Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: The Star that Pierces Truth (8)
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Clang, clang. Heavy footsteps echoed from beyond the corridor.
The rhythmic sound carried vividly even into the guest chamber. The white-haired old man lying on the bed subtly lifted his eyelids.
The moment he donned his bishop's robes and sat in the velvet chair, the owner of those footsteps entered the room. An elderly Arch Paladin clad in white plate armor. His prowess was renowned, but his reputation among the faithful was even greater—he was a heavyweight figure who commanded the respect of all the holy knights in the order.
Decagram's Third Seat, "The Star that Pierces Truth," Hendark.
He looked down at the old man and offered a light bow.
"Even if you wander through the long night, may you find your path by the brilliant star. I have returned after concluding my mission ahead of schedule, Your Grace."
"……."
Archbishop Erensko's white eyebrows twitched faintly. He had realized Hendark had come back empty-handed.
Yet he wore a benevolent smile and spoke softly.
"As expected, you left nothing behind, I see."
"……."
"I had anticipated as much. It was a demon that brutally slaughtered your beloved disciple, after all. Naturally, you must have utterly annihilated it without leaving so much as a bone fragment. And with your weapon being the devastating 'Lucaon's Meteor,' it's no surprise you brought back no evidence."
"……."
"Of course, you know my words just now weren't entirely sincere. So now, explain why you let the demon live and returned empty-handed, Sir Hendark."
Erensko's voice held steady, his expression betraying no agitation. But it was all too easy to sense the fierce anger smoldering beneath the surface.
Hendark replied in a businesslike tone.
"There was concern for significant collateral damage in the surrounding area. Quirn Village lay just five kilometers away—if the demon slayer had clashed there, the place would have been reduced to ashes with heavy civilian casualties. Moreover, its proximity to the Magic Tower meant we couldn't discount intervention from the mages."
"……."
"Above all, there was no guarantee I could subdue him unharmed with my own power. He demonstrated Arch Paladin-level strength while hiding some trick up his sleeve—if he'd unleashed his full might, even I might have……."
Tsk, tsk, tsk. A scraping laugh like metal on metal cut off the holy knight's words.
Hendark's brow furrowed slightly. The air churned with unstable eddies. Erensko raked back his white hair as if tearing at it, then casually cracked his knuckles and asked.
"I heard that one of the holy relics stored in the cathedral's sanctum has gone missing."
"……."
"'The Lantern that Burns the Black.' When exactly did you use it during your mission?"
Hendark's face stiffened.
The Arch Paladin, who could only speak the truth, offered no reply. The archbishop curled his lips in a sardonic sneer. His voice came dry as the roots of a withered ancient tree.
"I thought we shared the same grief……."
"……."
"Linton Pelliferus, Helia Munel…… Both were Elga's children with such shining futures ahead. One a promising young holy knight, the other the empire's youngest Arch Paladin…… Had more time passed, they might one day have become stars like you, illuminating Elga's eternal glory."
"……."
"So I thought that if you couldn't protect their futures, you'd at least exact a horrific vengeance. But instead of revenge on that vile demon, you handed over a holy relic?"
Despite the vehement condemnation, Hendark did not waver.
"I trust only what I've seen and experienced with my own eyes, Your Grace. He is no demon, and Linton and Helia did not meet unjust ends."
"Sir Hendark, Sir Hendark…… It seems you're gravely mistaken. Your stigmata reveals personal truths, not absolute ones. If you met a madman utterly convinced he was Elga, would you worship him as a true god?"
"……."
At those words, Hendark's thoughts suddenly veered off course. He recalled the heretic "Gordon, who turned his back on the light," who had called Elga a false being. In that man's eyes, the entire Elga Church must have looked like madmen worshiping a lunatic as a god.
……It was an irreverent thought he shouldn't entertain. Hendark made the sign of the cross and steadied his mind.
"I didn't simply glimpse the truth contained within the vessel, Your Grace. I examined its very craftsmanship more closely. The demon slayer was no vessel capable of distorting truth. It's far more plausible that the order's holy knights made a grave error first……."
"I'm worried about your young disciples. For a master hailed as the order's star to defend a demon…… With such deep mentor bonds, proving their innocence apart from you won't be easy……."
"……."
A tone laced with genuine concern. But the intent was unmistakably a threat. A cold flame flickered in the Arch Paladin's eyes.
"You'd do well not to touch my disciples."
"Heavens, how could I dare lay a hand on your disciples? They're children who could become far finer holy knights than those two who already perished……."
"……Don't forget that I pierce the truth, Your Grace."
"And what will you do about it? Fight fire with fire? As you know, I have nothing left to lose, Sir Hendark."
"……."
A cruel frost rimed the archbishop's lips. The pupils beneath his mournful brows were abyssal voids devouring light. As the two glared without yielding an inch, a tension like tightrope walking over blades hung thick in the air.
Erensko issued the command once more to the wayward holy knight.
"To put it bluntly: return to the alliance territory and kill that demon. Fail to do so, and your disciples will face great trials. Once is surely enough to know the pain of losing a cherished pupil, no?"
Hendark closed his eyes tightly, wrestling with anguish.
But his hesitation was brief.
"I refuse. It would be unjust. And should even a single hair on my disciples' heads be harmed, I will erase Your Grace's existence from this world utterly."
