Chapter 15 | The Assassin Pursues His Friend
Epona and Mina’s battle was stunning. It was far beyond human capability. The mere sounds and the way they lit up the sky made it feel like the end of the world.
I’d heard that the latest hero’s growth was stunted from lack of practice, but I nearly laughed at that idea now. Epona claimed she got weaker, but she’s still absurdly strong. She clearly doesn’t need my help. I’d only get in her way.
The sound of her battle with Mina grew steadily more distant. They were moving away from the city. The old Epona would’ve entered a blind rage once she loosed her power and trampled friend and foe alike. Thankfully, she was able to keep her head enough to spare the city. Clearly, she’d made an effort to improve her self-control.
I returned to following the chain of command and spotted something. A sign from Dad. The Tuatha Dé clan typically performed jobs with as few people as possible, but we cooperated with others when the situation called for it. There was a scratch on a house that looked perfectly natural but was actually part of a code my family used to communicate secretly on the scene. It told me to meet up and pointed to the next sign, which in turn would lead me to the next. This formed a trail that would take me to my dad.
I need to make the right choice. If I interrupted my search for Naoise to meet up with Dad, I’d have to start over with tracing the chain of command. I couldn’t imagine Epona losing to Mina, but that didn’t mean I could waste time.
After some consideration, I made my decision. I’ll prioritize meeting with Dad. Cian Tuatha Dé was considered the strongest Tuatha Dé in history until I claimed the title. He had to know what taking up my time in this situation meant, yet he ordered me to find him anyway. He probably knew something I didn’t and judged that information to be critical.
My choice was based on trust in my father.
The signs led me to an abandoned building in a slum. I rapped on the door in the special Tuatha Dé style. It sounded like a normal knock, but we used the pitch and the intervals between each hit to announce that we were friend and not foe. Specific patterns could even convey our present situation.
A sound came from inside, the response bidding me enter. Before I did so, I checked to make sure no one was watching me—including snakes. There were three people in the room. The first was Dad, the second was a muscular man with a splendid mustache, and the third was the corpse of a man who’d become a snake monster.
“Thank you for coming, son,” Dad said.
“I’m glad you’re safe… Though I notice you’re hurt,” I responded.
Dad had lost his right arm. My nose caught the acrid scent of burned flesh. He’d likely burned his wound to close it and stop the bleeding because there was no time for a better treatment. There was no way to reconnect the limb now.
“This is what I get for forgetting that killing is my specialty, not saving people.”
Dad smiled despite his injury. Even now, he maintained his pleasant manner. By stark contrast, the middle-aged man beside him cowered in an apparent mental breakdown. I recognized him.
“I’m amazed you’re still human… Duke Gephis.”
He was Naoise’s father and the lord of this domain. I met him once at a meeting. I assumed he was the first person Mina would want to make into her puppet.
“Why…? Why did this happen…? I acknowledged you as my son, Naoise, despite your impure blood… I tolerated your imperfections… Ugh…,” he muttered deliriously.
Dad spoke for him. “Turning Duke Gephis would have caused him to grow snakelike features. Dukes have many duties that take them outside their domain, and Mina and Naoise wanted to operate in secret until they began the slaughter. They threatened him to keep silent on what was happening here.”
That made sense. They needed a human to interact with the other leaders of the kingdom, so they left Duke Gephis unharmed and threatened him to do their bidding.
“How long has the snake demon had control of the city?” I asked.
“I don’t know exactly. At least a month. She started with House Gephis and corrupted the city from there. There was no stopping her once Naoise turned. The turmoil with you and the Alamite Church also served as a useful distraction,” Dad explained.
Mina and Naoise had planned this very carefully… I was stunned that they’d seized control of the Gephis domain without my or House Romalung’s intelligence agents noticing. Perhaps I’d underestimated Naoise’s capabilities.
“Moving on… Don’t tell me you called me here to save this guy,” I said.
“Heavens no. Do I look like that much of a fool? His life is worthless,” Dad said, balking.
Duke Gephis was stunned. Despite his position, his fate was irrelevant at this point. The corrupted knights answered only to Mina and Naoise, and the duke had long since lost the people’s trust. They wouldn’t listen to him, either. His only use was to take responsibility and give himself up as an example once this was over.
“I interrupted your mission because there is something you need to know. Everything that is happening here—including the snake demon’s fight with Epona and the slaughter of the citizens—is a decoy.”
“…I see. Naoise is already heading for another city with a force of soldiers, then?”
“That’s right. They have been quite wary of you and Epona. Their plan is to cause commotion to pin you both down in the Gephis domain and use that opportunity to create a Fruit of Life elsewhere. Consuming that Fruit of Life will give Mina power surpassing the hero’s. She’s fighting Epona to buy time. Naoise also anticipated that you’d try to find him through the chain of command. Doing so will lead you to a former commander of the Ducal Guard, not to him.”
I shuddered. Had I ignored Dad’s sign, my efforts would’ve been wasted, giving Naoise time to butcher another city and return with the spoils, creating a monster beyond the hero. We would’ve been finished.
“One thing doesn’t make sense to me. How did Naoise lead a force that large out of the city without being detected?” I asked.
“By using a tunnel created by snake monsters,” Dad said.
I recalled the giant serpent I rode on the way to Mina’s estate. It was definitely big enough to burrow a tunnel and transport passengers at high speeds.
“Thank you, Dad. I should still be able to catch Naoise.” That was a close call. Without Dad here, I would’ve definitely failed to stop Naoise and Mina. There was one thing I was curious about, though. “How did you learn all this?”
“He told me,” Dad said, pointing at the corpse of the snake man. “He was the commander of the Gephis Ducal Guard. He maintained his sense of self even after becoming a monster and fought Mina’s control.”
“He learned of their plan because they believed he was dominated.”
“Exactly. He resisted control, told me everything he knew, and died begging me to take care of his lord. His brain couldn’t handle the fight to maintain free will. He was a loyal subject. I liberated him from pain as repayment. That was the only reward he wanted.”
A demon’s rule was not so easily resisted. This man protected his lord while enduring tremendous agony. It must have been terrifying for him. His knightly fortitude deserved praise.
“The entrance to the underground tunnel is in this building. The commander told me that, too.”
“Thanks. I’ll take care of the rest. But first, I have a request for you: Don’t die. I’m not ready to carry all of Tuatha Dé by myself. And also, I’d rather die than try to prevent Mom from remarrying.”
“Hmm. Well, I suppose that leaves me with no choice but to make it home. You stay alive, too. Losing you would destroy Esri, and you can’t abandon your fiancées.”
“You’re right.” That was the last thing I said before I left.
I ran as fast as I could. It was going to be close, but I’d make it. Dad saved me from certain defeat. Now it was time to turn things around. I had to stop Naoise from committing mass murder and from creating a Fruit of Life.
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