Chapter 142
Chapter 142
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: The Enigmatic Leone
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Before I could say anything, Alderson raised one arm in a fluid motion, as if drawing a semicircle with his hand.
The rising arm stopped at shoulder height.
At that moment, as if a curtain were falling, strings cascaded down from below his arm.
*Click…*
And a puppet tied to the strings appeared.
It was a sudden appearance without any warning, but I wasn't surprised.
This is what magic is like, after all.
“This is the puppet before 'information' has been injected. What does it look like to you?”
“It just looks like a wooden jointed doll.”
The puppet wore no clothes and had no facial features.
Its body was rigid and angular, making it impossible to tell if it was male or female.
It was truly a wooden puppet with only the most basic form.
If information is injected into it, will it transform into something like the Delac or Leone I just fought?
If I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes, I would have found it hard to believe.
“The puppets I create are among the most sophisticated in the empire, but that doesn't mean they are without flaws. For starters, processing the information is a task in itself... In the case of the two puppets you just fought, that process alone took over ten years.”
“How inefficient.”
“Not very befitting of a mage.”
Alderson nodded and continued.
“There are also cases where the injected information's wavelength doesn't match the puppet's body, causing it to simply collapse. Even if I succeed after countless trials, I can't perfectly replicate the original. As you've experienced, they can't use Blessings, and since they store mana internally, their mana capacity is limited. Their ability to wield it is also less than half of the original's. The most I can do is mimic their physical abilities to a similar degree, but…”
“What's your point?”
I interrupted Alderson a bit rudely, feeling that he was rambling.
Alderson didn't seem particularly offended and continued.
“Leone, the top-ranked in the tower—well, second now that you're here. In any case, I only injected the 'information' I gathered from her climb into the puppet. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Something about that sounded strange.
I said with a slightly serious expression.
“Wait a minute. Are you saying—”
Alderson nodded.
“Leone has always had the blood of evil flowing through her.”
Huh.
I felt some of the tension leave my body.
“Are you saying Leone was a Minor Lord?”
“To even know of the Minor Lords, you're quite knowledgeable about the Dark Cult…”
Alderson said, looking slightly surprised, then nodded.
“But she's different from a typical Minor Lord. Leone is… very special, even aside from that.”
“...”
“Perhaps because of that background, Leone's 'information' was incredibly distinct. Generally, injecting information into a puppet doesn't make it act like a real person. It only executes the inputted data. Leone was different. She had a sense of self, and could even hold a conversation.”
I felt this was the perfect time to ask what I was most curious about.
“Who exactly is Leone?”
“I don't know.”
“…What?”
Alderson continued.
“Aside from the fact that she was a Minor Lord with extensive knowledge of the Dark Cult, Hell, and demons, I know almost nothing about her.”
“But you said you obtained her information.”
“Her physical information, yes. I can't know the entire trajectory of a climber's life just by observing them.”
“...”
He had a point.
“In fact, I only found out she was a Minor Lord because she told me.”
“You found out because she told you? That sounds a bit strange.”
“Yes, it is strange. As I said, Leone is special.”
Alderson said with a bitter smile.
“Leone doesn't obey my commands. If she doesn't want to talk about something, she won't, even with a knife to her throat.”
“...”
A startling confession.
It was likely not because Alderson lacked skill, but because Leone was special, just as he said…
“…Then you could just go find the real Leone, not the puppet.”
“That's impossible.”
“Why?”
“Because she's already dead.”
“...”
I shut my mouth.
Alderson said with a serious expression.
“…The Iron-Blooded Duke, Delac C. Bednicker. Demon hunter and executioner, the imperial family's sword, the charisma of the Great Families—most of the titles attached to Delac were earned in the process of killing demons.”
“Yes. And you, Headmaster, said that very same Family Head once claimed he could be friends with a demon.”
“...”
“Can you stand by that statement?”
In response to my words, the headmaster smiled and said.
“I can't take responsibility for it. And I would appreciate it if you didn't report to the Iron-Blooded Duke that I said this.”
“Why not?”
