Chapter 970: Prohibition (25)

“Victor.”

After finishing their business in the chapel, one by one, they left the cathedral and disappeared. Whether they remained in the city for other errands, or left Vulcan immediately. There were no questions or answers about it.

It was an organization composed only of members who largely didn’t care about each other’s whereabouts or lives. They parted without a greeting, and would likely gather again to scheme as if nothing had happened.

As Lennok gathered his magic to stand, Hylaea’s voice stopped him.

Hylaea, who had risen after finishing her prayers in the chapel, turned her gaze towards Lennok.

“It doesn’t matter if you take the Forbidden Armament, but you must at least participate in the operation in the capital.”

“[The capital?]”

“There were a few plans we intended to proceed with, with the Doctor’s help, on the premise of recovering the Forbidden Armament.” Hylaea, looking troubled at the half-eaten snack box Ermont had left, replied.

“The Clown confirmed that a [Gate] is hidden beneath the Kabahim Royal Palace.”

“[…]”

“We’ll begin the operation when the Fisherman arrives, and we’ll need the artifact’s abilities to breach the [Gate]. A skilled Manipulation Spellcaster would be a great help.”

“[A Gate, huh…]”

Hylaea’s explanation had many omissions, but Lennok understood what she meant by the [Gate]. The last operation he had with the Clown, and the rift he had mentioned needing to check in the royal palace basement. One of the passages connecting this world and the Outer Sea lay dormant beneath the kingdom of knights.

Lennok, having reached that conclusion, tilted his head slightly.

“[So that was the second plan you mentioned to me.]”

The message Hylaea had sent to Lennok. The two plans mentioned in that message. He understood that the second plan, not the underground temple matter, referred to this.

“That’s right. You have time before we finalize the participants, so decide on a feasible time.” Hylaea, admitting it readily, said so and pointed to Victor’s gauntlet.

“If you need time to handle the Forbidden Armament, we can wait.”

“[…]”

“I kept it a secret from the other members, but you’re not fully controlling that artifact yet, are you?” Hylaea’s two eyes, now free from her eye patch, shone with an inorganic light.

“I can still see the soul within the artifact struggling. It knows you’re qualified, yet it refuses to be used by you.”

“[What a nuisance. Does one with the Talent for Duality really hide nothing from you?]”

Lennok scoffed as he said that, but he didn’t deny Hylaea’s words. Just as she said, Lennok was merely forcibly suppressing and wielding the Forbidden Armament; he hadn’t fully subjugated the soul within the artifact.

Rustle…!!

Even now, if Lennok listened closely, he could hear the incessant whispers of an unknown entity in his ear. A desperate wail, echoing as if cursing the user, filled with hatred and resentment.

But Lennok didn’t bat an eye, even knowing that. The moment he acquired the Forbidden Armament, he understood that the human used as its material had accumulated a commensurate amount of karma.

“[I hear a voice. It’s mixed with the malevolent thoughts that only someone who has killed, captured, and toyed with humans could possess.]”

“…”

Lennok raised his gauntlet, observing Hylaea’s slightly surprised expression.

“[Contrary to the reputation of being from an Ascendant’s bloodline, the soul within here must have been a rather depraved individual in life. Perhaps becoming the material for the Forbidden Armament was a form of punishment itself.]”

“That’s…”

“[I am not one to feel guilt about trampling such a corrupted soul.]” Lennok’s voice, amplified by his mask, slowly stretched out.

“[Rather, I am more interested in increasing the burden of the punishment this soul carries.]”

“…”

“[I’ve already acquired the sensations. Handling spellcraft amplification and will-thought extraction is more than enough. I don’t need much time.]”

“…I apologize. I didn’t mean to displease you.” Hylaea, with a wry smile, placed her hand on her hip and looked up. Lost in thought for a moment as if contemplating something, she belatedly met Lennok’s gaze.

“But… yes, I should probably tell you this.”

“[What is it?]”

“Your guess might be right. There was a rumor that the soul used in that Forbidden Armament belonged to a highly notorious human collector in the Central City.”

“[…]”

This was useful information he hadn’t even thought he’d hear from Hylaea at this point, after the Pandemonium business was over.

