“That’s right. It would be one thing if it had been just an assassination, but blocking their escape route after setting a time and location came to bite them.”
“They were simply an incompetent bunch that can’t perform their mission.”
There doesn’t seem to be much unrest in the voice coming from the crystal. It even sounds as if he is enjoying the situation right now.
Rakura was about to say something, but Lord Ragudo stopped her.
I exchanged glances with Marito and nodded. Now then, the conversation begins.
“So, it seems like you were waiting for this call. Got any business?”
“Right. I was thinking about having a talk with you since there was the chance, you see. I would be happy if you were to tag along if you’ve got the time.”
“Yeah, I don’t mind. I myself find it fortuitous that I have obtained the opportunity to talk with you.”
“You tried to kill me though.”
“I told them to bring your head back, so I could still draw out information even if you were dead.”
What a nasty personality. Are they going to put my brain in a jar like some horror story?
“I don’t mind telling you if there’s anything you want to ask, you know?”
“Oh, is that okay? Don’t you have a variety of things you want to ask too?”
“What I would like to prioritize is the name, I guess. I don’t mind a fake name, so give me a name since I wouldn’t even be able to call you comfortably.”
“Fumu, I will call myself Raheight then.” (Raheight)
I directed my gaze at Rakura, but she shook her head to the sides. Looks like it is not an acquaintance of hers.
“I see. Looking forward to seeing you in the future, Raheight.”
“Yes, same here. But are you really not going to ask any questions?” (Raheight)
“What should I ask? The fact that you took in Archbishop Ukka, and dispatched Anbus of Mejis at the back of Rakura?”
“No no, that we are speaking here right now means you are already aware of those points. For example…my identity, maybe?” (Raheight)
“Is there anything else aside from you being the dog of a Demon Lord?”
“…”
The person on the crystal call falls silent. The silence around gets heavier.
“…I would like to hear how you reached such a conclusion.” (Raheight)
“It is simple. As you may have already guessed, we have deciphered this book.”
Rakura showed a shocked face as she repeated my words. Speaking of which, I was still deceiving her. It is a face I would be extremely amused with if not for this situation, so I endure.
“Oh, is that so… What was written in it?” (Raheight)
“Don’t play dumb. It is because you know the contents of it that you ordered the man that said can decipher it to be killed.”
“No no, it might have been a bluff.” (Raheight)
“Is it bad for your relationship to be discovered? Were you planning on having the Demon Lord turn you into a demon or something?”
“What are you—” (Raheight)
“You are putting strength in your words. Show some composure, Mastermind.”
Raheight is definitely showing anger right now. I can tell even through the crystal.
“My intention isn’t to get you angry, so I will match you. About the contents of the book, it is a memorandum of things regarding the 4th Demon Lord that appeared in this world, the Blue Demon Lord. To be more precise, it is an observation record of after the Blue Demon Lord was created.”
That’s right, it is exactly as the title of this book: ‘Sample No. 4: Research Record of the Blue Demon Lord’.
“Explaining it roughly, it is a recording of the person that resurrected a former human and turned them into a Demon Lord, and then making contact with that Demon Lord later. Moreover, it is kindly written that it is the 4th one. Meaning that at least 4 of the Demon Lords were born from the involvement of the same person.”
The first thing that was written there was about the life of the person before they became a Demon Lord. How they were born, how they loved, and how they died.
It also has the analyzed data of the abilities and qualities of that person.
The one who created the Demon Lord had investigated the quality and abilities of the people they were planning on making Demon Lords from the very beginning. And they were even involved in their death.
“On top of that, there’s also the support from the people who were reborn as Demon Lords too. The necromancy written here is a greatly simplified version of resurrection magic that specializes in drawing out the soul only. The Blue Demon Lord was apparently called the Immortal Lord that ruled over the undead.”
That person gave the Demon Lords their knowledge and had them clash against the world. And then, the worst history was born.
“There’s something called Shared Element within the abilities that were given to them. It was given to the other Demon Lords as well. It could create a Nether which served as their own territory and this created a land where monsters are born.”
The Demon Lords would have their mana transmit in the air and dye away the land. They would establish their own zone, would call that place Nether, and they could wield their power to their fullest there.
The plants and animals in that area will all morph and turn into creatures called monsters that bring harm to people.
“The second thing is the method to change a human into a demon.”
That’s right. Demons were originally humans that had their existence repainted by the mana of the Demon Lord.
