Act 101

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Up until now, I had refrained from creating trouble to maintain the status quo, but Aiden had crossed the line. Because of that, I went to see him to firmly establish who held the upper hand. Finding his location was not difficult. Thanks to my previous conversation with ‘Felkor’, I easily found out what he was up to and where he was.

“Why are you here?”

I noticed Razlot standing idly by as I plunged my sword into Aiden’s shoulder. 

“Grr… What are you doing…?”

Aiden’s voice, filled with anger, interrupted my thoughts.

“Sir Aiden, I didn’t come here to talk.”

I laughed as I looked at him bleeding.

“I came to end this.”

“Ugh…”

Yes, I came here to finish this. Regardless of each person’s standpoint, that bastard had repeatedly threatened my life. Not just once or twice. There was the incident with Alphas at the academy and the recent one on the Resonance Train. I cannot overlook it any longer.

“Ha, haha… End this? Julian, I know you can’t kill me. What are you talking about…”

To silence Aiden, who was raising his voice, I twisted the sword slightly.

“Do you really think that?”

While it’s true that killing is something to be avoided, I felt little guilt about eliminating this guy. He had committed so many misdeeds, both in the game and here. Moreover, he had aimed for my life. There will be no mercy.

“Y-you’re bluffing…”

Aiden, who had started to speak, trailed off as he seemed to realize my sincerity from my expression and began to mumble something.

Huh?

At that moment, I felt mana stirring from his staff.

Fool, you shouldn’t act recklessly.

“Argh!”

Before he could complete his spell, I lifted the sword embedded in him slightly, causing him enough pain to disrupt his magic.

“Killing you isn’t difficult. You know that, don’t you? You know what I’ve done up until now.”

Of course, I am not the same Julian as before, but to him, I must appear so.

“I even have the justification to silence other nobles.”

“Grr…”

“The illegal research on demon horns. If I reveal that to the world, everyone will be forced to keep quiet about your death.”

“T-that was… ordered by Sir Tenellon!”

“Oh? Really?”

Lies. I dismissed his words. I knew he hadn’t stopped his research. If he had, that event wouldn’t occur.

‘Bloody Tuesday’

In the story, despite overcoming numerous adversities, Aiden never ceased his research on demon horns. Even now, despite Tenellon’s orders, he must still be continuing his research. Because of that, he dies at the hands of the ‘Sword Saint’ in the story.

‘He let demons run rampant in the capital and slums; the protagonist won’t let him go.’

However, Aiden’s research did not disappear even after his death at the hands of the ‘Sword Saint’. While organizing Aiden’s mansion, members of the Donassien school discovered materials related to his research, and experiments to fulfill the school’s secret desires began anew.

This is one of the essential events in the game <Let’s Kill the Demon Lord>, called “Bloody Tuesday.” If it’s not a significant threat, it would be better to leave Aiden alone to ensure this event occurs.

However, the problem is that there’s a high probability of the Demon Lord being born here. The ‘Demon Lord’ desires the resurrection of the ‘Demon God,’ and the resurrection of the ‘Demon God’ means ‘Game Over.’ In other words, it signifies the end of the continent. So, should I just let it happen? 

If I were my earlier self, I would have left it for the ‘Sword Saint’ to resolve, but that lunatic has long since gone into exile.

“If you kill me here, it won’t end well for you either! There are… other members of the order watching!”

Who? Razlot? He’s on my side. Despite his yelling and threats, my expression didn’t change, and he gradually began to show signs of giving up.

“Haha, I’m just joking, Sir Aiden. Do you really think I would kill you?”

“Then get this sword out of me immediately, you filthy mongrel… Arrgh!”

Ignoring his ranting, I pulled out a dagger from my coat and slashed his right eye. His horrific scream filled the carriage.

“But, I can still do plenty of other things.”

I showed him a very kind smile. Although I wanted to end it here, my goal was his ‘research materials.’

‘This is a mandatory event. In the original story, the ‘Sword Saint’ couldn’t prevent it.’

