First Light (4)

"First question. Do you remember the day you and I staged that performance, Senior?"

"I do."

"Back then, you told me someone was targeting you. What kind of person were they?"

"Someone who preyed on the students' inferiority complexes, dragging them into a quagmire."

"Wouldn't that happen to be a dark mage from Under Chain?"

"That's right."

Click.

Dietrich's blade bit just a fraction deeper into my throat. With that, a Trace had been etched. If Dietrich willed it, blood would spill endlessly from that tiny nick on my neck.

"Do you remember when we attacked Viscount Alec's estate?"

"I remember. It hasn't been that long, after all."

"Then tell me, Senior. Was the 'actor' you spoke of actually a real dark mage from Under Chain?"

"Right. A real dark mage."

"And was that mage the very same culprit from the incident you mentioned earlier?"

"That's also true."

"……."

The blade pressed in a hair deeper. Honestly, it was more than enough to arouse suspicion. Even if he branded me a subversive insurgent and cut me down on the spot, I would have had no real defense.

"She had already defected from Under Chain and was living on the run. She begged for help, so I helped her."

"What kind of help?"

"She asked me to save her friend. A friend whose life had been ruined because of her."

Truth be told, I never imagined I would end up going that far to help either. But what else could I do? Having gone all that way, just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sitting on my hands felt wrong.

"……For now, I shall believe you."

"You don't have to. It'll probably give you more peace of mind to verify it yourself later."

"Yes, I will do that."

Dietrich's sword pulled back slightly from my neck.

"Then do you recall when Under Chain ambushed us?"

"Yeah. Survived thanks to you back then."

"You used a firearm back then, Senior. I didn't question it much because you were a count's son, but looking back, it was rather unnatural."

"True. Given my family's standing, possessing firearms is practically impossible."

"How did that come to be, then?"

"Let's just say I'm an alchemist and happened to have an engineer nearby."

"……."

"Look, I know it's illegal. But I had to stay alive first, didn't I?"

Honestly, it wasn't something to be proud of. Even I had to admit that much. Still, it seemed Dietrich found it understandable under extenuating circumstances, as his sword drew no closer.

"The third question."

"I think I have a rough idea of what you're going to ask. Mind if I answer in advance?"

"Go ahead."

"I have never cooperated with Eden or Under Chain. Neither of them."

To be fair, even I felt my excuses regarding Under Chain sounded rather pathetic, but it was the honest truth—I really hadn't cooperated with them. Among the times I had relied on Dietrich's help, three of them were tied to Under Chain. At this point, anyone who didn't suspect me would be the suspicious one.

"The final question."

"I don't know what's left to suspect, but fire away."

"Through all of those actions, what did you stand to gain, Senior?"

Even as Dietrich doubted me, he was trying to pierce through to my true intentions. A world apart from when he used to blurt things out without passing through any brain filter. Frankly, I wasn't sure whether to congratulate his growth or not. The guy who used to laugh so boisterously was now perpetually draped in a brooding gloom.

"The safety of myself and the people around me. Nothing beyond that."

"……."

Honestly, I only wanted to look out for myself, but as life dragged on, I ended up having to look out for those around me, too.

"I see."

Dietrich stared straight at me with cool, piercing eyes. With nothing on my conscience and having spoken only the truth, I didn't avert my gaze.

"……You truly are the person I saw, Senior."

"Is that a compliment?"

At that, Dietrich quietly lowered the sword aimed at me. Then, he answered with a faint smile reminiscent of his former self.

"Yes."

Fortunately, it seemed I had passed his screening test.

Up until now, Dietrich had lived a life no different from a puppet's. All of his actions had been under Cult's control, and like it or not, his deeds had often ended up aiding Eden's agenda. Looking back on his past, Dietrich must have felt utter self-loathing.

"I came to realize that I knew nothing about Cult."

"Well, I wouldn't say nothing. It's not like everything you saw of him was a lie."

