Chapter 238
Chapter 238
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 238
Chapter Title: Contradiction for Contradiction
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“This is…….”
Does this mean communication isn’t possible right now?
That seemed to be the case, and it was quite disappointing.
I had the most questions for my third martial brother at the moment.
Things about the [Strategy Guide], or about Seren……
Of course, advice on the current situation would be just as welcome.
My third martial brother had a uniquely distinctive way of thinking. Among everyone I’d met, he was the most my-way-or-the-highway type.
To the point where he wouldn’t even listen to Master when it came to something he was obsessed with.
Once, he got into an argument with Master and lost all reason……
He even screamed at Baek Rogwang, “Aaaah! I really don’t want to get old—!”
And got beaten to a pulp, dust flying in the rain.
Yet even with every bone in his body broken and blood pouring from both nostrils, my third martial brother didn’t take back his words.
That was the moment I came to respect him as a person.
Because of this personality, most of what he said sounded like nonsense……
But occasionally, he’d come up with solutions that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine.
Somehow, I felt like if anyone had experience with a woman like Verita, it’d be my third martial brother.
No point in denying it.
My third martial brother was also a playboy with a flashy history with women.
—I’ve met… all kinds of women, Ruan. Not thousands, but hundreds for sure. Jealous?
—You’re actually going to die, right? This isn’t just two-timing.
—It’s fine. They never run into each other. Heh heh heh!
—…?
…Of course, I couldn’t keep chasing someone who wasn’t responding.
It’d be a waste of time.
I recalled the advice from my two martial brothers and came to a conclusion.
“I’ll go with what Fourth Brother said.”
Sorry, Heavenly Junior Brother, but this seems like Fourth Brother’s approach is right.
[‘Blind Heavenly Demon’ receives a small shock.]
At the same time, a tinkling bell sound rang out… and somehow, it felt like Heavenly Junior Brother was a little sulky.
“Sorry.”
I apologized to Heavenly Junior Brother, then relayed Verita’s info to Fourth Brother.
“Brother, that woman… her head seemed a bit off. Beyond unstable—like she was insane. Clearly not in her right mind, but the weird part is she’d occasionally show extremely rational sides. She infiltrated an enemy faction as a shrine maiden without getting caught for quite a while, so… what’s the word. Rational yet instinctive? Her very existence is contradictory? That’s my impression, anyway.”
The words were a bit jumbled, but our Fourth Brother would understand perfectly.
He had a knack for grasping even the messiest explanations.
“Honestly, she’s the type I don’t want to get involved with. Like Second Junior Brother said, if she were outright hostile or irredeemably evil, I could just treat her as an enemy. But she’s not. If anything, I’ve become her reverse scale…….”
That was the root of my dilemma.
No matter how strong Verita was, if I could clearly see her as an enemy, I’d have a solid way to respond.
Flee and bide my time, fight with my life on the line, or attempt negotiations……
But Verita wasn’t hostile toward me—in fact, she was trying to protect me.
The problem was her protective methods were way too extreme……
After hearing everything, Fourth Brother responded.
[‘Iron Ascetic’ speaks.]
[Then, is it correct that you are at the center of all that person’s actions and thoughts?]
“…For now, yeah?”
She’d said she prioritized my orders over the Dark Cult Leader’s.
And I got the illusion that Fourth Brother was speaking to me in his usual emotionless voice.
[If you’ve grasped a person’s joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, you’ve understood half of them. Now that you know when they get angry, focus on the rest.]
“What makes them happy, sad, or joyful?”
[Yes. Then poke at them the same way.]
“The same way?”
[You said that person seems contradictory, right? Then counter with contradiction. Logic and reason are useless against the unpredictable and chaotic. Sometimes, sheer stubbornness is the most effective approach.]
“…Hm.”
Contradiction with contradiction.
Somehow, that felt like the biggest hint.
It was a bit abstract, but something clicked.
“Thanks. Both of you. But what have you two been up to lately? So busy?”
