◈ Episode 443. The Hypocrite (5)

A snout that misleads unnecessarily.

The behavior of scratching and clawing.

I knew it would be a problem someday.

‘But I never imagined a backlash from Akshan.’

It’s just as you see it……!

I don’t know if you’d believe me if I told you the whole truth.

I hunted demons after the Cataclysm, not in this time.

In the distant future.

‘How do I prove I’m from the future?’

I can’t just go out and say I secretly hunted demons.

I told you.

Demons are hard to find in this environment.

I went out on a quest, and all I found was graffiti on the outside wall…….

No, it’s pretty clear that the quest ended with the destruction of the curse.

“I see. I wasn’t wrong, Dexio!”

Yuukla, who’s just woken up, points a finger at me.

The atmosphere around us is murderous.

Especially Dexio, who was mediating the situation, was wary of me.

“Grandfell, show me the Tears of Humility.”

[Akshan Artifact: Tear of Humility].

I don’t have much knowledge of artifacts, but I could tell something was wrong even if I pretended. I could tell that something was wrong with the artifact, because it was filled with a hideous black water, and that didn’t seem like a good thing.

‘Come up with an excuse, Hoyeol.’

……It’s the color of cola, which would be fine in the real world, but in the Arcana continent, it’s a ridiculous excuse. Of course, thankfully, I didn’t have to think too hard.

I spit out a syllable to Dexio.

“Look if you wish.”

Chuck.

An outstretched hand.

“If you can handle the consequences.”

I’m just digging my own grave……!

When others shudder at the brazenness.

Dexio stalked over.

He took the goblet, lifted it, and peered into it.

Well, nothing to look into.

It was filled to the brim with black water.

“……!”

Dexio’s pupils dilated.

His emotions were turbulent.

This was not a reaction Dexio usually exhibited.

Yuukla shouted, his voice booming.

“Behold. Claudi is blood of the demon!”

At the same time.

Sereung─

All the Demon Hunters except Dexio raised their weapons toward me.

I was definitely surrounded.

However, I didn’t feel the slightest bit of tension.

They’re all demon hunters, right?

Against our seniors who have a few screws missing?

It’s not the least bit overwhelming for me right now.

So I had my own worries.

‘I have to complete the class quest.’

A puzzle slowly formed in my head.

Perhaps the quest’s Akshan fugitives are here.

The Demon Hunters in the underground.

For humans, not demons.

Our Grandfell, the most generous of mercies.

‘Either he forgave them, or he let them escape.’

Presumably, Grandfell chose one of the two options.

That would explain why the artifacts were lost all at once, in front of no one. It’s hard to imagine anyone having the presence of mind to return the artifact, let alone do so in front of Grandfell, who would have been so upset by the mention of the Claudi family.

‘I just held it in my hand and it splattered.’

Finally, it makes sense that the fugitives’ tracks were found at the bottom of the Canyon of the Forgotten, the Shadow Mercenaries’ holy ground. They escaped because they mistook Claudi for a demon.

‘After all, I’m experienced.’

It must have been to ask the shadow mercenaries.

Claudie’s bloodline is clearly demonic.

How to hunt down Grandfell.

‘So, is it possible that I had something to do with this?’

It all started when I gave him the Akshan artifact.

[Tear of Humility].

After hunting countless demons.

I had not washed the demon’s filth from my hands through the exorcism ritual.

No wonder the goblet was filled with black water.

‘It’s my arm.’

If you commit a crime, you must take responsibility.

That’s the pride of society.

I wondered if there was a way to turn the situation around.

That’s when I started thinking.

I thought to myself.

Even in this situation.

The concept of silence is still the same, my seniors.

Without a word, the besieging demon hunters began to move.

Tadak.

They seem to be trying to be as agile as possible, but frankly, all I see are a bunch of slugs. After all, they spit in my face, so I don’t want to say anything too harsh…….

‘The penalty itself is huge.’

Chirpy.

The excessively stretched Akshan costume makes the already slow movements even more noticeable. It is common for both me and my seniors to not trigger [Natural Enemy].

