181. Executioner
181. Executioner
Two days had passed since the final exam ended.
Every student who had witnessed Clavel's transformation was dead, and there was no trace of Clavel's body either.
So naturally, no one had emerged who knew that Clavel had become an Apostle of Gluttony.
Even I, the only person who'd been conscious at the scene where the Apostle had rampaged, wasn't investigated or questioned.
Because two of the Six Pillars had been shielding me, not even the investigators dispatched by the imperial court had been able to approach me.
But the fact that I had subjugated the Apostle had become an open secret among the professors.
Eurasia, after moving to the assembly point, had reportedly drawn her sword and shouted at the professors, relaying what I'd told her—that I was trapped inside the barrier.
It would've been nice to keep it completely secret, but since things had already turned out this way, I figured there was no helping it.
And, well... it didn't really matter much anymore.
As a result of beating the shit out of an Apostle this time,
I'd concluded that aside from Leona, the Flame Emperor, Sedil, Adelia, and Wivir, I could kill just about any professor in an instant.
If they'd wanted to kill me, they should've done it before I reached Tier 6.
And naturally, the academy was in an uproar.
There had been over thirty professors alone watching the exam site. Roughly twenty more had been waiting outside the Anketin Mountains to prepare for any contingency.
And an accident had occurred at an exam site where over fifty professors in total were stationed.
Not just any ordinary accident, either.
The rampage of an Apostle imbued with the Remnant of Gluttony. Because of it, over forty students had died, and two professors had died as well.
An accident so massive there was no hiding it even if they'd wanted to.
Because of it, the number of students dropping out had increased, and there were reportedly students who'd developed PTSD and now had seizures at the mere sight of a tree.
That didn't mean only bad things were being said, though.
There was also considerable public support for the professors and the handful of students who'd been at the scene, praising them for keeping the damage to a minimum.
Behind all that loud noise, a very quiet investigation had begun.
The seed of this incident had been Nuclexirol. Others might not know, but I did.
There was no reason to hide it. Hiding it for no reason would only cause more "accidents" like this.
So I told them, and based on my testimony, fairly high-level investigators were reportedly dispatched.
Of course, I didn't trust those investigators.
There might be some decent human beings among them, but the ones I'd seen four hundred years ago had all been worse than beasts.
Bastards who only cared about racking up achievements by any means.
Or fanatics whose brains had completely snapped.
I figured this time, too, they wouldn't dig deep—they'd just grab a few easy targets and cut their heads off.
"So, what you're saying is... the Remnant of Gluttony might be dissolved into the Nuclexirol?"
"Yes."
So I'd told Leona and the Flame Emperor, too. Everything—including the things I hadn't told the investigators and had kept hidden.
The information about Clavel that I'd personally extracted from Fabiana. The friend who accompanied her. Gailan.
And the strangely weak Apostle, and the barrier spread across the Anketin Mountains that amplified Demonic Energy.
Of course, in between, I'd passed some things off as information I'd picked up somewhere, and mixed in lies about hearing things from my father.
"Why?"
"Why are you asking me that? If anything, I'm the one who wants to ask you, Master. Haven't you been to the Demon World often?"
"I don't know. These days... even when I go to the Demon World, I haven't had the time to pay attention to such things."
"If you don't know, Master, then..."
Lying on the bed, I turned my gaze away while munching on an apple—nom nom nom.
Leona shifted her gaze along with mine.
"Hmm..."
The Flame Emperor, wearing a grave expression, let out a hum.
"When this Flame Emperor was in Ge Vihenum, a certain rumor circulated."
"A rumor?"
"A rumor that the Nuclexirol coming from the Verburg Hills near Bokmajeon was imbued with the Remnant of Gluttony. This Flame Emperor heard that rumor as well, but thought it couldn't possibly be true."
Bokmajeon was the Demon King's castle.
And the Verburg Hills... were very close to Bokmajeon. If I had to put it in perspective, about the distance from here to the Holy Kingdom.
By continental standards it was quite far, but by Ge Vihenum standards, you could call it the front yard.
"Thinking it over with the knowledge this Flame Emperor possesses, imbuing a mere narcotic herb with the Remnant of Gluttony would require a great many things. To begin with, completing such a thing would require the corpse of Gulaka of Gluttony."
