Chapter 247
Chapter 247
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 247
Chapter Title: The Golden Dragon
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Of course, I almost did, but I didn't actually spit tea in the headquarters chief's face.
Far from it—my expression remained much the same as when I'd been sipping my tea.
The question had struck the back of my head like a surprise attack...
But in truth, ever since making contact with Verita, I'd kept my nerves on edge, which allowed me to maintain my composure.
Heros wasn't exactly a place where I could fully let my guard down, after all.
I swallowed the tea I'd been holding in my mouth as naturally as possible, then replied.
“I'm not sure I understand the intent behind the question.”
“Is that so? Then let me rephrase. Did you know Sister Razbet is a cultist?”
Damn it.
This time, my poker face and calm nearly shattered completely.
I clamped my mouth shut for the moment.
I had no idea if silence was the right choice in a situation like this...
But one thing was clear: blurting something out without thinking it through would be the worst option.
I could worry about why I'd suddenly gone quiet later.
But it seemed the chief had no intention of giving me time to think.
“Why the sudden silence? Flustered? Got a guilty conscience? Suspicious. You're not a cultist too, are you?”
“...I'm just baffled. And cultist? Surely you know my family name, Chief.”
“Goodspring?”
“...”
“Kidding. Bednicker.”
Taon chuckled.
He looked just like a carefree boy, but it was impressive how he wasn't the least bit intimidated by the name Bednicker—a name that would make most nobles foam at the mouth.
“But then again, even that ironclad fortress of a family already had a high priest hiding in it.”
“...”
He knew about Juan, too.
That raised questions.
Had the Iron-Blooded Duke told him personally?
Or did he have his own intelligence network?
“These days, you have to consider every possibility imaginable. For instance, even if someone of Bednicker blood turned out to be a cultist, it wouldn't be all that surprising, would it?”
“By that logic, Heros's own headquarters chief could be a high priest.”
“Exactly.”
I stared at the chief, who brushed off my sarcasm without a care.
Suddenly, it hit me: maybe the owner of this annoyingly dripping face was actually a master strategist.
That would explain calling Hiiro in with me from the start, pretending to nap sprawled across his desk, and offering me tea before asking about Verita...
It all felt like a meticulously laid trap by this man, the headquarters chief.
His half-lidded eyes no longer burned with that intense hue from earlier, yet they still exuded a powerful presence.
Was this really the same slack-jawed youth I'd first seen?
“So, what's your relationship with Sister Razbet?”
The chief's question circled back to the original one.
I couldn't keep stonewalling forever, so I let out a sigh and opened my mouth.
“I don't know her that well. We only met after coming here—what would I know?”
“You two seemed pretty inseparable.”
“We were. I'm used to it.”
“Used to what?”
I swept back my hair and pulled out the excuse I'd prepared.
“I'm kind of popular.”
“...”
“...”
“...”
Shit.
Taon stared at me without laughing or sneering, then spoke again.
“Fine, we'll go with that for now... So, popular guy Ruan Bednicker?”
Never thought I'd hear a nickname worse than 'gold digger' in my life.
“...Yes.”
“And as I just said, Sister Razbet is a cultist—”
“Sorry for interrupting, but that's the part I find questionable from the start.”
“What's questionable?”
“Sister Razbet is a nun of the 72 Cults, isn't she? And I've seen her wield some pretty high-quality divine power. Her temperament seemed a bit extreme, but she said she'd put it to good use and smashed plenty of cultists' heads in the process.”
“True enough.”
“She seems pretty trusted in both the 72 Cults and Heros. I just can't believe someone like that is a cultist.”
“Hmm. I get it. You want solid proof first?”
That summed it up.
I couldn't confront the chief head-on, so I'd phrased it indirectly.
“Truth is, I have no evidence.”
“I see...”
“Look at you. You don't believe me, do you?”
“Not at all.”
“Man, you're irritating in a whole different way from your father.”
The chief scratched his messy hair and said this.
“Honestly, I don't care if Razbet's a cultist. I have no intention of harming her. For now.”
With that, the chief gulped down more liquor.
Alcoholic?
Normally, booze should loosen someone up, but this guy seemed to get sharper-eyed the more he drank.
“That doesn't sound like something Heros's headquarters chief should say.”
“Fair point. Don't go blabbing about it.”
“What happens if I do?”
“Who knows... what might happen...”
Taon trailed off and stood from his seat.
I tensed slightly, quietly circulating my internal energy to be ready to react at any moment.
But the chief just walked past me back to his desk and flopped face-down onto it.
The pathetic sight of him smacking his lips in that ridiculous pose was infuriating...
“...”
But I used the moment to gather my thoughts.
What was this guy's angle?
How much did he know, and what was his goal?
Or before that...
'Is he a definite threat to me?'
Hard to say.
I lacked information.
Which meant I needed to shake him up somehow and extract more details.
I spoke carefully.
“What you just said—can you stand by it?”
“What words?”
“Suspecting a Bednicker bloodline of being a cultist. My esteemed father would probably fly into a rage if he heard that.”
My leverage over the chief was extremely limited, naturally...
So I had no choice but to summon the Iron-Blooded Duke.
Taon rolled only his eyes while pressing his cheek to the desk and chuckled.
“Oh? Is that so~? Then go ahead and tell him.”
“Should I? While I'm at it, maybe mention that Razbet's a cultist too.”
“...”
His cackling laughter paused for a moment...
It felt like the satisfying impact of a wild swing landing squarely on his jaw.
Smiling, I continued.
“The Family Head might kill cultist Razbet and hold you accountable for covering it up. What do you think?”
