Recruitment of Talents (2)
As the dusk began to settle…
Daga Daka Daka—
Inside a carriage racing through the city streets, a beautiful woman with pink hair and purple eyes quietly gazed outside the window.
Her soft smile painted an innocent expression, as if unaware of any trouble, but inside her heart was anything but peaceful.
‘This is…’
Siana focused her gaze outside while discreetly sensing the surroundings with her energy.
One, two, three…
The number of ghostly figures had clearly increased compared to before.
In fact, some of them seemed to have marked her as a target, following the carriage with a certain distance.
At that moment, she could certainly realize.
‘I’ve been spotted!’
The undead army, led by the Banshee Queen Olivia, was investigating her.
But she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why she had been discovered.
There was no way they could uncover her true identity disguised as a human through mere specters.
‘No, they probably haven’t figured out I’m Siana yet. The investigation must have started for some other reason.’
If Olivia had known she was the “Succubus Siana” and targeted her, she would have acted much more thoroughly.
Right now, it felt a bit flimsy to treat her as just an ordinary human for an information war.
‘So where did they catch my scent? It can’t be from an imperial noble… Is it related to the Oath of Reversal? Through Oldman?’
Her mind was a mess.
However, he probably knew nothing beyond her real name and that her base was within the Empire.
They were only at that level of a cooperative relationship from the beginning.
‘I’ve been anxious since the communication from those sent to Talia suddenly cut off. Could it possibly be related?’
Ultimately, she had to conclude that her location was exposed through some complex routes that she couldn’t immediately identify.
‘Whatever the reason, with this level of interest, I can’t stay here any longer. I need to get out of here.’
That would mean giving up several things, making it an incredibly tough decision.
The imperial noble status she held was something she had built up painstakingly over a long time.
But she was in a situation where there was no other option.
Olivia’s interest meant that the Undead King’s gaze was also directed at her.
If she lingered any longer, she could find herself dragged back to the undead army.
‘No way! Joining up again? I’d rather die!’
She could always rebuild her status and position.
However, if she was captured by the Undead King this time, she would find herself eternally bound until he was eradicated again.
‘Right, let’s run.’
Once she made that decision, she could firmly settle her heart, but there were still many regrets about leaving everything behind so quickly.
‘How hard have I worked to establish my foundations!’
Shouldn’t she at least make minimal arrangements in case she needed to return later?
She’d also need to secure some funds to start over…
‘…There’s no way he would come immediately, right? A bigwig like the Undead King wouldn’t make a personal appearance.’
Even if he did, it would likely only be Olivia and the other high-ranking officials moving.
And since she was right in the middle of the Empire’s city, they wouldn’t easily carry out their plans with just those.
So she figured she had at least a few days of leeway before they’d be fully prepared to find her.
Eventually, unable to shake her greed, Siana rationalized her decision and headed straight for her mansion.
Among the valuable things she needed to gather, of course, was Andrew Weaver.
With certain limitations, Andrew was unmatched at grasping the situations across the continent from his seated position.
Daga Daka Daka— Clank!
Finally, as she arrived at the mansion, she immediately opened the door and disregarded the greetings of the servants who came to welcome her, heading straight for Andrew’s presence.
Boom—!
The door swung open with a loud noise, but right now, she couldn’t afford to care about such trivialities.
“Andrew—!”
“Huh? Sibling? What’s going on all of a sudden…?”
“Get ready to move right now!”
“…Oh! So you were thinking the same thing! I was going to say it first…”
“Enough already, let’s go!”
Andrew, who had been sprawled lazily on the armchair, trying to drown himself in drink, staggered to his feet under her pressure.
Meanwhile, Siana continued to pack the items needed for the spatial dimension created by black magic, contemplating how to minimize her losses.
‘This is a must-have… I can’t throw that away after all the effort I’ve put in. Is there any way to at least maintain the status quo? And that…’
But just as she was busily preparing for her nighttime escape…
Shshhh—
A chilling sensation brushed against her nape.
‘Huh?’
She was very familiar with this sensation.
An overwhelming force covering the security barriers densely installed in the mansion.
Deep, dark, heavy, and sticky.
Death like an abyss that devours everything.
The presence she had dreaded.
‘Aaaah—! I should’ve just ditched everything and run!’
In the end, sensing her fate, Siana could only tightly shut her eyes.
*
Tovea City… It couldn’t be said to be large enough to be called a major city, but it certainly wasn’t small enough to be ignored.
And a city of this size would naturally be well-prepared for all sorts of unusual situations.
This meant it wouldn’t be easy to quietly infiltrate from the beginning…
No matter how thoroughly concealment barriers were established, it was impossible to completely hide the aftermath of her magic.
Quietly working and leaving was out of the question.
So preparations were made.
Whir— Whir—!
Boom—!
“Eek! What’s happening all of a sudden?!”
“Kyaaaaaah—!”
Emergency alarms resonated throughout the city, coinciding with explosions.
The bursts began, engulfing the vibrant mansions and shabby alleys alike, plunging the city into chaos in an instant.
‘Alright then, shall we go?’
If it was difficult to move quietly, then she could just move amidst the chaos.
Hans took advantage of the commotion caused by his subordinates to quietly slip into the barriers he had already set up.
Inside the barrier, he encountered a seemingly ordinary noble mansion.
But that was merely the exterior; its essence was extraordinarily remarkable…
‘Indeed, a lot of effort was put into this, huh? Regular folk wouldn’t even recognize these security measures.’
With abilities like Path of Magic and Dominion of Mana activated in succession, he analyzed the spells that hung over the mansion with hectic speed.
