Chapter 32: Doubt and Death
With the arrival of the Holy Knight Order in Alta, the activities of the dark organization temporarily quieted down. It is said that the awakened Holy Knights, Akatsume, Yourinka, and Hibana, who remained in the Elise Republic, are on high alert.
Even for a major dark organization, S-rank Holy Knights are fearsome.
S-rank Magic Knights are forces comparable to the main army.
Although the capital city Alta has become somewhat peaceful, the ordinary citizens are unaware of such things. It's no wonder they think it's peaceful every day, yesterday and today.
"Ah, Shuu-san! New sweets have been added without us noticing!"
"Really? Are they using seasonal fruits?"
"Do you want to try this?"
"Let's do that."
Shuu and Iris were relaxing at a café terrace facing the main street. They had earned some money from a recent assassination request, so they could live comfortably for a while. However, they had spent 350,000 to buy information, so their funds were slightly depleted. If the stay of the Holy Knights dragged on, they would have to take on another request.
But until then, they didn't have any particular plans.
They had no intention of challenging awakened Magic Knights who were said to be capable of opposing the King's monsters willingly.
"What tea would you like?"
"The usual is fine."
"Okay, I'll order it then."
Iris called the waiter over and placed the order. Both of them were already regular customers at this café, so they were familiar with the waitstaff. While exchanging conversations like "Oh my, it's hot today again," "You two are lovey-dovey," and "Give me a break," they finished placing their order.
While waiting for the sweets and tea to arrive, the two of them decided to chat.
"I'm getting a little tired of this country."
"Yeah, it does feel like we've exhausted all the fun here."
"What country do you want to go to next?"
"Well... Maybe we should try going to the Empire."
Since they were being pursued by the Church, the Empire, which was not influenced by the Demon God Religion, could be considered a safe haven. However, the Empire itself was dangerous. It had a meritocracy system, and public order was not particularly good. Furthermore, the Empire's oppressive rule continued, and there were even signs of rebellion in the vassal states.
However, they wouldn't be specifically targeted by the Church.
In that sense, it was safe.
"Hmm?"
Shuu felt someone's gaze and turned his eyes towards them. There was a person looking at them. The white attire they were wearing looked familiar. It was the uniform of the Holy Knights.
"Holy Knights... They're watching us."
"Did we get caught?"
"No, I don't think we were caught. They probably sensed the presence of the underworld that... well, more precisely, the presence of the underworld that I possess."
"To Shuu-san?"
"I'm not human. It's possible that they sensed it because they are used to subjugating monsters."
(I think I'm blending in, but maybe I can't deceive the eyes of the Holy Knight.)
The Holy Knight approaches Shuu and Iris, who are sitting at a cafe terrace. And as he approaches, Shuu realizes his true identity.
"That's... the infamous S-rank Holy Knight, Celstar Altarine."
"Huh? Is that true?"
"That's strange. Altarine's face should be well-known after all the parades. But no one is making a fuss. Could it be that no one even notices he's there?"
Indeed, the people walking along the street hadn't noticed Celstar's presence. They walk as if they don't even see him.
Celstar walks through the crowd as if slipping through them.
And without speaking to anyone, he arrives in front of the table where the two are sitting.
"Hello there. It's nice weather, isn't it?"
"Do you have any business with us?"
"Hello, it is~"
Shuu looks up at Celstar with caution. Of course, he doesn't show that caution on his face. However, he wasn't confident that he could completely hide his wariness.
Iris, who is carefree, is enviable in a way.
In response to the two, Celstar speaks kindly.
"I'm a little curious, you see. You both seem to have a lot of magical power."
"...Why do you say that?"
Shuu becomes more guarded as he realizes he has been pinpointed.
"It's simple. I'm inhibiting perception. Only individuals with a high level of magical power can notice it."
"I see. That's impressive."
It was unexpected to be seen through by such a method. Shuu could understand that the reason the people around didn't notice Celstar was because of that.
Furthermore, Celstar continues.
"There's something I want to ask you two..."
"Here is your order, the cake and tea."
A server arrives with the ordered cake and tea. Since the server doesn't notice Celstar, the perception inhibition is still in effect.
"It's the new cake and the usual black tea. Enjoy."
The server places the cakes on the table and leaves.
Perhaps Celstar relaxed a bit, as he scratches his cheek with his finger.
"It seems like the timing is bad. Let's meet again someday."
Celstar flips his white Holy Knight uniform and turns his back.
And he disappears into the crowd.
◆◆◆
"Do you think he noticed?"
"What do you think?"
After Celstar left, Shu and Iris quietly spoke to each other. Just when they thought they should be cautious, an S-ranked Holy Knight approached them. It was only natural to think that they were being watched.
