Evan D. Sherden, A Disparate Trace (2)

“It’s been a while, Master.”

“It sure has, chief. Maybell does the work for me when it comes to looking for a person.”

The chief of exchange stopped admiring the tea offered by Belois and smiled bitterly.

“Ms. Maybell…no, Viscount Maybell’s abilities are just too good. I’d love to lead my men to serve her, but she informed me that it’s better to have a guerrilla force for emergencies. I was impressed by such words.”

“Maybell was smart from the start; it’s just that she uses that knowledge for something weird.”

“Hahaha…it was your ability to appoint her to the right place for her to demonstrate her abilities to the fullest. Like such…”

He smiled lightly at Belois after she offered the tea then quietly took up post behind Evan. As he still remembered Belois when she was young, he grew dumbfounded whenever he saw the new Belois, who was nothing like her past self.

“It was also your ability to have Madam Belois and Sir Shine to become the best magician and warrior of the city, respectively.”

“That’s because those two have the best talents.”

“Hahaha, I believe the same compliments will go on. Would it be all right for me to ask you the reason for meeting me?”

Evan nodded a little and looked at Belois. As she lifted her hand and flicked a finger, suddenly, the entire place was silenced.

“It must be an important matter.”

“It’s especially important. Chief, do you remember my request for searching a person like this before?”

The chief of the exchange nodded without the slightest hesitation. He brought all data relevant to that person just in case since he was told that Evan was looking for him.

“I’ve been periodically collecting data by dispatching people ever since then. I’ve also been looking for the children of the god along with that man, but as you know, I wasn’t able to find a new child since then…I’d like to apologize on that part.”

“It’s all right. You’ve done enough. But you see, you weren’t able to find a single person of the god race after acquiring information on a child named Name, were you?”

“That’s right…did something happen in between?”

As the chief of the exchange was a wise man, he realized what Evan was trying to say. Evan didn’t beat around the bush and nodded at the question.

“Perhaps. I’m currently doubting. Well, it doesn’t make any sense not being able to find a single person. And more questions are coming from the death of the child named Name.”

“…So, you are saying the other forces found them first, right?”

“Yes, that’s what I think.”

Evan added that such was “something possible.”

“So, in order to prove the truth behind my doubts, I need your help, chief. I’d like you to thoroughly check on the collected information and send people to the sites to gather more detailed information.”

“All data is here. I can ready my men right away.”

“As expected from you and your fast handling of work. Ah, before your men leave, please let me meet with them once.”

“As you wish, Master.”

The chief replied gallantly and laid down the data on the table, but he asked a question after suddenly becoming worried.

“Perhaps this is related to the events that are happening within this city?”

“No, it’s not. But there might be some involvement soon.”

“I understood. There’s a possibility that they are here…”

“Even if they are not here, I believe they can come here anytime.”

The chief wasn’t able to completely understand what Evan said. It was a common thing. It was information known to a minority, even among those who knew about the dungeon’s depth. Anyone who wasn’t a gamer wouldn’t know about it for sure…

“Whew, I don’t like the feeling of everything happening with me as its center…”

“I’m not surprised to hear that.”

“Madam Belois is saying the right thing.”

“…Come on, really.”

He wanted to live peacefully in a peaceful world where nobody bullied him, so why was everyone bothering him this much? Especially the damned Devil, Evan was very irritated with the thought that it might be soon when he was able to see his face personally.

‘Should I consider it as something good? I have a lot of questions for the Devil anyway…’

This misfortune had been affecting him slightly even now. The curse of the world and the main culprit behind the rifts. It was a fact that such couldn’t be solved through fighting the Demon King. Then the key would be the Devil, and Evan finally found a relevant trace with the Devil.

‘I should not stop strengthening myself if I want to return in one piece after fighting with the remnant or the shadow of whatever the Devil is.’

―Squash

Evan popped the slime in his hand and stood up. Thanks to summoning the transcended slimes due to one of the jewels having a light on it, Evan started to know what it felt like to kill about thirty slimes without a sound in just one hand.

“You still keep on doing that.”

“Constant self-training is the secret to good health. If I don’t do this now, my hand feels so empty.”

“Health, you say…”

The chief of exchange had a distant look, but he didn’t dare refute Evan’s statement. Even at this moment, he didn’t know that if just one of 60 slimes (30 ultra mini slimes in each hand, so a total of 60) that were created and killed in Evan’s hands attack him, he will die instantly.

“Then I’ll wrap up my preparation.”

“All right, I’ll be analyzing this data. You must have your men ready by today.”

“I’ll take note of that.”

After sending away the chief of exchange, Evan took a closer look at the data. Of course, he had already read them when he received a report on Name, but he was trying to narrow down the vast information.

“Hmm, right…they gathered most of the information.”

“Are you thinking about the possibility of them being bribed beforehand?”

“Similar, but different. It’s different at its core.”

Evan evaluated Belois’s question as a “good one” and replied to it.

“I believe they were ‘charmed.’”

