A Former Comrade-in-Arms

Upon hearing the report, Garnet muttered with an uncertain expression.

“Joseph Faust….”

Anyone would have reacted the same way upon hearing that name and identity.

“How could the head of the Alte Church be following those who believe in the Void?”

As the head of the Empire’s state religion and the master of the Grand Cathedral, the head of the church was elected through a complicated process.

Joseph Faust was someone whose potential had even been evaluated through that legitimate process.

“It’s probably that Doppler fellow.”

Zed was the one who answered her question.

He was waiting for Ferda’s instructions at the hideout where Garnet had settled in.

“Doppler?”

Garnet asked him about it.

“It’s similar to a doppelgänger, but worse than one. It transforms into a person, and it looks exactly like them. I nearly failed to recognize it.”

“Does it imitate their mana and unique abilities as well?”

“Probably not.”

The last Doppler he had seen was the president of Escolleia.

All that came to mind for Zed was a gleaming bald head.

Garnet roughly pieced together the information she had been given.

“Let’s assume this Doppler you described exists. You said it’s a new form of demonkind and that it carries out premeditated crimes, right?”

“Yeah.”

“If it’s planned, there’s a good chance they recruited someone who uses divine power.”

“You think some priest who uses divine power would fall for demonkind’s temptation?”

“Having strong divine power doesn’t mean their personality is the same. There are no fewer than five hundred people vying for that position. Do you think all five hundred of them are devout followers of Alte?”

“So they allied themselves with demonkind and seized power?”

“Besides, if they’re a bishop of the Grand Cathedral, rather than an ordinary priest, they wouldn’t have to worry about being exposed.”

Unlike priests, who frequently use divine magic, bishops devote their efforts to politics and administration.

The bishops of the Grand Cathedral formed a central institution that oversaw every diocese, not just the capital, making them administrators far removed from the clergy known to the public.

In other words, they rarely had occasion to use magic, and given Joseph Faust’s position, no one would casually raise suspicions against him.

Moreover, since even his physical characteristics had been copied, merely displaying traits unique to that person could perfectly vouch for his identity.

“That’s why we need to infiltrate the Grand Cathedral this time. We just need to find evidence there that Joseph Faust is some kind of Doppler.”

“Hmm, in that case….”

“In that case?”

“How much is the fee?”

Zed reflexively curled his fingers into a circle.

Garnet spoke as though she were fed up with the gesture.

“Do you really have to worry about your fee even now? You’ve made quite a lot so far.”

“It would’ve been fine if things had stayed that way until a few days ago, but apparently there was a hole where money was leaking out.”

“A leak?”

“Penelope, that wretched demon bitch, secretly siphoned it off and blew it all on entertainment.”

“…….”

“I’ll kill that bitch.”

Zed clenched his fist tightly.

Garnet had known about Zed’s obsession with money for a long time.

Back when they were in the mercenary corps, she remembered how a man with sticky fingers had touched Zed’s money and ended up losing his wrist.

‘A man like that just lets that demon go….’

Garnet glared at him as though she found it distasteful.

Zed was flustered by her piercing stare.

“W-Why are you looking at me like that?”

“……Never mind.”

The work came first for now.

“I’ll pay you, so let’s get to work first. We have two hours to work. We need to find something within one hour that proves Joseph Faust is a follower of demonkind.”

“Do we have any leads to follow?”

“No. It’s difficult even to obtain the floor plans right away, and all we know is the guard-change schedule. We’ll station our people there, but we’ll have to improvise in many situations.”

“Our regent really never makes anything easy.”

Zed sighed as he removed the armor he was wearing.

He changed into clothing suited to a follower of the church.

He used makeup to conceal his conspicuous features and make himself look ordinary.

Once that was done, he was ready to infiltrate the cathedral.

“Oh, right.”

Without forgetting, he picked up a card lying on the table.

The card depicted a rabbit wearing a sparrow mask on a sheet of stiff paper.

It was something he had made himself after beginning to use the name Bunny Swallows.

Garnet reflexively furrowed her brow when she saw the card.

