The leader of the Holy Weapons, whether it was Merlin’s second personality or not, they needed to find Merlin in order to use it.
Fortunately, finding Merlin wasn’t difficult. Though he claimed to have a free spirit, Merlin was technically the head of the Imperial Magic Corps and had an obligation to respond to the Emperor’s summons.
And right now, it was an emergency dire enough for the Emperor to call all the Masters under his command. The Evil God Cult had attacked and occupied the main base of the Believer Sect.
“Long time no see that double-dealing brat, Kail.”
“Uncle Merlin. Your mouth is as sharp as ever.”
“My free-spirited mouth is my trademark.”
Merlin looked at Kail as if asking why he had come. Kail pushed Jerry, who was behind him, forward.
Jerry trembled as he looked at Merlin’s face.
To think that the leader they had been searching for was here? No, more than that, he held the position of the head of the Imperial Magic Corps?
In this situation, which was hard to believe or accept, Merlin, puzzled by the trembling Jerry, spoke first.
“I haven’t seen you before. Do you know me?”
“…Yeah, I do. You might be seeing me for the first time, though.”
“This body? Are you royalty or something? That way of speaking…”
“Ahh, no. It’s not like that… Ugh, just look.”
Jerry sighed deeply and began emitting the Aura from within his body. Merlin, who could proudly claim to be the greatest sorcerer of this era, quickly grasped the situation upon seeing the amount of Aura pouring out of Jerry.
The amount of Aura coming from her body was magically impossible—supernaturally impossible.
Unless blessed by the God of Aura from birth, such levels were unattainable. Meaning, the Aura inside her body wasn’t hers—it belonged to someone else.
“What is this?”
“My name is Jerry. I’m currently his slave.”
“Slave? What were you originally?”
“I was originally a big male Aura Master named Jerard.”
“Reincarnation? Did your memories remain?”
“No, exactly speaking, they say my brain was transferred… I don’t know the details well either.”
“Brain transfer, huh…”
As expected, even Merlin, being a magician, sparkled with curiosity about Jerry, just like Yuri.
Jerry shuddered under Merlin’s lecherous gaze but then coughed awkwardly as he remembered that this man was the leader of the organization he belonged to.
“Leader. Why are you pretending not to know? It’s me, Jerard.”
“Leader, I see. So Feyna did something like this too?”
“…Feyna?”
“It’s hard to explain. Hmm—think of me as being in a similar situation.”
“…You’re saying you’re not the leader?”
Jerry stared at Merlin in disbelief. He barely managed to understand, thinking how could there not be another similar case when he himself was one.
Of course, understanding didn’t mean accepting the fact that they had lost their leader. After all, understanding is the farthest emotion from empathy…
“Well, since there’s a case like mine… But seriously, how can you look exactly the same and not be the leader?”
“Hmm. By the way, Leader- what kind of organization was he leading?”
“Holy Weapons.”
“…Oh ho. Kail Meyer—don’t tell me.”
Upon hearing the name of the organization from Jerry, Merlin understood both why Kail brought her to him and why he sought him out.
It was inevitable. To think that he himself was the leader of a terrorist organization made up solely of Masters?
That meant he could manipulate the organization as he pleased, and in a situation like this…
“We’re going to rescue the Virgin Saintess. I’ll form a special task force. We need arrow fodder.”
“—Alright, expensive arrow fodder indeed.”
Even the idea of using Masters as arrow fodder didn’t surprise Merlin much. Such was the situation.
Not only Masters but offering entire empires and kingdoms as sacrifices would be understandable given the circumstances.
Merlin glanced down at Jerry. Sensing the unique gaze of a sorcerer, Jerry flinched.
“Where is this organization called Holy Weapons?”
Hearing his question, Jerry hesitated, glancing at Kail, and eventually spilled everything. Their location, the members’ names, and even how Feyna usually behaved.
Enough information for Merlin to act like Feyna and control the organization.
