Chapter 229
Chapter 229
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 229
Chapter Title: The Hidden Cultist
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“What does it say?”
Lokan approached casually, trying to peek at my paper. I reflexively hid it and shot back.
“Hey now. No peeking.”
“...”
Of course, there was no guarantee that every note contained the same information.
He knew that too, which was why he was trying to get intel from mine.
Until we knew the exact format of this promotion exam, complacency was off the table.
What that meant was...
The people in this room might not be allies for completing the task together—they could be rivals we had to knock out along the way.
“Peeking? That's rude. I was just suggesting we exchange information.”
“Exchange, huh? Nice word choice. Show me yours, and I'll think about it.”
Lokan furrowed his brow but said nothing more.
‘Mercenaries are all the same...’
These mercenary types threw tantrums at the slightest threat to their interests, but when it came to stealing from others, they'd shrug it off with, ‘You got outsmarted, that's on you.’ Double standards all the way.
Of course, they only acted that way toward the weak. Against someone strong enough to kill them, they'd wag their tails and offer up their guts and gallbladders without hesitation.
And the moment they spotted a chance to backstab? They'd swing a hammer without a second thought. That was the mercenary creed.
Of course, Lokan of the Chain Sickle was a titled mercenary.
Unlike heroes, only a tiny fraction of mercenaries ever earned a title...
Just off the top of my head, the requirements included A-rank or higher, five years of experience, industry reputation, and so on.
Since he'd met all those and earned his title, he probably wouldn't stoop to blatant dirty tricks like lesser mercenaries.
Call it a baseline of pride.
‘No, wait—wasn't he a hero now, not a mercenary?’
I shook my head inwardly, brushing off the prejudice. As Lokan and I locked eyes in silence, someone spoke up.
“Apparently, there's a cultist hiding somewhere in this room. Finding them seems to be the first task of this promotion exam.”
The one who stated the contents of my note without omission was a knightly-looking man.
Around thirty years old.
Probably not from the Imperial Household.
With his unkempt hair and beard, plus his worn equipment, he struck me as a freelance knight.
“You're just gonna say it outright? Kills the fun.”
A scholarly-looking woman made a deflated face. She'd probably been enjoying the deduction game.
“We've only got an hour. If we waste time glaring at each other, we'll all fail. Is that what you want, Scholar?”
“But there's no guarantee everything on the paper is true, right?”
That was me chiming in.
I was the youngest here, but I had no desire to use honorifics, so I kept it casual.
Surprisingly, no one called me out on my tone. The knight who'd spoken first looked at me and asked.
“Lies?”
“Doesn't seem likely there's a cultist in Heros HQ.”
To be blunt, the moment I read the note, all sorts of thoughts raced through my head.
My first instinct was naturally, ‘Did someone figure out who I am?’
But a little thinking ruled that out.
I'd entered this promotion exam voluntarily, and any slight delay in timing would've kept me out.
For instance, if the heavy rain had lasted one more day, I'd have missed the midnight exam—so it couldn't be a pre-dug trap for me.
In other words, this was just one of the routine tests that happened all the time in Heros...
So what kind of situation was it for me, who'd accidentally become High Priest without choosing it, to end up in this test?
What situation? Just rotten luck.
“Anyway, you all strangers to each other?”
“Pretty much.”
“Hmm.”
Taking a promotion exam meant...
Barring special cases like mine, these were all established heroes...
But they didn't all seem to know each other.
Not strange.
Promotion exams only happened at HQ, so heroes from branches had to come here to rank up.
And Heros had around a thousand branches.
Heroes operating in different areas rarely crossed paths.
Which meant no reason to suspect a stranger as a cultist right away. Small mercy.
“The boy seems clueless about Heros.”
Then a middle-aged man—or elder, somewhere in between—spoke up as we sat in silence.
No matter how rude I was, I couldn't bring myself to talk casually to a man who looked my age-mate as Keian.
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“You think there's no way a cultist could be in Heros HQ? Wrong. Even conservatively, they've got dozens captured alive. And some of those even convert.”
“Convert... you mean cultists betraying their cult?”
The elder nodded.
Hard to buy at first, but his weighty presence lent credibility to his words.
The other heroes had all gone quiet too, so his info was likely legit.
“They use those converted cultists for mock battles, against the Origin, or in promotion exams like this. So the note saying one of us is a cultist? Probably true.”
“Still feels off that an ex-cultist would cooperate with Heros this much.”
“Hmm.”
The knight stroked his chin briefly at my words, then glanced somewhere and spoke.
“...Sister, what do you make of this?”
His tone was languid yet polite. Actually, everyone in the room had glanced that way right after checking their notes.
The young nun in the farthest corner made the sign of the cross and replied.
“I've heard the brothers' opinions. Since you ask mine, I'll share. Heros knows how to handle cultists well. Their skill outstrips even the Empire's special forces, not to mention our order's inquisitors. So what's on the paper is likely true.”
A quick glance at the pendant around her neck showed it wasn't the Solar Church emblem—it was one of the Seventy-Two Churches.
Not zero chance she was a cultist... but she was by far the most innocent among us.
