Bishop Korund slowly chewed over the events that had just unfolded with blinking eyes. He was currently lying on the ground. A cold sensation ran down his back, and at the same time, a dizzying pain radiated through his fingertips.
“Ugh…!” A groan, laden with the echo of a scream, escaped Korund’s lips. Pintel looked down at Korund with eyes as cold as ice.
“You have committed numerous unspeakable blasphemies.” His voice was emotionless, making it impossible to read his feelings. Because Korund had interacted with the man known as ‘Pintel,’ he could tell that something was seriously wrong.
“First, the sin of mocking the esteemed ‘One’ with your filthy mouth.” A certain emotion began to bloom on Pintel’s face, which had been as expressionless as a calm lake.
“Second, the sin of conspiring against that esteemed ‘One.'” What had seemed like an icy face now began to show a cold flame.
“Third, the sin of extending a hand to me, asking me to join in your heinous treachery.”
“You… you stupid bastard! Do you even know who you’re talking about right now?” Korund’s voice, tinged with anger, reached Pintel, who twirled his staff.
Then, sitting in his chair, he spoke. “You must be referring to Sir Julian. Do you think I am unaware and acting like this?”
“You madman…!” Korund spat out a curse in a heated voice. A reddish aura began to shimmer around his body. At the moment Korund’s mana, the element of fire known for its destructive power, began to manifest itself…
Swish!
“Aaargh!”
In a swift and silent move, Pintel’s dagger magic pierced Korund’s body. “In a fight with a wizard, the key is to seize the advantage with a preemptive strike.”
“……”
“You… you thought my ‘dagger magic,’ honed in real combat, would sit idly by while you chanted your slow incantations?” Pintel swung his staff as if conducting. At the end of his staff, sharp ‘daggers’ followed like fish in water.
“Wh… what… why! What did that man ever do for you?” Korund’s words made Pintel’s brow twitch. “Why are you defending that half-breed trash?”
Srrrk.
Pintel stood up again and slowly approached the fallen Korund. “Think carefully, Pintel! If the wizards of the Dawn Society unite against…”
His staff came down on Korund’s waist.
Thud!
The dull sound was accompanied by the loud, foaming noises from Korund’s mouth.
“You blasphemous wretch!”
Thud, thud!
Pintel’s staff struck Korund’s body repeatedly.
“Is that filthy mouth of yours spewing this nonsense?”
Thud!
“Or is it coming from your brain that doesn’t know the meaning of ‘shame’?”
Thud!
“Try spouting off again, you worthless scum!!!”
“Please, calm down, Sir Pintel.”
It was Monsignor, whom Pintel had brought along, who stopped him from mercilessly swinging his staff.
Seeing him, Pintel cleared his throat once and lowered his staff.
“Is everything taken care of?”
“Yes, we have subdued all the soldiers Korund brought.”
“Good job.”
Regaining his composure, Pintel turned his gaze to the fallen Korund.
“Imprison him.”
“Are you not going to kill him?”
“Sir Julian would not wish for that.”
At the mention of ‘Julian,’ Monsignor was slightly taken aback.
“Was it really necessary to go this far in the first place?”
“No, it wasn’t.”
Pintel cut off Monsignor and spoke with a voice full of conviction.
“Before Sir Julian set off for the Holy Nation, when the Grand Archbishop offered him the position of Archbishop, he refused and told me this.”
“What did he say?”
Pintel turned to look at Monsignor, who had asked the question.
-My will is set on a higher place.
Higher than the Archbishop.
Pintel knew what that meant.
He had decided to clear the path around Julian for his future.
It was the least he could do to show respect to the one who had chosen him and given him an opportunity.
“No, it’s nothing.”
Therefore, Pintel decided to keep the conversation he had with ‘Julian’ to himself, knowing that what was said here could harm him.
“How is the movement of the Azure Lion Knights?”
Pintel quickly changed the subject.
“Alhassar, as a member, it shouldn’t be difficult for you to grasp the internal movements, right?”
“Currently, it seems that not only the Azure Lion Knights but other knight orders are also keeping an eye on the Dawn Society.”
“Hmm.”
Pintel let out a short groan.
“Among them, it appears that ‘The Closed Eyes’ is making the most noticeable moves.”
“The Closed Eyes won’t pose much of a threat.”
Even though it was an imperial institution, its key figure, ‘Julian,’ was affiliated with the Dawn Society.
“There’s no way Sir Julian doesn’t know what’s going on now.”
Pintel believed that a significant change would happen soon.
He maintained his faith that Sir Julian would be the cornerstone of that change.
“Be loyal to those who have given you their trust.”
It was the family motto of the House of Obradin.
“For now, I will return. Make it look like nothing happened around here.”
“Yes, I will take care of it.”
Watching Monsignor nod, Pintel stepped into the darkness.
To do something else.
***
Wizards and knights do not get along well.
Naturally, they share the power pie within the empire, so saying they are on good terms would be a lie.
