January 25th.
It has been a little over ten days since I left Belzer and stayed in Koenig.
Contrary to my worries...
“Wow! Brother Merchen! Catch me!”
“Melissa, you little punk! Can’t you come here?”
“Ahahaha! Brother, catch Joseph first!”
“Ahhh! Alex, you traitor!”
It's a very peaceful day...
This rented inn is owned by Wolf Lehmann, who runs a hiring guild in Koenig. One of his dozen side businesses is running a hotel.
Wolf has been making a pretty good income since Ryan became the champion at the monthly <Wolf Lehmann's Fight Show!>.
He was very happy to give us the building when we told him that our family was looking for a place to stay for a month.
And every day, Jean's younger siblings come to play here.
When Jean goes to work, he drops off his younger siblings here: Melissa, who is thirteen and the same age as me, and Joseph, who is twelve and the same age as Alex.
“Don’t run, everyone will get hurt!”
So, poor nanny Emma comes here and looks after four little children.
Even after escaping Windsor Castle, her childcare never ends...
“Isn’t our young lady playing with them?”
Emma said as she watched me sitting listlessly at the table in the first-floor restaurant.
“Yeah. I’ll see you later...”
As someone with an adult soul trapped in a child's body, this isn't a particularly welcome suggestion. It was actually quite difficult playing with dolls while I was treating Melissa.
“Kali, where’s your brother?”
“He went out with Mr. Ralph early this morning. He said he was going to buy some ingredients.”
"Also?"
Revan never neglects his research and inventions.
Actually, I once went to look at the basement of our mansion, which was off-limits to anyone except for Revan, after begging him to do so...
'It was great.'
It was only after seeing the basement that I learned something I didn't know before returning.
The 'White Magic Engineer', who only used his great abilities to create weapons of mass destruction to take revenge on Wassenberg...
‘...I thought so, but it wasn’t like that, was it?’
The genius foresaw the future. The various weapons he created were intended more for combating "demonic" beasts than humans.
After Ryan takes care of all the superpowered people, who will deal with the demons that periodically run wild?
A power vacuum was inevitable, and Revan, concerned about this, had been preparing countermeasures in advance.
Wow. Things are going well without me...
All I have to do is wait for Ryan to train his ability, figure out a way to collude with the royal family, and in the meantime, sabotage Wassenberg's big, bad plans.
I have plans, but the time hasn't come yet, so I don't really have anything to do right now.
Everyone is working hard, but I'm the only one eating, sleeping, and pooping. I feel ashamed.
At that time.
“Vania! Is Vania there?”
Someone opened the door on the first floor and came in.
It was a wolf.
“Hello, Uncle.”
“Hello, Mr. Wolf.”
“Are you here?”
“Yes. Emma, Kali. Good morning.”
For some reason, Wolf had the look of a puppy needing to poop. He was about to say something, but then he glanced at Kali and Emma, who were standing next to me, and dragged me to a corner.
What on earth are you trying to say...
“Vania, what connection do you have with the Duke of Wassenberg?”
"Yes?!"
“...Looking at the surprised reaction, what’s there?”
“Why, why, why are you suddenly asking that?”
“There’s a Wassenberg family member in Koenig right now? They’re looking for you.”
For a moment, my mind went blank.
“They were looking for you, even asking for your exact name?”
“Do you know who it is?”
“I thought he was the sixth young master.”
“...!”
If it's the sixth Young Master, it's Mario.
Mario Wassenberg.
‘He, he, why is he looking at me now...?’
That moment.
Ryan was also away from Belzer.
Because the demonic situation was rapidly approaching, it was time to wait at home.
Shacht, the cursed land.
“Haaam. This is boring.”
"You came early for no reason. It'll take at least three more days for the demons to come out."
When he arrived, the soldiers who had been stationed there were already chatting away.
Ryan started to attack the barracks with the Cerberus mercenary, Max, in the meantime.
‘...It’s magnificent.’
Ryan, who had entered the cursed land for the first time, was amazed.
A form in which a high wall surrounds the center of the land in a very wide circular shape.
There are entrances and exits on the four sides of the wall, east, west, south, and north, and a watchtower is erected at each entrance.
