Chapter 45: The Hell Book

"The Hell Book?" Upon hearing those words, Cipher couldn't help but recall the stories she'd heard about it countless times before.

Aria, during their bedtime chats, often told her tales of the Hell Book. It was said to be the weapon wielded by one of the seven Heroes who vanquished the Demon Lord three centuries ago. Legend claimed that when opened, the surrounding area would transform into a hellish landscape, with lava and demons becoming the user's weapons, obeying their will and unleashing relentless torrents of attacks to overwhelm their enemies.

Of course, Cipher had never imagined this artifact actually existed. She had always assumed it was just a fictional tale, after all... the book Aria read was just a fantasy novel.

This might have been one of Aria's few personal indulgences. Before bed, she would curl up under the covers with her fantasy novel, even though she had read it countless times before. Each time, she would eagerly devour the pages from beginning to end, completely absorbed in the story.

Getting back to the main topic, if the Hell Book truly exists, it must be an incredibly powerful Divine Artifact. After all, it was the "graduation equipment" of the Hero who defeated the Demon Lord. Three centuries have passed since that epic battle, and the Hero's bones have likely crumbled to dust. It's no wonder such an artifact could surface anywhere.

Following this logic, could it mean that the Divine Artifacts of the other six Heroes are also scattered throughout the world?

While Cipher pondered this, the other adventurers present erupted in furious shouts at Viscount Braun's words:

"Are you saying you're deliberately causing this famine?!"

"Damn you! Are you insane?!"

"What kind of dogshit king is this? I truly want to kick his ass!"

The tale of the seven Heroes and the Demon Lord was common knowledge in this world. While the adventurers might have heard varying accounts of the Hell Book, that was irrelevant. What mattered was His Majesty the King's current actions.

Every one of these adventurers was a native of the Grand Duchy of Kandela. They were well aware of the recent crop failures and the increasingly dire circumstances faced by the common people. But they never imagined that these hardships were the result of deliberate manipulation.

The adventurers glared at Viscount Braun, their expressions suggesting they wanted to tear him limb from limb. The Viscount frantically waved his hands, protesting, "This has nothing to do with me! I was merely following His Majesty the King's orders! I had no choice!"

As for his collaboration with Lucien, it was purely coincidental. When Viscount Braun first arrived, the tax hikes and planned famine had just begun, and the death toll was still relatively low. Lucien, seeking to expand his Death Array, had slaughtered numerous civilians, only to be discovered by the Viscount. Instead of hunting down the necromancer, they forged a mutually beneficial partnership.

Viscount Braun continued to stammer excuses, but Natalie had already stepped before him. With a swift, decisive strike of her sword, she ended his life.

Cipher stared at the lifeless corpse before her, surprised to find herself devoid of the usual nausea. Was she gradually adapting to the brutal realities of this world, or was the Viscount's wickedness so profound that it overwhelmed her revulsion?

Remembering her purpose, Cipher reminded Natalie, "Could you carve an 'X' on his body for me?"

Without asking why, Natalie immediately crouched down and followed Cipher's instructions. Once finished, Cipher asked, "What's next? What are you planning to do?"

"I'll continue hunting down other nobles with the Braun surname," Natalie replied. "My revenge isn't complete yet."

After all, Viscount Braun couldn't possibly be the only member of the Braun family. Since he had slaughtered her entire family, it was only fair that she eradicate his entire lineage in return, wasn't it?

Natalie paused, then added, "But if the opportunity arises, I'll head to the capital."

What Natalie meant was this: if Viscount Braun's claims were true, His Majesty the King would undoubtedly be another target for her vengeance. However, assassinating a king was exponentially more difficult than killing a viscount. That's why she phrased it as "head to the capital."

If the chance presented itself, she would strike. But if not, she would prioritize wiping out the Braun family first.

Hearing this, Cipher began dragging Viscount Braun's corpse away, saying, "Then if we're lucky, we might meet again in the capital someday."

Cipher was certain that once she told Aria and the others about the Hell Book, Aria would immediately insist on going to the capital. Since they had no other plans, that's likely how their next destination would be decided.

Maybe that's just how adventurers are, Cipher thought, taking things one step at a time, never knowing what's coming next.

"Well then, until we meet again~" After bidding farewell to Natalie, Cipher vanished instantly. Moments later, when she returned to the Adventurer's Guild, the first thing she saw was Meatball standing motionless in the lobby like a guardian deity, while Aria and Douglas were casting Cure Wounds on Feidric.

Cipher froze, surprised. "What happened?"

Feidric gave a brief explanation of his battle with the Necromancer. "I set a trap and tricked him."

Aria puffed out her cheeks, a hint of anger in her voice. "So you did something so dangerous without telling us beforehand? Did you really have to face him alone?!"

Feidric smiled at Aria. "If I had told you beforehand, you would have insisted on staying, wouldn't you? This battle was different. If I could win, I could do it alone. If I lost, your presence wouldn't have changed the outcome. This was the best choice."

Cipher frowned slightly and countered, "No, I think Aria's right. You should have told us regardless. As teammates, shouldn't you trust us more?"

Feidric was taken aback by Cipher's expression. He paused, surprised, before falling silent. He had been formulating this plan since before they returned to Stone Pine City, yet he hadn't shared it with anyone. Fortunately, he had won in the end.

Feidric couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he had been honest from the start.

He had always criticized the Hero Party as hopelessly inept: a Priest who only knew a few Divine Magic spells, a clueless Catgirl with no common sense, and an even more clueless Aria.

