NOVEL NEXT Chapter 183
The silence was broken by the sound of Drops of Blood splattering on the floor in all directions.
Until then, it seemed like all sound had vanished. No, perhaps it really had disappeared.
Leona’s killing intent and the still-unrevealed Ideation may have silenced everything.
“Ha, really…”
Finally, Leona took a startled breath.
What? Is she surprised after trying to do something worse than I did?
The windows in this hospital room can’t be easily broken.
Even a blade wrapped in Strong Magic wouldn’t leave a scratch on the windows.
Yet somehow, Leona shattered the window with just a release of mana.
And the power nestled in her tightly clenched fist. Mikel seemed not to have seen it, but I had seen it clearly.
It wasn’t the usual golden mana, but a deep crimson mana. Was it Ideation? I can’t be sure, but had that fist been extended, Mikel would have died without leaving a corpse.
Perhaps the reason it didn’t come to that was due to the worry for the Beastmen living in the van Chaser domain and the anger for the humiliation suffered by Eustetia.
Mikel. That bitch was lucky. Truly.
Ignoring Leona’s surprise, I quietly stared into her green eyes. They didn’t waver. They weren’t contorted in pain.
Even with her hand crushed when trying to wield the sword, and her left shin bone and both ankles smashed, despite her hair being gripped in my hand, her gaze remained tranquil.
And in that tranquility, madness shone.
Blind faith. Zealotry. Belief. Slippery piety was writhing.
The face reflected in her eyes was equally calm.
It was the expected outcome.
For now.
Anger had not yet overtaken reason.
“I spoke out of turn.”
“Didn’t I say there wouldn’t be a second time?”
Though it was Leona’s words, I echoed them once more.
“Then kill me.”
“Alright.”
She raised the hand gripping her hair.
Mikel’s blood-stained face came up to the perfect level for a hit.
“However, there’s something I want to say before I die. Could you see it as my last words?”
“No.”
Clenching the opposing fist tightly.
“Please.”
Mikel’s awkwardly bent knees touched the ground. Naturally, my gaze dropped, and Mikel spoke up immediately.
“The remark that Eustetia is a heretic was not my true intention.”
“Ahaha… Nah. Today I’m going to beat you up, so it’s fine to call her a heretic from now on. Even if you’re of Royalty, killing an Executioner makes you a heretic, right?”
“My earlier comment was a slip of the tongue and blasphemy. It was concluded without following doctrine, and regrettably, it was a test directed at the Eustetia Duchess, who is the descendant of a Hero. So even if I die here, Eustetia will not be declared a heretic.”
“That’s rather audacious. Who are you to declare Eustetia a heretic? And if your corpse isn’t even left behind, what proof do you have to declare us a heretic?”
“Executioners are those who live and act by the will of the heavens. To kill us would mean opposing heavenly will and committing apostasy. Such individuals are all heretics. Furthermore, no matter how you blind your eyes to the world, or cover the sky with your ceiling, ultimately, the sky remains. The light of that sky is the eye of Yurpia, who watches over the world. You might blind human eyes and the eyes of the world, but you cannot blind Yurpia’s eyes.”
“Haha…”
The killing intent has been emanating since earlier. There’s no hesitation in the hand gripping her hair, my face, or the clenched fist.
Despite that, this crazy zealot remains undeterred in her convictions.
Eventually, surely, it will break.
If it breaks, will they despair, or will they accept it?
“Alright. I’m curious about how that’ll turn out, so let’s give it a try.”
I raised my fist.
“I’ve painfully realized that the ‘direct line’ of Eustetia hates her. The grudge held by the Duchess may be even deeper and richer than our Executioners’.”
I paused my extended fist for a moment.
I emphasized the word “direct line.”
Do they know that the Side Branch is up to no good? Why haven’t they touched it?
“There is a shadow of Magic hanging over the Holy Kingdom.”
That statement was enough for me to bring my fist down.
The process got a bit tangled, but…
I got what I wanted.
“Please, help us.”
“Why are you asking me, if you’re not pleading with the god you believe in, the heavens, or Yurpia?”
“We prayed to Yurpia. Those who are untouched by the darkness of Magic raised their prayers. And thus, we received a revelation.”
“A revelation.”
“A being that called itself Sacred said that the noble descendant of the Hero will restore the blue sky of the past.”
Sacred. The Holy Mark that dwells within Luna.
It is presumed that Luna is currently somewhere beneath the Holy Kingdom.
Revelation. God. Sky. Yurpia. Miracle.
I don’t believe in that kind of nonsense.
But I trust my judgment.
