MTLNOVEL Chapter 624
“Did he blame you?”
“No.”
A denial.
There was not even a hint of hesitation. After all, it wasn’t true.
I still remembered Leorick’s face from a little while ago. As always, he wore an indifferent expression and spoke with a somewhat annoying tone.
‘Is that so?’
On the surface, it seemed like he didn’t care much at all.
But I knew.
He was still using his connections to inquire about Celin’s whereabouts. How could he not?
Celin was practically his younger sister.
Leorick was simply pretending to be unaffected. There was no way the situation would change even if he got angry at me. If he started to blame me, I would suffer more than I currently was.
He was such a smart guy.
That realization was both reassuring and regrettable. If he had just gotten angry and cursed at me, I might have felt a little less guilty.
But Leorick would never do that.
My hand groped for the bottle. I desperately wanted to get drunk like this, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that while my wife was being held hostage.
For now, the Lady Virgin Saint seemed to be holding up well. But it had only been a few minutes since I started speaking.
I was at a point where the alcohol hadn’t even properly kicked in. No matter how weak my tolerance was, it surely wouldn’t show by now.
In the end, instead of downing whiskey, I could only exhale a sigh.
“Leorick won’t blame me… Even if Celin is in the wrong. He’ll just curse a bit right before death.”
“That makes it even more painful.”
“That’s right.”
A gaze filled with pity, a soft pink, reached me. The Lady Virgin Saint hesitated, stammered, and then promptly filled her glass with liquor.
To the brim.
Before I could even chide her, another glass of alcohol disappeared down the Lady Virgin Saint’s throat. In a serious tone, she spoke.
“Ian, I mentioned before that the artifact discovered at the Haster Clan’s gold mine would soon arrive at the Academy.”
“The Haster Clan.”
My expression hardened for a moment at the mention of my missing childhood friend’s name, but the surprise didn’t last long. The moment the topic related to work was brought up, my heart became terrifyingly calm.
A short break was coming to an end.
“That was several months ago, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, there have been various circumstances since then. The power of the artifact seems to be greater than expected.”
“That makes sense since it’s a fragment of the Seven Deadly Sins.”
“To be precise, it would be correct to say that the power, which had been dormant, suddenly awakened at a certain point.”
This meant that the artifact, which had been quiet, was starting to show signs of revival.
But why?
Such a sudden change must have a reason. Why had an unknown force that had been dormant for centuries awoken now?
As the situation unraveled, speculations began to surface one by one: Celin’s disappearance, Ceria’s runaway, or perhaps the death of a vampire?
Even amidst my uncertainties about what the decisive variable could be, the Lady Virgin Saint continued to speak.
“Moreover, mysterious arson incidents have been occurring frequently across the continent.”
“That’s the work of the Dark Cult.”
There was not a shred of doubt in my reply.
There weren’t many groups capable of causing simultaneous disturbances throughout the continent. It could only be the Empire’s Intelligence Department or the Dark Cult.
And the Empire’s Intelligence Department had no reason to engage in such acts.
The only remaining suspect was one.
It seemed that the Lady Virgin Saint’s thoughts aligned with mine as she quietly nodded in agreement.
“Because of that, we’ve been postponing our investigation into the artifact. If we act rashly, we might provoke the Dark Cult… But it’s been concluded that we can no longer delay the schedule.”
“Why is that?”
“The strength of the artifact is growing day by day. Soon, it might become uncontrollable.”
That was not good news.
No, it was rather an ominous feeling that struck my chest. I swallowed hard and finished the last of my drink.
A sound as the glass clinked against the table.
“Countries have agreed to investigate the artifact at the Academy. The Holy Kingdom is onboard, but we can’t dismiss the possibility that the Empire or the Kingdom may have Dark Cult agents hidden among them. So, the essence of this plan is for the three nations to gather together and keep an eye on each other.”
“Who will be sent?”
“I don’t know the details. But I do know who will be dispatched from the Holy Kingdom.”
With that, the Lady Virgin Saint took out a small document from her robe.
It contained a long list of details, but only one piece of crucial information.
‘Archbishop Einadel.’
I had seen that figure, even if just from a distance, atop Siendel Mountain.
It was also a name I had heard long ago.
The bloodshed with elves that had occurred in the Northern Region.
‘Archbishop Einadel, he is dangerous…’
Leorick had definitely said that just before death.
I decided to silently tuck away the document along with the name as the atmosphere around me instantly darkened, and the Lady Virgin Saint couldn’t help but adopt a more serious expression.
“Ian, do you know who will be sent from the Empire?”
Hmm, as I pondered, my head tilted slightly.
Of course, I had never received any hints about it. However, someone in my position generally receives quite a bit of indirect information.
Especially regarding the Dark Cult.
Eventually, I arrived at the most plausible conclusion.
“The Alphenhausen Clan’s twins.”
“Indeed, that’s right… It seems Princess Iris has a hand in this.”
