Chapter 467: The Commander and the Vicar.

Chapter 467: The Commander and the Vicar.

Ding, ding, I woke up to the the sound of the church bell the next morning. I counted twelve chimes as I laid there, meaning it was exactly noon, so I overslept quite a bit due to yesterday nights raids. I didnt feel rested at all, still feeling a numbing aching in the back of my head. I was stretching my neck, trying to get rid of this irritating pain, but it just wouldnt.

Reflecting on myself, I felt satisfied that I managed to get the Yanderu representative to listen to me. Strangely, while I did try to intimidate him, the amount of cold sweat on his face after I gave my put all your coins on us speech felt too surreal. I only exuded my draconic aura slightly, but he still was intimidated into submission.

Maybe thats the cause of this headache. Its kinda annoying.

Then again, in the depths of my soul, I could only fathom the revelation of the dairy we received yesterday to be even more infuriating. I took it out of my storagethe only thing I hadnt put into the temporary [Room].

The leather book cover was well-mainted, with no ripples or damaged area. The owner clearly placed an effort to preserve it as best as they could, which included the pages. The mana-written letters were carefully placed, with no hints of being rushed on the first few pages. The thoughts were concise, keeping the information distilled and relevant to any who read them.

It was meant to recall everything the owner had done. A diary was a piece of book where a person mixed their emotions with retellings of events, meaning they could be truthful to their point-of-view. Then again, it could also all be a lie. This could be a trap.

I placed the book back into my storage and stood up from my bed to walk over to the bathroom. Ding, dingthe sound of a bell came from outside my door, prompting me to address them. As they came in, the blue-haired elven woman bowed.

Good afternoon, my lady.

I smiled. Sorry about this, Tasianna. I made you wait outside for too long. Sheesh, it has been a while since I overslept during a job. Not very responsible.

You stayed up until the break of dawn, so it is simply a given. Allowing your body to rest is paramount to our future plans, so do not chastise yourself. In fact, you wouldnt have needed to do much, in any case. I nodded to her statement, prompting her to continue. The Knight-Commander, Yorshka, and Midirn have been most dutiful. We have identified multiple conspirators, but none were demonkin in disguise. Multiple knights and priests have admitted to their failings, and Dame Kirstine has been ordered to arrest any traitors currently inside the city. Aside from the cardinals, we managed to remove 26 people.

I presume the reason none were demonkin was because they left the city after our fight with the sin heir? I asked and Tasianna confirmed it. Tsk, thats unfortunate. Nothing works out for us, huh? Well, whatever, well fight them eventually, especially if they dare sneak back into the place.

After my morning routine, I decided against visiting the basilica when Tasianna informed me news about Tanzania town had reached the city. Mana birds were extremely swift messengers, after all. A humongous uproar erupted, naturally, where multiple priests were trying to understand how an entire town halls years of collected documents vanished within a single night, not to mention the poor mayor and his wife!

Well, speaking of the former, Saori had just finished interrogating the man this morning. As I entered the subspace, Tasianna immediately led me to him, allowing me to learn how impertinent he was. Quite a rude fellow, honestly, even demanding proper food instead of some bread and soup despite being a prisoner.

Saori, looking annoyed, sighed at me. He knows nothing.

You cant be serious.

She shook her head. He too was in contact with a Reinhart just like Wendell, but the man was not aware of anything aside from following the orders he was given. Think of him like a clueless middle-management desk worker with a decent wage and a well-maintained family. For example, he knew he was controlled by a puppet master, but he didnt care who it was. He only wanted the profits.

So, is he a dead end?

Did Tasianna not tell you I finished the interrogation? Saori smirked for a moment before she began to frown. He has no loyalties, aside to his family. He might not know his true employer, but he understood well how much money he embezzled for them. He is willing to inform us about everything, even concerning the other villages and towns inside Aureolis as long as we can assure him and his family are safely returned to his home country in the Empire.

I grimaced, sharing my clear dislike for such a deal. Saori nodded but told me a deal was a deal, and as the vice-leader of Aurora, she had a responsibility to follow my creed to never break a promise. She hadnt accepted the deal just yet, but she did manage to gain information on hostile agents in the other areas of Aureolis as a teaser.

I handed everything to Kirstine, but we probably cannot move against them in the open, nor do we have the time to apprehend them ourselves. Even if I sent my shadow pack this morning to all large towns, our enemies would escape our net the moment news of Tanzania town was spread. As such, I did not act on the information. Saori scratched her chin. This is a dead end, sadly.

