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Clack...

And there appeared a puppet, tied to those strings.

It appeared without warning, but I wasn’t surprised; this was just how magic worked.

“This is what the puppet looks like before it is infused with ‘information.’ How does it look to you?”

“It just looks like an articulated doll made of wood.”

The puppet wore no clothes and had no eyes or ears. Its body was so rigid and unshaped that it was impossible to tell whether it was male or female.

Truly, it was a wooden puppet in its most minimal form.

To think it could transform into someone like Dellark or Leone, whom Sellen and I had just fought, if it was infused with information.

If I hadn’t seen them with my own eyes, I would not believe it.

“The puppets I create are among the finest in the Empire, but that doesn’t mean they are without flaws. Just processing the information is a difficult task itself... For the two puppets you fought earlier, that process alone took over a decade.”

“That’s very inefficient.”

“Not very magician-like, hm?” Alderson nodded and continued, “Puppets are not always compatible with the information I infuse into them. Sometimes the information doesn\'t harmonize with the puppet’s body and the body breaks down. But even if this step is successful, the puppet is not a perfect replica of the original. As you’ve seen, it can’t use blessings, and since the mana has to be installed, there’s a mana capacity—not to mention that the puppet can only use half of that capacity. The imitation is limited to physical abilities, and only partially, but even that is not—”

“What’s your point?” I rudely interrupted. Really, he’d been talking for way too long.

Thankfully, Alderson didn’t seem particularly offended. “Leone, ranking first on the list—which is in the past now since you took that spot... Anyway, what I’m saying is I only infused the doll with the ‘information’ I gained when she was climbing this tower. Nothing more, nothing less.”

My expression grew serious as I asked, “Hold on a minute, are you saying—”

Alderson nodded. “Leone had the blood of evil flowing in her veins from the beginning.”

Ha.

All the tension left my body.

“Are you telling me that Leone was a vice-cult leader?”

Alderson sounded mildly surprised as he said, “You are very knowledgeable about the Church of Darkness, to even know about the existence of vice-cult leaders...” He paused, then nodded, answering my question. “But she was not your typical vice-cult leader. Leone... she was very special, even aside from being a vice leader.”

“...”

“Perhaps it was due to that background, Leone’s ‘information’ carries a very strong personality. Usually, when information is infused into a puppet, it doesn’t behave like a real person. It simply does what it is programmed to do. But Leone is different. She has self-awareness, and she can even hold a conversation.”

This was the perfect time to ask the question I was most curious about: “Who is Leone?”

“I do not know.”

“...I’m sorry?”

Alderson explained, “The Church of Darkness, Hell, demons... All of that, I know she has extensive knowledge of. But aside from that and the fact that she was a vice-cult leader, I never learned much about Leone.”

“You said you obtained information.”

“Only physical data. You can’t learn everything about a challenger’s life just by observing them.”

...He had a point.

“Even her being a vice-cult leader, I only learned because Leone told me herself.”

“You only know because she told you? That sounds a bit odd.”

“Yes, it does sound strange, doesn’t it? Like I said, Leone is special.” Alderson gave a wry smile. “She doesn’t follow my orders. She keeps secret the things she doesn’t wish to share. She won\'t reveal anything even with a knife at her throat.”

I was surprised at his admission. Just as he’d said, Leone truly sounded special...

“...Then why not go find the real Leone?”

“That is impossible.”

“Why?”

“Because she is already dead.”

...I didn’t know what to say.

After a minute of silence, Alderson spoke with a serious face.

“Dellark C. Bednicker, the Lord of Blood and Iron, the Demon Hunter, the Executioner, the Sword of the Imperial Family, the Charisma of the Great House—most of those titles, Dellark earned through slaying demons.”

“Yes. And you mentioned, Headmaster, that the same person claimed he could befriend demons.”

“...”

“Can you take responsibility for that statement?”

The headmaster laughed. “I cannot. And I’d appreciate it if you’d not report to the Lord of Blood and Iron that I said it.”