Her tone suggested she had anticipated this.
Perhaps various political powers had made deals behind the scenes. I was curious about the details, but I intentionally avoided prying further.
My mind was already overloaded.
Besides, wasn’t I a knight? A knight should wield a sword; the battlefield of subtle words should be left to those well-suited for that.
The only thing I needed to focus on now was one matter.
Enduring the enemy of humanity.
But the Lady Virgin Saint had more to convey than just that. After hesitating for a while, she finally revealed what had been weighing on her mind.
“Ian, actually, I….”
“We should be going.”
A calm voice.
Yet, the fact that my expression darkened didn’t go unnoticed between us. The Lady Virgin Saint’s finger, which had been slightly directed towards me, curled in distress.
“Archbishop Einadel is the one overseeing the identification of traitors within the Holy Kingdom, right? If he is coming here, that means related tasks are coming to an end… And the conclusion must be handled by you, as no one can suspect you.”
In the Holy Kingdom, to be referred to as a ‘Saint’ held such meaning.
Chosen by the Heavenly Deity, a representative of the divine.
To doubt that would be akin to doubting the intentions of the Heavenly Deity itself. Even if a bloody storm were to rage for a while, the Lady Virgin Saint was practically the only one capable of fully enduring that backlash.
So she had to go.
I knew it. I understood, but still, I couldn’t shake off the feelings of melancholy.
Was I to be alone again?
As my mood grew gloomier, the Lady Virgin Saint slowly rose and approached me. And then she knelt down.
It was a position she assumed when trying to comfort me. To meet my gaze down towards the floor and to hold my hand more dearly.
“Ian….”
“It’s alright.”
I forced a smile, trying to console the Lady Virgin Saint.
There were tears welling in her eyes.
“We each have our paths to follow. We must fulfill our responsibilities to each other.”
Yes, that was the right conclusion.
We had obligations. To save humanity, we could only accept a certain degree of sacrifice.
The Lady Virgin Saint was not someone who would be unaware of that.
So this was the end of the story.
What should have been a typical parting and returning to our respective paths.
It was then that I sensed something unusual with the Lady Virgin Saint.
With a sniffle.
My gaze wandered vaguely towards the source of the sound. At the end of that gaze, tears streamed down her cheeks.
It was the Lady Virgin Saint.
Why? That question didn’t linger long.
The reason was evident in the flushed red of her cheeks.
It was the alcohol.
Before I could think of an appropriate response, the Lady Virgin Saint leaped into my arms.
“I-I-Ian… Oh, sniff, h-how could you be so unfortunate… My husband did nothing wrong, he just did his best…”
“L-Lady Virgin Saint?”
“Should I not go?”
It was a loud declaration as she gripped my hand tightly.
Her pale pink eyes were already filled with moisture. A mere poke would send tears spilling over, as evidenced by her condition.
Was she serious?
She appeared to be genuinely sincere.
“No, no… Will you come with me? Yes, let’s go on a honeymoon to the Holy Kingdom. There are so many beautiful places, wonderful places I want to see with you.”
“Are you aware of the situation? They say a fragment of the Seven Deadly Sins is coming, how could I….”
“Why not?!”
She was wrong.
The inebriated Lady Virgin Saint was not in her right mind. Her affection and pity for me had surpassed reasonable limits, long since flooding into the realm of irrationality.
This could go on endlessly.
So, I had to make a choice.
“My husband has worked so hard! Isn’t it fair to give me a vacation? I also want to enjoy the honeymoon just like everyone else… Uh?!”
I pulled the woman who was whining towards me. Just for a moment until our breaths mingled.
Soft flesh wormed its way between my lips. Our tongues intertwined, and a subtle pleasure melted into my mind.
As I grazed her tongue, her breaths grew uneven. With each short or long kiss, her body shivered, her thighs tightening.
At the edge of time that felt like both a fleeting moment and eternity.
Though our tongues parted, our heated breaths still sought each other, craving more. A silver line lingered.
To the dazed Lady Virgin Saint, I spoke.
“Take it off.”
That response was as it always was.
“Y-Yes…!”
The remaining hours of the night erupted into flames.
The next morning, the Lady Virgin Saint’s face was bright red from the memories of the previous night.
“Ahem, ahem… Anyway, be careful. The Dark Cult won’t just stay still. The Empire’s envoy will surely be unaware.”
“About Alphenhausen?”
As I watched my wife dress herself, admiring her pale skin, I drifted into thought.
About Alphenhausen.
A chuckle escaped my lips.
“Don’t worry. The chances of that are slim.”
The Alphenhausen Clan, symbolizing the Empire’s gold.
They even owned a separate building within the Academy. And the security of that building was beyond imagination.
It was famously known as the ‘Golden Fortress.’
There was no way it would fall.
Yes, until a few days later.
Until I saw the smoldering remains of the Alphenhausen stronghold.
Everyone was thinking that way.