Chapter 203
Ureas
The woman’s form gradually melted into the shadows.
The shadow swelled, transforming into darkness, as though it were taking the shape of a gigantic beast.
“Yubel.”
Angrem, who had been standing with her hands clasped behind her back, threw herself into the shadow.
Screams continued to pour from Yubel’s mouth.
“Aaaaaagh!”
“Look outside. Quickly.”
Angrem moved her hand with calm gentleness.
Yubel’s neck obediently followed the motion of her hand until her gaze was directed out the window.
A massive moon hung there.
A full moon.
“You mustn’t let the Mad Moon devour you. We’re different from them.”
“Ahh…”
The dense darkness receded, and the night regained its natural color.
At the same time, the murderous aura that had been crushing everything around them disappeared.
The red glow in Yubel’s eyes vanished, returning them to blue.
Those eyes once again glared at Zed.
Her previously emotionless face twisted like that of a beast, overflowing with fury.
The other woman, who had restrained her with all her strength, let out a sigh of relief.
“That was careless of me. I never imagined he would be one of the Red-Eyed Tribe. Had I known one of them was here, I would’ve simply finished this quickly…”
The woman, still smiling brightly, held something up.
It looked identical to the journal Garnet had been carrying.
“I may not look it, but I’m rather talented when it comes to stealing.”
Garnet checked the front of her clothes.
The journal had vanished without a trace.
The woman’s skill had been so polished that Garnet had not even noticed when it was taken.
“Yubel, it’s time for us to leave.”
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
Yubel radiated murderous intent.
It was especially intense toward Zed.
“It’s a full moon.”
“…Moon.”
Realizing that she could not kill him, however, Yubel quieted down.
She picked Angrem up in her arms and leaped through the window.
Angrem gave them one final wave before disappearing.
The two women, who had arrived like a storm, vanished together with the shadows.
The place they left behind, though utterly wrecked, sank into silence.
“Wow… Having two lunatics like that around made it impossible to breathe…”
Penelope made an exaggerated fuss.
All she had done was cast Haste on Zed.
‘Saintesses of Sierra…’
Unlike the Alte Order, which worshipped the sun and light, the Sierra Order worshipped the moon and darkness.
Naturally, gatherings of the Sierra Order were illegal within the Arken Empire, the headquarters of the Alte Order. Anyone found possessing Sierra symbols or artifacts was treated much like a demon worshipper and burned at the stake.
No—they were killed after receiving treatment even worse than demon worshippers.
The most vicious terrorists within the Empire had belonged to the Sierra Order, and the Saintesses of Sierra were infamous as killers of nobles.
The fact that they had encountered not one but two Saintesses of Sierra and survived was an incredible stroke of luck.
‘…Still, that woman’s face seemed familiar.’
The woman in the ragged robe.
The moonlight had not been bright enough to make out her features clearly, so Garnet could not identify her.
The only time she had caught a proper glimpse of the woman was when her sword had clashed with Zed’s.
Garnet tried to seize that fragment of memory and forcibly enlarge it, hoping to gather more information.
‘This isn’t the time for that.’
A far more important item had just fallen into enemy hands.
They had no choice but to report what had happened and respond as quickly as possible.
“…We need to inform the Princeps Regent about this. What a headache.”
“…”
“Zed?”
When Zed did not answer, Garnet turned toward him.
He stood motionless, staring through the window the two Saintesses had escaped from.
It was strange.
Whenever something like this happened, he would usually make some flippant remark. She had never seen him look so completely captivated.
“Zed?”
“…What?”
“Are you all right? Why didn’t you answer when I called you?”
“…Ah, I’m fine.”
Even his answer lacked conviction.
Zed’s mind was in turmoil.
It was as though a massive tornado were raging inside his head, with the woman named Yubel standing at its center.
When he had shattered the barrier covering her head, she had flown into a frenzy.
And the color her eyes had shone at that moment—
‘Red eyes.’
He tried not to become fixated on them.
There were many reasons someone’s eyes might turn red besides belonging to the Red-Eyed Tribe.
The eyes of those who had undergone a berserker ritual also turned red, as did the eyes of vampires.
Even if the woman was not a vampire, it was possible that she had undergone a berserker ritual.
Yes.
That had to be it.
Yet no matter how hard he tried to convince himself, Yubel’s face continued to linger in his mind.
“Emilia…”
She kept overlapping with the image of the younger sister he had lost.
Yubel and Angrem escaped Hestia Village without incident.
With every step, they moved as though they were flying. Unless Luri pursued them, no one could possibly keep up with their speed.
Yubel’s movements resembled those of a wolf.
