Episode 247
Of course, it only almost happened. I didn't actually spray tea across the Headquarters Chief's face.
On the contrary, my expression barely changed from the mont I took a sip. The sudden question hit in the back of the head. In fact, ever since I first ca into contact with Verita, I was able to maintain my composure because I was always ntally tense. After all, the Hero Society wasn't a place where I could completely relax.
I swallowed the tea as naturally as possible before replying, "I don't understand the intent of your question."
"Really? Then I will change it. Did you know that Sister Razbet is a mber of the Dark Church?" Taon asked directly.
Damn. This ti, my poker face and composure really ca close to breaking.
I remained silent for the mont. I did not know whether silence was the right choice in a situation like this, but I did know that speaking before I had organized my thoughts would be the worst possible move. I could co up with an excuse for my sudden silence later.
Taon, however, had no intention of giving ti to think. "Why did you suddenly go quiet? Are you flustered? Feeling guilty? That's suspicious. Are you also a church mber?"
"That is absurd," I said. "Are you seriously treating as a church mber? Do you know what my last na is?"
"Goodspring?" Taon laughed. "I'm joking. It's Badniker."
He looked like a naive boy, but it was impressive that the Badniker na didn't intimidate him.
Taon continued, "Even a priest was hiding in your fortress-like family, right?"
He actually knows about Juan. That made curious. Had the Iron-Blooded Lord told him directly, or did Taon have his own information network?
"This is an era where we have to consider every possibility imaginable. For example, isn't it plausible that soone with Badniker blood could be a church mber?"
I said, "By that logic, the Headquarters Chief of the Hero Society could also be a priest."
"Right?"
I looked at Taon as he casually brushed off my sarcasm.
The owner of this annoying face might actually be a great strategist. So calling Heero in with , pretending to sleep at the desk, and even offering tea before bringing up Verita... All of it might have been part of his elaborate plan.
His half-closed eyes no longer contained the sa intensity as before, but they still carried a strong presence. Was he really the sa young man I had first seen slumped on the desk?
"So what is your relationship with Sister Razbet?" Taon asked, returning to the original topic.
I couldn't remain silent any longer, so I sighed and finally spoke. "I don't know. I t her for the first ti after coming here, so what could I possibly know?"
"Yet she keeps clinging to you?"
"That's right," I replied. "Well, I'm used to it."
Taon looked puzzled. "What are you used to?"
I brushed my hair back and offered the excuse I had already prepared. "I am a bit popular."
Shit.
Taon stared at without smiling or sneering. After a short pause, he spoke again. "Well, let's go with that for now. So, the Popular Luan Badnicker?"
I never thought I would end up with a nickna I hated more than Golden Fairy.
"Yes," I said flatly.
Taon continued, "As I just said, Sister Razbet is a mber of the Dark Church—"
"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I'm actually doubtful about that."
"What are you doubtful about?"
"Sister Razbet is a nun of the Seventy-Two Churches, isn't she? In addition, I saw that she can wield a great deal of divine power. She may have a radical side, but she used it in a righteous way to kill many church mbers," I reasoned.
Taon nodded. "That is true."
"She also appears to be trusted within both the Seventy-Two Churches and the Hero Society. I find it hard to believe that soone like he is a mber of the Dark Church," I concluded.
Taon humd. "I see. You want to provide so plausible evidence first?"
In short, yes. I couldn't press him directly, so I phrased it more tactfully.
He told , "In fact, there is no evidence."
"I see."
"Look at you," Taon said. "You don't believe now?"
"No," I replied bluntly.
"Ah, really. You are botherso in a different way from your father." Taon scratched his disheveled hair before saying, "Honestly, it doesn't matter whether Razbet is a church mber or not. I have no intention of harming her. At the very least, not right now."
After that, Taon took another swig of his drink.
Was he an alcoholic? Alcohol was supposed to dull the mind, but for so reason, his eyes seed to sharpen the more he drank.
"That isn't sothing the Headquarters Chief of the Hero Society should be saying," I noted.
"That is true, so just don't repeat it anywhere else."
I raised an eyebrow. "And if I do?"
"Well... what would happen..." Taon's sentence trailed off as he rose from his chair.
A flicker of nerves ran through . I quietly circulated my internal energy, ready to react at any ti.
Taon walked past , returned to his desk, and collapsed onto it.
The sight was almost pitiful. Still, I used the pause to organize my thoughts.
What is this man up to? How much does he know and what is the purpose? No. Before that... Is he a clear threat to ?
It was hard to say. I had too little information. In other words, I had to rattle him in so way to extract more information.
I spoke slowly. "What you just said. Can you take responsibility for it?"
Taon frowned. "What do you an?"
"You suspect soone with Badniker blood is a church mber. If my respected father heard this, he would probably be quite angry." I naturally had very little ans of pressuring Taon, so I had no choice but to invoke the Iron-Blooded Lord.
Taon rolled his eyes and chuckled, his cheek still pressed against the desk. "Ah. Really? Then go ahead and tell him."
"Should I?" I drawled. "While I am at it, I should tell him that Razbet is a church mber."
His laughter stopped for a mont. To , the silence felt like a punch that had sohow landed squarely on his chin.
I smiled. "I believe the family head will kill Razbet for being a church mber and then hold you accountable for covering it up. What do you think?"
If Taon really knew my identity as a priest of the Colorless Demon King, he would see through this threat at once. For to summon the Iron-Blooded Lord would be no different from summoning a ravenous beast to eat .
On the contrary, if he takes a step back here...
Taon spoke. "You are fiercer than I expected. Are you really fifteen years old?"
