Ending Maker

Chapter 20: Devil's Hand (1)

I’m back! Let’s start the first big arc of the series!

Terms used in this chapter (in case you didn’t know):

Oppa – what a female calls her biological older brother. It can also be used to call a male friend older than her within the boundary of 10 years.

The schedule went smoothly.

It’s been three days since the fairies’ night banquet.

In the carriage running towards Langesthei, Jude kept his eyes slightly open and looked at the front.

Cordelia and Dahlia sat close together, chatting in small voices.

‘They look like real sisters.’

He already knew that in Legend of Heroes 2, the relationship between the two were more than an escort warrior and an escort target. However, seeing it in reality now feels new to him.

‘It’s a relief.’

Cordelia wasn’t the only one worried about the troubles she continuously caused to Dahlia ever since the daytime runaway.

Back then, Cordelia had said this in his presence with a tearful face.

“What should I do if Dahlia hates me?”

It was her Cordelia self that was more than her being Yellow Storm too.

For Cordelia, Dahlia was not just an escort but a real older sister.

She thought of what she should do if she was hated by such a person.

‘It’s a huge relief.’

Dahlia forgave Cordelia again this time. Of course, Dahlia was not an infinitely virtuous person, so she scolded Cordelia properly this time.

Recalling the image of Cordelia who was laughing after being scolded, Jude unwittingly smiled and turned his eyes to the side at that moment.

“Ufufu.”

Jude’s exclusive maid, Maja, was like a real older sister to him.

She was curiously watching Jude looking at Cordelia, and her elegant smile was reminiscent of the Fairy Queen.

She seemed to be holding back what she wanted to say.

‘Don’t talk to me, don’t talk to me.’

He could almost tell what she wanted to say.

Jude turned away from Maja’s gaze and closed his eyes.

And twenty minutes later, around the time Jude was blinking and about to fall asleep…

“Miss, we have arrived. This is Langesthei!”

Dahlia’s bright voice suddenly woke Jude up as he opened his eyes and looked around. Cordelia was sticking her head out of the carriage window.

“Wow, it’s real!”

It was Cordelia’s first time in Langesthei.

Of course, Yellow Storm had gone in the city back and forth dozens to a hundred times, but just as how Jude felt when he saw Cordelia and Dahlia, there was also an insurmountable gap between the game and reality for her.

“Young master should look too.”

When Maja suggested it, Jude rose from his seat pretending he couldn’t win against her and stuck his head out of the window on the other side.

“Wow.”

It was just as he saw in the game, but in a much grander and more realistic form.

The symbol of Langesthei was the huge gate with the 10-meter tall knight statues on the gate’s left and right.

People filled the wide road that could fit a couple of carriages at the same time.

At the sunlight that broke and scattered throughout the city, Jude took a deep breath.

‘Langesthei.’

It was the beginning city where Jude and Cordelia’s main scenarios started.

It was the same this time.

The form and timing were a little different, but the journey to create a new ending will also begin in this city.

‘Ah, I think I can hear the BGM.’

When you arrive at Langesthei back in the game, the merry theme song of Langesthei would then be playing.

As he came back to his seat casually humming, he heard Cordelia humming as well.

‘Hey, you too?’

‘Hey, me too.’

No more words were needed.

The two exchanged glances and laughed at the same time. Maja and Dahlia who were watching them were puzzled, but they eventually smiled pleasantly.

***

“First of all, I have to sell my father.”

No, this was not a conversation about human trafficking.

It was a measure to stop the Devil’s Hand.

Jude had prepared an operation that was divided into three stages.

As soon as he arrived at Langesthei and took up quarters, instead of lying down, resting, or going shopping in the commercial district, he led his entire party, except for Maja, to the Knight Order’s headquarters in the center of the city.

‘The Order of the Blue Lion.’

The 12 families, led by the margrave, Count Hr?svelgr, were practically self-governing the north, but that did not mean it was an independent area of the kingdom.

In cities like Langesthei that do not belong to any of the 12 families, knights dispatched from the royal palace were in charge of public security.

“I’m the second son of Count Bayer, Mr. Jude Bayer. I would like to see the knight commander.”

“Yes?”

They were in the lobby of the building which was like that of the large top branches rather than the headquarters of the Knight Order.

Everyone was bewildered by what Jude had said in front of the squire, who seemed to be handling various applications.

“Young master?”

When Jun asked quietly, as if to replace Maja who was left in their lodgings, Jude raised his hand a little and explained it to the squire.

“My father, Count Bayer, wrote a letter to the knight commander. He told me to deliver it myself.”

When Jude spoke with a low voice, the squire of a similar age to him was surprised.

The name of Count Bayer, one of the ten swordmasters of the S?len Kingdom, was a magical word that made the hearts of swordsmen jump, regardless of their nationality.

However, that Count Bayer had said that he had asked his son to personally deliver the letter, so it was enough to let Jude meet the commander without an appointment.