“Do you really have to go through with that pointless nonsense?”

Since Zed operated in the shadows, anonymity was important.

Garnet thought that if he operated like some kind of show, his actions might leave a trail that led back to him.

“Of course I have to do this.”

Zed thought differently.

“Bunny Swallows is an apostle of justice who punishes evil.”

Zed believed that because he operated in the shadows, he had to shine brightly.

The Golden Council, infirmary.

Ferda sat beside Consilius and watched his condition.

The Aura Reversal had slowed his vital energy, and because he was an elderly man, his recovery was weak, so his condition barely improved.

‘If Consilius dies… will Arwen take his place?’

Though Consilius had no son, he had treated Arwen like one and given him experience in noble society.

Arwen was young, highly capable, and possessed firm values of his own, so Ferda thought he could sufficiently fill the void left by Consilius.

But that alone was not enough.

Consilius was currently the center of the Far East.

Only Consilius could accomplish that.

Ferda needed Consilius.

“How is Count Consilius?”

An unexpected visitor’s voice reached him.

It was Valdemar.

“As you can see, he’s stable.”

“Yes, he should be all right. It was only Aura Reversal.”

“You knew it wasn’t a plague.”

“Of course. It would be a mistake to think I’m someone who can be foolishly manipulated by that agitator over there.”

Valdemar walked in and looked down at Consilius.

“Consilius, you stupid fool….”

He sighed, then took a bottle from inside his coat and handed it to Ferda.

It contained a deep red liquid in a transparent bottle.

It was a healing potion.

“Give it to him. It was made in Akad’s workshop.”

“……”

“Even if that fellow looks clumsy, he’s a renowned alchemist in this Empire. His skill is genuine.”

Ferda still did not move his hand.

Valdemar understood what that meant and nodded.

“Hmm, in that case….”

Valdemar then drew a dagger.

He cut his own arm with it.

Bright red blood flowed down his forearm.

Valdemar deliberately let a drop of the healing potion fall onto the wound.

The wound healed in an instant.

“There. That should prove it, shouldn’t it?”

“……Why go this far to prove it and help me?”

Someone else might have been satisfied, but Ferda was not.

Ferda could not understand Valdemar’s actions.

If Ferda distrusted him, he could simply have chosen not to give Consilius the potion. Why had he gone out of his way to prove it?

“I know that the Far East and we are not on good terms right now. But we cannot lose someone important over something so trivial.”

Valdemar’s eyes moved toward Consilius.

“Count Consilius was a patriot incomparable to anyone else. In times like these, a patriot is a precious resource that cannot be exchanged for anything. I will not stand by and let us lose such a patriot.”

Valdemar had shown that much concern, and Ferda likewise did not want to lose him.

In the end, he poured the potion Valdemar had given him into Consilius’s mouth.

The face of Count Consilius, who had been suffering from Aura Reversal, became peaceful.

He fell asleep as though he had fainted.

“I thought you were as rational as you seemed.”

Valdemar said that.

“To be honest, the current situation took me completely by surprise.”

“You set this whole thing in motion, and you say that?”

“I naturally thought Duke Yurei was throwing a tantrum. When someone loses a child, their judgment becomes clouded, and they see only what they want to see. Most of the time, that has nothing to do with the truth. But this time was different. I never thought you would actually kill Lord Yurei.”

“……”

“If this continues, you’ll be branded a black mage. Is that what you want?”

If Ferda became a black mage, public opinion within the Empire would turn against the Far East.

Public opinion toward the Far East would follow suit, creating the perfect conditions for someone to stir up internal conflict.

The overwhelming power that could suppress all of that.

Grand Duke Valdemar Golt.

“You should return.”

Ferda gave him his answer.

“It would be unwise for an old man to wander around a place where it has not even been confirmed whether there is a plague.”

When Ferda said that, Valdemar turned away.

“Think it over carefully.”

Left alone with Consilius again, Ferda thought.

‘There’s about an hour and thirty minutes left now….’

Within that time, he had to prove that Joseph Faust, who had been identified as Black, was a follower of demonkind.

