Chapter 15: The Temple’s Ultimate Weapon (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 15: The Temple’s Ultimate Weapon (2)
Who... is that child?
I was certain I had never seen him before, yet he felt strangely familiar.
Was it because of that shimmering silver hair?
No. Compared to Cedric’s dark silver hair, this boy’s hair was incredibly clean and translucent.
It was beautiful, looking as if stars had been ground up and scattered over it. Forgetting the situation for a moment, I stared at the boy, entranced.
“Save... me, please...”
“...!”
My eyes flew wide at the words tumbling from his trembling lips.
Save him?
My confusion lasted only a moment before the surrounding scenery came back into focus. A landscape devastated as if it had been hit by a bombardment, and a child who seemed to be the sole survivor.
It made sense that he would cling to me, the only person he encountered in such a place. However, I instinctively flinched back.
It might have been different in my past life, but right now, I was nothing more than a young child myself. No, by the look of him, this boy seemed much older than Claudia.
But why is he asking me for help... wait...?
In my confusion, I happened to look down at my hands. I saw palms that were much larger than usual. They were hands as big as the ones I had in my previous life.
How...?
I vaguely realized that I wasn't Claudia right now, but in my body from my past life.
How did this happen?
Flustered, I looked back at the boy. But his figure was beginning to blur.
“Save me, please...”
Wait...!
He couldn't leave yet. I had so many questions.
But the boy drifted away from me rapidly. His desperate voice continued to ring in my ears.
“Dia!”
“Gasp!”
My eyes snapped open.
An unfamiliar yet familiar ceiling came into view. As I blinked, sweat that had gathered on my forehead trickled down my temples.
“Dia, are you alright?”
“M... Mommy.”
I turned my head to see Veronica looking down at me with a worried expression. I parted my lips to speak to her.
“Yes, it’s Mommy. I’m right here beside you.”
“...”
However, Veronica’s face looked a bit blurry. When I instinctively blinked, my vision grew even cloudier because of the tears.
“Mommy, I...”
“It’s okay. Our Dia is just having a little ‘ouchie’ because she’s a bit cold. You’ll feel better soon.”
“...”
Only then did I realize that my body was aching.
So that was why I was sweating and my body felt so heavy. Now that I noticed, I seemed to have quite a high fever. I let out a heavy sigh.
“Haa...”
“Dia, do you think you can sit up for a bit? Hmm? You need to eat at least a little and take your medicine.”
“Okay.”
With Veronica’s help, I managed to push myself up.
Sophia offered to help, but Veronica stubbornly refused. Under Veronica’s care, I managed to swallow some thin soup and then took my medicine.
Ugh, it’s bitter. Even if the world changes, medicine stays just as bitter as ever. I grimaced and lay back down on the bed.
“It seems Dia had a nightmare...”
“Still, she won’t get better quickly if we don’t let her sleep...”
“...”
As I closed my eyes, I could hear Veronica and Sophia talking.
A nightmare. Was the dream I had today really just a nightmare?
I thought back to the boy in the dream.
“Save... me, please...”
The image of the desperate child remained etched in my mind.
A boy left all alone in the ruins. And that long, starlight-silver hair.
It hadn't occurred to me while I was dreaming, but now, I thought I knew who he was.
If he’s a character from the novel...
Nathaniel. The ultimate weapon the Temple was secretly raising. It had to be him. I recalled the original plot.
On the surface, the Temple appeared to be a very benevolent organization, but the reality was quite different.
Currently, the Temple was divided into two major factions: the Radical Faction, which wanted to expand the Temple’s influence, and the Moderate Faction, which wanted to maintain the status quo.
Nathaniel was the ultimate weapon of the order, created by the extreme Radical Faction by pouring divine power into him.
His mission was to destroy the Winston Ducal House, which had contracted with an Archdemon.
The Radicals were those whose primary goal was to completely erase the influence of demons from the continent. Only then would the Temple’s prestige grow even greater.
Most of those who joined forces with the Empress Dowager were from the Temple’s Radical Faction. They had been the greatest source of strength for the protagonists. It was also their doing that finally brought about the downfall of the Winston Ducal House.
Nathaniel’s appearance in the novel wasn't long. By that time, the Ducal House, framed for treason, was in a precarious situation.