Ryan was stationed at the nearest west entrance.
“Are you curious?”
Max asked with a smile.
"Oh. I guess it's my first time seeing it. I thought it was just a vast plain. I heard demons were crawling out of the ground, so I figured I'd just wander around and if one popped its head out, I'd catch it like whack-a-mole."
“Phuhat!”
Max burst out laughing and pointed inside the walls.
"There's a designated area of contamination where demons can rise. That area is inside the castle walls."
"Aha."
"After years of repeated suppression, we've identified specific locations where they appear, so we built a wall to contain them as much as possible. The area outside the wall isn't considered contaminated, so the demons won't come out."
“I see.”
Ryan nodded, but then frowned.
“Wait. Then why am I stationed here?”
He hurriedly unfolded the map that had been distributed.
Ryan was ordered to station himself at the western entrance of the wall, marked "Sector D1." In other words, "outside" the wall.
“If what you said is true, then the land I’m currently standing on is outside the walls, so doesn’t that mean the demons won’t come out?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’m supposed to guard the entrance? I’m the gatekeeper?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“...? I'm really the gatekeeper?!”
"Yes. You can stay here and deal with any demons they missed inside. However, unless it's a first-class incident, they rarely come outside the walls, so don't worry."
"Why?!"
“Why?”
Max tilted his head.
“If what you say is true, I won’t be able to see a single hair on the head of the demon if I stay here.”
“Do you really want to see it?”
"Of course!"
Why did I come here!
Wasn't it to kill as many as possible to train Bless and, at the same time, save the 3rd Prince, who was in danger?
“Who the hell put me in a place like this!”
“Is he the commander-in-chief of the punitive force?”
“Who is that!”
“Is he the commander of the Imperial Knights?”
“...”
Actually, he knew. He was the Third Prince.
Ryan nodded.
"Well, as expected, he has the best personality. I guess he was worried because I was the first one to be subdued."
“No, that’s not it. It’s because you’re an F-class mercenary.”
"What?"
A flustered Ryan took out his mercenary card from his arms.
To join the punitive force, he 'only' registered as a mercenary with Wolf Lehmann's help. Initially, all of them are F-rank.
"Because it's dangerous inside the walls. The Commander always deploys only the imperial knights with extensive experience in subjugation, private soldiers from noble families, and high-ranking mercenaries inside."
“No, what!”
“Of course, skill isn’t proportional to rank, but my lord, you don’t have any real-world experience.”
“Then you’re an S-class, why are you here?”
"...? I left as the last group to attack the barracks with you, Lord. Now, I have to go to where my comrades are. I'm always in Area A. This time, Area A1."
Ryan, who had been blinking, opened the map again.
Area A is the innermost part of the city walls.
“So... the commander is here too?”
“Yes, that’s right. To be exact, he's in Area A0.”
“Wow, you’re going to turn around?”
He didn't know they would be suppressed so systematically.
He thought that if the demon came out, it would be a total mess, and then everyone would just get together and beat them up...
"So what if I'm always an F-rank? Am I always going to be assigned to places where I can't see a single hair on the head of a demon?"
"Yes, that's right. Well, if you deploy frequently and your skills are proven, you could be reassigned under the commander's authority."
“Huh.”
That's going to take quite some time.
So, is it faster to level up mercenaries?
“How did you get to S-rank?”
“I have completed 45 expeditions to the Cursed Land, received 2 letters of recommendation from the Duke’s family, and received 23 letters of recommendation from the noble families.”
...specs that should last 10 years!
Ryan, his eyes tightly shut, quickly opened his suitcase. He saw the lion-head cape Vania had given him.
Max laughed as he took it out and put it on, even putting on the lion-mane hat.
“Puhahaha! My lord, what is that? It’s so cute!”
“Max, let me take a look at your mercenary ID.”
“...? Here it is.”
When Max took out his mercenary card and showed it to him, Ryan quickly snatched it away and put his F-class mercenary card in his hand.
“...?”
Ryan tapped Max's shoulder as he looked confused, and then tightened the brown hat strap.
“You’re the gatekeeper this time.”
“...Yes, yeeeees?!!!”
