novelraw Chapter 222 : Chapter 222
Chapter 222 : Chapter 222
Chapter 222: Great Devil of Fire (2)
What does she not know, what does she know?
Harad didn't know the story.
Seria was not Harad's friend, but Ellen's friend.
Even if there was something he wanted to say, saying it now would be tactless. Harad quietly moved away.
The northern coastline was subject to insane winds.
Not quite enough to trigger an alert, but strong enough to recall the barrier before it.
However, Ellen and Seria were unaffected.
The former because of heaven-given talent, the latter because of light someone had planted in her.
Harad felt warmth because of the Sun.
No, he actually felt heat. The Sun was that kind of Origin.
'I do stand out, don't I.'
Who would sweat in a place like this?
The warmth radiating around him had also grown stronger. It was because he had reached the 5th Rank.
He could somehow gloss over it, but it was sufficient grounds to become a suspect.
If someone was called a Great Devil, even the smallest flame would be like that.
'And yet the Inquisitor can't find them.'
They must be quite an impressive Dreamer.
Harad was curious about that face. His displeasure was greater than his curiosity.
'They interfered with my magic.'
That was an extremely humiliating thing for a Mage.
'There were many ways to help. But they deliberately interfered.'
It would have been enough to just manifest their own magic.
That would have been easier. But that insidious Dreamer had painted over Harad's magic.
Despite there being an easier path, they had chosen the difficult one.
'What scum.'
Behind Badelots's, Seria's, and Ellen's backs, they wanted to make their existence known only to Harad.
At the same time, they were showing off to Harad.
Saying they were such an impressive Mage that they could interfere with his magic.
'Is it an appeal, or mockery?'
To know that, he would first need to crack open the Dreamer's skull.
'Fire that denies the Moon's prophecy.'
Forbest of the Embers had called them naive.
Meaning each one had their own flower garden in their head.
'But they're more like fire than anyone.'
Forbest had added that.
That was why most Dreamers had come out into the world.
They wanted to carve out their destiny with their own hands.
'Not very fire-like, though.'
The Great Devil of Fire hiding insidiously resembled the Tower of the Deep.
Harad recalled Aroshu.
Like him, they must be holding back. That patience wasn't very impressive. Interfering with his magic was proof of that. Their ego was quite bloated.
'If I set a fire now, would they come out?'
Perhaps they would.
But Badelots, who was somewhere in the sea, might also come out.
If he truly wanted to provoke the Dreamer, he would have to leave Lohit and set a fire.
There was no need to rush it either.
'They must have seen the Sun.'
If the Dreamer's initial objective had been the stars of the Boundary, it had probably now changed to Harad.
For Harad, the best option was to play ignorant and then set a fire at the Boundary. The continent had too many watching eyes.
The Dreamer would probably do the same.
They were someone who had hidden even in that distant sea. They would surely be quiet on the continent.
'Have I picked up another stalker?'
Harad looked at the shadow moving along the wet ground of the coastline and laughed softly.
Jis was also a stalker by origin.
"Harad."
A voice came from afar.
It seemed the conversation between friends had already ended.
Thinking about it, Ellen wasn't a talkative person.
She was a woman who earned more trust through things other than words.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
When he returned, Seria was staring intently at Harad.
"Is it because you're glad to see me?"
"I don't think so."
It was closer to glaring.
It seemed the conversation between friends had also included talking behind his back.
"I heard Ellen quit tobacco."
"I heard too. She's holding up well."
"Do you know why she quit?"
"She didn't tell me."
When he turned his gaze, Ellen played dumb.
Then Seria said,
"That's something you have to figure out yourself, you know?"
"Ellen's the one who quit."
Seria answered with an expression.
It was a face that said, "Oh my!"
"Try figuring it out from now on."
As if it was the correct answer, Seria's expression relaxed.
"I heard you're leaving."
"That's right. Will you come with us?"
"I'm going to wait here for Badelots."
Seria said while looking back at the horizon.
"I will take responsibility and escort Badelots to the continent. I promise you."
Seria made the holy sign.
It meant she was promising on her faith.
