Chapter 212: The Conference (4)

There were countless individuals who operated in the underworld wearing masks.

However, as NOX gained notoriety, people increasingly began to associate masks with NOX.

Moreover, if someone discovered the golden crescent moon engraved on one side, suspicion naturally turned into certainty.

The mustached man asked with a puzzled expression.

“How did you realize this place?”

“Your tail was too long.”

“…Damn that Aboki bastard.”

He seemed to have grasped the situation in an instant.

He must have realized that they were caught during the terrorist plan to spread Black Beads at the meeting of the organizations.

Carl turned his head toward Frahan, who still hadn’t grasped the situation and stood awkwardly.

“Frahan Althausen.”

“…”

Upon being called, Instructor Frahan’s fighting spirit flared up.

He seemed to be sharpening his senses, ready to respond at any moment.

But Carl had no intention of fighting Frahan.

“Do you know that the Althausen Family has colluded with the Demon Race?”

“Demon? What are you talking about?”

“The man in front of you is a puppet of an organization called Origin. From the looks of it, you’ve been naively used…”

“NOX!!”

Shhhlaaang!

A sharp slash tore through the air.

The already broken wall crumbled again, debris soaring into the air.

Carl, who had evaded the attack effortlessly by turning into a wisp of smoke, landed even closer to them.

Immediately after, Instructor Frahan grabbed the greatsword he had leaned against the wall and blocked the mustached man.

“Sir Ventu.”

“Sir Frahan. Are you swayed by such nonsense?”

“Whether it’s nonsense or not, we’ll find out.”

Carl cut off the man’s words with a chilling smile.

At the same time, the unleashed pressure bore down on everyone in the room.

It conveyed the will that no one would be forgiven for even lifting a finger.

‘The chances that Instructor Frahan knew their identities and sided with them are low.’

Based on what Carl had sensed so far, his character was nothing if not upright.

If that weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have passed on his secret technique to Laysis just to keep a promise made in a mere lecture.

It was hard to believe Frahan had willingly conspired with Origin.

‘That must mean he’s either being held hostage or has a reason he couldn’t avoid.’

Fortunately, the timing wasn’t bad.

Judging from what the mustached man—called Sir Ventu—had said, it seemed Frahan was still wavering in the middle.

“Go on, then. Keep talking.”

Perhaps Frahan had sensed something was off too.

He silenced Ventu, whom he’d been talking to just moments ago, and raised his greatsword toward Carl.

“There’s nothing to say. I’ll just show you.”

“What…?”

Carl gripped his sword.

Since he had come as NOX, not Carlos Leipzig, he hadn’t brought Cheonroe.

The sword he held now was an ordinary longsword, but Carl boldly drew a holy sign and used divine power.

Flaaaash!

A bright green divine energy flared up and wrapped around the sword like an aura.

At that brilliant light, Ventu flinched and opened his eyes wide.

“A paladin? No, a holy sword?!”

Logically, to exert divine power of this purity, one had to be either a paladin who surpassed the master level among holy knights or wield a holy relic or artifact-level divine weapon.

Since NOX, a so-called back-alley organization, couldn’t possibly have a paladin, the assumption that Carl’s weapon was a holy sword was a reasonable one.

“…”

Instructor Frahan, too, wore a grave expression at the dazzling light blooming before his eyes.

If nothing else, divine power could not be imitated.

God’s bestowed grace was an inviolable domain.

Swoosh.

Carl lightly kicked off the ground and charged at Ventu.

Ventu, momentarily blinded by the divine light before his eyes, reacted a beat too late.

Clang!

But as a fighter who had reached the master level, he barely managed to block Carl’s sword.

Of course, to withstand the divine power, he had no choice but to unleash his true strength.

Chzzzzzt.

The demonic energy erupting from Ventu’s body consumed his skin, dyeing it a dark red.

Whether he had contracted with a high-ranking demon or not, despite being eroded by such pure demonic energy, Ventu retained consciousness and glared at Carl with bloodshot eyes.

“…You bastard!”

“How dare you…!”

Ventu’s shout and Frahan’s cry of shock rang out simultaneously.

Frahan, having served as a former knight commander, had experience fighting both Black Mages and Demon Humans contracted with the Demon Race.

But to think Ventu, who had been deeply involved in the family’s internal affairs, was one of those Demon Humans…

‘No way…’

Frahan’s gaze turned toward the head of the Althausen Family.

Since the moment Carl had unleashed his divine power, Count Althausen’s complexion had turned pale, and now he spoke to his nephew with a sunken face.

“It was an unavoidable choice for the sake of the family. Frahan, if you would just join us…”

“How could you!”

Thud.

Instructor Frahan released an overwhelming pressure.

The sharp energy waves scattered, adding a new shift to the fierce standoff between Carl and Ventu.

“To collude with the Demon Race only leads to ruin! You stood beside me and watched the hell I went through, and yet…!”

“You know it was inevitable.”

But Count Althausen replied with a calm expression.

“To save Elysia, we had no choice.”

“Do you think your daughter wanted that? For her father and her entire family to join hands with demons and fall into the pit of damnation?”

“Frahan.”

Count Althausen gently cut off his words with a faint smile.

