“Zero Order. No—Suruna. What exactly is your purpose?”
The sealing spell had been restored, and the heavens had closed.
Ludger had lost the omnipotence he’d possessed moments before.
The exhilaration that had made him feel as though he could soar freely through the sky was gone, replaced by a vast emptiness that threatened to swallow him whole—but Ludger forced it down with desperate self-control.
That wasn’t what mattered right now.
“The fact that you came all the way here means you must want something from me. So speak. What is your goal?”
“What’s there to hide? Of course I came here because I have business with you.”
Suruna spoke as he glanced at Grander, who lay peacefully on a bed of shadow amidst the chaos.
“And since an old acquaintance was departing, I thought I might at least see her off. Though, it seems that wasn’t necessary after all.”
“You once said that, in a distant past, you fought the Saintess Arkenis here on this very ground.”
“That’s right.”
Suruna’s tone carried a hint of bitterness as he looked upon the crater, now stripped of nearly all traces of what it once was.
The aftermath of Ludger’s battle with the subjugation army had been enormous.
The crater and every mountain and forest in the surrounding area had been completely obliterated.
It was beyond merely redrawing maps—if things had gone just a little further, even the planet’s crust might have shifted.
It hadn’t, solely because the Elemental Lord of Earth had poured his authority into holding the land together.
The Earth Lord had withdrawn once his task was done.
“In history, it’s said that the Great Demon Suruna lost here to the Saintess Arkenis and vanished. Of course, they also say that the Saintess herself perished from the aftermath of that same battle.”
“That’s the version the world knows—more precisely, the fabricated story the Theocracy of Bretus made up for their own convenience.”
Suruna swung the sword in his hand.
“You saw it yourself, didn’t you? My power as an Apostle isn’t enough to turn a land into a wasteland like this. The same goes for the Saintess. Yet even after centuries, not a single living thing can survive in this crater.”
“It wasn’t the work of a demon or a saintess... but of something else entirely.”
“That’s right. It was the power of a god.”
Suruna spoke as if recalling that day.
“My battle with the Saintess, as always, never ended with a clear victor. Arkenis was far too strong for me to kill her, and on the other hand, she never intended to kill me.”
“What?”
When Ludger looked at him in surprise, Suruna gave a bitter smile.
“Yeah, I know. Hard to believe, isn’t it? The great demon Suruna, alive only because the Saintess showed him mercy. But that’s the truth. Arkenis may have been the Saintess of the Church, but unlike the ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Church’s doctrine, she didn’t try to solve everything through judgment and purification. She lived up to the name ‘Saintess’—she sought to embrace everything with compassion and warmth.”
Suruna’s voice softened, soaked with nostalgia.
“She loved all living things.”
“And it was Lumenis who interfered in that battle?”
Suruna nodded.
“He lost his temper completely. His Saintess, who was supposed to carry out his orders above all else, refused to kill a demon. So that day, Lumenis took action.”
“What did he do?”
“Nothing dramatic. He just... stuck a finger into the cage.”
That was how he put it—and in truth, Lumenis’s act might well have been as simple as using a single finger.
But the consequences were anything but small.
To punish the Saintess who disobeyed him, and to destroy the fallen servant—the Apostle who had turned away—
Lumenis directly interfered with the lower world.
He tore open the dimensions and extended his power through the rift.
“This crater was created that way. For him, it was nothing more than striking down with one finger.”
And yet that single gesture had blanketed this land in death.
For nearly a thousand years, no living being had survived here—nor could it.
“I see. So this wasn’t the aftermath of a battle...”
“It was the mark of divine judgment.”
Suruna let out a low, mirthless laugh.
“But as a result of his interference, Lumenis could never again exercise his power in this world. The rules he broke only allowed one exception—and that leniency was given just once. Because those rules weren’t made by Lumenis alone.”
“So that’s when the anxiety began. He realized even his most loyal followers, humans he thought to be his limbs, could betray him.”
The Saintess Arkenis had abandoned her duty—
the duty to hunt demons.
Her entire life should have been devoted to serving that purpose, yet she refused to kill the demon.
Enraged, Lumenis punished the Saintess and tried to kill Suruna as well.