[‘Blind Heavenly Demon’ speaks.]
[Massacre.]
[‘Iron Ascetic’ speaks.]
[Defense.]
“…Huh?”
Defense and massacre?
Had they both received separate missions from Master?
I was a little puzzled, but even when I was at Spirit Mountain, they were almost always out wandering, so it wasn’t strange.
Anyway, we were both busy, so no time for more chat.
I smiled faintly and said,
“Junior Brother, Brother. Wishing you both victory. I’ll contact you when I have time. See you later.”
I awkwardly waved, feeling like the invisible two chuckled… and the faint presence of their gazes faded.
My mind felt lighter.
I didn’t know if the plan I came up with would work, but just venting about something I couldn’t tell anyone brought me peace.
‘Well then…….’
First, let’s create an opening.
Bomb girl Verita.
Just you wait.
* * *
“Ah! You’re here. Did you sleep well?”
But I didn’t expect to run into her less than a minute after leaving my room.
She was standing naturally in the hallway… but no matter how I looked at it, she’d been waiting for me.
No.
Not waiting—watching me?
Anyway.
I grinned and waved.
“Yeah. Slept great.”
“Hm? Must’ve been a deep sleep. Your complexion looks great.”
“Something awesome happened. Thanks to that, I’m in a fantastic mood.”
“Aha.”
Verita smiled faintly and followed behind me.
To my right, one step back.
Like she was my attendant.
As I headed to the cafeteria, I casually said,
“Bloodied Iron Mace of the 72 Sects.”
“Ah.”
“The hero mentioned it earlier. That’s you, right?”
“That’s one of my titles.”
“A title from your days as a heresy inquisitor?”
“Yes. When was it? Probably around when I’d killed about a hundred cultists.”
“…….”
A Dark Cult member as a heresy inquisitor.
It didn’t make sense normally.
Not just within the church, but across the entire empire, heresy inquisitors clashed most frequently with the Dark Cult.
And Verita was also a hero.
To be here now, she’d probably killed hundreds of cultists and injured ten times that many.
It was odd.
As I’d said multiple times, relations between Dark Cult factions weren’t great, but they weren’t outright enemies.
They banded together under the Dark Cult Leader’s orders, knowing they were public enemies of the empire.
‘Is the Colorless Faction especially exceptional? Completely hostile to the Dark Cult…….’
If so, killing a hundred cultists made sense……
Of course, it could just be Verita being crazy, but who knows.
From what I’d heard before, she held a key position even within the Colorless Faction.
And a high-ranking officer’s actions usually reflect their organization’s nature.
‘If the Colorless Faction is hostile to the Dark Cult?’
Or even if they’re unrelated……
That would make Verita’s presence far more uncomfortable for me.
Lost in these thoughts, I finally entered the cafeteria I’d found.
My first meal in nearly 24 hours—the smell alone made my mouth water.
The cafeteria was buffet-style, like during training camp. I grabbed a plate and piled on whatever I wanted.
Buffets usually have lower quality due to prejudice, but this was Heros headquarters, the hero institution even the imperial family respected.
The mountain of food was top-notch.
They didn’t even charge extra to use it.
A glutton might risk their life just for access to this place.
“Oh. Seafood.”
Because of the octopus demon battle?
I craved seafood more than usual and loaded up.
Grilled fish, fried fish, steamed shellfish, grilled shellfish, raw shrimp—even octopus and squid.
Eat, empty, refill, eat, empty, refill……
After about five plates, I finally had leisure to look ahead.
“…….”
Verita was staring at me with rare bewilderment.
“What?”
“Aren’t you… overeating a bit……?”
“I eat this much normally?”
“Oh, r-really.”
“Aren’t you eating too little?”
Her plate had just a bit of veggies, so I asked. Verita replied,
“This is plenty.”
That’s when the meal was wrapping up.
[Announcement from Control Room.]
[Heroes wishing to participate in the promotion match, visit Room 7 to receive info on the third exam.]
It said that once, then cut off.
Don’t they usually repeat announcements twice?
