Chapter 149 – Before the Show Begins
“Killing the clown?”
On the east side of the square, hidden away from the bright lights, in a dark alleyway with extinguished candles and dampness, Daniel, an ordinary man, took a bite of his skewer. Suddenly, he widened his eyes: “Uh, is that what she said?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded lightly.
Sitting in front of a dusty wooden table, I fumbled in the dark to pull out the last sweet cake from the paper bag, smelled it, but didn’t eat it. Instead, I held it in my hand and threw the empty bag on the ground: “Regardless, whether it’s true or false, there’s a high possibility that the clown will appear tonight.”
“…But why did she come to you?”
The man opposite me fell into deep thought.
“Miss Silvija, did she say anything else to you? For example… Did she mention anything about ‘Tears of the Goddess’? Oh, you know, the divine relic stolen by the heretics from the royal city, that blood gem. You should be well aware of it.”
The windows of the old house were tightly shut, barely letting any light in from outside. The man’s face was hidden in darkness, and I couldn’t see his expression.
“She didn’t mention it,” I shook my head and said.
“…Not at all?”
The man seemed to be staring at me, though I couldn’t see clearly, I could feel his gaze.
“What do you mean?”
Does he not believe me?
“No, nothing. It’s just… Think carefully, this is crucial information, and nothing can be overlooked. If everything goes as expected, that thing should be in the clown’s hands. This is almost the reason they gathered here and even sparked the war in the southern region. You understand this.”
“So?”
Of course, I understand this.
That evil thing was formed from the blood of children, something Teresa would choose at all costs, even risking her own life, to send out, to the clown, no matter how monstrous she became.
Such a thing must be destroyed, buried in the earth so the children can rest in peace. It cannot be allowed for the heretics to use the blood gem again.
I thought for a moment, switching the sweet cake from my right hand to my left, fidgeting with it with my fingers: “That blood gem. What does the Gate of Truth plan to do… Has the church figured it out?”
“…Unfortunately, no.”
The ordinary man muttered in the darkness, then sighed: “Currently, we only know that the bead is closely related to the Dragon Homeland. That’s the only clue we have.”
“That clue was provided by me to you.”
I couldn’t help rolling my eyes, feeling a wave of disdain.
What is the church doing?
How long has it been since this happened? So many people were mobilized, and up until now, not only did they fail to catch that orphanage gatekeeper who escaped from the royal city, but they also lost a bishop in the process. Supposedly, the person is still missing, their life uncertain. And after all this, the result is that the bead has already fallen into the clown’s hands, yet we don’t even know what it is?
Are they expecting new information from the heretic woman?
Even if she said something, would you believe it?
Really…
Though I had these thoughts, there was no time to waste on meaningless accusations. It seems the internal conflict within the church is already fierce; if they really investigate, the responsibility might not lie solely on those doing the work…
I shook my head, dispelling the jumbled thoughts in my mind: “What about the situation in the Dragon Homeland?”
The man pondered for a moment.
“According to intelligence from the day before yesterday, the First Knight Order has been delving deep into Woodward Forest for half a month, but they have found nothing. Not even a glimpse of a dragon, let alone its shadow. Forget about finding the entrance… Woodward Forest is too vast, with dense and complex trees. The knight order is less than ten thousand strong. Even if they mobilize local hunters familiar with the area, the probability of finding a vague entrance is extremely low…”
Daniel paused.
“But I heard that they discovered some ruins somewhere.”
“…Ruins?”
I switched the sweet cake back to my right hand, frowning and squeezing it. My hands were already oily and slippery, but I didn’t notice.
“They call it ruins, but it might be more accurate to call it a ruin. Some rubble from an unknown era, with signs of artificial carving… Well, it might not be artificial. It could be the work of forest fairies or something else… The church has sent specialists there. In short, the information there is strictly confidential, and I don’t know much either.”
…Forest fairies?
Is it the fairy race that disappeared long ago in the books I read…
“Don’t think too much about it, Miss Silvija. Those things might not be important. The most pressing matter now is to focus on the present. If that heretic woman isn’t lying, then there are obviously irreconcilable conflicts within the Gate of Truth, to the point where they want to drive each other to death. Under such circumstances, once the clown arrives, there could be unexpected conflicts…”
“Do you believe it?” I asked in return.
“…Whether I believe it or not, we came prepared for any scenario. Any situation must be considered. If that woman is telling the truth, then she wants us to eliminate her opponents within the Gate of Truth. For us, this is not necessarily bad.”
Ordinary man Daniel seemed to spread his hands in the darkness.
“And if she lied… Regardless, our original intention was to capture everyone involved. Now, we just need to ensure that when the battle starts, we can smoothly initiate the sin barrier, ensuring the lives of civilians in Deer Town are not affected by the chaos. This has never changed, and we have been preparing for it.”
“Miss Silvija, your task is to restrain him as quickly as possible the moment the clown appears, take him away from the land, away from the town, to where we have set up the ambush.”
