Midnight Rendezvous (2)
Swoosh.
A cold night breeze swept through the hallway.
Pean quietly raised his hand, revealing the faintly glowing Mark of the Sword Master.
And catching that light, the scabbard of Frost Sunset gleamed dimly.
A subtle tension began to swirl between the two of us.
“……”
“……”
A suffocating silence fell.
Who would move first? No, who should move first?
As the heavy tension weighed down on the space, only the ticking of the clock tower at the end of the hallway echoed through the quiet.
Mental Strength 'MAX' resists the opponent's pressure.
Rumble.
Right then, a chilling cold washed over me.
Pean was releasing his killing intent to intimidate me.
Of course, I didn't even blink.
Not only did mental attacks have absolutely no effect on me in the first place, but I was also certain that Pean would never actually strike.
“Hmm.”
Sure enough.
Before long, Pean withdrew his killing intent and scratched the back of his neck.
At the same time, the taut tension vanished in an instant.
“Well, it's not like there's a law saying I must kill you today.”
With a sly smile, Pean slowly lowered his hand.
The Mark of the Sword Master that had illuminated the dark hallway gradually faded.
“I'm no fool, Gaon. I know just how reckless it would be to fight you.”
Pean continued, still scratching his neck.
“An overwhelming swordsmanship that felled Jacques von Heibrun in a single strike. A transcendent technique that even deflected an explosion.”
“……”
“There's no reason to risk my life fighting such an opponent right now. Unless, of course, it's after I've gathered enough information on you.”
Indeed.
I had expected Pean to act this way from the very beginning.
After all, he was the most cunning and calculating among the twelve Sword Masters.
He avoided reckless battles, and if there was no chance of winning, he wouldn't even start.
With so little information on me to begin with, the probability of Pean initiating a fight was practically zero.
Because of that certainty, I hadn't wavered in the slightest under his threat.
“But...”
Of course, there was no way Pean knew what I was thinking. Seeing me completely unfazed, he let out a dry, amused chuckle.
“It really is fascinating. Usually, when I show this much hostility, people at least make a show of drawing their weapons... but you, Gaon, didn't react at all.”
“……”
“Does that mean you're that confident in your own skills? Confident enough to be certain you can easily defeat someone like me?”
Pean questioned me, clearly testing the waters.
Instead of giving him a straight answer, I countered with a question of my own.
“Are you that disappointed that I didn't draw my sword?”
“No. Of course not.”
Pean immediately shook his head.
“I have no desire to fight you, Sir Gaon. Especially if the reason for it is the Mark of the Sword Master.”
“……”
“I see no reason for us to become enemies over this. If the rules are inflexible, can't the parties involved just handle it with a bit of flexibility?”
I stared at Pean in silence.
The Mark of the Sword Master was the most powerful means of protection in Lost Elder, a covenant carrying absolute binding force.
However, this covenant had a loophole.
Namely, it did not specify an exact timeframe for when the revenge had to be carried out.
Of course, most Sword Masters would move to exact revenge the moment the covenant was triggered.
After all, anyone they bestowed the Mark of the Sword Master upon had to be someone precious to them, meaning the killer was already a sworn enemy.
But Pean's case is different.
He had been tricked by the founder of the Heibrun family into signing an unfair contract.
Under those circumstances, since I had brought down the entire Heibrun family, Pean was bound to feel favorable toward me instead.
That was precisely why he was maintaining such an ambiguous attitude right now.
“Of course, a rule is a rule, so I must fulfill my covenant with Heibrun eventually... but I am an elf. A race born with the blessing of eternal life.”
The Blind Sword Master, Pean.
Like the Archmage Demarion, he was a figure who had lived for nearly thousands of years.
Having trained for eons with only his sword as his companion, he was recognized as one of the strongest even among the twelve Sword Masters.
If someone like him stood on my side, there would be no ally more reassuring.
“I have plenty of time. And having lived through eons, I am very accustomed to waiting.”
“……”
“So, I shall wait this time as well. Until you grow old and sick. And just before your final breath, I will fulfill my covenant with Heibrun. Painlessly, and in peace.”
One of the reasons I had eliminated Jacques von Heibrun.
It was to win Pean's favor.
By completely ruining the Heibrun family, I would liberate him from the shackles of that unfair contract.
That was the most surefire way to bring Pean over to my side.
“Of course, it would be troublesome if you were to die by someone else's hand before then. If I fail to fulfill my covenant with Heibrun, my own life will be in danger.”
“……”
“So...”
Pean concluded with a meaningful smile.
“...Do not die without my permission, Gaon.”
Murmur, murmur.
Late at night, under a darkened sky.
A heated debate was underway in the meeting room of Midtemple.
This was because the agenda items to be processed were piled high like a mountain.
Jacques von Heibrun.
The aftermath of his corruption and death was far greater than anyone could have imagined.
“And finally...”
Only when dawn was approaching did Arwen manage to bring up the last agenda item in an exhausted voice.