“Please wait for a moment.”

The squire hurriedly got up and went inside, and Jun asked again.

“Young master, was this a secret order of the Count?”

“It’s not to the point of secrecy.”

Jude said with a smile, and Cordelia tried hard to conceal her uneasy expression.

“Please come in. He said he would meet you right now.”

When the squire came back and spoke, Jude took a small deep breath and turned towards Cordelia.

She was the only one here who knew the truth, so she asked with an eye gesture.

‘Can you do it?’

‘I can do it.’

It was just the beginning.

The determined Jude told the party to wait and then followed the instructions of the squire to the knight commander’s office.

***

The story was simple.

Count Bayer accidentally bumped into a group of demon followers on his way back from the expedition, which resulted in the discovery of a document.

It was a cryptographic document, but when interpreted, pointed to a specific place in Langesthei.

“There was nothing else except for a listed place, so perhaps it’s got something to do with the demon followers.”

The Blue Lion’s commander, who was a typical middle-aged knight, Sir Barua nodded at Jude’s words.

He had always respected Count Bayer, and because the count was entangled with the demon followers, which can be said to be the kingdom’s enemies, it was necessary to search that place.

“Well, I understand. I’ll try to move as soon as possible.”

“Thank you. By the way…”

“What is it?”

“There is something I would like to ask for.”

“Tell me.”

“It’s an immature story, but can I come with you?”

“Mr. Bayer?”

“Yes, I’m ashamed to tell you, but I’ve always been in the house because of my illness, Gueumjulmaek, so I’ve never been involved in a proper family affair. So…at least, I would like to participate in this work that my father entrusted to me. What’s more, it’s the Order of the Blue Lion which my father usually praised in many ways, so I think I’ll have a lot to learn…”

As Jude spoke in an earnest tone, he caught a glimpse of Sir Barua’s reaction, which was not bad. Especially in the part where Count Bayer praised the Order of the Blue Lion, the corners of Sir Barua’s mouth was raised.

Of course, if Cordelia was here, rather than focusing on the illness, she would have commented on how good of a scammer he was.

In any case, Lord Barua hid his delight with a cough, and opened his mouth again.

“Hmm. But Mr. Bayer, it can be dangerous.”

“Yes, I will take the risk. Of course, if it gets really dangerous, I’ll take a step back with Count Bayer’s and Count Chase’s knights so that I won’t cause trouble for the Order of the Blue Lion.”

“Ah…indeed, there was a social gathering of the 12 families.”

Sir Barua nodded as if his thoughts had gone crazy over hearing Count Chase’s name too.

“Okay, I’ll allow you to accompany me. But like you said, you should just follow us. Do you understand?”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you very much.”

When Jude smiled broadly, Sir Barua also smiled pleasantly. Having a connection with Count Bayer in any way was quite a pleasure for any warrior.

After two hours has passed.

“Let’s start!”

“Oooh! In the name of the Blue Lion!”

If this was Korea, it would have had to go through complicated procedures such as getting warrants, but not in the S?len Kingdom.

Members of the Blue Lion, led by the knight commander, Sir Barua, rushed into the building located in the suburbs. Soon, the sounds of fighting, including yelling and screaming, were heard loudly.

The knights of Count Bayer and Count Chase, who came all the way here, were somewhat embarrassed, but their eyes changed when the knights began the battle.

“Do you think it will work out?”

“It will work out.”

As they watched the start of the operation from quite a distance, Cordelia asked in a whisper.

In fact, the most important thing was from now on.

In Langesthei, the Devil’s Hand gathered in twelve places.

Because more than a hundred people could not be gathered in one place, they were divided into small groups to lie low.

It was only one place that the Order of the Blue Lion raided.

‘I only know the locations of six more places.’

The game did not reveal the locations of all 12 places.

‘The problem is how to deliver the locations of the six more places I know.’

Of course, there was a way to give out the other six locations, saying that Count Bayer found them in some documents, but there were some problems.

It was strange that Count Bayer did not immediately give out all seven locations. And the documents that were obtained unexpectedly contained not only the gathering locations but also the information of all the key members of the attack. All of that would seriously feel out of place.

That’s why he prepared this.

“It seems to have been sorted out.”

Jun said when the sound of fighting inside the building stopped.

Now that they were going to start searching the place in earnest, they had to move as well.

“Let’s go in too.”

Cordelia followed Jude as he declared and strode in, and the knights followed them after a moment’s consideration of whether to dissuade him or not.

‘Okay, let’s start.’

The inside of the building was bizarre, unlike the outside that looked fine. It was because of the symbols and ornaments of demon worship scattered everywhere.

As the Blue Lion scoured around the building for more information, Jude slipped in and spotted a box that looked adequate, so he winked at Cordelia.

‘Now?’

‘Now.’

When Jude sent her a sign, Cordelia suddenly placed her hand on her forehead and pretended to stagger.

“Aaah, dizzy…”

“Miss?!”

