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Chapter 322

Princess Eilena first received a report about what had happened in Count Berner’s territory.

She acted as though matters concerning me no longer involved her, yet the unease only grew heavier.

“Is that so… We nearly lost the entire Berner domain. We must thank Assistant Leon for this.”

She gave me a slight nod.

“Soon, the Empire will officially—”

“Before that, there’s something you must confirm.”

At my words, Lillia Berner’s face hardened as she mentioned the incident that accompanied this mess, what Marquis Veolas and his guard Kashiv had done.

As she listened, the Princess’s expression stiffened more and more until she pressed her hand against her forehead.

“The moment this becomes public, the Empire’s prestige will shatter. A senior noble of the Empire… and a marquis at that… using a Sword Master to wipe out political enemies…”

Worse still, if others seized upon the fact that the Sword Master was slain and the Marquis handed over to an assassin organization, this could devolve into a mudslinging disaster in an instant.

This wasn’t simply conflict or a territorial war where all sides slaughter each other.

This was exploiting a natural calamity—something far more vile.

Of course, the Empire’s stance was simple.

“This cannot be made public.”

The meaning behind those words was obvious.

They intended to bury both Kashiv’s death and Marquis Veolas’s capture by the Moon Watchers.

From the start, aiding the Marquis had been a mistake, and now, there was no way to save him.

Since it was an internal Imperial affair from here on out, I didn’t want to get tangled in it any further.

I excused myself and withdrew.

Perching atop the spire roof that overlooked the county, I waited.

The hush money for my silence would surely come from their side.

All I needed to do was accept their gesture and keep quiet.

That way, I’d avoid needless trouble.

“Haha, somehow you always appear whenever disaster strikes.”

“So it seems.”

Without turning my head, I sat on the roof of the mansion, gazing down at the Berner lands, and answered.

“I thought you’d be too busy, old man.”

“When so many lives are at stake, even pressing matters must wait. That is the duty of the Empire’s Sword.”

He sat down beside me, speaking in a rueful tone.

“I’ve heard the story.”

“The Princess seems intent on treating Marquis Veolas as a dead man.”

“That’s the safest course. And it will prevent unrest. Likely, the political figures aligned with him will tacitly agree as well.”

Anyone who defended the Marquis would be seen as siding with a mass-murdering lunatic who had sacrificed tens of thousands of Imperial citizens.

“What a fool. Even for the sake of political power, there are things one must never do…”

“Sometimes blind loyalty clouds one’s eyes. I don’t plan to involve myself further.”

It was tedious and complicated.

In the end, this outcome was Marquis Veolas’s own choice.

“Do you desire anything from this incident?”

“Not really. I only got this far because I was negotiating with the Moon Watchers.”

His eyes widened.

“You—”

“I tell you only because it’s you, sir. When it comes to finding cultists and monsters with strange abilities, no one has better intelligence than they do.”

He swallowed a groan.

The Moon Watchers were trouble enough, but if cultists were tied in…

He knew firsthand the atrocities cultists committed, back in the Kraken subjugation.

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Not particularly. As long as I don’t get caught in the backlash from this mess.”

“That won’t happen. His Majesty the Emperor thinks very highly of you.”

At his words, a strange chill ran down my spine.

“And the Princess?”

“That’s for young men and women to decide themselves. Why not just naturalize into the Empire?”

“I’m sorry, but as the Guardian of Bata, even entertaining such a suggestion would be a problem.”

“Ha! Then the Princess of Bata is sharper than I thought.”

He stood, patting my shoulder.

“Well then, I’ll handle the rest. You continue your work.”

“Much appreciated.”

Since Serqet had returned, I would need to check Hydra’s condition—and reconnect with the Moon Watchers.

* * *

When I entered Hydra’s lair, the Watchers’ leader was waiting.

“What of her?”

“Meryl’s body will be preserved in a freezing artifact.”

“What?”

“When our cause is complete, we will cremate all our fallen together.”

It seemed most of the Watchers, aside from Meryl, had accepted this plan.

“And Hydra?”

“Better you see for yourself.”

I’d wondered why Serqet had left so suddenly.

But upon reaching Hydra’s nest, I understood.

“When?”

“Just before you arrived. She was already on her last breath.”

The once nine-headed serpent, five meters long, had withered to nothing.

Judging from the corruption, there weren’t many scales left worth using.

Looking at its lifeless body, I drew my cursed blade and sliced away some intact scales from its flank, then snapped my fingers.

I also took care not to forget gathering samples of the tainted skin.

“Librarian.”

[Confirmed.]

“How will you analyze this?”

[Place it before me where I can see.]

