I followed the hulking men through the back alleys of the Royal Capital. We wound our way deeper into the dim, narrow passages before eventually entering a dilapidated tavern.
The interior smelled of something strong and pungent. Aside from the master behind the bar, about ten rough-looking characters were scattered among the tables. They all fixed me with looks of blatant curiosity.
"…Are these all your friends?" I asked.
"You bet. Hey, look! It’s Albert von Kronstadt!"
"Welcome to the Underground, noble brat!"
As soon as the man shouted, a chorus of raucous laughter followed. It was a vulgar welcome, fitting for such a fishy-looking crowd.
As the laughter died down, a man in his thirties stood up. He was slender with refined features. Unlike the others, he was impeccably dressed. He offered a pleasant smile as he held out his hand.
"A pleasure to meet you, Albert. I am Salisia, the leader of 'Black Dawn.'"
Right, Salisia the demon, I mentally corrected his introduction.
In truth, this wasn't our first meeting—at least, not from my perspective. He was a familiar face from the original game. He was the mastermind behind the bombing terror "Black Dawn" was destined to carry out during the Kingdom Festival, which made him a primary target for elimination.
Distinctive demon traits included black sclera and flamboyant red or gold irises, but Salisia looked like any ordinary human. This was "Mimicry," a technique unique to the Demon Race that allowed them to pass for humans, though it came with the disadvantage of lowering their combat capabilities while active.
The Demon Race were formidable magic users, but at the end of the day, he was just a mid-boss from the first half of the game. He didn't possess a single quality that the current me found threatening.
I looked at his hand with cold, disinterested eyes.
"Talk first. I’ll be the one to decide if you’re someone worth shaking hands with."
Salisia fluttered his extended hand as if troubled by my bluntness. "The young lord is a tough customer, isn't he?"
"Hey, you! How dare you use that tone with Lord Salisia!"
One of the men lunged at me in a rage, but I stepped aside with a quick, effortless movement and swept his leg.
"Don't let the trash interrupt," I said, looking down at the man sprawled on the floor with an icy gaze. "I wasn't talking to you, small fry."
Salisia began to clap. Clap, clap, clap.
"Oh, truly magnificent! You really are the 'Naughty Boy Albert' of the rumors!"
"Is that a compliment? Or do you just want to be killed?"
I had no intention of making friends, so I responded with pure, unadulterated hostility.
"State your business. Quickly."
"We intend to overthrow this kingdom," Salisia said. "We want to bring the hammer down on those who bask in prosperity while treating people like us—those who never see the light of day—as if we don't even exist. During the Kingdom Festival, we will carry out a bombing terror to proclaim our grievances and our justice to the world. And we want you to stand as our king!"
It was nonsensical logic. Overthrowing a nation with a few bombs? Impossible. Furthermore, his plan to make me king was absurd. How did they expect to preach "justice" while installing a member of the very nobility they claimed to hate?
Of course, there was a reason for the nonsense. It was because the words didn't matter.
Judging by the Demon King’s interest in me in the game—specifically her line about how much easier things would be "if only Albert von Kronstadt were in our hands"—Salisia’s true goal was my kidnapping. He was just using whatever flowery rhetoric he thought would entice a "foolish, naughty boy."
...Though, if they wanted to kidnap me, they should have just snatched me right then.
Of course, they wouldn't actually succeed in kidnapping a master of Ancient Magic, but against the incompetent Albert of the original timeline, it would have been a breeze. Yet they were holding back.
I had a hypothesis. The bombing terror was meant to be the Demon Race's declaration of war against humanity. Salisia likely planned to snatch me during the chaos of the attack as they made their exit.
"Me, the king...? Not a bad offer!"
I had zero interest in leading a pack of terrorists, but I decided to play along to squeeze out more information.
"But why me?"
"Because you have the caliber of a true king!"
