国产午夜亚洲精品AⅤ

Chapter 317

Olivia would need to arrive at the contest venue earlier than the official starting time since participants had to gather beforehand. Therefore, I needed to pass her the dress early.

If someone pointed out that the dress was the same one I wore during the cross-dressing contest... I didn’t know what to do about that.

‘Whatever! It’ll work out somehow! Embarrassment never killed anyone!’

Since there was no time to waste, I hurriedly to the Aligar shopping district where Eleris’s shop was located.

“... This is driving me crazy.”

The fastest way to travel within the capital was using the magic trains. However, the capital was overcrowded because of the Temple Festival. As a result, the magic train stations were packed with people waiting to board. I couldn’t get on the train even after three trains had come and gone.

I hoped I wouldn’t be late.

Even so, taking the magic train was undoubtedly faster than walking or running, so I waited anxiously and finally managed to board a train.

I didn’t understand why I had to endure the experience of standing in a packed train even in another world, but I eventually managed to reach the Aligar shopping district.

All I needed to do next was to head to Eleris’s semi-basement room and retrieve the garment bag.

I didn’t have eyes on the back of my head, but I had developed a sense that served a similar purpose.

A sense of unease crept over me.

There was a sticky, sinister feeling clinging to my back. I instinctively knew that I was being followed.

“... If you’re going to tail someone, shouldn’t you at least try to stay hidden?”

There in her school uniform, without any attempt to conceal herself, Radia Schmidt was openly watching me in the middle of the bustling Aligar shopping district.

“...”

I thought she was slightly unhinged, but to follow me so blatantly...

Radia Schmidt approached me with a subtle smile on her lips. “Reinhart, I have a favor to ask.”

“What kind of favor?”

“Stay away from Olivia. Please.”

Radia Schmidt’s gaze was chilling.

Had Olivia had to deal with these cold eyes staring her down and begging her all this while?

It was horrifying to think that such things had been happening to her continuously.

It was a wonder Olivia had managed to keep her sanity.

“It’s all because of you. Olivia has fallen from grace, strayed from the embrace of the gods—she’s turned out like this all because of you. If only you weren’t around, then Olivia could return to her original self. Don’t you think so too?”

“... Senior, I think you’re mistaken. Olivia had already decided to abandon her faith before she met me. That has nothing to do with me.”

Her reading of the timeline was mixed up. Olivia had already adopted that mindset before she met me, so saying that I was the cause of Olivia’s fall was nonsense. Moreover, I didn’t even think of it as a fall in the first place.

Radia Schmidt stared at me as though she were possessed. “No, it’s all because of you. Olivia could have been saved. Even until then, she could have changed her mind. Everything went wrong only after she met you.”

It seemed she had already made up her mind, so there was no point in trying to reason with her. She seemed to completely disregard the cruelty that the Order of the Holy Knights had inflicted on Olivia.

‘No... Someone like her would probably say that such actions were necessary to guide her onto the right path.’

There was no way I could change the mind of someone who had already reached an absolute conclusion and was acting on it. My words would fail to persuade her.

“Please, Reinhart, stay away from Olivia. I’m begging you. If you aren’t around, Olivia will return to the right path. I’ll even kneel if I have to. I’ll do whatever you ask. Just let Olivia go. Please. Before something even more tragic happens. Let her go before something irreversible happens.”

She seemed to be willing to do anything for Olivia, yet she still hated me. She had even attempted something akin to suicide for Olivia’s sake. This was utterly foreign to me.

‘Why is she going to such lengths?’

I found myself thinking the same thoughts Olivia had. Just like Olivia, I couldn’t understand why people would do this to her.

“Let me ask you a favor instead. Leave my noona alone. No matter how much of a once-in-a-century genius she is, there are surely other people who are just as devout and capable as her. Why do you insist on clinging to Olivia, trying to drag her back in even though you know it isn’t what she wants? You don’t lack ability or faith yourself, so why don’t you go ahead and do whatever it is you want Olivia to do instead?”

“No! Olivia is unique! Only Olivia is qualified for it! This is the destiny that she was born for!” Radia Schmidt shouted, and passersby began to take notice of our argument, sensing that something was off. “Only Olivia can unite the different branches of our faith in the Five Great Gods and become the Holy Emperor of the soon-to-be-established Millennial Empire.”

“... What?”