But now it’s possible. The cause of the ‘Bloody Tuesday’ event can be removed. Killing Aiden right now is one option, but whether he lives or dies, the research will continue somewhere else. The wizards of the Donassien family will develop and research based on it, leading to a situation where the tail wags the dog.

‘I’ll spare you for now.’

To wipe them out all at once, I stirred up this commotion. Blinded by rage, Aiden will stop at nothing to kill me. In the process, it won’t be difficult to find the ‘Demon Horn Research Journal.’ Felkor will find it.

Besides,

‘Damn, it’s creepy.’

The slimy sensation transmitted through my fingertips. Cutting the eye of a living person… the sensation conveyed through the dagger was far from pleasant.

“You, you bastard…!”

Despite suppressing my discomfort, I smiled. Something feels lacking. What would Julian say in this situation? He would have provoked him even more with his characteristic venomous tone.

“Don’t be too angry. Now, it’s just a matter of ‘the past,’ isn’t it?”

Yes, this guy was good at throwing back what his opponent said like Tai Chi. What a despicable guy. I smiled and withdrew my sword, stepping back from the carriage. Aiden glared at me with his remaining eye, burning with rage.

“Then, I’ll be taking my leave. Whatever you do from now on, remember the pain in that eye.”

With those words, I turned away from the carriage.

‘Hmm.’

The problem is Razlot, who happened to be here. If what happened here today spreads within the Dawn Society, Aiden won’t be able to stay silent. It would officially mean defying Tenellon’s orders. I was slightly worried that Aiden might deal with Razlot, but I concluded he wouldn’t. He desperately needed even one person at his side now. He might even order him to openly watch me.

Anyway,

‘What I want is for Aiden to act on his own.’

He holds the position of Bishop and is part of the Donassien family.

It is safe to say that Aiden, who is supported by the purebloods, will lose his base if he is attacked by ‘half-blood’ Julian and humiliated. 

‘In other words, today’s incident serves as a declaration of war.’

With that in mind, I glanced at Razlot.

Then I brought my index finger to my lips and mimed zipping them shut, like in that one movie where they silence someone.

‘Keep quiet, man.’

He should understand.

***

“I didn’t realize you received such high praise from the Secretariat. It seems you did an excellent job guarding Prince Ulysses?”

Odwin’s businesslike voice gently resonated in the captain’s office.

“Of course. Who do you think I am?”

I shrugged my shoulders and responded playfully to her words.

In fact, there were all sorts of dramatic events.

Thanks to Ulysses not saying anything, it passed smoothly.

“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve heard that arrogant tone.”

“Did you miss it?”

“Not to the point of losing my mind.”

Odwin responded in a slightly dumbfounded tone to my not-so-serious joke.

As the captain of the ‘Closed Eyes,’ she had no hesitation in her attitude towards Julian.

“Frankly, I didn’t expect you to volunteer for the escort.”

I didn’t want to volunteer either!

I only did because I needed to allay Tenellon’s suspicions and retrieve the sacred artifact, ‘Bell of Night.’

Normally, I would never have done it.

“Well, the Holy Nation is dangerous, isn’t it? Especially for someone like you.”

“It was actually dangerous.”

“…What?”

I had the experience of having three large holes blown into my body.

If that’s not considered ‘dangerous,’ the person saying it is probably insane.

“Prince Ulysses said there was no particular danger?”

“That just means I worked hard to keep it that way.”

“Oh… right.”

There she goes again.

Odwin’s eyes, filled with the nuance of “you’re spouting nonsense,” shifted to the documents as if searching for something.

“And, here, take this.”

“What is it?”

She handed me a document.

“It’s the bonus for your recent escort duty.”

A bonus?

I found the idea amusing but accepted it gladly.

Who doesn’t like money?

‘Wow.’

However, the number of zeros on the document exceeded my expectations.

Considering that one Naru is equivalent to one dollar,

‘As expected, the royal family is the royal family.’

They paid tens of thousands of dollars for one job.

“This incident seems to have made the royal family highly appreciate Sir Julian’s abilities.”

“Well, I’m always amazing, aren’t I?”

“You’re certainly great at taking out people or demons.”

I understood what Odwin was implying.

