Chapter 411

〈 Chapter 411 〉 Part 1, Chapter 17, Section 19

Holy Angel City (Santangelo Castle) was in an uproar.

On the day of the visit by the Queen of England and Sir Gawein, an unfortunate incident occurred—worse yet, it turned out that an intruder who had infiltrated the Vatican had been assassinated.

Who? How? Why?

Some suspected that Sir Gawein might have been involved, but that possibility seemed low. Sir Gawein stayed close to Princess Aruel and the Queen, guarding them at all times.

Then who could have silently eliminated the intruder hiding in the Vatican without any warning? As people’s worries piled up like Mount Tai, they discovered the intruder’s intention.

Cardinal assassination.

Wilhelm Adolf Cardinal was murdered.

And he… was a monster.

* * *

Amidst the great chaos in the Vatican, Princess Aruel from England strode back and forth through Holy Angel City, searching for clues. The hero <Brainbreaker> Jupiter, urgently dispatched by the association, tried to stop her.

“Princess, this is dangerous.”

Given the situation, it was right for Jupiter to manage things. The Pope, who had been on a business trip abroad, was rushing back to the Vatican upon hearing the news, and currently, Jupiter was in charge of the scene.

“Please step aside.”

But Aruel wouldn’t back down.

“What’s the problem when I’m already finding all the clues?”

“But…”

“The culprit… well, let’s call them that. Two-person team. Judging by the stride, a fairly tall man and a woman above average height. Presumably special ability users. Who found the dusty trail leading from the warehouse first?”

“It was you, Princess. But, Princess…”

Jupiter pointed toward the ancient emergency passage beyond the warehouse, which looked ready to collapse at any moment. The ceiling had already caved in entirely, and the association’s heroes were hastily moving debris, restoring the ceiling, and creating a path.

“We’ll check it out. There’s no need for Princess to personally go…”

“Don’t we need to know if these guys are just some nameless hero or if they stumbled into this while trying to assassinate the cardinal? And how did they even discover this secret passage?”

“That’s true…”

“…Maybe the Cardinal was part of the Dark Legion-”

“Princess.”

A firm-faced Gawein behind her shook his head, cutting off Aruel’s words.

“There are too many ears listening.”

“Could it be a monster from the Dark Legion?”

“Princess?”

Gawein was flustered. Aruel wasn’t so foolish as to not understand his words; meaning she was deliberately ignoring his warning.

– Was the Cardinal a monster from the Dark Legion?

– Is the theory about good men falling indeed true?

– A dimensional gate in the heart of the Vatican… ugh, just thinking about it makes me sick.

The fear and confusion began spreading from the heroes’ magical powers. Gawein had avoided spreading the Cardinal’s identity, which he’d learned just moments ago, fearing such a situation would arise. After all, there was no mention of the Cardinal in the ‘Apostle List’ he’d received.

He himself was shocked to learn that the person with whom he’d shared lunch earlier today was a monster. What then must the people of the Vatican and the priests feel? This kind of chaos could lead to suspicion even of the Pope. Gawein didn’t want this kind of chaos, but Aruel had instead ignited it. Gawein wanted to gently scold her for her dignity, but Aruel started scolding him instead.

“Sir Gawein, this mess happens because you always try to hide secrets! If word gets out that you’ve been trying to conceal the Cardinal’s true identity, won’t trust be lost again? You knew and didn’t tell anyone why?”

“…”

At Aruel’s words, Gawein remained silent.

“You’ve hidden Oracle prophecies before, leading to the current chaos. Even though it happening five years early was surprising, now it’s time to stop hiding. Instead, we should reveal the truth to everyone and deal with it together.”

“…You’ve grown wise, Princess.”

At Aruel’s words, Gawein nodded heavily. The world was already in turmoil, and adding the fact that the Cardinal was actually a monster wouldn’t make much difference.

“I understand. I will follow Princess’s advice and officially announce it after contacting His Holiness the Pope.”

“…Thank you.”

That Gawein, who strictly separated public and private matters, had listened to her opinion made Aruel feel oddly emotional, making her nose tingle.

Hiccup.

As she sniffled, a strangely familiar yet odd scent suddenly wafted from somewhere. There stood a brown-haired woman with short hair, looking anxious outside the restroom, as if waiting for someone.

“Who is she?”

