I did, in fact, know of one vice-cult leader of the Church of Darkness.
Evan Helvin had been responsible for the catastrophe at the training camp involving High Priest Juan.
Despite that, I wasn’t too concerned by Evan’s identity. In the end, he was only a potential threat. Of course, vice-cult leaders were dangerous, but it was safe to say that Evan wouldn’t awaken under normal circumstances.
I remembered Juan’s excited rambling.
—Evan Helvin is different from regular cultists. Regular cultists must destroy their medium to recover their sealed memories, but vice-cult leaders awaken through death.
—And you’ve given him the most horrific death possible. Haha! Evan Helvin will be reborn as the greatest vice-cult leader to have ever existed!
Death was the key to Evan’s awakening as a vice-cult leader... and the nature of his death would determine his potential as a vice-cult leader.
I’d had no intention of discussing his identity with anyone, but now...
Hm...
I glanced at Alderson as the gears in my head turned.Despite the headmaster’s candidness and likable demeanor, I didn’t fully trust him yet.
I decided to keep Evan’s identity secret for now.
Besides, how would I explain that I knew Evan was a vice-cult leader when Evan himself was unaware? And why was Leone even searching for a vice-cult leader in the first place?
Ugh...
This situation was too complicated; it was making my head throb. This sort of difficult thinking really didn’t suit me, and it was starting to become an annoyance.
In an attempt to clear my head, I changed the subject. “How did Leone die?”
“After graduating from the academy, she immediately joined Heroes. Then, one day, she and Dellark were placed on an S-rank mission together. It was a difficult mission, certainly, but given their impressive performances, no one was worried. However... Dellark returned alone.”
...A vice-cult leader awakened through death.
If Leone had died during that mission, then she might have awakened as a vice-cult leader and attacked the Lord of Blood and Iron.
In the end, he might have had to kill Leone with his own hands.
Of course, that was merely speculation.
In the first place, Leone seemed to know exactly who she was, unlike Evan.
So, it’s one of two things.
Either, as Alderson kept repeating, Leone was truly special...
Or she had already died once.
“The person who knew Leone best was Dellark,” Alderson said, his voice low. “They were in the same year and were quite close during their academy days. This is just an assumption, but I think Leone may have told Dellark more than she’s told me.”
“I did notice that the family head has always been particularly well-informed about the cult.”
To be the best demon hunter, strength alone was insufficient.
He needed to know exactly what he was hunting.
If the Lord of Blood and Iron had won Leone’s favor and received a lot of key information about the cult from her... it would explain why he had made such significant contributions to suppressing the cult.
I subtly shifted the topic.
“If I capture a vice-cult leader and bring them here, what would you do for me, Headmaster?”
“Is that a response to my earlier soliloquy?” Alderson asked. He chuckled deeply.
He seemed to think I was joking.
“I don’t doubt your ability, but identifying a cultist is a challenging task even for a seasoned heretic inquisitor. And vice-cult leaders are even worse; they are more enigmatic than even high priests. I have no intention of dismissing youthful vigor, but please refrain from wasting your time.”
He didn’t sound dismissive. It was more like he was gently scolding a naive youngster.
I wasn’t offended; it was a perfectly normal reaction. However, I felt the need to reveal a bit more about myself.
“Headmaster, I’ve had my fair share of conflicts with the cult for someone my age, and I’ve already dealt with a few cultists myself. In fact, recently”—here, I paused to build suspense—“I killed a high priest recently.”
“...”
The smile on Alderson’s face slipped off.
“...Ha.” A cold, hard gaze settled upon me. “Do you understand what you’re saying right now?”
I knew he wouldn’t easily believe me. Even I would be skeptical if I were told that someone like me had killed a high priest.
“I’m a Bednicker.”
“What?”
“I hold deep respect for the things my family has accomplished, and I’m not fool enough to lie about anything to do with the cult.”
“...”
“If you still don’t believe me, feel free to directly ask my family head later.”
“...Ehem.” Alderson did not further rebuke my claim.
He obviously did not believe me, but my calm demeanor must have made him uncertain. I mean, I’d even mentioned the Lord of Blood and Iron.
Regardless, I knew I’d said something truly unbelievable, so getting this reaction was an achievement in itself.
After a moment of silence, Alderon said, “Certainly, you seem to know much about the matters of the church, so I can’t outright deny your words. We were discussing rewards, weren’t we? I’d like to ask you: In return, what do you want from me?”
I was pleased that the conversation was moving so quickly, so I got straight to the point.
