What Did I Just Hear? (1)
The land of demons, Blackfield.
Once ruled by the Skeleton King, this land was now abuzz with a shocking rumor.
"One of the Fourteen Demon Generals is going to be executed by humans?"
Even a 7th-class demon would make humans abandon their capital, and small kingdoms would essentially collapse.
But a 9th-class demon—no, a direct subordinate of the Skeleton King, each one virtually on par with a Demon King—was being executed by humans?
This wasn't just a matter of pride—it was a matter of honor. Even the demons couldn't ignore it.
That was why they had sent an avatar of the Skeleton King to the Holy Empire's ordination ceremony. To eliminate the new human weapon: the Saint.
And yet—
"They failed to eliminate the Saint?"
"Y-yes…"
Upon hearing this report from the demons who had returned from the ordination, Ash frowned.
"Well, whatever. Our real goal was to cause chaos anyway."
The demon general currently held by the Papacy was part of the faction that opposed the current regime. Execution might actually be the better outcome. The demons' honor could come later.
"Besides, just confirming our great King's power at the ceremony was a huge gain."
In truth, Ash was the one who had smuggled a magical device into the ceremony and turned it into a mess. Illusion magic was her specialty.
Normally, smuggling a magical device past the Holy Empire's barrier would be impossible—but this time was different.
'Ah, the King's power truly is magnificent. Just a speck of it can do this much.'
The Skeleton King had granted Ash a fragment of his true power. With it, she had broken through the Holy Empire's impregnable barrier and unleashed her illusions.
But something felt off about the atmosphere surrounding the 7th-class demon who had infiltrated the ceremony ahead of her.
[…Lady Ash. I actually… felt His presence there.]
A demon made of mist interjected. The very same one who had been driven out by Isaac's pressure.
"His presence?"
[The great Skeleton King.]
"!"
Ash scowled in displeasure.
"Why would the King's aura be there…? Oh!"
But then, as if something clicked, her expression lit up.
'The Azure Child!'
Wasn't there a story from ten years ago about a crazed infant who devoured the great Skeleton King's physical body? That had to be it. It had to be that child.
Ash couldn't help but grin.
'Good heavens, what a windfall!'
They had been unable to touch him for years because he was inside the untouchable Eshua territory.
But now the little brat had shown up in the capital?
And even received priesthood ordination?
'Then he'll have to take the Gold and Azure Trials!'
The Five Virtues of the Pentagon were basically a hunting festival for demons to target young priests. That's when the most junior priests died in droves.
Fourteen years ago, she'd feasted joyfully during one such trial.
And now, the Azure Child was participating too?
'That kind of power came from just a speck of magic. How powerful will I become if I devour the body of that one?'
She licked her lips, unable to hold back a wicked smile, and moved to devour Isaac as soon as possible.
***
"You guys again?"
Shuri looked at the attendant with exasperation.
He was the attendant of the Gold, here to fetch Isaac once again.
"We need to start preparing for the upcoming Gold and Azure Trials."
But the attendant's eyes were ablaze—he clearly had no intention of backing down today.
"I can't leave without him! His Eminence Cardinal Verite insisted that I bring Isaac Eshua with me today!"
Why the hell is that guy looking for Isaac? He should hate him more than anyone, given what happened with Isaac's parents.
'Though, honestly, the fact that Isaac is outright ignoring a cardinal is even more amazing.'
Shuri sighed and recalled how Isaac had outright ignored a summons from the cardinal.
It might have been convenient for the Azure side, sure—but the cardinal was still the high priest of all clergy.
Ignoring a command from someone of that rank would usually lead to serious consequences… then again, Isaac was someone who didn't give a damn about even the head of his own House.
In the end, Shuri drove the attendant away.
"Enough already. Stop coming."
"Ah—!"
Bam!
Shuri returned immediately to the dormitory and looked toward Isaac, who stood by the window, looking as carefree as ever.
"You seriously don't know why Cardinal Verite is so desperate to find you?"
"I don't, but I can tell he's ready to risk death just to get me."
"Death?"
Instead of answering, Isaac pointed out the window.
Shuri turned his gaze outside and was shocked.
"There are even more attendants coming?!"
What had been one attendant from House Verite had now increased to four.
And delivering a message didn't require more than one attendant. So why were four showing up?
"Are they planning to take you by force?!"