"What about the Demon's path in the sea?"
"I understand the departure point is not Lohit. The Church's will shall unfold from that place. They won't encroach on the North."
The Church knows about the asylum route.
'So they did find out.'
This hadn't happened in his previous life.
It must be the influence of his regression. To be precise, it was probably the Dreamer's whim caused by Harad.
"I'll cheer you on."
Since it had come to this, he would have to give up on the asylum route.
Harad nodded readily. Ellen's brow twitched secretly.
"If it were nearby, I wouldn't know, but the sea route is far. It's not a position for the North to take credit for."
"I see. That's fortunate."
Seria's face was somewhat displeased.
"Perhaps you don't dislike me anymore now?"
"I do dislike you."
Harad answered immediately.
Seria already knew his feelings.
"You're referring to not just me but the Church, correct?"
"That's right. I had hopes, but as expected, not really."
Harad spoke in a way that brought Badelots to mind.
"May I ask the reason you dislike us? Even from before you met Badelots."
"That's a secret."
Harad smiled brightly.
"You really are mischievous."
Seria did too.
It seemed she hadn't expected an answer.
"Ellen."
Seria turned and took Ellen's hand.
It was a farewell.
"Next time, I'd like to show you around Premont."
"If possible."
Ellen was curt.
However, she didn't let go of Seria's hand.
"There are many places Ellen would like."
"......I'll look forward to it."
"Thank you."
The farewell seemed to be over, but Seria didn't let go of her hand.
"Ellen."
"Yes."
"By any chance, are you disappointed in me?"
Seria seemed bothered by her agitation on the sailing ship and what Ellen had said then.
"I'm not."
Ellen, who had been embarrassed, became serious as if she had never been.
"Not yet."
Ellen and Seria stared into each other's eyes.
Harad only checked on Ellen.
Her eyes did not waver in the slightest.
He liked that resoluteness that always appeared when necessary.
* * *
When they returned to the Intelligence Bureau safe house, a letter was lying on the worn bed.
It was information about the twelve Demons he had requested when Seria had fainted.
'Ordinary.'
The information was ordinary.
They were people who had lived pretending to be ordinary, then were ordinarily exposed as Mages.
Of course, he would have to dig into them directly to know just how ordinary they were.
The Intelligence Bureau wasn't capable of finding out Origins or Ranks.
However, failure was certain.
Even if the sailing ship reached its destination, the asylum would have failed.
They were Mages who had chosen asylum not because they were particularly skilled, but because there was nowhere else to flee.
There was one more letter.
It was about the whereabouts of the first Mage they had found, Godif.
That Mage was still somewhere in Lohit.
Harad wrote a letter and placed it on the worn bed.
Then he left Lohit together with Ellen.
"What are you going to do now?"
Ellen turned her head to confirm that Lohit's walls had grown distant before opening her mouth.
"We should go back."
"Not that."
"The sea route?"
"Yes."
The asylum route was blocked.
It was not what Harad had wanted.
"We'll have to give up. What else can we do? The Church found out."
"......"
"Killing Badelots won't help. Seria knew too."
Unlike the Inquisitor, Seria was clearly affiliated with the Church.
Her knowing meant the Church knew too.
"But you like asylum."
"I don't like it exactly. I just, well, want to leave hope."
Not everyone who wanted asylum could achieve it.
They had to overcome the Boundary, and even then, they could die or be driven away before the door to the Otherworld.
That was why the village of the Embers had been born.
"The sea route wasn't actually that good an asylum route. You have to cross the Boundary diagonally to reach the Otherworld."
To get to the village of the Embers, you had to traverse the Boundary all the way across.
"You said that hope was important before."
"That's right. Because there's no hope on the continent."
No matter how slim the possibility, asylum had to be maintained.
Because there were definitely continental Mages who wouldn't die because of that small hope.
"But actually, it's not that difficult a hope to create."
"What?"
"This should be enough."
How far had they walked? Harad stopped in front of a clearing for camping.
"Can I bring them out?"
"Yeah. They've all calmed down."
The shadow protruding from the ground nodded.
"Then please."
