Chapter 300: Fiona's Secret Maneuvers
Chapter 300: Fiona's Secret Maneuvers
At the center of the shattered debris.
Shrouded in an aura as thick and dark as midnight shadows, Fiona bowed her head and murmured lamentably.
"Boiling Silence… You should have just let me die."
She was right.
One of the worst-case scenarios our party had anticipated was Fiona dying while successfully hiding the fact that she was a cultist until the very end.
The relationship between the Levantine Empire and the Church of Righteous Light would have soured, and we would have ended up as wanted fugitives.
Starting the war while having to abandon the Levantine Empire, which occupies half the continent? It would be no different from starting a total war with a massive disadvantage.
They might hurriedly join hands again once the situation turned dire… but by then, the damage would already be catastrophic.
It wouldn't have been easy to prove she was a cultist after her death, either. Someone like Fiona would have long since destroyed all physical and human evidence.
The only remaining possibility would be the physical mutations typically suffered by humans who accept the power of an Evil God. However, there was no way someone like Fiona, who specialized in infiltration and disguise, would leave such obvious, suspicious traces behind.
Thus, we had agonized over the problem, but Solari merely tilted her head as she watched us.
‘She won't die.’
To be more precise, she said Boiling Silence would never let her die.
The reason was simple. Not just anyone can become an Apostle.
Looking at the Church of Righteous Light right now, out of all those believers, Helena was the only one born with the qualities to become a Saintess.
As for me… well, I'm an outlier with a rather peculiar body, so I'm an exception.
Anyway, the other Saintess candidates in H&A only awaken their qualities through individual episodes; they don't possess them from the start.
It wouldn't be any different for an Evil God.
In fact, compared to the Good Gods, they lack followers and have to bolster their forces with monsters. Finding talent capable of becoming an Apostle must be even harder for them than it is for us.
That’s why among the Apostles who appear in the latter half of the game, many have flaws—some are consumed by power and become mindless monsters, while others have clear, glaring weaknesses.
The story progression involved hunting them down one by one, starting with the one who had the most fatal flaw.
At the time, I thought it was just a setting implemented for a gradual increase in difficulty, assuming all Apostles would have similar power levels… but to think it was actually because finding a decent Apostle was just that difficult.
A player can become an Apostle of any god if they follow the right route, and since Solari even tried to make me her Apostle, it didn't quite feel real to me—but it’s something to keep in mind.
The talent to host a god is incredibly rare.
On top of that, talent alone isn't enough; a god has to pour in a massive amount of divine blessing to establish a basic foundation.
Even Helena had to share her body with me to fill her lacking blessings, didn't she?
Because of this, according to H&A, there were only three Evil Gods who commanded fully realized Apostles.
Boiling Silence, Narrow-minded Usurpation, and Ugly Prosperity.
Since I had snatched Carla away, Ugly Prosperity would never have a proper Apostle.
Given the circumstances, Fiona was an irreplaceable asset to Boiling Silence.
Even if it meant consuming a significant amount of divine power and throwing away an opportunity to keep us in check, she was far too valuable to discard.
Above all, Boiling Silence is an Evil God specialized in stealth and disguise.
If he poured his power in unreservedly, he would have been confident enough to extract Fiona from this spot.
Hearing Fiona’s lament, Solari let out a fierce smirk.
"Foolish girl. Do not think the perspective of a god is the same as that of a human. What we value is different, and what we deem a threat is different."
"Is that so? In the end, it must be my fault for failing to understand my master's intentions despite my long service."
Fiona nodded calmly, acknowledging her mistake.
At this point, no one could deny that Fiona enjoyed the favor of Boiling Silence.
Except for two people.
"Fi—Fiona? What is the meaning of this…?"
"Mo…ther?"
Fiona turned a gentle smile toward the Emperor and the Crown Prince, who were still trying to deny reality.
The smile of a virtuous wife and a benevolent mother. But somehow, it felt ominous.
