There was no other solution to the airhead issue.
All that needed to be done was to make her study.
The real problem, however, was that it would take a considerable amount of time and effort to teach someone who didn’t even know the meaning of the word “synthesis”.
In that case, it would be better for me to just do the research myself and carry out the synthesis on my own.
As for the money, the Cradle would probably cover it. How much it would cost wasn’t my concern.
Still, just in case…
“If you don’t mind, could I administer a quick intelligence test?”
“That would be rude.”
“I see.”
Alright, time to give up.
If she was both stupid and stubborn, it would take an eternity just to teach her.
“Well then, I’ll be on my way. I’ll call Melana in for you, so please take good care of her. Yes.”
What a waste of time.
I should just go back and lock myself up in the workshop. Once Ariel returned, I could study some illusion magic too.
Busy, busy.
“Oh my, you’re not leaving together?”
“I’ve got work to do.”
“Will you really be alright?”
“…What do you mean?”
“I will help you. But I can’t guarantee the result will be perfect.”
Tillis naturally poured more tea into the cup in front of me.
It meant the conversation wasn’t over yet.
“Considering the scale of this incident, I’ll have to use quite a bit of power.”
“……”
“As the Judge, I’ll probably end up committing indiscriminate slaughter. But making an exception for just one person…? Especially among the believers of Eden, all of whom possess the same holy power?”
“…Isn’t that something the Saintess is more than capable of?”
“But it won’t be easy.”
This wasn’t about whether it was possible or not.
Even if Tillis could do it, the odds were high she wouldn’t draw any distinctions.
However, the very fact that she bothered to explain it meant that if I went with her, the outcome might be different.
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“If you want my full cooperation, try doing what you did last time.”
“…Huh?”
“I’m saying you should come up with an efficient method. Like how you prepared to stop me back then.”
“……”
“I want to see that side of you again.”
Come to think of it, there was that time I hid myself in the ashes and drove a dagger straight at the space between Tillis’s brows.
Naturally, she blocked it, but she hadn’t noticed anything until the strike actually came. For her, that must’ve been a pretty unusual experience. After all, she got caught off guard by someone as weak as me.
“…I’ll have to refuse. It’s not something I’m desperate enough to risk that kind of danger for.”
Did I really need to put myself in danger just to save Jeff?
For Melana’s request?
That was ridiculous.
And it was hard to read Tillis’s intentions, too. Was there even any reason for her to attach such a condition?
Something about it just didn’t sit right with me.
“So, you’re abandoning the hostage?”
“No, I’m not the one abandoning him, am I?”
Don’t talk like I’m the one trying to do something evil.
This wasn’t evil. It was just the thinking of an average citizen.
“But isn’t refusing to save someone you could save also a form of evil?”
Creeeak!
Was it just my imagination?
I had the distinct feeling that the scales in Tillis’s mind had just begun to tip ever so slightly to one side.
A spine-chilling moment.
Wow, so this is how she’s going to twist it? How is it possible that there’s no middle ground with her? If someone isn’t good, then they’re evil? What a twisted black-and-white worldview.
What would happen if I said “no” here? Would this lunatic in front of me decide I was evil and suddenly start stabbing?
“If we’re going to be that strict, wouldn’t that make you guilty of abandoning him as well? You’re not doing it even though you can.”
“I don’t mind. What I do isn’t a good deed; it’s an evil one. I swallow evil with evil. Intent and outcome are two separate matters.”
“Ah, I see.”
So you’re saying you’ll act however you want, even if your intentions are good, and I should just deal with it?
Maybe I’d been too quick to label her a lunatic.
Tillis was a madwoman who carried out both good and evil acts at the same time.
I shouldn’t have expected her to follow any consistent standard in her actions…
“…I’ll at least give it a try.”
Forget Jeff or whatever…I’ll just read the room and run when the time is right.
***
And so, we headed to the place where Jeff had reportedly been kidnapped.
According to the original plan, Yuna and I should have split off halfway, but thanks to Tillis’s subtle threat, we were stuck accompanying her to the end.
Looking back now, all I could think was that I should’ve just ignored Melana last night.
– How much farther?
Tillis asked, now in her Judge persona rather than as a saintess.
True to her title as Chief Librarian of Lemegeton, she wore scholar-like robes along with a goat mask and spoke to us in a bizarre manner.
It was likely one of the powers granted by a demon.
Melana was here as well, and since Tillis was about to go on a massacre, she must’ve put on that formal mask for such public-facing operations.
“We should get off here.”
After stopping the carriage a short distance from our destination, I briefly explained the plan.
