I Became a Prisoner in the Game After Defeating the Final Boss Chapter 53

Flames rippled through the world.

Everything burned, and burned again.

The things that were once living demonic beasts were swept away by the blazing fire and became piles of ash, and only a few demonic beasts that barely survived had managed to escape this place.

‘I let a few get away, but it probably doesn't matter much.’

I brushed off the demonic beast blood, sweat, soot, and the moisture created by the Orb of Water caked on my body, and looked around.

“Hoo…….”

Flames and smoke visible in all directions.

The coppery smell of blood and the smell of gunpowder.

Blood and flesh fragments, and leather.

What remained in this place now could be seen as just that much.

‘I should probably see this as a good thing.’

The reason I had left Winter Castle was to draw out Dennis, but that wasn't something I could say anywhere, so it was true that I needed an external justification.

In that sense, the materials from the Dire Wolves served as a very excellent justification for me.

If I said I went out and participated in the demonic beast subjugation as ordered by the lord of Winter Castle, who would look at me suspiciously?

In addition to that, all the teeth marks left on my body by the Dire Wolves also proved the ferocity of what I had experienced.

‘Well…… although going alone on a demonic beast subjugation is a little unusual, it's not like there aren't such people at all.’

In fact, even within Winter Castle, there were some people who acted alone regarding this demonic beast subjugation.

Winter Castle was one of the most notoriously rough terrains in the Empire, and naturally, it was full of strong people who were capable of roaming near the Demonic Realm alone.

For starters, my direct supervisor, Edric, was the captain of the 4th Special Task Force, wasn't he.

‘Well…… though in Edric's case, he seems pretty unusual even within Winter Castle.’

I had assessed Edric as a strong person of level 6 or higher until now, but the more I learned about Edric, the more I realized my initial thought was wrong.

The captains of the other Special Task Forces were not easy opponents either, but at least in my eyes, they weren't as special as Edric.

A person whose identity was completely unknown.

That was the person named Edric, as I currently judged him.

‘Well, that aside…….’

I swung the Fang of Blazing Fire to quietly subdue the blazing fires that were burning the surroundings.

It seemed that flames of this extent might be visible even from Winter Castle, and besides, I had burned almost everything that needed to be burned.

Ssss…….

Having subdued all the flames like that, I looked at the Dire Wolf carcasses scattered on the ground.

Some carcasses were completely burned to ashes, but there were also carcasses that were not, and whose shapes remained relatively intact.

I drew a dagger to process their materials.

It would be convenient to use the Fang of Blazing Fire, but if I did something like processing demonic beasts with an item imbued with such high-heat fire properties, the materials would be damaged, so I had no choice.

‘In that case…….’

Having finished all preparations, I began to process the Dire Wolf carcasses in earnest.

Slice, slice…….

I always felt it, but processing demonic beasts was truly hard work.

It was especially hellish, trying to be careful while processing so that the leather and other materials weren't damaged as much as possible.

‘Should I just throw it all away and go?’

It was true that such thoughts crossed my mind the whole time I was processing, but the Dire Wolf materials were worth a decent price, so that felt like a waste.

It was a good thing that the processing became a little easier thanks to the surrounding snow melting and creating a few small puddles of water in this spot; if not for even this, I really would have burned all of them and left the place.

‘Listing them on the auction house right after processing wouldn't be bad either…… but then there'd be no point in having gone to the trouble of processing them.’

In the first place, wasn't one of the reasons I processed these to show them at Winter Castle for the justification of my outing?

Having processed all the useful materials like the Dire Wolf's claws and leather, I moved them onto a temporary cart made from nearby wood, and then attached wheels made with the Orb of Water.

Since it was such a roughly made object, it was far from sturdy, but at least the wheels rolled well.

“Hoo…….”

Was it just my imagination that the demonic beast processing that came after the battle with Dennis and the other demonic beasts felt more difficult than the battle itself?

‘It actually took more time, too.’

