“The members who went out before you haven’t returned.”
Adam felt that something was off in that conversation.
No, to be precise, he felt something eerie.
But he thought it was impossible for the royal family he had served all his life to deceive him.
During the expedition to the Great Mezaiya Forest, didn’t he send the knights as messengers to inform the outside world about the organization’s appearance?
So when Adam heard from Priscilla that everyone could leave the Great Forest, he tried to confirm if they had returned safely.
And this was the answer he received.
Since his subordinates wouldn’t disappear without his orders, Adam eventually searched for the reason they vanished alone.
However, Adam’s actions led to an outcome he couldn’t have imagined.
“Ugh, ah…”
Although he searched for information about the members for days and days, he could not find even a trace of their whereabouts.
And on the same night Adam went to the underground information guild to request related information,
He stared at the dagger lodged precisely in his heart.
Before he could even process that something was wrong, the dagger stabbed his heart a few more times before being completely withdrawn, and the collapsing Adam could barely see the intruder in his bedroom.
The figure illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through the window was the guild master of the information guild Adam had visited.
“Tsk. This is why I don’t work with knights. They only know how to use force and have no idea what their masters are thinking.”
What did that mean?
Just as Adam was about to speak in frustration,
Whoosh──!
“What?!”
A pale green light burst from Adam’s chest, and at the same time, Adam’s body disappeared, leaving only the bewildered assassin in his bedroom.
“…So, that’s what happened.”
After hearing Adam’s explanation, Shane nodded his head silently.
“The organization had already extended its reach into the kingdom.”
“…The organization? Are you referring to those who controlled the chimera back then?”
“That’s right. They have already extended their grasp into many countries. Still, it seems they haven’t dug in too deeply yet. At most, they’ve reached the king.”
“What are you saying! His Majesty has joined hands with such evil people!”
“I understand you don’t want to believe it, but don’t deny reality. You already know it, don’t you?”
“…”
Adam couldn’t argue with that.
Of course, it was just a suspicion for now.
The fact that an intelligence organization would assassinate its client was absurd, and the fact that someone infiltrated the barracks of the knights’ commander within the royal castle meant there was an insider at the very least.
“Did you already foresee this back then?”
Adam recalled his conversation with Shane the day he left the Great Mezaiya Forest and asked him.
“If even the Empire is like this, your kingdom wouldn’t be any different.”
“How could they possibly…”
“Because the organization knows human greed better than anyone. Humans are inherently capable of selling their souls to satisfy their desires.”
“…Still, watch your words. There’s no evidence yet that His Majesty has joined hands with them.”
Shane gave a small nod and decided to change the subject at this point.
After all, the day when Adam would understand his situation firsthand was not far off.
“In any case, get some rest. Even though Priscilla’s essence prevented your wounds from worsening, it’s not enough to fully heal a heart that was pierced multiple times.”
“Understood. Still, thank you for the magic scroll. I won’t forget this.”
The letter Shane had previously given Adam was an emergency teleportation spell used exclusively by elves. This meant he was expecting such a situation.
It was a spell that transported an injured elf directly to a pond made from the sap of the World Tree.
For Adam, it was a stroke of luck.
“Then, I’ll be off.”
“…”
Adam’s mind was undoubtedly in turmoil.
Who exactly was Shane?
How had he formed such a close bond with the Elf Queen to move alone with her?
He had countless questions in his mind but decided to focus on calming his mind and body for now.
However, despite his efforts, the reality that awaited him was still harsh.
“The royal family announced it publicly…?”
“Yes.”
Two days after Adam returned to the Great Mezaiya Forest.
The news of Adam’s death was publicly announced in the Kingdom of Haiel.
It was said that his injuries from the Great Mezaiya Forest had worsened, and he had tragically passed away.
When he heard this, Adam could not hide his devastated feelings.
Adam never thought of himself as a great man, but he was known as one of the heroes who had been there to open the Great Mezaiya Forest.
Despite this, when Adam disappeared while leaving behind a large bloodstain in his chamber, the kingdom made no effort to find him and simply declared him dead.
What could this mean?
Only after two days could Adam barely accept the reality.
“I have a proposal.”
“A proposal…?”
“I am in conflict with the organization. Even the imperial family has some members involved with them, so I need an ally.”
“I have been curious for a while. Who exactly are you?”
“If you accept my proposal, I will slowly reveal it to you.”
It seemed like utter nonsense, but Adam had no choice.
Adam didn’t know how long he could stay here, and even if the elves accepted him, he couldn’t hide here for the rest of his life.
“Tell me your proposal.”
“Wise choice. To get straight to the point, I need an intelligence organization. We need to understand the underground city established in the coalition.”
“Underground city?”
“Yes. The people tied to that place would have no choice but to have their weaknesses caught by the organization. While there might be nobles without secret lives, there isn’t a single noble who hasn’t dabbled at least once.”