‘Still, I have the advantage.’

You may have an advantage in strength, agility, and tenacity through physical training, but I have a different level of [magic power].

Plus, I have the talent of Grandfell.

seuleuleu.

elegantly dodged the attack with the movements of an elf with added magic power.

An honest attack that flies.

Not bad for a coordinated attack.

“Very monotonous.”

I’ve been looking at myself with an overly heightened eye lately.

Why, sparring with the Shadow God’s Apostle.

I’ve been learning a lot of tricks.

[I’m not satisfied with that.’

At best [simultaneous shooting].

To compensate for the monotony of Akshan’s skill, I actively modified the Shadow God’s Apostle’s technique to my own specifications, and even had the good sense to give it a damn name.

“I would not have missed this opportunity.”

“……!”

“If it was my Invisible Sword.”

……Ha, please!

Anyway, putting the seniors to shame.

My movements and actions.

And even this snout.

“Behold. Those heinous words and actions!!”

It was the perfect opportunity for Yuukla to catch me in the act. No excuse, by the way, for I knew better than anyone how poisonous Grandfell’s words could be.

-“Nothing is impossible, not in reality, not on the Arcana continent.”

-“Have you tried it with all your might?”

-“If you’re short on time, sleep less.”

-“However, I will allow you tea time.”

-“You have the ability to pass off garbage as research.”

Validation in Topaz Hall, before the Magic Tower’s regular conference. Many an adept mage has left Topaz Hall in tears at my venomous words.

‘I owe you a thousand words, Grandfell.’

As I lamented, a message popped into my head.

[The Akshan Civil War begins].

I have neither given myself up nor fought back against the Demon Hunters’ siege, but it does not change the fact that hostilities have taken place.

This is the end of it.

I know the nature of demon hunters.

Their stubbornness is not easily broken.

A fortunate misfortune.

It seems the Akshan Civil War was not enough to bring down Akshan.

A rarely seen nature.

Such a nature.

‘What do I know about the Akshan Civil War?’

I guess that means there are only seven people here, excluding me.

If that’s the case, then what goes on beneath the surface is unknown to others. That explains why the Akshan fugitives traveled to the Canyon of the Forgotten.

My lips fall.

“Then it is time for you to pay the price.”

A cold declaration.

“Are you ready, Dexio?”

Dexio must have felt like an unexpected spark had been flying. As the other Demon Hunters lunged for me, Dexio stood still, goblet in hand.

‘What can I do? Think of it as joint responsibility.’

Even with that said, I don’t see how Grandfell could dispose of the Akshan seniors so harshly. If he wanted to, he could have crushed them all with his magic in the first place.

But.

“No, that’s enough.”

Dexio said firmly.

“Grandfell, we will leave Akshan forever from now on. Yes, from the moment we pointed our swords at you, we were traitors to Akshan.”

……What.

I seem to have skipped a step.

But no one disputed Dexio’s words.

The stubborn men lay down their weapons and reap the rewards of life. It was a sign of how much Dexio had earned the respect of the demon hunters.

Except for Yuukla.

“Dexio, what do you mean, all of a sudden!”

“I’m sorry, Yuukla, but that includes you.”

“That’s not the point, is it?”

Yuukla gritted his teeth and glared at me.

“It was never a rumor. The reason the Claudi family was destroyed was because of the Claudi family’s cardinal sin, and I confronted it. Claudi’s demon……!!”

No help there, demons.

‘I knew it.’

Claudi’s traitor.

It was the Seven Deadly Sins Pride.

No wonder, then.

Brilliant silver hair of Prite like Grandfell.

It would be undeniable proof of Claudi’s blood.

But Dexio replied.

“I believe we all had a hunch.”

“What…….”

“That natural enemies do not respond in the presence of Grandfell.”

“!”

Even for an Arcane who can’t see system messages.

It’s just a matter of whether or not the [Natural Enemy] is triggered.

You can judge for yourself.

I don’t know how to recognize a buff that greatly increases combat power.