At its request, I set down the contaminated tissue.

The skin crumbled into motes of dust in midair.

After a while—

[Burn everything else. Leave nothing corrupted.]

I didn’t bother asking why.

For now, I complied, trusting it would explain later.

Fwoooosh!

Seventh-circle flames consumed Hydra’s corpse and all the corruption.

[Normally, such corruption cannot be cleansed by fire. But the dimensional self-purification here is strong enough to allow it.]

“What is it?”

[It seems to be outer-dimensional corruption. Separate from the red moon—corruption of another dimension itself.]

Perhaps the outer gods invaded because their own realm was rotting away with this taint.

Still, judging by the red moon’s methods, settling here required exterminating the life of this land.

“Take it.”

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The Watchers’ leader handed me a scroll.

“What’s this?”

“The whereabouts of Nyala, servant of the Outer God. Also, the cult’s branches we’ve identified, and their current situation.”

“You’re not lying?”

“Unless their movements changed after our last check.”

“And Marquis Veolas?”

“We’ll hand him to the Sword Saint. As much as I’d like to tear him apart myself…”

Her distorted voice trembled in silence.

“We must pursue the greater cause.”

They were said to be prophets.

If Veolas’s death triggered something, then… it was a reasonable choice.

But after a pause, she added,

“That’s the official line.”

“And in truth?”

“Now that we have justification, do you think we’d let him go? He’ll die by our hands.”

The Marquis had pinned his murders on the most reviled criminal group in existence.

And in turn, he would be killed.

“That suits me just fine.”

Without doubt, Marquis Veolas would not die gently.

As I stood in the empty cavern after Hydra’s remains had been destroyed, a strange sense of familiarity struck me.

“What is this?”

I stepped deeper in, tapping the mucus-coated wall.

It seemed ordinary.

Yet, I had felt this sensation before.

After some thought, I gathered aura into my hand.

[Strike.]

BOOM!!!

The wall shattered with a deafening sonic boom.

And then I saw it—the source of my déjà vu.

Inside the wall lay a book, completely consumed by corruption.

“The Necronomicon.”

I froze.

The remnants of an Old God.

The very book I had seen in the Kraken’s nest, carried by cultists.

But why here?

No—this wasn’t the same.

It no longer bore power, triggered no phenomena, but its form was identical to what I had seen before—yet different from the true Necronomicon I knew.

Perhaps even the one in the Kraken’s lair had not been the Old God’s relic, but something tied to the Outer Gods.

Without hesitation, I burned all nearby corruption and leapt through space.

I reappeared at the old Kraken’s lair, where I had once annihilated its brood.

And there, I understood what had happened since I left.

“Damn it. Librarian!”

Letters appeared.

[My apologies. I did briefly sense the Red Moon stirring, but it was so fleeting I assumed it an error.]

“That wasn’t the Necronomicon.”

The Kraken’s nest was now a decayed ruin, thick with slime.

At its center, a corrupted book spread countless tendrils, anchoring itself to the walls.

This book, like the one in Hydra’s lair, was no longer whole.

But one thing was different—

“Something hatched from the egg.”

What should have been a Kraken had already crawled out, leaving nothing behind.

“Next time, report it immediately.”

[Understood. My apologies.]

“What is this? Are they gathering ancient monstrosities to raise a nursery?”

The culprit could only be the Red Moon.

But not to raise them as weapons—that much was clear.

Then what?

“To forge a body out of ancient creatures?”

I clicked my tongue.

No answer came.

But I now had a lead—the scroll held the trail of Nyala, the black top-hatted degenerate who gambled for sport.

Wuuung! Wuuung!

I returned to Berner territory.

“Assistant Leon.”

Her voice stopped me in my tracks.

I thought she’d calmed down.

Apparently not.

With hands clasped behind her back, no attendants at her side, the little Princess smiled up at me with a faint pout.

I let out a silent sigh.

“Your Highness. Have you finished your business?”

“Yes. Lord Osberg, the Sword Saint, helped with most of it.”

“That’s good. As for me, I’ve gotten everything I need. I’ll return to Bata.”

“Wait… just a moment.”

She hesitated, then grasped my arm.

“Could we… talk, for a while?”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I am engaged to be married.”

“Yes. And?”

“…Eh? N-no, nothing.”

Her words carried a tone of so what?.

I thought she had finally sorted out her feelings.

Relieved inside, I still felt an awkward heat rise.

And then—

‘Be careful, Leon. That girl’s eyes are unhinged.’

[Be cautious. Her eyes have gone mad.]

A woman’s voice, from who knew where, and the Librarian’s warning message tore me out of my thoughts.

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