The shadow moved to the center of the clearing and spread out like a pool.
Twelve people rose up from the enlarged pool, heads first, slithering upward.
The twelve were gathered in groups of three to five.
They seemed to be divided among those who were close. Some held children, others supported the elderly as if to comfort them.
All of them showed signs of having calmed down, as Jis had said.
There was no hostility. They looked at him like a savior. It was the truth, and since Jis had told them, they must have believed it more. Jis was also a continental Mage.
"Pleasure to meet you."
Harad smiled at them.
"The sea route is a terrible asylum route. Discovered by the Church, and even after arriving, only dangerous paths."
The twelve nodded their heads individually.
"I'm going to make you folks a good proposal."
The twelve tilted their heads simultaneously.
"I'm actually a Tunnel-Digger broker."
"......?"
"Tunnels are much safer routes compared to the sea. If needed, there are even villages where you can rest along the way."
Ellen made a strange face.
It wasn't important.
"And if you use such a tunnel now, it's completely free......"
Harad rubbed his palms together.
* * *
The wind was ominous, and the waves touching the coastline were calm.
Splash.
Such a sea suddenly spat out something vile.
"Ah!"
The naked man who washed up on land opened his mouth wide toward the sky.
"I shall uphold it!"
He had not died to the Great Devil and had escaped from that Great Devil's den.
The man thought of it as his destiny and a miracle bestowed by Laan.
"I shall surely meet expectations!"
And he realized the trial that had been given.
"......Badelots."
"Oh! Priestess Seria!"
The man was greatly delighted.
The light dried off the moisture. Badelots reverently put on the habit Seria had brought.
"Priestess Seria! Though I never doubted your survival, meeting you again like this brings me relief. It must be because I am still lacking in virtue."
"I also feel the same lack of virtue when I see you, Badelots."
"Laan embraces us despite our shortcomings. This moment proves it."
Despite being lacking, we are alive.
It is a revelation to fill that lack by living.
Badelots made the holy sign in return.
Soon he smiled brightly and asked,
"Why didn't you purify it?"
"Badelots."
"Guillotine Seria. At that time, you clearly could have purified. It was preservation for that purpose."
Ellen Serzila had cut through Seria's Divine power.
In Badelots's perception, that was something that should not have happened.
"This is neither lowering you nor elevating Serzila. Reality was such. It was a faith that could not be blocked by mere Aura."
Seria had weakened her Divine power's control.
That was why it was cut, Badelots was convinced.
"Was it because proof of being a Demon was not yet there? You know that would be a foolish answer. It was a sea where suspicion and promises had lost their meaning."
"......"
Seria could not answer.
As if that silence was the correct answer, Badelots smiled brightly again.
"So this is the trial that has been given to Priestess Seria. I see. I now understand the connection you have reached to me."
"Badelots."
"Yes, that's right. Laan wishes to teach you the meaning of severance."
"I'm planning to go to Premont. First, to confess my sins......"
"You are mistaken, Priestess Seria."
Badelots shook his head.
He did not lose his smile. Because he knew of the trial.
"We must go to Serzila. Confession and repentance come after that. Laan has told us to doubt them."
That was why Badelots, a lacking and young lamb, had not died.
Radiance stretched toward Serzila.
Badelots naturally had to walk.
"Ah, Laan. I shall uphold this trial. I shall surely carry it out. Even if what must be torn down is a massive wall."
Noble.
A light that a priest could not help but feel holy began from Badelots.
For some reason, Seria felt chilled.
"Foolish lamb chasing an illusion."
The fire was heard then.
Before she realized it, the light had expanded.
It was Badelots's Divine power. The fire devoured that light. It was a fearsome, sinister fire.
"The King finds you inconvenient."
Badelots bloomed into fire.
It was no longer holy. It was dying.
That fire killing Badelots, Seria felt was impure.
Different from the fire that killed the waterspout.
That fire was far more.......
"Demon."
Seria muttered without realizing it.
She could not become agitated. A Demon.
"We're the same to each other."
The Great Devil of Fire giggled.
"You'll be entertaining."
A real Demon.