The Secret Garden (1)

Demon Eye, Roland Barnozant.

In Orcules, where strength reigned supreme, he claimed the position of vice captain by killing his predecessor with a single blow. He was among the most powerful ability users in the organization.

His career was so extensive that I had heard dozens of stories, far too many to recount. But if I had to choose the most recent highlight, it would be this.

The defeat of the Divine Spear, Aynar Pheneline.

It feels strange to say this, but among my early companions, Aynar grew the most, second only to Erwin.

I mean, even back when she was called the Explosive Blade, she was already a member of the Seven Powerful. That alone speaks volumes.

Objectively speaking, Aynar is extremely strong.

And yet, that bastard beat her.

Not only that, he didn’t even suffer any serious injuries.

Above all, he even managed to “capture” Aynar alive.

Achieving even one of those feats would have clearly demonstrated the gap in power between them, but he managed to do both simultaneously.

He’s very, very strong.

Considering he is the vice captain of Orcules, perhaps it should not have been surprising. But to me, it was. After all, my last memory of him was still vivid. He was the one who had nearly died in stunned disbelief when I brought a hammer down on his head.

It had been a surprise attack back then, but even so, it was hard to accept that someone like him had managed to overpower Aynar of all people.

“Jandel… be careful. He uses some really strange techniques…”

Hearing Aynar’s advice, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘…So she can sound this scared too.’

Then again, she likely had no idea what essences Banozant possessed or what abilities they granted him. Naturally, they would have seemed very strange to her.

If I take on the Demon Eye myself, can Amelia and Aynar handle the remaining enemies while also protecting two people?

Tsk… this is going to be rough.

Just as I was thinking that

“Ahem!”

Glasses, the very man who had shaken the resolve of our symbol of peace, stepped forward and cleared his throat. Calling it closer, however, was an exaggeration.

Huh? Why is he picking me out this time?

“You are already surrounded. If you are relying on the Imperial Army, I advise you to abandon that hope immediately. The Imperial Army is currently in retreat.”

“…And?”

“I offer a proposal to you, whose future is already foretold. Lay down your weapons and surrender. I cannot speak in detail here, but the City Lord wishes to meet you.”

So he was just trying to win me over. I turned to Amelia, silently asking who the hell this guy was.

“He is affiliated with the Noark Lord. He has no fixed role and is called in as a problem solver when needed.”

The description was vague, but I understood the implication. Amelia used to occupy that position in the past. Simply put, Amelia now occupied the position she used to hold.

No wonder I didn’t recognize his face.

Still, it was kind of funny. The ones blocking our path were Orcules’s core forces, yet the one trying to win me over was Noark’s lord.

“Well? What is your choice? We can’t wait here forever, so decide now.”

Glasses seemed absolutely certain that I couldn’t refuse.

But after hearing the offer, I had just one impression.

There’s no camaraderie in their group.

My answer was already decided from the beginning.

“I refuse.”

He blinked in surprise. “Huh?”

“Are you deaf or something? I said I refuse.”

The marquis was almost within my reach. The moment I killed him, my mission would be complete. That was the only task the king had given me, and once it was done, my allies and I can escape the blade of the Royal Family.

And he wants me to surrender here?

Is he an idiot?

Even if the Marquis wasn’t there, my answer wouldn’t have changed.
A barbarian only kneels to leap back up. My instincts told me that accepting his offer would never let me rise again.

“I told you so.”

Seeing the bewildered expression on Glasses’s face, Demon Eye clicked his tongue and spoke.

“I told you he isn’t the type to be persuaded by such an offer.”

He seemed certain from the start that the recruitment offer would fail. Perhaps that was only natural for someone who had survived having his head smashed by my hammer.

“A waste of time.”

Demon Eye did not bother to hide his dissatisfaction as he stepped past Glasses. Glasses seemed to grasp his intent and retreated with visible disappointment.

“If neither side is willing to compromise or meet halfway, then there is no point in continuing this discussion.”

“Reconcile? Don’t use difficult words.”

As I tilted my head nonchalantly, the colour of Demon Eye’s pupils began to slowly change. The air grew heavy with the tension of an imminent battle. I tightened my grip on what had once been my weapon and was now the symbol of peace.

“Whew~!”

Suddenly, an out-of-place whistle echoed from somewhere. Once again, I was reminded of how unpredictable this world could be.

“Hey, Mister Vice-Commander!”

Demon Eye was the first to break eye contact, turning his gaze toward the source of the whistle. I followed his lead to see who it was.

And then I saw him:

Platinum blonde hair slicked back in a pomade style. Skin as pale as if it had never touched sunlight, and sharp, cold features paired with an unfitting, mischievous grin.

“I have arrived!”

The walking, talking human variable: Lee Baek-ho. And he wasn’t alone. Behind him, sitting casually with his feet dangling over the edge, were familiar faces.

Rex Aures.

Karui’s priestess, Jayna.