She wanted to say that I’m only useful for killing things, and I couldn’t refute it.

Because it was true.

“Other than that, I’m talking about your performance in other areas. In the past… well, not too long ago, before you injured your head, you didn’t engage in anything except killing and didn’t want to.”

From the perspective of the captain of the ‘Closed Eyes,’ this wasn’t a bad thing. If Julian’s duties involving the royal family increased, the captain of the ‘Closed Eyes’ would gain more influence in the royal court.

“Isn’t this a good thing for you, Captain Odwin?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Then why are you so curt?”

Sensing a hint of discontent in Odwin’s tone, I asked directly.

“I am the captain of the ‘Closed Eyes.’ The ‘captain’ of the organization you belong to.”

I know that.

Nodding in agreement, I watched as she hesitated.

“I didn’t think I was particularly authoritarian…?”

Judging by her actions so far, that seemed true.

“Still, as a captain, I believe I should be paid more than the members.”

Now I understand the reason for her unusual topic of conversation.

“Captain Odwin, are you in need of money?”

“I’m not in need. Even though my noble family has fallen, we can live for three generations.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

At my puzzled tone, Odwin frowned slightly.

“It just doesn’t look dignified.”

Her answer left me speechless.

She said she wasn’t authoritarian just a moment ago.

***

After completing the escort mission and returning to the royal court, the attitude of those around me seemed to have changed slightly.

“I heard he perfectly executed the escort of Prince Ulysses this time.”

“Him? If he didn’t cause any incidents, that’s a relief.”

“It’s strange, considering he used to avoid escort duties altogether…”

“He must be willing to do anything to gain favor with the royal family.”

I didn’t care much about being mentioned. Whether noble or commoner, chasing gossip is common for smooth conversation.

‘But keep it down a bit, will you?’

After leaving Odwin’s office, I stopped by the Secretariat before heading back to the ‘Closed Eyes’ office. The whispers of the nobles kept reaching my ears.

Have they lost their fear? If they’re afraid of my sword, they should know better than to provoke me.

“Is everyone talking about Sir Julian?”

A lively and friendly voice interrupted the nobles’ murmuring. It was Diana, a member of the Mage Tower and a friend of Aileen.

“He’s right there. Why don’t you talk to him directly?”

Her voice was purely inquisitive, without any hostility. The nobles, embarrassed, cleared their throats and scattered, leaving Diana—no, Eleanor—to approach me.

“You don’t have to bother with that.”

When I acknowledged her, her tone turned cold as if she had taken off a mask.

“I’m bothered. I need to discuss something privately, and their whispers are annoying.”

“If it’s a private matter, can’t we find a place to talk?”

“I’m busy too, you know? I have to live both as Eleanor and as Diana.”

As I resumed my walk back to the ‘Closed Eyes’ office, she matched my pace.

“You’re very busy. Now that you’ve become an ‘Archbishop,’ you must have even more work.”

“Thanks to that, yes.”

“So, what did you want to discuss?”

As we passed through the long garden inside the royal palace, Eleanor smiled. It was a fake smile, likely for the benefit of onlookers.

“What happened to the Sword Saint?”

Ah, was it this? That’s a name I don’t really want to mention.

“Did Sir Tenellon ask you to inquire?”

“He hasn’t asked yet. But I thought it would be good to know in advance.”

“He is alive.”

Eleanor, with a smile on her face, turned to meet my gaze.

“Didn’t you say you would finish him off for sure?”

Finish him off? That’s something Tenellon should do himself. Though he sent me because he couldn’t do it with his own hands.

“Something unexpected happened. I’ll discuss that matter directly with Sir Tenellon.”

“Oh, wouldn’t it be better to tell me? As an Archbishop, part of my duties includes ‘managing’ the bishops.”

“Don’t be too authoritarian. I…”

In the middle of my sentence, a foreboding feeling crept over my skin. It wasn’t hostility, but there was a malevolent intent hidden in the atmosphere.

<Amazing Intuition> has detected a stealthy action.

“Hmm.”

I let out a short groan and glanced at Eleanor.

“Is this also part of the ‘management’ you mentioned?”

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