“Damn, have you ever seen such a madman! I asked for tea, but this is just hot water with a red color!”
The only fortunate thing about the person named ‘Flügel’ is that he is very egalitarian.
He does not discriminate based on status or profession; he treats everyone equally.
He treats everyone like a dog.
He is known as the beagle, the rabid dog, no, the mad wizard of the magical community.
“But, Sir Flügel, didn’t you say that weak tea is the proper tea…”
“You fool!”
With a wave of Flügel’s hand, the wizard serving the tea was lifted into the air.
“Think about it up there!”
“I-I’m sorry. I’ll prepare it again, Sir Flügel!”
“You should have done that from the start.”
Flügel clicked his tongue once, and with another wave of his hand, the wizard fell back to the ground.
“Ugh…”
Groaning, the wizard quickly approached the teacup.
Only one teacup was moved.
From the beginning, he hadn’t even served water to me or Meyer.
As expected of a mad wizard.
“Leave that! I need to wet my throat, after all.”
“Y-yes!”
As the wizard hurried out, Flügel stroked his long beard.
“Hmph, now, back to the main point.”
“Yes.”
“You show up out of nowhere and demand a resonance stone?”
Demanding like a dog, indeed.
I wanted to say his words were too harsh, but even to my eyes, the face reflected in Flügel’s eyes deserved curses.
“Yes.”
“Brazen fool, you speak as if it’s the most natural thing!”
“I want an answer, Sir Flügel.”
“You already know what I want to say, don’t you?”
Of course, he would refuse.
We aren’t close, and the reputation of ‘Julian’ is practically in the gutter within the institution.
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Hmph, unfortunate indeed. You must have known you’d be refused.”
He’s right.
If it were as simple as saying, “Give me a resonance stone!” and receiving one, I wouldn’t have brought Meyer along.
If he were a reasonable person to talk to, the players wouldn’t have given him the nickname ‘mad wizard’ out of frustration.
“Judging by your appearance, it seems you plan to use it in the slums.”
Despite his nickname, the ‘mad wizard’s’ skills are genuine.
“So you know.”
“Of course. I knew they were conducting some ‘research’ involving demons there.”
Flügel, who had immediately seen through my reasons for seeking a resonance stone, glared at me with a disinterested expression.
“Research on demons is a fascinating subject. Thanks to that, I’ve been personally reviewing the reports on soul stones.”
The soul stone research reports. As I recall, it’s Aileen who is currently researching soul stones.
‘Aileen de Donassien.’
Now that I think about it, she is also a member of the Donassien family.
Just like Aiden.
What would happen if she were to become an enemy?
A fifth-tier wizard of the ‘Barlow Rank’ would be a troublesome opponent, no matter what element they wielded.
“If you use the resonance stone, it would help you find the place where the research is being conducted.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Is it an order from the Imperial Family?”
I shook my head at Flügel’s question.
“It’s a personal matter.”
If it were related to the ‘Imperial Family,’ Flügel would have no choice but to hand over the resonance stone.
However, if it were related to the ‘Imperial Family,’ I wouldn’t have come here ‘directly’ like this but would have followed the ‘official procedures.’
“Then it’s something I can ignore.”
Flügel smirked and stroked his beard.
“Surely, you came here to interfere with that research.”
I didn’t respond and listened quietly to Flügel’s words.
“Why would you want to ruin something interesting when they’re offering to research it for you?”
“Even if they’re conducting human experiments? On children, no less?”
“Ha ha ha ha ha!”
Flügel, who had shown discomfort until now, began to laugh heartily.
He kept stroking his beard and looked at me with a gaze full of contempt.
“To think I would hear talk of humanity from the executioner’s mouth! I’ve lived long enough to see everything!”
This old geezer, he’s lived way too long but still talks nonsense.
“It’s laughable to hear you discuss magic with such a petty moral compass, but your earlier words were so different from the path you’ve walked until today that I can’t help but laugh!”
Indeed, the words I just uttered are not something ‘Julian’ would typically say.
Even so, the reason I chose those words was to provoke Meyer’s anger, who lives in the slums.
Splaash!
Meyer picked up a cup from the table and, without hesitation, splashed its contents on Flügel.
“You old geezer! I’ve really lost it this time!”
“Miss Meyer, weren’t you listening rather than just watching until now?”
Zap.
Meyer glared at me.
“I’ve really lost it this time!”
That’s right. Even if your mouth is crooked, your words should be straight.
Flügel, drenched in tea, stroked his beard with an indifferent expression.
“What an ill-mannered girl. With a wave of my hand, I could end your life in an instant…”
Flügel trailed off as he turned his gaze to Meyer.
Was he taken aback by Meyer’s appearance, which could captivate a man’s heart?
Heh, as if.
As I mentioned earlier, Flügel is a eunuch.
“So, Sir Flügel, have your thoughts changed a bit now?”
The reason I brought Meyer here while using the name of the ‘Black Knight’ was to exploit that talent unique to her.
Cliche Novel 