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chapter 48
『Hmm.』
A man stood at the altar, wearing ceremonial robes.
Recognizing the half-parted hair and snake-like eyes beneath thick eyebrows, Cowen ground his teeth.
“As expected, you bastard Vares…….”
-LMAO
-Main villain appears.
-He looks JOAT every time;
-But even with evidence……
-LMAO, for real.
Cowen had long suspected that Vares was connected to the Holy Nation.
But having failed to find even the smallest piece of evidence, even undercover investigations had stalled for a long time.
In that suffocating situation, the scene shown by this magic tool was enough to break through the blockage.
『You arrived early.』
At that moment, another man appeared in the projected scene.
The star emblem on his shoulder indicated that he was a bishop of the Holy Nation.
『It’s been a while. Did the archbishop have any words?』
『He said that if the plan proceeds well, a fitting position will be prepared. How are the preparations coming along?』
『You need not worry.』
Vares nodded, his double chin wobbling.
Then he spoke of that critical “plan.”
『Once the war begins, Edlen will become a forward base of the great Holy Nation. I will devote this life to returning the Raven Kingdom to the embrace of the divine.』
“A forward base……?”
Cowen’s face was filled with shock at Vares’s stunning declaration.
He had expected ties to the Holy Nation, but war was far beyond common sense.
The scene projected by the crystal orb continued.
『A commendable mindset. I was somewhat concerned when you suggested framing Mayor William as an agent of the Holy Nation, but fortunately it proceeded smoothly.』
『Thanks to Brook’s inferiority complex toward his brother, things were easy. He will remain a scarecrow in his seat until the plan is carried out.』
『Good. Disposable pawns are always useful.』
The bishop nodded slowly with a benevolent expression.
After gazing at the altar for a moment, he continued with a faint smile.
『That reminds me, a report came in yesterday. Is it true that William’s daughter escaped Edlen?』
The bishop narrowed his eyes, still smiling.
Meeting that gaze, Vares answered without hesitation.
『Yes. But that too was part of the plan. If we had even touched the daughter, William would have abandoned the city’s future and fought to the very end.』
『So he accepted his future, knowing it?』
『William was a clever man. He knew early on that if he didn’t sacrifice himself, the entire city would be in danger. But to him, the city’s safety meant nothing compared to his daughter’s life.』
-…Damn.
-There was a story like this.
-Just GOAT.
-City or whatever, you protect your daughter.
-William, only now do we realize.
As chat rapidly filled with reactions to the hidden truth,
the bishop closed his eyes briefly, then spoke.
『…A madness-like paternal love. I understand the circumstances back then, but what will you do if that child interferes with our plan?』
『If that time comes, the plan will already have been completed. William’s daughter would not be foolish enough to bare her fangs at the Holy Nation. She’ll live quietly in another land.』
Considering the past, present, or future, the Holy Nation was the world’s strongest power.
For the fallen daughter of a ruined family with no foundation, revenge would be impossible.
By any measure, it was a foolish judgment.
The bishop closed his eyes briefly, then turned his back and spoke.
『This plan is of great importance to the future of the Holy Nation. Since even His Holiness the Pope is watching, remember that failure is not an option.』
Leaving those words behind, the bishop departed from the altar.
Left alone, Vares slowly raised his bowed head and muttered quietly.
『I can’t hand it over to some mere bishop.』
He slowly ran his hand across the altar and let out a sneer.
Then, turning his gaze to the empty air, he said—
『I will obtain the traces of the Spirit King, no matter what.』
Srrk—
With those final words, the light faded.
Those who had watched the scene fell into silence.
Only the viewers were busy chattering.
-Vares knew about the Northton ring too;
-Then why hasn’t he gone after Ria yet?
-Doesn’t he know she’s in Edlen?
-He lied about her escaping, so he probably knows.
-Maybe he doesn’t know Ria is Riventia?
-Facial recognition issues?
-Kids grow fast;
-And she lives in the slums, how would he know. LOL
Amid the chaotic speculation in chat, a message appeared before their eyes.
[Main Quest #6 has been completed.]
[You have received 50,000 gold.]
[2 stat points have been awarded.]
[Experience has increased by 15,000.]
[Progress has greatly increased.]
[Main Quest #7: Resolution]
You discovered a projection magic tool inside the workshop.
