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Jeniss and Jeongjae barely avoided disqualification. Jeongjae wasn’t particularly interested in becoming a member of the Imperial Assembly, but seeing how desperately Jeniss needed allies in the assembly, he had no choice but to pull a few nearby nobles into the mix to create a place for himself.

Jeffrey could have obstructed these two, but perhaps fearing repercussions from such prominent nobles, who were already renowned heroes of the Empire, he even supported the two sorcerers’ entry into the assembly.

Jeniss found himself entirely helpless in the aspect of the election, doing nothing but to be at the mercy of circumstances. However, the astute Sally Jeffrey started to sense something strange in the air as she observed the world unfolding around her. Jeffrey didn’t feel that the Harker Clan had simply stepped back. No, in fact, he began to have the feeling that they were preparing for something entirely different.

May. On the day of the Imperial Assembly’s election, Sally Jeffrey discreetly summoned Duke Douglas Koesernis who had just completed his voting at the assembly.

“Did you sense anything unusual at the assembly, Duke?”

“Hm. What is there to sense? The expressions of the royal family don’t look too pleasant. Wouldn’t you agree? Many nobles appeared publicly sporting the Southern Alliance banners. The royal family can’t very well prohibit that.”

Despite how much the royal family disliked the Southern Alliance emblem, they could not impose restrictions due to the fact that the sky-blue banner closely resembled that of Eramenia. In the Audrich Empire, Eramenia was a crucial ally that they could not afford to anger. Banning the use of symbols similar to Eramenia’s banner would pose a diplomatic burden.

“That’s not the issue. Haven’t you gotten the impression that the Magic Tower is oddly prepping for battle?”

“Did you see the Magic Tower, Duke? I wouldn’t know. There’s no law saying we must visit the Magic Tower just because we’re at the assembly. Why would we even go there?”

“Because the Harker Clan has been unusually quiet. Jeniss Harker is not the type to just sit back meekly at such a time. And upon closer inspection, I noticed the Magic Tower beginning to adopt a defensive stance. What on earth is it for? The Demon King’s Army isn’t about to invade here, is it?”

“It doesn’t seem like there’s much reason to ponder. Aren’t you being a bit overly sensitive, Duke?”

“I worry that stories beyond my expectations are circulating behind the scenes, Duke. A serious civil war is not what I intend.”

“The train of Jeffrey’s ideals has set off, Duke. But it doesn’t mean you have the right to stop it.”

Koesernis replied simply, turning his back on Sally Jeffrey. Jeffrey wore a somewhat uncomfortable expression, lowering his head and disappearing from the spot. He never imagined that the Sorceress would plan a coup to seize power simply to rush into the Northern expedition, nor could he fathom that the Grand Sage of the Magic Tower was anticipating this and preparing to counter it.

However, one person—the Hero Walter Hellhound—who visited the assembly that day to extend his fixed term as a council member, noticed that the Magic Tower’s readiness was a blatant warning from Jeniss directed at him.

Jeniss’s message was clear.

‘If you dare to mess around, we are also prepared to respond with force. Even if a crisis of division is triggered, stay put and don’t act foolishly.’

In other words, Jeniss intended to place constraints on Walter’s actions by secretly preparing, fully aware of the threat of Walter’s coup.

Walter, gazing at the spires burgeoning from the Magic Tower, let out a deep sigh.

“If it comes to that, we’ll have to prepare to spill a lot of blood.”

The one person hesitating more than anyone else was Walter himself. Although it was a plan to seize the Audrich Empire prepared in case of unforeseen circumstances, he lacked confidence that it would be successful, doubt about being able to fight the Demon King’s Army afterward, and felt uncertain about whether he could withstand all these situations with formidable mental strength.

Then, suddenly, he remembered that someone he hadn’t seen in a long time was in this city, muttering to himself.

“I should visit Jeongjae after a long time.”

“Were you looking for me?”

At that moment, Jeongjae revealed himself from behind Walter, who was gazing up at the Magic Tower in surprise. Walter nodded with a shocked expression, turning to face Jeongjae.

“Did you use some magic? How did you come as soon as I called?”

“No, I just came to take a look at the Magic Tower. I hadn’t seen this tower in quite a while.”

Although it had been quite some time since the two met face to face, there was no awkwardness between them. They had fought together long enough as members of the Hero Party that their bond didn’t feel that distant.

“Quite an impressive sight, isn’t it, Walter?”

Jeongjae asked, pointing towards the Magic Tower, and Walter nodded.

“I can’t tell who they’re trying to stop with all that.”

“Probably not too far off.”

Walter’s expression hardened upon hearing Jeongjae’s words. He took off the monocle hanging from his face and wore a tired expression.

“Then you also understand the current situation?”

“I’m aware but can’t believe it. Is the situation really that dire? Walter, you know Jeniss isn’t a bad guy. In fact, there are hardly any truly bad people here. Everyone’s interests just happen to be strangely intertwined. I’m not sure how critical Moriarty Machine’s information control is to this whole deal. Let’s find a more moderate solution.”

