Chapter 131: Arms Display

Chapter 131: Weapons Display

Lyman faithfully relayed Wegner's proposal to Aether. Aether listened and fell silent for a long time. Just as Lyman thought he'd become a silent statue, he slowly spoke:

"Can this Wegner be trusted?"

"Hard to say. But he does manage to get his hands on some unique intel."

As he spoke, Lyman pulled Lutz's list out of the Divine Casket.

Aether was stunned when the Little Straw Effigy waved its hand and produced a piece of parchment. He stared suspiciously at the back of the little straw guy, trying to work out where it had been hiding the parchment all along.

"This is what I got off Lutz. I didn't get what it meant at first, but Wegner said Lutz has been secretly investigating the Church's top brass, and is convinced that Grand Master Antonella has connections to heretical cults. I think this list might be what Lutz dug up."

Aether took the list.

"Inquisition Tribunal

Karl Elhart, Chief Inquisitor (?)

Aether Orolan, Senior Inquisitor (×)

Nashir Solaris, Senior Inquisitor (×)

...

Gospel Missionary Order

Stefano, Preacher General (×)

Alessandro, Cardinal Bishop (?)

Fiore, Cardinal Bishop (√)

...

Dawnlight Knights

Antonella, Grand Master (?)

Nicolò, Commander of the Polar Day Legion (×)

Iannis, Deputy Commander of the Colonial Legion (×)

Peng Lun, Fortress Captain (×)

..."

Lyman said: "The ones marked with × mean they're not heretics, while the √ ones are people Lutz is sure are heretics. The ones with ? are uncertain."

"Both Nashir's name and mine are marked with ×. This list seems pretty reliable," Aether said.

"Is that your standard for judging credibility?" Lyman said sarcastically.

Aether ignored the little straw guy's snark and said: "So Cardinal Bishop Fiore is actually a heretic?"

"Who's that?"

"The Holy Nation's ambassador to Moltalia. There were originally two ambassadors—Cardinal Alessandro and Cardinal Fiore—but the Moltalians killed the former. One of the reasons the Holy Nation marched on Moltalia this time was to avenge Cardinal Alessandro."

"Oh, right, now I remember. The one the Curator killed at the Starfall City Museum."

—He actually knows about this! Aether was shocked.

Even though the Church had publicly announced how Cardinal Alessandro died, they never revealed the killer's true identity, only vaguely calling him a "radical infidel from Moltalia." Even Aether had only heard the Cardinal was killed at the museum; he didn't know the killer's profession.

Yet Mr. Shadow casually dropped that the killer was the museum's Curator. This meant he knew every detail of the case!

No wonder he belonged to a mysterious organization—their intelligence-gathering was not to be underestimated. The Holy Nation's intelligence agencies were like naive seminary freshmen trying to go up against a veteran senior inquisitor.

Aether shook his head, clearing away the jumbled thoughts.

"If Cardinal Fiore is a heretic, then Cardinal Alessandro's death looks really suspicious," he said. "But I can't wrap my head around it—his death was the perfect excuse for war, and it benefited our Holy Nation. Why would heretics do that? If they hoped the Holy Nation and Moltalia would tear each other apart, they miscalculated. Moltalia doesn't stand a chance against our military..."

His gaze shifted to the names of the three Church leaders on the list: "Of the three, only Preacher General Stefano is confirmed to not be a heretic. The Chief Inquisitor and the Grand Master are both still up in the air."

Aether had a pretty bad impression of the Preacher General. In his memory, that guy was a sycophant who bullied his subordinates, bled people dry with taxes, played favorites, and used his office for personal gain. Unfortunately, his power was deeply rooted, and no one could easily shake him.

And yet, this very parasite had become the most trustworthy person now. The world really was upside down...

"What Wegner said does line up with this list—at least there's no contradiction," Mr. Shadow said, studying the parchment. "So? Do you want to work with Wegner? He's genuinely asking for your input."

"What do you think, Mr. Shadow?"

"Do I have to make every decision for you?" the little straw figure said coldly, hands on his hips.

Aether was speechless. Right—he was the one who wanted to kill Antonella; Mr. Shadow was just helping from the sidelines. The one who makes the call is also the one who takes the risk. He shouldn't push that responsibility onto Mr. Shadow.

He instinctively grabbed the holy emblem on his chest, letting the sharp edge of the metal badge dig into his palm. The slight sting cleared his head considerably.

"I... I trust Wegner," he said. "He might just be using us for his own ends, so we might as well use him right back."

"Mm. What do you know about this 'Judgment Hammer' relic Wegner wants?"

