Act 3: Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
[Covenant of Salvation Nega-Messiah] Headquarters – Nest Underground, 7th Floor
This entire floor belonged to Kushina, though it seemed she had barely used it until now.
Well, she was always at my place, after all…
Naturally, it wasn’t particularly well-maintained either. At the center of the floor lay a moderately spacious area, left untouched一
perfect for moving around freely.
“一一Shh!”
I kicked off the ground, and my body, freed from inertia, shot forward as if vanishing.
The [Separation] ability made me weightless for an instant.
Since the acceleration remained while my mass returned, landing wasn’t just difficult一it was nearly impossible.
But I could see it.
The moment my foot touched the ground.
I activated [Separation] again一halt.
Then, I pivoted at a right angle from my trajectory.
After the turn, I used [Separation] a third time and kicked off the ground with all my might.
Through this zigzagging high-speed movement, I circled around一to Kushina’s back.
Without hesitation, I swung the iron rod in my hand. But mid-swing一
“一一一一”
Over her shoulder, Kushina’s eyes locked onto me.
Her hand reached for me in the shortest possible path.
Even though her movement started later, the iron rod was effortlessly seized一and before I knew it, my body was spinning through the air.
“Huh!?”
I saw Kushina’s move.
She had just grabbed the iron rod and twisted it slightly.
That was all she did一yet somehow, I was the one sent flying before crashing back-first into the ground.
“Okay, that’s enough.”
“Ghk一! Cough一!”
As I barely managed to sit up, Kushina patted my back.
Then, to dispel the Umbra Compensation backlash, I hugged her.
“Sorry… help me out here…”
“Yeah, yeah.”
She kept rubbing my back the whole time, but once I’d calmed down, she spoke.
“You’ve gotten pretty good at maneuvering with your Lux talent.”
“Yeah, but I’m still hopeless in hand-to-hand.”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
Kushina laughed, exasperated.
“If I, an executive, lost to someone who’s only been seriously training for about two weeks, that’d be a problem, wouldn’t it?”
“Well…”
I had trusted her enough to go all-out, after all.
(As a side note, the reason I was using an iron rod was also Kushina’s idea.
At first, I wanted to look cool with a sword, but she scolded me, “For an amateur, it’s literally just dead weight.”
So for now, my weapon is just a plain, unremarkable stick…)
“Your staff skills still need a lot of work. That’s not something you can master overnight, so for now, focusing on practical applications of your Lux is more realistic.”
“Yeah, yeah…”
I sulked, and Kushina gave a wry smile一when suddenly:
“How impressive. It’s like the two of you are in your own little world.”
A husky, raspy voice echoed through the space.
It belonged to the other person present.
She had been sitting quietly by the wall of this barren room.
Her pure-white attire and long hair made her stand out starkly against the dark backdrop.
“Am I… that unnoticeable? And here I am, the leader.”
Her black-pearl eyes blinked once, locking onto us as we embraced.
Kushina pulled away, embarrassed, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the leader一[Shinazu Dori].
Her flawless white skin and saintly, snow-white robes.
The outfit was a halter-neck, qipao-style dress with deep slits and considerable exposure, yet somehow, it didn’t stir any lust.
I didn’t understand the logic, but it was probably her sacred aura that stripped away such vulgar emotions.
What caught my attention wasn’t her outfit, though一but what stood beside her.
A flag, propped against the wall.
About two meters long, it was as white as its owner.
And most strikingly, its tip was shaped like a spearhead.
“一一As you’ve guessed, this is my weapon.”
Since I’d been staring so obviously, she smiled and explained.
As I admired it in awe, Kushina teased:
“Well, looks like you’ve found your iron rod’s upgrade path.”
◇◇◇◇◇
“Not that I came here to boast about my weapon.”
“It’s about the next mission,” [Shinazu Dori] continued.
“Fundamentally, the goal of [Covenant of Salvation Nega-Messiah] is the salvation of the weak.”
The core tenet of this evil organization.
Salvation of the weak.
A slogan often used by anti-establishment factions.
This world had its share of rebel groups, but even the largest and most feared一[Covenant of Salvation Nega-Messiah]一was no different in its rhetoric.
“Honestly, I don’t buy it.”
“…………”
At my words, the leader fell silent, her smile unchanging.
Her black eyes seemed to gleam ominously.