“Actually, I’m looking for someone in this academy.”
“Who is it?”
“I’ve got no name, but I heard they have a good understanding of the demon zone.”
“Hmm.” A frown marred Alderson’s brow as he thought. “There are quite a few places in this vast continent that are called demon zones. Which zone are you looking for?”
I spoke two words sure to make the listener uncomfortable: “Spirit Mountain.”
For some reason, in my world, simply mentioning this name felt like a sin.
Alderson’s expression darkened slightly.
He knows about Spirit Mountain.
Not that it was surprising for an Archmage of Seven Colors to know about Spirit Mountain...
“I think I know who you are looking for... But meeting that person will be quite difficult.”
“Why is that?”
“It sounds like you’re looking for Alec, a professor of historical geography here, but he doesn’t show his face much nowadays.”
I knew it. He was a professor here.
“Then going to see him directly...”
“I would not recommend it. You’d likely be turned away at the door.”
“He sounds a bit eccentric.”
“Not exactly. Rather... he is not in his right mind at the moment.”
“...?”
Was he going through something?
I asked again, “So there’s no way I can meet him?”
“There is one way: You can attend one of Professor Alec’s lessons. They’re held twice a month.”
“Hm... He doesn’t hold many lessons. Not a popular subject, I’m assuming?”
Alderson smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You’re not wrong... but that is not the only reason. Professor Alec is undergoing rehabilitation.”
“Rehabilitation?”
“You’ll have to see him for yourself. Anyway, it will not be easy for you to take historical geography.”
“Do I have to take an exam or something?”
If that was the case, it wouldn’t really matter since I had the forgotten Martial God.
But Alderson shook his head. “The historical geography class is very advanced. You need to earn credits in both the history and geography departments before you can apply.”
“How long does it take to earn those credits?”
“On average, about six months.”
“I’m leaving in three months, though...?”
“Indeed.”
I bluntly asked Alderson, “Can’t you do something about it as headmaster?”
“There is a way,” Alderson said. He took something out of his pocket and handed it to me.
I looked at it curiously and saw that it was a card with a book and a tree engraved on it.
“This is a student ID for the main academy. However, this is not a typical ID. It has the book and tree engravings, identifying you as a distinguished student.”
“A distinguished student?”
Alderson nodded and said, “I will recommend you as a distinguished student.”
“Wow...”
“Do you know what a distinguished student is?”
“No.”
“...Being a distinguished student at Kartell Academy not only exempts you from tuition, it also grants you access to the highest tier of dormitories, known as the Violet Hall, and allows you to freely acquire anything from the shops inside the academy. However, the greatest privilege is that you can attend any class without having to meet the conditions.”
“Ah.” It sounded quite amazing.
“But this is all I can do for you. Note that the professors here at Kartell Academy have significant authority. Once a student is accepted into a class, a professor can expel them at any time entirely at their own discretion.”
“Oh...”
“Alec's personality can be... rather prickly, so you should be careful not to fall out of his favor.”
I nodded in understanding. “Thank you for your consideration.”
“There is no need to thank me. I am going to check with the Lord of Blood and Iron, so if any of your statements turn out to be false...”
“That is unlikely, but I’ll gladly accept any punishment.” I bowed my head to him. “Headmaster, I had a great time. I should be on my way now. "
"There is still the fifth floor. Are you not going to challenge it?”
“What do I get if I clear it?”
“You get to choose one of the treasures again.”
I shook my head. “Then I’m fine. I still have to pick something out for the fourth floor.”
“Ehem. Take your time and choose wisely. Also...” Alderson forced a smile and continued, “...The scissors. Take GOOD care of them, all right?”
“Yes, sir...”
“If you don’t know how to use them, or if you feel uncomfortable having them on you, you can always tell me.”
“Okay,” I answered... not that I had any intention of doing so.
Alderson went on his way, and I had a chance to look around again.
* * * * *
* * * * *
Hmmm. What should I choose?
I didn’t really need anything, and summoning the Martial God again didn’t seem like a good idea.
I considered just taking the scarlet ruby or something else I’d seen earlier.
[That one looks valuable.]
To my surprise, the Martial God initiated the conversation this time.
Feeling pleasantly surprised, I asked, Which do you mean?
[That mask.]
“Hm...?”
What kind of mask is he talking about?
I wandered over and looked.
It wasn’t anything fancy; the mask was mostly white with bits of red, and its only distinguishing characteristic was a horn.
It looks like a ghost’s face.