The reason this worked on them was because the Demon Lords were originally humans. That must be why they were given a technique that drags the ones close to them.
Humans can’t live long in the Nether. In order to bring in the comrades they had in their past life, they had to change them into demons.
“Unfortunately, this book is simply a record, so even if there were added explanations to necromancy, there were no other methods written down. Well, you must already know this though.”
“…Looks like it was true that you have read it. So you really are an Earthling?” (Raheight)
“That’s right. And you don’t seem to be one. Too bad.”
“I am impressed you can say that for sure.” (Raheight)
“The pronunciation of Earth is way too unique. It is way too obvious that you learned of it through books.”
“I see. It can’t be helped then.” (Raheight)
“Now then, let’s bring out the reason why I called you the dog of a Demon Lord. There’s a good deal of descriptions regarding the way of life of a Demon Lord. There were also inconvenient points for the Demon Lords. Rather than calling them weak points, they are more like faults.”
For example; due to the special nature of the Demon Lord’s mana, it is hard for them to be affected by the magic of others. It is hard for them to receive healing magic.
In other words, if they get a deep wound, the only one who can heal them is themselves.
“If it were just knowing the contents of the book, you would still be in the gray. But you tried to steal it, so you are pitch black.”
“Is that so? I think the Yugura Church is also trying to recover it though.” (Raheight)
“I am impressed you can say that so brazenly when you haven’t told even the Pope.”
“Why can you be so certain I haven’t?” (Raheight)
“Because it would be obvious the Yugura Church would be a lot more different in form if they knew you were trying to ‘resurrect the dead Demon Lords’.”
“…So there really was that much written there.” (Raheight)
That’s right. A Demon Lord is a human that has been hit with resurrection magic. A being that can be resurrected.
The Yugura Church is taking the stance that the Demon Lords might appear again, but it didn’t look like they were certain they would resurrect.
Even if they were deceived, there’s the danger that the contents of this book will be spread to the whole world.
If the Pope were to know about this, he wouldn’t be messing up in such a manner like letting Archbishop Ukka fail in selecting the personnel to send.
“Who is it that doesn’t want this reality known? It goes without saying that it would be the Demon Lords. Then, it wouldn’t be strange for me to call you the dog of the Demon Lords when you are trying to steal the book for the sake of your Demon Lord-sama, right?”
“But it still doesn’t click. Even if I am moving in a manner that would benefit a Demon Lord, there are no points that connect me to them, right?” (Raheight)
“You are the ones who took away the arm of Dokora, right?”
“The name of that person comes out here, huh.”
(Raheight)
“Everything stems from Dokora who was an Anbu of Mejis. Why did he go as far as betraying his nation and stealing the book? What he did brought you guys to the surface.”
“…Let’s hear it.” (Raheight)
“Dokora knew that the one who created the taboo called resurrection magic was an Earthling. But Dokora couldn’t read the book. If he could, the necromancy he used would be more advanced and condensed.”
If a smart person were to observe the illustrations in the book, they can learn necromancy just like Dokora. But the notes written there have even more advanced information.
A method to employ even higher undead.
“Then, how did Dokora learn of this? He heard from you guys as an Anbu.”
When Dokora was spying on a suspicious individual, he made contact with Raheight and the others, and obtained information.
Dokora learned of this importance and escaped. He stole the book that would serve as a weapon for negotiation at that time.
“He probably heard you talking about the book. That’s why he stole the book and escaped the country. If he knew of someone like you who can control Archbishop Ukka and can order the Anbus, he wouldn’t be able to stay in Mejis. After that, Dokora was turned into a wanted person. Dokora most likely wanted to use the book to negotiate, but he couldn’t read it. That’s why he simply learned a rough version of necromancy, and lived as a bandit.”
The shadow of a Demon Lord had encroached into the nation he served and believed. The book that he judged could become a weapon was something he couldn’t handle.
The only people Dokora could trust were most likely the ones under his ruling. Living his remaining years as a bandit, an earthling appeared, and that’s why he entrusted that book in his dying breath -with faint hope that I would be able to expose the schemes of the man beyond this crystal.
“Dokora was truly outstanding as an Anbu. He noticed your existence and relationship in the Yugura Church when you were hiding, and successfully stole the book. Him becoming a criminal after that…is a bit pitiful.”
