Chapter 106: Entangled Assembly


    The burning vige was a real-time scene of ughter.


    The dying vigers were not humans but beastmen.


    "Argh!"


    "Die!"


    Soldiers d in chainmail over white tunics weremitting indiscriminate ughter.


    On their chests, patterns seemed to reveal their affiliationan emblem of the Red Sun.


    "Kill them all! Do not spare a single one of these heretics!"


    Bodies fell, spears dripped with blood, and the ground was transformed into a river of crimson.


    Amidst the raging inferno, Evan von Orleans, the person responsible for this massacre and themander, watched with a benevolent smile.


    "Knight Commander Evan, it seems like the clean-up is almost finished."


    "Good job. Gather the heretics'' corpses in one ce and burn them all."


    Having given the order for soldiers to burn everything, Evan, with a serene demeanor, shifted his gaze upwards.


    The sky, ckened unlike the zing inferno, was adorned with countless unknown stars.


    And on the other side, three moons stood distinctively, watching Evan.


    "What a truly beautiful day."


    From the moment he decided to be a holy knight, guided by the light that emerged from his dreams, 40 years had passed.


    He had admired every existing light in the world.


    Of course, the mes that purified these heretics were also beautiful in their own right.


    "Knight Commander, a message has arrived from the Holy Kingdom."


    At the soldier''s call, Evan, who had been enjoying the lights, turned around.


    Taking themunication device handed to him by the soldier, Evan immediately spoke.


    "This is Evan von Orleans, Inquisitor of the Third Heresy from the Holy Kingdom."


    -Sir Evan, you''ve worked hard.


    The voice that reached him belonged to Godric Hunt, the person known as the real power behind the Holy Kingdom and called the Dedicated Sage.


    Though he was said to be approaching his 90s and considered frail by the world, Evan couldn''t imagine Godric turning into dust.


    He was the one who wielded the Kingdom''s power and held a firm grip on it.


    "It''s been a while, Your Grace."


    -How are things progressing?


    "We are at the final stages."


    -You, Evan, have been dealing with rather trivial matters personally, haven''t you?


    "In the name of the Goddess, I cannot differentiate between great and small tasks. I am simply performing my duties."


    -Indeed, Evan, you are as reliable as ever.


    After exchanging perfunctory greetings, Godric got to the point.


    -It''s about the recent movements of the Dark Mages.


    "What happened?"


    -Luna Pendragon has appeared.


    Luna Pendragon.


    The legendary witch who had operated in the past, the third daughter of Eve Millennium.


    From the moment of her birth, she was marked by a prophecy as a creature that would grow into a monster.


    And she happened to be the ck Mage that Evan was in charge of dealing with.


    "Although it had been quiet for a while, it seems she couldn''t resist emerging."


    -This time, may his name guide her to proper purification.


    In the Holy Kingdom, there were only four Aura Masters and Inquisitors responsible for dealing with heresy.


    Evan, the Knight Commander, was one of them.


    "May his light guide her."


    .


    .


    .


    .


    "Do you know how bored I was because you didn''te out of the academy?"


    Advancing without hesitation, Luna approached and spoke, her demeanor unchanged from when I saw herst at the Morche''s Nest. I cautiously surveyed my surroundings and tensed my body.


    There was no real need to be on guard against Luna. After all, I was a Dark Mage just like her.


    But I couldn''t help but react reflexively.


    "Huh? Say something, Adrias Cromwell. I followed you all the way here just to see you."


    "Why did you follow me?"


    "You killed Kyle."


    Listening to Luna''s calm words, I was left speechless.


    Was the situation more dangerous than I thought, even though I believed there was no need to be wary?


    ''She confirmed that I killed Kyle.''


    With her abilities, she could have easily confirmed my actions.


    What was puzzling was why she decided to confront me directly.


    Kyle wasn''t an important figure from what I knew, so her direct involvement didn''t make sense.


    ''If I knew that she would move, I would have been more careful.''


    Her appearance was unexpected.


    "Why aren''t you saying anything? It''s boring."


    "Yes, I killed Kyle."


    There was no need to hide the truth that was already out. And I was unashamed.


    It wasn''t like there was a use that forbade Dark Mages from killing each other. Of course, killing a fellow member of the assembly of mages mightplicate matters a bit.


    But the assembly wasn''t established to foster a sense of belonging, to begin with.


    In any case, when I nodded my head in agreement, Luna grinned and spoke.


    "I know, right? More importantly, why did youe all the way here? Did youe to have fun?"


