The Star Watcher
Roan had not yet revealed his true intentions.
For now, he decided to accept the Holy State's hospitality while keeping a close eye on the suspicious individual's movements.
"Please, come this way. We could not possibly offer ordinary accommodations to the heroes who protected our borders."
"Ah, yes. We gratefully accept your hospitality."
Guided by the Pope, the party moved to the VIP suite deep within the Great Sanctuary.
As soon as they unpacked their bags, Roan spoke up as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.
"That servant over there... seems a bit suspicious."
"I know," Jane replied.
"What...! You knew?!"
"I figured it out the moment you didn't immediately pick a fight with the Pope."
"A-Ah, I... I had a feeling as well, actually..." Charbun stammered politely.
"You... what...?" Roan muttered, dumbfounded.
Jane was naturally quick-witted, and Charbun had developed a sharp eye from constantly walking on eggshells around others. Although Belgard had also noticed but kept quiet, Zaraxia simply didn't seem to care in the first place.
Roan was slightly taken aback, but as long as they knew, that was enough. He listed the suspicious details Belgard had passed along to him, one by one.
"I get the gist of it. Hearing it laid out like that, it definitely sounds weird." Jane nodded, tracing a circle of fire in the air with her index finger. "What's the plan? Are we taking them down right now? I'm ready when you are."
She looked ready to pounce at any second.
"No."
But this time, Roan had no intention of rushing in headfirst.
"We need to watch them first. If we act rashly and make a scene, it'll make things difficult for us later."
They needed solid reasoning and concrete information. Since the key figures of the Holy State showed no signs of suspicion, they needed concrete proof all the more.
"...What? So we're just going to sit on our hands until that bastard slips up?"
"No!" Roan replied. Of course, he didn't mean they would literally do nothing. "I have a plan."
Roan turned his gaze toward the star of this operation.
"Excuse me."
The star of the operation, Zaraxia, lightly tapped the servant's shoulder. Her face was completely blank, devoid of any anxiety, worry, or sense of danger.
Watching her, Jane muttered under her breath, "...This actually makes me more nervous."
"Why?"
"You never know what's going on in her head. I feel like she's just going to blurt out the whole plan."
"She won't."
"What, are you going to give me that 'she'll pull through when it counts' line again?"
"No." Roan denied it. Of course, he did trust her, but knowing the others would be anxious, he had prepared a safeguard. "We made a deal. If she keeps the secret, I promised to get her the materials she wants."
"...I-In that case, we can probably rest easy. She seems like someone who strictly adheres to her own principles," Charbun said, though he still looked worried.
But regardless of their worries, Zaraxia had already sprung into action.
"Ah, yes, honored guest. How may I help you? Are you perhaps curious about the layout of this building?"
"Oh, yes."
"She took the bait instantly..." Belgard commented dryly.
Jane slapped her forehead. "See? I told you. It's like she lives in her own little world. Maybe I should just—"
"No. It's fine," Roan asserted firmly.
What on earth is fine about this? How can he trust her so blindly when they barely know each other?
As Jane grumbled, Zaraxia followed the servant around, listening to their explanation.
The architectural style of the building was...
The primary materials used were...
The processing method was...
"Yawn... Ah, excuse me. I didn't mean to yawn."
"No, it's fine. I understand."
It was a relentless stream of explanations that would bore anyone uninterested to tears. Roan was no exception, yet his eyes shone brighter than ever. He even looked deeply moved.
Zaraxia... Even if it's just because of our deal, I can't believe you're cooperating so willingly!
It was a genuine sentiment.
Just get a little closer... and extract the information!
He was cheering Zaraxia on with the pride of a doting parent.
"I see. So it's a building constructed by highly skilled architects. By the way, you explain it as if it's a building you intend to use yourself in the future. Is there a reason for that?"
As if answering Roan's silent prayers, Zaraxia threw out a sharp question.
"Did it sound that way? Since this is where I practically live, I suppose my personal attachment slipped through."
The servant slipped out of the trap smoothly, however. Even so, Zaraxia remained entirely unfazed. She was hard to control, but she was definitely the right person for the job.
"Is that so? Well, I understand. Shall we move on to the next area then? I found something else interesting over there."
"Of course. What might that be?"
And so, the daily routine of Zaraxia casually digging for clues while Roan's group watched from the shadows continued.
Four days passed.
"Hey, Roan. How much longer do we have to endure this?" Jane ground her teeth, clearly at the end of her patience. "They've been talking about useless technical stuff this whole time. If I had just stepped in, this would've been over days ago."
Jane complained, but Roan disagreed. Zaraxia's sharp, probing questions and the servant's casual, effortless evasion—if Jane had stepped in, the target would have caught on immediately and fled.
