And, next ch will be split into 2 parts.
31. In the meantime, I’m sure of it
“So, why is Lady Ratzell here?”
Of course, Marito’s first voice did not welcome Illias well.
He’s the last shield I have to keep Illias out. So, I want him to do his best a little.
“I brought her because she told me that she want to get involved. I lost in arguments, and my persuasion failed.”
“If you really tried your best, I’m sure it would be easy to push her away…”
“Well, yeah, it’s not impossible. But, I chose to let her get involved rather than to cut my relationships with her and push her away.”
“You’re so weak…”
“I don’t remember being strong anyway.”
Marito murmured and confronted Illias. His face doesn’t show a light expression towards us. It’s the face that the king shows to his knight.
“Lady Ratzell. The problem I’m having with him right now is a very troublesome one. If You’re involved in it, your relationship with Maya from Yugura Religion and Ragdo corps, who you’re acquainted with, may be broken. He, the one who just met recently, and those who have walked together with you so far, you may need to bet one of it, and in the worst case you may lose both. “
“If that happens, it means I just such a person of that degree.”
“It’s not that you’re being taken advantage because of love, right? So, what made you want to step so far?”
“…I don’t know. But, I can declare that I’m determined.”
“….I see. If you don’t know the reason, I can’t argue.”
Then Marito turns to me and sighs. Oh, his face looks disappointed.
“You will take responsibility, right?”
“Seriously? Even though I plan to leave it to the king…”
“It’s not clear why Lady Ratzell tried to get involved, but it’s clear that you’re the cause. Well, you need to reflect on your own uselessness that you showed to her.”
“It really hits a sore spot… Well, I’m sure it’s gonna be fine. Then I’ll start talking. Illias, raise your hand if you have something to ask.”
“I understand.”
“First, it’s about the facts that Lacra will get killed, I want to do something about it.”
She raised her hand immediately.
“Too fast, Oi. It surprised me.”
“You suddenly bring up an extreme topic, it surprised me too!”
“Well, Lady Ratzell hasn’t heard anything, so you have to take a step by step to explain it.”
“Oh, right. Then I’ll explain just before that topic.”
“Yes, please.”
“So, by the hands of the Demon Lords subordinates in Yugura Religion….”
You can raise your hand instantly.
“It hurts! Illias, it hurts!”
“Do you want to make fun of me now? Right, right?”
No choice then, I’ll explain it from start. But that Marito, he have no intention of stopping her at all…
“If I need to give explanations from a point where Illias can understand… it’s almost from the beginning……. So troublesome.”
“That last word, I can hear it clearly even if you speak it in a small voice.”
“It start from the day after I subdued Dokora. That day, I collected the farewell gift left by Dokora with Grandpa Kara. That’s the book Lacra was looking for. It’s the day when Illias was sitting alone at the entrance. “
“From that time…”
“Since the title smell like it was a dangerous book, I left it to Lord Ragdo without reading it. However, after that, at the dinner party, Marito asked me to decode the book. Maya, one of the archbishop of Yugura Religion who hates Forbidden Magic. I didn’t want to be suspected by her, so I started by going to the castle in the form of a Court Jester or a Candidate for Department of State Affair. The story goes like this until recently. “
“Something like that happened, huh… But, decoding a book about Necromancy…”
“At first I didn’t even know if the book was kept by Yugura Religion, but it was likely that it was eventually kept by one of the Kingdom. Therefore, to find out the threat level of the hidden book… You could say it’s for that reason.”
“Right. It’s not something you can just overlook it if other Kingdom are involved.”
“When I was about to start decoding it, Lacra came to Tiez. Thanks to her amazing careless personalities, I found out that the owner of the book was Mejis. It became to the point when I can’t keep the book hidden forever. So, I started to decoding the book. “
Let’s not say that I seriously argued with Marito whether that ‘Airhead’ girl was a trap or not.
“That’s why you was spending time with Lacra, huh…. Wait, Lacra have the same power to see lies like Maya, right?”
