I got completely wrecked.
Well, I already knew that, but no matter how determined I was, there’s no way I could beat the Great Sage…
It’s only natural. It’s exactly what I expected.
I lay there for a while, feeling the cold of the dirt beneath me, before pushing myself back up.
“Phew……”
Come to think of it, don’t I go through way more than most protagonists?
Back then, it was mostly just mental suffering, but lately it’s been both physical and mental.
At this point, by Cradle standards, it’s just a minor injury.
If it gets any worse, it’ll count as a serious injury. And in Cradle terms, that’s basically life-threatening for an ordinary person.
“Will you continue?”
“You seem awfully relaxed.”
“That’s because I hold you in high regard. I still don’t welcome the idea of fighting you. So how about you start reconsidering? Shouldn’t you respect Ollie’s own choice?”
“If people only respected each other’s choices, the world would’ve ended already. If you’re going to say that, Great Sage, shouldn’t you also respect the Emperor’s will?”
“I see. Are you saying that as long as people are looking in different directions, conflict is inevitable?”
“Something like that.”
It wasn’t anything that grand, but it was close enough.
“Then, Johan Damus. If you and I cannot look in the same direction, you understand how I’ll have to respond, don’t you?”
“……”
I briefly scanned my surroundings.
The Guillotine Knights were still standing strong.
More importantly, the only ones who had actually been trading blows were me and the Great Sage.
These bastards… their strategist is out here fighting on the front lines and they’re just watching?
Well, whatever. This isn’t the time for an all-out war with Under Chain anyway.
This was supposed to be preliminary negotiations.
Of course, now that negotiations have broken down, a full-scale conflict is unavoidable.
But not here.
Since the Great Sage showed up already aware of our plans, even if it looks like we have the advantage, there’s a good chance we actually don’t.
“……”
I gestured behind me, stopping the knights who were starting to step forward.
Even if I look completely battered and pathetic right now, my fighting spirit hasn’t gone out yet.
…No, honestly, it has. I’m just trying not to show it.
.
For now, that’s enough.
Yeah…
“If you choose to become my enemy, then I can no longer afford to show you mercy.”
A black flame quietly began to burn above the Great Sage’s hand.
The power he prepared after finally deciding to acknowledge me as an enemy and kill me.
A curse of instant death, conjured through dark magic to ensure my demise.
I had no intention of just taking it.
In the end, I might still get hit. But I had to at least show that I tried to avoid it.
“Hup!”
I moved with everything I had to dodge the incoming flame, and the moment I saw it barely graze past me—
“This…!”
The flame that had clearly passed by me appeared right in front of me again.
I had forgotten.
The most fundamental aspect of the Great Sage’s ability. Circulation.
It moves in a circle.
On a large scale, it can seem like teleportation. On a smaller scale, it’s like the arc of something thrown.
“Not yet!”
I raised my sword.
The struggle wasn’t over. I wasn’t going to just stand there and take it.
The ability [Thought Split] was pushing my mind harder than ever.
Tzzzt!
In an instant, a complete aura formed along my blade.
A power that normally required total concentration to create. I brought it forth in a heartbeat.
Whoosh!
I swung my sword.
And the moment the fist-sized curse, shimmering like starlight, touched the blade—
“Huh?”
The curse simply slipped through the sword and seeped into my body.
In that fleeting instant,
My consciousness went dark.
***
“Ghk!”
When I came to, I saw a familiar ceiling.
“Ha… did it work?”
Seeing that I’d woken up somewhere other than heaven, in the Misfits’ hideout….I must not be dead yet.
“Teacher, you’ve finally reached the point of throwing away your own body, haven’t you?”
“This time, I can’t deny it.”
As expected of Helena’s divine power.
It may not be able to repair damage to the soul, but it seems it can easily erase something like a curse.
Of course, if I had died instantly from the curse, there wouldn’t have been anything she could do.
“I survived by building up resistance, drinking wine filled with curses in advance.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Helena, when you say it like that, it makes me question whether I’m alive or dead, so could you not?”
“You almost died, Teacher.”
“I know. But I held on, and you healed me, right?”
“If it had been four seconds later, you would’ve died.”
“…That was cutting it close.”
I’d been fairly confident, but it seems the Great Sage’s curse was far more powerful than I expected.
