Episode 379
Instead of being shocked or flustered by this bombshell, I just looked at Michael. I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised, but my mind and heart were calmer than I thought.
The unknown fairy didn't avoid my gaze. Rather, after locking eyes for a while, this guy suddenly burst out laughing.
The atmosphere changed completely with the laughter. It was like the person had suddenly changed. Or rather, this could be his true self.
He said, "Don't be too stiff. This isn't an expression you should make in front of your benefactor."
"Benefactor?" I asked.
"Yes. If it weren't for me, you would be in a very, very, very dangerous situation."
"I don't think it would be a dangerous situation if I didn't get some points."
"That isn't what I mean. I am talking about your essence right now," he said. I listened quietly as he continued, "Of course, your disguise is quite good but it can't stop someone as discerning as me."
Based on that, it seemed that the Linchal mask wasn't a perfect means of disguise. Still, maybe because I'd been discovered by Ozma of the witch society earlier, I wasn't as surprised as I was back then.
Ludwig's voice suddenly came to mind. "How can there be a perfect disguise in this world?"
It seemed that the insight this guy was talking about wasn't a matter of ordinary perception, though. I asked, "What are you looking at?"
"The most essential part."
"The soul or something like that?"
"The soul... It isn't a term I particularly like." Michael nodded with a casual expression. "However, there is no better analogy to explain the true essence of a being of the material world."
I said nothing.
"Luan Badniker. Don't you understand what I mean?"
Upon hearing those words, I glanced around. Of course, this person wasn't the type who would call my name without thinking. There was probably no one around us who was listening.
Still, no matter what, I felt a bit uncomfortable.
"Are you using a disguise too?"
Michael, no, the Dark Pope Leone, drank cold water as if it was tea while looking at me. He said, "In my case, it is more like a puppet than a disguise."
"What?"
"Don't you know? This body is a puppet."
I quietly observed Michael, just like when I'd seen Alderson's puppets at the academy. I said, "You don't look like a puppet. You are breathing."
"My technical skills far exceed those of Dean Alderson. Of course, you are free to believe me or not."
Hearing this, I remembered what Dean Alderson had mentioned about Leone.
"If Leone is the Dark Pope as you say... She may be a puppeteer of a much higher level than I am."
As far as I could tell right now, there were two beings called the Dark Pope.
I wondered if the Dark Pope that Dorothy had contacted was actually referring to Leone. I didn't think so, though. That woman's purpose was unclear, but at least she wouldn't cause chaos in the world with the demon king's descent. Otherwise, there would be no reason for her to help me in the academy's Otherworld.
The Colorless believers were a very strange faction. They belonged to the Dark Church, but they couldn't be treated simply as church members.
"By the way, I told you to come to Setitus. You didn't listen to me and just wandered around freely. You even faced a situation where it wouldn't be strange if you died a few times," Leone said.
"In the end, I didn't die," I replied.
"That is the interesting part. Do you have the blessings of the gods? Or is your bad luck that strong?" Leone muttered to herself before laughing.
Somehow, I felt that her tone and demeanor had changed somewhat from the last time I saw her. It wasn't an illusion. So I wondered what the reason was. Was it because her appearance had changed?
"Well, you are the type of person who was called the failed product of the Badnikers and had nothing in the way of blessings, so the latter is more plausible. But historically, priests have been resistant to bad luck. Just like with meeting me this time. In many ways, you are an interesting person," she remarked.
"Is this meeting a coincidence?" I asked.
"That's right."
I looked at Leone for a moment as I tried to determine if she was telling the truth or not. Honestly, I had no idea. I also felt that if she deliberately tried to hide her thoughts, I wouldn't be able to figure out anything.
I thought of the only Colorless believer I had met in the south. Dorothy still didn't know that Nalu was Luan. Then again, maybe she had realized my identity and reported it to Leone.
I spoke as if I was throwing a stone into a calm lake. "Dorothy Maniter."
"Huh?"
"Do you know that she has been having secret conversations with the Dark Pope?"
Leone chuckled and said sarcastically, "Let's just decide on one thing. Don't call him the Dark Pope again, Priest. Do you understand?"
Surprisingly, she didn't take Dorothy's betrayal seriously. I wondered if the Dark Pope who currently reigned over the Dark Church was her weak point.
If I had been Luan right now, I would probably have tested her a bit more, scratching beneath the surface to learn more. However, it was a provocation that didn't suit Luzard. So, I let it slide for now.
"Then what should I call them? The Dark Church Master?" I asked.
"Just call them Pope. By the way, are you planning to keep up with this old-fashioned way of speaking even now that your identity has been exposed?"
"That's right."
"A black-scaled lizardman who speaks in an old-fashioned manner? I was surprised to see it. Obviously, the essence is someone I know, but the appearance is messed up."
"Is it really messed up? Didn't you say in the carriage that it was cool?"
"That was just diplomacy. No one sane could look at you and call it cool."
Minus 10 points. I adjusted my evaluation of Michael... no, Leone.
Meanwhile, I continued with my questions. "So Dorothy has been approaching the Pope on your orders and deceiving them?"
