Chapter 124
This Hellish Place (1)
News that the Holy Nation of Eldorado had assembled an investigative team and dispatched it to the Forest of Four Seasons spread beyond Eldorado’s borders and throughout the entire world.
Despite the sudden announcement, hardly anyone seemed surprised or bewildered.
Just as no one was surprised when a thug behaved like a thug, people merely shrugged and said, “Eldorado is being Eldorado again.”
There was also a reason they had been able to dispatch the investigative team so quickly.
The Forest of Four Seasons lay directly along Eldorado’s border.
The forest was roughly the size of a small country and shared its borders with several nations.
Eldorado was one of them.
That was why it had so often been able to carry out its so-called “dirty work.”
Ever since Eldorado’s roots began to rot, the number of “missing-person incidents” had increased dramatically.
And the Forest of Four Seasons was a hell from which no one could ever escape once they entered.
Considering how many of the missing people were high-ranking figures, it was impossible not to be suspicious.
[ELDORADO IS ONLY CREATING MORE SACRIFICES. UNCOVER THE TRUTH.]
[WHY ARE THEY TRYING TO BURY THEIR OWN SINS BENEATH THE DEATHS OF OTHERS?]
[THOSE WHO CLAIM TO BELIEVE IN GOD WILL ONE DAY FACE DIVINE PUNISHMENT.]
[THE TIMING IS TOO FAST. IT LOOKS AS THOUGH THEY HAD ALREADY PREPARED FOR THIS...]
Above all, the time between preparation and action had been far too short.
The investigative team had been dispatched so smoothly that it almost seemed as though they had been waiting for this exact moment.
People openly questioned whether it was truly an investigation or merely another purge.
[IF WE HADN’T RESPONDED QUICKLY, THAT ALONE WOULD HAVE INVITED SUSPICION.]
[WE CAN ACT WITH CONFIDENCE BECAUSE WE HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG.]
[HOW DARE YOU DOUBT GOD’S REPRESENTATIVE? ALL OF THIS WAS DONE UNDER THE POPE’S ORDERS...]
Eldorado’s response was remarkably simple.
They brazened it out.
Once they announced that the Pope—one of God’s representatives—had personally issued the order, the other nations had no choice but to tread carefully.
Who was the Pope?
If the Hero was Eldorado’s pillar, the Pope was its supporting beam.
Now that the Hero had fled after being accused of apostasy, the Pope wielded virtually absolute power.
Thus, the Pope’s will was effectively Eldorado’s will.
And he was shameless enough to push it through without hesitation.
No matter how thoroughly rotten it had become, Eldorado was still one of the world’s long-standing military powers.
Even without the Hero, its fundamental strength remained formidable. No nation could criticize it recklessly.
[KADIR’S STATEMENT WAS NOT FALSE. ELDORADO IS DESPERATE TO HIDE THE TRUTH.]
[HOW WAS ELDORADO’S INVESTIGATIVE TEAM COMPOSED? ASTONISHINGLY...]
[ANOTHER PURGE BEGINS. BLOOD CONCEALED BENEATH THE LIGHT IS SEEPING OUT ONCE MORE.]
Countless arguments raged back and forth, but Eldorado had already completed the investigative team’s deployment.
Not even a week had passed since the truth concerning the Immortal King had emerged.
That might indicate just how desperate they were, but it was far more likely that this was nothing more than a performance for the public.
Yet Eldorado’s position was perfectly clear.
If we didn’t even put on a show, everyone would criticize us anyway. What else do you expect us to do?
The ones sacrificed because of such shamelessness were innocent paladins and clergy members.
“Fuck.”
“Do not swear.”
“If you were in my position, would you be able to keep yourself from swearing?”
Two people exchanged words inside a carriage heading toward the Forest of Four Seasons.
One was a middle-aged man with a steadfast countenance, a square jaw, deep-set eyes, and a finely groomed gray beard.
His hair was similarly short and gray, and his eyes were blue.
“Idle conversation is forbidden. Think about what lies ahead.”
“Wow. You really are suffocating, Teacher! Do you understand where we’re going? The Forest of Four Seasons! It’s the Forest of Four Seasons!”
The young woman seated opposite him shouted in frustration, her voice filled with resentment.
Her brown hair had been cut short for ease of movement. Her upturned eyes gave her a cynical appearance.
Her husky voice sounded somewhat androgynous, but it did nothing to conceal her beauty.
“I am aware.”
“And you can remain this calm?!”
“Our superiors issued an order. Do not forget that we are both paladins and soldiers.”
“Ha...!”
The gray-haired man merely sat with his arms folded and answered in a composed voice.
The young paladin, Reis, exhaled sharply at his maddeningly rigid response.
Unable to accept the situation no matter how much she considered it, she voiced her objections.
“Teacher, let’s be honest. They’re sending us out there to die simply because the higher-ups ordered it.”
“...”