“It wasn’t just ‘cutting it close’.”
An unexpected voice cut in.
“Oracle…?”
“If I hadn’t moved you, you wouldn’t have made it here. You would’ve died.”
“How did you even… no, more importantly, did you know this would happen?”
“Yes, of course I did.”
“……”
So that means she knew the countdown to my death had already started?
“You could’ve told me in advance.”
“I didn’t want to introduce variables. Just telling you what I saw would’ve drastically changed the future.”
“Like a butterfly effect?”
“Yes. And in your case, you’re especially full of variables.”
“I see.”
There’s a saying. If you want to deceive the enemy, deceive your allies first.
If I think of what Oracle did this time like that, it makes sense.
Well, I’m not blaming her.
I’m not so shameless as to demand repayment after being saved from drowning.
“What about the others?”
“Yuna isn’t here yet. That’s probably because… um…”
“It’s Alice.”
“Oh, right. Alice showed up by literally crossing space itself.”
“Wait, then how long was I out?”
“Not that long, I think?”
“Roughly five minutes.”
Helena scratched her cheek while Oracle gave a precise answer.
Come to think of it, factoring in the time I’ve been awake and talking…
Does that mean it took about three minutes for the curse to actually kill me…?
There was no point in building up immunity. Or rather… maybe it’s more accurate to say that thanks to it, I barely avoided instant death.
“With Yuna’s speed, she should arrive within ten minutes.”
“Probably.”
If it’s Yuna, she’s definitely rushing over at full speed. Even if everything was planned, actually seeing me collapse from a curse wouldn’t sit well with her.
“Johan!”
“Speak of the devil.”
“Then I’ll step out. I’d rather not get caught between the two of you and make things troublesome for myself.”
“Oh, yeah? Anyway, thanks.”
“No need. The harder you work, the easier things are for me, so it’s not like I’m losing anything.”
“So you’re the type who can’t just take a compliment as a compliment.”
“……”
Crash!
Oracle shot me an annoyed glance, then vanished from sight as usual.
Seriously, she’s always so dramatic when she moves.
“Johan!”
“Oh, Yuna. You’re here. Want some water first?”
Yuna who was panting stared at me for a moment then lowered her head.
“I’m just glad you’re safe.”
“I told you beforehand. It was all part of the plan. Don’t worry.”
As I reassured her, I shot Helena a glance.
It meant “Don’t mention that I nearly died because I miscalculated.”
Helena let out a deep sigh but nodded.
“But don’t push yourself like that again, okay?”
“If there’s a ‘next time’, that’s a problem in itself.”
It was a once-in-a-lifetime gamble.
I had no intention of doing something like that twice.
“With this, I’m officially a dead man.”
Faust is wary of me.
Just like the other final boss candidates were.
Up until now, I’d relied on catching them off guard or exploiting openings but Faust is different.
Our compatibility is terrible from the start.
I can’t land a meaningful hit unless I catch him off guard, while Faust possesses an overwhelmingly versatile power.
Faust has no weaknesses.
If there is one, it would be the innate limit of his output. But even that isn’t much of an exception for me.
Even if Faust’s output is considered on the weaker side, it’s still enough to easily overwhelm me.
That was clear in the battle just a few minutes ago. I couldn’t even touch a single hair on the Great Sage’s head.
“This was the best way to lower his guard.”
To deal with someone like the Great Sage, I had to become a dead man from the start.
Only then could I create an opening in that unshakable consciousness.
“Now then, Yuna. From here on, your role is especially important.”
“I know. It’s my specialty, right?”
“As expected, you get it without me having to say anything.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Yuna nodded repeatedly, then quietly closed her eyes.
And a few seconds later, when she opened them, her expression had changed so drastically it was hard to believe she was the same person.
“Is this expression good enough?”
“…Perfect.”
The emotion in her eyes was filled with deep despair and sorrow. Anyone would think I was truly dead.
“At this rate, shouldn’t we just go kill that damn bastard?”
“Uh, yeah…”
Was it because her emotional acting had deepened?
I could feel an intense killing intent from Yuna directed at Faust.
It was suffocating.
“But Johan, are you sure about this? We don’t know what Count Python is thinking.”
“True, that is a problem.”
