Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Sweet Trap

The dark organization was on the move.

It was "Takame" who had diligently gathered that information. And he called "Shinigami," whom he thought would be useful, to their usual tavern. Takame concealed his eyes and nose behind his usual mask, appearing rather suspicious. He was worried that he would be stopped by security guards if he walked on the main street.

"So, how about it? I can sell you the information for two million Magi now."

"That's expensive. My funds aren't unlimited either. It's even harder since I'm supporting someone."

"Yes, yes. You're a supported person!"

They rented a private room in the usual tavern, and Shu used soundproof magic. Since it was already a soundproof room, there wouldn't be any problem even if they made noise.

"Because I killed five Holy Knights, your investigation has become easier. You're also making a profit by selling information about the dark organization to various places. It's on the house."

"You're overbearing..."

"Then, I'll treat you to today's drinks."

"...I'll have some expensive liquor at most."

"Deal."

Expensive liquor had a high alcohol content, so they couldn't drink too much. Takame, who was doing a job that required utmost concentration, would only drink enough to not get drunk.

In other words, Shu won.

"So, which organizations are moving?"

"It's Akatsume, Youranka, and Hibaso."

"All of them?"

"All of them, indeed."

"Well, it seems that all organizations have been framed by the Holy Knights."

Takame took a sip of the drink, rolling it on his tongue before swallowing. Then he spoke again.

"It all started with an incident where four Holy Knights were assassinated at once."

"It was you."

"It was Shu-san."

"That's right. 'Shinigami' started it. And the Holy Knights who easily died under suspicious circumstances caused the citizens to lose trust. The church couldn't allow this. To regain their trust, they decided to undertake a large-scale extermination of monsters."

Iris was the one who could understand this the most. After all, she used to be a Holy Knight herself. She had also been manipulated for the sake of maintaining the church's appearance.

She thought that this incident was also part of that manipulation.

"Luckily, if you can call it that... a monster's nest was found near Altra. It seems to be inhabited by a group of Poison Wyverns."

"Poison Wyverns, you say..."

"They are a type of Sky Dragon monster. They are of middle-middle rank. But they fly and use poison, so caution is necessary."

"You know quite a lot. Well, even though they're middle-middle rank, they're flying dragons, so they're perfect for a demonstration."

"I see..."

Shu was also impressed, but this was still just the introduction. The main topic was different.

"Changing the topic, the Elise Republic is in the midst of intense political disputes among its parliament members. Some of these politicians utilize underground organizations to enhance their own interests or eliminate obstacles. For instance, they receive bribes in exchange for leveraging specific underground organizations. Well, I believe the 'Grim Reaper' is well aware of this as well."

"I received an assassination request, after all."

"Yes, indeed. That's why there are some politicians who despise the Church and Holy Knights, who oversee the underground organizations. This time, those politicians have placed a request with the Kakaori to attack and assassinate the Holy Knight Order, which is known for its large-scale monster exterminations."

"It was the Red Claws and Kakaori who had many battle mages, right? But why Kakaori?"

"That organization had its former boss killed by the Holy Knights. They must have seen it as an opportunity to avenge that grudge."

The Kakaori, known as a major underground organization, had actually lost their previous boss to the Holy Knights' hands. Therefore, many Kakaori members held a grudge against the Holy Knights. It was easy to imagine that they readily accepted the request.

"And then this information was leaked to the Red Claws."

"Leaked?"

"Yes, intentionally by the Church's hands, it was leaked to the Red Claws. Both the Red Claws and Kakaori excel in assassination and extermination. They have similar territories and see each other as obstacles. Can you guess what will happen when the Red Claws get hold of this information?"

"They will intervene and weaken the Kakaori's forces. And they might even kill the Holy Knights. That's what they'll do."

"Yes, that's right."

It was a simple prediction. Even someone as naïve as Shu could understand it.

However, the situation was not so simple.

"Here's another piece of information. The Church intentionally leaked this information to the Yorenka. It's about the Kakaori, who are planning to attack the Holy Knights, and the Red Claws, who are planning to intervene."

"So, even Yorenka knows?"

"Yes. This time, they will try to eliminate the forces of the Holy Knights, Kakaori, and Red Claws in one fell swoop."

"This is getting complicated..."

While sipping his drink, Shu organized his thoughts.

If he were to believe in the information from "Takame," the major underground organizations were about to be wiped out. The Church would lure the three main forces of the underground organizations by using the bait of exterminating the venomous flying dragon Wyvern, and then Selsar would strike them all at once.

According to the information, Selsar would remain in the city, but that was probably a lie.

They must have had a method to obstruct perception, so they were likely hiding and lying in ambush in some way. Or perhaps there was another method, but Shu was not aware of it.

However, there were still some points he couldn't understand.

"Don't the underground organizations realize the Church's plan? If 'Takame' noticed it, it wouldn't be strange if the other organizations did too."

"Yes, I'm the cause of that."

"You?"

"Yes. I manipulated the information a little to align with the Church's intentions. Gathering information is not the only thing I excel at. Information manipulation is also my specialty," 'Takame' spoke with a hint of pride.

However, if that's the case, they are a formidable opponent. I don't know how many subordinates or connections 'Takame' has, but they are freely manipulating information against major underground organizations. They are not someone you want to make an enemy of.

Therefore, Shu asked.

"What is the purpose of such manipulation?"

"On the surface, it's to destroy a major underground organization that could become an enemy of the Black Cat. But to be honest..."

They paused midway and licked their lips.

Then, with an eerie smile, they continued speaking.

