Chapter 269: Crossroads (10)
Clap, clap, clap.
A dry, emotionless sound of applause echoed through the air.
The one clapping was none other than Cardinal Bruyent.
When I had checked through the Crystal Sphere earlier, I had clearly seen him heading toward the Headmaster’s Office together with the largest group of troops. Yet why was he standing here now?
“Truly remarkable. As expected of someone I had my eye on…….”
Bruyent, who had been staring at Lian, began rambling on as he pleased.
But Lian didn’t care.
Why the man was here.
Why he hadn’t intervened in the battle earlier and had merely watched from the sidelines.
And what exactly he hoped to gain by doing all this……
There was no need to hear the details right now. It wouldn’t be too late to listen after subduing him first.
“Ha!”
“Oh my.”
The moment Lian rushed forward, Bruyent leapt backward with movements so agile that it was hard to believe he was an old man.
Then again, thinking about it, the Agents were the armed blade of the Holy Sun Church.
There was no way the leader of such a group would be nothing more than a frail old man.
Lian continued to swing his sword.
As mentioned earlier, in a situation like this, there was no need to stand around and listen to the opponent talk.
“If we could just talk—”
Bruyent said that while dodging the blade, but Lian simply shrugged.
“Once you’re lying on the ground, we can talk all you want, Cardinal.”
“Attempting… to murder… a priest… is punishable by death.”
Each time he evaded the blade, his words came out in fragments.
On the surface, it looked as though he was barely managing to avoid the attacks, but Lian quickly realized that the situation wasn’t so simple.
Every single strike had been avoided by the narrowest margin—literally the width of a sheet of paper.
Once or twice might have been coincidence. But if it continued like this, then it was clearly skill.
It meant Bruyent’s ability was exceptional—so exceptional that even the excuse that he had exhausted himself in the fierce battle earlier didn’t apply.
“No need to worry.”
Lian spoke indifferently as he continued swinging his sword.
“I’ve got an indulgence. They’ll overlook it once.”
“Wh—what nonsense……”
“Besides, isn’t this self-defense?”
Lian continued calmly while looking at the man as if he were being ridiculous.
“Anyone can see that you committed hostile acts toward the Academy. And the Academy’s Headmaster publicly declared that as well. According to the sacred laws of the Empire, this qualifies as self-defense. Not only will I not be guilty, I won’t even stand trial.”
“Hah.”
Bruyent let out a hollow laugh.
“You seem to know the Empire’s laws quite well, yet you appear ignorant of the doctrines of the Holy Sun Church. Bladed weapons are permitted only when fighting Demons or when one holds the status of a Holy Knight.”
And he was saying that now?
Lian couldn’t help but snort.
“Then that makes it even simpler.”
Suddenly, Lian’s body twitched slightly.
— Kreeeak!
At that signal, the spider suddenly shot a web toward Bruyent.
Because of the distance, it couldn’t strike his eyes and steal his vision, but it allowed Lian to step forward and close the gap.
Rip!
As a result, the tip of Lian’s sword brushed across Bruyent’s collar and tore it open.
His ceremonial robes ripped apart, exposing Bruyent’s upper body.
And beneath them—
Tightly bound in place, a thin yet unmistakably imposing Iron Needle was embedded directly in the center of his chest.
“…Because you’re the one who colluded with that Demon.”
“….”
Lian spoke in a cold voice as he pointed the tip of his sword at him.
As he raised his arm, the bracelet hanging from his wrist jingled softly.
Come to think of it, this was ridiculous.
Wasn’t he himself someone connected to the Demons—specifically a Disciple of the Eight Demon Lords, the pinnacle of the Demons?
Well, that was something from his previous life.
Letting the thought pass casually, Lian silently stared at Bruyent.
Meanwhile, Bruyent simply looked down at his exposed chest and let out a quiet sigh.
“…It seems you already know everything. Then there’s no need for pointless explanations.”
Seeing how readily he admitted it, Lian shrugged slightly.
“Looks like you’re not making those strange noises like the other day.”
“We’re in the middle of a conversation.”
Bruyent suddenly twisted his expression in irritation and snapped.
“When someone is speaking, you should listen properly before interrupting, you brat. Didn’t you learn that when you were young?”
As he snapped those words, Bruyent suddenly curled one corner of his mouth upward and nodded as if he had realized something.
It was the peculiar expression of someone convinced they had grasped the essence of the situation.
“Ah… right. I recall reading in the report that your biological mother died when you were young. It said you were treated like a burden in your household. Well… if you didn’t receive proper education as a child, it makes sense that you wouldn’t even know such basic manners.”
“…Excuse me, but have you gone insane?”
Lian asked bluntly, utterly dumbfounded by the sudden shift in the man’s attitude.
For someone who was supposedly a Cardinal to suddenly mock his opponent’s family circumstances—
It was like watching a child throwing a tantrum because things weren’t going their way.