‘It should be possible.’

Zed Swallow was the master thief who had once thrown the Empire into chaos.

And he was now under Ferda’s command.

Ferda had a highly capable subordinate, but he had overlooked one thing.

“Regent Ferda.”

That God absolutely hated Ferda.

“We will resume in ten minutes. Please take your seats in the chamber.”

But Ferda did not resent that God.

Resenting something that did not exist was merely a sigh uttered by fools.

* * *

The Golden Council.

To Valdemar, the Golden Council was his own domain, the place from which he could look down upon the Arken Empire.

When he sat here, every human being was laid bare before his eyes.

It was a place where their vulgar expressions were clearly visible, as were the repulsive faces they made when their true nature was exposed.

Who was a patriot, and who was a traitor who would sell out this country.

“Your Grace.”

Akad spoke as he cautiously leaned in to listen.

“As you instructed, I ordered the session to resume.”

“And the regent?”

“They say he’s on his way. What else can he do? He can’t run away, and if he doesn’t quickly explain himself while cornered like this, he’ll only end up tightening the noose around his own neck….”

“Well done.”

The plague scare was brought to an end with the conclusion that Count Consilius had suffered from a preexisting illness.

‘Now it’s time to make him a criminal again.’

The only difference was that the joy and madness of the execution ground, which had turned against Ferda, had vanished, replaced by reason.

They had given the loach they had nearly caught another opening through which to escape.

But what else could they do?

Valdemar was a seasoned politician, and this was his home ground.

His opponent, even if he was the consort of a grand duke and the fiancée of a dragon, was a novice who had entered this world only a year ago.

No matter how eloquent he was, he would naturally be at a disadvantage before the authority right in front of him.

It was nearly impossible for Ferda to escape this predicament.

‘Even Consilius, the sturdy wall I used, cannot attend this council….’

The psychological pressure must be considerable.

‘Or at least, it should be….’

Valdemar shifted his gaze toward Ferda.

‘He doesn’t look like a man on the defensive.’

If it was bluster, he was the most impressive person Valdemar had ever seen.

That boldness made Valdemar’s heart race.

‘What a waste.’

The more one saw humans, the less valuable they seemed, but the more Valdemar saw Ferda, the more appealing Ferda became to him.

If only he had possessed patriotism in his heart,

or if only he had shown the slightest willingness to persuade Olivia….

‘What a tragedy.’

Valdemar subtly gestured to Akad.

“We will now resume the session. Regarding the matter related to black magic, we will once again….”

Akad’s words broke off.

One of his aides cautiously entered and whispered something into Akad’s ear.

Akad’s drooping eyes widened.

“What? Why are they here…?”

“What is happening?”

Noticing that something serious had occurred, Valdemar asked Akad.

Akad could not hide his bewilderment as he relayed what he had heard.

Valdemar felt exactly the same way.

“Why on earth did they come here?”

“I don’t know.”

“This is the Golden Council chamber, where human affairs are handled. Tell them they cannot enter….”

“I don’t think that will be possible.”

“Why not?”

“They say it was approved by the Grand Council….”

The Grand Council stood above even the Empire’s laws.

Since it did not interfere lightly no matter what happened, its authority and legitimacy were absolute.

It could crush whatever excuses a place like the Golden Council produced.

Valdemar glanced toward Ferda.

Ferda had not wavered in the slightest when he was identified as a black mage, nor even when it was confirmed.

‘So the reason he was so unshaken was that he already had something to rely on.’

He let out a hollow laugh and signaled to Akad.

Akad relayed an order to his aide and resumed the session.

“I have something to announce. Under normal circumstances, now that the results regarding the black magic have been determined, we would hear Regent Ferda’s final defense. However, because Regent Ferda has challenged the claim that he used black magic, a new witness will be admitted. The witness is….”

Someone rarely seen even by the Empire’s nobles.

No, a different race altogether.

“The Blue-Eyed Tower Master, Erika Iorga.”

The council chamber doors opened, and five mages entered.

She had long blue hair and luminous skin.

