Act 34

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Hearts that can only be obtained from demons of Tri-horn or greater rank.

Information related to the Soulstone is known only to me, the Dawn Society, and the Sword Saint.

It was an object not widely known to the public.

Therefore, very few knew the term ‘Soulstone.’

“You respond as if you knew all along.”

“Since you mentioned Soulstone, I naturally thought it was… that item I saw in the secretariat…”

Razlot looked visibly flustered.

His gaze, unable to find a hold, swayed left and right like a metronome in rapid motion.

“If that were true, you would have asked me. ‘Is the Soulstone that jewel we saw then?’ But what did you do?”

“Oh, I…?”

“Still trying to feign ignorance?”

After releasing my chin from my hands and leaning back in my chair, I spoke in a drawn-out tone.

“Don’t be too scared. I have no particular intentions. I just want to talk.”

“…What?”

Razlot’s eyes widened.

Above his head, the color of fear darkened, and beside it, another emotion began to bloom.

The ‘gray’ symbolizing doubt.

Just like what I had seen in front of the secretariat, two colors of emotion appeared simultaneously.

‘This is almost unprecedented.’

The <Color of Denial> usually manifests only one per person.

Even if two emotions are felt simultaneously, the stronger one tends to prevail.

Why, then, has this situation arisen?

‘My ability has grown, or, if not, there must be something about Razlot.’

Razlot, with trembling hands, rummaged through his clothes.

‘What is he looking for?’

Just as I was about to voice my question, Razlot pulled out a necklace inlaid with a ruby from within his attire.

It didn’t look like an ordinary necklace but appeared to have undergone magical treatment.

Razlot brought the necklace to his forehead, closed his eyes, and muttered something.

Ziiing!

The necklace emitted a faint light.

Eventually, the light vanished, and the two <Colors of Denial> flickering above Razlot’s head disappeared.

‘It seems to be magic that affects the mind.’

Generally, magic interferes in the ‘physical realm’ by spewing fire into the air or freezing the atmosphere’s air, but there are also spells that can interfere with the ‘mental realm,’ like emotions or consciousness.

Could the magic affecting ‘the mind’ be memorized in this necklace?

It’s just my speculation, but seeing how it changes uncontrollable emotions, it seems likely.

“I apologize for deceiving you, Sir Julian. I was ordered by the Dawn Society not to be discovered by anyone.”

Razlot spoke in a serious tone.

Not even a few seconds had passed, but he seemed quite different from before.

He appeared calm and collected, making me wonder if this was really him.

“So it was as I thought. But… you seem to have changed.”

“Yes, when entering the royal palace, we use necklaces engraved with mental magic like this.”

“Hmm, is there a reason for that?”

“If we don’t do this, we won’t be able to deceive the monsters that roam the royal palace.”

A rather bold tone.

Is this his real personality? It’s a bit hard to get used to.

With that thought, I smiled faintly.

Seeing my smile, Razlot, still harboring fear towards me, trembled his lips and took a step back.

“So, may I ask about the story you want to discuss?”

“Ah, yes.”

Feeling the conversation moving towards the main topic, I adjusted my posture.

The information about the ‘Soulstone’ that will start to accumulate from now.

To control this, the ear of the Dawn Society planted in the secretariat must not function properly.

‘At least, they should transmit incorrect information.’

“Hmm.”

After a moment of thought, I made up my mind.

“Razlot, how about working under me?”

Deciding to recruit the spy of the Dawn Society.

***

Razlot looked at Julian, tension tight in his gaze.

Unpredictable was the man who had realized he was a spy of the Dawn Society, known for his ruthless actions without hesitation.

He said he just wanted to talk, but who knows what he might do at this moment.

“Razlot, how about working under me?”

However, the words that came were an unexpected offer.

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly as I said. Work as a spy under me.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Razlot felt dizzy.

What does this sly monster want to say?

A storm of questions raged in his head, but finding an answer was impossible.

“It’s simple. You are… specifically, following the orders of one of the Bishops from the Dawn Society as a spy.”

Gulp.

His tone clearly understood Razlot’s situation.

Razlot swallowed his saliva unknowingly.

“Follow the existing orders while also coming under me.”

“…You mean to act as a double agent?”

“Good, you catch on quickly.”

Julian smiled slyly.

From his tone, it was clear this was his own unilateral action.

Not even the other Bishops, let alone the Arch-Bishop Tenellon, knew about this.

This raised a question in Razlot’s mind.

‘Why?’

Julian is supposedly a member of the Dawn Society, so why make such an offer?

Piecing together the scant information, there could only be one guess.

“Do you intend to betray the Dawn Society?”

“Betrayal? That’s a misunderstanding if I ever heard one. I merely want to create an environment conducive for my activities.”