What flashed in my mind were the scenes of Nega-Messiah members running rampant.
[Gouki the Brute] had been a violent rogue agent, but even setting him aside, I knew the others caused trouble everywhere.
I’d even witnessed it firsthand multiple times.
“You drag civilians into this, and call that一”
“一*Necessary.”
“………!”
The owner of that raspy voice cut me off, her smile never wavering.
“I do pity those who were sacrificed. It pains me too. I pray for their souls.”
Like a saint from a painting,
she clasped her hands before her chest.
“But in the grand scheme… such things are trivial.”
Her pitch-black eyes held me captive, unblinking.
“At least, to *us, they are.” From the corners of those unflinching eyes一drip, drip*一two trails of tears spilled.
“Oh?”
She tilted her head, brushing her slender fingers against her wet cheeks.
After staring blankly at her own damp hand, she turned her gaze back to me.
“You… are quite strange, aren’t you?”
I bit back the urge to say *that’s my line.
Instead, [Shinazu Dori] glanced past me at Kushina, standing diagonally behind. “Kushina. Have you told him nothing?” “一一I didn’t hear anything.” I cut in before Kushina could answer. “I told her not to.” Long ago, when Kushina inherited her adoptive mother’s position as the former Third Seat, I had said those words. And at that time, she too had vowed一to kill as few as possible*一before accepting the role.
“…………”
My childhood friend stayed silent.
The leader didn’t press further, simply leaning back against the wall with a “I see.”
“In that case, I’d like you to trust *me*一the one Kushina believes in.”
She folded her arms behind her back, tilting her upper body forward to peer up at me with a friendly smile.
“Okay?”
“…………”
I could sense that [Shinazu Dori], and by extension [Nega-Messiah], acted with some irreplaceable purpose in mind.
I never thought Kushina would aid mere thrill-seekers.
“For now… I’ll accept that.”
The leader smiled again, nodding in satisfaction.
“一一Now, that wasn’t the main point. *This* is.”
She straightened, crossing her arms over her ample chest.
“To achieve our goal, there’s an essential key we need.”
“A key?”
“Yes.”
Still holding her arms, she pointed at the object leaning beside her.
“We need you to investigate whether the Tenth Branch has another one of these… flags.”
◇◇◇◇◇
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
The Bloodrose Family.
A prestigious lineage known since the days of the Holy Roman Empire’s free cities, where they began as bankers一one of the most influential families in European economic history.
Even now, they possessed one of the world’s largest private fortunes, with each generation inheriting leadership of their financial conglomerate.
The current head was Roselia C. Bloodrose一
or Roselia III.
The name of the world’s most famous arms dealer.
[Prim-Libra’s Tenth Branch] – Helipad
Located atop a skyscraper-like structure, the helipad welcomed a descending helicopter.
Surrounded by heavy security, a single woman stepped out.
Her lavish strawberry-blonde hair fluttered as her high heels clicked against the ground.
Shindo Isana greeted her with a bow.
“Welcome, Lady Bloodrose.”
“Your efforts in receiving me are noted.”
After the curt reply, Roselia studied Isana with the eye not hidden by her bangs.
Meeting that deep purple gaze head-on, Isana tilted her head with a smile.
Roselia’s brow twitched slightly.
“A smile doesn’t suit you.”
“My, how cruel.”
Unfazed by the sharp words, Isana gestured. “This way, please.”
As she turned, her eyes briefly met those of one of Roselia’s guards, lurking in her shadow.
The piercing glare she received made her inwardly grimace.
(Skilled, huh? A bit too bloodthirsty for a bodyguard, though… Still…)
Her gaze flicked subtly back to Roselia.
Clad in a resplendent dress with a khaki military jacket draped over her shoulders,
she carried herself with undeniable majesty.
(This kind of escort suits her perfectly.)
She sighed internally.
One of the targets of this inspection tour was patrons like Roselia一powerful figures.
The Tenth Branch’s credibility had taken a hit from recent large-scale attacks.
Now, these patrons would likely try to meddle in the branch’s operations.
But Isana had no intention of giving them an opening.
To maintain the organization’s integrity, she planned to strike first and crush any interference.
Though thoroughly annoyed at this point, Isana had another objective in mind.
(Now then… I wonder what our other target is thinking.)
◇◇◇◇◇
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
