Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Six Hours
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“The Dark Cult has a position called ‘Minor Lord’?”
I’d never heard the term in my past life, so I had to ask.
“They were as shrouded in mystery as the Lord himself, but their existence has been confirmed.”
“…So, are you certain Evan is the Minor Lord?”
“The Lord is an inviolable position, even within the Dark Cult. Someone of the High Priest's standing wouldn't lie about it. For us, it would be like impersonating a god.”
That may be, but…
“…If Evan is the Minor Lord, does that mean his father, Sir Doze Helvin, is the Lord?”
“I don't know about the young master Evan's birth. That's not what's important right now. Besides, the Cult's dark arts are beyond our common understanding anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“Have you ever heard of atavism?”
“No.”
“Simply put, it's when an ancestor's genes reappear after skipping several generations. Your father is a prime example.”
The Iron-Blooded Duke?
“Compared to his siblings, the Family Head's dark elf traits are particularly prominent, aren't they?”
Now that you mention it, I guess that's true.
“The Dark Lord is an ancient monster who has lived for at least several hundred years, and no one knows his true identity. Who's to say a seed he sowed hundreds of years ago wouldn't blossom now?”
…So you're saying.
The Dark Lord could have hidden his identity and had a relationship with one of the family's ancestors hundreds of years ago?
I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh at Junian's words.
“My. The bloodline purists of the Great Families would have a fit if they heard that.”
“They just keep it quiet, but everyone considers the possibility.”
“…”
After a brief pause, I asked.
“Are you planning to kill Evan?”
Junian looked at me.
It was impossible to read her thoughts from her half-lidded eyes.
“Without the Minor Lord, the ritual will fail. The High Priest will be torn apart by the Demon King without us having to lift a finger. Isn't that the only way to resolve this mess right now?”
“What if Evan isn't the Minor Lord?”
“Are you defending him?”
“…”
“I don't think so. You weren't surprised when I told you. You've had your own suspicions about Evan, haven't you?”
It goes without saying, but one of an Inquisitor's primary duties is interrogation.
In other words, they were masters of psychological warfare, not just demon hunting.
“Of course, I'll take full responsibility regardless. The reason I'm telling you this is simple. It's not to ask for permission, but merely as a confirmation.”
“Even so, killing him right away seems too rash.”
Junian looked at me and asked.
“You. How many Blessings did you receive?”
“One.”
“Hmm.”
Junian then said with a vague expression.
“You just said it was rash, didn't you? Not necessarily. Especially not for you.”
What the hell is she talking about?
It was at that moment.
Suddenly, I felt something warm and trickling from my nose.
“…?”
I instinctively wiped it with my hand. It was blood.
“Ah—”
And then, dizziness.
I nearly collapsed, bracing myself against the wall.
“Looks like the effects are starting to kick in. Then again, with only one Blessing, it's a miracle you've lasted this long.”
“What are you talking about…”
“Once we enter the fourth phase, the Demon King's miasma spreads throughout the area. Those with low resistance—or rather, low demonic resistance—are the first to be affected.”
“…Demonic resistance?”
“I'm talking about the Blessings.”
Junian said, looking at me.
“From now on, those with the fewest Blessings will die first. With only one, you're at the top of the list.”
Hoo—
Junian exhaled a puff of smoke and said.
“Think of it simply. It's kill or be killed. Nothing complicated about it, is there?”
“…Hmm.”
Is that really it?
I felt a sense of resistance to Junian's words.
It wasn't just simple defiance; I had a feeling I was missing something.
I waited for the dizziness to subside, and once I felt a bit better, I spoke.
“How much time do I have left?”
“…”
Junian glanced at me for a moment.
Her expression remained unchanged, but she seemed slightly taken aback.
“…Well. The mutation varies from person to person, but if you have a nosebleed, you'll generally die within five or six hours.”
About half a day, then.
I looked at Junian.
‘Only a baptized cleric can claim complete innocence…’
In any case, this woman had shared a lot of information to convince me.
