Chapter 654: An Open Secret Is No Match for the Truth
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 654: An Open Secret Is No Match for the Truth
One way or another, I suddenly found myself joining the Shrine of the Divine.
Lankart had always been a core member of the Shrine, and Shei had decided to join them for this timeline. With two familiar faces, I tagged along as if joining a friend’s club.
If they had all been strangers, I might have adopted some kind of persona, but knowing people created all sorts of problems.
“Hughes? Didn’t you say you were going to ascend the gateway? What have you been doing?”
“Ah, well…”
As Shei relentlessly questioned me, Lankart shook his head from behind her.
“Her nagging is worse than that boar’s. Huey has some peculiar tastes.”
“Boar? Me?”
“It’s what I call Historia. A metaphor for a brainless brute with nothing but strength.”
“Really? If it’s Historia, then whatever.”
Does she mean it’s fine as long as she’s not the one being called a boar? So much for solidarity among boars.
Unable to resist, Lankart added another jab.
“And it means you’re even dumber than that. I can’t sense a shred of intellect in you. Who was it that wanted to let this thing into the Shrine?”
“You wanna die?”
“In my judgment, you’re not strong enough.”
“I’ll show you just how wrong your judgment is. Not that you’ll be alive to see it.”
It was the kind of dialogue you’d expect from a bunch of unruly villains in an evil organization. Shei, you fit right in. It feels completely natural.
The two of them squared off, their auras swelling as if a fight could break out at any moment. Usually, this is when the boss shows up to break things up.
And just as I expected, flames erupted from the fireplace on the far wall, and the Red Tower Master appeared. Without even bothering to brush off the embers clinging to her body, she strode in and glanced at the two of them.
“Looking for a fight? Then listen while you fight! I have something important to say!”
Wow, she was intense. So intense, in fact, that Shei lost her will to fight and sat back down.
“…Hmph. Forget it.”
The Red Tower Master just said, “Oh yeah?” and without another word, walked straight toward me. The eyes of everyone gathered turned to the two of us.
She laughed cheerfully and clapped a hand firmly on my shoulder.
“Alright, everyone, listen up! First, I’d like to introduce our new comrade. His name is Hughes.”
The Red Tower Master squeezed my shoulder with a great deal of goodwill, but apparently feeling that wasn’t enough, she pulled my head into an embrace. I could feel a soft sensation against the back of my head. Unused to such aggressive displays of affection, I was flustered.
“…Huh?”
For some reason, Shei was now directing her killing intent at me, while the Red Tower Master, looking utterly delighted, continued.
“His identity is the King of Humans. Everyone, give him a warm welcome!”
So the word is out. Then again, after advertising it that much, there probably wasn’t a soul in the world who didn’t know.
Well, perhaps not everyone knew, as a few of them looked quite surprised. A mage holding a staff topped with a blue crystal pushed back his robe and spoke.
“The King of Humans? Are you certain? From what I’ve heard, the King of Humans is crossing the Enger Plains with his followers.”
It was a familiar face. The master of the 10th floor, Lord Johannes. A great mage who had guarded the Crystal Tower even longer than the Blue Tower Master but had chosen to step back from the front lines to teach his disciples.
To think that a man powerful enough to put the Empire’s court mages to shame was also a member of the Shrine of the Divine. While some, like Lankart and the Red Tower Master, were open about their affiliation, most kept it a secret. Perhaps being part of a private organization earned them harsh evaluations.
“I have witnessed his abilities, but they were not particularly remarkable. In the first place, how credible is this information? From whom did you hear it?”
Lord Johannes raised his question with rational and critical thinking. Lankart’s face twisted into a scowl as he replied.
“Has the old man gone senile? If you haven’t heard anything, you should just shut your mouth. Babbling on about things you know nothing about.”
…I was starting to think the Shrine of the Divine’s poor image wasn’t just because it was a private organization.
“You came up from the Lower World, so you have no breeding. Do you not know common courtesy? When one makes a claim, one is expected to provide proper evidence. If every word spoken were true, I would have harvested all the stars in the sky by now.”
Lord Johannes, befitting a mage of the Crystal Tower, was cold and logical. He was also dismissive of Lankart’s shallow experience and knowledge.
Perhaps because of that, he didn’t seem particularly agitated or shaken by Lankart’s rude remarks. Merely displeased.
The Red Tower Master sided with Lord Johannes.
“Johan is right!”
“It’s Lord Johannes.”
“Too long. Shorter is better!”
The Red Tower Master, who casually addressed an old man more than twice her age, began her explanation, still resting her upper body on the back of my head.
“This conclusion wasn’t drawn from a single clue. A few months ago, the Progenitor returned to the Duchy of Mist. There was speculation that she had been in eternal slumber somewhere, but we found out exactly where that was.”
I’d heard they sold the information somewhere, and it turned out to be here. The members of the Shrine nodded at the mention of the Abyss.
“The Abyss… The land cursed by Mother Earth.”
“It was where the Divine was. Using the Progenitor as a key to guard the Divine. A rather clever move.”
It was a secret the Military State wanted to hide, but the Shrine of the Divine was already aware of it. The State, with the power of the Saintess, shouldn’t have been losing the information war, but it seemed the Arcane of the Mage Federation had managed to penetrate even their ironclad system.