And without looking back, he ran into the castle walls.
It has been a little over ten days since I left Belzer and stayed in Koenig.
Contrary to my worries...
“Wow! Brother Merchen! Catch me!”
“Melissa, you little punk! Can’t you come here?”
“Ahahaha! Brother, catch Joseph first!”
“Ahhh! Alex, you traitor!”
It's a very peaceful day...
This rented inn is owned by Wolf Lehmann, who runs a hiring guild in Koenig. One of his dozen side businesses is running a hotel.
Wolf has been making a pretty good income since Ryan became the champion at the monthly <Wolf Lehmann's Fight Show!>.
He was very happy to give us the building when we told him that our family was looking for a place to stay for a month.
And every day, Jean's younger siblings come to play here.
When Jean goes to work, he drops off his younger siblings here: Melissa, who is thirteen and the same age as me, and Joseph, who is twelve and the same age as Alex.
“Don’t run, everyone will get hurt!”
So, poor nanny Emma comes here and looks after four little children.
Even after escaping Windsor Castle, her childcare never ends...
“Isn’t our young lady playing with them?”
Emma said as she watched me sitting listlessly at the table in the first-floor restaurant.
“Yeah. I’ll see you later...”
As someone with an adult soul trapped in a child's body, this isn't a particularly welcome suggestion. It was actually quite difficult playing with dolls while I was treating Melissa.
“Kali, where’s your brother?”
“He went out with Mr. Ralph early this morning. He said he was going to buy some ingredients.”
"Also?"
Revan never neglects his research and inventions.
Actually, I once went to look at the basement of our mansion, which was off-limits to anyone except for Revan, after begging him to do so...
'It was great.'
It was only after seeing the basement that I learned something I didn't know before returning.
The 'White Magic Engineer', who only used his great abilities to create weapons of mass destruction to take revenge on Wassenberg...
‘...I thought so, but it wasn’t like that, was it?’
The genius foresaw the future. The various weapons he created were intended more for combating "demonic" beasts than humans.
After Ryan takes care of all the superpowered people, who will deal with the demons that periodically run wild?
A power vacuum was inevitable, and Revan, concerned about this, had been preparing countermeasures in advance.
Wow. Things are going well without me...
All I have to do is wait for Ryan to train his ability, figure out a way to collude with the royal family, and in the meantime, sabotage Wassenberg's big, bad plans.
I have plans, but the time hasn't come yet, so I don't really have anything to do right now.
'You're like a little parasite...'
At that time.
“Vania! Is Vania there?”
Someone opened the door on the first floor and came in.
It was a wolf.
“Hello, Uncle.”
“Hello, Mr. Wolf.”
“Are you here?”
“Yes. Emma, Kali. Good morning.”
For some reason, Wolf had the look of a puppy needing to poop. He was about to say something, but then he glanced at Kali and Emma, who were standing next to me, and dragged me to a corner.
What on earth are you trying to say...
“Vania, what connection do you have with the Duke of Wassenberg?”
"Yes?!"
“...Looking at the surprised reaction, what’s there?”
“Why, why, why are you suddenly asking that?”
“There’s a Wassenberg family member in Koenig right now? They’re looking for you.”
For a moment, my mind went blank.
“They were looking for you, even asking for your exact name?”
“Do you know who it is?”
“I thought he was the sixth young master.”
“...!”
If it's the sixth Young Master, it's Mario.
Mario Wassenberg.
‘He, he, why is he looking at me now...?’
***
That moment.
Ryan was also away from Belzer.
Because the demonic situation was rapidly approaching, it was time to wait at home.
Shacht, the cursed land.
“Haaam. This is boring.”
"You came early for no reason. It'll take at least three more days for the demons to come out."
When he arrived, the soldiers who had been stationed there were already chatting away.
Ryan started to attack the barracks with the Cerberus mercenary, Max, in the meantime.
‘...It’s magnificent.’
Ryan, who had entered the cursed land for the first time, was amazed.
A form in which a high wall surrounds the center of the land in a very wide circular shape.
There are entrances and exits on the four sides of the wall, east, west, south, and north, and a watchtower is erected at each entrance.
