Episode 392

At that moment, I had many thoughts flickering through my mind. Had Leone betrayed me or was this guy just talking nonsense to bait me? My thoughts even went to the possibility that he wasn't the Dark Pope, but instead a random psychopath.

In any case, nothing good would come of being silent for a long time. I was prepared to respond directly.

"Ha, ha, ha." A rather awkward laugh came out of Nebellik's mouth. His shoulders shook while restrained. He bared his teeth and laughed, saying, "It is just a joke. Jo-king. There is no need to be tense. Everyone is like this when things become awkward at the first meeting, right?"

I said nothing.

Nebellik continued, "In the first place, it doesn't make sense for a lesser race to be a church member."

The Dark Church used only the seven races as sacrifices, and didn't accept lesser races as members. At the very least, I had never met any orc or lizardmen members.

However, I frowned for another reason. I'd only undone his muzzle when I fed him. That meant the blindfold hadn't been removed.

I asked, "How can you see?"

"I can't see at all."

"So why did you conclude that I am a lesser race?"

"You are asking something strange. You seem to be quite talented. Don't you know that vision is only a small part of one's senses?"

I was momentarily displeased. It was annoying that this man, who could either be the Dark Pope or not, said something similar to Senior Sister Tian.

"In any case, this is a new meeting that happened at a coincidental moment. I should thank God for today's meeting," Nebellik said.

"Do you believe in a god?" I asked.

"Of course."

If this guy was the Dark Pope, he had to be a believer. I held back my ridicule and asked, "So why did you commit a sin?"

Nebellik, the prisoner, was a thirty-one-year-old human. His crime was arson. It wasn't an accident, but a thorough plan that had reduced a city with a population of a few thousand to ashes. Thus, the sentence was 161 years. Considering the lifespan of a human being, it was safe to consider that life imprisonment.

I continued, "It was very well planned. The atmosphere was dry and the rainy season was over. You aimed for a late night when the response would be slow. It must've taken at least a few weeks to prepare in advance."

"Two months, to be exact."

"Don't you feel any guilt?"

"No way. Hm. Should we talk about the old days for a moment?"

"The old days?"

"Do you know the Colorless Demon King?"

I preferred to be the one to catch others off guard when talking, but this bastard took it even further. I'd never thought that my eldest senior brother would be mentioned here.

I had the feeling that I was being drawn into his pace, but I couldn't deny my curiosity about what this man, who could be the Dark Pope, thought of my eldest senior brother.

I replied, "I know him."

"Mm. He is the most recent demon king to appear. Along with his appearance, a nation called Setitus disappeared. So many lives were claimed in the disaster that the empire called him a god of disaster, or demon king."

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

"I have a question. In that event, which do you think is higher, the number of people who died or the number of people who were saved?" Nebellik continued with a grin, "Setitus was an empire of evil. They openly bought and sold slaves, and conducted horrific experiments. It is said that the number of slaves consumed every year was at least in the tens of thousands."

"What's your point?"

"Well, there is a slight difference between slaughter and salvation. I don't think I did anything wrong. That is why I'm not making excuses or defending myself."

"Do you feel no resentment? After all, you are bound here. If you are truly innocent, haven't you been falsely accused?"

"That's right."

"Then why?"

"This is also fate," Nebellik said in a soft voice. "The fate that has already been decided can never be changed. Everything tends to go according to order. It is the same with me being trapped in the tower. If I am fated to be confined here for the rest of my life, I won't be able to escape no matter what I do. Conversely, if I am fated to leave, it will happen eventually even if I do nothing."

At this moment, my displeasure reached its peak. I had encountered many lunatics in my short life, but this guy's way of thinking was completely different. It was a mindset that I couldn't understand and didn't want to understand, so it was particularly creepy and unpleasant.

The reason for my discomfort was probably because his way of thinking was completely the opposite of mine. I didn't care about things like fate or destiny. I was a person who thought that in order to change or escape from a given event, I ought to work hard enough to shed blood. Even if fate really did exist, that was much more productive than sitting still.

The man said, "By the way, you are a lesser race so life must not be easy for you either."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Isn't it obvious? The empire is hostile to you right now. The thirteen dragon kings who once watched over your own kind have all been forgotten or disappeared. They have long since abandoned you. The same is true for the nine spirit gods. As for the seventy-two gods and five kings who still linger in the world, their grace will never be directed at you."

His voice was so slimy that it was almost like oil had been poured onto it. The more he spoke, the more nauseated I felt and the more my mind became dizzy. There was clearly no such thing in this place, but I could smell a faint floral scent that disoriented me even further.

"Hasn't it been hard?" Nebellik continued. "For some, the Nameless Empire might be the Setitus of old. They must all be waiting. They want another Colorless Demon King to descend..."

My mouth half-opened when I suddenly froze.

—How funny!

I was alerted by a voice like thunder. I looked down at the Black Dragon Fang hanging from my waist. Vulcanus' will contained there shouted in an angry voice.

—The gods would never abandon their followers first! How can it be our fault when you are the ones who have forsaken and betrayed your faith!

Until just now, my mind had felt weighed down as if stuffed with cotton. Then Vulcanus' voice poured over me like cold water, refreshing me. I stood up from my seat.

"Huh? Where are you going?" Nebellik asked.

I ignored him and looked at the crystal next to him. I vaguely understood how to use it. If I touch it like this...

There was the sound of electricity and Nebellik's entire body trembled. The blue electric currents running through him were clear enough to be visible.

Each cell was equipped with a torture device similar to the iron necklace around my neck right now. Of course, this was the punishment building, so the electrical output far exceeded what an iron necklace could handle. I could even smell burning flesh.

I withdrew my hand when I heard a low groan from Nebellik's throat. His body stopped trembling like a live fish skewered on a spear and went limp.

"Congratulations," I said. "All acts of treason against the empire are grave sins. That is true even if it is just words. Your sentence will be extended by at least ten more years."

"Huhu..."

Somehow, this guy kept laughing despite foaming at the mouth. If he'd gone crazy from the electric torture, I was in trouble.

"See you next time, lizardman," Nebellik said, then exhaled deeply. Then it seemed as if he finally passed out.

I put the muzzle on the unconscious man and left the cell.

Obi had said I would understand once I talked to the prisoners. Honestly, though, I still didn't know much more. I was certain that Nebellik was dangerous, but I couldn't be sure if he was the Dark Pope. If anything, my suspicions about Obi were only growing.

There is a limit to what I can do alone, I thought.

I recalled Leone, who was in the living block. Then I went through my list of collaborators outside one by one. Delac, Ludwig, Seren, and others were probably tracking the Dark Church on the outside. I wondered if there would be some results.

***

Airuga was called the heart of the southern empire, but it couldn't exactly be called a safe and secure place. Here, those who were pickpocketed were fools. Those who were scammed were idiots. Those who were beaten up were cripples.

That was why Ludwig Badniker liked this city. Even though it wasn't safe, it was easy to move around in.

There weren't many cities of this size in the empire where security was so bad. Perhaps only Ulkah in the west came close. The guards patrolled during the day, but in a place where various races and mercenaries were mixed together, arguments and fistfights were common. Even thousands of guards couldn't possibly mediate all these fights. As a result, patrols were half-hearted and illegal organizations sprang up deep in the alleys.

The same was true for intelligence guilds like Bastard; they were relatively conscientious, but they didn't always stick to legal means. After all, in order to handle confidential information, they were bound to commit crimes.

Cities with intelligence organizations were like cheese, full of holes and easy to penetrate. It was only natural for church members to slip into those gaps and hide.

"You're here—!" Before the church member could finish speaking, Ludwig stuck a dagger into his forehead.

The church member's eyes rolled back and he collapsed. Ludwig caught him and quietly propped him against the wall, then lowered the corpse's head slightly to make him look like he was sleeping.

Then he withdrew his dagger. There were a few drops of blood on the tip of the blade, but no blood running down the forehead.

These details wouldn't necessarily be that effective, but if he was lucky, maybe he'd be able to delay detection by a few seconds. In a dangerous mission, those few seconds could mean the difference between life or death.

One beat later, Ludwig recalled the words the man had muttered just before dying. He wondered if the church member had known he was coming. It was strange; he wasn't sloppy enough to leave traces of himself when moving. Otherwise, the insane act of infiltrating the church would've been discovered a long time ago and he would've been killed.

He glanced around inside the building. It was strangely quiet. He felt an inexplicable sense of unease as he stepped into the building. He walked through a softly lit hallway, and a door soon appeared. He held the doorknob for a moment, but stopped. He glanced at the door and immediately kicked it.

The door fell over as if it had been shattered, and a person was visible beyond it. Ludwig drew his dagger before even making out the other person's features.

Ludwig and the figure beyond the door froze simultaneously. They recognized each other's faces.

"Sir James?" the masked figure exclaimed.

Ludwig blinked slightly as he saw the figure, asking, "The master of Bastard? Why are you here?"

He looked inside the room belatedly. It was a mess, looking as if it had been swept away by a storm. Blood was splattered everywhere, and there were fallen corpses and signs of a fierce battle all over.

The other person asked, "Is it strange for the people of the empire to kill church members?"

"It isn't strange, but is that something that the head of an intelligence guild should be saying?"

Normally, intelligence guilds treated anyone who paid as a client. The Dark Church was no exception. Maybe they wouldn't openly help the church due to the empire's scrutiny, but that didn't mean they were principled enough to launch an attack after finding a Dark Church hideout.

"Recently, we have been keeping an eye on the movements of the Dark Church. It seems that something unusual is happening in Airuga," the guildmaster, Seren, replied in a colder voice than before. She looked at Ludwig suspiciously for a moment before asking, "Rather, how did you know about this place, Sir James? We only just uncovered a clue..."

The two of them were still unaware of each other's identity because Luan had been imprisoned in Rahild without sharing any information. In short, Seren still didn't know that Luan was the lizardman Luzard. Ludwig also didn't know that Bastard's master was Seren Goodspring.

"Well, it just sort of happened." Ludwig was forced to be vague with his words. The information that this was a church hideout had been obtained by using his status as a member of the Dark Church.

Seren was unaware of this fact, so she narrowed her eyes behind the mask and studied Ludwig intently. She wondered, Can I trust him?

Even a church member wouldn't impersonate a Badniker knight, but the timing was too coincidental.

A voice interrupted. "Master, the administration of the confession drug is complete."

Seren glanced at her subordinate and gave a slight nod saying, "Start right away."

Ludwig asked, "Ah. Sorry, can I accompany you? I need to ask the church members a few questions."

It was better to move together rather than let a suspicious person leave alone, so Seren nodded in agreement and said, "Yes."

Ludwig said, "Thank you. This case will be officially reported to the Badnikers later."

The two of them moved to a dark room. There was a church member sitting in a chair, tied up. Based on the way one of his arms was cut off and his eyes were glazed over, it didn't seem like he would live long.

Confession drugs were unreliable during interrogations. Such drugs could break the mind of the target, causing them to speak nonsense.

However, the intelligence guild's agents had been forced to use drugs since the other person was a church member. Lunatics like him wouldn't say anything when interrogated through normal means until they were on the brink of death.

As such, the dosage of the confession drug couldn't be moderate. It had to be administered in excess until the target was almost dead.

Seren asked, "What is your name?"

The church member replied, "Varus."

"What is your position in the church?"

"A disciple."

Being a disciple in the church meant he was quite high up. At the very least, he was two or three ranks above ordinary followers. As expected, this guy was the leader of the hideout.

After that, Seren continued questioning him, and Varus gradually revealed more information: He belonged to the Green Tongue faction and had stayed here for over five years. Besides this location, the church had two other hideouts.

"What is your purpose?"

"Ugh..."

"Varus, what is your purpose?"

"Uhh, eeok, ugh..."

Seren clicked her tongue. This was the reason why the confession drug was problematic. The person couldn't properly understand questions that were difficult to answer. That meant they had to be rephrased.

This guy was a disciple, but he probably wasn't the decision-maker. There had to be a superior overseeing what was being done here.

"Who do you follow?"

"T-the priest..."

There was a commotion.

Priests of the Dark Church were beings who could communicate directly with the demon kings, and they were particularly feared by the people of the empire.

"Where is the priest?"

"Rahild, labor camp."

"I need more details."

"The punishment building... labor field..."

At this point, Ludwig's eyes narrowed. He had already exchanged information with the Iron-Blooded Lord, so he knew that Luan was currently infiltrating the punishment building.

"What is the name of the priest?" Seren asked.

There was a brief silence before Varus answered, "Vice principal of the punishment building... Obi... He is our... priest..."