"This... Does this mean there is no communication now?" I muttered.
Perhaps this was the case, but it was quite disappointing. At present, I had more questions for Third Senior Brother than anyone else. I needed answers about the Strategy Guide and Seren, along with advice about the current situation.
Third Senior Brother had a rather unique way of thinking. No one I had ever met followed personal whims as strongly as he did. It was to the point where he ignored our master when something piqued his interest.
Once, he argued with our master and lost all sense of reason.
He had actually screamed at Bai Luguang, "Ahhh! I really don't want to grow old!"
Then he was beaten for it. Every bone had ended up broken, and blood had streamed from his nose, yet he had refused to take his words back. That moment marked the first time I felt respect for the man I called Third Senior Brother.
In any case, due to this tendency, most of what he said sounded like nonsense. Still, he would sometimes come up with a solution no one else could imagine. If anyone had ever handled a woman like Verita, it would be Third Senior Brother.
There was no point in pretending otherwise. Third Senior Brother was a playboy with a long history with women.
"You know... I've met many types of women, Luan. I haven't counted them, but there must be hundreds. Isn't it crazy?" he had asked with a smug grin.
"Aren't you worried about dying? This goes far beyond two-timing," I had remarked.
"It's fine. They will never run into each other. Kukukuk!"
His certainty had left me speechless.
Naturally, I couldn't keep looking for someone I couldn't contact. It was a waste of time, so I considered my two seniors' opinions and reached a conclusion. "I will follow Senior Brother Arang's suggestion."
I felt a little sorry for Senior Sister Tian, but I believed Senior Brother Arang's approach made more sense.
[The Blind Heavenly Demon is slightly shocked.]
At the same time, I heard the jingling of a bell. I had the distinct sense that Senior Sister Tian was a bit upset.
"I'm sorry." I apologized to her before passing the information about Verita to Senior Brother Arang. "Senior Brother, that woman... I feel like she is crazy. It goes beyond simple instability. She's clearly insane, she can be strangely rational. In the first place, she infiltrated a hostile force as a nun and has stayed hidden for a long time. Rational yet instinctive? Her existence is a contradiction in itself. That's the impression she gives me."
My explanation wandered, but Senior Brother Arang would grasp it without trouble. He was the type who could follow even the most tangled thoughts.
I added, "Honestly, she is the kind of person I prefer to avoid. If she were openly hostile to me or a villain, I could treat her as an enemy, like Senior Sister Tian said. However, that isn't the case. Rather, I have become her weakness."
This was the fundamental reason for my confusion. No matter how strong Verita was, I could figure out a plan if I could categorize her as a clear enemy. I could retreat and prepare for the future, fight for my life, or attempt to negotiate. Yet Verita wanted to protect me instead of opposing me. The real issue was that her method of protection was too drastic.
Senior Brother Arang had listened to everything and responded.
[The Iron Ascetic says, "Then you are the one who stands at the center of all her actions and thoughts."]
"For now, yes?"
She had said that she prioritized my orders over the Dark Church's. For a moment, I almost imagined Senior Brother Arang speaking in his usual mechanical voice.
[If you know all the joys and pains of a person, you already understand half of them. You know what makes her angry, so focus on other things.]
"What makes her happy, sad, or excited?" I asked.
[Yes. Then you can poke those things the same way.]
"In the same way?" I echoed
[Didn't you say that her personality seems contradictory? If so, meet it with contradictions. Theories and logic fail with unpredictable and chaotic people. In this world, some individuals respond only when they are forced.]
Meeting contradiction with contradiction. Somehow, his advice felt like the biggest hint I had received. It was a difficult concept, but it sparked a path forward.
"Thank you, both of you. By the way, what are you doing these days?" I asked.
[The Blind Heavenly Demon says, "A massacre."]
[The Iron Ascetic says, "Defending."]
Their answers caught me off guard. Defending and a massacre? Did our master give them different missions?
Curiosity tugged at me, but even back at Spirit Mountain, these two would spend most of their time outside on various tasks. Nothing about this felt unusual. In any case, they were both busy, so our conversation would probably not last long.
