Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: Education
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There was someone who saved the empire from an unprecedented crisis.
The emperor was healed, and the capital, which had nearly been shattered to pieces in a single day, was rescued.
That name would have been exalted across the entire empire—
“—but I stopped it.”
“⋯⋯.”
Carlyle blankly stared at Felix.
The moment he heard the news that she was up and moving about normally, he had been summoned here, wondering what it could be about. If the story he heard was really this, then such a reaction was only natural.
“Why the long face? Did you want to be the hero?”
“No.”
He despised standing out.
In truth, he already stood out painfully among those in the know, but gaining widespread public recognition was an entirely different matter.
“Figured as much. So I’ve handled your exploits in a way that twists them around. For the time being, just stay as a promising talent who catches some eyes.”
“⋯⋯What do you mean by ‘twisted around’ exactly?”
No matter how he thought about it, his actions up to now didn’t seem like something that could be easily covered up.
How had she managed to handle it so that Carlyle could remain in this state?
“Do I look like someone who makes losing deals?”
“⋯⋯Of course not?”
No matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn’t imagine this woman making a sloppy calculation and taking a loss.
“Exactly. So don’t worry. You won’t lose out.”
“⋯⋯.”
“But all you have to do is come with me to church headquarters once, holding my hand.”
“⋯⋯.”
“I’ve prepared something good for you too. Okay?”
If it weren’t for that last line, he might have just let it slide with a casual “I see.”
‘⋯⋯Hmm.’
Good is good.
If she says so, then it must be.
At the very least, it didn’t seem like she would do anything harmful to Carlyle.
“And about interrogating the demons.”
Felix paused for a moment, scratching her chin before continuing.
“There wasn’t any huge haul to begin with. Even noble-rank demons are treated as expendables on their side. They don’t seem to know much about how their side will actually move.”
“⋯⋯Hmm.”
“At least thanks to you, we stopped a truly dangerous demon assault from breaking out. We’ve bought some time.”
Demons manifesting in the material realm basically came with various conditions attached.
Devil Worshippers perform a ‘ritual’ through sacrifices, and through that ritual, they create a ‘gate’ linking Hell and the material realm—a complicated process.
But the common thread was that it always required ‘killing’ someone for it to work.
If the capital had been blown away this time, it probably would have summoned demons on a horrific scale, but stopping that meant they had averted a major crisis, just as Felix said.
“I’m not satisfied. We couldn’t uncover the most important part.”
“The important part?”
“Who messed with the emperor’s head. Who performed the demon summoning ritual inside the imperial palace.”
“⋯⋯.”
⋯⋯That’s true.
In this short time, Carlyle and the Hero Party had already taken down four demons.
The demon summoning circle Ilia had discovered in the palace before was one thing, but it was established fact that there were collaborators with the demons inside the empire.
And the emperor, who had fallen victim to them, still hadn’t regained his senses.
“The enemy within is the scariest. It’d be great if we could at least uncover their tails.”
Even amid all that, the fever ceremony was set to proceed normally, and Felix scratched her head in annoyance.
“The empire folk are damn good at keeping up their rituals and ceremonies.”
“Uh, if it’s held normally, can I bring Blackie?”
“⋯⋯?”
Felix’s eyebrow arched at Carlyle’s question.
“⋯⋯Well, if you’re confident it won’t cause trouble, sure. But why that one?”
“It’ll be super flashy and explosive with the fever ceremony, so I want to let it watch the festival. Imagine how excited it’ll get.”
“What are you, a dad raising a daughter⋯⋯?”
Felix let out an exasperated response before continuing calmly.
“Still, there is one thing we definitely confirmed.”
“Yes? What?”
“The name of the Duke of Flies kept coming up.”
“⋯⋯.”
Carlyle gave a wry smile.
Now, he had heard it very directly.
An Archdemon who should have been focused solely on the Hero was showing interest in ‘Carlyle Bellfast.’
Well, it just meant more trials and tribulations ahead.
Anyway.
‘Duke of Flies⋯⋯’
A familiar name.
He knew many other names too.
Duke of Flies. Beelzebub. Lord of Greed. God of Plague. The Cyclist.