Because of that, what Lian felt wasn’t anger but sheer disbelief.
“You’re interrupting again. Don’t cut in before I finish speaking. Is that so difficult?”
“…Fine. Go ahead and ramble as much as you want.”
Lian nodded and spoke calmly.
“So why are you doing this? Is this the collective will of the Holy Sun Church, or your personal decision?”
“You? ‘You,’ you say? Now you’ve even dropped honorifics.”
“….”
Lian silently observed him as he muttered in disbelief.
The Iron Needle.
The Iron Needle was trembling slightly.
He’s planning something.
Even though he thought that, Lian pretended not to notice and waited for the man to speak.
After all, the moment he killed five Agents, it was already too late to withdraw.
Professor Windymay… the Headmaster… or anyone else.
Deciding to stall for time until they arrived, Lian slowly lowered his sword.
“So? Are you not going to answer?”
“…I will definitely send you to trial. Then your soul will be purified by sacred fire until not even ashes remain. This too….”
Muttering to himself, Bruyent stared into the air while rambling.
Lian had asked earlier if he had gone insane.
Now that he looked at him, the man genuinely seemed unstable.
Mentor.
[Yes, This Concubine is watching.]
Berenistella responded to his call.
She murmured, sounding unusually puzzled.
[No matter how I look at it… that thing is strange. That insignificant creature claimed he created it himself, despite not even having a name to call himself… yet no matter how I look at it…]
‘Is it really that dangerous?’
[Dangerous is not the correct word. It is something whose origin cannot be understood.]
If Berenistella had been standing in front of him, she would probably have tilted her head.
After pondering briefly, she spoke.
[First of all, does it not seem like something created specifically to target the Brand? The power you call the Brand might have existed during the Great War, but in the modern era even the fact that it existed has almost been forgotten. To be honest, even during the Great War it was half legend and half rumor.]
‘You mean…’
[That nameless one. That Masked Man. The era, the experience, and the capability simply do not match for him to create something like that with full understanding. Even if he were the child of Popolotuus and had absorbed its remnants and knowledge, it still does not make sense.]
Then Berenistella stated firmly.
[Because he was not as intelligent as This Concubine.]
“…What?”
[I am saying he was more foolish than This Concubine.]
She snorted.
[Someone like him could never create something even This Concubine finds difficult to understand—let alone mass-produce it intentionally rather than by accident.]
……
Her confidence was so overwhelming that it was difficult to respond.
But inwardly, Lian found himself agreeing.
He had never seen anyone as intelligent as her.
‘So….’
Remaining on guard so he could swing his sword again at any moment, Lian began paying attention to Bruyent’s rambling.
“To lose faith is to embrace death…! Therefore, not only most people living in this modern era, but even most members of the Holy Sun Church are nothing more than living corpses…!”
He pointed at the air and preached fervently.
His passionate gestures—spitting as he spoke and trembling with intensity—made him look extremely enthusiastic.
Unfortunately, his words were fragmented and scattered without any clear connection.
Why is he acting like that?
And also…
Lian looked at the Iron Needle.
Though faint, its trembling was gradually growing stronger.
The Iron Needle is ringing.
[It is resonating.]
‘With what?’
[With the one who inserted that Iron Needle.]
Lian frowned.
‘…Wasn’t it dead?’
[Did you not listen properly? I said earlier that it too was merely an intermediary—a subordinate.]
Berenistella continued.
[But that one appears to be the most unusual among those we have seen so far. …If possible, retrieve it and bring it to This Concubine. I must examine it.]
Lian nodded.
He had been deliberately stalling to hear the opponent’s intentions, but whether because of the Iron Needle or something else, Bruyent’s mind had clearly deteriorated.
There was no longer any reason to wait.
“Room of Memories.”
Suddenly, Bruyent blurted out the words.
“A cauldron stands on three legs, but four is the most stable. Yet the Room of Memories had five. My master wished to know why, and so I…”
“…Are you talking about the Man without a Head?”
“How dare you call that thing my master!”
Bruyent suddenly exploded in rage.
“That creature wasn’t even given a name by its parents! A bastard born without a face, a premature abomination! An incomplete being! How could such a thing be my master? How could I serve something like that?! My master is a perfect being! To compare that wretch with my master…! That is an insult to me!”
Even as he shouted in anger, he suddenly began shaking his head and muttering again.
“For my master’s return, many things are required. First… first we need a sacrifice. A catalyst. Then we must go to the Room of Memories. There… and then…”
“Your master….”
At that moment, Lian suddenly muttered.
He didn’t know why that name had come to mind.
Perhaps it was because of what he had heard underground.
“…Are you perhaps referring to the Evil Dragon?”
“….”
At those words, Bruyent froze.
Then he slowly turned his head toward Lian.
His eyes burned with a chilling fury.