"...It has taken quite a while. I'll admit that."
Compared to their usual routine of smashing everything to pieces, this was an incredibly dull stretch of time. The oppressive silence of the Holy State only amplified the boredom.
"But we made progress."
"...I guess."
"T-They certainly seem to have gotten quite close. The two of them," Charbun noted.
Those four days hadn't been entirely wasted. The servant seemed to have let their guard down completely around Zaraxia.
After finishing their meal, the two walked out onto the open plains. Zaraxia spoke up as if a sudden thought had crossed her mind.
"Ah, by the way, I've just been calling you 'servant' this whole time. It's rather inconvenient. Do you have a name or title I should use?"
When she asked, the servant nodded as if they had been waiting for this. "I was wondering when you'd ask. You finally did."
They pointed to themselves. "I am the Star Watcher. No one else calls me that, but I would appreciate it if you did."
"The Star Watcher? Does that title have some significance related to the Holy State?"
"No. It's a personal hobby. I simply enjoy watching the stars."
"Stars... That is quite far from my own interests."
"Ah! No, you misunderstand! It is not mere observation! It is about grasping the truth!" The Watcher waved their hands dismissively, seemingly trying to draw Zaraxia in.
"The truth?"
"Yes. And this is perfect timing. I was just about to tell you anyway."
Their voice trembled slightly. It wasn't out of fear of rejection.
"Lady Zaraxia. Through our conversations, I have realized something. You are a person who wishes to ascend higher, to know more."
"Well, that is—"
"And I am the one who can grant your wish." Cutting her off, the Watcher adjusted their mask. "An Outer God. Are you interested?"
There it was. The very word they had been waiting for.
Yet the person who had successfully baited the confession showed no reaction whatsoever. She remained completely indifferent, as if she had forgotten her own purpose.
"The Outer God can grant all things. I, too, witnessed His presence and attained great enlightenment."
"Enlightenment?"
"Yes! The realization of who will make this continent more prosperous than anyone else, who will bring absolute peace, and who will make everyone truly equal!"
Their voice trembled with growing intensity. They muttered toward the sky as if offering a prayer. It was a grotesque sight.
"I am planning to summon the Outer God to this continent. And I believed I could share this plan with you."
They pointed a trembling finger toward a specific spot. It was the exact spot where Roan's group was hiding.
"You show absolutely no concern for those humans you call your companions. You have no interest in them, meaning your bond is shallow at best. Am I correct?"
"Our bond is indeed not very deep. It hasn't been long since I joined them."
"Then there should be no issue severing it right here and now. Well, everyone. You've already been spotted, so why don't you show yourselves?"
Although they were confident in their stealth, they had apparently been compromised from the very beginning.
"It matters not if you refuse to come out. I will make you." Saying this, they reached for their veil and iron mask. "Thank you for following me so obediently to this place. It will make erasing your traces much easier."
A desolate plain. A gloomy sky threatening rain at any moment. In this isolated space, like a lonely island where no one would ever set foot,
"Lord Zhaolkthép. Your first and final apostle offers up the first sacrifice here and now. I pray these souls please you."
The cosmos unfolded.
"W-What... What is that...?"
"Ugh..."
A wave of nausea, the natural physical reaction to witnessing something beyond human comprehension, hit them. Dozens of eyes were revealed beneath the discarded iron mask. Pupils that had completely consumed the whites, turning the entire eyeballs pitch-black, held a starry night sky within them.
The starlight gradually expanded, beginning to consume their entire head. A fanatic driven mad by the sight of an Outer God, a harbinger of death plotting destruction while calling themselves an apostle—it had finally revealed its true form.
"...Lady Zaraxia. The choice should not be difficult." The being harboring the cosmos spoke to her. "Will you choose a flock of ignorant humans? Or will you serve a god who will bestow knowledge and truth upon you?"
As if presenting a choice with only one logical answer.
And Zaraxia's response was incredibly simple.
"I choose the flock of ignorant humans."
Thud.
Without a single moment of hesitation, she chose Roan's group and kicked the Star Watcher square in the back.
"During the four days I spent talking to you, I never once forgot my objective."
Though she had gathered some useful information along the way, the goal Roan had set was always at the forefront of her mind.
"Mr. Roan, how is this? Are you satisfied?" Zaraxia looked at Roan with a blank expression.
"Satisfied? Is that even a question?"
The answer to that was already decided.
"It's perfect."
A short, powerful declaration. Having praised her performance, Roan drew his sword and shield and declared, "Prepare for battle."
The self-proclaimed apostle gazing into the outer cosmos, the Star Watcher—the battle against that entity was about to begin.