Chapter 161: The End of the Truth
“Is that so…?”
I suddenly felt a bit tired.
So, I relaxed my body, leaned back in my chair, and closed my eyes. My mind was a whirl of thoughts, so jumbled that I didn’t know what to think.
After a while, I heard Angel speak again: “Little Black Charcoal… I understand you’re not feeling too great right now, but… how should I put this? You see, I never really thought of you as a monster…”
… You’re full of it.
I remembered your smug face during our first meeting!
“You’re a living, breathing person. You have thoughts, emotions, a kind heart, and even loving parents, right? You’re still you; you haven’t really lost anything…”
Ah…
So that guy sent me to Shanter Castle. He knows about the experiments, and having seen my appearance, he probably guessed where I came from immediately.
“You sent me to Shanter Castle… to confirm all this nonsense you just said?”
“… Yes, but not only that. Duke Skarlick has been searching for you for three years. Now that you’ve reunited, is there anything better than that?”
Nice words…
“It’s just that something bad happened that changed your body, giving you the powers of the Abyss… Now, you even have the power of Sin Fire. But those are just powers; they don’t define who you are. Only you… and the ones who love you can do that… yuck~”
He suddenly stopped, letting out a rather disgusted groan, then muttered, “What the heck did Margaret write? It’s so cheesy! Totally not my style…”
… Margaret? What did she write?
Curiosity piqued, I opened my eyes.
In front of me, the robed Angel was leaning over the table, his head dangerously close to a piece of paper that seemed to be filled with dense text.
Huh?
I shot up from my chair and snatched the paper before Angel could react, holding it up to read:
A Hundred Ways to Comfort Miss Silvya.
First: Feed her.
Second: Pet her head. Be casual about it, act like it’s unintentional, gently, like you’re petting a kitten.
Third…
… Ugh.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it behind me, then stared at Angel’s nervous face with a slight smirk.
“You guys…”
I tilted my head, trying to think of something sharp and witty to insult him, but I could only muster, “Looks like you’re really into this.”
“Well, what else could I do?” Angel suddenly looked pitiful, like a spoiled child on the verge of a tantrum. “Margaret made me memorize all of it… But there’s so much, how could I possibly remember it all? I knew this would come out…”
“You…”
Oh my…
What should I even say?
My head hurt… I couldn’t understand the mentality of the church officials. Who are these people anyway? Forget it, don’t think about it.
My head was already scrambled enough…
“Angel.”
I rubbed my temples and called him softly.
“Hmm?”
The golden-haired man reclined back in the chair, hands behind his head, legs stretched out, feet resting on the table, lazily replying as if nothing had happened.
This guy… I just couldn’t figure him out.
I closed my eyes again and gently asked him, “Do my father and mother… know about this?”
“No.”
“Then… Carlos?”
“Doesn’t know either.”
I sighed in relief.
So, the only ones who know are him and Margaret… but Margaret didn’t tell me.
I guess Angel had warned her…
But why is he suddenly telling me all this now?
And Nero…
“Nero knows I’m… human. Yet he still wanted to k*ll me… even risking his life…”
“Don’t mind him, he’s stubborn and insane. Don’t stoop to his level.”
“… Is he really dead?”
“Dead… I almost wish he’d come back to see what he’s done.”
“What… did he do?”
“Don’t you know? Several streets south of the Royal City collapsed. Many people who didn’t see the Abyss saw the sky light up several times with golden light and flames, speculating that there was some kind of dispute within the church. Although they were right, some are suspecting the rebellion in the Royal City is linked to the church. Even with Elizabeth stepping in to clarify, that’s just too much… The city is a mess right now, full of conspiracy theorists, and I’m just trying to figure out how to dampen the situation… Thankfully, not many died, otherwise I’d really be…”
I could tell he was genuinely stressed about it.
“Little Black Charcoal, don’t overthink it. The mess in the Royal City isn’t your fault. Nero’s motive for wanting to k*ll you isn’t noble either; he just hates that I’m supporting you… The church is complex; there are a few old-timers who don’t respect me but don’t dare go against me directly, so they resort to petty tricks to make life difficult…”
“So… Nero is your… opponent? The leader of your opponents?”
If Angel has enemies in the church, then surely the leader must be Nero… So, does that mean I’ve inadvertently helped him eliminate a major threat?
“The opposition is real; as for the leader… let’s call him one of them. Besides him, there’s another even trickier old coot… Ugh, I’m certainly going to have trouble with him again… Forget it, let’s not talk about this. Little Black Charcoal, you—”
Before he could finish, I interrupted, “Iliush… is Oblivion. Did you all know…?”
Could it be that there’s also a ‘clinic’ over there on the other side of the gorge? No, wait.
