Chapter 76

Lawless City (2)

As I entered the black market, I found the floor displays and stalls packed with customers, making deals in hushed whispers.

People who might have been merchants or Visters were moving something around: people confined to display stands and iron cages. All of them wore shabby clothes, with chains fastened around their wrists and ankles. Grime and wildly matted hair made it impossible to tell their sex.

Some of them were children—only seven or eight years old. Soon, a high fence was erected around them, and men who looked like Visters took their places in front of the cages.

"Come one, come all! You won't find an opportunity like this every day!"

After drawing the crowd's attention, the slave trader grabbed the children in the cages by their chins and lifted their faces for everyone to inspect.

"Adolescent girls, little girls—something for every taste! Buy now, and I'll give you an excellent price!"

My fists clenched hard enough to crack. Rage fiercer than the madness of Predation surged through me, and for an instant, I lost all reason. If it hadn't been for Ian—

◆Player's Will[EX] resists the surging rage!!

I would have torn that slave trader's heart out.

... Not yet. Not yet. If I acted rashly now, everything would go to waste.

Just as I was barely managing to suppress my anger with the help of Player's Will[EX], I spotted a group approaching at the edge of my vision. They wore ashen masks.

The masks hid their faces and expressions, but I could see their eyes fixed on the ring on my index finger.

"Are you a Devotee, by any chance?" they asked in near whispers as they approached.

I waited for Player's Will[EX] to activate once more before speaking.

"I am."

"Your name...?"

"Avarus."

The masked group visibly started. Avarus was an Executor-rank Devotee, a position equivalent to an archbishop in the Holy Kingdom.

The people in ashen masks, on the other hand, were Acata—the equivalent of ordinary priests in the Holy Kingdom.

Just as the Holy Kingdom appended "priest" to offices such as parish priest, assistant priest, and monastic priest, the Devotees of the Fallen Souls called their members "Acata of such-and-such rank."

High-ranking officers were Devotees. Everyone else was Acata. That was the general idea.

Devotees were therefore granted separate titles, and Avarus was a high-ranking officer who had attained that status.

"Lord Executor...?"

The gulf in rank between them and Avarus was as vast as that between heaven and earth. Yet the eyes watching me from behind the masks were still suspicious.

Naturally. I looked nothing like Avarus right now. My own face was concealed by a mask, but they didn't need to see it to know I wasn't him. His original form was a grotesque mass of flesh and all manner of mechanical devices.

The reason I had nevertheless introduced myself as Avarus so confidently was—

"Are you currently using Transmog?"

Because of Transmog, the transformation magic Avarus used. It differed from Polymorph, which merely changed one's outward appearance.

◆Transmog

: A spell of transformation and reconstruction that allows the user to transform into a perfect imitation of a designated target's appearance, traits, abilities, and even mind.

However, maintaining the transformation for too long may result in permanent alteration.

Transmog wasn't a simple transformation spell. It was advanced alchemical magic that required harvesting the target's genes. Thus, Avarus was the only Devotee capable of using it.

Even I couldn't have distinguished a Transmog imitation from the real thing without Predatory Instincts[S]. And Predatory Instincts[S] was an Authority belonging to none other than the Sovereign of Beasts. In other words, unless they brought in the Sovereign of the Abyss, they would never be able to tell.

Were they still unable to shake their doubts? Or were they simply being thorough?

"Forgive me, but may I ask the true name bestowed upon you by the Great One?" the Acata in the ashen mask asked again.

"Z’thulonak."

I answered without hesitation.

"... My sincerest apologies. Please come this way."

Even the last trace of suspicion in the eyes behind the masks vanished completely.

* * *

The Ashen Mask Acata led me to a tent deep within the black market. It was tucked away in a secluded spot that was difficult to notice unless you looked carefully, though there didn't seem to be a magical barrier around it.

As I waited inside the tent, someone soon entered.

The eyeholes of his mask were large and sharply slanted. Dark red lines spread out around them, giving the impression that the madness and anger in his eyes were radiating outward.

'Who is that?'

I had Avarus's genetic information, but not his memories. I didn't know who this person approaching me was, but Predatory Instincts[S] would tell me all I needed to know.

==<Character Information>==

Name: Iratum

Classification: Animalia, Mammalia, Hominidae, Human

Sex: Male

Age: 45

Traits: Pact of the Abyss[?]

I knew this bastard. Iratum, the Destroyer of Wrath.

He, too, was one of the Devotees of the Fallen Souls. A Revelator-rank Devotee, in fact—one rank above Avarus. Revelator, meaning "one who reveals," was a position equivalent to a cardinal. That made him part of the Dark Merchant Company's actual leadership.

Iratum was a higher-ranking priest than Avarus, which also meant he knew more. On that note, there was this Pact of the Abyss[?].

◆Pact of the Abyss[?]