In the previous regression, what form had it taken?
[⋯⋯The one who single-handedly destroyed the Far East.]
‘Ah, right. I remember now.’
The one who slaughtered nearly a million in 10 minutes after descending to the material realm.
Every Archdemon was a world-class catastrophe, but if measured by the scale of killing vast numbers in a short time, that one was overwhelmingly the strongest.
It was the culprit that had left Panhaima, who crossed over searching for her sibling and took up the sword to protect this continent’s people, with nowhere to return.
“They say it’s interested in you.”
“Pretty, huh?”
As Carlyle snickered and asked, Felix looked at him with strangely wide eyes.
It was a gaze heavy enough to make him glance back at her in momentary fluster.
“⋯⋯Why?”
“It pisses me off.”
“Got it. I won’t joke around when you’re being serious. I feel the crisis too.”
“No, that’s not it either⋯⋯ Sigh⋯⋯”
Felix exhaled a deep puff from her pipe.
[⋯⋯Sigh.]
⋯⋯Why was she suddenly sighing?
“Anyway, it’s true that an unprecedented demon of ‘Archduke’ rank is targeting you. Which means there are people plotting its manifestation somewhere.”
Felix tapped the table as she continued.
And soon, what that implied.
“You need to grow stronger. You, and everyone else.”
“⋯⋯.”
“We confirmed it in this incident. You and the ones around you⋯⋯ They’re worth raising. No, we have to raise them. The potential is beyond normal.”
Felix continued steadily.
“I don’t know how you picked only such gems to keep around you, but at least it seems like I can support you materially and otherwise. Tell me anything you need to get stronger.”
Of course. It was the Hero Party, handpicked through all the regressions.
⋯⋯Though he still hadn’t found one of them.
‘Where the hell is Drexler right now?’
[⋯⋯A madman who could rival you? He could be anywhere—or nowhere.]
‘The phrasing feels kinda ominous⋯⋯?’
Anyway.
He agreed with Felix a hundred times over.
Powering up the Hero Party and Carlyle was absolutely essential.
And among them, the most crucial was.
“What about the Lady?”
“Her⋯⋯ Well, she’ll handle it herself.”
“⋯⋯.”
Why treat everyone else as important but leave her to her own devices?
She was the core piece in protecting humanity.
“Honestly, at this point, I wonder if there’s even anyone who can teach her. If there was, I’d make some effort.”
“What about Dean Shea?”
“Well. He said he’s already taught her everything she can learn at ‘this stage’?”
“⋯⋯.”
Just hearing that Gray still had things to learn sounded terrifyingly impressive.
The dean really wasn’t an ordinary person.
“Well, borrowing his words, for her to learn anything more, that child needs to⋯⋯ mature a bit more. I don’t know what that means. Anyway, he told me to find another teacher for now.”
But what kind of teacher could they find without a former Hero?
Felix scratched her head vigorously as she said that.
The anguish was plain on her face.
In truth, even though they had averted the threat to the capital, the current state was far from peaceful.
Devil Worshippers had infiltrated the empire’s leadership, news had come of a group plotting the Duke of Flies’ manifestation, and the emperor, who should be the empire’s focal point, was still unconscious.
Standing in the midst of this mess, handling all the unseen tasks beneath the surface to keep the continent from flipping over—Felix’s efforts were almost worthy of admiration.
Hmm.
In that case, then.
“⋯⋯.”
At the very least, couldn’t he lighten her load a bit in the one area where Carlyle excelled?
“Excuse me, Cardinal.”
“Yeah?”
“For educating the Lady, would it be okay if I recommended someone suitable?”
“⋯⋯? Are you serious?”
“I know one person.”
In a certain sense, there was someone even more capable than the dean for teaching Gray, right nearby.
Really, right nearby. Dangerously close to Carlyle.
“⋯⋯You know her personality best, right? Can you handle it?”
“Yes.”
To begin with.
⋯⋯As far as Carlyle knew, the only person whose personality could be harsher than the Lady herself.
“But, uh.”
“Hm?”
“If you could prepare something for disguise too, I’d appreciate it.”
“⋯⋯?”
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