-10-
WHEN WE STEPPED out of the temple, we saw the people of Luperm running and screaming. It looked like they were fleeing from something. This wasn’t a minor threat.
“What now…” I mumbled.
“Hmm…it seems people are running from the direction of the palace,” said Cardinal Wardell.
Today was supposedly the day that Jonas died, and I heard it was customary for the people to gather in front of the palace to offer prayers in remembrance of his passing. It looked like the people had been attending those events.
“K-Kanata, look!” Cardinal Wardell pointed to the palace in the distance. “The top of the palace has been destroyed! Impossible…! How could an attack get by, there is always a God Slayer Knight stationed in the palace!”
It was the tallest building in Luperm, but the top of it had been blown away, seemingly by some sort of magic attack.
This is bad. The Staff of the Saint was stored in the palace.
It was highly likely the Staff of the Saint—the whole reason we were going through this mess!—had already been stolen by an attacker. We could have made it in time, but we totally missed it because of Cardinal Wardell’s scheming.
As I looked at the palace, I caught sight of a skinny man wearing a dark red robe. Part of his body was wrapped in chains. He had manacles on his hands…and those hands were holding a large golden staff decorated with gemstones.
He looked down over the panicked streets of Luperm in satisfaction.
“What’s with that guy in the red robe? He doesn’t look like someone with the Church…” I said.
“Did you say a red robe?! That was the garb worn by the person most hated by the Church of Jonas! How dare someone wear that and attack Luperm on today of all days!” cried the cardinal in rage.
“Is there something wrong with a red robe?”
“There very much is! The red robe was worn by Lord Jonas’s first disciple and his betrayer! It’s said that Reniement, the Backwards Man, wore a red robe two thousand years ago on this day when he killed Lord Jonas! I can only assume this person is mocking us!”
I didn’t know much about the history and religion of this world, but apparently Saint Jonas lost his life to his disciple.
“Reniement was said to be incredibly selfish, violent, and a liar. He was originally a thief working in a village, and he was nearly killed because the people hated him, but Lord Jonas rescued him. He embarked on a journey with Lord Jonas to save people and mend the world. From an external perspective, it seemed he had defeated his inner evils, but his roots had never changed.
“Then he killed Lord Jonas, his teacher, who he supposedly loved more than anything. Afterward, he disappeared. No one has ever been able to understand why he committed such an evil act. The name ‘Reniement’ has become synonymous with ‘betrayer’ in the Church of Jonas.”
This Reniement character seemed quite hated in the Church. It was obvious that no reasonable person would intentionally dress like him and visit Luperm on the anniversary of Jonas’s death.
“I-is that him… Ah, I see him now! He has the Staff of the Saint! Is this another agent of the higher beings? One not with the Unseen Hand?!” asked Cardinal Wardell.
I focused my attention on the red-robed man and checked his status. If his level had more digits than normal, there was no doubt he was sent by the higher beings.
RENIEMENT LUKOIE
Race: Human
Lv: 2643
HP: 8457/8457
MP: 8387/8457
It seemed like it. His level was way higher than Ramiel’s, and she was a member of the Unseen Hand. It was safe to assume this person was sent by the higher beings.
Just as Veranta thought, the higher beings had come after the Staff of the Saint. I was glad his level was a fair bit lower than mine, but there was still the problem that he already managed to get his hands on the Staff.
And…there was another thing that caught my attention.
“I just want to check something…” I said. “Was Reniement’s full name ‘Reniement Lukoie’?”
“Hm? I thought you didn’t know anything about the Church of Jonas, but you knew that?” replied the cardinal.
“I didn’t know, but I just found out…”
It seemed that red-robed man was in fact Reniement himself, the person who killed Jonas two thousand years ago.
You wouldn’t find many people this high of a level, even if you went back several generations in history, but now we had one to deal with here.
“Wh-what do we do, Kanata?” asked Pomera as she tightly squeezed her staff.
“…Thankfully, if it’s just that one man, we should be able to manage, but the Staff is a problem. Sopia’s original idea for our mission was just some simple negotiations. We should assume the Staff of the Saint has just gotten way more dangerous now that it’s in the hands of someone evil.”
We did have the option of retreating for now and calling for backup. Everyone else was busy collecting the other pawns, but our plans would be ruined if we rushed into this fight and lost. We could greatly increase our fighting power if Veranta or Nobunaga joined us, and nothing would beat getting Lunaère in here, if we could.
“Oh, oh…please don’t flee, my poor, weak, lost children. My master, Lord Jonas, forgives all weakness,” said the man as he raised the staff. “I invite you to the city of rats and death, Death Magic Level 15: Hamelin!”
A massive magic circle appeared, and light filled the area. Hundreds of the people who were near the palace suddenly disappeared, black rats in their place.
“Wh-wh-what was that…what happened?!” muttered Cardinal Wardell in shock as he sank to his knees.
“Ah ha ha ha ha ha! My master will even forgive my foolishness! Will he not? Is that not right, my Lord Jonas!” Reniement let out a creepy laugh and lovingly cradled the staff in his hands.
I glared at him as he stood in the palace. It didn’t look like we had the time for a careful retreat. If we ran now, Reniement would continue to wreak havoc on this area.
Actually, I didn’t think this would end with just Reniement. If the higher beings sent this man, it meant they were willing to allow serious damage to Locklore. If Naiarotop’s target really was me, then I couldn’t take the safe option and flee.
“A spell of that scale isn’t possible…” said Cardinal Wardell. “Just one casting, and… Th-this is the end for this city… N-no, for the entire world! Is this divine punishment because I turned against the higher beings?”
The cardinal remained frozen, sitting on the ground, his shoulders trembling and head cradled in his hands. The situation was what it was, so it made sense, but it seemed like his cowardice was still intact even after fifty years.
“…Looks like we can cut out having to persuade the Pope. I’m going to defeat that man and take the Staff of the Saint. You don’t mind, do you, Cardinal Wardell?” I said. I took a long stride toward the palace, drew my sword, and readied it. “Summoning Magic Level 18: Wolzottl.”
A magic circle appeared, along with Wolzottl, the huge beast with beautiful blue fur.
“Help me out, Wol,” I said.
“Awooooo!” Wolzottl lifted his head and howled to the sky.