: The bound individual's soul is connected to the Negative Dimension. By freely wielding its energy, the bound individual can use ᚛⦸ϻäⓑℰ౦ҭΐ₵, as well as ԋȉ๓, ɏųҝⱪԫἓⅉҝ, Ꮹἁᶇցℌ₳, and ⅾƌҝάԝໍռⱬҝ ίռѕἰḵ.

The Negative Dimension. According to the allied army's Archmage:

["You could call it a dimension whose laws and energy have properties opposite to those of an ordinary dimension."]

Void, Chaos, and Abyss. The Negative Dimension was founded on uncertainty, composed of those three elements. I hadn't understood it exactly, either, but—

["It's easier to think of it as a dimension that doesn't exist in this world."]

Whenever the Archmage explained the Negative Dimension, one being invariably came up: the Sovereign of the Abyss. She had once described it as the "Sovereign of the Negative Dimension."

That was why the Archmage couldn't explain anything related to the Sovereign of the Abyss. The Saintess's miracles, the Spirit Mage's spirits, and the Blacksmith's arms and armor were all useless before it.

The Inexplicable Terror of the Unknown. That was the only way the allied army could define the Sovereign of the Abyss.

Naturally, I shouldn't have been able to understand this, either, but—

'Is it because I devoured Avarus?'

The genetic information I'd gained by consuming Avarus—Z’thulonak—with Predation[S+] seemed to give me a rough understanding. Still, because Predation[S+] was imperfect, I hadn't acquired all of it, leaving some of the text garbled—

"I think this every time, but you really are unrecognizable."

A voice suddenly broke in. When I dismissed the information before my eyes, I found Iratum standing right in front of me. Suspicion briefly flickered in the dark red eyes behind his mask, then quickly subsided.

"So, what brings you here so suddenly?"

He jerked his chin, urging me to get to the point.

Strict anonymity was a rule of both the black market and the Dark Merchant Company—the Devotees of the Fallen Souls. Neither Iratum nor I removed our masks.

"I've come to procure materials for homunculi."

His mask twitched.

"You've already run out?"

"There were complications."

"Complications?"

I calmly explained the earlier events—specifically, the attack on Veneron viscounty by Whitewolf county. Naturally, I didn't tell him the unvarnished truth. I made Kai the main actor instead of myself, and changed the outcome to a victory for Avarus.

"I managed to subdue him by activating Infinite Silence, but I lost every Combat-type Homunculus."

"Hmm..."

Iratum's expression turned grave.

"Then what happened to the appointed one?"

The appointed one. That was what they called Seraphia.

"You needn't worry about that. She definitely took the elixir imbued with the Great One's Authority."

"Well, in that case."

Iratum let out a quiet sigh of relief.

I discreetly gauged his mood, then asked casually, "But why is the Great One sharing his Authority with the appointed one? What role is she supposed to fulfill...?"

"Well, I don't know the details myself. The matter was ordered by the Presence from Afar, after all."

The Presence from Afar. That referred to none other than the Emperor of the empire.

The allied army called him the [Emperor] or the [Sovereign of All], but those were only our terms. The imperial army always referred to him as the [Presence from Afar]. Something about one who existed far beyond comprehension.

That confirmed it: the Emperor, not the Sovereign of the Abyss, had ordered this.

"From what little I heard, I believe it was meant to prepare for when the appointed one faces a crossroads."

... A crossroads?

"What does that mean?"

"Didn't I just tell you I don't know the details?"

What was with the sudden temper?

"You don't need to know any of that. Just tell me how many people you need for homunculus materials."

Pressing him further might arouse suspicion. More importantly, he didn't seem to know the details himself, so there was no point. It was disappointing, but confirming that the Emperor had personally ordered this, rather than the Sovereign of the Abyss, was a substantial achievement in itself.

"Could you manage around a hundred?"

"A hundred? Hah, as if I weren't busy enough... Tsk."

Iratum clicked his tongue in displeasure.

Feigning ignorance, I asked another question.

"Has the Great One given you another assignment, Lord Iratum?"

"The order did come from the Great One, but it looks as though the Presence from Afar gave the instruction this time as well."

"What sort of assignment...?"

"Didn't I tell you that you don't need to know?"

Iratum lost his temper again. At this point, he clearly had serious anger-management problems. Iratum, the Destroyer of Wrath. He hadn't earned that epithet for nothing. In other words, he hadn't changed a bit from the man I'd known.

But this time, I had an opening to press him further.

"I thought I might be able to help."

"... You?"

"You're always procuring materials for me, Lord Iratum."

"It's no small nuisance."

"Now that I've finished dealing with the appointed one, I only asked because I wished to repay your kindness..."

I lowered my head slightly as I continued.

"My apologies if I overstepped."

"No, well. It's not that you overstepped... Ahem."

