< Chapter 5 - The Devil's Hand #2 >
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A lot of things happened overnight.
Realizing the seriousness of the problem, the leader of the Blue Lions, Sir Barua, mobilized not only the Knights but also the regular Langest Guards to attack six Devil’s Hand branches simultaneously.
At this point, even the devil’s hand had no power to resist.
Although they had infiltrated over a hundred people, they were scattered across twelve branches in the form of a cell organization, so there were only about ten people per branch.
The Devil’s Hand branches, pushed back by the human wave tactics, were literally defeated one by one.
As a result, six branches were destroyed.
Although one branch noticed the situation and fled, it was a truly enormous achievement to have annihilated six out of the seven.
And this meant that the devil’s hand was about to suffer a huge blow.
“What on earth, what on earth is going on?!”
The forest near Langest.
A middle-aged man with a bulging belly burst into a roar from the forester’s hut.
Baron Edgar.
He was one of the three most powerful men in Langeste, and one of the long-time supporters of the Devil’s Hand.
“Seven branches were robbed in one night! Do you know how much money I spent to infiltrate those guys?!”
Furthermore, the people who were infiltrated this time were not a bunch of idiots. They were all combat personnel, so the damage the Devil’s Hand suffered in this incident was truly enormous.
“I’m sorry. We’re still trying to figure out the cause.”
At Baron Edgar’s urging, the demon follower disguised as a forester repeatedly nodded his head.
In fact, that too was absurd.
Because the Blue Lions knew the location of the branch so precisely.
“Ugh, shit. What happened to the rest of the branches?”
“It was more dangerous to move right now, so we hid them somewhere other than the branch.”
“Ah··· Blood pressure······. Lord Minos, can we proceed with the work like this?”
Baron Edgar, who was very excited about the forest keeper, turned to the last person sitting inside the cabin and asked.
Minos, the demon lord.
A person from the Devil’s Hand headquarters who came to command this attack.
With skin that was almost as pale as white and silver hair with a hint of blue, he looked like a young man of barely twenty years old, but it was impossible to judge a demon by appearance alone.
He was dressed like a nobleman, as befitting his false identity as Baron Edgar’s nephew, and he spoke with a cold smile.
“Baron Edgar, it’s not a question of whether you can proceed. It’s a question of whether you proceed.”
Five of the twelve remained.
Even though their forces were reduced by more than half, there was no option but to not launch the attack.
Baron Edgar, who flinched involuntarily at Minos’s gaze that sparkled like glass beads, shut his mouth tightly and stepped back.
I was afraid that if I made any more noise I would get in big trouble.
Minos smiled slightly at Baron Edgar’s actions. Although he was a loud and frivolous man, he liked the fact that he could read the mood so well.
“First of all, we have some information from here as well.”
Baron Edgar perked up his ears again at Minos’ soft words, but perhaps because he was still discouraged, he did not press him on the story.
The forest keeper just swallowed dry saliva and waited for the next story.
Minos continued, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.
“This morning, Juder Bayer, the second son of Count Bayer, and Cordelia Chase, the second daughter of Count Chase, arrived in Langest.”
It was Minos who came to Langest to attack the 12 families’ social gathering.
It was only natural that people would be on edge about whether or not the children of the 12 families were coming and going.
“As soon as they got into their quarters, they headed towards the Knights Templar headquarters. And then the raid on the Blue Lion’s branch office began.”
The timing was too exquisite to be dismissed as separate incidents.
Baron Edgar said in a boastful tone.
“Oh my, so you’re saying those guys passed our branch’s information to the Qing Lion? How on earth?”
The Counts of Bayer and Chase were located in the remote Baylun, several days’ journey by carriage from Langest.
How could the two counts who were there obtain information about the branch of the Devil’s Hand that had infiltrated Langest?
Even Minos couldn’t know that far.
That’s why I thought.
“Capture him.”
Uther and Cordelia.
Find out how the two got their hands on the information about the Devil’s Hand.
Only Minos knew the exact location of the Devil’s Hand branch that had infiltrated Langeste.
However, seven, if not all twelve, were exposed.
How on earth did they find out?
Have you obtained any means of finding this side?
“You’ll know once you catch it.”
There were plenty of ways to mock the fragile human spirit.
Moreover, Cordelia was one of the two most important targets of this attack from the beginning.
I was just waiting until the day of the social gathering to catch them both at once, but they were prey that had to be caught anyway.
‘I’m looking forward to it.’
What secrets are hidden from them? What kind of screams will the girl who was born as the youngest of 12 families and raised well let out?
Minos, who smiled brightly, straightened his posture.
As he himself had told Baron Edgar, there was no such option as canceling the raid.
It was his duty as the swordsman of the sect to carry out the mission of the sect at any cost.
“Two nights later, the plan goes into effect as scheduled.”
With a little bit of modification.