* * *
Snick snick.
Aruki, carving a small piece of wood with a dagger, finally completed the wooden statue she had been working on and set it down with a satisfied expression.
“Leader…”
Around her, there were already many such wooden statues, paintings, and crystal balls projecting memories extracted from her brain.
All these depicted one person—her only lord, Feyna.
“Leader, why aren’t you coming back? Huh?”
Aruki gently stroked the newly made statue and started creating a new one. Having lost her master, Aruki was gradually falling apart.
It had been 236 days since she last saw Feyna. Considering he used to show his face at least once every hundred days, this was a new record.
The problem was that it was a terrible record. Despite knowing Feyna was a double master of martial arts and magic, this period left her worrying about his safety.
She started hating herself for daring to worry about him. Worrying about him meant doubting his safety, which implied doubting his abilities.
‘No, no. That can’t be.’
Masters don’t die. The leader couldn’t have died. Repeating this mantra while carving wood, Aruki sensed someone entering the building.
Only members of Holy Weapons knew about this place. Without checking who it was, she continued focusing on making statues, but frowned slightly at the voice coming from behind.
“Wow, it’s like a pigsty. A real pigsty.”
“…This voice.”
It wasn’t the voice of her comrades. Rather, it was an unsettling voice. Glancing back, Aruki saw Kail Meyer waving cheerfully and jumped back in shock.
Her long-deteriorated mind forcibly awakened. She checked her physical condition and armament. She wasn’t in shape for prolonged battle, but she could fight. She had a sharpened dagger, not for combat but usable nonetheless.
Instantly considering the possibility of a fight and dozens of ways to kill the enemy, Aruki swung her dagger at Kail as planned. Or rather, she attempted to.
“—Long time no see, Aruki.”
“L-Leader…?”
There stood Feyna, the leader of Holy Weapons.
Recognizing his face and voice, Aruki trembled and carefully put down her dagger. She didn’t know how Kail found their base—but with a Master present, there was no major concern.
No, judging from this situation, it would be most logical to deduce that their leader brought Kail Meyer here. And if the leader brought Kail, regardless of the reason, it must be the right thing.
The leader wouldn’t make a wrong move. He wouldn’t make a wrong judgment.
“Leader!”
Aruki immediately ran and hugged Feyna tightly. Burying her face in his chest, she sobbed uncontrollably. After rubbing her head against him for a while, Feyna gently pushed her shoulders away, looking troubled.
“It’s been a while, but this is quite an intense reaction.”
“Leadeeer…? Why aren’t you hugging me like always?”
“…Hmm, it’s been a while since I’ve seen your face. It feels a bit awkward.”
“A-Awkward? Between us…?”
As Aruki tilted her head in confusion, Feyna sighed helplessly and spread his arms.
Aruki immediately clung to him, seeking affection. Ah, this smell. This touch. This presence. The leader she had been searching for was right here.
After clinging to Feyna for a while, Aruki wiped her tears and cautiously stepped back, looking up at Feyna.
“But Leader, where have you been and what have you been doing?”
“I’ve been a bit busy. More importantly—I came here because I have a request for you all.”
“Mm? What is it? Whatever it is, I’ll do it if it’s the leader’s order.”
Aruki smiled wistfully as she spoke. Yes, she was ready to follow any order from the leader.
And yet—the figure before her eyes now wasn’t the leader she knew.
The Feyna she knew wasn’t this kind. He wasn’t the type to indulge her whims so easily. He was closer to being abusive, hurting her without hesitation and manipulating her in various ways.
“Aah, Leader. You’re dead. In the end…”
The leader was dead. At this moment, when an unknown figure wearing the leader’s shell appeared, Aruki had no choice but to acknowledge the fact.
Moreover, she vowed to avenge the leader no matter what.
Unaware of what she was thinking, Kail and Merlin gave orders to Aruki.
“We’re going to rescue the Virgin Saintess. Gather all the members.”
