Chapter 334 - Lingering Intent (2)
A corpse with skin like lead, eyes without the slightest trace of vitality.
Verden lifted his head slightly, and met the dark mage hiding beyond death.
"Do you know me?"
"But of course. Are you not the very one who slew the pitiful Viola and Nosa, active in the Kingdom of Estiria?"
The corpse spoke calmly.
First, the white bones of Viola.
"She succeeded in slaying bishops and nearly toppling even the diocese, but in the end, she could not escape the lightning imbued with gravity, and became ashes."
And Nosa.
"He summoned the Grim Reaper through the Orb of the Undead and a ritual, but met the same end as Viola. In the end, his body was pierced through by countless shards of ice, and he perished in agony."
The causes of the two dark mages' deaths.
Without blinking even once, the corpse recited their deaths, as if in remembrance.
As though he had seen them directly.
"To my memory, not a single remnant remained there alive."
"Indeed. As you said, none belonging to Glory of the Dead returned alive from the ritual site. But death itself, holds within it much, does it not, Archbishop Joseph?"
"Do not ask me. As one who bears the mantle of archbishop, I have no leisure to answer your mockery of sacred death."
Fwaaaaaah!
A mighty holy power surged forth.
The light that annihilated every shadow within the mayor's office gradually faded, taking shape.
A vast ring of light behind Joseph's back, divine radiance.
Proof of a sacred state, attainable by only the rarest of believers.
"Urrrghhh…!!"
The mayor of Surdmil, who had been greedily feasting, clutched his face and writhed slightly.
The stacked dishes struck by his thick elbow fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
It seemed the curse carved upon his body, like the mayor of Riverungr, had reacted to the holy power.
Crackle, crackle…
As proof, faint smoke began to rise from the corpse's flesh.
Light that annihilates concepts belonging to death simply by standing before it.
That was what an archbishop was.
"From here on, I will be the one asking questions."
"Oh, how ruthless."
Only the corners of the corpse's lips twisted grotesquely.
Not a smile born of hiding somewhere, but a laugh unafraid of the archbishop, of the paladin, nor of the Church of Luas itself.
Even at such an expression, Joseph showed no reaction, and asked.
"You, who should rightfully flee from the light, why have you dared to invite us to Surdmil?"
"Well then, best to correct that word 'us'. For on the invitation I sent, only your name was written. At any rate, if you ask my purpose, it is simply to grant you a few answers, personally."
Answers to what.
And for what intention.
'Whatever it is, it's certain it serves their purpose.'
Of course, the option of ignoring them outright and erasing them was not on the table.
Doing so would risk losing vital clues concerning Glory of the Dead.
Verden carefully observed the situation.
"..."
Joseph suppressed his holy power.
As the divine radiance that filled the chamber vanished, the corpse opened its mouth.
"As you well know, I devoted no small effort to this place, Kailiens. For instance, I drove [Pillars of Life] into certain demi-humans, to incite greater floods, and gained the cooperation of Riverungr's mayor, who died when his blood expanded and burst, and of Surdmil's mayor, who sits here feasting."
Creeeeak.
The corpse slowly rose from its seat.
"You must have wondered then, whether the entire upper echelon of Kailiens was in my grasp or not…"
Its elbow bent.
A pallid, clenched fist placed before the corpse.
"The answer is yes. The seven cities of Kailiens, each of their mayors, all bear my curse."
Kailiens was a special nation, formed of independent city-states in union.
While each city's capacity for self-reliance was great, its national leadership and scale lagged somewhat behind surrounding states.
Yet even so, a nation was a nation.
It was not something whose foundation could be shaken, let alone ruled, by a mere faction.
Even so, no one here doubted the corpse's words.
Two mayors had already suffered, and they had once infiltrated even a great kingdom without hesitation.
And the being now manipulating this corpse was, by all standards, a formidable power.
The corpse tilted its head.
"Hmm, come to think of it… seven mayors and seven archbishops. Coincidence perhaps, but is it not quite an uncanny one? I wonder greatly if the result will prove the same."
"Silence that filthy mouth."
Paladin Railver gripped his mace.
A warning that if the archbishop were mocked once more, he would smash it to pieces.
"As expected of a paladin, so sensitive. Very well, I too do not wish this body to be ruined just yet."
The corpse spoke calmly, and moved its hand.
Crack-crack-crackle.