The newcomers were large. If they decided to act, Isaac—small as he was—could be easily overpowered.
"They're insane. I'm going to contact your family right now and—!!"
"Hold on, Boom-Boom."
"What! This is obviously Gold's thuggery—!"
Isaac pointed out the window again. Shuri followed his finger—and turned pale.
"Nizer Sephet?!"
Why the hell was that brute heading toward the Azure dorms now?
Isaac, however, chuckled.
"Guess he still hasn't gotten over losing his lackey."
Well, this might actually work out.
That big oaf might just be useful.
Isaac began to move.
***
'That goddamned punk!'
Nizer Sephet, seething at having his servant stolen, was storming toward Isaac.
During his investigations, he had uncovered something strange. Originally, the Eshua family hadn't wanted to send Isaac to the ordination. The excuse had been "home education."
Of course, that was just the official story. Most whispered it was because of his undeveloped body. But Nizer wasn't so sure.
'Those eyes back then…'
—There's no one who's invincible before death, brat.
Those weren't the eyes of a clergyman. He'd seen criminals with less malice in their gaze.
And when his younger brother had been attacked in the academy cafeteria… An apprentice inquisitor who had been nearby made a report.
—Sir, something's off. There was a demon in the cafeteria, and Shuri Eshua deliberately avoided me while dragging Isaac Eshua away. It's suspicious.
The report came from a lowly apprentice, sure—but still, what it implied was…
—They're hiding something. Something that absolutely must not come into contact with an inquisitor.
'I'll expose his true identity myself.'
To see into one's inner self—to sense heresy—was the specialty of the faith of Red.
And now, that instinct was screaming.
"There's definitely a problem with his faith. A faith test should reveal the truth."
And once his lack of faith was exposed, they could use it as an excuse to expel him from Azure and reclaim their servant.
However, when Nizer Sephet arrived at the Azure dormitory, he tilted his head in confusion.
'Who the hell are these guys?'
No matter how he looked at it, shady-looking men were loitering near the Azure dorms. They were bickering among themselves.
"Are you sure this is okay?"
"We don't have a choice. It's been seven days since Isaac Eshua ignored our master's summons."
"That's right. He said if Isaac doesn't come today either, we're to knock him out and drag him in by force."
They were, just as Isaac and Shuri had guessed, here to kidnap him. And just as they prepared to sneak in—
"Hey. Who are you guys? You don't look like servants—why are you sneaking around someone else's dorm?"
"Uh, um…"
The attendants flinched as they realized who was talking to them—a pureblood noble of House Red, Nizer Sephet.
'Shit, of all people, why a noble from Red…!'
The Five Great Faiths and their respective noble houses had a fragile peace. Even a small spark could ignite a holy war. Red and Gold, in particular, were sworn enemies. One had to choose their words carefully.
"A-ah, we, uh, just had business with the young lord here…"
"Who?"
"Sir Isaac Eshua."
They had hoped that, like Gold, Red also disliked Azure, so they gave the name honestly, assuming he'd back off in disgust. But instead, his eyes glinted sharply.
"Who the hell are you guys? What group are you with? What business do you have with him?"
The flustered attendants glanced at each other.
'This… this isn't how it was supposed to go!'
'What happened to Red's guys being indifferent?!'
'Damn it, if word gets out that our master called that Eshua kid, this'll turn into a huge mess.'
And yes—rumors would spread. For sure.
Just then, the dormitory door slammed open—and Isaac Eshua stepped out.
"They're here for a 'tea party.' Don't butt in."
"!"
The attendants blinked in surprise, but their faces soon brightened at Isaac's words.
He finally answered the summons! And… was he helping them despite knowing the tense relationship between Red and Gold?
'As expected of Sir Esh—no, of the upright Eshua…!'
'Even if he dislikes Gold, he's a man of manners in situations like this…'
Relieved, the only thing they could say was—
"Y-yes! We're from House Eshua! We came to deliver some items for the tea party…!"
They thought it was a perfectly fitting excuse—but for some reason, Nizer Sephet's expression grew darker, his lip curling into a sneer.
"Oh really? Tea party items?"
They'd chosen the worst possible phrase. Nizer had lost his servant because of that so-called tea party. No wonder his temper snapped.
But Isaac ignored him and addressed the attendants.
"Anyway, it's for today's tea party, so make sure to bring it before today ends."