“A father has no choice. Didn’t you cherish Elly as well?”

“…”

Blue veins bulged on the back of Instructor Frahan’s hand as he gripped the hilt of his greatsword.

It was unfortunate that it couldn’t be denied.

Count Althausen’s youngest daughter, Elysia, had been weak since childhood due to a congenital illness.

That was why they searched far and wide for a cure, but starting a year ago, her condition drastically worsened.

As a last resort, they summoned a renowned physician from another country for treatment, and miraculously, her condition began to improve.

It was said that ancient sorcery was used, but it required a contract with the deity he served.

He claimed that the more followers his god gained, the stronger the god would become, increasing the chances of healing Elysia.

Instructor Frahan signed the contract without hesitation.

He would do anything to save the niece he loved.

In order to fully defeat the illness, multiple contracts were needed.

What Frahan had reserved as a final resort was to pledge his soul to increase the god’s power.

But who would have imagined that the contracting entity was actually a demon?

“We’ll be the ones to cure your niece.”

“…!”

Carl said to Instructor Frahan, who was still overwhelmed with despair.

“There’s no guarantee of a full recovery, but it’s better than surrendering your soul to a demon.”

“…The other members of the family have already had their souls pledged to them. Can that be undone?”

“I don’t know.”

Carl answered honestly.

Normally, he would have said it was impossible.

No matter who he was, even Carl couldn’t intervene in a binding contract between parties.

But now that he had absorbed the power of the demigod Kylos, he felt that perhaps he might be able to retrieve the souls of those contracted to demons.

“But I’ll do everything I can.”

“…That’s enough.”

Instructor Frahan nodded and turned his back to Carl.

He had just met this man today, didn’t know his identity, face, or name, yet he felt an odd sense of trust.

Whether it was due to the radiant divine power emitted by the holy sword, he couldn’t say, but at the very least, it was more trustworthy than the demon-worshipping followers radiating demonic energy.

“Frahan!”

Count Althausen shouted.

Ventu, now half-transformed into a demon, did the same.

“This has gotten troublesome.”

With a heavy sigh, he narrowed his eyes and spoke to Count Althausen.

“We’ll need to find another vessel. Let’s give up on Frahan.”

“…”

Count Althausen bit his lip hard.

“Vessel? Don’t tell me you planned to take over my body?”

Instructor Frahan’s face twisted at the ominous implication.

Ventu shrugged as if saying there was no point in hiding it now.

“You didn’t know, but for a high-ranking demon to descend to the surface, a suitable body is necessary. It’s impossible with just any vessel. A body and level at the Master tier would have made it worth a try, but it’s a shame.”

“…”

Instructor Frahan looked genuinely shocked.

To think the physician he had invited to treat his niece had such an agenda behind the scenes.

‘Is he just naïve or completely oblivious?’

Carl glanced sideways at Instructor Frahan.

With his strength at the Master level, he should have noticed something odd, yet he had sensed nothing.

Or perhaps he had consciously ignored it in his desperation to save his niece.

Either way, gaining Instructor Frahan as an ally was not a bad outcome.

‘A useful sword acquired.’

Even within NOX, only a handful among the Black Label executives could defeat Instructor Frahan in combat.

Carl, who had already formed a rough plan in his head, nodded and spoke to him.

“Let’s clean up this place first.”

“…Even if it gets a bit noisy, it shouldn’t be a problem. The barrier set around the mansion blocks all external connections.”

“That’s good.”

Pop.

Carl’s form vanished from his spot.

He reappeared behind Ventu, who had lowered his posture in caution.

Clang!

Ventu, belatedly sensing Carl’s presence, turned and swung his sword.

He managed to block the blade thrusting from his blind spot, but he looked visibly startled by Carl’s movement vanishing instantly from his view.

“You use a holy sword but move like an assassin. What kind of absurd combination is that?”

“Everyone dies in confusion like that.”

You’ll be no different.

At Carl’s stare, Ventu let out a dry laugh.

“Even a mutt gets a head start on its home turf. Have you forgotten where you are?”

“…”

At the same time, Carl looked around.

The floor of the mansion began to darken ominously.

He immediately kicked off the ground and stepped into the air, but the erupting darkness quickly enveloped the entire area, sealing it in.

“Guh!”

Instructor Frahan struggled, swinging his greatsword.

The darkness rising from the floor clung to his body, trying to bind him.

Carl landed swiftly behind him and tapped Frahan’s back.

Flaaash!

A stream of divine power imbued his large body, repelling the darkness clinging to him like ticks.

“…”

Finally able to calm down, Instructor Frahan looked around with sunken eyes.

“It looks like some kind of barrier or seal. Any idea what it is?”

“Probably something to bind our movements so we can’t escape. Or maybe a stage for battle. Either way, it’s an amusing ability.”

Carl also glanced around.

Had they enveloped the entire space with demonic energy?

It felt like a world of imagination being manifested into reality.

Of course, it couldn’t replicate the omnipotent power within that internal realm.

Rumble.

At that moment, the ground trembled and a massive darkness began to rise.

Instructor Frahan, who looked up without thinking, let out a hollow laugh as he saw the dark mass rapidly take shape.

“A Demon Dragon? They really prepared quite the spectacle.”

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