I smiled slightly. "Senior Sister Tian, Senior Brother Arang, I wish you both good luck. I'll get in touch again when I have some free time. See you then."
I awkwardly waved my hand and felt like two invisible figures were smiling in return. Then the vague impression of their gazes vanished, and my heart grew lighter. I wasn't sure whether the plan I came up with would work, but I felt at peace after speaking aloud what I couldn't share with anyone else.
Now I need to create an opening. Bomb Girl Verita, just wait.
***
"Ah! You came. Did you have a good night's sleep?"
I never expected to run into Verita less than a minute after leaving my room. She was standing in the hallway as if she had appeared on cue. No matter how I looked at it, she seemed to be waiting for me. No, not waiting but watching.
In any case, I smiled and waved at her. "Yes. I did."
"Hmm? I guess you did. You look in good spirits," she noted.
"Something wonderful happened. It lifted my mood."
Verita smiled slightly and walked at my right. She stayed one step behind me like a loyal aide.
"The Crimson Mace of the Seventy-Two Churches," I said while searching for a cafeteria.
"Yes?"
"That is the nickname the hero mentioned earlier, right?" I asked.
"That is what people call me," she clarified.
"Did you earn it as a heretic inquisitor?"
She nodded. "That's right. When was it? I believe I received that nickname after I killed about 100 church members."
A member of the Dark Church serving as a heretic inquisitor made little sense. Across the church and the whole empire, inquisitors clashed with the Dark Church more than any other profession.
Verita was also working as a hero. She must have killed hundreds of church members and wounded twice as many. The situation seemed odd. I had mentioned many times that the Dark Church's factions didn't get along, yet they didn’t treat each other as enemies either. They were united under the Dark Pope's command and understood that they were the empire's common enemy.
Is the Colorless faction particularly different? Maybe they are completely hostile to the Dark Church.
If that were the case, it would explain why she had killed so many church members. Of course, Verita could have simply lost her grip on reason. I had no way to know. Judging from the earlier introduction, she held a high position within the Colorless faction. The conduct of a high-ranking member usually revealed the character of the organization.
What if the Dark Church and the Colorless faction truly stand against each other? I wondered.
Or perhaps the tension hadn't reached that extent, and they simply ignored one another. In that case, Verita's presence would make me even more uneasy.
I mulled over these possibilities while stepping into the cafeteria I finally found. It would be my first meal in almost twenty-four hours, so my mouth watered at the smell of the food alone. The cafeteria used a buffet setup that reminded me of my days at the training camp. I could heap whatever I wanted into a single bowl.
There was a prejudice that buffet food lacked quality, but that idea didn't apply to the cafeteria run by the Hero Society, an organization important enough to draw the imperial family's attention. The food stood in generous mounds without losing any of its quality. In addition, the cafeteria charged nothing. Anyone with a hearty appetite would likely risk their lives to become a hero just to gain access to it.
"Oh, seafood," I blurted.
Maybe the battle with the octopus demon had stirred something in me because I was craving seafood more than usual. Hence, I loaded my plate with whatever sat nearby: grilled fish, fried fish, steamed clams, grilled clams, raw shrimp, and even octopus and squid.
I ate, cleared the plate, and refilled. I repeated the cycle until I had emptied about five plates. Only then did I look up.
Verita was looking at me with a puzzled expression, which was rare for her.
"What is it?" I asked
"Aren't you overeating?" she pointed out.
"I usually eat this much," I said flatly.
"I-I see."
"Aren't you eating too little?" I asked, eyeing her tray with only a few vegetables.
Verita replied, "This is enough for me."
The meal period drew to a close when an announcement echoed. "Broadcast from the control room. The heroes wishing to participate in the promotion trial should visit Meeting Room 7 to receive information about the third test."
The message played once and cut off.
Shouldn't they usually broadcast announcements twice? The Hero Society really shows no sense of courtesy. Still, the voice sounded familiar. It matched the hero who tried to recruit me. Was it Kyron from Beowulf?
I stuffed the last of my food into my mouth and headed for Meeting Room 7 with Verita.
