Atrium Territory.

Before the regression, it had been the stronghold of humanity’s traitors.

They had sided with the Demon King, Idria.

They had taken up arms for Idria and declared war on humanity in her name.

Kaeld had entered this territory then, having accepted a quest.

And back then, he had said this:

“There’s no choice but to kill them all.”

Xenia had cried out in horror.

“Wait, please. Let’s hear them out first.”

“Fine. Let’s hear them out… and then kill them.”

“Mr. Kaeld!”

“The Demon King has descended, and humanity is in peril. And in times like this, they betray their own? You think that makes any sense?”

Xenia shut her mouth tight.

Kaeld turned to me and said,

“This time, I’ll make sure you break your vow not to kill.”

“Not happening.”

“Mide.”

“That territory has about three million residents. And all three million are united in their hostility against us.”

“…”

“To borrow your own words: You think this makes any sense?”

Kaeld flinched.

I continued speaking.

“This is clearly one of Demon King’s schemes.”

“What kind of scheme?”

“That’s what you are supposed to find out. You are the Hero, aren’t you?”

Kaeld bit his lip.

Looking back now, I’m almost certain he had received that quest from the ‘Path to becoming the Hero.’

Idria probably used that quest to make him kill all the residents of this land.

She had manipulated them into betraying humanity.

And humanity, without knowing the truth, would commit total slaughter.

That would complete one of Idria’s most brilliant lies.

Kaeld said,

“No. I’ll kill them.”

“Hey.”

“It’s the surest way.”

He trailed off.

Back then, I hadn’t understood. But now, I do.

Because it was the surest path to becoming a Hero.

When I stopped reminiscing, Trail spoke.

[So, what happened in the end?]

‘I told him if he killed them, I would leave the party.’

[Huh?]

‘And… yeah. Neril immediately said she would quit too.’

Then Xenia followed suit and said she would leave.

So did Adwin, and Offense.

And Lisel, and Serein as well.

In the end, Kaeld had no choice but to back down.

Back then, Xenia and Serein had combined their powers to cast an imprisonment spell over the entire territory, resolving the issue.

We didn’t even have the support of the Demon Kings Gem back then, so we were completely exhausted afterward.

The residents weren’t able to leave the territory until the final battle against the Demon King.

‘It was a very Idria-style move.’

[You are certain this was one of her schemes, huh?]

‘Yeah. Still, we should confirm it properly.’

[Whose secret do you want to look at, Idria and who?]

‘Kaeld. He’s the kind who can’t leave things alone. I’m sure he kept pressing for answers.’

[Hehe.]

Soon, a screen floated into view.

<You have used the Eye of Omniscience.>

<Current Eye of Omniscience level: 4. You may view secrets up to Grade A.>

<Selected filter: ‘Secrets between Idria and Kaeld Wake.’>

<This secret is Grade A. Accessing now.>

Just as I had suspected, Kaeld was questioning Idria on the screen.

And surprisingly, Idria had already predicted that I would seek out the Celestial God in order to secure the divine oracle.

‘So she really is sharp.’

But what shocked me more was what came next.

Idria said:

“This is bad. I need at least two more weeks to finish preparing the oracle. If Mide manages to talk with the Celestial God before that..”

That part.

Two weeks?

It only takes two weeks to prepare a fake oracle?

That’s insane.

The fire was already licking at my eyebrows.

Then Idria opened up a dimensional space.

On the other side, four figures lay sleeping.

‘Them!’

The First to Fourth Fingers of Lies.

Idria’s personal agents, monsters who had tormented our party relentlessly before the regression.

Originally, the Fifth Finger—Teranaim, a.k.a. Ophelia, would have been there too.

The one empty space, just large enough for a single person, made my chest feel oddly warm.

Idria pulled out the Fourth Finger and sent them through another portal.

That’s when Kaeld’s voice came through.

“Is it okay to just send off one of your only five agents like that?”

“The Fourth Finger isn’t some weakling like Teranaim. The others are no different.”

“Still… wouldn’t it be better to send all four at once?”

“If I had the luxury, I would. But preparing the oracle and lending power to my agents? Even I can’t manage both.”

Oh. That’s… actually kind of a relief.

If Idria had lost her mind and sent all four remaining Fingers at once, we might not have been able to handle it.

Then Idria asked Kaeld,

“Do you believe in the Celestial God?”

“What kind of random question is that?”

“If you do, you would better start praying. Because that’s exactly what I feel like doing right now.”

She continued,

“If Mide receives the oracle first…everything ends.”