She was definitely the same woman who had been passionately kissing during lunch. Her white blouse over a skirt reaching the waist exuded more grace than Princess Aruel herself. She had a striking appearance that would naturally draw attention, but strangely, nobody seemed to notice her.

“…”

Suspicion began to sprout. Could meeting the Cardinal at the same restaurant and reappearing where the Cardinal was assassinated really be a coincidence? Though there was no clear causal relationship, Aruel’s instincts screamed something was off.

There’s definitely something about this woman. Aruel approached her boldly.

“Excuse me, may I verify your identity?”

“…What grounds do you have?”

The woman’s response was curt. But asking for grounds before even knowing who she was seemed suspicious. Aruel bowed politely.

“I’m sorry. I am the Hero <Princess> from the Association.”

“…The Princess of England? Why would a princess like you be interested in me-”

The woman startled upon seeing Gawein standing behind Aruel. In that brief moment, both Gawein and Aruel noticed her heightened alertness towards the two of them. Definitely fishy.

“May I see your ID for a moment?”

“…This unexpected event during my date is quite unsettling.”

The woman muttered under her breath as she pulled out a holographic ID from her smartwatch. She was A-Rank Hunter <Ceres>. Not a hero, but a hunter. Gawein bowed first.

“I apologize. You’re a hunter, aren’t you? Have you seen anything unusual? Someone acting suspiciously?”

“Not at all. I was just sightseeing.”

“Sightseeing during such a time?”

“If the world might end, I want to take in as much as possible before dying. Why?”

“A-Ah, no reason.”

Ceres’ tone was icy, and Gawein scratched his head awkwardly as he stepped back. But Aruel didn’t retreat.

“Weren’t you alone? I think I saw you earlier during lunch at that Michelin 2-star restaurant.”

“…I feel interrogated, and it’s unpleasant.”

“I apologize if it felt unpleasant. But we need to find clues. Shouldn’t we at least thank the nameless ‘Hero’ who dealt with the monster?”

“…”

At Aruel’s words, Ceres frowned. It was obvious she wanted to distance herself from them, and even Gawein began to look skeptical.

“Excuse me….”

“Sorry for keeping you waiting, sis.”

A boy with white hair appeared beside Ceres, holding her hand. Dressed in blue bell-bottom pants, a white shirt, and a brown bucket hat, the boy made Aruel’s heart skip a beat.

“Who…?”

“Our brother-sister pair?”

The boy tilted his head in confusion and retreated behind Ceres. Ceres firmly blocked the way, holding the boy’s hand tightly.

“…As you can see, I was waiting.”

Ceres gestured toward the men’s restroom. The boy blushed embarrassingly and completely hid behind Ceres.

“N-Neechan, is something wrong? Or is it like last time…?”

“No, nothing’s wrong.”

Ceres hugged the boy tightly and patted him soothingly. The pale boy buried his face in Ceres’ bosom, and Ceres smiled awkwardly.

“Excuse us, but may we leave for our accommodation? He’s my fiancé’s younger brother, and he seems quite shaken.”

“Yes.”

“If anything happens, please contact me via the email on the card. Otherwise, I’ll report everything I remember to the association.”

“No, no, it’s fine.”

Gawein stepped forward first to comfort the boy. The boy’s blue eyes briefly lit up, and Gawein pulled a candy from his pocket and handed it to him.

“Sorry, this is all I have.”

“Thank you, big bro.”

“…Not sure if ‘bro’ is necessary.”

Gawein scratched his head awkwardly as he stepped back. Ceres apologized and left.

“…Sir Gawein, isn’t this strange?”

“What exactly?”

“Can someone lovingly bring along their fiancé’s younger brother like that?”

As Aruel’s suspicions deepened, Gawein pulled another candy from his pocket and handed it to her.

“Eat this and calm down. From here on, it seems this has become my responsibility.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Haha, simply put…”

Gawein’s magical gear shimmered golden.

“…It means there might come a time when I need to step in.”

“…Can you just explain clearly without being cryptic? Following the 6 Ws.”

Gawein got scolded again.

* * *

“Ceres, since when did I become your fiancé?”

“…”

Hades remained silent. Ceres, originally wanting to rent—or buy—a sports car but gave up due to complicated procedures, decided to drive out of town directly. I sat in the passenger seat sipping strawberry milk.

“Ceres?”

