*Tack!*
As the intervals between the bell’s tolling grew shorter, Shilona’s pace quickened.
She moved at a speed that was difficult for an ordinary person to track with their eyes. It was ten minutes after she had left the House of Portran that Shilona, who had been leaping lightly across the rooftops, landed on the ground.
*Huff, huff.*
Shilona panted heavily as she scanned her surroundings.
“Where is he? Where could he be!?”
She was in a market alleyway within the Central Plaza. Unlike during the day, the area was deserted at night. The Bell of Francesco was ringing, clearly sensing a pure divine power in this location.
“Saintess!”
A member of the Holy Knight Order, who had been near the House of Portran, arrived before her.
He had hurriedly followed her after seeing her dash out of the Portran estate just before their scheduled meeting time.
Shilona closed her eyes and focused on the vibration of the bell. The vibration was growing stronger. The knight also seemed to grasp the situation and watched her with bated breath.
They cautiously moved in the direction of the strengthening vibration. Only the faint light of the crescent moon illuminated their vision in the thick darkness.
They had walked for a short while when something appeared.
Discarded black robes and skeletal remains were scattered across the ground before them.
“Saintess, this is…!”
“You’re right. They are the Undead Warriors of Beelzebub.”
As Shilona examined the gaunt bones within the black robes, she spoke as if reciting a memory from the fierce War of Black and White.
Undead Warriors.
These were high-ranking monsters created by Beelzebub, who used his authority to reincarnate the dead into monsters. Because they retained the memories and strength they had in life, they were considered top-tier threats.
Shilona let out a low groan as she looked at them. The Undead Warriors were now truly dead. Based on the state of the remains, one might mistake them for having been dead for a long time, but she knew well that these corpses had been vividly alive and moving until just moments ago.
Having lost many comrades to Undead Warriors in the past, there was no way she could fail to recognize them.
Furthermore, red-eyed flies were crawling over the corpses. Those flies clung to every living being touched by Beelzebub.
“They were killed with a single strike.”
Shilona muttered as she looked at the neatly severed remains. Doppelgangers, undead, and Undead Warriors—among all monsters with human forms, Undead Warriors possessed strength incomparable to the others.
And yet.
To think someone had cut down such Undead Warriors with a single sword strike! Even if their outward appearance had withered like a fly’s, they were individuals who had reached the level of at least a High Knight in the past.
Those who caught Beelzebub’s eye to become Undead Warriors were usually those at the level of High Knight or above.
“This is absolutely impossible for anyone other than a Sword Master.”
Shilona’s smile deepened. A swordsman skilled enough to cut down ten Undead Warriors—it was a reasonable suspicion that the God’s Messenger was a Sword Master.
More than anything, there was no longer any room to doubt the verses of the ancient scriptures that mentioned the God’s Messenger. With this incident, the outline of the Messenger had become clear.
“Summon all the Holy Knights. The Apostle is nearby!”
“Yes, my Lady!”
This was great news for the Holy Empire, which had been waiting for him. Moreover, that the Apostle was a Sword Master suited for this current Era of Black and White was even better.
Shilona’s heart raced with anticipation. The knight’s face also began to flush with excitement.
“He’s still close. We must find him.”
Shilona searched for the Apostle’s tracks. He surely couldn’t have gone far. Since he had used his power twice in Delos, it was certain that he lived in the capital.
Perhaps… was he intentionally hiding his presence? If he was capable of slaying Undead Warriors, he might already be aware of the Holy Knights searching for him.
But whatever the reason, Shilona had to find the Apostle. That was the mission given to her.
She moved her feet both cautiously and swiftly.
***
The Central Plaza was a place where the flow of people never ceased.
Light blurred around the bright lanterns, and the murmuring voices of passersby filled the square. Shilona, who had been tracking the Messenger, stopped at the entrance of the Central Plaza, a place where the roof of the House of Portran could be seen in the distance.
She stood there, scanning everyone with sharp eyes.
Whenever someone carrying a sword passed by, she analyzed their level, observing everything from their gait to the smallest gesture.
At that moment, Shilona’s eyes narrowed. She felt an exceptionally strong aura from a man walking in the distance.
“One moment!”
Dashing toward the man at incredible speed, Shilona cautiously tapped his shoulder.
“Excuse me—”
The man turned around to face her.
“Hmm? Shilona? What is it? Were you waiting for me?”
Dien gave a thin smile as he looked at Shilona, who had stopped him.
The two stood there, staring at each other blankly. It was Shilona who spoke first.
“Young Lord Dien! What brings you here?”
“What do you mean? I’m in front of my house… Wait, did you not realize it was me? Why are you the one looking surprised when you’re the one who called me?”
Shilona looked Dien up and down, letting out a hollow sigh of dejection.
‘The energy was definitely extraordinary…’
Noticing Shilona’s disappointed face, Dien asked playfully with a slightly sulky expression.
“What’s with that disappointed look? Were you waiting for someone else?”
“Haha… no. I just have something urgent to do… Please, go on inside.”
She realized she was standing right in front of the Portran manor without even knowing it. Shilona gave Dien an awkward smile and hurriedly left the spot.
She had to find the Apostle before he got too far.
However, there were more people than usual wandering the streets.
“There are a lot of people out because of the festival period, right?”
Dien said as he approached her from behind. Shilona’s eyes drooped in frustration.