Havel, who was right beside her, swung his sword instantly. His materialized aura flashed with a chilling light.
Swaaaaack—!
For some reason, Havel’s sword failed to cut Fiona and passed right through her.
Havel’s brow twitched as he swung his sword repeatedly, but the result remained the same.
As if cutting through a phantom, the blade passed through Fiona’s torso. Neither Havel’s sword nor the Aura Sword coating it could so much as nick a thread of her clothing.
Yet, even in this miraculous situation, Fiona continued what she was saying in a calm tone, as if she felt nothing at all.
"It is a pity to end things like this, Your Majesty. I was quite curious to see what expression you would make as I whispered words of love while clutching your heart…."
"Fiona, you truly…!!"
Rodrigo let out a thunderous roar. But Fiona turned her gaze toward the Crown Prince as if she didn't have a shred of lingering attachment to the Emperor.
"My child. Did you say you wanted to become a great Emperor like your father and take a fine woman like your mother as your Empress? It’s a shame; I wanted to see you one day having lost both, surviving all alone."
"Mother… why… I…."
The Crown Prince, seemingly in shock, stumbled toward Fiona. Havel instantly snatched him up and landed back beside Rodrigo.
If he couldn't cut Fiona down immediately, he would prioritize protecting the most important people.
Standing like a bulwark in front of the Emperor and the Crown Prince, Havel shouted in a booming voice.
"Imperial Guard! Prioritize the protection of His Majesty and His Highness! I will hold back this wicked cultist here!"
"Yes, sir!"
At those words, the knights moved in perfect unison, forming a formation to evacuate the Emperor and the Crown Prince.
Nobles and attendants followed suit, streaming out of the audience hall, but Fiona merely watched them go without doing anything.
I suppose it makes sense. Fiona, not yet awakened as an Apostle, has zero combat capability.
In the first place, that black haze isn't Fiona’s power, but the power of Boiling Silence himself.
However, he won't be able to maintain it forever. Distorting the strikes of a Sword Master cannot be easy. Even at this very moment, a massive amount of divine power must be being consumed.
No matter how much power Boiling Silence has recovered while hiding until now, this has to be a burden.
So, even if our attacks don't work right now, we need to make our own preparations for when the haze disappears.
I distributed weapons I had hidden in my inventory to the party and cast spells so they could be triggered at any moment.
Additionally, Iris and Solari covered the audience hall with a double barrier made of magic and holy power.
Havel, now that there were no bystanders to get caught in the crossfire, was freely drawing up his aura.
His blue aura was gradually becoming transparent, eventually turning as clear as glass—it seemed he was preparing something.
Having made full preparations, we surrounded Fiona… but for some reason, she maintained a serene smile even in this situation.
"Oh my. To think a Sword Master and a young hero whose fame is soaring these days would gather for a helpless woman like me. This is a bit frightening."
"You're an Apostle candidate who hid in the Imperial Palace, having received all your Cardinal-level authorities solely through the blessing of disguise. Even now, you're being protected by the Veil of Silence. One can't be too careful."
That haze. I remember the Veil of Silence vividly because it was the primary culprit behind the inflated difficulty of Fiona’s boss fight.
An authority that hides one's existence from the world, granting a state of absolute evasion from all attacks for a certain period.
Since Fiona isn't an Apostle yet, it must be an authority Boiling Silence is pushing himself to use… but regardless, its effect is absolute.
It’s to the point where it’s more beneficial to focus on defense and evasion while waiting for her to deactivate it herself.
"You even knew that? But that only makes me more curious. …Why do you think I’ve been waiting quietly all this time?"
"…What?"
Was she not simply holding out with the power of Boiling Silence while looking for a way to escape?
In an instant, a chilling sensation brushed the back of my neck. Reflexively twisting my waist, I saw a black spike right before my eyes.
I had my shield deployed out of habit, but the spike passed through it as naturally as could be.
Startled, I swung my dagger.
Clang!
The spike shattered with surprising ease.