“According to Lankart’s information, the Abyss can only be escaped twice a year, on the days the sun shines on its very bottom. Lankart proved that escape was possible on that day. If nothing had happened, we would have made our move on the next day the sun shone. But things went awry because the Earth Sage beat us to it.”
Questioning gazes turned to Lankart. He answered nonchalantly.
“What are you looking at? You didn’t know either.”
“How shameless, after nearly ruining things with false information.”
“At least I wasn’t just sitting on my hands like you lot. I cleaned out Tantalus and left the rest to Huey. And as you can see, Huey delivered results. Unlike you.”
Now the gazes shifted to me. Shei’s expression was particularly priceless, as if asking if what Lankart said was true.
Ah, should I answer this or not? I suppose I’ll go with answering.
“That’s right. The plan was for Lankart to get the prisoners out of Tantalus, and then I would go inside to survey its structure and uncover Mother Earth’s secrets. And the plan was a brilliant success.”
I tilted my chin slightly, a faint smile playing on my lips as if I had planned everything, exuding an air of inscrutable cunning that seemed to mock the world.
The Shrine of the Divine was filled with renowned mages, but in that moment, I was the most arrogant and dangerous being in the room. Before the flinching mages, I shrugged nonchalantly as if it were nothing.
“There were variables, but it was a success in the end. Thanks to the Earth Sage arriving a step ahead, I was able to obtain Mother Earth’s relic, the Jizan. However, there was a major conflict with the Earth Sage, who was also after the relic at the bottom of the Abyss, so I entrusted it to Shei-ssi in order to escape.”
It was a script hastily improvised around a few facts. We hadn’t agreed on it, but Shei, surprisingly, played along well.
“You did say from the start that your goal was the Divine, and you were still friends with Lankart… I see. It was all according to your plan from the moment Lankart escaped. You planned this long ago.”
Shei’s expression was one of relief, as if a great mystery had finally been solved. The way the other members of the Shrine looked at me changed slightly as well.
Only one person—Lankart, who knew at least some of the truth—had a slightly different expression.
‘The plan went way off course. What can you do? We’re not the Saintess. But even in that mess, Huey managed to pull out the best possible result. That’s what’s truly amazing!’
…Right. It wasn’t exactly a brilliant success.
Tantalus was supposed to have been empty, and I was supposed to have gotten there through a much more reliable method.
But Shei had beaten me to it and infiltrated Tantalus, and I only learned of it a little too late.
If someone was already inside, they might not have sent me to Tantalus at all. The uncertainty would have been much higher. And even if they did send me, it would be a problem. Shei, a mysterious figure who had intentionally provoked Sunderspear to get thrown into Tantalus. It was obvious she was after the Divine, just like me. She was a terrifying opponent to be cooped up with in the isolation of Tantalus.
Should I go? Should I not? After much deliberation, I had decided against it. But I was a little too late. Like any sudden stop, the plan to move forward and the intention to halt had misaligned. The guy in charge of reporting me had simply pushed ahead with the plan, despite the signal to stop.
My goddamn plan had worked all too well. That I ended up trapped in Tantalus amidst a flood of variables was, I suppose, a blessing in disguise.
The Red Tower Master spoke cheerfully.
“Even when he had no connection to the Shrine, Hughes was investigating the Divine on his own! And in fact, Hughes and Shei succeeded in obtaining Mother Earth’s relic! Unlike us, who were too late because we were busy with pointless debates even after locating it!”
As the mages coughed awkwardly, unable to tell if she was being self-deprecating or critical, the Red Tower Master continued with a carefree laugh.
“After that, Hughes and Shei crossed over to the Duchy through the Fallen Dominion. Around the same time, the Golden Lord vanished and the Progenitor returned as a Divine! And after that, he was discovered at the Tree of Genesis, guarded by the Ancient Druid! If you’re going to dismiss all these Divine-related incidents as coincidence, I’ll light up the fireplace for you so you can wash your face in it!”
The Red Tower Master pointed a finger, and a large fire roared to life in one of the fireplaces. If I washed my face in that, I’d never have to wash it again.
A considerable amount of time had passed since I started meddling with the Divines. For an organization that actively gathered information, it was about time they started paying attention to me and Shei.
In fact, it would be negligence if they hadn't noticed after all this. In any case, it would be difficult to feign ignorance now.
Lord Johannes listened to the explanation and nodded.
“Those who escaped from Tantalus. And the Golden Lord and the Progenitor… His connection to the Divine is clear. I will acknowledge that. However.”
He paused for emphasis, then asked with genuine curiosity.
“That does not prove he is the King of Humans. He could simply be a mage with a passion for the Divine. In the first place, what connection is there between the King of Humans and the Divine? And how does the fact that he is the King of Humans affect the Shrine’s policies?”
“An excellent question!”
My connection to the Divine was clear. But that didn’t prove I was the King of Humans. Besides, they didn’t even know why the King of Humans had disappeared in the first place.
The Red Tower Master grinned, baring her teeth as if she had been waiting for this very question.
“Because the King of Humans can use all the Divines!”
Well, there goes my trump card.