The growing chaos. The paladins blatantly blocking the roads, and the guards pushing them back.
If the Imperial Knights show up, this place will turn into a massacre, and when that happens, the confusion will only intensify.
Then where exactly was Kult, who had been making such a noisy show of mobilizing people?
Think. I have to think.
Plans or not, it means nothing if I can’t pinpoint that bastard’s location.
“All the paladins blocking the roads are just for distraction. Kult isn’t in any of those places.”
I unfolded the map and examined it.
At a glance, the paladins blocking roads by the block made it seem like they were protecting something.
But against the Imperial Knights, they were powerless.
He couldn’t use tactics like hiding the real one among the fakes.
Regardless of troop quality, everything would be breached and quickly at that.
So all of this was just a ploy to divert attention.
– He won’t be there.
“I know.”
– If it’s all a ruse, why bother checking the map?
“Have you heard the saying, ‘It’s darkest under the lamp’?”
– First time hearing it.
“It means it’s harder to find something close by than something far away.”
– Hmm… Then you think he might be hiding near, but not directly in, the areas they’re blocking?
“Yes.”
That’s why I was checking the paladins’ positions one by one.
I had to find a place nearby where Kult might realistically be hiding.
“This is…”
– Ho? Looks like that prophet bastard is one step ahead of you. You’ve been dancing in his palm.
“I know.”
I rolled up the map and tucked it back into my coat.
After reviewing the paladins’ deployment and scouting the surrounding areas…
I realized every paladin was positioned with their backs to locations perfect for hiding.
There were knights blocking a total of thirty sections, and near each of them were locations well-suited for someone to hide or conduct a ritual.
He had been played.
It was as if Kult was mocking anyone who reached the same conclusion as him.
And what made it worse was that those spots were all too difficult to ignore.
– A trap aimed squarely at overthinkers like you. So, what will you do? Planning to report it to the Imperial Knights?
“No. They don’t act unless there’s a clearly defined threat.”
The Imperial Knights were strong.
And precisely because of that, they only moved when a threat was clear.
Some might call it cold-hearted, but they were elite forces. There simply wasn’t time for them to investigate every uncertain lead.
– Then should we just ignore all of them?
“…We don’t have time to check every location.”
– What if Kult is at one of them? That’d be a disaster, wouldn’t it?
“Why are you trying to shake me even more, Scriptwriter?”
– Because it’s fun.
“You damned senile old bastard.”
– I hear that a lot.
The Scriptwriter truly maintained the stance of a complete bystander.
“This part, I’ll leave to Cattleya.”
So for now, I had to wait for Yuna to return.
If it was Cattleya, she’d probably send Yuna back with something like a silver mirror.
And even if she didn’t, Yuna would likely bring one herself.
We thought alike, so even without saying a word, I believe she’d take care of it on her own.
– Getting anxious?
“Of course I am.”
– Still, trying to assess the situation calmly isn’t a bad thing. That’s a virtue of a researcher.
“Is that so.”
– Then shall I tell you an interesting story?
“Let’s hear it.”
– Do you know the saying, ‘It’s always darkest under the lamp’?
“Wasn’t I the one who said that?”
– Exactly. You said it. That’s why I’m saying it to you.
“What the….”
I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of nonsense he was spouting, but suddenly, I was at a loss for words.
Darkest under the lamp.
Why was he saying that to me?
No matter how self-centered the Scriptwriter might be, he wouldn’t quote someone else just to say something meaningless.
– Most inventions begin with coincidence. It’s only when a self-evident premise collapses that one truly begins to see.
A self-evident premise collapses.
Was he suggesting that what I should be thinking about now isn’t Kult’s plan, but the hidden side of my own?
Or was he referring to the plan itself?
That was already as good as ruined the moment it began.
Who could’ve predicted Kult would gouge out his own eyes?
– And the moment doubt begins to sprout, the things you couldn’t see before start coming into view.
What am I missing?
The premise I took for granted.
I retrace every moment up until now.
Before the two of Kult’s substitutes drove away the night with light, and the paladins began causing chaos by blocking the path.
Before we escaped the mansion and before Lobelia and Oracle started tailing the substitutes.
Kult and we had already fought.
The result was our complete defeat.
And the biggest reason was that we failed to realize Yuna’s presence had already been exposed.
– That moment must not be overlooked.
Kult had already realized that Yuna was the Safe Clown and that she was moving around near me.
If that’s the case, what if…
“This bastard, don’t tell me…”
– Figured it out?
What if he had known about my second plan and even used it against me?
I turned my head and looked up at the place I had escaped from.
The Hereticus Marquisate.
Now, it was a desolate, abandoned place with not a soul in sight.
“So it really was darkest under the lamp.”
When Kult turned away without killing me or Yuna, he had pulled up his hood and looked ready to leave, almost theatrically.
Yeah, we saw only that and believed he’d left the mansion.
But I hadn’t escaped his awareness, not at all. He’d only led us to believe that.
“He really played me…”
Kult had never left the Marquis’ mansion since then.
– Well, looks like your dilemma’s resolved. So, back to what we were saying earlier. How exactly do you know the future?
“No, this is urgent. Let’s save that for later. I told you, I’ll explain after this is over.”
– Playing hard to get, huh?
***
A divine power so bright it was almost blinding.
At its center stood the one who bore the eyes of the Prophet, surrounded by knights and priests in battle formation.
Lobelia let out a sigh as she looked at them.
Crack!
At that moment, an arrow dropped in front of her.
It was shot by Stan.
After checking the note tied to the arrow, Lobelia muttered in disbelief,
“It’s a trap. What a pain.”
“Looks like we walked right into it, huh?”
Ariel who was standing beside her let out a small chuckle.