“Right. I didn’t expect him to notice my identity after all.” (Raheight)
“But something convenient for you also happened. Thanks to him having brought it out from the place where the Yugura Church had sealed it in, one of your objectives got easier to accomplish after all.”
If he simply didn’t want others to learn about the secret of the book, he could have let them retrieve it and seal it again. The reason he didn’t do it was because Raheight himself was aiming for the book.
Infiltrating the Yugura Church and obtaining the book was difficult. But Dokora managed to do that. This was dangerous but at the same time a chance.
“It seems like there really are a lot of wise ones amongst Earthlings.” (Raheight)
“Don’t say something you don’t even mean. You probably are internally making fun of me for babbling out everything.”
“Oh, so you could tell. Information is a weapon. I can only call it foolish for you to be talking all boastfully about what you have obtained.” (Raheight)
“I am not trying to live intelligently; I am trying to live safely.”
“What’s the difference?” (Raheight)
“If I moved intelligently, I could become like you, Raheight. Use people, reach the top by myself, and look down upon others. But you know, I have seen a myriad of people who have lived like that. I am the one who would rather refuse such a vomit-inducing life like that.”
“That’s harsh. Is it because it would hurt your conscience?” (Raheight)
“Of course it would. I am weak after all. Not only my body, but my heart, my standing; everything is weak. That’s why I won’t aim too high. I am fine with just being able to live peacefully in mind and body. But guys like you are in the way of that, you see.”
A thunderous sound and angry voice resonate from deep within the crystal. That wasn’t a sound made by Raheight.
“—Could it be…?” (Raheight)
“It could be. I guessed you were interfering with the coordination of Archbishop Ukka and Pope Euparo in some sort of way. That’s why I took a different method. I had Archbishop Maya secretly report to Pope Euparo directly. While at it, we also told him ‘the guy that is leisurely making contact with Taizu in this emergency is the mastermind’!”
The sound of a grand battle was transmitted to the crystal. The call was cut off shortly after.
———
The one who jumped into the room was Archbishop Ukka. There were several priests around him.
“How dare you trick me, you damn rat!” (Ukka)
“Oh, Ukka-sama, it seems like the hypnosis was undone judging from your state.”
I tried to recast the suggestion with a smile, but there was no effect. So they used a spell to resist mental interference beforehand, huh. Even if he is an idiot, it is natural to make at least such countermeasures.
I have two escape routes. The corridor that Ukka and the others are blocking and the window. But there’s already a barrier cast on the window. It is possible to destroy it, but there’s no point if they get me in that opening.
It should be fine to just break through from the front. He is the man that’s said to be the weakest in strength within the Archbishops after all. I have the advantage in a battle.
“There’s already nowhere to escape. I will have you stay put!” (Ukka)
“So you say, but isn’t there a handy path?”
I use magic. A spell that crystallizes mana and pierces. I set the point for it to activate and have the crystal rise out from there.It is a spell that can be used in one action and it has good power.
“Do you think something like that can hit?!” (Ukka)
Ukka predicted the place where the crystal that suddenly showed up in this cramped place would appear. The other priests also avoid. Nice reflexes, but that was a bad move.
I undo the crystals that appeared immediately and jump into the path that they opened.
“Thanks for the courtesy. Bye.”
“Too soft!”
An impact assailed my body suddenly and my vision was facing upwards. I see, there’s a magic circle drawn on the ceiling.
“Gravity magic… To think it would be set right above you.”
Pressure several hundreds of times stronger than normal assaulted my body. I reflexively set a defensive spell. I managed to reduce the damage on my body, but I can’t undo the pressure pushing onto my body. I was sinking as my whole body was creating cracks on the ground.
“You are good for someone who is called the weakest Archbishop.”
“It is true that I am weak. My abilities and accomplishments may be trifling compared to other Archbishops.” (Ukka)
The face of Ukka is different from usual. This is…the eyes of the real deal.
“—Even so, I am still an Archbishop.” (Ukka)
Ukka threw something. That’s…a magic seal stone. This is bad. If that touches me, the defensive spell will be dispelled. When that happens, I will end up having to take this gravity spell with my bare body.
Gravity magic is something that creates strong gravity with the magic circle as the point of origin. Its effect is not gone even when a magic seal stone gets close to the magic circle.
“That’s the end.” (Ukka)
“Not really.”
Crystals rise out from the ceiling. This spell can be activated easily by setting the point of activation with your gaze or where you point at with your finger. The ceiling was destroyed from the crystals and the magic circle lost its formation.
