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Chapter 12: Menace
“MMM-mm-hmmmm hmm~mm, mmmm hm~~mm~♪!”
An irritatingly jolly humming echoed off the walls. The type of humming that expressed oh-how-very-excited the singer was for what was about to come. You could search all throughout the vast, wide world and not find anyone humming as happily as this. The greatest flaw in this little performance was the tone-deaf tune and that the singer—Vittorio—was bound hand and foot.
“Hey! Hello, Mynoghra to Archlector Idiot!” an angry voice called out beside him. The voice belonged to the Lector of the Cult of Ira, Yona’Yona. The simplest way to explain her current predicament was to call her the sad little girl who found herself unwittingly tied up with Vittorio.
“Hmm~mmm-mm. Hmm-hmm-nnn! Fa-lalala-la-laaaaaaaaaa!!”
His godawful humming continued. She wished she could shove her sock in his mouth or strangle him with it. Unfortunately, Vittorio and Yona’Yona weren’t alone. They were in the former headquarters of the Southern Province Order of Paladins, surrounded by several of Qualia’s Paladins and Soldiers. The great hall, which formerly served as a dining hall and the Paladin headquarters when the Divine Nation of Lenea was founded, now served as a prison for Vittorio and Yona’Yona. They were tied to a pillar in the center of the hall, spending their time as prisoners of war under the unrelenting, sharp gazes of the holy soldiers.
Ē n umȧ. і̂ ḋ_
“Oi, Archlector Idiot! I’m talkin’ to ya here!”
Then again, Yona’Yona might’ve been the only one who viewed them as prisoners. Vittorio had been humming that terrible tune for a while now, leaving only Yona’Yona to panic since she got captured when she answered the Gleeful Spin Doctor’s summons.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Listen to me, you idiot!!”
Perhaps she just couldn’t stand the irate glares coming from the Paladins or felt bad for forcing them to listen to her mentor’s singing that was on par with nails on a chalkboard—whatever motivated her, Yona’Yona deftly twisted her restrained body to thrust the horns on top of her head right into Vittorio.
His unsettling performance ended abruptly and a blood-curdling scream took its place.
“Yowzerrrrrssss! How uncouth of you to raise your voice like that, young lady! You’re being disrespectful to the Qualiaaaans who ever-so-kindly prepared this venue for us to talk. Now you’ve gone and ruined this peaceful moment! And you ruined moi’s beautiful face!”
Ē ǹ.ūṁ а̊
“Shut the hell up, clown! Put a sock in it! You’re pissing off our hosts!”
“Silent mode, activated!”
An eerie silence fell over the spacious great hall.
Seeming happy with the newfound silence, Krähe and the Lenea Investigation Squad began to discuss things a short distance away, keeping one eye trained on the pitiful captives. They never fully took their eyes off the pair, carefully watching to see if they made any funny moves.
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“…Hey, Archlector Idiot. Why are we still in one piece? Don’t bad things usually happen when you get caught like this?” Yona’Yona asked in a whisper, curious why the Paladins only seemed to talk amongst themselves without laying a hand on them.
Vittorio appeared quite contented by getting to hum his little ditty for so long, since he actually answered Yona’Yona’s questions for once.
Е ṅ u m̀ã.i d
“Why, it’s simple, ma tigresse! According to their teachings, they aren’t allowed to lay a finger upon those who have surrendered! THUS, they will not inflict violence upon we who’ve surrendered! Je capitule, Seigneur! What a wonderful anti-violence stance! Praise be to pacifism! This is the clever method moi came up with to compensate for my lack of fighting prowess!”
Qualia worshipped the Holy God Arlos, and they held up the teachings in his Holy Books as law. Of course, they had practical laws and regulations in place to operate as a nation, but they were all based on the teachings in the Holy Books. Consequently, anyone from Qualia prioritized abiding by those teachings first and foremost. Even if they were up against the spawn of evil or someone using their holy teachings against them for malicious reasons, they could never act in opposition to those teachings since it would damage their very identity as followers of Arlos.