“I didn’t lie, I just cheated on the truth. Thanks to that, my trick were exposed to Maya.”
“But, it’s not that easy…”
“Then, because Lacra reported it all honestly, a person with great position in Yugura Religion instructed Lacra to reveal her identity and ask Tiez to help her search for books. From here onward, Illias know the story too.”
“So, the reason for staying overnight here last night is for decoding too… But, wait, why are you helping in decoding it?”
And, Lord Ragdo takes out the book and puts it on his desk.
“Because the book was written in the language of the earth, to be exactly, Japan, it’s written in my hometown language.”
“Speaking of which… Sure, it’s a language I’ve never seen.”
Then, Illias stopped talking and began organizing the information in her head. In the meantime, let’s talk in detail with Marito.
“Alright, I’ve got the gist of it for the time being, but I still can’t get to the first flow …”
“Even without a complete decipherment of the book, it is certain that it contains the information to learn Necromancy. The purpose of Yugura Religion was to resolve the doubt they had to Maya, who reported that she can’t find such a dangerous book in Tiez. And to resolve that suspicions, all of us here agrees that they would not leave it to only one person, especially someone like Lacra. “
“That’s… Right.”
The sad fact about Lacra’ low reliability. Even Illias could understand it!
“In other words, it can be said that there was a high possibility that another searcher was hiding while using Lacra as a decoy, but she didn’t mention anything about something like that when requesting for cooperation the other day. And, the possible reason of it is that the searcher’s identity must be hidden. So, considering that the person they sent is a person who can surely search for books, it must be someone from the dark part of Mejis. “
“That’s right. If they want to secretly collect a book, they’ll use that kind of person. It’s likely that person is the one who did that thing to the man this morning… That possibility is high, judging from his skill.”
Good, Illias also understands the situation. However, from here it starts to smell bad.
“It was Archbishop Ukka in Mejis who gave instructions to Lacra, and that instructions was changed at few days after Lacra’s report. That is, it could be said that after receiving Lacra’s report, Archbishop Ukka got instruction from someone in the position above him.”
“Higher than the Archbishop means… is it Pope Euparo?”
“Yes. It can be seen that Pope Euparo ordered Lacra to reveal the identity of the book so as not to worsen their relationship with Tiez.”
“No, wait, then this morning’s man..”
“Yes. Pope Euparo ordered the day before Gazen was killed. The murder took place after the top of the organization instructed to proceed the matter peacefully.”
“Such a thing…”
“Gazen is a man who usually wanders around the city at night. Perhaps he was unlucky to find the assassins. And to shut his mouth, he was killed. If that person respected the will of Pope Euparo, he would’ve asked the assassin to retreat immediately. The reason for using the assassin is to not get caught by Maya’s eyes. But, since the situation become like this, It is no longer necessary.”
“So, they continue to hide, and even killed one of the citizen…”
“Also, it might be that there is another person who is giving instructions to the assassin. A person who is in Yugura Religion but who is against the will of Pope Euparo.”
“But, it was Archbishop Ukka who sent Lacra. Then, isn’t it also Archbishop Ukka who sent the assassin?”
“No, it’s probably another person who have a connection with Archbishop Ukka.”
“Why can you say that?”
“As I said earlier, Archbishop Ukka, who sent out Lacra, gave his opinion to Pope Euparo, who is friendly to Tiez, and I’m sure he is faithfully follow the instructions. But, those who give instructions to the assassin is the one that despise the will of Pope Europa. Or else, This difference way of thinking is too inconsistent for the same person, and judging from the position of Archbishop Ukka, it would be strange the assassin had not withdrawn if he is the one who instructed the assassin. Therefore, even if Archbishop Ukka the one who make the plan, it’s safe to assume that another person is in charge of arranging and contacting the assassin. “
“And, what is that person’s purpose?”
“I’m sure that person aims for the book. And who can get the books at this stage?”
“That’s of course, Lacra… I see, is the story finally connected?”
