Chapter 6: The Storm of Deception

When we first arrived in this world, we were naturally thrown into confusion and shock.

“P-please save us! What nonsense is this? Slaying the Demon King?”

“We’re just ordinary college students! How can you suddenly ask us to fight with swords?!”

“Hey, those who’ve done their military service, don’t you have any ideas?!”

“I’m a public service worker! Don’t look at me like that!”

Chaos ensued.

“Damn it, so you’re saying we can’t go home unless we fight…! How is this fair?!”

“I’ll kill them all. The Goddess, the Demon King, all of them…!”

“B-but standing at the front and fighting…! I want to be a DPS! I was Grandmaster in that role!”

“How is that relevant to this situation?!”

Though confusion initially consumed us, we gradually adapted to this world.

In the beginning, we had people who helped us.

“Do not worry, Heroes! We will stand by your side and support you!”

Unlike ordinary college students, this world had warriors willing to lay down their lives against the Demon King’s forces.

“I will be the shield to protect you, Heroes!”

Sir Arhan, the leader of the Holy Knights in the Goddess’s order, was among them.

“We will protect you from the front lines. Just trust us!”

“Thank you… truly! It’s thanks to the Holy Knights that we’re all alive!”

Arhan and the Holy Knights—whom we came to call “the Buffalo”—stood at the forefront to protect the female heroes.

“You Knights are amazing! Compared to you, those guys are…”

“Haha, they just haven’t been hardened as warriors yet.”

“Right? You’re incredible… Can I feel your muscles?”

“Of course! Haha, I do pride myself on my strength…”

Just like men everywhere, the men of this world were eager to impress the female heroes, even if it meant acting as a meat shield.

“Sir Arhan, care to join me for a walk under the night sky?”

“A night walk…? Yes, of course. But, Hero…! This is improper…!”

“A hero is still human. I like you, Sir Arhan. What do you think?”

“This Arhan… as a man, not just a knight…!”

Arhan was the first man ensnared by the woman known as the Femme Fatale, Min Sena.

“Sir Arhan, be cautious of the Femme Fatale. She’s only using you.”

“Even if you’re a hero, do not speak so carelessly! If you persist, I’ll consider it a challenge to a duel!”

“Oh, come on…! You’re being manipulated!”

“You brat!”

When a man is blinded by love, there’s no stopping him.

“Sir Arhan! How could you so heartlessly turn down our invitation?”

“I heard you haven’t been attending social events lately. Is it because of your closeness with the Heroes?”

“Such…!”

No matter how cunning these noble ladies were, they were still just busy bees.

“Brother Arhan, won’t you give me a ride? I’ll just grab onto your back like this, okay?”

“Ahem! My apologies, ladies. I have prior engagements!”

Not even the cunning noblewomen could match up to the queen wasp with her modern Earthly charm.

And it wasn’t only Arhan.

Other Holy Knights under Arhan’s command, as well as other mages and warriors, were drawn to the female heroes.

And they all died.

“Brother Arhan…!”

“Are you all right, Femme Fatale…? I protected you…!”

“I’m sorry, so sorry…! Head to the back for now and rest! I’ll defeat the Demon King soon and return to you, Brother Arhan!”

“Urgh…!”

Those who barely survived became disabled veterans.

Arhan, having lost an arm and a leg and deemed unfit for duty, was eventually cast out of the front lines.

And after that…

Arhan was, of course, abandoned.

“Wait, you are…?”

“Oh my. The Crown Prince of the Empire? Interesting. What brings you out here at night?”

The Femme Fatale moved on to new prey, leaving behind a trail of discarded men, eventually even ensnaring the Emperor of the Empire.

In short…

This man had been abandoned.

And yet.

“Yes, I love her.”

Even now, he still hadn’t come to his senses.

A little while later, I was invited to Arhan’s home and was at a loss for words at the state of his disordered living space.

“This is…”

“Apologies. It’s difficult to manage everything on my own.”

It wasn’t simply the level of a messy bachelor’s apartment.

It reminded me of a documentary I’d once seen, showing the rooms of young men who’d died lonely deaths, with people cleaning up after them.

Arhan’s place was that severe.

It wasn’t due to laziness; it was a problem he couldn’t solve with one arm and one leg.

