Chapter 1142: Showdown (13)
“Two pair.”
“Straight.”
“…Flush.”
“Full house, ’kay?”
“……”
A vein pulsed on Freya’s forehead.
Taking a deep breath, she checked her new cards and shouted.
“Four of a kind!!”
“Royal Straight Flush.”
“Hey!!!”
Crash!!
Unable to hold back, Freya slammed the table and sprang to her feet.
Her face flushed with anger, she glared at The Clown, who was grinning from ear to ear across from her.
“Damn it, there’s a limit to how much you can cheat!!! Are you playing games with me right now?!”
“Freya. You still don’t understand.”
The Clown chuckled, holding his cards.
“I always do my best, no matter how weak my opponent is.”
“Do you really want to die?”
Vwooooom-!!
The deep, resonant sound of a ship’s horn. The cruise ship sliced through the river’s current, setting off powerfully.
A dinner party unfolded on the deck of the luxurious vessel.
Musicians played on stage, and waiters carried drinks.
Dealers and customers exchanged cards at poker tables set up on the deck.
And amidst it all, The Clown and Freya were still squabbling.
Lennok watched the scene from the ship’s rooftop balcony, which overlooked the deck.
Tap!
“What are you thinking so deeply about?”
“……”
The Clown, who had just been toying with Freya, was now leaning against the railing beside him.
He swept a hand across his face, as if tired, and tilted his head back as if about to fall off the balcony.
“Ha… This is why I shouldn’t play with them for too long. I made a mistake myself.”
“It didn’t look like a mistake; you seemed to be enjoying it more than anyone.”
“I intended to adjust my luck a little, but their reactions were too entertaining, so I failed to control my strength, you see.”
The Clown cackled, glancing at Lennok.
“This is why I can’t quit gambling. There’s a reason why that entertainment city never fails. Don’t you think so too, Victor?”
“……”
Lennok ignored the question and gazed at Torquepaz, receding in the distance at the end of the waterway.
Although slightly different from what The Clown implied, Lennok also felt something about the city of Torquepaz.
“The Syndicate’s VIPs who discovered Camlodal’s body. In the end, not a single one appeared, except for Spero.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“They deliberately tried to avoid contact with us. That must have been why Raymond himself stepped forward.”
Lennok’s gaze, fixed on the opulent casino hotel, turned cold.
“They never showed their faces and maintained a stance of non-response until the very end. They’re hiding something.”
The body of the 8th Apostle, secretly smuggled out by the cult priests, was discovered by one of the VIPs who frequented the auction house.
However, not a single VIP other than Spero showed up directly at the auction house.
They even handed over the handling of Camlodal’s discovered body to Pandemonium through Raymond.
Lennok had surmised that the VIPs’ actions were because they had something to hide.
Even the fact that they wanted to prevent Pandemonium from discovering some ‘secret’ within Torquepaz.
“The Syndicate’s associates are quite peculiar individuals, in many ways.”
The Clown nodded.
“I recall that Raymond fellow used to hold some useless position like the 4th Seat of the Ability Awakening Warband, back then.”
“…That man was the 4th Seat of the Ability Awakening Warband?”
“Well, what does it matter to us what they’re hiding?”
The Clown tilted his head sharply towards Lennok and grinned.
“If there’s trouble, we can always revisit Torquepaz later. This time, Victor was too busy to fully enjoy Torquepaz’s entertainment facilities, wasn’t he?”
“……”
“Next time, I’ll set a date and give Victor a Torquepaz SS-class casino tour. By then, Victor will surely be hooked on the thrill of gambling—”
“Hey!!”
At that moment, a sharp voice echoed from down the hallway, and The Clown’s form burst and vanished.
“Victor, is that bastard here?”
“…Freya.”
Freya, in a dazzling dress, stood at the end of the hallway, a wine glass in one hand.
Her face hot with anger, she frantically looked around, then approached with a suspicious expression.
“That scammer, he clearly bolted over here just now. Where did he disappear to again?”
“……”
“Ugh, this is really driving me crazy… Everyone on the deck talking to me is annoying too.”
Grumbling, Freya leaned against the window next to Lennok and sipped her wine.
“I have to endure this because we’re going to Kabahim together. What kind of royal capital tour or excursion or whatever event is this?”
The Clown had not gathered the members in Torquepaz for any other reason.
By following the massive river system connected by Torquepaz upstream, they could reach the vicinity of Kabahim’s Royal Capital directly.
Kabahim was a monarchy that strictly restricted and managed the entry of outsiders, but precisely because of this, there was considerable demand for tourism.
Thus, Torquepaz, which treated everything as a commodity, offered a tour course that involved round trips to Kabahim’s Royal Capital via cruise ship.
