205. The Price of Greed
205. The Price of Greed
Mikel's lips twitched, as if she herself didn't know how to explain it.
Leaving Mikel like that, I skimmed through the documents once more.
Documents containing information on the Blood Heaven Knight Order members.
Name, height, weight, age, family relations, criminal record, activity history, weapon of choice, Realm.
There was no problem with the information listed above.
But the members' Realm section was strange.
A member who had been at Tier 2 had reached Tier 4 within a month. Tier 3 to Tier 5. Tier 4 to Tier 6.
The Wizards had likewise risen by 2 Circles each.
And the knight order's grand commander had reached Tier 7.
Did they have something in common? Yes.
Exactly one thing.
Their Realms had skyrocketed immediately after returning from an expedition to Ge Vihenum.
And I knew how that expedition had been carried out.
The expedition mentioned in the information Sara had brought me.
It was an expedition conducted after the Sacred returned to the Sanctum. An expedition that rotated knight order members in and out every two months.
After returning from that expedition, their Realms had risen.
Then had the cardinals undergone changes as well?
I put off reading that information for later.
If I skimmed the cardinals' information right now, it would be as good as telling Mikel that I knew about the expedition.
So for now, I concealed it.
Concealed it, and listened to what Mikel had to say.
Mikel was not a certain ally.
If, at this very moment, what Mikel said differed from the information I knew.
I would kill her on the spot.
Even so, I didn't let it show on the outside.
I can kill a person at any time without harboring killing intent, bloodlust, or murderous thoughts. I've been that way since my Past Life.
Preparation isn't necessary either.
That's what Deceptive Body is for.
"First..."
Mikel, who had been thinking for a long while, finally opened her mouth.
"Would you look at their activity history?"
Mikel's slender finger pointed at a certain section.
"There is something they all share in their activity history."
Guess I won't have to kill her.
"The Ge Vihenum expedition?"
"Yes. Correct. The common factor among the knights whose Realms rose exponentially is the Ge Vihenum expedition. Their Realms rose after returning from that expedition, but it isn't definitive proof. Crossing the line between life and death, gaining a fortuitous encounter, or coming to possess stronger faith than before—those could make such a thing possible to some degree."
"So if you have devout faith, you go up two Tiers at once? Then I'd convert without hesitation too."
"Would you?"
Mikel's green eyes sparkled.
I let out an irritated sigh and waved my hand.
"What wealth and glory would I enjoy? Tch, just finish what you were saying."
"If you ever do convert, I will personally guide you. Then... yes. Let us return to the main point."
Mikel clicked her tongue as if regretful, then opened her mouth again.
The story that followed overlapped heavily with the information Sara had brought.
Nevertheless, I listened intently without interrupting. With the intention of killing her if I saw any discrepancy or any sign of concealment.
And so, when the story ended.
I lightly licked my lips.
I didn't kill Mikel.
There was no reason to. The story Mikel had eagerly rambled through was identical to the information Sara had brought.
"Then among the knights listed here, there must be some who were falsely accused?"
"I expect there are some."
"But is it all right to kill them recklessly?"
"Martyrdom is glorious. So they will follow the Lord's guidance and enter heaven."
"You people who kill the falsely accused are the ones taking on sin."
"That too must be the Lord's will. Those who cut short the lives of innocent lambs will either accumulate good karma surpassing their sins through good deeds, or wash away their sins by shedding Holy Blood. If not that, they need only offer sufficient prayers of repentance and return to the Lord's side."
"You people are something else."
"We merely follow the Lord's will and faithfully carry out the doctrines of the Order."
"If that's the case, why not hang yourself right now, die, and go to Yurphia's side?"
"I still have a purpose remaining. So I will faithfully carry out that purpose, and then consider it."
"You don't lose a single argument."
"What I am telling you is not for the sake of arguing."
"Can I hit you just once? No, five times."
"If that action would relieve Lady Eliarnes's anger, gladly."
I was reminded of the argument I'd had when I first met Luna. It really felt like shouting at a wall, and this bitch Mikel was exactly the same.
At this point, is there some manual that Luna girl left behind somewhere in the Holy Kingdom?
How do they all manage to piss me off like this?
I sighed and picked up the documents.
"Anyway, you're saying I can kill them right away without any problem."
