The Second Divine Trial (2)
Crackle, crackle!
The crackle of burning torches tickled my ears.
It was a sound I had grown thoroughly sick of hearing all day.
I had no idea how long I had been waiting in front of this damn door for the trial to begin.
'What is taking so long?'
Of course, when you were standing still with your eyes blindfolded, time naturally felt like it flowed slower.
But this time, it definitely wasn't just my imagination.
After all, I had been counting the seconds in my head ever since I first stood before the door.
Right now, it was exactly 3,619 seconds... make that 3,620. That meant I had been standing here, completely frozen, for a whole hour and twenty seconds.
'Something is definitely wrong.'
Was it thanks to my heightened Perception stat?
Even with my vision blocked, I could sense a subtle, uneasy tension spreading among the paladins.
Even back when I played the game, the waiting time for a Divine Trial was rarely this long.
I needed to know why.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, I spoke without a single shred of hesitation.
"How long must I wait?"
"...!"
A sharp flinch.
I felt the paladin standing right next to me startle in surprise.
He had already been wound tight, and my sudden question seemed to throw him into a complete panic.
It was only natural.
They might be politely referred to as Seekers of the Sword, but Sword Masters were notorious for being the most unhinged monsters on the continent. And right now, the most infamous of them all—a man accused of leading heretics and allying with the Five Nightmares—was standing right next to him, waiting for his Divine Trial.
It would have been stranger if the paladin wasn't trembling in his boots.
"How long must I wait here aimlessly? I didn't realize Midtemple's discipline was so lax."
"T-that is..."
The paladin trembled, trying to stammer out an explanation, but ultimately shut his mouth in fear.
Just then, a familiar voice drifted over from behind me.
"Sir Gaon."
It was the voice of Sikan Bauer, the Inquisitor of Midtemple.
"I am deeply sorry to inform you of this, but due to unforeseen circumstances, the Divine Trial has been temporarily postponed."
"...?"
Hearing his response, I knit my brows slightly beneath the blindfold.
'The trial is postponed?'
That was bizarre.
What could possibly justify such a delay?
Pokryong, Heukgol, and even Pean, the Blind Sword Master. All three of the Seekers required for the Divine Trial had already arrived in the Holy City.
Moreover, I had already been escorted to the very doors of the sanctuary. Under normal circumstances, the trial should have commenced immediately.
For the schedule to be pushed back so suddenly meant that something entirely outside the Midtemple Council's expectations had occurred.
As I pondered this, Sikan Bauer continued speaking.
"They have judged that three Sword Masters alone may not be enough to keep you in check, Sir Gaon. They are currently discussing summoning additional reinforcements."
"...?"
Huh?
Wait, what did he just say?
'What kind of nonsense is... ah.'
I froze.
At that exact moment, a past conversation flashed through my mind.
—If you believe a mere three Sword Masters are enough to stop me, then you are sorely underestimating me.
"..."
The warning I had thrown at Jacques von Heibrun yesterday afternoon.
It had been nothing more than a bluff to rattle the old man.
'...Even with the Soul of the Sword Master, facing three transcendent Seekers at the same time is practically impossible.'
A one-on-one was one thing, but taking on three of them simultaneously was sheer suicide.
Even if I activated my skill to take one down in 0.01 seconds, the remaining two wouldn't just stand by and watch.
A transcendent could react within that 0.01-second window, and a Sword Master was more than capable of exploiting such a microscopic opening.
Those who had reached the absolute peak of martial prowess were not opponents to be taken lightly.
And yet...
'...Did Jacques actually take my bluff seriously?'
I never imagined they would postpone the trial for such an absurd reason.
The old bastard was a bigger coward than I thought.
"Fascinating."
"What is?"
"Did the other Seekers just stay quiet after hearing that claim?"
"..."
"They are incredibly prideful people. I doubt they would have quietly accepted the assertion that the three of them combined couldn't handle me."
"...Excuse me?"
Sikan Bauer blinked, looking utterly bewildered by my question.
"Sir Gaon, the ones who made that claim were the Seekers themselves."
"...?"
"Sir Heukgol strongly insisted that subduing you would be impossible, and in the aftermath of his statement, the councilors had no choice but to postpone the trial."
Let me correct myself.
The coward wasn't Jacques von Heibrun; it was Heukgol.
Why on earth was Heukgol so terrified?
Had the combination of Soul of the Sword Master and Ritardando Jin traumatized him that badly during our last encounter?
"And Sir Pokryong agreed with his assessment."
"..."
Let me correct myself once more.
The cowards weren't Jacques von Heibrun—they were Heukgol and Pokryong.
'But why Pokryong...?'
Heukgol I could understand, but Pokryong's behavior made absolutely no sense.
Just yesterday, the battle-maniac had been practically foaming at the mouth to fight me. Why the sudden retreat?
Did he have a change of heart after sparring with Adelia? Did witnessing her explosive growth make him overestimate me, her master?
Or, if not that...
'...Ah.'
A realization struck me.
At that moment, a very distinct possibility crossed my mind.
Right.
I had a pretty good idea of what was going on.
I knew exactly why those Seekers were intentionally delaying the Divine Trial.
'Cunning bastards, the lot of them.'
They might act like eccentric, reckless lunatics on the outside, but...
There was no group on this continent more calculating and politically shrewd than the Sword Masters.
'They're trying to exploit this situation for their own gain, are they?'
A heavy silence hung over the sanctuary.
