Chapter 345 - Vanguard
The moment Haldirn arrived, a meeting was convened.
All five who had attended before, including Verden, sat in their respective seats.
Only, today there were six chairs prepared in total.
In addition to the existing members, a strange man had newly come to join this meeting.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, I am Brillen Keirans, holding the office of Supreme Councilor of the present Republic."
The Supreme Councilor cooperating with the Church of Luas.
Age, late thirties.
He had swept his dark-brown hair back and fixed it, and his attire was impeccable.
The shadow falling over his deeply set eyes and a face hard to read for emotion, left quite the impression.
"Before we begin, as the one who has become Supreme Councilor, I offer a deep apology for the disturbance caused by Supreme Councilor Angrang."
The man—Supreme Councilor Brillen's first words were an apology.
"It has been nearly thirty years since the war between the Republic and the Kingdom ended, yet there are those on both sides whose wounds have not fully healed. Angrang's extreme discrimination is such an example. Count Asher, I ask that you understand."
"I take no offense."
"Thank you. He, too, will have learned something from this affair. He is a man who has never been struck in his life, and all the more so when his opponent is one who rules the largest underworld of the Eastern Continent."
His tone was light, as if joking, but there were thorns within.
'He's testing.'
Whether DarkWarton and the Church of Luas fully know Verden's background, and if so, how deep the relationship goes.
Seeing how natural his manner was, he was a born politician.
Immediately after, Brillen turned his head toward Joseph.
"And for having put Bishop Lena in a difficult position, I offer a formal apology here and now."
"As Archbishop I accept it. However… if we are to see the same situations 'again' as before, I doubt it will be pleasant."
Flinch. Brillen's composure faltered for a moment.
For that warning meant that those the Archbishop sheltered were not only the faithful.
"…Yes, I will keep it in mind."
"Good. Then since introductions are done, let us move straight to the main session."
As before, Joseph took charge of opening the meeting.
"Our Church of Luas, in public, focused on drawing all eyes by subjugating the stronghold of Glory of the Dead. Meanwhile, on the other hand, Leira searched other strongholds, but…"
"Regrettably, we did not achieve great results."
There was no stronghold in the Untouched Forest, which had seemed suitable to serve as a hideout.
The southwestern region of the Republic is excluded.
This was the yield that the Church of Luas and Leira had gained.
Finishing his brief explanation, Joseph passed the turn.
"Haldirn, how about you?"
"We found the merchant guild that had been transporting the corpses of demi-humans and humans transferred from Kailiens. They had already been silenced, but we barely managed to access information."
Through black magic, he peered into the memories of the dead.
The merchants belonging to the Piarty Merchant Guild who were murdered.
They knew nothing of the client's identity, mere lawbreakers who cared only for money, and so no powerful clue could be obtained.
Yet, one could surmise where the bodies had been carried.
"The wagons loaded with corpses headed to the north of the Republic."
"You do not know the exact location?"
"Not only the Piarty Merchant Guild but multiple criminal groups were mobilized for the wagon transport. Naturally, all of them went missing. I attempted pursuit thereafter, but the trail broke midway. Still, I could narrow down several regions that are likely."
Haldirn spread both hands.
Lumps of deathly energy and vital energy, manifested by his distinctive magic power, rose up.
"All things living possess vital energy, and all things dead possess deathly energy. And the two cannot coexist equally, they devour one another."
He overlapped the two lumps.
The lump of vital energy, slightly larger, covered the deathly energy,as if eating it.
"I toured the northern region, yet even with my senses I could not detect any aura. By all accounts, if countless corpses were gathered in one place, it should be impossible to conceal them completely even with a black magic circle."
"Which would mean…"
"Your thought is correct, Asher. A massive deathly energy is being covered by an even greater vital energy."
Haldirn withdrew his magic power,then pointed to the upper part of the Republic map on the desk.
"The corpses they have gathered will be piled within one of the three cities situated in the north. That is my conclusion."
Its credibility was exceedingly high.
Among those gathered here regarding black magic and death, there was no authority surpassing Haldirn.
The renown of being DarkWarton's next master was by no means an illusion.
Yet it was still lacking.
The range had been narrowed, but nothing had been made explicit.
"Then the clue you obtained will be the key."
Everyone's gaze converged on Verden.