Her sudden bout of nonsense made my brain freeze up.

‘Millennial Empire? What nonsense is this?’

“Olivia was born to fulfill this destiny. Only she is qualified for it. Her appearance, talent, abilities, and character—she is the only one who suits it all. And you’re ruining it.”

There was nothing but a dark abyss in Radia Schmidt’s eyes. Despite being a divine believer, all I could see in her eyes was darkness.

It seemed that Radia Schmidt didn’t just want Olivia to regain her faith. She wanted her to fulfill her destiny as some grand ruler of an empire.

However, one thing still lingered in my mind.

‘Holy Emperor of the Millennial Empire... What on earth does that mean?’

If Radia Schmidt were nothing but a mad woman, it would only be a matter of dealing with her alone. But this was something that couldn’t be easily dismissed.

“What do you mean by the Millennial Empire?” I asked.

My question caused Radia Schmidt’s expression to harden further.

“... Someone like you doesn’t need to know.”

Her attempt to hide it, as if it had been a slip of the tongue, was very revealing.

It wasn’t just nonsense.

There was something going on there. She’d said something she shouldn’t have in a moment of heightened emotion. If it were just random nonsense, there would be no need to cover it up.

There were several implications.

The others who were urging Olivia to return to her faith might have their own personal motives, but Radia Schmidt seemed to have a different agenda.

She appeared to be talking about the possible independence of the Church of the Five Great Gods. Although they were already a significant independent force, it seemed they intended to establish their own nation.

It was possible that this was merely Radia Schmidt’s delusion. However, if there was a splinter group that harbored such ambitions, the situation would become much more complicated. It would mean there was another revolutionary faction to contend with.

This wasn’t just a matter of dealing with a single madwoman clinging to Olivia. The complexity of the situation only fueled my anger further.

They were essentially trying to force their beliefs onto Olivia.

Why did they have to impose their will so forcefully?

The expression on Radia Schmidt’s face, devoid of any doubt about the righteousness of her actions, was utterly repulsive. She hadn’t even considered the rightness or wrongness of what she was doing because she believed her cause was unquestionably just.

A corrupt member of the clergy was disgusting, but a fanatic was both repulsive and unsettling.

There were many things I wanted to say.

Countless harsh words swirled about in my mind, but I couldn’t bring myself to say any of them. I merely observed Radia Schmidt silently.

She had openly followed me onto the main street. I could see her fists subtly clenching and unclenching.

She had been ready to sacrifice her own life if it meant forcing Olivia back into the fold. That meant she was also someone who would be ready to kill to achieve that goal.

I didn’t need my Qi Sense to see this. The anger, hatred, and resentment swirling within her obsessive gaze said it all.

She had mentioned the possibility of something irreversible, something tragic happening, and there was only one way to interpret that.

This person intended to kill me.

Given her mention of a Millennial Empire, it seemed she was on some sort of crusade. She believed that killing me was a righteous act, regardless of who saw it. Having witnessed her madness once, it wasn’t hard to predict how she would act.

She had tried to persuade me to stay away from Olivia. Now that I had refused, her next likely course of action was to kill me.

I didn’t want to fight her on the main street, but if she made a move, I would have to respond.

There was a high probability that I would die if I fought her. Although I had been lucky many times before, there was no guarantee that luck would be on my side this time.

Would her attitude change if she knew I was the owner of Tiamata? For a fanatic like her, Tiamata would be an incredibly effective tool. But I couldn’t rely solely on Tiamata.

If I revealed myself as Ouen’s champion, she might try to persuade me to join her in convincing Olivia to give herself up or impose another troublesome burden on me.

Radia Schmidt was extremely dangerous. Moreover, she likely had knowledge of something even more perilous.

First, I needed to find out what that was.

“It seems we have a lot to discuss, senior.”

“If you don’t stay away from Olivia, I have nothing more to say to you...”

“How about we go somewhere quiet to talk?”

I noticed the sudden hesitation in Radia Schmidt’s expression.

It wasn’t so much that she was flustered. Rather, my words were completely unexpected. She had followed me with the intention of killing me, regardless of who saw it, but now her prey was suggesting they go somewhere secluded to talk.

She was likely prepared to face imprisonment and a trial for murder. However, if she killed me in a hidden place and disposed of my body, she wouldn’t get caught. She could commit the perfect crime and eliminate the thorn in her side.

