novelnext Chapter 182 : Successor (3)
Chapter 182 : Successor (3)
“……”“Did I ask something unnecessary, Georg?”
“How could that possibly be?”
The two Executors looked at Abel, who was joking around unlike his usual self, with anything but obedience.
No—
their gazes were openly hostile.
It couldn't be helped.
The vicious aura surging from Crown Prince Abel Ribenia's entire body was provoking their instincts.
Karen, who had met Abel relatively recently, recalled that encounter as she rested a hand on her halberd.
'...He was never exactly a good person, but was Abel Ribenia really someone this overflowing with malice?'
She had thought he was weak-willed and despicable, but not to such an extent that he required special vigilance.
A lot had happened in the meantime, but even considering that, hadn't he changed far too much?
While lost in thought, Karen quietly glanced toward Luke.
His expression wasn't much different.
The only distinction was that his eyes were filled with bewilderment.
'This is... far too strange.'
Luke Honorlight had been born with the innate ability to sense demonic energy, as well as the hostility, killing intent, and malice of such beings.
The Mana Receiver certainly helped, but he alone could predict the appearance of Beasts with this level of precision.
He had absolute confidence in his perception.
Yet...
Faced with the abnormal phenomenon before him, even he couldn't help but doubt his own abilities.
'Judging by the lingering traces of magic within him, he was definitely subjected to a mental attack by at least an S-Rank Beast.'
He didn't know what kind of Beast it was, but it was most likely some form of curse magic.
And as long as whatever trick it had used remained within the realm of dark magic, there was no reason why he—the Empire's greatest holy mage—would be unable to cure it.
With that belief, Luke had continuously cast Divine Cure from the very moment he came face-to-face with Abel.
Yet despite Abel receiving the healing magic with his entire body...
The malice dwelling within him showed no sign of fading.
“……”
Luke was speechless before something he couldn't believe.
Karen hesitated, unsure what to say.
Watching the two in silence, Abel smiled brightly.
“It seems neither of you has anything to say. May I be on my way? My official duties are keeping me busy.”
As Abel turned to leave, Luke hurriedly stopped him.
“My apologies, Your Highness, but have you recently come into contact with anyone from outside the Imperial Household?”
“…There were countless such occasions. Most nobles live outside the Imperial Palace, don't they?”
“Not people like them... I meant someone whose identity was unclear...”
“Nothing comes to mind.”
As Abel answered indifferently, his expression gradually twisted into something sinister.
“Why? Do you think something's wrong with me?”
Karen and Luke both flinched.
“…I spoke out of turn. Please forget what I just said.”
Luke bowed deeply.
Karen also lowered her head slightly from behind him.
“Then please take care on your way.”
“Very well. I don't know why you came all the way here, but I hope you find what you're looking for. Good work.”
“……”
With that, Abel quietly disappeared.
Karen turned to the stunned Luke.
“Why did you let him go? With your power...”
“It had no effect whatsoever.”
“…What do you mean?”
“My healing magic. It didn't work.”
“…You were casting healing magic this whole time?”
“Yes.”
Luke placed his silver cross on the ground and poured his magic into the earth.
Omega Labarum.
A supreme Artifact that reacted to the malice of demonic beings and left behind traces.
As the cross touched the ground, the infused magic began flowing in a single direction.
Luke lowered his gaze.
The current pointed northeast—
the very direction in which Abel had disappeared.
“…This alone proves that demonic power has taken root within him.”
“Then why wasn't he healed?”
“……I don't know.”
Had there been even the slightest sign of recovery, he would've done everything in his power to restrain Abel.
If eliminating the seed of disaster was possible, any punishment afterward would've been a price worth paying.
But Abel had remained completely composed throughout.
Nor had he shown the slightest rejection of healing magic—a common reaction among those corrupted by demonic power.
Forcing the issue would've accomplished nothing.
“The possibility that His Highness came into contact with demonic power is almost one hundred percent. But that alone doesn't explain this abnormal result. We need more clues. For now...”
At that moment—
“Oh, there you are.”
The confident voice of the approaching man drew completely opposite reactions from the two.
“Eugene... Carter.”
Eugene looked at them with interest before speaking bluntly.
“Looks like you're searching for something. How about we exchange information?”
“Um... This may not be directly related, but the two Executors from Dellowell are currently...”
After we had finished our basic discussion, Lea hurried back and informed us of the situation outside.
I immediately wrapped things up and rushed to the reported location.
Fortunately, the two of them hadn't gone far.
Which was how we ended up in our current situation.
“…I have no information worth sharing with someone like you.”
“Come on now. Let's forget about the past, Karen Rosefield.”
I casually joked despite the hostility she still directed toward me.
“You know better than anyone that now isn't the time to get worked up over something like that.”
“Something like that...”
She quietly leveled her halberd at me.
“The Orthodox Church alone is truth. The Orthodox Church alone is justice. I've learned well enough that no such absolute exists.”
“But that doesn't make people like you right.”
“Especially Eugene Carter.”
