“This is what we call the desert development area.”
Under the blazing sun, Hertlocker lifted his hat’s cloth and looked ahead.
A large city revealed itself in front of the camel.
It was truly a city, not the small villages he had seen so far.
At its center stood a tall castle in the style of the Freya Empire, giving an incredibly strange impression.
“Thank you for the guidance.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Anyone can find this place as long as they follow the main road.”
All roads in the desert lead to this place, the desert development area.
And all exchanges between the desert and the west also happen through this desert development area.
A massive commercial city established by occupying a gigantic oasis.
That was the imperial colony, the desert development area.
“Wow… there are really a lot of people.”
“This city is the only one in the desert with a population exceeding a million.”
Once he entered the bustling market, Hertlocker had to struggle through the crowd to find his way.
It was definitely different from other desert villages.
Various races, both elf and human, mingled and roamed the streets, and the larger roads were packed with people.
The main streets were built in an imperial style, but most houses were of desert style.
A peculiar city with two cultures merging together.
Hertlocker’s impression of this strange city was:
“It’s a mess.”
Not a place he really wanted to live in.
However, as he delved deeper into the city, its chaos seemed to improve.
The ratio of elves decreased as humans increased, and imperial-style houses slowly began to appear here and there.
A wealthy district close to the oasis.
It was where the nobles of the desert development area lived.
“Are you looking for a cathedral?”
“Yes. I heard there’s a big cathedral here. I wish to pray a bit.”
“You’re quite devout.”
The location for the investigation was none other than the cathedral located near the oasis.
Elves had been blocking the entry of western cathedrals, making the cathedral in this imperial territory the only one in the desert.
As a gathering place for all believers of the desert, the size of that cathedral gradually grew, eventually boasting an even larger scale than the Pope’s Sophia Cathedral.
Since all kinds of humans and elves gathered, the religious doctrines were quite eclectic, leading to suspicions that some of the doctrines might have been roots of the Asylum.
“But is it right to send me?”
When he decided to start the investigation, he felt lost.
Hertlocker had no interest or knowledge about religion whatsoever.
But where on earth should he start this investigation…
It seemed like it would be a time-consuming task.
“Hey you! Wait a moment!”
“…?”
Just then, an urgent voice came from above him.
As he hurriedly looked up, the intense sunlight made Hertlocker squint his eyes.
A surprise attack from backlight.
Just as he was about to swiftly retreat and summon a dagger…
“Whoa whoa! Calm down! I just want to ask a question!”
“A question?”
A tall man lightly landed in front of Hertlocker.
As he scanned from the ankles up, Hertlocker realized that this guy wasn’t human.
With bronzed skin and long ears.
He was an elf.
“Yes. The companion you were with a moment ago, do you know where he went?”
“The companion? That person is to my side…”
The eccentric who wanted to be called a traveler.
Looking around, Hertlocker panicked.
That person, who had been chatting right beside him, had vanished without a trace.
He didn’t feel any footsteps at all!
“Uh oh… he ran away.”
“Ran away? Are you telling me he’s a fugitive?”
Could it be that he’ll be implicated as a criminal?
As he faced this unexpected crisis, Hertlocker gulped nervously.
“Haha! Not at all! But can you tell me what he called himself?”
“He said to call him a traveler…”
“Then it’s certain! That person is a Majin.”
“…!?”
Hertlocker failed to maintain his expression, mouth agape.
He was genuinely shocked.
The person he had been casually traveling with turned out to be a Majin.
Suddenly, he recalled battling the sandworm with great difficulty, and he wanted to hide in a rat hole.
He thought he had no combat ability because he was quietly observing from afar…
Isn’t this what’s called ‘making a show in front of a pupa’?
“Majin… then should I chase him down now-”
“No, it’s too late. If that person is set on fleeing, there’s no way to catch him. Instead, how about telling me a story?”
“A story?”
“Yes. I’m collecting all kinds of information about Majin, no matter how trivial it is. If possible, I would like you to detail everything that happened while you were with him. Would that be okay? Of course, I plan to reward you generously.”
“….”
A Majin enthusiast or something like that.
Hertlocker clicked his tongue, feeling he had gotten into a bad situation.
“Who are you, anyway?”
