“So, Ariel Volkanov has been eliminated?”
The voice of a red-haired man echoed in the forest along with the chirping birdsong.
Facing the man of discovery, another man who was sitting against a tree and catching his breath sighed deeply and pounded the ground in frustration.
“I just confirmed it on my way here… There’s no mistake. Ariel Volkanov fought with Ian and ended up perishing.”
“The hero was the first to be eliminated… This was unexpected.”
A man caught red-handed. As Verdo hesitated, the man with black hair stood up abruptly and asked.
“Hey, Verdo. So, how long do we have to keep doing this? Now that the hero has been eliminated, hasn’t the plan become futile? I want to get rid of this damn face mask now.”
“Don’t be so insolent, Altein.”
“Tsk.”
Snap!
At Verdo’s words, Altein roughly tore off the name tag attached to his robe.
2nd Year, 2nd Platoon, Baruch Haysi.
It was written on Altein’s name tag.
Of course, the name tag wasn’t his own.
It was just an identity he had taken by killing and taking over the position of a man named Baruch in order to infiltrate the Ark to kill the hero.
Scratching his face while staring at the name tag, Altein grumbled. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant thing to wear the face of a dead man.
“So, do we have anything else to do? The hero’s already out. There’s no profit in killing the others.”
“Yeah. There’s no need for meaningless slaughter as you said.”
“Verdo, I’ve always thought… Instead of beating around the bush, couldn’t you just speak plainly? I’m already irritated enough, don’t scratch my nerves.”
As Altein began to sharpen his tone, Verdo finally revealed his true intentions.
“Since you’re pressing me to tell you. I plan to deal with Ian Volkanov.”
“What did you say?”
Dealing with Ian Volkanov? Altein smirked at Verdo’s words.
“Do we really need to do that?”
Honestly, Altein couldn’t understand why Verdo was saying such things at all.
Although it was true that Ian Volkanov was a member of the Hero Party as mentioned in the prophecy, he wasn’t necessarily someone who had to be killed like a hero.
Altein had no intention of wearing Baruch’s face skin just to kill such a person.
“Well, what’s the reason for that?”
Though he wanted to grab Verdo by the collar and demand answers right away, Altein held back and asked.
Altein.
He had spent a long time with Verdo.
Hadn’t they completed numerous missions together as subordinates of Asmodeus, one of the seven Demon Kings?
That’s why Altein knew that Verdo was not someone who would talk nonsense.
The reason he had endured his irritation and didn’t explode was also because of that.
“Speak up, Verdo! What’s the reason for wanting to catch Ian Volkanov? Do I have to go through all this trouble just to catch a nobody like him?”
“…He’s not a nobody. It’s amusing. Do you know that? These days, Asmodeus seems to be interested in Ian Volkanov.”
“Oh, Lord Asmodeus… interested in Ian Volkanov?”
For a moment, Altein felt frozen.
A human who received attention from Asmodeus, his master.
This was no laughing matter. The fact that the Demon King was interested in someone meant two things.
First, he wanted to make Ian Volkanov his minion and use him for his own purposes.
Second, he saw him as an enemy who must be dealt with.
“Hey, surely the Demon King doesn’t want to make him his subordinate, does he?”
Just in case, Altein asked Verdo.
“If that were the case, he would have said to kidnap Ian Volkanov.”
Fortunately, the worst didn’t happen.
Satisfied that his competition hadn’t increased, Altein exhaled the breath he had been holding.
“Well, that’s a relief. I was worried for nothing.”
“I understand your feelings. However, it’s too early to like him.”
“If the Demon King doesn’t intend to make him his minion, then why not just kill him? What’s the problem?”
“The Demon King of Sloth seems to be interested in Ian Volkanov.”
“The Demon King of Sloth?”
Ignoring the muttering Altein, Verdo continued speaking.
“I don’t know the details. However, it seems that there’s something between the Demon King of Sloth and Ian Volkanov. And Asmodeus doesn’t look kindly upon that.”