Vittorio was as calm as a cucumber because he knew that. He spared no effort to ensnare his enemies. When did he get the time to procure Qualia’s Holy Books and read them from cover to cover? He had studied them enough to understand what he needed to pull off this scheme.
But the forces of good weren’t just going to roll over and take it.
Krähe came marching up to them, seeming to have overheard Vittorio’s not-so-quiet explanation. His voice had an obnoxious way of traveling even when he supposedly suppressed it.
“Enough games, spawn of evil,” she spat. “It doesn’t matter how much you hem and haw your way out of things here, you will receive official punishment soon. It’s only a matter of when you will die—not if.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
She spoke the truth. The Holy Books forbade attacking someone who surrenders, but only temporarily. If Central later passes judgment based on the holy laws, it would become just punishment and the law of God. And Central had nothing but death in store for evil.
But Vittorio was more than well aware of that. He let out the loudest, longest sigh at Krähe’s remark, then launched into a scathing, belittling lecture like he was instructing a young child who just didn’t get it.
“Oh me, oh my! Is that really, truly, surely all right with you? I came here with an excellent deal! It’s a special deal, you know? I’ll even give you bonus points! Oh, would you like a member’s card?”
“What a load of crock… We would never accept a deal with the spawn of evil—”
“VITTO-RI-OOOO!!” Vittorio suddenly shouted. His voice was so loud it caused the ground to tremor slightly, and even the Paladins watching over them from afar grimaced.
“…What?” Krähe asked, feeling a little sorry for Yona’Yona, whose eyes were spinning because she was sitting right next to Vittorio and had received the worst of his shout. Krähe hated taking his bait, but she felt like they wouldn’t get anywhere if she didn’t.
Еn̆ûm̄а̇ . і̄d̆
“Please call me Vittorio when you speak to me. If you don’t respect my request, I’ll start calling you Pretty Kitty!”
“There’s no reason for me to remember your name,” she demurred. “There’s no value in uttering or remembering the spawn of evil’s name.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Pretty Kittyyyyyyy!!”
“You can’t provoke me into—”
“Meow, meow, meeooow! Pretty Bitty Little Kitty!!”
Krähe’s cheeks flushed crimson, perhaps out of offense at his insult or sheer embarrassment. Either way, she didn’t know how to deal with this man who never listened and arbitrarily argued to have his way. Getting pulled into her opponent’s games was dangerous, but leaving him to his own devices was even more dangerous.
Ẅ е̊ b̄ñ о ṽе́ l̇ Е n ùm̄ӑ
Krähe had faced all sorts of crazies in her line of work. Due to their unique duties, Inquisitors often encountered people who’d had mental breakdowns and gone insane. Such people tended to live in their own little world, but the creature before her was leagues beyond any of them. What she especially couldn’t stand about him was that she could tell he was going out of his way to act like this to get under her skin.
“Um, excuse me…” Yona’Yona spoke up, her rattled brain finally recovered from his shouting.
Krähe shifted her gaze to the girl that somehow ended up apprehended with this cretin and urged her to speak. The man sitting beside her was so unhinged it was impossible to hold a conversation. As someone born in Qualia, Krähe felt discrimination toward Beastpeople, but she was grateful the goat girl was here.
“I’m seriously sorry ’bout this idiot here. He’s the type who won’t listen once he’s made up his mind about somethin’, so would you mind just calling him by name for now?”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“…Vittorio, was it?” Krähe said. “Fine. I’m showing you Arlos’s mercy, not compromise, by calling you by name.”
She had a horrible headache, but went along with him to keep things moving. She had given in to his request but didn’t want it to look like she had succumbed to evil over something like this. Krähe convinced herself she was doing the right thing by thinking she was helping the young girl being manipulated by him save face, so she grudgingly decided to start calling the man in front of her Vittorio.
Ӗ ṅ u m̌ ā .īd
“Mmm, gooooood! You have successfully landed yourself at the trading table, Inquisitor Imlerith!” Vittorio trumpeted.
“I already told you we don’t make deals with evil, Evil Spawn Vittorio. Our divine mission from God is to stop you from inciting the masses further and spreading your wicked purpose.”
