Chapter 35
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: The Great Library
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Martina.
A loyal subordinate of Belducias, she had ended her long life in the shadows and revealed herself to the world.
The reason the cautious woman had made such a decision was the recent, mysterious deaths of several of her colleagues, starting with Salvator.
Of course, for Martina, who felt not a shred of camaraderie, their deaths failed to stir any significant emotion.
It only reinforced the thought that now, with her formidable competitors gone, was the perfect time to be reborn as one of the King's Apostles.
Martina began scouting for a suitable place to begin her work in earnest. It didn't take her long to find one.
The Dunsany family.
A tiny fiefdom ruled by this declining house would be her stage.
*This place will be more than enough.*
Arriving in the remote, rural territory, where one could search high and low and not find a single proper soldier or mage, she immediately set her plan in motion.
As a preliminary step to satisfy the King's fastidious tastes, Martina murdered the baron's daughter, disguising it as an accidental fall. She then broke the spirit of the grief-stricken baron, turning him into a martyr of madness, and placed a vile curse upon his body.
The baron, now a conduit for the powerful curse, began ceaselessly muttering unholy words while clutching his dead daughter's corpse, on the verge of a spectacular immolation.
The next victims of the curse, which would be completed upon the baron's death, were to be the residents of the fief.
*Oh, my King.*
Just the thought of the grace the King would bestow upon her for the pandemonium created by these souls consumed by madness made Martina's heart feel like it would burst.
But what was this!
She writhed as the man's brutish grip on her cheek sent a wave of pain through her, shattering her molars.
The terrible agony felt like a stark reminder that all her plans had come to nothing.
“Ah, aaargh!”
Luon growled under his breath.
“Are you not going to answer?”
There was only one reason he hadn't killed the woman. To extract useful information.
“You’re going to die either way. That won’t change. But depending on your answer, the end could be a little more comfortable.”
With that, Luon slightly loosened his grip. Finally free from the pain, Martina spoke with difficulty.
“...Wh-who in the world are you?”
“Wrong.”
“Ghk!”
*Crack.*
The sickening sound of her molars and the surrounding teeth shattering under the renewed pressure echoed through the hallway.
Luon spoke to the silently screaming Martina.
“I’ll ask one last time. Where is Belducias?”
Hearing his flat, emotionless voice, Martina had no choice but to admit it. She could never escape this man.
Letting go of even the fundamental question of how Tivela's lapdogs could have found this secluded place she had so carefully chosen, she managed to move her trembling lips.
“I-I don’t know. We only borrow His power through rituals and sacrifices.”
Spitting out the broken teeth clattering around in her mouth, which made it difficult to enunciate, Martina continued.
Her pronunciation was slurred due to her broken teeth, but it was still intelligible.
“I-It’s a kind of contract.”
She could somehow endure the pain in her back, which felt like it would snap, and the throbbing in her mouth, but she couldn't bear Luon's cold expression as he looked down at her in silence.
Unaware that this was the effect of the [Demon Antagonist] trait etched into Luon's very being, Martina was seized by a primal fear and kept talking.
“An Apostle recognized by the King... Yes, an Apostle would know. Unlike us, he would have had a direct audience with the King.”
An Apostle?
Judging that he had finally heard something useful, Luon immediately shot back.
“Where is this Apostle?”
“H-He’s at the Great Libr—”
Before she could finish, Martina’s body began to tremble like a leaf in the wind.
Seeing her face contort unnaturally as she foamed at the mouth, Luon quickly stepped back.
“Merciful Mother—”
*Bang!*
Before Igor could even attempt anything, her head swelled in an instant and exploded.
Though Luon was a layman when it came to magic, incantations, or curses, it wasn't hard to tell that some unknown force had killed the woman. A binding spell, perhaps. Something like that.
Looking down at the floor, now soaked with blood and flesh, he clicked his tongue.
“...To cut it off at the most important moment. Such dreadfully childish timing.”
As Luon muttered to himself in irritation, Igor scratched his chin.
“I heard it, though.”
“What?”
“Didn’t she say the Great Library?”
As Luon stared at him, a strangely triumphant Igor added.
“I definitely heard her say ‘Great Libr—.’ I’m not certain, but it’s reasonable enough to assume she meant the Great Library.”
“...That’s possible.”
While Luon nodded in agreement, a light emanated from the pommel of the holy sword and began to devour the dark energy being drawn from the headless woman's body.
Feeling the thrum of the holy sword as it trembled with satisfaction, Luon said.
“...Let’s call in the two people outside.”
***
Having served three generations of the family's lords and experienced his fair share of trials, even Wooden had not expected such a gruesome sight. He collapsed where he stood.
“Oh, what in the world...”
Wooden’s body trembled so violently that he might have fainted on the spot had he not been firmly told to prepare himself.
It was the maid, Mia, who held her composure.
After carefully wiping the blood from the baron's body with a damp cloth, she turned to Luon and spoke.
“Could you please carry the master to his bed?”
