Chapter 84 – Eye of Wisdom (Nine)
“…Actually, there’s not much to say.”
Sword Demon Miss tilted her head, as if contemplating something.
She sat upright on the bench, one hand holding a torch, looking like a well-behaved elementary school student. If you were judging purely by appearance, you’d never guess that this was a Pope Knight killer who wasn’t afraid of corpses or even bugs.
“I received an order to k*ll someone… I got the picture and was informed of the target’s whereabouts, so I went after him. Found him at a hotel, confirmed it was that Francis, and waited for him to leave at night to find a secluded place to k*ll him… After the cleanup guy came, I collected my reward and went home.”
“……”
I stared at her, waiting for two seconds before it sunk in: “Is that it?”
“Yep.”
“…Just that?”
So Sword Demon Miss pondered a bit more: “Francis was a top-notch warrior of the Earth Order, he was famous in Silgaya many years ago, but he retired after marrying… Those doctors knew him, and they must have some connections, but I’m not clear on that; I just k*ll people.”
“…Alright.”
I rubbed my forehead in exasperation: “Did you overhear them talking? Anything at all, think about it.”
“Hmm…”
Sword Demon Miss started thinking seriously, then said: “I remember… that Romani Doctor, a middle-aged woman, said some weird stuff. Something about Francis being a traitor, trying to escape with a special patient… Oh, I just remembered.”
She seemed to suddenly have a revelation: “At the hotel, he had a little girl with him. A very small girl, but very pretty, with white hair, who looked really scared… When I killed him, that little girl was already gone. I thought she was his daughter.”
A little girl with white hair…
Special patient…
Surely, it’s not me…
Could it be Iliush…?
“So, you just left that little girl alone, right?”
I tried to keep my tone calm, looking at her with a neutral expression.
However, sensitive as she was, Sword Demon Miss sensed my emotions from my words.
She opened her mouth, looking puzzled and somewhat hesitant to speak. After stealing a few glances at me and then averting her eyes, she waited until I took a few deep breaths, relaxing my facial muscles and calming my thoughts. Then she cautiously prodded, “Should I have killed her too?”
“……”
…That makes sense.
At that moment, she was just a butcher.
She knew nothing…
It’s unreasonable to blame her for anything…
Unreasonable…
“…What happened afterwards?”
I shifted the topic away from the little girl and continued to ask her.
“After that…”
Sword Demon Miss breathed a sigh of relief: “After I left, I heard people say that incident… had alerted Pope Angel. For a while, the church was searching for that girl in Silgaya, but it was only a short time… The reward poster was up for less than ten days before they took it down… They found her quite quickly. After they found her, Chris went to my mother again, and then I heard nothing. I heard he went to the Valen Empire, then soon to Ethanbel… Anyway, the next time I saw him was that night in Woodward Forest.”
“…Got it.”
How should I put this?
It was a bit tough for her to stammer out such a long story.
I frowned and thought for a long time without asking her any more questions about the Romani Doctor. I knew she probably didn’t know anything else, but I had some guesses in my heart.
Although what Sword Demon said wasn’t particularly complicated—maybe it was very complex, but coming from her mouth made it seem straightforward and clear. After hearing it, it felt like many things clicked together all at once.
Romani Doctor…
Since I woke up, I hadn’t seen her again, nor had I heard anyone mention her name.
That was expected.
No one dared to bring that name up in front of me.
What if something triggered my memory?
Heh…
From Sword Demon Miss’s story, I pieced together the actions of the “clinic” members represented by Romani Doctor over the past year.
After that, they should have split into two groups, or rather, two action routes. One led by Romani Doctor went to Ethanbel… to be precise, they went to Rabeli Valley, and they took Iliush with them. On the other side… at least the Birdbeak Doctor was part of the group that went to the Valen Empire.
Without a doubt…
The reason these people acted this way was because they knew about my plans in advance. That was orchestrated entirely by Pope Angel, starting in the Valen Empire to forge weapons, then heading to Order Royal City’s Christ Royal Academy, progressing step by step. Back then, I would’ve had no doubts about it.
I still vaguely remember…
During my time in Royal City, there were several moments when I felt like I was being watched. After the battle in Royal City, I thought it was the gaze of Iliush…
But looking back now, perhaps not entirely.
I can’t trace it back anymore.
But anyway, since waking up in Abyss Mud, to Emerald City, meeting Angel, then returning to Shanter Castle, the sudden appearance of Birdbeak Doctor Chris, and then heading to Order Royal City…
Romani Doctor was probably there in the canyon, waiting for my arrival.
The reason she didn’t wait directly in Royal City was partly to keep her cover and continue the final experiment of Oblivion Abyss; she couldn’t let the Abyss erupt directly in Royal City.
On the other hand, she must have been afraid to come into contact with me, so to be safe, she chose a place that was not too far and not too close, to secretly observe me in her own way… perhaps through some intermediary to relay information and keep track of my latest moves and situation…
…Oh, right.
That intermediary must be Margaret.
I remember vividly how Margaret had always tried to stop me at that time, unwilling to let me reach the canyon and come close to the rift of the Abyss too soon.
Perhaps she was very clear in her heart that if everything wasn’t prepared yet—despite not knowing what they needed to prepare, or whether they had to determine the success of the Oblivion experiment in advance—if I arrived early, I might uncover some clues or irregularities, or even directly meet Romani Doctor.
…Cardinal Nero must’ve known all this as well.
And his motive to k*ll me seemed somewhat nonsensical at the time, like someone blinded by power, having lost all reason, not even sparing Margaret. Looking back now, even though I can’t piece together the details, it must surely… he strongly disapproved of all the absurdity surrounding the “clinic experiment.”
He disapproved of the church researching the “Deity” with some ulterior motive, investigating the powers belonging to “Disaster,” believing deep down that it was a path to destruction, so he seized the opportunity, intending to risk everything, even his life, to end me, to end the horrifying conspiracy that originated from Angel.
Even if it meant costing the lives of an entire city…
Unfortunately…
His obsession ultimately lost to me.
Lost to me, this…
Terrifying and powerful experimental product.
I killed him…
At the last critical moment, Angel showed up with Carlos, and together we took down the “mastermind,” saving Royal City from crisis…
But looking back now, it seems I am the one who embodies “evil”…
I’ve always been in league with “evil.”
Is that how it is?