Minos looked out the window. His glassy eyes sparkled in the moonlight.
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Cordelia looked up at the sky.
The clear night sky was full of stars, as if the moonlight was a substitute for the cloudy sky.
“Ugh.”
But what came out of Cordelia’s mouth was not a clear and pure exclamation, but a sigh of exhaustion.
“My legs hurt.”
Because I’ve been walking around all day.
In the morning, I’ll go raid the branch with the Blue Lions, and in the afternoon, I’ll go meet the magicians from the Red Dawn Tower.
Even the seasoned knights Dahlia and Jun were exhausted, let alone the sorceress Cordelia.
And this is soon······.
“There’s no response. It looks like it’s just a corpse.”
As Cordelia poked Yuder’s shoulder, who was lying dead on the long chair on the balcony, and giggled, Yuder spoke as if he was still lying down.
“Falling behind?”
“Look at the way he talks. He has a rag in his mouth.”
When Cordelia clicked her tongue, Uther opened his eyes, even though it was unfair.
“Hey, who asked for the rag?”
“you.”
Cordelia answered shamelessly, pushed Uther’s leg away, and sat down at the end of the long chair.
“Anyway, I’m glad it worked out.”
“I know.”
The wizards of the Red Dawn Tower were more cooperative than I expected.
All four wizards I met today not only promised to cooperate, but also offered to spread the word to those around them.
“Is this the sweetness of money and power?”
The combination of her status as a peerless beauty, the daughter of a wealthy man, and the wealth of a count’s family produced results beyond imagination.
“Maybe I just helped you out of concern.”
“Then it’s better.”
Of course that couldn’t be the case.
Well, I guess they felt sorry for the beautiful girl who begged them, but if it weren’t for Cordelia’s status and the money that Uther offered, not even one of the four would have responded.
Magicians were a profession belonging to the social elite, and to move such people, a corresponding price was required.
“Anyway, what’s important is that stage 2 was also successful.”
Among the four wizards I persuaded today was ‘Fire Mage Ronin’.
If you play as a wizard tech in Hero Chronicles 2, you will meet this character at least once. As his nickname suggests, he is a promising character in the fire magic field.
Are you about thirty years old?
It was quite a sight to see him struggling with Cordelia’s pleas, as if he had a weakness for women.
“Minos can handle ice and cold air. Ronin is the best.”
Strictly speaking, Minos was not a wizard.
He was a half-man, half-demon who took in a demon and was able to use various abilities given to him by the demon.
“He’s close to a magic swordsman, but can Ronin handle him?”
“Well, it’s not just Ronin over here.”
The leader of the Blue Lions, Sir Barua, was not a goblin.
He had started to have doubts about the security of Langest itself due to this branch search operation, so he would not overlook the fellowship of the 12 families, of all people.
‘I can’t cancel it, so I’ll just send a few reporters on the same day.’
The article wasn’t an article for nothing.
Even in the case of Dahlia alone, an ordinary soldier could fight more than ten people on his own.
“And there are also children from the other 12 families.”
It was talking about the escort force that would have been sent from the family rather than the people themselves.
They are supposedly the 12 families, but they must have foolishly appointed only capable people.
Cordelia nodded at Uther’s words, but soon turned around and clenched her fists.
“But you shouldn’t let your guard down. Even though we brought all the guards with us in the game, we ended up getting robbed.”
“That’s right, that’s a good mindset. But don’t worry too much. That’s why you prepared for steps 1 and 2 in the first place, right?”
Halve the enemy’s forces and reinforce our own forces.
Both stages 1 and 2 went smoothly, so it was a much better situation than in the game.
“Okay, now let’s do step 3.”
Cordelia asked with sparkling eyes, her eyes filled with great anticipation.
That would be the case, since Yuder hasn’t told us yet what Stage 3 is.
“Um… that’s right.”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s it.”
“In fact, should I say that stage 3 is almost finished already?”
“Huh? What’s step 3?”
As Cordelia opened her eyes wide, Uther smiled bitterly and answered.
“Deduction.”
“Deduction?”
“Oh, in the original, the attack itself was literally an attack and there were a lot of devil hands, right?”
“Oh, I think I know what you mean. You mean the target of the attack?”
“That’s right, target.”
In the original, the number of children from the 12 families gathered for the gathering was seven, including Cordelia, and the Devil’s Hand targeted all seven.
“Their ultimate goal is to summon demons.”
Even kidnapping the children of the Twelve Families and causing chaos in the North was actually only a secondary goal.
The easiest way to summon a demon was through human sacrifice, but simply having a large number of sacrifices did not necessarily mean that a high-ranking demon would be summoned.
‘Because I have to meet the standards.’
In order to summon a high-ranking demon, a worthy sacrifice had to be made, and from a human sacrifice perspective, the children of the twelve families were all tasty prey.
‘Because the blood of angels flows through the blood of the 12 families, more or less.’