“It’s not exactly rare. So then…”
“Shall we break through like usual?”
Ariel responded as if reading Lobelia’s mind.
Lobelia looked at her and slowly summoned her Red Lightning.
“Yeah. As fast as possible.”
Crackle!
With a flash of lightning, Lobelia launched herself straight into the heart of the enemy lines. The primary target was obvious.
“Let’s see that face first.”
Having broken through to the enemy’s center at an unexpected moment, Lobelia swung her arm fiercely.
Whoosh!
The wind, infused with thunder, whipped into a gale and revealed the figure of the double who had been hiding all this time.
“…Huh.”
When Lobelia saw his face, she instinctively faltered.
The other party was a child who looked fragile.
Even considering he was a substitute for Kult, he was far too young.
What’s more, possibly due to the forcibly implanted Prophet’s Eyes, there were fractures spreading around the area near his eyes.
The child probably wouldn’t last long.
The Prophet’s power was too overwhelming. Others simply couldn’t endure it.
He was likely feeling pain as if his entire body was being torn apart.
“Why go that far…?”
But when Lobelia looked at the child’s face, she could tell. It had been the child’s own decision.
Though she’d fought countless enemies, this was a rare case.
Had the child acted out of hostility, she might have understood.
But the child showed not even a trace of enmity.
He simply stood there, like some sort of symbol.
“Did you hate the world that much? Enough to bear such agony?”
“Because I’m sad…”
The child answered.
Their voice was hollow and heavy.
“I’m just… too sad to bear it.”
The fractures spreading from around his eyes looked almost like tears.
“The day my parents were murdered… I lost all meaning in life.”
“So you’re just going to throw your life away that easily? That’s far too reckless. You’re still—”
“Did you know?”
The child had lost his parents.
They were robbers.
“Not everyone can bring themselves to hate their enemies.”
But the child didn’t know how to hate anyone.
He didn’t know how to hold a grudge.
“The sadness I feel is deeper than hatred, so I just…”
The boy could only suffer. He could only hold himself together.
“I wish for a happy world. A world where no one suffers like I do. If I have to break myself to make that happen, then I don’t mind.”
The child had decided to burn himself away to realize that ideal.
Rather than live for hatred and revenge, he chose to strive for a better world.
And even now, with Lobelia standing before him, nothing had changed.
The child didn’t know how to fight.
He was simply protecting and shielding everyone with the power of the Prophet.
“Because I believe the Prophet will create that kind of world.”
“I see…”
Lobelia tightly shut her eyes.
He was a difficult opponent to fight. Especially because he held no hostility.
The child was more like a sacrificial lamb who had climbed the altar on his own.
“This is going to be a painful battle.”
Killing the child would be easy.
No matter how powerful the Prophet’s strength was, even if everyone here came at her at once, it wouldn’t be enough to stop Lobelia.
At most, it might buy them some time.
.
Lobelia knew that too. So she’d planned to end things in the shortest time possible.
But now, she had abandoned that idea.
“Still, this too is the duty of the imperial family.”
She would save the child.
Subdue him without killing.
Rescue the little lamb who knew not how to hate, who only dreamed of happiness, and who willingly stepped onto the altar.
If she couldn’t take responsibility for even one child like that, she had no right to become Emperor.
“It’s an obvious ploy, but fine. I’ll play along, Kult.”
For the child’s sake, Lobelia chose to take the longer path.
***
At the same time—
The Oracle was facing a completely different situation from Lobelia.
“Die, Prophet!”
“Ugh!”
The Oracle’s opponent was the embodiment of a cult fanatic.
Aggressive, arrogant, and relentlessly persistent.
At this rate, there’s no way I can escape!
The Prophet’s other double who had thrown off his hood was a paladin clad in armor beneath.
Receiving the support of overwhelming divine power, the paladin closed in, trying to prevent the Oracle from fleeing.
“This power! This omnipotence! The Prophet has chosen me!”
The Oracle was someone gifted enough to foresee the future, but she couldn’t be called skilled in battle.
She was strong in her own right, but not to the exceptional level of someone like Lobelia or Ariel.
“You’re persistent!”
The Oracle kept hurling cards in an attempt to keep her opponent at bay.
Each card, infused with mana, did little more than push the attacker back slightly.
Even that meant nothing against someone wielding the Prophet’s power.
Wounds aside, even damaged armor reverted to its original state, leaving the Oracle feeling increasingly frustrated.
“Hff!”
She needed a big hit.
While continuously throwing cards to hinder her opponent’s approach, the Oracle began preparing a high-powered spell.
The spell she completed was an advanced one: [Hellfire].
It was a spell known only for its overwhelming firepower. But that single trait alone was enough to classify it as advanced magic due to the complexity required to produce it.
Fwoosh!
A massive fireball, conjured by the Oracle, hurtled toward the knight.
Boom!
With the impact of [Hellfire], a massive explosion erupted.
For a moment, the fire spread as though it would keep expanding endlessly.
Whoooooooooosh!
But then, the flames and shockwaves that had surged outward were sucked back toward the origin point, as though collapsing in on themselves.
An advanced destructive spell that slams all its overwhelming firepower into a single spot.
“Now’s my chance…”
But there was no way something like this would be enough to defeat the enemy.
The Prophet’s power would keep restoring the cult member to his original state.
She couldn’t kill him.
So she had to retreat. After all, this wasn’t the real Prophet she was facing.
Staying here any longer would be a waste of time.
However…
“I won’t let you escape!”
“You really are persistent.”
The problem was that the opponent’s entire purpose seemed to be built around that very “waste of time”.
Even with half of his body melted away, he charged at the Oracle again.
“Do you truly intend to chase me until the moment you die?”
The Oracle couldn’t help but sense that this battle was far from over.
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