As expected, Kyron was waiting inside. When we entered, he handed us a piece of paper. "This is the information about the third test."
"Ah, yes."
I took the piece of paper and read it: Promotion Test Overview – All challengers will spar with A-class heroes. Points are awarded based on performance in the sparring match. Anyone who scores more than 60 points out of 100 will pass.
I liked that the instructions were clear and concise. Even so, something felt off.
I tilted my head and asked Kyron, "Why does the test seem too easy? I can't say for sure it's easy, but the risk seems to be lower than the previous tests. At the very least, it doesn't seem like I will die."
Kyron nodded. "Yes, you won't die. However, the risk is still real."
"How so?" I asked.
"The sparring takes place in front of many heroes. What does this mean?" he asked back.
"If I lose, I get humiliated?" I speculated.
"Not quite." Kyron paused to think. He seemed unsure where he should start with giving his advice. Eventually, he continued in a somewhat stiff voice, "The Hero Society uses something called the Plus System in its ranking structure."
"Plus System?" I echoed.
"Yes. B+ or A+... Well, something like that. It marks those who have stayed at the same rank for over ten years," he replied.
I was perplexed. "Isn't that a good thing?"
"Not necessarily. For example, what comes to mind when you see C+ or D+ instead of a higher rank like A or B?"
"Uh, that..."
I paused, and Kyron continued, "If you have been stuck at a low rank for years, you naturally won't have a good reputation within the Hero Society. Apart from consistency or diligence, their skills show no real progress. However, less than 5% of B-class heroes move up to A-class. Most retire as B-class or face demotion.
"A hero either rises to A-class or stays in B-class for life. That truth is harsh, but the likely outcome often becomes clear during the very first promotion test. The observing heroes have sharp eyes and thoroughly assess every challenger's abilities. If you don't perform exceptionally well here, you may stay a B-class for the rest of your life."
I tried to figure out what he wanted me to understand, though it didn't really matter to me. Passing the test with the cut-off line of sixty points would be enough for me. As long as I became a B-class hero, I could enjoy most of the benefits of a hero that I wanted.
Apart from that... I shifted my attention to the test outline. Knowing that I would be sparring with A-class heroes, I felt relieved that I had already formed a plan for how to handle Verita. I had no sense of an A-class hero's true strength, but I knew that it was impossible for me to win without sustaining a single injury.
"When does this sparring start?" I asked.
"It starts at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow. We will decide the order then," Kyron replied.
"I understand." I nodded to Kyron, crumpled the paper, slipped it into my pocket, and left the room.
Eventually, I left the Hero Society's headquarters and entered Teper.
Naturally, Verita trailed behind me with a puzzled look, but she asked nothing about my destination. Her restraint made the walk easy. Before long, I entered a forest that we had passed yesterday by carriage. Even during the day, the place felt empty .
I stood with my back to one of the particularly large trees in the forest, faced Verita, and showed her the Yin-Yang Dao at my waist. "Do you know what this is?"
Verita quickly nodded. "Of course! It is one of the three divine artifacts of the Judge, right?"
The Judge. She's likely referring to Senior Brother He Lou. The three so-called divine artifacts must be the Yin-Yang Dao, the Breaking Wood Sword, and the Wind and Thunder Halberd.
"Good. You know it. Then watch closely." I ignored her growing confusion, held the Yin-Yang Dao, and set my plan in motion.
The next moment, I drove its blade through the back of my hand. The cold steel pierced through and pushed out from my palm. It naturally hurt, but it was bearable.
My calm expression contrasted with Verita's bulging eyes. It was as if the blade had gone through her hand instead of mine.
"Uhhhh? W-wait, wait, wait a minute. What is going on... Huh? Uh? Huuh?"
I smiled as I studied Verita's face. Now, how is she going to act?
Verita flicked her gaze between my face and my pierced hand. "Uh, uhh, gasp, cough, gaassssp...?"
Her expression kept changing constantly in a violent churn of confusion, sadness, disbelief, self-loathing, and anger. Then her eyes rolled back, foam gathered at her mouth, and she fainted.
"I didn't expect this..."