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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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Chapter 214
The children and the Hero sat around the table with two statues placed on it.
Two white hawks.
Except for one being heavily stained with handprints, they looked almost like twins.
It was the Hero who broke the subtle silence first.
“So, the statue was at the request location?”
“Yes. That’s why I brought it.”
Leciel had also gone to request near Laman.
In fact, quite a few children had taken requests from Laman.
Laman was the largest city adjacent to the academy.
‘I said I’d do it alone without forming a team.’
Leciel was always sincere in such competitive situations.
She couldn’t stand being overshadowed by other children.
Although her tendency to be nervous about her grandmother’s expectations had decreased from before, her unique ambition and pride remained intact.
So, she approached this request thoroughly.
‘I need to differentiate myself with something only I can do.’
The dilemma was short-lived.
It seemed that the others were ready to accept various requests indiscriminately.
But even they had types of requests they avoided.
Requests involving apparitions…
‘Requests from places where spiritual entities appear.’
Commonly known as Haunted Spots.
It refers to places where spiritual entities appear and various strange phenomena frequently occur.
Whether it’s due to prolonged exposure to demonic energy or the presence of objects used in negative rituals… anyway, it arises from various ominous reasons.
They probably existed even before the “doors” were opened.
Anyway, such places were uncomfortable for the fighters, as the physical effects on spiritual entities were minimal.
Having to fight constantly with their swords drawn was no small feat.
…It was also scary.
But Leciel was different.
She was skilled in embodying her determination with her sword, proficient in swordsmanship.
To her, spiritual entities were just easy-to-slice scarecrows, nothing more or less.
Ban asked with a hint of trembling.
“So, did you find Laman’s haunt?”
“Yeah, the nearby residents collected money and commissioned an investigation into the screams heard every night and frequent disappearances, asking to investigate and eliminate the cause.”
The Hero realized why Leciel had the statue in her hands.
“…So you hid the flowers in a pile of trash. Clever.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just as I said.”
The holy power of this era is a foreign energy that cannot be easily found.
It wasn’t too difficult to notice such a presence if one could manipulate magic, even if they weren’t born with a heightened sense of detection.
But what if a relic was surrounded by evil energies like death qi or demonic energy?
It became harder to perceive its unique aura being neutralized.
‘…Since people won’t look for it, it’s the best hiding place.’
The Hero immediately took out the communication bead and sent a message.
If there was a haunted spot near where the suspect was apprehended, they should investigate.
Watching the Hero move busily, Leciel glanced at him and asked.
“What’s up with this statue that everyone’s fussing about?”
Ban and Gerald briefly explained the contents of the request.
Leciel let out a low sigh when the discussion expanded to the mysterious concoctions of a newly emerged religion.
“Huh?”
“Why?”
“I saw someone at the request location.”
The Hero’s movements stopped at that remark.
“Who?”
“A man. He was limping strangely, so I found it suspicious.”
Except for a few crazy people, haunted spots were places that everyone avoided.
But there was someone conspicuously wandering nearby?
The Hero’s eyes sparkled.
‘He’s involved.’
So far, the one caught in relation to the theft of the Holy stones was just a thief.
This was the first clue regarding the collection book.
The Hero felt closer to the truth of the case and asked.
“Do you remember what he looked like?”
“…Hmm.”
The children’s expectant gazes focused on Leciel’s mouth.
But…
“I don’t remember exactly. It was dark, and I only caught a glimpse.”
Although the boys seemed disappointed, the Hero wasn’t.
“It’s okay.”
“…Huh?”
“Just follow me for a moment.”
Leciel was led out of the lounge by the Hero in a hurry.
Of course, before leaving, she left a note.
“Give this back to the priest.”
A faint smile lingered on the girl’s lips for a moment before disappearing.
It was needless to say that a similar smile appeared on the Hero’s lips.
Left behind, Ban and Gerald stared at the statue blankly, then got up and left their seats.
Pure joy came to the boys.
…It was a bit late, but the request was resolved.
“Hooray for Leciel!”
Gerald’s cheer echoed through the quiet lounge.
Ban blankly stared at the door Leciel had left through.
* * *
“Ted. You’ve been coming here too often lately, haven’t you?”
A languid voice reached the Hero’s ears.
Rosalyn, who gave a nod of acknowledgment to the Hero, then looked back at the girl standing behind her.
“And this time, you brought such a cute guest with you.”
Leciel, stiff, slightly lowered her head.
Endless rows of tall bookshelves, long narrow corridors.
And the white Homunculus in front of them.
She vaguely knew where this was and what it was for.
Rosenstark’s mystery, the Library of Memories.
She thought it was a place she would visit when she graduated, but she never expected to come here like this.
The crimson-eyed girl scanned the books around her.
‘Are these all memories of graduates…? Maybe there are also those of professor.’
While Leciel wandered like a stranger in the unfamiliar place.
The Hero glanced at Rosalyn and then looked back at her.
“We’re going to use Memorize to retrieve the memories from that time.”
No matter how faint the memory was, it would be vividly enhanced with the power of magic.
With this method, they could obtain an accurate description of the suspect.
‘Moreover, Leciel saw him at the haunt yesterday.’
It was highly probable that he hadn’t left the vicinity of Laman yet.
The capture would be swift.
“Yes, I’m ready.”
Leciel nodded slowly.
She had received a rough explanation from the Hero on the way and agreed to retrieve the memories.
But…
“…But will it really only retrieve that memory?”
It was truly a cute concern.