Aether pondered: "I've heard it's a holy sword, but I've never laid eyes on it. Not just anyone can get into the underground vault of the First Sanctum. It holds the precious treasures and rare relics the Sanctum has collected since it was founded. For instance, the 'Blade of Revelation' that Captain Prew of Cape Prison uses used to be stored in the vault. But it's gone missing now...

"Only people of Cardinal Bishop rank or higher can enter the vault's upper level, while the lower level is off-limits except to the Holy See or the heads of the three major organizations. The vault guards are elite soldiers handpicked by the Holy See, and supposedly some of them are superhumans. Even if you could get in, getting anything out would be a nightmare..."

Mr. Shadow waved his two stubby little arms casually: "No problem, this is right up my alley."

"Huh?" Aether was stunned. Mr. Shadow said it so casually, as if he weren't planning to break into the most heavily guarded vault in the world, but just take a stroll in his own backyard.

"Wegner said he can help lure the guards of the First Sanctum away. Alright then, I'll go steal the 'Judgment Hammer,' and you use the chaos to kill Antonella. Any objections to that plan?"

"You make it sound so easy..."

"What? You don't think you can kill Antonella?"

Aether didn't want Mr. Shadow to look down on him, so he tried to defend himself: "Antonella might not be a superhuman, but she definitely has a few relics on her. If I were willing to risk my life, I could definitely kill her. But what I want is..."

"Kill her and live to tell the tale," Mr. Shadow finished for him. "Say what you want, you're still scared of her!"

Aether bit his lip. He didn't want to admit he was afraid of Antonella, but deep down, he really wasn't sure of himself.

The little straw figure had no eyes, yet Aether felt it was looking down on him.

"All the fear in this world comes from not having enough firepower!" Mr. Shadow said gravely. "So tell me, what kind of relic do you want?"

"Huh?" Aether was stunned for a moment. Did Mr. Shadow just say he was willing to lend him a relic? His tone was so confident, like he could produce any relic you could name.

After a moment of thought, Aether asked tentatively, "I want a relic with strong offensive power."

Then he saw the Little Straw Effigy reach behind its back (even though there was clearly nothing back there!) and toss a stone onto the bed.

"This is called the 'Celestial Totem.' It can alter the weather, summoning storms or lightning. Used well, it's not impossible to strike Antonella dead with a lightning bolt." Mr. Shadow said, "The vault is underground, so I probably won't need this. Do you want it?"

Aether held his breath. Though the stone was plain and unadorned, even from this distance he could faintly sense the ferocious power contained within.

No wonder he was a divine envoy favored by the Lord of the Abyss—to think he possessed such a formidable relic! He could almost imagine Mr. Shadow transforming into boundless darkness, commanding wind and rain over the sea, hurling thunder, shattering ships, and splitting waves in a terrifying spectacle.

He was about to thank Mr. Shadow for his generosity when he saw the little straw figure rummaging behind its back again, tossing a crystal onto the bed.

"This one is called the 'Lament of the Earth.' It can control plants, ordering them to attack, and of course, it can be used for defense as well. But you have to water these plants with blood—enemy blood works too."

Aether's eyes widened in shock. A relic of this caliber, if it were kept in the Tribunal, would likely only be issued for use against legions of infidels. Yet Mr. Shadow produced it so casually, as if he'd just picked up a pebble by the roadside.

"This—this is already more than enough, I—"

Before he could finish, the little straw figure tossed a broken sword onto the bed.

"This one's called 'Great Sacrifice.' It can condense your own blood into a blade. The blade is extremely sharp, but be careful not to bleed to death."

Aether was completely speechless. A relic like this—even possessing just one would make a nation unafraid of foreign invasion. And Mr. Shadow had casually produced three. Just how many did he have stashed away?!

"That's plenty, Mr. Shadow, I—"

The little straw figure finally tossed out an earring.

"This one's called 'Death's Neighbor.' It can warn you of danger before it happens. It works most of the time, but sometimes it just won't shut up."

With that, the little straw figure hopped in front of Aether, looking at him curiously.

"What's wrong, Aether? Is your heart bothering you?"

"It's nothing..." Aether raised his head with difficulty. "I just suddenly realized how utterly presumptuous I've been..."

He had once thought of relying on his own strength to oppose Mr. Shadow. The fact that Mr. Shadow hadn't ground him to dust by now was already incredibly merciful of him.

And Mr. Shadow was merely one of the divine envoys under the Lord of the Abyss. Who knew how many other messengers the Lord had, secretly working across the world? The sheer might and resources of this Heretic Cult were far beyond his imagination!

"Take these if you need them!" The little straw figure waved its arms generously. "I need the others, so I'm not lending those out."

There's even more...? Aether pressed his hand to his forehead.

