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Chapter 257: Find the Traitor (1)
The central plaza in front of the main building of the Hero Academy.
Normally bustling with cadets, the plaza was now shrouded in a thick, somber silence due to the semester break, making the atmosphere feel almost desolate.
"……."
In the awkward silence, I narrowed my eyes slightly as I gazed at Empress Camellia, who was gently caressing my cheek.
‘The only hero she trusts.’
It was indeed a tremendous honor to be trusted by none other than the Empress herself.
However…
"I don't recall doing anything to earn such trust from Your Majesty."
Right.
What had I really done to deserve such trust from her?
At best, I had:
Defeated the Archbishop of Madness, uncovering the Order of Eternity's infiltration of the imperial palace.
Subjugated the Order of Eternity cultists and the Apostles of Destruction who were hiding in the secret passage.
Absorbed and destroyed the Primordial Ember, capable of nullifying the Blessing of the Seven Stars.
Foiled the assassination plan they had been plotting for years.
And comforted her when she was betrayed by her most trusted vassal.
'Huh?'
Wait.
Had I actually done that much?
"Even after saving my life, you still claim you haven't earned my trust… What, then, do you think it takes for one to gain my trust?"
"Well, it just… happened that way. Any other hero would have done the same."
"Hoho. Is that so?"
Camellia let out a small chuckle before continuing.
"Do you truly believe that any other hero would have acted the same way you did?"
"Well, I suppose it would depend on their abilities."
"I am asking under the assumption that they could have done it."
"In that case… yes, I believe they would have acted as I did."
I nodded without hesitation.
"And what makes you so certain?"
"Because they’re heroes."
Whether it was the Empress or someone else, if a person was in mortal danger and I had the ability to save them, then saving them was simply the natural thing to do.
That wasn't something to boast about or take pride in.
It wasn’t about striving for some grand goal of protecting the world.
It wasn’t about pursuing a noble ideal of saving humanity.
It was simply this: if someone within my reach needed help, a true hero should be able to extend their hand.
"That is precisely why."
"…Excuse me?"
Camellia smiled faintly and brushed my cheek again.
"The reason I trust you is not because you saved my life… but because you are a hero."
"……."
I still didn't really get it.
"Fufu. Don’t think too hard about it."
With a playful shrug, she removed her hand from my cheek.
"Well… let's set this topic aside for now. So, you're asking me to find the traitor among the Masters, correct?"
"Indeed."
"Naturally, you're excluding yourself from the list…"
The suspects:
Marianne, the High Priestess.
Johann Basilio, the knight commander.
Lionel, the academy principal.
Khalid Khan, the mercenary leader.
One of them was colluding with the Order of Eternity.
"If necessary, you may even suspect me."
"…Your Majesty?"
Surely, the one asking me to find the traitor couldn't be the traitor herself.
'Then again, suggesting this could be a clever psychological tactic to avoid suspicion.'
Hmm.
I had no solid proof, but I was fairly certain that Camellia was not the traitor.
"Is it because I was the one who made the suggestion first?"
"No."
The reason I didn’t consider Camellia a suspect was rather simple.
"Because I trust you, too, Your Majesty."
"…W-what?"
Camellia’s eyes widened in surprise at my unexpected answer.
"T-that… is that so?"
The Empress, usually composed and poised, now stammered, clearly flustered.
'Still, trust aside, logically speaking, the chances of Camellia being involved with the Order of Eternity are slim.'
If she were colluding with them, why would they resort to sneaking into the palace like rats, even going so far as to borrow Mephisto's power?
'Marianne and Johann Basilio are questionable too.'
As devout followers of the Seven Stars, it was hard to imagine them cooperating with the blatantly heretical Order of Eternity.
'Lionel, the principal, is also unlikely.'
If he were in league with the Order of Eternity, he wouldn't have granted me, a mere cadet, the unprecedented title of Special Cadet and tasked me with hunting down the cult.
Of course, it could still be a psychological ploy, but considering that Lionel didn’t know my true identity, it seemed unnecessary for him to go through such elaborate deception.
'Which leaves…'
An individual often looked down upon by other Masters.
One from a profession that was generally scorned by heroes.
"…The most suspicious one is Khalid Khan."
Or rather, there was no one other than Khalid Khan who could reasonably be suspected of colluding with the Order of Eternity.
"That is what I suspect as well."
"Then doesn't that mean we've already identified the traitor?"
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"No."
Camellia shook her head firmly.