But from another perspective, Feidric's three teammates were quite remarkable: a battle-hardened Priest blessed by the gods, a mysterious rogue whose true strength remained unknown, and an Apprentice Hero prophesied to wield the Sword in the Stone.

Realizing this, Feidric promptly apologized. "I'm sorry. I promise to inform everyone in advance next time."

After a brief pause, he turned to Cipher, who had just returned. "So, Cipher, what exactly were you doing just now?"

True to her word, Cipher replied without hesitation, "Nothing too complicated. I found the person who killed Cassie's parents."

"Who was it?!" Aria's reaction was predictably the most intense.

"Viscount Braun, the City Lord of Stone Pine City," Cipher answered.

The trio exchanged surprised glances. Before they could react, Cipher continued, "I've already moved his body outside Stone Pine City. Aria, you can come with me later to retrieve it and deliver it to Cassie. That should fulfill our promise to her, right?"

Aria blinked in confusion. "???"

Feidric: "???"

Douglas: "???"

Not just anyone—a City Lord and a Viscount, killed off so casually?

After a brief pause, Aria puffed out her cheeks again. "So, Sister Cipher, you went off alone to do something so dangerous? And you didn't even tell us?!"

"Uh..." Seeing Aria's expression, Cipher quickly explained, "I didn't kill them! It was Black Knight Natalie who did it. I just moved the bodies afterward."

Aria retorted, "That's the same thing! You still went off alone to do something dangerous without telling us!"

No, actually, it wasn't dangerous at all, Cipher thought to herself. But she had enough sense to know that saying so would only pour fuel on the fire. After a moment's consideration, she changed the subject. "By the way, the recent crop failures and tax increases are all Viscount Braun's doing. He's deliberately trying to create a famine so His Majesty the King can use a Divine Artifact called the Hell Book."

As expected, Aria, with her single-track mind, was immediately distracted. She gasped, "The Hell Book?! Is it real?!"

Feidric blinked in surprise. "Huh?"

Douglas scratched his head. "What's that?"

Wait a minute, how did we go from discussing Cassie's murders to talking about Divine Artifacts?

Aria exclaimed, "Eh? I can't believe the Hell Book actually exists?!"

Cipher raised an eyebrow, her expression incredulous. You've been obsessing over this for days, and you didn't even believe it yourself?

Douglas added, "I thought those were just legends."

Feidric pondered for a moment before saying, "It's probably true. I heard that the Hero's Divine Artifact, the Ring of All Things, recently appeared somewhere, and a whole crowd rushed to find it. So it's not impossible that the Hell Book, another of the six Heroes' artifacts, could be here too."

As Cipher had predicted, Aria immediately urged, "Then what are we waiting for? We have to rush to the capital! We have to stop His Majesty the King from creating another Hell, no matter what!"

Cipher, Feidric, and Douglas all agreed, and their next destination was set: the capital of the Grand Duchy of Kandela.

Feidric and Douglas figured that dealing with a king was likely beyond their capabilities, but since a Divine Artifact was involved, they figured it wouldn't hurt to go along and watch the spectacle.

Cipher, however, had a simpler, more direct plan: could she steal the artifact straight from the king's hands?

Suddenly remembering something, Cipher glanced at her System interface. After the recent events, her Fame had surged to 4,000 out of 10,000, putting her two-fifths of the way to her next lottery draw.

Previously, she had spent nearly a thousand Gold Dragons, and at least a thousand commoners knew the story of the Phantom Thief Cat, earning her a total of 2,000 Fame. But this time, being mistaken for a Legendary Adventurer at Viscount Braun's Mansion and effortlessly dispatching two Silver Warriors with a single kick each had granted her nearly the same amount. Wasn't that disparity a little too significant?

Cipher pondered this. Could it be related to power? The same deed would earn far less Fame for a commoner or ordinary person than for a Class Holder.

In other words, Cipher realized she now had two main methods for boosting her Fame: first, cast a wide net by robbing the rich to help the poor and handing out money; second, make a splash in front of powerful figures to increase her visibility and establish her presence.

The topic of the Hell Book was temporarily dropped. After taking a deep breath, Aria crossed her arms and glared at Cipher. "Sister Cipher, we're not finished discussing your unauthorized actions!"

Cipher blinked in surprise. "???"

She was genuinely stunned. Wait, you can just bring that up again?

Remembering Feidric's swift apology earlier, Cipher clasped her hands together and said sweetly, "I'm so sorry~ I'll be more careful next time!"

Of course, while she said the words, she had no intention of changing her ways. She knew she was wrong, but she didn't care to correct it. Heh heh~!

After all, Feidric had genuinely been risking his life, while Cipher had merely been on a "picnic."

To Cipher's surprise, Aria stubbornly declared, "No! I'm still angry! Unless... unless Sister Cipher lets me touch your tail, I won't forgive you!"

Cipher blinked in astonishment. "?!"

Good grief, was this her plan all along?

Aria had been eyeing Cipher's tail for quite some time, having previously asked to touch it, only to be firmly rejected each time.

In truth, Aria's anger had already dissipated after Cipher's apology. But then a mischievous idea sparked in her little mind, leading to this impromptu threat. Perhaps because it was her first time trying to threaten someone, Aria's assertiveness visibly crumbled as she spoke.

"Um... even if you don't let me touch it, Sister Cipher, I... I'll stay mad for another two minutes before forgiving you!"

"O-okay, actually, one minute should be enough."

Cipher just stared, speechless.

This child... she's too adorable!

P.S. Each primary class corresponds to a unique Divine Artifact.