NOVEL NEXT chapter 110 - Summit Meeting (4)
When faced with something too shocking or incomprehensible, people’s reactions can dull far more than one might expect.
That was fortunate for Carlyle.
It meant there would be fewer chances he’d have to explain himself before the situation he intended to trigger actually happened.
While the Emperor’s body rolled across the floor, Carlyle carefully examined him.
And even as he looked, he wasn’t standing idle—he was doing his utmost to prepare.
He hadn’t struck the Emperor thoughtlessly. He had used the Hero’s mana to make contact with the body, in order to provoke a reaction from the something inside.
And so.
He readied the Tears of the Stars. Readied Curia’s Eye. Readied the Holy Sword as well.
Let’s see. That means—
“What are you—!”
By the time someone said that, the best-case scenario was that he was already moving.
He had said before—it was faster to show than to explain.
Immediately.
Just seeing the dark, festering energy spill out of the Emperor’s body was enough to make Valen, who had been about to shout, flinch and stop.
Whatever was happening to the Emperor’s body right now, it was clearly no normal situation.
“...What in the world...?”
While Valen muttered blankly, the Emperor’s body floated gently into the air.
As if strings were pulling him up like a puppet.
Then the black-red aura that had leaked out burst outward like a popped balloon, spreading in an instant.
Like ink dropped into water, the surroundings were swallowed up, dyed pitch black as the color consumed the space.
And at that sight, every person present understood instinctively.
That thing—approach it, and it would mean disaster.
“Your Highness, Your Highness the Princess—step back!”
Valen shouted, immediately drawing his sword.
As Captain of the Guard, there was no one else here who could handle it.
No one—except for one.
...The one who had been “preparing” in advance.
“...? What are you—!”
Valen yelled something behind him, but Carlyle didn’t even look back. He was already driving the Holy Sword into the center of that aura.
He unleashed the mana he had gathered to its utmost, blasting it through the sword’s tip.
—!
With the sound of a bomb exploding, a hideous scream ripped through the chamber, loud enough to split ears.
The black aura was shredded in an instant, and the Emperor’s body, which had been floating, dropped to the floor with a thud.
“Call in a physician.”
Carlyle wiped the cold sweat running down his body as he spoke.
The pace of events was so fast that even the sharpest minds nearby could only stare at him blankly.
“...What?”
“He needs treatment immediately. Hurry!”
“...”
There’s an old saying about poisoning someone and then offering the antidote—but to see a man beat another senseless and then call for a doctor was bizarre in itself.
Still, it was undeniable that immediate care was needed.
The moment the Emperor began coughing and convulsing, everyone in the room realized it at once.
“Summon the physicians! Call people at once!”
Valen shouted as he dashed out of the chamber.
His gaze lingered briefly on Carlyle before he left, but unlike earlier, there was no sign of restraint or suspicion.
Of course not—anyone could see that the aura Carlyle had drawn out and destroyed was something vile and sinister.
...Looks like it went well enough.
Carlyle exhaled a breath of relief.
If that thing had been left alone, it would have been a fuse to blow the entire Empire sky-high, sooner or later.
“...Carly, what was that...?”
Bellatrix asked vacantly. Carlyle wiped the sweat from his face and answered.
“Someone planted it inside His Majesty’s body.”
The exact same thing that had been injected into Illia.
And moreover—
It must have been through the Emperor that it was implanted into Princess Illia.
...Think about it.
Even if she was an imperial princess far from the center of power, anyone of the royal family living within the Palace was guarded with the tightest security of all.
There weren’t many who could slip something in unnoticed, leaving no trace.
Which was why he had come to investigate this lead first—and hit the mark from the beginning.
“So I struck him once to draw it out, then destroyed it. Now what’s left is to treat the body and mind that’s been wrecked from long exposure to such filth.”
The mysterious illness afflicting the Emperor most likely stemmed from that.
It was no different from excising a malignant tumor.
“...Impressive.”
Theodor let out a sigh with his words of admiration.