“Why in the world were we assigned this mission? Don’t tell me it’s because you were the Hero’s teacher—”
“Quiet.”
The gray-haired paladin, Ludwig, silenced Reis with a solemn voice.
It was only a single word, but the pressure behind it was more than enough to make her close her mouth.
However, although Reis stopped speaking, her expression didn’t soften.
If anything, her rebellious anger only continued to rise.
“Our superiors gave an order, and we obey. That is all.”
“Teacher.”
“From now on, do not call me Teacher. Address me as Commander. We may be personally acquainted, but I am still your superior.”
His stubborn rigidity was so suffocating that it was difficult to breathe.
Reis frowned, but she couldn’t argue.
No matter how many complaints she voiced, nothing would change.
“Reis.”
“...”
“If you are afraid, you may run. I will pretend I did not see you.”
Ludwig was the first to speak amid the deathly silence.
For a moment, Reis was stunned that he had effectively encouraged her to desert. Then she frowned.
“What is this? Honestly, I’m more surprised that you’re the one saying it, Commander.”
“I can still distinguish right from wrong.”
“If that’s true, wouldn’t it be better to confront them directly?”
“It is better to seek even the faintest hope than to die like a dog.”
“As if.”
Reis laughed in disbelief.
She wasn’t a fool.
She knew exactly what condition the Holy Nation of Eldorado was currently in and why she had been included in the investigative team.
Knowing all the reasons behind it, she could only laugh bitterly.
“It’s rather tragic to be killed simply because I’m intelligent.”
“There are times when one must read the situation and pretend to be a fool.”
“If you understand that so well, why did you train the Hero?”
“It was a mission bestowed upon me by the Goddess.”
“Good grief.”
Reis shook her head.
Ludwig had once taught martial arts to the Hero and was renowned as a devout believer.
For that reason, he had been one of Eldorado’s most respected paladins.
At least, until the incident that caused everything to fall apart.
“Commander.”
“Speak.”
“Do you truly believe the Hero is an apostate?”
There were rumors that the Hero, Asella, was an apostate and had fled after being exposed.
An apostate was a traitor personally designated by the Goddess Ares—the most infamous and reviled kind of criminal in Eldorado.
The Holy Nation was currently pursuing the fugitive Asella.
The story of the Hero becoming an apostate had spread beyond Eldorado and throughout the entire continent.
“According to the prophecy, she must be regarded as an apostate.”
“What if the Pope’s faction manipulated it?”
“I do not know. Only those of cardinal rank or higher can hear the prophecy.”
There was a reason Eldorado had maintained its status as the Holy Nation despite secretly and openly committing countless atrocities.
It was because of the prophecies.
Whenever the Holy Nation faced a crisis, the Goddess herself supposedly bestowed a prophecy upon them.
In ancient times, when humanity had still been weak, Ares and the other gods had delivered prophecies.
In the present age, prophecies were instead delivered whenever one generation gave way to the next—that was, whenever a new Hero was chosen.
And the moment Asella drew the holy sword Revolution, the Goddess delivered a prophecy.
It foretold that Asella would destroy the Holy Nation of Eldorado.
Normally, prophecies left room for interpretation.
This particular prophecy, however, had been unusually direct—and deeply shocking.
“Even if someone manipulated the prophecy, Asella fled the moment she heard it. Can that fact alone be explained away?”
“Why would the Goddess possibly...?”
“Only the Goddess herself would know the reason.”
Upon hearing the prophecy, Asella fled with the holy sword.
Now that the Hero—who should have possessed authority equal to the Pope’s—had fled, no one remained capable of restraining him.
The Pope was acting so recklessly precisely because there was no one left to stop him.
The investigative team assembled for this mission was likewise filled with everyone he had long regarded as an eyesore.
“So, are you going to run?”
“Forget it. Even if I fled, they would immediately send people after me.”
“There is an old saying that even rolling through a field of dung is better than leaving this world.”
“I’m sure our noble Goddess will guide me.”
Ludwig chuckled at Reis’s sarcasm.
No matter how much she complained, he couldn’t bring himself to dislike her.
At the same time, he found the situation deeply regrettable.
A promising talent with a bright future was about to disappear in a purge like this.
He wanted nothing more than to confront those responsible, but he lacked both the strength and justification to do so.
It was a cruel and profoundly unjust reality.
Yet no one could change it.
What hope remained when even the Hero had been branded an apostate?
“Come to think of it, Commander.”
“Speak.”
“You know the person who exposed the book’s contents on the gallery?”
While Ludwig lamented inwardly, Reis introduced an interesting subject.
The person in question could be considered both the catalyst and the culprit behind everything that had happened.
Events in the gallery rarely spilled over into reality, but this time had been different.
The incident was serious enough to shake the foundations of an entire nation, so it couldn’t be ignored.
“Why do you ask about him?”
“Do you really think he’s in the Forest of Four Seasons?”
“I do not use the gallery, so I would not know. However, I understand that he has already proven his existence.”