While eating cake, Shu performed magical energy detection.
"They're here. Four of them."
Someone with a significant amount of magical energy was monitoring Shu and Iris. With that amount of magical energy, they were most likely a Mage Knight. In other words, they should assume they were being guarded by Holy Knights.
When they looked, there were four men dressed in Holy Knight uniforms.
Even though they were concealing themselves skillfully, their appearance as Holy Knights was immediately apparent.
"Should I consider them provoking a fight with me?"
"What will you do?"
"Kill them."
Shu extended his right hand and gradually closed it, as if gripping something. In the meantime, he used magical energy detection to lock onto the Death Magic.
They must have realized that he was preparing Death Magic. Iris spoke with a serious expression.
"Weren't we supposed to be cautious about this?"
"There's no reason to adapt to our opponents. If it's troublesome, we'll kill them. That's what the King of Darkness does."
"Eh..."
"After all, no evidence will be left behind. If we're attracting attention, we should reduce our enemies. At worst, we don't care if we rampage through this city. The ones who should be cautious are the Holy Knights."
Celstar went out of his way to approach them. It's safe to assume that they've already been figured out to some extent. Individuals with a significant amount of magical energy are highly likely to be Mage Knights. And in this country without a military presence, Mage Knights are equivalent to Holy Knights. If they weren't Holy Knights, they would belong to a dark organization as Mage Knights.
Shu and Iris, whose significant magical energy had been exposed, were already considered individuals to be cautious about.
"Let them hear the footsteps of the 'Grim Reaper.' 'Death Death'."
He tightly clenched his right hand and activated the Death Magic. It was a magic that converted all forms of energy into magical energy and took them away. It wielded the power to manipulate the 'death' of energy.
There was no way a human could resist it.
The power of magic that transcended even the laws of the world. That is what magic is.
"Did you do it?"
"Yeah, I killed them."
Shu sensed the magic power becoming zero. Their life force must have reached zero and disappeared. Because Shu had absorbed everything.
"Please don't go overboard."
"As long as they don't interfere with me and Iris."
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Iris had given up on humanity. She loved Shu, who was supposed to be a monster, and had decided to be with him forever with her immortal and everlasting magic armor.
She didn't care much if the Holy Knights died.
And thus, the deaths of these four Holy Knights became the prelude to the turmoil in Alta.
◆◆◆
"The Mysterious Deaths of the Holy Knights"
It was an incident where four Holy Knights suddenly died on a busy street during the daytime. It was unclear whether they were killed or died from illness. It is believed to be a case of murder, but the method remains unknown.
Since the Holy Knights died suddenly on a busy street, it was impossible to hide the incident from the citizens. The Church was troubled by this event.
"Have you identified the enemy's power?"
"It's unclear. But we have a lead on the culprit."
In the inner chamber of the grand cathedral, Holy Knight Celsitar Altrain and the bishop were having a discussion. The vice commander of the Sealed Holy Knight Order and the bishop's assistant were also present in this room.
The Sealed Holy Knight Order and the Church were investigating both the dark organization and the mysterious deaths of the Holy Knights.
"Lord Altrain, what is this lead?"
"We investigated and found a suspicious person named Shuu. We noticed his high amount of magical power and focused our attention on him, but at that moment, the Holy Knight was killed. If it involves the power of magic armor, it's unpredictable. There might be some mechanism... or maybe..."
"It's magic, isn't it?"
"Yes."
The Church was aware that witch executions had taken place in the capital city of the Kingdom of Ramza. It was also known that during that time, the Demon Lord Arklight appeared and used magic to take the lives of the Holy Knights.
In other words, the Church knew that the Demon Lord possessed instant death magic.
The mysterious deaths of the Holy Knights.
If you think there's no connection, then you are incompetent.
"The person known as Shuu is none other than Demon Lord Arklight. And the woman by his side is likely the witch Iris."
"Oh! You've already reached that point!"
"But!"
Celsitar interrupted the bishop's excitement and continued speaking.
"We have no evidence."
"Who needs evidence!"
"And we have no confirmation either. We may strongly suspect, but without absolute proof, we cannot be mistaken. That's why we have to proceed with caution."
Holy Knights are servants of the Church.
That's why they must adhere strictly to the law. The Demon God Religion values compassion, respect, and wisdom, and believes that there should never be any wrongdoing. It is because of this noble spirit that the Demon God Religion holds influence over the sacred kingdom of Grinia and its vassal states.
"We are not savages. We serve the God El Magia."
"Yes, of course."
"That's why... I intend to lure him. If there's no proof, we just need to confirm it."
It's not like there's no method at all. They have obtained some information.
Celsitar's face showed a confident smile.