NOVEL WEB Chapter 103 - The Mastermind
The Mastermind
“So… Epink was talkin’ with this scary guy in front of town, he called me a ‘beast’ and stuff. I ain’t a beast, I’m an oni, ya know!? I was pissed, but I held back! He then said I was in the way or something, and then… he blew me away! With a tornado!”
“Agh, this is why I hate hearing your reports! You’re hopeless!!”
Juma-kun’s report was, well, kindergarten level. Saura-san was about to snap… But Juma-kun, seemingly happy to be giving his report, was grinning the whole time. He’s kind of cute. An oni, you say? Right now, he looks like a big puppy!
“Well, don’t be so hard on him, Saura, it’s Juma we’re talking about.”
“But still!”
So, we have to accept it, just because “it’s Juma”? A new word had been added to my vocabulary. “Juma-ing,” which I’d use to describe poor explanations.
“Alright, that’s enough! Did you notice anything else?”
“Ah, that’s right, I forgot. That scary guy, I’d met him before, during that war.”
“That’s it! That’s what’s important!”
Saura-san put her hand on her forehead, looking exasperated. “I feel you,” Kron-san said, placing her hand on Saura-san’s shoulder. Ah, they must face similar hardships. I wanted to cheer them on!
“And I hunted some dragons! Letting off steam after so long was fun!”
“That’s not the point! Tell us about that dangerous guy, in detail!”
Juma-kun, you’re so oblivious. I’m adding “not listening” to the “Juma-ing” definition. And calm down, Saura-san… I’m worried about your blood pressure.
“Okay, okay. Let’s see… during that war, we were causing havoc, and he told us to clean up our mess, or something. And then, without a word, he created a tornado and blew us away. Gramps said he was someone to watch out for. And that guy had the same aura as back then. There’s no doubt about it, it was that guy.”
A ferocious glint appeared in Juma-kun’s eyes. The bloodthirsty glint of an oni. I couldn’t help but shudder. Gil-san stroked my back. Thanks, Papa!
“S-Sorry, got carried away. Ah, um, what was his name? It was really long… Shell… Shellerurun?”
Rurun? What a cheery name… It’s suspicious.
“O-Oni, could it be… Schelmelhorn…?”
“Ooh, that’s it, that’s it! Shelmel, something! You know him?”
How’d you understand from “Shellerurun,” Demon King-san? I was impressed, but he had such a serious, surprised expression that I couldn’t make that comment. Looking closely, Dad, Saura-san, and a few others were also staring at Juma-kun with wide eyes. …Is-Is he that important?
“…That’s the name of the High Elf patriarch, Schelmelhorn.”
Dad was the one who spoke. W-Wait!? Patriarch!? The most powerful person among the High Elves? And Yenna-san was the patriarch’s daughter, so… that means he’s Meg’s grandfather!?
“W-Wait a second. When Meg-chan’s spirit looked into it for me before, didn’t it say…?”
Saura-san, having seemingly rebooted after Dad’s words, interrupted in a panic. So, when Shou-chan was searching for Juma-kun. Um, what did it say? Ah… that’s right.
“‘That’s the boss of Nemo.’…”
Silence filled the room. Wait, wait a minute. The patriarch of the High Elves? Why would someone who treats other races like garbage be the boss of a guild? I didn’t understand.
“So, the boss of Nemo is the High Elf patriarch. No problem.”
Dad casually said this. Eh, why!? This is a huge problem!
“Hmph, as expected of Eugene. That’s just like you.”
Even the Demon King seemed to accept it readily. It was just the guild members who couldn’t keep up. Kron-san seemed to accept whatever the Demon King said, so she was just staring blankly. We couldn’t know what she was thinking, maybe she was surprised too, but…
“Don, you’re accepting it too quickly. I think I get what you’re saying, but…”
“Hmm? I’m not following. Could you explain in detail, Sauradite?”
Saura-san put her hand on her forehead again, shaking her head. She had a lot to deal with…! But she quickly regained her composure and chuckled, seemingly exasperated. Ah, me? I completely agreed with Kei-san! I was lost!
“I don’t get it either. Saura, explain, please.”
“Kei, even Nika…? Why don’t you just ask the Don?”
“Because the Don always avoids explanations. He likes to skip over the details. So we want to know the whole story.”
Ah, I understand. Dad’s always been like that. I used to fight with him about it all the time, back when I was a child. When I’d ask those child-like “why” questions, he’d just give me a half-hearted answer, and then I’d be embarrassed later at school. It happened so many times that I started to think that 80% of what he said was a lie! And the worst part was, he’d occasionally throw in the truth! So basically, he was unreliable!
“…Well, you’re not wrong. It’s certainly shocking to hear that the boss of Nemo is the High Elf patriarch, and I understand why you’re all confused. But if you think about it, it means that he’s the one who’s behind all of this, the one who’s targeting Meg-chan.”
“Ah, I see. So instead of wondering if we should go after the High Elves or Nemo, it’s easier to deal with a single target.”
I see. It was true. If there were separate masterminds behind the High Elves and Nemo, we’d have to split our forces. I guess it wasn’t a problem, in a way? Well, but…
“But if Schelmelhorn’s controlling both the High Elves and Nemo, he can just give them instructions. Meaning, we still need to be prepared for both.”
Then, Doctor Ludo, who had been listening in silence up until then, voiced his opinion. That’s right. Even if the mastermind was one person, it didn’t mean we only had one enemy. Hmm.
“We need to resolve this quickly. His objective is Meg, and we won’t let that happen. Is everyone on board with this?”
When Schlie-san said this definitively, everyone nodded. I felt tears welling up, I was so happy…!
“And to do that… we’ll probably have to fight. It won’t end unless he achieves his objective, or unless we stop him. In other words… there will be war.”
War. The word weighed heavily on my heart. I guess the future I saw is inevitable.
“I don’t think Schelmelhorn’s going to back down. He’ll think, ‘Why should I yield to those insects?’”
“And it’ll be too late if we just wait for them to attack. It’s unfortunate that we’ll be the ones to trigger it, but we don’t have a choice.”
Dad and the Demon King said this. So, that means… we’re going to be the ones to start the war? It’s a complicated feeling. But I’m sure everyone else felt the same way.
“We don’t even know how much they know. So, we need to strike first, before they gather any more information. Don’t let your guard down, don’t let your sympathy get in the way, those will cost you your life. Get rid of any softness. I’m going to tell you the general plan now. Listen carefully.”
Harsh words from someone who’d experienced war. To protect our friends, we need to be ruthless.
And so, he began explaining the plan.