Episode 82
I narrowed my brows and first increased my internal strength.
Did he realize my presence?
Assad said with an ambiguous expression.
“Let me tell you in advance, I am not a church member.”
“I know.”
“By the way, I said this with a double meaning. “I’m also an atheist.”
… It’s a bit chilly because I’m afraid someone might think I’m old.
One of my strengths was being able to respond to boring jokes like this, but that’s not the time right now.
“Assad, didn’t you also receive many blessings?”
“yes.”
“And yet you don’t believe in God?”
Then Asad said with a crooked smile.
“The being I think of as God is a much higher being. The 72 gods are strong, but they have too many limitations. “It means it falls short of my standards.”
Listening to Assad’s blasphemous remarks, for some reason I was reminded of what Musin had said.
A story about the ‘forgotten god’.
At that time, Mushin said something else.
“Absolute God.”
“hmm?”
At these words, surprise flashed in Assad’s eyes for the first time.
“Where did you hear that word?”
“yes?”
“The word absolute God.”
I couldn’t bring up the story about the Martial God, which I had hidden even from Iron Blood Prince, here, so I just glossed over it.
“It feels like something I saw in a book…” … .”
“That’s a lie. “There is no written literature about it in the Empire.”
The way he speaks is as if he has read every book that exists in some empire.
Of course, since he lived for 300 years, he must have read a lot more books than the average person… … .
“It looks like you don’t want to talk. hmm. I wonder if that would be fun right now… … .”
Surprisingly, Assad did not dig deep.
Instead, I found myself laughing to myself as I found a fun toy for the first time in a long time.
‘I feel strangely stopped.’
My personality isn’t one to be pushed around, but this man’s attitude and speaking style were even more unique.
If you don’t pay attention to this, the story may end as you just get dragged along.
“Were you talking about the coming of the Demon King? The reason I know the plan is simple. “Badniker already saw through the rats’ plan.”
I blinked and asked.
“… So, I was already aware that there was a traitor within the family and that they were going to pull some kind of trick at the retreat – is this what you mean?”
“That’s accurate.”
Do you feel dizzy?
I asked in an absurd voice.
“You know, but why did you stand by? “You didn’t know it would get this big?”
“I do not get involved in any internal family disputes. “This is an ancient covenant that can never be broken.”
“What does that mean?”
“hmm.”
Assad looked at me and spoke in a drowsy tone.
“You look smart, but your brain is bad.”
“… … .”
It’s been a while since I heard the word stupid.
“It’s simple. “There were two conflicting opinions within the family regarding this matter.”
“… … .”
“Is there room for conflict in punishing traitors within the family? “That’s the face I want to say.”
“yes.”
“If it were an ordinary family, it would be like that. But this place is a badnik. “The frame of mind is different from that of ordinary criminals.”
Assad spread one finger on each hand and then formed a confrontational stance.
It’s like having a finger war.
“First of all, like you said, one side is an extremely common sense opinion. Now that he realized the traitor’s existence and his plan, he suggested killing him right away. At first, most people agreed with that opinion. “Until someone presents a counterargument.”
Assad said, wriggling his right finger like an earthworm.
“Isn’t this actually an opportunity?”
“A chance?”
“I realized there was a traitor. I also found out what tricks he was planning to pull at the retreat. But I couldn’t pinpoint who exactly he was. “In the process of defeating the bastards, he only found out about their plans.”
“… … .”
“Surely, if the retreat had been stopped, the situation would have ended peacefully. But that also means missing a huge opportunity.”
Assad looked at me and said.
“Do you know the three elements necessary for the descent of the Demon King?”
“no.”
“I thought so.”
“… … .”
This is why I hate wizards.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
The funny thing is, at this level, he is still in the decent category among wizards.
Anyway, Assad explained, extending his fingers one by one.
“First, the offering. The second is a land full of mana. Actually, these two conditions are not that strict. “It’s the last element that really matters.”
Assad’s expression changed.
The drowsy look he had shown until now disappeared, and cold cynicism took its place.
“A being who has mastered the old demon language, can communicate directly with the demon king, and can preside over rituals.”
I thought I knew who Assad was talking about.
“… pontiff.”
“oh.”
Assad looked at me with surprised eyes and laughed heartily.
“I’ll take back what I said earlier. “You’re not that stupid.”
“… … .”
“okay. He is a priest. “He is the core of the church and the main enemy of the great family.”
Now I know what the opposition thinks.
I asked, dumbfounded.
“therefore… Did the high-ranking nobles of the family stand by and let this happen in order to capture the priest?”
“That’s the way it is.”
“Are you hiding this fact from the leaders who get caught up in it and die?”
“It has already been six years since the last priest was killed. “Of course, we only looked at official records.”
What is this man trying to say again?
“Do you know how many heroes died at that time?”
“I do not know.”
“There are 96 people. “If you add the seriously injured, it’s more than twice that number.”
“… … .”
“Of course, one priest didn’t kill them all. As I said, even in religious denominations, priests are irreplaceable, high-quality personnel. If it’s to protect you, you’ll do whatever it takes to protect it. So, I usually hide in the most secret places at school and don’t even think about crawling out.”
Assad clenched his chin.
“If I could kill that priest, the lives of dozens of young people would be worth sacrificing… … .”
“… … .”
“… “I guess that’s what the person who opposed was thinking.”
“haha.”
When I found out the truth about what happened, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“There was a guy named Pam at the retreat.”
“That’s an interesting name.”
“I think so.”
I continued speaking with a smile on my face.
“He may be a bit soft-spoken, but he is a cheerful guy by nature, so I’m sure there wasn’t anyone he truly disliked.”