"That is correct. The information has been thoroughly vetted, so you need not worry."
There was a mountain of other things to ask and confirm, but I decided to put them off for now.
Grasping the information was the priority right now.
"All right, let's see."
I nodded roughly and flipped through the documents quickly.
"...This may be presumptuous, but may I say one thing?"
"If it's presumptuous, wouldn't it be better not to say it?"
"Then I will hold my tongue."
"It's more annoying to leave me curious and not say it, so just say it. What is it?"
"Ahem... that is, well..."
"Hurry up."
"There is plenty of time, so I was thinking you might examine them a bit more carefully..."
"That's not presumptuous. I'm going through them properly, so don't worry."
"If that is the case... I am relieved."
I didn't even need to lift my gaze from the documents.
I said, waving my hand back and forth.
"Well, should I prove it by reciting the names of the people I've read so far?"
"No. I will believe you."
It's not a lie. I really am reading them properly.
Objectively speaking, I'm smart.
I was smart in my Past Life too, but I'm even smarter now.
So naturally, my memorization is excellent as well.
Which means that even just skimming quickly like this, I can memorize the faces of the bastards worth stabbing.
You might ask whether I'm just skipping over the ones with lower Realms than me without looking, but no.
I'm scrutinizing every single one.
Even at Tier 5, there are those who could pose a threat, and even at Tier 7, higher than me, there are pushovers.
For example, Samaella, whom I met in the Labyrinth.
That bitch's Intent and Ideal Manifestation were both summoning-type. That's why she was easy for me to deal with.
But if she had been a Wizard-type who used elements like Stella instead of a summoning-type, opening a single door wouldn't have been nearly enough.
Ashtar is the same.
She doesn't summon living creatures, but she shapes weapons from her Intent, so it can be considered summoning.
That's why I was able to beat her easily in sparring.
Even within the same Realm, there are levels, and no matter how skilled someone is, compatibility exists.
The same applies to me.
Of course, if we took off our rank insignia and fought one-on-one, I'd win most of the time, but these bastards will definitely gang up on me.
But well, I probably won't have to fight.
I hope I won't.
Twenty minutes later, I set down the documents I'd finished reading and stared blankly at Mikel.
"I have a question."
"Yes."
"What exactly do you people believe in to hand over this kind of information to me? Revelation? If you're trusting in revelation, isn't the me you've assessed a bit weak?"
"That is not the case."
"What do you know?"
I tilted my head and looked into Mikel's eyes.
"Do you know me?"
"...You are not asking about my name or status, I assume. In that case... I should say that I do not know Lady Eliarnes."
"Then what do you believe in to hand this over?"
"It is not the will of the Holy Kingdom."
Mikel's lips twitched for a moment, then she spoke carefully.
"Lady Eliarnes—"
"Drop that damn 'Lady' and just use 'Miss.' My name's already long enough; I'll bite my tongue trying to talk."
"...Yes. Handing this information over to Miss Eliarnes was my own unilateral decision."
"Unilateral?"
"Yes. My superiors are currently unaware of my actions. Not only that, they do not even know that I met Miss Eliarnes in the Imperial Capital."
"You deliberately hid it?"
"Yes."
"Huh."
This is a bit unexpected.
I thought she'd gone running off to report everything, but she hid it and acted on her own.
"Whether it turns out well or goes to shit, if you get caught, you'll be executed, won't you?"
"Yes. But if I can lift the Holy Kingdom's shadow with my one life, then even if that place is hell, I will gladly throw myself into it."
Tap— tap— I nodded, replaying everything: what Mikel had said, the expression she'd worn while saying it, the emotion felt in her voice, her gaze.
Mikel's evaluation went up.
"Then, what's your basis?"
"Basis... you mean?"
"Yes. What was the decisive reason you acted unilaterally? You wouldn't have thought you needed to hide everything until you met me in the Imperial Capital. There must have been some trigger for you to come out like this now. Don't tell me you just charged in blindly?"
"No. As Miss Eliarnes said... until I met you in person, I had no intention of going this far."
Mikel steadied her breathing and looked at me carefully.
"My eyes are a bit special."
"Kids these days, everyone's eyes are special."
"Pardon?"
"No, never mind. Continue what you were saying."
