Chapter 108: Chapter 108

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Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: The Plot Against the Saintess

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Disqualified for using ancient dragon magic.

As a result, I expected to be immediately escorted to the Empire.

"…Are you sure I'm allowed to come along?"

I was currently waiting outside the arena with Baekmokgong.

Baekmokgong turned to look at me, as if I had stated the obvious.

"Didn't you yourself mention the Saintess's assassination, young man? Then, naturally, you should be present as the informant."

In truth, I had planned to negotiate my way into staying here anyway.

With so many variables, the scenario could deviate in any direction, so I had to intervene to guide it back to the main storyline, even if just a little.

But without any need for negotiation, Baekmokgong simply brought me here right away.

Of course, I was very pleased by this.

'Did she perhaps notice that and bring me along?'

It was a leap of faith, but Baekmokgong's discernment was exceptional.

She might have discerned some of my thoughts.

Clink–

In the meantime, Baekmokgong had an Imperial Knight remove the handcuffs from my wrists.

Now that they were off, I felt a little lighter.

However,

"What if I just run away?"

"Heh heh, go on, try to escape."

There was no way I would run.

Just by following along now, I would be able to legally use ancient dragon magic.

More importantly, there was no way I could escape from Baekmokgong.

At my current level, even if I gave it my all, it would be futile.

She knew all of that, which is why she said such a thing.

Of course, it was also my fault for trying to test her.

"Now then, tell me your thoughts on this Saintess assassination case."

Baekmokgong dismissed the Imperial Knight so I could speak freely.

"Who are the individuals behind the Saintess's assassination?"

"High priests from the Holy Kingdom of Lium and one cardinal."

"Hmm, and why them?"

She didn't ask how I knew this information.

That was something she could ask later anyway.

What was important now was why the culprits were planning such a thing.

"There are two rulers in the Holy Kingdom."

"King Lium and the Pontiff."

Originally, the title 'Pope' would be used, but the Empire had decreed that the Emperor's name, Haisirion, was unique to him.

Thus, the Holy Church had no choice but to use 'Pontiff' instead of 'Pope'.

"The balance of power between the Pontiff and King Lium was originally stable.

But with the appearance of one individual, the situation completely changed."

"The Saintess, Acrede Saint Narea, you mean."

Baekmokgong replied immediately.

She was a Duchess of the Empire.

Although she wasn't heavily involved in the Empire's political affairs at the moment, she naturally kept abreast of global developments.

So, Baekmokgong could speak freely about it without me even needing to elaborate.

"The Saintess's birth disrupted the balance of power between King Lium and the Pontiff, and King Lium sought to eliminate the Saintess before being pushed out by the Pontiff. Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes, that's correct."

The ones planning the Saintess's assassination were priests from King Lium's faction and one cardinal.

Baekmokgong, understanding everything, stroked her chin.

"If they did such a thing, wouldn't King Lium be in trouble?"

"That would be the case if the Saintess's death was known to be at King Lium's behest."

Baekmokgong's eyes changed in an instant.

"King Lium brought in another secret organization."

"The Mystic cult, Mysticism."

"Bwahahaha!"

Baekmokgong burst into maniacal laughter.

I understood her laughter.

Because Mysticism was a group Baekmokgong had personally shattered with her own hands.

Murderous intent gleamed in her eyes.

"So these pests were still nesting, hiding from my sight."

The Mystic cult.

Mysticism.

They were a group that believed all humans should be imbued with Mysteries to achieve ultimate transcendence.

Two things were necessary to achieve their goals.

One was the negation of the gods rooted in this world.

Mysteries were called 'perverted' or 'corrupted' beings that failed to become gods, but they saw it differently.

They believed Mysteries were the ultimate form life could attain.

Therefore, they thought that for this world to truly prosper, everything related to the gods had to be erased.

The second was to transform all beings in the world into Mysteries.

As they preached that all humans should be imbued with Mysteries to achieve ultimate transcendence, they sought to turn all humans into Mysteries.

They had a history of capturing humans and 'mystifying' them.

Baekmokgong, who had single-handedly stopped Baekmok, was greatly enraged by this.

That's why she had hunted down and crushed every Mystic cultist she could find.

But they survived with the tenacity of cockroaches.

As a result, they were once again trying to implement their will.

"The rate of Mystery occurrences has increased recently, hasn't it?"

"Yes, that's their doing."

Mysteries are perverse beings that failed to become gods.

Mysticism intentionally corrupted those who were on their way to becoming gods, turning them into Mysteries.

My fist quietly clenched.

Because the Steel Empress that appeared in the Spirit Forest was also their doing.

'The Steel Empress is a keyword that subtly hints at the existence of Mysticism.'

And this incident is the episode that brings Mysticism into the scenario's main plotline.

Mysticism is a troublesome group within the story.

Not only do they increase the problematic rate of Mystery occurrences,

but later, they also align with Duke Robliajeu.

Therefore, the difficulty of the final scenario changes significantly depending on how much Mysticism is suppressed during the scenario's progression.

This means that the more thoroughly Mysticism is eradicated, the better.

So, I intend to uproot them as much as I possibly can.

"Yes, this changes things quite a bit."

No matter who Baekmokgong was, she couldn't intervene in the power struggles within the Holy Kingdom.

However, if Mysticism was involved, that was a different story.

They were a criminal organization officially recognized by the Empire and various other nations.

There was ample reason for Baekmokgong to step forward.

"And I also understand well why you know this story, young man."

Baekmokgong's eyes turned to me.

"Young man, you were approached by Mysticism, weren't you?"