“Damn it. Never thought I’d get caught up with him.”
The Demon Lord of Sloth, Belphegor.
Thinking of him, Altein bit his lower lip hard.
Belphegor. Who was he?
Among the Seven Great Demon Kings, he was known to be unrivaled in strength alone, even compared to the Demon God.
Fortunately, as he typically didn’t pay much attention to worldly matters and lived leisurely, he hadn’t been particularly concerned until now.
However, he had always faced constraints from other demons.
With his formidable power, if he were to sincerely confront other demons, it would become awkward.
Asmodeus was no different; he always kept an eye on his movements.
Meanwhile, signs began to emerge of some interaction between Ian Volkanov and Belphegor.
This was something he couldn’t take lightly.
Perhaps Belphegor had decided to reveal his true intentions and chose Ian Volkanov as his first minion.
From Asmodeus’s perspective, who aimed to become the next Demon God, he had to somehow prevent Belphegor from interfering in the mortal realm.
That’s why.
“Asmodeus sees Ian Volkanov as a nuisance. You understand what I mean.”
“He must die here then.”
He had resolved to cut off Ian’s life in this war game.
Although it wasn’t certain that he was Belphegor’s minion, they had to consider the possibility.
Altain also nodded his head in agreement with Berdo’s words.
“I understand what you mean. But how do you plan to do it? The gap between Ariel and Ian is significant. You know that too, right?”
“Don’t worry about that. We’re not the ones killing Ian.”
“We’re not? What do you mean?”
“Lilith has decided to move directly.”
Lilith. She was almost like Asmodeus’s other half. At the thought of her personally descending, Altein smiled somewhat ruefully.
If Lilith were to descend personally, killing Ian wouldn’t be difficult. The high-level demons’ magic could easily incinerate a living human.
Ian couldn’t possibly contend with Lilith while enduring flames that consumed his body.
However, thinking about what needed to be done to summon her made him feel frustrated.
“Damn, I wanted to live longer… But it looks like I’m out of luck.”
“There’s no helping it. After all, this is our purpose for existence from the start.”
Altein spat out a hot breath at Verdo’s calm tone.
Finally, he sharpened his right hand with magic.
Stab!
He plunged it towards his heart. Though blood gushed out between their fingers, Altein and Verdo continued without concern, plunging it deep.
Squelch.
Their blood began to seep into the magic circle Verdo had prepared.
Slowly, the seeping blood formed the symbol of Asmodeus.
Kwoooosh!
A tremendous burst of magic erupted.
***
‘I didn’t expect much in terms of rewards, but isn’t this better than I thought?’
Ian smiled as he looked at Lia lying near the campfire.
In truth, Lia’s condition wasn’t very good. When he arrived, her whole body was covered in wounds, and her legs were bruised all over.
If it were anyone else, the pain would have been enough to make them pass out. However, she endured it as much as possible with the determination of a platoon leader.
For her, Ian decided to try out the new skill he had acquired.
Super Regeneration. It was a skill that undoubtedly played a role in Neltalion’s survival so far.
The effect… was as good as expected.
Whoosh!
“Ugh…”
Mana from his body calmly flowed into Lia’s body.
Ian’s mana began to roam around Lia’s body, starting to heal her wounds.
Gradually, the bruises disappeared, and the flesh began to heal. Ian let out a faint sigh of relief as Lia’s body became clean as if nothing had happened.
“Hmm…”
Soon, Lia’s breathing also returned to normal. It must be over.
‘I knew Neltalion had an extraordinary regeneration ability, but I didn’t know it was this powerful.’
Neltalion’s words about being able to resurrect with just a part of the body and enough time were indeed true.
Even in his current state, showing such healing abilities was impressive. If he grew further, he could probably regenerate with just a part of his body.
Ian liked that aspect.
‘With my current state, even if my arm were to be cut off, I could regenerate it in a day.’
