured almost all of the imperial troops, but the empire suddenly sent mages and knights to help them escape from the trap. Then, the wizard who handles the shadows wiped out our formation, so we couldn’t even pursue it.”

After returning to Speth, I asked Leon about the outcome of the battle.

In the end, the princess somehow managed to save her imperial army by putting in her personal troops as well.

“How is the damage?”

I asked the power damage on both sides.

In Speth, it is said that about 350 people died and 500 were injured in today’s battle alone. This is counting right now, so there will be more in reality.

Still, I think there may have been around 1,000 casualties throughout the entire battle.

On the other hand, it is said that close to 10,000 Imperial troops died in today’s battle alone. That alone accounted for more than 10% of the entire Imperial army, but if you add up the wounded, it will be much more than that.

It is said that there are also several hundred Imperial Army POWs who could not escape here.

Moreover, the most important thing is that all of Edmund’s party, which was their core force, died except for Calia.

“Still, if we do this, it can be seen as a great victory for us.”

“Actually… It’s not just a big win. It is a landslide victory that will go down in history. Thanks to Edmund.”

Leon said with a broad smile.

Yes, this is rather the best result for me.

Speth’s side won a satisfactory victory, and on the other hand, the damage of the imperial army, which was reluctant to kill, was minimized.

“Edmund!”

Swan then ran towards me. It was the first time she had ever seen her smile that wide.

She ran up to me and gave me a big hug.

“Thank you! Thanks to you, I was able to save Speth!”

Um… I didn’t expect such a violent reaction. Well, it’s not bad though

Starting with that Swan, the other Speth people rushed towards me as if they had been waiting.

“Wow!!!”

“Long live Edmund!!!”

In the end, I was even given Hengare.

To be honest, I had a bad feeling about fighting for the empire for three years, but I still enjoyed the moment.

“Aww!! Aww!!!”

In the midst of such a festive mood, someone broke the mood.

Calia was crushed by the crowd. Her whole body was tied up and her mouth was held in her mouth. She was so insignificant that she even forgot about me.

“Oh, and this b*tch is the hero Calia. It is the cause of this war.”

I introduced Calia. Then, the surrounding atmosphere became quiet as if cold water had been poured on them.

“What should I do with this person?”

“Anyway, even in the Empire, he was sentenced to a heavy sentence. I’m done with this guy, so you can do as you like.”

“Then….”

“Ah, there is one condition instead. You must not kill her. Still, as long as you’re alive, it will be of great help when negotiating with the Empire.”

“Hello! What are you doing! Hurry up and drag this bastard!!”

At Swann’s command, two of the biggest and toughest men in the crowd dragged Calia away.

“Aww!!! Aww!!!”

Calia fiercely resisted, but there was nothing she could do.

Then, after all her struggles, she somehow undid her head and told me.

“Edmund!! Help me!!!”

Did you ever think of me as a colleague? I gave her a refreshing smile and said.

“Don’t worry. Did I tell you? I want to live.”

“Hey… ….”

“What did you want from me? How close are you now?”

“aaa!!!!!”

That’s how Calia’s screams got farther and farther away. As the crowd gathered toward Calia, someone quietly approached me.

It was Rafaela. For some reason, it seemed like I hadn’t seen her in such a long time.

“Oh, Rafaela. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Yes! It was such a one-sided battle, right? But… There was something that hurt my pride.”

“Anything that hurts your self-esteem?”

“… A sorceress stirred up our formation like her ghost, and even I couldn’t track her. So she had no choice but to open her eyes and suffer. Even after she disappeared, I couldn’t find any traces of her teleportation that she left behind. How is that possible?”

… At this point, after all, Raphael was also a wizard.

“That’s because the opponent is Mina from Noir Magic Tower.”

“I know who I am. Still… I’m angry with myself. I thought I was a skilled wizard in my own way…….”

It’s not her fault. Mina’s teleportation is not caught even by the Rogue Mage Tower’s surveillance network.

But I don’t know what to comfort her now.

“… Well, from what I’ve seen, you seem to be great enough.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You know all the magic I need. Even if it’s a magic you don’t know, you can analyze it and use it like cloning magic, right? When I see it, it looks even more amazing.”

This is not an empty word. Because Mina’s biggest weakness is her one-tool shadow magic. Of course, the use of shadow magic is endless, but it can’t digest various roles anyway.

“… Thank you.”

Raphaella smiled as if she had gained strength from this.

At that time, I heard a voice calling for Raphaella from far away.

“Ah, it seems that Calia is going to be disbanded in Speth soon.”

“Dissolution?”

“Yes. Are you the main culprit that started this war? So I will punish him the way Speth did.”

“… It doesn’t kill, does it?”

“Edmund-sama asked for it earlier. Say you want to live. That’s why you call me I can’t die from excessive blood loss.”

So you literally meant ‘just keep alive’.

“Would you like to see Edmund too?”

Rafaela again had a strange madness in her eyes. I was a little bit awed by that look, but I was also curious.

How far will the people of Speth destroy Calia?