But Suruna did not die.
Instead, this land was left scarred by his divine strike.
And then came the true problem.
“Lumenis came to a realization. If even his most faithful Saintess could defy him, what about the others? Just look at the state of the Theocracy now—you can see the result.”
The Theocracy of Bretus had once wielded power that shook the entire continent, but that glory was never meant to last forever.
Its present authority was borrowed power at best.
And having spent his divine force interfering in the mortal world, Lumenis could no longer wield it as before.
“From that day on, the power of the paladins and priests sharply declined. The flow of divine energy was drastically reduced.”
Reduced divinity. Reduced power. Reduced authority.
And what sprouted from that fertile soil of desperation was human greed, born from the instinct to survive.
The Holy Nation became covetous.
The god still existed—but he could no longer intervene in the mortal world.
So didn’t that make his representatives, those who claimed to act in his name, the true sovereigns of the continent?
“When the tiger’s gone from the mountain, the fox becomes king.”
“And a very sly fox at that.”
The Theocracy of Bretus reinterpreted its own doctrines to suit its desires and acted to fulfill its greed.
It was only natural that such a corrupt faith would begin its slow decline.
Though their divine power had waned, it was still real—enough to prevent complete collapse.
But what must that sight have looked like to Lumenis himself?
Unable to trust humans, Lumenis must have wanted to purge the Theocracy that no longer obeyed his will.
Yet he also knew that replacing them would change nothing.
So he conceived another plan.
He would create a vessel—a human capable of holding his power.
He would rule directly through that puppet.
“And that vessel was none other than the illegitimate child of the Holy Sovereign’s line, the man of unparalleled talent through the ages—Heathcliff von Bretus. The very man standing before me now.”
“So that’s how it was. But the Holy Sovereign wasn’t a fool. He and his children knew I would be a threat to their throne—and more than that, they knew Lumenis’s will resided within me.”
“And because they knew, they tried to erase you—pretending ignorance, as if it were all for the glory of God.”
To Lumenis, the Theocracy of Bretus was nothing more than a dog that had turned on its master.
But when Ludger vanished from the Holy Nation, leaving not even a trace, Lumenis had no choice but to let the surrogate rule stand, no matter how displeased he was.
That, however, was over now.
The man who had hidden himself so well had finally revealed his true identity.
“From Lumenis’s point of view, he must be desperate. The long-lost Holy Grail he thought dead has suddenly appeared right before his eyes.”
“So you knew—and tried to use me?”
“I didn’t know at first. It was only suspicion. I became certain after what happened in the Imperial Capital.”
“...Basara.”
The demon once sealed beneath the roots of the World Tree, revived through Suruna’s manipulation—
and completely annihilated by Ludger’s hand.
“What is your true purpose? Revenge against Lumenis?”
“Isn’t it obvious? That’s exactly why I’ve come this far. Because I’m a demon.”
“You had plenty of chances before this. Why didn’t you act then?”
“Five hundred years ago.”
Before the Empire even came into being, the old kingdoms had joined hands with the elves in search of a way to oppose the Theocracy of Bretus.
They gathered relics, nurtured a new World Tree, and prepared a certain experiment.
The one who obstructed that plan was Basara—or rather, Suruna, who had been pulling his strings from behind the scenes.
“That plan was doomed to fail. If I hadn’t intervened back then, Lumenis could never have been defeated. The opportunity itself would have been completely lost.”
“And now it’s different?”
“That’s why I’m helping you, isn’t it?”
Suruna turned toward Ludger.
“Heathcliff. I know you’ve been preparing something inside the Theocracy of Bretus. For a very long time, you’ve been laying things in place beneath the surface.”
“......”
“Of course, the same goes for me. I’ve been preparing just as long. Without letting them notice—a single drop of water seeping slowly into the cracks of a stone.”
“So what is it you want?”
“What I want... I can’t tell you yet. You still have a few things left to do first, don’t you? Ludger Cherish, professor of Seorn Academy.”
“......”
“When you cast off every chain and come to Bretus, that’s when I’ll tell you my true purpose.”
“My task, huh...”
