Chapter 148: Chapter 149

After that whole ordeal, I returned to my room to find a familiar face.

“Elder Brother?”

“...Mm,” he hummed in answer. He was busy organizing his things, but his head was tilted slightly toward me, indicating he was listening.

I hung my coat on the hanger and said, “You’ve been hard to find lately. Where have you been sleeping?”

“There’s a place inside the martial arts building where people can rest. I stayed there for a few days. Sorry I didn’t inform you, I was deeply immersed and didn’t want to break my flow.”

“No need to apologize. Just don’t overdo it.”

“Yeah.”

I glanced at the back of Hector’s head for a moment.

...The side of his face was slightly swollen.

I was quite skilled at beating people up, so I could tell: That injury hadn’t come from a simple spar.

I could almost feel the malice behind the blows just from looking at the wound they left.

I scratched the back of my neck and said, “The air tonight is pretty good. Fresh and breezy. I think I’ll go for a walk.”

“At this hour?”

“I like wandering about at night. You can go to bed first, or... finish organizing or whatever.”

“All right.”

I grabbed my coat from the hanger and left the room—but just before the door closed behind me, Hector spoke, his voice filled with emotion. “Luan.”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

I smiled. “Don’t mention it.”

***

The next day was, finally, the day of Professor Alec’s second class.

After wandering around the campus so much these past few days, I was starting to get familiar with the academy grounds.

There were still plenty of areas I hadn’t visited yet, of course, but...

I could at least find my way around on my own now.

Bringing Kayan and Arzan along just to attend a single class felt a bit unnecessary, so I had been going around on my own most of the time.

Apparently, accompanying servants had the right to take classes too, so I’d told them that they could go and take whatever subjects interested them

To that, Kayan had smiled and politely declined, while Arzan had thanked me. She was probably interested in one of the classes. I was a little curious which class she was interested in, but I didn’t want to pry. That was her business.

Even though they were my servants, asking felt like it would be an invasion of her privacy. I didn’t want to do that, and thus, it would remain a mystery.

Anyway, it was already time for class.

“H-hi!”

I hadn’t seen Glenn in a while. I waved and said, “Hey.”

My goal for today wasn’t just to not part ways with him after class—I hoped to grab a bite to eat with him and, if possible, set up a way to stay in touch.

Of course, I wasn’t going to bring that up right now, at the start of class. He seemed quick to catch on to things, and I didn’t want to make him suspicious.

Hmm.

...Anyhow, the classroom was unusually quiet today.

Likely because Talis and his stupid friends weren’t occupying their usual seats in the back. It seemed they’d decided to lay low for a few days after Talis’s nose was crushed by Evan yesterday.

Creak.

At this point, the door opened and Alec appeared, just in time for today’s lecture.

Alec took one look at the two of us sitting in the front and nodded without a word of greeting.

“Let’s begin the lesson.”

Professor Alec’s lecture began, filling the hushed atmosphere with historical geography. Maybe it was just my imagination, but he seemed more engaged than last time. Occasionally, he even made eye contact with me.

Had he had a change of heart in the last few days? While focusing on Alec’s class, I considered how I’d get him to give me his exploration journal.

When there were ten minutes left until the end of class, he proved that I wasn’t just imagining his change in attitude.

“That is it for today’s class. Are there any questions?”

Glenn, clearly surprised, drew in a sharp breath.

Judging by his reaction, this must have been the first time Alec had ever asked that.

“Otherwise—”

Glenn urgently interrupted him: “Professor! What are your thoughts on the Church?”

Alec turned his focus to Glenn. “You’re not talking about the 72 Churches or the Church of the Sun. Do you mean the Church of Darkness?”

“Y-yes.”

Alec said, in his characteristic emotionless voice, “Practicers of eschatology, they are the empire’s primary enemy. They are clearly recognized as a hostile force by all of The Empire’s citizens, yet their identity is more mysterious than any other. Does that answer your question?”

Glenn shook his head.

“...I wasn’t asking about the general perception of the Church.” Behind his glasses, his eyes bore a look that I found unfamiliar. The prince stared at the professor with blazing eyes and said, “I’m curious what you think of the Church, Professor.”

“...”

“You taught us that the Church’s main method of co-opting individuals is by instilling fear.”

