“HAHAHAHA! My apologies, lass—didn’t mean to scare you!”
“N-no… I’m honored by your concern… but…”
The girl couldn’t hide her bewilderment at Gurba’s sudden, grandfatherly grin, her gaze darting around nervously.
The moment the explanation ended, Gurba’s thorny demeanor faded, and—perhaps to avoid frightening her—he even set his hammer aside, leaning it against the wall.
Though, the girl’s confusion probably wasn’t just because of Gurba’s behavior.
“Honestly! Your stubbornness is the reason this turned into such a roundabout mess!”
“Nid was just sitting on the king’s shoulder the whole time.”
“And yet you have the nerve to act like you did all the work…”
“Ganging up to complain? Ah, what a nostalgic scene!”
“Why the hell are you grinning!?”
Her bewilderment at their freewheeling bickering must have been immense.
Breaking away from their exchange, the girl turned her questioning eyes toward me.
“U-um… these people…?”
“All my subordinates. A half-demon, half-angel. The child of a cursed wolf. The evil dragon Nidhogg. And Gurba, the God of the Forge. Impressive, right?”
“……N-N-Nidhogg!?”
“Hm? What’s this, girl? You know of me?”
“Eek!?”
When Nid turned to face her, she flinched and hid behind me.
Now that I think about it, Nid’s pretty famous—called the Empire’s Guardian Dragon and all. Not bad for our resident fighter/mascot.
Anyway, my goal here’s accomplished.
Now, about the girl…
“Oh right, I never asked your name. What is it?”
“M-me…?”
“Why the formal speech? Don’t worry about it with me. The impressive ones are these guys, not me. Rank-wise, I’m definitely beneath them, so… Huh? Wait, should I be using honorifics with you…?”
“W-why are you suddenly acting so timid!? Never mind that… I’m Irena Will Iron. The only daughter of House Iron.”
“Irena… So, I-chan or Rena-chan… Rena-chan sounds cuter. Let’s go with Rena-chan.”
“R-Rena-chan!?”
She reacted strongly to the friendly nickname. Did she like it?
Pleased by her response, I clapped my hands loudly to gather attention.
“Alright, listen up! Catching up is nice and all, but I promised to help Rena-chan here. As usual, you’re all gonna indulge my selfishness.”
“Hooh, a reckless demand from the Young Master after so long… My blood’s stirring.”
“Leave it to us. I have some idea of the troubles plaguing Lady Rena-chan’s house. With our current strength, it should be resolvable.”
“Whoa! That’s our Nifl for you!”
“Ah, Boss! Boss! Garm’ll do his best too!”
“Naturally, I shall assist as well! Fear not, girl—tomorrow shall be yours to laugh in!”
My subordinates respond to my words however they please.
If you just looked at what they’re saying, you might worry, but considering who’s saying these things…
“…!”
I can’t tell what emotions Rena is feeling right now.
But her tense expression, slightly reddened cheeks, and the way she looks at my subordinates with moist eyes seems far from negative emotions.
“I’ll work properly in exchange for your willingness to negotiate. I’ll return trust with trust.”
“…Who are you…?”
With eyes reddened from tears, Rena looks up at me with an expectant gaze.
After a pause, I consider.
The infamous Helheim.
Yeah, interesting.
“My name is the Corpse King. The mastermind of those who lurk in the shadows, [Helheim]. …Just kidding.”
“Hel…heim…”
I don’t explain further to her as she murmurs in astonishment.
I’m filled with joy at the “hit” as I see Rena’s eyes already seeking to understand without needing any explanation.
A reputation that overturns infamy.
That’s probably what would most interfere with those currently impersonating Helheim.
This is the first step toward that.
Nifl nodding happily at my words, Garm jumping around, Nid looking smug for some reason, Gruba shaking with laughter.
This is probably necessary to create a place for everyone.
It’s embarrassing to say out loud, but… I’ll commit to it this time.
Ignoring the blood rushing to my face, I pull up my hood to look the part.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
“Unbelievable.”
“The magical energy around the Gagiur region is converging on that great tree. There’s a possibility of demonic interference from the hidden realm near the Vehinos mines… that’s probably the cause of the crop failure.”
“Come to think of it, wasn’t that tree the demon sacred tree that the king discarded?”
“Yes, but… when the Greater Demon who worshipped it died, the magical energy contained within should have dispersed. We confirmed that, which is why we just buried it…”
“…It’s hard to believe it would reveal its true nature now… it could be acting as a medium.”
“Anyway, let’s just destroy that tree!”
“You’re being too hasty… but we should investigate it.”
“Yes. When the Corpse King buried that tree, its nature was to disperse, not absorb. We confirmed it was distributing the magical energy it contained to the soil around Gagiur. But now, the tree is retaining the magical energy it should be distributing and even sucking up the magical energy from the surrounding area.”
“With that, crops won’t grow and nothing can be harvested. The town is still managing because the steel industry is thriving… but if this had happened in another town, it would have led straight to famine.”
Everyone nods as Gruba speaks.
“Magical energy gathering in the void… perhaps the void inside that tree is acting as a hidden realm – pseudo dungeon. In other words—”
“An environment conducive to demon growth?”
She nods emphatically as Nifl continues her thought.
If someone has tampered with the great tree of Gagiur, there’s more than enough possibility that something unimaginable is thriving inside that void.
“We really need to investigate quickly… depending on the situation, we might have to rely on Nid’s brute force strategy.”
“Oh! Are we going to destroy it!?”
“Stupid dragon, don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“Then, let’s start investigating right away!”
After unanimously deciding to investigate the great tree of Gagiur, Rena, who had been listening from the side, exhaled deeply and laughed weakly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing… I just hate my own incompetence…”
Rena alternately looked at the sword at her waist and my subordinates.
“I was so worked up about saving my house, running around desperately, but there was nothing I could do. And you all, whom I just met today, easily found the solution… I’m just watching. How ridiculous for a count’s daughter.”
Self-mockery and self-deprecation habitually abuse her as if it were natural.
Rena doesn’t understand how much this behavior devalues herself.
She’s probably misunderstanding.
“Rena, you know, I’m not some hero of justice.”
“…Huh?”
“On the contrary, I’m extremely cold-hearted. Even if I knew about this situation, if I didn’t need your cooperation, I would have pretended not to know and left town. Because ultimately, it doesn’t concern me. But because you worked hard, I’m here now.”
She holds her breath.
“You knew you couldn’t pull it out yourself. You knew what kind of sword it was. Even so, you tried to get that sword for your family, right? And through that effort, you found me. If this isn’t your achievement, then what is it?”
“…!”
“I can say with certainty. Your efforts have achieved the best possible result. I’m confident of that.”
Once, we saved the world.
We don’t—we can’t—disparage the results we obtained through so many sacrifices.
I forcibly shape Rena’s cheeks into a smile with both hands and wipe away her tears.
“From now on, for a little while, you’re a collaborator with the strongest and most evil Helheim. Use us fully. I promise to bring about the results you want.”
“…Really, you’re ridiculous…”
“Ugh… I knew it!? Is it a bit lame!? Wait, wait, this is too much…”
“Hehe… that’s not it… you’re ridiculously cool.”
Rena’s eyes, having stopped her tears, are shining more brightly than ever before.
I let go of her and turn back to my subordinates.
They all wait for my words with expectant eyes, just like Rena.
These guys really like me… and I like them too.
Just this once, just this once. Telling myself this, I open my mouth.
“Helheim, operation begins.”
[HA!]
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