Chapter 61: Level 3

“……What do you mean by that?”

Mary asked back, her brow furrowing.

The fact that her tone had turned extremely aggressive was probably not my imagination.

“Didn’t you hear? I said I would destroy this Artifact instead of purifying it.”

There were two reasons for this.

One was that the number of Demonic Beasts swarming nearby was too great, and the other was that the probability of encountering Count Georg and the Mercenary Band Wolfhound following us was becoming too high.

Normally, we could have taken our time purifying them one by one, but with the variable of Count Georg appearing, the plan had to change.

“Ha, then why did you even bother bringing me along?”

However, Mary’s reaction was different from what I had expected, and I couldn’t help but sigh as I realized the meaning behind her words.

“You didn’t listen to me properly back then. I believe I clearly said that only a few of the corrupted Artifacts could be completely purified.”

People really ought to listen to what others say properly.

“Did you seriously set some absurd goal of purifying every single Artifact scattered throughout the Sacred Land by yourself?”

“Of course. That is our sacred duty.”

“No, that is called arrogance. It’s a foolish and stupid act committed by someone who cannot properly measure their own abilities.”

“My actions are for the sake of God. I don’t necessarily seek the understanding of others for that.”

I spoke quite harshly, yet she still wore an unconvinced expression, so I added one more thing.

“Wasn’t your plan to confirm Count Georg’s connection to the Demon Race and capture him?”

“That is one thing, and this is another.”

Realizing that further conversation would be useless, I turned my gaze toward the Administrator who had been silently following behind us.

“Sir Vincent. Can you return to the camp by bypassing this route on your own?”

“We aren’t that far away, so it should be possible.”

“Good.”

I instantly moved close to Mary and struck the back of her neck.

Crack.

“Ack.”

As she frothed at the mouth and fainted from the considerable impact, I caught her collapsing body and threw her to Vincent.

“Bypass the path and take her back to the Holy Nation camp. If they ask if she was attacked, tell them I sent her back because she was a useless bitch.”

“……I feel like I just heard something I shouldn’t have.”

“An Inquisitor’s body is sturdy. There’s no need to worry.”

“…….”

Vincent’s gaze briefly shifted toward me.

“I like it because it means less work for me…… but will you be alright?”

“About what?”

“I don’t think His Majesty the King attached me to you for no reason.”

“…….”

The atmosphere cooled rapidly at Vincent’s words.

This guy, did he already realize that he was under Inspection?

Since hasty suspicion or certainty was forbidden, I threw out a casual question.

“Why do you think he attached you to me?”

“I suspect the Special Task Force Captain knows that far better than I do.”

“……Ha.”

I didn’t expect such a direct answer to come out so quickly.

I nodded immediately at Vincent’s question.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“And why is that?”

“Because it doesn’t matter either way.”

Whether the Knight of Sloth was a Betrayer or not.

There would be no reversal in my decision.

“I am a Hero. My basic policy is to move to protect everyone. However, beyond that, I am quite clear about distinguishing what I can and cannot do.”

And controlling a person’s heart was not my domain.

“If you can’t keep up, you can fall behind. If you can’t follow, you can leave.”

These words applied equally to the members of the Special Task Force.

Although it started with a recruitment that was practically forced by me, I intended to leave it entirely to their choice whether they could follow me after that.

“But at the same time…… don’t expect me to catch you if you fall away.”

I am someone who lacks enough time even while only looking forward.

Even if I try to seek every possible method to protect everyone, there will always be domains that are impossible for me to handle.

A person’s heart was exactly that kind of domain.

No matter how sincerely I treated them, if the other person didn’t understand, it would all be for naught.

“And this story doesn’t just apply to the members of the Special Task Force.”

I replied, looking back and forth between Vincent and Mary.

“It’s the same for you and that bitch.”

“…….”

“I won’t be certain that you’re a turncoat. I won’t confirm it either. So, either behave yourself so that no physical evidence comes out, or move carefully so as not to arouse suspicion.”

Amidst the chilled atmosphere, the sound of explosions began to draw near.

It meant the Mercenary Band Wolfhound had begun to reach the vicinity.

I spoke while feeling the heat of the Sword Master brushing past my shoulder.

“I have always trusted others, but I have never failed to perform a ‘settlement’ for those who broke that trust.”

I didn’t need to specify what that settlement would be.

The Administrator replied as he slung the unconscious Inquisitor over his shoulder.

“That is quite a terrifying threat. It would be a real disaster if I were to go missing on the way.”

I pointed to the side with a chin gesture.

“Move out.”

Leaving behind Vincent, who was bypassing the area to avoid the approaching Mercenary Band Wolfhound, I gripped the Holy Sword once more.

“Laila, distance to the Artifact?”

“About 300 meters.”

“That should be enough.”

“Pardon?”

Leaving the Special Task Force members’ confusion behind, I raised the Holy Sword high and offered a prayer.

“God of the Sun. Please give me some fire.”

The Solar Flame began to soar from the Holy Sword as if it would touch the sky.

Murfin, who was standing beside me, muttered with a hollow expression.

“If you were going to do this from the start, didn’t you not need to give the Inquisitor the order to destroy the Artifact?”

“Destruction of the Artifact is bound to happen inevitably. It’s better to mention it once more at the beginning than to let her be stubborn when the time comes.”

“Then wouldn’t it have been better not to bring her from the start?”

“That’s why I gave a hint from the beginning that only ‘a few’ could be completely purified. It’s that woman’s fault for not listening to people properly.”

Answering as such, I swung the Holy Sword downward.