Dexio was not mistaken in his confusion.

“Those who take up the sword without caution have no place in Akshan.”

Discipline couldn’t be stricter.

“It was we, not Grandfell, who were driven by malice.”

Dexio was the epitome of a demon hunter. With that, the Demon Hunters began to ascend the underground staircase.

“…….”

Yuukla followed them, not making eye contact with me.

It was only me and Dexio left in the basement.

Dexio drained his goblet of black water.

“I assume you know about the artifact.”

No, not in detail.

But this is Grandfell, who refuses to admit it.

The virtue of silence again.

Dexio says impatiently.

“Indeed, Grandfell. The seven artifacts are Akshan’s tools to bind the Seven Deadly Sins. Among them, the Tear of Humility you held was……. the artifact that fights against ‘Pride’.”

With that, Dexio held out his goblet again.

A clink.

The goblet was filled with water as clear as tears.

‘So, black water was not a normal reaction.’

Call it a story.

Call it injustice.

I didn’t have the confidence to teach Dexio to understand the darkness, to understand the past and the future, to understand the concepts of play, of being an adventurer, of being a player. Think of the time it took me to teach him [skill] and [magic].

‘Please let’s go halfway, this time too.’

In the end, I practiced the virtue of silence again.

Had my desperate plea reached him?

Dexio turned to face me.

“I suppose that’s the end of our relationship, then, Grandfell.”

I honestly didn’t mind being questioned.

Yuukla had said it plainly enough.

That I had witnessed a cardinal sin against House Claudi.

Dexio did not know that I hunted demons. I could only assume that the reason for the black water was my involvement with the Seven Deadly Sins.

I stuttered.

But Dexio turned his back on me without hesitation.

He was shifting his feet.

Palms must touch to make a sound.

‘How can we know what’s going on if we’re both silent?’

It was then.

My vision was getting blurry.

Here it is, time to bounce out of the [Understanding Darkness].

‘Can not be done. There is no income as it is.’

I desperately tried to hold on to my consciousness, which was trying to escape.

Then I desperately moved Grandfell’s tightly closed lips.

I spoke.

“Why are you leaving with the artifact?”

Yes.

The artifact, if nothing else.

That must be retrieved from the real world.

‘I might be able to find out why I was rejected.’

Dexio’s lips twitched upward for the first time.

“When the time comes, won’t everything fall into place?”

*

Dexio stood in the wilderness.

Discipline.

How ridiculous.

“Mr. Dexio, what is the exorcism ritual of Yuukla…….”

Dexio shook his head.

“It’s pointless now.”

The Exorcism Ritual is only for hunting demons.

It’s not a ritual to distinguish between humans with evil intentions.

Isn’t that obvious?

Good and evil have coexisted since the beginning of time, when the World Tree was created.

Dexio looked at the artifact, the Tear of Humility.

‘If so.’

Why did black water gush out of the goblet when Grandfell clutched it?

Even Dexio wasn’t sure why.

But one thing was clear.

“Raise your head, Yuukla.”

There was no demon in the room.

There was a malicious presence.

And that they had fallen prey to its insidious malice.

Dexio spoke up.

“What happened during the demon hunt?”

It was then.

Creeping.

Something twitched in Yuukla’s eye sockets.

Dexio.

And the Demon Hunters drew their swords in unison.

Yuukla spits out a dark laugh.

“This is not going well.”

It’s not just the eyelids.

Tentacles from every hole in Dexio.

The byproduct of primordial evil, to be exact, wriggled.

“Indeed, an Akshan.”

The malice suppressed by Yuukla’s pride exploded.

“After all, it is right to destroy it by any means necessary.”

But it was the Demon Hunters who exploded, too.

Natural Enemy triggered.

A momentum not even comparable to the siege of Grandfell.

Dexio declared.

“Demons, indeed, are a vile race.”

Sword in one hand.

Crossbow in another.

The artifact of Akshan clutched in his arms, he glared.

“As expected, it is right to hunt by any means necessary.”

Clang!