Preparing for the Trial (3)
Pokryong furrowed his brow.
"Didn't you hear our conversation? Don't even think about interfering."
"Oh, come now. I only say this because you might find yourself in a tight spot..."
"Even if I end up dying by Gaon's sword."
Pokryong cut Pean off, growling, "Do not, under any circumstances, interfere in my fight."
"...Oh?"
Pean raised an eyebrow, looking thoroughly amused.
After glaring at him for a moment, Pokryong abruptly turned around.
"Whew... Fine. Keep up the good work."
Thud, thud.
Resting his greatsword on his shoulder, Pokryong slowly walked toward the door.
Having finished his business, he was clearly ready to leave. Pean quietly slipped away behind him.
"Are you leaving now?"
"Yeah."
Pokryong gave a brief nod to Arwen's question.
Her expression brightening slightly, Arwen began to escort the two Sword Masters out of the room.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Sir Pokryong. Until the sacred trial begins, you may stay in the VIP annex located in the western district of the spire."
"Where is that?"
"The priests waiting outside will guide you."
Click! Creak.
As Arwen turned the handle, the firmly shut door swung open, revealing the corridor outside.
The hallway outside the VIP room was thick with an unusual tension.
Heavily armed Paladins and inquisitors lined both sides of the corridor, exchanging anxious glances.
They had been deployed to prepare for any sudden, unpredictable actions from the Sword Masters.
"Ha...?"
Pokryong let out a short, incredulous laugh at the sight.
"Pointing blades at someone who came to help with the sacred trial. Anyone would think an intruder had broken in."
"..."
"..."
You are an intruder, Pokryong.
If you didn't want to be treated like a criminal, you shouldn't have broken into the top floor in the first place.
Perhaps sharing my thoughts, the others stared at Pokryong with utterly baffled expressions.
"So, are you lot planning to take a swing at me?"
Pokryong grinned, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Seeing that the situation was under control, Sikan Bauer immediately issued an order.
"Lower your weapons and show respect to the Seeker."
Sheath!
The moment Sikan finished speaking, the soldiers sheathed their weapons in unison.
They retreated without a shred of hesitation, making the thick tension that had filled the corridor just moments ago seem like a joke.
Pokryong snorted in disappointment and looked away.
He had looked ready to start a brawl at any second, and he seemed thoroughly unsatisfied that the situation had resolved without him flexing a single muscle.
"Tsk. Boring bastards... Hm?"
He paused.
Right at that moment, Pokryong's brow furrowed slightly as he spotted something.
After staring at someone for a long moment, he spoke.
"Hey, platinum blonde. Who are you?"
A voice answered from among the ranks of the soldiers.
"It is an honor to meet you again, Sir Pokryong."
"..."
"I am Adelia von Goldheart."
Yes. The person Pokryong was staring so intently at was none other than Adelia.
"Have we met? Why do you look so familiar?"
"We met in the Labyrinth Village last time. I was with Sir Gaon."
"...?"
Pokryong's eyes widened at her response.
"That was you? The one who blocked my fist by a hair's breadth?"
"Yes. That is correct."
"Ha... You've grown so much I didn't even recognize you."
Pokryong marveled, his voice filled with genuine admiration.
"This is truly astonishing. Even with the blood of a Holy Family, for a mere human to grow strong this quickly..."
"...!"
"...!"
It was praise of the highest order.
An uncontrollable joy washed over Adelia's face.
The other soldiers also looked at her with envious eyes.
After all, receiving recognition from a Sword Master was the ultimate dream for any swordsman.
Forcing herself to calm down, Adelia replied in a deliberately composed voice.
"It is entirely thanks to Sir Gaon's teachings."
"Gaon, Gaon, Gaon... It's always that guy."
Pokryong grumbled, casting a sidelong glance at me.
Soon, he nodded as if he had made up his mind.
"Fine. You, come with me."
"...Pardon?"
