“Nice to meet you. I’ve wanted to meet you someday, and now I finally get to.”
“Huh? Ah? Yes? Wh-who are you?”
“I’m a friend of Sola. You’re her younger brother, right?”
“Ah…! Yes! That’s right!”
As I extended my hand, Zenon momentarily looked bewildered but soon smiled and shook my hand.
For a guy, his hands are small and soft.
You can really feel he’s lived a life without much struggle.
I can somewhat guess how much Sola cherishes her little brother.
‘If things go south, I can use this guy as a hostage.’
Just when I was short on materials to threaten Sola,
a hostage conveniently fell right into my hands.
Sola dedicated her whole life only to her brother, Zenon.
Originally, as a Swordmaster, she would have made much more money by opening an academy, but she became a Holy Knight to easily access Healing Magic to fix her brother’s heart.
In the end, she abandoned her morals and ended up becoming one of the Four Heavenly Kings for her brother.
Zenon is Sola’s sore spot, a being more precious than her own life.
In other words, if I take Zenon hostage and threaten Sola, it will definitely work.
“What about the person next to you…?”
“Oh, she’s just a slave.”
“Ah, may I ask how you met her?”
“Of course. I apologize for the late introduction. I’m Mi Jeong. I met Sola on the battlefield. At that time, I was a merchant supplying materials to the Sacred Knights.”
“Ah! I see!”
I tricked him.
Thanks to Sola taking on all the hardships of the world, he’s really naive.
If I were a con artist, I could probably pull off an insurance scam right here and now.
You should be glad I’m a nice person.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re such a nice brother.”
“Ahaha. Really? What else did they say about me?”
“They said you’re often in pain… and that they feel sorry for not being able to help.”
“Wha-what? That’s right, I told them not to tell anyone I was hurt. You must be really close.”
“Well, yes.”
Before I knew it, I had become Sola’s best friend.
This way, it’ll be easier to get Zenon’s cooperation.
“I was just chatting with them until a moment ago, but your brother had to leave for a mission, so I sent him off.”
“Ha! Ahahaha…”
“Why are you laughing?”
“No, it’s just… Brother… Ahahaha!”
“………”
“It’s interesting. You say you’re close, yet there are still such odd misunderstandings.”
“Misunderstanding? What do you mean by that?”
“That’s something you’ll have to find out for yourself. Hehe.”
Suddenly, Zenon grabs his belly and bursts out laughing.
Did I say something that funny?
Even when I ask why he’s laughing, Zenon waves his hands and dodges the question.
“By the way… um, no. If you’re close to your brother, have you noticed any changes in him recently?”
“Yes. He seems a bit more irritable compared to before. Of course, Sola was known as a strict commander on the battlefield, but that was only in her professional life; she had a generous personality in personal matters. But nowadays, she seems to have become a bit more annoyed. In any case, something’s changed.”
“That’s right! I feel the same! I can’t help but worry that something might have happened. B-but.. he always worries about me, yet I worry about him. Even after I die, he has to keep living… I don’t want to see him broken because of me. How much has he sacrificed taking care of me? I hope he can live as he wants after I pass away.”
“………”
Though he may be naive, he’s quite mature in his mindset.
Zenon is already anticipating and accepting his own death.
Rather, he’s worrying about Sola after he’s gone.
What Zenon wants is for Sola to overcome her pain and live happily after he dies.
I’ll do my best to grant Zenon’s wish.
I don’t know about making him happy, but at the very least, I might be able to prevent him from falling into the abyss of evil.
And who knows, maybe Zenon could be saved by some really, really slim chance…
“Could you find out what your brother has been doing lately? I’d like to follow him, but I’m not in good shape…”
“Sure.”
“He said that outside of work, he’s been visiting the Cologne Cathedral. I thought he was becoming quite religious, but when I later talked to some bishops, they said he had never been to the cathedral? So I thought he might be lying, but they did hear he was seen near the cathedral. So that means it’s not a complete lie… I’m curious about what he’s been doing near the cathedral. It might even relate to why he’s changed.”