“Hey, Sorcerer.”

The Hero couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Do I look like someone who would choose extreme measures when there’s an adequate method available?”

“Probably not. Sorry. I’ve known for a while now that trying to persuade you was pointless.”

“You’ve never really asked me why I’ve wanted to dump you. Even if you did, you seemed satisfied when I didn’t answer. What do you think I view you as, Park Jeongjae?”

“I don’t know. But at least I think you’d make better judgments than me.”

Walter fell deep into thought after hearing Jeongjae’s words, sealing his lips tightly. After a while, Walter suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small chunk of metal, placing it against Jeongjae’s forehead.

Jeongjae immediately recognized what it was. Walter Hellhound was pointing the barrel of a revolver at Park Jeongjae’s forehead. Jeongjae was a person who had lived in a world ruled by guns for over twenty years. Having the barrel against his forehead wasn’t exactly a pleasant feeling.

Jeongjae glared coldly at the Hero and spoke.

“What are you doing, Walter? That doesn’t seem like just a toy.”

“You recognize this, right?”

“That’s a weapon used to kill people.”

“It’s something that hasn’t been developed in this world. It belonged to my ancestor.”

At those words, Jeongjae’s eyes lit up with intrigue.

“Really? Is that really the gun of the real Sherlock Holmes? For real?”

“This isn’t the time to be laughing. You said you trust my judgment. After long observation and contemplation, I’ve concluded that you are a significant hindrance to our nation’s victory and humanity’s glory. Therefore, I plan to remove you before you become adversarial to Jeniss Harker. This is how our Empire will win. Can you accept even this?”

Jeongjae fell silent, staring into Walter’s eyes. It was as if he were trying to discern whether the Hero was joking or being serious.

Seeing the utmost seriousness in Walter’s eyes, Jeongjae nodded.

“If what you say is true.”

“Ha.”

“But that weapon would leave a really ugly corpse if it hits the face.”

Jeongjae grabbed the gun barrel and pressed it against his own chest. Walter watched him with a baffled expression as Jeongjae acted.

“If you permit it, my heart is right here, Walter Hellhound.”

“You madman.”

Walter threw the gun hard to the floor in shock. Jeongjae swiftly picked up the fallen revolver, worried about Holmes’s relic getting damaged. The impact when Walter tossed the gun opened the cylinder, revealing how many bullets were loaded.

Needless to say, it was entirely empty.

“Do you know this? I seriously dislike you. After death, there’s nothing left. Some even say that the existence of undead and people like you who crossed over into this world proves an afterlife, but to me, that’s all nonsense. Souls might exist. But they’ll only remain for a very short time. After that, it’s over. They decompose and vanish. As if they never existed in this world.”

“I’ve already died once. In the world I’ve come to, I’ll already be considered nothing.”

“I can’t understand why someone who went through that would even have such thoughts. Don’t you get it? Once you die, it’s over. You should fear that, and you ought to squirm to avoid it, damn it. This is just… unfair. Why do I… why do I have to deal with you…?”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Walter.”

Jeongjae said flatly. Walter raised an eyebrow in incredulity.

“Do you know what you’re apologizing for, Grand Mage?”

“No. But I suppose I’ll learn one day.”

“That’s a very you response.”

Then, a moment of silence passed between the two men once more.

“Park Jeongjae. If a civil war breaks out, this time, please don’t get involved at all. If I must subdue you, I’ll only have to use Rose, and I don’t want to see you and Rose fighting. You’ll probably cause each other serious harm. It’s unpredictable who would win.”

“I’m sorry. I made a promise. She’s my student. While I may not have been a good teacher, betraying a student I vowed to help is simply impossible.”

“Is that so? I’m your friend.”

“You said you really dislike people like me.”

“Yeah, let’s just save the talk.”

Walter chuckled. Jeongjae followed suit, slightly mirroring Walter’s laughter. A strange tension hung palpably between the two, a messy and intricate tension palpable only in a situation where neither could be sure how long they could continue facing each other while forcing smiles.

“Hey, Hero.”

“What is it?”

“Jeniss will find a solution. I just have a feeling that things will play out that way. Let’s wait a bit. There’s no reason for things to go that far south.”

“Okay. Let’s meet again soon. I hope we won’t run into each other as enemies, though. Oh, and keep that gun. You seem to be interested in it, right? From the way you looked at it earlier, it seemed like you wanted to.”

“Oh, really? If you give it to me, of course, I’d be interested!”

It was the gun that Sherlock Holmes supposedly used during the Victorian era. Even someone indifferent to antiques would likely find it hard to dismiss an item like that.

“By the way, I thought it was strange that you used a pseudonym, but is that ancestor of yours, Sherlock Holmes, pretty famous in your world?”

Jeongjae found himself at a loss for words, unable to figure out how to explain it, and simply sent Walter off as he was.

 

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