More radiant than gold, she was so mysterious that those who encountered her could not bring themselves to look away.

Valdemar watched Erika, then cast a sidelong glance toward Ferda.

Only after seeing his face did Valdemar understand.

He had planned even this moment from the beginning.

* * *

Ferda had expected someone to tamper with Lord Yurei’s corpse.

And just as he expected, someone had tampered with Lord Yurei’s corpse, allowing him to proceed as planned.

He had explained their plan to the Blue Eyes in advance and asked for their cooperation, and they had answered as follows.

-If something like that is happening… then of course we should help, without even asking for a reward.

Erika had lost her comrades to demonkind and suffered terribly, so she readily stepped forward whenever something connected to demonkind arose.

Because she understood the gravity of the situation, she had even gone so far as to obtain Blancaros’s approval from the neutral zone, displaying thoroughness to the very end.

‘She really becomes a different person when she stands in an official position.’

Since she had to become the face of the Iorga family and the Water Aspect, it was clear that she devoted herself completely to her image.

She stepped onto the platform and opened her mouth.

“Beloved citizens of the Empire.”

Her voice was that of a graceful woman, but it carried authority.

“I am Erika Iorga, descendant of the great mage and Water Aspect Iorga, and the Blue-Eyed Tower Master.”

Erika spoke with an appropriate balance of an intellectual’s courtesy and a tower master’s dignity.

“As you know, I have formed an alliance with Regent Ferda of the Grand Duchy of Valdrova in the Far East, and we are sharing technology under the banner of conquering the demon lands. Recently, we even achieved the remarkable result of successfully applying a magic array that filters contaminated water to magitech. Thanks to that, we were able to see tremendous results when this siege formation was established.”

Her eyes grew even fiercer.

“Yet here, instead of praising Regent Ferda, you are looking at him as though he were a criminal condemned to death. I would like to make one thing clear. He is someone who has devoted himself to purifying this continent of Serdes, and there is no reason for him to be treated as a criminal.”

She condemned the atmosphere that was branding Ferda a murderer.

Duke Yurei then spoke.

“I sincerely thank and respect Tower Master Erika and every member under her command for their hard work. But if you intend to shield him simply because you are allies, justice will not prevail.”

Erika looked at Duke Yurei.

Her tone was gentle, without the slightest hint of a threat.

“Duke Yurei, I understand very well that you are a father who has lost his child. But there is also the fact that he insulted a dragon, is there not?”

“I heard it from only one knight. There was only one witness in that ballroom filled with so many people.”

“When it comes to dragons, the principle is to make an example of one to warn a hundred. Do you know what that means?”

Her voice was cold.

It seemed to scatter frost across every place it reached.

“It means that merely having someone hear the words is enough to warrant death.”

Dragonspawn.

Because she was more rational than anyone and closer to a dragon than anyone, her words carried a weight of an entirely different order.

“The one who did not want to make this matter bigger and showed consideration was none other than Regent Ferda. Therefore, I believe it would be best to end this at a reasonable point.”

“When you say ‘a reasonable point’….”

Duke Yurei trembled.

“Are you telling me to pretend not to see that my son was killed…?”

He was a father who had nothing left to lose, which was why he acted with such emotion and boldness.

But at the same time, it was an action possible because she was a Blue Dragon.

A Blue Dragon had to be intellectual and rational.

“If Regent Ferda committed murder and intends to remain Grand Duke, then I believe he should receive the punishment he deserves under the laws of the Empire.”

Erika also responded intellectually.

“But that only applies if the dead man was actually Duke Yurei’s son.”

“Are you saying that dead man… wasn’t my son?”

Duke Yurei reacted violently.

It looked like a cheap trick intended to cover up this incident.

“He was unquestionably my son! When his body was transported, I confirmed several times that it was my son! The blue spot he had had on his buttocks since childhood was right there!”

“No. That alone is insufficient.”

Erika tapped her lips with her fan as she spoke.

“That physical characteristic is evidence, but it cannot itself be the truth.”

“What do you mean by ‘the truth,’ Tower Master?”

