Chapter 280: Chapter 280: Turning Point (3)

Though we added a bet to our pursuit, it wasn’t just for fun.

This event marked a turning point. From today onward, the cultists would likely begin their full-scale operations.

In other words, full-scale battles would become more common, and one of the toughest enemies to face would be the followers of Reckless Fury.

These monsters were all tough, tireless, fearless, and incredibly strong.

They were like the perfect tanks, serving as the shield for the cultists’ armies.

When we fought against the large monsters while breaking through Solaris, we couldn’t incapacitate them unless we hit them with high-level spells directly.

Normally, high-level magic isn’t cast on living beings but on structures, like castle walls.

Being able to attack those types of monsters without resistance? I couldn’t pass that up.

Because of that, everyone who could fight ran out to join in and contribute, even if just a little. The results were good too.

The only downside was that the cultists, trying to preserve their strength, sacrificed part of their monster army. They used some trolls and minotaurs, as well as several orcs, as sacrificial pawns to hold us off.

The Righteous Radiance’s followers were certainly strong, but as clerics, their offensive power was somewhat lacking.

Against stubbornly defensive meat shields, they naturally struggled.

Of course, Iris and Iona were instrumental in the fight, but the cultists seemed to know this and targeted them relentlessly.

And because we had to keep moving while fighting, it was impossible to unleash a barrage of high-level spells using the Chairman’s staff.

For my part, I fought by hovering in the air, casting wide-area spells, utilizing my enhanced mana control ability.

Since gaining the Mana Affinity trait, I’ve noticed that while it increases the power of each attack a bit, its real advantage is in casting speed and multi-casting.

After breaking through the sacrificial monsters, we found that the main group had disappeared.

Later, Solari’s investigation revealed that they had escaped by using the Serpentine Leisure’s space-warping ability to retreat under the sea.

It was likely similar to the Air Pocket spell Carla had used before to enter the submerged dungeon entrance.

Of course, such an ability would consume a significant amount of the Serpentine Leisure’s power, so it was a worthwhile achievement.

After that, we finished clearing out the remaining monsters and began harvesting valuable materials from their corpses.

Although there were few casualties, this was only because we had quickly abandoned the residential areas and chosen to defend the Great Church.

In other words, almost every district except the church was destroyed, and the reconstruction would require a lot of money.

Fortunately, we had capable magicians with us who could preserve and process the freshly harvested materials.

It took about three days of carefully extracting every bit of value from the monster corpses before the reinforcements finally arrived.

“They sure took their sweet time.”

“They can’t help it, Master. The bigger they are, the slower they move.”

Carla replied while casting a preservation spell on a troll’s heart and burning an ogre’s tendons with fire.

She seemed focused on the task, but something about her tone was unusually cold. She didn’t even glance in the direction of the approaching reinforcements.

“Is that from personal experience?”

“Hm. Did I give it away?”

Carla smiled awkwardly before finally looking toward the direction the reinforcements were coming from.

“Looks like they came well-prepared, surprisingly.”

“It was probably the biggest incident in the last 300 years.”

Carla’s bitter smile deepened at my words.

She continued working silently for a moment before slowly moving closer to me and continuing her task by my side.

“Did you know? The Lindelheit family had its own allies… you could call them vassals or subordinate forces.”

“Well, that makes sense. It’s a prestigious family. I’m sure many people wanted to be connected to it.”

“Exactly. Magic is an expensive field, but once you reach a certain level, it generates immense value. In other words, the trickle-down benefits were no joke.”

“Hmm… I think I know where this is going.”

I spoke in a wary tone, and Carla giggled as she continued.

“You’re probably right. When the Lindelheit family was at its peak, those clinging to us for benefits couldn’t get enough. But as soon as things went south, they all changed their tune in an instant.”

“Well, those who came for the benefits would naturally distance themselves if it no longer served their interests.”

“Yeah. I understood that much. But what I didn’t expect was that no one would help us at all.”

How could that be?

I’ve been in this world for three years. Although this wasn’t covered in the game, I remember seeing the Lindelheit family during its heyday with my own eyes.

At the time, the Lindelheit family wielded power like that of a small kingdom.

Sure, they weren’t as powerful as the Levantine Empire’s emperor, but they weren’t exactly insignificant either.

Above all, they were renowned as a magical family. Even if the family were to collapse, their knowledge and secrets should still hold immense value.