"Your master refuses to spar with me. So his disciple will have to do instead. Right?"
"...!"
An opportunity to spar with a Sword Master.
For anyone walking the path of the sword, this was a dream come true.
Adelia's eyes instantly filled with excitement.
She whipped around to look at me, asking in an eager voice, "M-May I, Sir Gaon?"
Of course. Why are you even asking for my permission?
Without a moment's hesitation, I nodded.
"Go and learn a thing or two."
"Yes, sir!"
Adelia nodded, her face beaming.
"Hmph."
Snorting, Pokryong strode ahead, and Adelia eagerly followed right on his heels.
Watching them go, I thought to myself:
I look forward to seeing how much Adelia grows.
Even in the game, ever since she acquired Reflection's Water Surface, sparring with strong opponents had always been the spark that accelerated her growth.
So this time would be no different; Adelia would undoubtedly surpass her limits once again.
That aside...
I slowly shifted my gaze.
While everyone else looked at Adelia with pride and joy, Jacques alone wore a deeply uncomfortable expression.
It was only natural. After all, just a few minutes ago, he had received a harsh critique from Pokryong.
"How is it that you haven't changed a bit since then? Have you been slacking on your training?"
...He looks absolutely furious.
Jacques's eyes burned.
He stared at Adelia's retreating back with a gaze dripping with inferiority.
He, too, must have noticed the explosive growth she had achieved.
She had been Level 80 before leaving the Holy City, and now she was already Level 85. That said it all.
For someone who had been running in place for the past several decades, it was only natural that his stomach would turn with jealousy.
Watching him closely, I continued my train of thought.
The story is progressing faster than expected.
Jacques von Heibrun.
His "Corruption" was an inevitable event that occurred in every single playthrough.
Certain conditions had to be met to trigger it, which usually happened in the mid-to-late stages of the game.
But things were different now.
Due to my intervention, even though we were still in the very early stages, some of those conditions had already been met.
Of course, there was no need to worry.
Because...
I can use this situation as an opportunity instead.
...After all, that was the very reason I had come to Midtemple in the first place.
Creak, thud!
Before long, the door closed.
Silence settled over the VIP room.
Yet, strangely enough, even though the two Sword Masters had left, Arwen and Jacques von Heibrun remained.
It was as if they still had business with me.
"Sir Gaon," Arwen spoke up.
"May I dare ask why you engineered this sacred trial?"
"..."
Yes. The reason these two pillars of Midtemple had come to see me wasn't just to chase Pokryong away.
They had another purpose for being here.
"Currently, there is no evidence to prove the allegations that you allied with the Five Nightmares or acted as the leader of the Shadow Society."
"..."
"So why did you confess? In my humble opinion... it seems you deliberately provoked this sacred trial."
With that, Arwen fell silent, awaiting my response.
Jacques von Heibrun also stared at me without a word.
Why I engineered the sacred trial...
Arwen's guess was correct.
I had provoked the sacred trial for my own purposes. That was also why I had made that unnecessary confession.
But I had no intention of revealing my true motives here.
"Everything will be revealed at the trial."
"..."
"..."
The moment I finished speaking, silence enveloped the room once more.
After a brief pause, Jacques von Heibrun spoke.
"Sword Master Gaon. Even if you are a Seeker who follows the will of the Great Ones, staying silent after throwing the Holy City into such chaos is irresponsible—"
"Why are you so anxious?"
I calmly cut Jacques off.
"Remember the Sacred Covenant I forged with the Great Ones."
"..."
"All my actions are predicated on the premise of 'saving the world.' Allying with the Five Nightmares, acting as the leader of the Shadow Society, and engineering this sacred trial are all part of that path."
Jacques was left speechless.
I could see the veins in his neck twitching.
"Therefore, if you truly follow the Great Ones and wish to prevent the end of the world, you have no reason to doubt my path."
"..."
"Unless..."
Letting my voice trail off, I stared at Jacques.
Feeling my cold gaze, his pupils began to tremble violently.