“... I’m fine with that,” Radia Schmidt said, smiling eerily, perhaps dreaming of her perfect crime.

I felt chills run down my spine, but there was no other choice.

“But before that, I have some business to take care of. Let’s handle that first. It won’t take long. You can follow me if you want.”

“Fine.”

She would soon realize that if she truly wanted to kill me, she should have attacked me right then and there. Her desire to commit the perfect crime would ruin everything.

I found it quite astonishing that I could think and have such conversations so calmly while my life was on the line.

Thanks to this, my original plans had altered slightly. However, things weren’t significantly different. I still needed to find Eleris.

Radia Schmidt seemed to be enjoying herself, thinking that her prey was willingly walking into a trap.

***

Since it was daytime, Eleris would be at her scroll shop. Since I was already in the Aligar shopping district, I did not have to endure a long walk with Radia Schmidt.

Radia Schmidt didn’t ask where we were going or what my business was. She was likely preoccupied with thoughts of how to deal with me quietly once my business was done.

The hunter had no idea that she had become the prey.

Of course, how could she have imagined it?

Even though I was the champion of the first-year tournament, Radia Schmidt was confident she could overpower me, and I knew that too. She was confident she could catch me even if I realized my folly and tried to escape.

Click.

“... Ah.”

Eleris, as usual, was lounging behind the counter. She was surprised to see me enter and even more surprised to see an unfamiliar Temple student behind me.

Eleris might have been confused by the situation, but there was no time for explanations. I walked into the scroll shop with a purpose and immediately started speaking.

I did indeed have a legitimate reason for being there.

“Don’t ask questions. Just put up some noise-canceling magic around us,” I said.

“Yes.”

Eleris didn’t understand the situation, but followed my instructions immediately. As the soundproofing magic took effect, Radia Schmidt’s brow furrowed slightly. She sensed something was off.

She couldn’t have predicted this.

She couldn’t have expected me to walk into any random shop under the pretense of attending to some business and then calmly give orders to the shop owner.

“If you have any binding or incapacitating spells, use them on this person. Make it strong. She’s no ordinary person.”

“Yes.”

“You...!”

Eleris still did not fully understand what was going on, but she still followed my instructions precisely. A fleeting expression of dismay crossed Radia Schmidt’s face and she tried to move, but Eleris was quicker.

Kang! Ka-kang!

With a casting speed that was almost terrifying, pitch-black chains materialized out of thin air and bound Radia Schmidt’s limbs.

The clink of magical restraints securing themselves echoed through the shop.

“Ugh!”

Clang! Clang-clang!

Radia’s arms were lifted into the air, and her legs were anchored to the ground. Radia Schmidt struggled, trying to exert her Divine Power, but the chains summoned by Eleris only rattled slightly and did not budge.

“You... You bastard! What is this?!”

It was only natural for Radia Schmidt to be bewildered. Who could have predicted such a sudden turn of events?

Click!

Eleris then locked the shop door to ensure no one would witness the scene. She had followed my instructions without asking any questions.

“Ugh! R-Release me! Release me now! Who is this person, and what are you trying to do to me?!”

Radia Schmidt couldn’t comprehend the situation, but just as she had no intention of trying to see things from my perspective, I had no intention of explaining anything to her.

“Let me go! I said, let me go!”

Just as she had spoken to me only to say what she wanted to say, I would do the same.

Swish.

“Do you recognize this?”

“... Th-That’s...! T-Tiamata? How... how do you have that...?”

“Hard to believe, isn’t it? But I am the owner of Tiamata. People call me... What was it again? Ouen’s Champion?”

The person who had intended to kill me suddenly found themselves trapped, after which, I had summoned Tiamata.

It was unbelievable, but there was no way Radia could dismiss the Tiamata in my hand as a fake. Even though it hadn’t been seen in the world for a long time, the divine aura emanating from it was unmistakable.

Radia Schmidt had tried to persuade me to stay away from Olivia before resorting to extreme measures, so I would give her one chance as well.

“From now on, you need to answer my questions properly. If you resist, glare at me with those crazy eyes, or spout nonsense...” I tapped Radia Schmidt’s cheek with the flat of Tiamata’s blade. “The Divine Power you revere so much might just split your head open.”

Radia Schmidt glared at me with wide eyes.