Without divine power, finding the Apostle in such a large crowd was impossible.
‘Did I miss them…?’
Shilona scanned her surroundings, sighing repeatedly at the bustling street.
“Shilona, what’s going on? You’ve been going out often lately… Is there someone you really want to meet?”
Shilona let out a small chuckle at Dien’s words.
He wasn’t wrong. There was someone she desperately wanted to meet. But she couldn’t reveal any of that story to Dien.
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
“If it’s not that, why don’t you come inside with me?”
“Go on in first.”
“Are you sure nothing’s wrong? If you need help, tell me anytime. Don’t just worry about it by yourself.”
‘As if you could give any help!’
The matters Shilona was dealing with had nothing to do with Dien, and getting him involved would only make things dangerous for him.
Shilona shouted, pretending to be annoyed, to make Dien give up.
“Just go inside!”
Her voice was sharp. Sensing the atmosphere turning strange, Dien cleared his throat twice before responding.
“Ahem. Fine.”
As he entered the manor, Shilona looked up silently at the star-studded sky.
“I’ll be able to find him soon. Next time, for sure…”
It felt as though the silhouette of the Apostle was being drawn among the stars.
Shilona saw the Holy Knights shaking their heads toward her and ordered a withdrawal. Since it was late at night, she postponed the scheduled meeting until tomorrow.
As she walked back to the House of Portran, however, a thought occurred to her.
‘Was Young Lord Dien’s aura always that strong? Hmm… I suppose I did turn him into a monster.’
She recalled the powerful aura she had felt from Dien once more.
***
Dien woke up later than usual.
About a month ago, Dien had luckily been able to postpone his high-level exams. After a week of cramming, he had retaken the exam in front of Hasman. He didn’t get first place, but he achieved a fairly decent score. It was a grade made possible because the amount of study required for a 17-year-old wasn’t that overwhelming.
And so, the Academy entered its winter break period. He now had three more days of rest per week. The bridge construction, which had been busy for a while, had also entered a stable phase. Since today was a day without successor lessons, he wanted to fully enjoy the feeling of the break.
‘It should be fine to skip one day.’
Originally, the successor lessons were held three days a week, but strangely, he felt guilty on the days he didn’t attend them.
Dien tried to shake off the feeling that he should be heading to the Royal Castle.
“Nue, I’m going out for some physical training!”
“Yes, Master.”
As Dien greeted Nue, he remembered what happened last night.
“Nue, by any chance, was there any commotion last night?”
“Commotion?”
“Yeah, like an incident in the capital.”
“If you mean that…”
Nue rested her chin on her hand and looked at Dien.
“Ah! There was a fight in the Central Plaza last night. I think they said it was a lover’s quarrel?”
“Was there nothing else? Like… some remains being discovered…”
“I haven’t heard anything like that.”
“Hmm… I see! I’ll be back soon!”
“Yes, please be careful!”
If many bodies had been discovered during the night, the capital should have been in an uproar since morning.
Since the capital was still quiet, it was clear that the Enopoy side had quietly disposed of the bodies.
If that was the case, the elders of Enopoy would have realized by now that the assassination plot had failed. He could feel their rage without even seeing them.
Perhaps they would return for revenge within a few days. But he wasn’t afraid in the slightest. Last night, the subordinates of Enopoy were nothing more than mere insects before his power.
If there was one unsettling thing, it was the end he witnessed when he disposed of the Enopoy subordinates. Those cut by his sword quickly withered as if air were escaping a balloon, eventually becoming corpses that were nothing but gaunt bones. It was as if they weren’t human to begin with.
‘It’s certain. The elders of Enopoy are definitely…’
His thoughts continued to loop, and before he knew it, Dien, who had been walking for a long time, reached the vicinity of the capital’s West Gate.
“I came here without even realizing it.”
Even though it wasn’t a day he was supposed to go out to the castle, his footsteps had unconsciously led him down the familiar path. Just as Dien, surprised by the towering castle walls, was about to turn back.
“Young Lord! You’re late today?”
Jericho, who had spotted Dien, approached him with a smile.
“Hahaha, Master Jericho! Were you on duty today?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Dien was glad to see a familiar face. He decided to chat with Jericho for a bit.
“Today is my day off!”
“Ah, is that so?”
Jericho looked at Dien, who was wearing comfortable clothes. It was a relaxed appearance he hadn’t seen much of lately. Seeing his happy face made Jericho feel good as well.
“Ah, right! Young Lord! I have something to brag to you about.”
“What is it?”
In the middle of their conversation, Jericho clapped his hands and looked at Dien.
“I’ve been assigned to the Fourth Knight Division of the Marshal’s Office.”
Becoming a knight from a castle soldier—Dien’s eyes widened. He knew very well what it meant to become a member of a knight order.
“Really? Then… Master Jericho, have you become an Aura Expert?!”
Dien looked at him with a surprised expression, and Jericho couldn’t hide the smile he was trying to suppress.
“Hahaha! Yes!”
“As expected of the Tiger of the North!”
When Dien gave a thumbs up, Jericho’s smile grew even deeper.
Their conversation lasted for a long time, and Dien occasionally gave awkward smiles as he watched the officials entering the palace.
‘I feel strangely self-conscious.’
Seeing the officials entering the palace made him feel like he should be going in, too. He wanted to leave the vicinity of the Royal Castle quickly to shake off this uncomfortable feeling.