“Could you give us the report on the disposal of Jacques von Heibrun's corpse, Sir Bauer?”
“……”
“……”
Rustle.
At Arwen's words, everyone's gaze turned toward the Investigation Leader, Sikan Bauer.
Even though the body had been completely incinerated and melted beyond recognition, they couldn't just leave the corpse of an evil god worshiper unattended.
After all, most of those who contracted with evil gods possessed 'Immortality'.
This meant that until the disposal was perfectly complete, they could never let their guard down, not even at the very end.
“Together with the investigators, we have collected every single speck of ash and sealed it deep within the temple's underground vaults. Currently, the High Priest is verifying whether he acquired 'Immortality'...”
As Sikan Bauer's report continued, Adelia rested her chin on her hand and let his explanation go in one ear and out the other.
“……”
The Sword Master, Gaon.
His sword did not merely cut flesh; it possessed the power to deny existence itself.
Camilo von Taribas, the Human Butcher Barba who had returned as an undead, and even the Transgressor of Wintersheld.
All of those beings had met their end before his blade.
...Well, it'll be the same this time too.
To Adelia, all of these post-processing measures felt like a massive overreaction.
However, since there was no need to voice her thoughts, Adelia simply watched the meeting in silence.
Besides, it was always better to be thorough.
“Then, with this, all the agenda items... Hm?”
Rustle.
It was just as the meeting was about to conclude.
An elderly councilor raised his hand and cautiously interjected.
“My apologies. There is just one more thing I would like to verify.”
Arwen nodded.
“Go ahead.”
“How did you handle the corrupted Sea Moon Mother in the Sky Ocean Forest? According to what was revealed in the sacred trial, Jacques von Heibrun turned a blind eye to its corruption...”
The councilor's gaze turned toward Adelia.
“Since Lady Adelia von Goldheart was personally at the scene, she must know the situation best. What happened to the Sky Ocean Forest and the Sea Moon Mother?”
In an instant, the eyes of every councilor in the meeting room fell upon Adelia.
Sitting blankly, Adelia flinched at the sudden wave of attention.
“Ah, well, that is...”
Right at the moment Adelia was about to answer.
Pop!
Something peeked its head out from her robes.
A creature with a transparent, jelly-like body that glowed with a faint blue light.
“M-My goodness.”
“What in the world is that...?”
Although it had shrunk to the size of a fist, it was unmistakably the Sea Moon Mother that everyone remembered.
“W-Wait a moment! I can explain everything!”
Murmurs erupted.
Adelia hurriedly waved her hands to explain, but the meeting room had already descended into utter chaos.
“Hmm-mm~”
Outside the holy city of Midtemple.
Across the endlessly sprawling desolate wasteland, a hooded girl was humming a tune.
Skipping along, the girl was holding something reverently in both hands.
It was a black star... no, an object far too grotesque to be called a mere 'star'.
The black mass, constantly writhing and changing shape, was pulsating like a living creature.
“Ack! No way...!”
Suddenly, the girl shrieked and came to a halt.
The ground was marked with blackened scorch marks.
It was the very spot where Jacques von Heibrun had died after a fierce battle.
“It's too clean! They swept it completely spotless!”
The girl grumbled with a frustrated pout.
“What a waste.”
[...]
“Even a single drop of dried blood... no, if there was at least a speck of ash left, it would have been a huge help. Right, Star?”
Wriggle, wriggle.
As if responding to the girl's words, the 'star' began to churn, violently twisting its shape as if dissatisfied with something.
Although no voice could be heard, the girl understood the black star's intent through its movements alone.
“Hmm... but don't be too upset. The 'Third' will appear soon anyway.”
[...]
“Why don't we just seize that body instead? Or maybe raiding the Wintersheld Magic Academy to steal the 'Second's' body wouldn't be a bad idea either.”
Wriggle, wriggle.
The black star twisted its shape once more.
At this, the girl's expression instantly turned troubled.
“The... First? He is...”
The girl trailed off. After pondering for a moment, she let out a deep sigh.
“We can't do that. You saw it earlier too, didn't you?”
Glance.
The girl's gaze swept across the scorched earth.
The trail of fire stretched all the way to the horizon.
It was the scar left by the swordsmanship that had deflected Jacques von Heibrun's self-destruction in a single strike.
“I don't think he's someone we can mess with just yet.”
[...]
“How did he plaster himself with so many 'Authorities'... Just how much karma did he accumulate in 'that world' to possess this level of power? Right?”
A brief silence fell.
Wriggle, wriggle.
Before long, the black star suggested something.
“Oh?”
Hearing this, the girl looked intrigued.
“The corpse of the Sky Dragon Bird? That's not a bad idea either...”
The girl fell into thought, resting her hand on her chin.
“……Alright. Shall we head back to our base first and think about it in detail?”
Having made her decision, the girl hugged the black star tightly to her chest.
Hummmmm—!
Space began to warp.
In the very next instant, the two Apostles vanished.
A chilly silence returned once more to the desolate wasteland.