Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Night Raid on the Precursors
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92
1
Lying on the triple bed, they looked like a real motley crew.
Ethan was sprawled out diagonally, belly exposed, dead to the world.
Noel lay straight as a board, hands clasped over his stomach in a way that oddly evoked a pharaoh.
How the hell did I end up sharing a room with these two...?
It had a strangely fitting training camp vibe, though—not bad at all.
I'd planned to hunt for Precursors in the middle of the night anyway, so no real inconvenience.
They were out cold enough that I could've carried them both, so I grabbed my demon sword and slipped quietly out of the lodging.
"Let's make it quick and be back before dawn."
"Where are you off to?"
A voice chimed in so naturally that my shoulders jerked in surprise.
I turned to see Leon gazing at me under the moonlight.
"You scared the shit out of me... Don't just pop up like that......"
"I've been here the whole time."
"...What were you doing out in front of the lodging at this hour?"
"Training."
Training at a resort? You're one consistent guy.
His dark cocoa hair was slick with sweat, glistening in the moonlight.
The night air was pretty chilly, but his flushed skin suggested he'd been pushing hard.
"Why don't you take a break?"
"I've had plenty of rest."
Not what I meant.
We'd just gotten past the academy attack crisis, so crashing for a full day wouldn't be out of place.
And yet here he was, training without fail.
Well, that's why he's the protagonist—the hero.
He knows how to rest when he needs to, so nagging him would just be pointless.
"Keep it up, then."
I gave him a casual wave and parted ways.
As I headed toward downtown...
I felt eyes boring into my back.
Sure enough, Leon was silently trailing me.
"Training, huh."
"Today's done."
"Then go to bed."
"Where are you going?"
He just says whatever he wants.
"Taking a stroll."
"You're lying."
How'd he figure that out?
When I shot him a questioning look, Leon added flatly.
"You look like you're heading out to fight."
"Based on what?"
"The vibe."
So, suspicion without evidence.
As expected of the protagonist—his senses are sharp.
If there'd been hard proof, I could've denied it, but convincing Leon—who's acting on pure instinct—to head back was basically impossible.
"Come along quietly, then."
Leon nodded.
No point wasting time if he wasn't going back anyway—better to just bring him.
It might breed more misunderstandings, but oh well.
And so, Leon and I arrived at Charlie's Toy Shop, a blue building from door to window frame, complete with a giant toy soldier decorating the entrance.
"Why come to a toy shop in the middle of the night?"
"What do you think?"
Leon pondered for a moment before cautiously replying.
"The Precursors?"
"Spot on."
He drew his sword in an instant.
Just mentioning Precursors puts him in battle mode.
Makes sense—he's been through it—but whipping out a sword in downtown in the dead of night wouldn't do us any favors.
"No commotion. Put it away."
"But the enemy lair is right in front of us."
"It's camouflage. Stir things up now, and they'll bolt before we can act."
Leon obediently sheathed his blade.
He listens when it counts.
"Any other way in?"
"Of course."
I approached the giant toy soldier at the entrance.
Pressed the five buttons in a specific sequence and tugged its mustache. With a click, a small secret door beside the shop swung open.
Just like in the game.
I led the way through, beckoning Leon.
"Come on before it closes."
You followed me this far—time for you to shine from here on out.
2
"Three ahead. Take them out."
At my curt order, Leon charged.
Even after burning stamina on training, his blade danced through the secret underground passage—light and fierce.
Beyond the secret door lay a damp underground chamber.
It resembled a complex dungeon entrance, but I knew the layout.
First, I'd blocked all passages leading to other exits—no one was escaping.
Now we were mopping up stragglers from the tail end, Leon in tow.
"Ugh...! I'll kill you!"
"What're you on about."
A lowlife who'd been dodging Leon lunged at me.
I smashed his solar plexus with the demon sword's hilt, knocking him out cold.
Meanwhile, Leon sliced through three lower priests in white robes at once.
He sucked at ping-pong but his swordplay was masterful.
Thanks to him, we cleared the hideout without needing my demon sword's full power.
"Now, let's see. Not in a white robe—you must be the bishop, right?"
I asked the man cowering deepest in the hideout.
Leon had already sealed the escape routes.
With nowhere to run, the bishop sneered, twisting his lips.
"You... you won't get anything out of me...!"
Not denying he's the bishop, huh.
Voice shaking, legs trembling like leaves.
"...Is this really a Precursors' bishop?"
Leon sounded incredulous.
No wonder—the guy didn't match the Precursors' image at all.
