ISEKAI? More like I See Crap!-Chapter 297: Shadows of the Unknown ( )

Girem glanced over his shoulder as the wagon creaked along the trail.

Inside, the brat—that merchant’s daughter—was still glued to Hazuki like a barnacle. Quiet now, but clearly refusing to leave his side.

He squinted, chewing slowly on his dried root stick, the wind tugging lightly at his beard.

Troublesome little lass.

Always talking. Always clinging.

What a pain.

Just because her father’s one of the biggest merchants in the whole damn continent.

If he remembered right, she was the youngest daughter in that family. The spoiled one. He’d heard rumors, of course—how the old man doted on her more than the others.

Hmph. Wonder what business a merchant’s brat like her has in a dwarven town anyway.

A diplomatic visit? Supply route check? Spoiled vacation?

Didn’t matter.

Not my problem anyway.

He tugged the reins lightly, his beast mount grunting in rhythm as it pulled the wagon forward.

"As long as she doesn’t start screamin’ again or pissing on things, I’ll count it a peaceful day."

"Oi, bratty girl." Girem muttered as he lit his herb cigar, a small flick of fire magic sparking from his fingertip with practiced ease.

"Hah!? What did you just call me!?" Elmira snapped, sitting up slightly from where she was resting near Hazuki.

Girem exhaled a thin trail of smoke, not even bothering to look back.

"Bratty girl. Got a problem with that?"

"Mou~! It’s Elmira-sama!" she huffed, crossing her arms with a pout. "Call me properly! I’m the daughter of—"

"And I’m the King of Dwarfen." Girem cut in flatly, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

He puffed again, not missing a beat.

"Bow to me later, would ya?"

Elmira’s face puffed up in indignation. "You’re so rude!"

Girem snorted. "And you’re still talkin’. We both got problems, lass."

Hazuki stirred, eyes half-lidded as he slowly sat up and stared at the two of them.

"I’m trying to sleep here..." he muttered, voice dry and clearly irritated. "Can you both lower your damn voices a bit? I didn’t sleep last night just to make sure you could, little girl."

Elmira froze, her bravado immediately vanishing.

She looked down, fingers twisting her dress slightly.

"I’m... I’m sorry..." she whispered.

Hazuki let out a long sigh and lay back down again, covering his eyes with one arm.

"Just... keep it quiet. That’s all."

Girem, still sitting up front, puffed his herb cigar with a shrug.

"So, bratty girl." Girem spoke up again, puffing on his herb cigar as the wagon rocked forward.

"What?" Elmira replied sharply, already frowning.

"What ye business in Dwarf country, eh?"

"None of your business." she snapped, crossing her arms.

Girem squinted back at her. "Oh? If ye don’t talk, I’ll throw ya off this wagon right now."

"But—!!"

"So?" he said, voice even firmer now. "Talk."

Elmira hesitated, then huffed. "I was visiting one of the merchant partners who supplies our business... but he stopped sending stock for over three months."

Girem nodded slowly. "So yer father told ye to come handle it?"

There was a pause.

"...No."

"Huh?"

Elmira looked away, voice quieter now. "I wanted to see the world. So I told my father I’d take care of the problem here. He agreed since it sounded like business."

Girem raised an eyebrow. "Hmph. So ye used it as an excuse, eh?"

She stayed silent, hugging her knees.

"Figures." Girem said with a grunt. "Brat actin’ high and mighty but just runnin’ off like a cub."

Elmira stayed silent, hugging her knees, no longer pouting—just listening.

Girem glanced back at her.

"Next time, brat... if yer gonna do somethin’ like this, ye better be prepared."

He puffed his cigar and continued, his tone firm.

"Don’t go hirin’ some loudmouth party jus’ ’cause they got numbers. That don’t mean they can fight."

"And second—" he jabbed a thumb in the air, "two guards? That’s all? Fer travelin’ cross-country? Tch. Ye jokin’ with yer own life."

"Third. Always plan. Know the roads. Know the rules. Know how monsters act in the region. If ye don’t—ye might as well put a sign on yer back that says ’fresh meat’."

He glanced toward Hazuki.

"If ye hadn’t run into this human lad here... ye’d be monster food by now. No doubt."

He puffed again, then grumbled, "Consider yerself lucky. Real lucky."

Girem gave her one last glance, his tone lowering—not softer, but more grounded.

"And remember this, brat... Ye be safe now. But take this whole mess as a lesson. A real one."

He took another puff of his cigar, smoke curling up into the morning air.

"Becomin’ a merchant, like yer old man? It ain’t easy. Gold don’t come from nothin’. Ye need eyes, ears, and guts. Learn from him. Watch how he works."

"And don’t be sulkin’ just ’cause ye failed once. Or twice. Or ten times."

His eyes narrowed slightly, the trail ahead clear but steep.

"Every failure brings a step closer to gettin’ it right. Ye still breathin’. That’s what matters."

He looked away then, voice gruff again.

"So stop actin’ like the world ended. It didn’t. It’s just startin’."

