Don't Underestimate the Blue (4)

The corner of the Red Cardinal's eye twitched, ever so slightly.

At the sight of it, Isaac's teammates on the Blue team trembled with dread.

The Red Cardinal is smiling.

He's smiling… but his eyes aren't laughing! And now he's showing his snake eyes!

Those twilight-colored eyes are turning blood-red, dammit!

In a word: he was royally pissed off.

But whether Isaac knew or didn't know the danger of that situation—

"Oh? Wait, you didn't know about that?"

Aigooo, you little—!!

"Ah, I see. So that's what you meant when you said you'd show us something?"

"Yep. Was it not to your liking?"

How the hell would that be to his liking, you brat?!

The Blue team felt as though their very souls were being plucked straight out of their mouths. They couldn't even see the Red Cardinal's face from this angle, but somehow they were certain he was about to yank their hearts out next.

Which was why they had no choice but to grab Isaac desperately by the collar.

And then they whispered to him, as if begging—no, as if begging him to please start begging.

"Are you insane?!"

"Why, of all people, the Red faction……!"

"Hm? Why what?"

What did you just say? Why? WHY?

Is he actually asking because he doesn't know?

They weren't lying: get caught by the Red faction and you die.

"You know this too! Those lunatics brought down an entire royal dynasty in a neighboring country!"

An ancient house that had seemed eternal had crumbled to nothing—toppled by the expedition of the Thorn Army, the Red Faith's forces famous for their continent-wide inquisitions.

And that wasn't all.

"They hunt down followers and collaborators of the Skeleton Demon King and ride that merit to glory……!"

At those words, Isaac's eyebrows twitched.

……Followers and collaborators of the Skeleton Demon King?

What's this now?

Followers of the Skeleton Demon King—well, heretics are everywhere, so fine, whatever.

"Collaborators?"

"Yeah! People who funnel information to the Skeleton Demon King to bring down the Holy Empire!"

…Wait, there are people that resourceful out there?

"They betray their own kind to smuggle the Skeleton Demon King into the Holy Empire!"

The Skeleton Demon King is already inside, though.

"Exactly! And the Skeleton Demon King is paying them a king's ransom!"

So whose money is that knockoff bastard spending right now, exactly?

"Anyway, the Red Faith is the kind of outfit that invents crimes you never committed and burns you at the stake for them……!"

Well, that tracks.

After all, the gods had gnashed their teeth over anything involving the Skeleton Demon King. Anything tied to him, they'd tried to erase root and branch.

Which was exactly why they granted greater blessings and rewards to the Red Faith for capturing those connected to him.

"So of course the Red Faith's eyes would turn toward House Eshua…! We're the ones with the deepest ties to the Skeleton Demon King!"

Ah, so that's why he's glaring blood-red at everyone, watching for a fallen one in our midst.

"That's right! And you—you've already eaten part of the Skeleton Demon King's remains! They'll seize on any excuse to lock you up and throw away the key……!"

In other words: they were circling him like vultures.

'If I were a traitor, the Red faction would receive a massive reward from the gods for turning me in.'

But Whisper was doubled over, wheezing with laughter.

[A mere traitor? Your Eminence, you are the Demon King himself!]

Just as expected, the way the Red Cardinal looked at Isaac was anything but ordinary.

"Well, I do have expectations for the Blue team. It seems you've learned some rather curious arts. And besides…"

The Cardinal's snake eyes slid up and down Isaac's body.

Isaac frowned faintly at that searching gaze. It was an unpleasant look, like having one's skin peeled off layer by layer.

And then Isaac realized what it was.

'Detection holy art.'

A technique for discerning a person's true identity.

It was no accident Isaac had wanted to avoid crossing paths with the Red Cardinal. One careless moment, and his mana core and true nature would be exposed.

A Red Cardinal of his caliber could read even the memories of the soul. Par for the course, really, for men whose job was to flush out hidden demons.

And as if to prove the point, the Cardinal smiled meaningfully.

"Strange, though. I sense a trace of mana about you…"

Isaac's brows bristled with barely contained rage. Startled, Whisper shrieked and trembled.

[KYAAAAH! It wasn't me, it wasn't! I didn't emit any mana—]

'Shut it.'

[Yes, sir.]

Then Isaac smiled.

Whisper was perfectly concealed. So the reason the man felt a flicker of déjà vu had to be the hand.

Thanks to greedily draining the Red Cardinal's own holy power, Isaac's skeletal hand had mostly been restored—but the Cardinal must have sensed the faint trace of mana he himself had scrubbed away.

Still, that was suspicion, not evidence. And Isaac had erased the evidence perfectly.

'Well, as long as I don't get dragged into a Heresy Trial, I'm fine.'

Did he think tossing the direct heir of a Ducal House into an inquest was some easy matter, anyway?