Ryan was stationed at the nearest west entrance.
“Are you curious?”
Max asked with a smile.
"Oh. I guess it's my first time seeing it. I thought it was just a vast plain. I heard demons were crawling out of the ground, so I figured I'd just wander around and if one popped its head out, I'd catch it like whack-a-mole."
“Phuhat!”
Max burst out laughing and pointed inside the walls.
"There's a designated area of contamination where demons can rise. That area is inside the castle walls."
"Aha."
"After years of repeated suppression, we've identified specific locations where they appear, so we built a wall to contain them as much as possible. The area outside the wall isn't considered contaminated, so the demons won't come out."
“I see.”
Ryan nodded, but then frowned.
“Wait. Then why am I stationed here?”
He hurriedly unfolded the map that had been distributed.
Ryan was ordered to station himself at the western entrance of the wall, marked "Sector D1." In other words, "outside" the wall.
“If what you said is true, then the land I’m currently standing on is outside the walls, so doesn’t that mean the demons won’t come out?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’m supposed to guard the entrance? I’m the gatekeeper?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“...? I'm really the gatekeeper?!”
"Yes. You can stay here and deal with any demons they missed inside. However, unless it's a first-class incident, they rarely come outside the walls, so don't worry."
"Why?!"
“Why?”
Max tilted his head.
“If what you say is true, I won’t be able to see a single hair on the head of the demon if I stay here.”
“Do you really want to see it?”
"Of course!"
Why did I come here!
Wasn't it to kill as many as possible to train Bless and, at the same time, save the 3rd Prince, who was in danger?
“Who the hell put me in a place like this!”
“Is he the commander-in-chief of the punitive force?”
“Who is that!”
“Is he the commander of the Imperial Knights?”
“...”
Actually, he knew. He was the Third Prince.
Ryan nodded.
"Well, as expected, he has the best personality. I guess he was worried because I was the first one to be subdued."
“No, that’s not it. It’s because you’re an F-class mercenary.”
"What?"
A flustered Ryan took out his mercenary card from his arms.
To join the punitive force, he 'only' registered as a mercenary with Wolf Lehmann's help. Initially, all of them are F-rank.
"Because it's dangerous inside the walls. The Commander always deploys only the imperial knights with extensive experience in subjugation, private soldiers from noble families, and high-ranking mercenaries inside."
“No, what!”
“Of course, skill isn’t proportional to rank, but my lord, you don’t have any real-world experience.”
“Then you’re an S-class, why are you here?”
"...? I left as the last group to attack the barracks with you, Lord. Now, I have to go to where my comrades are. I'm always in Area A. This time, Area A1."
Ryan, who had been blinking, opened the map again.
Area A is the innermost part of the city walls.
“So... the commander is here too?”
“Yes, that’s right. To be exact, he's in Area A0.”
“Wow, you’re going to turn around?”
He didn't know they would be suppressed so systematically.
He thought that if the demon came out, it would be a total mess, and then everyone would just get together and beat them up...
"So what if I'm always an F-rank? Am I always going to be assigned to places where I can't see a single hair on the head of a demon?"
"Yes, that's right. Well, if you deploy frequently and your skills are proven, you could be reassigned under the commander's authority."
“Huh.”
That's going to take quite some time.
So, is it faster to level up mercenaries?
“How did you get to S-rank?”
“I have completed 45 expeditions to the Cursed Land, received 2 letters of recommendation from the Duke’s family, and received 23 letters of recommendation from the noble families.”
...specs that should last 10 years!
Ryan, his eyes tightly shut, quickly opened his suitcase. He saw the lion-head cape Vania had given him.
Max laughed as he took it out and put it on, even putting on the lion-mane hat.
“Puhahaha! My lord, what is that? It’s so cute!”
“Max, let me take a look at your mercenary ID.”
“...? Here it is.”
When Max took out his mercenary card and showed it to him, Ryan quickly snatched it away and put his F-class mercenary card in his hand.
“...?”
Ryan tapped Max's shoulder as he looked confused, and then tightened the brown hat strap.
“You’re the gatekeeper this time.”
“...Yes, yeeeees?!!!”
And without looking back, he ran into the castle walls.
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