It was only right that I show some sincerity in return.
“Luke Bednicker has infiltrated the training retreat.”
“Luke? You mean the captain of the Iron-Blooded Knights?”
“Yes.”
“He infiltrated the retreat? More importantly, how do you know—”
“I heard it directly from Sir Asad.”
“Hmm…”
A suspicious gaze.
I had no choice but to raise my middle finger and show her the ring.
“I doubt you suddenly felt the urge to flip me off.”
“Of course not. Look at the ring. It's a magic tool I received from the Family Head.”
“A ring…”
Junian narrowed her eyes and said.
“It certainly doesn't look ordinary.”
“Right?”
“And now that you mention it, someone comes to mind.”
Someone comes to mind?
“One of the knight instructors seemed unusually skilled. I kept observing him, wanting to gauge his level, but came up empty.”
“Who was it?”
“A knight named Cru.”
“Cru…”
Spelled backward, that's Luke…
…That's his alias?
“He's not dead, is he?”
“You saw the crystal too, didn't you? The knights went out on patrol before the incident. The High Priest claimed to have killed them, but… maybe not all of them.”
“What if Captain Luke is alive, and he joins the fight?”
“…”
To my surprise, Junian considered it seriously before speaking.
“Even the Hunting Master couldn't react to the Demon King's divine punishment and died in a single blow… But the Iron-Blooded Captain might be able to withstand it. If another detachment attacks the High Priest in the meantime—”
“…”
“The chances of victory would double… no, triple.”
Junian looked at me and said.
“But the odds are still slim. Killing Evan Helvin is the much easier path.”
“People who only look for the easy way out are bound to get burned eventually. Besides, it's not even certain that Evan is the Minor Lord, is it?”
“…”
Junian looked at me.
She seemed to be debating whether to ignore me or try to persuade me.
“…Six hours.”
“Huh?”
“Prove Evan's innocence within six hours. If you can't, I'll ignore your opinion and just kill him.”
For an instructor, Junian was already making a huge concession.
For now, I nodded.
“Let's do that. Then I suppose finding Captain Luke and joining up with him is our priority, right?”
“Right. According to the communication crystal's records, he was headed for Area A-3. Let's head there first.”
“Understood.”
Just as I thought our conversation was over and was about to leave the room, Junian made an unexpected offer.
“Ruan Bednicker, have you ever considered becoming an Inquisitor?”
“…All of a sudden?”
“You stood before me during the last class, didn't you? Weren't you interested in this line of work?”
Now that I think about it, that did happen during the elective class.
So she remembered.
“I'm not uninterested… but why the sudden offer?”
“We're always short-staffed here. We'd welcome a talent like you.”
“A talent like me?”
I was feeling a little pleased, thinking Junian saw me in a good light, when she suddenly raised her index finger.
And started twirling it near her temple…
“I mean the crazy ones.”
“…”
Fuck that.
* * *
Junian said she had something to prepare in her room, so I went down to the first floor alone for the time being.
As soon as I came down, all eyes naturally turned to me. Judging by the looks on their faces, it seemed the awkward bunch hadn't said a single word to each other.
Hector asked.
“You're back. What did you two talk about?”
“We discussed what to do from now on.”
“Couldn't you have discussed that here?”
You're right.
‘This guy's sharp.’
As I was wondering how to respond, Seren aptly changed the subject.
“So, did you come to a conclusion?”
“For now, we've decided to move toward a potential ally we might be able to get.”
“An ally? Who?”
“Luke Bednicker.”
Hector was startled by those words.
“The Captain is here? Are you sure?”
“I don't know. It's just what I heard.”
“From whom?”
“The Doctrine Master Teacher.”
Of course, I was the one who knew Luke's whereabouts, but Junian and I had agreed to stick to that story.
- Why go through all that trouble?
- It's more believable coming from the instructor than from me.
- True.
Fortunately, Junian had accepted my excuse.
As expected, these guys didn't doubt my words either.