Seeing as how dawn had completely arrived at some point.

If it had been any other commander and not Edric, wouldn't they have judged me as having deserted?

Well…… it's not like I knew with Edric either.

‘Still, there were results.’

Although the process wasn't smooth, looking only at the results, I had gained truly a lot on this outing.

Nak's Legacy and Sorin's work.

In addition to that, high-quality goods like the Chunak set and various other things that would make money.

However, if there was one regrettable point, it was that bothersome things had also increased in proportion to that.

‘Well…… it doesn't matter.’

I didn't know what would happen in the future due to the suddenly arrived uninvited guest.

But I didn't care.

As I had always done, I would just remove everything that blocked my path.

‘In that case…….’

I turned my gaze.

It was time to go back.

***

On the way back.

While checking the Anonymous Bulletin Board to examine information on Dennis, no, Anonymous999 and Bellerophon, I discovered a strange post.

-Luna : (Luna Declaration) I won't wait anymore.

-Luna : I'm coming soon.

“……”

Was it just my imagination?

This feeling that the uninvited guest's visit wasn't over yet.

Yes, it was probably just my imagination.

I sincerely hoped so.

***

After returning to Winter Castle, I looked for Edric's office to report.

Knock, knock-

However, no answer came from inside.

It seemed he was absent.

Edric was such an elusive person, so I just figured as much and turned my steps toward the barracks.

Reporting after returning was very important in the military, but if the person to report to wasn't there, what could I do?

“You're back?”

The one who greeted me first when I returned to the barracks was, as expected, Alicia.

“Yeah.”

“There are wounds on your face…….”

“It's fine. It's nothing.”

Anyway, for me who possessed the Orb of Water, wounds of this extent were wounds that would heal completely after sleeping for a day.

In fact, the reason I just came back even though I could have healed them if I wanted to was also because they were wounds that would heal quickly.

And at the same time, to subtly inform Winter Castle and the Pegasus Merchant Guild of the battle with demonic beasts that I had experienced.

“No. It's not fine.”

But Alicia spoke firmly like that, and then held out an ointment that I didn't know where she'd gotten from.

“What's this?”

“It's a blend of a few medicinal herbs I gathered nearby. The wounds will heal faster.”

As Alicia, having said that, tried to apply the ointment to me, I spoke.

“I'll apply it myself.”

“Stay still.”

Alicia spoke firmly and applied the ointment to a few wounds on my cheek.

‘Erm…….’

It was a strange feeling, but it wasn't a bad thing for me, so I stayed still for the time being.

“All done.”

“……Thanks.”

“You know how to say things like that, too.”

Alicia said that and smiled lightly.

I found myself staring blankly at that smile without realizing it, before I shook my head.

At that moment, Conlan, who saw me, spoke.

“You're back? Looks like you had another round. If you were going to do it, you should've done it with me.”

“You talk big for someone who's ailing.”

In fact, after the demonic beast subjugation a while ago, Conlan had suffered major and minor injuries, and it was difficult for him to move right away.

Well, even if he had been perfectly fine, I wouldn't have gone out with Conlan.

“You just need to rub some spit on this and it'll get better.”

“You sound like the Captain.”

“Can you compare me to that monster-like fellow?”

Conlan laughed heartily.

For some reason, it was a laugh like Edric's.

“Enough, where's the Captain?”

“Huh? He's not in his office? I didn't hear he was going anywhere. Ah, then again, he never used to say, did he.”

It seemed Conlan didn't know where Edric went either.

Then again, the report after returning wasn't that important of an issue, so I just let it be.

“Anyway…… looking at what you brought back earlier, it seems you hit the jackpot this time. Why don't you hurry up and dispose of it? I heard the Pegasus Merchant Guild is leaving soon.”

“Is that so?”

I had thought it was about time for that, but it seemed that time was now truly right around the corner.

‘It was a little questionable whether they would leave so obediently even when someone of Dennis's caliber had disappeared…… but from the merchant guild's perspective, they couldn't just stay settled in Winter Castle forever.’