"Ahem, yes. Unlike other Executors, my eyes carry a somewhat special grace."
Mikel blinked. Then, whoosh— soft Mana gathered in her green eyes. The moment she blinked once more, the soft Mana became pure-white Holy Power and settled into Mikel's eyes.
"My eyes can see human karma."
"Can you see this karma on me too?"
"Yes."
Gulp— Mikel swallowed dryly, clasped her hands on the table, and slowly opened her lips.
"On Miss Eliarnes... I see killing karma so immense that merely glancing at it makes my mind go faint."
"Heh."
I nodded roughly and waved my hand.
"I get the gist. Enough, so put those eyes away first."
"...Yes."
It must have been about ten seconds. In those ten seconds, Mikel's fists had become drenched in cold sweat.
"So when you first saw me and your eyes went wide, you were peeking at my karma?"
"...I did not see it that way, but yes. It is true that I... examined your karma."
"My teacher, known as the Fist Demon, was right next to me. Are you saying my karma was greater than my teacher's?"
"The difference was embarrassing to compare."
"Hmm... is that so."
Tap— tap— I drummed on the table and stared at Mikel. More precisely, at Mikel's eyes.
I know those eyes.
There's no way I wouldn't. After all, they were the eyes Luna had.
Though they differ greatly from Luna's eyes.
Luna had a Divine Eye with a cross driven into the center of her pupil.
That eye's Authorities were many and varied, and one of them was the Authority to see that karma.
If you combined all the Authorities of every Executor in the world right now, it probably wouldn't equal the Authorities Luna alone possessed. But I'll think about that later.
"I'm going to ask you two things now. If you bullshit me and I catch you, I'll rip your tongue out."
"Yes."
"First. What makes you trust me when the killing karma I carry could be turned against humans?"
"I thought that a descendant of the Hero, someone who takes pride in the name Eustetia and despises anything that tarnishes that name, could not possibly do such a thing."
So that's why she tested me back then.
I thought she'd lost her mind, but it was actually a gamble with a surprising amount of calculation behind it.
I nodded and asked the second question.
"Among the Heroes from 400 years ago, who do you respect the most?"
"...Pardon?"
"Not 'pardon.' Who do you respect the most? Well, since you're an Executor, it's obviously Saintess Luna, right? Then tell me excluding Saintess Luna."
Mikel blinked for a while, wearing an expression that said, 'Is this question really necessary right now?' but she opened her mouth anyway.
"...I am an Executor, but I... respect Ronan Luzarak more than Saintess Luna Sacred Pnasensia."
"Eh."
This time it was my turn to go dumb.
"...Why?"
"There are many reasons, but if I were to give the greatest one... Ronan Luzarak is a Demon slaughterer whose name will endure in 400 years of history. So much so that fear of him is said to be ingrained in the ferocious instincts of Demons. So... I respect him the most."
"Oh-ho...? Other reasons?"
Mikel looked at me with a puzzled expression, and I waved my hand with an expression that said keep going.
"Furthermore, there is also the grace of him having saved my ancestor... or so I am told."
"Next."
"Also... despite being from the weakest race on the continent 400 years ago, he is said to have instilled extreme terror in the Demons."
"And?"
"And on top of that, in the Dragon-Slaying War, he subjugated the corrupted evil dragon, annihilated two Legion Commanders, and stood at the very front lines as the sword and shield of all humanity and the Heroes."
"And then and then?"
"Of course, on the continent excluding the North, there is much talk about Ronan's... violent conduct and personality... but even so, I respect Ronan Luzarak the most, and... I want to be like him."
"Is that all?"
"...This is my personal taste, but... his appearance was also outstanding... ahem. Anyway, I do not know why this answer was necessary... but yes, that is what I think."
Mikel whispered that last part and, with a slightly embarrassed expression, pointlessly straightened the documents.
I stared at Mikel for a moment.
"Pass."
I sprang up from my seat and extended my right hand.
"I'm Eliarnes Eustetia. Let's forget our pasts and get along from now on."
Mikel, who had been staring quietly at my hand, accepted my handshake without a word this time too.
"...I am Mikel Dochev. I look forward to working with you."
"Unlike kids these days, you're the real deal. The real deal."
Shake shake— I shook that hand up and down vigorously.
Among the people who respect me, there are no bad people.