Ch.368Event (1)

Before the atrocities of the devil worshippers were fully revealed, they remained deeply hidden in the shadows, thoroughly concealing their identities.

Though the exact origins of their existence remain unknown, many scholars speculate they were active even before the Devil War.

After all, had they not existed, the Devil War would never have broken out. That’s how long their infamous history(?) stretches.

Moreover, as 3,000 years passed and interest in devils gradually diminished, devil worshippers found more opportunities to run rampant, increasing their influence.

Particularly through the four major black market commodities: drugs, human trafficking, weapons, and monster byproducts.

They extended their reach throughout the underworld, amassing formidable wealth, with connections to the rich, nobility, and even clergy in some cases.

Like the corrupt Cardinal incident that caused such an uproar in the Papal Kingdom of Sabre, it’s fair to say the devil worshippers’ influence extends throughout the entire world.

Had the Biography of Xenon not exposed their existence, a Second Devil War would have erupted, plunging the world into even greater chaos than before.

Conversely, this means the devil worshippers’ influence was beyond imagination. Even though activities typically leave traces, there were none to be found.

But that matters little now. After the corrupt Cardinal received “divine punishment” in Sabre, an all-out war against them began.

They had been targeting Issac, the source of all these events, but even that proved difficult.

So the devil worshippers chose another path. If they couldn’t strike at the head, they would cut off the limbs to neutralize the threat.

Whether he was a prophet as rumored or just lucky didn’t matter—they would block the distribution of the Biography of Xenon at its source.

And the printing house in the Dutchy of Bellua was their first target.

“This place is completely wrecked.”

“Sure is.”

A man and woman were chatting while looking at a half-destroyed building.

The man’s skin was nicely tanned from working under the scorching sun. His exposed arm muscles and scars were impressive.

The short-haired woman, though less so than the man, had a deep scar on her cheek that proved she’d done hard work too.

Both had fairly good looks, and they shared one common feature—the pendants around their necks.

Proving they were adventurers, their gold pendants gleamed as they reflected the light.

“They said devil worshippers carried out a suicide bombing, right? I wonder what measures they’ll take now?”

The woman fixed her gaze on the building under reconstruction and crossed her arms. Her voice carried a hint of anxiety.

The man nodded in agreement. It was an understandable concern.

After all, the building being reconstructed was a printing house.

And not just any printing house—one established by Musk Grid with a huge investment, solely for printing the Biography of Xenon.

Currently, it lay completely collapsed due to the devil worshippers’ suicide bombing, with two employees dead and three seriously injured.

“Maybe the country will support it like a mint? Or if not, the Church might dispatch Holy Knights.”

“That won’t be enough. They say some devil worshippers are demons who could rain down magic from a distance. And they suspect this bombing wasn’t even planned by a group but carried out by an individual.”

When the woman made this reasonable point, the man nodded. Devil worshippers were an evil organization with influence throughout the world.

Naturally, their organizational structure had to be cellular, and most were mere pawns unless they were top executives like the corrupt Cardinal.

Though Sabre had officially declared a holy war against them, an organization that hadn’t left a trace for over 1,000 years wouldn’t be easily caught.

If not for the Biography of Xenon, no one would have even noticed their existence—that’s how meticulous they were.

“And this is just the opening salvo. I bet printing houses all over the world will collapse. The Dutchy of Bellua had to be targeted first because of its geographical features.”

“You know, you’re surprisingly smart sometimes?”

“You’re just dumb. Anyone who reads the newspaper a little would know this much.”

The woman sharply criticized the man. She glanced at him as he sheepishly scratched his head, then offered a backhanded compliment.

“Well. That personality is probably how you got what you wanted.”

“What?”

“You know, that thing.”

Whatever it was seemed difficult to mention openly, as the woman expressed it indirectly. She even looked around to make sure no one was listening.

The man didn’t understand at first, but after seeing her reaction, he finally caught on.

“Ah. The signature? You mean the signature I got from Xenon, right?”

“Shh! Shh! Keep it down! What if someone hears you?”

The woman was greatly flustered by the man’s straightforward answer and put her index finger to her lips.

Yes, the man was the one who had broken through the security wall to get a signature when Issac returned to Halo Academy.

It had been a potentially life-threatening situation, and if Issac hadn’t responded, his life might have ended right there.

Fortunately, he not only got the signature but also didn’t lose his career as an adventurer, so he was enjoying a comfortable life.

“What does it matter? Let them try to take it. I’ll just beat them all up.”

“Sigh… You have no idea how much trouble we’ve had because of that.”

The woman shook her head as if the mere thought made her dizzy. After rumors spread, there had been many attempts to steal the man’s signed copy.

Nearly getting pickpocketed while walking down the street was just the beginning—the most dangerous times were when they were resting at inns after a long day.

Some unknown person would even pick a fight to openly try to steal it.

If the man hadn’t been so skilled, the signed copy would have disappeared long ago.

‘We can’t even sell it at auction…’

The woman inwardly sighed again as she watched the pleased man.

To be honest, she was incredibly jealous of him. She was also an ardent fan of the Biography of Xenon.

But she couldn’t just hit him on the back of the head and run away. Considering how valuable the signature was, that would be unconscionable.

If it were put up for auction, wealthy people and nobles who heard the rumors would swarm like ants. Of course, the man had no intention of doing so.

Not only would it be disrespectful to Xenon (Issac), but even if it were successfully auctioned, it would obviously bring a bloodbath, so he was preventing that in advance.

