Chapter 187
Chapter 187
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 187
Chapter Title: Chapter 187
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 187
Chapter Title: Paladins' Confessions
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A full month had passed since Jerome returned to Banten.
In the crisp autumn air that followed the end of summer, the training grounds of the Carviot count's household were heated to a fever pitch, as if oblivious to the change of seasons.
Paang!
A punch so crisp it sounded like a drum exploding echoed across the training grounds.
"Huuu..."
He gathered the energy of the Pankration he had been practicing and steadied his breathing.
I wiped the sweat from my brow and moved to the corner of the training grounds, spreading out a spot in the shaded area and sitting down.
Wuuung!
Closing my eyes, I quietly circulated Earth and confronted the aura within me.
After wrapping up my journey in the Holy Empire, I had devoted all my attention to training in Pankration and aura rather than Steel.
The reason was simple: I had already fully mastered every stage of Steel, which was a Heterogenous Power, up to the level I had reached in my previous life.
'To aim beyond this with Steel, a trigger is needed. Holding onto it now would be pointless.'
Even in my previous life, after reaching the brink of the third stage, I had struggled endlessly to break through to the fourth, but all those efforts had been in vain—the realm had remained stagnant.
There was no reason to expect some sudden enlightenment now that I hadn't gained after all that time before, so it was far more efficient to train in aura and Pankration, paths that offered reliable growth.
And those efforts had borne fruit. Unlike Crank Marquis, whom I had barely defeated in the past with Saladin's help,
I had taken down Schuttat, the captain of the Seventh Paladin Order who wielded a Heterogenous Power, all on my own.
'Well, that guy was drunk on power too.'
Even so, it was a fight where I could clearly feel my own growth.
Shuuu...
Finishing the circulation of Earth, I fully gathered my aura within and headed to Banten's underground prison.
Schuttat had come to mind, but more directly, Rampang—who had come to Banten with me—had given me advance notice a week ago.
Rampang, who had been waiting for the two captured paladins' bodies to fully recover, had grabbed them by the scruff the moment he heard they were healed and dragged them straight to the underground prison.
—Come in a week. By then, I'll have them remembering the place they were born.
...I had no idea what he planned to do, but I decided not to ask for details. Rampang's aura had been too murderous for that.
Soon, I arrived at the underground prison.
The thick stench of blood pierced my nose amid the dank air.
"Ah, you're here? Perfect timing."
At the sight before me where Rampang stood, my face involuntarily twisted in disgust.
Could those things in front of Rampang even be called human? They looked more like lumps of meat vaguely shaped like living people.
"Krr... ugh..."
"Ple...ase... mer...cy..."
The paladins muttered unintelligible pleas—whether calling desperately to their god or begging for death—it stirred pity in me despite everything.
Plop!
Rampang, unmoved by their wretched state, unhesitatingly poured a potion from Luna over their heads.
Bubbling!
The two regained human form. Rampang squatted down before them and spoke.
"Alright, here's your chance. Repeat everything you told me to this friend here, word for word. Do that, and I'll let you go easy."
Where did they find the strength?
The two paladins, who couldn't even twitch a finger before, jerked their heads up like they were having seizures and began shouting at the top of their lungs.
"E-everything was the Third Princess's will!"
"She said if we could implant the Black Lions' power into us, it would be a huge asset in the coming war!"
"Enough."
Snap!
They shut their mouths like clams at Rampang's low command.
"One at a time, slowly. Make it coherent. Don't piss me off."
...Terrifying.
Sorting through the paladins' story, which had calmed rapidly under Rampang's threat, it went like this.
Ibarella had secretly captured Black Lions possessing Heterogenous Powers for a very long time, conducting experiments to artificially implant those powers into paladins.
As a result, they discovered a way to forcibly extract the Black Lions' inner "Myriad Phenomena."
But they couldn't just use that extracted Myriad Phenomena on valuable paladins without any prior testing.
So they experimented first on outcasts, those no one would miss—people who hated and resented the world.
Most subjects couldn't endure the Myriad Phenomena built up through the Black Lions' ascetic trials and went mad or died.
But some existed who hated the world so fiercely they withstood even the Black Lions' ordeals.
'...Like that dwarf I clashed with back then, or Aria from my previous life.'
Once sufficient test results accumulated, the Empire reached a conclusion.
If one had the mental fortitude to overcome the Black Lions' Myriad Phenomena, implantation was possible.
"We paladins overcame the Black Lions' power through our devout faith in the Princess and the Sovereign. However, since its effectiveness hasn't been fully proven yet, we were chosen for the initial experiments..."
"Why only your Seventh Paladin Order and not the others?"
"The Seventh... differs in temperament from the other orders. Under Captain Schuttat's influence, our order accepts anything to grow stronger..."
'So that's how it was.'
Pieces in my mind began fitting together like a puzzle. Despite clear success with them, why in my previous life did none of the First, Second, or Third Paladin Orders use Heterogenous Powers in the war?
'They only dosed the janitors.'
Only the Seventh, called war ghosts who never left the battlefield, or non-Empire natives like the Crimson Flame Mage Aria von Wendinel.
They hadn't introduced it to the "real" ones who upheld the Emperor in the Empire's spotlight.
Or perhaps even if dosed, they had no need to use it. Or maybe they eliminated all witnesses.
"How do you extract the Myriad Phenomena?"
"W-we don't know that either..."
Swipe!
As the paladins hesitated to answer my question and Rampang moved, they convulsed and cried out desperately.
"W-we really don't know! We were briefed up to this point because we needed to understand what Saramansang was before implantation, but the method itself—we truly don't know!"
...Of course. No way they'd share such a critical secret with mere squad members, no matter how elite.
"We really told you everything we know. Please..."
The paladins gazed at me with near-pleading eyes.
