Chapter 235: Adults Are Petty in So Many Ways (2)

Three human figures appeared in a voice filled with darkness. They were two men and a woman, all cloaked in veils.

One of the men, the Martial King of Kretas, Dreltein Thelix, glanced around before speaking. "We’re all here."

With a nod, the woman, Archmage Elezar, responded. "I’ve heard the news about Lord Jedex."

Jedex Tieland, one of the Three Saints of the Cult of the Black God, the Fallen Sun, had been killed in the Kingdom of Lipaul. It hadn’t been a mere mistake or moment of negligence. Even after unleashing his final miracle, he had still suffered complete defeat.

"So that Karnak fellow really does possess such power? I knew about Maloka’s defeat, but..." Elezar trailed off mid-sentence.

What she was about to say felt too absurd to voice. But Dreltein and Leven could guess well enough what she had in mind.

We thought it was just because it was Maloka.

The Leven of the future, inhabiting Emil’s body, nodded. "This time, it’s certain. There’s no doubt."

There were too many witnesses. The countless citizens of Harthol City, the innumerable priests of the Goddess, and even the cultists of the Black God themselves had seen it. There was no question. Jedex Tieland had vanished from the present world.

"What should we do now?"

Glancing between Dreltein and Elezar, the future Leven spoke with conviction. "I believe we must handle him ourselves."

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t as though all of them needed to act. Even if Dreltein alone took on Karnak’s party, the chances of defeat were no more than a mere one percent.

Though they were all referred to as the Three Saints, there was a significant difference in power between Jedex, Dreltein, and Elezar, and the gap had only widened after their regression.

Elezar had already reclaimed her power as an archmage at the moment of her return, and Dreltein had restored his strength as a martial king. Jedex, however, had yet to fully recover his authority as a pope. Jedex’s defeat was no cause for fear among them.

"But then, there’s also no real reason for all of us

not

to go, is there?"

The cult’s affairs within the empire had largely settled down. At the very least, it wasn’t as though Dreltein or Elezar couldn’t spare a few days away. They could cross into the Seven Kingdoms covertly, finish the job in secret, and return without issue.

Future Leven clicked his tongue. "I’ve got a bad feeling about this."

Even if Dreltein fought alone, the odds of defeat were a mere one percent. But if Elezar, Dreltein, and Leven Strauss attacked together, that slim chance of failure would vanish completely.

"I believe it’s best to end this thoroughly, while we can."

At his words, Elezar and Dreltein exchanged thin smiles.

"You think we hadn’t considered that already?"

"I, too, intended to deal with him personally."

It was because of the Anti-Time-Space Transcender. It was the most vital tool for carrying out Tesranach’s plans. But the Anti-Time-Space Transcenders that had been in the hands of Demphis and Maloka were now lost. Worse yet, the remains of Kalaf and Tirafar, essential for crafting additional cubes, had also been stolen.

At first, they had been utterly confused about what had happened. But as time passed, the truth gradually came into view. Mysterious archliches had begun to appear under the name of the Twilight Cult.

They knew little about this new cult, but there were enough hints. After Karnak encountered Demphis, Demphis vanished. After Karnak fought Maloka, she vanished too. He was even responsible for the raid on the governor’s vault, where Kalaf and Tirafar’s remains had been stored!

And now, all four governors had reappeared under the banner of the Twilight Cult. You would have to be a fool not to guess who was moving behind the scenes of this new cult.

"Of course, we were already planning to find him."

"We need to reclaim Demphis and Maloka’s Anti-Time-Space Transcenders as well."

But then came Tesranach’s decree. A divine command forbidding Dreltein and Elezar from leaving the empire.

"Tesranach gave such an order? Why?" Startled, Leven asked.

Dreltein let out a hollow laugh. "We asked as well. We prepared the altar with much blood and prayed earnestly to Tesranach."

But the answer was disappointing. "To let fate flow as fate wills it... so we were told."

A cryptic answer, so vague that it was impossible to interpret. Yet their efforts weren’t entirely in vain. Though they hadn’t received a clear explanation, they had been granted another revelation.

Elezar raised her right hand. "Tesranach entrusted this to us."

A jet-black cube glistened with an oily darkness, suspended in the air.

Leven’s eyes widened in surprise. "The Anti-Time-Space Transcender? Did you find Demphis’s or Maloka’s?"

"No," Elezar replied, shaking her head. "This is a new Anti-Time-Space Transcender, prepared by Tesranach himself."

Leven’s expression brightened. "Then Tesranach has found a way to send Anti-Time-Space Transcenders from the future into the past!"

"So it seems," responded Elezar.

"Then why did he not tell us?" Leven asked her.

"We do not know. He does not permit questions," she said.

Leven did not find this strange. "That is just like Tesranach. He has always been that way."

Tesranach rarely revealed his true intentions to his followers, to the point where they often had to share information among themselves just to understand their situation.

Leven calmly continued. "To summarize, you two are forbidden from leaving the empire?"

"Yes, that’s correct."

"Until Tesranach delivers another revelation," Dreltein confirmed.

Looking between Elezar and Dreltein, Leven pointed at himself. "Then what about me?"

The two of them had been forbidden from crossing the empire’s borders. But Leven, who resided within Emil, was already staying with the Strauss family. In other words, he was already outside the Empire.

"Were there no words given for me?"

"None at all."

Leven’s eyes gleamed with a peculiar light. Her answer had come far too quickly and firmly, without the slightest hesitation or ambiguity.

"So you’ve already checked with him, then."

"I asked, but there was no answer."

They had already confirmed Leven’s path with Tesranach himself. And the answer had been silence.

