The Trisen Castle.
Behind the Trisen Main Castle, the Magic Knight Corps headquarters was silent. This was because all the female knights had left to intercept Gerard and Dan, who were attacking from the main gate with Cursed Weapons. Now, the female knights’ brainwashing and curses had been lifted, and they were in the care of the Ironclad Knights. No one was returning to this place, and the branch castle should have been empty. However, within the branch castle, two human shadows stirred.
“Haa, that was tough. It was a bit too heavy,”
“This body is that of a dwarf. Don’t ask for the impossible.”
One of them was Zildra, the mysterious merchant who had been controlling the machine inside the super-giant Golem, “Blue Rage,” and fighting Gerard and the others until just before. The other person, completely hidden by a deep black hood, held Zildra under their arm and complained. The hood hid their face, their build was slender, and their voice was androgynous, making it impossible to determine their gender.
“Huh? ‘Creator’, do you have green spots appearing on your skin?”
“This? …I’ve probably been poisoned. Judging from the symptoms, it’s likely a type of poisonous plant from the Underground World where demons dwell. There are many potent poisons there that are said to kill even angels—”
“Whoa, careful!”
The black hood immediately threw Zildra away, but Zildra landed with a ‘thump’ as if nothing had happened.
“Rest assured, it’s not a type of poison that spreads through contact or the air. Moreover, you activated a Skill when rescuing me. So you probably didn’t receive any poison inside Blue Rage. Everything has been slipped through, even the poison. Well, once one is infected with this poison, treatment options are limited, and it leads to death quickly due to its immediate effect. I wouldn’t last long in a situation like this.”
“Why are you so calm…?”
The spots on Zildra’s skin continued to spread, each one gradually growing larger.
“I’ve researched this kind of thing before. These spots will eventually spread to cover the entire surface of the skin, and in the next stage, they will swell. Normally, the pain at that point would cause one to die in agony, but if they are unlucky enough to survive, the swollen mounds will burst—”
“No, I’ve heard enough. If this continues, it’ll really happen!”
“Hmm, so it would. ‘Assassin’, you’ve arrived here, so do you have a lead?”
“Yeah, I do~. This way, this way. Look, beyond this hall.”
“…You sure made a mess of things again.”
The black hood led them to the entrance of the Magic Knight Corps headquarters. There was no sign of anyone. All that remained were numerous scattered corpses. All the corpses wore platinum armor and were bleeding from their necks, having met their demise. Swords were clutched in their hands, and the disarray of the entrance indicated that a battle had taken place here.
“With your strength, you could have wiped them all out without anyone noticing.”
“I was bored while waiting for the Creator, you see~. Besides, I’m the one who should be complaining. You were supposed to get out of there, right? Why did you abruptly start fighting? And you even lost.”
“The poison is spreading quickly. Hurry up and guide me.”
“Haa, right, right…”
The two passed through the entrance littered with corpses and arrived in front of a certain room: the room of the Magic Knight Corps commander.
“This room seems to have had a barrier put up by Tristan. It’s the perfect place to hide something.”
“Ah, so this is where that failure was evolved.”
“No, no, I think he had potential? Clive. It’s just that among those chosen by the ‘Selector’, he was rather disappointing. More importantly, Tristan is dead. What about you, Clive? You were going to join the ranks, weren’t you? Aren’t we going to get in trouble?”
“He hasn’t reincarnated yet. Regardless, he’s useless as he is. Isn’t it more convenient this way? The ‘Proxy’s’ reincarnation technique is imperfect, but it will suffice as a temporary measure until our master awakens.”
“That’s why I’m saying, that kind of talk angers the Proxy… The Proxy is usually kind, but scary when angry.”
“That’s proof of your immaturity, Assassin.”
“Ah, yes, yes. As expected of the Creator of the Third Pillar~.”
The black hood opened the door. In this room, where Clive had once endured long suffering, a man lay restrained. Ironically, it was the very bed where Clive had both experienced pleasure and undergone torture at the hands of the female knights.
“The副官 of the Ironclad Knights. Well, not bad.”
“I wish you’d recognize my efforts a little~. Uh, Jin Dalba, was it?”
When his name was called by the black hood, Jin writhed. He glared fiercely at Zildra and the others, but Jin was bound by Magic Items that sealed the target’s magic power. To break free on his own, one would need strength comparable to Azgrad or Dan.
“He’s a fool, full of righteousness, but his young body is a good thing. He’ll be useful for a long time.”
Zildra took Jin’s head with his large hand.
“Wow, I’ve heard rumors, but this is the first time I’ve actually seen the Creator’s ‘Eternal Return’.”
“Hey, release him from his restraints.”
“Is that okay?”
“It doesn’t matter, it’ll be over quickly.”
Just as Zildra finished speaking, the ropes binding Jin fell apart. There were wounds that looked as if they had been made by a blade, but Jin couldn’t feel what had been done to him. Before he could even think, Jin’s consciousness faded away. He could no longer feel the touch of Zildra’s hand. He could no longer think of anything. This body was no longer Jin’s.
*Thump.*
Zildra, the dwarf, collapsed on the spot.
“Hmm, I thought it would be more impressive… It’s rather subdued.”
The black hood was no longer looking at the dwarf lying on the floor, but at Jin— no, at Zildra, who was now in Jin’s body.
“Fu,fufu…”
Zildra sat up from the bed. A smile stretched across his lips, a smile that was not Jin’s.
“You’re in quite a good mood. Even after almost dying… Does the new body suit you so well?”
“No, no, it’s not that. It’s just a fleeting memory that made me laugh. I happened to see my child for the first time in over a decade. How amusing and strange fate is.”
“…Hmm, you remember such old things?”
“When one resembles the mother body so much, mistakes are unlikely. I see, it was a mistake to dismiss him as a failed product and discard him so soon. From now on, I will consider long-term observation.”
“Hey, don’t get lost in your own world again. This dwarf is still alive, you know?”
At the black hood’s remark, Zildra indifferently glanced down at the dwarf.
“Gu, ga… Wh-what is this pain…! And, where am I…?”
“What, you’re still alive?”
“Nuu…! You, you were the one from earlier…!”
“It may have been an instant for you, but for me, it’s been ten years. It would be a lie to say I have no unfinished business, but that body is no longer needed. I’ll return it to you; you can do as you please afterward.”
“What are you…! Guu, ooo…!”
“Whoa, that looks painful.”
The dwarf’s body was already dyed green and swelling in places.
“Farewell, great dwarf called ‘Father Craftsman’. I am grateful for the knowledge and skills I have learned from you.”
“Wait…!”
“Alright, there are no abnormalities in this body. It’s about time the Demon King makes his move. Assassin, let’s return this time.”
“Ah, yeah. There was a back gate, so let’s go out through there. Hmm? Uh, it seems I’ve forgotten something…”
With a bursting sound behind them, Zildra in Jin’s body and the black hood left the branch castle of the Magic Knight Corps. Since then, no one has seen the mysterious merchant belonging to Trisen.