It contains decisive evidence of Vares’s crimes, his ties to the Holy Nation, and his future plans.
How can this be used?
Objective: Talk things over with Cowen and Ria.
Reward: None
*Current progress: 60 percent
‘60 percent.’
Perhaps because they obtained crucial evidence, the progress jumped by a full 10 percent.
The objective itself—simply to talk things over—was straightforward.
How they continued from here would clearly have a huge impact on progress.
“Hoo.”
After being lost in thought, Cowen let out a deep sigh.
Then, with a heavy expression, he slowly spoke.
“It’s worse than expected. I never thought Vares was after the Northton ring.”
They had already confirmed that he was tracking Riventia’s whereabouts.
But they had assumed it was simply to eliminate the remaining bloodline.
Never once imagining that his goal was the power of the Spirit King.
“Is information about that ring completely unknown?”
“Even Brook doesn’t know. It’s something passed down orally only to the family head. How he found out… I have no idea.”
William never opened his mouth until the moment of execution.
His last words to the executioner were simply that he had worked hard.
In other words, Brook, who inherited the position of family head, received nothing about the family’s secrets.
“Then how did he really find out? No one told Uncle Brook. Dad emphasized that so many times.”
Ria voiced her doubts as well.
Even as a childhood memory, the story about the ring was vivid.
Along with her father’s insistence that she never tell anyone—especially her uncle.
“Records about the Spirit King are fragmented. Sometimes absurd records appear in completely unexpected places. Even a diary written by a random witness can’t be ignored.”
“Indeed… that’s possible.”
At Hanbit’s opinion, Cowen stroked his chin in agreement.
In reality, the material Vares obtained was a diary collected from the black market, written by some adventurer.
He acquired it the day after William’s execution.
That was when he began secretly tracking the ring and Riventia’s whereabouts.
‘He knew she was inside Edlen too.’
Even before the execution, Vares had recorded everyone entering and leaving Edlen.
It wasn’t aimed specifically at Riventia, but it became a stepping stone toward his goal.
There was only one reason he hadn’t conducted aggressive searches until now.
To avoid provoking the traces of the Spirit King, which could potentially run wild.
“So if we use this evidence, we can punish Uncle and Vares?”
Ria asked, glaring at the magic tool.
After a moment of thought, Cowen slowly shook his head.
“It’s strong evidence, but not enough by itself. We need proof of what plan they executed and how. Evidence where it’s clearly recorded.”
“Where would we get that?”
“I have a guess, but……”
He turned his gaze to the blueprints lying beside the projection magic tool.
The newly modified Northton mansion and Vares’s residence.
They were so detailed that the structures were vividly clear.
“What are these red markings?”
Looking at the blueprints together, Ria pointed to several oddly marked spots.
On parts of the Northton mansion, red letters forming OX were drawn.
“I believe those mark the locations of vaults.”
“Vaults?”
“Yes. I’ve heard through acquaintances that Brook’s vault changes location daily for security. Likely some kind of magic tool.”
“…That’s really suspicious.”
Excessive caution that looked suspicious to anyone.
It naturally suggested that what was inside wasn’t something like gold bars.
Hanbit continued the conversation.
“So you think there’s more evidence there?”
“There’s a strong possibility. Considering Brook’s suspicious and greedy personality, he would’ve prepared to betray Vares. It’s about time he started wanting to make Edlen his own city.”
It was common knowledge that the real power in Edlen was Vares.
Regardless of past relations, Brook was the one sitting in the mayor’s seat now.
It was only natural that he’d want to monopolize that power.
Secretly preparing for that outcome from long ago wouldn’t be strange at all.
“Wouldn’t Vares notice?”
“This is speculation, but Vares likely sees Brook as less than a scarecrow. That leaves two possibilities: either he thinks Brook doesn’t have the guts to betray him, or he’s confident he can crush him even if he does.”
It had been a long time since Vares first appeared before Brook.
The relationship and perception established back then wouldn’t change easily.
Brook was simply an easy man to look down on.
“So in the end, we just need to steal what’s inside that vault, right? I’ll do it.”
Once the target appeared, Ria stepped forward immediately.
Her abilities made it seem possible, but Cowen thought differently.
Shaking his head, he spoke firmly.
“Miss, it would be best for you to leave Edlen. No—you must leave.”