"So you're saying it's not completely impossible."
"Hmm... Le, hmm. Leona, as you say, it is not completely impossible, but if you ask whether it is possible... this Flame Emperor would shake her head."
The Flame Emperor opened a notebook she'd taken from her bosom.
"Leona. As I have told you, this Flame Emperor can read memories of the past. So naturally, I have also faintly read memories of the battle from four hundred years ago—the Gluttony Subjugation."
Leona's expression grew complicated.
Watching Leona's expression, I thought.
Was she one of the Beastkin who'd been there when we went to hunt down Gulaka? How many Beastkin had there been back then...
Most had died, and I was pretty sure fewer than a hundred Beastkin had survived.
No matter how much I thought about it... I couldn't recall Leona's face.
She might have changed her face through Body Reformation.
Was she ugly enough that she'd needed to change her face?
"Even the noble and courageous Heroes could not purify Gluttony's corpse. But neither was it in a state that could be 'reused.' Of course, it is possible that this Flame Emperor's Realm is lower than that of the great and virtuous Heroes, and thus I simply could not perceive it. But in this Flame Emperor's judgment, Gluttony's corpse at the time was damaged beyond use."
Noble and courageous.
Great and virtuous.
She says that... with such sincerity that my body itches and my face feels like it's heating up for no reason...
But at the same time, it's ticklish and refreshing.
Embarrassing but pleasant.
Cringey but giving me goosebumps...
A strange... really strange feeling...
"The Apostles of Gluttony have been subjugated by countless humans over the four hundred years since, and Gluttony's Retainers also slumber deep within Bokmajeon. Furthermore, Gluttony's Demonic Energy is merely scattered throughout the world. But even that, the Saintess purified by shedding droplets of blood in her pursuit of truth, cleansing the continent's Demonic Energy."
"Huh, hck...!"
"...What is the matter?"
"Oh, no, it's nothing. Something went down the wrong pipe for a second. Please continue."
"Hmm, very well."
I almost burst out laughing. I forcibly held my twitching lips in place and shoved an apple into my mouth.
Droplets of blood in her pursuit of truth, my ass.
There's a limit to glorification.
Right. Back then, Luna had shed a bit of blood during the purification work.
-Do not worry, brothers and sisters. This is... yes. This is merely Holy Blood for the sake of purification.
-Holy Blood from your nose, and it isn't even a Stigmata. That's a first.
-Sh-shut up, Ronan.
On the day we were supposed to purify the Demonic Energy spread across the Anketin Mountains, that bitch Luna had been at a gambling den. She'd been drinking all night and playing cards until noon the next day, insisting she had to win back the money she'd lost.
We didn't even need money in the first place.
We had enough fame that we could extort a fortune just by asking a passerby.
But Luna still threw a tantrum, insisting she had to recover her losses.
We beat the shit out of her and dragged her to Anketin.
That blood she shed was blood shed from getting hit by us.
-I could've recovered it all if I'd just played a little longer, but you broke my flow.
-You've been saying that for six years now.
-And today was the reward for those six years.
-That's bullshit if I've ever heard it. And why do you keep whining about money? What do we need money for? At most, buying a few consumables—what else is there?
-It's not simple money like you think.
-Ha, shit. Hey, fine. How much?
-I think it was about three million two hundred thousand sel... tch... was it four million two hundred thousand...?
-I'll give you five million. Wait here. Hey, priest mister over there. Come here. Yeah, yeah. Hey, knight mister, don't pretend you didn't hear—come here too. Yes, you. Look at that? Hey, the Hero you people talk about is me. Would a Hero like that do anything shady? Fuck. Come here quickly while I'm asking nicely.
-Why are you calling them over?
-Just watch. Ah, yes. Pleased to meet you. Your name? Sir James. Yes. And you, Priest Johan. Yes, well. Pleased is pleased, but hand over whatever money you've got. While you're at it, how much for that armor you're wearing, that sword, and that necklace? Your mother's keepsake? An antique?
-Ronan, you crazy bastard! What are you doing?!
