Vol 1 Chapter 27 – A Request from the Chief【Vol 1: The Beastkin Hero Arc】

Allen handed over the Artificial Hero he had unintentionally defeated to the vigilante corps. Under the guidance of the great bear-kin vigilante leader, he arrived at the chief’s estate.

When the front door opened, they were welcomed by a fox-kin servant. Upon hearing an explanation of the situation, the elderly butler’s legs gave out, and he collapsed on the spot.

From what Allen heard, the chief, along with the staff, had fully intended to share the town’s fate.

Apparently, they were in the middle of a meeting right at that moment. After being made to wait for a few minutes, Allen and Asmodeus were shown into the chief’s reception room.

“—I just heard the news, and I am truly astonished. It still doesn’t feel real, but… thank you for saving our town.”

The chief was a cute blonde-haired girl with fox ears and a tail, and her long eyelashes and round eyes gave her a friendly impression.

The vigilante leader had referred to the chief as a “he,” but no matter how you looked at it, this was a girl. Her limbs were slender, and her hair flowed down to her shoulders.

(…Wait, this is a guy…? Or rather, he’s young.)

Beneath his mask, Allen’s eyes widened. Glancing sideways, he saw Asmodeus frozen with her mouth hanging open like a complete idiot.

“I serve as the chief of the town of Foxbeak. My name is Kohaku Kuzunoha.”

“…I work as a mercenary. I’m Noir.”

The chief stood up from his chair and reached a hand out toward Allen. Allen took that small hand to shake it, but he paused upon noticing it was trembling slightly.

“Ah, my apologies. Even though the vigilante corps was staying behind, as the chief, there was no way I could evacuate. That’s why I made the decision to stay, but it seems I was still terrified of dying after all…”

Placing a hand behind his head, Kohaku laughed embarrassedly. He then timidly looked up at Allen through his eyelashes.

Hey now, he’s cute.

“…No matter who you are, death is a terrifying thing. There is no need to be ashamed.”

“…Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease.”

While holding down his still-trembling hand with his other, Kohaku smiled shyly. His somewhat pale complexion made it glaringly obvious just how frightened he had been.

“Please, have a seat,” Kohaku said, offering Allen the chair opposite him across the table while a servant prepared a smaller chair for Asmodeus.

Taking a seat for the time being, Allen briefly scanned the reception room. Stacks of parchment were piled on the table, and several Far-Seeing Crystals floated in the air. What kind of discussions had he been having with the King and the other chiefs?

Unlike the freezing cold outside, a roaring fireplace kept the room comfortably warm.

“—Noir-sama, I hear you came to the Beast Kingdom as a volunteer soldier. From which country do you hail?”

“…Lig-Aqua.”

When he said that, Kohaku’s eyes widened slightly.

“I see. So it was you after all.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Just a few hours ago, while His Majesty the Beast King was in discussion with the kings of our allied nations, the King of Lig-Aqua told him this: ‘Make good use of the masked mercenary.’ Of course, His Majesty asked who you were, but the King of Lig-Aqua said he didn’t know your true identity either.”

“…”

Branford must have advised the King immediately upon arriving at the Central Capital. Surely, he hadn’t revealed that the person behind the mask was Allen Norsh.

“Would it be possible for you to remove that mask?”

Swallowing hard, Kohaku asked the question nervously. Allen simply shook his head.

“…I have gruesome scars from battling magic beasts. Please spare me from doing so.”

“It’s true, my brother’s face is truly, truly awful. Seeing it would be lifelong trauma. I’m having trouble because it appears in my dreams every night.”

Asmodeus’s backup was appreciated, but for some reason, her wording deeply irritated him.

“…Excuse me. I apologize for asking such an impertinent question. Now then, let us pull ourselves together. I will share the information currently known about the Empire’s weapons with you, Noir-sama.”

Kohaku then began to explain the origins of the young man Allen had knocked unconscious.

“You may have realized this from fighting him, Noir-sama, but the Artificial Heroes seem to be individuals who have had artificially created Brave Cores embedded in their bodies. Their combat power appears to have reached the national-class level.”

Allen had completely failed to realize how strong the young man was when he defeated him. “National-class” meant the level of the Eight Demon Generals. Even though he had vaguely suspected it, he had just been told something completely outrageous.

“…Artificially creating Brave Cores, huh. It’s just like the tragedy of Dawnbelt…”

“The incident where the Obsidian Knight-sama became famous overnight, correct? The incident where Leonhardt-sama was saved.”