“Yes. I’ll find out.”
“Please… I really need your help…”
So, Sola has been loitering around the cathedral lately…
I’ve acquired some valuable information.
‘The surface is meaningless. What is beneath the cathedral?’
Cologne was once the old capital of the Holy Kingdom.
If there are suspicious movements on the surface, they’ll soon be discovered.
So Sola must be planning something underground.
The cathedral’s basement?
That’s a closed-off area.
‘Oh, the rainwater tunnel.’
In that moment,
a map that had been abandoned in the game came to mind.
Originally, the basement of the cathedral contained rainwater tunnels where events were supposed to occur, but
due to the delay in development, it was never implemented before the release date, and was released with the setting that the rainwater tunnels were closed.
It’s a closed area where people can’t enter and has a vast space.
It’s the perfect place to conspire.
However, the problem is that no matter how underground it is, access routes are on the surface.
Since it’s near the Papal Palace, there must be many surveillance eyes.
Sola wouldn’t raise much suspicion since she’s a Holy Knight, but other Four Heavenly Kings or Monsters wouldn’t dare to go near.
‘Is Sola doing this alone? Or is she with someone who can evade surveillance?’
Is there a collaborator of Sola’s inside the Papal Palace?
Nothing is certain yet.
But now that I’ve pinpointed the location, all that’s left is to defeat her.
“It looks like my break time is ending, so I should get back to work! The store I’m working at is over there! If you want to find me, just come to my store during the day. Unless I suddenly fall ill, I’ll probably be there for a while.”
“I’ll investigate and come back to inform you soon.”
No matter who the counterpart is, what I have to do remains unchanged.
I’ll capture Sola’s collaborator and ruin his plans.
Now I can only hope the fight doesn’t spill over to the surface.
‘Looks like I won’t have to take Zenon hostage.’
Thanks to that, I acquired precious information.
It seems there’s no need to take Zenon hostage to threaten Sola.
“Oh, right.”
Just as I was about to head directly to the Papal Palace,
I recalled I was currently wanted for attempted rape.
And the escort that could prevent my arrest is buried in the ground right now…
What should I do about this?
“Mi Jeong, I might need your help.”
“………Okay.”
“I want to drink some blood.”
“………Okay.”
There’s no choice.
I have to force my way through.
*
“Thank you for attending a mass that wasn’t on the schedule, Priestess.”
“No, it’s fine. Honestly, I should come more often… I feel more sorry.”
After finishing the mass,
I walked outside with the archbishop, who kept bowing his head.
“By the way, Archbishop.”
“Yes. Please go ahead.”
“Is it true Cardinal Nicholas has always had a peculiar condition like narcolepsy…?”
“Narcolepsy? That’s a first for me.”
I explained to the bewildered archbishop what I had witnessed today.
How the Cardinal seemed dead cold, stiff as a board.
And then how his complexion suddenly returned, and he was casual in demeanor.
At this, the archbishop looked even more perplexed and whispered.
“I’ve never seen anything like that. How bizarre. To have a body that weak, even with a pulse seemingly non-existent, while standing and pretending to sleep…”
“And doesn’t it seem like he’s become someone different?”
I don’t have much of a relationship with Cardinal Nicholas.
We occasionally crossed paths at large events and exchanged greetings, but other than that, there wasn’t much connection.
Even with little interaction, I feel like the Nicholas I met before and the one I saw today is somewhat different.
I don’t mean he’s changed.
It’s almost as if he’s become a ‘different person.’
“He’s certainly transformed dramatically. He used to always wear his formal attire no matter where he went, but these days he seems to dress casually. I’m thinking of it positively as him becoming simpler.”
“Hmm…”
It seems the archbishop noticed this too.
After thinking it over, it feels suspicious.
I need to request a focused investigation into Cardinal Nicholas during this inspection season.
The gratitude required by the Priestess can’t be evaded by either the Cardinal or the Pope.
If he’s innocent, then nothing will come out even if we dig deep.
BANG!
“Whoa?!”
