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A new First Order.
At those words, Rudger naturally turned at Zero Order as if asking if the words were true.
Zero Order nodded wordlessly.
He said that he was looking for a new First Order during the Order Synod.
Besides, the way Helia was treating him, she seed to know that Rudger was not the real John Doe.
Zero Order must have told her.
What a strange day. I cant believe Ive t three demons in such a short ti.
Demons are only ntioned in ancient texts and legends.Naturally, people in this day and age dismiss the idea of demons as re fiction even though they lurk in the shadows of the world.
Such demons have gradually begun to reveal themselves.
Zero Order, Basara, and now Helia are demons to the world but they consider themselves apostles.
There must be more than 3 demons and heres the problem
Basara said he had a mission so the others must have missions too.
Feeling Rudgers stare, Helia smiled wryly.There was sothing dreamlike about the way she smiled against the moonlight.
Hes a funny one. Hes got us right in front of him, and hes not afraid of us, but hes trying to think. Indeed, this is the man who defeated Basara. Should I say he deserves it?
As she muttered, Helias figure vanished like a mirage.The following mont, Helia reappeared behind Rudgers back and ran her black cotton-gloved hand over Rudgers shoulder.
And youre quite handso, too. In all my years, Ive t very few n as handso as you.
Rudgers eyes snapped to Helia and her form vanished then reappeared like a mirage.Just as Basara specialized in minds, this must be so kind of power Helia possessed as an apostle.
An illusion.
hee.
At Rudgers outburst, Helia removed her hand from his shoulder and her eyes widened in surprise that it only took one look for him to figure it out.
Thats amazing. Normal people are so easily fooled.
As she muttered that, Helias position shifted once more toward the window.She hadnt moved in the first place, rely fading away and pretending to appear behind Rudgers back.
Its not just an illusion, its a touchable, tactile illusion. Its my specialty, and its a bit of a blow to my ego to be seen through by soone whos only t once. Do you like to play cards?
With that, Helia produced a deck of cards from her hand.It was an illusion, but of course it was sothing you could touch.In other words, although Helias illusions were illusions, they were real.
Helia was tempted to offer Rudger a wager because it hurt her pride to have her abilities seen through so easily but Zero Order stepped in to restrain her.
Helia, thats enough, Im having a conversation.
Hmph. Are you ordering around? Dont you realize that I dont have to do what you say? Were equals.
Helia.
Zero Order spoke Helias na in a more chilling voice but the re change in tone made the atmosphere in the room grow heavier.
Even Rudger, sitting across from her, felt a faint but palpable chill run down his spine while Helia, the recipient of his gaze, was still smirking.
For a mont, the two demons glared at each other but in the end, it was Helia who raised the white flag first.She sighed heavily and shrugged.
Okay, okay, dont look at like that. I was bored.
.
Oh, man. Who do you think is so traitorous that theyd kill their own apostle for flirting with soone?
Helia.
Oh, no. Look at my sanity. I wasnt supposed to say that, was I?
Helia stuck out her tongue while narrowing her eyes.
At the sight, Zero Order shook his head, tired of being lectured.
Traitor?
Rudger thought back to Helias words.
Dont be so harsh. Its hard enough to keep an illusory circle around this room as it is. If you go on a rampage here, you might get caught.
At the ntion of an illusory circle, Rudger glanced out the window.
The view outside was unremarkable.But when he strained his eyes to take a closer look, he saw sothing subtly out of place.
I wonder if thats how they were able to sneak in here in the middle of the night.
But was it really necessary to sneak in here in the middle of the night?
Rudgers doubts were quickly dispelled by Helias next words.
Its a strange thing to begin with. Why is there a monster in the capital? I thought it disappeared about 20 years ago when it said it was going to destroy the Bretus Kingdom.
Helia grumbles and Rudger realized at once who she was referring to.
Shes talking about my master. Do they know each other?
Furthermore, given that they were talking about a 20-year gap, it was clear that they hadnt seen a trace of her since she picked him up.
It was clear that Helia was unaware of his relationship with Grander, given her open behavior here.It was the sa with Zero Order.
Rudger kept his mouth shut for a mont, figuring it was best to keep it hidden for now.
What bothered him now was that Zero Order had been called a traitor by Helia.
So theres so sort of conflict among the Apostles. They used to be enemies.
In retrospect, Basara didnt have much of a sense of camaraderie with the other apostles.After all, they were separate entities.
But thats not surprising.People dont all get along with the sa people.
So what are you going to do?
It was Zero Order who spoke up.He looked at Rudger again, as if he had chosen to ignore Helia. Perhaps he was asking if they were going to hold hands.
Ill withhold that answer.
I wasnt expecting a positive answer, but I suppose I should count myself lucky that I wasnt rejected outright.
.
But well eventually cross paths again, soday.
Zero Order was sure they would and Rudger didnt bother to argue with him because he was feeling it too.
Zero Order, what the hell do you want?
Youve heard, Im sure, that the Apostles have a mission.
Basara said it was his mission to rid the world of humanity. Are you trying to tell youre the sa?
Zero Order shrugged.
I wouldnt do such a thing otherwise.
No.
Rudger cut through Zero Orders answer.
If you really wanted to end the human race, or even worse, destroy the world, you wouldnt have left Basara to die like that.