    I wanted to ask that myself.


    Why did she chase after me?


    Judging by her reaction, she didn''t seem hostile. So why did she pursue me, who had killed Kyle?


    "I came because there''s something I need to find."


    As she answered and looked around, the attention of many people focused on her.


    Although her appearance made her stand out, she was also famous.


    The reason for theck of fuss was that this ce wasn''t part of the Empire.


    ''The perception of Dark Mages in the Grandis Kingdom isn''t as negative.''


    Of course, illegal activities were prohibited.


    But it wasn''t always illegal to practice dark magic, so long as one didn''t engage in criminal acts. It was even weed in an environment where the power of Dark Mages was seen as valuable.


    "What is it that you''re looking for? Can Ie with you?"


    "Before that, let me ask one thing. Why did you follow me?"


    "I was bored. Also, Hegel told me to report back."


    Hegel told her to report back?


    If she was speaking this openly about it, it seemed like a screw hade loose somewhere.


    "Since I answered, can Ie with you?"


    Honestly, I wanted to decline.


    Even if the Grandis Kingdom was far removed from the Empire, it wouldn''t be good if word got out that I was with Luna Pendragon.


    ''I doubt she''d listen even if I refused.''


    With her personality and behavior, she would likely ignore my refusal.


    I might as well bring up the subject.


    "Sorry, but I''d like to travel alone."


    "What? Do you have any idea how long I waited for you? I''ming with you!"


    Luna Pendragon was a skilled mage, known for her unpredictable abilities like an Aura Master. Despite her capricious nature, she was skilled enough that even Aura Masters didn''t necessarily scare her.


    I didn''t want to needlessly create trouble with her.


    ''Anyway, there probably isn''t anyone here who knows me...''


    As I kept refusing, I realized that I didn''t know what unpredictable action she might take, so I eventually nodded my head.


    But if she''sing with me, then there should be something in return.


    "Since you''re following me, I have a condition."


    "A condition?"


    "I want to receive a Soul Imprint from you."


    At my words, Luna''s expression momentarily twisted in a grimace, and she seemed to be lost in thought.


    "That''s bothersome..."


    "Your following me is bothersome to me as well. I''m asking for a fair exchange."


    First, I had to make a big demand.


    Making a big demand first would increase the likelihood of her agreeing to smaller requestster.


    Soul Imprint was a technique currently only possessed by Luna Pendragon and maintained by her.


    Theplexity of the process aside, it was a technique only she could use. But its effectiveness was undeniable.


    From the materials required to the method itself, and theplexity of being a technique exclusive to Luna, it was something that required enough skill to endure the process.


    If one asked why I dared to make such a request, it was because I saw an opportunity in Luna''s erratic behavior.


    ''Just poke at it. If it doesn''t work out, then never mind.''


    But seeing Luna''s thoughtful expression, hope oddly sprung within me.


    Was she genuinely contemting this?


    After a long pause, Luna looked at me again, her face scrunching up as if dissatisfied with something.


    "Soul Imprint is too bothersome."


    Seeing her repeat the same words, it seemed that the task was quite troublesome.


    But somehow, I felt like there was a chance, so I became more impatient instead.


    "Just hear me out. If it''s too much trouble, then let''s do this."


    "How?"


    "In exchange for you following me, I''ll do one thing that Luna wants. However, it has to be something within my capability."


    Upon my proposal, Luna, who had been sporting a sulky expression, thought deeply and then spoke.


    "Fine, I''ll do that."


    "How?"


    "Be my friend."


    "What?"


    It was such an unexpected request that I was left speechless.


    "Once you be my friend, I''ll give you a Soul Imprint. If you''re my friend, it won''t be a bother for me to follow you, right? And I can give you a Soul Imprint for my friend!"


    It was hard to follow Luna''s line of thought, but when I thought about it, it was actually a gain for me.


    Under the guise of being a friendly acquaintance, I could receive a Soul Imprint.


    "Understood. I''ll be your friend."


    "Great! Now Adrias Cromwell is my friend!"


    At Luna''s words, I couldn''t help but look around.


    Thankfully, it was night and there weren''t many people around. If we were in a crowded ce, it would have been embarrassing.


    "Friend! I have something I want to ask!"


    "Yes, go ahead."


    "After seeing you kill Kyle, I was curious. How did you suddenly be so strong?"


    Luna asked me with an innocent expression.


    "Recently, the you I saw wasn''t strong enough to kill Kyle. I''m curious how you became so strong in such a short time. Since we''re friends now, can you tell me?"


