Chapter 81
A night when not even a trace of the sun could be found.
Ten figures moved through the cold darkness. Clad in black robes that covered them from head to toe, they walked, emanating an ominous aura.
Clop.
Clop.
They were crossing the White Lake on the bridge leading to the academy. Usually, countless people passed this way, but now silence hung over it.
Ten black robes swayed in the darkness.
They were the Black Temple’s ‘bishops.’
The ten bishops looked toward the academy in the distance.
White and black
cadets and the fallen
Two contrasting groups
faced one another across a single bridge.
“….”
“….”
“….”
The academy was peaceful.
There was a taut tension in the air, and fear of the chaos to come, but no flames rose and no screams could be heard.
This was…
not the situation they wanted.
“The faithful have failed.”
The one at the very front pushed back his hood. Beneath it appeared a young man with short-cropped brown hair and a gentle-looking face.
He shrugged awkwardly, like a man whose first confession of love had gone badly. Then he spoke to the ominous black figures following behind him.
“Well, this is… not what we anticipated. The Grand Duchess Carla was supposed to be kidnapped, then dozens of our faithful were supposed to storm in and cause utter chaos.”
“….”
“The shopping district should be ablaze, the cadets should be suspecting and fighting one another, and Black Knight Zack should be surrounded by the faithful… Shouldn’t that be the situation? And where are our Restorationist brothers?”
“….”
“It’s not as if the people who came to support us suddenly banded together and went off to share ‘sweet blessings’… Even the ‘Archbishop of Love’ wouldn’t turn a blind eye to them abandoning their mission to enjoy their ‘blessings.’ Haha.”
“….”
Mutter, mutter.
The young man rambled on so casually, as if making excuses for a failed confession, yet remained completely unruffled. He kept looking around.
“Good grief, do I have to punish them? Taking blessings away from the faithful as punishment when they’re having a good time goes against my principles…”
“….”
“In this bleak age cursed by the Sun, shouldn’t everyone have at least one thing to enjoy if they’re to keep their sanity?”
“….”
Faithful,
blessings,
Aside from the unsettling words he used, his tone was perfectly calm and natural. That only made the young man seem all the more out of place.
Finally, one of the black figures spoke.
“Bishop Mark.”
“Yes?”
“Be on your guard. Even if you are the chosen representative of the Archbishop of ‘Lust,’ this frivolous attitude cannot be tolerated.”
“Haha, understood. A warning from one bishop to another, right? Mm, mm… I’ll take it to heart.”
Mark smiled, walked over, and patted him on the shoulder. Then he leaned close to his ear and whispered.
“And.”
“….”
“He is the Archbishop of ‘Love,’ not lust. ‘That One’ allows humanity’s ‘boundless love,’ unlike those who’ve been cursed by the Sun. Lust is a word used by dogs who uphold the ‘boundaries’ set by the Sun. Is the ‘submission’ that suppresses human free will really true love? Why is an act of sharing warmth and the essence of life called ‘lust’? No! It is life, justice, hope, and love. So all the more reason to share it with more people…!”
Blah, blah, blah.
Words poured out with a smile.
He poured out countless words in an instant, and madness lurked in Mark’s whisper. They were words he’d polished by repeating his repressed feelings over and over.
Those who knew Mark’s true nature found that polished veneer disgusting.
Because his ‘love’ was never warm.
But the black figure merely nodded in silence.
“Understood. I’ll be careful.”
“Glad you understand.”
Mark patted his shoulder and turned away. Then, in his usual casual tone, he said,
“Anyway, brother bishop, how should we handle this situation now? A few good ideas have already started coming to mind… but I’d like to hear your opinion, too.”
“We must retreat.”
“Pardon…?”
Mark looked genuinely crestfallen. But the black figure continued in an even tone.
“The Restorationists have not joined us, and the faithful who entered the academy have fallen silent. Something has gone wrong. So we return to the main temple. We must regroup for the greater cause.”
“….”
Mark sighed.
“That damn greater cause, greater cause…”
“….”
“I’m sick of it.”
“!”
The black figure growled.
“Bishop Mark. You’ve been given the title of representative, but you must not undermine the greater cause…!”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Mark waved a hand, cutting him off.
“I’m sick of it.”
“Mark.”
“The thing about the greater cause is… you can’t achieve it by playing things safe. It only reveals its noble form to those who dare to challenge it.”
“….”
“Just like love, you can’t obtain it by simply waiting. It’s something you have to ‘make happen.’ So let’s go looking. For the lovely seed of war hiding somewhere in this academy… the Grand Duchess Carla.”
Mark finished speaking and licked his lips.
At the same time,
a light flashed from the academy beyond the bridge.
“!”
“!”
Mark and the bishops turned around at the same time.
They saw it.
At the edge of the shopping district across the bridge.
Countless cadets and staff had appeared there, revealed by the many lights floating in the sky.
Gathered in orderly ranks like gatekeepers guarding a door, they had completely blocked the entrance. Those with swords stood in front, while those with magical catalysts stood behind them.