“Because the Iron-Blooded Duke of today is a completely different person from back then.”
Only then did I understand Headmaster Alderson's words.
It's only natural, but a person's thoughts are constantly changing until the day they die.
I, who lived a more pathetic life than anyone, knew that best.
So it was perfectly understandable that the Iron-Blooded Duke's way of thinking was different from when he was young.
But…
The fact that it was the Iron-Blooded Duke, of all people, who once wished for harmony with demons came as a great shock to me.
What kind of incident could the Iron-Blooded Duke have gone through to change so much?
“I've said most of what I can say.”
With those words, Headmaster Alderson closed his eyes.
As if waiting for a verdict.
“...”
Whatever the reason, Alderson had completely revealed his inner thoughts.
He could have subdued me by force, yet here he was, confessing the truth and hoping for my leniency.
The Seven-Colored Grand Mage.
The headmaster of Cartel Academy.
Even setting aside such titles, it's not easy for an old man who has lived for at least a hundred years to show such an attitude to a greenhorn who's still wet behind the ears.
Of course, he couldn't kill me over this.
I'm a Bednicker, after all.
‘But…’
I found myself liking Headmaster Alderson's attitude.
Besides, I held the belief that if the other party revealed everything, I should also reveal some of my own thoughts.
“You said there might be such a thing as a good demon.”
“That is correct.”
“In that case, could a good Demon King also exist?”
“What?”
Alderson looked at me, bewildered, but closed his mouth after seeing my expression.
“Hmm.”
He then paused as if to gather his thoughts before speaking slowly.
“…The Demon Kings. That is what we call them, but in reality, they are divine beings. And among the gods, they are beings of unparalleled power. Do you know why?”
It was a fact I had heard several times recently, but I thought carefully before answering.
“The empire's state religion, the Church of Seventy-Two, is a polytheistic faith that believes in seventy-two gods. Besides them, each family, race, and region has its own gods, so if you add them all up, there must be hundreds.”
Blessings.
The power bestowed by the gods upon the bloodlines of the Great Families.
In short, the number of existing gods is equal to the [number of Blessings].
That is, the gods who are friendly to the empire and humanity.
“On the other hand, there are only six beings called Calamity Gods. Just six gods have become the empire's greatest threat. To put it simply, that means one Calamity God possesses power equal to dozens of benevolent gods.”
Alderson nodded.
“Indeed. In the past, thirteen evil beings known as the Thirteen Evil Gods plunged the continent into chaos… but I can say with certainty that the six Calamity Gods of the present era are far stronger and more terrifying.”
“So they're much stronger than the Thirteen Evil Gods.”
“I'm not saying this simply because of the power they possess. The most frightening thing about the Calamity Gods… is that they are completely unaffected by reverence or faith.”
I tilted my head.
“What do you mean by that?”
“All gods need followers. Without faith, a god cannot exert strong influence… That is why the concept of a 'forgotten god' exists in the world.”
“Hmm…”
“The Demon Kings are the sole exception to that premise. To them, faith is of no consequence… Even if we were to completely uproot the cult from this continent, the power of those horrifying beings would not diminish in the slightest.”
This was something I hadn't known…
But hearing it, it was a truth that made natural sense.
Ahop or Tangtata.
Could one see love or mercy in the way they treated their worshippers?
I certainly couldn't.
Ahop turned its followers and enemies into pools of blood with equal fairness…
And Tangtata didn't care who its opponent was, as long as they provided interest and amusement.
In other words, they couldn't care less.
About what happened to their so-called followers.
‘And Eldest Martial Brother, too.’
Eldest Martial Brother's strength is a monumental achievement he built entirely on his own.
It would never be swayed by things like worship or faith.
“You asked if a good Demon King exists. My answer is 'no.' If such a being existed in the first place, they wouldn't be called a Demon King.”
“...”
“However…”
Alderson said in a cautious voice.
“Who knows? There may be a secret we are unaware of.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Do you know of the most mysterious Demon King?”
I answered.
“Isn't it the Achromatic Demon King?”