She addressed the chair.

“Chairman?”

“Yes.”

“This is a somewhat impertinent request, but may I use Deadman Knock on Lord Yurei’s body?”

Deadman Knock.

It was a third-tier spell that temporarily revived the consciousness of the dead in order to extract information.

As long as the conditions were met, it was an excellent spell for uncovering the truth.

But there was one crucial problem.

“Th-That’s black magic, isn’t it?”

The problem was the fact that it was black magic.

“Are you saying you can use black magic, Tower Master?”

“Yes. That is not recorded in the biography known to the public. But everyone who knows me will know it. And I have never hidden it, either.”

Erika had served as the source of wisdom for the twelve-person expedition.

Erdes had handled the firepower of their magic, while Erika had chosen to prepare as many tools as possible to expand the means by which they could overcome any obstacle.

Black magic was one of the tools Erika had prepared.

“Absolutely not!”

Joseph Faust, the head of the Alte Church, vehemently objected.

“Black magic is a by-product of demons, an unholy darkness! As an apostle of Alte, I can never permit it within the Empire!”

Erika then asked him,

“You mean it cannot be used even for the sake of the truth?”

“Of course not. No black magic whatsoever can be tolerated within the Empire.”

Joseph Faust stood his ground.

Those watching him brazenly defy a Blue Dragon felt their blood run cold.

It was characteristic of a hardliner, but it was closer to reckless disregard for the situation.

Erika did not take this personally, either.

“Very well. If the president of the Serdes Magic Association also objects, I will gladly abandon the idea.”

Her gaze turned toward Erdes.

Erdes, who had been watching for quite some time, wore an expression of displeasure.

The two of them were looking at each other as though they might devour one another.

Perhaps this plan would be thwarted.

-If it’s her, she’ll help. They know each other better than anyone.

That was what Ferda had been told when he was uncertain.

“Use it.”

Erdes spoke just as he thought that.

Joseph was even more surprised than Ferda.

“You mean I should use it….”

“There’s no need to make a big deal out of it. I’m telling you to use the magic, aren’t I?”

The audience members who had suspected there might be some catch were shocked when they heard her clearly.

“The president is allowing her to use black magic….”

“Is she saying she’ll turn a blind eye because they were members of the same expedition…?”

Joseph asked nervously, sweating from bewilderment.

“What do you mean, President? Are you saying you’ll tolerate black magic?”

“No. That’s not what I mean.”

“Turning a blind eye just this once goes against principle, does it not? As the president of the Association, you should be consistent—.”

“Ah, you’re so fucking noisy.”

She dug a finger into her ear and glared at Joseph.

“Do you know why I hate black magic? It’s because the only people who use it are bastards who sold their souls to demons. Eventually, they become bastards who eat their own children and don’t even recognize their parents. Do you think our Erika gained this by selling even her own mother?”

“Even so, this is….”

“Shut up. You’re a green brat who doesn’t even know what kind of hellish things happened during the Dragon-Demon War, and you dare argue with me?”

Erdes rose from her seat and glared at Joseph.

Joseph was crushed beneath her presence.

“On the contrary, I can’t understand why you’re so adamantly opposed. This might let us learn the truth, mightn’t it? Is it because you firmly believe that nothing can hide beneath the light of that great Alte fellow? Or perhaps—.”

“Counselor Roton.”

Akad cut her off.

“Please refrain from mockery.”

Erdes exhaled the anger rising within her through her nose.

Then, resting her chin on her hand, she looked back toward Erika.

The resentment between them could once again be felt.

“You can use it. That is my opinion as president of the Magic Association.”

Yet there was also the camaraderie of former comrades who had once fought back-to-back.

Lord Yurei’s body, which had been placed in the autopsy room, was brought to the witness stand.

Pure mana gathered in Erika’s hand.

The instant it formed a magic array, the mana melted like dark, viscous tar.

The mass of tar flowed into the seven openings of Lord Yurei’s body.

-Uuuaaaagh…!

Black magic, Deadman Knock, manifested, and the dead man awoke.