Chapter 82

Chapter 82

I narrowed my brows as I activated my internal energy.

Maybe Asad felt it because he looked at me with a confused expression.

“I’ll say this now, but I’m not a cultist.”

“I know.”

“Also, I shall expand upon myself a little. I’m an atheist.”

...The old man could joke.

One of my strengths was that I could respond favorably to boring jokes like that, but now wasn’t the time.

“Haven’t you received a lot of blessings, Sir Asad?”

“I have.”

“But you don’t believe in the gods?”

With a crooked smile, Asad responded, “The one I think of as ‘God’ is a much higher being. The 72 gods are strong, but they are much too restricted. They don’t fulfill my criteria.”

As I heard Asad’s blasphemy, I randomly remembered something the Martial God told me.

The story about the “forgotten god.”

What had he said back then?

“The Supreme God.”

“Hmm?”

Asad’s eyes showed the first hint of surprise I had ever seen.

“Where did you hear those words?”

“Pardon?”

“‘Supreme God’.”

Since I couldn’t tell him about the Martial God, whom I had hidden even from the Lord of Blood and Iron, I tried to smooth it over with words.

“I think I saw it in some book...”

“You’re lying. There isn’t a single record of that word in this empire.”

He spoke as if he had read every book in The Empire. Of course, since he had lived for over 300 years, he had certainly read many more books than the average person...

“It looks like you don’t intend to tell me. Hm. This could be fun, but...”

Surprisingly, Asad didn’t question me any further. Rather, he laughed to himself, looking like he had found a fun toy for the first time in a long time.

For some reason, I feel like I’m the one losing here.

I didn’t normally lose the initiative in conversations, but the way this man spoke and the way he acted were rather peculiar.

If I didn’t pay attention, I would get swept up by his tempo and lose control of the conversation.

“Were you talking about the demon lord’s summoning? The reason I already knew about that plan is simple: I have already seen through all the plans of the rats inside Bednicker.”

I blinked, then asked, “So... there is a traitor within Bednicker, and you already noticed that they would try and pull something during the training camp... Something like that?”

“Correct.”

This is getting confusing.

With a confused tone, I asked, “If you already knew, why did you just sit by? Did you not expect things to get this serious?”

“I do not intervene in any of the house’s internal conflicts. That contract has existed since the ancient days; I cannot break it.”

“What do you mean?”

Asad looked at me for a moment before speaking in a thin voice.

“Hm. You look smart, but it seems that is all.”

“...”

It had been a while since I had been called stupid.

“It’s simple. This is a conflict between two parties of the house who have different opinions.”

“...”FiNd updates on n(o)/velbin(.)com

“I can tell that you want to ask me if there is even a choice in deciding to confront a traitor inside the house.”

“Yes.”

“There wouldn’t be a choice in an ordinary house. However, we are House Bednicker. Our way of thinking is different from ordinary people.”

Asad lifted his two index fingers and touched them at the tips as if his fingers were fighting.

“First is the very logical opinion, like yours. When we realized that there was a traitor inside the house and learned of their plans, we immediately considered assassination. I mostly agreed with that opinion until someone provided a counterargument,” Asad said while wriggling his right finger like a worm. “Rather, wasn’t this an opportunity?”

“Opportunity?”

“We learned that there is a traitor. We also learned what sort of scheme they would try to pull during the training camp. However, we weren’t able to find out exactly who the traitor was. We only learned of their plan in the process of getting rid of the small fries.”

“...”

“If we stopped the training camp, everything would end peacefully. However, it would also mean letting go of a huge opportunity.” Asad looked at me as he said, “You, do you know of the three criteria needed for a demon lord's summoning?”

“No.”

“As I thought.”

“...”

This was why I hated magicians.

The funny thing was that Asad was normal for a magician.

Asad lifted his fingers one at a time as he explained, “First, you need sacrifices. Second, land filled with mana. Honestly, these two criteria aren’t that difficult to fulfill. What’s especially important is the last one.”