“Good job. is your brain still okay?”
Right, the reason why the assassin is hidden is not to bring the book back to Mejis.
“Then I’m going to start a more dangerous topic from here.”
“Y, Yeah.”
“The reason why the assassin are aiming for the book is because they know the contents of this book.”
“I was worried about that. Isn’t the content about Necromancy?”
“Roughly, I decoded the contents of the book. This book is not about Necromancy. It is about the Demon Lord.”
“Demon Lord… Is it the most Forbidden Magic, the Resuscitation Magic!?”
As expected, Illias will be upset if the Demon Lord mentioned.
“Yeah, but it didn’t have much information about the Resuscitation Magic. The content describes the birth and observation of “Green Demon Lord”, one of the Demon Lords born by the Resuscitation Magic.”
“Observation of the Demon Lord…”
“I’ll explain the details later. So, You can say that this book is full of important information for the Demon Lord.”
“I don’t really want to know… No, nothing.”
“Too bad, I could have made it as an excuse to get rid of it. By the way, this book is probably not decoded by the Pope, If he knows the content, I’m sure he will not sent someone like Lacra here.”
“That’s right. So, from the very beginning, they ask for help to search the book about Necromancy, but secretly sent the assassin to search for it behind the scenes.”
“But it was originally a book in Mejis. Some books are known only to Mejis or those that involved in Yugura Religion, and only some humans know the true content of books that even Pope Euparo does not know. And so, the existence of a person who is familiar with the circumstances of the Demon Lord emerges from the inside of Yugura Religion. “
Illias nods and sighed. By the way, I want to drink a little water.
“And so that is what you mean by the Demon King believer that you said earlier?”
“I don’t know if he’s a believer. But, ignoring the Pope’s instructions, hiding the assassin in Tiez, and sneaking a plan to steal a book about the Demon Lord from Lacra. Definitely, He’s not a good guy.”
“By the way, could I ask you?”
“What?”
“The story was a little too long and confusing. So, could you summarize it?”
“The guy in Yugura Religion who is moving the assassin is aiming for the book. We have to do something about it.”
“Allright, I understand. You should say like that from the beginning.”
“Oi, return all the effort I did for explaining as much as possible to make you understand the details!”
Without knowing the danger of books, the thing we said so far would have been nothing more than a guess. However, after I decoded the book, it can be judged that this guess is correct.
The knowledge about the dark side of a Kingdom, that I learned from that guy, the back of the history that I learned after reading the book, It tell me something.
If the enemies are still invincible right now, they are probably sharpening their fangs while hiding.
“So, today is supposed to be the day the book found in the treasure room the day I’m going to give it to Lacra, but… What should we do now?”
“If you return the book, it will be under the jurisdiction of Mejis again. If you escort Lacra back, then there’ll be no problem, but…”
“The existence of the assassin that killed the citizen could be bad.”
“But, it wouldn’t be good for Mejis too.”
“Hmm, so, what should we do?”
“It’s not that I haven’t thought about any plan… Well, with Illias, the success rate is likely to increase.”
“Me?”
Then I gather them and talk to them secretly in a low voice.
“Hmm, I don’t mind, but are you okay with it?”
“Yeah, I’m a little angry that my acquaintance is killed. I have to revenge him.”
“I see, I understand. I’ll leave it to you.”
“…”
“Illias. It’s a difficult job… can you do it?”
“Don’t underestimate me. If you want it, I’ll hold the sword for you, and I’ll show you a result more than what you expected.”
I should be hoping for a safe way of life …
Wit, if I really want to be safe in this world, I need to put up some up-front investment.
My body is weak, but luck has helped me. An excellent knight and a King who understand me well, are one my side. What a blessing!
If you are blessed, you must respond with gratitude, right?
I must not only prioritize my own peace but also the safe future of others.
“Allright, then it’s decided. ‘I’ will reveal their plans.”
Well… For the future, Let’s stand out as much as I can.
◇
After that, I left the castle, part with Illias, and called Lacra to the square in the city.
