I Obtained the Final Boss' Power

Chapter 59 : To the Imperial Capital (1)

To the Imperial Capital (1)

Louis and Silia entered the command room to get a precise answer.

When Kelian told them the situation as it was, Silia asked with a suspicious look.

"Is it true that His Majesty the Emperor wants to see us in person?"

"It's not a lie. The message came directly from the person involved."

Kelian gestured toward a bird perched on his desk as he spoke.

Recognizing it as a spirit employed by the Imperial Court, Silia could tell it was no lie.

"Why would His Majesty summon sacrificial soldiers like us?"

"Good question. This is the first time in the Empire's history that expendable tools like you have been summoned."

Kelian snorted at that unprecedented fact. Klein, sitting beside him, wore a troubled expression.

"Then, is this a good thing?"

At Louis's question, Kelian stopped chuckling and straightened his demeanor.

"Hard to say. Since it's never happened before, I have no idea what will come of it."

"But at least you know why His Majesty is calling us."

"Right, I do."

With a playful look, Kelian pointed at Louis.

"I know all too well."

The reason someone of such high standing was calling them was none other than Louis.

To be exact, the Emperor was looking for the person who hunted the Great Devil and returned him to normal.

"Then this is a good thing, right? Isn't it likely he wants to at least express his thanks?"

"As you say, if someone owes a debt, it's only natural to say thanks—at least for an ordinary person."

The phrase "ordinary person" applies only to those with common sense.

Those who lack it cannot be seen positively, no matter how good their deeds may seem.

They are incapable of understanding the concept of goodwill.

"But how many ordinary people do you think there are in the 7th Legion?"

The 7th Legion is filled with people who lack such qualities.

Who would approach a place full of those who deserve to die, out of goodwill?

"And strictly speaking, you weren't summoned specifically. His Majesty is simply seeking whoever took down the Great Devil."

At the time, only forces related to dark magic and the 7th Legion's soldiers were at the scene.

Only the 7th Legion could fight that dark mage organization, which worshipped the demon.

Still, who killed the Great Devil is unknown.

All the dark mage groups and their associated knights who were at the scene were taken out by Louis, Silia, and their squad members.

"There were no proper witnesses; at best, it could only be deduced that the 7th Legion did it. So in the end, the entire 7th Legion becomes the subject of the investigation."

"So, it's not just us being summoned by His Majesty, but the whole 7th Legion?"

That doesn't mean all troops are being summoned.

Only the soldiers from each fortress suspected of having defeated the Great Devil are being called.

"Then this isn't really about calling our squad. They're just looking for the ones who took down the demon."

"And you guys are exactly the ones who did that, aren't you?"

Insisting he'd said nothing untrue, Kelian wiggled his eyebrows. In conclusion, Louis's squad would inevitably face the Emperor.

"But there are a few problems here. Namely, other members of the 7th Legion looking to seize this opportunity."

"An opportunity? Ah..."

Silia thought for a moment, then quickly understood and exclaimed softly.

"Do you think the ones dragged to the 7th Legion want to rot here forever? In this hellish place where you could become a monster's meal at any moment, if a lifeline dropped down, who wouldn't grab it?"

The Emperor himself is looking for his benefactor.

If any of them could become that benefactor, they'd believe they could escape the hell called the 7th Legion by gaining favor.

"It's not impossible, either. A command directly from the Emperor could make it happen."

The 7th Legion is like a prison, but technically not one. Prisons offer concepts like release or parole, which simply don't exist here.

To create such an opportunity, it would take someone like the Emperor.

"I bet all sorts of people will try to prove, 'I'm the hero who hunted the Great Devil'! They'll stop at nothing to do it."

Those desperate to escape will swarm to seize their chance like piranhas.

With their humanity gone like waxed-off fur, what won't they do?

"There's another problem. Will all of them act just for release?"

This whole matter carries risks for the Imperial Court as well. It means criminals of the 7th Legion will step into the capital.

Who knows what those heinous criminals will do with a taste of freedom?

Moreover, citizens of the capital are bound to be uneasy.

Regardless of the shackles, who wouldn't fear murderers living next door?

"If any of them are obsessed with killing, as soon as they breathe the capital's air, they'll be out looking for victims. Those with strange tastes will certainly target children first."

"With people like that around, absolutely strict controls will follow. Far stricter than what the officers impose here."

In fact, many end up back in after a short release.

The upcoming control will be much harsher than any previous time spent outside.

"But what's in this for me if I go?"

Louis, whose participation was already determined, suddenly remembered something important and grew curious.

They were being summoned, but Louis couldn't see a good reason for himself to go.

"Even if they ask for something, I doubt they'd give anything to a 7th Legion soldier, and there isn't even anything I especially want right now."

Even Louis's long harbored desire for revenge on his parents' behalf had been resolved.

Crown Prince Orbel was stripped of his rank by the Emperor for his crimes, and Lord Alber's fate needed no further comment.

"So Louis, is there anything you actually want right now?"

"Of course...it's to control my sanity that could fly away at any moment. Lately, I find myself wanting to break things once a day, completely against my will."

Since fighting the Great Devil, the symptoms had worsened.

The urge, which used to come up every several days, was now hitting almost daily.

Perhaps the urge was triggered by the transformation into a giant form.

In that sense, it was fortunate that Silia and the others had noticed Louis's strength.

Now, Louis could get the treatment without provoking the officers as before.

Whenever the symptoms showed, the spell would be activated right away.