With the sound of bones twisting, it stretched out three fingers, all but the thumb and little finger.
"To continue, by now three similar questions must be lingering in your minds."
The corpse took steps forward.
And in turn, bent each finger from the index downward.
First.
"Where are the countless corpses of demi-humans, transported through the cities and adventurer guilds over these months?"
Second.
"Where are the bodies of the dead humans, hidden within those corpses?"
Third.
"Where am I?"
All fingers closed.
Immediately, faint footsteps ceased.
Amidst the chilling silence, the dead one gazed at the map of Kailiens spread in the mayor's office.
Eyes sweeping from top to bottom.
A gaze that cut straight through the union of cities, past Surdmil, and beyond where the map reached.
The far south of Kailiens.
What lay beyond, which land, which nation?
'No way…'
Verden's brow furrowed.
Joseph, Adrian, and Railver too grasped the meaning at once.
And the corpse answered.
"We are in the Republic of Beldirn."
***
Naturally, Verden did not take the corpse's words at face value.
To harbor trust toward a cabal of dark magicians who did not hesitate at mass slaughter, was unthinkable to him.
Rather, he judged by circumstance.
'The corpses of demi-humans and humans Adrian witnessed were loaded on ships, being transported.'
Why by waterway instead of land?
No need for complicated reasoning — because ships could carry far more than carriages.
If so, then what was the destination?
The Hein River, running through the heart of Riverungr.
Its current rarely froze even in midwinter, and it served as a resource for other cities of Kailiens as well.
'Just like here in Surdmil.'
And where the Hein River stretched, its end lay within the Republic of Beldirn's territory.
Of course, this alone was insufficient to place belief.
At best, it meant Beldirn was among the many possible candidates.
The reason Verden held even a shred of certainty, was another.
"Not Kailiens, but the Republic of Beldirn. Why have you so obediently revealed your location?"
Joseph pressed with another question, showing no change of expression.
His voice was clear, his gaze unwavering.
An archbishop's steadfast will, unmoved by any words.
'But just now…'
In a fleeting moment, Joseph's ochre eyes had not been upon the corpse.
Rather, they had drifted slightly above, fixed upon empty air.
As though his consciousness had strayed elsewhere, for but a breath.
It was no mistake.
Precisely because it was a moment almost impossible to notice, suspicion stirred.
Decisively so.
"Reason, is it not something irrelevant to you, the archbishop? So long as I am in the republic, you must surely come to the republic. Unless you intend to watch death from afar."
Joseph questioned the corpse only regarding why it was trying to lure him into the republic, but as for their true purpose, he did not utter a word.
In other words, it meant there was no need.
To sum it up.
'The Church of Luas has already grasped what Glory of the Dead ultimately seeks to achieve, and suspected they were active not only in Kailiens, but also within the Republic of Beldirn?'
Though the conclusion was drawn merely from circumstances, the reasoning was fairly sound.
The fact that Glory of the Dead was within the Republic of Beldirn had become more certain.
At that moment, the corpse spoke.
"This is as far as I intend to answer. Whether truth or not, you may confirm it for yourself in the republic. If you choose not to believe, that too is no loss."
Their exchange of business was nearing its end.
But Verden still had something left to ask of the foe.
Since the Republic of Beldirn had been mentioned, he could not simply let it pass.
"I have one question."
The corpse slowly tilted its head.
"Did you not hear me say, I had no more answers, Asher?"
"Not long ago, the chief councilor of the Republic of Beldirn was murdered. Was that your doing?"
Ignoring it, Verden pressed for an answer.
After a brief silence, lips shut tight, the corpse spoke.
"And if it was?"
"What was the reason?"
"Well now, why indeed…"
The corpse's body leaned forward.
"My answer is the same as before."
Placing weight on its front legs, it suddenly sprang forth.
Leaping onto the desk before them, the corpse charged straight at the four.
At the same instant, Adrian moved.
乱舞, wild dance.
From his demonic sword poured forth martial skill, mercilessly rending bone and flesh.
Unable to withstand the countless sword auras, in the blink of an eye the corpse became fragments.
Then Railver rushed forward, heaving up his massive shield imbued with holy power.
Kwaaang───Chwaaaaaak!
Shattered remains burst outward, leaving behind a straight, crimson trail.
Floor, ceiling, and walls were smeared with blood and flesh.
The thing was scattered to pieces.