"To be honest, it's because it's fun. It's enjoyable to manipulate those stronger than oneself in the palm of one's hand."

"That's a twisted hobby."

"I'm fully embracing the role of a villain."

"It's my prerogative. There's no right to complain. Especially for someone who quickly kills Holy Knights just because they are in the way."

Unable to come up with a retort, Shu took a sip of his drink instead. It was a weak and cheap liquor that couldn't hide his frustration.

While keeping his gaze on Iris, he spoke.

"For me, she's the only one who matters. I don't care about any other lives."

"Oh, is that a confession just now? I'm always welcome, you know."

"Whether it's a Holy Knight or a farmer, they are equal in front of me."

"Oh? Ignoring me, are you?"

"Someone who capriciously toys with death. That's what the 'Grim Reaper' is, right?"

"Shu-san? Ignoring me is cruel, you know."

Iris interjected, but Shu's words were something that 'Takame' could also agree with. They each had their identities according to their codenames. There were no complaints about that. The organization called Black Cat was a collective of individuals led by ten executives.

While wearing a smile, 'Takame' touched their mask with their left hand.

"So, Mr. 'Grim Reaper.' What do you intend to do with the information you've obtained this time?"

"Well..."

"For my part, I really want to see a battle between an S-Rank Holy Knight and the 'Grim Reaper'..."

"I'll charge you for the spectacle."

"I'll pay. How about 10 million Magi?"

"Huh? Really?"

"I'm telling the truth, without lies."

Shuu trembled slightly.

It was meant as a joke, but when he heard the words "ten million magi," his heart started to sway.

Seemingly sensing that, Iris asked as well.

"Will you accept?"

"I'm a bit torn. Ten million is tempting."

After thinking for a moment, Shuu replied.

"A million in cash. Send the remaining nine million in gold bullion."

"Very well. I will prepare it by tomorrow, so please come and receive it."

"Fast, aren't you?"

"In everything, speed is essential."

'Takame' had a pleased expression behind the mask.

***

The next day, after Shuu received one million magi in cash and nine million magi worth of gold bullion from 'Takame,' the Holy Knights held a meeting in the depths of the church's cathedral.

Not only the Seal Knights but also the Holy Knights belonging to the Altar Cathedral had gathered here. Naturally, the bishops and priests were also in attendance.

"We have information gathered by the Deputy Commander of the Seal Knights here."

Cerstar, who was also serving as the chairman of the meeting, spoke up. Then, everyone's eyes turned to the distributed documents.

"Thanks to the Deputy Commander skillfully manipulating the information, everything is going terrifyingly according to plan."

"Oh no, I still have a long way to go. Besides, this is my duty."

Within the Seal Knights, Cerstar symbolized the wielder of power as the commander, while the deputy commander skillfully managed the organization. Furthermore, when it came to executing operations, the deputy commander handled everything from planning to preparations.

Though he spoke modestly, he was quite exceptional.

"We will act as decoys and head to exterminate the Venomous Wyvern. Of course, our plan is to crush the nest of the Venomous Wyvern there, but I won't be able to be present at the scene. Holy Knight Cerstar Altarain will remain in Alta. It's a detailed story, but..."

Cerstar planned to enter the battlefield using a certain method. And when the Poison Spores attacked the Holy Knights, the Red Claws attacked both the Holy Knights and the Poison Spores, and the Bewitching Lotus attacked the Holy Knights, Poison Spores, and Red Claws, that's when they would activate the barrier. This was the operation they had planned from the beginning.

However, when Cerstar had explained this much, the deputy commander raised their hand.

Without delay, they pointed at someone by name.

"What's wrong, Vice Captain?"

"Well, actually, I have some new information, and based on that, I want to change the plan a little."

"New information?"

Even Celestar didn't know about such a discussion. In other words, it must be information they had just acquired recently. The other Holy Knights, bishops, and priests were also surprised.

Amidst the restless atmosphere, the Vice Captain stood up and began to explain.

"It seems that the 'Death Reaper' of the Black Cat is coming. To eliminate the Captain."

The meeting instantly became noisy. The 'Death Reaper' referred to an unidentified assassin belonging to the Black Cat. They had changed identities multiple times, and even if captured or killed, a new 'Death Reaper' would appear. Some speculated that there might be an organization training these 'Death Reapers,' but the reality remained unknown.

And now, this assassin was targeting an S-rank Holy Knight.

No one could help but be surprised.

However, the Vice Captain's explanation didn't end there.

"But this is a great opportunity. According to the investigation, the Black Cat's 'Death Reaper' is actually a person named Shu, who is none other than the Dark Lord Arclight! Furthermore, the witch Iris, who was supposed to be executed, is with him."

This was a shocking revelation.

First, a man named Shu was the primary suspect in the case of the murderer who killed five Holy Knights. The Church had been suspecting whether Shu and the Dark Lord Arclight were the same person.

The route through which they acquired this information was unclear, but the Vice Captain's words struck the gathering with a strong impact.

A newly emerged king's monster and a witch who betrayed the Church.

They realized that this was an opportunity to subdue these two.

"Excellent information, Vice Captain. As expected."

"It's only natural... to this extent."

"You're too modest. I'm sure everyone here agrees, right?"

"That's right, Vice Captain."

"So, this is the Vice Captain of the Sealing Holy Knight Order... truly remarkable."

"An impressive source of information."

While the Vice Captain modestly responded, everyone, including Celestar, praised them one after another.

And so, they incorporated the 'Death Reaper' and the witch as additional targets for subjugation and began to revise the plan.