Episode 364 – Upheaval (2)
When the figure who had been nowhere to be seen despite all the searching suddenly appeared right in front of him, Halyans greeted him with a bewildered expression.
“Oh, welcome.”
“You may speak comfortably. Elder Halyans.”
“No, this is more comfortable for me.”
As the title shifted from ‘him’ to ‘that person’, so too did Halyans’ attitude toward Arthur change.
The death of Lord Azonne and the Cleaners seemed to have caused that shift.
While tea was being served, the two sat at the table and exchanged light pleasantries.
“Have you been well?”
“...Frankly, I can’t say that I have.”
“Seeing you like this, you have dark circles under your eyes. It looks like you haven’t been sleeping lately. Has something happened?”
‘It’s all your fault!’ Halyans wanted to shout inwardly, but instead, he forced a bright smile and extended a well-prepared teacup.
“It’s simple, but still a precious tea. Please enjoy it.”
“The tea is warm, which is nice. I’ve been lying on the cold ground all day, so I was freezing. Thank you.”
“...What?”
Leaving a confused Halyans behind, Arthur placed both hands around the steaming cup with a look of relief on his face. Then, savoring it, he slowly sipped the tea.
Halyans carefully observed Arthur.
With Alex having disappeared for several days, Halyans had started to suspect that he might be seriously injured.
In the worst-case scenario, he had even considered the possibility of his death.
Since Azonne’s side had been annihilated, it was likely the Allied Forces had also taken tremendous damage.
‘From the looks of it, he doesn’t seem seriously hurt...’
It was hard to tell his exact condition because he was completely covered by a robe, but his voice and movements exuded composure.
One thing stood out—his shoes.
They looked like rags, as if they’d been through a battlefield.
Worn and dirty.
‘There are even traces of blood...?’
But it didn’t look like it was his blood.
Judging by the shoes, his clothes under the robe were probably a mess too.
‘Where on earth has he been all this time?’
It had been quite some time since Azonne’s corpse was revealed in the city square.
While everyone had been desperately searching for him, where had this man been, and what had he been doing to show up in such a state?
Halyans didn’t have to wonder for long.
“You were looking for me?”
Alex spoke as he set down the empty cup.
“You heard?”
“My companions told me. Said you were looking for me desperately.”
“They even said you moved personally. Was it something urgent?”
At Arthur’s question, Halyans leaned back in his chair with a bitter smile.
Now that he’d revealed his urgency, anything he said next would only weaken his position in negotiations.
He nodded, choosing not to deny the question.
“Not only me, but many in the city have been searching for you, Sir Alex. I was just... a bit more desperate than most.”
“May I ask the reason you were looking for me?”
“May I ask one thing before that?”
When Arthur nodded, Halyans asked without hesitation.
“That declaration... Is it really true?”
“You mean the declaration that I killed Azonne and the Cleaners?”
It was a sensitive topic, so Halyans couldn’t bring himself to answer. Alex chuckled lightly and grabbed a cookie.
“Do you remember what I said to Azonne at the party?”
“The party... Which words exactly do you mean?”
“The Cleaners.”
At that word, a particular conversation came instantly to Halyans’ mind.
He had heard it right up close, and it had been a tense exchange between Azonne and Alex—unforgettable.
[Then who brought the Cleaners currently on the second floor?]
That was the first time Alex had mentioned the Cleaners.
“...There really were Cleaners on the second floor?”
“There were.”
“Then... Why did they come to the Lord’s castle?”
“A hunt.”
“A hunt?”
“I went up to the second-floor office at the Lord’s invitation, and that’s when the Cleaners launched a surprise attack. A battle broke out.”
Arthur relayed the situation to Halyans with slight modifications—just the necessary parts. It was a story composed of 90% truth and 10% falsehood.
The reason Arthur conveyed this to Halyans in detail was because he expected Halyans to likely serve as an intermediary between Demtor and the Allied Forces moving forward.
Therefore, it was necessary to leave a strong impression here—an impression of the Allied Forces' ‘power.’
That power was brute force.
Halyans silently listened to the story.
Azonne and the World Tree Allied Forces—It had been a situation where both sides could have ended up suffering massive losses.
But one factor decided the outcome.
Alex described the battle and explained why the Allied Forces were bound to win.
“Cohesion?”
“Even among allies, if they’re looking in different directions, they can’t come together.”
“So you’re saying the World Tree Allied Forces are different?”
“We’ve always been focused on one goal. Elves, witches, dwarves, and humans—all of us run toward a single thing. That hasn’t changed.”
“And that is?”
“Survival.”
Arthur’s eyes didn’t waver as he answered.
His words continued. And when the conversation came to an end, Halyans couldn’t help but be shocked.
“7 versus 7?”
“That’s right.”
A 7 vs. 7 battle involving 5-star-level combatants. He couldn’t have imagined such a terrifying level of force gathering nearby.
A battle like that would be one of the biggest incidents in Hell Grime.
But what was even more shocking—
“No one died?”
Not a single casualty on the Allied Forces’ side. Even in a battle where not even Special Chief Richard survived.
It was hard to believe.
“We were lucky.”
But Halyans didn’t believe in luck. As an elder of the Ivory Tower with access to a vast amount of information, he knew full well just how powerful a Special Chief was.
