Chapter 421
Chapter 421. The Flourishing Must Decline
Well then, here I am, Hero Alexander, storming into the room indicated by the ghost.
“Gugaaaahh!”
On the other side of the wall I punctured with Adamas, a gruesome scream echoed out.
I kicked through the cracked wall and burst in, finding a charred man writhing in agony.
Is this guy Bennett, or rather, Virosa? The transformation magic—so this really is the nephew of Virosa.
I’ll put him out of his misery right now.
“Ugh… Oooohhh!”
However, upon hearing the noise of the collapsing wall, Virosa let out a roar, shaking off the pain. He quickly picked up a sword that had fallen to the floor and lunged at me without hesitation.
Even after his identity was revealed, he remained transformed?
The nephew of Virosa. A spell he refuses to cancel no matter what. Could it be, a Sword Saint—
“—Aaaahhhhh!”
How sharp! A breathtakingly beautiful blade!
…But his form is too proper. It’s far too straightforward. There’s no dimensional acceleration at all. There’s no reason not to go all out here. This must be his limit.
I struck Adamas down, easily redirecting his blade downwards, then sliced through Virosa’s chest with a follow-up slash.
“Guh… Hah…”
Virosa coughed up a grand amount of blood. Yet his eyes remained filled with life.
Raising the sword that I had deflected, he attempted to strike back.
But alas—he could no longer muster any strength. He could barely hold the sword.
And attempting an upward slash instead of a downward thrust… I deflected his blade with my upper arm and decapitated him with a horizontal swing of Adamas. Underneath his clothes, he of course wore Bon-Dage. There was no risk of being injured by a blade of this caliber.
‘There are no signs of allies, huh?’
Ah, indeed… no other movements.
Virosa’s fallen body, the pool of blood spreading across the floor—
“……..”
Virosa’s severed head glared at me resentfully. Its outline shimmered and transformed back into a youthful face with pale skin and red eyes, complete with pointy ears.
It faded away, the magic disbanding…
He hadn’t cast any spells right until the very end. He must have had enough magical power to transform, yet did he have such confidence in his swordsmanship?
Honestly, those were splendid techniques. It felt evident he had trained diligently to masquerade as a human.
But, he lacked the grit of actual combat or that fierce aura… and that just won’t do.
‘Looks like it’s over now.’
Barbara appeared, slipping through the ceiling.
“Any enemies around?”
‘None. Looks like it’s just him, though the neighbor seems suspicious.’
Of course, after making this much noise…
I hope Barbara returns to promptly inform Leila about our success.
While replenishing her dark magic, I asked her through telepathy.
‘Understood.’
Nodding lightly, Barbara vanished into the night. …I’m sorry that she’s been stuck with this errand role lately.
‘It can’t be helped; I don’t have a physical body…’
Barbara waved her hand and melted into the darkness.
—As she left, footsteps approached from the hallway.
“Hey, Bennett? You alright? That scream was something else… what’s with this hole…”
Peering through the wall I smashed was a dirty-looking old man covered in tattoos.
“What…?!”
His eyes nearly popped out at the sight of the fallen Virosa, the pooling blood, and me holding a blood-stained blade.
“W-What the hell are you?! Do you realize this is the territory of the Fuzendast Family?!”
Despite his terrified demeanor, he smoothly drew a knife. Definitely not a regular guy.
“It’s the Holy Church.”
I displayed a silvery glow.
“What…?! The Hero’s a murderer?!”
“Murderer? Don’t make me laugh.”
I picked up Virosa’s severed head and held it aloft.
“I told you. It’s the Holy Church.”
Where there are dark beings, that’s where we appear—
“…?!”
A severed head of a Night Elf with crimson eyes and pale skin thrust in his face—he fell silent.
“You’re…”
I subtly shifted the angle of Adamas’ blade—quietly shifting my weight—ready to strike at any moment—
“Are you one of those who consort with darkness…?”
I asked flatly, and the old man’s face turned pale, causing him to drop his knife with a clang.
“Ugh… N-No! I didn’t know, I didn’t know… This must be… some mistake…”
“Sorry, but it’s reality. I’ll take your word for now…”
I angrily flicked the blood off Adamas and moved closer to Virosa’s room, approaching the bed.
I tossed the severed head, wrapping it in the sheets. After wiping Adamas’ blade, I sheathed it.
“I’ll be taking this head.”
Holding the blood-dripping, rounded object wrapped in the sheets, I strolled away.
“I’ll be back for an investigation right away. Leave this room untouched. It’ll be a hassle trying to find any missing evidence if you’ve already messed with it… You wouldn’t want that, would you?”
“Y-Yes…”
The old man nodded repeatedly like a broken doll.
Well, even if it wasn’t disturbed, this building will likely be searched from top to bottom, anyway.
But I never said that if the scene was preserved, the entire building would escape scrutiny…
‘What a sincere hero you are.’
Antendeixis chuckled heartily.
Leaving the building that supposedly belonged to the Fuzendast Family, I headed straight for the Holy Church.