‘Heros. No love lost.’
Anyway, the voice sounded familiar—the blunt hero who’d recruited me.
Kairun from Beowulf, right?
I shoved the rest of my food in my mouth, then headed to Room 7 with Verita.
As expected, Kairun was waiting. He handed us a sheet when we arrived.
“Info on the third exam.”
“Ah, thanks.”
I skimmed it.
[Promotion Match Overview.]
[All challengers will spar with an A-rank hero.]
[Points awarded based on performance. 60+ out of 100 passes.]
I liked the brevity.
But something puzzled me.
“Hm?”
I tilted my head at the paper, and Kairun said,
“What? Exam seems too easy?”
“Not sure about easy, but the risk seems way lower than before. At least I won’t die.”
“Right. No dying. But the risk isn’t low.”
“Huh?”
“This match happens in front of numerous heroes. What does that mean?”
“I lose and get dogpiled?”
“…Not even close.”
Kairun pondered briefly.
Like he was debating how much to advise……
Then spoke in a somewhat sluggish tone.
“Heros hero ranks have a ‘plus’ system.”
“Plus?”
“Yeah. B-plus, A-plus, like that. A tag for those stuck in a rank for 10+ years.”
“Sounds good?”
“Not always. What if it’s C-plus or D-plus, not top ranks like A or B?”
“Uh, that’s…….”
As I hesitated, Kairun continued.
“Stuck at low ranks forever? Naturally, reputation in Heros suffers. Not about persistence or diligence—it’s lack of progress. But even among B-rank heroes, less than 5% reach A. Most retire as B or get demoted.”
“…….”
“A-rank or stuck at B forever… Harsh truth, but it shows from the first promotion match. Onlookers have sharp eyes and scrutinize challengers thoroughly. Fail to shine here, and you might stay B-rank for life.”
“Aha.”
That’s what he was getting at……
Didn’t really concern me.
Even scraping by with 60 points was fine.
B-rank hero status would give me most of the benefits I wanted.
‘Separate from that…….’
I looked at the exam details.
Spar with an A-rank hero.
Good thing I’d planned for Verita ahead of time.
I didn’t know how strong an A-rank was, but even now, a flawless victory without a scratch was impossible.
“When does the match start?”
“Tomorrow, 1 PM. Order decided then.”
“Got it.”
I nodded to Kairun, crumpled the paper into my pocket, left the room, left Heros.
And headed to Tepher.
“……?”
Verita followed naturally but looked puzzled, though she didn’t ask my destination.
Thanks to that, I walked comfortably until we entered the forest we’d passed by carriage yesterday.
A secluded spot even in daylight.
I faced Verita with my back to a particularly large tree in the woods.
“Hey. Know what this is?”
I showed her the Yin-Yang Blade at my waist. She nodded eagerly.
“Of course! One of the Arbiter’s Three Divine Treasures, right?”
“…….”
Arbiter.
From context, probably Eldest Martial Brother. The Three Divine Treasures: Yin-Yang Blade, Single Wood Sword, Wind-Thunder Spear.
“Good. You know it. Then watch closely.”
“……?”
Ignoring Verita’s puzzled look, I gripped the Yin-Yang Blade in reverse grip……
And the next moment, plunged it straight into the back of my hand.
Stab!
The cold blade pierced through, emerging from my palm.
It hurt, of course, but bearable.
“…Huh?”
Unlike my calm face, Verita’s eyes bulged wide.
Like her own hand had been pierced, her reaction was explosive.
“Wh-what? W-wait, hold on. What the—? Huh? Hweh?”
Now, how would you react?
I smirked, observing Verita’s face as she alternated between mine and my pierced hand.
“Wh-what, gasp, urk, hweeeek……?”
Her expressions shifted like waves in a storm.
Bewilderment, sorrow, disbelief, self-loathing, anger… Then suddenly, her eyes rolled back.
“Grrr……!”
Frothing at the mouth, she fainted.
“…Huh?”
Didn’t see that coming……?