“Mwahaha. Serious one, aren’t’cha? You should rule on my fate here and now, but you’re purposefully waiting for Qualia’s ruling? Looks like you’re the type who loves the stress of getting stuck between the people on the field and the higher-ups!” he goaded.
“……”
Did she not want to debate him? Or did he hit the nail on the head? Either way, Krähe fell silent.
Yona’Yona was the first to break the brief silence. She was going to take this opportunity to get a word in edgewise.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“We aren’t gettin’ anywhere like this, so I’ll introduce us in that moron’s place. We are denizens of Mynoghra, the nation ruled by the great and mighty King Takuto Ira. On top of that, we are followers of the Cult of Ira that worships our king as God. I’m the Lector, and this idiot is the Archlector. We’ve come to this land to proclaim the manifestation of a new god and spread our faith!”
“On paper, that is! That’s our front, ehe!” Vittorio interjected.
“…Shut your big fat trap, idiot!” Yona’Yona hissed.
Yona’Yona’s introduction caused a commotion, starting with the Paladins watching over the proceedings. Were they surprised by the news? Krähe was taken completely by surprise to learn their opponent had started their own religion. Even though this was her first time learning about the existence of the Cult of Ira, her stance remained unchanged.
“This is land governed by Qualia,” Krähe stated. “No one, not one, is allowed to worship anything other than the Holy God Arlos. There isn’t an inch of room for evil to wheedle its way in.”
“Oh dear, isn’t this the Divine Nation of Lenea?” Vittorio asked. “A different country from Qualia, no? Isn’t it a tad strange for Qualia to lay claim to another nation?”
Ŵē bñо́ v̈ ӗ_l̃ Ёňů ḿа
“Lenea is a nation that broke off from Qualia. A nation founded by Saints who abide by the same holy teachings under Arlos. It is only natural that Qualia extends a hand of support and protects them.”
“I’m not talking about feelings, but international politics, Inquisitor. Or do your holy teachings proclaim that it’s all right to take advantage of another country’s collapse, hm? Oh, and just to be clear, our country is all good with it!” he declared.
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“We aren’t seeking your acceptance or understanding. Our holy will shall repel your wickedness from this land. That is the reality of it.”
“Well, that sounds about right,” Vittorio conceded.
He’d certainly hit where it hurts, but Krähe was used to a battle of wits on this level. Some of the many heretics and madmen she had judged tried to stir up controversy or get their way by starting arguments. It was the duty of an Inquisitor to confront such people head-on and destroy their fanciful theories once and for all. And so, Krähe swore to herself and Arlos that she wouldn’t reveal any weaknesses regarding the ownership of this territory.
But she was up against the Gleeful Spin Doctor. There was no guarantee his goal was to defeat his opponent in a battle of wits.
Е̌ ňüm̄ a
“And sooo, I’m here to make you a deal!”
As expected, Vittorio presented the same proposal again, as if rewinding them back to square one.
“That again? It’s not good to keep saying the same thing over and over again,” she chastised him. “We won’t accept any deal you bring to the table, but I will allow you to at least utter it.”
Not wanting to deal with another bout of his yelling, Krähe caved and allowed Vittorio to speak. Another concession.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Why, my deal is to play a little game! Let’s all game! Does it not make sense when I put it like this? I want to have a contest with you. A fun, enjoyable bit of sport! What do you think? Doesn’t it sound exhilarating?”
“Sport? What kind of contest would we have with you at this point?” Krähe asked, incredulous. “Have you forgotten? We don’t make deals with evil. You will continue to wait for word from Central until you are punished by Arlos’s divine will.” Mustering her iron will, Krähe refused the Gleeful Spin Doctor’s invitation.
Ŵ ӗ bn о̂ vе̇ l Е nuḿ å
“The contents of the contest are simple,” Vittorio explained, completely ignoring her response as if it had no bearing on the conversation.
Krähe instinctively tried to stop him, but missed her chance as she got swept up in his momentum. Strangely enough, the Paladins experienced the same thing, and Vittorio launched into his explanation before anyone could interject.
“A contest for the religious hearts and minds of this city’s people. Let us use that to decide which of our gods is greater.”
