“If that’s the case… then the possibility is more than enough…”
Indeed, the suspect Derman had a face covered in burn scars. His past appearance was completely unrecognizable.
“A half-brother… he must have been a disgrace to the family…”
“But he had a talent that Viscount Volletic lacked.”
“…Exceptional combat instincts. And a natural affinity for mana.”
“Yes. On top of that, most of the former Viscount’s power lay with his wife.”
“Her family had considerable influence. But there were strong rumors at the time about the lady’s affair….so strong they were almost considered reality.”
“Yes. And if those rumors were true…”
“The Viscounty’s political power would’ve greatly diminished.”
In fact, at that time, the Volletic family’s influence had significantly declined.
Since they had been pouring their connections into the tourism business, it must have been a tremendous disgrace among the nobility.
Fortunately, the scandal was buried when Derman, the central figure, was reported dead.
“There was also a shortage of knights worthy of trust and service at the time.”
“So… he took in his younger brother?”
“Yes. Derman probably had no other choice back then. He had lost his face and had nowhere to go.”
As if listening to a well-constructed deduction, the pieces were falling into place.
“If Derman holds such a position…”
“He would be more than susceptible to the Heavenly Church’s temptation.”
“Exactly…”
If that’s the case, then it would somewhat explain why the corrupted spirit that appeared as a boss monster in the game had Derman’s portrait.
That corrupted spirit’s host must have been Derman.
Of course, this isn’t certain either. It could all be a complete misfire on my part. But what if I’m right?
And Jun’s hypothesis was plausible enough that even Dexter found himself deep in thought.
If that assumption turned out to be true…
“The world must not look very beautiful from his perspective.”
He needed to confirm this information as soon as possible.
Having made up his mind, Dexter sprang to his feet.
“I’ll look into this matter myself immediately. However…”
Could the incident Jun spoke of happen in the very near future?
It was a natural concern for Dexter to have.
Even Jun, who knew the game’s storyline, couldn’t give a confident answer on that part.
The story’s already twisted beyond recognition. I can’t even begin to explain it clearly anymore.
In fact, hadn’t the imperial family already confirmed the existence of the Heavenly Church?
No one could predict how those growing desperate might act in response.
“Haah. There’s no point in worrying about it now. I’ll move first.”
“Understood.”
“And if… this incident is resolved well too…”
“……”
“I’ll show you just how generous the imperial family can be.”
“I only did what needed to be done.”
Even though he was the one who said it, the words felt empty and emotionless but what could he do?
It’s not like he could just say, “I’m looking forward to it.”
“……”
Still, there was no stopping the corners of his lips from curling up into a smile.
***
Dexter acted swiftly once he made his decision.
“Since I’m already here, I’d like to meet those who protect this beautiful land every year.”
“W-Wait… Are you serious?”
At Dexter’s words, Viscount Volletic’s smile practically reached the ceiling.
With Count Mordernain’s attention recently focused on that ridiculous White Whale Group or whatever, the fact that the First Prince himself was showing interest?
“If you and the Heavenly Dragon Knights give them your blessing, it would lift the raid team’s morale tremendously! It would be the honor of our house!”
“No need to go that far. It’s men like you, gathering one by one, who form the pillars of the Empire. The honor is mine as well.”
“Ahh!”
At the same time, he had discreetly deployed forces to the front lines in case something unexpected happened.
There was still some time left before the raid was set to begin.
In the meantime, Jun explained the situation to his teammates.
“What? Something’s going to happen in a place that looks this peaceful?”
At this point, isn’t he just a walking disaster magnet?
Eleanor said it with a thought Jun would’ve been horrified to hear but her expression was just as serious.
She, after all, was one of the people who had nearly fallen victim to the Heavenly Church’s schemes more than once.
“Then… what would be the best way for us to move?”
“We can’t make any noticeable moves just yet. If possible, it’d be best for you all to stay close to the princes.”
“What about you, senior?”
“I’ve skipped out plenty of times under the pretense of magic research, remember?”
Unless it was a truly critical moment, Jun had often stepped away under such pretenses.
“Will you be alright?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be assigning the Black Guard to my personal protection. It should be more than enough.”
“Hmm.”
Aiden, who had always fought on the front lines, felt uneasy about Jun moving separately, especially since he was someone they needed to protect.
But there was no helping it.
Given the nature of the situation, Jun’s role was far too important.
“Understood.”
“I hope nothing happens… but still, take this chance to observe how the Heavenly Dragon Knights operate.”
They’re the imperial family’s direct guard unit, after all.
There would be a lot Aiden could learn by being near them.
“But leader, are you sure you can handle this alone? This place is ridiculously huge.”
“There are ways. Not completely hopeless.”
In fact, he’d already come up with a few plans.
Considering the island’s about half the size of Jeju… yeah, it won’t be easy.
For an average mage, maybe.
But Jun was a mage who had prepared, one might even say obsessively, for the threats that lay ahead.
I originally developed this to hunt the original Poison Master… couldn’t finish it back then, though.
Only recently had it finally started to bear fruit.
“Anyway, you don’t need to worry about this side. Just remember, your mission is actually heavier, since you’re responsible for protecting the imperial family.”
“Understood.”
With Maya’s response, Jun and his teammates began their preparations to move.
***
Leader of Viscount Volletic’s elite raid unit, Derman.
They seemed to have just finished a battle, resting now in an underwater cave prepared nearby.