“What do you want to say?”
“That guy is dead.”
“… … .”
“I found his body in the cabin, and I don’t know what happened to him right before he died, but the fear remained on his face.”
Assad looked at me blankly and said.
“I am saddened by the deaths of the leaders. But they must also be people who were prepared to die at the retreat.”
Assad’s words made my head feel hot.
“Resolution? Of course I did. But that was a determination to overcome the ordeal. “I am not prepared to be killed as a scapegoat.”
“… … .”
“It takes a hundred heroes to capture one priest. So what do you want to say? If you kill a priest by sacrificing dozens of people, you will have a surplus? “Do wizards actually think like that?”
“hmm.”
Assad scratched his cheek and said:
“It’s been a few decades since I’ve seen such a rude guy, so it’s refreshing. “Did you receive the protection of immortality or something like that?”
“Whether I have one life or dozens, the words that come out of my mouth won’t be much different.”
“It means that he is a man who has lost his fear. but… … .”
Assad stroked his chin and said.
“Do you like it.”
Seeing the man saying the opposite of what I said, I asked what might be the most important question.
“Are you the head of the family who came up with this crazy plan?”
I couldn’t know this without asking.
Two elements that symbolize Iron Blood Ball.
Demon killing and nepotism.
So I don’t know.
The crazy idea of turning the retreat attended by two of my sons into a place to summon the Demon Lord… … .
Would the man have agreed or opposed?
“no.”
Assad shook his head.
“Delac was against this.”
“… “Are you saying it was implemented despite this?”
“Sanghyeolgong is what exists on top of Badniker’s additive methods – outsiders who don’t know the inside story often say that.”
Somehow it sounds like it’s not true.
“To give an extreme example, if I were to directly oppose Delak’s opinion right now, he would have no choice but to reconsider.”
This statement is difficult to deny.
Assad, who is in the position of guardian of the family, is in a sense a person who should be respected more than the head of the family.
“Assad is special.”
Then Assad burst into laughter.
“Sweetheart, you don’t know anything about badniks. “About the true power and secrets this family holds.”
“… … .”
“I have nothing to tell you now. However, we have prepared measures to minimize damage.”
“Any room.”
“One of the instructors is Luke Badnicker.”
Luke Badnicker.
I am referring to the younger brother of Sangvised Duke and the leader of the Sangvised Knights.
“… “I don’t think I saw it.”
“I cast an illusion spell myself, but there is no way I could see through it at the level of a zero degree.”
“hmm… … .”
“Besides that, there is one more safety device… “It would be meaningless to say this now.”
I hated this type of conversation, so I forced myself to ask.
“Just tell me.”
Assad narrowed his eyes and said.
“Now that I think about it, I guess it has nothing to do with you at all.”
“yes?”
“Teacher Sword is waiting outside the barrier.”
“Calzac… … .”
This is unexpectedly good news.
“Is Calzak okay? “When did you come to the family?”
“You’re perfectly fine, and it’s been about a week since you came to the family? “But there’s a problem.”
“Problem?”
“okay. “I ordered them to be sent to camp as soon as they returned, but strangely, there has been no news yet.”
“… … .”
“I don’t think he’s dead, but it’s clear something has happened, so it’s going to be hard to ask for help right away.”
That is correct.
Of course, it would be a great help if I could join, but the situation is so bad that I don’t have time to look for it.
“Do you have any more questions?”
“… … .”
After my head cooled down a bit, I realized something unexpected.
What was surprising was that Assad answered my questions with sincerity.
Even though this man’s position and strength could be ignored.
Is this an attitude born of Assad’s own sense of guilt?
“… “Then when are you going to deal with that priest?”
“well. It depends on the priest’s actions. Do you know about the steps of the demon lord summoning ritual?”
I nodded because I heard something from Hector.
“The timing is unknown, but it will be right before or right after entering stage 4. At that point, the priest has no choice but to show himself… … .”
“I guess you still don’t know who the priest is.”
“There is a high probability that it is among the instructors, but the possibility that it is Youngdo cannot be ruled out. So Luke won’t move until he fully reveals himself.”
Assad looked annoyed.
“Do you know why it’s so hard to catch priests? “There are countless cases where they have extra lives and only manage to catch them, only to end up as puppets, but the decisive reason is their evasion skills.”
“Avoidance skills?”
“It’s a technique called returning home.”
“On the way home?”
“no. “A ghost road back home.”
Assad corrected me and continued.
“It is a skill unique to priests that allows them to flee in an instant with almost no delay, and it is a much higher level power than ordinary teleportation. “Once it’s activated, I can’t track it either.”
Assad said:
“To be precise… I can track him down, but if I do that, I guess I’ll die too. “The place they fled to is not this continent, but the world of demons.”
“… hmm.”
“Anyway, I’ll leave the question time to this and I’ll get to the point soon.”
Main subject?
“Luan Badniker, originally I had no intention of getting involved in whatever was going on at the retreat… “You seem like a fun guy, so this is a special service.”
Assad stood up.
And as he waved his hand, a door appeared in the room where there was no door.
Squeak-.
The door opened.
Beyond that, Badniker’s home was visible.
A building showing off its elegant appearance under the warm morning sunlight.
“I’ll get you out of there.”
“Is that true?”
“Wizards don’t lie.”
That sounds like a lie.
Anyway, I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank you for your favor. Then, go back and gather as many other spiritual leaders as possible, then get the ring again-.”
“ah. That’s not allowed.”
“yes?”
“If so many spiritual leaders disappear, the priest may notice.”
“That means… … .”
“You’re the only one who can get me out of there.”
Assad asked me, clenching his chin.
“What should I do?”
fantasy,
