Chapter 63

The world before my eyes became perfectly clear.

The intense pain, like lightning striking my eyes, that I felt whenever my vision fully returned, and the holy power that rapidly bottomed out as if my life force was being drained, were both clearly present in his heart.

Was this even possible?

“Are you really a demon?”

That was why his very existence was suspicious.

There was no way something like this was possible unless he was truly a demon.

“Don’t compare me to a demon, it’s unpleasant.”

Theo let out a sigh, ha, as if in disbelief.

“I’m several times more competent than a demon.”

Theo gracefully ignored the white lizard that was rolling around in his pocket and poking him.

“This is the trial version.”

Just as Theo seemed to furrow his brow slightly, the world before my eyes blurred again─ and a vast darkness arrived.

How could the completeness I had tasted for a moment be so sweet?

A terribly bitter taste filled Ferdiel’s mouth.

“Even for a trial, isn’t it too short?”

“It’s sweet because it’s short.”

That was true too. But still, I felt like chiding him for why it was so short.

“Take your time to think about it.”

Theo reached out, took Ferdiel’s hand, and helped him to his feet.

“I could kill you right here.”

“Oh my, I know. But you won’t do that, will you?”

His eyes certainly couldn’t see, but strangely, Theo’s confident smile was vivid in his mind’s eye.

His attitude of acting like he knew everything was annoying and I wanted to surprise him, but in the end, nothing he said was wrong.

Ferdiel had already become a desert traveler who had tasted water.

“Whether you accept the cooperation or not, I’ll leave it to the Sword of Doctrine’s choice.”

“Alright.”

“Please come find me in my dormitory room at any time.”

With those words, Theo opened the door to the hideout.

Near the hideout, Zephyros, Lerwon, and Lucian still waited for their conversation to end.

It was probably more like they were on guard in case any trouble broke out, rather than just waiting.

“Is it okay to let him go?”

When Zephyros asked, Theo’s eyes widened as he asked Ferdiel.

“Are you perhaps going to go and report this?”

“First, I plan to check if Hartain is alright.”

Ferdiel leisurely set off on his way.

But only for a moment, as Ferdiel returned and spoke with an awkward smile.

“Anyone who can guide me back to the dormitory?”

At those words, Theo barely held back his laughter and pushed Zephyros on the back.

Zephyros, who was about to voice his complaint, looked at Lucian and Lerwon’s faces and eventually started walking to guide Ferdiel, albeit grumbling.

After walking for a good while and arriving at the dormitory, Zephyros spoke firmly.

“I have no desire to fight with the Sword of Doctrine or his aide, Sir Ignos.”

“Is that so?”

“So… know your limits.”

A wind like a blade grazed past my ear. My nape felt cool, perhaps because of the wind.

“Wouldn’t it be quite tiring to live your whole life on guard, not knowing when the wind might slit your throat?”

It was a threat worthy of a Nevera.

Zephyros left leisurely without looking back, and Ferdiel, upon entering the dormitory, immediately entered a subspace and turned on the communication device.

“Hartain?”

[Did you call?]

“I heard you were caught by the professors, but it seems you got out safely.”

[Yes… I managed to get out somehow, and thankfully, my identity wasn’t discovered. Still, they might suspect the captain’s identity, so please be careful.]

Hartain’s gloomy voice flowed through the communication device.

[I’m sorry. Theo Lisitoel suddenly started running like a madman, and I didn’t even have a chance to catch him. I know it’s an excuse!! I really know it is!!]

“It’s alright.”

[Huh? Captain. What did you just say?]

Hartain was greatly flustered by the unexpected answer, having thought he would be severely reprimanded.

He was acting as the Sword of Doctrine’s deputy and he lost a mere first-year, and he’s being forgiven? On top of that, he was even chased out by the Academy’s professors as a suspicious person?

“You don’t happen to enjoy being punished, do you?”

[No! Absolutely! Not! Who in the world wants to be punished!]

“Then you can just be happy that your fickle master showed mercy this time.”

[…I guess you’re right.]

Hartain decided to admit it meekly.

Right, it was better than being scolded.

[Anyway, I told you to be careful! Then I will return to the Church first! You take care too, Captain!!]

With those words, the communication device went silent.

Ferdiel let out a faint sigh, exited the subspace, and lay down on his bed.

“Well.”

It felt strange.

He had given up on returning to a complete state a long time ago. How could tasting hope just once be so sweet?

Ferdiel closed his eyes.

There was no change in his vision, but strangely, the sunlight of the past felt so vivid before his eyes.

* * *

“Fel! I told you, you don’t have to clean!”

At his sister’s shout, Fel, who was diligently sweeping fallen leaves with a broom, looked toward where the voice came from.

A woman dressed in a priest’s attire ran quickly toward Fel and embraced him in a tight hug.

She was a low-ranking priest who was practically treated with contempt within the temple.

“Nuna!”

She took on all the miscellaneous chores of the orphanage and was affectionately called ‘Nuna’ by the children, more friendly than ‘priest’.

She had been flustered at first, but by now she had grown used to such a title, so Nuna smiled without hesitation and carefully wiped Fel’s sweat.

“It’s early summer, so the sun must be hot. You’re hot, aren’t you?”

“I’m not hot at all.”

Fel pressed his hot cheek against Nuna’s cool hand and grinned.