Indeed, what was secured at Southern Pit may be the key.
Only, there was nothing in particular to say.
He had already handed the Artifact over to Archbishop Joseph in its entirety.
As if he had been waiting, Joseph took out a blue cube and placed it on the desk.
He slid it lightly, returning it to Verden.
Haldirn, who had been watching him, asked.
"That… is it an Artifact?"
"A sealing-type Artifact, [Arkeo]. Inside it, the escort who fled from Glory of the Dead—Jack—was sealed."
"Where did you get it?"
"I happened to borrow it."
Not a lie.
He happened to meet Romer, and also said he would borrow it.
Though he did not quite hear an answer, at any rate.
Joseph spoke.
"I lifted the seal and personally examined his condition in detail. He has suffered not a few external wounds and his mind and body are in a neutralized state, yet I detected no curse whatsoever."
A faint holy power glimmered at his fingertips.
Answering a signal from outside the door, the paladin Shane, rolled in a wheelchair.
***
"..."
Jack, unconscious, sat there.
That he had yet to regain his senses was very much intentional.
What was needed was the past Jack had passed through.
To obtain information intact without him arbitrarily hiding memories or accidentally omitting them, drawing it out from the unconscious would be most effective.
"This part would be best suited to DarkWarton's black magic. So I must ask it of you, Haldirn."
"…The mental field is not my specialty. I will try, nonetheless."
For such words, his voice was not uncertain.
Haldirn strode up to Jack.
A curse seeped into the gauntlet worn on his right hand. That touch, imbued with its distinctive balefulness, covered the scar-riddled face.
A high 5th-tier black magic that seizes the mind and guides it to the caster's will.
Failing to resist, Jack let his eyes slide open, unfocused.
"From now on, answer my questions."
"Got… it…"
His speech was a little slurred, but not to the point of being unintelligible.
"That day, the day the Supreme Councilor in the special conference hall died by explosion. Supreme Councilor Nellonian, who was nearby, suffered grievous injuries and collapsed."
"..."
"You, Jack, who belonged to his personal guard, took Supreme Councilor Nellonian and fled together with Supreme Councilor Dumbred."
"That's… right…"
"I will ask. Dumbred, where is he?"
He drove at the core in a single stroke.
Jack, sunk blankly into memory, slowly moved his lips.
"…I don't know."
"Do you not know the exact location, or do you not remember?"
"My head… is hazy…"
There was a blank in memory.
It seemed to be an inherent problem from the drain of mental power… and, as things stood, forcing it out would be impossible.
"Then, I will list words, and you will immediately say the word or sentence that comes to mind."
As a second best, he would use a chain of associations.
"Nellonian… Dumbred… black magic… danger…"
"Death… betrayal… ambush…"
Jack answered at once.
Then, at the word danger, he hesitated, and his fingers twitched.
"The reek of blood… there were corpses there. Humans, beasts, and… demi-humans."
"In detail."
"In a place I could not identify… at fixed intervals, corpses were laid in full. The floor and the walls… up to the ceiling."
The whereabouts of the corpses transported from Kailiens were revealed.
"I see. Then how did you escape from there?"
"A comrade who resisted the mental magic secretly freed me… we raged for our lives… and in the process we rescued Supreme Councilor Nellonian, but… by then his mind had been dominated beyond any help. So, we killed him."
"Nellonian…"
Brillen, who had been listening, revealed a heavy heart.
"And then we went outside. A city… there was a city."
"What kind of city? Describe the scenery."
"I do not know the name… the walls were clean… I saw two low mountains nearby… it was warmer than other cities."
"Then───"
Haldirn's interrogation continued a little longer, but there was nothing noteworthy.
In the end, they scattered with the other escorts, fleeing in confusion until they slipped into Southern Pit, and then were captured.
Soon, the duration of
Strength drained from Jack's body as he quietly closed his eyes. The waiting paladin wheeled him out of the chamber.
'Thanks to Jack's memory, the situation has become a little clearer.'
Still, it was troublesome all the same.
They were not familiar enough with the Republic's geography to pinpoint a city from only a description of its surroundings.
All except one.
"A relatively warm climate, two low mountains, and walls that are peculiarly clean… if, on top of that, it is one of the three cities in the north…"
Combining Haldirn's and Jack's information, Brillen pointed to a place on the map.
