Chapter 47: Branch Leader

It took quite a while to bury those bastards.

Had to dig deep to make sure no smell or traces would leak out.

Plus, I didn't even have a shovel right now.

Who would've thought something like this would happen when heading out?

It'd be weirder to think 'Ah, feels like I'll need to bury some bodies today, better bring a shovel.'

Thanks to that, I had no choice but to use the orange-haired woman's round shield to dig.

Damn, I shouldn't have put that hole in the shield.

Even digging with a shield was hard enough, but with dirt constantly leaking through the hole in the center, it was beyond annoying.

'I'm gonna kill my past self.'

Thanks to that, I spent the whole time cursing at my past self.

It was one of those days where I really missed my neighbor, Mr. Owlbear.

If that big eater was here, I wouldn't have had to dig at all.

Still, after about two hours of work, I somehow managed to finish.

"Phew..."

Wiping my sweat, I looked around to see the forest had already grown dark with nightfall.

Naturally, Chae-rin had already returned to the city.

The expression she wore when leaving was quite interesting. Like a civilian pretending not to have witnessed a crime scene.

...Yeah, I'm also surprised since it's my first time burying people. Never thought I'd be doing something like this.

'...Am I okay with this?'

I briefly questioned my humanity.

Maybe living here for 23 years is making me forget modern human sensibilities.

But I don't feel particularly guilty or break out in cold sweat.

My humanity seems to be telling me I'm still fine.

...Or maybe it's already dead and can't speak.

Anyway, that takes care of everything.

But there was still something unsettling lingering in my mind.

The fact that these guys came here was a problem from the start.

These bastards weren't here to meet me, nor were they running from something outside.

They were just wandering around on orders from their group 'Lemegeton' when they happened to run into me and tried to have their way.

Thanks to them, I had to spend 2 hours doing manual labor digging.

Come to think of it, I still need to clean up the blood I spilled back home.

"These fucking bastards."

In a moment of rage, I spat on the ground where they were buried.

I wanted to take a nice long piss on it too, but unfortunately I didn't need to go right now.

Seeing how my humanity wasn't objecting, it probably would've approved.

What a shame.

Anyway, now's the time to lay low.

'Lemegeton' will probably come to this forest a few more times.

As Yoo Chae-rin said, they were desperately searching for the 'Hooded NPC' right now.

So they searched the city, and when they found nothing, expanded their search radius to this forest.

'This is going to be annoying for a while...'

My head started to hurt. I really hope they don't find my dwelling.

Good thing I had some camouflage set up.

Even if it was the kind you'd notice right away up close, it was better than nothing.

If I just hide well enough for a while, maybe they'll give up and leave.

With that thought, I headed back to the cave to clean up the blood I spilled.

...And such naive thoughts were shattered just two weeks later.

"Finally, we meet. A pleasure."

While exploring the forest, I encountered a woman.

She had cold features with long white hair that reached down to her waist.

She bowed deeply at her waist like she was praying when she saw me. There was an inexplicable formality to her movements.

Then raising her head, she began her introduction.

"I am Sephir, the 5th Branch Leader."

"...Sigh."

I let out a long sigh.

Looks like quite the troublesome one has shown up this time.

*

What's the hierarchy of Lemegeton like?

Though they suddenly appeared as a cult, their influence was not something to be taken lightly.

Worshipping demons was problematic enough, but they kept producing members who could tear apart Imperial Knights.

A group this large must surely have some kind of system in place.

Though they're a secretive organization and information was somewhat lacking, surprisingly their hierarchy was easy to find out.

That's because some users who joined Lemegeton were willing to share at least that much.

Lemegeton operates on a strictly vertical hierarchy.

At the top is the General President, and below are Branch Leaders, Area Leaders, Team Leaders, and regular followers.

As expected of cultists, even their hierarchy lacks proper foundation.

Though 'Team Leader' isn't necessarily a low position.

Some become Team Leaders for specific purposes.

Sometimes even Branch Leader level individuals take Team Leader positions... or so I heard from Chae-rin.

That was a bit long-winded but the conclusion is simple and clear.

Standing before me is the second-in-command of the cult. The highest ranking executive after the General President.

While I've never personally seen how strong a Branch Leader is, there was a brief assessment from an Otherworlder in Lemegeton.

[Just impossible fr;-; literally not human fr fr]

Naturally, this was relayed by Yoo Chae-rin.

Because of this, I had no choice but to raise my guard.

Though I'd never seen their abilities firsthand.

The very fact that someone of Branch Leader rank came here was the problem.