The nobles of the Pleiades were not just special in name only, they were truly special.
Of course, it was said that he had the blood of an angel, but it was a long time ago, hundreds of years ago, so the blood was clouded to the point of being cloudy, but it was still the blood of an angel.
Occasionally, through atavistic inheritance, those with a strong awakening of angelic blood were born, and there were such people among the children of the 12 families.
“They’re half-dead. So they won’t be able to target all 12 families like in the game. They’ll have to focus their efforts on one person they absolutely have to secure.”
“And we’re stuck with that one?”
“Yes, that’s step 3.”
Weakens enemies, strengthens allies, and focuses defense on enemy targets.
“So who are you? I heard it’s almost over.”
At Cordelia’s question, Uder smiled bitterly and then looked at Cordelia again and said.
“As you may already know, considering the original plot, there are two people who would be their targets.”
Two people.
At this point, Cordelia had guessed as well.
She let out a long sigh, narrowed her eyes, and said.
“Cordelia and Lucas.”
“Correct answer.”
If Uther was born with the nine-syllable pulse and the heavenly body, Cordelia was born with a pure and noble soul and the blood of a high-ranking angel.
It wasn’t a talent that stood out like Uther’s, but it was an ability that could be used to great effect depending on Cordelia’s development.
In any case, if you look at Cordelia as a sacrifice for summoning demons, she was a top-class player with an A-rank status.
And Lucas Hresvelg.
He was a genius swordsman known as the Kirin of Hresvelg, and was one of the playable characters in Heroes Chronicle 2.
“Ugh, I don’t like Lucas.”
“Huh? Why?”
Now that I think about it, Yellow Storm played all kinds of characters, but Lucas was the only one I played as rarely. I’ve never written a strategy guide for him either.
Is it just that I felt like I only saw the ending of the rotten water once as a courtesy?
‘He’s handsome?’
If Yuder was a peerless young man, Lucas was a cool and cheerful man.
My personality isn’t particularly bad, so why do I dislike it?
When Uther tilted his head as if he didn’t know, Cordelia pouted her lips and said.
“If you play as Lucas, Cordelia becomes a mine.”
“ah.”
I thought I knew.
Both Cordelia and Lucas were attacked by the devil’s hand during the social gathering, but if you go with Lucas’ route, Lucas becomes the main character, so Cordelia ends up being captured by the devil’s hand.
‘I was used as a sacrifice, then I became a mine… and eventually a devil.’
Although he was born with so much angelic blood, he ended up becoming a fallen angel.
“You really like Cordelia.”
“Because he’s my favorite character in Heroes Chronicles 2.”
And now he has become my favorite character.
‘Was Yuder my favorite character too?’
Although it was the character I played most often, I doubt if it was my favorite.
In any case, it was time to put aside personal likes and dislikes.
“Let’s protect him no matter what. You know it’ll be a huge problem if he gets caught if we leave him alone, right?”
“I know. If you take the Cordelia route, it’ll be really terrifying.”
Just as Cordelia became a demon in Lucas’ route, Lucas became a demon in Cordelia’s route. He was born with incredible talent for swordsmanship, so he became a truly terrifying monster.
“Let’s protect both of them.”
“Okay, let’s protect Cordelia and Lucas.”
Cordelia suddenly giggled, as if she found it funny even though she said it herself.
It was as if Cordelia was using the third person to protect Cordelia.
And that was the moment.
“master.”
“miss.”
Maia and Dahlia’s voices could be heard from beyond the balcony window.
It was a call that implied that they should come in and rest, as their time together was about to end.
“I guess I should go to sleep soon.”
“Yeah, I think I’ll sleep very well today.”
It’s been a while since I’ve stayed at a luxury accommodation, and I’ve had a hard time.
Cordelia laughed lightly at Uther’s answer, dusted herself off, stood up, and held the balcony door as she spoke.
“Anyway, sleep well.”
“Yeah, you dream of me too.”
At the usual exchange, Cordelia smiled, raised her middle finger, and opened the balcony door. Instead of following right away, Uther raised his head for a moment and looked up at the night sky.
“Lucas Hresvelg.”
Heir to the Hresvelg family, the head of the 12 families.
A swordsman on par with Maximilian, the pearl of Heroes Chronicle 2.
‘Well, I’m more excited about Sylvia than Lucas.’
A peerless beauty and daughter of the Crossbell family, one of the twelve families.
It was only natural that as a man, I would be more excited about a beautiful woman than a handsome guy.
‘Fairy Queen, you were right.’
As I was chattering away and recalling the Fairy Queen’s elegant smile, I heard Maia’s voice again.
“master!”
“Oh, I’ll go now.”
Yuder opened the balcony door, taking in the night view of Langeste one last time.
And two days later, late in the afternoon.
The gathering of the children of the twelve northern families has begun.
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< Chapter 5 - The Devil's Hand #2 > End