“Why not?”

“Because the Lord of Blood and Iron of today is nothing like the man he once was.”

I finally understood Headmaster Alderson’s words.

It was natural for a person’s thoughts to continuously change over the course of their life, even to the day they died. I knew that better than anyone, having lived the most pitiful life imaginable.

It was understandable that the Lord of Blood and Iron’s thoughts now were different from those of his youth. But...

To hear that he, of all people, had once hoped for harmony with demons? It was shocking.

What kind of event had made him undergo a complete 180?

“I have told you most of what I can,” Alderson said. He closed his eyes, bowed his head, and stood there, as if awaiting my verdict.

“...”

Whatever his reason, Alderson had completely laid bare what he knew.

He could have easily overpowered me, yet here he was, confessing the truth, hoping for my understanding.

An Archmage of Seven Colors.

The Headmaster of Kartell Academy.

Even ignoring those titles, it was no small thing for an elder who had lived over a century to show such an attitude to a young upstart like me.

Of course, he probably couldn’t kill me over this. After all, I was a descendant of House Bednicker.

Even so...

I found myself appreciating Alderson’s honesty. Besides, I had my own principle: If the other party revealed everything, I should at least share something of my own.

* * * * *

* * * * *

“You said there might be good demons out there, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then do you think good demon lords can exist as well?”

“What?” Alderson looked up at me in disbelief, but as soon as he saw my face, he fell silent. “Hmm.”

He thought for a moment, seemingly gathering his thoughts.

“Demon lords... We call them that, but in reality, they are divine beings. They are powerful, even among gods. Do you know why?” Alderson asked.

I’d heard the answer to the question several times recently, but I still pondered before answering, “The Empire’s national religion, the 72 Churches, is a polytheistic faith that worships 72 gods. Beyond that, every family, race, and region has their own god they put their faith in. If you add them all up, they easily number in the hundreds.”

Blessings.

Powers granted by the gods to the bloodlines of great families.

Put simply, the number of blessings corresponded to the number of gods who are friendly to The Empire and humanity.

“On the other hand, there are six beings known as the Gods of Disaster. Even though there are only six of them, they pose the greatest threat to The Empire... which means they are equivalent in power to dozens of Righteous Gods.”

Alderson nodded in agreement. “Exactly. In the past, a group of malicious beings, called the Thirteen Evil Gods, plunged the continent into chaos... but I can say with certainty that today’s Six Gods of Disaster are far more powerful and terrifying than the ancient Thirteen Evil Gods.”

“They must be far, far stronger than the Thirteen Evil Gods were.”

“It’s not just their power. The most terrifying trait of the Gods of Disaster is that they are completely unaffected by reverence or faith.”

I titled my head in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

“All gods require followers. Without faith, a god cannot wield significant influence... That is why there are forgotten gods.”

“Mhm...”

“Yet demon lords are exempt from this rule. To them, faith is meaningless. Even if the cult were completely eradicated, the power of those dreadful beings would not diminish in the slightest.”

I didn’t know that...

But as I listened, I naturally came to understand and accept his words.

Take Ahop or Tangtata.

Had they ever expressed even a hint of love or mercy to those who worshiped them?

I’d seen nothing of the sort.

Ahop had equally turned his believers and his enemies into pools of blood, and...

Tangtata took no sides. As long as someone could entertain him, he would pursue them.

In other words, it didn’t matter to them at all what happened to their believers.

Eldest Senior Brother as well.

His strength was a tower built entirely by his own effort. It would never be influenced by anyone’s worship or faith.

“You asked if a good demon lord might exist? My answer is ‘No.’ If such a being ever did exist, it would never be called a demon lord.”

“...”

“However...” Alderson thoughtfully continued, “You never know. Perhaps there is one, hiding their own secret we are unaware of.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Do you know the most mysterious demon lord?”

“Is it not the Demon Lord of Black and White?”

“Correct. While it is said that he destroyed an entire nation in ancient times, he hasn’t wreaked any havoc since. He has the fewest followers within the cult... and his priest has never shown their face.”