The quiet stretched on, thick and suffocating.
After what felt like an eternity, one of the councilors finally spoke up on behalf of the assembly.
"What do you mean by that, Sir Pean?"
"..."
"It sounds as though you intend to stand by and do nothing, even if Sir Gaon decides to run amok during the trial... Surely, I must have misunderstood?"
Pean neither confirmed nor denied the accusation.
He merely stared in the direction of the councilor, his bandaged face devoid of expression.
That silent gaze only served to heighten the councilor's anxiety.
"O-of course, we understand your perspective, Sir Pean. However, we have a sacred duty to protect the Holy City and maintain order."
"..."
"No matter how sacred the covenant Sir Gaon has forged with the Great Ones, we cannot simply allow chaos to reign. That would threaten the very stability of Midtemple..."
"Order and stability," Pean interrupted, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on his lips.
"Those are merely the means to prevent the apocalypse. But tell me, if those means begin to hinder the ultimate goal, what choice should we make?"
"..."
"And who established the laws of Midtemple? Was it the Great Ones, or was it ourselves?"
If a Sword Master's actions violated the established rules, yet aligned with the will of the Great Ones...
Should Midtemple adhere to the ancient laws written by mortal hands?
Or should they follow the newly revealed will of the Great Ones?
"..."
"..."
"..."
The chamber fell into a heavy, absolute silence once more.
The question Pean posed laid bare the core contradiction that the Holy City had long chosen to ignore.
Midtemple existed to serve the will of the Great Ones, yet the very rules and order they created to do so could end up obstructing that very will. It was a profound paradox.
At the same time, the councilors had no choice but to interpret Pean's words as a thinly veiled threat. He was essentially declaring that even if Gaon decided to tear the sanctuary apart, the Sword Masters would not lift a finger to stop him.
The other Sword Masters remained silent, watching the scene unfold.
Given the volatile personalities of Pokryong and Heukgol, their silence was as good as an endorsement of Pean's stance. Had they disagreed, they would have voiced their objections long ago.
Watching the situation unfold, Jacques von Heibrun knit his brow.
There was only one reason these notoriously uncooperative Sword Masters would band together to deliver such a threat.
'...They want something.'
Having reached that conclusion, Jacques spoke up on behalf of the councilors.
"Seekers."
"..."
"What is it that you want from us?"
Jacques cut straight to the point.
Hearing the direct question, a thin smirk spread across Pean's face.
It was a stark contrast to his previous enigmatic smiles.
"You catch on quick. As expected of the head of the Heibrun family, you possess a certain cunning."
Suddenly, Pean's expression turned ice-cold.
"You are indeed the descendant of that swindler who tricked me into passing down the Mark of the Sword Master through your bloodline."
3,921 seconds.
3,922 seconds.
3,933 seconds...
"The trial is scheduled to begin in three minutes," Sikan Bauer announced.
"...!"
Oh!
Finally!
At Sikan Bauer's words signaling the start of the trial, I stopped counting.
When playing Lost Elder, counting seconds was an old habit of mine to ensure I didn't miss a single variable.
Time, positioning, conditions... only when all of these were quantified could a strategy be truly complete.
For the record, this was the first time a Divine Trial had ever been delayed this long.
"Is the trial proceeding without summoning additional Sword Masters?" I asked.
"Yes."
Hmm.
That was a bit of a shame.
It would have actually been easier for my plans if there were more Sword Masters present.
'Actually, never mind.'
It probably would have just wasted more time.
Just then, Sikan Bauer continued.
"The trial is resuming on the condition that two demands from the Seekers are met."
"..."
As expected.
The Sword Masters had intentionally delayed the trial.
They must have used the claim that subduing me was too difficult as leverage to seize control of the negotiation table.
"Their first demand was that your testimony, Sir Gaon, be respected as much as possible. They insisted that the council listen to you fully, rather than pressuring or cornering you like a typical defendant."
"...?"
"They reasoned that since you are bound by a Holy Covenant, you likely have no intention of harming Midtemple."
Wait a minute.
This was unexpected.
I thought they would be busy looking out for their own interests, but they were looking out for my safety first?
Especially Pokryong, who I thought was itching to use my guilt as an excuse to pick a fight...
'...I have no idea what they're plotting.'
Regardless.
Whatever their reasons, this situation was incredibly advantageous for me.
"And the second demand is..."
Sikan Bauer trailed off, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"...My apologies. I cannot speak of this one."
Well.
That made sense.
Even if Sikan Bauer trusted me, my current status was still that of a defendant in a Divine Trial.
Explaining the details of the Seekers' negotiations to me in this position would be highly unprofessional.
Honestly, I was already grateful enough that he had shared this much.
"This trial is closer to a formality now," Sikan Bauer murmured reassuringly.
"As you can tell from the Seekers' first demand, everyone will listen closely to your arguments. So, you do not need to worry too much."
He glanced around briefly before adding in a hushed tone,
"Sharing the details of the meeting was entirely my own decision. I ask that you keep this secret from the other councilors."
"You'd better make sure your subordinates keep their mouths shut, then."
"You need not worry about that."
Sikan Bauer replied with absolute confidence.
His tone carried the absolute certainty that his men would never utter a word.
It was a brief glimpse into just how tightly he controlled his unit, and how fiercely loyal they were to him.
"Then, we shall enter the sanctuary."
Creak—
The massive doors of the sanctuary swung open, leading the way to my second Divine Trial.