The cruise ship The Clown had acquired through a deal with the Syndicate was this very vessel, including this itinerary.
Passengers participating in the tour were only permitted to stay in designated areas of the Royal Capital, and only a brief viewing of the capital’s scenery was allowed before returning.
Nevertheless, it seemed that guests visiting the entertainment city were paying vast sums for this tour.
Guests chatted happily below deck; music drifted lazily through the windows.
Lennok, looking out the window beside Freya as she sipped her wine, asked.
“Performing in the middle of the Royal Capital would carry a significant risk in many ways.”
Lennok turned his gaze.
“Why did you participate in this operation, taking such a risk?”
“Whoa, what’s this?”
Freya burst out laughing.
“How little interest did you have, that you’re only curious about that now? Did you eat something bad?”
“……”
“Well, it’s complicated to explain…”
Freya, ignoring the silent Lennok, drained the rest of her wine and said.
“First, I owe The Clown a debt. And I, well, I use Musical Scale Spellcraft to sing.”
“Is it about the song?”
“It’s hard for me to say it myself, but I bestow many useful blessings. That’s why everyone bothers me more than they should.”
“……”
“I have a bad personality, you see. I want to live my whole life only doing things I find fun.”
Freya looked out the window with narrowed eyes, then swept her hair back and gave a cold smile.
“But if I keep performing, I think singing will become boring. So, before I quit, I found another way.”
“Is that why you joined Pandemonium?”
“Why, isn’t it fun?”
Freya laughed.
“I hate being bothered and constrained unnecessarily. This is much better.”
“……”
“For that, investing a little time like this is worth it.”
“That’s a lie.”
At that moment, an indifferent male voice echoed from behind Freya.
Freya’s hair stood on end, and she jumped on the spot.
“Kyaaaah!! Wh-what?!”
“Your sympathetic nervous system is more active than usual.”
The Conjunction Spell Master, standing behind Freya, stated.
“Your blood, breathing, and pulse patterns have changed from normal, indicating symptoms of stress. Proof that you are experiencing emotional changes.”
“What is this crazy bastard suddenly talking about!!!”
Freya fumed and kicked the Spell Master’s shin, but the Spell Master’s expression remained calm.
“A Musical Scale Spellcaster’s vocal output is impressive. There was momentary minor eardrum damage. No, is it simply that this body’s hearing is weakened?”
“I don’t know what nonsense you’re spouting.”
Lennok turned to the Spell Master, who was lost in thought.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was just looking around.”
The Conjunction Spell Master replied, his eyes indifferent as he surveyed the cruise ship.
“Perhaps because it’s been too long since the right hemisphere was extracted, my perceptive ability is too weak. I’m observing other humans to awaken my senses.”
“……”
“However, there are not enough cases here to stimulate my curiosity. Bodies soaked in alcohol or nicotine are just ordinary lumps of flesh.”
The Spell Master’s eyes gleamed as he looked at Lennok and Freya.
“Indeed, the people of Pandemonium seem to be the only ones capable of piquing my interest.”
“What is this stalker-like bastard talking about?”
“……”
Lennok remembered The Conjunction Spell Master he met at the First Gate not having this personality.
No, but his peculiar analytical way of speaking and expression were exactly the same as the Spell Master Lennok remembered.
Was this subtly different yet similar appearance due to only the right hemisphere of The Conjunction Spell Master existing here?
Of course, since the left hemisphere of the Spell Master Lennok killed had its own physical body, it wasn’t impossible to explain that sense of incongruity—
“Ah!!!! You, I remember who you are.”
At that moment, Freya pointed at the Spell Master with a face that suggested she had recalled something interesting.
“I heard something about you…! You’re that Conjunction guy from the Alliance, aren’t you!!”
“It seems you’ve heard of me.”
The Spell Master replied with an indifferent expression.
“However, the information about me circulating outside the Central Front is limited in many aspects. Originally, the Alliance’s Management Bureau rigorously managed information regarding its subordinate Spell Masters—”
“You’re that guy who got his ass handed to him by Cheonbeon at the First Gate, right?”
“……”
The Spell Master’s eyebrows twitched, and he fell silent for a moment.
He turned sharply to Freya, looked down at her, and spoke.
“There’s a slight discrepancy in that statement. Firstly, I was not the one who was defeated at the First Gate.”
“What?”
“Furthermore, ‘I’ stationed at the Gate at that time also had many limitations on the abilities I could use. Assuming I received assistance from the Life Domain, even accounting for the output buff, the spellcraft performance I could utilize was about 85% of its original. This means I had to fight Cheonbeon with approximately a 15% penalty.”