Click.

The screen cut out.

A Demon King praying to the Celestial God…

What a sight that would be.

Maybe I should ask her to do it when I slit her throat?

Anyway…

The Fourth Finger of Lie: Sabach.

I remember that one being a real nightmare to deal with.

Judging from the situation, it must have been Sabach who led Atrium to betray humanity before the regression.

[How’s that even possible? That Sabach guy, can he control people or something?]

‘I have no idea. Back then, we didn’t have the time or luxury to figure it out.’

Sabach had hidden behind walls of humans, using them as shields.

At the time, the best we could do was break through those human shields and kill the Fourth Finger, we had no time to investigate further.

After a moment’s thought, I spoke.

“We will go, Your Majesty.”

My party turned to me in surprise. Follow current novᴇls on N0veI.Fiɾe.net

The emperor replied with joy.

—Oho! You will handle it for me?

“Yes. This isn’t just any matter, the lives of the residents are at stake.”

—Do you really think they would commit suicide? Life is precious to anyone.

“Isn’t that exactly why Your Majesty contacted me?”

—…

“Please wait for good news. We will excuse ourselves now.”

Click.

I stowed the orb back in my bag.

As if she had been waiting, Neril spoke up.

“Mide. Do we even have time for this?”

“Hm.”

“Of course, I’m worried about the residents too. It does look like Idria’s pulling some strings again.”

“Exactly. She’s trying to stall for time. So that we can’t make a move until she finishes her fake oracle.”

“Then if we go to Atrium now, aren’t we just dancing in the Demon King’s palm?”

I shook my head.

“The fake oracle will be ready in two weeks.”

Everyone’s jaws dropped.

Serein murmured,

“Mide, why don’t you just become the priest yourself? If the oracle’s fake anyway, then a fake priest shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Anyway, Xenia. Considering the distance between Atrium and the ‘Starting Line,’ how much time can we actually spend there out of those two weeks?”

“J-just a moment.”

Xenia pulled out a map, groaned a bit, then replied.

“No matter how generously I calculate it… four days? No, maybe three.”

“So as long as we wrap things up in Atrium within three days, we are fine?”

“Yes, but… is that even possible?”

I answered lightly on purpose.

“We will just have to make it possible.”

Even Agril, sensing the tension, refrained from preaching about divine power and flew toward Atrium without complaint.

As the morning sun rose, we floated above Atrium specifically, above the estate’s main residence.

“Let’s descend.”

Thud.

We all landed on the balcony of the manor.

Offense spoke.

“It’s been a while since I have entered somewhere without going through the front door.”

“Well, these aren’t normal circumstances.”

“Think we will get mistaken for thieves?”

“Then let’s clear up the misunderstanding. Physically.”

“……”

Though the window was locked, Lisel whispered a simple incantation, and the latch on the inside clicked open.

We stepped inside, and luckily enough, it appeared to be the lord’s office.

Whether it was because we’d hidden our presence well, or because he was too lost in his own mind, the lord didn’t notice our entrance.

‘Probably the latter.’

He was clutching his head, face buried in the desk.

“Ugh… Why is this happening…”

“What seems to be the matter?”

“You’re asking because you don’t know? I—I have led a rebellion against the capital…?!”

He jumped up from his seat.

His eyes were wide with panic.

I tried to calm him.

“Well, calling it a rebellion is a stretch. It was more like a threat, wasn’t it? You didn’t turn your sword on the capital, you turned it on yourself.”

“Y-you are…?”

“Mide Mohan. These are my companions.”

Whether or not it was fitting for the situation, each party member introduced themselves in turn.

The lord stumbled back into his chair and slumped down.

Then, gazing up at the ceiling like a man in a daze, he muttered,

“So it’s come to this after all…”

Neril spoke.

“Judging by your face, you didn’t really mean it, did you? That threat about killing yourself if Kaeld wasn’t recognized as the Hero.”

“…No. I meant it.”

“Don’t lie. Just a second ago you were clearly full of regret. You were in agony over why this was happening.”

“You must have misheard. I never said anything like that.”

Now fully composed, the lord looked at us with a surprisingly firm and clear gaze.

If we hadn’t just seen him a moment ago, we might have truly believed him.

‘He didn’t seem like a particularly good actor though…’

[You think he’s being controlled? By that Fourth Finger guy?]

‘Hmm. Hold on.’

I signaled to Neril with a glance.

She formed a quick sign with her hand.

It was the same spell she’d used when identifying the Gem of Corruption in Patrick’s eye.

I expected some meaningful result.