I asked the other party first.

"...What do you want?"

"I'll be direct. Please join our sect, Manifestor."

Confidently calling me a Manifestor right from our first meeting.

Though internally shaken, I kept my poker face.

"...Manifestor? What nonsense is that."

"My, no need to play dumb. We already know everything."

"...Know what exactly?"

"The one who cut off our Seere's left arm a few months ago. That was you, wasn't it?"

My hand twitched.

Though I maintained my poker face, controlling bodily reactions was impossible.

Meanwhile, the other party continued speaking.

The woman before me briefly drew up mana and overlaid it on herself.

Like fresh snow falling, her white hair had now turned a murky brown.

"You were quite clever indeed. 'Illusion' magic. Though it's a spell that's somewhat difficult to learn, there's nothing better for hiding one's identity. Thanks to that, even we were fooled until recently."

I smacked my head.

They finally figured it out.

Well... 'Illusion' magic isn't some ancient secret technique - anyone could deduce it if they tried.

But I still had questions.

How did they know I was in this forest?

As if reading my thoughts, she continued her explanation.

"Our sect has many talented individuals. And among them, the 2nd Branch Leader excels at communication and tracking."

The word 'communication' triggered a memory.

When I killed that follower named Ryan, there was someone communicating through the magic circle drawn in blood.

'No way...'

"And just a few weeks ago, when we sent followers here, we added one safety measure. Nothing fancy. Just a simple life-detection function."

But those followers' presence vanished here.

"It's quite strange. They weren't just ordinary members either. Though they had poor personalities, they weren't the type to die to monsters. One of them was even Area Leader level."

Then there was only one answer. They were killed by a human, not monsters.

So who could have killed them?

Someone strong enough to kill an Area Leader who could use Sword Energy, wandering specifically in this forest.

Meanwhile, the sect was investigating this forest looking for the 'Hooded NPC'.

They'd deduced a Manifestor wouldn't live normally in the city.

Naturally, thoughts lead in one direction.

That a hidden Manifestor was in this forest.

"To think the one we were looking for would turn out to be such a capable man..."

Her gaze briefly turned to me. A strange look passed over my face and body.

Though her expression remained blank.

Regardless, I let out a deep sigh.

"Haaah..."

I thought no one had seen me and I'd hidden completely.

The problem started the moment sect members came to this forest.

In other words, I'd been caught in a trap.

My mind was in chaos.

What should I do now? Could I still hide it?

Was it time to deal with this Branch Leader?

"Ah, please don't entertain any foolish thoughts. I've already shared this with the sect's executives. The truth won't stay hidden even if you do something to me here."

This woman seems to have a talent for reading others' thoughts.

"Then let me make the offer again. Please join our sect. Someone talented like you would be welcomed by all."

I said to her, to Sephir.

"Fuck no."

"...Why?"

"I don't want Seere trying to fuck me."

"...For a man, your language is quite crude."

Sephir nodded.

"If that's how you feel. Very well."

"Hm? You're accepting this rather quickly."

"What use is talent gained through force? I don't know what others might think... but I, Branch Leader Sephir, respect others' wishes."

I tilted my head.

"That's unexpected. Wasn't Seere looking for me all this time to fuck me?"

"Fuck... *sigh* Don't worry about Seere. Though we serve demons, we aren't mindlessly controlled by them."

She continued.

What she said next was quite shocking even to me.

"And to be honest... Seere doesn't have much time left. The Battle King has deployed. Without his left arm, he'll have trouble defending himself."

"...! Finally! Is that gay bastard finally going to die!?"

"...Please mind your language. Just... please."

But this was strange.

Even though they were trying to recruit me, telling an outsider like me this kind of information...

Usually this would be secret intel even within the sect.

"Is it okay to tell me sensitive information like this?"

"Consider it a show of trust. It means the sect wants you that badly."

Bow.

Sephir bowed to me again.

She was far too polite for an evil organization's executive.

"Then I'll take my leave now. Ah, don't worry about your Manifestor status becoming widely known. Manifestors are extremely valuable to us in Lemegeton. We have no reason to let the Knights kill you."

That was at least some good news to hear. Though the situation was still terrible overall.

"I'll visit again next week. Ah, someone else might come instead of me, so be careful."

No please don't come.

With that, she gracefully left the forest. I considered stopping her, but couldn't even try.

Kwaching-!

Ice crystals enveloped her before shattering and disappearing.

Whether it was some kind of magic, even that ability was new to me.

Left alone in a daze, I rubbed my brow for a moment.

Looks like I was in pretty big trouble...