The Spell Master calmly reeled off his explanation.
“To be more specific, let’s assume at that time I had the right hemisphere of Mikal Zelih conjoined to my body. In that case, there’s a high probability that my combat performance significantly decreased due to the overload of Conjunction Spellcraft and the rejection reaction accompanying the conjoining of another’s brain hemisphere. This clearly functioned as a very critical variable when facing a powerful wizard like Cheonbeon.”
“……”
“Inferring the engagement situation at the time, the probability of me, guarding the Gate, initiating a preemptive attack on Cheonbeon is extremely low. Most likely, Cheonbeon launched a surprise attack on his own left hemisphere, and the battlefield expanded. Considering these variables overall, the outcome of that engagement was, by all means—”
“What is this guy rambling about again?”
Freya scoffed coldly.
“So, did you lose to Cheonbeon or not?”
“……”
“Rumors are widespread in the Central Front that you got trashed, so why are you making such pathetic excuses? Aren’t you embarrassed?”
“Manipulation Spellcaster.”
The Conjunction Spell Master turned his gaze to Lennok.
“Can I kill this woman now?”
“Kyaaaah!! Help me!!”
Thump!
Just as Freya shrieked, refusing to be outdone, the door at the back of the rooftop burst open.
Soryu looked at the three people standing on the rooftop balcony with a bewildered expression.
“What have you three been doing up here since earlier?”
“……”
“Nothing.”
Lennok, completely ignoring their nonsense, stood up.
It was interesting that The Conjunction Spell Master had inferred the engagement situation quite accurately, but he could never truly know the truth.
Perhaps the only noteworthy thing was that the Spell Master, who seemed to have no interest in the outcome of the fight, was surprisingly conscious of Cheonbeon.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes. The meeting preparations are complete.”
Soryu said, looking at Freya and Chapman.
“You two come in too. I intend to give a final explanation about this operation before tonight is over.”
“I was going to do that even if you didn’t explain it.”
“As befits a small organization, your operational planning is crude. If the Alliance knew about this—”
Soryu ignored the Spell Master’s words and turned his back, while Freya impatiently swept her hair back and walked away.
Inside the bridge of the cruise ship heading towards Kabahim’s Royal Capital.
The members of Pandemonium had gathered in the spacious area filled with complex navigation equipment and instrument panels.
The Clown and Lennok. Freya and Soryu. Agneta and Chebien. And Antares and The Conjunction Spell Master, participating in the operation as outsiders.
At this moment, eight individuals who would normally never encounter each other by chance were gathered in one place.
Simply by silently remaining quiet, the vast space felt full.
“Alright, since everyone’s roughly here, shall we begin immediately?”
The Clown, who had arrived last, grinned and pointed at the instrument panel.
“As you can see from the nautical chart, this ship will arrive at the port near Kabahim’s Royal Capital’s rear gate in approximately six hours. So, this will likely be the last moment we gather before starting the operation.”
“……”
“In Torquepaz, we managed to sort things out with Hylaea’s help, but from now on, it will probably be difficult to contact the outside for a while.”
Is The Clown personally handling the situation now because they can’t receive briefings from Hylaea?
Pressing his temples with both hands, The Clown walked forward and shrugged.
“This is due to a city-wide ‘blessing’ placed throughout the Royal Capital, which is actually quite troublesome for people like us who have something to hide.”
“In exactly what way is it troublesome?”
“To put it simply, it’s a very powerful buff given to knights who have taken a specific oath as a Geas. It’s a power that explosively boosts the target’s abilities by imposing various conditions—”
The Clown, with an annoyed expression, turned his gaze to Soryu.
“Well, there’s someone here who knows much more than me, so shall we hear from them? It’s certainly not because my mouth is tired.”
“It is a blessing bestowed upon knights who swear an oath to protect the Royal Capital, using a Geas. It’s a limited blessing, only applicable within the Royal Capital and only to knights loyal to the royal family, but its power is immense.”
Soryu answered freely, as if he had expected the question.
“To put it extremely simply, it’s a power strong enough to make a Level 6 knight comparable to a Level 7 superhuman. It is, in fact, the strongest advantage protecting the Royal Capital, and the reason Kabahim remains a monarchy to this day.”
“……”
“Kabahim has ten Royal Knights of Rectitude directly under the royal family, and these are superhumans who receive the most powerful blessings in the Royal Capital. All the Knight Commanders are Level 7 or higher superhumans, and some of the top-tier combatants include monsters who have transcended their rank—”
Soryu looked at the group with a cold expression and said.
“There’s no need to mince words. Confronting them head-on within the Royal Capital would be suicide.”