-Why are you hitting me? I'm trying to help you—
-Shut up and watch. Sir James, Priest Johan. Do not listen to this foolish man's words. First... Sir James. I see a shadow over your face—have you perhaps held a funeral in your family... Aha, your mother. Yes, it is nothing, but Heaven has spoken: your mother has not entered the kingdom of heaven.
-Hey... at least don't touch someone's family. Are you really a Saintess after pulling that? You're just a fucking bitch...
-Shut up. Ahaha, no, no. Yes, ahh. Of course. It is only natural that I offer a blessing on Sir James's behalf. However... in the process of offering that blessing, a small, ahaha. Yes. Thank you. This offering shall be used for God's special plan... Ahh...! A ruby! A keepsake with a ruby embedded in it...! Ahh... Yes. I shall make this a jewel that illuminates the path protecting Sir James's family and his descendants. Now then... Priest Johan? Have you been suffering from nightmares lately?
Even thinking back on it now, Luna was a bigger piece of trash and a psycho than me.
Back then, I at least had the self-awareness that I was doing bad things. But not Luna.
Luna didn't even have that self-awareness—she extorted money from believers purely in the name of Heaven's will.
And then blew it all gambling.
And while doing so, she'd borrow money from me, saying that too was Heaven's will and new guidance.
Crazy bitch.
Crunch crunch—nom nom nom—
By the time I'd finished all the apple in my mouth and put a new one in, the Flame Emperor had finished speaking.
The conclusion was, in any case, that Gluttony's corpse couldn't have been used to implant the Remnant of Gluttony into Nuclexirol.
If so, then.
"What about the Labyrinth?"
"Hm?"
"The Labyrinth. If you'd shoved Gluttony's corpse in there and let it sit for four hundred years... wouldn't even a trash corpse have aged into something usable?"
"The Labyrinth of Sloth. But is there not an established theory that the Legion Commanders of Ge Vihenum keep each other in check and covet each other's territories? So the possibility of that is..."
The Flame Emperor fell silent for a moment.
Leona, too, composed her relaxed expression and rose from her seat. I hastily gulped down the apple I'd been eating and flopped onto my back.
"Let us speak again next time. This Flame Emperor will also look into this matter in detail."
"Just go and keep an eye on the kids for me."
"Understood."
I wanted to go check on the kids' condition myself, but I couldn't right now.
No... it wasn't that I couldn't—it was just that, for now, not meeting them yet was probably better for them.
The Flame Emperor nodded and snapped her fingers.
At the same moment, whoosh—along with a small ember, her body vanished.
Leona waved away the faintly rising smoke, glared at me, and said,
"Eliarnes. I keep telling you, but you... really need to stop saying useless things. Got it? I'll handle it, so you just lie still."
"Come on, I said I got it. Do you really not trust me that much?"
"Yeah."
"Wow. Your disciple might be a little hurt."
"Hurt, my ass. Your personality is too fucking awful. A tiny little thing like you keeps yapping and yapping—it just pisses me off more."
"Hah... like someone else isn't the same way."
"What? What did you say?"
"Shh, shh! Someone's here, someone's here."
The moment I pulled the blanket up to cover half my face.
Knock knock—with a knock, the door to the hospital room opened.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am an investigator dispatched from Pnasensia. Captain of Executor Squad Four, Mikel Dochev."
Among the bastards who only cared about racking up achievements and the fanatics whose brains had snapped.
A heretic inquisitor of the Pnasensia Holy Kingdom—belonging to the category of fanatics whose brains had snapped, and snapped hard.
The Executor had come to see me.
But this bitch had opened the door and walked in without even asking permission.
Hmm... still, Leona had told me to keep my mouth shut, so I shouldn't pick a fight.
I forcibly swallowed the words on the tip of my tongue and glared at the woman who'd introduced herself as Mikel.
Then Mikel stared straight at me.
"Have I, perhaps, made some mistake?"
I stared straight back and answered.
"My eyes are naturally this wide."
"Then I am relieved. I wondered if opening the door without permission had displeased you."
"Hmm... if you knew, you should've gotten permission before coming in."
Mikel's lips twitched—trembling slightly.
Whip—Leona shot me a glare.
"Whoopsie."
She'd told me to keep my mouth shut.
I smiled bashfully and averted my gaze.