Chapter 42: Work Together

Grandma Ail chuckled and said, "I won't say it now, but once you see him, you'll understand."

"Then why didn't you give this sword hilt to him from the start?"

"Never mind Ronis and his self-proclaimed sense of justice—even Sandru probably wouldn't have agreed to hand over the sword hilt to that man. The only reason I'm making this choice now is that I have no other options left. Besides his residence, there's truly no better place to keep it safe. And apart from him, I doubt there's anyone else capable of protecting this thing."

Grandma Ail turned and retrieved a map from a cabinet. "However, if you take the usual route, it's unlikely you'll reach him. Follow the path on this map—it will first take you to the surface of Nigen..."

Asa took the map and carefully stowed it away before letting out a long sigh. "If this could finally bring everything to an end, I'd truly be content."

"Oh? Tired already?" Grandma Ail's smile carried a hint of teasing.

"How could I not be? From the very beginning, I've been running—because the weight pressing down on me was too heavy, too much to bear, and I didn't want to bear it. But when I finally decided to stop running and face everything head-on, I realized that the only way I could face it… was to keep running."

"You know, Grandma, running away isn't my habit."

"I know," Grandma Ail nodded. "But you have no choice but to run."

"If I had an enemy, I could fight them," Asa said, adjusting the small pouch in his hand. The hilt of the Black Star Sword was now secured inside. "But because of this thing, perhaps the entire world could become my enemy. Even if that's not the case now, who's to say it won't be in the future? People change… Can I really kill everyone who might have designs on it? So I have no choice but to run."

A legendary artifact said to grant its wielder the power to become the ruler of the world—now that it had left Dehya Valley, it was bound to attract considerable interest. While not everyone harbored ambitions of world domination—after all, common folk had little room for such grand aspirations—those who both had the capability and the desire would stop at nothing to pursue it. The bloodshed and chaos that would ensue would be unimaginable. Jarvis had already proven to be an example, and compared to figures like the Pope or the Marquis, he was practically insignificant.

Opposing this legendary artifact was the power of the Sunwell within Asa. It kept him trapped in this vortex, unable to escape, unable to face such formidable adversaries. So he could only run. And running was frustrating.

"As long as it's not your heart that's running away, that's what matters. Haven't you already seen your destination? I can tell you this—you won't have to run for much longer."

"You're right. No more running. Now that I know this has nothing to do with me personally, I feel much lighter. As long as I can safely deliver this thing to Nigen, I'll be completely free."

Asa suddenly froze. A thought struck him. Reaching to his waist, he pulled out a small pouch.

Inside the pouch was nothing but fine white powder. Carefully, Asa sifted through it until he found a small black gemstone. He held it up and placed it before Grandma Ail.

"Grandma, can you tell me what this is?"

Grandma Ail's expression changed instantly. Even when she had seen the Black Star Sword's hilt earlier, her reaction had not been this severe.

In the Pope's study room, only two people were present—the Pope himself and the Marquis. Even Adra, the bishop who was always by the Pope's side, and Lancelote were absent.

"Knight Tamik I sent to seize the World Tree Leaf is dead," the Pope stated directly, his gaze fixed on the newly appointed cardinal before him. He made no attempt to conceal his intentions in sending the knight on such a mission.

Conversations between intelligent people tended to be straightforward—especially when both parties were so perceptive that pretense and embellishment became nothing more than meaningless theatrics. At such a time, their exchange could instead be as open and direct as that of two honorable gentlemen.

"Your Holiness plans with such precision that even I must admit inferiority. This was nothing more than an accident—it does not mean there was a flaw in your strategy," the Marquis replied with a slight bow, his tone calm and devoid of any mockery.

What had already happened was not something that should hinder their progress. He knew that he still had great value to the Pope, just as the Pope remained valuable to him. That mutual understanding was enough. The moment he stepped into this study, he had already grasped this fact.

"But this accident has dealt me too heavy a blow," the Pope sighed lightly, the sorrow on his face deeper than ever.

"I understand. Using the World Tree Leaf to threaten me was secondary—losing a talent like the Knight Tamik is a much greater loss," the Marquis nodded.