“...‘A sailor facing a tidal wave sometimes throws himself into the sea.’ It’s an old saying, but its meaning is misunderstood today. The sailor does not jump into the wave because they have been driven mad by fear. The real reason the sailor jumps in...”

“Is to become the tidal wave,” Glenn said, continuing where Alec trailed off. “Then he would have nothing to fear, for he has become fear itself.”

“...The cult’s Wicked Scriptures detail the ninety-nine possible endings for humanity,” Professor Alec explained, “and that twisted doctrine corrupts the minds of those who hear it. It creeps up on those sufficiently deranged, and in their ear it whispers...

“Will you join us?”

It was, in a way, a classic tactic for turning victims into accomplices...

But the cult’s methods went a step further. They were much more sinister and wicked.

I didn’t believe that fear was their sole tool. They wielded and manipulated madness even better than fear.

In this world, no person should be avoided as much as a madman... but far scarier—the scariest of all, in fact—were those who knew how to manipulate madmen.

That was why, from my point of view, the Church of Darkness was the most dangerous.

“I have a fundamental question,” said Glenn. “They claim to be a religion—a group that cannot exist without faith.”

“And?” asked Alec.

Glenn hesitated briefly before asking, “Professor, is the Church really a pure, simple evil?”

In the aftermath of Glenn’s question, not even the sound of breathing could be heard. It wasn’t just me who was shocked—even Alec narrowed his eyes.

“Your Highness...” Alec said, his voice dropping an octave. “Though status holds little weight here at the academy, I advise you to be more mindful of your position.”

“I’m asking this because it's you, Professor,” Glenn said, his voice growing more intense as he spoke. “No one is more certain of the Empire’s downfall in this academy than you, Professor Alec.”

In this moment, I saw a glimpse of Alec in Glenn’s eyes, when Alec and I had spoken about Spirit Mountain.

I saw a glimpse of that madness.

“Many are under the illusion that the ultimate goal of the cult is The Empire’s downfall,” said Glenn. “In reality, I’m sure that is only half of their goal. I want to know: After the fall of The Empire, what will their next move be? Will they choose to destroy themselves, for they are the ones whose purpose is demise?”

“...”

“I think not. They must have a real purpose, one they are keeping hidden. That is what I want to know, even if...” Glenn closed his mouth.

The storm of insanity that had been raging behind those eyes reduced to a slight simmer.

But I knew, and perhaps Alec did too, what Glenn had been about to say.

Even if it means becoming a cultist.

DING.

The sound of the bell broke the silence.

After class, Professor Alec left.

He said he’d see us again in three days. It seemed like classes would continue like this for the time being.

—Let us pretend today’s discussion did not happen.

Alec had said that right before he left... and Glenn hadn't said anything in response. After the whole ordeal, he’d instantly returned to his usual timid self.

Having heard the entire conversation—I’d been sitting right next to him—I felt as if I had just woken from a strange dream.

I looked at Glenn, sitting on a bench. Behind his glasses, his eyes stared blankly into space like two frozen suns, devoid of warmth.

I sat next to him, stared forward, and asked bluntly, “Are you a cultist?”

“...”

Like this, we sat side by side in simple silence. Our eyes took in the sight of the academy before us.

Under the bright sunshine, I could see young sprouts, eager to learn new things.

Someone could easily capture this scene in a painting and title it “Peace.”

Suddenly, Glenn asked, “Do you like the color red?

“I don’t particularly dislike it.”

To me, red was the color of inspiration. It reminded me of the sun and of flames.

Of course, Glenn probably hadn’t asked because he wanted to hear a reply like that.

“I... hate it. I hate it a lot, actually. I don’t understand why red is revered as a symbol of royalty, why it’s symbolized as the color of beginning.”

“...”

“I don’t like my hair. I don’t like my eyes. I don’t even like looking at the sky when the sun sets. For me, red is just the color of blood.” With a pained voice, Glenn murmured, “...I miss my older sister.”

“Do you mean Princess Ferith?”

“No. My real sister.” Glenn turned to look at me. “You asked me if I was a cultist. Is that even a real question? But, in all honesty... I think the church is more right than the imperial family.”

“Why?”

“Do you know of House Bednicker?”

Another sudden question. I glanced to the side, wondering if he was being rhetorical, but he seemed serious. “I know about as much as anyone else,” I responded.

