Chapter 8: Whispers of Betrayal

Arhan was deep in thought.

He had discovered Undertaker.

He had indeed sought him out. The rumors tangled in his mind, and he pondered again and again over Undertaker’s intentions.

Why would he be headed to Storm Isle?

There was even talk that the Demon King’s seed might actually lie within Undertaker. Had he made a terrible mistake?

“Attention! If anyone knows the whereabouts of Undertaker, His Majesty will reward them handsomely!”

In the distance, soldiers’ shouts echoed. Arhan raised his hand toward them, but it dropped almost automatically.

“May the departed rest in peace.”

He recalled the way he clasped his hands in prayer, remembering the man who, though not as powerful as the “Raid Party,” would rush to any place he was needed.

And then…

At his side once stood her.

…!!

Arhan realized it.

If she were searching for Undertaker, he could be a great help to her.

“Arhan, one day, I’ll come looking for you.”

“In my homeland, there are things that can replace lost arms and legs. I’ll bring those for you.”

“I’ll come after we defeat the Demon King, so just wait until then.”

“Goodbye, my love.”

“Ah, Lady Sena… my lady!”

Calling Femme Fatale by her real name, Arhan hobbled forward with his crutches.

“You there!”

“Uh!”

The soldiers frowned at his appearance, but he simply pointed to the flyer they held.

“I’ve seen Lord Undertaker! I am former Knight Captain Arhan!”

“Arhan…? No way…”

“You really saw Lord Undertaker?”

“Absolutely! I swear on the Goddess!”

Even as a former captain, such a vow to the Goddess was no light matter.

“Please wait here. We’ll report to our superiors.”

It didn’t seem like a mere claim to snatch the reward, so the soldiers immediately contacted their higher-ups using a magical device.

“Yes, yes, so…”

Flash!

Several minutes passed as the soldiers relayed the conversation over the magic device.

Suddenly, figures appeared through a teleport spell, freezing the soldiers in place.

“Y-Your Majesty!”

“Where is Captain Arhan?”

Not even three minutes had passed since the report, yet the Emperor himself had appeared through magic.

“Ugh…!”

Facing the Emperor was far from comfortable for Arhan.

After all, this was the man who had openly declared Femme Fatale as “my empress” and someone far more extraordinary than himself.

“Captain Arhan, is it true that you met Lord Undertaker?”

“…Yes, indeed. Just yesterday, Lord Undertaker came to me.”

“What?! Then why didn’t you report this sooner?!”

“Well, the thing is…”

Intimidated by the Emperor’s stern voice, Arhan shrank back slightly.

He was merely stating the facts, yet the Emperor’s expression seemed to imply that he’d committed a grave crime.

“It was only in this condition that I managed to make the report.”

“Grr… Then where is he? What did you discuss?”

…

In that moment, Arhan had a flash of realization. If Undertaker was moving at Femme Fatale’s request, surely the Emperor would be aware of his movements.

But here the Emperor was, losing his temper. Could it be that they’re not communicating at all?

If that’s the case…

“…I will report directly to Lady Femme Fatale.”

“What?”

“I have served her as my master. While my faith lies with the Goddess, my heart follows her.”

“You insolent…”

Shabby and broken, Arhan couldn’t let go of his pride as a man. Even if his opponent was the Emperor, he had the promise she left him.

“I will speak to Lady Femme Fatale personally. Take me to her.”

“…You impudent fool.”

The Emperor pushed the soldiers aside, creating some space, and approached Arhan.

“Tell me, honestly. Just how far did things go with Sena…?”

The moment he saw the Emperor’s expression, Arhan twisted his lips into a slight smirk.

He might be a cripple in rags facing the Emperor, but as a man, he found something to take pride in.

“Lady Femme Fatale and I… have promised a future together. I vowed to protect her until her dying day—morning, night, always.”

As soon as Arhan spoke those words—

“Enough—”

Thunk!

Without warning, the Emperor’s sword pierced Arhan’s chest.

“You insolent fool. She has never shared her love with any man. I am to be her first.”

The Emperor withdrew the blood-stained sword from Arhan without wiping it clean.

“I don’t believe a word of a discarded fool’s claims.”

“A d-discarded…? No…! I was not discarded! I…!”

“Die.”

Slash.

Arhan’s head was severed. The Emperor shook the blood from his blade with a careless flick, then turned his head back.