“I don’t know why, but it’s said that all members of that Ascendant’s bloodline, without exception, eventually fell into depravity and ruin in bizarre ways.” As if observing Lennok’s reaction, Hylaea calmly gestured with her eyes and spoke again.

“If you find it difficult to handle the Forbidden Armament, investigate its name.”

“[Its name?]”

“The name of the human used as the artifact’s material. And the name it was given upon its completion.” Hylaea’s gaze, as she looked at the glass-colored gauntlet emitting a calm light, was tinged with complex emotions.

“Because it is both a living human and a weapon. Simply knowing what name it was called by will surely help you control its fate.”

“[That’s quite… an interesting idea.]”

The method Hylaea had just suggested wasn’t information the Doctor had provided. Lennok, instinctively sensing it, asked.

“[Is that from experience?]”

“…No. I won’t answer that.” Hylaea smiled, raising her gaze.

“It’s a story I’d rather not reveal, especially to someone as quick-witted as you.”

“[…]”

Hylaea said that as soon as Anathema died, she devised a plan to retrieve the Forbidden Armament and gathered the members. That was only possible because she knew so much about the Forbidden Armament’s existence and history from the start. If she knew the Forbidden Armament in such strange detail, even to the point of telling Lennok how to wield its power, perhaps Hylaea’s own talent had once almost been ‘processed’ in a similar manner.

“[…Alright.]”

But instead of probing further into Hylaea’s past, Lennok gripped his robe and abruptly turned away. Ordinarily, instead of discussing the Talent for Duality, he should have immediately returned to investigate the Ice Seal.

However, Lennok was also in a state of considerable fatigue from operating the Forbidden Armament with his Incarnation Body. As the Pandemonium members had said, the continuous battles and lack of recovery were indeed taking a toll. For now, organizing the gains from today’s events and recuperating his body was the priority.

“[I’ll consider the Kabahim Gate at a later time.]” Lennok’s eyes, gleaming from behind his mask, flashed as he glanced back.

“[But know that my interest isn’t in acquiring this artifact, but in the [Gate] itself.]”

“…”

“[If I participate, the plan will proceed under my absolute leadership. Make sure to clearly tell that fool who calls himself the Fisherman.]”

“Well, he’s inherently completely insensitive to that kind of conflict or provocation…” Hylaea, with a wry smile, nodded.

“But if you participate, the Clown will definitely be pleased. I guarantee that.”

“[A guarantee regarding the emotions of an illusionist, huh.]” Lennok chuckled, drawing up his magic.

“[The most unreliable assurance in the world.]”

Countless crowds walked along the boulevard paved with pristine white marble. Everyone, without exception, clasped their hands reverently, muttering prayers and bowing their heads.

Even though the tens of thousands of people gathered here did not know each other, they all shared a single, common purpose. They took four steps, stopped, bowed their heads in prayer, and then took another four steps.

The fourth was a number of contradiction, symbolizing death, rest, and the next. Yet, in this world where salvation does not exist, it was the only means to reach paradise.

Guido Cult Headquarters.

A countless procession of devotees making a pilgrimage to the holy site of the Myriad Gods.

“They’re like insects, aren’t they?” Ureka, seated in the courtyard of the pristine white palace, looked down upon the scene with a cold gaze. She was dressed in splendid ceremonial robes, but a blue cloth, wrapped tightly around one arm as if to bind it completely, stood out.

A coarse, blue Holy Shroud, seemingly too rough to be used for merely wrapping an arm. A powerful whisper that made even the priests, who stood silently behind her with towels and staffs, flinch.

But Ureka paid no mind to such priests, murmuring quietly.

“At a time when the Cult is in disarray, they should be diligently fulfilling their duties, yet they waste time on mere pilgrimages to pray?”

“…”

“Salvation doesn’t simply come by vaguely wishing for it; they are mistaken.” Having said that, Ureka abruptly turned her head and looked at the young man seated opposite her.

“Don’t you think so?”

“…Well.” The Second Apostle, leisurely sipping coffee from across the table, spoke.

“It’s not that I don’t understand their feelings of helplessness. They cling so desperately because they believe the Cult’s doctrines are true, don’t they?”

