Chapter 260: Find the Traitor (4)
At that completely unexpected bombshell, my mouth fell open. “His son, you said? The Prophet of Eternity?”
Khalid gave a bitter smile and nodded slowly. “That’s right.”
“W-wait a moment. I’m having trouble wrapping my head around this. You mean his real son, right? As in, actually related by blood?”
“Yes. Born from an egg and a sperm meeting through the passionate sex between a man and a woman.”
“No, I didn’t need that much detail.”
“For the record, I was quite popular with ladies back in my day, too. I have no kids, though.”
We were talking just fine. What nonsense is this drunk rambling about now?
“What am I supposed to do with that information?” I sighed and continued, “So then, what happened after the Prophet of Eternity came to see you?”
“I lived with my father for a while. Only for a few months, though.”
“And after that?”
“I was abandoned again.”
“What?”
Abandoned again? What does that even mean?
“Heh. My father said I wasn’t the ‘seed’ he had been looking for,” he explained. “Tsk. If that was the case, he shouldn’t have come looking for me in the first place, don’t you think?”
Khalid rummaged through the bag and pulled out a fresh bottle of liquor. When I saw the deep sorrow in his eyes, my expression stiffened.
“What kind of person was the Prophet of Eternity?” I asked.
“Who knows. I’d like to know myself. He always kept his face hidden behind a mask, and we hardly ever spoke.”
“He didn’t even show his face to his son?”
“Heh. If he truly thought of me as his son, why would he have abandoned me in the first place?”
I couldn’t think of anything to say to that.
“But still, yes.” Tilting the bottle, Khalid continued in a bitter tone, “He seemed lonely.”
“Lonely?”
“Yes. Like someone left all alone in an endlessly stretching snowfield, wandering ceaselessly in search of something.”
Like someone left alone in an endless snowfield—the phrase naturally stirred memories of my previous life, of the distant, unending hell of an eternal existence.
“You never saw the Prophet of Eternity again after that?” I asked.
“That’s right. I’ve run into members of the Church of Eternity a few times, but not a single one of them knew where my father was.”
We were back at square one again. I shook my head, letting out a deep sigh, when a sudden thought brushed past my mind. “Wait. Earlier, you called me father, didn’t you?”
“Ah, that was just a momentary mistake.”
“You mistook me for the Prophet of Eternity?”
You said you’d never even seen his face. What was there to mistake?
“It was the smell,” he explained.
“The smell?”
“Yes. My father had the same scent as you, like old wood.”
“Hm!”
The smell of old wood. Don’t tell me... Does the Prophet of Eternity also possess the power of the Tree of Creation? I wondered.
From extending another person’s lifespan to reviving the dead, the power wielded by the Prophet of Eternity clearly went far beyond the realm of ordinary blessings. Yes, it was much like the Blessing of Resurrection. Was I not the only one who held the power of the Tree of Creation? My thoughts tangled into a mess, and a deep sigh slipped from between my lips.
“Heh. Why the serious face?” Khalid asked.
“Just trying to make sense of my complicated thoughts.”
He shook the bottle in his hand, the liquor sloshing inside. “When that happens, isn’t this the best remedy?”
I swallowed a small laugh and finally tipped the bottle I had been holding without taking a single sip until now. The sharp scent of alcohol spread through my mouth. It was not the refined aroma of high-end whiskey or wine, but the harsh, chemical alcohol stench unique to cheap liquor.
I glared at the green bottle and frowned. “How do you even enjoy drinking something this bitter?”
“You mean soju?”
“Yes.”
It was a drink widely popular throughout the Republic, but personally, it wasn’t to my taste. I rarely drank it.
Clicking his tongue, Khalid shook his head. “Heh. I see. Soju tastes bitter to you?”
With melancholy eyes, he gazed up at the pre-dawn night sky. “As you go on living, you too will have a day when... soju tastes sweet.”
I’ve lived at least a hundred times longer than you, you old drunk. If this tastes sweet to you, it’s just that your tongue’s gone bad. Swallowing the words rising within, I shook my head again.
If Khalid wasn’t the traitor, then who was? Headmaster Ryu? Or Pope Marianne? Johan Basilio? There were simply too many things that didn’t add up for any of them to be pawns of the Prophet of Eternity.
Staring at me, Khalid asked, “Heh. Are you wondering whether there’s a traitor among the Masters?”
“You’re annoyingly perceptive.”
He flashed a sly smile. “An old man ought to be perceptive, shouldn’t he?”
Watching that smile, I let out a short, incredulous chuckle. “Do you know anything?”
“I’ve investigated for quite a long time myself, and my conclusion is that there’s no traitor among the Masters.”
