I Became a Veteran Who Has to Stir Up Trouble to Survive - Chapter 88

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

[088] Evil Spirits’ Regular Assembly
The man’s statement triggered a cascade of reactions from the gathered undead.
Some remained unmoved, while a woman shrieked that it was preposterous, and a man trembled in fear, stammering, “That bastard… he reincarnated?”
“Everyone, please compose yourselves! This is not a lie… Would you elaborate further?”
As the Moderator calmed the atmosphere, the man continued his explanation.
“You all know that instead of the great flood that should have occurred in the Medaolinum Dungeon recently, a demon appeared instead. We’ve all witnessed countless brothers attempt every conceivable method to prevent the catastrophe beforehand, yet all their efforts proved futile.”
“I heard an armored necromancer appeared and repelled the demon. There were even rumors that a skeleton, not a human, was visible inside the armor. I always thought it strange that a monster would aid humanity… but you’re saying that person is Doran?”
“It’s still speculation at this point, but that’s what I believe.”
“The evidence is flimsy. Bring me something more concrete!”
“There’s no definitive proof. However… all this time, we’ve all suspected he must have reincarnated into this world, yet there were no eyewitness accounts whatsoever. I estimate he reincarnated recently and then prevented the catastrophe.”
“So you’re saying he defeated a supreme-tier demon shortly after reincarnating?”
“In Liberta, he apparently appeared in an undead form. Is he determined to single-handedly prevent every catastrophe that threatens Belheim?”
“Certainly, he seems to be the only one capable of such feats…”
As the Evil Spirits murmured and debated among themselves, one man suddenly slammed his fist on the table with a loud bang and shouted.
“That bastard Doran is no hero capable of preventing Belheim’s destruction! I met him directly in the game!”
“Ah, you’re the one whose entire guild was annihilated after offending Doran, right? Heh, serves you right for being so reckless. You should have groveled like I did.”
“Circumstances change, so stances can shift too. If we assume that Doran really has reincarnated into this world, wouldn’t we all face equal difficulty if Belheim falls?”
“That Doran fellow… even if Belheim were destroyed, I suspect he’d somehow manage to survive alone…”
“That’s true enough…”
The silhouettes beyond the curtain fell silent in unanimous agreement.
Listening intently to the Reincarnators’ conversation from my hiding place, I could only be astonished.
‘…I was this famous among the Evil Spirits?’
I knew I was mentioned occasionally in the community, but since I’d always preferred solo play, I never expected to become the subject of gossip even after reincarnating.
As I sat there slightly flustered, the focus suddenly shifted to a woman.
“Oh, that’s right! Hook Soul Collector, you’re a necromancer, aren’t you? I heard that person pierced a mid-tier demon with a bone spear in a single strike. Just how strong is that?”
“Uh… well…”
The woman who had been singled out pondered for a moment before answering awkwardly.
“I… I don’t think I could do that either. You’d probably need a level of at least 150 to even attempt it…”
“…”
Silence suddenly descended upon the basement.
“…That person also defeated Leviathan in Liberta, didn’t they? Surely… his level doesn’t exceed 200, does it?”
“Wasn’t that because he used Neptune’s holy relic?”
“You fool! Does it make sense to wield a holy relic so freely? Normally, one would incur the god’s wrath and die instantly. Does anyone know the specifications of that trident?”
“How would anyone know? Neptune’s holy relic was only mentioned in text in the game. By the time we were playing, it had already been lost!”
“So in the end, we have no choice but to ask the person directly… but we can’t exactly summon him here and interrogate him…”
“…”
Sitting here among them, I held my breath and watched intently beyond the curtain.
‘Could the one who brought up my name be the mastermind who lured me to Ludus Magna?’
But the more I thought about it, the more I sensed that wasn’t the case.
If it were him, he would have anticipated the possibility of my presence here, and someone who orchestrated such an elaborate scheme wouldn’t risk exposing his identity so carelessly.
Moreover, if it were him, he would have noticed my activities in the Arena to recover Belmont’s ring, yet there’s not a single word about the Goblin.
As I pondered silently, Belmont whispered through telepathy.
─Is this Doran they’re talking about you?
─…It’s likely so.
─Hmm… You were truly a famous Evil Spirit.
─I told you before that I was quite powerful back then.
In my prime, even Belmont wouldn’t have been a match for me.
The Moderator clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention.
“Let’s move on to other matters. If anyone obtains information about Doran or that Undead, please be sure to report it. …Then, shall we continue with the next person?”
The meeting resumed as they circled around again.
Most of it was information I’d heard before, but midway through, an interesting story emerged from a woman.
“Is it my turn? I’ve heard that nobles in the Royal Capital are plotting treason. Apparently, some Reincarnators are involved too… If you value your life, it’s best not to accept any suspicious letters or requests for a while.”
“…Is that all?”
“Yes, but if you want to know more, try finding someone called Nihid in the Royal Capital.”
‘Nobles in the Royal Capital, huh….’
I asked through the telepathy channel Belmont had opened.
─Do you have any guesses about which nobles?
─Useless information. It’s obvious that Royal Capital nobles would be involved in the King’s assassination.
─Well, at least it’s not completely without merit.
‘Nihid’… If I start investigating from there, something should come up.
