The hundredth floor of the Central Cathedral was a circular chamber roughly forty meters in diameter.
At its center stood a round bed, upon which rested a silver-haired young woman. Her garments were so sheer that they only faintly concealed the alluring curves beneath them.
The silver-haired woman's eyes narrowed slightly, and the pressure in her gaze made Alice instinctively lower her head.
Then those exquisitely shaped bare feet left the bed and touched the floor, the woman's gauzy robes spilling down around them.
One step. Two steps.
The Highest Minister approached Alice, and with every step, Alice's body grew more tense.
When only five mel remained between them, Alice's sword flashed from its sheath like a bolt of lightning. A streak of cold light sliced through the chamber.
Crack!
The enormous circular bed collapsed, and a deep gash appeared in the wall behind it.
"Number Thirty! How dare you commit such blasphemy!"
The grating voice belonged to Chief Elder Chudelkin, second only to the Highest Minister herself.
As he shouted, he turned toward Alice. The other Integrity Knights in the chamber also reacted to her actions, preparing to subdue her at a moment's notice.
"That's enough, Chudelkin. Don't say anything."
"Your Holiness, there is clearly something wrong with Number Thirty. Allow me to—"
"Chudelkin, would you please be quiet?"
The words sounded gentle, but the Chief Elder's expression stiffened.
"Understood!"
Administrator turned her attention back to Integrity Knight Number Thirty—Alice Synthesis Thirty—who was glaring at her with naked hatred. There was curiosity and amusement in Administrator's eyes.
Alice's return and the report she had delivered had already made Administrator suspicious.
Cardinal had escaped from the Great Library thanks to the real-worlder who had entered from the outside, and Alice had obviously come into contact with them. Yet when Alice returned, she claimed that the Integrity Knight Order had been almost completely annihilated.
Annihilated? And she alone had managed to escape?
Administrator was an extremely cautious person, so naturally, she suspected that something was wrong with Alice.
And now Alice had actually drawn her sword against her.
Administrator had already prepared a defensive art for herself. No metallic weapon in this world should have been capable of harming her.
However, that was not why the previous attack had missed. Alice had deliberately diverted her own blade.
The hatred in Alice's eyes was unmistakable. She wanted nothing more than to kill Administrator, yet for some unknown reason, she had been unable to go through with it.
Administrator did not believe the art she had placed on Alice was still working. Something had clearly happened to Alice's right eye, proving that she was no longer under its control.
"I already know the truth about this world. I know that it was created by people from the real world."
Administrator was not particularly surprised by that revelation, but Number Thirty's reaction fascinated her.
Alice was furious—furious beyond measure. Yet that rage was not solely directed at Administrator. It was born from sheer disgust.
"All to create some supposedly qualified artificial intelligence! They even intend to carry out something called the Final Load Test and force the Dark Territory and the Human Empire to slaughter each other!"
By the time Alice finished, she was grinding her teeth. Loathing was written all over her face.
"I also know that you, Highest Minister Administrator, stole authority that supposedly belonged to the gods. I know your original name is Quinella, and I know about your connection to Cardinal."
At that, the faint smile vanished from Administrator's face.
"And I know the truth about the Integrity Knights. We weren't summoned from the Celestial World at all. You experimented on innocent people, stole their memories, and turned them into puppets who would obey your every command! You took away my memories of my sister and my family. I truly want to kill you!"
So that was the source of Alice's hatred.
"Then why haven't you attacked me? Did Cardinal tell you that I'm immune to all weapons?"
"She did, but that doesn't mean you can't be harmed!"
Number Thirty produced a cross-shaped dagger. The sight of it caused Administrator's expression to shift ever so slightly.
For the first time, she sensed a genuine threat from a weapon.
"Cardinal created this dagger from a part of her own body. If I stab you with it, a tunnel transcending space will open between you and Cardinal. She'll be able to cross over instantly and kill you!"
"I admit that dagger poses a threat to me. But that little girl thinks she can kill me? How amusing."
Administrator gave a derisive laugh.
"You believe Cardinal can't defeat you because, although the two of you possess equal authority and are evenly matched when it comes to system commands, your physical superiority gives you the advantage. Isn't that right, Quinella?"
"And? Has the little girl somehow grown taller?"
Administrator's voice remained mocking, but unease crept into her heart.
Cardinal couldn't really have grown taller, could she?
That should have been impossible. Her form had been permanently locked and could no longer change.
In that case, Cardinal's trump card had to be the real-worlder who had entered this world.
Cardinal possessed the same system authority as Administrator, preventing Administrator from gaining an advantage through Sacred Arts. The man would therefore be responsible for attacking her.
No matter how powerful he was, however, he was still restricted by the maximum level available to a player. Even if he possessed immortality, he could not kill Administrator instantly.
Besides, Administrator had twenty Integrity Knights at her side. They could hold him off for at least a while.
Once her other art was completed, her enemies would have no chance of winning.
"You could say she has grown taller."
"You could say? What is that supposed to mean?"
"That Highest Minister loaded her own Fluctlight into the real-worlder, allowing her to use his body. So tell me, Quinella—do you still possess any physical advantage?"
Administrator's pupils widened. For a brief instant, her thoughts ground to a halt.
"How did she do that?"
Was loading a Fluctlight truly so simple?
"To earn Cardinal's trust, that human willingly allowed her Fluctlight to be loaded into him. And Cardinal didn't merely take control of the Fluctlight information representing him inside this world. She was loaded into his actual body in the real world, allowing Cardinal to use that body and act there personally."
Administrator's expression changed again and again as she processed the implications.
"You expect me to believe that? Never mind. I'll see for myself!"
Administrator immediately chanted a system command, restraining Number Thirty on the spot.
"Come. Let me see your memories."
Administrator lifted the chin of the still-struggling knight. A delighted smile spread across her face as she slowly began extracting the Piety Module.
"Now, repeat after me—System Call! Remove Core Protection."
"S-S-System Call... Remove Core Protection..."
In the end, Alice could not resist. The lock upon her memories was released, allowing Administrator to examine precisely what Number Thirty had witnessed.
Hmm?
Oh?
She hadn't been lying!
And her hatred was genuine as well!
(End of Chapter)
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