Reincarnated as the Mastermind of the Story Volume 2 Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Silver and crimson

The next morning.

(Seriously, what in the world is going on?)

Since leaving the fortress, Ren had thought about it countless times: who, and for what purpose, could have created this situation?

(The flames on the suspension bridge were targeting Miss Ignat… at least, that’s what I think. If that's the case, then it seems that the whole disturbance with this final exam might have been aimed at her.)

In that case, the cracks must have formed before the examinees arrived in this area.

At the very least, someone had schemed this before the magic ship arrived.

The principal, Chronoa Highland, would have been targeted during his absence, and those with enough power and wisdom to target such a prestigious institution must have been involved.

However, Ren had no knowledge of this disturbance in his mind.

If such a commotion had occurred, he should have been able to gather information about it in the game.

(Wait, the premise is different.)

It was only natural that he didn’t know about this situation.

In the story of the game, Fiona had already passed away, and there was no event to save her.

It was necessary to approach this from a different angle.

For example… yes.

(By taking Fiona Ignat's life, there are those who would benefit.)

Ren recalled the people he had thought of recently—those wishing for the resurrection of the Demon King.

Perhaps they were the ones who intended to kill Fiona, and cause a disturbance to make Marquis Ignat distrust Leomel.

(What I don't understand is, even if they were involved, it's strange that they could create the current situation in the Baldor Mountain Range.)

The harsh environment of the current Baldor Mountain Range was unlike anything in the game.

Within a few days, the white silver peaks would be completely covered by red-black lava.

However, if they could create that situation, they should have done the same in the game.

(Marquis Ignat should have done that as well.)

That way, the interference from the heroes in the legend of the Seven Heroes wouldn't have happened.

Marquis Ignat would have revived Asvar and shown his fangs toward Leomel.

Still, it seemed that Fiona's existence was somehow related to all of this.

Ren looked back at Fiona, who was walking half a step behind him.

"Miss Ignat, there's something I'd like to ask."

"Yes. What is it?"

Though she was fatigued, Fiona smiled and answered Ren.

"You were attending to the fallen people at the fort, right? What kind of skill were you using at that time?"

"U-um..."

Ren noticed that Fiona hesitated, and he suddenly realized.

"I'm sorry. It must be difficult to tell me about your skills."

He regretted asking out of curiosity.

"I'm really sorry… My father told me not to teach anyone about them…"

Though Fiona showed some reluctance, she seemed to feel guilty about not answering Ren.

However, she prefaced her words and then said,

"Besides the ice magic I showed, I also have the ability to interfere with others' magical power."

What Fiona shared was a skill Ren had never heard of.

"So, you were healing the adventurers' broken vessels with that?"

"That's correct. ...I only wish I could suppress my own vessel breaking with it, but it didn't work on my own body."

Ren nodded, intrigued, and as they continued walking, he pondered.

Fiona possessed a special power, and it was possible that it was connected to this disturbance.

But,

(The mastermind couldn't possibly have known about Miss Ignat's skill──── or at least, it feels wrong.)

For example, if the fallen adventurers had been part of the mastermind's scheme and were meant to play an important role in targeting Fiona, having her nurse them would allow them to stay in the Baldor Mountain Range longer.

This could be part of the mastermind's plan, but something about it didn't sit right.

(They could lure the examinees to the fort, but if their goal was just to kill them, they wouldn't go through all this trouble. Miss Ignat remaining at the fort to heal wouldn't have been certain.)

That was something Fiona had chosen herself; it wasn’t something someone had forced or asked her to do.

Given that, the meaning of slandering the adventurers who were protecting the merchant was unclear.

If the adventurers and examinees hadn't met, it would have been completely pointless. Considering how the adventurers had ended up in such a state, it seemed like the mastermind thought it was necessary.

They might have had some purpose, planning to kill them after arriving at the fort, or maybe they had intended to kill them before reaching the fort but were prevented from doing so for some reason...

If that wasn't the case, everything would seem mismatched.

But then Ren suddenly had a thought.

(────)

He was impressed with his own sharp thinking and looked up at the sky with a wry smile.

He too had been led here, just like the others.

The small inconsistencies seemed to connect, and he had arrived at a possible truth.

"I've just realized something I'd like to share."

Ren turned to Fiona and called out to her.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

After advancing for a few more minutes, Fiona stopped and lowered her head.

She placed her hand on her neck and chest, trying to catch her breath. Ren couldn't understand what was happening, but she looked terribly out of sorts, breathing heavily.