I trust the Habar left by Luna.
I trust those who were my comrades and friends.
The revelation that a descendant of the Hero is needed.
Did the Sacred, the Holy Relic, issue a revelation?
Surely not.
But if by some chance, truly, there is a being that has issued a revelation…
Then it must be.
“… Hah.”
I buried the rising thought deep.
I released Mikel’s hair and turned my back.
“You must have brought Holy Water, right? Eat that, and when your teeth are properly mended, speak clearly.”
Returning to the bed, I covered myself with the blanket again.
“Also, drive away those who come because of the ruckus on your own. Oh, right. The broken window is broken because of you, so be sure to handle compensation.”
“… Thank you for your mercy.”
Leona, narrowing her eyes, looked at me.
I winked playfully and closed my eyes for a moment.
I brushed it off slyly, but still…
Still, my anger hasn’t completely settled down.
I didn’t expect to react this much when I heard Eustetia was a heretic.
– No matter what we do, no one can call us heretics.
– We are the agents who tear apart Demons to replace the silent, passive god. We cannot be humiliated, nor should we tolerate humiliation.
– So, Ronan. Just as I have brought divine punishment upon that zealot on your behalf today, one day you too…
– For me, for us… please get mad.
– Heh, no. This is… this is not something that binds us like a promise. It’s just…
– Trust between people. Not faith, but trust. An unbreakable bond. And our vow to meet again in any world.
– It’s a request based on such things.
Luna’s request?
That can’t be. It was just… Dad, Mom, Uncle.
It was just that it pissed me off to see my family being insulted. Yeah, it was just infuriating.
I chuckled to myself, taking in the scent of the summer breeze wafting through the broken window, gathering my emotions.
It should have been a hot and humid wind, yet for some reason, it felt refreshing. Was I that fired up?
What an unnecessarily honest body I have.
*
I didn’t change the hospital room.
I decided to leave tonight instead of tomorrow, so there was no need to change rooms.
Mikel’s wounds healed completely thanks to the Holy Water, just as I had anticipated. It must have been quite a high-grade Holy Water, as even his broken teeth were perfectly mended.
Leona was still grinding her teeth, glaring at me. I felt a bit… scared and sorry, but I pushed off releasing Leona until after this story was over.
… I had no idea how to let her go, but that wasn’t something to worry about right now.
I heard the information I wanted from Mikel.
It was quite a shocking and dramatic statement.
A shadow of Magic hanging over the Holy Kingdom.
The Holy Kingdom consists of the Grand Archbishop, several Cardinals, priests, the Blood Heaven Knight Order, and Executioners.
Which of those bastards could it be?
Before I could ask that…
“What were you trying to say with such nonsense while hoping I would die here?”
“If I die in this place, that is merely the will of the god. Today would simply mark the end of my role.”
“And now?”
“As long as I breathe and can engage in dialogue with the noble descendant of the Hero, that too is the will of the god. My role has not yet reached its conclusion. Of course, I am aware that the mercy of the Duchess and Leona Meganberta is also part of this. Yet that too falls under the grand design of the heavens.”
“Hah… You’ve really gone above and beyond. Is it the will of the god whether you die or live? Even if you die, don’t you just go to heaven? Must be satisfying, huh?”
“Only heaven knows if my soul will enter it. We are merely building virtue and faith to enter heaven.”
“Is it the will of the god to live like this and be thrown into hell?”
“Yes. It’s because my faith and virtue are lacking.”
Without a hint of hesitation, Mikel responded as if it were the most natural thing.
As expected, these bastards aren’t worth talking to.
Extracting information is enough.
I clicked my tongue and waved my hand dismissively.
Mikel, bowed down with his head on the ground, rose and sat in a chair.
The strawberry milk cap was still stuck on his forehead, refusing to fall off.
“In the information I am about to share, I swear by my existence and the heavens that there is not a single falsehood, and I shall relay everything I know.”
Mikel said seriously, still wearing the cute strawberry character cap on his forehead.
I struggled to suppress a giggle, averting my gaze.
Is this girl a robot? Has the zealot truly abandoned the human heart?
“… Could you please take the cap off your forehead before you speak?”
“Understood.”
Pop – the cap fell off.
“A shadow of Magic has descended upon the Holy Kingdom.”
“That’s what you said earlier, but let’s get straight to the conclusion. What do those guys want, collaborating with the monsters?”
“The will of Magic is the resurrection of Gluttony.”
And.
“The apostates of the Holy Kingdom…”
“Luna Sacred Pranecia.”
“They are hoping for the resurrection of the Saint.”