Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Third Archive: Sirius (4)
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Austin Rainer.
He had been a holy knight in the church since childhood.
As such, he was well-versed in the church's emblems and insignia.
Enough to recognize that the priest clinging to the figure before him was a cardinal from the Pardan Diocese.
And one of those cardinals was now groveling at Sirius's feet, begging for his life.
"If you know anything of honor, save this innocent cardinal! I, I still have... so much left to do!"
The cardinal of the Pardan Diocese, Judah Calios.
Clad in bloodstained vestments, he clutched at Sirius's greaves and pleaded.
Austin had once loved the church he served, but that didn't mean he believed the entire institution was pure.
Even he himself hadn't fully abandoned his desires for money or love.
In that sense, Austin was certain the priest before him was corrupt.
- "......"
Austin's gaze slowly scanned the cardinal.
A face slick with oil.
Glimpses of ornate gold jewelry hidden inside long sleeves.
His countenance, radiating wealth and power, resembled a greedy noble more than a noble priest.
As a figure of such authority, the amount of tithes he had embezzled was surely no small sum.
'No justification for leading his subordinates here... Did he stick his head into the demon realm out of pure greed?'
There was no reason for a high-ranking cleric like this to venture into the elves' Great Forest.
No matter how he thought about it, it didn't look like an official visit.
Rotten, corrupt—
What meaning was there in saving this priest?
Such were Austin's thoughts as he regarded Cardinal Judah.
"Since it's urgent, I'll take this for now."
Unaware of Austin's deliberations, Priella drew closer to the cardinal.
A beautiful sword embedded with a large gem.
She had taken an interest in the ceremonial blade at his waist.
Swish—
In Priella's hand gleamed a shard of sharp metal.
It seemed she had collected a piece from a broken sword.
As Priella grabbed the hilt at his waist, the cardinal looked up in bewilderment and opened his mouth.
"Wh-what do you think you're doing...!"
"You said you'd give anything if we saved you."
Priella glared at him with a sullen expression.
Flash—
The metal shard in Priella's hand moved to slice the knot at his waist.
Judah yelped in terror at the shard's swift motion.
"I said I'd give a reward, not that I'd hand over this sword!"
"Shut up. I'll take more than this."
Of course, such flailing from Judah meant nothing against a mercenary of the Blade Council.
Slice—
Priella's blade severed the waist knot in the blink of an eye.
Moments after the ceremonial sword's fastening came undone.
Judah released his grip on Sirius and staggered after Priella.
"St-stop right there! That's my sword!"
"Mercenaries don't come cheap."
"Stopeeeeer...!"
Priella clutched the ceremonial sword, her face twisted in dissatisfaction.
Judah, who moments ago had been begging for his life, now lurched after it in a desperate attempt to reclaim it.
Austin quietly watched the two.
Whirr—
Behind the moving armor, countless thoughts crisscrossed in his mind.
'He talked of rewards... but he's the type who'd betray us without a second thought.'
Austin immediately abandoned any trust in the cardinal before him.
He judged they wouldn't receive the promised reward.
It even felt like betrayal from him at any moment wouldn't be surprising.
A man who would do anything to achieve his goals.
That was the kind of person Cardinal Judah appeared to be.
- "One question, Cardinal."
Instead, Austin dramatically raised Sirius's arm.
Clank—
Sirius's blade pointed at Cardinal Judah's throat.
Judah, who had been chasing Priella, froze in place.
Blink, blink.
Judah's eyes stared blankly up at Sirius.
- "How much do you know about the Great Forest?"
"The Great Forest...? What would I know about this damned forest!"
- "Is that all you have to say?"
Boom!
Sirius took a step toward Judah.
The vibrating blade closed the distance by one step as well.
Feeling even greater peril from the approaching Sirius, Cardinal Judah waved his hands in the air and began making excuses.
"I don't know much about the Great Forest! But... the fruit! I know something about the fruit!"
- "The fruit?"
"The World Tree's fruit...!"
The World Tree's fruit.
At those words, Sirius and Priella's gazes fixed on Judah.
Everyone present knew the value of what he had mentioned.
Hmm—
Priella, gripping the ceremonial sword, eyed him thoughtfully.
Cardinal Judah spoke in a trembling voice.
"I scoured every document in the church! So I know roughly when and how the fruit ripens!"
- "......"
"Protect me! Do that, and I'll help you find the fruit!"
Austin's view captured Judah.
His intuition told him the man before him wasn't lying.
After all, the cardinal hadn't yet brought up anything that could be disproven as a lie.
It seemed plausible that he knew something about the fruit.
'But he'll betray us eventually.'
The sense that he would betray them never faded.
He was surely the type to attempt it at a critical moment.
However, witnessing Priella's actions earlier had given Austin a realization.
'Even if he betrays us, we can just make it so it doesn't matter.'
It wouldn't matter if he betrayed them later anyway.
Austin could simply operate with the intent to betray him in turn.
So, like Priella had done, they needed to use what they could.
- "We'll protect you for the time being. But if what you just said is false, you'll pay the price."
Clank.
Austin withdrew the blade aimed at Judah.
Immediately after, two contrasting voices rang out.
"You're really planning to travel with this guy? I don't trust him one bit."
"You've made a wise choice! Truly a knight who knows honor!"
Priella and Judah.
Each spoke in their own way.