Scholar of Ruin.

And—

‘Who the hell are those guys?’

Dozens of cloaked figures stood tall in ankle-length robes, exuding an ominous presence. Since when did Lee Baek-ho have a faction like that?

It was certainly an impressive display of force, but Demon Eye ignored those behind Baek-ho and stared straight at him.

“What business do you have here…?”

A strange feeling of kinship washed over me at the question. It seemed the vice captain knew as well as I did how unpredictable this brat could be.

“Oh, I just came to watch.”

Demon Eye didn’t respond. He simply stared at the man, as if trying to discern the truth behind those words.

I, on the other hand, didn’t even know where to direct my gaze.

‘I am screwed.’

My last encounter with Lee Baek-ho had been disastrous. Exploring outside the city walls together had been fine, but things went wrong at the end. I got jumped by his group.

My allies had been forced to search for me beyond the walls, only to arrive in time to see the battle’s aftermath.

In the end, I made him kneel.

[I… apologize… for… threatening… the Baron…]

I couldn’t even imagine the level of shame and humiliation he must have felt. He likely held a massive grudge against me. Therefore, he had to be classified as a negative variable in this situation.

“That’s a lie.”

Demon Eye muttered, and Lee Baek-ho grinned broadly and shouted.

“Correct!”

“…State your business.”

“Chilling around and watching you two fight felt like it would get boring pretty fast.”

“Chilling…?”

The Vice Captain didn’t understand modern slang, so rather than explaining the word, Baek-ho cut straight to the chase.

“But starting a brawl when the numbers don’t match isn’t fair, right?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Square off.”

There was no clear logical connection between cause and effect in his method. Nevertheless, despite its simplicity, his meaning was perfectly clear.

“If you don’t want to, we’ll side with Baron Jandel.”

“Are you saying you’ll break the agreement?”

“Yeah.”

At that absurdly cheerful reply, the vice-commander fell silent.

Lee Baek-ho did not miss the opening and pounced on it.

“What is this? Vice Captain, did you seriously put your faith in a worthless piece of paper?”

The petty insults hit their mark, and Demon Eye ground his teeth.

“This is why they say you shouldn’t trust a stray dog that bites anyone…”

“Hey, that’s hurtful. Why am I a dog?”

Despite Baek-ho’s provocative words, Demon Eye quickly regained his composure.

“So what do you mean by ‘square off’?”

“Oh! Guess I should explain that first! Basically, a duel—no, wait. Um…” Baek-ho paused to think, then lowered his voice as if signaling the end of the joke.

“Fight each other. One versus one.”

It almost sounded like a threat, and Demon Eye calmly asked just one thing.

“The reason?”

“Because fights where the numbers don’t match aren’t fun?”

The conversation paused for a moment. Demon Eye seemed to be calculating the pros and cons in his head. I was doing the same, trying to come to terms with this sudden turn of events.

Was Baek-ho a positive variable, or a negative one?

The answer didn’t come easily. Demon Eye and I both knew that Baek-ho’s talk of being bored was a lie.

There was definitely something else he was scheming.

But still…

‘For now, maybe he’s on the positive side…’

That was the conclusion I reached. If Baek-ho had joined in to pressure me, I would have had no way out. The fact that he wasn’t hostile right away was a good thing for me.

Who knows where this will lead, but for now…

“Oh! Come to think of it, I didn’t ask Baron Jandel for his opinion! What do you think, Baron? Is a one-on-one okay with you?”

“I don’t mind.”

“Damn! As expected, Barbarians really are alpha males!”

I made my decision, and a delighted Lee Baek-ho pressured Demon Eye further.

“Then what about you Vice Captain?”

“Why aren’t you answering?”

“Don’t tell me…?”

“Wow, are you actually scared?”

The taunting didn’t stop.

Finally, Demon Eye spoke.

“…If I accept this ‘one-on-one,’ can you promise not to interfere?”

“Eh? A promise?”

Lee Baek-ho tilted his head. He probably hadn’t expected the word “promise” to be brought up when it had just been proven before how meaningless that word was to him.

However…

“Sure, I’ll do it! A promise! I can do it a hundred times!”

“…Then I shall agree as well.”

“Oh, for real?”

Whatever logic led him there, the Vice Captain gave his word to engage in the ‘square-off duel’. Of course, he didn’t actually believe the promise.

What is he thinking?

I was able to grasp the answer, at least vaguely, through Demon Eye’s next words.

“Keep your eyes on them. Do not even think about helping me under any circumstances. Just focus on making sure they don’t interfere. Understood?”

“Yes, Vice-Commander.”

As a wave of realization washed over me, I let out an involuntary gasp.

“Ah.”

So he genuinely believes he can beat me.

At first, my pride was slightly wounded, but soon a smile crept onto my lips.

“This is interesting.”

Changing the way someone thinks is always enjoyable.

All the more so when there is something wrong with their heads.

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