Chapter Index





    The bones moved slowly, very slowly.

    Like someone who had just awakened opening their eyes drowsily, Saint Balthasar’s remains began to stir gradually on the map.

    The snow-white fingers, resembling withered tree branches, pointed to a spot on the map.

    “…Holy Sister. Is this…?”

    “Yes.”

    The spot indicated by the remains was in a back alley of northern Novo Nikolayevsk.

    Lucia crouched down to examine the map.

    “It seems to have finally appeared.”

    Episode 12 – The World’s Most Powerful Magician

    Saint Balthasar’s remains pointed across the parchment map. Some of the previously white glowing dots had turned black.

    “Someone with malevolent energy must have passed near the talisman.”

    The dots on the map were changing moment by moment.

    Bright dots that shone like galactic clusters were turning black one by one. Lucia threw herself into the alley, holding the map in one hand and the strap of a cloth bag in the other.

    “Follow me.”

    We began running through the alleyways toward the direction where the talisman’s signal was detected.

    The sharp wind whipped past as the surrounding scenery blurred by. The shouts of military police and the hurried steps of citizens briefly flowed past us as we emerged from the alley onto the main road.

    Checking my watch strapped to the inside of my wrist, I turned a corner while touching the wall and quietly said:

    “It’s almost curfew time. Not much time left until 22:00.”

    “We can arrive before the siren sounds. Let’s pick up the pace.”

    Lucia quickened her steps and led the way. She alternated between glancing at the map in her hand and surveying her surroundings.

    Like the passing scenery, the city depicted on the map was gradually changing. The map that had initially shown all of Novo Nikolayevsk was transforming to display increasingly smaller units—from city to district to neighborhood. The images engraved on the parchment moved like smoke. It was a phenomenon created by the mysterious power contained in the holy relic.

    As the distance narrowed and the constantly changing map began to show a smaller area, Lucia, who had been staring intently at the map, slowed down and started looking around.

    “What’s wrong?”

    “We’re getting close. It’s somewhere nearby.”

    With those words, the cloth bag dropped to the ground. Lucia removed the bag, untied the knot, and took out several items.

    While she checked for anyone nearby with a gun in hand, Lucia put the communicator to her mouth and requested backup. Then, putting some of the items from the bag into her pocket, she handed me a small object.

    It was a pendant.

    “Keep this with you. It will conceal your presence so the demon won’t detect you.”

    “It won’t detect my presence?”

    “Since you have wounds inflicted by a demon. It doesn’t matter now because we’re at a distance, but when we get closer, it will surely notice your existence. And then it will flee.”

    I quietly put the pendant around my neck.

    Being unable to handle holy or magical powers, I didn’t feel any particular difference, but it would be better than nothing.

    With the pendant around my neck, I nodded to signal I was ready.

    In response, Lucia took the remains out of the wooden box.

    “Everything has been fine until now, but from here on, things will be different. No matter what you see inside, no matter what happens.”

    Holding the bone near the wrist, she pointed the remains toward the darkness looming in the alley and said:

    “Please, stay absolutely alert.”

    *

    Saint Balthasar’s remains, a holy relic of the Order, possess the quality of responding to beings with impure energy.

    Thanks to this characteristic, the Inquisition has used Saint Balthasar’s remains and other holy relics for thousands of years to track heretics, dark magicians, and necromancers.

    “…Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths.”

    As the small prayer continued, the holy relic began to respond. Saint Balthasar’s remains, which had been hanging limply, started to move.

    The remains of Saint Balthasar, preserved only up to the elbow, moved slowly. If it were a person, it would be with an extremely cautious and meticulous attitude.

    With a click of the joints, the palm gradually opened. As the five snow-white bone segments extended to form the shape of a complete hand, Lucia held the bone near the elbow and slowly scanned the surroundings.

    It reminded me of mine detection soldiers I’d seen while serving at the GOP. Although there was neither a soldier in protective gear nor a large, heavy mine detector, Lucia thoroughly searched the walls and floor of the alley while holding Saint Balthasar’s remains.

    “Send out your light and your truth, let them guide me. Teach me to do your will, and lead me on level ground.”

    According to the map, the talisman that had last detected the impure energy was somewhere nearby. Judging by the lack of response from other talismans, that investigator must certainly be around here.

    Lucia searched the alleyway with complete concentration.

    To avoid being a distraction, I kept watch on our surroundings and asked in a low voice:

    “Are you picking up anything, Holy Sister?”

    “…There’s a faint but evil energy lingering here. It seems certain that Investigator Agato was here until recently.”

    I looked around before turning back to Lucia.

    “But where did he go?”

    We were in the middle of an alleyway—a typical one with the backs of buildings extending along both sides.

    Except for the sky, all sides were enclosed by brick walls, with no windows or back doors opening onto the alley. The only way out was to walk straight ahead or back—and for quite a distance.

    Obviously, there were other talismans installed further ahead.

    If the investigator had moved either forward or backward, he would inevitably have been detected by the talismans.

    But no matter how hard I looked, there was no sign of Romaine Cheire, Investigator Agato.

    “Whether he soared to the sky or sank into the ground…”

    I kicked a small stone lying on the ground.

    “When will the Inquisition arrive?”

    “If they don’t get lost, the priests should arrive here soon. Until then, let’s examine the area a bit more.”

    Lucia used Saint Balthasar’s remains to search for traces left by the investigator.

    With her eyes gently closed, softly reciting prayers, she caressed the walls and floor with her hands. Saint Balthasar’s remains, like a peacock displaying its feathers, had its fingers spread wide, sensing the surrounding energy.