But Neril murmured with a grim expression,

“There’s nothing. Not a trace.”

“That can’t be. Try again.”

“If you want, I can do it hundreds of times. The result won’t change.”

…Huh?

Then this person, these residents, they are all being sincere?

They truly risked their lives for Kaeld?

That’s when…

Step.

Offense stepped forward.

He already had a dagger in his hand.

I asked in surprise,

“What are you doing?”

“Relax. I’m not going to kill anyone.”

“That’s usually my line.”

“Maybe I picked it up from you. I just need a bit of blood.”

“Ah, if it’s just that, go ahead.”

The lord cried out in disbelief.

“What…! You call yourself a Hero, and yet…!”

“…”

“How can you claim to be a Hero doing something like that?!”

“All done.”

“The true Hero is Kaeld, no wait, what? Done?”

In the blink of an eye, Offense had nicked the lord’s forearm and collected a bit of blood in a small vial.

The cut was so clean, it had already stopped bleeding.

Xenia quietly stepped up.

“Shall I heal that for you?”

“Come on, Xenia. No need to use divine power on something so minor. Just slap a bit of ointment on it.”

“True. …Ah, no. That’s bad.”

“What is?”

“I think I have been agreeing with Serein more and more lately.”

Serein huffed, but Xenia ignored her.

I gave a wry smile and said to Offense,

“That was some impressive precision.”

“Coming from someone else, I’d take it as a compliment. From you, it just feels awkward.”

“Anyway. Why did you need the lord’s blood?”

“Hold on.”

Offense walked over to the window with the vial.

He shook it a few times in the sunlight.

Then his expression hardened.

We all hurried over to him.

In a low voice, quiet enough not to be heard by the lord, we asked,

“What is it?”

“It’s poison.”

“Poison? But the lord seems fine.”

“Not all poison kills instantly. Some weaken. Some just cause pain.”

I nodded.

“Now that you mention it, the current emperor killed the previous one with a weakening poison.”

“Yeah. My master, wait, what? You knew about that?”

“Yeah.”

“You knew and didn’t say anything?”

“Why should I? It was your master who did it. Not you.”

Offense blinked several times in surprise.

Then a faint smile tugged at his lips.

“You talked about it with the emperor after the Black Sun incident, right? About how he poisoned his predecessor.”

“Mm.”

“I felt a bit nervous back then. Wondered if I should tell you myself.”

“Again, it wasn’t you. You don’t need to say anything.”

He fell silent for a moment, then quietly said,

“I’m really glad I decided to follow you.”

“Don’t get all sentimental, just tell us about the poison.”

“Heh. This poison is called Craving. As the name suggests, once you are addicted, you start craving more of it.”

Everyone tilted their heads, not quite following.

Offense continued.

“Think of it like a drug. No, it is a drug, basically.”

“…”

“Just a single drop in your bloodstream, and your entire mind and body become obsessed with when you’ll get your next dose.”

“Huh.”

“You would sacrifice anything to get more. Wealth. People. Family. Even your own life.”

From my memory of the past timeline, and from the Eye of Omniscience, this had to be the work of the Fourth Finger of Lie.

Offense went on.

“My master was the one who created Craving. The same one which poisoned the previous emperor.”

“W-what?”

“Hmm? Why so shocked?”

“…”

Wait a second…

So the Fourth Finger is Offense’s master? Hyran Gois?

After a short silence, I asked,

“How widely is that poison distributed? In the assassin’s guilds.”

“Extremely rare. My master was the only one who knew the formula. And now he’s… Actually, never mind.”

“Dead, right? Because you killed him.”

“…!”

“Sorry. The emperor already blabbed before I even asked.”

Offense flinched and took a step back.

“Uh, I had my reasons back then…”

“Enough. Offense.”

“Serein?”

“What kind of legendary assassin makes that face? Just grin like usual.”

Coming from Serein, the one who usually treated Offense like air, that was unexpected.

The other party members also didn’t seem especially bothered. They just shrugged.

Offense scratched his head.

Then Adwin asked,

“But bro, are you saying this whole mass-suicide thing in the territory is because of that poison?”

“There’s no other explanation.”

“But Offense just said his master is dead, and there’s only a tiny amount of that poison left out there. Yet this territory…”

“Has about three million people. Yeah, I see where you are going.”

I looked Offense in the eye and said,

“To get straight to the point, Hyran Gois is still alive.”

“…!”

“Or rather, more accurately… he’s dead. Just like Ophelia.”

Offense’s face twisted in realization.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep