Chapter 320: The Apostles in the Scriptures (2)

Chapter 320: The Apostles in the Scriptures (2)

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A new First Order.

At those words, Rudger naturally turned at Zero Order as if asking if the words were true.

Zero Order nodded wordlessly.

‘He said that he was looking for a new First Order during the Order Synod.’

Besides, the way Helia was treating him, she seemed to know that Rudger was not the real John Doe.

Zero Order must have told her.

‘What a strange day. I can’t believe I’ve met three demons in such a short time.’

Demons are only mentioned in ancient texts and legends. Naturally, people in this day and age dismiss the idea of demons as mere fiction even though they lurk in the shadows of the world.

‘Such demons have gradually begun to reveal themselves.’

Zero Order, Basara, and now Helia are demons to the world but they consider themselves apostles.

There must be more than 3 demons and here’s the problem

Basara said he had a mission so the others must have missions too.

Feeling Rudger’s stare, Helia smiled wryly. There was something dreamlike about the way she smiled against the moonlight.

“He’s a funny one. He’s got us right in front of him, and he’s not afraid of us, but he’s trying to think. Indeed, this is the man who defeated Basara. Should I say he deserves it?”

As she muttered, Helia’s figure vanished like a mirage. The following moment, Helia reappeared behind Rudger’s back and ran her black cotton-gloved hand over Rudger’s shoulder.

“And you’re quite handsome, too. In all my years, I’ve met very few men as handsome as you.”

Rudger’s eyes snapped to Helia and her form vanished then reappeared like a mirage. Just as Basara specialized in minds, this must be some kind of power Helia possessed as an apostle.

“An illusion.”

“......hee.”

At Rudger’s outburst, Helia removed her hand from his shoulder and her eyes widened in surprise that it only took one look for him to figure it out.

“That’s amazing. Normal people are so easily fooled.”

As she muttered that, Helia’s position shifted once more toward the window. She hadn’t moved in the first place, merely fading away and pretending to appear behind Rudger’s back.

“It’s not just an illusion, it’s a touchable, tactile illusion. It’s my specialty, and it’s a bit of a blow to my ego to be seen through by someone who’s only met me once. Do you like to play cards?”

With that, Helia produced a deck of cards from her hand. It was an illusion, but of course it was something you could touch. In other words, although Helia’s illusions were illusions, they were real.

Helia was tempted to offer Rudger a wager because it hurt her pride to have her abilities seen through so easily but Zero Order stepped in to restrain her.

“Helia, that’s enough, I’m having a conversation.”

“Hmph. Are you ordering me around? Don’t you realize that I don’t have to do what you say? We’re equals.”

“Helia.”

Zero Order spoke Helia’s name in a more chilling voice but the mere change in tone made the atmosphere in the room grow heavier.

Even Rudger, sitting across from her, felt a faint but palpable chill run down his spine while Helia, the recipient of his gaze, was still smirking.

For a moment, the two demons glared at each other but in the end, it was Helia who raised the white flag first. She sighed heavily and shrugged.

“Okay, okay, don’t look at me like that. I was bored.”

“.......”

“Oh, man. Who do you think is so traitorous that they’d kill their own apostle for flirting with someone?”

“Helia.”

“Oh, no. Look at my sanity. I wasn’t supposed to say that, was I?”

Helia stuck out her tongue while narrowing her eyes.

At the sight, Zero Order shook his head, tired of being lectured.

‘Traitor?’

Rudger thought back to Helia’s words.

“Don’t be so harsh. It’s hard enough to keep an illusory circle around this room as it is. If you go on a rampage here, you might get caught.”

At the mention of an illusory circle, Rudger glanced out the window.

The view outside was unremarkable. But when he strained his eyes to take a closer look, he saw something subtly out of place.

‘I wonder if that’s how they were able to sneak in here in the middle of the night.’

But was it really necessary to sneak in here in the middle of the night?

Rudger’s doubts were quickly dispelled by Helia’s next words.

The Kingdom of Bretus couldn’t do anything?

But from what he’d heard from Princess Eileen, the country’s leadership had changed overnight.......

“The Kingdom of Bretus has historically wielded great power, and what mages typically use is called magic, but what they use is called holy law.”

Holy Law, otherwise known as divine magic was once considered a miracle of the gods, but in more recent times it has come to be referred to as divine magic, a subclass of magic.

However, Rudger knew that its fundamental power was different from magic.

“The holy artifacts that are based on it, and the people they create. It’s not the physical force that scares me, it’s the mental.”

“A fanaticism that borders on brainwashing.”

“The old kingdom, before the Empire, did not want nations to be controlled by the Holy Kingdom of Bretus, so they experimented in secret, working hand-in-hand with a subspecies.”

Rudger remembered the dead World Tree in the underground facility.

Why would there be such a thing underground?

“They worked with the elves?”

“Yes.”

The World Tree is a tricky species that is impossible to cultivate unless you are an elf.

Many wizards were surprised when it was first said that the roots of the World Tree were underground. But if it was the elves who were involved, then the existence of the World Tree made sense.

“But that’s strange. I thought the elves held the World Tree sacred and worshiped it, so why would they be involved in growing it?”

“The elves were once different than they are now, just as the human world is.”

Perhaps the elves of the past were very enterprising, unlike now.

They had such a past and perhaps their current conservatism was due to the events of that day.

“For Bretus, it would have been heresy for the kingdom to join forces with the elves.”

“Yes, but the Kingdom tried to hide it somehow, and they did a good job of it. The problem is, Basara saw through it.”

On a mission, the demon Basara attacked the kingdom. Eventually, the kingdom joined forces with the elves to fight him, and they managed to seal him in the roots of the World Tree. But in the process, the Kingdom of Bretus caught wind of it.

Eventually, the heads of state were all replaced by the authority of Bretus without a single act of resistance.

Rudger felt uncomfortable again.

“There’s no guarantee that something similar won’t happen this time, so be careful.”

“You’re trying to use me as a messenger, so I can deliver that warning to the Exilion Empire.”

“Don’t be so offended. I’m sure the Empire isn’t too fond of the Kingdom of Bretus, and neither are you.”

Zero Order was right.

Honestly, if you asked Rudger what he hated more, the demons or the Holy Land, he’d say the Holy Land of Bretus without a doubt.

He hated the demons, but he hated the Holy Land even more, because they did all sorts of evil things in the name of God. Part of it was because he was one of them, so he was more familiar with their darker side.

“It’s time.”

Zero Order stood up from his seat, placing the mask he’d left on the table over his face.

Rudger didn’t bother to hold him back since he had no reason to.

Before leaving, Zero Order said to Rudger.

“The Order Synod will convene again soon.”

“Why are you telling me that?”

“Just so you know.”

And with that, he flew out the window in a puff of black smoke.

Helia waved to Rudger and disappeared from view like a mirage.

As the two demons disappeared, the illusory circle that surrounded the hospital room melted away and Rudger stared wordlessly out the open window.

The stories the two demons had left behind were enough to make his head spin.

‘But it doesn’t change what I have to do.’

It was then that someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

Rudger asked and a soft voice came from the other side of the door.

“It’s me, Flora Lumos.”

How could she be here in the middle of the night, Rudger wondered, but then he realized.

Flora had been at the scene, so it made sense that they were in the same hospital.

It was then that Flora, who had been pacing outside the door, cautiously spoke up.

“......May I come in?”