Chapter 346 – 181. Spies -1 (Part Two)

Translated by A Passing Wanderer

Edited by RED

That’s right, it was the leader of the dwarves, Belrog. The dwarves, each of them carrying backpacks larger than their bodies, hurriedly ran up to where I was standing.

Belrog, panting and huffing heavily, stood before me before kneeling down. However, rather than him trying to observe the correct etiquette of greeting the Holy Emperor, I got a feeling that he was simply collapsing on his knees from sheer exhaustion, instead.

“The craftsman affiliated with the territory of Hilda, Belrog, greets Your Imperial Majesty the Holy Emperor.”

“It’s been a while, Belrog. It’s been four years already, hasn’t it? No wait, it’s more like five now.”

Belrog flinched a little at that, then a bitter grin spread on his lips. He should know better than anyone that the time frame he had promised me had long passed us by.

I was feeling a bit sour at this whole thing at the moment. If only Belrog had shown up sooner, I could’ve had an easier time subduing the Frost Giant.

“Since you’re here… I’m guessing there is a good reason for that.”

Belrog bowed his head when I said that and replied solemnly, “We’ve managed to finish our task, Your Majesty.” He proceeded to drop his backpack, then pulled out a lengthy object wrapped in luxurious cloth. He quietly presented it before me. “This is the weapon that Your Majesty commanded us to create.”

I received the weapon and unwrapped the cloth. My brows instantly shot up.

It turned out to be a golden spear with countless runes engraved on its surface. It was around two metres in length, and its bladed spearhead was incredibly sharp.

Gentle waves of divinity wafted from it, but I also picked up another type of energy that happened to be a complete opposite of that divine power.

[Avaldi’s Spear.

Abilities: Depending on the standard of the user, demonic energy amplification by between 150% to 700%. Increase of 50% added to the recovery rate. Additional 20% rise in all abilities related to demonic energy. 15% reduction in the consumption of energy related to summoning. Ability to cast lightning bolts.]

What the hell was up with this god-tier item?!

My old Amon’s relics couldn’t even be compared to the specs of this bad boy. Just what kind of a monster was the blacksmith responsible for creating an item of such a calibre?!

“Where is the blacksmith responsible for making this?” I asked Belrog.

A talented individual capable of crafting stuff on this level was someone we at the Empire definitely needed. It didn’t matter whether they were humans or dwarves; as long as this individual was with us, we’d be able to mass-produce powerful weapons!

I stared expectantly at Belrog, but he simply flinched and bowed his head even lower. “That person has departed from the world of living after completing that masterpiece, Your Majesty.”

“…Oh, is that so. What happened to his remains?”

“We performed the funeral rites and cremated him, sire.”

Cold sweat dripped off from Belrog’s bowing head. Even his voice trembled noticeably. He must’ve been seriously fatigued, or so I figured.

“I owe that person a lot, then. I’ll place a flower on the grave at a later stage.”

“I’m sure that idiot would’ve been quite pleased to know that the armament has reached the hands of its rightful owner, Your Majesty.”

“You did well, Belrog. And I shouldn’t forget to express my gratitude to my sister, who lent me your strength for a while. If you have anything you desire, do let me know at a later stage. If it’s something within my powers, I will make it happen.”

“I’m grateful to hear that, sire.”

I focused my attention on the spear. Just by holding it like this gave off this incredible feeling.

‘Avaldi’s Spear, is it?’

I began recalling the events from during the coronation of the Holy King all those years ago.

“If it’s this…”

More specifically, I began thinking about the gateway to Purgatory that Count Timong had opened up in front of all those countless people.

Maybe…

“I might be able to open that myself.”

My eyes narrowed to slits as I lifted the spear higher.

**

Charlotte proceeded with selecting several trustworthy individuals from the ranks of the Heavenly Army.

She needed those with deep faith and blessed with more than an adequate level of ability, someone who possessed an unyielding drive that wouldn’t lose out even to the vampires, and also boasted a considerable amount of real-world combat experience, as well.

She began recruiting people that fit such criteria, but in the end, Charlotte was left with no choice but to facepalm herself. “How come…”

She frowned deeply and stared at the man standing before her eyes.

He was a middle-aged man who just so happened to have a very familiar face to her.

“Ahaha! Charlotte, you can definitely look forward to it! I shall achieve a glorious feat this time around!”

This man was deemed exceptionally skilled even among the ten thousand Crusaders, and consequently, he got promoted to the Heavenly Army. Brown hair and a scruffy beard of the same hue adorned his face.