Suddenly, an explosion echoes from outside.
Is it a terror attack?!
The archbishop and I quickly rushed outside to see.
The guards were rushing in, blocking our path.
“It’s dangerous! Please evacuate inside!”
“No! I need to see what’s happening!”
“We will handle it! The safety of the Priestess and Archbishop is our top priority!”
That’s frustrating.
In the end, I had no choice but to be dragged to the shelter, looking out the window.
The soldiers swiftly gathered around and surrounded one specific spot.
A girl in a hood was standing there with her hands in a strange gesture.
“…..Area, expand.”
“Is that a curse?”
In that moment,
the girl completely vanished from sight.
The soldiers looked just as flustered.
Some of them rushed to the spot where she had been, but the girl had truly disappeared without a trace.
“Formation Magic…”
I sensed a faint trace of demonic energy at the place where the girl vanished.
Considering there’s no totem or cursed doll, it seems to be a technique that directly inscribes a curse into space…
They’re some of the trickiest curse casters out there.
But what on earth is a curse caster doing here?
Did they come for a terror act but had to retreat because the security was too tight?
“Wait a minute.”
“What is it, Priestess?!”
At that moment, I sensed something.
The energy of demonic energy.
While it was much fainter than the one that had been at the girl’s spot, most people wouldn’t sense it.
But if someone is sensitive to both magic and demonic energy, they might pick it up.
That place is definitely…
‘The path leading to the sewers?’
Behind the cathedral.
There are signs of a formation being deployed and then canceled at the entrance to the rainwater tunnel.
‘I’m going after them.’
They might be related to the white smoke.
I need to catch their tail somehow.
“Priestess! Where are you going! You need to evacuate this way!”
“I sense demonic energy over there. Follow me.”
“Priestess!”
With that thought, I headed toward the back of the cathedral accompanied by the guards.
The alertness was high, but it seems no one noticed this demonic energy yet.
Moreover, it seems that nobody suspected there could be enemies lurking in the sewers.
“I’m going down.”
“Down there is a dead end. The rainwater tunnel is closed, so…”
“If so, I’ll go alone.”
“Wait! Priestess! If you insist on going, we’ll lead the way for you.”
We cast shining spells for light,
and one by one, climbed down the old sewer.
If the guards were right that it’s a dead end and there was no one down there, that would be great.
“Huh?! What the hell is this?!”
As expected,
the barricade blocking the path to the rainwater tunnel had crumbled away.
.
.
.
“Ha! Hah… Can I take a break, boss?”
“Sure. Take a break. You don’t have to pretend you’re not resting.”
Thud.
After serving for about 30 minutes straight, Zenon collapsed onto a chair on the terrace.
His heart felt like it was about to burst.
He could manage to work for at least an hour without a break back in the day.
He’s feeling the decline in his stamina.
And he could even feel that his heart was dying.
The end was approaching.
“Zenon.”
“Huh? Cardinal?”
At that moment, as he heard his name called from behind, Zenon turned around and straightened up.
It was Cardinal Nicholas, dressed in shabby clothing.
But gone was any sense of relaxation in his demeanor, and he looked oddly anxious.
“What brings you here?”
“Zenon. Where’s Sola?”
“Huh? She should be on her mission?”
“Don’t you know precisely? She didn’t drop by to see you today?”
“No, I guess she’s so busy that she didn’t have the time.”
“Damn it… What is she doing, Sola? I had her placed to keep an eye on you, but what have they been doing until they come into contact with the Priestess…?”
Nicholas mumbled to himself in a barely audible voice, biting his finger.
Zenon looked perplexed.
Nicholas was clearly not how he usually was.
“I have no other choice. I need to accelerate the plan. You’re going to be number 666, Zenon.”
“Number 666? What do you mean by that?”
Nicholas stared down at Zenon with a chilling gaze.
Zenon felt a sinister energy and took a step back.
“Zenon! Zenon! What’s up? I thought you were taking a break but snuck off to the restroom?”
And shortly after,
when the boss came out to look for Zenon on the terrace, there was no one there.
