Having been acquitted, I was living a very peaceful life. In the neighboring territory, Lady Amur was working hard in place of Lord Amur, but the difference in capabilities between a lord and a lord's wife was stark. I periodically heard stories that her businesses were not progressing well. It seemed Lady Amur didn't know the art of managing people.
The only silver lining was that Lord Amur had laid the groundwork for the infrastructure restoration project, so the territory hadn't been completely devastated. Refugees occasionally came from the Amur Territory, but I refused them all. I had already told the Archdeity Church that I couldn't accept any more territory residents after taking in the last batch of refugees.
After the Amur Territory was also shattered, I was spending my days in absolute peace. Even as time passed, I pondered what on earth I had to do to see the true ending of this game. In my memory, the ending came after catching the Demon King, but a new mastermind had appeared even after the Demon King was caught.
Evangeline. A character I had never even heard of. I retraced the game story, wondering if there had been a character with a similar name, but I couldn't remember. There was no one named Evangeline among the Four Heavenly Kings, nor was there anyone with a name like Evangeline among the event bosses that appeared for deeper exploration after catching the Demon King.
Who the hell was she? How was I supposed to investigate Evangeline? The only possible clues were the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings. Excluding that dripping-something-or-other I killed last time, there were currently three Heavenly Kings left. Slothful Lua, queen of the Lamia race; Clinging Lubian, a succubus; and Echoing Cutlass, a doppelganger.
Among them, Clinging Lubian could be met during the Dragon Mountains Quest. She was scheming to shatter the Northern Region by stimulating the dragons in the Dragon Mountains, but considering that Grand Duke Rubicon's level was now well over 30 and Lubian was a weak boss who played around Level 20, there was a high probability that Grand Duke Rubicon had already killed her.
That useless old bastard.
In the game, the Lamia Queen, Slothful Lua, was planning to attack the Western Coastal Region. But considering the news Grand Duke Rubicon mentioned last time and the reports of mermaids causing a ruckus on the western coast, it seemed this bastard had also died at the hands of the mermaids.
Echoing Cutlass, the doppelganger, schemes at the Archdeity Church Headquarters to bring down the Archdeity Church. But considering that Headquarters High Priest Mayhem, the figure Cutlass publicly imitates to carry out this role, wasn't active, it was clear that something had gone wrong with him, too.
The Four Heavenly Kings grow stronger in proportion to the Demon King's power. With the Demon King, their source of power, dead, the Four Heavenly Kings themselves were nothing but bastard demons. We steadily leveled up by hunting and training, but the Four Heavenly Kings only grew as strong as the Demon King did. That's why in the original work, it was impossible to clear the Four Heavenly Kings Quest later, as they all disappeared the moment the Demon King died.
I couldn't help but wonder if the Four Heavenly Kings had all died the moment we cleared the Demon King, or if they had all died away from home after recklessly operating their plans because their levels weren't rising. They were the only clues, but they were surprisingly inactive.
"My Lord. A letter has arrived."
"A letter?"
Aira handed me the letter. I had no idea who it could be from. A letter asking me to come to Grand Duke Rubicon's funeral, perhaps? I let out a dry laugh after looking at the letter's surface. The letter's sender was AA. The surface still had the phrase asking for it to be sent to the Elf Kingdom of Ahildern.
That stupid bitch Erina had chattered on and on, but it seemed she still hadn't told AA how to send a letter to Ahildern. Just because Erina was fundamentally a princess, writing 'To Ahildern Erina' or 'To Princess Erina of the Elf Kingdom' didn't mean it would be sent there. There were so fucking many letters sent that way that they were all just disposed of at the post office level.
Only letters with Elven language written on the surface or an official seal from lord-level personnel or higher could pass through the Ahildern Post Office. Elves and humans interacted, but they were reclusive in these matters. Humans could only enter restricted areas within the Elf Forest and could not access the area known as the 'Holy Land.'
I had no intention of sending this letter to Erina. In the past, I would have had to do it because I could have been killed if I got caught doing such a thing to AA, but now I had the Holy Sword. It was better for me to periodically fuck Erina if AA didn't send her letters.
A scenario was already forming in my head. Erina, growing anxious from the lack of letters, comes to my territory. With a heartbroken face, she sheds tears, and I naturally have sex with her. Just imagining it, I could feel my lower body tense up.
"It's Sir Hero. I wonder what kind of letter he sent..."
I opened the letter. I was curious to see what kind of adventure he was on. Last time, he went to the sea to find medicine that makes a penis grow, so did he go to the western coast this time? He might have even gone to the Dwarf Kingdom to get something like a penis transplant surgery.