"Merely having suspicions is not enough. There is no concrete evidence."
"True enough."
Without definitive proof, it was impossible to accuse Khalid Khan of being a traitor.
"That is why I have a favor to ask of you."
"You want me to investigate Khalid Khan?"
"We don’t know when he might make contact with the Order of Eternity. You can’t just tail him indefinitely, especially with the semester resuming soon."
“Then, what exactly do you want me to do?”
“An ambush.”
“...What?”
I widened my eyes at the unexpected word that came out of Camellia’s mouth.
“I want you to ambush Khalid Han and obtain even a single drop of his blood.”
“…What are you talking about?”
Out of nowhere, she was asking me to attack Khalid Han and get his blood.
What did acquiring his blood have to do with finding evidence of his collusion with the Order of Eternity?
“Do you know what kind of power the leader of the Order of Eternity possesses?”
“…To some extent.”
The ability to revive the dead, drastically extend one's lifespan, or rapidly heal wounds.
While the exact nature of the Eternal Leader’s power was still unknown, one thing was certain—it directly affected the 'life force' of its targets.
“While investigating the corpses of the Order of Eternity that were killed in the imperial palace, we discovered that a certain power was embedded in their blood.”
“A common power…?”
“It is most likely the leader’s ‘blessing.’”
Of course.
To have the power to resurrect the dead and grant centuries of life, it couldn’t be mere magic—it had to be the power of a divine blessing.
“Here, take this.”
Camellia pulled a small dagger, about the size of her palm, from inside her robe.
“The blade of this dagger has been enchanted to change color when it comes into contact with a specific ‘blessing.’”
“A specific blessing… You mean the blessing of the Order of Eternity’s leader?”
“Exactly.”
Camellia gave a solemn nod.
“We do not know precisely what kind of blessing the leader possesses, but since all of his followers share his power…”
“If Khalid Han is connected to the Order of Eternity, the blade will change color the moment his blood touches it.”
Finally, I understood why Camellia had suddenly ordered me to ambush Khalid Han.
And why she had no choice but to entrust this task to me.
‘There can’t be many heroes capable of wounding a Master, after all.’
If Camellia herself were to act, the matter could be resolved easily.
However, if Khalid Han turned out not to be a traitor, a direct confrontation between Masters could fracture their relationship.
With the formation of the Tri-Nation Alliance on the horizon, Camellia couldn’t afford any discord among the Masters.
‘But she can’t sit idly by either.’
Now that there was reason to suspect a traitor among the Masters, she had to confirm the truth.
‘And she needs to do it before the Tri-Nation Alliance is officially declared.’
Thus, she had come up with this plan—an ambush.
The fastest and most certain way to secure evidence.
“Understood.”
I nodded and accepted the dagger from Camellia.
“If his blood touches the blade, the magic will activate immediately, and the blade will turn blue.”
“Yes.”
“And…”
Camellia hesitated for a brief moment, her voice trailing off.
Then, she firmly grasped my hand and spoke again.
“Be careful. Though he may be called the ‘Lowest Master,’ he is still a Master.”
Her grip tightened slightly, and I could feel a faint tremor in her hand.
‘She’s genuinely worried.’
Of all people, the Empress was showing such vulnerability.
‘Has she changed this much?’
Recalling the first time I met her, the current Camellia seemed like an entirely different person.
—It may sound like an excuse… but I still regret that incident.
Was she telling the truth back then?
‘I was simply flustered by an unfamiliar emotion,’ she had said.
Thinking back on it, I could somewhat understand why Camellia had lashed out at Professor Elisha.
Even an empress with unparalleled authority over an empire… No, because she wielded such power, she must have rarely encountered unfamiliar emotions.
‘How should I put it… hmm.’
Watching Camellia's hand faintly trembling, I couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
‘She’s… kind of cute.’
[PR/N: This motherfucking piece of shit trash bastard is not even happy with a huge fucking harem.]
If Lanez saw me thinking this, she’d probably foam at the mouth and charge at me.
I imagined the scene in my head and nodded lightly.
“You don’t need to worry. I’ll simply draw some blood and retreat immediately.”
That much was possible, even if my opponent were Camellia herself, let alone Khalid Han.
“Ahem. Very well, then.”
Perhaps only just realizing that she was still holding my hand, Camellia let out a small cough and quickly released her grip.
“And… if you carry out your mission faithfully and return safely,”
She added, with her signature lazy smile curling at her lips.
“I shall grant you a ‘reward.’”
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