    "I put in effort."


    "Really? I see."


    Did she believe that?


    As I talked with Luna, I felt like my own sanity was slipping away.


    I pointed towards the inn I intended to go to.


    "Shall we start by getting our rooms?"


    Luna nodded, and I sighed inwardly before making my way to the inn.


    Something felt a bit odd, but Luna didn''t seem to be someone I needed to be fearful of.


    Even if she''s going to give me a Soul Imprint, I couldn''t thank her enough.


    As we walked towards the inn, it seemed that quite a number of gazes were fixated on us. It appeared that Luna''s appearance and reputation attracted more attention than I expected.


    The gazes followed us even after entering the inn.


    The inn was abination of a tavern and a restaurant, and the noisy crowd fell silent when they saw Luna standing next to me.


    "Two rooms and a meal, please."


    "Yes, of course. Would you like to have the meal first?"


    "Food first!"


    Luna eximed, resting her chin on the front desk.


    The way she kicked her legs seemed like a dog wagging its tail.


    The innkeeper gave an awkward smile and gestured towards a table on the side.


    "If you wait there for a moment, I''ll bring the meal to you."


    Sitting at the table he pointed at, I tried my best to ignore the ufortable stares directed at us and observed Luna instead.


    Herplexion was almost pale enough to make you wonder if she was unwell. Snow-white hair and eyebrows gave her an almost fairy-like atmosphere.


    And her eyes, which shone with a spectrum of colors like opals, added an air of mystery to her presence.


    "Oh, right."


    Luna looked around naively, taking in the surroundings of the inn before pulling something out from her pouch.


    "Amunication device?"


    It was amunication artifact.


    Who was she trying to contact?


    Click.


    "Hey, Hegel! It''s me, Luna."


    Luna Pendragon, you contacted me quite early.


    Hearing the voice from the other side of themunicator, I couldn''t help but let out a hollowugh.


    What could she be doing right now?


    "Yeah, I just met Adrias Cromwell. As expected, Adrias killed Kyle, just like we thought!"


    ... Don''t tell me the person beside me right now is...


    "Yeah!"


    I couldn''t believe it. I wonder how dumbfounded Hegel must be.


    After a short silence, I felt Hegel finally part his lips from themunicator on the other side.


    -Adrias! Is he beside you?


    Presented with themunication device by Luna in such a peaceful manner, I wasn''t sure how to respond.


    I decided to take themunicator she offered and responded, "This is Adrias."


    -Is it really? I''m a bit surprised.


    Hegel''s honest expression conveyed a sense of camaraderie.


    I was genuinely taken aback myself.


    -Since we''re here anyway, let me ask one thing. Did you also kill Lanox recently?


    Considering Hegel''s question, I decided to lie.


    It didn''t seem like a good idea to create a rift between us at the moment.


    "I''m not sure who Lanox is."


    -I see. Well, considering he lived in the Krates Mountains, you wouldn''t have any reason to go there.


    Thus, an awkward atmosphere settled in as silence wrapped around us.


    With the food arriving just then, Luna and I focused on our meal, disregarding Hegel''s presence.


    -It''s unfortunate that you killed Kyle. He was myrade.


    Hegel''s words seemed rather indifferent.


    More like a warning than a genuine expression of regret.


    -I can''t really me you for something that''s already happened. You must have had your reasons to fight him, considering he''s already gone.


    "Was Kyle your subordinate?"


    -Subordinate? Well, as I mentioned earlier, you could say he was arade.


    Whether he was a subordinate or not wasn''t really important.


    For now, I didn''t feel the need topete with Hegel.


    He was rather troublesome in many ways, and I certainly couldn''t currently match up against a Warlock of his caliber.


    "I''d like to apologize first. At the time, there was a possibility my identity could have been exposed, so I had to use excessive force."


    -That''s fine. Like I said earlier, I can''t me you for someone who''s already dead. But there''s one thing that''s regrettable.


    "Regrettable?"


    -Secretly nting people as Academy professors is quite bothersome. Unfortunately, due to the recent incident, security checks have been heightened, so you won''t be able to attempt it again. Your master, Charon, essentially lost his information channel under Jester''s influence.


    Why is he extending his words this much?


    Judging from the expression of regret, he seemed to be hinting at something he wanted from me.


    -So, speaking of that, Adrias.


    Hegel''s voice, which had been slightly distant, suddenly rang out clear within the bustling tavern.


    "Would you like to join the Assembly?