Despite being submerged, they moved through the water as if it were their own home. A true display of their veteran skill.
“What’s the current status?”
“Proceeding without any unexpected variables, just like in previous years.”
“You’re collecting all the materials as well?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Then take your rest. We’ll finish the remaining reports once we hear back from the other teams.”
“Yes.”
With that, he stood and naturally made his way out of the underwater cave.
“Haa…”
Was it the recent battle?
The bandages covering his face fluttered gently in the current.
“……”
The bandages slowly began to unravel.
As he watched them drift lazily into the darkness with the flow of the water, he raised a hand to his face.
– If you want to survive, this is the only way.
The image of acid splashing onto his face….no matter how much time passed, it never faded.
Even now, it still surfaced in his dreams.
He felt no pain. He was floating in the frigid sea. And yet, why did it still feel like his face was melting?
“…….?”
That’s when it happened.
The bandage, which had floated off into the distance, began to slither its way back toward him.
It looked almost as if it were swimming against the current.
And when it finally reached him—
There were letters on it. Letters that hadn’t been there before.
“I knew a day like this would come.”
His entire life had been about survival.
He wasn’t even the Viscount’s illegitimate son but the illegitimate son of the Viscount’s wife.
His very existence had dragged filth straight into the family name.
He had struggled desperately to survive, squeezing through any cracks he could find—
But the only future he could imagine was a single one.
Death.
That was why he had to force himself into action—
So that Viscount Volletic, his own brother, wouldn’t dare turn his eyes elsewhere.
But due to an accident he had suffered in childhood,
He hadn’t even been able to fully develop the talents he once possessed.
And in the end, he went down a path he never should have taken.
“Even so… I didn’t expect it to come so suddenly.”
He pulled something out from the end of the bandage.
And after tucking it into his chest, Derman let the bandage drift back into the current.
The bandage once again carried away by the flow of providence.
Inside it was a message:
– Prepare yourself.
A command from that one. A command that could never be defied.
***
“What a peaceful view.”
The scenery was straight out of a tropical resort.
The sky was impossibly clear, and the sea utterly calm.
In a place like this, sitting alone and pondering what kind of disaster might strike—
It felt absurdly out of place.
No matter how hard I try to focus, my mind keeps drifting to flowers and sunshine…
If he were being objective, it wasn’t as if the Heavenly Church was about to bare its fangs right this second.
Which meant that what he was doing now… was, in a way, bordering on paranoia.
But with the First Prince finally starting to move, it does feel like something big is about to happen.
He hadn’t yet informed the Heavenly Dragon Knights of this situation—
But already, the tense air surrounding Dexter, who now moved with a hardened expression,
had spread to the rest of the order, putting everyone on edge.
Maybe that heavy atmosphere had rubbed off on him too—
Because thankfully, Jun had finally managed to concentrate on predicting the Heavenly Church’s next moves.
Strictly speaking, those “few years” were only the in-game timeline.
The Heavenly Church, once it made a move, never looked back. They just acted.’
Now even a rampage from the Poison Master, something that hadn’t happened in the original game, had occurred.
With two members of the imperial family gathered here, there was no way they’d want to miss this moment.
Which means, chances are, they’re going to strike hard right around now.
The Heavenly Church that Jun remembered from the game was nothing short of relentless and utterly vicious.
Honestly, even when the Poison Master went on a rampage, it just felt like they were using him as a test subject.
They had spent ten whole years raising the Poison Master, only to burn through him like that.
If they’d just invested a bit more, they could’ve gotten a solid return out of it.
It was probably because of that so-called “rule” they follow… but in reality, there are plenty among them who aren’t bound by it.
Most notably, there were figures like the Old Crone and the Butcher Monk, whom he’d encountered earlier.
Even now, the Butcher Monk was a level-7 fighter but later, he would become a powerhouse at level 8.
In the game, if you ran into the Butcher Monk before he’d finished growing, it was nothing short of a disaster.
But what if… the Heavenly Church decided to play that kind of card?
I really don’t want to think about it.
Just a moment ago, this island had looked like a perfect tropical getaway—
So why did the scenery suddenly feel so eerie?
That was when it happened.
“Hey, Jun. What’s got you looking so serious?”
The voice came from behind him. It was Thaerdin, the commander of the Blackguard Knights.
“Oh, Commander Thaerdin. When did you get here?”
“Just came back from patrol.”
“Haha, I see… It’s nothing, really.”
“Hmm…”
The truth was, Thaerdin was also well aware that the First Prince’s current demeanor was quite grave.
Even if the Blackguard Knights were far removed from politics, he was still the commander of a knightly order.
So there is something going on that I don’t know about.
It stung a little that Jun wasn’t sharing it with him, but he couldn’t blame him.
The Blackguard Knights can’t afford to be completely at ease either.
Wasn’t there even a former Blackguard who had once cooperated with the Heavenly Church?
He had no choice but to accept reality.
“Anyway, it’s about to begin.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Look over there.”
At Thaerdin’s sudden gesture, Jun turned to look in the indicated direction. He activated [Keen Eyesight].
“The Sea God’s Wrath is…”
“Gathering, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.”
The sea storm, which had been relatively calm before, was now raging violently and sucking everything in like a black hole.
“That’s the signal that the raid party has encountered the Sea Serpent.”
In other words, the raid was nearing its end.
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