"In that case, I’ll take that to mean Tesranach permits me to handle the matter."

Dreltein spoke with a worried expression. "Is that possible, Sir Leven? You’ve yet to secure your true body in this era, have you not?"

At that, future Leven smiled faintly. "Ah, I see. You two must not have heard yet."

He had no further interest in the current era’s Leven or his body. "I’ve already reclaimed the power of a martial king."

***

Karnak’s group was gathered inside the secret training chamber of the Zestrad estate. All eyes on Lapicel.

"Lapicel."

"Yes, Sister Serati?" Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Lapicel began to glance around cautiously.

What’s going on?

she thought.

Serati continued in a gentle tone. "From now on, Lord Karnak will bestow power upon you."

Only then did Lapicel’s expression ease. She had finally understood why they were acting this way.

The ash-haired girl responded nonchalantly. "Oh, it’s that thing the others received, right?"

"You already knew?" Serati asked her.

"Just that there was something going on. I didn’t know exactly what," Lapicel answered her.

Everyone strained to keep their expressions in check, trying not to betray their surprise.

What a terrifying child!

It seemed their efforts were successful.

With innocent curiosity, Lapicel went on. "I thought the grown-ups were practicing first so they could teach me after."

Varos and Leven awkwardly nodded.

"Y-yeah, something like that."

"Exactly that."

Meanwhile, Karnak finished his preparations. He pointed toward the intricate formation prepared on one side of the chamber. "Step inside the magic circle."

What had happened to Varos, Serati, and Leven repeated itself. Vast amounts of energy flowed from the Anti-Time-Space Transcender. It transformed into chaos aura and seeped into Lapicel’s small frame. An immense power cascaded through her from head to toe like a waterfall. For a moment, Lapicel’s cheeks flushed as if she were in a daze. But soon she regained her composure.

Watching her closely, Karnak asked, "How is it? Do you feel anything strange?"

They had already tested this three times, so they were confident there were no side effects, but it never hurt to confirm.

Lapicel gazed down at her hands in wonder. "It’s incredible..."

Then, wearing a focused expression, she began to move the energy within her body. Even without her memories, her skill and talent remained intact. Instinctively, she sensed that there was a next step and tried to advance toward it.

But no matter how gifted Lapicel was, she could not immediately open a new path.

Like most students who encounter confusion, she turned to the adults for guidance. "What do I do now?"

After taking a moment to compose themselves, Varos answered in a solemn voice. "From here on, you must find the answer yourself, Lapicel."

Serati added with an equally serious expression, "It’s a realm that no one can teach you."

"I see!" She accepted it readily.

Indeed, translating the sensations of martial arts into words was an arduous task, and the higher the level, the more difficult it became.

Clenching her small fists tightly, the ash-haired girl set her resolve. "I’ll do my best!"

Watching her, Varos, Serati, and Leven subtly turned their faces away. They couldn’t bear to meet her innocent gaze so brazenly. But it couldn’t be helped. They simply couldn’t bring themselves to tell her the truth.

If they told her this outright...

—We don’t know how to do it either. But you might figure it out. So, give it a try.

Lapicel would surely find a way. And then she would wonder.

—Why is it that I can do something so easily when Brother Varos, Leven, and even Sister Serati couldn’t manage it?

It was best to avoid stirring up her memories unnecessarily. This was all for Lapicel’s sake. Karnak sent a mental message, sounding impressed.

—Wow, watching you lie so smoothly, like a snake slithering over a wall, truly reminds me of myself!

Serati bristled.

—That’s too much! I mean, sure, we’re being shameless, but isn’t that a bit harsh?

—Wait? Harsh, you say? Aren’t you the one being unfair here?

***

Two days later, Lapicel came looking for Karnak’s group once again.

With her crimson aura-forged sword in hand, she beamed with pride. "It worked!"

Serati and Leven, watching her, felt their expressions twist ever so slightly. Lapicel’s aura had visibly grown stronger.

—Uh, it actually worked.

—Seriously?

They had expected she could do it, but they hadn’t thought it would take her only two days.

—I mean... how in the world did you even manage to beat a genius like her in your past life?

Leven was absolutely baffled, to which Karnak and Varos both let out dry chuckles.

—

How

, you ask...?

—Honestly, we couldn’t outsmart her. We just crushed her with sheer overwhelming force.

Either way, just as they had planned, Serati took the lead in the act. "How did it go?"

"It’s only the beginning, but I managed to dissolve part of the chaos aura and merge it with my own aura!"

The first step was to offer praise. "Excellent work."

And then, they casually continued the conversation. "Still, we should make sure you’re on the right path."

Feigning the air of a proper teacher, Serati asked, "How exactly did you manage your aura?"

"Well..." Lapicel eagerly explained the insight she had discovered.

The other aura users present once again had to work hard to control their expressions. They absolutely could not let their shock show here.

—I see!

—So that’s how it’s done!

Varos and Leven understood immediately.

—I’ll need you to explain it to me later.

As always, Serati didn’t grasp it. Well, by now she had grown accustomed to it and didn’t even feel much self-deprecation anymore.

Finishing her explanation, Lapicel looked up at Serati with bright, expectant eyes. "Did I do well, sister?"

I have no idea. How would I know?

While she clicked her tongue inwardly, she kept her teacherly, gentle smile outwardly. "You did well. Keep training diligently."

"

Hehehe

!" Lapicel grinned happily, and as she looked back and forth between the others, Karnak clicked his tongue.

—Wow, shameless adults.

—We have no choice! It’s not like we can tell Lapicel the truth!