[It’s a mask from the Linchal Tribe.]
Linchal Tribe?
[They are a small group in the eastern grasslands. Though their numbers are few, they have a long history and are quite creative with their shamanism. The red pattern on the mask is unique to the Linchal tribe.]
Oho...
I looked at the mask and asked, What does this mask do?
[It holds the power of transformation.]
Transformation... So it can change the wearer’s appearance?
[Correct.]
It might be more useful than I thought.
It was at least better than another piece of armor or a weapon.
All right. I choose you.
I tucked the Linchal mask away.
***
Upon leaving the tower, I was greeted by the cool night air.
The weather has warmed up.
The long winter was finally over.
So much had happened over this last winter... Now that the weather was warming up, I hoped for nothing but good things for the foreseeable future...
But the way things were going, I doubted that would be the case.
“You’re here.”
“Kayan?”
I saw Kayan standing under the streetlight in front of the tower.
“Have you been waiting for me?”
“Yes.”
“Sorry about that. You must’ve been bored.”
Kayan smiled gently at my words. “Not at all. It was good to see the academy again after such a long time. It was a nice treat.”
“I see.”
“Let’s head to your quarters for now. I’ve already moved your belongings and prepared some clothes for you to change into.”
My expression immediately soured. “Clothes to change into... Is it because of that welcome party or whatever?”
“I see you already know about it. Yes.”
“Can’t I skip it? I’m a little tired,” I said. Honestly, I felt fine, but I dreaded going somewhere so noisy, so I’d just picked the first excuse that had come to mind.
However, Kayan wore a stern expression as he shook his head. “The welcome party is like an entrance ceremony for the new transfer students. If you don’t attend, you will not be admitted to the academy.”
“Er...”
“There won’t be too many people present. To my knowledge, it will only be the student council and a few professors.”
Well, that didn’t sound so bad.
“Speaking of which, what subject do you hope to study, Master?”
“For now, I’m leaning toward history.”
“That is unexpected. I thought you would surely aim for martial arts.”
“I don’t think the professors here can teach me any better than the family’s grand masters. The academy specializes in theory, so I should learn that.”
“I see.”
Even though I’d missed more than half of the training camp, the grand masters had still been impressive teachers.
In particular, the Instructor of the Hunt’s and the Instructor of Survival’s lessons would be helpful in the upcoming battles against the cult.
As I walked alongside Kayan, I made small talk. “By the way, the tower was really interesting.”
“In what ways?”
“It had a ranking of the all-time greatest challengers. I saw the family head’s name and Kayla’s.”
Kayan smiled a little. “She also attended this academy.”
“Did she graduate?”
“She did not. She was always a free spirit... Indeed, it was a miracle she lasted two years.”
“Is that so?”
I looked at Kayan and suddenly asked, “Do you know the name ‘Leone’?”
“...”
Though Kayan showed no reaction, his silence felt awkward to me.
Given the flow of our conversation, he would have naturally denied it if he didn’t know her. And Kayan seemed to realize this.
The old man quickly forced out a laugh. “You really cannot be underestimated, Master.”
I smirked and said, “Yeah, don’t mention it.”
Kayan stared off into the distance for a moment before saying, “I don’t know the details... but I can tell you this: Without her, the family head would be a very different person today.”
A statement with many implications.
Does he mean positively or negatively?
I wasn’t sure.
“Perhaps... were those two were in a relationship?” I asked.
At my question, Kayan chuckled softly.
“At that time, he was twelve years old.”
“Even twelve-year-olds can date, you know.”
“You’re not wrong. In fact, he was very popular when he was young.”
He was blatantly changing the subject, but I decided to go along with it.
“I see. By the way, how ‘bout me?”
“You don’t look like you’ve been in a relationship.”
“Ouch. What a mean way to say I have no experience.”
“I apologize.”
I nodded, accepting his apology. “You shouldn’t say such a thing, even if it’s true.”
“Are you not interested in relationships? There are many talented individuals at this academy who excel in many subjects. As far as I know, there is no rule prohibiting relationships.”
“I’m just a bit busy.”
“That certainly seems to be the case.”
“But surely someone might find my busy self attractive?”
“You don’t look like you’ve ever been in a relationship.”
“...”
Hearing the same hurtful words a second time could really sting, and I certainly felt stung.
“...Then I suppose you were quite popular, huh?”
Kayan’s only reply to my words was a bright smile. Even as a man, his dandy smile was striking.
Wow... What an unfair world.