I let out a deep sigh, feeling defeated. Well, at least I thought it through and got us all the documents and his wife. Probably helped the deal, I guess. This is the foundation for the future after the Prince of Envys death. This is a win, even if it is not beneficial to us now.

Saori smiled. Correct.

In the end, after consulting with Theodore, Fleindia, and the Knight-Commander, we accepted the mayors deal. It would become useful once we had to expunge bureaucratic corruption. Still, even with this small win, we still had an even bigger fish to catch. The mystery persons dairy.

Saori, Tasianna, Ellainne, Yorshka, Midirn, Neill joined Fleindia, Theodore, Renee, Kuornig, and me in reading the dairy. Inside the Commanders office with the [Silence] rune activated, I handed the dairy to Kuornig, as he deserved to know everything before us.

These are my notes and acceptance of my sins. With these words, I commit and admit to the crimes I will perform in the future. If you are reading this dairy, then I must ask you to aid me in defeating the demonkin who have infiltrated our beloved religion. I, Marius von Zahbak, swear with these words that all I will write down will be unbiased and come from a point of logical, analytical assessments. If I defer from them and turn these notes unusable in a court of law, then I apologize.

The Commander turned silent while his expression remained neutral. Yet, it was clear to everybody how much he needed to process this information. The evidence for all of the cardinal vicars crimes were documented here, in this little book of his. Here, for everybody to witness.

Saori, where did you find this book? I asked.

In Yelass safe, given to him by a courier a day after we arrived in Aureolis. The notice told him to never open the book until the owner arrived to retrieve it, she answered. Yelas obeyed it, sealing it behind his safe for nobody to know its existence. Like Margeret, he too was paranoid of their true employers and was too afraid to let his curiosity influence him.

He thought the missive was from the demonkin, Ellaine said. Shrewd. Very shrewd. Hide such an implicating book under everybodys noses by giving it to somebody who cannot possibly betray the Prince of Envy.

No, he was playing with us since the very moment we entered the holy city, Theodore massaged his temples. Everything that had occurred was according to his plan. I understand now. He never restricted our movements, he set Cardinal Wendell up to be his scapegoat while also providing him an exit from all the troubles, which led us to Tanazania town again for his. The note he left behind was him telling us we foiled his plan for us.

He wanted Hestia to take over the Prince of Envys last aberration, Yorshka stated. If he had worked with Prince of Envy for a while, then it means he knew the aberration in Estralia was either destroyed or taken over. He knew Aurora was there and was responsible for it, or at least, he guessed it. He was setting us up to destroy the demonkins last line of defense in the guise of killing the kids.

How despicable. I bite my lips. I thought I hated him enough already, but somehow it got worse. I So that was why he let me punch him after I broke through his barrier. I knew it was too weird how he didnt even resist, despite being high enough to survive a punch to the face. He used me. He used me to cover up his tracks, by making the demonkin believe he was still on their side despite intending to betray them from the very beginning.

They might have already known, Midirn argued. Yet, they didnt know when he would strike. This was all to delay their judgement for us to reach the truth, acquiring all we needed to ensure the transfer of power to the blessed would be smooth. Kuornig, this man is pious, no? He must have known about the former leadership through the blessed.

The Commander shook his head. No, Gwyn had always been the pious one. Marius was always the logical one. A pure mage, through and through. He simply learned what he had to for his plans.

Then, what about me? Fleindia stated. During the speech after the first attack, he felt so cooperative before he kept pushing me into the limelight. He supported me, denouncing both Hestia and Rhea, meaning if something were to happen to me, it might be impossible for those two to manage Aureolis.

That is the point, Yorshka stated. It means the demonkin will do all they can to eliminate you to ruin our plan. He made sure the targets arent Hestia and Rhea, but you, reducing our potential targets by quite a bit. The moment you die, we loseNo, the Church of Aurena would most likely crumble.

No, even worse. The Prince of Envy will have his eyes on you, Renee said, reminding everybody about Demiurge.

If Fleindia died and was consumed by the Prince of Envy, it would allow him to discard his persona as the pope and jump into that of a blessed. It did prompt me what happened with the bodies of the blessed who died during the demonkin coup, prompting Fleindia to explain they were all buried in a cemetery reserved for them.

Goddess Andira created it to honor the brave warriors and mages who died during the demon war, where she erected a mana barrier similar to the one around Aureolis. It deters demons, but it also is only accessible to another blessed. I was the one who buried them personally, so I know their remains werent mishandled.

A relief to hear, for sure.

The Commander then took out what looked like a board with small figurines on them. He placed the pieces onto squared tiles, before it was all ready. It looked a bit like chess, but the figurines were in the form of animals and monsters with the King piece having the appearance of a crystal.