The blade of the Sun instantly covered the earth and began to bisect the ground.

Soon, fire surged from the crack, breathing heat into the cold, frozen Sacred Land.

Snap.

I heard the sound of something shattering in my ear.

The moment I heard that sound, the foul mood I felt upon entering the Sacred Land felt a bit more refreshed.

“……What kind of sword swing makes the Magia concentration drop this drastically? Even if an Artifact is destroyed, such a sudden change should be impossible……”

“Because I’m the Hero.”

“No, from what I know, other Heroes weren’t even at this level?”

Laila wore an absurd expression at my answer.

Since it was none of my business, I unsummoned the Holy Sword and spoke.

“The Mercenary Band Wolfhound is already right in front of us. We will keep heading inside until the next destination appears.”

***

“What the hell happened?”

“……I don’t know either.”

The Mercenary Band Wolfhound, having barely reached the place where the unidentified pillar of fire had just risen after aggressively breaking through the Spatial Magic traps, was essentially at an impasse.

“Team 5, search the surroundings. Look for traces of where they moved. Team 6, check what’s at the end of this pillar of fire. Teams 3 and 4, maintain a perimeter and deal with the Mole Crickets that are still swarming.”

Under Riki’s command, the Mercenary Band Wolfhound moved in perfect order.

After confirming that his comrades had set about their tasks, Riki asked Count Georg, who looked pale for some reason.

“Father, are you alright? You don’t look so good.”

“……I-I’m fine. Perhaps because we’ve come too deep inside, the air is bad, and my condition has just dropped a bit.”

“Then why don’t we just head back? Just by coming this far, Demonic Beasts will be rushing in from all directions. If we’re unlucky, we might even run into a Demon.”

“That might be so.”

Count Georg replied with a determined expression, as if there would be no reversal in his decision.

“Nonetheless, that person is worth meeting. I cannot miss this opportunity, so I intend to keep pursuing.”

Count Georg’s gaze slithered toward Riki.

“You can do that for me, right?”

A faint black light flickered in Count Georg’s Burning Eye.

Riki’s eyes, meeting his, took on a faint black hue as if being synchronized.

“Leave it to me.”

There was no further conversation.

Thanks to Laila’s guidance, the task of finding the Artifacts was very easy.

And every time we found one, I destroyed the Artifact by wielding the Holy Sword from a distance of over 300 meters.

Occasionally, the Guardians of the Artifacts who noticed something strange would pop out, but they were either torn apart or turned to ash in a single strike from the Holy Sword.

By the time we had destroyed three more Artifacts, Murfin asked.

“By the way, it seemed like the Holy Nation wanted to purify all the Artifacts in this Sacred Land. Is it really okay to destroy them all? This might be called an Ancient Relic, but in reality, isn’t it an accumulation of old-world Demonic Artifacts called ancient technology?”

Just as he said, the ‘ancient technology’ the Sacred Kingdom spoke of was eventually nothing more than Ancient Relics.

Every single one of them had extreme abilities and could inflict profound damage regardless of friend or foe, so maximum caution was required when using them.

“No matter how excellent and powerful a technology is, it’s useless if you can’t use it. And in a situation where that technology is effectively being handed over to the enemy, it’s better to just get rid of it all rather than trying to reclaim it half-heartedly.”

“What if a problem arises because of this later?”

“A problem?”

“The ownership of the Ancient Relics within the Sacred Land basically belongs to the Sacred Kingdom. Strictly speaking, we are a foreign nation deciding to destroy them at our own discretion. Won’t it be a headache if the Sacred Kingdom raises an issue later?”

Aha, so that’s what he meant.

Having roughly expected how the situation would play out, I nodded and replied lightly.

“First, there are three stages.”

“……So there are stages.”

I ignored Murfin’s absurd expression and continued.

“Stage 1 is to dump it on the Royal Family.”

The Special Task Force basically follows the orders of the Royal Family.

It’s the same as saying all of the Special Task Force’s actions are guaranteed by the King of the Lumin Kingdom.

So, no matter what kind of bullshit Luminous pulls, it’s possible to pass it off to the King.

“If even that doesn’t work, Stage 2: I personally storm into the Holy See, grab the boss there by the collar, and shake him down.”

“……Pardon?”

Not only Murfin, but the entire Special Task Force wore bewildered expressions.

“At the point when the Sacred Land was taken, the Holy Nation told the Royal Family this.”

But I was serious.

“They said they had smuggled all the ancient technology outside before the Sacred Land was completely occupied.”

“……Does that mean the Holy Nation lied to us? No, before that, why would they hide a fact that would be so easily exposed?”

“How should I know? I don’t give a damn.”

Anyway, the important thing was the fact that they lost the Sacred Land in a single day without even properly smuggling out the ancient technology.

“If they didn’t want the Ancient Relics they possessed to be destroyed, they should have defended them properly from the start. They lost the entire Sacred Land to Calamity-class Monsters, and now they’re going to complain when someone else cleans up the mess? Unless the Pope is itching to die, there’s no reason for him to pull that shit.”

And they shouldn’t do it, either.

“……I’m asking just in case, but what is Stage 3?”

At Murfin’s cautious question, I replied with cold eyes.

“To me, Luminous will remain a nation that is an obstacle in the fight against the Demon Army.”

“…….”

I didn’t specify exactly what I would do, but I could guarantee there were no words more definitive than those.

Leaving behind the hardened expressions of the Special Task Force members, I spoke to Laila again.

“Tell me the next destination.”

The destruction of the Artifacts was not over yet.