"No. Dorothy is acting according to her own judgment. I have no right to force her."
The Dark Church was the most mysterious organization on the continent, but the Colorless faction felt even more mysterious. The being sitting in front of me almost seemed like the biggest mystery of all. I made up my mind that I had to peel off some of those dozens of layers of mysteries today.
"In the first place, Dorothy doesn't like me. She won't obey even if I give her an order," Leone said.
"Why?"
"Maybe because I am the last heir of the bloodline of Setitus."
"Are you saying that you are from the royal family of Setitus?"
"How obnoxious. Didn't you already hear about this from Verita?"
I took in the new information. Still, it seemed that Verita had been diligently reporting everything she saw and heard to Leone. The more I thought about it, the more I felt that the crazy nun was an elite among the Colorless believers.
I wondered out loud, "What does that have to do with Dorothy's dislike of you?"
"It doesn't matter. However, Setitus is the one who ruined her life."
"What does that..."
"Dorothy is an otherworldly being."
I felt that I had once again done a good job of sticking to the image of Luzard. Of course, I already knew this, but it was still a very shocking statement. If I had been in my Luan form, I would've had to show a reaction. However, the lizardman Luzard was a composed being who wouldn't be too surprised even in times like this. There was nothing strange about maintaining a blank expression.
"I don't know if you are surprised or not." Leone frowned. She pretended otherwise, but she was paying attention to my every move as well.
She said, "Well, it doesn't matter. Let's continue. The reason why Dorothy hates me and Setitus is simple. It ties into why Setitus was once called the empire of evil. What I am about to tell you isn't written in any textbooks."
Leone smiled and made a shocking statement. "In the past, Setitus promoted experiments that weren't supposed to be conducted. It touched on a forbidden field in that era."
"A forbidden field?"
"Project Icarus. Its purpose was to establish a connection with another world."
I blinked in surprise. Expressionless or not, I couldn't hide how I felt at this moment. I began, "What does that..."
"What was the original reason? Was it mere curiosity, a genuine desire to encounter the unknown, or just a simple coincidence? It doesn't matter any longer. What you need to know is that unfortunately, the experiment was half a success. The aftermath remains in every part of the world we live in now. You might've heard of it too. The things called OOParts. Scholars call them a lost ancient heritage, but the truth is quite different."
There were times when my mind became stiff from too much information suddenly being provided. That was the case now.
This was the world I lived in, but it felt like an onion. It was like peeling back layers only to find even more. Every time I thought I was finally understanding the essence of the world, something new was revealed. At this point, I felt like I could no longer draw any conclusions.
Of course, apart from the confusion, there were also parts that made sense. It felt right if I thought that the smart something device that Seren obtained was a result of the experiments conducted by Setitus in the past.
"So the world is like this now due to Setitus' crazy experiment?" I asked.
"Put simply, yes," Leone answered.
"Then I understand it even less. From what I know, it was the Colorless Demon King who destroyed Setitus," I said. In other words, my eldest senior brother was responsible.
I continued, "Then to you, shouldn't the Colorless Demon King be a mortal enemy, not a god to worship?"
"That is different."
"Why?"
Leone smiled slightly and said, "I am the one who summoned the Colorless Judge."
"What?"
"I'll talk about this after we get to know each other a bit better. This isn't a situation where we can talk for long. What you need to worry about now isn't the kingdom that was destroyed a hundred years ago. It is your current situation." Leone shrugged. "I'm not sure what your scheme is, but coming here in person wasn't a very good choice. To be honest, at this point, there isn't much I can do to help."
"What the hell is going on in this labor camp?" I asked.
"Let's see... Before I get started, I need to know how much you know. How much do you know about the labor camp?"
"I know very little."
Leone burst out laughing. "That is a lie. You want me to start by telling you what I know, right? Okay. I think you know that a demon king will be summoned here. You mentioned the Pope, so you also know that the Pope and a priest are infiltrating this place, right?"
"That's right."
"Which priests are here?"
"I don't know."
"Aha. I understand." Leone nodded. "To put it simply, there is a competition between the factions belonging to the church here."
"Competition?"
"You don't know the concept? It is said that various organizations have competitions based on performance evaluations."
"I'm not asking for the meaning."
It was too ridiculous. This wasn't some festival; rather, people belonging to the Dark Church were idly competing like this.
"Of course, it isn't the peaceful competition you are thinking of. In some cases, we don't hesitate to take each other's lives," Leone explained.
"What are you competing for?"
"It is obvious. To decide which demon king to summon. We are united under the name of the Dark Church, but each faction has different worshipers and conflicts are bound to arise."
I was stunned as Leone continued, "The sacrifices have already been prepared, and the demon king's descent can be regarded as a certainty. So now, we have to decide which demon king to summon."
"Does that mean that if you win the competition, you can summon any demon king?"
"That wasn't the case originally. Our Colorless faction didn't have the right to participate in the competition, because there was no priest. However..." Leone's eyes curved into a crescent moon shape as she smiled at me and concluded, "You came in on your own."