Volume 10 Chapter 5 Everything Is For You
Night had fallen, and we returned to our base, slumping into our seats in the tavern area.
"Welcome back, all 3 of you."
It was Sandra who greeted us. "Do you want something to drink?" she asked, and we replied in unison, "We'll have some..." "Please..." "Rollo too~!" Rollo might be the only energetic one among us.
"What's wrong, guys? Didn't you hear from the Chairman?"
"Yeah, we did, but the preparations for the summoning ritual are just...impossible."
"Maybe if we look at it from a long-term perspective, we can somehow..."
"Evil gods are really not easy to deal with, huh?"
We had been looking forward to this plan, but now it seemed impossible to realize, and we were feeling drained.
Sandra tilted her head, looking puzzled.
"I don't get it."
"It's like, we need to find a thousand people who worship gods and want to be defiled, or Demons, and then kill them in a gruesome way and offer their blood."
What's more, the procedure for killing them was strictly defined, and just thinking about doing it ourselves was giving me the chills.
I showed Sandra the memo with the procedure that the Chairman had given me. Sandra looked at it and then closed it, saying,
"I see. This is indeed quite difficult. We need to come up with a strategy."
"What are we gonna do, really..."
First of all, finding a thousand sacrifices was a huge task. We had brought over a thousand villagers from Bael's territory, but we couldn't mobilize all of them as sacrifices.
A lot of them were already caught, and their faith was also questionable.
I thought to myself, Honestly, this plan is more trouble than it's worth. Summoning an evil god might sound exciting, but if we just wanted to destroy the slums, there were faster ways to do it.
"Welcome back. Business was booming today."
"This side had a tough day too. Wade, comfort me."
Clay and Toxy returned together, followed by Sur and Philia, Toxy's Demon King military medical team.
"Everyone, good job today. We also brought back the procedure for summoning an evil god...but to be honest, it's pretty questionable whether we can actually do it."
I shrug my shoulders and say, and Clay and Toxy look flustered. "What's the procedure?" "Is that the procedure memo? Let me see!" they say, coming over to me.
""...""
Silence. The two of them are staring at the procedure memo they took from Sandra, their faces stern.
"Uh, I have a suggestion."
Since all the main members are here, I open my mouth.
"I'm sorry to say this after we've already given the go signal for the Evil God Plan, but can we change it now?"
When I say this, Ice, Clay, and Toxy look at me with surprised expressions.
"Wh-what... Wade-kun?"
"No, it's just that, Ice. Simply put, it's going to take too much time and effort, and the way we're going to kill them is just cruel. I mean, even if they are demons."
The village head of Bael's territory, who is a demon, is probably enthusiastic about this plan. But our situation is a bit different.
"We're going to summon 3 gods: Poseidon, Hygieia, and Hel. Just summoning one of them requires a thousand people."
I ask with a difficult expression.
"The time and mental strain required will be enormous, especially if we try to do it in a short amount of time. I think it's enough reason to reconsider our plan."
I glance at everyone's faces. All of my party members except Sandra and me look like they're in pain.
I continue.
"It's not like we're going to blame or be disappointed in each other just because our initial plan didn't work out. After all, I'm the leader who agreed to this plan. The responsibility is mine."
"N-no, that's not it, Wade-kun...!"
Ice says, her voice strained.
"It's not that... but we have to do this plan...!"
Ice is staring at me with strong eyes.
They're not her usual gentle and warm eyes that always accept my wishes. They're eyes that say we have to do this, no matter what.
"What's going on?"
"S-sorry, Wade-kun... I just can't tell you..."
I was flat-out rejected. It's about Ice. It's not like it's going to hurt me or anything.
Just then, Sandra let out a surprised "ah" as if she had noticed something. But I had no idea what she was talking about. Something Sandra understood, but I didn't.
I took my eyes off Ice and looked at Clay.
Clay was staring straight back at me, his eyes filled with a cold determination, rather than the desperation I saw in Ice's eyes.
I looked at Toxy.
Toxy looked more pained than anyone else. She was biting her lower lip and looking down, but her fists were clenched tightly. Her strong will was evident in the way her fists were shaking.
I let out a sigh.
"Alright, I give up. If everyone wants to do it that badly, I'll respect your wishes. I'm the leader, after all."
As I said this with a grin, I could tell everyone was relieved. "But," I said, picking up the procedure memo again.
"It's not going to be easy, no matter what. We need to come up with a plan to get out of this."
As I said this, Sandra raised her hand.
"I think I have an idea."
"An idea?"