“I’m the Chancellor of this place.”
“Chancellor?”
“I apologize for the late introduction. My name is Atatürk. I assist Duke Damien in overseeing the administration of this desert development area.”
Hertlocker’s jaw dropped again in genuine astonishment.
The traitor of the Elf race.
The chancellor known as the Iron-Blooded Chancellor was smiling slyly as he introduced himself right before Hertlocker’s eyes.
‘This is an opportunity.’
He had connected with a powerful figure right from the start.
If he could use this, the investigation could proceed quite smoothly.
It seemed the investigation might conclude much earlier than expected.
*
Speaking of which, he had arranged for the Intelligence Agency to investigate Ms. Mary’s son.
No matter how little information a common person might have, this shouldn’t take so long.
Therefore, the Intelligence Agency must have realized by now that the son is me— no, Schlus Hainkel.
The most convincing explanation would be that they didn’t know when to reveal it, so they’ve been dragging their feet all this time.
Bang…!
“Oh, brother. You’re here?”
As the door swung open violently, Emilia rushed in, breathless.
Her face was as usual.
Indeed, she was a veteran actress after all.
“You don’t look well. Did something happen?”
“No, I’m just tired, I guess.”
If it were up to him, he wanted to scream right now,
“Are you hiding something from me?”
“Did you deliberately keep this from me?”
But what fault did Emilia have?
The decision to kill Ms. Mary was made by the upper echelons of the Intelligence Agency.
The one who actually killed her was already blown to smithereens.
It made no sense to hold Emilia accountable.
Sure, if he yelled, Emilia would probably apologize, cry, and cling to him.
He could stand over her psychologically and look down, feeling a sense of superiority.
Then he could offer forgiveness and feel satisfaction.
“Brother, what’s wrong? Ah, I shouldn’t hug you right now… my clothes are filthy…”
“It doesn’t matter.”
He didn’t want to do that.
To fill his self-esteem, to feel a shallow sense of superiority, he didn’t want to make this girl suffer.
She had already gone through many trials.
Now she had more than enough right to be happy.
Isn’t it enough to take revenge by forcing her to keep enduring a love that can’t be returned?
He didn’t want to make Emilia feel guilty anymore.
“Brother…”
“What is it?”
“Don’t be surprised, but can you listen? I just found out today-”
“Wait a second.”
Emilia’s shoulders trembled slightly.
Startled, he grasped her shoulders and stepped back.
Emilia looked up at him, her expression filled with fear.
At that moment, he intuited.
It was already too late.
“I don’t know if you’ll believe me… but I swear I wasn’t trying to hide it! But you see, the person you asked me to look into, Ms. Mary Ayle’s son… I found out his name is Morgeng Ayle.”
“….”
As Emilia glanced to gauge his reaction, she spoke.
Morgeng Ayle.
That seemed to be the real name of Schlus Hainkel.
“And?”
“Brother… I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I did wrong.”
“What do you mean by sorry?”
“I really didn’t know… ugh…”
“Don’t you need to finish explaining? Go on.”
“Ah… Ahh…”
“Quickly.”
“Well… I’ve been tracking the whereabouts of this Morgeng Ayle… That man… at some point started living while mentioning… Su, Su… ugh.”
“It’s okay. Breathe. You can take your time.”
“Su, Schlus Hainkel… that name… he was living with… ”
“I see.”
Emilia’s body trembled like a quivering aspen tree.
It was so pitiful that Hertlocker gently began to pet her head.
Every time his hand touched her, her small body quivered slightly.
He initially thought to just let it slide.
But it seemed like Emilia had been suffering for a long time, trying to keep everything hidden.
So she chose to speak and relieve herself, but…
The situation was so sudden that he didn’t know how to respond.
Should he simply forgive her?
How should he convey those words of forgiveness?
If he handled it clumsily, it could burden Emilia with an unforgivable debt for life.
“I’m sorry, brother… I did wrong. No, I did something wrong. I’m really sorry… Really… really, truly… ugh… Ah, ah… I’m just so sorry…”
Emilia knelt in front of him, tears streaming down her face.
What should he do now?
How could he ease Emilia’s guilt?
This was the most daunting moment since coming to this world.