Asad’s expression changed.

The relaxed expression that I had seen all this time disappeared, and a chill took its place.

“A being fluent in ancient demonic, able to communicate directly with a demon lord, and capable of overseeing the entire ritual.”

I knew what Asad was getting at.

“...A high priest.”

“There’s no point in me telling you this now. However, we have prepared things to minimize the damage as much as possible.”

“What preparations?”

“Rook Bednicker is among the instructors.”

Rook Bednicker, the younger brother of the Lord of Blood and Iron and the captain of the Blood Iron Knight Order.

“...I don’t think I’ve seen him.”

“I was the one who personally cast illusion magic on him, so there’s no way a young hero would’ve been able to see through it.”

“Hmm...”

“There is another safety mechanism that has been prepared... but there’s no point telling you about it now.”

I hated people who talked like that, so I forced myself to say, “Please just tell me.”

Asad furrowed his brow.

“Now that I think about it, I guess it’s not completely unrelated to you.”

“Pardon?”

“The Instructor of Swords and Blades is on standby outside the barrier.”

“Calzark...”

It was an unexpected piece of good news.

“Is Calzark all right? When did he return to the main house?”

“He’s abnormally fine, and I guess it’s been... about a week since he returned? But there is a problem.”

“A problem?”

“That’s right. The order was given for him to immediately enter the camp as soon as something happened, but oddly enough, there hasn’t been any news.”

“...”

“I don’t think he’s dead, but it’s clear that something has happened, so it’ll be difficult for you to wait for his help.”

He was right.

Of course, Calzark would be of great help if he could join in, but given the situation, we couldn’t exactly go looking for him.

“Any more questions?”

“...”

After calming down a little, I realized something.

Unexpectedly, Asad was answering my questions quite freely.

Considering his position and power, he could’ve just ignored me.

Was Asad feeling a little guilty?

“...Then when will this high priest be taken care of?”

“Who knows? That will depend on what the high priest does. Also, do you know about the stages of the demon lord's summoning ritual?”

Since I’d heard from Hector, I nodded.

“We don’t know the exact time, but it’ll be just before or immediately after entering the fourth stage. At that point, the high priest will have no choice but to reveal themselves fully...”

“So you still don’t know who the high priest is.”

“There is a significant chance that it’s one of the instructors, but we can’t ignore the possibility it is of one of the young heroes either. That’s why, until they fully reveal themself, Rook won’t act either.”

Asad looked annoyed.

“Do you know why it is difficult to kill a high priest? They have many lives, yes, and often you catch one only to find it is a puppet... but the main reason is because of their evasion skill.”

“Their evasion skill?”

“It is a skill called ghost path.”

“Path?”

“No, ghost path.” Asad continued, “It’s a skill only used by high priests that allows them to run away instantly, and it’s an authority that’s much higher in level than regular teleportation. Even I can’t track them when they activate that skill. Well, to be precise... I could track them, but I’d end up dying if I did. The place they escape to isn’t anywhere on the continent, it’s the world of the demons.”

“...Hm.”

“Anyway, I’ll stop the question time here, and I’ll bring up the main topic myself.”

Main topic?

“Luan Bednicker, I didn’t intend on intervening in the training camp no matter what happened... but since you seem like a pretty funny guy, I’ll provide you a special service.”

Asad stood up from his seat.

He waved his hand, and a door was created in this doorless room.

Creak.

The door opened. Through it, I could see the main house of House Bednicker.

Beneath the warm sunlight, I could see the buildings boasting their fancy designs.

“I’ll take you out of the training camp.”

“Really?”

“A magician doesn’t lie.”

That sounded like a lie.

In any case, I let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you for your help. Then I’ll return now and gather as many other young heroes as possible before—”

“No, that won’t work.”

“Pardon?”

“The high priest might notice if so many young heroes disappear so suddenly.”

“So you mean...”

“I’m only extending this offer to you.” Asad rested his chin on his fist as he asked, “How about it?”