Chapter: 10
The Mark of the Demon Realm is a possibility.
A possibility that even now, demons might be lurking within human society.
“…But so what?”
I sighed deeply inside my room.
I knew such a possibility existed.
But I couldn’t connect it to the future that I knew.
After all, if I hadn’t known it in my previous life, there was no way I could know it now.
“This is my weakness, huh.”
The future I experienced by living it out myself—
That vast amount of information was certainly useful,
but ultimately, it was only the sum of one person’s lifetime experiences within a single era.
Now that the demons might have infiltrated human society before the invasion,
there wasn’t a single method I could use to deal with it.
“I never thought coming from the future would be this useless.”
At that moment, my backpack rustled,
and a pure white skull popped out.
It was the lich, who had been quietly meditating.
[What’s this? You’re saying you came from the future?]
“Yeah.”
It was something I had planned to tell him eventually.
I turned my back to him and spoke seriously.
“I’m from fifty years in the fu—”
[You’ve completely lost it, haven’t you?]
Oh, this bastard.
I shut my eyes tightly and held back my anger.
“Don’t pick a fight before I crush your skull.”
[Ahh… my everything…!]
The lich ducked halfway back into the bag, muttering to avoid my wrath.
[Alright, alright…! But hearing that, I actually think it’s not all bad, you know?]
I crossed my arms and asked calmly.
“Why’s that?”
[If the Demon Realm’s Gate opens in the future, and the demons have already hidden among humans… then it’s simple, isn’t it? Just find and kill them in advance. You know the future, don’t you?]
“That’s the problem. I don’t know who those demons are.”
I was about to separate his upper and lower jaws,
but he continued speaking confidently, as if he had a solid idea.
[Even if you don’t know who, you could just start hunting down all the shady bastards who caused trouble during humanity’s downfall. Eventually, you’ll get them all.]
“What?”
That was… an unexpected idea.
I doubted a human could’ve come up with it—but, well, he wasn’t human.
[Even if you end up killing someone innocent, it’ll only be the scum or the traitors. So you can do it without feeling guilty.]
“…”
When I thought about it, he wasn’t wrong.
“…That’s actually… a pretty good plan.”
It really was.
And as soon as I thought about it, one name came to mind.
Someone who had tormented me by ordering his knight to beat me when I was at the House of Prophecy.
“There’s one person that comes to mind.”
The Fifth Prince, Varen.
The idiot who ruined the prophecy, fled,
and ended up being one of the main causes of humanity’s defeat.
To be precise—
“That moron who broke all of the family’s prophecy crystals, shouting that he’d join the Demon King’s army.”
[…]
The lich went silent for a moment.
“What’s wrong?”
[Ah… that guy’s a complete lunatic.]
Then he suddenly grew serious.
[Kid! Let’s just deal with that bastard right now! How does someone like that even exist?]
“Agreed.”
For the first time, we saw eye to eye.
*
“Alright, trashheads! The all-hands mission meeting is starting!”
“Wooooo!”
“Step down, Commander Oskar!”
“Fine, meeting’s over~”
“Hey, don’t be like that, Boss!”
“We’re sorry! We’re really sorry!”
“Shut up already!”
“You’re the loudest one here!”
After some chaos, the Hertair Mercenary Corps’s irregular mission meeting finally began.
It wasn’t as grand as it sounded.
Basically, it was a session where they reviewed the many requests coming in from across the continent
and chose which ones to accept.
They also used the time to form teams and share tips among veterans.
“Make sure to take an antidote with you.”
“Hey, rub some fish oil on your weapon before you go.”
Everyone took the meeting surprisingly seriously—
after all, this was the group’s main source of income.
“I’ll take that one, then. Allen.”
I was just sitting quietly, since I didn’t have anyone I was particularly close with,
but someone suddenly called my name.
“Huh?”
“Come here, Allen! Found the perfect job for you!”
It was Brix,
a guy with a boyish face but a burly, soldier’s body—
a strange mismatch.
We’d gotten close after fighting that runaway general together.
Wolf whistles erupted around us.
“Oh~ did you two bond over corpses~?”
“Nothing like looting bodies to build friendship!”
“You and I got close picking out organs, remember?”
“Ahaha!”
…These people are insane.
I shook my head and sat next to Brix.
“Feels reassuring, huh? Having me on your team?”
“Isn’t it the other way around? You’re alive because of me.”
“Shhh! That’s our little secret, kitty cat~”
“Kitty cat? …I’ll find another team.”
“Alright, alright! Won’t do it again! Man, you’re grumpy!”
Anyway, getting out of the base for a job was a good opportunity.
While on a mission, I could also visit places from my memories—
dungeons, artifacts, anything that might be useful.
‘Even if the job’s short, there’ll be breaks. Maybe a night’s rest. Within a few tries, I’ll get a chance.’
But then I saw the mission details—and froze.
“Hunt the harpy in the outer estate of the House of Prophecy.”
“…?”
I looked at Brix, dumbfounded.
He gave me a big thumbs-up.
“Good one, huh?”
…So much for not caring about my background.
What happened to mercenary professionalism?
I slapped my forehead.
‘How do I even deal with this idiot?’
As I was thinking of a way to phrase it nicely—
“Hm?”
Something about the mission caught my eye.