I get up and take the thrown magic seal stone. The crystals on the ceiling vanish due to the formation destruction domain of the magic seal stone.
“Man, that was close.”
“No, I told you it is the end.” (Ukka)
My vision shook suddenly, the freedom of my body was taken away. A sweet scent stimulated my nostrils. This is a hypnotic aroma, huh.
The priests around were forming their respective barriers. I should throw away the stone here and deploy a barrier too.
I threw the rock with just a snap of my wrist. I should be able to deploy a defensive wall against the hypnotic aroma.
“I already told you this is the end. Don’t make me say it three times, you idiot.” (Ukka)
A barrier surrounding myself appeared. The barrier was hampered by the magic seal stone and snapped back at me.
A barrier is originally something that is created with you as the center. But Ukka has created a cubic barrier with him in the center and around me who is in front of him.
The hypnotic aroma was taking away the freedom in my body. I have to destroy the barrier and escape, but because of the magic seal stone close to me…
“I see… So I am already done for?”
I take out a small knife from my pocket.
“Don’t think it can be destroyed with something like that.” (Ukka)
“No, it can be destroyed. Just like this.”
I place the knife on my neck and take one breath. This should be enough to prepare myself.
“Well then, bye.”
I admitted my defeat, showed a smile at the victor, and moved my arm horizontally in one go.
———
After that, according to the call of Mejis, Raheight judged it was impossible to escape and offed himself.
They considered the possibility of a 3rd party retrieving his body, so his corpse is apparently sealed under strict supervision.
I am surprised that the one who cornered him was Archbishop Ukka, but it wasn’t for Rakura.
From what I heard, he is Rakura’s combat master. Like teacher like student, huh.
His talent as an Archbishop is low compared to the others, but he is the type to compensate with hard work and technique… It really brings out a sense of familiarity.
That said, when it comes to schemes, it is as you can see. He is also the one who will be made responsible on this occasion.
Archbishop Ukka was cast hypnotism magic by Raheight and was used at his own convenience.
The reason why Raheight had control of the Anbus of Mejis was because of the permit of Archbishop Ukka.
Even if he was hypnotized, he still messed up big. But there wasn’t much blame directed at them from Taizu when they were the ones that suffered the most, and he redeemed himself by cornering Raheight.
He will be put under the supervision of the other Archbishops for a while, but they apparently won’t be persecuting him further than this.
If they were to drop him from his position of Archbishop when he is a professional in raising money, it is clear that it would have a heavy negative effect on the financial affairs of the Yugura Church, so they couldn’t punish him heavily.
Marito explained 90% of the book’s secret to Maya-san after the suspicions were cleared. We report this to Pope Euparo. The result of this was that Pope Euparo left Mejis and is currently heading to Taizu.
It is in order to have the person in the highest position of responsibility apologize in person for this time’s incident, and also to get back the book.
Rakura was given the order to stay on standby. She will most likely be returning to Mejis at the same time as Pope Euparo.
“So this wraps things up, huh.”
“No no, if your hypothesis is correct, the one who sent Raheight to Mejis is a Demon Lord or a relative of theirs, right?” (Marito)
My face turned sour at the words of Marito. Right, in the end, we still haven’t solved the problem deep in. Are they preparing to resurrect the Demon Lord? Or is the resurrected Demon Lord the one doing the scheming here? There’s still threats in this world.
“Talk about that stuff with Pope Euparo. Because of that last part, it has become an extremely delicate issue after all.”
“I want you to be the one to tell Pope Euparo though.” (Marito)
That’s right, the biggest issue about the book still remains. We still haven’t told Maya-san, Rakura, and even Ilias about this yet.
Marito said he wanted to decide whether to tell the others after telling Pope Euparo.
I share that opinion. This secret can overturn the world. I even feel like it would be better to just bury it.
“I will be present, but you should be the one to tell him as the king. It is way too heavy for me.”
“Ueh, I don’t mind making you the king.” (Marito)
“Now then, time to go. Thanks for the hospitality.”
We are done with our talk about the aftermath. I most likely won’t be coming here for a while. The future may be worrisome, but I feel like I will be able to spend a bit of time peacefully.
“No, I will have you come from tomorrow on too though?” (Marito)
“Why?”
“The decoding of the book is done, but we are still not done with you telling me about the parallel world, right?” (Marito)
“That wasn’t a front for the decoding of the book?”