“…”

“To me, your existence is far more intriguing. A Priestess who acts as the voice of ‘Him,’ yet despises the Cult’s devotees…” The young man, who had been staring intently at Ureka’s face, adjusted his glasses.

“Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say that your existence is an anomaly that has never before existed within the Cult?”

“…!!”

A radical question that made the complexions of the listening priests turn as pale as corpses. The priests, who were supposed to act merely as furniture in this place, trembled, unable to control their reactions. If an ordinary devotee had uttered those words in front of Ureka, their skin would have been flayed and their limbs severed before they could even close their mouth.

“Because I am different from other Priestesses.” But Ureka, far from getting angry at the Second Apostle’s words, merely let out a cold laugh.

“How could a bastard child, born without the authority of the High Priestess inherited by previous Priestesses, be the same as the Priestesses you cherished?”

“…”

The authority of the High Priestess, lost with the death of the 10th Priestess, Seina Naydree. But Ureka Naydree, who then ascended to the position of Priestess, ultimately could not recover that authority. A new Priestess, possessing aptitude and talent for rituals, but not granted that authority. Thus, what was granted to her was the authority of a servant, to command Apostles driven mad through human sacrifice.

“I am His voice, yet I symbolize another aspect of Him,” Ureka said. “I am the rage He discarded, the humiliation He forgot, and the inadequacy He severed.”

“…”

“I have not forgotten that I am here because I was culled and vanquished.” Ureka’s eyes, looking at the Second Apostle, shone with a cruel light.

“That is why I am capable of becoming more complete than any other Priestess.”

Ureka did not deny that she was a being who did not possess the authority that other Priestesses had. She did not deny that she was a Priestess born with an inferiority complex stemming from her deficiencies. The 11th Priestess, lacking and incomplete, finding even the role of High Priestess burdensome for now. Yet, her spirit was strong enough to accept that this very fact defined her identity. That was not a power Ureka gained upon becoming a Priestess, but an innate nature she was born with.

“Perhaps so.” Therefore, the Second Apostle acknowledged that Ureka’s words were not far off the mark in the grand scheme.

“You’re not wrong. Perhaps what the Cult truly needs right now is a Priestess like you.”

“…”

“But if that’s the case, why did you wish to see me? You must know that I and the past Priestesses never interfered with each other’s affairs.” The young man’s eyes, behind his glasses, glinted with a silvery-white radiance.

“Are you implying that even in that regard, you are different from other Naydrees?”

“…!!”

Merely meeting his gaze, an intense pressure, as if her soul was being crushed, poured down upon Ureka. Only after being granted the exceptional aptitude, mental strength, authority, and abilities to ascend to the position of Priestess could she finally face him. Since when had he existed by the Pontiff’s left side, dedicating himself to the Cult? The weight of ages and time, which Ureka could not immediately discern, seemed to reside fully within his eyes, crushing mortals.

But Ureka, frowning at the Second Apostle’s oppressive power, spoke slowly.

“I need your help in unsealing the Forbidden Armament’s manufacturing ritual.”

“The Forbidden Armament, you say.”

“The previous Priestess seems to have halted the Forbidden Armament’s manufacture and sealed the ritual, citing efficiency issues, but that’s not my way.” Ureka stared intently at the Second Apostle, who had withdrawn his gaze, and said, “If there are means we can use, shouldn’t we utilize all of them?”

“Is that to supplement the authority of the High Priestess that you lack?”

“Yes. That’s right.” Ureka grinned at the Second Apostle’s calm question.

“First, I plan to experiment by grinding down some useless Apostles, then proceed with full-scale production. If successful, we can achieve the depravity of contradiction by having Apostles wield artifacts made from other Apostles.”

“Ureka.” The Second Apostle smiled wryly, raising his gaze.

“The position of an Apostle is not something that can be easily replaced. Have you still not realized that after the Anathema incident?”

“…”

“It was such a struggle just to find a candidate to temporarily fill the Sixth Apostle’s vacant position. Kamrodal must be scouring the entire continent to find a candidate to take that place again. I don’t think I can assist you in treating Apostles as expendable.”

“The old doesn’t make way only after the new arrives.” Ureka smiled, shaking her head.