“Heheheh, it seems even an exiled royal still has some affection for his homeland…”
Chebien rattled his puppet and let out a scoff.
“Among those gathered here, there isn’t a single ordinary superhuman, so aren’t you overestimating the knight orders’ strength more than necessary…?”
“That might be true if we were just envisioning a scenario where we face a single knight order. But that observation doesn’t account for the Royal Capital’s environment and structure.”
Soryu replied.
“The Royal Capital’s urban areas are designed with extreme precision and complexity, a result of a design specifically for the knight orders to move quickly within the city.”
“That means if an engagement occurs during the operation, being surrounded by multiple knight orders is a foregone conclusion.”
“This is an infiltration operation into the capital of a country teeming with elite superhuman combat groups thoroughly specialized in battle. There’s a high probability that there won’t be a single situation throughout the operation where we can match their numbers and fight.”
Soryu nodded at Agneta’s words.
“For our objectives, direct confrontation must be avoided as much as possible. In the worst-case scenario, we must eliminate them all before reinforcements arrive.”
“Even setting aside these ‘Royal Knights of Rectitude’ or whatever, the most dangerous factor is still the ‘King’.”
The Clown, leaning back in his chair, tore open a pack of gum, put it in his mouth, and spoke.
“The current monarch governing Kabahim, Aronbaiger Kabahim, is an 8-level superhuman, and at the same time, a rare Dual System Holder.”
“A Dual System Holder?”
Naturally, the members’ gazes turned to Lennok.
Because among the Trait-type spellcrafts, only one spellcaster in Pandemonium handled two extremely difficult systems simultaneously: Manipulation and Spatial.
“……”
“What are you staring at?”
Lennok snapped back, adjusting his mask and averting his gaze.
“In spellcraft, there are too many exceptions to easily find connections between any two systems. This has nothing to do with me.”
“I’ve never heard the term ‘Dual System Holder’ before. Is it different from a multi-attribute holder sometimes found among wizards?”
“Yes. It’s different. Having dual systems literally means possessing two different ranks simultaneously.”
The Clown grinned, spread his fingers, and made a V-sign.
“So, naturally, there are two Root Mindscapes. And two Miniature Universes or Domains, wouldn’t you say?”
“…Wait, that’s.”
“It’s commonly called the ‘Talent for Duality,’ and if you really delve into it, it’s a very difficult and troublesome ability.”
The Clown let out an exaggerated sigh and laughed.
“Most people can’t control their talent and become dual personalities, or they can’t manage their two divided ranks and never escape the lower ranks their entire lives. But this person is quite different.”
“If he’s an 8-level superhuman, it means he has already overcome such limitations and built his own achievements.”
The Conjunction Spell Master tilted his head with an indifferent expression.
“The Alliance judged that, in the best-case scenario, he likely possesses two 8-level Domains or Miniature Universes.”
“Hey, loser. Are you crazy? That’s not the best case; that’s the worst-case scenario.”
“Anyway, since this Talent for Duality is quite a troublesome power, I plan to exert some effort this time.”
The Clown sat backward on a chair, tilting his head.
“Considering Aronbaiger’s nature, he’ll try to ‘peer into’ us as soon as we enter the Royal Capital. I’ll just handle that from the start.”
“You intend to use illusion to deceive the monarch’s eyes.”
Lennok asked.
“Do you think that’s possible against an 8-level superhuman?”
“Even for a Talent for Duality holder, there’s no need to deceive both eyes. Once one eye is obscured, how can the other tell if it’s a secret or the truth?”
The Clown held up a hand vertically, covering half his face, and grinned.
“That brief moment of confusion is enough of a trigger. It would be a very complicated story to explain, so for now, just trust me.”
“……”
Naturally, no one present trusted The Clown’s bold assertion.
The Clown, observing the deep-thinking members, stretched and rose from his chair.
“I’ll just outline the basic objectives and direction, and we’ll adjust the detailed process on site. For now, shall we clarify everyone’s roles before entering the Royal Capital?”
“Objectives? What objectives are you talking about?”
Freya asked back, combing her hair.
“Wasn’t the goal to assault and clear the Gate beneath the Royal Capital or something?”
“Simply opening and clearing the Gate isn’t the end of this endeavor.”
The Clown, with his back to the bridge controls, turned to the members and grinned.
“A ‘dead god’ sleeps beneath Kabahim’s Royal Capital.”
“…What?”
“It is a remnant of the ending, a shooting star that grants ‘wishes,’ and the very power that sustains the nation of Kabahim today.”
The Clown said.
“Our objective is to open The Gate beneath the Royal Capital, go inside, and steal that ‘dead god.’”