Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 106
>Chapter Title: The Destroyer Revealed
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>Lair Grand Temple, Great Hall.
"Ah. You've arrived."
"......You've come."
"Hm? This time with High Priest Hertey."
"But I don't see Sir Jerick."
As soon as they entered the hall, countless gazes fixed upon them.
Some wondered about Jerick's absence, while others found it odd that Gamillion was entering alongside him.
They were puzzled about when the two had gotten close.
"Hm hm......"
But a few elders or high priests shot them knowing looks.
Do-hyun gave a slight nod in response, and they nodded back before averting their eyes.
'Those must be the ones Gamillion mentioned.'
The people who would assist with the "favor" Do-hyun had requested.
Having noted their faces, Do-hyun decided to play it cool for now and greeted High Priest Gilneti.
"We're a bit late. Sorry, we had some business to attend to."
"Ho ho, no matter. Now everyone is here."
"......High Priest Gilneti. Where is Sir Jerick? He's not the type to miss something like this."
High Priest Gilneti's kindly smiling face hardened in an instant at the question from one of the high priests.
His brow twitched for a brief moment, but he quickly regained his composure and spoke.
"......Sir Jerick had personal matters and couldn't attend the meeting. He asked for your understanding."
Murmurs grew louder at his words.
"Sir Jerick, of all people...... Must be something serious."
"Hm...... He's not one to skip out lightly."
"But the timing feels a bit...... Am I the only one who finds it suspicious?"
"Who else could we suspect but Sir Jerick? We all know his circumstances. He'd sooner bite his tongue than deal with the Abyss......"
"Hm hm, it's just a feeling."
Even in this situation, plunging headfirst could invite suspicion.
It showed just how consistent an image Jerick had built over time.
Do-hyun's expression turned somewhat bitter at the sight.
'As expected.'
He knew a mishap must have befallen Jerick.
No, as his own guard knight, he couldn't not know. The way they were covering for him suggested Do-hyun's hunch was correct.
Thus, Do-hyun composed his expression even more.
He couldn't let on if that bastard noticed anything different from usual.
'Have to do this clean.'
One chance only. Failure meant everything down the drain.
He wasn't even confident he could clean up the mess then.
"Thank you all for gathering. Given the gravity of the matter, I must cut to the chase—please bear with me. Can we hear the progress on the tasks I assigned? If you have any information, please share."
With the main topic starting right away, the elders reacted as if they'd been waiting.
"We've made arrangements to evacuate to shelters at any moment. We framed it as disaster drills to avoid mass panic......"
"We dispatched investigation teams in case any traces remain in the city......"
"We've done this."
One by one, they reported their progress, their faces grim with resolve.
High Priest Gilneti, who had listened quietly to it all, soon raised his hand. The voices cut off abruptly.
"You've all worked hard. Thanks to you, the citizens will be safe."
"......"
"Hoo...... Now it's my turn to share what I've learned."
High Priest Gilneti's face was grave as he let out a long sigh, naturally drawing all eyes.
What on earth had he found? Everyone waited for his answer.
"As they say, it's always darkest under the lamp."
At last, High Priest Gilneti spoke.
"......From my investigation, the Destroyer Geymon seems to have been living in the city all along. For quite some time."
His shocking words hung in the great hall.
A brief silence followed, then an uproar several times louder erupted.
"Living in the city? You mean right alongside us?!"
"That's absurd......"
"What evidence do you have for such a claim?!"
And rightly so— an Abyssal contractor could never live unscathed within the city.
Even setting aside the constant whispers of darkness trying to dominate their mind, it was impossible to evade detection by Brion's numerous barriers.
"......Do you know what this is?"
The uproar ended when High Priest Gilneti placed the contents of a box on the central table.
Inside were several traces of the Abyss.
"Abyssal traces have been found throughout the city. Some as recent as a few hours ago, others up to several years old. Do you know where the oldest one was?"
"......Where?"
"Absurdly enough, on the statue symbolizing our great god in the temple."
"......My god."
The implication was clear.
"Even one would be too many, let alone this many scattered across the city. Unless he was right here with us."
That the Destroyer Geymon had lived among them in the city for years.
There was no other explanation.
"Unbelievable...... To have lived alongside such a monster for years without knowing."
"The temple is sacred ground. We never imagined he'd come and go there."
"......How could one corrupted by the Abyss manage that?"
"Is it maintaining full intelligence?"
As murmurs swelled into chaos, High Priest Gilneti's gaze turned to Do-hyun.
He eyed the one man remaining calm with a strange look and suddenly asked.
"May we hear the noble guest's thoughts?"
Chaotic gazes now turned to Do-hyun.
"......The noble guest? The outlander?"
"Indeed. I'm curious about his perspective."
To them, Do-hyun was clearly from another world.
His viewpoint would differ, so they wondered what opinion he'd offer.
A moment of silence fell.
Do-hyun, seated amid all the attention, finally spoke.
"Truth is, I couldn't just sit idle, so I did some investigating myself."
"Investigating?"