“…”

“Ceres nee-san?”

“Yeah, what is it, Xian?”

Does calling her ‘nee-san’ make her that happy? I turned my head to look at the scenery outside as the car drove further into the outskirts.

“Isn’t it time we stop playing the sister-little brother game?”

“Nope. We gotta see it through.”

Hades was smiling.

That smile was eerily similar to the one a senior student gives to a freshman during hazing. I knew exactly how this would end, but I was gradually progressing toward the ultimate goal of awakening Hades.

‘The protagonist transformed into a child in the original story too.’

The spirit trial to awaken Hades as a spirit. It happened when the protagonist, thanks to Hikari’s potion, took on the form of a young child, triggering a sub-event.

Everyone immediately recognized her as a graceful older sister type from her figure and actions, but only those who pursued the Hades route knew the open secret: she was an extreme shotacon with incredible self-restraint.

“Ceres nee-san, aren’t we getting far away from the hotel?”

“It’s fine. It’d be inconvenient if people notice.”

“Then doesn’t this put me in an awkward situation?”

“Xian, don’t act like you don’t know. I’ve helped you with your mission, haven’t I? Surely you’re not planning to return to Korea right away?”

“…Of course not.”

After all, the primary purpose of coming here was to awaken Hades as a spirit, the third and final ultimate goal. I had three objectives when I came to Europe, and inadvertently, with Hades’ help, I completed one by defeating Adolf.

Hades probably thinks I’ve finished my mission. So I acted preemptively.

“I can’t return yet. There’s still a mission.”

“Another one? What is it?”

“Brainbreaker.”

“…Is he a monster too?”

“Most likely. High probability.”

In the Vatican, there’s the Cardinal, and in Rome, there’s <Brainbreaker> Jupiter.

Similar to Rasputin, he poses problems for me, being at the center of World War III—an S+ Rank monster <Mind God>. Since the moment his transformation was exposed, he declared himself Zeus and started behaving accordingly.

‘The villain who raped the most women according to lore.’

Though some thought it went too far, considering the original myths of Zeus, it was a perfect adaptation. Taking advantage of this, I decided to handle him as well.

“So, Ceres nee-san, where are we going?”

“Greece, Athens.”

“…Coincidence much?”

“Why?”

“…Because Brainbreaker’s base is there.”

“…Hmph? Is that all?”

Screech.

Hades pulled the car over to the shoulder and leaned toward me, extending her hand over my shoulder, seductively smiling. For a moment, I blacked out.

“Xian, you can’t escape anymore. I’ve decided to take you.”

“…But I already have a master, and shouldn’t you ask your own master first?”

“…”

“…Would your master allow it? Don’t forget—I belong to Blazing Phoenix.”

“Blazing Phoenix?”

Technically, Blazing Phoenix is closer to a spirit. My mistake. I quickly thought of an excuse.

“It’s just hard to call her ‘Monster of Blazing Phoenix’ every time, right?”

“True. Doesn’t matter anyway. You’ll soon be Hades’ monster.”

“Shouldn’t we go to Mexico then? To meet my boss.”

“No. Once I take you, that girl will get mad and come on her own.”

Hades turned my head and kissed me. More like devoured my lips, but I couldn’t react fast enough to her attack.

[Mother of mercy, Hades is super aggressive!]

[Aaaaah! Young Phoenix’s first kiss is gone!!]

The network noise was so loud I almost wished Hades would reapply the bracelet on my wrist. I interlocked fingers with her hand.

“Even if the physical strength has decreased, the class remains-”

“I’m Hades. So, you’re mine now.”

With a triumphant smirk, Hades sealed the deal with another kiss.

My consciousness faded again, leaving a taste of whipped cream in my mouth.

* * *

“Puhahaha, not a first kiss.”

Blazing Phoenix watched joyfully as Phoenix and Hades engaged in a passionate lip-lock inside the car, tossing a blue orb back and forth.

“Hohoho, Ji Ryun…”

Blazing Phoenix sensually licked her lips with her finger. A warmth lingered on her lips.

“Sorry about that.”

Blazing Phoenix picked up the strawberry from her strawberry shortcake with her fingers.

“I’m the type who snatches the best part when someone leaves the tastiest thing for last. Puhahaha.”

Blazing Phoenix popped the strawberry into her mouth, careful not to touch her lips.