    Then,

    -Click.

    The stiffly frozen remains of Saint Balthasar moved quickly. The wrist twisted and the fingers bent.

    Saint Balthasar’s remains clenched into a fist, leaving only the index finger extended, and with that white, branch-like finger, pointed to a specific spot on the alley floor.

    “What is it, Holy Sister?”

    “I think I’ve found the demon’s energy. Let’s step back for a moment.”

    Lucia stopped me as I tried to approach her, warning that it might be dangerous, and began examining the floor.

    Holding Saint Balthasar’s remains in one hand, she stopped praying and silently scanned the stone floor. Like a blind person reading braille, she moved the remains from right to left, while the snow-white finger remained steadily pointing at the same spot as before.

    Finally, when the direction of the wrist and finger of the remains, which had been rotating like a compass, aligned:

    “I found it.”

    Lucia wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and made that declaration.

    “It seems to be underground. The holy relic is pointing below us.”

    “Are you certain?”

    Without answering, Lucia knelt on the ground. Disregarding the dirt on her clothes and palms, she closed her eyes and felt around the floor, saying:

    “The energy is so faint that it can only be sensed with intense concentration… Yes. I can feel something from underground. A very violent and voracious… energy emanating with evil.”

    So that’s it.

    Coming from the Holy Sister’s lips, it must be certain. After all, Lucia is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding clergy in the Order.

    Fortunately, experts are on their way here now. The Inquisition priests participating in the joint investigation. This is originally their jurisdiction, and they’re experts with knowledge and experience in this field, so they’ll be able to easily assess the situation and formulate a plan.

    “Finally, we’ll see the end of this today.”

    As I muttered with a sigh of relief, Lucia smiled and responded:

    “It’s not over yet. We mustn’t let our guard down until the very end.”

    “Of course. Let’s find a way to get underground before the Inquisition people arrive.”

    I extended my hand to Lucia, who was sitting on the ground.

    “Take my hand, Holy Sister. I’ll help you up.”

    “Thank you…”

    Just as Lucia was about to grasp my outstretched hand with a gentle smile, I suddenly felt emptiness beneath my feet. The solid sensation of the ground I was standing on suddenly vanished.

    Both me, trying to pull Lucia up with all my strength, and Lucia, trying to stand up by holding my hand.

    At the same moment, at exactly the same timing, we experienced the same phenomenon.

    “…Huh?”

    The surrounding scenery instantly disappeared and darkened.

    A sensation of floating. The feeling reminiscent of jumping from an aircraft enveloped my body.

    Fading screams and profound darkness.

    We were falling underground.

    *

    St. Basil’s Cathedral in the northern metropolis.

    The hour hand had passed 9 and was racing toward 10. With the 10 PM curfew approaching, while residents were moving to shelters and refuges as ordered by the military police, people were gathered in front of the cathedral.

    They were clergy.

    “……”

    “……”

    The clergy were lined up in a long row. From a distance, they might have looked like they were waiting to perform some ceremony.

    But as they say, everything is comedy when seen from afar and tragedy when seen up close.

    The people gathered in front of the cathedral were not displaying the piety of clergy about to perform a ceremony, but rather sweating profusely with sour expressions like people who had been summoned for a group assembly.

    In front of the clergy lined up in neat rows.

    A cleric sitting on the steps leading up to the cathedral, which was situated on a low hill, spoke:

    “So to summarize…”

    Unlike the other clergy who seemed to be receiving a dressing-down, this cleric was sitting askew with legs crossed.

    “You’re chasing someone suspected of being a dark magician or necromancer causing trouble in the north, and you’re currently conducting an investigation based on information received from the Archbishop.”

    The cleric called out in a low voice. The tone dripped with displeasure.

    “Brother.”

    “…Yes.”

    “Where did that person get this information?”

    “……”

    The named cleric inwardly sighed. There should be limits, but why does that person always act this way?

    However, the cleric before him outranked everyone else, even higher than the Archbishop. Eventually, the priest reluctantly confessed.

    “Well… we don’t really…”

    “Ah, forget it.”

    Before he could finish, the cleric waved a hand dismissively, cutting him off. Then, in a cynical voice, blurted out:

    “I’m an idiot for expecting an answer from a lackey. I’ll get the answer directly from that Archbishop.”

    “……”

    The cleric sitting on the steps uncrossed their legs. The long legs lightly tapped the stone floor as the cleric stood up.

    “Anyway, based on that information, you conducted an investigation. And during that process, Lucia checked the materials, is that right?”

    “Yes. Since the Holy Sister insisted on seeing them herself…”

    “Where is she now?”

    “……”

    “No answer?”

    In response to the commanding question, the most senior priest spoke up.

    “Yes, I believe she’s gone to find Investigator Agato herself. We just received a call from the Holy Sister for support—”

    “Why is she out looking when she’s neither an inquisitor nor an exorcist? Isn’t that your job?”

    “…I apologize.”

    The cleric covered their eyes with their palm and exhaled a deep sigh. As their head bowed, their hair flowed downward.

    “Haah… I knew that brat would cause trouble again. With her personality, she wouldn’t have done this alone…”

    “……”

    “Well, that’s not important right now. Brother, go immediately and call the old man, and the rest of you go help Lucia. You know the location, right?”

    “Yes.”

    “Good.”

    The cleric said while brushing up their hair:

    “I’ll go too.”

    The silky black hair swept back like a wave.


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