"Is that so?"

"I mean, surely you at least know what kind of food he likes."

"Well…… Cult isn't a picky eater. He eats anything."

"See? You know he isn't a picky eater."

"Is that right?!"

His demeanor had changed in many ways, but his core remained intact. He might not filter his thoughts before speaking like before, but that slightly dimwitted streak remained simply because it was his nature.

"By the way, Senior, what do you plan to do from here?"

"Stop Cult. What about you?"

"I…… am still not sure."

"Is that so? Then take your time and think it over. Thanks for the help."

"Yes, Senior."

I couldn't force him. Right now was the most confusing, turbulent time of his life. Even if the situation was dire, coercion was out of the question. Once he reached a conclusion, he would act on his own anyway, so there was no need to push him.

"See you later, then."

"……."

Leaving Dietrich behind without lingering regrets, we stepped out of the marquis estate.

All right, now was the real beginning. Having slipped outside Cult's awareness, we could become an unpredictable wild card. Still……

"Hey, Yohan, where do you think Cult went? Do you have any idea?"

"None. That bastard is still wary of Oracle, so he won't head anywhere easily predictable."

Even though Oracle had walked straight into Cult's trap earlier, ironically enough.

"You get what I mean, right?"

"You mean we should split up again from here. Very well."

Cult would constantly be on guard against Oracle's presence, so it was better to be separated rather than together. And one more thing.

"I shall draw Cult's attention."

Constantly impressing upon him that Oracle was out there. That was the only way to keep his focus tilted in one direction.

"Then allow me to divine Cult's location first."

The reason Cult and Oracle were so wary of each other was that both could see the future. Of course, both had constraints. Fundamentally, fatigue accumulated every time they viewed the future, meaning it wasn't something they could repeat indefinitely. However, a distinct difference existed in the way they perceived the future.

While Cult could see the future of a target he was consciously aware of, Oracle could see everything. Put that way, Oracle's ability might sound superior, but hearing how it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠actually worked, that wasn't quite the case. Because Oracle saw so much at once, she had to expend far greater effort to sift out what she was looking for.

"Urgh!"

In short, the cost-efficiency was terrible.

"I saw a dawning light cutting through the night in the East District. It's not exact, but roughly five hundred meters from the Imperial Palace."

"Good. You head out first, then. We'll get ready to hit him from behind."

"……You truly don't have an ounce of concern for me, do you? What a cold-blooded man."

"You know countless lives are hanging in the balance as we speak, right?"

"I'm going, I'm going."

Crash!

Spouting her grumpy complaints, Oracle vanished on the spot. A bizarre power no matter how many times I witnessed it. Since she said her future sight was unrelated to innate abilities, that must be Oracle's unique innate ability. A spatial teleportation type, perhaps?

"Well then, Yuna?"

"Yeah!"

"Let's head toward the East District as covertly as we ca—wait, hold on. Stan's calling."

Naturally, all of this had been shared with Princess Lobelia's party. While we were moving on our end, Lobelia's group had made their own preparations to deal with Cult.

"Stan?"

While a Silver Mirror could be used for communication, Emily's communication device was honestly much more convenient. Silver Mirrors were expensive, and they could only link to one designated recipient at a time.

"Really? We just managed to roughly pinpoint his location over here, too."

"We don't know the exact spot yet, though. Roughly where is he?"

"……West? Not the east?"

I could be certain. Something had gone terribly wrong.

Lobelia and her group were tailing someone who had slipped covertly out of the Ereticus Marquis Estate.

"It seems that Cult fellow is finally making his real move."

"Shall we strike now?"

"No, let's observe the situation a bit longer. We still lack sufficient justification."

Cult's movements were cautious. Most ordinary people likely wouldn't have even noticed him slipping out of the building. Of course, Lobelia hadn't leaped to the conclusion that he was Cult right away either.