"Are you okay?!"

"Ah, haha... I'm sorry. I might just be a little tired."

She forced a smile, but large beads of sweat were visible on her forehead.

In fact, she herself thought that the change in her physical condition was just due to fatigue, and she couldn't offer any further explanation.

Just as she tried to gather herself and continue walking,

"Both of you! I've been worried!"

From behind a tree covered with snow, the werewolf Meidas appeared.

(────I knew it.)

Meidas approached Ren and Fiona with a genuinely relieved expression.

However, as soon as he took a step forward, Ren took a step back.

Ren kept his eyes on Meidas while stepping back, making sure to protect Fiona.

"…Just as the adventurer said."

"Make sure you don't leave my side. And leave the response to me."  

He had told her this morning, "I have something I need to talk about," and shared his concerns about the current situation.

On the other hand, Meidas opened his mouth in surprise.

"W-what happened?"

"Do I need to explain the reason for you to understand?"

"What are you talking about? Could it be that you have some concerns because the rescue was delayed? If so, I truly apologize—"

Before Meidas could finish his sentence, Ren cut him off.

"You really managed to gather some conveniently obedient merchants."

Ren readied his iron magic sword and adopted a battle-ready stance.

Seeing this, Meidas came to a stop, looking resigned.

He still maintained his gentle demeanor.

"As expected. You seem to be sharper than I imagined."

A lecherous grin appeared on Mridas's face, which had previously been calm.

Both Ren and Fiona felt disgust and clear hostility toward that expression, and they tensed, focusing all their energy into their stances.

"Are your collaborators also behind these obedient merchants?"

Meidas showed his white canine teeth and replied with a cheery tone.

"Ah, of course."

"I thought as much. The steel-eating gargoyle moved its lair because it ran out of food, didn’t it? You set that up too, didn’t you?"

Ren continued, "You wanted to test how much I could fight, didn't you?"

"Half correct," Midas replied. "The truth is, if you had died, that would have been fine too. If you had died, I could have immediately used your death to stir up the commotion regarding the Given Viscount."

"Weren't you thinking of attacking me from behind while I was fighting?"

"At that time, there was a woman dressed in a robe, right? I mistook her for your bodyguard, someone sent by Marquis Ignat. So I decided not to act. In the end, I couldn’t figure out who she really was, but if she wasn’t, I should have acted then."

It seemed he had been waiting for an opportunity to strike when Ren was distracted, biding his time for the right moment to kill him.

"It was the right decision to take my time until now. Thanks to that, I was able to involve you as well."

Though Ren found this irksome, he couldn’t help but think in his mind:

(Everything is starting to make sense.)

If Ren had died fighting the steel-eating gargoyle, his corpse would have been used. Since only Meidas and a few young, inexperienced adventurers knew Ren was fighting there, it worked out perfectly.

(They probably planned to kill all the young adventurers too, and say that I was kidnapped and murdered by some noble or their subordinate.)

Meidas would have used Ren’s death to resurrect the Given Viscount's conflict, and if rumors spread that Ren had died as part of a revenge plot by the Hero faction, it could have easily escalated into bloody factional infighting involving both the Clausel and Ignat families.

Perhaps even Lisha, despite being a saint, could have been driven by revenge.

And if Fiona’s life had been taken in the Baldur Mountains, it would have inevitably caused a massive split in the Leomel Empire.

"So, you intentionally lured me into the Baldur Mountains because you planned to kill me there?"

"That’s right. Originally—"

"Your partner was supposed to deal with Miss Ignat first, then kill us both after cutting off the bridge, right? If I had taken the initial request, it would have just happened in a different order."

Meidas’s eyebrows twitched slightly as he listened.

"But that didn’t happen. Your partner collapsed for some reason, so you had to change plans."

"...You really are sharp."

"You didn’t plan for what happened on the bridge, did you?"

"Then was it you, or was it the girl you’re protecting? How did you do it? That made it so difficult to find you."

"Well, who knows?"

Ren was now certain that Meidas hadn’t known about Fiona’s power.

His main goal had always been to take Ren and Fiona’s lives.

It seemed that Meidas didn’t have the power to influence the Baldur Mountains’ dormant volcano or create the deadly pillars of fire.

There was something else in the Baldur Mountains. This was now proven.

"What happened to your partner? Is he still lying there?"

Ren asked, and from behind the trees, Kai appeared.