Girem gave her a side glance, puffing once more before speaking again—this time, firmer.

"And stop actin’ like a proper spoiled brat."

His tone was blunt, eyes narrowed.

"’Cause o’ the way ye handled yerself, ye near got eaten alive by them monsters."

He pointed a thick finger at her, voice low but serious.

"I’m tellin’ ye now—if this human lad weren’t here... even with me on that field, I don’t think I could’ve taken all them mid-tier an’ high-tier beasts by meself."

He turned back to the reins.

"So ye better remember it. Luck ain’t always on yer side."

"Mm..." Elmira murmured softly, giving a small nod, her voice quiet—no longer defiant, just tired.

Girem gave a small grunt of approval. "Now that’s more like it. Go sleep or somethin’. The town ye need to get to’s still several hours away."

"Mm... okay..." she replied, her voice slow, almost a whisper now.

She slowly shifted back, carefully lying down next to Hazuki, her earlier clinginess replaced with quiet stillness.

For once, she didn’t talk.

She just lay there.

The wagon rocked gently as the trail stretched on beneath the wheels, the steady clatter of wood and hoof the only sound in the silence that followed.

Somewhere in a faraway land.

Within the cold stone halls of a dark castle, lit by crimson crystal torches, a heavy silence hung in the throne chamber.

A voice echoed from the elevated seat at the end of the hall.

"Those three... still haven’t returned from Macia Town?"

"Not yet, my liege."

A deep, gravelly voice replied.

A towering oni demon, wearing dark ceremonial armor, bowed low before the throne. His tusks were jagged, but his tone was formal and restrained.

"Strange."

The demon lord leaned back, one clawed hand tapping the armrest slowly.

"They weren’t weaklings. They were our best summoners."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Their task was simple—open the rift, flood the area, and pull back. No prolonged fight. No delay."

"We agree, my liege." the oni—General Kuzikin—spoke steadily. "Their methods are swift. Coordinated. Even a Rank A adventurer party shouldn’t have been able to engage them before they retreated."

The demon lord’s tone darkened.

"And you’re certain the human kingdom didn’t dispatch their summoned heroes to the beastkin territory?"

"No confirmed movement from the humans, sire. According to our informants, the human kingdom is keeping their summoned heroes focused on their own territory."

A heavy silence.

The demon lord stared down at the red carpet, eyes narrowing.

"Then something else intervened."

General Kuzikin bowed again. "We are still gathering intelligence. The region is remote, and beastkin patrols have increased. There is... limited access."

"Then double the scouts. Send shadow familiars if you must. I want to know what happened. If someone in that kingdom can stop all three of them..."

His voice dropped lower, colder.

"...we may have a threat we didn’t account for."

"Understood, my liege."

Inside his mind, the demon lord remained still, his crimson eyes narrowed as he processed the missing piece.

"The dwarves have their own summoned heroes... three in total."

"The elven kingdom too. Three more summoned."

"The human kingdom was greedy—they pulled five."

"But the beastkin kingdom... has none."

He stared ahead, motionless.

"Their only true power lies with a few high-leveled individuals. A retired adventurer rumored to be over Level 95, now acting as the king’s right hand... and that woman who guards Princess Ellyna like a shadow."

His gaze darkened.

"Even combined, those two shouldn’t be able to wipe out monsters and intercept our summoners at once. Not with such speed."

"The guild master of Macia Town... Solo Rank A+, Level 92. An ex-adventurer. Strong, yes—but still not enough."

"And the deputy, Gikan. Rank B+, Level 75. Another seasoned one."

He leaned back in his throne, thoughtful.

"But even if all four acted together, they wouldn’t move first. They’re defenders. They react. Not attack ahead of the horde."

The silence deepened.

His eyes narrowed further.

"So who was it...?"

The Demon King sat in silence, his eyes narrowing as his thoughts turned inward.

There’s no way Ridan is alive.

His fingers tightened against the armrest.

The only one who could wield that level of magic... was him.

The only one capable of erasing summoned monsters while striking down the summoners mid-cast... was him.

But that was impossible.

I killed him.

His gaze turned cold, distant.

I bound his soul myself.

Sealed it deep within that forgotten cave—far beyond the borders of human memory. I made sure he would never interfere again.

He paused.

But something gnawed at him.

Unless...

Unless someone found remnants of Ridan’s knowledge.

No. I erased it all. Every record of his spells, every trace of his theory. I made sure no grimoire, no scroll, no monument held his name.

I rewrote magical study itself—shaping the world’s arcane system to rely only on safe, basic, and intermediate-level spells. Nothing more.

The age of ancient magic was buried.

Yet the battlefield at Macia told a different story.

The summoners should have escaped without effort.

The monsters should have overwhelmed the town.

And yet—nothing returned.

He leaned forward, voice low in his mind.

Did Ridan... hide something before I killed him?

A backup?

A student?

A hidden tome?

He closed his eyes briefly.

I need answers.

Someone must be found. Before they learn to use what he left behind.

( End Of Chapter )

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