His manner softened. I couldn't see his expression behind the mask, but—

"If that's how you feel, then... Ahem."

He seemed quite pleased.

"I was told to find the Valley of Kardun."

The Valley of Kardun. An ancient valley steeped in the deepest darkness and curses. It was a legendary land that existed only in records. But I knew it was real.

One of the six Sovereigns who served the Emperor—the Sovereign of Death—had been sealed there.

And the Devotees were searching for the Valley of Kardun? More precisely, the Emperor had ordered them to find it. Which meant—

'Has the Emperor not yet recruited all the Sovereigns?'

Come to think of it, Seraphia hadn't become the Sovereign of Bitter Cold yet, either. Perhaps the ten years before the Emperor began acting in earnest were the time it had taken him to recruit all the Sovereigns.

In that case, based on what I knew so far—

'He's definitely recruited the Sovereign of Beasts and the Sovereign of the Abyss.'

The other Sovereigns, particularly

◆Player's Will[EX] resists the theft of awareness!

might not be serving the Emperor yet. If so—

"Could you share what you've learned about the Valley of Kardun so far?"

"I haven't discovered much, but..."

Perhaps he was utterly convinced I was Avarus; Iratum readily divulged the information he had painstakingly gathered. Just like that, I obtained information on the Valley of Kardun.

"At any rate, neither the Presence from Afar nor the Great One is currently in a position to act. We cannot allow anything to go wrong."

... Hm? What was this now?

"Oh, right. On that note, there was one more order."

"What was it?"

"To find a certain man..."

Iratum described the man's appearance in detail. As I listened—

'... Ian?'

It was Ian. No matter how I looked at it, the man he was describing was Ian. That meant—

'The Emperor is looking for Ian?'

The Emperor was searching for Ian right now.

But why? No, how?

"Why is the Presence from Afar searching for that man?"

"How would I know? Since when have we needed a reason? If the Presence from Afar wills it, then so it shall be."

His response was considerably milder than before. Then he shrugged.

"Well, perhaps the Vicarius knows."

Vicarius. Meaning "deputy," it was the highest rank among the Devotees of the Fallen Souls, equivalent to the pope.

As Chief of Covert Operations of the special warfare unit, I'd known every member of the Dark Merchant Company, every Devotee of the Fallen Souls. All except one. I had never managed to uncover the Vicarius.

Strictly speaking, I did know the Vicarius's identity. The Sovereign of the Abyss. The Vicarius was the Sovereign of the Abyss—but not the actual Sovereign.

As befitted the title of deputy, the Vicarius was an avatar controlled by the Sovereign of the Abyss. If we could eliminate the Vicarius, we could stop the Sovereign. But I'd never been able to discover who that avatar was.

But what about now?

"Do you happen to know where the Vicarius is currently—"

"Don't you know that no one is permitted access to matters concerning the Vicarius?"

Iratum cut me off, his manner turning stern.

He didn't lose his temper as he had earlier, but unfortunately, information about the Vicarius was strictly guarded. There was a reason I hadn't been able to uncover that identity even during my time in the allied army.

"My apologies. I'm currently under Transmog."

"Anyway, the materials you requested will take about five days. Wait until then."

Iratum turned to leave.

"One last question."

"... What is it?"

"Could you tell me which prominent figures in each kingdom have been recruited into our order so far?"

"Why would you—"

"As I just mentioned, I'm under Transmog."

Transmog wasn't a simple transformation spell. It allowed the user to perfectly imitate a designated target's appearance, traits, abilities, and even [mind]. So—

"My memory is a little unreliable."

"..."

For a moment, Iratum looked stern, but then—

"I'll write up a list for you so you don't forget."

He kindly and considerately supplied the information.

* * *

Immediately after finishing my conversation with Iratum and leaving the black market, I headed into a quiet alley and removed my mask. Then I calmly reviewed what we'd discussed.

Information I hadn't known in my previous life. I began fitting each piece together to complete the puzzle.

First of all, setting everything else aside, the Emperor was looking for Ian.

'Then the reason Ian hasn't been able to show himself all this time—'

It happened right then. I jolted as an instinctive warning suddenly rang out. That deadly instinct told me one thing: if I didn't dodge, I would die!

I hurled myself aside without a moment to think.

BOOOOM!!!

A massive explosion erupted where I'd been standing just a moment before.

... That was close. Far too close. If I hadn't raised my Agility in the Infinite Labyrinth, I never could have reacted. Even with all those gains, I hadn't managed to react properly.

If I hadn't dodged...? I swallowed involuntarily. Tension drew taut within me.

I used Predatory Instincts[S] on the attacker concealed within the thick cloud of rising dust. The information that appeared before my eyes—

"Commander Isolde...?"

Isolde Cordelia. Commander of Divine Command, a hero of the allied army, and the Saintess with the greatest divine power in the continent's history.