On the way, some passersby were shocked, and someone almost called the soldiers, but I revealed my status as a hero and managed to avoid any issues. They were shocked at the Holy Church too.
“Alexander? What in the world happened?”
“A serious matter.”
Carrying the bloody, rounded object, I banged on the Holy Church doors and both Arthur and the bishop in their nightclothes rushed out.
“Take a look at this!”
I presented the severed head of the Night Elf. Thump, it rolled to the ground.
“What is this…?!”
“Alexander… you did it, didn’t you?”
The bishop’s eyes widened, and Arthur looked impressed but also had a face that said, “You did this, huh?”
“This was a Night Elf operative who hid under the name Bennett within the Fuzendast Family. By the way, before being sheltered by the mafia, it seems he worked for the Ark Deacon Trading Company…”
“The Ark Deacon Trading Company, you say?!”
Arthur raised an eyebrow, as if to say “You really did good.”
“The Fuzendast Family!”
The bishop quivered his lips, utterly shocked.
“Such a thing… they boast the greatest influence among the mafia in this city of Saberai…!”
“And well, Bishop, I have a consultation to make.”
“! What is it…?”
“From my investigation, it seems this is the only one sheltered by the Fuzendast Family… but there might be others as well.”
As I said this seriously, the perceptive Arthur smirked with a mischievous smile.
“So, I think we should thoroughly and aggressively interrogate the Fuzendast Family on this occasion.”
“But hey, Alex, what if it ends up being a bust?”
Arthur asked dramatically, tilting his head as if half-laughing.
“A bust? That’s not gonna happen—!”
I too, gestured toward the severed head on the floor.
“Because we already have results!”
—Indeed.
When dark beings are involved, the Holy Church bears extra-legal authority that even the lord cannot touch.
That said, the backlash when it’s proven wrong is terrifying, but this time, it’s already confirmed that the Fuzendast Family is utterly rotten! They are hiding a Night Elf, after all!
And I can’t assert that they aren’t hiding anyone else! We have to investigate! Even if they aren’t, we have succeeded in capturing a Night Elf, and the Holy Church performed that duty admirably…!!
“Oh…! Oh…!!!”
The bishop, who had been troubled by the mafia’s relentless harassment as of late, was now tearful, crumpling his wrinkled face with sheer joy at this newfound justification for action.
“I’ll prepare right away! Please wait just a moment…!”
The bishop hurried off, shouting, “All hands, ready for battle!”
The Saberai branch of the Holy Church suddenly became bustling. Those who had turned in early were being roused, but it seemed they were gearing up according to their regular training.
“Wow, the bishop is overjoyed.”
“Good job, Alex. No, you’re really amazing…”
Arthur muttered, relieved to have me on his side… he seemed to want to say more, a hint of curiosity in his face, but I maintained my composure.
After a short wait.
“Thank you for waiting, you two…”
Clang, thump.
Clang, thump.
The ominous footsteps approached from the depths of the Holy Church—
“Ah, the blood is calling me!”
Out stepped the bishop, clad in a battered heavy armor and wielding a tower shield that was as tall as he was.
“Actually, I’m a former hero who became bishop…”
The bishop’s words, delivered with a bashful smile, sent chills down my spine.
—A former hero who became a bishop. In other words, a true veteran who revealed his magical talent in battle and ascended to the realm of priesthood…!
Behind the bishop, were eager priests and heroes ready for battle. With only old and young faces, it’s quite the mix.
“Alright, everybody. Let me explain once more. This is Hero Alexander, who engaged with a Night Elf that was sheltered by the Fuzendast Family and took it down. There’s a possibility that there are more dark beings sheltered in that mafia…!”
Standing tall, the bishop spoke clearly.
“First, we’ll storm the Fuzendast Family’s base. Oh, don’t worry, I’ve already found the address. Securing ledgers that detail the flow of funds is our utmost priority. After all, their intelligence network may be entangled in this… this is essential…!”
Well, I had been quietly enduring it, but…
It seems the bishop was truly furious!!
After all, he has already marked the mafia’s base!! He must have been dreaming of the day to storm in…!
“And the Ark Deacon Trading Company. I had heard bad rumors, but to think they hired a Night Elf! That certainly makes sense…!”
“Precisely!”
“Indeed, we need to interrogate them thoroughly—this is a must!!”
Nodding in agreement, Arthur and I exchanged glances.
By the way, the Ark Deacon Trading Company truly did hire the Night Elf.
They’re our prey…!!
“Now then… shall we go?”
With a clatter, the bishop lowered his visor.
His eyes twinkled with fierce intent through the narrow gap of the visor.
“Let’s expose the misdeeds of those who harbored the dark beings to the light of day!”
The bishop charged forward, and despite wearing heavy armor, he seemed to have become lighter on his feet…!
““Yeah!!””
We too, raised our swords and followed after him――
†††
――That night.
A group brilliantly illuminated in silvery light charged towards the den of thugs in a swath of the bustling district.
They stormed in, permitting no resistance, ruthlessly trampling everything in their path…