“So-sorry. I’m a little dizzy…”

It was a performance that was close to reading a Korean language book as usual, but the effect was good anyhow.

This is because not only their group but also the knights around them were looking at the beautiful and fragile Cordelia, who was dizzy at the sight of the devil’s bust.

And in the meantime, Jude quickly moved his hand. As soon as he opened the lid of the box, he lifted up the documents he had brought in his pocket.

“Sir Barua! I think I found something!”

When Jude shouted, Sir Barua and his aides who were looking around the place rushed to him. The same was true of Jude’s party.

“I found these in the box. I think it’s some important documents.”

Sir Barua received the documents that Jude presented. His expression hardened immediately and then nodded his head.

The documents contained information on important members as well as other gathering locations of the Devil’s Hand in Langesthei.

“Did it help?”

“Of course. It was a great help. Your father will be happy too.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Jude breathed a sigh of relief with a bright face at Sir Barua’s loud praise, and Cordelia’s lips cringed.

‘Wow, that fraudster. Look at him lying through his teeth.’

It was a natural reaction, because Jude had created the documents in the first place.

‘Diminish their power.’

He shakes off seven out of the twelve locations.

Even if some failed due to information that leaked along the way, it was enough to hurt the Devil’s Hand group in Langesthei.

With Sir Barua at the forefront, the Order of the Blue Lion rushed back to their headquarters, and Jude and his party headed back to their quarters.

Perhaps some good news would be delivered today or tomorrow.

However, the operation was not yet over.

“Do you think they’ll give up?”

“No, because they’re fanatics.”

The Devil’s Hand’s members were the exact definition of a fanatic. In the first place, they didn’t care about using humans as sacrifices for summoning demons, so they wouldn’t give up easily even if their power diminished.

Therefore, Jude looked back at Cordelia and said refreshingly.

“So, let’s sell your father now.”

“What is this crazy bastard saying?”

In truth, it was far from real selling.

Rather than committing fraud using Count Chase’s name, it was about getting help.

The outline of the second stage of the operation was also simple.

‘Call up the wizards from the Red Dawn Tower.’

If the Devil’s Hand actually pushes ahead with the attack, they would eventually have to rely on force at the end.

That is why the cut the enemy’s power and increase their allies’ strength.

In order to defeat “Demonic Human Minos,” the attack’s boss, they desperately needed the help of the Flame Wizard “Ronin.”

Cordelia, Count Chase’s biological daughter, visits the wizards of the Red Dawn Tower to ask for help.

‘Demon followers have appeared in Langesthei! Can you help us during the social gathering in case they attack?’

It was a request made by a beautiful girl, who was also the daughter of the Tower Master.

In fact, the Order of the Blue Lion were in the middle of rushing around Langesthei, so if you were an ordinary wizard, you’d definitely reply to Cordelia asking for a favor.

Because as Sir Barua said, the demon followers were the enemy of the S?len Kingdom.

‘I had prepared something in case they didn’t listen.’

Cordelia took out the letter she had kept in her inner chest pocket and opened it.

It was a summons signed by Count Chase, but it was actually fake and not real.

It was a felony to counterfeit official documents with the signature of the Tower Master, so it was made to be used in the worst-case scenario.

‘Wow…how did he make this look so real?’

She had already admired it several times, but the more she looked at it, the more amazing the forgery skill was.

Not only did he copy Count Chase’s signature almost perfectly, but the contents of the letter were just as good as Count Chase’s.

No matter how much data and information his biological daughter, Cordelia herself, provides, this was impossible.

This is absolutely not the skill of an ordinary citizen A.

‘Was he really a scammer?’

There was the almost perfect forgery skills, the cunning acting performance, and in the first place, the idea that you can forge documents.

‘It’s possible!’

The excited Cordelia exhaled loudly from her nose and clenched her fist. Then, Jude spoke, poking her side.

“Hey, I can totally see your delusions. For your information, I was a law-abiding good citizen who paid my taxes well.”

“Tax? You paid taxes?”

“Then, would you evade taxes? Stop talking nonsense and let’s begin.”

They needed time for the wizards near Langesthei to come all the way here. They also had to hurry so that they could meet the schedule of the social gathering.

But it was then…

“Cordelia?”

“Huh? Ah, yes.”

When Cordelia, who was intently thinking about something, suddenly looked up and answered, Jude looked at her in suspicion for a moment.

“Let’s hurry.”

“Yes.”

However, it was unreasonable to sneak out, so Jude thought he should take Dahlia and Jun too.

Looking at Jude’s back who lead the way, Cordelia continued her delusion that was temporarily interrupted.

Tax.

Pay taxes.

Member of society.

Real adult.

‘O-oppa?’

She had never thought about Outboxer’s age.

“Hey! Aren’t you coming?”

“Eh?! N-no… Yes! I’ll go!”

Cordelia answered hurriedly to Jude’s urging, hastening her footsteps.