“Judge, please start from the west side.”
– Hmm.
I couldn’t get used to her tone…
Especially knowing what lay behind that mask, it made it all the more unsettling.
“Melana, we’re heading this way.”
“Okay.”
Yuna, Melana, and I made our way toward the mansion where Jeff was supposedly being held.
Judging by the situation, the Eden member who had kidnapped him appeared to be a noble.
Since Eden was a religious group, their organizational structure was entirely different from that of the barbarian tribes rolling around in the snowfields.
“You heard the plan, right? Once the Judge starts making her move, attention will be drawn her way, so we strike then.”
“…Thank you. I’ll make sure to repay this favor.”
“Sure, you do that. We’ll just…”
Time to head back.
Or so I was about to say—
“…We’ll infiltrate from a different direction, so let’s each do our part.”
“Johan? Weren’t you heading back?”
“I was going to, but it seems the situation’s changed.”
In the corner of my vision, I spotted someone acting far too suspiciously, practically broadcasting their guilt with every move.
Anyone could tell he was up to no good. His entire demeanor screamed, “I’m about to do something stupid.”
“Ah, junior, huh?”
It was Dietrich. The paladin candidate of Eden and the future Sword Saint.
“What the hell is that guy doing…?”
Actually, I knew.
There had been signs.
Still, it would be best to check, so I figured I should stop him.
I didn’t know what he was planning, but from the looks of it, he was definitely going to mess it up.
“Hey, Diet—”
Clang!
A burst of sparks flashed before my eyes.
A blinding light exploded in front of me, followed by a loud shockwave.
By the time I registered what had happened, I was already frozen in place.
There was a blade at my neck…
“…Senior Johan?”
“Careful, careful. You shouldn’t swing a sword at people without checking who they are first, kid.”
If Yuna hadn’t blocked that blade, my head would’ve rolled.
“S-Sorry!”
This bastard, I swear…
Why was it always me?
Why did he always go out of his way to stab me?
“Yuna, smack this idiot just once for me.”
“Mhmm!”
No matter how on edge your senses are, swinging a sword out of nowhere?
If it had been someone else, we might’ve ended up hauling off a corpse.
By the time Yuna had turned Dietrich who was wearing a shady hood into a beggar wrapped in rags,
I finally spoke to him.
“I have a rough idea, but why exactly did you come all the way here?”
“Well…”
***
After Helena collapsed,
Kult holed himself up in the Hereticus Marquisate.
Dietrich was worried about both of them, of course, but unfortunately, since this involved a major family matter and he was just a knight candidate, getting inside the mansion was out of the question.
In the end, all Dietrich could do was loiter around nearby, waiting endlessly.
After spending what felt like forever, he finally managed to meet Kult.
But…
“Kult?”
“Ah, Dietrich. I heard you were hanging around outside the mansion. I called you here so you wouldn’t worry too much.”
“What do you mean, don’t worry…?”
After seeing that?
Dietrich had to swallow the words that rose to his throat.
Kult seemed fine.
At least, his behavior did.
But the bandage wrapped around his eyes had long since turned red.
The tears of blood that leaked through had trickled down his cheeks, staining even the hem of his pure white robe.
“Dietrich. I’m really okay.”
“……”
“You know how I’ve always been, right? I’m just a little tired right now, but I’ll find the answer. So just trust me and wait.”
“…Alright.”
Dietrich nodded reluctantly. Kult was right.
Even if he couldn’t see, Kult always seemed to understand everything, as if he could see it all. He’d figure it out.
As always, if Dietrich just waited, Kult would take care of everything.
So in the end, Dietrich chose to trust Kult and wait, like he always did.
And just as he was leaving the mansion, still feeling uneasy—
“Hmm?”
Dietrich spotted another noble who had come to visit the Hereticus Marquisate.
Like Dietrich, he too seemed to have been denied entry and was loitering around the area.
“Ah… Why… Why won’t you answer me? What am I supposed to do? I… I’ll do whatever it takes…”
Muttering to himself.
The man’s aimless wandering and incoherent murmuring were filled with agitation.
Something about him felt like he might explode at any moment.
“…This doesn’t feel right.”
Trusting his strange intuition, Dietrich quietly began to follow the noble.
***
“So that’s why I followed him…”
“And turns out, you were right to be suspicious?”
“When I tailed him, I saw him taking kids from the slums. Scumbags like that always start with the slums when they’re about to do something nasty.”
“I see.”
Was it because he came from the slums himself?
Sensing this kind of ominous vibe wasn’t something most people could do.