Before becoming a World Knight, Allen had captured a certain magic researcher who harbored a deep hatred for the World Knights and was obsessed with creating warriors that would surpass them. He gathered orphans, conducted human experiments, and produced dozens—no, hundreds—of victims.

Capturing him was the main reason Allen became a World Knight candidate.

“Let me return to the topic. Because these Artificial Heroes lack combat experience, Leonhardt-sama and His Majesty have been able to handle them so far. However, the reality is that there are simply too many of them, and three towns have already been destroyed.”

At Kohaku’s pained expression, Allen leaned forward.

“…What should I do?”

“I’ll get straight to the conclusion: I want you to head for the royal capital. The three who destroyed those towns have now joined forces, and they are finally invading the royal capital.”

This sudden request for reinforcements to the royal capital meant the situation had grown quite desperate.

Even with his proven strength, Allen was currently just a suspicious mercenary of unknown origins. He had been absolutely certain he would be sent to some inconspicuous little town.

“…What about His Majesty the Beast King?”

“He has sustained injuries from repeated battles and is not in perfect condition. He told me earlier that he is in no state to intercept them. If Leonhardt-sama faces them alone, there is a chance, however small, that she might lose. Therefore, Noir-sama, I want you to cooperate with Leonhardt-sama and defeat those three.”

Faced with the prospect of meeting Leonhardt face-to-face before he was mentally prepared, Allen became intensely agitated, and his gaze darted wildly left and right without thinking.

“…You’re evaluating my abilities quite highly. That young man from earlier—Acht, was it? Defeating him was basically a sneak attack.”

“…Y-You must be joking.”

For some reason, Kohaku’s expression twitched. He stared intently at Allen, looking terribly surprised.

Allen wasn’t joking at all, but Kohaku wiped the sweat from his brow and continued.

“After defeating a single Artificial Hero in the town of Forme, across the bridge to the west of here, Leonhardt-sama will apparently ride Raisel-sama and head this way.”

“…”

“She intends to pick you up, Noir-sama, and head to the royal capital together.”

Raisel was Leonhardt’s familiar, a griffon. In terms of speed alone, the spirit beast was on a level that surpassed even Geofried.

“…Understood. I will do my best not to be a burden.”

Fighting alongside her was no longer avoidable. Defeating the Artificial Heroes would probably be possible, but the aftermath would surely be rough.

Allen felt like he was going to throw up from nervousness, but he somehow managed to hold it in.

＊　　　＊　　　＊

The masked mercenary left the room and was guided by a subordinate, along with his little sister, to a guest room to rest.

Kohaku, the chief of the town of Foxbeak, let out a sigh of relief and gazed down at his own palm. He quietly recalled the rough sensation of the man’s hand when they shook.

“…Incredibly hard sword calluses. It was a hand that reminded me of Leonhardt-sama’s.”

Following those words, a man dressed entirely in black with a dark veil covering his face descended from the ceiling and landed silently on the floor.

“Clan Head. That man’s power is genuine.”

“…Yes. At the very least, it’s certain he possesses a Brave Core. I’ve never once heard the name Noir, but it seems the world is vast indeed. He brilliantly saw through the positions of every single one of you guards.”

“…I believed my concealment was perfect, but my blood ran cold when his gaze landed on me.”

Kohaku, the chief, had intended to test the mercenary calling himself Noir.

Even though he had just saved the town and secured the endorsement of the King of Lig-Aqua, this man was about to challenge a battle that would determine the fate of the Beast Kingdom alongside Leonhardt.

Kohaku had doubted whether he truly possessed the required strength. Had he really fought the terrifying Artificial Hero named Acht head-on and won? There was a chance it was merely a fluke victory from the sneak attack the man himself had mentioned.

To verify this, Kohaku had stationed guards in the adjacent room, on the ceiling, and under the floorboards. If the mercenary couldn’t see through them, he might end up dragging Leonhardt down.

“My anxieties were unfounded. He saw through your presence, and yet he said nothing. His humility must have been a form of irony directed at us.”

From Allen’s perspective, he had simply gotten agitated upon learning he was definitely going to meet Leonhardt, causing his gaze to dart around wildly. Unfortunately, there was no one present to correct the misunderstanding.

“…But even if his strength is certain, Eugrasia is our country. To think we would end up entrusting it to a human.”

Smiling wryly at his somewhat dissatisfied subordinate, Kohaku looked up through the window at the cloudy sky and the fluttering snow.

“…It can’t be helped. We have no choice but to pit heroes against heroes. Let us believe in them—our beast-kin hero, and the masked mercenary wrapped in mystery.”