I shook my head. "I turned sixteen this year."
"I see. You seem experienced." Taon straightened and looked at , then nodded slowly. "Very well. As expected, if I push too hard for easy gains, it will co back to bite . I'll be a bit honest."
"Please do."
Taon explained, "As you said, Sister Razbet has a rather radical temperant. Don't you think she will be discovered one day because of it? She hides it well for now, but she is definitely a ti bomb. That is why I want you to keep a close watch on her and control her if you can. According to the reports, she is quite fond of you."
"I don't understand. If you know that she is a church mber, shouldn't you deal with her imdiately, or at least arrest her?" I questioned.
"Normally, yes. However, a bigshot like Razbet is different. I am letting her simr..." he replied. "With a little more effort, I can enjoy a more satisfying al."
I was confused. "What do you an?"
"Sister Razbet could lead us to the church's headquarters, or even the Dark Pope."
Honestly, this makes more sense. If that was true, I could understand Taon's unconventional attitude. From the start, I had viewed Verita's very existence as precarious. If no one in the Hero Society had discovered her infiltration, I would've doubted this organization's competence. If they had known from the beginning, then this developnt was natural.
But... Still, sothing strangely bothered . Taon's words made sense, and everything lined up but the explanation felt oddly manufactured. It struck as a collection of excuses, each one produced at exactly the right mont. He spoke as though he had prepared them in advance.
Of course, there was no logic behind this impression. At best, it was suspicion rooted in a vague sense of unease.
Still, this gut feeling has rarely betrayed .
I briefly considered it before deciding to test him one last ti. "What if I refuse?"
"I will disqualify you as a hero."
"Are you serious?"
"Who knows? Am I serious? Am I joking? One thing is for certain. I am capable of doing it." After saying that, Taon laughed again.
I pressed, "Why ? There are many heroes stronger than I am. Shouldn't you assign one of them to watch her?"
Taon sighed. "I've tried that. It did not work. She noticed them too quickly. Her energy detection is abnormally developed, so we can't secretly watch her."
From his tone, it was clear he had tried to monitor or control Verita more than once.
"Then you appeared. The one person that the cautious Sister Razbet opened her heart to—Casanova, the beautiful boy adored by girls, the ruinous playboy, Golden Fairy Luan Badniker!"
"Ah, great," I grumbled.
"So, will you take the job?"
"Give a mont to think," I replied.
By then, I felt I had extracted everything I could from him. Now it was ti to connect the scattered information together and draw a conclusion.
I didn't believe everything he said. At the sa ti, I didn't believe it was all a lie. Given his attitude and skill as a strategist, it was highly likely he spoke a blend of truth and lies.
Then how should I determine the truth?
Truth often surfaced revealed in monts of agitation. So when he briefly stopped breathing, the reaction Taon showed had to be genuine.
Today, I witnessed Taon Gludd lose his composure only once. It happened when I ntioned the Iron-Blooded Lord. More precisely, it was when I said I would tell the Iron-Blooded Lord about Verita. In other words, this was the scenario that Taon wanted to avoid the most.
So why did he want to avoid it so badly?
It was when he showed agitation. Think bigger, broader, and freer. I imagined hitting my slightly dull head. In a case like this, it was best to consider the most ridiculous possibilities. That would lead to a truly ridiculous thought. I let my imagination run wild, and a past conversation with Verita flashed through my mind.
"Do other believers know that you have been in contact with ?"
"That's right."
"How many?"
"Ten people, including ."
"Ten people..."
After that exchange, Verita had added, "Also, you don't have to worry if I leave... If I disappear or can no longer carry out my protection duties, another believer will quickly join you."
Is the Headquarters Chief of the Hero Society a Colorless believer? I imdiately rejected that idea. No matter how I looked at it, that conclusion went too far. Even so, the direction of my thinking was not entirely wrong.
A sense of victory rose in my chest as I spoke. "Did you join forces with Sister Razbet?"
"What nonsense is that?" Taon snapped.
"Ah, my wording was awkward." I paused. "Then did you join forces with the Dark Church?"
The mont I said that, Taon's expression changed slightly. "Do you know what you are saying?"
"Of course I do. However, the way you have been acting—"
"Stop." The air around Taon changed in an instant, and the steaming tea froze solid.
I flinched and sprang to my feet by instinct.
"Kneel." The voice echoed as if it ca from inside a cave.
At that brief command, the ground beneath sank. I didn't have ti to react. In an instant, the weight on my lower body multiplied dozens of tis.
This... I couldn't move as I wanted. I was able to circulate my internal energy, but shaking off this sudden paralysis would take ti.
"You have poor manners, young Badniker," Taon said solemnly.
The Headquarters Chief of Hero Society was wielding a power completely different from magic, sorcery, shamanism, or even the blessings.
Before I knew it, his eyes turned gold, and his pupils had split vertically. His pressure was terrifying. Just eting his eyes made tremble, and the urge to bow my head was nearly irresistible.
To put it bluntly, even moving my lips felt difficult. I knew that if I stayed silent now, I would be at Taon's rcy forever.
Therefore, I forced myself to speak. "Now I understand why you have held the Headquarters Chief position for 100 years."
I finished speaking and swallowed the blood that had risen in my throat. I had suffered an internal injury just from uttering a few words. Even so, it made sense, given who my opponent was. A minority race had once ruled the continent with unmatched power. In the present era, that race had dwindled to the brink of extinction. They were the only beings capable of enforcing laws through their language alone—dragons.
The gold dragon, Taon Gludd, stared at .
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