The one thing the Red faction could never touch was the Imperial family—which meant, politically, all Isaac had to do was stay cozy with the crown.

And even if it came to that, he could simply grow his mana reserves until they overwhelmed the 9th-tier Heresy Inquest holy art.

'Of course, for that I'd have to beat down some mages or demons and eat their mana cores…'

Was the Holy Empire just too big? The problem was that he had no reason to set foot on those mages' territory.

'If I could raise my strength properly, I could teach these arrogant bastards a proper lesson too.'

He'd certainly drained plenty of holy power, but the gods of the Red faction were all insufferably smug. Was there really no way to rough them up a little? He needed to find the Demon King's power fast, before the gods started moving.

But there was no chance of meeting a mage during an apprenticeship.

So Isaac, gritting his teeth on the inside, smiled with pure, guileless innocence.

"I suppose Your Eminence has forgotten that I ate the Skeleton Demon King's bones as an infant?"

"……"

This little runt—?

"And if you're lacking entertainment, shall I promise you some at the Gold Pentagon as well?"

The Blue team froze solid.

…He's planning to beat up the Gold Cardinal's son this time?

Kina, who caught the glance, tilted her head in confusion, while the Red Cardinal gave a stifled snort.

"And what price will you be demanding this time?"

At that, Isaac broke into the grin he'd been holding in all along.

To rescue his subordinate, the first thing he had to deal with was the anti-demon-stone cuffs binding that subordinate. And for that, he needed to meet the prisoner in advance. Which, under normal circumstances, would have been utterly impossible…

"I want to see the Fourteen Six Demons who serve the Skeleton Demon King. Give me the key to the prison where they're held."

"……!"

The Red Cardinal's eyes changed.

Then, for reasons of his own, the corner of his mouth curled upward.

"I could grant that if you succeed at the Gold Pentagon. But do you think you can? You'll all be gone after the next Gold Pentagon anyway."

What was that, you old man?

What did this bastard just say?

But strangely, the atmosphere in the banquet hall was odd. Most of the crowd shot the Blue team jealous, envious glances—yet the very people who should have been grinding their teeth hardest were actually smirking at them.

And that wasn't all.

The Gold team, who had always sniffed after Kina and jealously checked the Blue faction at every turn, now seemed entirely unconcerned with them.

No—wait. That look was almost… pity?

Just as Isaac was wondering why they kept throwing such unsettling glances his way—

"The Gold Pentagon missions have been posted!"

A bulletin board was carried to the front of the hall, and priests and apprentices alike surged toward it in a wave of murmurs.

"So it's the Gold Pentagon after all! A short-term expedition mission!"

"A Reclamation mission!"

Which meant, in plain terms: leaving the Holy See and heading out beyond its walls.

Yes, yes, I know that much.

The question is where they send us.

It's not for nothing that some destinations have a body count…

Isaac felt a gaze on him and frowned. The Red Cardinal was watching him—and only him—with an air of expectation.

"Curious where the Blue team will be sent, are you?"

No, not curious, so quit smirking and just say it.

Before I fling my rattle at you.

"Crashandia, I'm told."

Where's that?

But unlike Isaac, the Blue team went white as sheets.

"That's Magic Empire territory!"

The Magic Empire…?

"The Magic Empire is Hella's mortal enemy, isn't it? That lunatic nation that kills priests on sight!"

"Are— are they insane? That's the mission site?"

"They're sending us there to die!"

The Magic Empire was the land of the mages, and mages and priests were blood enemies sworn to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠destroy one another.

They were eyeing the Holy Empire covetously too; anyone captured there could count on becoming a prisoner of war at best, and tortured at worst.

No wonder the Blue team was falling apart.

'The Holy See has finally lost its mind, huh?'

However much the Gold Faith hates Blue, this goes beyond spite—this is inhuman!

"So THAT'S why everyone was snickering……!"

Even so—never once had a mission site ever been assigned inside the Magic Empire!

"And that place is right next to demon territory, on top of everything!"

Just as expected, laughter burst out around them. Puhahaha.

"The first-place team takes the hardest mission, right?"

"Hardest? Hey, how is anyone supposed to succeed at a mission like that?"

"Sure, harder missions pay better, I guess, but even the senior ranks won't go near that place—how are apprentices supposed to?"

"Word is, if they pull it off they get oversight of the Fourteen Six Demons' containment. They could skip the rest of the Pentagons entirely. Hey."

"Yeah, if they value their lives they'll just forfeit. Pfft."

At that, Kina sighed and called them all idiots.

"It may be Magic Empire territory, but that region actually has trade relations with Hella. There's no reason anyone would—"

"No. People will die."

"!"

For some reason, Shuri was trembling.

"Just recently, holy knights were abducted in that area—apprentices and seniors alike."