The dark shadow had swollen around her, reshaping her into such a form, and Yubel moved in a manner perfectly suited to it, as though she were thoroughly accustomed to the transformation.
“This should be far enough.”
At Angrem’s words, Yubel stopped.
They had traveled so far that Hestia Village was now barely visible in the distance.
The darkness gradually dispersed, and Yubel returned to her original form.
“I had expected things to get violent, but taking a hit like that was an unforeseen complication.”
“…Kill.”
“It can’t be helped. Many people don’t know how we were created. They don’t understand that the restraint isn’t meant to protect you—it’s meant to protect them from you.”
“Moon.”
Yubel nodded quietly before looking up at the moon.
Beneath it stood Valdrova Castle.
“Ferda…”
“Not yet.”
Angrem spoke firmly.
“He deserves to become happier. If we are to create a better world, he must not meet us yet.”
“…Moon.”
Yubel’s movements suggested reluctant acceptance.
She turned away and followed Angrem.
“Let us focus on our own work.”
Angrem opened the journal.
What she had wanted was the list of humans whom the Doppelgangers had impersonated.
“We’re going to show them what happens when garbage crawls out of the garbage dump.”
“Moon.”
Darkness once again enveloped Yubel’s body.
Just as she was about to transform into a wolf again, Angrem casually asked,
“By the way, what did you think?”
“The man you crossed blades with.”
“…”
Yubel tilted her head.
Her expression seemed to ask what kind of question that was.
Angrem smiled.
“It’s nothing.”
“Kill.”
“Hmm, truly, it’s nothing.”
Angrem clasped her hands behind her back and spun around.
As though accustomed to such behavior, Yubel stopped paying attention to her.
“He really is incredibly handsome, just as you said, Yubel.”
Angrem whispered so quietly that Yubel could not hear her.
The next morning.
As soon as the morning sun rose, Garnet went to Ferda’s office to make her report.
“The journal was stolen from you last night?”
“That is correct.”
Ferda could not hide his surprise.
There was no chance Garnet had acted carelessly, and the same was true of Zed.
In that case…
“Was it because of her?”
He pointed at Penelope.
“W-What!? I didn’t do anything!”
“She did arrive late, but I doubt anything would have changed even if she had been there from the beginning. They already knew my identity and knew about the journal.”
Garnet’s words were undoubtedly true.
There was no reason for her to cover for Penelope, so why would she?
“Was there anything unusual?”
“Something unusual…”
Garnet brought up one matter that had been bothering her.
“One of the women who attacked us was the same woman whom you once ordered us to let go, Princeps Regent Ferda.”
“I did?”
“Yes. After seeing her face, I thought again and again about who she could be. The only person who came to mind was the woman we found at the Dvelung estate.”
That woman, who had appeared to be merely waiting for death, had been a Saintess of Sierra.
“Then it seems I planted the seed myself.”
Ferda fell into thought.
Would it have been better to kill her back then?
But he did not regret what had already happened.
What mattered more was what he needed to do now.
“What can they do with that journal?”
“The information concerning the serum used to create Dopplers and demons is the most concerning part, but that was likely not the Saintesses’ main objective. The Saintesses of Sierra are Sierra’s agents—in other words, executioners. They are not researchers.”
Sierra was the goddess of the moon and vengeance.
“Then they wanted to learn the locations of the Dopplers.”
“That is correct.”
Although the information had been stolen, they still possessed copies and could restore it at any time, so the loss was not fatal.
Furthermore, if the Saintesses of Sierra were acting for that purpose, it might actually make it easier to eliminate the demon followers scattered throughout the Empire.
“The greatest problem, however, is that the information may be shared. Once people learn that the leak originated from us, they will tear into us mercilessly. If they decide to push the issue aggressively, they may even claim that we are colluding with the Sierra Order.”
“They probably will.”
The Empire was already displeased by Hestia’s rapid growth.
In fact, imperial nobles had repeatedly attempted to restrain them by finding faults and making accusations.
The moment they learned that Hestia had been involved with Saintesses of Sierra, they would seize upon it eagerly.
“I will discuss that matter.”
“With whom?”
“Who else but the Imperial Princess would be more knowledgeable about such matters?”
Olivia Arken.
She was in the process of driving Alexander out and manipulating Ureas.
In truth, thanks to her, many of the disasters Ureas might otherwise have blindly stumbled into were being resolved before they occurred.
“I know this may be unnecessary advice, but…”
Garnet knew Olivia’s true intentions, so even if Ferda found it irritating, she had no choice but to speak.
“It would be best not to trust the Imperial Princess too much.”
“Do not worry.”