The first emotion everyone, including Krähe, experienced was confusion. They thought he’d come up with a more sinister and unscrupulous proposal, but it was surprisingly reasonable. Of course, he’d only revealed the gist of the contest. Considering Vittorio’s past words and deeds, it was unlikely to end there. It wouldn’t be strange for this to be where his wicked mind reared its ugly nature.
Nervous tension ran through the holy forces. However…
“I’d love to say, ‘Anything goes,’ but I understand you wouldn’t be amendable to that, my good fellows. With that said, let’s prohibit acts of violence, brainwashing, and other unfair maneuvers. We also don’t wish for any harm to come to the people. It’ll be a perfectly acceptable case of mutual nonintervention!”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Vittorio’s proposal wasn’t all that dodgy and seemed to favor Qualia. It was impossible to claim there were no holes in it, but it appeared to be fair on the surface. Even so, using the sacred act of propagating the faith as fodder for a contest didn’t sit well with Qualia’s people…
“Why should we even believe you? Why should we partake in a contest with you? You should come to terms with your situation, Evil Spawn Vittorio,” Krähe coolly shot down his proposal.
Although she’d allowed him to speak in the heat of the moment, she had no intention of considering Vittorio’s deal from the get-go. Besides, she had every suspicion that the rules he vowed to protect would be broken the second the situation called for it.
And yet, for all of that, the spawn of evil continued to elude their questions with half-truths, further ensnaring the forces of good with only his words.
“Please don’t misunderstand—this is a concession,” Vittorio stated. “You have everyyyy right to refuse, of course, but you must accept that the result of your refusal is your own choice. I’m merely making the proposal. It’s your job to make the decisions and produce results!”
Threatening language and blackmail are common tricks used by the forces of evil. There normally wasn’t any room to give their venomous words a second thought. All Qualia had to do was quietly proceed with the usual procedures and erase this windbag from the face of the planet in Arlos’s holy name.
È ṅ.ů m̄ a
However…
“Or perhapsss, it’s a tall order for a mere investigation squad to save everyone?”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
No matter how strong their will and holy ambition was, they couldn’t deny his next query. This was the first full truth Vittorio had uttered. The Lenea Investigation Squad lacked the numbers to do all they set out to do. And their small squad was already tied up trying to aid people.
It’d be easy to turn down evil’s invitation. Any follower of the Holy God Arlos had the willpower to do so. But what about dealing with the resulting tragedy?
They didn’t even need to think twice about what the King of Ruin would do if he lost this man who claimed to be the Archlector of the Cult of Ira. They had no guarantee reinforcements from Central would make it in time. Worse, they had no guarantee reinforcements would even be sent.
Inviting another disaster to Amrita seemed cruel when it was finally showing signs of recovery…
Ê.n ů m̀.a..і̊d
They needed to buy time. At least enough time to deal with the coming disaster.
The argument gave way to silence, halting their conversation.
Perhaps he was irritated by Krähe’s indecisiveness or anticipated it because Vittorio’s crooked face broke into a leering smile that incited the desire to puke. “Aw, fine! I’ll give up my big secret! What we want is people and land! That’s why we’re making such concessions! It’s easier to get what we want without conflict!!!”
Krähe was torn over what to do.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
It was well-known that the southern part of Idoragya, where Mynoghra was located, was a barren land. The Accursed Lands the Mynoghrans called home was considered even more inhospitable than the rest. It was a persuasive argument then that they would target the abundant, fertile land belonging to Lenea. As for people, if they could really brainwash others into believing in Ira from the bottom of their hearts, it would be beneficial to them in various ways.
Considering what Qualia already knew of the happenings in the El-Nah Alliance of Elementals, one of the goals of the forces of evil seemed to be increasing their military strength through others. If true, then at least the citizens would live. Granted, there are some fates worse than death…
Еńù m̌_а̇
Krähe and the investigation squad had no information on how the believers of Arlos were treated once they fell into Mynoghra’s hands. There was nothing they could do with information they did not have.
Krähe continued to hesitate, and before she realized it, her gaze shifted to Yona’Yona for help.