"Thanks for worrying."

Ren noticed him and shifted his body to protect Fiona.

"I also have something to say to that woman over there. I can’t forgive her for making my body act up because she got too close. But thanks to her care, I became interested in her power."

Ren only knew that Fiona’s power could affect others' magic. Kai’s words implied that her presence was the cause of his strange symptoms.

Of course, the other adventurers and the obedient merchants had experienced the same.

"She was about to have us kill the examinees, but that girl..."

Kai continued in an irritated tone.

"I still remember it. When I saw that girl, I was overwhelmed by pain I’d never felt before. Because of that, I had no choice but to return to the fortress."

Meidas sighed as he spoke.

"Kai and I were supposed to kill you, but when we arrived at the bridge, Kai hadn’t shown up. I was really surprised when I got back to the fortress and found him collapsed. Thanks to that, I had to rethink the plan and wait for my partner to recover. What a hassle... everything’s been ruined."

Kai had been supposed to light the signal fire to lure Ren, but ironically, it had become a distress signal.

As a result, the plan to lure Ren remained unchanged, but Meidas was left quite surprised.

(The obedient merchants and their agents were really just being used.)

Before leaving Clausel, Ren had already confirmed whether the merchants truly existed and if their agents were genuine. If they were fake, it would have been strange.

Lishia had mentioned that the owner of the store she frequented had a familiar face, so it was likely true.

This meant that there were powerful people involved in Kai and Meidas’s scheme.

(——Well then.)

Having learned so much, Ren silently confirmed in his mind.

The fact that Meidas and Kai were involved in schemes that touched not only factions but the entire nation left Ren with no other options.

From the corner of his vision, Kai carelessly drew his sword.

"And so, there’s been a change of plans. We need to confirm the power of Fiona Ignat—"

Meidas also drew a sword with one hand and a staff with the other.

However, both stopped their movements the instant Ren spoke.

"Somewhere on your bodies, the mark of the Demon King cult must be engraved, right?"

Suddenly, the two of them froze, as if their entire bodies had turned to ice. Watching them, Ren continued,

"The power connected to the Demon King ran wild due to Miss Ignat's influence. The one who first caused this runaway power was Kai, and it spread to those around him. That’s the result."

Both Kai and Meidas lost their words at the same time.

(So Meidas didn't show any signs of change because his gear had magical defenses, huh?)

Ren guessed that the reason Kai was fine now was due to his change in equipment.

(…Then again, this is the first time Ren's said this out loud.)

Until now, Ren had avoided direct references, usually alluding to the resurrection of the Demon King or similar matters. He likely avoided saying it because, consciously or unconsciously, he didn't want to strengthen the connection. But when Ren finally said "Demon King cult," a single bead of sweat traced down his cheek.

"Adventurer!? The Demon King cult…!?"

"I only knew rumors, but it seems that’s the case. Literally, they're people who align with the Demon King."

Honestly, Ren had hesitated to say that. If it were just to show off his knowledge and enjoy the surprised reaction, he would've avoided it. But for Ren, it was crucial to understand who or what had caused this chaos, to investigate their motives. After all, it was all for figuring out how he should behave moving forward.

It was also a form of retaliation to stir up the other party's confusion.

"It's not just women. We’ll need to bring both of you back."

"If you know, don’t kill them, Kai."

"Leave it to me—here I go!"

Kai charged forward, swinging his sword high toward Ren.

Just by watching, it was clear that Kai held a different kind of strength compared to the other adventurers from Clausel.

Ren, wielding his iron magic sword, instantly understood the situation and stood in the way to protect Fiona. At that moment, an overwhelming sound filled the air.

Lava flows surged with intensity, and seemingly affected by it,

"…Huh?"

Fiona, who had been hiding behind Ren, trembled violently, suddenly collapsing to the ground. She hugged her upper body with both arms, breathing rapidly in an irregular pattern.

As the lava increased in intensity, it seemed that Fiona’s condition was worsening as well.

"Why… now…?"

Fiona finally collapsed, struggling to breathe in pain.

(Could it be… her vessel cracked!?)

Since she had participated in the final exam, Ren had assumed her illness was either fully cured or nearly so, but it seemed it had relapsed.

Ren looked at Fiona with concern, but before he could act,

"Sorry! In this situation, I can't hold back!"

"We’ll also have to ask you about that mysterious power later!"

How strong were these two closing in on them? Ren didn’t have time to think about it, focusing solely on defending with his shield and magic sword.