"Ah…! Yes, sir!"
Finally! He's agreed to meet! And the hint—bring something suitable for the tea party—meant they could gain an audience with him!
The attendants were elated.
'He's so kind… It breaks my heart to drag him into a trap… but we have no choice.'
As the quick-witted Gold attendants nodded, Isaac turned and re-entered the dormitory.
Nizer's amber eyes twitched menacingly.
That damn brat had just insulted him to his face!
"W-we'll be going now…"
The Gold attendants bowed and tried to slip away.
But at that moment, Nizer Sephet snapped his fingers.
(5th-class magic)
"Urgh!"
With a flash of red light, all of Cardinal Verite's attendants fell, paralyzed and unconscious.
Having wiped out all of Isaac Eshua's lackeys(?), Nizer Sephet smirked in satisfaction and confidently entered the dormitory.
Inside, murmurs spread quickly.
"Nizer Sephet? Why is he here?"
"What's going on?"
The apprentices all flinched.
They had, in effect, betrayed House Red. Of course they were terrified.
Shuri especially looked horrified.
'Shit, he actually came inside?!'
Even after knocking out all of Verite's attendants?!
Isaac had said he'd be too busy bickering with the Gold lackeys to come in!
'Don't tell me… he's snapped and came here to fight? No way!'
Did he not realize the size difference between him and Isaac?!
Nizer was physically gifted by Red's lineage and a swordsman skilled enough to draw interest from the Paladin Order.
He didn't rule his peers like a king for nothing.
And Red even had a secret technique that countered reflective defense arts! He'd absolutely beat Isaac down mercilessly!
'I need to call our supervising senior…'
But then Nizer Sephet pulled out a paper with a grin.
"Just for fun, I brought a faith test. The higher your score, the better you look to the Imperial center, you know?"
The other apprentices, previously terrified, actually welcomed the idea.
But Shuri turned to stone.
Shit! No! Anything but that!!
'He brought a faith test…? Did he find out something?'
If it got exposed—it'd all be over!
"It reacts just by touch, so let's start with—"
Just then—
"Do you take my orders lightly?"
"…Huh?"
Nizer Sephet flinched at the cold voice behind him.
And when they saw who had spoken, everyone froze.
It was only natural.
"I didn't expect you to ignore my summons because you were goofing off."
"…???"
The man standing behind Nizer Sephet was none other than Cardinal Verite.
The head of the clergy had arrived. The apprentices couldn't even raise their heads—they couldn't even breathe. It was like a general appearing among foot soldiers.
He stared coldly at Nizer Sephet.
"To think you'd get chummy with someone from Red. And that one of Red's people would knock out my attendants."
"…???"
Nizer stared dumbfounded, a giant question mark hanging over his head.
"W-what… huh?!"
Only then did he look down and realize who he had taken out.
'Wait—they weren't Eshua's guys?!'
They were from Gold?!
His face screamed "I'm so screwed," while Isaac gave a small chuckle.
It seemed that after being ignored for seven days straight, Cardinal Verite had lost his patience and come in person.
Well—it was part of the plan, but even Isaac hadn't expected it to work out this perfectly.
Thinking for a moment, Isaac gave a sweet smile and bowed politely.
"I'm terribly sorry, Your Eminence. Lord Nizer here insisted I not associate with Gold, and physically restrained me. That's why I couldn't answer your summons."
"…?"
"…???"
What the hell, man?!
When did I ever say that?!
And more importantly, why are you suddenly acting all polite?!
"And for a cardinal to summon an apprentice priest… what nonsense is that?"
Before a faith is chosen, apprentices are strictly off-limits to all orders. Any interference could bias the decision, making it unfair.
Even bishops kept their distance for that reason—so for the cardinal himself to interfere?
"That's cowardly…"
But Nizer couldn't finish his sentence.
"Oh? Is that so?"
"?!"
It was Cardinal Verite's voice—frozen like ice.
He was already intimidating with his usual lack of expression, but now he was terrifying beyond belief.
It felt like his gaze alone could kill a man.
"I see. You're the third son of House Red, correct? It seems you find apprentice duties too boring."
"Wh-what?! No—!"
"I even cleared time for you to bond with your teammates…"
But that's not what happened!
This is so unfair!
"I let it slide because of your father. But now… I suppose I'll assign extra Papal duties to House Red's team."
SHIT.
NO.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]