“Uh, yeah, he’s not lying,” Yona’Yona said. “That’s our goal, all right. You lot might see us as little more than cold-blooded, malicious monsters, but that’s not the case. Even we laugh and cry. We’re just as happy not to let things get messy, you know? Well, this creep here is one giant walking mess, but what’s a girl to do?”
If this girl says so, does that make it true? At the very least, she looks more sincere than Vittorio and like she’s got her hands full with him, Krähe thought.
This conversation helped Krähe get a general gist of her opponent’s intentions. Since the King of Ruin wasn’t taking direct action, it might be safe to assume they had a grace period. Besides, the Divine Nation of Lenea was destroyed by the King of Ruin’s attack. And it was the two Saints—Saint Soalina of Blooming Burials and The Veiled Saint Fenne Kahmair—targeting the King of Ruin that brought about his counterattack in the first place.
If this whole tragedy was caused by provoking the King of Ruin—who’d kept to himself in the Accursed Lands—then it was hard to decry their pacifist means as an outright trap.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Before she knew it, Krähe was sorting the information in the most convenient way for her. And no one pointed it out. Then again, even if they had pointed it out, nothing would come of it…
Finally, Krähe made her decision.
“Do you vow to keep your earlier promise and not interfere with us?”
She decided to accept the devil’s deal.
A member of a good empire was making a deal with a member of an evil empire. She had just committed an act in direct violation of the Holy God Arlos’s teachings.
“Inquisitor Imlerith!”
Ẽn ůmа. іd̆
The Paladins raised their voices in protest. They criticized her for losing her mind, not realizing they had no alternative to offer.
“I will take responsibility,” Krähe declared. “We need to buy time.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“B-But…!!”
It’s always easier for the people who don’t have to take responsibility. It’s even easier for those who only criticize without offering alternatives.
Krähe felt the need to persuade the Paladins to understand the situation correctly. But indecision is fatal in these situations. And the fatality would not befall them, but the citizens.
“I know you must be worried, so I’ll keep an eye on this moron to keep him from doing anything unfair,” Yona’Yona said, offering encouraging words to support Krähe’s decision. “I swear upon the name of our great Lord Takuto Ira, as the Lector of the Cult of Ira. So please rest assured in this: the Cult of Ira is making this concession in good faith. I won’t let this nutjob lay a hand on you, no matter what he’s schemin’.”
W е́ b̄ňо̆v еľ Еn̄ú m̃а
Yona’Yona’s helping hand always offered what Krähe wanted, when she wanted it. While she silently thanked the girl for her sincerity, Krähe finally made a declaration that would become a major turning point in her life.
“So be it. Arlos’s believers will never fall to evil. We accept your challenge.”
“Mm, very good!” Vittorio chirped. “I can say with full confidence that you just made the right decision, Inquisitor Imlerith.”
Was that truly the right decision? Will my attempt at buying time end up bringing forth a far worse result? The worries Krähe couldn’t wash off turned to sludge and ate away at her, but even so, she couldn’t have made a different choice. Her thoughts suddenly turned to the kind girl who chased after her father’s shadow, journal in hand.
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“Now then!” Vittorio announced.
“Whoa!!”
Е nu m̀ a
A gust of wind rushed upon them and Vittorio rose. The Paladins hastily drew their swords, but Vittorio already had Yona’Yona tucked under his arm and his feet on the windowsill.
It’d be a lie to say they hadn’t been wary, but they had let their guard down.
This wicked man could’ve fled at any time. The whole thing was an act from the beginning—he pretended to get caught just to make this deal.
“I bid you farewell! Until we meet again! Adieu~~!!”
The jester’s grating laughter disappeared out the window.
Krähe was strangely relieved that Vittorio hadn’t forgotten to take Yona’Yona with him, her expression darkening as she imagined the harrowing days ahead.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Inquisitor Imlerith.”
The Paladins all looked to her, concern and confusion plain on their faces. Convincing them came first. If she didn’t, she’d lose the precious time she’d bought for them with her life on the line.
“You better have a good reason for this,” they demanded.
Krähe had a long fight ahead of her.
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