- Hello, Erina. With the help of the Grand Duke of the North, I'm here in the Dragon Mountains. I thought that the dragons, being masters of magic, might be able to turn me into a man.
This letter was sent at least a month ago, so the Grand Duke of the North must have been alive then. The north must be in chaos by now; I wonder if AA is still in the north?
- Your Grace, the Grand Duke of the North, is a very kind person. He saw my sword skill and praised my excellent skill, and he often requested to spar with me, saying I needed to build up the practical experience I lacked. The aide uncle also seemed to respect His Grace, the Grand Duke of the North.
What is this, some kind of NTR video? The beginning of the letter was nothing but praise for the Grand Duke of the North. I continued reading the letter.
- I've finished my training, and I'm deeply indebted to His Grace, the Grand Duke, here in the north. Erina, if you happen to meet His Grace, the Grand Duke of the North, later, I hope you can give him a small gift of appreciation on my behalf. I know this is a discourteous request, but there's nothing I can do for His Grace, the Grand Duke of the North, right now.
If Erina sent a gift now, it would only be used as condolence money. I snorted and continued to read the text.
- Come to think of it, Erina. Before I even began exploring the mountains in earnest, I ran into a strange succubus. It seems she had just barely escaped from the Grand Duke's castle. The knight who was showing me the mountain terrain next to me was so surprised that he drew his sword. Was her name Lubian? Something like that?
She was so skinny and had a disheveled appearance of being on the verge of death, but her eyes were those of a demon, fiercely alive. She said this to me, 'I cannot die before I offer my chastity to the Demon King!'
Fuck, a virgin succubus? A virgin succubus? I unconsciously shot up and couldn't help but squeeze the letter. Not just a succubus, but a virgin succubus? It was such a waste. Fuck, if I had known she was a virgin, I would have gone up and raped her. The crime of rape doesn't apply to a succubus. They're nothing but bastard demons.
- She had the eyes of an excellent warrior, but it was insufficient to defeat me. I made sure to cut off her breath for good. Erina, I think a very dangerous guy is hiding in this mountain range. But still, for you, I can go anywhere.
"Fuck!"
Aira looked over in surprise as I shouted. I crumpled up the letter and threw it into the trash can. Then I smiled at Aira again and asked.
"What is it?"
"N-No, it's nothing."
Aira shook her head and focused on her work again. I had no leisure to care about Aira's reaction. I had just heard the sad news that the most valuable commodity in the world had died.
A virgin succubus had died just like that. To kill a rare item like that, that fucking hero bastard. By the way, what was the Grand Duke of the North planning, locking up one of the Four Heavenly Kings in his prison? Perhaps he too was investigating Evangeline under a royal command. I scratched my head and tried to forget the incident the hero had caused.
In any case, the sleeping dragons in the Dragon Mountains do not awaken until the end of the game. There are no dragons among the hidden bosses, and dragons never appear in event quests or additional content. Unlike Eve, this meant there was no chance of AA being caught this time. Besides the dragons, the strongest thing in that neighborhood was Lubian, and Lubian was dead.
AA could slaughter all the demi-humans of the mountains by himself.
"In that case..."
However, AA's letter had made one thing clear. The Four Heavenly Kings were still alive. I didn't know where or what they were doing, but seeing as Lubian was alive, there was a possibility that the other Four Heavenly Kings were also alive. Should I go to the Archdeity Church Headquarters once? Just as I was contemplating this, Robin knocked on the door again.
"My Lord. I have something to report."
It was unavoidable that Robin was always reporting things. All security and public order issues were reported to Robin, the Knight Commander, first.
"Speak, Robin."
"A member of the Beastfolk Tribe is running wild on the outskirts of the territory."
"Beastfolk?"
I couldn't help but raise a question mark at the word beastfolk. But if a beastfolk was running wild, it was a big deal. Without delay, I picked up my mace and followed Robin.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
A beastfolk was there. Sharp claws, pointed ears, and a long tail growing from her buttocks. To be honest, she looked less like a beastfolk and more like a girl who had put on a cat cosplay for her boyfriend on Halloween.
She stood in the middle of the soldiers, extremely wary. A chain, the proof of slavery, was around her neck, and her body was full of wounds. I had the soldiers move aside. As an opening formed in the middle of the soldiers, the beastfolk, who was about to dash through it, seemed a bit flustered when I blocked the opening.
She raised her claws and shouted.
"Cleric! Get out of the way! I'm escaping! I'm going to find my freedom!"
"You, are you a slave?"
"I am not a slave! We are not slaves! Human! Do not call me a slave!"
The beastfolk shouted, raising her claws. I suddenly had a thought. Does the Holy Sword work on beastfolk?