In fact, during the slave auction, Carla’s price factored in both her beauty and her magical knowledge.

Wouldn’t someone have seen the opportunity to extract that knowledge in exchange for helping the Lindelheit family? Surely someone would have.

At least, that’s what you’d expect.

“Was it those damned Boiling Silence cultists again…?”

“Huh?”

“I’m just saying; it’s possible that the cultist accusations carried that much weight. But the Lindelheit family was strong enough to challenge the Empire, wasn’t it? If you hadn’t been taken as a hostage, your father probably would have fought back.”

“Hm. Yeah, knowing Father, he could’ve definitely done that.”

“Do you think others didn’t know? If everyone truly turned their backs, would that have been a natural occurrence?”

“…Are you suggesting that Lindelheit’s isolation was also the work of the Boiling Silence cultists? I suppose if they were determined to attack, that could make sense.”

“No, I’m not just focusing on the Boiling Silence’s tricks. That’s what they do best, after all, and it’s not surprising they would hide in plain sight. What’s strange is that none of the many families wavered. For that to be possible…”

“It would have to be the head of the family or someone very close to them.”

“Exactly. When I used the Shining Lion Dagger to check for spies before, I didn’t detect anyone in a position of real power. The ones caught were from minor rural families or distant relatives. As for the major houses… they were the ones coming to me for requests.”

Suspicious vassals, uncertain future daughters-in-law, long-serving attendants they couldn’t fully trust—all kinds of reasons led them to seek me out, even traveling to the Academy.

I caught quite a few of Boiling Silence’s spies that way. But if the cult had deliberately handed over sacrificial pawns from the start?

They may have surrendered low-level followers while keeping the real heavyweights in place.

Now that I’ve compared it with the list of families Lindelheit reached out to for help, it’s almost certain.

We weakened the Boiling Silence’s overall power, but we didn’t touch their most important people.

“…Well, knowing that wouldn’t have made much difference back then.”

“That was when you were just starting to make a name for yourself, Master.”

“But things are different now.”

Who am I?

Before I even enrolled in the Academy, I killed a bishop of an Evil God. During my first dungeon practice, I killed an archbishop. After that, I uncovered the existence of unknown spies, cleared several cultist outposts and dungeons, wiped out high-ranking officials with Iona, and just now saved the Church of Righteous Radiance.

I’m the new hero of this era, someone with both influence and power, even without the backing of the Church of Righteous Radiance.

And now, with both the Saintess and her God standing by my side?

The time has come.

“As soon as we finish this, we’re heading back. Not to the Academy, but to the Imperial Palace.”

“…Huh?”

Carla, wide-eyed with her ruby-colored eyes, stopped what she was doing and tugged on my sleeve.

“M-Master? Just to be clear, you’re not planning to throw magic around in the Imperial Palace, right? You’ll get decapitated instantly! Swordmasters are stationed there!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll use a sword, not magic.”

“That’s not any better! Didn’t you say that using the dagger to identify cultists isn’t effective anymore?”

“Yeah. I can’t be sure, but we have to assume they’ve prepared by now.”

The Boiling Silence didn’t infiltrate the continent overnight.

“But I have another way of identifying cultists.”

“For real…?”

“For real.”

Since I extended my consciousness toward the boundary between my soul and body—where traits were engraved—I realized something.

The Blessing of the Sun God and the Blessing of the God of All Things were similar in nature. The traits I gained from clearing dungeons were the same.

It was probably because, while the forms were different, they used the same resource—divine power.

However, the traits I gained from completing achievements, purely from the system, felt completely different.

There was no trace of divine power in them.

Even if they found a way to counter the Shining Lion Dagger, it would only be by deceiving divine power.

They’d already infiltrated other holy orders that way. Adjusting the method to fit would’ve been easy.

But what if there was a completely different system that achieved a similar result?

Ding!

【Trait: Cultist Hater (A)】

You haven’t just ruined several of the cult’s plans, you even killed some of their top leaders.

To anyone, you’re a bonafide cultist hater!

Of course, the cultists hate you too.

All damage dealt to cultists increases by 20%.

All damage taken from cultists increases by 10%.

※ This trait can be deactivated.

I smirked as I saw the translucent window pop up in the corner of my vision.

“Ugh. Master, that was the kind of evil grin villains make.”

Ssshhh.