“…Perhaps by that man?”

Belois’s expression was strained while thinking about Elliot, who looked like someone trying to hit on Evan. Evan shook his head a little.

“No, he must have been done for. He was already charmed.”

“Oh, my goodness, I didn’t realize it. It was my fault…!”

“No, it isn’t your fault, Lua. It was a work of a very cunning talent. I wouldn’t have noticed it if I didn’t confirm the unique effect of someone who was charmed.”

“I see…”

‘What’s with this effect of charm?’

Belois was lost in thought, but she soon shook her head. She only thought of Elliot as someone too full of himself.

“If so, then is it difficult to undo his charm? They might cooperate with us once they regain their consciousness. They can tell us the identity of the person who charmed them, or what the person is up to by gathering up the children of the god race…”

“Hmm, once the charm is undone, a notification will be sent to the caster. Then that would put a halt to the caster’s plan. I have to stop that at least.”

“…Master, perhaps.”

“So, you have noticed it.”

Belois’s eyes squinted as Evan spoke playfully.

“It would be such a shame if I only take him down. If it is done, I have to deal with every one of them on the stage fiercely. This scenario is in progress for that purpose.”

“Master…so you do plan on making the scene into something much bigger.”

“And I already know the caster of this charm. It would be the King of Incubi, Gradreka.”

Incubus King Gradreka; the last member of the Four Heavenly Kings who Evan remembered. It was a very remarkable death scene considering the entire storyline where Evan gets killed by the infuriated Gradreka because he hit on a lady whom Gradreka had dibs on in the game. How handsome could Evan be that he was able to win over the Incubus King’s woman?! But he paid the price for taking the lady with his life, so it was all in vain.

“…Incubus and not succubus?”

“Yup. That was a charm by an Incubus and not Succubus.”

“So, you can even differentiate such things…”

“Of course. Their effects are different.”

Both the succubus’ and incubus’ charms were most effective towards their opposite gender, but they could work on the same gender. Well, it would’ve been very effective on Elliot, who was bisexual, but that wasn’t the point here. Moreover, the Succubus Queen…Evan recalled the day when the succubus appeared in his dreams and shook his head. Yeah, the Succubus Queen would never do such a thing. He could vouch for it.

“Anyways, the fact that he is directly controlling the Sacred Guild means he is trying to do something in Sherden by utilizing them. Knowing such facts would make it easy for us to control and lure them from behind. Right?”

“I understood that part so far…but Master, how is that related to the god race? What you’ve found out by meeting with Elliot is that the Incubus King charmed him, and that’s it.”

That was also a good question. Evan smiled lightly and shared with her some of the information which only he would know.

“I’ve remembered the fact that it was the Sacred Guild that saved Name from a life-threatening danger…ah, it’s a vision. So, the Sacred Guild and Name were fated to meet with each other sooner.”

“As expected from you, Master, so that’s how you thought of whether Name was also charmed by the Incubus just by looking at the charmed Sacred Guild.”

“Precisely. And if the Incubus King has already secured Name, if ever he was able to see through the abilities of the god race…wouldn’t it be normal for him to gather more of the god’s race to do something, right?”

Just like what the black magician forces actually did in Yo-Ma Great War 4 by pretending to be a social gathering. With Evan’s speculations, Belois nodded her head as if she finally understood.

“I get it. And you’ve called the chief of exchange to acquire more accurate information since you didn’t have any assurances.”

“Yeah. I kinda see the gist…actually, by looking at the data, but sending people out would make it more certain.”

He had a bitter expression after he spoke.

“There was nothing as important as gathering the children of the god race. I should have personally made a move.”

“That was something impossible. You had so many things to do in Sherden. Moreover, you didn’t have the precise information on the god race’s children.”

“That’s true…but there would have been other alternatives. If the Demon tribe was leveraging those children, and if we were to fight against them…that will be something regrettable.”

He might have felt relieved after rescuing Jhin, Lin, and Lan, who were villains in Yo-Ma Great War 4. And yet, they weren’t the only members of the god race in Yo-Ma Great War 4. Imagining them associating with the Demon tribe suffocated Evan as if someone were choking him.

“It’s fine.”

Belois placed her hand over Evan’s shoulder while comforting him with such words.

“If there’s even a little piece of sanity in them, there must be something they would realize after looking at us. They will know what’s the right path.”

“It would be better that way…”

“If they don’t, then they just need a little bit of scolding.”

Belois playfully rubbed Evan’s hand.

“With your Heaven’s Press, everyone will gain their sanity back.”

“It would be lucky if they don’t turn up as corpses…”

The next day, the search party that received the ‘anti-charm’ artifact from Evan headed straight for Sherden. They had returned with the information Evan wanted. The Incubus King Gradreka was doing something related to the god race, and the Sacred Guild was entangled in his plot. Evan completely confirmed these two pieces of information and communicated with Louise, who was in the dungeon.

The very next day, the Astray Senior group, led by Evan, re-entered the dungeon. Their goal was to clear the 100th floor.