“The Captain is here… If he joins us, the High Priest will be no problem at all.”
Hector said, his face brightening for the first time in a while, and the others wore similar expressions.
It seems the reputation of Luke, the Captain of the Iron-Blooded Knights, is even greater than I thought.
And at that point, I glanced over at Evan.
I'd been watching him closely since our first meeting, but…
Honestly, I still couldn't figure him out.
Whether he truly had no connection to the Cult.
Or if he was just so good at feigning innocence that I couldn't see through him.
“Evan, how are you feeling?”
“Not bad.”
Evan gave a bitter smile.
“But not good either.”
“Is that so.”
I chuckled and said.
“Don't push yourself. You look drained.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Just then, I felt a stare.
Karon was staring intently in this direction.
‘What.’
I mouthed the word, and he quickly turned his head away.
What's with him?
* * *
Right after the Doctrine Master Teacher came down, we immediately headed for Area A-3.
Checking the map, it was quite close to the clearing.
Of course, the forest was teeming with demons, so a journey that would normally take ten minutes took us an hour.
‘…Ugh.’
And I could feel my condition deteriorating in real time.
Ever since learning the Flame Arts of the Greatest, my condition had been influenced by the state of the sun…
Right now, I felt like I'd been stuck deep inside a sunless cave for a week.
“You look like shit.”
For even the prickly Seren to show concern, I didn't need to be told how bad my complexion was.
“…Yeah. Must be something I ate.”
“That energy bar was pretty damn disgusting.”
It was tough, but I wasn't at the point where I couldn't walk, so I didn't fall behind…
We finally managed to reach Area A-3.
“This is…”
“Hmm.”
As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by the corpse of a knight.
Upon inspection, the body wasn't heavily damaged, with just a single hole pierced through the torso.
It seemed to be the same cause of death as the Hunting Master's.
“…For now, we should search the area. There don't seem to be any demons nearby, so let's spread out and search.”
At Junian's instruction, we split up and began to search.
*Rustle—*
I headed in the nine o'clock direction and, before long, discovered another body.
The cause of death for the cold corpse was the same as the others, but this knight's hole was right in the middle of his forehead.
I narrowed my eyes, taking in the wound.
‘Could I block it?’
A blow that even a Bednicker knight and the Hunting Master couldn't react to.
Still, I knew this was the Demon King's divine punishment.
The difference between knowing and not knowing is huge, so I thought I might be able to counter it somehow, but…
The price of being wrong was my life, so I had to be cautious.
‘If I could just see it once myself, I'd get a definite feel for it.’
Frankly, I couldn't tell much from the footage on the communication crystal.
After that, I found a few more bodies, but there was nothing of note.
If anything, my anxiety was only growing.
‘Don't tell me Luke is dead too?’
If not that…
I stopped my train of thought and looked back.
“What is it?”
*Rustle—*
Seren appeared, stepping on the dead grass.
I wasn't surprised since I recognized her presence, but it was a little strange.
She should have gone in the complete opposite direction from me, right?
“There's something I want to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Are you and Evan Helvin close friends?”
“What?”
What a random question.
I frowned and glared at her, and Seren said.
“Karon told me.”
“What.”
“About the conversation you and the Doctrine Master Teacher had upstairs.”
“…He did? Was he eavesdropping?”
I didn't sense his presence.
“Karon said he has the Blessing of the Bat.”
Bat?
I've heard they're animals with incredible hearing.
I can't believe a Blessing like that actually exists.
I studied Seren's expression and said.
“What are you trying to say?”
“Evan Helvin has to be the Minor Lord. I'm almost certain of it.”
“There's no such thing as ‘almost certain’.”
“This isn't the time for jokes.”
Seren said with a blank expression.
“When it comes to demon hunting, you should follow the Inquisitor's lead. No, even if that weren't the case, I agree with the opinion to kill Evan Helvin. So… if you're not on board with it, you don't have to get involved.”
Seren said with somber eyes.
“I can do it by myself.”