He mentally listed Mr. Shadow's abilities—controlling corpses, shifting into shadows, dimensional storage, flying through the sky and burrowing underground... On top of his Supernatural Ability, Mr. Shadow had at least three more relics on hand.

"If that's not enough, I can borrow more from other people. Relics might be out of the question, but from siege engines to swords, spears, and clubs, I can get them for you. If you need something crafted, I can ask around for you too—for a fee, of course."

"That's already plenty. I've never fought a battle with this much supply..." Aether felt more and more disheartened.

"Go look into Antonella's background. I'll get in touch with Wegner to discuss the details of the operation."

"Yes..."

"Pray if something comes up."

With that, the little straw figure stiffened, fell back onto the bedsheet, and lay still.

Aether picked up the little straw figure, then looked at the pile of relics and let out a heavy sigh.

*

Lyman opened his eyes, lying on the sofa in the second-floor study of Lutz's house. He stretched, sat up, and called forth the Book of the Evil God.

"Of the three targets in the heresy trial mission, two are now confirmed: Grand Master Antonella and Cardinal Bishop Fiore.

"This mission can be completed cooperatively. If I join Wegner's plan, help him steal the Judgment Hammer, and have Aether kill Antonella, the mission should be complete.

"As for Cardinal Fiore, he's in Moltalia right now. Maybe I can ask Captain Dorian for help. Hmm, if only Princess Stella could become an Apostle—she could team up with Captain Dorian, and the success rate would be much higher..."

Lyman decided to check on Princess Stella's situation later. He stood up to get himself a glass of water when he suddenly felt that something was off.

Lunast had been awfully quiet for the past two days!

From the meeting with Aether in the ruined cottage outside the city, to the encounter with Wegner, and just now when he spoke with Aether as the little straw figure—Lunast hadn't said a single word the whole time.

This was highly unusual! When Luna goes quiet, mischief is brewing!

"Lunast?" Lyman called out in his mind. "Luna? My portable head?"

Not a single response.

Lyman tensed up. Could it be that while walking through the First Temple, the God of Dawn sensed he was carrying a heretic's head and struck him with divine punishment, silencing Lunast?

Lyman quickly took Lunast's head out of the Divine Casket.

Luna's left eye was tightly shut, while the right was still covered with a strip of cloth. His long black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, spilling over Lyman's knees.

"Lunast?" Lyman nervously patted the top of his head.

Normally, the slightest call would get a boundless-energy response from Lunast. Even when not called, he'd chatter endlessly in Lyman's mind. Without realizing it, Lyman had grown used to Lunast's presence. He couldn't even imagine what it would be like if one day Lunast stopped responding.

"Are you angry again?!" Lyman said helplessly. "You're so hot-tempered—were you inflated into a balloon in your past life and then popped?"

Lunast's eyes suddenly snapped open.

"You met with that Aether! And you lent him my dear neighbors! I never even got to play with all of them!" he fumed.

"So that's what you're mad about?!"

"Of course not!"

Lunast puffed up and slammed into Lyman's chest, rolling around in his arms.

"You're so chummy with him—I'm jealous!"

"Aether might beg to differ. At the very least, he's never taken his head off and put it in my hands."

Lunast suddenly went still. Lyman looked down, confused, only to see a hint of melancholy flicker in Lunast's downcast eyes.

"I envy him," Lunast said in a muffled voice. "I can't help you the way he can. My body isn't complete yet... I can only watch you walk into danger again. I..."

His voice choked up and he fell silent.

A strange feeling suddenly welled up inside Lyman. This isn't right! He screamed internally. Lunast could never speak in such a tender tone—he must be possessed by something filthy!

But... but...

This feeling wasn't so bad.

And so Lyman sat quietly for a while, cradling Lunast's head in his arms. The study was dead silent, broken only by the ticking of the brass pendulum clock. Occasionally, the sound of horse-drawn carriages passing by drifted in from the street outside.

Moonlight streamed through the curtains, enveloping him in boundless radiance, as if no matter where he walked upon the earth, the moon would always accompany him.

Lyman looked up, gazing at the moon in the night sky.

"But I still have to do it. I must do it," he said softly.

Then, he abruptly rose, lifting Lunast's head in his hands. Lunast cried out "Ouch!" and protested, "Don't pull my hair! I'm going bald! I'm going bald! What's wrong?!"

"My Apostle Card is buzzing. A believer is praying to me."

Lyman retrieved the unfinished Apostle Card from the Book of the Evil God. It trembled, and lines formed from converging white light wildly traced across its surface, trying to sketch out some shape.

Lyman focused his mind, projecting his will onto the Apostle Card.

His soul was wrenched by a violent force, hurtling toward a distant realm.