If he inevitably had to engage in close combat, he had to be prepared for the possibility of losing a part of his body.
Of course, he hoped such a thing wouldn’t happen, but it was necessary to prepare for any possibility, wasn’t it?
It was a clear advantage to have such a skill in such a situation.
– Hmm… Hmm… Feels good.
Ian looked at Neltalion, who shared this skill with him.
Neltalion, who was sleeping soundly, had suddenly grown in size due to its growth.
The slime used to fit snugly in Ian’s arms, but now it was big enough that a three-year-old child could fit there comfortably.
Furthermore, Ian even felt a warm sensation, as if he could sense something like Neltalion’s body temperature.
‘That must be my imagination.’
Ian dismissed it as his own misconception. Perhaps it was because his body temperature had exceeded the norm.
It was at that moment when Ian casually brushed it off with a smirk.
“You seem to be in a good mood? Well, it’s not an exaggeration to say that the training is almost over now.”
Eri, lying beside Ian, smiled pleasantly.
“Are you getting up? You still have a long way to go until your turn for watch duty, so you can sleep more.”
“I’m not usually one to sleep for long. I usually only sleep for about three hours, so it’s okay. And right now, I have to be attentive too.”
Eri’s gaze shifted from Ian to Igor.
“Krrr….”
Unlike themselves, who were sleeping by the fire, Igor never wanted to sleep near the fire.
It was because he disliked the heat due to spending a long time in the south.
For Igor’s sake, Ian had asked Eri to attach a water spirit to him.
“Krrr. gulp… Krrr….”
Igor, holding the refreshing water spirit like a pillow, seemed satisfied as he now even snored with his nose rumbling.
After making sure that the water spirit cuddled up to Igor was safe, Eri could relax and continue the conversation.
“But I think we can relax now. Since we’ve dealt with the biggest threat, 1st Platoon, the only ones left are the 2nd Platoon.”
“Yes, it’s true that we don’t need to worry about the 1st Platoon anymore. But keep your guard up.”
Due to the annihilation of the party centered around Ariel, the 1st Platoon suffered considerable losses.
Of course, there were still defensive forces remaining, but their level wasn’t particularly high, so they didn’t need much attention.
The outcome of the war game was somewhat secured. However, Ian was cautious.
‘We still haven’t found those who were trying to kill Ariel.’
Given the opportunity, why not eliminate those targeting Ariel now that things have turned out this way?
That was why Ian couldn’t relax until the end.
“…Understood.”
Of course, from Eri’s perspective, who didn’t know Ian’s circumstances, Ian seemed different.
Even in a situation where he could be complacent, Eri looked at Ian, who remained vigilant, with a faint smile.
Ian, always cautious… Eri liked that.
His personality, so pure yet refined, was very appealing to her. Eri earnestly wished to embrace it.
Ideally, she wanted to reveal her true identity immediately and take him to the royal palace.
But to her, it seemed that Ian still had unfinished business with the Volkanov family.
She knew that the choice to suddenly reveal her identity in such circumstances would be a shaky proposition.
So, for now, she decided to be satisfied with this much.
Swoosh.
Shifting her body closer to Ian, Eri wrapped her arms around him.
“Eri?”
“Is it too cold? Can I stay a little closer? Squad Commander?”
It was at that moment when she spoke with a smile.
“Eeek!”
Next to them, Igor made a startled noise.
“Igor?”
Wondering why he suddenly screamed while sleeping, Ian turned his head and could see it.
“What, what’s happening! Why…?”
Igor, enveloped in a blue light, was disappearing.
No, it wasn’t just Igor.
“Ugh… huh? Huh!”
“Sq… Squad Commander? What’s happening…”
Lia Hurst. And even Eri began to disappear into the blue light.
As Ian raised his head in confusion, a notification window popped up.
[A being of the abyss is staring at you.]
[An emergency quest has occurred!]
Something unusual was happening.
