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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 215: A Story Beyond Common Sense
My heart sank as if a weight had been attached to it.
I lightly bit my parched lower lip and wet it with saliva.
I quickly closed my eyes, as if a wave of surging emotions would pour out at any moment.
Blink.
Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked at Fichte.
Fichte's pupils were staring at me intensely.
After a moment of looking into his eyes, which held a light of suspicion that couldn't be hidden, I asked,
"Would you like a drink?"
"I'm fine."
"I need a drink."
I got up, grabbed a bottle of liquor and a glass from the corner of the room, and returned to the window frame, sitting next to Fichte.
"It's best not to drink. You probably still have internal injuries."
"This much is fine."
I filled the glass to the brim with liquor and drank it all at once.
The hot torrent that went down my throat calmed my turbulent emotions.
I looked at the cityscape that was brightening and then met Fichte's eyes again.
He hadn't blinked once from the beginning to the end.
"You're asking if I participated in the expedition 300 years ago?"
"That's what I asked."
"You're not one to ask pointless questions. That's right. I participated in the expedition 300 years ago."
"Lord Ruin."
"Actually, I'm over 300 years old."
"...Lord Ruin."
Fichte's voice suddenly sounded a bit agitated.
I took another sip of the liquor, stared at Fichte, and then let out a chuckle.
"Fichte."
"..."
"I appreciate your concern, but this kind of roundabout way of speaking isn't good. What are you really curious about?"
"Are you hiding something from me?"
"Don't beat around the bush and tell me."
Fichte's gaze slowly shifted towards the liquor bottle.
I handed him the glass, and he took it.
After downing a full glass of liquor, Fichte looked straight at me.
"From the time I got to know you in Urgon until now, none of the information you've given me about the demons has been ordinary. In fact, it's all been crucial information. I've already analyzed all the books in the archives of the main clan and the White Magic Tower. Even after digging through everything without missing a single detail, there was nothing about what you said today. I know your intuition is amazing, but this goes beyond intuition."
"So there was a reason for the roundabout questioning."
"Is there another clan you're contacting besides us?"
"No."
"Or..."
Fichte's eyes suddenly became completely serious.
"Is the source of your information the Myriad Demons Assembly?"
"That's an interesting thought, Strategist."
"If you infiltrated the Myriad Demons Assembly and extracted information, you need to tell me. It's too dangerous for you to handle alone."
"It's true that I infiltrated deeply, but that's not the main point."
Fichte's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I've already told you everything. Samael also participated in the expedition. The source is Samael. It's Samael's records and memories."
Fichte shook his head.
"Lord Ruin, our Ardehain also participated in the expedition. There's no such information in the records left in Ardehain."
"Records are bound to be distorted."
"Even so, for Samael to have all that information in their records..."
"It seems you haven't considered that the records about Samael might be distorted as well."
"What do you mean?"
I looked at Fichte seriously.
"How could Samael have records that even the Vassal Clans don't? Is that what you find strange?"
"..."
"It's a valid question."
"Excuse me?"
"The stronger the clan, the longer they would have survived the expedition. And they would have more records accordingly."
"...Then."
"Didn't I say? The records about Samael have been distorted."
Fichte looked at me with an expression of disbelief. I didn't say anything more, and we just stared at each other for a while.
It was only a moment later that Fichte's pupils began to waver.
"Are you saying that the distortion..."
"That's right."
"That's hard to believe. Just how distorted are they?"
I looked out beyond the window frame and said,
"There were more than just three clans called Divine Clans."
"..."
"You'll find out eventually."
Fichte let out a strange sigh, drained his glass of liquor, and closed his eyes for a moment.
I didn't bother saying anything more. It really depended on the person receiving the information.
I didn't try to guess what Fichte was thinking at that moment.
After slowly savoring the liquor, he looked at me.
"Thank you."
"Have your questions been answered?"
"You're not one to lie, Lord Ruin."
I filled the glass and poured myself another drink.
The liquor bottle had become much lighter in the meantime.
"The question I asked you at the beginning wasn't just small talk."
Fichte spoke cautiously, as if contemplating something.
I brought the last remaining glass of liquor to my lips and glanced at him.
"The records of the expedition have been distorted, and demons from 300 years ago have reappeared."
"That's right."
"The difference between then and now is that there's a human faction that follows the demons. They don't even fear becoming followers."
"That's the troublesome part."
"As you said, in the worst case, the Demon King from 300 years ago might still be alive. And if, and only if, there was a traitor on the expedition..."
"..."