“Contact the Tower Master immediately. I’ll have them read his memories with necromancy to find out where Undertaker has disappeared to.

If his words were false, I’ll burn everything, leaving not even a trace of his corpse.”

The Emperor’s eyes glowed with murderous intent.

“How dare that filthy mouth speak of her. Disgusting.”

Arhan was dead, carrying nothing but a single, fleeting sense of superiority toward the Emperor.

“He must have reported it. He must have; he wasn’t even paid.”

Out on the sea heading southwest, I relished the wind on the deck, while anxiously watching for any pursuers from Lisbon.

“Arhan wouldn’t just keep his mouth shut.”

Surely, for the sake of money, he would have reported me.

Anyone with sense would realize that what the Empire and other kingdoms are hunting down is not the hero of humanity, but a ‘wanted criminal.’

Just revealing my location or whereabouts would fetch a huge bounty, wouldn’t it?

After the war, to those who lost much in the battle against the Demon King, I became a stepping stone to rebuilding their lives.
By reporting me, they could earn a fortune and build a new foundation for life in a world without the Demon King.
With the bounty he’d get from reporting me, Arhan could probably even afford to hire someone to support him.

Surely, he reported me. Whether it was for the money… or maybe…

“Ugh. Don’t tell me he went that far just to be an idiot.”

If he reported me to look good in front of Femme Fatale…
If he let his imagination run wild and told them my whereabouts just to meet Femme Fatale?
How pitiful.

And at the same time, how repulsive that woman is for making that knight-captain so completely obsessed with her.

“…I wonder if the Emperor or the Tower Master know. That she’s enchanted by the ‘powers’ the Goddess gave her.”

I covered one eye with my hand.
Divine Sight.

There’s a special ability that I don’t possess.
It’s typically referred to as Magic Eyes, but since it was granted by the Goddess, it’s called Divine Sight here.
And in true femme fatale style, Femme Fatale has the Magic Eyes of ‘Enchantment.’

Since the beginning, Femme Fatale, Min Sena, has been the type to charm one man after another and collect them. This Divine Sight of Enchantment is the ultimate power for her.
Using it, she’s pulled all sorts of people, including the Emperor, into her grasp.
While we fought against the Demon King’s army, that woman was in the palace, enjoying cultured parties with her three men, sipping drinks.

“Damn it.”

And now she’s pretending to be the hero who defeated the Demon King?
Once I return to Earth, I’ll expose her for how many men she brainwashed, trapping them under her skirts.

Splash.

Just as I was thinking about Min Sena, I saw Storm Isle appear in the distance.
From the outside, it looks like an ordinary island.
It’s called Storm Isle because it’s difficult to approach during storms.

“We’re here.”

“Thank you.”

I handed all the cash I had on me to the boatman.

“If anyone questions whether you transported me, just say Undertaker threatened you at knifepoint.”

“Hmph. Do you think I’d actually follow the orders of some so-called hero from another world?”
The boatman raised his middle finger toward me.

“Get this straight. I’ve neither met nor ferried an Undertaker or any such hero to Storm Isle. As for a gravedigger, I don’t even want to meet you after I’m dead.”

“…I wish you a safe return.”

I gave him a brief bow, then approached the soldiers waiting for me at the harbor and showed them the certificate.

“This is Captain Arhan’s certificate. I am the Undertaker, the Gravedigger.”

“Huh…? What brings the hero to a place like this…?”

“I’m here to confirm something. If he possesses even a trace of the Demon King’s essence, I intend to kill him.”

The soldiers, visibly tense, cleared the way, and I headed directly to the heart of Storm Isle—the prison where Kramut’ah, the Storm’s Wrath, was held.

“…Have you come to mock me?”

Beyond the prison sealed with layers of magic, a Dark Elf woman, covered in scars, glared at me with blood-red eyes.

“You bastard…! If it weren’t for you, the Demon King would have conquered the world for the demons!”

“Too bad you didn’t summon your own hero from another world.”

Ignoring the Dark Elf’s words, I took down the ‘Demon King’s Sword’ hanging on one side of the room and broke the seal.

I had only one thing to confirm.
I took out a black ring from my pocket, set it on the ground, and stepped back.

Then—

Swish!

I swung the Demon King’s Sword with all my strength at the ring.