“What happened suddenly, Shosho-sama?”
“I’m going to tell you where the books are. It’s in the castle’s treasure room now.”
“Oh! So, it were in the castle as you guessed!”
Lacra jumps happily… Please, don’t look so happy.
Even if I’m prepared, still.. this hurt my conscience.
“Lord Ragdo, who is familiar with that kind of thing, said that it certainly did have the information needed to learn Necromancy.”
“Oh, he’d looked the contents…”
“The language written inside is not from this world. Is it still not decoded by Mejis?”
“Yes, I heard it’s like that. But, you can learn Necromancy just from information such as illustrations.”
“Yeah, I’m sure there was such illustrations.”
“It’s not good to remember it, you know!?”
The reaction to the Forbidden Magic… As expected, those who value the teachings of Yugura Religion, may have a stronger sense of repulsion to something related the Forbidden Magic.
“Don’t worry, I’m not planning to go to that side.”
“… So, you can get the book, right?”
“Yeah, the book was originally kept by Mejis. It seems that they plan the management system to keep the book, but they do not intend to claim ownership of the book.”
“It’s good to hear that!”
“I just want you to tell something to Archbishop Ukka before that.”
“Okay, but … what you want to tell…?”
“It might be possible for Tiez decode the words in the book. Tell them that we want to share it with them if they want.”
Perhaps she couldn’t understand the meaning of my words, Lacra stunned for a while.
However, she gradually understood the meaning and the danger of my words.
“That’s… no! You shouldn’t blindly learn anything about of Necromancy!”
“I wouldn’t make this suggestion if it had only knowledge of Necromancy. The book has more dangerous things written in it. I was convinced when I revised the book.”
“Why Shosho-sama could…”
“That’s why I became a Candidate for Department of State Affair. ‘I’ was hired by Marito as someone who can decode the language like this.”
“… It’s not a lie.”
“Yeah. If Yugura Religion thinks the content of the book is nothing more than knowledge of Necromancy, then they should accept my proposal. To prepare for even more dangerous thing.”
“B,But!”
If you look at her, you can tell even that she don’t like the idea. Lacra is really worried about me.
Oh, it’s really give me a tingling sensation. I will have to round up this topic soon.
“I’m not going to hear your decision. Just tell Archbishop Ukka. If he refuse to cooperate, I’ll return the book immediately.”
“Really?”
“Let me know the answer at midnight today. I’ll bring you a book regardless of whether he accept it or not. You don’t have to worry because this was decided after discussing with the King.”
“….Right. I understand. I’ll get in touch with him and let you know soon.”
The priests who see through lies, but that means that you can easily get credit by turning it over.
That is why I do not doubt it deeply. Don’t guess what you’re thinking ahead.
“Okay, but tell Archbishop Ukka that whatever the decision is, it might involve the Pope Euparo’s position.”
“…Yes.”
From Lacra’s expression, the usual good weather was fading. That will definitely get him use the guy.
Well, well, will you pick up the bait, ‘Mr. Black Curtain’?
[TN: The Mc, like to use this word for someone working behind the scene I guess.]
◇
The urgent contact from Lacra was about a proposal from the Tiez.
When Ukka heard the proposal, Ukka tried to refuse it but he got stunned for a moment.
Certainly, the book that was kept as a countermeasure against Necromancy would be even more valuable if it contained another things.
Sure the number of Forbidden Magic beyond Necromancy is limited. And the most dangerous is the Resuscitation Magic that created the worst history.
The Ukka think, is it okay for him to decide the opportunity to given for them? No, it’s impossible. But, He just bother the Pope the other day… Still, he think that should consult here.
Then Ukka tell Lacra that he will make a decision by dusk, and disconnect the communication once.
“I have to hurry and tell the Pope…”
“Ukka-sama, What happened?”
Ukka was stopped again, he thought, ‘This guy is always around me, isn’t he? hmm, who was he again?’.
“Yeah, right, right. you’re Priest Larheit.”