And finally, it was Belmont’s and my turn to share information.
Belmont spoke with composure.
“Evil Spirit hunting will soon commence around the Royal Capital, primarily led by the 6th Mage Division. If you value your lives, don’t get involved.”
“The 6th Mage Division? Isn’t that the notorious unit led by Belmont? The one that’s killed over dozens of Reincarnators so far….”
“This is quite high-level information… I’ve never seen it shared in this meeting before. You seem to be quite a capable Mage? Have you infiltrated the Royal Mage Knight Order?”
“Think whatever you like.”
Belmont smiled mysteriously and passed his turn.
And finally, it was my turn to share information.
Ding─!
｢These individuals maintain anonymity while periodically sharing knowledge as a secret group!｣
｢To receive another invitation next time, you’ll need to provide useful information.｣
I quickly gathered my thoughts.
‘It’s unfortunate that I have to reveal what I know, but the latest developments I gain here are quite useful.’
Since Belheim became reality and so much has changed, having such an information network would be invaluable for responding sensitively to future crises and dangers.
In other words, cutting ties with them now would bring more loss than gain.
That meant I too had to risk being suspected of my identity to some degree and divulge high-level information.
“…The next Great Calamity will occur in Orc Hill Village, and a plague will spread.”
“Information about a Great Calamity?!”
“Wasn’t the third Great Calamity something no one knew the origin of, so no one could do anything about it?”
“The records only mention that countless people died, but there was no concrete information….”
As expected, even reincarnators don’t know much about this.
“We must escape before the great catastrophe strikes…! Tell me more details….”
“That’s all. If you want more detailed information, bring me something worth my interest next time.”
I spoke firmly and rose from my seat.
After leaving the basement and tavern, I walked through the alley when Belmont suddenly followed behind me.
His gaze upon me carried a distinctly intrigued expression.
“The evil spirits seem to be watching you quite closely. It appears you have many secrets from your past that you haven’t revealed to the Main House yet. What exactly were you doing in your previous life?”
“Nothing significant. …Do I also need to participate in finding the nobles plotting the King’s assassination in the Royal Capital?”
“Of course. You already know far too much. Don’t think you can back out now.”
“But you just said you planned to hunt evil spirits around the Royal Capital. If that’s the case, I with black hair would become the first target.”
“I’ll make sure you face no disadvantages beforehand.”
“That’s far too generous. I’m at a loss for words.”
I answered curtly and boarded the dragon carriage.
‘The Royal Capital….’
In any case, it’s a place I must visit eventually.
I moved forward, conscious of Orgillian’s letter sleeping in my backpack.
* * *
At the same moment, in the hideout of the kidnapper group.
Malton, Radi, and Karen gathered around a dark round table, their heads bent together solemnly.
There was one reason they had assembled.
“Then let’s get to the main topic. Today’s agenda is ‘How much longer should we turn a blind eye to Doran being an evil spirit?'”
Malton cleared his throat and opened the discussion.
Originally, this was a conversation that only Malton and Radiman exchanged occasionally, but it was elevated to an irregular meeting once Karen joined.
Karen spoke with her arms crossed.
“…Do we really need to keep it secret? Everyone already knows anyway, so why not just speak comfortably?”
“Doran seems to have a strong aversion to revealing that he’s an evil spirit. Considering how evil spirits are treated in this kingdom, it’s understandable.”
“I’ve seen a few evil spirits myself, but they all seem extremely reluctant to reveal their identities. It’s as if they undergo some kind of brainwashing through reincarnation….”
“Brainwashing… According to rumors, evil spirits face a god when they die and are revived. I wonder if Doran met with Antagon?”
“Doran has repeatedly said he never faced Antagon before. It didn’t seem like a lie. Rather… I find that pendant he possesses suspicious.”
“You mean the pendant containing the sacred power of Agatha, the Goddess of Healing? Now that I think about it, we never asked how he came to possess it.”
The three fell silent for a moment.
Since information about reincarnators had spread to some extent among the citizens of Belheim, it was inevitable that various questions arose.
Karen sighed and opened her mouth.
“And… did you see what those kidnappers were saying earlier? From what I heard, he seemed quite accomplished in his previous life? Are they talking about that Doran?”
“Probably… Destroying a guild single-handedly, defeating a lava earth dragon, and even infiltrating the Demon Realm alone to vanquish demons… It’s hard to believe, but…”
“Even among evil spirits with vast knowledge, there are significant individual differences. If what those evil spirits said is true, it would explain why Doran was so knowledgeable about all things.”
“Your uncle said there’s a high possibility that evil spirits were also involved in the King assassination plot. Could it be that Doran participated in it too?”
“No way. Karen, you know Doran’s character by now.”
He frequently acts recklessly, hides much, and occasionally ventures into fire without proper explanation, but he’s not a bad person at heart.
He safely evacuated adventurers from demons that descended into the dungeon, and he even defeated the Leviathan that threatened the coastal city.
A man willing to sacrifice his life for the greater good—that was how his companions perceived Doran.
After careful deliberation, the three reached their conclusion.
“For now… let’s wait until he brings it up himself.”
But when the day came that he confessed everything, they would interrogate him thoroughly—including all the things they had overlooked until now.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————