It seemed I would have to wait and see how the Pegasus Merchant Guild would act afterward.

If the Pegasus Merchant Guild were to start a large-scale investigation to find the disappeared guild members, including Dennis, it could become quite troublesome for me.

‘Though that possibility was low.’

Anyway, that was that…….

“Then, since we're on the subject, if you have time, can you help me process those things? They're Dire Wolf materials. I did a rough job, but I don't think I can get the proper price selling them as is.”

“Hmph, as if I'd do something like th─”

“I'll give you 1 Gold.”

“What should I start with?”

Conlan, who had at some point become a slave to capitalism, diligently moved to process the Dire Wolf materials I had brought.

He was truly an easy-to-read fellow.

“……What's that now? Now you're doing all sorts of things.”

The passing Albino clicked his tongue as if finding it absurd, but Conlan lightly ignored him.

It was, as always, none other than a peaceful scene of the 4th Special Task Force.

***

Thanks to Conlan's help, I finished processing the Dire Wolves and handed them over to the Pegasus Merchant Guild for a pretty decent price.

Since there were many marks from being scorched by fire or pierced by bullets, there were many parts that made it difficult to receive the full price, but the Dire Wolf material itself was quite useful, so I received an amount that was satisfactory for me.

Also, the Pegasus Merchant Guild left Winter Castle not long after.

There was a big commotion about the sudden disappearance of a few guild members, including Dennis, but perhaps judging that it couldn't affect the entire guild's schedule, they stopped the investigation and left Winter Castle.

I heard that before the Pegasus Merchant Guild left, the lord, Margrave, publicly declared that he would personally investigate the disappeared guild members…… but by now, wouldn't all the corpses that were there have become food for the demonic beasts?

Because the demonic beasts of the Demonic Realm chewed up and ate everything, not even leaving behind human bones.

‘Of course, if they really tried to find traces, they could probably find them, but…….’

It wouldn't be an easy task to recognize the traces of a corpse, not even knowing who it was, in a forest covered with snow.

What's more, there was no way the soldiers from Winter Castle would know Dennis's identity, and besides, I had already taken everything that could indicate their identities.

Like that, the visit of the Pegasus Merchant Guild, which was a big event for Winter Castle, and the intrusion of the uninvited guest, which was a considerable crisis for me, all came to an end.

Looking only at the results, neither the visit of the Pegasus Merchant Guild nor the intrusion of the uninvited guest was bad for me, but that was something I'd have to see about later.

This incident would someday surely return in some way.

All I could do was to become even a little stronger and prepare in anticipation of that day.

“It's been a while. Have you all been well?”

In the midst of that, Edric, who hadn't been seen for a while, showed himself.

Seeing the fine line-like wounds visible here and there on his always-brazen face, it seemed something had indeed happened.

Well, thanks to the absence of Edric, who led hellish training every day, it was true that it had been a little comfortable recently, so I didn't have any particular complaints.

“Where have you been?”

“I had some personal business. The work got delayed more than I thought. As your captain, I have no excuse for you all.”

“It's fine.”

In fact, thanks to that, it was also comfortable.

“In that sense, I've brought one gift for you all.”

“A gift?”

Edric grinned and spoke.

“It's a mission.”

Conlan, who was next to me, interjected as if dumbfounded.

“……That's a gift?”

“Of course, what better gift could there be for you all, who are trapped in this godforsaken Winter Castle, than an outing?”

Edric, who had spouted sophistry without batting an eye, laughed heartily as always.

“What kind of mission is it?”

“It's a mutant subjugation.”

A mutant subjugation…….

Edric wouldn't bother using the expression 'gift' for a mission in the northern region, which was Winter Castle's original area of responsibility, so it was highly likely the assigned area wasn't the north.

“Where is the destination?”

“Bernhard.”

Edric added.

“A free city overflowing with romance.”