[TN: I’m having a hard time deciding the name. And btw, in source his name is written ‘ラーハイト’]
“You’re still young, so I’m worried if you said something like that, Ukka-sama.”
Surely, Ukka don’t usually forget a person’s name, but somehow it’s easy to forget his name.
But, Priest Larheit with an aesthetic look, his face is hard to forget.
And Ukka thinks, ‘As I thought, if I want to remember someone, it’s better to remember a cute girl. For example that Lacra who has great body!’.
……Then Ukka wonder, what is the first name of Larheit… and he decided to remember it next time.
“…No, no, This is not the time. There was something I had to hurry to tell the Pope.”
“Oh, maybe it’s about the book that Lacra is looking for?”
“Your intuition is quite good, huh …. Well, it can’t be helped, lately it’s always been about this topic.”
Hmm?… Ukka wondering, ‘Did I talk with this guy so much?’, It’s like he’s forgetting something important …
“Can you talk it to me if you don’t mind?”
“No, as expected this is… Well, if it’s you, I guess it’s okay.”
“Yes, there might be some things that I can notice.”
“Actually…”
Then Ukka told what Lacra reported to him.
“I see, well, well.”
“It’s difficult to decide right? That’s why I have to tell the Pope as soon as possible.”
“You say something strange, Ukka-sama.”
“What?”
Larheit is laughing. He laughs like a child. But, it’s not like Ukka hate that kind of laughter.
“Wasn’t Ukka-sama already talked about that to the Pope?”
“What are you… Oh, yeah, that’s right, so what’s the opinion of the Pope again? hmm…”
“Didn’t the Pope said, ‘Do you believe in the words of stranger? Break the cooperation and get the book back!’, right?”
“….Yes, that’s right. I have to tell that to Lacra as soon as possible.”
“Yes, and that’s why you’re in hurry, right?”
“Y, Yeah! That’s right! Then, Excuse me, Larhe….”
Then Ukka thinks, ‘What was his name again? Wait… Were I talking to someone just now?’.
Ukka looks around, and thinks, ‘Hmm? there isn’t anyone? Hmm… did I just dazed?’
“Oops, this is not the time for that!”
◇
A man called Larheit activates a crystal in a room.
Shortly after, a man’s voice echoed from the crystal.
“Do you have additional instruction?”
“At midnight today, Lacra was supposed to get the book.”
“Hmmm, that’s amazing. I couldn’t even grasp the location of the book here.”
“It looks like the book was in the castle.”
“What the heck!? So, after all, Tiez had hidden it. Then, when should I take it?”
“I’m sure you guys was on your way back, but let’s change the plan. When Lacra gets the book, kill her on the spot and take it away. She will meet with a person from Tiez to negotiate later. That person will be a good cover. You kill her and make it look like to be the work of that person.”
“How could you said something do cruel easily, huh? So, what about that negotiating partner?”
“Of course, kill that person too. I will forgive if you spare Lacra, but I will not forgive you if you let him alive. Oh, and please bring the corpse back here.”
“I don’t know the circumstances, and I don’t want to know. Anyway, I understand. Can I disassemble the corpse so that it’s easy to carry?”
“Yes, but don’t break the brain. You can use the others parts to play with the beasts along the way.”
“It’s means, only his head… I understand. But, you have that kind of hobby too, huh.”
Communication was cut. And Larheit exhales.
“The figure of the collaborator is surely black hair and black eyes… Maybe, just maybe. If that person is really from Earth, it’ll be interesting.”
Larheit starts holding his hand over the crystal again.
Larheit with crystal
A voice echoes from the crystal again, but that voice is not from the man he mentioned earlier.
“Oh, It’s you, Larheit. What is it?”
“I was able to identify the location of the book that Dokora took away. I will get it tonight, so I thought that it’s better to report…”
“Do it after the book is in your hand!”
“No, I think that I should report it separately…… ‘Red Demon Lord’-sama.”
Thanks for the chapter~
thanks for the chapter