“Would you like to come in?”

“No… I’ll stay here. The reason I came to see you, Captain, was—”

“I’m no longer a Captain. Just call me Arhan.”

Arhan gave a bitter smile as he settled into his rocking chair.

“…Congratulations on defeating the Demon King. I always believed the Heroes would succeed. Thanks to you, humanity was saved, and we have peace once more.”

“And how about you, Mr. Arhan? There doesn’t seem to be… anyone else living here.”

“I live alone. Even though I was once Captain of the Holy Knights, I’m just one of the many who’ve held the position over the past two years.”

After Arhan retired…

Seventeen different people had taken up the role of Holy Knight Captain.

Those who, like Arhan, retired due to injuries were left to fend for themselves.

It was too difficult to look after non-nobles, especially those no longer fit for combat.

“Still, the Femme Fatale has been helpful. She arranged for me to receive a veteran’s pension, sends a housekeeper once a week, and sends me letters like this.”

In Arhan’s home, there was only one ‘well-kept’ area.

There, a steel box held a stack of parchment letters.

“There hasn’t been a letter since the final battle with the Demon King, but I believe she’ll send one eventually. Like rain falling from the sky, the letters kept coming, and I still believe… Now that the Demon King is gone, she’ll write to me again. Haha.”

No answer.

The conversation went nowhere.

–Hey. Are you avoiding me lately?

–Did I do something wrong?

–I’m sorry.

–Want to have dinner on Friday?

The Femme Fatale, Min Sena, is a truly cunning woman.

She’s the type who throws bait even to fish she’s already released.

I almost fell for her schemes myself.

Back on Earth.

–I really don’t want to be in the same party as that man, Prince…! Could you do something about it?

–Ahem. Very well, my lady. Wait a moment… Hero Undertaker, I’m sorry, but it seems you’ll need to move to the frontlines.

Since arriving in this world, I’ve been treated like a plague, cast out by her using her influence.

By now, she’s probably managed to escape the underground prison, using the men in her ‘fishpond’ to her advantage.

Even as a Saint, handling those bullheaded fools blinded by love, ramming through church authority, must have been overwhelming.

“How much has the Femme Fatale contributed? Ah, she must have done an impressive job. Her zeal to defeat the Demon King is unmatched.”

If the buffalo grazing outside her pond is in this condition, it’s clear how dire things are.

I have something I need from this man, but in his current state, it might be challenging to obtain his ‘seal of approval.’

He’s still infatuated with the Femme Fatale.

‘He still hasn’t come to his senses?’

In that case, I’ll use it to my advantage.

“…Mr. Arhan.”

I securely locked the door.

“Separate from the rumors circulating in town, have you heard any peculiar stories?”

“What kind of stories…?”

“There’s talk that the Demon King’s seed has been planted in the womb of one of the four female Heroes.”

“What?!”

Bang!

“That’s absurd! Even if it were true for others, there’s no way the Femme Fatale would carry the Demon King’s child!”

Arhan struck the armrest with his hand, enraged.

“I agree. But there’s always a chance, isn’t there?”

“What do you intend to do? Are you planning to kill the Femme Fatale?”

“No. It’s not like that. I’m simply looking for clues, hoping to find any remnants of the Demon King.”

“Remnants of the Demon King… You don’t mean…?”

“Yes. I want to check on what’s sealed on ‘Maidera Island’ in the southwest.”

Arhan’s expression hardened.

“Undertaker, are you serious? You’re planning to enter that ‘Storm Island’?”

“Yes. Issue me a pass. I’ll go there myself and inspect the Demon King’s weapon sealed on Storm Island.”

Even by ship, the island lies 1,000 kilometers south of here in Lisbon.

There, sealed away, is one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s army, the Demon King’s right hand, ‘Kramutha of the Storm.’

Arhan is the only person capable of issuing a certificate granting access to that island.

Despite his current life, he still works for the Goddess Church.

As a regular priest, not as a Knight Commander.

“What do you plan to do by confirming the presence of… the one who left me like this?”

“The specifics are confidential, but I’ll tell you this much.”

I looked at Arhan, smiling as I would when facing the dead, and spoke calmly.

“This is a request from the Femme Fatale—to keep this completely confidential.”

Shortly after.

I held the pass in my hand.