This was before Yasu Tomohiro and the Sixth Cavalry departed from Alionââââ-
â³
Vysis summoned the Sixth Cavalryâs Captain to her office.
Howeverââââ Time has passed, but he still hasnât arrived yet.
With a smile on her face, Vysis just waited on her seat.
A few moments later, a discreet knock sounded on the door.
[Iâve been waiting for you, John Doe.]
The door slowly opens.
However, on the opposite side of the opened doorââââ not a single person entered.
[Thank you for your patience.]
[Oya?]
From where Vysis sat, a voice sounded on her right.
About five raeters away from Vysis, the voice suddenly called out.
[I wonder when you have been there?]
[I guess you would have perceived me if the 5-raeter distance between us had shortened.]
[My, oh my......⪠Youâve acquired another wonderfully strange ability.]
Vysis said in a welcoming tone.
[Iâve called you here because I have something to ask of you.]
[The Faraway Countryâs locations have finally been found huh.]
[Yes, finally. It had been difficult because of the false information and manipulations that the Witch of Taboos spread to spite her defeat...... Sniff...... It has been very difficult.]
[You donât need those crocodile tears when youâre in front of me.]
[How cruel.]
[Anyway, are we to meet up with the Heroic Sword and deal with the Forbidden Race?]
[Whatâs with that tone of yours......? Eh?]
[......Lately, my personality has been so thin that sometimes, people forget that I exist. My existence being thin isnât something that couldnât be helped, so Iâm trying to at least, give my tone of voice some personality.]
[It doesnât suit you.]
[I agree with you.]
[You donât need to do that in front of me, okay?]
[ââââWell then, so be it.]
Maintaining her smile, Vysisâ eyes narrowed like a fox.
[However...... Youâre saying that your personality has become so thin that youâve finally acquired a mysterious ability that prevents people from even detecting your presence unless you get within a certain distance?]
[I would have to focus to activate that ability though.]
[In any case, itâs still a great ability⪠Even so...... What exactly are you? You arenât part of the Lineage of Heroes, are you?]
[I believe Vysis-sama can tell if I have the blood of Heroes flowing through my veins......]
[Yes, Iâm a God after all.]
The Sixth Cavalryâs Captain, John Doe.
No one knows when or where heâs born.
It is unclear if âJohn Doeâ is even his real name.
He isnât a nobleâs descendant either.
He had originally been a mercenary.
Even Vysis herself had a lot of things that she doesnât know about John Doe.
What she does know is that he is extremely strong.
[By the way, regarding the matter about Heroic Sword finding the Faraway Country...... Should we, the Sixth, match our paces with them?]
[Please do so for a moment. Theyâll probably be killing a lot of Demi-Humans. Ahh, what a cruel story this is......]
[Theyâre a group made up of people with warped personality after all. They canât even maintain a sense of unity without constantly having someone to prepare some âfpreign enemiesâ for them...... It must have been troublesome for Vysis-sama too, having to hold unto their reins.]
[The Heroic Sword is generally a bunch of crazy people, so the correct answer is to use their group independently as much as possible.]
[If they enter the Faraway Country, the slaughters will begin, but would that be alright?]
[Sorrowful it may be...... but it canât be helped. Itâs better to regret what you have done than what you havenât after all.]
[I donât think slaughtering the Demi-Humans would be something theyâll regret though.]
Her eyebrows fluttering low, Vysis giggled.
[That might be so.]
[Do you intend to cut down the Heroic Sword at some point?]
[Even though I havenât said anything like that......]
[If itâs your general plans, I could more or less predict it.]
[So, fufu...... Do you think I will do such a thing?]
[......Canât say itâs impossible.]
[Well then, after the Forbidden Race has been secretly taken care of, you Sixth should take the opportunity to dispose of the Heroic Sword.]
[It doesnât sound like youâre commanding us to eradicate the Faraway Countryâs citizen, doesnât it?]
[Whaââ- What kind of cruelty are you saying!? Just killing them would be a waste⪠First, you need to instill an appropriate amount of fear in their minds with the Heroic Sword and Alionâs Thirteen Cavalry...... If we manage them properly, they can be valuable manpower. Letâs manage them just like the other Demi-Humans as much as possible⪠Letâs get along with everyone.]