“...”

“The nation that the Demon Lord of Black and White destroyed was called Seititus. Little is known of it today, but some documents refer to it as the Empire of Evil.”

I hummed to show that I was listening.

“But of course, that doesn’t excuse the sin of snuffing out countless lives. Even if it was truly the Empire of Evil, it’s hard to justify such a massacre. However, isn’t the idea of good and evil inherently subjective?

“Regardless of the sin, if there were circumstances behind the action, should it automatically be classified as evil? Who knows, perhaps we can sympathize with the Demon Lord of Black and White’s story.”

“...”

The Demon Lord of Black and White’s story...

I wasn’t sure if it would justify anything, but I felt I needed to understand Eldest Senior Brother’s story before I met him again.

Only then would I know how to approach him.

“...Hm.”

In the meantime, Alderson infused mana into the wooden puppet he was holding.

Shhhh.

Faint mist surrounded the puppet, and its appearance slowly began to change.

It was a magical sight.

The hard wooden puppet transforming into a girl... I could only describe it as magical.

Leone opened her eyes.

She blinked her red eyes a couple of times as she surveyed her surroundings before finally settling on me.

“Oh, you’re here too. That was the most fun I’ve had in quite a while. I commend you.”

Ignoring Leone’s pretentious greeting, I turned to Alderson.

“The puppet was destroyed,” I noted, “yet she still remembers what happened. Do you have a separate vessel for storing memories?”

“That is accurate. I took inspiration from a lich’s phylactery.”

“I see.”

Alderson called out, “Leone, this boy in front of you is the son of the Lord of Blood and Iron.”

“Oho...”

“Do you care to explain?”

Explain what?

Leone smirked. “I refuse.”

With that, Alderson let out a deep sigh and waved his hand.

Sshhhhh.

Leone transformed back into a wooden puppet.

“I see you can’t force her to comply.”

“I told you, Leone does not obey my commands. She simply pretends to listen when she’s in a good mood.”

“Where in the world did she crawl out from? At the very least, you should have figured that out by now.”

The academy’s admission requirements were quite strict. I knew that from experience.

However, Alderson shook his head. “I do not know. Everything about her life prior to Kartell Academy is a mystery.”

“What in the world...”

“There’s a special admission process in this academy.”

“A special admission process?”

“Anyone who successfully climbs to the top of the Tower of Trials can be admitted, regardless of race, age, or background. Additionally, they don’t have to pay a dime in tuition until they’ve graduated.”

“Ah.”

I still did not know what was on the fifth floor, but... based on my brief fight with Leone, I don’t think whatever was up there would pose a challenge to her.

“Have you tried threatening her or anything?”

“It is pointless. She doesn’t feel pain and isn’t afraid of her systems shutting down. Over the past ten years, I’ve tried talking to her countless times, but I haven’t gotten much out of her. To be honest, I have no idea what she is even thinking.”

“Hmm...”

“There are rare moments when Leone is in a surprisingly good mood. When she is, she’ll tell me all the secrets of the cult without being asked. The value of her information is immeasurable.”

“For example?”

“It was thanks to Leone that the Empire learned about vice-cult leaders.”

I instantly understood. “So the 72 Churches also know of Leone’s existence?”

“Only a select few among the bishops and cardinals.”

“Mhm.”

“I too consider the cult an enemy that must be destroyed, unlike demons. Their ideology is far too dangerous... and Leone is the one who will change that.”

The more he spoke, the more I realized how important the dark-haired girl was.

Alderson sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time.

“Leone told me that if I wanted to know more, I should bring another vice-cult leader of the Church of Darkness.”

Eh?

“Isn’t that an absurd demand? No one knows who is a vice-cult leader until that seed of evil sprouts, not even the yet-to-be vice-cult leaders themselves! And it was none other than Leone herself who taught me that...!”

As I was listening to Alderson grind his teeth in frustration, I suddenly tilted my head in realization.

Hold on a minute...