“……”
“To me, you're still a person of interest. Why would I voluntarily share information with someone like that?”
“What if I share mine first?”
“…What?”
Before she could object, I continued.
“This Wednesday, we're infiltrating the Platinum Dawn Society.”
“…What?”
“We'll locate the headquarters of the secret organization plotting to overthrow the Empire, uncover the identity of its leader, and persuade the people inside.”
No matter how little goodwill she had toward me, she couldn't simply ignore anything concerning the Platinum Dawn Society.
“So you've found their headquarters? Where is it?”
“Not yet. We've joined forces with someone who knows where it is. We'll only know the exact location once he leads us there.”
“…So you have an insider.”
“Something like that.”
“If that's the case, shouldn't you cooperate with the Princess and completely eradicate them? If the enemy is the Platinum Dawn Society, mobilizing the Imperial Guard or the Special Task Force shouldn't be particularly difficult.”
“We still don't have certainty. We don't even know if that place is really their main headquarters. Besides, public opinion is another matter.”
For an organization plotting the overthrow of the nation, they'd remained hidden far too well.
Greenwhistle, which had only recently begun operating openly, was publicly recognized as an organization for workers.
And in reality, it had acted that way.
We were the only ones claiming they were connected to the Platinum Dawn Society.
Without concrete proof, making such accusations could easily backfire.
“So first, we need to confirm whether my prediction is correct.”
“…Which is why you'll infiltrate with a small group and focus on gathering information. Once the facts are confirmed, wiping them out won't be difficult.”
Karen concluded.
I quietly shook my head.
“We might lose.”
“…They're that strong?”
“According to our investigation, yes. That's why I'm asking for your help.”
“……”
Looking back and forth between the two of them, I made my request.
“If we end up cornered... help us.”
“Help us escape.”
Karen pointed her halberd even closer.
“And why should I?”
“If people of interest like you all gather together and destroy one another, that benefits me far more.”
“At the very least, I'm fighting to protect this country.”
“They don't have even the slightest intention of doing that.”
“And more importantly...”
“I'm not going alone.”
“Princess Edel will be coming with us.”
Karen's eyes sharpened instantly.
“…Are you out of your mind?”
“You're taking her somewhere that dangerous?”
“She insisted on coming herself. I had neither the justification nor the ability to stop her, so I had no choice but to accept.”
“……”
“You know this as well as I do.”
“There is no better successor to the Imperial Household than Edel.”
“And she's also the leader of the people.”
“You understand exactly how much chaos the Empire would fall into if it lost someone like her.”
Right then—
Unable to remain silent any longer, Luke Honorlight stepped in.
“If you're willing to reveal this much information...”
“Then I think we can trust you.”
“But Luke, this man is...”
“At the very least, Eugene Carter...”
“I don't sense even the slightest malice in your resolve.”
Luke stepped in front of Karen, gently lowering the halberd she had pointed at me.
“We've been tracking the exact location of the next disaster, along with traces of its commander Beast.”
“Our investigation indicates there's a very high probability that an SS-Rank Beast will appear within the Imperial Palace sometime within the next fifteen days.”
“Within fifteen days... an SS-Rank Beast...”
I'd already thought the schedule kept moving forward.
But this was much earlier than even my worst prediction.
Seeing my grave expression, Luke continued.
“While following the traces, we identified someone who had come into contact with overwhelming demonic power.”
“Of course, we lacked conclusive evidence, so we chose to step back for the time being.”
“…Who was it?”
“Crown Prince Abel Ribenia.”
“……”
I had a very bad feeling about this.
“Anyway, we're currently trying to determine who approached the Crown Prince while continuing to trace the remaining clues.”
“If that's the case...”
“Then you have even more reason to help us.”
Luke Honorlight.
If Rubia was a genius of holy magic, then Luke was a true veteran who had reached the pinnacle.
Just as the Orthodox Church had always done, his abilities had been disguised as miracles.
But he had surely understood long ago where those powers truly came from and what their real nature was.
In any case, the fact that even Luke Honorlight couldn't find clear evidence and had been forced to let Abel go meant only one thing.
Whatever trick the enemy had used existed on an entirely different level from ordinary dark magic.
And the very fact that someone possessing such a unique ability had been able to approach Abel...
Strongly suggested the involvement of the Platinum Dawn Society.
“The Platinum Dawn Society even has an organization of dark mages under its command.”
“And its chairman has lived for more than two hundred years.”
“If someone's plotting something mysterious, they're the most likely suspects.”
“…Even if that were possible, the being who approached His Highness wasn't human.”
“At minimum, it was an S-Rank Beast.”
“Only Beasts that powerful could leave behind traces like these.”
“Which is exactly why we need to confirm it.”
“How they managed to leave behind the traces of a Beast.”
I extended my hand, openly expressing my willingness to cooperate.
Luke glanced back at Karen before accepting.
After a brief handshake, I gestured to my left.
“Well then...”
“Now that we've reached an agreement...”
“Shall we first secure a means of contacting each other?”