"Abducted?!"

"The culprit is a high-ranking demon that devoured priests at the Gold Pentagon fourteen years ago! The whole region's under investigation and sealed off to this day, and……!"

Everyone quaked with terror—but Isaac's eyes glittered.

…A high-ranking demon?

…And it's in the Magic Empire, you say?

Which means… a mana-core mine?

Isaac's grin split his face nearly from ear to ear.

Afraid his smile would give him away, he clapped a hand over his mouth and buried his head.

The Red Cardinal laid a pitying hand on Isaac's shoulder—precisely as if he'd been waiting for this moment.

"Oh, you poor thing. But there's no need to be so frightened. Isaac, if you simply say, 'Please save me,' I can use my authority to have your destination changed."

"!"

At those words, everyone clutched at Isaac desperately, brimming with hope.

Because whatever else, none of them wanted to die.

Isaac, head bowed, his small shoulders shaking as though he were weeping.

"You would truly change the location for me?"

At the sight, the Red Cardinal's lips curled with unmistakable pleasure.

Yes, of course—death is terrifying at that age. With this, I can avenge my son for what he suffered at the Blue Pentagon.

"Indeed. So just say the word. Come now, please save—"

"I'd rather not?"

…What?

"I said no, thank you! I don't think you'll need to change it at all!"

The expressions on everyone's faces—no, on the Cardinal's face alone—at that smile of barely contained glee were truly something to behold.

…Is this brat insane? Seriously?

Meanwhile, at the Blue manor in the capital.

"This is absolutely unacceptable!"

Furious, Rillai had stormed home, declaring that he could not let this stand.

"The mission site is mage territory! And the mission is to recover abducted holy knights! This is an S-rank mission—they're simply sending the children off to die!"

"Rillai, please!"

"I wondered what wind blew the Holy See into actually awarding Blue first place—and it was because missions are assigned by ranking, is that it? Just when I thought I'd seen every dirty trick, the Papal line outdoes itself! Do they have any idea how cruel mages are, how much they hate priests? If they don't cancel this immediately, I'll tear the Holy See down myself……!"

"Rillai. Father has already gone to the Holy See to raise the same objection—well, to make a scene, in any case."

"Brother!"

Goel sighed and looked at Rillai.

Typical of this Saint's line—all muscle, no brains.

But Rillai seemed utterly unable to accept the calm of Goel's composure.

"This is going too far by any measure! Even senior knights come back from that place as corpses! And this time the target is that demon……"

Rillai ground his teeth.

Fourteen years ago—that was the demon who had stolen his friend, back when Rillai was an apprentice himself. No one alive knew its cruelty better than he did.

Yet Goel merely scoffed.

"Well, there's nothing strange about leaving it to Isaac's team."

"Excuse me?"

Instead of answering, Goel knit his brows.

He hadn't told a soul, but hadn't he seen it at the Gold manor—what the Papal line was hiding?

'They've confirmed a contract with the Supreme God. Now they've decided to kill Isaac.'

But Goel kept his mouth shut.

That was when it happened.

"!!"

A Whale Divine Beast was descending upon them.

The moment Goel and Rillai recognized whose beast it was, their expressions hardened.

'The fourth son.'

Like Goel, he carried the Pope's blood—and was the most vicious cutthroat in all House Eshua, coveting the Blue headship for himself.

No doubt he'd grown resentful since the Ordination, watching the Blue headship pour all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠its attention on Isaac. Especially since Isaac, for some inexplicable reason, seemed to know the lost secret arts of the vanished Saintess line.

Rillai frowned.

That man was surely in the middle of his assignment hunting wanted demons in the outer territories. If he was anywhere near Isaac's mission site, then……

In the same instant, realization struck, and Rillai's eyes turned vicious.

'Don't tell me he's connected to this Gold Pentagon?'

Did he put the Gold faction up to it, to have Isaac killed?

But Goel clicked his tongue.

"Well, since Father's gone to make a fuss, the test conditions will likely be changed to something reasonable."

"You think so?"

"No one would hand apprentices a mission that could escalate into a diplomatic incident. As far as Gold is concerned, it's just a warning shot—a scare. 'Don't you dare win.'"

"Ah……"

Frankly, even Goel thought it excessive.

He had no desire to see his son die at the hands of mages.

"Choosing a different mission would cost Blue some face, but the children's lives ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠matter more. Don't worry. As long as that Isaac fellow has a single working brain cell in that skull of his……"

But at that very moment—

The knights who had been chasing after the Blue headship returned, faces drained white.

"It's a disaster, my lord!"

"Young Lord Isaac has already accepted the assignment to that location……!"

Goel's face went pale.

…Right. I forgot that boy doesn't have a single working brain cell in his skull. Dammit.