He was really phoning it in now. There was no way anyone could make a judgment like that after a two-minute conversation. Since these vague pleasantries were a waste of time, I decided to take the initiative.
It was time to drop a bomb of my own.
"Isn't this actually Aristia’s doing?"
In an instant, Salisia’s smiling mask shattered. His expression froze.
Well, that was predictable. After all, I had just uttered a name that hadn't been revealed to the world yet. It was the name of the Demon King—a secret guarded so closely that only her inner circle was supposed to know it. I only knew it because I’d already killed her once in the game.
"I... don't know what you're talking about."
"I said, Aristia. Did I stutter?"
"Why... how do you know that name...?"
He was reeling. As proof, the thugs surrounding us just stood there with their mouths hanging open, unable to follow the sudden shift in the conversation.
"I’m more knowledgeable than I look," I said. "I even know what you really are. Now, what do you actually want with me?"
"Ha... ha ha... You’ve got me there. This is... unexpected."
Salisia scratched his head, clearly struggling to decide on his next move. It would have been convenient if he’d just had a villainous breakdown and spilled his guts right there, but life is rarely that simple.
"Don't get the wrong idea," I added. "I don't necessarily view you as an enemy. I’m practically a devotee of Aristia myself. I'm more than willing to cooperate with your ambitions."
"I see... That’s good to hear."
Salisia wasn't an idiot. Despite my sweet talk, I could tell he didn't trust me for a second. But that was fine. Being underestimated was getting on my nerves anyway.
After a bit more hollow conversation, I left the tavern.
I wasn't worried about a wary Salisia cutting off contact. He was targeting me, which meant he would come back no matter what. I could have wiped them out right then and there, but the bombing terror was a concern. Aside from Salisia, these men were likely driven by a specific ideology. This group wasn't the whole organization; if I killed them now, the remnants would still carry out the attack.
If they set off those bombs, people would die. That was what happened in the game, and it was unavoidable as things stood—unless I played my cards right. I wasn't trying to be a hero, but if I could stop the massacre while I was at it, I might as well.
I would settle everything on the day of the bombing terror. Until then, I would keep drawing information out of Salisia. That was the path forward.
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
In the room directly adjacent to where Albert had been speaking, a man sat with his hood pulled low. The handsome features visible in the shadows belonged to Knight Klaus.
The door creaked open, and Salisia walked in.
"You should have shown your face," Salisia said. "A reliable newcomer just joined us. He’s quite a handful."
"I don't care," Klaus snapped. "I have no intention of participating in your terrorism. My contract is for guard duty and nothing more."
That was why Klaus had been waiting in the next room. He was fully armed beneath his robe, ready to spring into action the moment he was needed. Klaus had joined "Black Dawn" after being scouted by the dealer, lured by the promise of the "Secret Medicine of Dusk." However, he had made it clear he would only act as a guard and not a participant in their plot.
As a Knight of the Kingdom, he couldn't bring himself to help destroy the nation. Even serving as a guard was repulsive to him, but he saw no other way.
It’s a medicine that can grant me several times my current power. If I can just get my hands on that...
He would finally be able to surpass Albert von Kronstadt.
"...When will you give me the medicine?"
"Patience, patience. I told you, after the job is done. I'll hand it over once the bombing terror is settled."
"Give it to me before the attack starts. Things will be too chaotic once it begins."
"I'll think about it."
"Don't try to double-cross me," Klaus growled. "Or I'll kill you."
"I know, I know. You’re the one who insisted on only being a guard. Just make sure you do your job when the time comes. Now, get ready. We’re moving."
Salisia turned and left the room. Klaus stood up slowly, glaring at the door.
Once I have that medicine...!
First, he would slaughter Salisia and his ilk. As a Knight of the Kingdom, Klaus had no intention of letting such lawlessness go unpunished.
"And I’ll kill that newcomer too. Don't lump a knight like me together with you creatures crawling in the sludge...!"
His gaze burned with a mixture of lethal intent and suppressed rage.