“Sometimes, things are only filled anew after being emptied. The authority granted to me by Him truly symbolizes that very truth.”

“…”

“Now that many Apostles, who should have guarded His seat, have degenerated into mere beasts, I feel it’s necessary to significantly revitalize the Apostle’s Seat.”

The ability Ureka possessed to command mad Apostles was a new power granted to her because she had not inherited the authority of the High Priestess. The new Priestess was advocating, using her own existence and birth as an example, that the stagnant Apostle’s Seat needed to be emptied once.

“Among the ten highest-ranking Apostles, only you, Kamrodal, and the Third Apostle, who operates through a deal with you, are active outside the Central Front.” Ureka, painfully stroking the arm wrapped in the Holy Shroud, said, “The successors to the Fifth Apostle and Tenth Apostle’s Seats finished their selection rituals a few days ago. Once their minds stabilize, they will undergo the process of officially inheriting the Apostle Spellcraft. The replacement and search for Apostles have been underway for quite some time.”

“…”

“Furthermore, for the training of the new Tenth Apostle, I will also retrieve the remains of Amrita Fraubel that you have kept. Although a successor has been chosen, they are not yet skilled enough to wield Apostle Spellcraft proficiently, which is why her remains are needed.” Ureka asked, looking at the silent Second Apostle, “This is for the Cult’s sake. You wouldn’t refuse for personal reasons, would you?”

Ureka also knew that the Second Apostle had a personal fondness for the 9th Priestess, Isel Naydree. And that he still kept the corpse of the Tenth Apostle, Amrita Fraubel, in which her soul had briefly resided. But knowing all this, Ureka unhesitatingly demanded her corpse from the Second Apostle. This was possible because Ureka respected the Second Apostle’s status and position, yet was prepared to be hated by him. Her blind fanaticism, believing her will was the Pontiff’s will, allowed her to communicate her desires with the intention of informing him rather than asking.

“If that is the new Priestess’s will, then I will cooperate.” The Second Apostle, having finished the remaining coffee, placed a hand down and rose, offering a gentle smile. “However, there is one condition.”

“Anything, if it is a request from the Head Apostle.”

“Retrieving Amrita’s remains must happen after you resolve the lightning residing in your arm.” Ureka’s face contorted.

“…Why?”

“Though the spellcraft and properties are somewhat different, Amrita’s remains also carry a very powerful curse.” The Second Apostle gave a wry smile. “It’s a curse that encrypts biological information and seals the Apostle Spellcraft itself. The Cult’s priests have attempted to break it, but no one has succeeded.”

“Seals the Apostle Spellcraft, you say.”

“Seina’s quick nomination of the next Tenth Apostle was for that very reason. Once Amrita’s Scale spellcraft was sealed, there was no other way than to create a new Tenth Apostle and have them inherit the Apostle Spellcraft again. And above all else—” The Second Apostle, who had approached the speechless Ureka, touched the Holy Shroud binding her arm.

“The lightning residing in your arm is a will-thought lightning more powerful than any wizard I know.”

“…”

“If by any chance the lightning contained within this Holy Shroud were to affect the Apostle Spellcraft… it wouldn’t be a good thing for either you or the prospective Tenth Apostle, would it?” The Second Apostle, gently caressing the Holy Shroud, straightened up and smiled. “I, for one, have no desire to welcome the next Priestess already. And I’m curious to see how far you intend to go, borrowing His will.”

“…I understand.” Had he already known that she had been struck by his lightning after touching Anathema’s remains? “If you are concerned about the clash of curses, then there’s no helping it. But extracting the lightning won’t take long.” Ureka, quickly suppressing her emotions, spoke, feigning composure. Ever since she had wrapped the Holy Shroud to seal the lightning, she too had been conducting various investigations to resolve the current problem.

At the very least, the residual will-thought remaining in the afflicted could not avoid depletion unless the caster himself was clearly aware of it.

“The wizard couldn’t possibly know that I was struck by that will-thought lightning—”

“Ah, now that I think about it, let me tell you something.” The Second Apostle turned, smiling as if something had just occurred to him.

“He asked me to send his regards. Asked if your arm was alright.”

“…”

This time, Ureka’s face contorted miserably, as if she had bitten into an insect.