At this point, it’s safe to say Dietrich’s episode has officially begun.
Though the timing came earlier than expected, and as a result, the scale of the first incident Dietrich is involved in has changed.
Getting tangled up in a case involving nobles right from the start….this won’t be easy. That’s mostly my fault.
Who would’ve guessed that telling Kult about the relic with good intentions would come back around like this?
This is exactly why you have to be careful with butterfly effects…
In any case, I can’t just leave Dietrich on his own.
“Well, this actually works out.”
“Huh?”
“We’ve been investigating that noble too.”
“Ah!”
Dietrich let out a sound of admiration.
“As expected of you, Senior! Your strength may be nothing special, but your sheer initiative to act first! It wouldn’t be surprising if you got stabbed to death any day now. That’s what sets a true noble apart!”
“……”
And as usual, there were those vaguely rude remarks that came out of his mouth without ever passing through a brain filter.
Was I just being sensitive?
It almost sounded like he was saying that being oblivious and reckless was exactly what made someone a proper noble.
“…Anyway, don’t act all suspicious like that. You’ll blow our cover. Just follow me.”
“Yes, Senior!”
Should I be thanking Tillis for this? Why do I keep ending up grateful to criminals since yesterday?
Thanks to that, I was able to figure out what Dietrich was up to much earlier.
Haah… One thing goes wrong, and it all starts falling apart like dominoes.
“So, Dietrich, how much do you know?”
“Other than the fact that Viscount Alec is suspicious… not much. How much do you know, Senior?”
“Just that Alec is a follower of Eden? Judging by what you said, the kids being taken from the slums are probably…”
“…For brainwashing, I’d guess. Their use is mostly within the expected range.”
“Use”, he says…
That choice of words stings. If someone else had said it, I would’ve thought they were heartless. But coming from Dietrich, who grew up in the slums, it hits differently. He means it.
“If it’s Eden, then they’ll have to be killed. Most of them don’t even flinch at the sight of blood.”
“That’s the last resort.”
If we start by spilling blood, we’ll end up knee-deep in it.
Keep combat to a minimum. Right now, the priority was achieving our objective.
“If we charge in head-on, you think they’ll just sit back and leave the hostages alone?”
“So we’ll infiltrate! I’m sure we can find at least one rat hole somewhere, right?”
“No.”
There was an easier way than that.
“We’re just going to walk in through the front gate.”
“…What?”
“All you have to do is shut your mouth and follow our lead.”
“Ah, yes…”
There’s no need to overcomplicate this.
Because Eden was a secret organization, its members didn’t know much about each other. At most, they knew the cult leader was someone called Kult.
It wasn’t quite a cell structure, but they still had to stay hidden from the Empire’s eyes, so it was inevitable.
Even the high-ranking members likely didn’t know each other that well. Which meant… we could just pretend to be followers of Eden.
Of course, normally they’d be on guard.
But…
“Remember. No matter what’s said, just keep your mouth shut and follow along, got it?”
“Yes, Senior!”
Right now, Dietrich was with us.
If a follower went so far as to visit the Hereticus Marquisate himself, then he must be a high-ranking member of Eden.
And if that was the case, there was a good chance he knew about Dietrich, the one Kult personally selected as a paladin candidate.
The funny thing was, Dietrich himself had no clue who Kult really was, let alone the fact that he was connected to the inner workings of Eden.
Regardless, within the Eden organization, Dietrich held symbolic significance.
So if we showed up with this guy in plain sight, it would be hard for anyone to question our claim of being part of Eden.
This is what it means to hold the upper hand thanks to an imbalance of information.
“Yuna, relax your face. Today, we’re going for a mysterious vibe.”
“That’s the perfect concept for me.”
“Exactly.”
Yuna usually gives off a goofy impression, but when she drops that silly smile, she actually has a surprisingly mysterious aura.
Let’s not forget, she was the one who tried to make me her disciple because she knew how attractive she was.
All she needed to do was stay quiet.
That alone, paired with her looks, would create the illusion of mystery.
“What about our outfits?”
“Just wear what we usually do. If we show up in full priest robes, they’ll think we’re lunatics. This is a secret organization, after all.”
“So we’re playing the role of hidden cult members blending into everyday life?”
“Exactly.”
The preparation work was minimal.
All we really needed was good acting from me and Yuna.
“Haha! The two of you make such a perfect team. It’s like watching a bunch of con artists in action.”
“……”
And as for that bastard Dietrich…. yeah, I need to make sure he keeps his mouth shut.
The moment he speaks, the temperature in the room drops ten degrees.
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