With a broad smile on her face, Vysis clasps her hands in front of her chest.
His expression not changing at all, John Doe confirmed with her again.
[Would it really be alright to dispose the Heroic Sword?]
[Hmmm...... Iâve always thought they were difficult to use. Thatâs why Iâve been having them operate separately from the others...... Hmmm, but I guess itâs about time to get rid of them. How pitiful, they are......]
[They may be difficult to operate against the Great Demon Emperorâs army, but if itâs disposing hindrances in other countries...... Couldnât they still be used?]
[If we get a traitor from the Holy Alliance, we might still have a use for them but...... hmmm...... Anyway, in the first place, arenât you the one most irritated with the Heroic Sword, John Doe?]
[...................]
[Thatâs why, I thought that this is a good opportunity to get rid of them......?]
[Well..... the Heroic Sword and I are indeed incompatible with each other.]
[Thatâs what I thought.]
[Their goal has always been to eliminateââââ- to âkillâ people. However, it is important to keep people alive...... Even the Demi-Humans were no exception to that after all.]
[Hwaaahhhh......]
Vysis yawned.
[Vysis-sama, for this mission as well...... I would like to request a personal reward.]
[Eh? What reward?]
[Four men and women...... Each should be blessed with good looks. And this is the most important part...... Please make sure theyâre good people. People with a good reputation among their surroundings are preferable. Yes, someone who is well-liked by everyone...... For example, someone who is in an affectionate relationship with someone or who has a happy family.]
[I had a premonition that something cruel is about to happen again...... Uuuu...... My heart hurts......]
Ignoring Vysis, John Doe continued without hesitation.
[I donât like killing innocent good people. Whatâs the use of killing such good people...... Itâs exactly because theyâre good people that everyone likesââââ]
His tone as constant as before, John Doe continued.
[ââââThat makes their depraved appearance look so good.]
Vysis looked like sheâs on the verge of crying.
[Uuuu...... Your tastes are so bad...... John Doe-san, you really are quite wretched...... I scorn those thoughts of yours. Ahh, how frightening...... Couldnât you just ask for a bad person?]
[I donât find anything amusing in seeing the depraved appearance of bad people.]
[N- No way......]
[With all due respect, the idea of âseeing someone not even becoming a shadow of their former selfâ...... is something I really like. The moment when lovers who are in an affectionate relationship with each otherââââ or perhaps, when a family filled with warmth...... sadly crumbles away is something I just canât get enough of. Falling apart, becoming a shadow of their former self...... and sometimes, torturing the both of them and putting the blame on each other...... Even when theyâre that affectionate with each other...... Even though theyâre supposed to be good people...... Iâm sorry, I got too excited.]
[Are you alright? You look really creepy, you know�]
[To tell you the truth...... I also want to see them kill themselves upon the realization of their actions.]
John Doe is a strange man.
One could find a hint of excitement in his voice.
But there wasnât any change in his expression at all.
His tone remained as flat as before.
[Killing them is such a waste. Itâs better to keep them alive and observe the process of their fall to depravity...... and the ending suicide is just the best. Itâs so beautiful. It was the most beautiful moment in the world. Thatâs whyââââ-]
John Doeâs emotionless pitch-black eyes turned to the floor.
[The Heroic Sword arenât beautiful people.]
[Hwaahhh, how scary......]
[Iâve committed mistakes in the past.]
[Your monologueâââ- your story is too long...... Fuwaaahhhh......]
Thereupon, John Doe unusually showed some emotion on his face.
He is biting his lower lip.
[That Dark Elf village...... To the Shanathyris tribe...... Why...... Why did we immediately kill them? That wasâââ just a standard massacre.]
[It would have been wonderful if Anarveil had been there......]
[I was too young...... It was a mistake of my youth. I should have captured them...... and driven them to the point of suicide, or where they wanted to kill their own kind. That was a mistake I regretted and still regret.]
[However, you can just do better next time. People learn from their past experience after all...... Yes, letâs end this conversation now already, okay? I understand what you mean already. I sympathize with you.]
[Vysis-sama.]
[Yes.]
[A Hero.]
[Yes?]
[For my rewardââââ- I would like you to add a Hero from Another World.]
[....................]
[Of course, this would be after the Great Demon Emperor is defeated.]
[Who do you want?]