I tilted my head, and Sandra said with a hint of pride.
"We can ask Mung, the trainer from the Assassin's Guild."
"...No way, that's like asking the devil to do a job for a hundred people, and then expecting him to do it for 3 thousand people!"
As I said this, furrowing my brow, Sandra looked at me with a confused expression.
Anyway, when we went to see Mung with Ice and Sandra, Mung said.
"...You've got to be kidding me."
His face was a picture of shock. He wasn't angry like he usually was. He just looked like he had no idea what we were talking about, his face pale.
Sandra was the one who objected.
"Mung is the best trainer in the slums, which means he's the best in the entire city. It should be easy for him."
"Sandra, you idiot! Of course, I can handle a certain number of people, it's true! But there's a limit to what I can do! You're pushing me too far!"
It seemed like Mung's anger had finally caught up with him, and he slammed his fist on the table, shouting at us.
"Three thousand people, you say! Three thousand! On our side, we trained 3 hundred people in a week, and the next week, everyone's body gave out and they collapsed! A few of them even died from overwork and ran away with their tails between their legs!"
Rather, just achieving 3 hundred people trained per week is already an impressive feat, isn't it? I have to admit, Mung, that's amazing.
And, as expected, relying solely on Mung is an unreasonable strategy.
Three hundred people in a week. It's an astonishing number, but we can't afford to be stuck on this plan for ten weeks, 2 months.
"What's going on here?! What kind of order is this?! Demon is about worshiping the Demon King! You want to change their faith to a different god?! What are you plotting?!"
Sandra bluntly shot down the painful truth, while Ice and I winced in response.
"That's not something I can say, so keep it a secret."
"But I'm a trainer, and the most important part of my job is keeping secrets! You can't just--."
Mung, the more he talks, the more I realize he's a trustworthy guy. He's harsh on Sandra, but that's probably because Sandra is at fault, and there's no helping it.
"Haa... Haa... Well, the content is fine, I guess. I'll just do my job. But..."
Mung's voice dropped slightly as he continued.
"Where do you plan on getting those 3 thousand people from, anyway?"
Ice responded.
"There are demons sleeping on the streets in the slums, right? Can't we use those people...?"
Mung sneered. "You amateur. Those people's minds are broken. Even if you train them, they won't be in the right mental state to follow your orders."
With a sarcastic smile, Mung said, "But I guess we have to try...!" Ice persisted, and Mung looked up, opening his mouth as if remembering something.
"I used to think the same thing, actually. If we could train those people in the slums who are just lying around and make them useful, it'd be a goldmine. In theory, it's possible."
"Theory...?"
"Yeah. I've studied demonology, so I think I understand what kind of place Nilfheim is and what demons are. Do you guys know?"
Mung said, as if testing us. Ice responded with a serious expression, ready to take on the challenge.
"...Demons are the dead... They were originally humans from the surface..."
Mung smiled slyly in response to Ice's answer.
"You're quite knowledgeable, miss. That's right. Demons are the dead. And Nilfheim is a place where the dead's desires are crushed until they disappear. It's the afterlife. As long as they retain their form, their desires remain."
I thought to myself, Mung seems to understand more deeply than I expected, and is denying it.
"So, theoretically, it's possible. I won't deny that. But I don't know how to do it. I've been researching this for nearly ten years, and I still don't know."
Mung pouted and let out a sigh through his nose.
"If you're going to say 'try it and see', then you should be the one to try it first. That's the only way you'll understand."
That's reasonable. I thought to myself, he's rejecting the young one's idea, having already tried it himself. He's acting like a proper adult.
Normally, a young person, a kid, would back down at this point. The biggest hurdle is trying it out themselves and realizing it doesn't work.
But, but, that's not the case here.
We're not just ordinary kids, after all.
"...If it's theoretically possible, then I think there's a way..."
Mung scrunched up his face in response to Ice's words.
"How? Those demons won't budge no matter how much you bully or pamper them. You can't treat them like other people."
"...Wade-kun, is it okay...?"
Ice turned to me.
"What is it?"
"I-I was wondering if you could leave for a bit... I don't want Wade-kun to hear this conversation... it's a bit embarrassing..."
"..."
Ice said, looking half-apologetic and half-embarrassed.
I don't know what they're going to talk about, but I'm leaving this matter to Ice. And since Ice is telling me to leave, I only have one choice.
"Got it. I'll wait outside."
"Yeah... thanks, okay?"
I turned on my heel and walked away from the reception desk. The sound of the door closing echoed behind me.
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