From perception distortion to energy concealment and the barriers excluding intruders.
Each one was a high-level spell, so it would normally take a significant amount of time to properly dismantle them.
Crackle—!
Crash!
However, for the overwhelmingly powerful Undead King, that wasn’t a concern.
Just by significantly raising his energy, the complex mana structures of the security barriers crumbled and became ineffective under the immense density of black magic contained within his body.
‘Let’s see, then first …’
Woooo—
As the presence that distorted space spread rapidly, permeating inside the mansion, a wave of magic that resonated throughout enveloped the entire building.
At the same time, he felt a few of those inside fainting one by one…
And soon, those who resisted were detected.
[So you were here.]
In the next moment.
Hans had already positioned himself in front of them.
“Hik…! H-Hiik…!”
In front of him was a man with murky blonde hair, trembling violently at the sudden appearance that tore through the air…
[Hmm? Who are you?]
And a woman with pink hair who had already fallen to the floor, bowing down in submission.
“Ahhh—! My King, you have finally come! I’ve been waiting with bated breath for your return!”
“Si-Sis?”
It was clear to see the unconditional submission at a glance.
The sudden change in her demeanor made the expression of the man beside her turn awkward, but she didn’t have the time to pay any attention to him right now.
“Oh ho ho… So I have been diligently preparing to ensure that you can conquer the continent comfortably and assuredly? I’ve secretly blended in among humans, enduring for so many years with unwavering loyalty toward you, my King…”
The woman with pink hair was desperately making excuses, even sweating profusely.
And Hans, staring down at her quietly, immediately grasped why she was acting this way.
‘Demon Tribe Succubus, Siana.’
Though she had disguised herself as a human to the point even a high-ranking cleric might be uncertain, she couldn’t evade his Eye of the Abyss, which detects all forms of magic.
‘I think she was quite close to being in the top ten even under the previous Undead King.’
She had been summoned from the adjacent dimension of the Demon Realm and had unwittingly found herself under the undead army.
As he rummaged through the information stored in his memory, he noted that while her fighting power was fairly decent, she was noted as a more useful talent like Olivia in other aspects.
‘After all, playing the part of an imperial noble while hiding her true identity isn’t an easy task for a demon. She sure has some great skills.’
If she could deceive even the eyes of the top-tier power holders like shrines, she could indeed be called the best asset in the realm of subterfuge.
Of course, right now she was merely a caught former executive.
[Hehe, seems like you’ve been living quite comfortably in my absence, huh?]
“N-No! I have only been eagerly awaiting this day!”
[For someone waiting, you sure spent a lot of effort hiding.]
“I-I’m really sorry for not being able to contact you during that time…”
Her excuses started again, but he had no intention of listening to any more worthless chatter.
“…But that’s all out of a desire to carry out my duties more thoroughly. I had no intention of fulfilling my desires…”
[Siana—]
“Eeep?!”
Woooo—
As soon as he spoke her name, a peculiar tremor resonated, penetrating into Siana’s body.
Simultaneously, a forced contract from three hundred years ago was renewed and overlaid anew.
“Ahh…”
As the aftermath flowed through her, she didn’t even notice that horns had emerged from her head, groaning softly under the Undead King’s energy flowing into her.
Unlike other undead executives, she wouldn’t become stronger under the influence of death, but…
‘I’m effectively re-enlisted.’
That alone would be enough for her to fall back under the Undead King’s dominion.
Drip…
A tear fell from her eye, unbidden, due to her unwanted re-enlistment.
“Ah, ah? Is this… tears of joy from my heart’s devotion? Oh ho ho!”
Yet even in that moment, she desperately tried to keep her mouth moving, following the instincts of survival.
On the other hand, Hans turned his gaze back to the nervously trembling man next to Siana, who was still stiff.
‘What’s up with this guy? He’s brimming with mana, but he shows no signs of magic or aura training.’
The man with murky blonde hair was frozen in place under Hans’ gaze, but Hans inspected him slowly, like a predator sizing up his prey.
‘No signs of proper training, yet his physical prowess is exceptionally strong. This is like… wait? Could it be?’
Not growth through normal training, but enhancement through external influence.
He was very familiar with this phenomenon.
“It seems the King has taken an interest in this boy? Andrew! Please, introduce yourself.”
“Y-Yes! I am Andrew Weaver! Uh… pleased to meet you, Your Majesty?”
The man with the blonde hair, caught off guard, displayed a confused demeanor.
Yet what piqued Hans’ interest was Andrew’s true identity.
And meanwhile, the reincarnated Siana, wanting to win Hans’ favor, found ways to spill out stories he hadn’t even asked for.
“Andrew is also a talent I acquired for the grand undertaking! You will be amazed to see how useful his abilities are for you, my King. The contributions he has made…”
And finally, at the end of that story, the information he had been wanting came tumbling out.
“…Another astonishing fact is that he is from a different realm! Not from the Demon Realm or Spirit Realm, but entirely from another dimension. Oh ho ho.”
[…Hoh? From another dimension?]
Hans’ eyes lit up as he gazed intently at Andrew.
Although Siana was recklessly revealing her personal information, Andrew couldn’t even muster a rebuttal, forcing a simpering smile on his face.
“Y-Yeah… I’m from a place called Earth. Hehe… It’s been almost nine years now, yes.”
And his response stirred a special sentiment within Hans.
‘Not just me… another Awakened One from Earth.’
It had been nearly two years since he was transported to the Auterica dimension.
This was the first time he had encountered someone from his own hometown.
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