“Let’s head back to the guild. There’s no point in staying here—we won’t get any requests.”

“Let’s do that.”

The pair stopped looking at the reconstructing printing house and turned to head back to their guild.

The adventurer’s guild they belonged to was established in the capital and major cities of each country.

The Dutchy of Bellua was no exception. In particular, Bellua was a country where various requests poured in, including merchant caravan escorts.

Naturally, adventurer or mercenary guilds wielded considerable influence, and many people passed through them.

Murmur- Murmur-

“Huh? What’s that?”

“There are so many people?”

On their way back to the guild, something caught the pair’s attention.

People were abnormally crowded in one place.

As frequent visitors to Bellua, they knew what was there.

It was where a large notice board was installed by the country for everyone to see.

A bulletin board placed so that everyone could see official documents issued by the country or the Church.

Countless people were gathered in front of that bulletin board.

“What’s happening?”

“Looks like an official announcement came down? Let’s go check.”

The woman, always sensitive to current affairs, led the man toward the notice board.

There were so many people that they could only watch from a distance, but she had something she always carried for situations like this.

It had the drawback of being somewhat expensive, but nothing was as useful. So the woman took an item out of her backpack.

It was none other than a telescope. Usually used by the military or in theaters, it was difficult to manufacture and terrifyingly expensive.

But despite the cost, it was so useful that she always carried it.

“Roy. Lift me up.”

“Heave-ho.”

The man called Roy immediately gave the woman a piggyback ride at her request. Satisfied with her suddenly elevated view, she put the telescope to her eye.

“Let’s see…”

“Hmm…”

While the woman looked at the official document on the notice board through her telescope, Roy looked around.

Typically, when the country posts an official document, people gather. Most are tax-related issues, so ordinary people pay close attention.

However, the number of people gathered now was excessive. Usually people look once and leave, so this many people gathering meant something unusual was happening.

Despite being only in his twenties, his extensive experience led him to this conclusion.

“…Huh?”

By now, the woman seemed to have examined the entire document. Her reaction suggested she was quite surprised.

She repeatedly took her eye away from the telescope and put it back, checking multiple times to confirm what she had seen.

“Wow… This person is really serious.”

“What does it say?”

The woman, Ann, didn’t immediately answer Roy’s question and came down.

Then, while putting the telescope back in her backpack, she told him about the document she had just checked.

“We’ll need to find out more details, but it seems Xenon is quite angry about this incident. He might really be able to eradicate the devil worshippers.”

“So what does it say? You know I hate being kept in suspense.”

“So impatient. It’s not an official document from the Dutchy of Bellua. It’s a letter from Xenon.”

“A letter?”

Roy blinked at the answer that it was Xenon’s letter, not an official document. A letter from Xenon posted on the notice board.

It was hard to understand at first, but considering his influence, it made sense. However, the content was most important.

It meant it had enough impact to be posted on the notice board.

As Roy’s expression grew serious, Ann nodded and told him about the content.

“Yes. It seems Xenon has heard about this incident. He seems quite determined.”

“That means…”

“We’ll need to check with the Church or guild for details, but depending on how many devil worshippers you eliminate, you get a chance to meet Xenon in private. He says he wants to express his gratitude.”

“A p-private meeting? I didn’t hear wrong, did I?”

Roy made a fuss and asked again about the private meeting with Xenon. When even approaching him required risking one’s life, a private meeting was unbelievable.

Ann nodded, knowing it was hard to believe. Her heart was starting to pound like Roy’s.

She wasn’t as impulsive as Roy, but she was just as much a devoted fan of the Biography of Xenon. In fact, she had met Roy because of the Biography of Xenon.

And they had met even before the Biography of Xenon caused a sensation—from volume 1.

“You didn’t hear wrong. The person who makes the greatest contribution to eliminating devil worshippers will get a chance to meet him privately. Of course, you can ask for something else instead. The country and Church will probably provide support.”

“Then right now…!”

“Wait. Xenon wants to avoid innocent casualties. He said if even one innocent person is harmed, this offer is void, so we should be careful…”

Just as Ann was trying to maintain her composure and hold Roy back, something happened.

From the increasingly heated atmosphere around the notice board, a shout that couldn’t be ignored reached everyone’s ears.

“Who do they think would be scared of this?!”

“Huh?”

“What?”

Riiiiip!!

Someone roughly tore down Xenon’s letter (actually a copy) posted on the notice board.

Everyone was startled by this sudden action, but the shout that followed made everyone act the same way.

“For the Father of All Things! We will never fall!”

“What’s with this guy?!”

“It’s a devil worshipper!”

“Hurry and get him! Catch that guy first!”

The situation instantly turned chaotic. Countless people trampled the suspected devil worshipper.

Watching this, Ann realized that the event had begun. It would likely bring a storm across the world.

Frankly speaking, meeting Xenon privately would be difficult, but motivating people to eliminate devil worshippers was already a great achievement.

“It really has begun. Let’s leave that aside and first check the details… Where did he go?”

Just as she was about to suggest thinking calmly, Ann belatedly realized Roy had disappeared.

In this confusing situation, she hurriedly looked around. And what she saw was…

“Move! I’m taking this bastard!”

“Who are you?! Don’t you see I subdued him first?!”

“Did you sell your conscience?!”

It was Roy, pushing others aside to somehow take the devil worshipper away.

“…”

Unable to acknowledge him as her companion, Ann covered her face with one hand.