Chapter 276: Signal (4)
Chapter 276: Signal (4)
Translation: Godtl
Selena gripped needles in both hands. 'Loading' was already complete.
"You're the one who took me from my family?"
"That's right. It was the Barnier House."
Hagley spoke.
"Selena, your name is 'Selena de Barnier.' At the time, it was a somewhat well-known family."
Hagley's voice was as calm as ever, which Selena found oddly unsettling.
Hagley, who had taught Selena everything she needed as an assassin.
That included 'acting' as well. Thus, Hagley's ability to feign expressions was exceptional. Selena had no way of seeing through his performance.
"......You're being awfully forthcoming."
"Of course. Why would I hide it?"
Hagley shrugged.
"There was no reason to hide it?"
"There was just no need to say it. It's not exactly a pleasant story to tell."
Not a pleasant story?
Was it because he had concealed the fact that Selena was a noble?
"Why do you think I took you from your family?"
"......To raise me as an assassin, obviously?"
"That's what happened after I took you. Out of all the countless children in the Empire, why do you think I chose you?"
Selena fell silent.
Though she had already heard her full name from Frondier, Selena knew nothing beyond that.
"Selena, you were an outcast from your family."
"......!"
Selena's eyes widened at Hagley's words.
Hagley continued impassively.
"I was the one who brought you here and raised you after you were cast out from the Barnier House, Selena. Manggot is a haven for exiles. You should know that well enough."
"......Lies."
Hagley closed his eyes and shook his head.
"I knew you'd react like this. That's why I didn't want to tell you."
"Lies! There's no way I was cast out!"
"Selena, your family didn't want you. Neither did your parents. They needed a way to dispose of you—someone they had no use for. A clumsy assassination would only tarnish the family's reputation, so they needed a proper method to declare you missing. That's why Manggot was chosen, and I was the one who carried it out."
"Why—why would the Barnier House—why would they—!"
"That, I don't know. I was just following orders."
Selena's hands trembled uncontrollably.
She had always believed that someday, she could return to her family.
Though her heart had leaned heavily toward Frondier, her fate would have been decided by the outcome of the war between Manggot and the Empire.
What kind of place was the Barnier House? Where had she been born? Who were her parents?
And who was 'Selena de Barnier'? She had wanted to know.
"Did you want to know who you were?"
Hagley still held his hand out to Selena.
"I saved you, Selena. You were abandoned by your family."
Still offering her a chance, Hagley remained calm and composed.
"The truth is simple. Is this really worth leaving Manggot for?"
Selena's pupils darted back and forth.
If Hagley's words were true, then Frondier's promise to take her back to her family was a lie.
No, perhaps not a lie, but it wouldn't lead to the outcome Selena desired. Maybe Frondier didn't know the full story. He might have only known her full name and wanted to help her based on that.
'......How did Frondier know my name?'
She had no idea where or how Frondier had obtained information about her.
At the time, Selena had been too shocked upon hearing her real name to question it. Even if she had been curious, she couldn't have brought herself to ask Frondier about it.
Compared to Frondier, who had no connection to Selena's past, Hagley's words—directly tied to the Barnier House—carried far more credibility.
"......Well, this is troublesome."
Hagley let out a sigh as he watched Selena, who still hadn't relaxed her stance.
"So Frondier did something after all."
"......!"
"That bastard wagged his tongue and deceived you, Selena."
"N-no! That's not— Frondier wouldn't—! He didn't—!"
Selena's voice grew agitated, her pupils trembling even more violently. Noticing this, Hagley continued speaking.
"What did that bastard say to you? Did he spin some tale about you being deceived? Did he prattle on about what kind of place the Barnier House was, how you were raised? Did he promise you safety and benefits if you took his side? Selena, everything Frondier says is nothing but lies. Trust me. I'm the one who's watched over you longer than anyone."
Selena slowly stepped back.
It looked less like she was wary of Hagley and more like she was physically recoiling from the truth.
Hagley didn't force his approach. Narrowing the distance now would only heighten her wariness.
At any rate, Selena was already shaken. She was wise—she'd quickly realize which side had more credibility. She just couldn't accept it yet.
'Well, just because something's more convincing doesn't make it true.'
Hagley concealed his true thoughts and quietly waited for Selena to calm down. His acting was flawless.
Maintaining the demeanor he'd always used while instructing Selena, with eyes and gestures that held just the right amount of mercy and warmth.
After a brief moment, Selena's gaze—which had been wandering helplessly—finally settled on Hagley.
Her eyes were clear yet distant, as if she'd realized who she should trust.
"Come, let's return. Rest in your quarters. We're at war, after all."
"......Yes."
At last, Selena's guard lowered. Her arms dropped to her sides, and her head bowed.
In that instant—black thorns erupted from Hagley's shadow, lunging straight for Selena's heart—only for Selena to vanish right before his eyes.
"......!"
Hagley's eyes widened in shock as he hastily summoned a curtain of shadows from behind him.
Kwaaak!
