Chapter 103: Chapter 105

“...Someone you need to meet,” Asad said in a low voice.

He rose from the sofa with a stagger before reaching for the cup atop the low table.

Splish.

Although the cup had definitely been empty, it filled with water as soon as Asad’s hand touched it.

Asad took a gulp before looking at me.

“And who is that?”

For now, I decided to keep my guard up and tell a lie.

“Kayan.”

While doing so, I observed his reaction.

Asad seemed to have a headache. He furrowed his brow while using his fingers to knead his head.

He looked like he had a hangover, though I couldn’t smell any alcohol.

“Collector Kayan? Why that guy?”

There couldn’t be many people in House Bednicker who could call Kayan “that guy,” but it didn’t seem out of place when Asad said it.

“Just because.”

“Just because?”

“I think I’ll need him if I want to kill the high priest.”

“...”

It felt as if Asad had been wearing a mask this entire time.

He suddenly moved his hand away from his head and looked at me with a neutral expression.

Ah.

At this moment, I understood.

Why the Lord of Blood and Iron trusted Asad the most.

Why the Council of Elders respected him.

Wearing a neutral expression, Asad looked like a completely different person.

It even made me feel pressured for a split second.

I could tell that it wasn’t on purpose.

The Lord of Blood and Iron was similar. An individual at that level could make the mana in the air shiver just from small changes in their emotions.

“That’s odd.”

“What do you mean?”

“There should be no way for you to have obtained that information.”

“...”

That was true.

Truthfully, I hadn’t realized this was going to happen.

This conversation was the core of my plan and also the biggest hurdle.

In a sense, it was as difficult as fighting the high priest.

“I’m curious now, how did you get that information? Only five people within the house should be aware.”

I wondered who those five people were.

The Lord of Blood and Iron, Rook, and Asad, obviously.

Next... maybe the chairman of the Council of Elders?

I didn’t know who the last one could be.

“I’ll say this now, but don’t speak nonsense or try to lie. I hate having my time wasted.”

“Are you going to kill me?”

“No. That would be too easy.”

“...”

I had a feeling that depending on how I answered, I could end up worse than dead.

That was why I gave him the truth.

“Fine. I learned of this because of a blessing I received.”

“A blessing?”

“Yes.”

I was hoping that Asad also had a way of discerning the truth, like the Lord of Blood and Iron.

Just like when I’d explained myself in the past, I wasn’t lying.

The Blessing of Spirit Mountain had allowed me to return to the past, giving me a chance to learn about the future.

“From what I know, the blessings that allow you to know the future are the Blessing of the Star, the Blessing of Prediction, and the Blessing of the Farsight Fairy. Which one is yours?”

I had heard about the Blessing of the Star.

I remembered Sellen telling me she had that blessing.

Should I just say I have the Blessing of the Star?

Maybe it would be fine to try and substitute that if it allowed me to look into the future...

I shook my head.

“No. It’s a completely different blessing.”

Asad had been genuine when he’d threatened me.

If I gave him an excuse that he couldn’t accept, then he would do whatever he wanted to me even though I was the son of the Lord of Blood and Iron.

For that reason, I decided to not lie to Asad.

I concluded that this was the best course of action when dealing with this man.

Suddenly, Asad said something odd: “Hmm. I should know most of the blessings... The Blessing of Prediction shows you your target’s movements a few seconds in advance.”

“...?”

“The Blessing of the Farsight Fairy tells you the future in a vague and cryptic way. It’s a characteristic of the ancient fairies who love riddles.” Asad looked at me as he said, “And finally, the Blessing of the Star only tells you a brief summary of a great incident that will happen in the future. Something like... ‘In the next few years, a great fire will occur’.”

The moment he said that, I felt a chill go down my spine.

Going by what he’d just said, of the three blessings...

None of them were capable of giving me detailed information about a high priest performing a demon-lord summoning ritual in Bednicker territory.

Which meant that his question had been a trap.

“Relax your face a little, I don’t like talking this way either. House Bednicker and arcane arts... those are already enough to make my head explode.”

“...I see.”

“I have a lot of questions, but since you don’t seem like a cultist, I don’t think you’re going to do something stupid. Though it doesn’t seem like you’ve revealed everything yet.”

This was the sense of a veteran.

I felt amazed as I hid my emotions.

“It’s a little weird for me to be asking, but do you trust me?”

“Yeah. Even the most hardheaded cultist wouldn’t be brave enough to face me. And...” Asad pointed to my ring. “Cultists can’t use that ring.”

“Ah...”

This was an unexpected bit of information, but if Asad was the one who’d made it, he was probably correct.

“Then shall we summarize the situation first? You know that a high priest has infiltrated the training camp and also what will follow from that... I won’t ask how you know. This is still House Bednicker; if you kill the high priest and the plan goes well, then it doesn’t matter where you got the information. Thus, I only want to ask you one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know the identity of the high priest?”

“...”

I became silent.

For some reason, this question felt like the crossroads to multiple different outcomes.

“Yes.”

Once again, I didn’t lie.

I followed that up by asking about Asad’s intentions.

“Will you help me?”

* * * * *

* * * * *

Honestly, if I could gain the cooperation of Archmage Asad, all of my scheming would become unnecessary.

“...”

Asad looked uncharacteristically conflicted. I couldn’t understand why.

Finally, Asad spoke.

“...The camp is in the western section of the Forest of the Butterfly. That isn’t my area.”

I blinked at the unexpected news.

“...What do you mean?”

“I protect the main house and the center of the forest. The area you’re in is under someone else’s jurisdiction.”

“Who is that?”