She was obviously with me; we were both in Silgaya, so why… or did she get transferred later?
“We didn’t know about Oblivion in advance, nor did we find any research similar to that in the gorge… At first, I thought it was just a typical Abyss… As for the situation itself, we need to investigate it thoroughly. However… to really get to the fact, we might need to capture a member of The Gate of Truth… well, that could be a bit difficult…”
… Capture a member?
“If I encounter one, I’ll give it a try.”
“Oh~”
Angel expressed his surprise.
Two seconds later, he changed the topic: “In any case, you’ve eliminated the Oblivion Abyss. You’ve accomplished everything a great Pope Knight could do; thank you sincerely.”
“Thank you for what…”
Thanking me for killing Iliush? The once pure, lovely little girl who, like me, suffered through so much…
The girl who gave me donuts…
She’s gone.
But I still can’t quite remember her…
“Ahem.”
My throat felt dry, and I couldn’t help but cough, wanting to say something, but it seemed like I couldn’t voice it at all.
The atmosphere fell silent.
After a moment, I faintly heard Angel fiddling with something across from me, but I didn’t feel like opening my eyes to look. I just lay there against the hard chair, until I heard Angel speak again.
“There’s one more thing. Little Black Charcoal, I have to ask you, did you really eat the Goddess’s Judgment… ah, that ring from Nero, right?”
“Uh-huh…”
I made a sticky noise through my nose.
“Did you know that ring is a divine relic given to the church by the Goddess of Sin five hundred years ago?”
“Figured that much…”
Nero used that ring to unleash a Sin Fire that was purer than The Gate of Truth. After hearing what Angel just said, even an idiot would understand what’s going on.
“Do you know what happens when you eat a divine relic?”
“… Don’t wanna know.”
If eating it is a good thing, it would just mean I got a stronger Infernal Fire power, which I already know, and I actually feel that’s not good news, so I don’t want to hear him say it. But if he’s gonna say that eating the ring has dire consequences, like exploding from divine power or something, then it’s better that I don’t know.
“You need to know,” but Angel wouldn’t let up.
Ugh, so annoying…
Can I just cover my ears?
“Little Black Charcoal, do you know you did what even the ancient saints dared to think but not do? You swallowed a divine relic… Tsk tsk, should I call you the bravest Pope Knight in history or the most fearless Abyss?”
“Whatever, you decide…”
“However, it seems like there’s nothing seriously wrong… While you were in a coma, Margaret and I tried all kinds of healing miracles, and we concluded that the power of Sin Fire has already settled in your body, causing you no harm… You probably don’t realize how astonishing that is. Let me give you an example: it’s like… um… it’s like if carrots and oranges were thrown in the same pot. That’s the kind of feeling.”
What kind of terrible example is that…
“Isn’t that bad?”
“It’s incredibly bad; calling it devil’s cuisine wouldn’t even be an exaggeration.”
Then…
Maybe I could make it for Carlos to eat.
“In short, the powers of Sin Fire and Chaos… They shouldn’t be able to mix normally, but in your case, they can… Little Black Charcoal, you’ve become stronger, managing to harness the forces of order, chaos, and Sin Fire all at once! This is a joke! You’re a miracle!”
Angel’s tone even sounded a bit excited…
Why is he excited that I’m strong?
And this isn’t what I wanted; does that mean I’m gonna have to s*ck bl**d like Teresa now?
And the single white strand of hair in front of my forehead… I don’t even know what I’ve turned into…
But Angel didn’t sound worried at all; how much does he trust me? That’s just weird…
“However, since the fusion of the Abyss and Sin Fire is unprecedented, even if everything seems normal right now, no one could predict what will happen next… Little Black Charcoal, I’ll be in the Royal City for a while; if you feel any discomfort, you must come to the church to find me… If I’m not around, you can look for Margaret, oh wait, she’s leaving soon, so just look for me… Hey, are you asleep? Did you hear me?”
So annoying…
Why is Angel so talkative…
Suddenly, I opened my eyes and stood up from the chair: “If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving.”
Angel, sitting across from me, looked stunned before he stood up as well.
“Wait, I still have something to say—”
Before he could finish, I interrupted him again: “Let me go, alone, and think in silence. Okay?”
With that, I ignored him, frowning, and turned to walk toward the door I came through.
“You… still haven’t told me what you remembered…”
Angel’s tired voice came from behind.
I didn’t stop walking or look back: “I stayed in the cave at the bottom of the Empire’s cliff. That’s all. I don’t remember anything else.”
The rest, you can figure out yourself.
“… Is that all? That’s a bit too perfunctory, don’t you think…”
“Hey—”
I waved my hand, pushed the door open, and left.