"Yes."
Do-hyun rose and slowly walked forward.
From the table to the front wall.
More precisely, to the water pitcher on the shelf against the wall.
He poured some into a nearby handkerchief and wiped down what looked like a worn staff, causing High Priest Gilneti to frown.
"......What are you doing?"
"Just a moment. Hmm...... Okay. Clean now. Maintenance is key, after all."
"Kaiser."
High Priest Gilneti showed clear discomfort, but Do-hyun ignored him.
Not satisfied with a light wipe, he even poured water over it to scrub thoroughly before looking pleased and continuing.
High Priest Gilneti's face had already stiffened.
"Actually, I went to the Ominous Fog Zone."
But as Do-hyun's words continued to their end, High Priest Gilneti's hardened expression visibly shook.
The others were stunned too.
"The Ominous Fog Zone? How did an outlander find that place......"
"Few in Brion even know of it?"
"Could you explain, apostle?"
They couldn't fathom how an outlander had located the Ominous Fog Zone.
Answering for him was Gamillion.
"I told him."
"......You, High Priest Hertey?"
"Yes. Given the severity, he couldn't stay put, so I shared the info...... Looks like he made it there and back safely."
Gamillion might be disguised as high priest of a rundown, unpopular temple, but he was still a high priest.
Moreover, he had no history of trouble and a flexible personality that earned him good standing.
No close friends, but no enemies either.
His endorsement needed no further explanation.
"Hmm. If High Priest Hertey says so, then it must be."
"It's been ages since High Priest Hertey stepped up."
"Haha, the situation calls for it."
Leaving Gamillion's banter behind, Do-hyun took over.
"Why I went there should suffice...... Do you know what I saw there?"
His cryptic remark shifted attention again.
"Hm? No one sets foot there?"
"You saw something in the Ominous Fog Zone?"
"......What did you see?"
"Were there traces of him?"
Elders and even High Priest Gilneti looked on curiously, so Do-hyun answered without dragging it out.
"No. I found nothing."
"......Hm?"
"Then why......"
Why bring it up?
Before the question finished, Do-hyun cut in.
"But I did find something important—not traces."
"What was it?"
"There was a cave there...... It had collapsed. The side was melted away so badly, I couldn't tell entrance from wall."
The high priests and elders tilted their heads.
"......The cave collapsed?"
"Melted...... Could it be the Destroyer Geymon's doing?"
"Hm, maybe a natural disaster. A mere cave collapse is ambiguous, but worth investigating."
The elders split opinions amid exaggerated gestures, somewhat flustered.
Watching them, Do-hyun drove in the final nail.
"But that's not the important part."
"Hm? Not important? What do you mean?"
The question came from an elder in the upper seats, but Do-hyun's gaze fixed on High Priest Gilneti.
Do-hyun asked with his eyes.
"......Inside the cave was Sir Jerick. Dead, in a gruesome state."
The Sir Jerick who had "personal matters" preventing attendance—why was he dead in a collapsed cave?
"What......!?"
"Is that true, apostle?!"
The elders shot to their feet at the bombshell statement.
If true, it meant High Priest Gilneti had lied. Countless eyes demanding explanation turned to him.
And they saw it.
"......High Priest?"
High Priest Gilneti's eyes shaking violently, like an earthquake.
"......No, it's not. Say something, High Priest Gilneti."
"No, it can't be. Are you seriously believing this outlander's word alone?"
"But it is true Sir Jerick didn't attend."
Some demanded answers, some suspected, some denied.
Varied reactions clashed as they struggled to accept the situation.
Step by step.
Do-hyun drew closer bit by bit.
High Priest Gilneti, belatedly snapping to, barely spoke.
"......What did you just say?"
"What else?"
Do-hyun, now right in front of him, curled his lips slightly.
"That you killed Sir Jerick. Right? High Priest Gilneti...... No, Destroyer Geymon."
"......!"
At the same moment, Do-hyun's hand moved like lightning.
[Thousand Transformations changes into 'Bastard's Practice Sword.']
[Thousand Transformations is infused with darkness.]
[Mana is consumed every second.]
The worn staff had become a sharp sword, now cloaked in pitch-black darkness.
Stab!
Before the bastard could react, the blade pierced his heart.
"Kuhk......!"
A red glow visible only to Do-hyun's eyes accompanied a choking groan.
But the groan didn't come from High Priest Gilneti.
It came from the middle-aged knight standing slightly behind him.
"Sir Taksinel!"
"......Apostle, what have you done?!"
"What is the meaning of this?!"
Do-hyun had stabbed not High Priest Gilneti, but Sir Taksinel.
And in Do-hyun's eyes, he saw it.
[Eye of Truth activates.]
A brilliant red light leaking out intensely, as if a switch had flipped, upon piercing the heart.
Destroyer Geymon.
The exact same light he'd seen from that bastard.
"......"
The one who had burned the city ten years ago, causing countless casualties.
The traitor's identity, who had tried to leave evidence even in the moment of Jerick's death, was none other than Taksinel.