“Then...”
“My guess is that the traitor is likely someone close, an aide or associate with strong ties to one of the Masters.”
A Master’s close aide, huh.
“Are you certain?” I asked.
Khalid shrugged and shook his head. “Not entirely. I can’t see into people’s hearts, so how could I be sure? To be honest, until not long ago, I was even suspicious of the Empress herself, but she sent you here. It seems she has no ties to the Church of Eternity either.”
“You suspected Her Majesty?”
“The Prophet of Eternity can extend a person’s lifespan, can he not? Those in power inevitably crave immortality, so I thought the Empress might be a possibility as well.”
“By that logic, wouldn’t all the Masters be considered people in power?”
Khalid nodded as he tipped back his bottle. “Heh heh. True enough. In any case, if you plan to keep investigating, I’d suggest focusing on the Masters’ close aides.”
“Hm. All right. I understand.”
While I said I understood, once I included their aides, the scope became far too broad. Investigating that right away would be impossible. I clicked my tongue and tilted my soju bottle along with him.
Suddenly, Khalid asked, “Oh, right. You said you’re a third-year cadet, didn’t you?”
“I’m a fourth-year now,” I replied.
“Oh? Then you’re in the same year as my boy.”
I tilted my head and looked back at him. “Your son? Didn’t you say earlier that you had no children?”
“Ah, not a biological son. I adopted a child some years ago.”
“You adopted one?” I asked. He didn’t exactly strike me as the nurturing type.
“There was a story behind it. I had a subordinate I was fond of, and he died on a job. So, I ended up taking in his son.”
“I see.”
“His name’s Morris Jin. Ever heard of him?”
“Oh, yes. He was in the same class as me last year.”
Khalid’s eyes sparkled at the thought of me being in the same class as his son. “Oh! Then you two must’ve been friends!”
“I wouldn’t go so far as to call us friends. We barely exchanged a word.”
“Huh? But you were in the same class.”
“I’m not really the type to make lots of friends.”
“Ah. Well, looking at you, I suppose you don’t exactly have the kind of personality that makes you universally friendly.”
Hey now. What’s wrong with my personality?
“Hmm. What a shame. Still, if you happen to see him later, at least say hello for me,” he added.
“Understood. If I get the chance, I’ll talk to him.”
“Heh. I’m not saying this just because he’s my boy, but he’s sharp and kind. He helps his old man out a lot, too. Oh, and recently he even placed second in his year! And then there’s also...”
Khalid launched into a rambling tirade of bragging about his son. I thought he was just a drunk, but he turned out to be a doting parent. If I let this continue, he would probably keep bragging until sunrise.
I interrupted him. “Then I’ll be heading off now.”
“Hm? Leaving already?”
“Already? It’s almost dawn.”
“Heh heh heh. Then shouldn’t we just keep drinking until the sun sets again?”
I chose to ignore him. Leaving the drunken old man behind, I headed back toward the academy. My thoughts turned to Morris Jin. He was a cadet I had already found somewhat suspicious, even before this. Camilla had been unable to defeat Morris even though she had grown strong enough to shock Johan Basilio.
It was still only speculation, but there was a strong chance Morris was hiding his true strength as well. Moreover, Khalid had said there could be a pawn of the Church of Eternity among the Masters’ close aides. Morris wasn’t Khalid’s biological son, but seeing how Khalid beamed with pride while talking about him, I didn’t think it was strange to call Morris a “close aide” of Khalid’s. It meant that Morris could be a pawn of the Church of Eternity.
No, that’s going too far, I told myself. I couldn’t jump to conclusions without even having exchanged a proper word with him.
“For now, I should report this to Her Majesty.”
Just thinking about reporting today’s events to Camellia made a deep sigh escape my lips. It wasn’t a complete loss, but if judged purely by results, this operation was close to a total failure. Not only had I failed to find the traitor, but my identity had also been exposed.
My steps grew heavier, and another sigh slipped out. The client was the reigning Empress herself, currently ranked number one. I had been secretly hoping for a generous reward for this mission. Now, it seemed like I could forget about any reward.
With heavy steps, I made my way back toward the academy.
* * *
Inside the faculty-only dormitory within the Hero Academy, in one of the specially renovated rooms reserved for hosting famous figures or honored guests for short stays, a platinum-blonde woman sat quietly. Camellia stared intently at the holographic screen floating before her. “Oh? I see. Is this indeed what men are into these days!”
Finishing her “research,” she curled her lips into a grin. A triumphant smile spread across her face as she nodded to herself. “Good. I’ve decided on the reward.”