Location. Due to the intense heretical flames powered by the sin, this is something we find hard to achieve. The clown is extremely powerful; only your Frost Order has a chance to approach and suppress him.”
“You assured us of this, and we’re well aware of your abilities. As for the other heretics, you can leave them to us. With their capabilities, they won’t be able to break through the Sin Barrier’s protection in a short time—”
“What about that woman?” I interrupted him and asked.
“…You don’t need to worry about her either. Someone will naturally take care of it.”
“Who?”
“……”
Daniel was silent for a moment, then knocked twice on the table with a “thud, thud”: “He is still in the Southern Territory…”
…Oh, Angel will come over.
It should be fine if he handles it…
After all, the power of the Reverse End isn’t something to be taken lightly.
“Will there be enough time?”
The show is about to start. Even if Angel comes now, he would first teleport to the underground prison, and from there to Bucktown, which is quite a distance away. Is it really okay?
“It’s fine.”
But the ordinary man seemed to have great confidence.
Alright…
Anyway, if things get out of hand, I still have my ace in the hole—the power of Illusion and Disillusion. Although I’d prefer not to use it in front of these people, if the situation becomes urgent, saving lives takes priority. I’ll use Illusion and Disillusion to trap one of them…
I think I already know how to do it.
Tilting my head in thought for a few seconds, I frowned again: “That woman…”
Angel is the Pope himself. Before I came, he was busy dealing with various matters, such as meetings, issuing orders, and handling everything…
The food problem in Aletheia City cannot be solved within a day. Both civilians and soldiers are still starving. The knight order is pressuring several nearby cities, and the escaped cult members must be hunted down for a long time. If Angel were to leave his post even for a little while, many things might have to stop, and some people might take advantage of the situation to cause trouble…
In contrast, Isaac. After a few third-stage cultists died, the battle is nearing its end, and his importance is no longer so prominent. With Safiros and the old bishop who used to hit on me, those scattered heretics are already enough. Actually, Angel could send Baldy over…
Why does he have to come personally?
Could it be that woman…
The church has figured out her identity, so they think Isaac… is not enough to confront her… Is this possible?
Baldy is so strong.
I tried asking Daniel, “Who exactly is she?”
“Haven’t you found out her identity?”
He asked me in return. I shook my head slightly: “No.”
“Then we know even less.”
“……”
“But there is one thing we can confirm.”
“What… ah.”
With a snap, I crushed the last piece of sweet cookie.
Feeling a few crumbs fall from my hand, I panicked and quickly tried to catch them. At the same time, Daniel’s voice came from across the table: “More than twenty years ago, after the Great Purge in the Eastern Continent, the old senators who followed the Great Demon were either killed in battle or captured and beheaded. Now, it seems the only one left alive is the Clown.”
“After that, heresy disappeared for twenty years until it resurfaced. Most of the current senators are new additions… This time in Aletheia City, the one you killed, who called himself the Sixth Senator, we actually knew him. Many years ago, he was also a Pope Knight like you.”
“Mm…”
I managed to scoop up a few larger pieces of the sweet cookie and stuffed them into my mouth quickly.
“Later, something unpleasant happened. His wife died, and he left the Western Continent, disappearing afterward. Who would have thought he joined the Gate of Truth and became one of the leaders of the heretics… Haha…”
Daniel laughed, as if reminiscing: “A person once affiliated with the Church joining the Gate of Truth and becoming a senator in just a few years. I know his character; such an unworthy and untrustworthy person, the Clown actually entrusted the affairs of the Western war to him…
“Even though it was just a useless bait, who knows what that madman is thinking. But obviously, within the Gate of Truth, there may not be many capable people left… Yet, under such circumstances, their plan could still be smoothly implemented. The Gate of Truth still retains a certain organizational capability. They are not truly scattered, especially the Clown…”
“He didn’t take the opportunity to unleash his madness in the South, but obediently went to the North. None of us expected this. Such a madman actually listens to a woman’s words. Twenty years ago, who would believe this…”
“…So?”
I chewed on the sweet cookie, speaking indistinctly.
“So, in such a bloody and chaotic situation, a woman can interfere with the Clown’s actions from a thousand kilometers away. That madman dared to kill senators. Twenty years ago, apart from the Great Demon, no one could sway his thoughts. Yet, he actually came… And if what you say is true, that woman harbors intense murderous intent towards him.”
“Setting aside any deeper relationship, on the surface, this is quite unbelievable. The Clown only acts according to his preferences and never follows anyone’s commands. Except for the Great Demon, who has long since died, thus I guess…”
The man’s voice paused.
“Her identity must be somehow related to the Great Demon.”
…………
After walking out of the old house, I looked up at the sky.
Night had deepened.
A hundred meters away, the bustling district was brightly lit. Cheers and excitement filled the air. The crowd gathered there seemed to be in a state of extreme excitement.
Soon, the performance began.