“I can’t deny that.”
“Therefore, we need people to take a key role in the underground city. I plan to send my allies there to gradually gain control from the bottom up.”
“Would my presence there be helpful?”
Perhaps due to his recent experiences, Adam seemed to lack faith in himself, but Shane shook his head.
“You’re underestimating yourself too much.”
Indeed, Adam’s fighting power was hard to describe as exceptionally outstanding.
Of course, as the commander of a kingdom’s knight order, his skills weren’t lacking, but the reality was that Adam didn’t have a unique signature move that knights dreamed of.
That Warnard that Shane had seen at Count Salier’s estate was lower in rank than Adam, but he was still a knight with his own signature.
However, the reason Adam could become the commander of the kingdom’s order of knights, despite lacking a signature move, was due to his unique “intuition”.
To become the commander of the royal knights with just intuition seemed unbelievable.
One might question if there was something wrong with the kingdom.
Of course, it wasn’t something that could be achieved with intuition alone.
It required complete faith and the ability to act on it.
“Do you think that intuition you were born with is just a coincidence?”
“……?”
“People often think of intuition as a mere supernatural phenomenon, but that is a groundless prejudice.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“In ancient times, there were races that survived with far superior intuition than yours.”
“And what does that have to do with me now?”
“I’m suggesting that perhaps some of their blood runs through your veins.”
Adam was taken aback and asked,
“…! Are, are you saying I’m a half-human?”
“You probably aren’t a half-human. The races I know are the ones who know how to use their intuition to the fullest. It must be something that happened to you a very long time ago. It’s only now that you’ve come to realize this ability.”
“……”
Adam fell into thought for a moment.
When he thought about it, he knew his intuition hadn’t been like this since birth.
Even in his childhood memories, he didn’t have this ability.
Shane was suggesting there must have been some kind of trigger.
“Come to think of it… it happened around when I was eight years old.”
As he continued to think it over, Adam recalled a specific memory.
“I once went hunting with my father. We encountered a pack of wolves that had just descended from the mountains. One of them bit me severely on the arm.”
Adam mentioned that the bite had left him with a high fever for several days and that he had almost died, but that after the bite he felt strangely invigorated, stopped getting sick, and most importantly, he started to develop his unique intuition.
“Wolves…”
If so, there was a high probability that it was a canine beastman.
Even among the beastmen Shane had seen in his previous life, there were some with exceptional intuition.
“I know how to help you develop your intuition. But you’re not ready yet.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. It seems highly likely that you are closely related to the canine beastmen. I’ll let you know once I find a way.”
“Thank you. But I don’t think that will help us turn the tide of the current situation.”
“I’ve thought about that too. For that, you’ll need to cooperate with me.”
“Can I ask how?”
That much could be explained in advance.
Adam needed to focus on his work going forward.
“What was the atmosphere in the royal family like as you knew it?”
“The atmosphere in the royal family?”
“Yes. There must have been a change in the atmosphere some time recently or earlier.”
“Now that you mention it… His Majesty, no, King Ulimus was deeply troubled about his successor. The King is old too, so he was preparing for it. But about a year ago, the king’s health began to improve. As a result, the succession process was also postponed.”
“Right. So, isn’t there anything that comes to mind?”
“Are you saying the king’s health is connected to the organization?”
“Many people desire an immortal life. While true immortality is impossible, the organization has the ability to create that illusion.”
“I see. So…”
If the king of the Haiel Kingdom had allied themselves with the organization, they would have wanted to prevent the events in the Great Mezaiya Forest from becoming known to the outside world.
It was highly likely they had used King Ulimus for this purpose.
“So, my men…”
“Like the imperial knights, they are probably no longer of this world.”
“Damn it!”
It was a devastating feeling.
Adam had lived his whole life with pride as the commander of the knights of the Haiel Kingdom.
The king’s corruption was something he had never considered.
“But, if the king’s power grows stronger, there will be many factions dissatisfied with that. Who do you think would be the most dissatisfied?”
“…No way.”
Adam was a man who had been a knight commander even in a kingdom rife with political schemes.
He quickly understood what Shane was trying to say and frowned.
“The children who are starting to grow older would be anxious. Especially since the power that was almost entirely in their grasp has slipped away, they must be desperate.”
“Are you suggesting we incite a rebellion?”
“If it succeeds, it will be a revolution. And we have enough justification for it. You will settle in the underground city from now on. I will let my family help with the starting process.”
“…It seems your family is also entangled in some complicated matters. I understand. I don’t have any other choices. This is what must be done to turn the situation around.”
“Understood. Once this matter is settled, I won’t interfere even if you return to the surface.”
“That’s quite a considerate gesture.”
With this, Shane had found a talent to lead the dark elves.
It was finally time for him to head north.
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