Not only did he hail from the northern region, he even used to be a farmer all those years ago, too. He had even aided Allen in holding several funerals for the dead.

It was none other than Gril.

Charlotte stared at her adopted father and spat out a lengthy groan, “No, you cannot…”

“B-but, why not?!” Gril reflexively cried out.

Charlotte grabbed him by his collar and began grinding his head. “Definitely not!”

“Ouch?! Charlotte, that hurts! You’re being too much here. I’m still your father, you know?!”

“And that’s precisely why you can’t. You’ll only make me worried.”

“…Oh? My daughter is worried about me, I see. As your father, I must say, I’m rather pleased.” Gril smiled happily despite suffering from some pain.

It was then, someone kicked him in the shin from the side. “I’m telling you, this uncle… Please try to differentiate private and the official matters!” The kicker, a young girl standing next to Gril, smartly bowed her head and addressed Charlotte. “I’m also volunteering for this infiltration mission. My name is Yuria, ma’am.”

Charlotte studied this girl named Yuria. She had also been accepted to the ‘ten thousand Crusader army’ after Allen had personally recommended her. As for her actual skill level, she was indeed more than adequate enough.

She was quite proficient with crossbows and at an expert level wielding shortswords, while her agility was far above other people, as well.

Not only did she achieve excellent results during training, she had even enjoyed a prior record of hunting down three blood-creation vampires, as well!

“I too wish to volunteer, ma’am.”

Charlotte’s gaze shifted over to the spot next to Yuria. A middle-aged man who seemed to be one, maybe two years older than Gril, stood there.

A former convict soldier of the northern region, and also a mercenary hailing from Aihrance…

His name was Adolf. His record indicated he had killed a Progenitor Vampire.

Compared to these two…

Charlotte shifted her gaze back to Gril. “…Father, you just don’t have any achievements to speak of.”

“Oh, come on! You never gave me the chance, you know! I mean, you made sure that I’d always be excluded from anything dangerous, didn’t you?”

“I also made sure to have you assigned to the capital defence corps, so why are you even here, father?”

“…Well, uh, I wrote a letter to Sir Harman, you see. I asked him if he could help me join the Heavenly Army’s operation this time.”

Charlotte recalled Harman’s face, and groaned deeply again.

She had Gril assigned to a role within the capital defence corps for his safety, but this…

He had somehow ended up participating in this war without her knowledge.

“Besides, this is the fiefdom of Chaves we’re talking about, right? I know the lay of the land there pretty well.”

Gril, who had lived in the northern frontier of the Theocratic Empire, knew what now?

Charlotte stared at her adopted father, prompting him to explain himself. “Back when I was young ‘un, my parents took me on a journey in that place, you see.”

“And just how long ago was that, father?!” Charlotte retorted in dismay.

But Gril was still not discouraged. “Of course, that isn’t the sole reason why you should let me go. I know someone in Chaves fiefdom. An old acquaintance, as a matter of fact.”

“An acquaintance, you say?” Charlotte asked in surprise.

“Yup. If that guy’s still alive, then we will be able to learn a lot more about that place’s current situation.”

It was possible to receive some kind of information from the fiefdom of Chaves even now. That was how Charlotte had learned about the existence of the survivors, but even then, it’d be very difficult to act freely in that area.

For the purpose of more free-flowing information, the army simply had to dispatch spies capable of sending information out. This trio had the Aztal Rune tattooed on them, so such a task should definitely be possible to pull off.

As Charlotte grew even more troubled regarding what to do here, Gril spoke to her in a resolute manner, “Please believe in me, Charlotte. I shall bring home a proper achievement this time. Let’s be honest here, you think there’s anyone else out there who’s as skilled as me, knows the lay of the land, and even knows an acquaintance?”

He was right. The number of people who could better Gril’s qualifications of enough strength, knowledge of the terrain and even knew someone from the area, would be extremely low. On top of that, he even possessed a means of communication as well, so he was pretty much the best qualified for the job at hand.

Charlotte glanced at Gril worriedly, but in the end, she sighed in acceptance. She spoke the following words in a heavy voice, “…I pray that you remain safe.”

Gril gave her a hearty thumb-up the moment she gave her permission. “Don’t you worry about a thing! Just who am I? Aren’t I your father!?”

The hurriedly-put-together band of spies, now tasked with infiltrating the fiefdom of Chaves: Gril, Adolf, and Yuria.

These three individuals now had to sneak into Chaves to gather intel.

Fin.