"It's more than that. My original plan was to use the World Tree Leaf to bring the elves under my control, or at least to balance the disparity between us and Ouf. But now, that is no longer possible. The magical barrier of Whispering Forest has been fully activated, with the Elven's Ancient War Tree and the Sunwell's barrier combined—it has become an impenetrable fortress. You must have sensed that presence two days ago."

"I did."

"That presence came from Whispering Forest. Do you know why it appeared there?"

The Marquis pondered for a moment before nodding. "I believe Sandru has already retrieved that thing."

"It can no longer remain in the Magic Academy?"

"But I don't think he'd dare place it in Whispering Forest. If the elves found out, they would stir up absolute chaos, something he certainly wouldn't want. Can you guess where he would hide it?"

The Marquis shook his head. "If he has truly found a way to completely seal the dark aura of the sword hilt, I have no idea where he might store it."

The Pope fell into silence for a moment before speaking. "That day, Ronis and Sandru exhausted their own magical power to create a chamber barely capable of suppressing the aura of the Black Star. They combined white magic and necromantic seals, infused it with the waters of the Sunwell, and further reinforced it with additional magic barriers. Even then, it still relied on the constant prayers of the priests in the Great Cathedral of the Magic Academy to remain sealed. But now that Ronis is gone, such a chamber cannot be created again. If he truly wants to seal it completely, there is only one way... Do you know what that is?"

"The ring of the former Pope, Decken." The Marquis answered without hesitation.

"Hmm, so you're aware of this as well." The Pope's expression shifted slightly, though not significantly—at the very least, it meant the Marquis was being honest with him. "That ring should be in the hands of Agrenel. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no news about my old friend's whereabouts…" He paused, then asked in a probing tone, "Do you know anything, Inham?"

The Marquis let out a wry smile. "How could I possibly know the whereabouts of the continent's greatest assassin?"

The Pope gave a bitter chuckle. "Even if I did, I doubt I could do anything about it. Twenty years ago, she managed to escape unscathed from an ambush by the twelve Temple Knights. I can't imagine any way to wrest the ring from her hands."

He sighed. "Thankfully, as the acting Guildmaster of Dehya Valley, she isn't as reckless as Sandru and still follows the necromancer's principle of neutrality. I only hope she won't personally take over the safekeeping of the Black Star's hilt. But that is just a hope. Now that the sword hilt has slipped beyond our control, we can only focus on managing the things we can control…"

The Marquis suddenly spoke. "Your Holiness, are you worried about Lord Akibard's prophecy? The appearance of the Black Star's hilt may signify that the true Black Star's emergence is not far off…"

"Yes, of course, I'm worried about that." The Pope nodded, making no attempt to hide his concerns. Then, he continued, "Inham, I know you have no interest in fulfilling Akibard's prophecy, correct? Otherwise, you wouldn't have tried to stop Jarvis that day."

The Marquis nodded with a wry smile. "Indeed. If the Black Star truly awakens, as a member of Dehya Valley, I would be forced to serve under the King of Necromancers. Aside from stubborn old relics like Shante and Sandru, who blindly adhere to Akibard's words, no one enjoys the idea of being commanded by something that may well be a mere monster. That was the consensus among most necromancers back then, but now… I seem to be the only one left who holds that view."

The Pope smiled as he looked at the Marquis. "I know you are not the kind of man blinded by power or swayed by greed. You don't chase after things you cannot truly possess, nor are you a self-righteous fool who blindly follows the teachings of ancient sages. Though you bear the mark of the Black Star, you are the most exceptional among all necromancers. That is why I have always appreciated you, why I invited you to join Celeste, and why we are sitting here having this conversation."

"I am honored by Your Holiness's regard." The Marquis bowed in respect. He could already guess how the Pope had come to know these details. Compared to Archbishop Adra, who was personally close to him, it was far more likely that the deceased Aescher had aligned himself with the Pope.

"Good. Then let me be direct once more. Inham, our interests and goals align. Let's work together." The Pope looked at the Marquis seriously, his tone deliberate and solemn.

If anyone had been watching or had learned of this conversation, they would undoubtedly have been baffled—why would the Pope speak to his own Cardinal in such a manner? After all, this was a man whom the Pope had only recently elevated to a position of immense power and trust. Yet, in this moment, the Pope spoke with genuine gravity, and the Cardinal, far from being overwhelmed by the honor, simply nodded with equal seriousness.