“What are you saying? We actually made some political measures, right? The contract is obviously still in place.” (Marito)
“…Got it.”
There’s a lot of things I feel are inconvenient in this world. I need both assets and power in order to recreate the culture I am used to on Earth.
Working with Marito will become the shortest shortcut to fulfill those desires.
“But don’t bring out dangerous stuff, okay?!”
“Hahaha, ain’t we friends here?” (Marito)
“Don’t, okay?!”
I am heading to Maya-san’s place after that. I have to apologize to her about putting distance from her because of Marito despite her helping me out so much.
When I arrived at the church, she was in the middle of teaching Wolfe.
“Ah, Shishou!” (Wolfe)
“Ooh, it is impressive how you are always so dedicated.”
“Wolfe-chan is studying properly. Despite that, you are constantly scheming with His Majesty, Boy.” (Maya)
“I came here to apologize because of that, so please don’t bear too much of a grudge for it.”
“Even that Ilias came here to mislead things, you know? I would like you to not be a bad influence on the daughter of my friend.” (Maya)
“It is as you say…”
“Oh well, fine. I understand the circumstances, so I will give you a passing mark just from the fact that you came here to apologize, Boy. It seems like you are not just being a bad influence to Ilias after all.” (Maya)
“She seemed like her usual self though.”
“Her core has been really steadfast lately. She has been chasing the shadow of her father until now, so I think it is a good change.” (Maya)
“Is that how it is…?”
“But! Ilias is the daughter of my close friend. I want to oversee the correct growth of that girl. I would like you to understand that part.” (Maya)
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Good. Now, I will go prepare some tea.” (Maya)
Maya-san disappeared deeper in while smiling. Next is…
“I will be sitting by your side.”
“Yes, go ahead!” (Wolfe)
I sit by the side of Wolfe. She is studying the letters. She is already better than me when it comes to the letters of this world. She is growing into a smart and well-mannered girl.
“Wolfe, you can continue doing what you are doing while listening to me.”
“Okay.” (Wolfe)
“First, I would like to apologize. I am sorry.”
“…Shishou, did you do something bad to Wolfe?” (Wolfe)
“Yeah, it is about using you as a bait that night.”
I used the readily available weak Wolfe in order to lead the battle against the Anbus.
‘Fight with all you have. It is okay for you to lose. There’s a point in you fighting. I will use that’ -Wolfe heard that explanation and accepted without a single moment of hesitation.
Even though I decided to provide this girl that lived a harsh past a good future, I ended up dragging her into this.
“There should have been other ways. But from the options I could think of, this was the most effective one, so I used you. That’s no different from the black wolfkins.”
“Shishou is different. Because Shishou was angry.” (Wolfe)
“Angry, you say… Aah, that might be true.”
I knew Gazen for a short period of time, but I must have been worked up in a lot of fronts because an acquaintance of mine was killed.
That’s why Ilias was worried about me when she saw through this change, and stepped that deep in. I even used Wolfe without hesitation.
My mind is way too weak, and yet, the things I do are cunning. I am not a decent person, yup.
“Shishou got angry for Wolfe’s sake. That’s the biggest treasure of Wolfe. If Shishou is angry for the sake of someone, Wolfe wants to help out too.” (Wolfe)
“…I see.”
I unconsciously pat the head of Wolfe. She had become a wonderful girl a long time ago.
At the very least, she doesn’t have the weakness of a certain someone who gets his emotions shaken the whole time.
“But if Shishou apologizes, Wolfe forgives you.” (Wolfe)
This is bad. When I am with Wolfe, my emotions get shaken to a higher degree. I am on the verge of tears.
“Yeah, thanks. Also, good work. Being able to defeat an Anbu is incredible, you know?”
“Ehehe!” (Wolfe)
“Right, I am thinking of growing small plants in the house. I also intend to cultivate vegetables. Want to try raising them together with me, Wolfe?”
“Yes, I want to!” (Wolfe)
“Nice answer.”
“But, uhm…the vegetables I don’t like…” (Wolfe)
“You might end up liking the things you hate if you help cultivate them. Well, you might end up liking the things you already like more if you raise them though.”
“Then, I will do my best in both!” (Wolfe)
Let’s try searching for the same book as the one Gazen had. I might be able to learn what vegetables he planned on cultivating. I will offer them to his grave next time. I feel like he would tell me to hand him booze instead though.