"If it weren't for that, I probably would've gone on a rampage more than once."

In other words, the fortress itself might've been destroyed several times over.

Louis was, after all, the monster who singlehandedly hunted the Great Devil.

Knowing this wasn't an exaggeration, both Klein and Kelian felt a chill.

"Then all the more reason to meet His Majesty."

When Louis asked why, Kelian pointed at his spell and said,

"Actually, his Majesty isn't the only one who contacted us. Headmaster Ferus, who visited before, is also waiting for us in the capital."

"That bal—I mean, the Headmaster?"

Klein's brow furrowed as Louis almost called Ferus bald. Trying to keep his cool, he explained the contact he'd had with Ferus.

"The Headmaster knows about the copied papers you brought him before. He also mentioned there's something to discuss regarding this spell."

The spell had been created by Headmaster Ferus. However, there was a hidden secret involved in its creation.

"Actually, he didn't create it alone. He borrowed the power of some artifact."

"An artifact?"

"Yes, he said it was a failed attempt to create an artifact."

Only Ferus knew the true origins of the spell. This was Louis's first time hearing about its original source.

"And it was the Imperial Court that requested Headmaster Ferus to make that artifact."

"......."

"Is that explanation enough for you?"

It was more than enough. Thus Louis's answer was decided.

"When do we leave?"

*****

Louis was the strongest force of this fortress, and at the same time, a walking time bomb.

It was only natural for Kelian to look after someone like him.

Louis's squad members were also anything but ordinary.

Watching their training after the Stampede, it was clear they'd reached officer-level skill despite being only in their mid-teens at most.

This was a huge opportunity for Silia's squad members as well. At last, they would be able to breathe the air outside again.

"How long has it been..."

Victor, riding in the carriage, wondered if this was a dream.

Even though it was temporary, being able to leave that hell was no common chance.

"It's been forever since I last rode in a carriage!"

"So what? We're still stuck behind iron bars anyway."

Victor made a fuss, but Pram grumbled about their seats.

They rode in the caged rear of the carriage, clearly as prisoners. But there was no helping it—their status hadn't changed.

"Are we really outside? This isn't the demon realm, right?"

Simon was excited to see the clear landscape outside the bars.

After two hours away from the fortress, the demon realm's eerie atmosphere gradually faded.

"What should we do once we're outside? I want a good meal."

"Yeah! Food inside the fortress tastes terrible!"

"I want to fill my starving belly too!"

As the squad members chatted with simple hopes, the carriage window opened.

"This isn't a pleasure trip, understood?"

Klein snapped loudly at them. The squad members quickly quieted down.

Since the magic-related work inside the fortress could be managed by other officers, Klein too could come along.

As Klein said, they were only being summoned temporarily by the Emperor's order.

There was no guarantee the Emperor would show them favor; hopeful delusions would only get them in trouble.

"Louis, train those kids properly. If anyone causes trouble in the capital, we'll all die together."

They weren't heading somewhere just anyone could enter. Strict supervision by Klein was necessary for such an important place.

"Guys, let me ask you a few things before we get there."

As Klein advised, Louis felt the need to check on his squad members.

"So, what do we have to do when we arrive?"

The squad members answered, "Obey and stay under control."

"We'll look for someone strong."

Except for one—Rio.

"......."

At Rio's reply, Louis sighed but moved on to the next question.

"If you see a tasty-looking bakery nearby, what should you do?"

Others said they'd just pass by, but Rio said,

"I'll trade bread for my blood. My blood can be used for transfusions, so even without money, it's a fair deal."

"......."

Louis let out another sigh, then asked the next question.

"What if someone picks a fight with us on the way?"

When others replied to just ignore them, Rio said,

"I'll disable their limbs and draw their blood. Once I've bled them out just enough, I'll give it as a gift to the neighbors."

"......."

At that, Louis grimaced as if chewing a bug and clutched his head.

Seeing how much this bothered him, Rio said nervously,

"Young master, what's wrong? Was something I said incorrect?"

"You really have to ask?"

"But blood is important, right? If someone gets hurt in a fight, we'd have no way to do a transfusion. And to survive, we need to take blood from soldiers at other fortresses, too."

"You think we're going to fight now?"

Just then, as Louis felt a headache, Pram knocked Rio on the head.

"Oww!"

"Are you out of your mind? You can't just draw people's blood!"

Seeing Pram scold Rio firmly, Louis's headache eased a little.

Still, he was just starting to feel like most of the squad was normal, when—

"You shouldn't be taking blood, you should be taking clothes!"

"What?"

"Do you know how few changes of clothes we have? I can't even wear what I have now, it's so smelly!"

"Now that you mention it, I should get a change too."

"Yeah, we can't go around in armor all the time."

Even the relatively sane ones ended up agreeing to that bizarre idea.

"Rio, do you have any spare clothes?"

"All I have is issued armor. But I think it'd be good to at least have some training clothes."

"Young master, you need clothes too, don't you? You can't wear your uniform all the time."

They even pressured Louis to get clothes.

The situation was getting frustrating, and the more Louis understood their reasons, the more annoyed he became.

These kids had moved so far from a normal life that they no longer saw the behaviors learned in the 7th Legion as odd.

Meanwhile, Klein, listening to them in the carriage, muttered with a lost expression,

"This is why we're needed as supervisors."

"I'm truly sorry..."

Silia, seated beside him, wore a similar expression and let out a sigh. Then a thought came to her.

If the kids were like this, what kind of people were coming from the other fortresses?