"Are you, perhaps, afraid of 'something else'?"
He froze.
For a split second, the hand Jacques used to brush back his hair trembled minutely.
Anxiety, impatience, bewilderment, fear—a torrent of intense emotions began to overflow beneath his carefully maintained expression of calm.
"Damn it..."
Letting out a scoff of disbelief, Jacques hung his head.
Gaon's eyes held unwavering certainty.
"...You already knew everything."
Yes. His intuition had been correct.
The one who had driven away Doricco Shiro and purified the Sky Ocean Forest was none other than Gaon.
And now that the Aether's Eye of Reminiscence had fallen into his hands, the exposure of his crimes was a foregone conclusion.
"So what?"
Even so, Jacques did not back down, sneering.
"In the end, was the reason you engineered this sacred trial to condemn me? To create a stage to expose what I did in the Sky Ocean Forest?"
Gaon neither confirmed nor denied it.
He simply stared at Jacques with a calm, indifferent gaze.
Seemingly infuriated by the silence, Jacques's voice grew louder.
"But what of it? Anyone can fall prey to the temptation of an evil god. But I didn't cross the line! My contract with them fell through!"
Jacques's breathing grew ragged. He began to defend himself fiercely, like a beast cornered in a trap.
"On the other hand, you forged a direct alliance with the Five Nightmares! You even took the position of the leader of a heretical cult! With what shameless conviction do you dare try to condemn me?!"
"..."
"All your actions are predicated on saving the world? This is all the will of the Great Ones? Nonsense! If that's the case, then my attempt to contract with an evil god can be justified just as easily!"
The moment Jacques finished speaking, silence descended upon the room once more.
Tick, tock.
How much time passed like that?
As the ticking of the clock echoed endlessly, Jacques, who had regained some semblance of composure, growled threateningly.
"Sword Master Gaon."
"..."
"I do not know what you hope to achieve by engineering this sacred trial, but things will not go as you wish."
Jacques continued.
"Furthermore, with three Sword Masters set to be present, any sudden, unexpected actions during the sacred trial will absolutely not be tolerated."
Gaon had already confessed to his crimes.
He had admitted to allying with the Five Nightmares and acting as the leader of a heretical cult.
Although these were severe offenses, it was highly likely they would be mitigated to some extent due to the terms of the Sacred Covenant he had forged.
But if that were the case, Jacques wouldn't have to worry about his own missteps either.
He, too, had a plausible excuse, and since his contract with the evil god was never finalized, he could receive similar leniency.
Pfft.
At that moment, Gaon suddenly let out a mocking chuckle.
"I wondered what made you so confident."
Glaring at Jacques with a look of utter disdain, he finished, "In the end, you're just a coward who can only bark while hiding behind others."
"What is that supposed to—!"
"You're acting so bold because you assume I won't dare touch you as long as the Seekers summoned by Midtemple remain in the Holy City, aren't you?"
"..."
Jacques flinched.
The cold, confident voice echoed in the room.
Hit right where it hurt, Jacques couldn't help but take a step back.
Seeing this, Gaon smiled as if he had expected nothing less.
"Dream on."
"..."
In an instant, Jacques felt his breath catch in his throat.
There was absolutely no pressure or bloodlust emanating from Gaon.
All Jacques could sense was the presence of an ordinary mercenary, nothing more, nothing less.
Yet, it was that very ordinariness that choked him.
It felt as if he were facing an entity whose true form was hidden behind a black veil.
The fear of the unknown, of a strength he couldn't measure, only amplified Jacques's terror.
"It seems you are gravely mistaken."
Gaon turned his eyes toward Jacques.
His gaze, sharp as a honed blade, carried a sense of profound boredom, as if everything in the world was tedious to him...
...Yet, at the same time, it held a ruthless resolve to cut down anyone who dared stand in his path.
"If you believe a mere three Sword Masters can stop me, then you are still vastly underestimating me."