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"Are you really going to go?"
Eri raised her voice, unable to understand.
She was pleading for him not to go, but Ian couldn't give her the answer she wanted.
"I have no choice. I must go."
"The intention is obvious. It's definitely a trap. It's clear that countless barbarians will be swarming there."
Eri let out one sigh after another as she looked at her map spread out on the floor.
A red circle was drawn on what appeared to be a plain beneath the rugged Sisyphus Mountains.
Geographically, it would be the stronghold of the barbarians. A massive number of enemies would be waiting there.
'Of course, rescuing the hostages is important…'
If he went alone, Ian might lose his life before he could rescue the hostages.
Eri couldn't bear to see that, unlike others.
"Please reconsider…. I understand the concern, but they won't treat the hostages harshly…."
In war, prisoners have immense value. In a desperate situation, they can be exchanged for survival guarantees.
Unless they were complete idiots, they would leave a way out, so it was against Eri's common sense that they would kill the hostages recklessly.
"If we launch a full-scale attack to pressure them, they will try to negotiate with the prisoners. Do you really need to go?"
"Kikollans won't do that."
"What? What do you mean?"
"Of course, as you said, there aren't many who treat prisoners recklessly. They might starve or torture them, but they haven't killed them. But Kikolalans are different. They have a history of killing hostages as soon as they take them."
It might be early to be sure they would kill the hostages just because of that. But Ian was certain.
'I remember obtaining a scripture of the religion Kikollan believes in when I was playing the original game.'
It was written there. Conquer those who do not believe in their religion, take their lives immediately, and offer them as sacrifices.
'Although the Demon Kings are holding back now. If I don't accept their proposal, they won't spare the hostages.'
There's a saying that one should not negotiate with terrorists. But Ian had no other choice.
Pressuring the barbarians was something Ariel could handle. Ian's task was to rescue the knights.
"It's hard to accept, but understand, it's something I must do."
"…Alright."
After calmly explaining, Eri finally nodded. Though her mood didn't improve.
"Then are Igor, Lia, and I supposed to just wait and do nothing?"
"That's not it. You have tasks to do as well."
"Tasks to do?"
Surely, the letter from the enemy said that they would kill the hostages if he didn't come alone?
Did he have another plan?
As Eri pondered deeply, Ian approached her.
"Your task is…."
"Understood. I'll prepare as best as I can."
After whispering what needed to be done, Eri nodded calmly.
***
After sending a note to Ian using an arrow.
Mammon and Beelzebub were waiting without taking any particular action.
The hostages were gathered near them and surrounded by guards, so there was no need to worry about escape.
They didn't need to prepare anything since they had already thought countless times about how to deal with Ian.
Preparation that could be described as perfect.
'Damn.'
But Beelzebub wasn't satisfied.
"When is he coming? This waiting is unbearable."
For Beelzebub, who had entered the Middle Realm expecting fierce battles, the endless wait was intolerable.
Noticing Beelzebub's dissatisfaction, Mammon smiled knowingly.
"Are you feeling restless? Just wait a little longer. Soon you'll have your time to shine. And experiencing the beauty of waiting is not a bad experience, don't you think?"
"Beauty of waiting, my ass. I can't understand you or Belphegor. How do you endure this boredom…?"
"Hahaha. To increase wealth, waiting is inevitable. Acting impulsively often leads to disaster."
Watching Mammon laugh heartily, Beelzebub decided to stop complaining.
Expecting that creature, who was fundamentally different from himself, to empathize with his thoughts would be foolish.
Talking about another topic would be much more productive.
Turning his gaze from Mammon, Beelzebub looked at the prisoners in the cage beside him.
Initially, they had resisted strongly. But realizing they couldn't escape the prison created by a Demon King himself, they had already given up.
They were brought here by Mammon to lure Ian.
"Will he really come to save these people? I heard he's a rational guy…."
"Are you doubting it?"
"Of course. It's obviously a trap. If he has any sense, he wouldn't walk into it. He even knows the location, so why not just bombard it?"
Using hostages to lure someone was a good strategy, but also very risky.
If the opponent was a humane person, it might work. But if they were rational, they might decide on a large-scale attack for the greater good.
"Moreover, they have a hero on their side, don't they? With the power of the Holy Sword, they could easily turn this place into a wasteland."
Though brief, Beelzebub had seen that Ian was a remarkably rational individual.
Considering his position was revealed, worrying was natural.
However, Mammon didn't seem to care and continued to smile.
"You don't need to worry about that. He will undoubtedly come here."
"How can you be so sure?"
"He has a goal to revive his fallen family. For him to run the family stably, he needs the support of the knights."
While it's crucial to repair the collapsed food and capital supply lines, the top priority for the head of the Volkanov family is to maintain the order of knights.
The reason the Volkanovs are border lords is to have their own troops to protect the Empire from enemies.
In such a situation, would he choose to abandon the knights?
'If he did that, there would be a severe backlash among the knights. They might not show it openly, but they would secretly complain.'
Breaking mutual trust was something that couldn't be overlooked. Ian Volkanov would undoubtedly know this.
But that wasn't the only reason Mammon was confident there would be no bombing.
"And beneath this place, it seems, lie those who fought for the Volkanovs in the past. Bombing this place would be madness."
Would the most promising candidate for the next head of the family choose to abandon the knights and bomb a place where those who fought for his family are buried?
Mammon knew very well what kind of creatures humans were.
Pretentious beings who maintain outdated and utterly useless things in the name of tradition.
That was Mammon's assessment of the human race, and he thought Ian was no different.
'Of course, he's a peculiar character, but he doesn't act without thinking…'
Ian Volkanov would definitely come here.
As if to confirm his thoughts, a barbarian tore open the door to the tent and entered.
"He has arrived. What should we do?"
Mammon stood up as if it was finally time, looking at the barbarian who brought the news, exhaling a thick breath.
"What do you think? Open the way."
A few minutes later, when Mammon stepped outside the tent, he could see a familiar figure in the distance.
'Finally…'
Mammon smirked as he watched Ian Volkanov, who maintained a blank expression while stepping into the outpost.
"This is the first time we meet, isn't it? I suppose we should at least exchange greetings."
"We're not exactly in a position to be exchanging pleasantries, are we? Besides, if you're going to say something like that, you might want to hide your expression."
"Ha ha… Is my expression that obvious? Forgive me. It's hard to contain my excitement at the opportunity to get rid of a thorn in my side."
Mammon's eyes gleamed with murderous intent, and he raised the corners of his mouth.
Since his true purpose was already revealed… there was no need to wear a mask and pretend.
"Well then, go ahead and put up a good fight. I'm looking forward to it."
Clank!
Swish!
As soon as Mammon finished speaking, the barbarians who had been hiding within the outpost started to emerge.
"Hmm…"
Even at a glance, there were more than a hundred of them. Each one wore an expression that seemed devoid of sanity.
'As expected of the Demon King of Greed… He's corrupted them with greed, making them yearn for my death.'
It didn't look like he had only prepared their mindset. They were exuding demonic energy, meaning they had forsaken their humanity.
'I had braced myself for this, but it looks like a fight is unavoidable.'
Ian clenched his fist.
"Uwaaah!"
The barbarian's roar was loud enough to burst his eardrums.
As he took his stance, a status window appeared.
[An emergency quest has occurred!]
[The Lords of the Abyss are targeting you. Survive their threat and defeat the Lords of the Abyss!]
[Reward upon success: Part of a hidden secret / Upon failure: Eternal death]
"Uwaaah!"
"Kill him! Spill his blood here!"
As the barbarians charged, Ian gritted his teeth.
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