Ferda was hardly the sort of man who would be toyed with by Olivia, but he was still a man.
Olivia was a woman capable of devouring any man whole.
Garnet bowed and turned away.
Ferda contacted Olivia through a crystal orb.
—It has been a while, Princeps Regent.
“Have you been well?”
—Well? Hardly. I’ve become terribly busy, working day and night.
“That must be difficult.”
—It’s extremely difficult. Perhaps that’s why I’m so happy that you contacted me like this.
“The reason I contacted you is…”
Ferda explained the list concerning the Dopplers and the matter involving the Sierra Order.
—A list of Dopplers… The timing seems appropriate. You are aware that the Empire has been in turmoil lately, are you not?
He was aware.
Archbishop Joseph Faust, the leader of the Alte Order, and Marquis Akad Dvelung, one of Valdemar Golt’s closest confidants, had both been Dopplers.
Imperial mages were examining Akad’s corpse, while Erdes was investigating Joseph Faust, but neither inquiry had yet produced a clear result.
Using this turmoil, the current nobility had begun fostering distrust toward the existing regime and attempting to reshape the balance of power.
There were countless suspicions regarding possible Dopplers, but Valdemar Golt was always treated as an exception.
No, people had questioned him many times before, but those who did so had merely been beaten to death by the masses, proving that he remained untouchable.
—You need to prove that you have had no dealings with the Sierra Order, while I need that list of Dopplers. It seems we may be able to reach an agreement that benefits us both. What do you think?
“That is possible.”
—Then let us discuss it in person. You would have learned soon enough, but I was already planning to visit the Far East.
“For what reason?”
She answered,
—Because of the war with the Kingdom of Heinkel. Ureas Arken, the Second Prince, will be stopping there as well.
A month passed.
A magnificent carriage was traveling through Hestia Village.
Rolling over a red carpet, it was an official carriage of the Arken Empire.
Its size and splendor were on an entirely different level from the carriage Olivia used when traveling alone.
It was a ceremonial carriage reserved for those whose authority rivaled even the Emperor’s.
Inside sat Ureas and Olivia.
They held a modest welcoming ceremony, prioritizing security while allowing adventurers and citizens brief glimpses of their faces, before proceeding toward the entrance of Valdrova Castle.
When the carriage stopped, Ferda and Luri were waiting there to receive them.
Ureas, being the man, stepped out first.
It was the first time Ferda had seen him in person.
Ureas’s first impression was certainly different from Alexander’s.
Unlike the plump Alexander, Ureas had sharply defined facial features and a well-built physique.
However, if Alexander possessed a sinister sort of intelligence, Ureas displayed none of that depth.
“I greet the Imperial Princess and the Acting Emperor.”
Ferda offered him a courteous bow.
Ureas accepted the greeting with dignity.
“It is good to meet you, Regent Valdrova.”
“Please call me Regent Ferda.”
“Ah, my apologies. I should not treat that name lightly.”
Neither Ferda nor Luri looked pleased.
The brothers were complete opposites, yet somehow they managed to be equally unlikable.
Since allowing his emotions to get the better of him would only put him at a disadvantage, Ferda welcomed him for the time being.
“Thank you for honoring us with your visit, Acting Emperor.”
“Not at all. I heard you sent me a letter before, but my adjutant only discovered it rather late. I sincerely apologize for that.”
He offered a plausible excuse, but Ferda knew that Ureas had deliberately ignored the letter.
The difference between him and Alexander was that Alexander would have done so for political reasons, while this man had simply found it bothersome.
“I never saw anything like it in the Empire, but it seems these magitech rifles are common here. Every guard on the walls appears to carry one.”
“With lands infested by monsters directly beyond our borders, it is only natural that we arm ourselves thoroughly.”
“Is that so? I wanted to snatch one away and examine it immediately.”
“Brother.”
“But I suppose I should not take a sentry’s weapon from him.”
Ureas laughed heartily, brushing aside his true thoughts.
“Since they interest you, I will speak with the castle’s researchers and arrange for you to test some of the items currently under development.”
“I would be extremely grateful! Unlike my elder brother, I hold magitech in very high regard! I intend to support it without reservation!”
He reacted like a child who had just been promised a new toy.
At least Ferda found his straightforward nature somewhat likable.
“Then allow me to guide you. This way, please…”
Ferda took the lead, and Ureas and Olivia moved to follow him.
At that moment, Luri subtly stepped in front of Olivia.
“My apologies, Imperial Princess, but there is someone you must meet first.”
“…Me?”
“Yes.”
Luri continued,
“My master, the Red Dragon Valdrova, wishes to meet you, Lady Olivia.”