Elysia's Prayer -3-
Tick. Tock. Holding Elysia's pocket watch, I sat at the desk and stared at it in silence. How should I handle this?
Judging by the black magic I could sense, it wasn't a fake. The kind of thing that could kill an ordinary person on the spot if they touched it. Whoever had crafted a restraint capable of binding an Apostle while layering resistance magic on top of it was obvious even without seeing their face.
"..."
An unexpectedly precious item had fallen into my hands, and I had no idea what to do with it. The novel had barely mentioned the watch at all. It held Elysia's life in its grasp. That was why she could never refuse the Apostle of Temperance's requests. The story had only described it to that extent, so neither the method of release nor its owner had ever been revealed. It was as good as a lost cause.
"Hmm..."
A literal stroke of fortune. "This thing is ridiculous..."
It meant heaven-sent luck. Possessing Elysia's watch meant I could command an Apostle. It wouldn't let me control her will or treat her like a slave, but Elysia had a goal she would do anything to achieve—saving her son. In a way, it meant I could issue orders to her just as the Apostle of Temperance had. Holding someone's life in your hands carried that kind of weight.
Of course, I didn't expect Elysia to simply obey me without question. Apostles possessed strong wills and stubborn pride. She followed the Apostle of Temperance because they shared the same purpose and walked the same path. There was no reason she would bow her head and say "Yes, I understand" to someone with no connection to her.
"Hmm..."
That was why using it felt so precarious and burdensome. Smashing the watch to kill her would make me the villain. Threatening her with it didn't sit right either.
Tick. Tock.
Honestly, it was far too valuable an opportunity to simply discard. I wanted to use it. It was an Apostle's weakness—not some ordinary trinket, but a vulnerability on par with Loen. Depending on how it was wielded, it could drastically weaken the cult's forces or serve as the key to gaining a powerful ally. The fact that I couldn't wield it freely only made the decision more complicated.
I opened the silver watch and let out a steady breath. "What now?"
Leaving it alone until the right moment felt dangerous. I feared what the Apostle of Temperance might do in the meantime. Once he confirmed that his control over Elysia had vanished, he would surely find another way to leash her. Elysia wasn't the type to fall for his schemes, but I still wanted to strike first before he could make another move. I had to consider his response. He could try to deceive her with a fake watch, or spin lies to keep her under his thumb—there were countless possibilities.
In that case... "..."
I would have to go to her first. Having reached my decision, I nodded to myself and recalled the location of Elysia's hideout. I didn't know how things would turn out, but at this point, I was the only one who could handle her.
Before that, I needed to think about the ancient species. The novel had described them as massive bears with black fur. A bear? I gave a small laugh and shook my head. Surely not...A bear...?No way.Bear... bear...
*
Crack...!
A sharp slap echoed through a room filled with golden luxuries. The man who had been struck glared at the figure before him with bloodshot eyes, while the one whose head had snapped to the side couldn't even lift his gaze. The air was thick with killing intent. The murderous aura radiating from the glaring man made every object in the room tremble. The shields displayed in the cases shook as if caught in an earthquake, and the pupils of the Archbishop of Humiliation standing before him quivered as well. Under that gaze that looked ready to kill him at any moment, the Archbishop of Humiliation could only remain silent.
"Ha." A cold, hollow laugh rang through the room. "I'm already swamped dealing with the Holy Sword, and now you go and cause more trouble?"
"...I'm sorry."
"Ha... Sorry?"
"...I have nothing to say."
The man with the black silhouette frowned and pressed his finger against the Archbishop of Humiliation's forehead. "This is exactly why I can't trust you with anything. Being an Apostle's brother means nothing when you can't do a single thing right."
"..."
"What did I tell you when I entrusted you with Elysia's watch?"
"...You told me not to lose it."
"And?"
"..."
"I don't understand why all the Archbishops are like this... One of them vanished without a trace, and another stole the Pope's orb and disappeared without a word."
"..."
"Not a single one of you finishes a job properly."
The man clicked his tongue and let out a deep sigh. "And you. You've made the biggest mistake of all."
"I'm sorry..."
"Sorry won't cut it!!!!"
With a furious roar, his fist slammed down on the desk, revealing his rage without restraint. As if to prove that "sorry" wouldn't be enough, he knocked over the black ink bottle on the desk, sending it crashing to the floor.
"Ha. You lost it in the mountains...?"
"..."
"The only way to restrain the Apostle of Gentleness... lost in the mountains...?"
"That's..."
The man scowled at the Archbishop's excuse and gripped the glass in his hand. The trembling glass slowly began to crack until it shattered in his palm.
