12-1 Part 2
The Forbidden Alliance
- The Forbidden Allies -
Translator : PolterGlast
The next day— In the
7th floor of the White Stake, Sixth Pillar Labyrinth—
A strange party was
advancing down the path. Eight thugs hired with money. Behind them, two heavily
armored knights. And at the very rear, two individuals who appeared to be
nobles were strolling along without any sense of tension.
「Haa...
Even if it's for the sake of our ambitions, to think we'd end up entering a clogged-up hole in the middle of nowhere like
this... I miss the Imperial Capital already...」
「Then
why don't you go back alone. Older Brother.」
「Oh, my
younger brother! It would be best not to provoke me too much, you know...?
After all, eventually, I will be... you understand, right...?」
「If you
get too carried away, you might have the rug pulled out from under you.」
One of the nobles
had a gorgeously decorated longsword at his waist, while the other carried no
weapons and just chuckled frivolously with a smile unbefitting his middle age.
Some of the thugs directed uncomfortable glares at such bizarre employers.
「What a
boring guy... This is so bad that dealing with that utter weirdo—poor little Ashley—would
be better. Oops, come to think of it, a long time ago—」
The knight-like
noble ignored the aristocrat-like noble and moved forward. That story was a
stain on him, and although he brought it upon himself, it was an unpleasant
one.
「More
importantly, it seems the way ahead is cleared. Isn't that area the promised
meeting place?」
「Oh,
you are very observant. Yes, you truly have the caliber to be entrusted with
the entire army. Aren't you reliable?」
「How
transparent...」
「Oops,
it seems they have arrived. The noble-sama over there.」
The party arrived at
a large room decorated with faded mirrors. The space in front of that mirror
suddenly distorted, and everyone except the two nobles was shaken.
「Hii...
Th-That is, could it be, an Abyss Gate?!」
「Something's
appearing, run—a-ah, my legs... aaaaah?!」
From the other side
of the Abyss Gate, a knight clad in white armor appeared. However, they were
somewhat petite to be called a knight, so much so that one might mistake it for
a woman inside the armor. In fact, the voice was also high-pitched.
「Heh...
It's quite a filthy souvenir, but I shall accept it.」
「Wh-What
are you talking about—wha, m-my body is, sinking... Hi, hiiiiiiiih?!」
The doors of the
Abyss opened beneath the thugs' feet. It swallowed the living like a bottomless
swamp, and eventually, they were swept away to the other side of the gate, and
even their screams could no longer be heard.
「The
White Duke-sama will likely be pleased too. The Abyss is, in any case, a boring
world, you see.」
「Wh-What
is the meaning of this—」
The remaining two
knights were flustered in agitation. The aristocrat-like man stopped them and
stood before the White Knight without any hesitation. His younger brother
followed suit.
「A
pleasure to meet you. I am but a lowly Demon Noble, one who calls himself the
White Knight Ventos. Welcome to the boundary between the Abyss and the
surface.」
「Yeah,
I went out of my way to come all the way down to this frontier of the Abyss.
Fulfill your promise quickly.」
The knight-like
noble remained unable to approach the Abyss monster calling itself the White
Knight. If he drew his sword, he would be killed. The conviction that he
absolutely could not win froze his feet in place.
「You
want to return to the Imperial Capital quickly. You have that kind of
face.」
「Hmph,
don't speak to me so familiarly, you lowly Abyss Knight. More importantly, hand
it over quickly, the promised Tears of Demiurge!」
「That
fearless personality, in a way, you have caliber too. Very well, this right
here is the Tears of Demiurge. As you know, it is a forbidden jewel that shows
its owner their ideal dream.」
「Ooh!」
「However,
this is a warning. You may look inside, but absolutely do not touch it.」
The aristocrat-like
man snatched the decorative box and opened it. A dark, mysterious jewel
swirling with an evil, black aura was inside.
「What
is this! Is it not just garbage!」
「It
changes its hue to match its owner. It seems the color of the previous owner
remains.」
「I just
have to donate this to the Crown Prince, correct...? If I do that—」
「The
Crown Prince should lose his interest in reality. He will never again be able to
escape from the sweet dream the stone brings. At that point, he is as good as
an invalid. After that, wait for the right moment, steal it from the Crown
Prince, and have the opponent you wish to crush possess it.」
「That
will turn into a mutual killing! Hahahahaha, is that not truly excellent!」
With a twisted smile
floating the conviction of victory, the noble closed the decorative box and
tucked it into his breast pocket. Following that, the White Knight of the Abyss
offered the sword hanging at his waist to the knight-like man.
「Now
then, I shall give you the strongest magic sword. You should use this to slash
and kill anyone who defies you at random.」
「...?!
I-I shall accept it.」
Receiving the sword
albeit timidly, he stared at that magic sword in surprise. Just by possessing
it, confidence and power overflowed. Even his fear toward the White Knight
faded away.
「That's
unfair, hand over my share!」
「Ah,
for you, it was this one. It's a bit heavy, so you should have that knight over
there hold it.」
Since before, this
White Knight had repeatedly appeared at the bedside of the aristocrat-like man
in his dreams and explained something. The method to create the strongest golem
using human lives as materials. What the White Knight offered was a single
guidebook and a blackened ingot.
「Thank
you, Abyss monster-kun. I will put your power to effective use, hahaha.」
「As for
the price, you can pay me later when you become the new Emperors. For example,
allowing the worship of the ancient gods. Just something of that extent.」
「Kukuku...
The one who will become Emperor is me. Because Mama says that I should be the
Emperor... Hey, you think so too, right?」
「That's
right. It's more convenient for the Knight Order if you, who lean towards the
nobles, become Emperor. Haa... Even so, what a magnificent sword... With
this, I, I can finally—that brat Georg—」
The Labyrinth of Stakes. At the boundary with the Abyss, a forbidden alliance was formed. There stood fools who wanted to aim for the Emperor's seat, eliminating the Crown Prince of the Empire using any means necessary.
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