“Whether it proves true or not remains to be seen, but if all this is fact—then you just saved the Empire single-handed, Carlyle Belfast. No amount of thanks would be enough.”
“...Let’s leave the congratulations for after it’s all truly over.”
Carlyle answered as he sheathed the Holy Sword.
“Because as I see it, this is only the beginning.”
What he had just done was not the resolution of an incident—
It was merely uncovering the premonition of a storm to come.
As he turned that over in his mind, Bella tilted her head and asked:
“But Carly, why didn’t you tell us in advance that this was going to happen?”
“If I had told you I was going to do this, would you have let me?”
“...”
Permission is always slower than forgiveness.
[...No matter how I look at it, you’re becoming more and more like me—]
Shut your mouth.
The Holy Sword only stifled a laugh in reply.
***
“...”
“...”
The great council chamber was filled with silence.
Everyone sat stunned, replaying the events that had just taken place.
Good heavens—the Emperor, corrupted in body and mind by demonic trickery for so long.
“...Everything Lord Carlyle said was correct.”
Valen muttered the words like a groan.
“The priests of the Orthodox Church entered His Majesty’s chamber and confirmed it—the thing Carlyle destroyed was a kind of ‘core,’ imbued with sorcery.”
“His Majesty?”
“He is resting. With treatment, they believe he will be able to regain his senses.”
As that conversation flowed—
[...I always suspected the rot had started from within.]
A sighing voice drifted from the Holy Sword.
[But to think it had reached the very peak already. Who could have imagined something like that implanted in the Emperor himself?]
True enough.
Even bound within the Holy Sword, she was still a Hero. To have evaded even her senses, something had been planted in the Emperor, long ago and in utter secrecy.
No wonder the Empire had collapsed so swiftly when invaded. The highest echelons of power had already been compromised.
As the one who had just eradicated it, Carlyle had earned at least the authority to say that much.
“Time is critical. Something could erupt anywhere, at any moment.”
The instant he detonated that energy within the Emperor, whatever was lurking in the shadows must have realized its cover was blown.
Which meant preparations for disaster were already in place somewhere.
To stop it, the Hero’s party had to be assembled. Absolutely.
...And beyond that.
There was also the problem of whose power Carlyle had just erased.
Hero.
His stomach churned.
Not from any injury or illness—
But because his memories remembered.
The “core” he had destroyed was something he had encountered before.
A noble.
In Hell’s hierarchy—or among all beings Carlyle had ever faced—the pinnacle.
A Noble-class demon.
Digging deeper into this affair would inevitably mean facing them.
Let’s think this through...
To be honest.
If they were to meet one now—
...It’d be too much, wouldn’t it?
[Without a doubt.]
Given the current growth of the young Hero, she was still far from her peak, nowhere near the Hero of ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) old.
Of course, a Hero was still a Hero—she could probably take on one of them alone.
[But they never come alone. Never.]
The Holy Sword spat the words.
[They’re always summoned in pairs, at least two or three.]
The rest was the problem.
Even if the current Hero party’s entire strength were gathered, could they deal with the others? That was uncertain.
Is there any way to strengthen them all quickly?
Of course, being the Hero’s party, each of them was capable—but from Carlyle’s perspective, knowing their true potential, their growth was still far behind.
Some dramatic power-up method...
[...There is one thing that comes to mind.]
Yes?
[Unless you’re a fool, you should have thought of it too.]
I must be a fool then.
What was she even talking about?
How could they all be made stronger at once?
[...Think carefully about what you’ve already gained.]
The Holy Sword spoke with a voice that sounded resigned.
Hmm.
What he’d gained.
What he’d gained...
Ah.
-System Log
▶ Synergy effect has been added to the skill [Instructor].
▶ Targets who have undergone sufficient [Instruction] can develop their abilities further according to their bond with you.
▶ Targets “Gray” and “Vespa” are affected!
...So there were indeed gains.
[How you use them is up to you.]
“...”
[...Ah, fuck.]
Why did she curse after making the suggestion herself...?