Luon nodded at the calm request.
“Of course.”
After laying the emaciated baron, who felt almost weightless, on the bed, Mia asked Luon.
“Could you... explain what happened?”
Luon, who knew no more than the fact that Belducias’s minion had tried to use the baron for something, hesitated to answer. Igor spoke up.
“It’s not much different from what you might have expected. The woman you found suspicious was a demon’s minion, and the baron, having fallen prey to her, was steeped in madness.”
He let out a short sigh and added.
“We managed to drive out the madness with the Mother’s power, but the aftereffects will be severe. Even if he regains consciousness, a normal life will be difficult for him.”
As Igor finished his difficult explanation, Mia spoke with a heavy heart.
“...Just having him alive is enough. Wooden and I will take care of him, no matter what.”
With those words, she bowed her head so low her hair parted, revealing the crown of her head.
“Thank you for your kindness, Knights of Tivela. You are truly heroes.”
Judging that her heartfelt gratitude needed no clumsy words of comfort, Luon immediately led Igor outside. The moment the door closed, Mia’s mournful sobs could be heard from within.
Considering Wooden and Mia's ages, they had likely been with the baron since his childhood.
Igor, unable to fathom the pain they must be feeling now, bit his lip and spoke.
“Is this what the work is always like?”
“What is?”
“We solved the problem, but I don’t feel any satisfaction at all.”
Luon shrugged.
“It’s not something you do for self-satisfaction.”
After a moment of silence, Igor spoke again.
“...Sir Luon, walking such a path of penance, you are more than worthy of the title of Tivela’s Champion, no matter what anyone says. I am reminded once again what an honor it is to be on this journey with you.”
Before Luon could reply, Igor knelt before the door, clasped his hands, and began to pray.
Watching him for a moment, Luon was suddenly reminded of something Amella had once told him.
*‘Whatever your intentions, people sometimes only remember the results. An accumulation of those results is what forms a person’s reputation.’*
*You were right.*
A faint smile touched Luon’s lips.
The fact that he had unintentionally been given the unfitting title of hero while pursuing his goal of killing Belducias made him realize just how accurate her words had been.
Meanwhile, through the window, the setting sun was squeezing out its last rays of light. Luon walked slowly down the blood-soaked corridor, bathed in the red glow of twilight.
***
“Mother of mercy... He gave us far too much.”
“Why? Are there gold coins in there?”
“How did you know?”
“What?”
Igor held out the leather pouch to a questioning Luon. Peeking inside, he saw two gold coins gleaming.
It was the pouch Wooden had insisted on giving them as they left.
Knowing the poor fief's situation, the two had tried their best to refuse, but the old butler's stubbornness was no small thing, and they had been forced to accept it. But gold coins!
It was an amount they had never imagined.
Igor muttered in a worried tone.
“I hope he didn’t overdo it just to protect the family’s pride...”
Luon shook his head lightly.
“With the baron in that state, I doubt he emptied their coffers for us.”
With that, Luon took the lead, and Igor quickly followed, asking.
“So, are we heading to the capital?”
“We’ll have to.”
Thanks to Igor, who had miraculously understood the last word the minion had uttered before her head exploded, their next destination had naturally become Bern, the capital where the Great Library was located.
Igor had also said that the holy sword, having consumed Belducias’s power, was now pointing west, toward Bern, so there was no need to hesitate.
After walking for a long time without rest under the gloomy sky, the two stopped to rest under a gnarled pine tree.
Luon said.
“Our pockets are fuller now, so let’s buy horses at the next town we stop in. We can’t keep walking like this forever.”
Igor's face lit up at his words.
“Oh, heavens! Sir Luon. You’ve finally brought it up. Thank you, Mother.”
Luon chuckled in response.
“It’s been tough on you, hasn’t it?”
“Don’t even ask. Do you have any idea how miserable I felt, praying to the Mother every night to heal the blisters on my feet?”
“I get it, so can you move your foot?”
Igor, who had been complaining while thrusting his foot forward for inspection, gave an awkward laugh.
“...My apologies.”
It was then.
*Baaaaaaaaa!*
At the thunderous cry, both men shot to their feet.
“A mountain goat?”
“Are there goats with lungs like that?”
Luon replied as he started walking in the direction of the sound.
*Baaaaaa!*
Below the slope, they saw a massive monster, bellowing fiercely.
Surrounding the goat-headed monster, which was roaring violently at the sky, were numerous corpses, their bodies horrifically mutilated.
Igor, who had caught up, muttered.
“A chort?”
Just then, a booming shout came from opposite the monster.
“You worthless goat-fucker! Piss off! You goddamn motherfucker! You're not even worth the meat on your bones!”
The torrent of vulgarities came from inside a large iron cage on top of a large wagon.
*What is that?*
As Luon frowned, someone inside the iron cage seemed to have spotted the two men on the hill and shouted loudly.
“Hey, fellas! Help me out here! And it’d be even better if you could get me out!”