Ren's magical shield, which he had created, was shattered almost instantly. The force from the duo was that strong.

Even though there were two of them, their power was more than enough to surpass that of the steel-eating gargoyle.

It wasn’t looking good for Ren, but he didn’t give up and kept fighting.

While maintaining his defense with the newly created shield, Ren swung his iron magic sword, unleashing multiple sword slashes.

"Damn! What a troublesome skill!"

"Heh, but it won’t last long!"

"Of course! It can’t be used repeatedly!"

As they said, Ren’s magic would eventually run out if the battle continued.

"Kai! Finish it!"

Meidas roared.

Kai, a bit further from Ren, raised his sword, smirking.

"Ever seen my swordsmanship, Hero?"

Kai's sword began to glow with a white light.

At the moment Meidas shattered Ren's shield, Kai's sword struck toward Ren.

"This…!"

Ren quickly braced his iron sword sideways to defend, but the magical power enhancing Kai's sword sliced through his own abilities, draining Ren’s physical strength.

Ren's stance faltered.

"Ha… ha…"

Ren struggled to catch his breath, his hands trembling with fatigue.

"You… a follower of the Demon King cult, and you know holy sword techniques!?"

"Huh? What’s so boring about that? You knew?"

Of course, Ren thought, grinning defiantly.

Holy Sword Techniques—Lightfall.

It was a technique that wrapped magical power around a sword, weakening the enemy's magical defenses and dealing damage. It was handy, and Ren remembered using it several times during the game days.

(So he’s at least a sword master!)

A sword master ranked just below a sword saint.

Lightfall could only be used by a sword master, so Kai was clearly a swordsman of that caliber.

No wonder he was so strong, Ren thought, wiping the sweat from his cheek.

They were planning to carry out their mission with just the two of them. They were strong, after all.

"Meidas! One more time!"

The situation was clearly worsening. Ren knew that if he continued using his shield, it would eventually be shattered again, and it wouldn't be long before that strategy ran out.

He needed to come up with another way to use the wooden or Plunderer's magic swords if he was to protect Fiona.

Just as Ren was lost in thought,

"…Huh?"

He felt an unusually sharp heat on his cheek and immediately looked around.

"Are you looking away, Hero?"

"If you’re giving up, just say it! That way, you won’t get hurt!"

As the two of them closed in once again, the burning heat intensified.

Ren, though pushed to defend, remained alert to the strange energy.

"Time’s up now—go take a nice nap!"

As Kai roared, A violent wind swept through, a flame-colored gust.

The lava’s intensity increased, but in addition, a sudden flame wind blew Kai’s body away, sending him crashing to the snowy ground.

"What was that!?" he muttered angrily, trying to stand, but his footing faltered.

From beneath his feet, a fire pillar surged upwards with an intensity that seemed to pierce the sky.

"…What is this—?"

Before Kai could finish speaking, his figure vanished from sight. Literally, he disappeared from this world.

Consumed by the flames, nothing remained at the spot where the fire pillar had been.

"Kai…? Where did he go…?"

Meidas stood stunned beside Ren, but Ren paid him no mind as he quickly lifted Fiona.

They couldn’t stay here.

In the midst of the rapidly changing situation, Ren remained calm as he protected Fiona, quickly distancing himself from Meidas.

The earth around them erupted with magma, and fire pillars sprang up, striking at Midas.

"This flame… no way…!"

Meidas realized something and looked at Ren’s retreating figure, trying to follow, but the path ahead was blocked by flames. All directions were now filled with searing heat.

"…"

It was the prelude to the appearance of an overwhelming presence.

Meidas, realizing just how insignificant he and Kai were, couldn’t help but mock himself.

As the flames began to engulf him, he thought about what it meant to be someone who had no choice but to be a mere pawn, even as a follower of the Demon King.

For example, those who were destined to leave a legendary name, those beings who were simply beyond his reach.

Everything vanished in an instant, as though it was all just mist. His mind cleared in his final moments, and Meidas chuckled bitterly as he understood Fiona's power.

"That’s why she attracted monsters and threw everyone’s magic into chaos."

The last thing he saw before he perished was an endless expanse of crimson.

"…So she had legendary power, after all?"

As the blinding crimson engulfed his vision, he died without feeling pain or heat.

The fire pillar was the crystallization of heat beyond human comprehension.

---

ToC

Volume 2 Chapter 14