"Haa..."
"...I'm sorry."
The man turned away from the bowing Archbishop and wiped his hand with a handkerchief. "How do you plan to find it?"
"..."
"I asked how you plan to find it."
"...Well..."
"I clearly ordered you to suppress the ancient species together with the Apostle of Gentleness."
"..."
"I went through the trouble of finding that ancient text... discovered information about an ancient species in Hamel... and gave it to my last remaining brother to handle... Do you even understand what that means?"
"..."
"But you... lost it?"
"..."
"You didn't even get to see the ancient species I told you to find. You just lost the watch?"
"..."
The man's muttered words carried a deep fury, firing like arrows. "I'll find it somehow..."
Crash!
"How exactly do you plan to find it?"
"If you give me enough manpower..."
"Manpower? You want to spread the rumor that you lost the watch to the Apostle of Gentleness?"
"..."
"You didn't even put a tracking spell on it so she wouldn't notice. What are you going to do now?"
"...I can find it myself."
"You already said you tried."
"If you just give me one more week..."
"If an Archbishop-level figure couldn't find it after searching for a whole week, that would be even stranger, wouldn't it?"
"..."
"What are you going to do?"
Under the man's increasingly icy gaze, the Archbishop couldn't lift his head. The man ran a hand through his greasy hair, suppressing his anger. No matter how much he raged, nothing would change.
"Haa... Fine. It's my fault for having an idiot for a brother." A backup plan was needed. They needed time to find the watch without the Apostle of Gentleness noticing. "How long ago did you say you lost it?"
"...Fifteen days."
"...What?"
"Fifteen days have passed."
"Ha." He was speechless with disbelief. "Little brother."
"...Yes, brother."
"I'll be fine, but if that woman catches you, you'll be begging her to kill you."
"..."
"If the person who took it knows what it's for, we're in even bigger trouble."
"That won't happen."
"If it does."
"..."
"It would be better if some wild beast broke the watch while playing with it and killed the Apostle of Gentleness. But if—if that watch really ends up in her hands..."
"..."
"You're dead. I might have to wage an all-out war."
The man spoke coldly to the Archbishop. "Find it no matter what."
"..."
"I'll buy you as much time as I can."
"..."
"Little brother."
"Yes."
"I brought you into this place, so I'm doing my best to accommodate you. You know that, right?"
"Yes."
"If it were anyone else, this wouldn't end with just death."
"Understood."
"I'll buy you two weeks. Find it before then."
The Archbishop of Humiliation bowed his head as he watched the man gather his clothes. Then the Apostle of Temperance headed toward Elysia—to prevent the worst-case scenario.
*
Elysia was praying. Praying to escape this cursed cage. How long would she have to remain bound by their hands? She only wanted to focus on saving her son, but she was exhausted by their pointless demands. She pleaded with God.
"Kill them, Lord. Punish them until they hate the very act of living."
God gave no answer today either. Elysia clasped her hands once more. "Lord. If the restraint is ever lifted, please let me kill them with my own hands." She prayed that she would be given the chance to sever the hands of the man who had killed her son first, then break each of his toes one by one before his eyes. The thought alone was sweet. Revenge, that is. Preparations were slowly coming together. A way to escape that man's grasp. If she could set her black magic to sustain her life and become free, she could break away. If she rebuilt her black magic from scratch, she could one day hold a blade to their throats. In theory it was possible, but she hesitated because she still lacked definitive proof. Losing all her black magic would make her an easy target.
Unable to resolve her troubles, Elysia closed her eyes again. Click. The sound of small heels behind her made her frown. She wondered what stranger had entered her sanctuary this time. Not that person again, she thought, gathering cold mana in her hands.
"No." Elysia furrowed her brow at the unfamiliar weight of the mana. The mana approaching her now was beyond anything she could have imagined. The Apostle of Temperance...? The thought that he had come here crossed her mind. She sensed mana on par with an Apostle. A strong, domineering presence. Elysia squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to see that man's face making some strange request. But then—
Wow~ It's really dark in here.
At the sound of someone's voice, Elysia's body went rigid. It was a man's voice. A pleasant, low-to-mid tone. Yet the aura emanating from the approaching man was explosive, as if it would swallow the entire space. Gulp. The man was walking toward her. And the moment their eyes met as he turned around, Elysia's pupils trembled violently. Clink.
"A pleasure to meet you."
"..."
"Apostle of Gentleness."
The red-haired monster. That monster was holding her leash and smiling. "Y-You are...?" Elysia found herself wishing the Apostle of Temperance had appeared instead. That monster—
Shhhhhhh...
She never wanted to meet him again.