[Of course, I would really prefer to have Ayaka Sogou...... Followed by Kobato Kashima......]
[I can understand why you mentioned Sogou-san...... but errr, that Kashima-san...... Who was that again?]
[And if itâs possible, the Takao sisters too. It seems like one of them is your favorite though, so I have lowered their priority for now. As for their position in my preferences...... I still havenât been able to determine if theyâre good people or not, so this is still unclear.]
[As for the sisters, weâll see about the situation⪠What about the others?]
[You can add Kayako Suou to that too.]
[......Ahh, thatâs the one close to Sogou-san, right...... Ahh, yes, yes...... Haahhh...... Even so, you are observing them well, arenât you? Were you observing them with that ability to eliminate your presence that you used earlier?]
[Indeed.]
[Ahh, yes, yes ⪠Speaking of Heroes, thereâs this A-Rank Hero named Tomohiro Yasu......]
Vysis informed them that Tomohiro Yasu would be accompanying the Sixth Cavalry.
[I respectfully obey. You can count on us, the Sixth...... By the way, that Fly King Squadron, are you planning to bring them into the fold?]
[Yes. Iâm actually thinking of having them become the replacement for the Heroic Sword. Since they killed the Demon Emperorâs First Oath, they shouldnât be an enemy...... Or rather, they must be allies of the Holy Kingdom of Neia. As long as we donât make a mistake in handling Cattleya Stramius, it should be possible to bring them into my side.]
[Cattleya Stramius...... She was that person who would have been Civit Gartlandâs wife if he had lived, right?]
Hearing his question, Vysis leaned her weight on her chairâs backrest.
[His disappearance really was a great surprise...... I had high hopes for him as a force against the Great Demon Emperor......]
[Was it such a great loss for you to lose the âHumanityâs Strongestâ?]
After a moment of silence, Vysisâs gaze slid towards John Doe.
[For argumentâs sake...... If you were to fight against âHumanityâs Strongestâ, would you be confident that you could win?]
[This conversation again huh. Iâve told you several times already, but I would only know that if I tried...... I also donât intend to fight him......]
[Fufufu.]
Vysis separated from her backrest and slightly leaned forward.
[I donât think youâve said it, not even once.]
[ ? ]
[Youâve never once said itââââ- that âyou couldnât winâ.]
[.......................]
[The difference between Ruin Seal and you from the others is how I couldnât see your bottom point at all.]
[...................]
[Ruin Seal certainly is filled with talent. However, Iâve already started to see his bottom point. He is strong, but not enough to reach Civit. Howeverââââ]
The chair Vysis was sitting on.
Now, no one is sitting on it.
As fast as the blink of an eye, Vysis appeared in front of John Doe.
John Doe, however, didnât flinch.
[I couldnât see your bottom point at all.]
[I think youâre overestimating me.]
[What is it that youâre hiding from me? Iâm very curious. My curiosity wonât let me sleep in the morning, noon, or night. What do you think? Will you please let me sleep already?]
[......Do you know anything about the secret of Civit Gartlandâs strength?]
[No one knows. Not even the Goddess that I am know about it.]
[Could the secret of his strength be that he has some blood of a deity?]
[No.]
[Could he be part of the Lineage of Heroes?]
[No.]
[You really donât know anything?]
[Yesâª]
[Even in Bakuos Empire, the secret of Civitâs strength was a topic thatâs often raised. Among them, there were some particular rumors raised. His parents that were shrouded in mystery...... They were the key to solving the mystery to Civitâs strength.]
[However, no one knows who Civitâs parents are. He is the adp[ted son of the Gartland family. In other words, he isnât related by blood to any of the Gartlands. It is said that Civit lived on his own until Bakuos found him. And...... Iâve heard that Civit himself said that âhe doesnât remember anythingâ about his biological parents......]
[It was said that his...... Civit Gartlandâs motherâs surname was Einherjar.]
(T/N: ã¨ã¤ã³ãã©ã« / Einheraru)
[ ? ]
[Civit was apparently thought to be dead.]
[.......................?]
[That was what Mother herself told me, so I was pretty sure.]
[ââââDonât tell me......]
[He doesnât know it himself, but his original name was Civit Einherjar. And......]
John Doe spoke his identity.
[My motherâs name is also Einherjar.]