Was it joy from Sirius's approval?
Tap, tap—
Judah patted Sirius's outer armor and spoke in a satisfied tone.
"Honorable knight! What is your name?"
A voice inquiring after his identity.
A belated demand for self-introduction.
Austin responded to Judah with an indifferent mechanical tone.
- "Sirius."
"Sirius...?"
Thud—
Judah collapsed to the ground, his eyes wide with shock as he looked up at Sirius.
"Gasp... B-Blasphemer Sirius...!"
Blasphemer Sirius.
It was a moniker Austin had never heard before.
The moment the brutal knight, who even mocked martyrs, learned his own epithet for the first time.
* * * * * *
—Elves.
A heterogeneous race with lifespans surpassing humans.
Fitting their vast spans of time, the elves' grudges endured for exceedingly long periods.
Even now, centuries later, they had not softened their rage toward the exiles.
"If not for them, the ritual would have succeeded long ago."
Elf elder, Porport.
The elder, who harbored hatred for the Great Forest exile Raparia, was currently sipping tea in a room filled with beautiful flowers.
The great sage of the elves, who had endured countless ages.
In a room hosting a special guest, he poured out his denunciations of the exiles once more today.
Across from Porport sat an elderly man with abundant white hair, uncharacteristic for an elf, who lifted his teacup.
"You still haven't calmed your anger toward them?"
"It was a ritual countless elves had prepared for nearly a millennium. The fusion to approach the great law was so close!"
Emotion-laden words spilled from Porport's mouth.
The traditional ritual of the Great Forest, maintained until a few centuries ago.
A grand plan to birth an elf queen to reign above the superior race, uniting all elves under the Mother Tree's will—
His hatred poured out for the two kin who had ruined it on the verge of completion and even committed taboos.
Moreover, the two elves who committed the unthinkable taboos were halfwits among their kind.
A puppet master who learned human magic.
A swordsman obsessed maniacally with a single blade.
All were ones not chosen by spirits, hence out of their minds.
"Even so, Raparia has been making some effort to atone, hasn't she?"
The elf great sage attempted a measure of defense for their kin upon hearing Porport.
However, Elder Porport's attitude showed not the slightest change.
Thud—
Porport slammed the solid wood table and continued in a sharp voice.
"Raparia is ultimately the same as Akenar in essence!"
"What do you mean by that?"
"She understands nothing of what fusion means to us or why we need the queen!"
"......"
"From the start, halfwits abandoned by the Mother Tree—how could they comprehend our people's long-cherished wish?"
Halfwits abandoned by the Mother Tree—
Mulling over the meaning, the elf great sage wore a bitter smile.
He was an elf who had lived longer than any in this village.
Even before Porport and the exiled Raparia were born.
He had watched over elven history from time immemorial.
Thus, he fully understood the persecution faced by those 'halfwits' not chosen by spirits.
"...You're right. As you say, those children will never understand us in their lifetimes."
Bitter words flowed from the great sage's mouth.
Slurp—
He sipped the flower-infused tea and quietly closed his eyes.
Before the great sage, Porport appeared somewhat relieved.
"Just as you say. How can we call such beings kin?"
"......"
"Even their needless interest in the Mother Tree's first fruit."
"The first fruit... The time for the altar to reveal itself for fruiting draws near."
The two elves' conversation naturally shifted to the 'World Tree's fruit.'
The first fruit borne by the great Mother Tree.
The time for the festival celebrating it had once again arrived in the Great Forest.
Sigh—
Porport let out a deep sigh and nodded as he spoke.
"Yes. It's also the season when scoundrels come sniffing after the fruit."
"Centuries ago, a human mage came here. It brings back memories."
"It's lamentable. The World Tree's fruit exists solely to teach the queen maturity and wisdom—how dare insolent fools covet the queen's possession?"
The fruit's essence—
Porport's face grew complex as he recalled it.
The reason the World Tree's fruit ripened periodically.
Its roots lay in the ritual halted long ago.
The World Tree's fruit was to be offered only to the most noble elves.
"We must hurry and consider ways to resume the next ritual..."
As Porport's words trailed off with regret.
KABOOM—!
A massive explosion suddenly rang in the two's ears.
An blast that shook the trees.
Startled by the abrupt roar, Porport and the great sage leaped to their feet.
"Wh-what is this...!"
"Has the village been attacked?!"
The two men's gazes simultaneously turned to the door.
Thud thud thud—
Elves outside, having heard the blast, began moving busily.
Hearing the footsteps, Porport felt the need to move and assess the situation.
"Look here, Elder. It doesn't seem the time for leisurely chat."
"Great Sage, it appears I must take my leave first today."
Porport, face complicated, brought a hand to his ear.
Whoosh—
A wind crafted by a spirit brushed Porport's cheek.
One of his kin who handled spirits had whispered to him.
- "Elder, disaster has struck!"
"What exactly happened?"
Porport asked toward his kin at the whisper in his ear.
A method of communication possible only for those who handled wind spirits.
After Porport's question echoed.
Soon, an elf relayed unexpected information to his ear.
- "Human mages have raided the secret archive!"
"What...!"
- "It seems they've taken books on the fruit festival and some materials on spirit magic!"
Porport's face hardened as he looked to the great sage.
The Great Forest's secret archive—
The elves' ancient secrets had been stolen.