Water Magician-Chapter 630: Duke Helb, Again
Editor: Tseirp
That night Ryo and Abel had dinner in the dining room of the Freedom Breeze Inn.
Their conversation turned to the matter of Grand Duke Atinjo they’d heard about earlier that day.
“Wasn’t it said the Grand Duke of Atinjo collapsed back in his homeland?”
“The Grand Duke is a phantomkin, right? I pictured something like an Akuma or some djinn… but him collapsing makes him sound human.”
“That’s worrying.”
Neither Ryo nor Abel had ever met the Grand Duke.
In fact, because he had been the one to occupy the autonomous city of Kwebasa, they didn’t hold the Grand Duke or the Grand Duchy in any particular affection.
Even so, he was one of the important figures at this conference.
If a man of that stature had collapsed three times and yet still insisted on coming to Kwebasa…
“I hope nothing happens.”
“Abel, that’s a flag…”
They bantered like that and finished their dessert.
As they were leaving toward their rooms at the entrance… someone called to them.
“Ryo-dono, Lord Abel-dono”
They turned to the voice and tilted their heads at the same time.
The name wouldn’t come to mind.
They exchanged a glance, but neither had the answer in their eyes.
Both shook their heads slightly.
Then something snapped into place in Ryo’s mind.
He remembered meeting the person.
He remembered it, but the memory was of a rather bad situation…
(It was a name that felt wrong… cruel? evil? scary? sly? Slu—na… ha! )
“Zlurma!”
Ryo finally remembered the name.
“Yes.”
Zlurma bowed his head.
“Zlurma?”
Abel still couldn’t place him.
“You know, when we raided the embassy… no, when the embassy door opened and invited us in…”
“You can’t hide it now. Oh, that’s the one who was beside Duke Helb back then.”
Abel cut off Ryo’s evasive explanation; the memory returned to him, too.
At that time, Second Secretary Zlurma had had a magic circle carved onto his chest by Duke Helb and faced Abel.
Why was Zlurma standing here now?
“Duke Helb very much wishes to meet you two.”
“Ah— well, we’ve already eaten and honestly we can’t go far…”
“We’ve booked rooms at the inn next door.”
“Oh… all right.”
Ryo’s resistance fell away at once.
Abel simply shook his head in silence.
In the end, they were led by Zlurma to the neighbouring inn.
“Thank you for coming.”
Duke Helb greeted them with that impeccably formal bow of his.
Even when you know it’s coming, it’s impressive.
Even Ryo and Abel felt that.
“We did receive the invitation from the Grand Duchy of Atinjo for this conference, but the meeting doesn’t start until the day after tomorrow, right?”
Ryo complained.
“Yes. Today I’ve come on a personal matter.”
Duke Helb said as he gestured for them to sit.
He launched straight into the subject.
“If I go berserk, I want the two of you to stop me.”
“Pardon?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Duke Helb spared them no preamble and cut to the heart of it; Ryo and Abel were at a loss.
“The method to stop me is to behead me— and pierce the vessel of my soul… stab the heart. That will do it.”
“Sounds like vampires.”
“Do you know any vampires?”
Abel asked without thinking; Duke Helb replied with an amused look.
“When you’re an adventurer long enough, you see all sorts of things.”
“I see.”
Abel answered without much amusement, and Duke Helb nodded.
“We understand the method, but why us?”
“I don’t know anyone else who could stop me.”
“By berserk, do you mean something like what happened at the embassy, where Zlurma’s ability surged?”
“Yes—very similar. My abilities spike… not only my physical power but my power as a sorcerer.”
“No way…”
Duke Helb answered Ryo’s question precisely, and Abel’s shock showed on his face.
Duke Helb was already formidable now—could he really become stronger…?
“At the embassy, Duke Helb drew a magic circle on Zlurma’s chest, right? So do you mean someone will draw one on you and manipulate you to run wild?”
“Yes… exactly. The Phantom King in the Choouchi Empire will draw it, and he will control me.”
“Choouchi Empire?”
“Phantom King?”
Abel and Ryo both tilted their heads.
Those were words they hadn’t expected to hear.
The Choouchi Empire, said to lie at the northernmost edge— was that tied to this?
And the term Phantom King was new to them.
“You two know that my brother—the Grand Duke of Atinjo—and I are phantomkins, yes?”
“Yes, we know.”
“The Phantom King is a being that very rarely appears… once in several thousand years— able to control all phantomkins at will.”
“You say such a thing… that there’s one inside the Choouchi Empire?”
At Duke Helb’s explanation, Abel’s face tightened.
Ryo, beside him, was also silent and frowning.
With all the Eastern Nations trying to coordinate a response, this was extremely bad news.
“By the way… do you know about Demon Kings?”
“A Demon King… like, that Demon King?”
Abel glanced at Ryo.
Ryo gave a small nod.
Neither needed an explanation; they both knew of Demon Kings.
They even knew the current Demon King, Nadia.
Who had somehow married the hero Roman, and lived in the Kingdom of Knightley.
Indeed, in Rune town… next to Ryo’s house.
“When a Demon King raises an army, it can force monsters to obey.”
“The Demon King’s factor…”
Ryo murmured, picking up on Duke Helb’s words.
“You even know about the Demon King’s factor…”
Duke Helb said, surprised to hear it.
“The Demon King’s factor is something that exists within many monsters from birth. When a Demon King raises an army, those bearing the factor are compulsorily bound to the Demon King’s forces—a kind of ‘restriction’ or ‘curse’. Once the factor is activated, it remains active for some time. If the creature absorbs a certain amount of ‘Fragments of God’, it will gradually return to its ground state… which is why Demon King armies must clash with humans…” ＲãΝо𝐛̧
“Ryo?”
“Merlin-san once explained it to me. That’s why in the Central Countries and the Western Countries the conflict between humans and Demon Kings has dragged on for so long.”
Duke Helb nodded inwardly as he listened.
He felt he had chosen correctly in asking these two.
They were unnervingly close to the essence of this world for mere humans… perhaps too close, given their knowledge of Akumas and even Ruri.
“Are you two really human?”
He blurted involuntarily.
“As you can see, I’m human; Ryo, I’m not sure about.”
“What! If you sacrifice me and run away yourself, you’re not fit to be called a human, Abel!”
Abel’s sudden betrayal roused Ryo’s ire.
But of course, they were only teasing each other.
“If you already understand the Demon King’s factor, this will be quick. Simply put: the relation between phantomkins and the Phantom King is similar.”
“So if the Phantom King wishes it, phantomkins have no choice but to submit?”
“That’s what happens. However, phantomkins with strong will can resist that compulsion. Especially magicians and sorcerers.”
“So… Duke Helb, you might be able to resist?”
“Yes, there’s a possibility. But just in case…”
“You’re asking us to be prepared.”
Abel settled deeper into his chair after saying that.
To stop a berserk state— the method being beheading and piercing the heart.
A request to take another’s life.
It wasn’t a simple favor.
Still…
“All right. We’ll accept.”
Ryo agreed.
“Hey, Ryo—”
Abel was surprised.
“Abel, there’s no other choice.”
“I know that, but…”
Abel was taken aback by Ryo’s unusually quick decision.
Of course, Abel knew too.
There was no other realistic option.
“I don’t like the idea of feeling the sensation of chopping someone’s head off.”
“That’s the same as you telling someone they’re fired.”
“Yeah, I don’t get it.”
In the end, Abel accepted as well.
“All right. We agree.”
“Thank you.”
Duke Helb rose and expressed his gratitude with that perfect bow.
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