No longer was there any trace of the dark mage controlling the corpse.
The unexpected encounter, came to a close with this.
Yet… the conversation was not over.
"To think he would depart in such a manner. Truly a loathsome wretch. Is that not so, everyone?"
The mayor of Surdmil spoke with a laugh.
***
Beneath the desk lay shards of broken dishes.
Before the mayor now sat a single plate, upon it a lone piece of steak gone cold.
And a glass of red wine, half filled, that was all.
"An empty vessel bound for the Republic of Beldirn has already been prepared."
He moved the cutlery he held.
Piercing the last dish with a fork, he pressed down hard with his thick fingers upon the knife to cut the meat into a large piece.
Even that seemed to strain him physically, his breath turning labored.
"Of course… huff… measures have been taken, so none shall hinder you on your way out. Regardless of bounties, you will be able to board. You fled Riverungr by stealing a ship, so a helmsman will hardly be necessary."
He speared two slices of meat and shoved them into his mouth.
Savoring the taste spreading through his mouth, he leaned back into his chair.
His demeanor was… both unburdened, and resigned.
Joseph faced the mayor.
And asked.
"Was it the very one who cursed you, who prepared this ship?"
"Would I still be alive otherwise? Guiding the great archbishop to a means of travel, that is my role."
What would happen when that role ended.
There was no need to ask, all knew it. The mayor himself as well.
"Mayor of Surdmil, you have already accepted your death. But why follow the commands of the wicked to the very end?"
"If you mean to ask whether it was coercion, or compromise… it was both coercion, and compromise with myself."
The mayor set down his fork.
Grabbing a piece of steak with his hand, he swallowed it whole.
Only one piece of meat remained.
"Looking back, my life was never easy. Especially for one from a merchant's background, pushing aside nobles and being elected mayor of Surdmil was an extremely arduous task… but in the end, I achieved it."
Thump, thump.
The mayor tapped his belly, heavy with fat.
"Though my body is like this now, at the time I lived earnestly, in my own way. Using my merchant's skills and experience, I devoted my life to developing the city financially. And I came this far."
At last he tossed the final piece of meat into his mouth and chewed.
No meat remained.
The plate was empty.
"Surdmil is my pride."
"..."
"But months ago, that man came, slew Surdmil's guardian without batting an eye, and asked me this. To choose, Surdmil or the Republic of Beldirn."
The mayor's hand trembled faintly.
"I chose Surdmil without hesitation. For this city, its people, were far more precious than a neighboring nation. Fearing his mind might change, I helped him with all my strength."
Under the pretext of councils, he summoned other mayors, and had them cursed.
Not only that, he loaded the corpses arising in Surdmil onto ships, aiding in sending every vessel departing Kailiens to the republic.
He was both victim, and accomplice.
"People like you could have resisted… but I could not. I was weak. Sacrificing others to protect this city, that was all I could do."
The mayor gave a hollow laugh.
"I do not know what he schemes in the Republic of Beldirn. Whether from guilt, or something else, I was too afraid to even dare think on it. So I focused only on eating. While I ate, everything else would fade, if only a little… Huu, at last, I am freed from this fattened yoke. And the city, has been kept."
Struggling, he stretched out his hand.
Grasping the glass, he pulled it close, exhaling raggedly.
"Archbishop Joseph, Milky Way."
The end drew near.
The emotions he had long suppressed began to stir.
"Still, do not despise me too harshly. It is only that the darkness which came upon me, was deeper than the light of the goddess…"
Gulp, gulp.
He downed the remaining wine in one go.
The glass slipped from his hand, fell, and shattered below.
The mayor exhaled a long sigh.
Swallowing once, he spoke in a low voice.
"I had, no choice."
His eyelids fluttered.
From shimmering eyes spilled tears of blood.
"At least, I am fortunate not to have family…"
───Thud.
The mayor collapsed onto the desk.
Blood began to pool upon the plate beneath his face.
"..."
The archbishop gazed at him quietly.
He did not summon holy power, nor perform a miracle of light.
From before entering this place… no, long before, there had been no way to save him.
Had it been a poison just ingested, he could have purified it.
But when already poisoned the day before, when his organs had long since begun to dissolve, when his body no longer retained its form… not even an archbishop could restore it.
Soon his breath ceased completely.
Recognizing the mayor's death, the curse activated.
With an explosion, the remnants scattered.
Blood spread.
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