But facts were facts, so I nodded.
"They're human too, after all."
Precursors were basically people.
Sure, their cult nature meant fanatics often shed all restraint, but the sane ones valued their own lives.
Cults promised afterlife glory, eternal life, power, riches.
Chasing afterlife glory made zealots, but the rest? Naturally clingy about their necks.
That's what made it ridiculous.
They cherished their own lives but were fine sacrificing others.
Couldn't wrap my head around that mindset.
There were limits to defying common sense.
Anyway... better no zealots here than the alternative.
Self-preservation made interrogation easier.
"Spill everything you know, and you live."
"......"
The bishop clamped his mouth shut.
Legs still quivering, though.
"Can't be helped, then."
Shing. I drew the demon sword, and his eyes widened in terror.
No signs of talking, so I raised Deathwise high.
Slowly brought it down.
At that moment, he squeezed his eyes shut.
But Deathwise halted right before his forehead.
When nothing happened, he cracked his eyes open cautiously, then flinched at the blade inches away.
I hooked his foot, sending him sprawling backward in an undignified heap.
No time for groans—I plunged Deathwise beside his face.
The tip grazed his skin, drawing a bead of blood.
"W-What are you doing...!?"
"You guys have a specialty."
"I have nothing to say...! It's all for the greater good...!"
"Enough with the 'greater good' crap. I'm sick of it."
Haa, Precursors always drag it out to the bitter end.
Remembering my game days made my teeth grind.
Always yapping about the greater good without proper explanation.
Villains gonna villain—ranting their insider nonsense like it's profound. Hate watching it.
"I'll count to five. Spill everything. Don't want to? Keep your mouth shut like now. But remember: an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. You reap what you sow."
The bishop shook from head to toe.
Gazing down at him—looking ready to bawl—I flashed a sweet smile.
"One, two, three, four......"
"Aa! Fine! I'll tell you everything, just spare me...!"
About time.
I withdrew Deathwise with a nasty grin.
3
"You're skilled at interrogation."
As I wiped the blood from Deathwise, Leon murmured softly.
Not really an expert, so I shrugged.
"Reading faces is kinda my thing."
Makes it easy to know what expression pushes them to the brink.
Shallow acting that only works on certain types, but plenty effective on small fry like that.
"Anyway, focus on the intel now."
"...Right."
Leon's voice dropped sharply.
The air around him turned razor-sharp, red eyes flashing like an enraged beast.
No helping it.
The info from the Precursors' bishop I'd interrogated, Beham, struck right at Leon's sore spot.
In two days, the Precursors would collapse the new Simon Tower in Riverflow.
To that end, all Precursors active in Hilfenberg Ducal Territory and nearby lands would converge.
The basics matched the main story.
But as a mere branch bishop, Beham lacked details.
Even if opening it up revealed differences from canon, that wouldn't be odd.
What worried me most was the Cardinal showing up personally.
Ironwall Knights' Vice Captain Dariund, even Eligor—who was supposed to fall from grace.
We'd already crossed paths with the Cardinal earlier than in canon, so he could pop up anytime.
Clashing with him now was too risky.
Practically suicide.
But he wasn't someone I could just send packing unprepared.
Best case: he doesn't appear. Still, prep for the worst.
Specific plans...
A few options, but I'll decide calmly.
Two days wasn't long, but not short either.
Finishing my thoughts, the underground passage ended.
We emerged aboveground through another secret door.
The pitch-black sky stretched wide.
"Huu..."
I inhaled the cool air deeply.
Turning, I saw Leon with eyes downcast, lost in thought.
Motionless for a while, he suddenly met my gaze as if sensing it.
"You seemed deep in thought."
"...Just mulling over what the bishop said."
Leon tried to sound detached.
But inferring the anger simmering beneath wasn't hard.
Their lives matter, but others'? Expendable.
Sacrifice anyone for some lofty "greater good."
Dirty their own hands, then pat themselves on the back with "it's for the cause."
Utterly repulsive.
Hypocrisy has limits.
This was straight madness.
For Leon, who'd experienced that madness firsthand, Precursors were intolerable on principle.
He was furious now, but he'd bottle it up tight.
Not just anger.
Leon Hilfenberg always wore a blank face or faint smile.
How much contemplation and emotion he kept inside...
Probably only he and I knew.
"Venting now and then is important too."
"What do you mean?"
No context, sure.
He looked puzzled, but explaining pointlessly, I just shrugged.
"You'll find out eventually."
That moment would come someday for sure.