‘A harpy inside the House of Prophecy? A monster, there?’
Even though I’d lived far from my family, there was one thing I knew for sure—
the Anti-Demon Barrier.
A massive defensive enchantment that protected the House of Prophecy,
the continent’s strongest stronghold and administrative hub.
It was a high-grade barrier,
crafted by the kingdom’s best mages using countless magic stones.
Its power was so great that ordinary monsters couldn’t even approach.
‘That’s… suspicious.’
I asked Brix,
“Who’s the client for this?”
“The client? Hmm, let’s see… It says here: Third Prince, Junan.”
Third Prince Junan.
At that name, my eyes narrowed slightly.
“The prince himself…?”
“Yeah. Usually, an aide or a steward handles these, but hey, sometimes nobles do it directly.”
Even so, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling.
“Got it.”
I’d just have to see for myself.
We wrapped up and headed out for the House of Prophecy.
I covered myself completely—
hood, scarf, gloves, face wrap—anything that could hide me.
“Pretty smooth trip so far, huh, Allen?”
“Shut it, Brix.”
I had expected some close calls,
but the road was uneventful.
Since we were only going to the outer estate, we wouldn’t encounter any family members.
“The only problem might be the Third Prince himself.”
“What’ll you do about that?”
“Doesn’t matter much. I’ve never met him face-to-face anyway.”
Probably.
…Probably.
Creaaak.
Our carriage stopped before a massive white wall.
The great outer wall of the House of Prophecy.
Beyond it shimmered the famous purple barrier of the Anti-Monster Field.
“You’ve arrived.”
A dark, sharp-looking man stood waiting with two attendants.
That must be Third Prince Junan.
“Yes, sir!”
Brix jumped off the carriage and shook the attendant’s hand.
“You’re the contact, right? We came for the harpy job.”
“That’s correct. Just the two of you?”
He looked us up and down carefully.
I stiffened for a moment—but thankfully, he didn’t notice anything unusual.
After a long inspection, he finally seemed satisfied.
“Then, let’s begin. As you can see, the harpy nested right over there.”
He pointed toward a tree.
On it sat a massive nest—
so heavy that the trunk seemed to sink into the ground.
“Hm…”
“As you can see, it’s not ordinary.”
As they spoke, Brix casually brought up something I had mentioned earlier.
“But sir, with an Anti-Monster Barrier here, how did a harpy get in?”
“Ah, that…”
“I’ll answer that.”
The prince himself stepped forward.
“There was a brief test of the barrier. During that time, it slipped in.”
“I see.”
Brix nodded politely,
but Junan still looked uneasy and added,
“Anyway, we’ll handle the barrier maintenance. Just focus on killing the harpy.”
“Of course, sir. You can count on us.”
Brix went to inspect the nest, then paused.
“But, uh, what kind of harpy is it?”
The question seemed to catch Junan off guard.
“Hm?”
“It’d help us plan the hunt if we knew what we’re dealing with.”
“What kind…? It’s just a harpy.”
“Are you sure it’s a normal one?”
Brix started ticking his fingers like he was listing possibilities.
“There’s a small chance it could be an advanced type—a Harpyra, or even a Harpy Queen. If that’s the case, there’s an extra fee. From the sound of it, you’re not entirely sure?”
“I don’t know about those distinctions. Aren’t they all the same to you mercenaries? That’s what I was told.”
“Maybe there was a miscommunication somewhere, but we can’t go in blind, sir. Our lives depend on this.”
Brix put on a convincingly troubled expression.
Of course, in truth, it didn’t matter.
With a top Hertair mercenary and me, even a Harpy Queen would be nothing to worry about.
We’d handle it easily.
But—
‘He’s playing the part perfectly.’
It was all an act.
Part of our plan.
“If you don’t mind,” Brix continued,
“I’ll send someone from our corps to verify the details directly with the main house. We won’t charge any extra.”
“To the main house?”
“Yes. We’ll make sure there are no misunderstandings.”
Junan bit his lip.
“…Does it have to go through the main house?”
That reaction was exactly what we were waiting for.
Brix feigned confusion.
“It’s standard procedure, sir. Is there a problem?”
“This matter need not reach the main house.”
Brix narrowed his eyes.
“…Is this request… secret, by any chance?”
“…Hmph. So you noticed.”
The prince looked around, then whispered,
“It’s secret, yes. I am the Third Prince—bearer of the Third Prophetic Relic. I oversee prophecies regarding demonic energy. If word got out that a test of demonic flow accidentally summoned a monster… imagine the scandal.”
Once he confessed, Brix and I exchanged a knowing glance.
“…I see. Fair enough.”
“Good. I’ll make it worth your while.”
After a few more warnings about secrecy,
we headed toward the harpy’s nest.
“Hmph.”
Once we were far enough away, Brix muttered,
“You heard all that, right?”
“Yeah.”
It was definitely a suspicious quest.
“At first, he said the harpy got in during a barrier test—”
“But later, he said the test itself summoned it.”
The phrasing was subtle,
but to seasoned mercenaries like us, the difference was clear—
a change in tone, emphasis, rhythm.
“This was no accident, Allen. They summoned it on purpose.”
“Yeah. No doubt.”
From the direction of the nest,
a strange, ominous energy was radiating toward us.