“A lot of people say that the way the Lord of Blood and Iron treats his children is wrong, that he’s too harsh, but I don’t think that’s correct. Nobody is as cruel as the imperial family.” Glenn smiled at me. “You know, Luan... would you believe me if I told you that there were once hundreds of princes?”

“What?”

Glenn let out a low chuckle and stood up. “Pretend you didn’t hear that.”

“...”

“It seemed like you had some business with me, but... sorry, I’m really tired today. I’m going to get some rest. I’m staying in room 305 in the Crimson Hall, so I’ll see you later.”

With those words, Glenn staggered away.

It would have been easy to grab him, to chase him down, but I didn’t.

Instead, I felt my stomach slowly twist itself into a knot.

...Haa.

I was starting to feel a bit irritated.

***

As I’d said before, I didn’t particularly enjoy drinking

Despite that, beer had been on my mind a lot lately, for some reason. Maybe it was because a lot of frustrating things were happening?

That was probably it.

It was just like when I’d been a mercenary. Just... living one day after another. A life that wasn’t getting any better, but also one that I couldn’t just end peacefully. I knew best what living such a life was like. My heart feeling as heavy as a block of lead, and no matter how long I slept, I never woke up feeling better.

And to forget that shitty life, I’d had no choice but to resort to alcohol.

“...”

As the sun was setting, I was on my way to Your Mom’s Trumpet Sound when I suddenly stopped in my tracks...

I thought of my master. If he saw me now, he’d probably slap the back of my head.

“Phewwww...”

I let out a pent-up breath and tilted my head up to look up at the night sky.

I’d never believed I could easily uncover everything, but even so, things were unfolding in a much more complicated way than I had anticipated

Fuck alcohol. This wasn’t the time to get drunk. I needed to sort out everything that was going on in my life.

...That’s how I ended up standing randomly in the middle of the path to the tavern, trying to sort the chaos in my mind.

I don’t think Glenn is a cultist.

At least, not yet.

From what I’d seen of him today, it seemed more accurate to say that he hated the royal family more than he supported the cult.

It felt like he was forcing himself to side with the empire’s greatest enemy just to spite the royal family.

While it was impulsive and immature, it wasn’t surprising given his age.

He didn’t seem completely out of his mind, so it was unlikely he would do something as reckless as throwing himself to the cult out of anger.

But, to reiterate, I thought it unlikely. However small, there was still a chance.

When someone loses their shit, there’s no telling what they might do.

It was safe to assume anything was possible.

So, did that mean Princess Ferith was a member of the cult?

I did think that was more likely, but I couldn’t say for sure.

It suddenly hit me that I knew almost nothing about the Church of Darkness.

In fact, that was probably true of everyone.

The people of the empire—whether it be the Great Houses, the hero institution Heroes, or even the believers of the Church of the Sun—and even those directly involved with the cult, they all knew very little about the cult.

Then, who knew the most?

“...”

I turned on my heel.

For once, I didn’t take the train or walk at a leisurely pace; I sprinted through the academy grounds like I was being chased.

Before long, I arrived at the Amber Hall...

Standing before room 202, I knocked on the door.

“Yes?”

I sensed movement inside, and the door opened immediately after.

“Oh, Luan?”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Evan looked at me, bewildered. He shared a room with Karis, but it seemed he was the only one here right now.

“I need to talk to you for a second.”

“About what?”

“There’s something I need to ask you about the cult.”

“The cult? All of a sudden?” Evan cocked his head.

As innocent as the act looked, I couldn’t help but release a breathless laugh. “Yeah,” I said.

“I don’t mind, but... why me of all people?”

“If it’s about the cult, of course I have to consult a vice-cult leader.”

“...”

A smile crept across Evan’s face.

It was a slow shift, like the turning of a page.

The human face was a fascinating thing.

Even subtle shifts in the shape, size, and positioning of a feature could completely change an expression...

Even identical smiles could feel totally different depending on the situation.

Evan’s smile was exactly the same as usual, there was no doubt about that. Evan’s smile was refreshing, gentle, warm... It was that kind of radiant smile.

However, after hearing me say “vice-cult leader,” he smiled in a way I never expected from the Evan Helvin I knew.

“...This is going to be a long conversation,” Evan said with his usual friendly—now unsettling—smile. He gestured to his room. “Care to come in?”

After a brief inconspicuous pause, I nodded.