A sound of laughter burst from the Homunculus, but Leciel ignored it deliberately.
It was a very serious issue for her.
The Hero spoke in a gentle voice.
“Memorize only stores the memories you choose. There’s no need to worry.”
“…Okay then.”
“Thank you.”
The Hero’s rough hand patted Leciel’s shoulder a few times.
Leciel looked up at him with wide eyes.
The Hero’s graceful lips were drawing a gentle arc.
“They could have become a huge threat if left unchecked. Thanks to you, we can catch them quickly.”
The embarrassment about Memorize disappeared in an instant.
Let’s finish quickly and go back.
Leciel approached Rosalyn confidently.
Rosalyn opened her mouth with an expression of dying of cuteness.
“When Ted was still at school.”
Leciel’s ears perked up.
“All the memories stored by female classmates were the same.”
…Ah.
Leciel casually turned around.
The Hero was scanning the covers of the books with his large hand.
Such remarkable features.
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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Even artistically, they were perfect.
She understood exactly how her seniors felt.
The Homunculus chuckled.
“I’m looking forward to what memories Leciel will come to store later.”
There wasn’t even time to ask how she knew my name.
Pfft—
A white light enveloped Leciel.
.
.
.
The perfect montage was completed a moment later.
The man, identical to the montage, was apprehended by the Shadows the next day.
* * *
The interrogation room was set up in a farmhouse near Rosenstark.
As the person who submitted decisive evidence, the Hero suggested that he personally interrogate the man, and naturally, it was accepted.
‘I can’t miss this opportunity.’
Many preparations were made while the man was being escorted to the interrogation room.
The Hero compiled all the information about the incidents suspected to be caused by this unidentified organization.
And based on that, he created meticulous and detailed questions.
To prevent him from easily slipping away.
To bring out every truth he knew.
But…
“I-I’m sorry. I-I, it’s all a lie I made up. Please spare me.”
The opportunity for those efforts to shine did not come.
From the beginning, he admitted to all the charges without any torture or interrogation.
The Hero felt somewhat disappointed.
“So, you’re the mastermind behind all this mess?”
“Y-yes.”
It was a rather surprising turn of events for the Hero, who had expected to delve deep into the truth of the case.
“I-I didn’t make a big deal out of it. Really.”
The Hero was even worried that this might be an omen of a huge religion like the Demonic Church.
But the man in front of him looked too ordinary to be such a huge figure.
His appearance seemed plausible.
He was attractive and charming, and his clothes were flashy and stylish like a noble’s.
But if you looked beneath that flashy surface, you could easily see the cunning within.
Eyes darting left and right like a rat.
A mouth that blabbered clumsily.
In short, he looked like a con artist.
He didn’t seem like a leader of any religion or group.
“How do you prove that you’re the mastermind? It just seems like a bluff to me.”
“No, I’ll explain everything. Please, just spare my life.”
The man was completely prostrating himself.
It was because the man he faced was the Hero.
A figure that he couldn’t have imagined was watching him.
He couldn’t help but lose all his will to resist.
“My real name is Ailmar, and I was living in Canis.”
Nyhill whispered beside him.
“He was previously imprisoned for multiple counts of fraud.”
He was indeed a con artist.
But it still didn’t make sense.
How could such a small-time crook be the mastermind behind these multiple thefts of Holy Stones, orchestrating figures like Jerry Blaze?
No, not just Jerry Blaze.
There were insiders in the Laman security force, and similar incidents were happening all over the central and western regions.
Suspicion crept into the Hero’s eyes, prompting Ailmar to hastily add to his statement.
“M-my involvement in illegal demonic realm exploration was the starting point.”
Square—
Nyhill could be seen adding ‘illegal demonic realm exploration’ to the list of charges.
The list of charges was already spanning more than one page.
Even if it was resolved favorably, it would still lead to a Stagnum.
Meanwhile, the Hero tilted his head.
It was just a few months ago that he had explored the demonic realm with the Canis Expedition.
Therefore, he could quickly catch onto the absurdities in Ailmar’s statement.
“Who in Canis would recruit someone as weak as you into the expedition?”
“Heh… It’s easy to disguise oneself as a capable… person with hidden potential.”
He claimed to have many artifacts that could make him pass as such.
The Hero ordered them to bring all the confiscated items and continued listening to his explanation.
“The expedition was successful. We mainly focused on the outskirts of the demonic realm and found what seemed like a treasure warehouse.”
He said it seemed like a temporary site created by the previous generation of explorers, not from the First Age.
He also added that it was guarded by traps and guardians dangerous enough to almost wipe out the entire party.
Ailmar said he survived skillfully even there.
And then, he betrayed his comrades, took the most valuable-looking artifact, and fled.
The Hero clicked his tongue.
‘…What a crazy bastard.’
He could gauge Ailmar’s level to some extent.
To choose to return alone from the demonic realm to Canis with that pathetic level of combat prowess.
It was a miracle he came back alive.
Ailmar’s eyes suddenly clouded over.
“It was all thanks to that artifact. I became nothing short of a godlike being. At least to those who believed in me.”
“So, you became the leader of a fledgling cult.”
“That’s correct.”
…So what exactly is that artifact?
Thud—
Just then, one of the Shadows entered the interrogation room with all of Ailmar’s belongings.
The Hero’s gaze naturally turned to them, and…
▼
This is a recorded artifact.
There’s a comment related to it left by the previous user, ‘Zero Requiem.’
Would you like to read it?
▲
The Hero’s eyes twitched at the unexpected comment.
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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