“That’s true, but I’m wondering whether it’s realistically possible.”
Perhaps because she was about to enter the Forest of Four Seasons herself, the question had naturally occurred to her.
Ludwig carefully considered her words before asking a question of his own.
“Do you use the gallery as well?”
“I only lurk.”
“What does ‘lurk’ mean?”
“Wow... You really smell like an old man.”
“My apologies for the odor.”
“I was joking. Anyway, it means I merely browse through it. You don’t read every single word of the newspaper without missing anything either, do you?”
“I do.”
Reis looked appalled.
Now she understood where the Hero had learned her rigid personality.
After sighing inwardly, she discarded the unnecessary tangent and returned to the point.
“Anyway, do you really believe the person who exposed everything is living in the Forest of Four Seasons? Even if he provided proof, it’s difficult to believe.”
“Almost nothing is known about the Forest of Four Seasons. There may be safe areas within it.”
“If you put it that way, I suppose I can’t argue...”
Reis trailed off before quietly asking another question.
“Do you think we’ll be able to survive there?”
“This will be my first time entering the Forest of Four Seasons as well, so I cannot say.”
“Good grief. It was my mistake for asking.”
When she received nothing but a perfunctory answer, Reis gave up on questioning him further.
Instead, she browsed the gallery to pass the time.
When Ludwig noticed Reis staring into empty space, his curiosity seemed to stir.
“Are you accessing the gallery?”
“Yes. I’m reading a post written by that man.”
“What does it say?”
“He says that if we reach the place where he lives, he’ll hold a grand welcoming ceremony for us. He’s begging us to come.”
Reis giggled as she explained, seemingly amused by what she was reading.
Ludwig showed even greater interest for a moment before asking another question.
“Is there anything else?”
“Yes. Well... he says that if someone proves they’re a member of the investigative team, he’ll give them a fucking amazing gift.”
“...What?”
“A gift. He says he’ll give them a gift. Shall I ask him what it is?”
Ludwig frowned at the profanity she had casually slipped into her explanation, then inclined his head as though telling her to do as she pleased.
Reis stared into empty space for a while before clicking her tongue in disappointment.
“That’s going to be difficult. Why are his verification requirements so strict?”
“What does he require?”
“There are several conditions. First, we must photograph the entrance to the Forest of Four Seasons. Second, the person must be a member of the investigative team. Finally, other people must acknowledge that the proof is genuine.”
“He is remarkably thorough.”
“We don’t even know what he’ll give us. I’d rather not bother.”
Just as Reis finished grumbling—
“How does one access the gallery?”
“Excuse me?”
“I asked how one accesses the gallery.”
Ludwig, who had only been watching until now, asked her how to connect to it.
The question was so unexpected that Reis could only blink at him.
After a moment, she quietly asked in an uncomfortable voice.
“...Are you serious?”
“Consider it my final amusement. So, are you refusing to teach me?”
“No, that isn’t it, but...”
Reis taught Ludwig how to access the gallery.
Connecting to it wasn’t particularly difficult, so even Ludwig managed it with ease.
Ludwig then stared into empty space for quite some time.
“Reis.”
“Yes, Commander?”
“Could I borrow a mirror?”
Although she couldn’t understand why he wanted such an unexpected item, she lent him one.
Ludwig examined his face from several angles in the mirror before immediately returning it.
Then he resumed browsing the gallery with an intensely focused expression.
Reis silently watched him for a moment before accessing the gallery herself.
She was curious about what such a rigid man might have posted.
Of course, if he had merely lurked, there would be nothing to find.
Then she saw it.
A post with that exact title sat prominently among the gallery’s popular posts—the list reserved for posts that had received large numbers of recommendations.
[Ludwig van Erold]
Ludwig van Erold was Ludwig’s full name.
Even if someone happened to share his given name, no one would coincidentally share both his middle and family names as well.
Suspecting the truth, Reis opened the post.
Title: Ludwig van Erold
LudwigVanErold
(Photograph of Ludwig’s face reflected in a mirror)
(Photograph of Ludwig’s face reflected in a mirror)
(Photograph of Ludwig’s face reflected in a mirror)
Ludwig van Erold, commander of the Holy Nation of Eldorado’s investigative team.
Verified.
└ ?
└ ?
└ Who the hell is this guy? Why did he suddenly upload pictures of himself?
└ What the hell? Someone abruptly posting his own face without explanation is rather bewildering.
└ How are we supposed to react to this? Should we call him ugly?
└ More importantly, he claims to be the investigative team’s commander. Is that true?
└ Why would anyone upload something like this?;;
└ Is he showing off because he thinks he’s handsome?
└ Don’t tell me he did this because Grylls promised him a gift.
└ Why does this post reek so strongly of an old man?;;
“Hmm. How strange. I clearly provided verification.”
Even his very first post positively reeked of lonely middle-aged bachelor energy.