Selena burst forth from behind Hagley. Having used 'Shadow Transference' as a surprise attack, she pierced through his shadow curtain with her needles.
Her eyes were so cold they sent shivers down the spine—gone was the earlier look of someone struggling in confusion.
Hup!
Hagley shoved the curtain forward, forcing Selena back.
She retreated lightly, gripping her needles in both hands as she stared at Hagley.
Her expression hardened, as if she couldn't believe him.
"You—how—?"
How had she figured it out? There shouldn't have been any basis for her to suspect his lies.
To his voice, laden with that question,
"......As expected,"
Selena's icy gaze met Hagley's eyes.
"You truly believe I can't see through your act."
"!"
Selena, who had learned acting from Hagley.
Just as Selena couldn't read Hagley's true intentions,
Hagley, too, couldn't see through Selena's performance.
"Hagley, whatever you're imagining, Frondier didn't spout a single word to me."
Frondier hadn't tried to persuade or entice Selena to join him.
He had simply given her a choice.
Frondier had said he wouldn't interfere whether she stayed with Manggot or came to him.
When she'd asked how he would know which side she chose, he'd even answered, 'I won't.' He wouldn't hold her accountable, no matter what she decided.
Hagley, who had raised Ten Points assassins to suit his own tastes all his life, would never understand.
Just how much comfort she had found in Frondier's words—'Decide for yourself.'
—As expected, it's impossible.
—I can't see through your acting.
Frondier does not casually read Selena. He does not easily define what kind of person she is.
Because he doesn't know.
Because that is only natural.
Though she may have lived as Jay, the assassin of Manggot, as nothing more than a monochrome canvas, the Selena who became Frondier's escort—
"Were you surprised?"
—reveals a look in her eyes that Hagley, who had raised her for so long, had never once seen before.
"I am quite good at acting, you know."
"......Selena......!"
Hagley's shadow flickers like raging flames.
Shadow magic is Hagley's specialty, and the caves of Manggot are his perfect home ground. A hint of tension colors Selena's face.
"Do you really think you can defeat me?"
"No."
Yet even as she answers, Selena's expression remains composed.
"When I'm acting as his escort, I don't have the luxury of dwelling on such thoughts."
While Frondier struggles against the power of Sloth, Belphegor watches him for a moment.
'Impressive. He's still resisting.'
An ordinary person would have already succumbed to sleep—or, in severe cases, chosen death.
It's not so much a desire to die, but a sense that death would be acceptable. The harsher one's life, the more likely they are to make that choice.
'I could kill him like this, but...'
As a test, Belphegor casually releases a flicker of aura.
Whoosh!
But Black Heaven flies in to intercept it.
Unless Black Heaven possesses free will of its own, that too is Frondier's will at work.
'As expected, he's no ordinary human.'
The longer Frondier resists, the more Belphegor's irritation grows.
Belphegor, one of the Seven Deadly Sins. He has invoked his great sin—Sloth. That this alone isn't enough to end things wounds not just his pride, but the very core of his being.
If word were to spread among the other Devils, it wouldn't just be shameful—his standing would literally diminish.
His position among the Seven Deadly Sins wouldn't be threatened, but his rank within that hierarchy would certainly plummet.
'Well, he can't hold out forever.'
Belphegor remains at ease.
After all, all he needs to do is buy time.
This war—the mere fact that Frondier, the spearhead, has reached this far means the Empire's defenses are far from secure.
Eventually, the Barrier will crumble. Monsters and Manggot will flood in, and the Empire will be reduced to ruins.
Frondier came here to prevent that. By eliminating the enemy's source within the time limit, he aims to minimize the damage.
That he would carry out such a reckless operation without hesitation suggests he's done something similar before.
Moreover, Manggot stands on the brink of a divine descent. That reason alone is more than enough to stall for time.
'Even as this fool struggles, that time limit draws ever closer.'
Witness firsthand what tragedy such arrogance—believing he can hold back every Barrier—will bring.
The moment Belphegor thinks this—
Void Fabrication, Simultaneous Replication
Imperial Armory
Full Deployment
In an instant, Belphegor finds himself surrounded by gleaming weapons.
"Hoh, still able to resist?"
Marveling, he glances around. Every flashing blade is extraordinary in its own right.
Immediately, the weapons are launched toward him.
"Very well, a brief diversion then. I'll humor you."
Belphegor effortlessly dodges their terrifying speed, sometimes letting them drop, sometimes shattering them outright.
Though weapons continue to manifest from the void, none reach him—each one is mercilessly destroyed.
Even if this were just a battle of mana reserves, victory would seem hopeless. And Frondier is still being eroded by Sloth.
The outcome of this prolonged standoff is clear. Frondier has no chance of winning.
Belphegor drifts through the air as if playing, shattering weapons left and right.
Meanwhile, Frondier, who had been hunched over as if suffering under Sloth's power—
......Haaah......
......Huuu......
—repeats a familiar breathing pattern, his cold eyes hidden from view.