Basaras abilities are particularly overwhelming against humans since Masters and Lexer rank wizards have fallen before his ntal attacks.
The crucial reason for Basaras failure was Rudger.His ntal waves were ineffective, and he was unable to prevail even in his own realm of the mind.
In the past Basara was sealed the roots of the World Tree but he had been resurrected after so many years, only to be defeated by a single person.
You stood by and watched Basara die.
I had no choice. He was dead before I could do anything.
Thats a lie, too. You knew all along that Basara was sealed underground in the capital. But you didnt try to free him even when you knew.
If Zero Order really wanted chaos in the world, he should have unsealed Basara right away.His refusal to do so ant that Zero Order had a different agenda than Basara.
He had created a secret organization, the Black Dawn, to wreak havoc on the world, but even that could not erase the perception that it was a step toward his hidden purpose.
If anything, I think you wanted Basara dead.
Enough.
Zero Order cut Rudger off mid-sentence.
Ive had enough of this unproductive talk. We dont have much ti left, so lets cut to the chase. You do realize that Bretus is on the move again, right?
I am aware. They recently opened a door that was long closed.
Especially with whats happened in the capital this ti, Im sure theyll be looking to interfere with the Exilion Empire, as they have been doing for a long ti.
I doubt the Empire will stand idly by.
Of course they wont. Over the years, the power of the Kingdom of Bretus has diminished, and the power of the Empire has increased, but you should know that. Its not the power of the state that makes it so terrifying.
Rudger knew what Zero Order was talking about.
You an the power of religion?
Thats partly true, but their power is far more terrifying. Why do you think such a facility is abandoned underground in the capital in the first place?
Zero Order brought up the subject of underground facilities out of the blue.
Do you know who built those giant hollows and underground ruins?
I know they were built by an old kingdom, long before theExilion Empire.
Yes. And that kingdom was a very powerful one at the ti, so much so that not even the Bretus Kingdom of the ti could stand up to it.
Rudger felt sothing odd about that statent.
The Kingdom of Bretus couldnt do anything?
But from what hed heard from Princess Eileen, the countrys leadership had changed overnight.
The Kingdom of Bretus has historically wielded great power, and what mages typically use is called magic, but what they use is called holy law.
Holy Law, otherwise known as divine magic was once considered a miracle of the gods, but in more recent tis it has co to be referred to as divine magic, a subclass of magic.
However, Rudger knew that its fundantal power was different from magic.
The holy artifacts that are based on it, and the people they create. Its not the physical force that scares , its the ntal.
A fanaticism that borders on brainwashing.
The old kingdom, before the Empire, did not want nations to be controlled by the Holy Kingdom of Bretus, so they experinted in secret, working hand-in-hand with a subspecies.
Rudger rembered the dead World Tree in the underground facility.
Why would there be such a thing underground?
They worked with the elves?
Yes.
The World Tree is a tricky species that is impossible to cultivate unless you are an elf.
Many wizards were surprised when it was first said that the roots of the World Tree were underground.But if it was the elves who were involved, then the existence of the World Tree made sense.
But thats strange. I thought the elves held the World Tree sacred and worshiped it, so why would they be involved in growing it?
The elves were once different than they are now, just as the human world is.
Perhaps the elves of the past were very enterprising, unlike now.
They had such a past and perhaps their current conservatism was due to the events of that day.
For Bretus, it would have been heresy for the kingdom to join forces with the elves.
Yes, but the Kingdom tried to hide it sohow, and they did a good job of it. The problem is, Basara saw through it.
On a mission, the demon Basara attacked the kingdom.Eventually, the kingdom joined forces with the elves to fight him, and they managed to seal him in the roots of the World Tree.But in the process, the Kingdom of Bretus caught wind of it.
Eventually, the heads of state were all replaced by the authority of Bretus without a single act of resistance.
Rudger felt uncomfortable again.
Theres no guarantee that sothing similar wont happen this ti, so be careful.
Youre trying to use as a ssenger, so I can deliver that warning to the Exilion Empire.
Dont be so offended. Im sure the Empire isnt too fond of the Kingdom of Bretus, and neither are you.
Zero Order was right.
Honestly, if you asked Rudger what he hated more, the demons or the Holy Land, hed say the Holy Land of Bretus without a doubt.
He hated the demons, but he hated the Holy Land even more, because they did all sorts of evil things in the na of God.Part of it was because he was one of them, so he was more familiar with their darker side.
Its ti.
Zero Order stood up from his seat, placing the mask hed left on the table over his face.
Rudger didnt bother to hold him back since he had no reason to.
Before leaving, Zero Order said to Rudger.
The Order Synod will convene again soon.
Why are you telling that?
Just so you know.
And with that, he flew out the window in a puff of black smoke.
Helia waved to Rudger and disappeared from view like a mirage.
As the two demons disappeared, the illusory circle that surrounded the hospital room lted away and Rudger stared wordlessly out the open window.
The stories the two demons had left behind were enough to make his head spin.
But it doesnt change what I have to do.
It was then that soone knocked on the door.
Who is it?
Rudger asked and a soft voice ca from the other side of the door.
Its , Flora Lumos.
How could she be here in the middle of the night, Rudger wondered, but then he realized.
Flora had been at the scene, so it made sense that they were in the sa hospital.
It was then that Flora, who had been pacing outside the door, cautiously spoke up.
May I co in?
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