“Yes. It is said to have destroyed a nation in ancient times, but since then, it has not caused any notable disasters. It also has the fewest followers in the cult… and its High Priest has never once been revealed.”
“...”
“The nation destroyed by the Achromatic Demon King was a kingdom named [Setitus]. It's a country of which almost no records remain today, but some texts refer to it as the [Empire of Evil].”
“Hmm.”
“Of course, that doesn't erase the sin of wiping out so many lives. Even if that nation was an empire of sin, it's difficult to justify a massacre. But isn't good and evil inherently subjective?”
Alderson continued.
“Separate from the price of its sin, if there was a hidden story behind such an act, it cannot be defined as simple evil. Who knows? The Achromatic Demon King might have a story we could sympathize with…”
“...”
A story.
I don't know if it's a story I could accept.
But I had a feeling I needed to find out what that story was before I reunited with Eldest Martial Brother.
It felt like only then would I know for sure how I should treat him.
“…Hmm.”
In the meantime, Alderson injected mana into the wooden puppet in his hand.
*Swaaaa—.*
A faint mist-like substance enveloped the wooden puppet, and its form slowly began to change.
It was a magical sight.
The transformation of a rigid wooden puppet into the form of a young girl in an instant could only be described by the word 'magic'.
Leone opened her eyes.
Her red eyes blinked a few times, scanning the surroundings, before finally settling on me.
“Oh, you were here too. It was quite an entertaining fight after a long while. I'll give you my praise.”
I ignored Leone's condescending greeting and asked Alderson.
“Even though the puppet was destroyed, she remembers what just happened. Is there a separate vessel that stores her memories?”
“Precisely. I took the motif from a lich's life vessel.”
“I see.”
Alderson called to Leone.
“Leone, the boy before you is the son of the Iron-Blooded Duke.”
“Oho…”
“Are you willing to explain?”
What kind of explanation was he talking about?
After hearing Alderson's whisper, Leone snickered and said.
“I refuse.”
At that, Alderson let out a deep sigh and waved his hand.
*Swoosh—* Leone returned to being a wooden puppet.
“It seems you can't force her to obey.”
“I told you. Leone doesn't obey my commands. She only pretends to listen when it suits her.”
“Where in the world did this girl come from? You should at least be able to figure out her origins.”
The academy's admission requirements are quite strict, after all.
But Alderson shook his head.
“I don't know. Her entire life before coming to the academy is a mystery.”
“What the…”
“The academy has a special admission process.”
“A special admission process?”
“Climbing the Tower of Trials to the very top. If one succeeds, they are granted admission regardless of race, age, or origin. They don't have to pay any tuition until graduation, either.”
“I see.”
I still didn't know what was on the 5th floor.
But from my brief exchange of fists with Leone, I didn't think her climb would be difficult, no matter what lay ahead.
“Have you tried threatening her?”
“It's pointless. She feels no pain and has no fear of ceasing to function. I've attempted countless conversations over the past ten years, but in truth, I haven't learned much. To be honest, I have no idea what she's thinking.”
“Hmm…”
“There are rare occasions when Leone is in a good mood. At those times, she would reveal secrets of the cult one by one without me even asking, and the value of that information was incalculable.”
“For example?”
“It was thanks to Leone that the empire learned of the position of Minor Lord within the cult.”
“Ah…”
I understood instantly.
“Then the Church of Seventy-Two and the Sun Church must also know of Leone's existence.”
“Only a very small number of bishops and cardinals.”
“I see.”
“Unlike demons, I too have designated the cult as an enemy that must be destroyed. Their ideology is far too dangerous… And the one who can change this tiresome situation is none other than Leone.”
The more he spoke, the more I realized just how important that black-haired girl was.
Alderson sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time.
“Leone told me. If I want to know more, I must bring her another Minor Lord from the Dark Cult.”
Hmm?
“Isn't that an absurd demand? No one, not even the person themselves, can know who a Minor Lord of the cult is until the seed of evil sprouts! And the one who taught us that was none other than Leone herself…!”
I listened silently as Alderson shouted as if grinding his teeth, then suddenly tilted my head.
…Huh?