"The location that matches is nowhere but here, 'Sacrid'."
"Can you guarantee that?"
"If it is within the scope narrowed by Lord Haldirn, then certainly. The walls were repaired two years ago, and Sacrid is known for its high floating population, its numbers consistently large."
Clean walls.
And full of vital energy.
It might not be absolute certainty, but Brillen's judgment was reasonable enough to be accepted.
He was, after all, the Republic's Supreme Councilor.
And that was reason enough to move.
Only, one thing was troubling.
"…Whatever it is, it feels like we are being led along by Glory of the Dead."
The unease Adrian felt was something everyone agreed on.
As if they were fitting together puzzle pieces deliberately scattered by the enemy.
"But we have no choice. We cannot simply sit still."
A psychological war with no options.
They could only move cautiously, each holding vigilance in their hearts.
"Anyway. Then it is decided we go to Sacrid. But we cannot say for sure that the leader of Glory of the Dead is there…"
Leira turned her head toward Verden.
"That part has been resolved, has it not?"
"Of course."
The officer of Glory of the Dead, the Fourth Servant.
His magic power had already been transferred into a magic stone, and placed inside the compass.
The needle was now frozen, pointing northwest of the Republic.
Not Sacrid, but beside it.
Without revealing the compass's true nature, Verden spoke with confidence.
After all, he had once located Viola in the Kingdom, so most of them chose to believe.
Joseph stroked his chin.
"Two destinations. We are forced once again to divide our forces."
The meeting continued for several minutes.
At last, with unanimous agreement, they split into two groups.
'Sacrid will be taken by Haldirn, Brillen, and Leira.'
If a dangerous black magic ritual was underway, only Haldirn could interrupt it midway.
Brillen would operate the Republic's airship, leading his direct executioners to seize Sacrid's chain of command.
And Leira was pure combat power.
Moreover, priests would accompany them to provide active support, so they would not be lacking in strength.
'As for the base of Glory of the Dead, it will be left to myself, Adrian, and Archbishop Joseph.'
With the Church of Luas's airship, the Lustrous, they would strike head-on.
A force arranged solely for subjugation.
The decision was made.
Without hesitation, all rose from their seats at once.
"The final rallying point is Sacrid. Once we subjugate the base, we will come to aid you."
"Then we will finish before you do."
With Joseph and Haldirn's last exchange, the meeting ended.
"Then I wish you fortune."
The subjugation began.
***
Verden was always reflecting on himself.
On what unexpected effects Defying the Heavens, achieved through the magic tower's power source, had produced.
Within the reconstructed heart, how much of the still-unreleased magic power lay dormant.
'And the Administrator… what the true nature of the dark crimson magic power that destroyed the Demon King's highest-tier magic is.'
What is a Quasi-Transcendent, to begin with?
It was an unfamiliar, ambiguous yet exalted realm, one he had never heard of before.
Could it be that the only difference from a Transcendent was the sheer quantity of magic power comparable to the sixth tier?
'Impossible.'
There was something more in Verden's realm now.
Only, he did not know. Even he himself had not grasped the secret.
However, unlike before when he had wandered, unable to form even half of Mado, now he did not waver.
He believed, if he kept moving forward, one day he would reach it.
Verden was certain.
"..."
After finishing his thoughts, he stepped out onto the deck.
The sacred power of the relic infused in the Lustrous, descending in altitude, illuminated the surroundings.
Joseph narrowed his eyes.
"Glory of the Dead. So you were hiding there."
In the distance, the large black magic circle, once concealed, revealed itself directly ahead.
"I sense considerable danger. So, before we approach, I will expend the power of the relic to erase it. After that───"
Step, step.
Suddenly, Verden moved forward.
In no time, he had climbed onto the bulwark of the airship.
"Asher? What are you trying to do?"
He answered Joseph's question with silence. They would see soon enough.
Glory of the Dead was the obstacle barring the way to the Central Continent.
A hindrance, nothing more.
Whatever the case, he had no intention of dragging out this tiresome collection of information and searching any longer.
'It ends today.'
From subspace, he summoned Orient.
Activating his mana circuits, he spoke to Adrian behind him.
"I will take the vanguard."
"Yes, my lord."
Huff.
Verden leapt down from the airship.
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