Even if they tried to explain, the Imperial Family—firmly under the Empress Dowager’s thumb—refused to listen. On the other hand, if they actually raised an army, it would only confirm the charges of treason beyond any doubt.
Nevertheless, the Winston Ducal House, guarded by a Sword Master, was not a place to be trifled with. No matter how great the Empress Dowager’s power was, she couldn't forcibly drag out the Duke and his direct lineage while they remained silent behind closed doors.
Thus, the Temple’s Radical Faction sent Nathaniel to the North. After driving him to the brink of a rampage, that is.
“...”
From the moment he appeared in the novel, Nathaniel acted like a doll devoid of reason. This was because the Radicals had completely stripped him of his will.
Upon arriving in the North, Nathaniel went on a rampage and reduced the Winston estate to ruins. The Duke and his direct line barely survived, but they were so severely wounded that they couldn't resist being taken to the capital.
And then, they were executed along with Veronica. All after a sham trial.
To think I had forgotten about Nathaniel.
He was the primary figure who brought about the downfall of the Winston Ducal House, yet I was only remembering him now. I had been too complacent. I bit my lip hard.
But why did he suddenly appear in my dream?
Something felt off. It wasn't just that I remembered the original story; a character from it had appeared in my dream.
Furthermore, he had asked me for help. Nathaniel was a character who had completely lost his emotions and was nothing more than a puppet of the Temple.
He had even died after his rampage in the North and never appeared in the original story again. He was an extra-like character, much like Claudia, who had died before the original story even began.
No matter how much I think about it, this feels unsettling.
Even as I groaned in the heat of the fever, I agonized over it internally. What the dream meant. What I should do from now on.
Seeing me like that, Veronica asked worriedly, “Dia, are you in a lot of pain?”
“Huh? No, Dia’s okay...”
Perhaps because I was sick, my words came out even more slurred. I hurriedly shook my head and closed my eyes.
I intended to fall asleep before Veronica could make even more of a fuss.
[Tsk, tsk.]
“...”
[This is why I told you not to be greedy and contract with two demons. It’s only natural that you’re hurting.]
“...”
This guy, seriously.
Desmond, who was sitting by my pillow pretending to be a doll, clicked his tongue as he spoke. I frowned with my eyes still closed.
Will you be quiet?
[I recommend that you wait at least ten years before making your next contract, Master.]
What? Ten years?
By then, the Ducal House will have been destroyed, the tyrant will have been dealt with, and those protagonist jerks will be living happily ever after for generations, you idiot.
I muttered inwardly, grinding my teeth.
Ugh...
But Desmond’s words held some truth.
Claudia’s body was too weak to contract with another demon yet. She was still young and hadn't accumulated much mana.
If I was this sick just from contracting with a second demon, there was no telling what would happen next time.
[I cannot afford to lose a Master I’ve finally met after five hundred years! Do you understand?]
“...”
Five hundred years. It really had been a long time since the demons had been able to contract with the direct lineage. No wonder they were so desperate to pounce.
I thought to myself and let out a low sigh.
Ten years is too long. There are so many enemies I need to wipe out right now.
[In that case, there is another way.]
A way? What is it?
I was intrigued by Desmond’s words. When I asked with curiosity, Desmond’s answer echoed in my head.
[You can create subordinates to contract in your stead.]
Subordinates? In my stead?
[Yes. It is a method that only the blood relatives of the one who contracted with the Archdemon can use. Those who swear loyalty to the Master can be granted gems by the Master.]
Aha.
Come to think of it, the First Duke, who contracted with the Archdemon, also distributed gems containing other demons to his close associates.
That was why I heard that the vassal families kept the black gems, unlike the red gems inherited by the direct line.
Anyway, just like the First Duke, someone who swore loyalty to me could contract with a demon on my behalf.
[The demons of those individuals will also become the Master’s subordinates. You will be able to give them orders without having to use your own mana.]
But the contractor would still be a different person. What if that person doesn't listen to me?
[You need not worry about that.]
...?
[A demon’s contract is not that flimsy.]
“...”
The words came from Desmond, who seemed like the flimsiest being in the world. I couldn't help but find him a bit suspicious.