“If everything he said is true... How should I interpret this?”
Suddenly, a sense of fear crept in.
‘Is there even a force in Hell Grime right now that can stand against them?’
‘If the Stars of Demtor unite under a single will, maybe...But could the Stars truly come together at a time like this?’
Halyans couldn’t answer that.
‘...It could all be a lie.’
So he chose to doubt Alex instead.
The conclusion he could see was a clear Allied victory. But he couldn’t assess the damage based solely on Alex’s words.
‘And only four key figures of the Allied Forces are known to be staying in Aintrier. I haven’t heard about the other three.’
Alex, Lochter, Lily, and Karl.
From what he had gathered, only Lochter—currently recovering—was known to be in the city. Lily and Karl’s whereabouts were unknown.
Were they truly safe?
He even started to question the very existence of the other three.
Fenry, Dorneth, and Natasha—names that had come from Alex’s own mouth—had never once been spotted in Aintrier.
That’s when—
“There you are? I’ve been looking for you.”
“Gah!”
A woman’s voice came from behind Halyans. He turned around in a hurry and stepped back. A blonde Dark Elf stood there, smoking a long pipe.
Swallowing hard, Halyans touched his throat. She was standing close enough that she could’ve reached him with a single step.
If she’d harbored any ill intent...
“You’re late, Fenry.”
“You’re the one who’s late. Where were you hiding all this time? I was worried when you disappeared.”
“Thanks for worrying.”
“If my patron disappears, that’s a problem.”
Fenry exhaled smoke from her pipe and then frowned as she looked at Halyans.
“I came because I got the signal, but what’s going on? Who’s this guy?”
“I called you so you could get familiar. You’ll probably be seeing him often from now on.”
“What? Why the hell would I deal with this old man...”
“Don’t be like that. Greet him properly. This is Elder Halyans of the Ivory Tower. And this is Fenry Chaser. She’s in charge of the Elves and the Black Rose.”
While the introductions continued, Fenry just held her pipe in her mouth, but Halyans looked visibly flustered.
Fenry Chaser.
He had never heard that she had entered Aintrier. Her appearance—and what he just witnessed—left no doubt.
The fact that she was now standing here shook his doubts about Alex.
‘Everything Alex has said... Could it all be true?’
The unease Halyans had tried to deny was starting to become reality. But like a true elder, he quickly composed himself.
He couldn’t afford to get on the bad side of the Allied Forces now.
“N-Nice to meet you.”
With an awkward smile, Halyans greeted her first.
Fenry glanced at Alex briefly, then clicked her tongue and leaned lightly against the wall.
“Have a seat, Fenry.”
“No thanks. Just keep it short with him. I’ve got a lot to talk to you about.”
“This is an important conversation. Please sit.”
“Ugh, what a pain.”
Sighing, Fenry dragged over a chair, sat down half-heartedly, and crossed her legs. Halyans let out a quiet groan at her posture.
He also knew about Fenry.
An assassin-type with unknowable intent, ruthless nature, and sharp intellect—a figure deemed uncontrollable and dangerous even within Demtor.
“Impressive.”
Halyans’ gaze turned to Alex.
At a glance, their relationship looked casual. But to Halyans’ eyes, it was something more. The way Fenry obeyed Arthur’s words.
Had he not seen it himself, he wouldn’t have believed it.
Hoo—
Halyans let out a long breath.
With Sub-Tower Master Nagrok dead, he had temporarily taken over his duties. He was a skilled mage, especially renowned for his memory.
Closing his eyes, he recalled the behavior of those around Alex at the party—Lochter, Karl, and Lily.
When he opened his eyes again, he corrected his posture with care. He barely managed to suppress a laugh.
‘Why didn’t I realize it until now?’
Halyans no longer paid attention to Fenry.
‘Everyone’s mistaken?’
His gaze focused on one person.
Alex Marcia.
The young man with fierce eyes.
Everyone had been blinded by his title as a representative of the Allied Forces.
From the moment he appeared at Aintrier’s gates and revealed the name of the World Tree Allied Forces, when the Allied Forces’ presence grew under the title of “Leaf,” and when he erased both Azonne and the Cleaners, one emotion had taken root in Halyans’ heart.
Was it fear?
Halyans was convinced.
Soon, all of Aintrier would share the emotion he now felt.
Alex was no mere representative. Not Lochter, nor Karl, nor Lily. Even Fenry now before him.
More than half of the Allied Forces’ core moved by the words of this man.
He was...
With a grave expression, Halyans finally spoke.
“Earlier, you asked why I was looking for you?”
“That’s right.”
“I wanted a clear answer about the Ivory Tower’s support.”
Arthur smiled as he answered.
“I already expressed my support for the Ivory Tower at the party, didn’t I?”
“What I want isn’t just a verbal promise.”
Halyans quietly stood and bowed deeply toward Arthur.
“Allow me to reintroduce myself. With the passing of Sub-Tower Master Nagrok, I have taken over all diplomatic matters of Demtor. I am Elder Halyans, First Elder of the Ivory Tower.”
“Sir Alex.”
He looked up and swallowed dryly, asking—
“Are you the leader of the Allied Forces?”