I possessed a Mystery.

As such, it wouldn't be strange at all for me to have been offered to join Mysticism.

They were infinitely lenient towards those who harbored Mysteries.

'But Mysticism hasn't actually contacted me directly.'

In the story, Mysticism also approached Lucas.

Lucas, like me, possessed a steel body.

As such, he immediately drew their attention.

However, unlike Lucas, Mysticism never approached me.

'Well, I'm not exactly Lucas.'

Perhaps I didn't meet their criteria.

But that was just my perspective.

From Baekmokgong's point of view, it wouldn't be strange at all for Mysticism to have contacted me at any time.

"Yes, that's correct."

Since knowing about this Saintess assassination plot could also be attributed to Mysticism's doing,

there was no reason not to take advantage of this misunderstanding.

As soon as I readily agreed, Baekmokgong raised her hand.

Then she began vigorously stroking my head.

"Indeed, my judgment was correct. It's truly rewarding to have saved you under the Hero's Special Law, young man."

Baekmokgong liked individuals who displayed heroic conduct.

In her eyes, I apparently looked exactly like someone walking the path of a hero.

Even though I was just desperately trying to align things with the main storyline.

"Now then, young man, when do you think Mysticism will launch their attack?"

"I believe it will be the moment the Saintess returns to the Kingdom of Lium."

The moment the Saintess, exhausted from the international individual competition, would be most relaxed and off guard.

The cardinal and priests would create an opening for Mysticism to enter.

In that process, several priests would die, and the cardinal would be severely wounded fighting Mysticism, but they would ultimately fail to protect the Saintess.

Consequently, the Holy Church would be greatly shaken by the loss of the Saintess, whom the Goddess had blessed.

'If only it ended there, it would be enough.'

The assassination of the Saintess, if not prevented, is one of the bad endings.

Bad Ending

The Goddess's Disappointment

Due to the power struggles within the Holy Kingdom, the child she had blessed died.

It was natural for the Goddess to be disappointed.

However, this bad ending was slightly different from previous ones.

Because the game itself could still be played.

The real problem was what came after.

[ The Goddess withdraws her grace, and all divine power vanishes. ]

The disappearance of divine power.

Because of this, the priests of the Flame Butterfly arc completely vanish.

The absence of the most crucial healer class.

From then on, the difficulty of the Flame Butterfly arc increases exponentially.

No matter how good a party was assembled,

casualties would consistently occur due to the absence of the healer class.

Even if soul mages like Grantoni were recruited to compensate, that was only the story for the protagonist's party.

Apart from the protagonist, all other parties entering the demonic palace would be annihilated.

As a result, all academy students would be wiped out.

Naturally, the saturation of apostles would no longer be controllable, and ultimately, the Evil Lord would descend.

That was the bad ending: 'The Goddess's Disappointment.'

Naturally, it was one of the bad endings that absolutely had to be prevented.

So, I had prepared.

"Then, we'll have to make sure they're thoroughly minced meat."

The most terrifying existence for Mysticism.

The hero among heroes, Baekmokgong.

'This is my greatest gift.'

Receive it with gratitude.

***

The Wings of the Goddess.

Dragonification.

And on top of that, a student was arrested for learning ancient dragon magic.

The main competition matches were a continuous string of chaos.

But the shock they delivered was unparalleled.

The spectators found it difficult to focus on other main matches.

"The Wings of the Goddess, to think I'd see such a thing in my lifetime!"

"More than that, wasn't it ancient dragon magic? I had my doubts, but it really was ancient dragon magic!"

Even though the main competition was well underway, the spectators kept talking about the first match of the Round of 64.

The battle between Hanon and Isabel didn't have a proper conclusion.

After both had poured out all their strength and clashed,

Hanon had been immediately taken away.

Perhaps because of that, some people were arguing about who had been superior between the two.

Above the arena, which received little attention,

a man was walking up.

The ash-haired man had a slightly annoyed expression.

His name was Solvas Umbra.

He was the young man called the Son of Shadows.

Though a perpetually relaxed expression was his trademark, he found it hard to smile during this main match.

The reason was Hanon Airey, who had appeared in the previous match.

The humiliation he had suffered at Hanon's hands during the preliminary round.

He had waited for this main competition to exact his revenge, but Hanon, instead, had swept up all the attention of the match and then promptly vanished.

Even now, it was clear.

None of the spectators were focused on the main match.

They seemed to be in a mood as if they had already witnessed the main final.

For Solvas, it was utterly humiliating.

'That guy.'

Solvas felt like he was grinding his teeth.

Grind–

At that moment, he heard the sound of teeth grinding near him.

Solvas turned his head with a puzzled expression.

Blue hair fluttered in the wind.

Solvas instinctively flinched.

Beneath the blue hair,

blue eyes, matching the color of her hair, blazed with chilling intensity.

Crrrunch–

Her teeth ground together once more.

The Unyielding Azure Flame.

Eve.

She was Solvas's opponent for this match.

"Hanon Airey."

In her eyes, a fierce rage boiled, enough to make even Solvas wince.

"I'll never let him get away with this."

For some reason, Eve was thoroughly enraged.

"Match Start!"

With the announcer's shout, Eve's azure flame surged fiercely, reaching as high as the sky.

Even the spectators who had been chattering about the previous match were startled enough to turn their attention back to the current one.

Seeing this, Solvas realized he had become her target for venting anger.

They were clearly both among the Six Stars,

but how had it come to this?

Solvas cast a pathetic shadow compared to Eve's azure flame, and quietly closed his eyes.

Hanon, you son of a bitch.