Commander Kuornig began moving the pieces on his side until they clashed with the frontline of his enemies. Pieces were knocked out here and there before the backrow pieces began to move, except for the crystal, which stayed in place.

In a normal game of Territorial, the movement patterns of each piece are different, imitating how different companies and platoons would move with their soldiers. Wolf team, hornet team, griffon knight team, and so on. However, the crystal, our city protected by a mana barrier, must always stay behind. Whether in this game or in reality, a city cannot be moved.

Unless youre a floating vampire city. I thought, understanding what the pieces now meant.

As such, we need to defend the crystal, but in real life, we do not need to engage the armies. Break this down. He then picked up a griffon knight figurine from the opposite side and used it to smack the crystal down.

Break the enemy from behind, Ellaine answered.

Break the enemy from within, the Commander corrected her. The church, the administration in the Empire, the lycerepth; everything. Bribe the officials, work with them and make promises. Shatter the Folschreck Empire, reduce their ambitions to ashes only reserved for the history books, and install a puppet rule from the shadows with the humans. Control the masses by assuming their form, like the Prince of Envy did with Gwyn.

Fleindia then looked at me, grimacing. This was exactly what we all talked about during the Summit. This was the demonkins goal they had been working on for so long.

The Commander then sighed and kept reading the diary. This new administration prioritizes the future of BoleTaria, with some wishing the Edjurl gods to settle in this world. Their promise is clear: the Edjurl gods do not care how we live, as long as we live for their favors and machinations. In a post war world, humanity will survive as long as they bow to the demonkin. Reduce those opposed to this idea, and the demonkin will have fulfilled all their goals, including ruling over the large lands of the former Folschreck Empire.

Renee massaged her temples. So this is how the demonkin are able to gain Edjurian sympathizers. The Prince of Envy was also discussing with the Vicar to assure he converted. Trying to pull him into the demonkins blight.

Empathy, Saori said, to which all nodded.

This section was the longest as it mostly documented the Vicars talk with the Prince of Envy, making it almost read like a biography. Treating the Prince of Envy like a lab subject, every single detail of his personality, habits, and even dislikes were written down, allowing us to get to know the man without having met him.

He described the demonkin as conceited, but careful in his conduct, believing proper planning was the only path for his race to succeed in the future. With a grand desire for elegance and wealth, it was obvious he was quite jealous of the nobles and wealthy merchants able to lavish themselves with anything they wanted. The papal mansion, for example, had gotten a major redecoration nearly every other month purely due to the Prince of Envys desire for a perfect home. He treated the papal mansion as if it was his achievement; his right, and was fully willing to display that to the world.

This also included traps for the inevitable battles he envisioned. He might be prideful, but the Vicar still called him a coward here and there. No matter how safe he felt, he always distrusted the people he worked with, especially his cousin, the sin heir, ReinYond. To a demonkin of envy, to feel jealous of ones better was a natural feeling, as it allowed them to strive for better. As long as somebody had something they didnt, their ambitions would never cease to exist, and that meant all were required to be careful.

Sadly, the Vicar noted how most of this information had become redundant due to the demonkins mental collapse. The crazed insanity the Vampire Princess informed me was real and even the Vicar felt perplexed when it happened. There were talks here and there, but the Prince of Envys original personality was no more.

It was as if I was talking with a different person, the Commander read. He then turned the page, widening his eyes. This Nearly a year has gone by, but the young former noble, Amadeus Chezaic, hadnt relapsed. His Raffarson weakened his body over two decades, but the illness wasnt holding back his growth any longer. How? Who? He cannot be helped by a demonkin, that is impossible. I must know.

My hands tightened into fists. The moment I heard about his niece, I already knew where this was going. A guy as detail focused as him wouldnt have overlooked an albino young man, especially if Bishop Rasheid knew about his birth illness.

Marius continued, True dragon blood. That was all the boy told me. He didnt understand the concept behind it, but if I wanted to know about it, I must ask a Bishop named Theodore Sirius. It would be too risky, though.

Hold on, you did what? Yorshka and Neill said simultaneously, staring at me with confusion. They mentioned how they hadnt smelled my scent on Amadeus, unlike with Saori; obviously, since Saori evolved with my blood, unlike Amadeus.

Well, considering our past, anybody would have figured out what Amadeus meant by true dragon blood.

I understand now. Champion Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor. That was the person Amadeus had spoken through. She solved the situation in Firwood, that was why the Prince was so abrasive when he recalled those events. I must ask However, I interrupted the Commander.