He wasn’t originally supposed to stay at the temple’s orphanage.

The reason a child who couldn’t even get his name on the orphanage’s list could stay at the orphanage was thanks to the Pope’s mercy, who was concerned about what would happen to children who couldn’t enter the orphanage.

Thanks to that, he had at least avoided living on the streets, so was there any reason Fel couldn’t do something as simple as sweeping fallen leaves for the temple?

“It’s just sweeping leaves, that’s all!”

“Oh my, Fel. You cute little thing.”

“Uwaah, my cheek hurts.”

She pressed his cheeks hard, but Fel smiled brightly at the touch filled with affection.

“Hey! Fel!!”

He turned his head at another voice calling for him.

It was Hartain, who had hair so dark navy that it could be mistaken for black if you didn’t look carefully.

“Tan!”

Smiling brightly, Fel raised his hand high and waved at Tan.

“Over here!”

It was purely a coincidence that Hartain, the second son of the influential Ignos family within the Church, would associate with Fel, who couldn’t even get his name on the temple orphanage’s roster.

But, to young children, such adult circumstances were not important.

The important thing was the matter of what they would play with today.

“I brought wooden swords today!”

Hartain brandished the two wooden swords he held firmly in both hands.

At the precarious sight, Nuna urgently snatched the wooden swords, hugged them to her chest, and exclaimed.

“Swords are dangerous!”

“Hey! Fel is going to be a Heretic Inquisitor like me someday, what’s so dangerous about it!”

Hartain, who had his wooden swords suddenly taken away, grumbled.

“I want to be a priest rather than a Heretic Inquisitor.”

“Where did you sell off our vow to become the best Heretic Inquisitor duo in the Church!”

“I never made such a vow.”

At Fel’s merciless words, a teardrop formed in the corner of Hartain’s eye.

“That’s mean.”

Watching the two children, the priest laughed quietly.

It was a peaceful time in early summer.

And, it was also a day less than a month before the day in the basement, when all that peace would be shattered to pieces.

* * *

“Aren’t you being too relaxed?”

Of course, since he had nearly achieved victory even against the master of Golden, there was no way this was all he had, was there?

At Lerwon’s question, Theo smiled brightly as if he had been waiting.

“Shall we prepare to run away immediately?”

As soon as he heard those words, Lerwon’s expression crumpled in an instant.

Don’t tell me he had no plan? After provoking the Sword of Doctrine so much?

“No, I did cast the bait, but….”

If the other side says no, there’s no way to force it.

I wondered if I could do something with my skill, but that’s a true last resort.

“Lerwon-sunbae, you trust me, right?”

“Your eyes are shaking.”

At my senior’s observation, I swallowed a groan, keuk.

“I’ll try my best for now, but… I think we need to be ready to flee until you’re completely free from the curse.”

“And you’ll be fine?”

“Pardon? What do I have to get caught for?”

I played innocent with a straight face.

I was confident that my contract with Albedo would never be discovered, so it probably wouldn’t become a problem.

There’s no way the system, which could destroy even the world according to my will, would be caught by a mere human, so my only anxiety was Lerwon.

“The things you write become reality.”

At those words from Lerwon, I burst into a coughing fit.

“Cough! Cough!”

What! When did he figure it out!

I never intended to hide it from the few kids I was close with in the first place, but was I still too careless?

I never thought he would hit the nail right on the head.

“Since when did you know?”

“In the underground prison. No matter how much Professor Lisitoel taught you, there’s no way a mere first-year could succeed at teleportation magic.”

“…Could His Majesty the Emperor have found out too?”

Then this is an emergency!

My father’s lie was to protect his son, so they might take the circumstances into account, but it’s still a case of a subject blatantly lying. If it were me, I’d be pissed off and would have screwed over everything I could screw over.

“I wouldn’t know about that.”

“Then I don’t want to hear such irresponsible words!”

I tore at my long hair.

What kind of major disaster was this? Right, no matter what, even I thought that always using my father as an excuse was a bit much.

“He didn’t seem to suspect much, so don’t worry too much.”

Lucian’s words were no different from a rope from heaven.

At this moment, it felt like it would be okay to seek out God.

Oh God, oh System— thank you so much. Please, I beg you, continue to protect me so I can avoid the Emperor’s suspicion.

I put my hands together and prayed earnestly.

“Is there no possibility of that getting found out?”

“I can be almost 100% certain that there isn’t.”

《Yes, even if I were discovered, I could say there is no possibility of the power you possess being discovered.》

What, you’re in huge trouble if you get discovered too, you know?

I actually think it would be fine if Zephyros, Lerwon, or Lucian found out about the system, but Albedo is a bit different.

The system, I could at least spin some story about it being a power from God, but being contracted to a demon is a direct ticket to the heresy hell-train.

“If that’s the case, then it matters even less. In the end, the one who needs to be careful is me, not you.”

“That’s true.”

The moment Sunbae gets caught, I will 100% become a heretic too through guilt by association.

Zephyros is the heir of Nevera, so he’ll get out of it somehow, and Lucian is, of course, an exception.

There’s no way the Descendant of the Hero, sent by God, could be a heretic.

Compared to them, there’s the fact that the petty Pope hates my father, and I also actively tried to hide Lerwon’s identity.

“What’s certain is that you and I are in the same boat, Sunbae.”

If there’s one thing I can declare for sure, it’s this.

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