Erensko burst into silent, uproarious laughter at those words, as if nothing could be more delightful.
Then, in an instant, he sobered, snuffing his mirth, and waved a hand dismissively.
"Begone. I'll find another suitable agent for this mission. And I won't harm your disciples."
"……."
"For now, that is."
The Arch Paladin fixed the archbishop with a heavy glare before offering a light bow and departing the guest chamber. The heavy metallic footsteps faded into the distance down the corridor.
Alone now, Erensko cracked his knuckles and perched on the bed. Staring at the flagstones, he curled his lips again, wheezing with laughter like punctured lungs for what felt like ages. Only when breathless did he finally calm, gathering holy power and snapping his fingers.
Woooong—
A hazy orb of light floated in the air.
Erensko muttered in a low voice.
"……No word yet from 'The Star that Swallows Darkness,' who departed for the demon realm?"
ZZZzt. Encrypted telepathy flowed from the orb. Erensko pondered silently before issuing a covert order.
"Halt the search for the great demon's flesh for now and come to me at once. Something more urgent has arisen……."
*
In Quirn, Kadim and Duncan received lavish hospitality.
They rented out an entire inn for free and feasted on luxuries like seasoned fish stew, noodle-stuffed bread with spinach, and apple cider and beer to wash it down. Considering the village had been blockaded and starving for days, it was as if they'd pooled every last scrap of food for a grand banquet.
Yet no trace of regret showed on the villagers' faces. Now they could freely trade with the outside world for supplies. If anything, they fretted over not doing enough. Heroes who drove off a demon and a holy knight deserved no less.
"Thank you once again, mercenary sir! Visit our village anytime you like!"
"Next time, we'll treat you to even better drinks and food!"
"May Lord Remillion's golden blessings light your journey, mercenary sir!"
The warm send-off continued even as they slept one night and departed at dawn. The villagers gathered at the village edge, waving cloths and hands.
"……."
"……."
But Kadim and Duncan's expressions weren't exactly bright.
It wasn't just because they'd been rewarded for deeds they hadn't done.
Duncan, upon hearing the details of the negotiation with the Arch Paladin, was stunned yet couldn't hide his relief. But Hendark's parting words turned it all around.
A warning that another Arch Paladin might come.
'The one who sent me is the order's archbishop—he'll surely dispatch another from the Decagram against you. I've done what I can to stall for now…… but steel yourselves.'
That alone was enough to unsettle them deeply.
Kadim clicked his tongue. The Decagram had ten members total, and Hendark held the third seat. Monstrous enough on his own, but stronger ones existed? It was absurd. Even the weaker ones could pose a threat in numbers.
He hadn't imagined killing that holy knight at the start would become such a persistent shackle. If only he hadn't been the archbishop's cherished nephew…… No clear solution presented itself for the immediate threat—only the conclusion that they needed power the order couldn't touch.
At least they'd avoided a clash this time. A stroke of luck.
He wasn't afraid of defeat. But fighting outright might have left allies critically wounded again and complicated access to the Magic Tower. That Hendark was a rare conversational Arch Paladin—even by 300-year standards—was sheer fortune.
Even so, full trust was impossible.
Even brilliant starlight hides behind storm clouds. Given the church's state, Kadim's distrust of holy knights lingered. Best to see him as a one-time trade partner: Magic Tower info for Gordon's intel.
Such scattered thoughts churned in their minds. Fleeting leaf shadows dappled their contemplative faces. Amid the tree shade, sunlight filtered in mottled waves, but their eyes swam not through green forests but contemplative currents.
No forks lay ahead. Just a straight, cozy path. No need to discuss direction. Thud, thud. Only their out-of-sync footsteps echoed in the silence.
"……."
"……."
How far had they walked?
Duncan suddenly noticed a bright glow in the corner of his vision.
"Huh……?"
It was the exit from the dense forest.
He bolted out as if entranced. Refreshing wind tousled his hair, an inexplicable thrill tickled his heart. So excited, he barely felt the weight of his pack. Breathless, he plunged into the light and finally beheld it.
"Haaah……."
A surge of awe escaped his lungs. He turned, waving frantically.
"M-Master! Master! Come here quick! Hurry and see this! We've finally, finally made it!!"
Kadim quickened his pace and emerged from the woods. And he too saw it.
A sea of eye-searing azure, and a city of foam-white waves crashing pure.
No walls ringed the city's edge. Instead, a translucent barrier enclosed it. Behind the rippling curtain of light, white buildings stood densely like artisan crafts. Flanking white boulevards led to sands and ocean, weaving dramatic color shifts. Every inch of the painting-perfect city demanded the eye.
Above all, the tower stole the gaze.
At the city's heart, a white spire thrust skyward like a horn. Its base against earth, midsection sea, pinnacle sky—each part in stark, crystalline contrast. Facing this awe-inspiring edifice, one couldn't help but accept the city's epithet.
The Miracle City, Vesta.
"……Ha."
Kadim thought himself numb to wonders.
The grueling journey had stripped ordinary emotions. No more merchant-like effusiveness or childish gasps. Yet in this moment, just this once, even he surrendered to quiet wonder, a faint smile rising.
From the continent's heart to its eastern edge—a near half-year forced march.
At last, they had reached the journey's first destination.