“Liseradigos.”

This was the first time I had heard that name.

“If I am the outward House Guardian, then he is a hidden guardian. Specifically, the guardian of the forest and the librarian of the underground library.”

“The librarian of the underground library...”

So he was the person I had been looking for before the training camp...

Then, I realized something about the tone of Asad’s voice.

Although I didn’t know who “Liseradigos” was, I could tell that Asad treated him like an equal.

“He doesn’t have a particularly good relationship with me, so he’ll get mad if he notices me invading his space.”

I was baffled by that.

“Will he care when a high priest is currently also in his area?”

“Whether it be high priests or demon lords, he’s not the type to get involved. He’s a bit of a weirdo.”

“...”

If Asad was calling someone else a weirdo, they had to be very abnormal.

Although I thought that, I didn’t say it out loud.

“So can’t you ask this Laseridigos for help?”

“It’s ‘Liseradigos’. And help... honestly, I’m skeptical I can.” Asad seemed troubled for some reason. “How about you ask him?”

“Well, if you introduce me to him...”

“That won’t be difficult, but you’ll have to risk your life. In a way, he’s more dangerous than the high priest.”

“...Even though I’ll just be talking to him?”

Asad let out a bitter laugh.

“About the barrier around the forest... As you know, it protects the people of House Bednicker from the monsters, right? But that’s not the truth.”

“Wait...”

“It’s because of Liseradigos. It exists to seal and surveil him.”

“Hmm.”

But why was someone so dangerous also considered a guardian of the House?

The moment curiosity began to well up in my heart, I recalled what Asad had told me before my regression.

—The Lord of Blood and Iron is the being who exists above the laws of House Bednicker... is something that only outsiders who don’t know anything about what happens on the inside might say.

—Brat, you know nothing about House Bednicker. You know nothing about the true power and secrets this House possesses.

Maybe this “Lalisedigos” was one of those secrets of the House?

“I’ll introduce you to a different person. He’s good to talk to, and maybe better than that Collector Kayan you want to recruit.” Finally, Asad said what I’d been hoping to hear. “The Instructor of Swords and Blades, Calzark. Join up with him. We just lost contact with him in the forest, so you can go and check out what happened while you’re at it.”

***

Asad placed a spell on me.

I didn’t know what it was, but it seemed that I would be able to walk through the barrier as much as I wanted for a day.

The morning of the next day, I immediately left the camp.

Of course, officially I was still resting in the nurse’s office, and Juniang would maintain that alibi for me.

Next, I needed to move while evading the communication crystals spread around the camp...

But thanks to my trade with Zeros, that wasn’t too difficult.

The problem was the communication crystals installed in the forest.

I had learned about these communication crystals when visiting the instructor’s lodge before my regression.

When I’d asked about them, Juniang had given an easy answer.

“Ah, those? They aren’t usually active. It’s too ineffective. They are only used when we have special tests in the forest, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

Thanks to that, I was able to run as fast as I wished through the forest.

Ah... this feels so good.

I became elated as I ran as fast as I could without having to worry about anyone watching me.

Unlike the stone and fog that had filled my vision on Spirit Mountain, this was quite different.

During my run, I saw a few monsters, but I didn’t go out of my way to deal with them.

As a result, I was able to reach my destination.

Compared to the middle of the forest, the trees here were a little shorter, so sunlight was able to fall through the leaves.

This place seemed to be the midpoint between the forest and the main house, and there was a decently large building...

There were also a few knights stationed in front of it.

They were standing with their backs to me. Considering their behavior, they hadn’t been expecting anyone to come from the forest.

Only when I purposefully made my presence known did they turn around.

“Who’s there!”

“Me, it’s me.”

“You are...”

“Young Master Luan?”

One of the knights seemed to recognize me, and I recognized him as well.

“Sir Valter?”

It was the knight I had sparred with a few times before leaving for the forest.

Valter looked pleased to see me as he bowed his head.

“What’s the occasion? Isn’t the training camp still ongoing?”

“I had something to do. I received permission, so don’t worry.”

“Ah, yes...”

“By the way, did the Instructor of Swords and Blades come through?”

“The Instructor of Swords and Blades...”

At my question, both Valter and the knight standing next to him showed pensive expressions.

“What is it?”

“It’s, hmm, someone did come here claiming that they're the Instructor of Swords and Blades.”

“What do you mean?”

“Uhm...

Valter thought for a moment before responding.

“It might be quicker if you see it for yourself. Please follow me.”

With that, I followed Valter into the building.

This building seemed like it acted as a checkpoint for the forest, and it was larger than I’d expected.

In addition to communication crystals, this place had food, weapons, and even bedding.

It seemed that some knights spent their nights here.

Then...

“You bastards! Is this what you want!”

Someone was cursing.

I furrowed my brow at the voice that bellowed out.

“...Who is that?”

The voice was coming from an inner room.

“This way.”

Valter opened the door with a conflicted expression.

As I entered the room, I first noticed the steel bars. A handsome man with brown hair was sitting behind them.

“Huh? You—!”

The good-looking young man’s expression brightened when he saw me.

I offered my natural response: “Who are you?”

“You... even you...”

“...”

I looked at Valter to ask for an explanation, and he whispered to me, “...He came here three days ago. He claims that he is the Instructor of Swords and Blades...”

“...

“...I wasn’t too close with the Instructor, but I at least know what he looks like.”

“This is so frustrating!”

The brown-haired man smacked his own chest.

I didn’t remember seeing anyone like him, but his voice was familiar.

“I-al-rea-dy-told-you!” the man shouted. “I am Calzark!”