THE AUDACITY! I shouted, forcing me to take deep breaths as I realized I let my emotions out without a lid. He cant be serious. He knew about me before we arrived here, but he never once came to contact me. He committed all these problems, even leading to Wendell being tortured and getting his soul inspected, all for this moment. He knows we will read this! This mans mind is even worse than a demonkin at this point!

He

Neill interrupted the Commander. He was following orders, was that what you wanted to say? With age comes wisdom? What a lousy saying for humans.

The Commander sighed, turning his eyes to everybody in the room to learn their feelings. Put yourself in his shoes. He couldnt because he was being monitored the entire time. The false knights hiding around, the sin heir breathing down his neck and giving him orders; everything was against his favor until you people arrived. When you pushed the demonkin to finally act, he found an opening.

At the cost of my partys grief and the many people in the city! This does not excuse any of his actions nor your inaction! I slammed the table, growling out my frustrations on this situation before covering my face with my hands. This isnt fair. I hate this man so much I want to punch him again.

Should we get in contact with them? Saori asked.

Before I could speak, Theodore stepped in. I was the one who made Amadeuss curative, but the issue is that even I do not fully understand what I did. I used the standard holy water given to us by Aureolis before pouring some of Lady Hestias blood in it, believing a rumor how true dragon blood is helpful for healing.

If thats the case, then I dont want any arguments. Its a no, Neill interjected. Im not the biggest rule follower, but Im not allowing my little sisters blood to spread around the country like some product. Loatryx would never accept it either.

Yorshka grunted in agreement. Not to mention how much you can actually do with true dragon blood. An alchemists most valuable ingredient. Youre mostly correct, High Bishop, but if we want more information on it, we have to ask a true dragon alchemist like Cernust who can explain everything as easily as possible. Or, Tasianna, do you have any idea?

I never talked about it to him or my alchemy meister, she said. I have no need for such knowledge since I fully understand and support Loatryxs stance on it. If somebody were to misuse Lady Hestias blood, I would be quite furious.

Regardless, there is no debate on this matter, Midirn stated. Whether Lady Hestia is an adult mentally or not, she is a whelp to us dragonkin. Her sister is her guardian until Empress Melloxtressa awakens, so her decision is final. We will not accept this deal.

Sheesh, making me feel like a kid here I complained, but I honestly didnt feel dissatisfied. In fact, it felt good to have somebody else decide on such an impactful decision. I didnt have to feel guilty about anything.

I see I understand. The Commander sighed. I will not force you, however, as his friend, I do hope Empress Melloxtressa would change her mind in the future about this.

Even after all of this evidence, youre still supporting him? Fleindia asked, words laced with venom as she glared at the Commander as if he had gone insane. You promised to help us if we reveal the truth! This is enough proof.

I will not. I will honor my word, yet, I cannot abandon him. Marius, Gwyn, and I have been friends since we were children. He laid a hand on his left chest. The three of us all were born into marquess houses, all fortunate enough that our fathers were good friends as they served in the war together. Gwyn, the talented speaker but with the weakest body; Marius, the talented mage but with the worst temper; and I, the dreaming knight who wanted to become a Hand of Heaven.

He then unsheathed his sword, looked at it before placing it on the table. Each of us had different goals in our life, with Gwyn wishing to become a priest, Marius wanting to join Aleistunum, and me wishing to join the knights. We all managed it in the end, but the issues came later with Marius losing his family during a demonkin attack while I lost my position amongst the Hand of Heaven due to defying an order to come to Mariuss familys aid. I failed. I nearly died.

He opened up his gambeson and shirt, revealing a large puncture scar left to his chest. Marius managed to prevent my death by pouring potions on me, just long enough for a group of Hands of Heaven to reach me. To our surprise, it was Gwyn who led them there. My life was saved That was the context of why I had made an oath.

I blinked, feeling a bit baffled. You Were you even trying to make me feel sympathetic to you?

He shook his head before standing up, throwing the open dairy on the table. I am simply giving you the last piece of context why I decided to trust my friend until the bitter end. I owe them everything. An old man like me only has his memories, and in between the situation with my family and the state of my order, reminiscing about the better times has been the only thing that has eased my mind I will slay Marius, none else. This is my last duty as his friend.

He then left the room, prompting the rest of us to read the last page on the dairy, I was branded with a slave mark before the Prince of Envy secluded himself in the papal mansions basement. Protected by powerful magic made by Goddess Andira and God Istari, it can only be opened with a key that I must hold. With this slave mark, I am destined to fight the ones reading this dairy. If the truth has been revealed, then the next time we meet, you must strike me down and recover the key!