"He probably never imagined that even with his face wrapped up tight, there would be eyes capable of seeing right through it."

She had uncovered definitive proof that couldn't be hidden no matter how hard he tried: the symbol of Eden engraved in his pupils. Had Yohan not described his appearance beforehand, she would never have known.

But a Prophet was special. It was because of that special nature that he had gathered believers, and it was because of that very special nature that he had been caught by the tail like this.

"Ariel, what do you think?"

"Considering the Prophet's past actions, even this very moment might be calculated."

"I certainly cannot deny that."

Quite apart from having a talent like Stan on their side, his actions were simply too blatant. Even without being certain he was Cult, his behavior was thoroughly suspicious.

"By the way, Ariel. Aren't you worried about Yohan? There's been no word since he entered the marquis estate."

"I'm fine."

Ariel answered placidly. Lobelia was taken aback by Ariel's composure. When Yohan had declared he would enter the Ereticus Marquis Estate to sound Cult out, Ariel had practically clung to his trousers begging him not to go, yet now she was so remarkably calm.

"The tracking magic I placed on Yohan is still intact, you see."

"……You placed something like that on him?"

"Of course."

"Is that…… normal……?"

"Yes, we're going to be married, after all."

Lobelia could only tilt her head at Ariel's nonchalant response. Was tracking magic something one could just cast on someone without mutual consent, as if they were a criminal? Most definitely not.

"At any rate, Ariel, it seems your prediction was spot on."

"Indeed."

Changing the subject, Lobelia sighed. The figure that had been darting through the shadows of the buildings had suddenly halted and was looking straight in Lobelia's direction.

So that is……

Divine authority that could never be hidden. Just looking upon those pupils engraved with the symbol of Eden, revealed beneath the shadowed hood, filled a person with awe. In the deserted street, figures began gathering one by one.

"If you had such pretty eyes, you should have shown them sooner."

"……."

They had been baited. Scanning the figures emerging between the buildings, Lobelia quietly took measure of their numbers. Ten armored combatants, twenty priests, and thirty miscellaneous followers. Not a small number. While numbers weren't everything……

Against Eden cultists who boast extreme combat endurance, it's bound to be a headache.

Knights charging forward backed by powers of healing and protection were practically chariots. The likelihood of this becoming a colossal nuisance was high. Of course……

"Ariel, how many minutes do you think it'll take?"

"Don't you mean seconds?"

Their Archmage was powerful enough to upend any disadvantage in tactical compatibility. If the enemy had numbers on their side, all she had to do was wipe out those numbers in one fell swoop.

"What if we include Cult?"

"Well, we'll see…… But seeing as he only prepared this few people, I suppose he's confident?"

"Indeed."

Lobelia thought to herself as she gazed back at the figure staring unblinkingly at her. And at that moment—

KRA-BOOOOM!!

A light like the sun itself surged forth, as though ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠piercing straight through the dark of night.

Around the same time, guided by the future she had seen, Oracle arrived in the East District.

Was I a bit too early?

Having shattered space to appear, she surveyed her surroundings, concealed her presence, and waited for Cult to show himself. Before long, she spotted a boy with a hood pulled low over his face.

"So, were you waiting for me to appear as well?"

"……."

And then, her eyes met the symbol of Eden visible beneath the hood. Even from a distance, the way he turned his head as if he had known she would be right there forced Oracle to tense up. Because while she could see the future just like the Prophet, in terms of sheer martial might, she lagged far behind.

How much time can I buy?

Oracle readied her magic. And right at that moment—

KRA-BOOOOM!!

A light like the sun itself surged forth, as though piercing straight through the dark of night.

A dawning light was visible, surging as if tearing the night sky to ribbons. The manifestation of the Prophet's power.

"This is……"

After being dazed for a moment by that overwhelming power, the truth dawned on me.

"This is insane."

That light had surged into the sky simultaneously from both sides—east and west.