“To achieve what you desire, you must not leave even the smallest margin.”
Leave no margin.
Those words weighed heavily on Ludger.
“Right now, hesitation still lingers in you. If you don’t cut it away completely, that hesitation will drag you down at the crucial moment.”
“......”
“You know that better than anyone. I’ll take my leave for now. I look forward to the day we meet again—in the Theocracy of Bretus, where all of this will finally come to an end.”
With those words, Suruna vanished as if dissolving into the air.
The end of everything.
Ludger remained where he stood, silently mulling over the words Suruna had left behind.
* * *
When Ludger returned to Rederbelk, the city felt far quieter than before.
The chaos that had followed Nirva’s incident had subsided, and though that should have meant the citizens were regaining stability—
Ludger couldn’t shake the strange discomfort this stillness gave him.
It felt like the calm before a storm.
He carefully laid Grander upon her bed in her room.
Her breathing was ragged; she was still recovering her damaged soul.
Though she would heal on her own if left alone, Ludger couldn’t simply stand by and do nothing, so he left a few instructions with the people on Royal Street.
News of his return spread quickly, and the members of Owens gathered together.
“Owner.”
Violetta, relieved that Ludger had returned safely, still showed unease over the troubling rumors that had been circulating.
“Recently, the city has...”
“I know. There’s no need to explain.”
“...Are you truly all right?”
Ludger didn’t answer.
Before even unpacking, he began preparing to head for Seorn.
“Boss, don’t tell me—you’re going back to Seorn?”
“I am.”
“Going back suddenly would already be risky, but in this situation—”
“There’s something I must finish. It can’t be postponed any longer. That’s why I have one last thing to say to you all.”
One last thing to say?
The members of Owens felt an odd sense of foreboding.
“As the founder and leader of Owens, I hereby declare [U.N. Owen] disbanded.”
“What? My lord! What are you saying!”
Seridan exclaimed in shock.
“Your abilities have already blossomed fully. It’s time you stop following me into danger and start walking your own paths.”
“That’s...”
“I know this comes suddenly, and it must be confusing. But understand this one thing—following me means staking your life. Ten lives wouldn’t be enough. If you die, the name you carried will forever be branded with that mark. Are you still willing to accept that?”
“......”
“There’s no honor or glory in that death. It would just be a meaningless death—a dog’s death. No grave, not even a body left to bury.”
The members of Owens fell silent, recognizing the gravity in Ludger’s tone.
Nothing they could say now would carry weight without time to truly think.
Ludger knew that, and so he was giving them that time—to think and decide for themselves.
“Whatever you choose, I will respect it.”
Even if that choice meant running away.
He didn’t voice that part aloud as he turned to leave.
No one stopped him until he was gone.
The only one who followed after him was Sedina Roschen.
She had been restless ever since his disappearance, tormented by the fact that she hadn’t been by his side to assist him.
Ludger didn’t try to stop her.
When they finally arrived back at Seorn—
Students and teachers passing by froze in surprise at the sight of him.
Where had he been? Was he all right?
Those who tried to ask found the words dying in their throats the moment they saw his expression—calm and natural, as though he had never been gone at all.
Thus, Ludger returned to his office without interruption, without a single bothersome question.
Even after so long away, the room was spotless—without a trace of dust.
Sedina had been coming in every day to clean.
Ludger sat down at his desk, as if to reflect on the days past.
Out of consideration, Sedina quietly stepped aside to give him space.
‘This teaching job started by chance, but it wasn’t without meaning.’
Ludger rose slowly and stood by the window.
A few minutes passed.
Then noise erupted beyond the door, shattering the silence.
—“W-wait a moment! Who are you people—?!”
Sedina’s voice cut off, and the office door slammed open.
The ones who stormed in were knights in black uniforms—
The Nightcrawler Knights, under the Imperial Security Bureau.
At their head, a silver-haired woman advanced with the sharp rhythm of her boots, stopping before Ludger.
“Ludger Cherish.”
Terrina Lionhowl, the Lord Protector.
Her cold gaze locked on him.
“You are under arrest for impersonating a Seorn instructor and for the murder of a Cardinal of the Theocracy of Bretus.”