Before I could speak, Alderson raised one arm in a smooth, semicircular motion. His hand stopped at shoulder height.
At that moment, threads fell from his arm like a curtain being drawn down. Then, a puppet appeared, suspended by those threads. The sudden appearance came without warning, but I was not surprised. This was how magic was meant to work.
"This is a puppet before any information has been infused," Alderson explained. "What do you think?"
"It just looks like a wooden articulated puppet," I said.
The puppet wore no clothes and had no facial features. Its stiff curves made it impossible to tell if it was male or female. It was simply a bare wooden form, minimal and unrefined. Did infusing information alter its appearance, like the Delac and Leone puppets we had just fought? I would have found it hard to believe without seeing it myself.
"The puppets I create rank among the best in the empire, but they have their flaws," Alderson said. "The first step is processing the information. For the two puppets you just fought, that alone took over ten years."
"It is inefficient," I remarked.
"Yes, it is uncharacteristic for a mage." Alderson nodded and went on. "Sometimes, the infused information doesn't match the puppet's body. When that happens, the body collapses. Even if the infusion succeeds, the puppet can't fully replicate the original's abilities. As you saw, it can't use blessings. Since the puppet has built-in mana, its reserves are limited. Its operational power runs less than half capacity. Physical abilities can keep pace, but—"
"What is the point of all this?" I cut him off sharply. The topic had dragged on too long.
Alderson kept speaking without showing much offense. "Leone was number one in the rankings. Now that you're here, she's slipped to second place. When I created the puppet, I infused it with the information I had gathered about Leone during her climb up the tower. Nothing more, nothing less."
Something about that felt off. I furrowed my brow and said seriously, "Wait a minute. Are you saying—"
Alderson nodded. "Evil has always run through Leone's blood."
I let out a slight laugh, my body relaxing a bit. "So, Leone is a Young Dark Pope?"
"You actually know about the Young Dark Pope? You're well informed about the Dark Church," Alderson said, clearly surprised. Then he nodded again. "But she's not a typical Young Dark Pope. Leone is very special.
"Maybe that's why Leone's information has led her to develop such a strong personality. Usually, when I infuse information into a puppet, it doesn't feel like a real person. It just performs the data I input. Leone is different. She has self-awareness and even talks."
I saw the perfect moment to ask the question that had been on my mind. "Who is Leone?"
Alderson shook his head. "I don't know."
I blinked. "How is that possible?"
He said, "I know very little about Leone except that she is a Young Dark Pope and deeply knowledgeable about the Dark Church, Hell, and demons."
"But you said you got her information."
"Only physical information. I can't look at a climber and uncover every detail of their life," he explained.
That made sense.
"I only found out that Leone was a Young Dark Pope because she told me."
"You learned that from her? That's strange."
"Yes, it is. Like I said, Leone is special." Alderson smiled bitterly. "She doesn't obey my orders. If she doesn't want to say something, she won't, even if you hold a knife to her throat."
That was an impressive admission. Maybe it wasn't a flaw in Alderson's skill but proof of Leone's uniqueness.
I suggested, "Then go find the real Leone, not the puppet."
He shook his head. "That's impossible."
"Why?"
"She is already dead."
I shut up.
Alderson's expression grew serious. "The Iron-Blooded Lord, Delac C. Badniker—demon hunter, executioner, sword of the imperial family, the charisma of a Great Family. Most of his titles came from slaying demons."
"Yes. But Dean Alderson, you told me the family head believed he could befriend a demon." I paused. "Can you take responsibility for that claim?"
Alderson laughed. "I can't take responsibility. And I hope you don't report to the Iron-Blooded Lord that I said this."
"Why?"
"The current Iron-Blooded Lord is a very different person from who he was back then," he answered.
At last, I grasped Alderson's meaning. People's thoughts evolved constantly until the end of their days. I knew this better than anyone, having lived a life marked by hardship. It made sense that the Iron-Blooded Lord's views had changed since his youth. Still, it shocked me to learn that he, of all people, once wished for harmony with demons. What events had the Iron-Blooded Lord endured to change so drastically?
"I've said all I can," Alderson added, closing his eyes as if awaiting judgment.
Whatever the reason, Alderson had laid bare his true intentions. He could have crushed me with ease, yet he chose honesty and hoped I would show leniency.
As a Seven-Colored Archmage and dean of Cartel Academy, Alderson carried immense status. For a man who had lived a century, it was unusual to see him behave so openly toward someone not yet fully grown. Of course, he could not kill me for this. After all, I carried the blood of the Badnikers.
Still, I respected Alderson's attitude. More than that, I believed that when someone revealed their true intentions, it called for a certain openness in return. Thus, I said, "You mentioned there might be good demons."
"That's right," he replied.
"Then can there be a good demon king?"
"What?"Alderson's eyes widened in surprise. When he noticed the seriousness in my expression, he held back his initial answer.
" Hmm. " He paused, gathering his thoughts, and spoke deliberately. "We call them demon kings, but they are actually gods. They are powerful even among the gods. Do you know the reason?"
I had heard this explanation many times before. Reflecting on it, I answered, "The empire's official religion, the seventy-two churches, follows a polytheistic belief in seventy-two gods. Beyond that, each family, race, or region worships its own gods. Altogether, there are hundreds of gods."