"I believe that person was at the deepest level of the Myriad Demons Assembly."
As I completely drained the glass, Fichte spoke in a low voice.
"They might reappear. They might have already reappeared."
"Someone who died 300 years ago coming back to life? That's a preposterous story."
"That's not what I mean."
"Then?"
"Records spanning hundreds of years have been distorted. That's not something that can be done in a short period. Moreover, the fact that the records of the Vassal Clans and even the Divine Clans have been distorted without a sound is something no one could even imagine. What kind of person could do such a thing?"
"...Go on."
"Didn't you say that White Heron was absorbed by the demon?"
"So?"
"Thinking in reverse, what if... the Summoning ritual ultimately allows humans to transcend their limits?"
Fichte bit his lip slightly and said,
"Perhaps that traitor was never actually dead in the first place."
***
—That seems like a bit of a stretch.
—...I won't deny it. It was just a suggestion, considering it's better to keep all possibilities open. I seem to have taken up too much of your time. Please rest.
It was a preposterous statement.
As soon as Fichte left, I tried to turn off the lights in the private room and go to sleep, but I couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
The conversation I had with him was like a sharp needle, increasingly getting on my nerves.
Sword Saint, Magnus Baltahar.
Guardian Saint, Galtan Arihama.
Dragon Knight, Iris Seren.
They're alive?
The intuition that there was a traitor among the three was getting closer to certainty, but the idea that they were still alive was a completely different story.
Why did Fichte say something so outlandish?
The fact that it was Fichte who uttered those words made me ponder.
Someone who could completely distort all records from 300 years ago until now, evading the eyes of the Divine Clans and Vassal Clans.
A follower.
Three hundred years.
I still thought it was absurd, but I couldn't be sure, because I knew of a clear existence that defied common sense.
Myself.
***
After tossing and turning almost all night, I finally buried my thoughts as the sun fully rose in the sky, and after cleansing myself thoroughly, I left the private room.
It was a time when I needed to balance rest and training, but there was something more urgent.
I gave some instructions to the squad members waiting in the next room and then headed downstairs.
As I descended through the Alliance headquarters, I saw Fichte and Mahon busily moving about.
With the Alliance Head dead, they would be busy settling the affairs of the Magic Tower Alliance for a while.
Judging by their faces, they hadn't slept a wink either, just like me.
'Hmm.'
The atmosphere grew noisier as I went down.
I changed my mind about going out the main entrance, returned to the private room, and stood in front of the window frame.
Saaa—
A cool breeze blew through the bright sunlight.
I pulled my hood down low and silently used the Crazy Mage movement technique, carefully blending into the city streets.
It had been three days since I killed Vasago.
It was more than enough time for the news of the failed 'Summoning' to have reached the Myriad Demons Assembly.
It must have been a significant blow to them, as it was the ritual they had been focusing on recently.
Although they were cautious, it was highly likely that they would try to take some action now.
Saaa—
As soon as I opened my senses beneath the clock tower, I felt a range at least twice as wide as before.
I lingered near the city center for a while, deliberately walking around crowded areas.
Next, I was about to enter the attendant's hideout at the end of the street where the taverns were concentrated in the western part of the city, but I paused at the door and looked inside.
"..."
I turned back and examined the traces of battle in detail, all the way to the westernmost edge of Keplan.
The aftereffects remained, but it seemed to be recovering quite well already.
I could guess what kind of magic Crimson Flame had used.
Even then, there was no one following me or showing any suspicious signs.
As the sun began to set, I returned to the city center and slowly began to wander around the northwestern tavern district.
While circling from one end of the street to the other like a drunkard, I took a deep look into the attendant's hideout each time.
Around the fifth time I circled, I was certain.
'It's definite.'
Someone had already been to the hideout.
There was a slight crack in the illusion magic that had been set up in preparation for someone entering.
Judging from the circumstances, it was one of the Myriad Demons Assembly members.
A contact?
I could just go inside and check if a letter had arrived, but I thought differently.
There was a chance that was also under suspicion.
If I entered the hideout, someone might connect my presence with. There was no one I could sense, but you never know. There might be someone watching me from somewhere.
"..."
After thinking, I pretended to return to the Alliance headquarters and slowly increased my speed.
My destination was set.
While using Space Acceleration and the Crazy Mage movement technique, I spread my senses widely, but I couldn't feel anyone chasing me.
The moonlight was already full.
I immediately took out the mask from my pocket and attached it to my face, then left Keplan and headed to the sparsely populated north.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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