“Then finding the cultist within the hour is the right task.”
“Indeed.”
“Could you perhaps guide us, Sister?”
At the knight's words, the nun hesitated. A flicker of distress crossed her refined features.
But after scanning the room, she lowered her eyes and murmured.
“...I'm lacking in many ways, but if that's what you brothers and sisters wish, so be it.”
She rose gracefully and headed to the back of the room.
I'd just noticed it then—a small door there.
She cracked it open, revealing the inside.
A cramped space big enough for two people side by side.
Even with chairs prepared, it was clearly a spot Heros had set up on purpose.
“The exam time is one hour, and there are ten of us. Time's tight, so I'll speak briefly with each of you for three minutes.”
“Three minutes to figure out who's the cultist?”
The world-weary scholar snarked.
The nun showed no offense.
“I'll do my best, and leave the rest to God's will.”
“...Tch.”
The scholar clicked her tongue, unimpressed.
“Then in the remaining half hour, we can discuss and hunt the cultist. Of course, I'll hear any better ideas.”
But no one dared suggest alternatives before a Seventy-Two Church nun. Soon after, we agreed to her plan: one-on-one interviews.
The knight went first.
Unluckily, I was last.
“...Hmm.”
Couldn't let my guard down.
Even aside from the infiltrating cultist, my identity could get exposed.
Good thing she was Seventy-Two Church, not Solar? Silver lining.
Wonder what questions they'd ask in that room...
‘Should I eavesdrop a bit?’
“You're a hero already too, huh.”
Just before I could activate my Flame-Eye Golden Pupil, Lokan beside me spoke up.
I settled my rising internal energy and replied.
“For now, yeah. D-rank though. You?”
“C-rank.”
“Oh yeah? And you're in the same exam as me.”
“...Heros promotion exams are brutal. Fail the first test, and I'll get demoted. You being bottom rank don't have to worry.”
“Ah.”
Lokan glanced around, then lowered his voice.
“...And show the elder some respect. Surviving hero work to that age is reason enough.”
“I didn't use casual speech.”
“Wasn't polite either.”
Fair.
I nodded vaguely to Lokan's advice, and then he dropped this.
“Who do you suspect most?”
“Huh?”
“I think the nun could be the cultist.”
“...”
The air chilled slightly.
Any real powerhouse here would've caught our whisper.
“The nun?”
“She's Seventy-Two Church, not Solar. Can't claim total innocence. Could be using that as cover to fool us.”
“Why tell me?”
“In this room, you're the rookie I trust most.”
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, we'd bumped into each other at the tavern today purely by chance.
He'd seen me hop off the carriage with my group and book a room at the inn...
So he couldn't be a Heros-planted actor.
Conversely, I could somewhat trust him knowing he'd become an A-rank hero in the future.
“Hmm.”
I scanned the room again.
Knight man, merchant man, swordsman-looking elder, noble guy. Scholar woman, mage, and nun.
Still a colorful bunch... impossible to tell the cultist by looks alone.
“So? Who?”
Instead of answering, I wrote on my paper.
[Elder. Or knight.]
Lokan read it and wrote back.
[Why?]
[Both too obviously steering the mood. Elder especially planted the idea that there's definitely one cultist among us.]
[That's an assumption?]
[No guarantee it's exactly one.]
“Ah.”
Lokan let slip an exclamation.
“Next, please.”
Around then, the mage emerged, and it was Lokan's turn.
While he was in, I secretly used Flame-Eye Golden Pupil to peek inside.
Couldn't hear the talk...
But I could observe Lokan's vital signs.
Nothing unusual, atmosphere peaceful.
Three minutes later, Lokan came out.
“What'd she ask?”
“Some questions about my background. And if I'd consider converting...”
“That's it?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm.”
As I nodded and scanned the room again...
‘Huh?’
I noticed something off.
“Next, come in.”
But before I could investigate, it was my turn.
I stood and entered the narrow room. The nun's voice reached my ear.
“Please, sit comfortably. No need to be tense.”
“Ah, sure.”
Her politeness pulled honorifics out of me too.
Sitting down, our knees nearly brushed. The crampedness hit home.
“Hee-hee.”
The nun looked amused for some reason. She chuckled softly, then dropped a bombshell.
“I've already identified the cultist. Now it's just a matter of announcing it.”
“Already?”
“...”
I'd found the cultist already?
I blinked in surprise, but she just smiled without answering.
When our eyes met, she spoke.
“You've come to Heros HQ, a terribly dangerous place... but no need to worry.”
“Pardon?”
“In the worst case, I'll step in and draw attention. Even trading my life for it. No one—not even an S-rank hero—will touch a hair on the High Priest's head.”
“...”
A heavy silence fell.
I couldn't even muster a dumbstruck reply.
Struggling to calm my surging energy reacting to my emotions, I kept a blank face and glared at the nun.
She let out an “Ah,” startled briefly, then smiled brightly.
“Forgive the late introduction. I am Verita, the [Colorless Believer]. Currently using the alias Razbet, so...”
The nun—Verita—smiled.
A grin splitting to her ears.
“...please keep that in mind, High Priest, even if it's a hassle.”