The blessings were gifts from these gods, bestowed on those born into Great Families. Essentially, each blessing represented the favor of a particular god who was friendly to the empire and to humans.
"However, only six beings are called the gods of disaster," I continued. "These six pose the greatest threat to the empire. One god of disaster equals the power of dozens of good gods."
Alderson nodded. "In the past, thirteen evil beings, called the evil gods, brought the continent to chaos. I assure you, the six gods of disaster today are far stronger and more terrifying than those ancient thirteen."
"What makes them so frightening?" I asked.
"It's not just their strength. The most terrifying thing is that the gods of disaster are completely unaffected by reverence or faith."
I tilted my head. "What does that mean?"
"Every god depends on believers. Without faith, a god's influence weakens. That's why the world has the concept of forgotten gods," Alderson explained. "The demon kings stand as the only exception. Faith benefits them, but even if the Dark Church were uprooted from the continent, the power of these dreadful beings would not weaken in the slightest."
This was new information to me, yet the moment I heard it, I instinctively accepted it as truth. Ahop and Tantata—was there any love or mercy in their treatment of worshippers? I found none. Ahop spilled the blood of both believers and enemies without distinction. Tantata cared only about amusement, regardless of who suffered to provide it. They did not mind what happened to their followers.
In addition, there's Eldest Senior Brother. He built his strength entirely on his own. He wouldn't be affected by someone's worship, faith, or any such influence, I mused.
"You asked if there is a good demon king. My answer is no. If such a being existed, they would not be called a demon king. But..." His voice lowered with caution. "You never know. There might be a secret we don't yet understand."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you know who the most mysterious demon king is?" he asked.
I replied, "Isn't it the Colorless Demon King?"
"Yes. He supposedly destroyed a kingdom in ancient times but has caused no such devastation since. He commands the fewest followers in the church, and his priests have never been exposed," Alderson replied. "The kingdom the Colorless Demon King destroyed was called Setitus. Few written records survive, but some texts describe it as an empire of evil."
I listened intently.
"Of course, that does not excuse the massacre of countless lives. Even if it was an empire of sins, such a slaughter is hard to justify. But isn't good and evil inherently subjective?" Alderson continued. "Regardless of guilt, if there is a reason behind such an act, it cannot be dismissed as mere evil. Perhaps the Colorless Demon King carries a story we can understand."
A story. I did not know if such a story existed, but I felt I needed to hear it before facing Senior Brother He Lou again. Only then would I know how to confront him.
Meanwhile, Alderson infused mana into the wooden puppet in his hand. A faint mist curled around it as the figure slowly started to change. It was a magical transformation. Magic was the only way to describe how the rigid puppet became a living girl in an instant.
Leone opened her red eyes and blinked a few times as she scanned the surroundings. Then her gaze settled on me. " Oh, you're here too. It's been a long time since I've had such a thrilling fight. I want to commend you."
I ignored her greeting and turned to Alderson. "The puppet was broken, but she still retains her memories. Is there a separate container for storing memories?"
"Exactly," Alderson replied. "It was inspired by a Lich's Life Vessel."
"I see."
Alderson called out to Leone, "Leone, the boy in front of you is the son of the Iron-Blooded Lord."
" Oho... " she murmured.
"Do you intend to explain yourself?"
What kind of explanation was he expecting?
Leone only chuckled at Alderson's words. "I refuse."
Alderson sighed deeply and waved his hands. Leone then transformed back into a wooden puppet.
"Looks like you can't enforce orders," I muttered.
"I told you," Alderson said. "Leone doesn't obey my commands. She only pretends to listen when it suits her."
"Where did she come from? At the very least, you should know her origins," I said. After all, the academy's admission requirements were strict.
Unexpectedly, Alderson shook his head. "I don't know. I have no idea what kind of life she led before arriving here."
"How is that even possible?" I blurted.
"The academy has a special selection process."
"Special selection?" I echoed.
Alderson explained patiently, "It involves climbing the Tower of Training to the top. Anyone who succeeds is admitted, no matter their race, age, or background. They also don't have to pay tuition until graduation."
"So that's how it is." I didn't know what awaited on the fifth floor. Still, after my brief fight with Leone, it seemed nothing beyond this point would challenge her.
"Have you tried intimidation?" I asked.
Alderson smiled bitterly. "It doesn't work. She doesn't feel pain and isn't afraid of her body failing. I've tried talking to her many times over the past ten years, but I still don't understand her. Honestly, I have no idea what she's thinking. Rarely, Leone feels good. In those moments, she shares the church's secrets without prompting. That information is priceless.
"For example?"
"Thanks to Leone, the empire learned about the title of Young Dark Pope."
"I see." I was convinced immediately. "Then Leone's existence must be known to the seventy-two churches and the Sun Church."
"Only a very few bishops and cardinals know." He then added, "I consider the Dark Church an enemy to be destroyed, unlike demons. Their ideas are far too dangerous. Leone is the key to changing this terrible situation."
The more he spoke, the clearer it became how vital this dark-haired girl was.
Alderson sighed again, seemingly for the hundredth time. "Leone told me that if I want to know more, I need to bring another Young Dark Pope."
What now?
"Isn't that a ridiculous request? No one, not even me, knows who the Young Dark Popes are until the Seeds of Evil take root. Leone was the one who taught us this...!"
I stayed silent as Alderson shouted, then tilted my head. Wait a minute!