"…It’s light."
I was shocked because it bypassed the shield, but it was incredibly weak.
Like a hollow attack launched by a novice who had just obtained an authority….
Wait, could it be?
I quickly looked back at where Fiona was, and there she stood, nodding with the same nonchalant expression as before.
"Is this how it's done? It was a bit awkward since it was my first time, but I think I’ve got the hang of it now."
Fiona then created and fired another spike.
I knew the identity of that spike. It was one of the few combat-oriented authorities of Boiling Silence: the Spike of Silence.
Its effect is a surprise attack that ignores all magical defenses.
It sounds like an absurdly broken authority at first, but its power is mediocre and it cannot ignore physical defenses, so it can be easily blocked with just a suit of armor. Or parried with a weapon, like I just did.
"Everyone, huddle together!"
After confirming the party was back-to-back, I cast telekinesis on the Shining Lion Dagger. Then, I drew a winding trajectory in the air.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The dagger intercepted all the spikes flying in from various directions at different speeds, as if she were mocking us.
In the first place, the Spike of Silence is an attack meant to catch someone off guard; it’s not an authority meant to be used openly like this.
However, there was no stopping Fiona from becoming accustomed to her new authority. As time passed, the spikes began to gain a lethal sharpness.
By the time I had parried them all, I could no longer call Fiona’s spikes "light."
Is he insane, granting a new authority at a time like this?
The Veil of Silence is already draining enough. To send power through the cracks in the seal on top of that would cause the divine power consumption to skyrocket.
Unless he’s going all-in without a care for the future, like Solari did back in Solaris….
"Ah?"
Looking at Fiona in confusion, I saw she was enveloped in an even more intense haze. It was as if she would absolutely not tolerate any interference.
Realizing something, Solari’s eyes widened as she shouted.
"That underhanded bastard! He’s not stalling for time! He’s making her an Apostle right in the middle of this!"
Fiona gave Solari a look of pure delight.
"Correct. But even if you know, what can you do? The fact remains that Boiling Silence is hiding my existence from the world."
"You…!"
I asked the growling Solari.
"Is there no way? You're a god too, Lady Solari."
"…There isn't. To be precise, there is, but I don't have the power to use it."
Solari had gone wild in Solaris, half-abandoning the idea of her true body descending. Naturally, the divine power she used then couldn't have been recovered yet.
A simple clash of holy power might be one thing, but in a battle involving such miracles, she was bound to be short on firepower.
I didn't expect Boiling Silence to go all-in on Fiona here.
Of course, since he’s hurriedly bestowing power while the seal isn't properly broken, the result will be quite unstable….
Still, an Apostle is an Apostle. In H&A, she was the monster who tore Havel, a Sword Master, to pieces and single-handedly brought down the Imperial Palace, which was practically a combat fortress.
For a moment, my teeth ground together at the thought that I could do nothing but watch, but then—
Havel, who had been quietly maintaining his focus, asked while glaring at Fiona.
"I can probably cut through half of it. Can I leave the rest to you?"
"Pardon?"
Wondering what on earth he meant, I looked at Havel and my breath hitched.
His glass-like aura had become completely transparent and invisible, and the sharp energy characteristic of him had vanished.
He looked like an ordinary person. But strangely, my instincts were screaming.
That he was dangerous.
Havel asked me again as I stood there dazed.
"If she is hiding her existence from the world, then I simply have to cut her along with the world itself. However, with my current strength, I can only cut half. I asked if I could leave the other half to you."
I looked at Solari, who shook her head with an uncertain expression.
"I think it might still be a little short."
"…If it’s just a little, I think I can do something about it."
Mana and holy power do not mix, but they do not repel each other either.
If one has enough mana and control, one can manipulate holy power. Just as I had forcibly torn away the Sun God's blessing before.
I pulled the trigger for Dragonification and smirked.
"We're short on time, so let's start right now."
Crack.
A gruesome sound of something breaking and reassembling echoed from within my body.