He’s almost certainly the one who leaked our plan to Under Chain.
There’s no one else who would have done it.
“For now, could you find out what Count Python is up to? And it’d be better if you avoided coming to see me for a while.”
“Got it. I just need to pass things through Ms. Cattleya, right?”
“Exactly.”
From here on, I’ll be moving alone.
If I stay with the people I usually travel with, Faust might realize I’m still alive.
So it’s best to avoid contact with others for the time being.
If there’s anyone I can meet, it would be the Oracle with spatial movement abilities.
Until she returns, I shouldn’t leave this estate.
Of course, this place is dangerous too.
Faust has come all the way here before.
But that part isn’t a problem.
I took out Mistiltein, which I had tucked inside my coat, and spoke.
“What’s the situation like?”
“Two new fawns were just born in the forest. They’re incredibly cute!”
“I was asking if Faust or anyone suspicious has approached.”
“Aren’t the people gathered here the most suspicious?”
“Well, that’s…”
It was unsettling how she wasn’t wrong.
There really was no one more suspicious than the people gathered here.
“I was just asking if there’s anyone else around.”
“There isn’t!”
So there’s no one. In any case, this area is within the World Tree’s domain, so if anyone appears, it should be noticed immediately.
“Well then, that means the preparations are complete.”
I had already found out where the Under Chain’s headquarters was through Theseus.
More precisely, it would be accurate to say I narrowed it down based on his clear movements and the speed at which he traveled.
After narrowing the range like that, I factored in the terrain and selected possible locations, making it easy to determine where the Under Chain’s headquarters was.
“This is my first time infiltrating.”
So I’m going to infiltrate the Under Chain’s headquarters and bring Ollie back.
Faust won’t be standing guard there 24/7, so I just need to wait for the right opportunity.
More precisely, if an attack comes from elsewhere, he’ll have no choice but to leave his post to deal with it.
“I wonder if I can pull this off.”
This is essentially a smash-and-grab.
Of course, there’s still some unease.
Even if Faust isn’t there, the Under Chain’s headquarters will surely be crawling with dark mages.
I’ll have to deceive their eyes, infiltrate, and find Ollie, all while wandering through a vast expanse of gravestones that seems to stretch on endlessly.
Is something like that even possible?
More than anything, is it even possible to move around without being detected?
“If it’s you, Johan, you can do it. You’re my disciple.”
“…Right. I have to do this well. I’m a disciple of the Safe Clown, after all. I need to succeed, if only to live up to my master’s reputation.”
“Puhihihi!”
Yuna laughed as she always did.
However, because of the act, her eyes were still lifeless, which made her a little frightening.
***
The Imperial Palace.
Veil Python was having a private audience with Emperor Abraham.
“Then, Your Majesty, it seems my work is now complete.”
For Abraham’s sake, he had merged and absorbed the empire’s criminal organizations.
Now that he had expanded his influence and even brought the underworld syndicates under control, all that remained was cleanup.
To carry out that cleanup, Veil Python had dirtied his hands with all manner of foul deeds.
Surely, he himself was the greatest evil that ought to be erased from the empire.
Even so, there was still something left for Veil Python to do.
“I see. You’ve worked hard all this time.”
“Now, as promised, please grant me a fleeting moment of freedom.”
“Granted.”
Veil Python would die. He had created the trash can, and he himself had to serve as its lid.
A man classified as one who must die according to Abraham’s plan.
Even so, the reason he cooperated with Abraham’s plan was because he lacked the power to resist.
Of course, that didn’t mean he hadn’t struggled against his destined death. He had simply failed.
“Veil Python.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Has your thinking remained unchanged even now?”
“Of course.”
Veil Python raised his head and met the emperor’s gaze directly.
For a man as timid and cowardly as he was, that alone required considerable courage.
But he did not waver.
The man like a snake. The vile and wicked snake made his declaration.
“I still believe that the one who should have sat on that throne was His Highness Loki. That belief has not changed, even now that he is gone.”
Even if a snake sheds its skin, does it cease to be a snake?
A snake cannot become a dragon.
But…
“Just as someone as foolish and inadequate as I was able to restore my family to prominence, I believe His Highness Loki would have become a more excellent emperor than anyone else.”
Even a snake is not forbidden from dreaming of ascension.
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