If Taon truly knew my identity... as the colorless high priest...
He'd see through this bluff in an instant.
Calling the Iron-Blooded Duke as the high priest would be like unleashing a starving beast with my own hands.
'But if he backs down here...'
The chief said,
“You're bolder than I thought, kid. You really fifteen?”
“Sixteen this year.”
“I see. That explains the savvy.”
Taon straightened up and looked at me, nodding.
“Alright. You can't get something for nothing in life, huh? Guess I'll be a little more honest.”
“Go ahead.”
“As you said, Sister Razbet has a fiery temperament. Someday, that wild side might get her exposed... She's hiding it well for now, but she's a ticking time bomb for sure.”
“...”
“So I want you to keep an eye on her—and control her if you can. Reports say she likes you quite a bit.”
“That makes even less sense. If you know she's a cultist, shouldn't you execute her on the spot or at least restrain her?”
“Normally, yeah. But someone's like Razbet is different. It's like... I'm playing the long game. Put in a little more effort, and I can reel in something much bigger.”
“What do you mean?”
“Sister Razbet could be the key to the cult's headquarters—or even the Black Hierarch.”
“...”
If that was true, it made his unconventional attitude understandable.
'And it fits naturally from the start.'
I'd always seen Verita's presence as highly precarious.
If no one in Heros had noticed her infiltration, I'd have no choice but to doubt the organization's competence, fortunate or not...
But if they'd known all along, it flowed smoothly.
'Still...'
Something nagged at me oddly.
I bought his explanation, and the pieces fit, but... what was it?
It felt like the excuses were too perfectly lined up.
Like he'd prepared them in advance and was pulling them out at just the right moments.
Of course, there was no logic to the feeling.
It was just a gut suspicion based on a sense of incongruity.
'But this intuition has rarely betrayed me.'
I pondered briefly, then decided to probe one last time.
“What if I refuse?”
“I'll revoke your hero status.”
“...You're serious?”
“Who knows? Serious? Joke? One thing's clear: the man before you has the power to do it.”
Taon chuckled slyly again.
“Why me? There are mountains of heroes stronger than I am. Can't you assign one of them?”
“Tried it. They're too sharp. Their senses are abnormally keen—can't even surveil them secretly.”
From his tone, it sounded like he'd attempted to monitor or control Verita multiple times.
“And right then... you showed up. The boy who won over the wary Sister Razbet: pretty boy, heartthrob, Casanova, catastrophic playboy, gold digger Ruan Bednicker!”
“...Uh, yes.”
“So, you'll take the job?”
“Let me think about it.”
It felt like I'd extracted everything I could from the conversation.
Now it was time to piece together the scattered info and draw conclusions.
I didn't take everything the chief said at face value... but I didn't dismiss it all as lies either.
Considering his demeanor and strategic flair so far, he'd likely mixed truth and falsehood.
So how to separate them?
Truth usually slips out in moments of agitation.
That brief disruption in his composure was surely genuine.
And today, I'd witnessed the headquarters chief Taon Gladd falter exactly once.
The moment I mentioned the Iron-Blooded Duke.
More precisely, when I said I'd tattle to him about Verita.
In other words...
That was the situation he most wanted to avoid.
So why did Taon dread it so much?
Enough to flinch like that.
'Think big, broad, free.'
I imagined knocking my slightly foggy head with my fist.
In times like these, start with the most absurd possibilities.
Really, the most ridiculous ones first.
I let my imagination run wild... and suddenly, a conversation with Verita flashed in my mind.
- About the fact that you've made contact with me—do the other followers know?
- Yes.
- How many know?
- Ten, including me.
After that exchange, Verita continued.
- Also, High Priest, you needn't worry if I leave.
- Even if I disappear or can no longer perform my escort duties... another follower will quickly step in.
'Is Heros's headquarters chief a colorless follower?'
I immediately dismissed the thought I'd just had. That was too far-fetched.
But the direction might not be wrong.
With the feeling of going all-in, I spoke.
“Have you joined hands with Sister Razbet?”
“What bullshit is that?”
“Ah, bad phrasing. Have you allied with the cult?”
As I pressed on, Taon's expression shifted slightly.
“...Do you even know what you're talking about?”
“Of course. Otherwise, your attitude doesn't—”
“Enough.”
The atmosphere changed in an instant with that voice.
Crackle...
The steaming hot tea froze solid right before my eyes.
The moment I jolted and leaped to my feet—
[Kneel.]
A voice echoed as if from beyond a cavern.
With the curt command, my body plummeted straight to the floor.
Boom!
No time to react.
My lower body suddenly felt dozens of times heavier.
'This is...'
My body wouldn't move as I willed it.
I could still circulate internal energy, but shaking off this sudden paralysis would take time.
“You lack manners, young Bednicker.”
“...”
I gazed at the chief, who wielded a power utterly unlike magic, sorcery, curses, or even blessings.
Golden eyes stared back.
His pupils had slit vertically at some point, the pressure so intense it raised chills.
Just meeting his gaze made my whole body tremble like a leaf, a desperate urge to bow my head surging up.
Frankly, it was hard to even part my lips...
But if I shut up now, I'd be under his thumb forever.
So I had to force the words out, no matter what.
“No wonder you've held the chief position for a century—it all makes sense now.”
“...”
After spitting out those final words, I swallowed the blood surging up my throat.
Internal injuries from just muttering a few words...?
But given who he was, it was believable.
Once the most powerful race on the continent.
Now nearly extinct in modern times.
The only beings who could enforce rules with their words.
Dragonkin.
The Golden Dragon Taon Gladd looked at me.