'...Didn't they say they overcame it with faith and loyalty?'
If they withstood the Myriad Phenomena the Black Lions built, their resolve shouldn't have been weak.
How do you break people this thoroughly?
"Dire Wolf, Fang."
Shuuuak!
Rampang lightly swung his finger, and the paladins' heads flew into the air.
True to our prior agreement, he had granted them an easy end.
It was a gruesome scene, but Rampang's expression didn't flicker.
"Think I'm going too far?"
"Eh, hard to say. Seeing how you've shattered their faith to that extent, I think I'd rather not know."
I meant it sincerely, but Rampang added as if his own toes were stepped on.
"...If you'd seen their lab, you wouldn't say that."
Grind!
As if recalling bad memories again, Rampang ground his teeth, then spoke up suddenly.
"Oh, that puppet guy you hang around with. Saladin, right? Pass this to him."
Swipe!
What Rampang held out was a gem glowing purple.
"What's this?"
"Ah, that's a Poison Essence. Martin, who died in that lab, said to give it to a suitable Black Lion."
...One bombshell word after another left my brain frozen.
"Poison Essence...? Wait, Martin? Poison Blood Master Martin?"
"...Yeah. He met his end there too."
"...!!"
Martin, the Poison Blood Master, died in the Empire's experiments? I thought he'd just secluded himself from the world.
"He said to pass the Poison Essence to whoever needs it. Your friend's puppets seemed to use poison, so give it to him. Might be chatty, but he seems upright and will use it well. Looked like he had some talent too."
I took the Poison Essence from Rampang with trembling hands.
"...Yes. I'll make sure it gets to him."
You lucky bastard.
Having handed over the Poison Essence, Rampang stretched as if done talking.
"Whew, shall we head out? Been cooped up in this dark hole for a week—I'm itching to move. Where's your master?"
"Probably with my father. They've been talking a lot lately."
"Yeah? Mind if I tag along? Still not familiar with the lay of the land here."
Training was done for the day, no other plans, so no reason to refuse.
"Of course. Let's go."
Sip!
In the quiet study.
After delegating most administrative duties to Ares, Bacchus had spent his time mostly meditating alone in the study.
But lately, a new routine had formed: drinking tea with a guest. Azure Wing Karma.
"Heh heh heh. The tea's exquisite again today, my lord. You spoil me with such rare leaves every time—I'm embarrassed. Heh heh heh."
"Nonsense. When a precious guest like Azure Wing visits this humble territory, how could tea be an issue? Especially the one who awakened my unworthy son's Heterogenous Power. I should offer more."
Bacchus and Karma got along splendidly. While White Wing Rampang matched Bacchus in realm, their ages made this pair click better.
Besides, Bacchus had offloaded work to Ares, and Karma was idle due to poor health.
Perfect for chatty middle-aged men with time on their hands.
"By the way, how's your health?"
Mid-conversation, Bacchus cautiously asked about Karma's condition.
He'd heard it was poison from his disciple, the Black Wing Takryu.
No need to expound on the viciousness of poison from a Black Wing who shared the throne with him.
"Heh heh, still manageable."
Swipe!
Chuckling lightly, Karma lifted his shirt. Contrary to his words, his body was in dire straits.
The poison originating from his lower abdomen's organs was slowly extending its tendrils toward his heart.
At this rate, a few years at most.
"Hmm, our merchant group is scouring everywhere for Paeonia... but no luck yet. We'll keep searching far and wide, so don't worry too much."
Bacchus frowned at Karma's poison.
The supreme Azure Wing, who reigned above the thrones, might not live to a ripe old age due to his own disciple's poison.
Lamentable just thinking about it.
"Heh heh heh, your concern alone is gratitude enough. It's my fate, after all."
Knock knock!
As the two conversed deeply, a knock sounded at the study door.
"Father, it's Jerome. May I come in?"
"Enter."
At Bacchus's permission, Jerome and Rampang stepped inside.
"So, what is it?"
"White Wing was looking for Karma, so I brought him along. And I have something to say."
"Hm?"
Father perked up at mention of news.
"I was thinking of heading to Elrunheim for a bit."
"Elrunheim?"
"Yes. Nothing urgent before leaving for Olivia next spring, and we should select southern trade goods beforehand. Best to do it now while we have time."
Pankration and aura training could continue in Elrunheim, so moving now during this rare lull was ideal.
'Plus, it's about time to see Ash and Millia's faces.'
Ash had said to visit when I had time after returning from Death Valley, so two birds with one stone.
"Hm, not a bad idea. Go ahead then. Who are you taking?"
Names of past companions flashed through my mind at Father's question.
'Beskin's training joint techniques with the vice-captain and top members lately, so best not disturb. Hm... Saladin's been deep into improving Mimi and Nene. Misha and Miron are still too young for fatigue...'
It had been just a month since returning from the Holy Empire.
Couldn't burden those who'd helped tirelessly through hardships with something trivial like visiting elves.
"I'll go alone this time."
"Alone? Hm..."
Father pondered my words briefly.
Even familiar elf lands made him worry about solo travel.
Especially after the Paolo incident.
Then, Rampang, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
"I'll go with him."
"White Wing?"
Father was startled by Rampang's offer.
He hadn't expected a throne-seater to volunteer.
"You sure? Karma's health..."
"It's fine. I hear the World Tree leaves in elf lands are miracle cures?"
While I talked with Father, he'd assessed Karma's state—desperation gleamed in Rampang's eyes.
"Not Paeonia, but World Tree leaves are renowned medicines too. Since we're nearby, thought I'd ask the elves for some."
Father couldn't refuse Rampang's pleading gaze.
Besides, no reason to deny when a throne-seater offered to accompany his son.
And so, our Elrunheim travelers were decided.
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