[Are you brothers by blood?]
[Not on the same father though.]
This stopped Vysis from thinking for a moment.
Seeing that she started thinking, John Doe stepped away from Vysis.
He began walking towards the door.
[I have no interest in being the strongest. In fact, I was afraid that people would start rumors that Iâm strong. So, I was really quiet when Civit died. Towards himââââ I donât want to fight him, nor do I want to kill him. I just want to bring the good people to a sweet depravity with my own hands, and in the end...... for them to suicide. I donât want us to just kill each other. That was completely an evil deed. And evil deeds are to be done in secret...... And thus, I deem that my existence is useless...... becoming ânamelessâ along with it.]
Hearing his words, Vysis pondered.
If John Doe has a reputation for being strong, Civit will definitely seek him.
He would deem him as âa worthy rivalâ.
Thatâs why John Doe kept on thinning out his presence.
He made sure to thin it out as much as possible.
He didnât want to be found by Civit.
And thenââââ
Some time after the death of âHumanityâs Strongestâ, he realized that he had acquired a special ability that allowed his âpresenceâ to be ignored by others.
He hadââââ suddenly mutated.
Just like Civit Gartland.
As John Doe opened the door out of Vysisâ office, Vysis asked a question.
[Do you think you could have won against him?]
[Thatâs somethingââââ- I would only know if I had tried.]
[Is that alright, Captain?]
[? What are you talking about?]
[The First Cavalry advancing like idiots...... I mean, the rest of the cavalry arenât following them too huh?]
[Just between you and me, Mikhail Eucalion, the Chief Commander of Alionâs Thirteen Cavalries, is a useless commander on the battlefield. His idiocy normally would have been fine, but if Mira is involved, it would be better without them. Alionâs Thirteen Cavalry will show their true potential if each unit moves independently.]
[Indeed, Mikhail is useless.]
[On the battlefield, having incompetent allies could even bring more harm than the enemies.]
[So this is the end for the fellows on the First huh.]
[Iâve agitated them before we left, so it would be obvious that the First would be impatient for success.]
[How scary...... Isnât everything running on Captainâs palm?]
[However, it should have been time for them to ask to hand over the Divine Beastââââ Ladis towards them to open the door, so they should have sent a messenger already......]
[I was supposed to join up with the First earlier, right?]
[There is no point in sending you, the Divine Beast, all the way to a place where there is a high possibility of death. If we lose the Divine Beast, it will be difficult to open the door...... Thus, the best thing to do is to leave it in the hands of the Sixth, which has the greatest war potential. Well, Iâve already given Mikhail a good answer in advance.]
[You broke your promise~~ What a terrible man, you are, Captain~~]
[It will be easier for us to determine our future actions depending on what happens to the First Cavalry, who graciously volunteered to be our vanguards. Theyâre convenient pawns to discard.]
[Even so, donât you think youâre overestimating Miraâs Mad Emperor too much, Captain?]
[If Miraâs Mad Emperor had turned against the Goddess, that must mean that they expected that they had some chance of victory. Thus, they arenât opponents that we should be careless about.]
[Which means?]
[If we can deal with their means against the Goddess here, it would be better if we deal with them here. Itâs also for the sake of the reward.]
[Reward......?]
On the tip of John Doeâs index finger, he was balancing a dagger, directly in contact with its sharp point.
The upside-down dagger, with the tip of the blade as its fulcrum, wasnât moving a bit on his finger.
[âThe Presidentâ...... Among the people I have ever seen in my life, she is a good person of the highest grade.]
[ ? ]
And thus, from the next chapter, we will move to Toukaâs point of view and start Volume 8.
Iâve received two new reviews since the last update. Thank you very much. Also, thank you very much for your reports on the purchase of volume 7.
Also, Iâm a little late in reporting this, but the manga of the story was updated on Comic Gardo right after the end of Volume 7 was posted (the Civit battle is the climax of the story). Please check it out as well.
Now then...... With the introduction and reveal of the character called âJohn Doeâ in this Intermission Chapter, I hope you will continue to enjoy Volume 8.
The next chapter will be the start of Volume 8, which will be updated on June 14 (Monday) around 9:00 pm.
T/N: Only managed to see this today, so I was only able to update now. Might post 244 tomorrow or the day after.