Razlot decided not to get entangled in meaningless word games, no matter what intentions lay behind Julian’s smile.

After all, he could just agree to Julian’s words now and report everything that happened here to the Dawn Society later.

“Ah, by the way.”

While internally mocking Julian for speaking without any assurance,

Razlot noticed Julian pointing at something with his finger.

“Would you like to check this out?”

His finger was pointing at a document Razlot had brought.

Razlot reached for the papers laid out on the table.

The densely written text.

As Razlot checked each one, confusion appeared on his face.

“Gemmel Orphanage

List of Sponsors.”

The Gemmel Orphanage.

A small care facility for children from the slums who had lost their parents.

The names of those who had donated to the orphanage over the past few years were densely listed in the document.

Razlot slowly raised his head to look at Julian’s face. He was still smiling.

“After seeing Mr. Razlot’s reaction in the secretary’s office, I conducted an investigation just in case. It turns out you are from there, aren’t you?” 

With his usual monotone voice, Razlot shivered and looked over the list of donors again.

His name was also listed there.

“It seems it’s not such a large orphanage. So much so that it could collapse instantly if it gets involved in any bad incident.”

Razlot felt a drop of cold sweat trickle down his back.

Blackmail.

It was a suggestion to imagine what he would do to the orphanage if Razlot did not cooperate.

“Ah, don’t worry. I have no intention of harming them.”

Was that supposed to be believable?

Razlot barely swallowed the curses that had risen to his throat.

“By the way, the donation amount is significant. It far exceeds the salary of an apprentice at ‘Closed Eyes’ every month.”

“Is that… a problem?”

“Of course not. It’s just donating to ensure the orphanage you came from can have a better environment, right?”

A chilling laugh.

“Even if it’s… dirty money.”

Julian’s repeated words made Razlot’s head spin. However, he tried to maintain his composure and glared at the monster in front of him with wide-open eyes.

The monster’s expression did not change at all. While quickly deciphering his emotions and hiding his own behind a mask of narrow eyes,

“Now that you’ve dirtied your hands, why not dirty them a bit more?”

Saying this, Julian pulled out another document from his coat.

***

The drizzling rain made the night on the islands eerily quiet, possibly due to the colder weather. In this climate, where it was hard to distinguish even things close by, a man in a raincoat dashed through an alley.

He stopped at a sleek carriage parked at the corner of the street.

As he opened the carriage door and entered, a refined man slowly shifted his gaze.

“Razlot, did you bring what I asked for?”

“Yes, Bishop Aiden, it’s the next destination of the Sword Saint Hayden Reich as you requested.”

“Good. What’s next?”

“One of the elders of the nobility council has submitted a petition for personal reasons. I’m not quite sure of the content or the reason…”

“That’s fine. The important thing is the Sword Saint, after all.”

Aiden, satisfied, took the carefully wrapped envelope that was kept dry from the rain. He examined each item pulled from the envelope and then handed the documents to a man seated next to the coachman.

“Tell the Archbishop. The Sword Saint’s next destination is here.”

“Yes, understood, Bishop Aiden.”

“And… hm?”

Aiden, who was speaking to a member of the clergy, stopped and examined Razlot’s expression.

“You don’t look well. Did something happen?”

“Eh? No, it’s just…?”

What happened. Naturally, what happened today came to Razlot’s mind. Julian had asked him to act as a double agent and to limit the information flowing to the Dawn Society.

“Strange. You seem different than usual.”

As Aiden trailed off, quick to notice, he squinted at him, seemingly sensing something.

Should he speak?

Or should he keep it a secret until the end?

If he were to speak, it was certain that Julian would be reprimanded by the bishops of the Dawn Society. Furthermore, he could be branded a traitor and pursued by the Bishops.

But even while being pursued by the Bishops, Julian could still threaten his life. Julian was a devil with the capability to do so.

What if he hides out of fear?

‘…Chernia will be in danger.’

But if he hides this fact, he would become a double agent.

Caught in a serious conflict, Razlot, with his fists clenched, remembered the words he had heard from Julian before parting.

‘I will recommend the people of the orphanage, including your sister Chernia, to enroll in Bayer Academy. I will be the recommender, as a noble.’

–

No matter how much money one has, those from an orphanage cannot enter Bayer Academy. However, it is possible with a noble’s recommendation. And if that recommendation comes from the prestigious Crypart family… no words are needed.’

After being abandoned in the slums with his sister, Razlot, who had become accustomed to weighing his options, swallowed hard.

Then, as if he had made up his mind, he adopted an indifferent and gruff expression.

“It’s nothing. It’s not a problem.”

His sister was precious enough to take on such risks.

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