And…
in their midst,
was the Grand Duchess Carla.
Her face was haggard, and female cadets were supporting her. But with the help of numerous amplification artifacts, she spoke.
-Those are our ‘enemies’! Demon worshippers!
“!”
-They lured the Restorationists into this, kidnapped me, the Grand Duchess, and are trying to drive a wedge between the Kingdom and the Republic!
Mark smiled brightly.
“Hahaha! The Grand Duchess has such a pretty voice. I’d love to confess my love to her sometime! I wonder how fragrant and soft her hair is? Her hands must be clean and lovely, too?”
“….”
Carla spoke to the cadets.
-Don’t be fooled by suspicion any longer! Don’t distrust the people beside you when our enemy is right in front of us!
The black figure turned around.
“Retreat. In this situation, we must plan for another day…!”
“Kukuku… Let’s go. Let’s fetch that lovely Grand Duchess.”
“M-Mark?!”
“The Gallian royal family will keep quiet, and the rumors will get twisted anyway. Black Knight Zack isn’t here, either! That’s all a bluff! If we can’t take the Grand Duchess here, we’ll accomplish nothing. …Just like love!”
“What?!”
“Besides, she’s beautiful!”
Mark charged straight ahead.
With his ordinary, harmless-looking face wreathed in a broad smile, he started running desperately, as if rushing to the person he loved.
“Carla! Hahaha! I’ll take you to the main temple, no matter what!”
“Mark! Mark, you damn lecher—! We have to follow Bishop Mark now! Otherwise, the Archbishop will…!”
As the black figures were caught off guard by Mark’s rampage,
another dazzling light flashed behind them.
And a boy’s voice rang out in the darkness.
[Holy Sword Manifestation—!]
“?!”
A streak of light flashed.
It was a sword that shone brilliantly even in the darkness. Its light was like the lake glittering beneath the summer sun. With fierce momentum, it shot toward the black figures.
As the immense light shot forth,
the sky flashed pure white,
and the bridge shook.
Kaboom—!
A tremendous boom,
and acrid smoke filled the area.
Two of the black figures were caught in the blast.
“Gah…!”
“Aaaagh—?!”
Then light flashed again.
This time, it was a frail girl’s voice.
[Holy Sword Manifestation!]
Once again, the sky blazed with light.
The light erupted closer than before, striking the black figures like a flash. A shock wave strong enough to scatter the thick dust spread out.
KABOOM—!
It spun around once in a whirlwind.
All the debris soared into the air.
One of the black figures was among it.
“Aaaagh!”
Three people caught in the light began to burn, as if struck directly by divine magic. Those in black robes recognized what the light was.
“The Holy Sword Danan—!”
“The sword of the cursed lake!”
“Scatter! Danan’s power can’t be used carelessly!”
The six who remained scattered in an instant. Then they hid in the darkness and watched the wielders of the Holy Sword.
Arti was aiming his Holy Sword, now returned to him, while Aria clicked her tongue amid the flickering light.
“Damn…! If only I’d done it right…”
“No, it’s all right. Let’s focus now, Aria!”
“…Yes!”
The black figure shouted at the boy and girl. It was an order to the bishops scattered all around.
“Follow Bishop Mark into the academy! Seize the Grand Duchess! With his abilities, he should be able to break through the encirclement! Our secrets will remain hidden, even if we die!”
“!”
The six scattered bishops pushed through the darkness with movements like birds or wolves. Seeing them vanish in an instant, Arti groaned under his breath.
“We should be wiping them all out here…!”
And before him,
an enraged black figure appeared.
Black mist rose, and eyes gleamed.
“You’re the Hero…!”
“?!”
Aria and Arti saw him and took up their stances.
*
-Hahaha! Grand Duchess! You have no idea how long I’ve been looking for you!
“….”
Mark was charging toward them at breakneck speed.
Morgan looked at Lydia beside them with an incredulous expression. Lydia pointed at Bishop Mark with a serious look. He was racing along the bridge at tremendous speed.
Dodging countless spells,
and long-range incantations.
Thwung!
Kaboom!
-Hahaha!
Lydia said,
“That man bears an especially powerful ‘curse.’ Men like him are trusted agents of influential archbishops within the Black Temple.”
“Someone that crazy?”
“He’s mad with desire, and that’s why he’s so focused.”
Then she added,
“He’ll probably break through here in no time. So you and I need to draw him away quickly. We went to all this trouble to establish our cause with the Grand Duchess here, but if she actually gets kidnapped, it’ll turn the whole situation on its head.”
“Hmph.”
Just as Lydia had said,
Mark was charging forward at tremendous speed.
The people around Carla were flustered.
-I-is he insane?! What the hell is that guy?!
-His body turned into mist…!
“Yeah, I guess we have to go.”
Morgan turned around.
Then Morgan looked at Carla, who stood proudly facing forward. At Lydia’s suggestion, Carla had persuaded the cadets and arranged this confrontation. She had also promised to see it through to the end.
Watching this, Morgan said,
“…To put another debt on the Grand Duchess.”