Chapter 129 – Conversation

Even after crossing over to the Empire, their storm-like sprint continued for a while.

-Current remaining fuel amount.

-7%

It was close.

Because the fuel level had reached a single digit.

Stealth and Ghost Riding.

Both functions turned off, and on the bike that suddenly appeared on the road sat two men.

Rashid glanced back, sensing that they were not pursuing him.

“It seems we barely shook them off.”

Kaiser also could not easily forget the terrifying experience from earlier.

Such an experience would be more than enough once.

“They probably stopped chasing. Since they can’t follow us to the Empire. Anyway, thank you. I never expected you to come all the way there to rescue me.”

“I never thought in all my life that I would go to rescue a man, not a woman. More importantly, how were you alive? I thought you were dead.”

“Was I assumed to be dead?”

“There was no news, was there? In fact, going there was also for confirmation. I had to know for sure whether you were dead or alive. Because a quest popped up.”

“A quest?”

“After you disappeared, the Emperor came to visit. Said she needed a place to sit, or something like that. If you had just vanished like that, the Emperor would have gone on a proper bloody rampage.”

“Haha… is that so. I can pretty much guess.”

Kaiser continued speaking.

“Actually, because I was locked in a restraint prison, I had no way to contact you. There was nothing else I could do besides being locked up.”

“You managed to survive well. Did Zodiac just leave you alone?”

“I almost died thanks to someone over the matter of sowing discord with Kane. Fortunately, he only threatened me and locked me up. I don’t know the reason, though.”

“Zodiac must have liked you. Seeing how he went out of his way to keep you alive.”

“More importantly, I met that woman.”

Rashid, who had a bad feeling, stiffened his expression.

He looked like he was praying it wasn’t so.

“The Heart of Infection. You said she was a girl with short, snow-white hair, right? Even if you hadn’t put it that way, I knew the moment I first saw her. Ah, another villain-like thing has appeared. Actually, Sayaka had a significant impact from her first appearance. She suddenly appeared from the dimensional device managed by the Dharma Mage Division.”

“Sigh…”

“What is the matter?”

“Did she finally appear?”

As the sighing Rashid dismounted from the bike, Kaiser also dismounted following him.

“You said it was a fifty-fifty chance, right? It seems God was not on our side.”

“Is that absolutely certain?”

“It is certain. Sayaka, I even remember her name. And just like Zodiac, she was quite obsessed with me. I don’t understand why they are so eager to devour me.”

Rashid asked warily.

“By any chance, did you have physical contact with that woman?”

“Physical contact?”

“Did that woman touch you even once, or did you hold hands? I am asking if there was any contact at all.”

Kaiser shook his head.

“No. There was no such thing. What you told me beforehand played a part, and isn’t that woman’s moniker the Heart of Infection? I felt uneasy for no reason, so I avoided contact as much as possible. I also completely ignored her when she offered her pinky finger.”

“That is a relief.”

“What do you mean by relief?”

“If you had touched her even a little, I would have locked you up.”

“What? Lock me up? I am a person who is sick of prison-like places now. Stop saying such horrifying things.”

“Those touched by Sayaka all become fanatics. They become blind followers who worship her. It’s similar to cult fanatics.”

Rashid continued speaking as he recalled her from his memory.

Beneath the plaza where a red veil and flower petals fluttered,

she showed her back with a noble posture, and the entire plaza was packed with countless fanatics who followed her.

This was the memory related to her that Rashid remembered most impressively.

“There is only one way to avoid becoming a fanatic. By a Player’s standard, your Mind stat must be at least 15. Actually, 15 is also the minimum. To resist stably, it must exceed 20.”

“15?”

Kaiser’s complexion turned poor.

“I only have 5, though?”

“That is why I asked if you had physical contact even once. If you did, you would be in an infected state right now.”

“Can one be infected by just that?”

“I’m saying it because it is possible.”

“Fascinating. To think one becomes a fanatic who follows that woman with just a small contact.”

Kaiser recalled the Left Grand Dharma Officer who was bowing his head to her.

“Come to think of it, it felt like some of the Dharma Mage Division were following her, not Zodiac. The Left Grand Dharma Officer was following her.”

Rashid did not seem surprised at all.

Rather, he thought of it as natural.

“She has started building a following. Zodiac might not know, but since Sayaka has appeared, we don’t have to worry too much about the Dharma Mage Division itself. Zodiac’s power has weakened. Because of another villain who appeared unintentionally.”

“Then isn’t that a good thing?”

Rashid shook his head reflexively.

“No, it would be better to end with just Zodiac. Sayaka should not have come out.”

“Is that woman such a difficult opponent?”

“I told you. She infects with just a minor contact. And those infected like that will infect others. This is Sayaka’s power, and that power will gradually grow stronger as time goes on. Perhaps…”

It was possible that an countless number of people would come to follow her.

“I will tell you one thing. Sayaka is a superior upgrade to the villain Kaiser. The number of people who follow her is greater than Kaiser’s.”

“Do you mean there are more factions following her than the villain Kaiser?”

“You didn’t know?”

“Yes, since this was also my first time seeing her.”

Kaiser asked.

“Then what on earth is Sayaka’s identity? A cult leader? Something like that?”

“Similar to that. But I don’t know her exact identity either. Even her purpose itself is unclear.”

Rashid’s words continued.

“Usually, villains have their own purposes. In Professor Kane’s case, he had the purpose of resurrecting his deceased lover, and even Zodiac is a villain who made this world a scapegoat to save the world he lived in.”

Kaiser agreed.

“Right. Even if they were villains, they had their own reasons.”

“But not Sayaka. That woman has no reason. That’s why I’ve thought like this since a long time ago.”

Kaiser waited for his next words.

“Pure evil. I thought that maybe Sayaka just wants to watch the world perish.”

“Pure evil…”

Kaiser still could not forget her face as she smiled harmlessly while offering her pinky finger.

“She kept asking me to make a promise. I ignored her since I had heard about it.”

Rashid asked while watching Kaiser warily.

“Naturally, you didn’t make any promises, right?”

“Yes, I didn’t. Because it felt uneasy. And didn’t you tell me? Something about a thousand needles.”

Kaiser asked.

“But do you really swallow a thousand needles if you break the promise?”

Rashid did not seem to deny it.

“Yes. Or you will die. Even Sayaka, who acts merciful in her own way, absolutely never forgives that.”

“How do you know that?”

“That is because…”

Rashid recalled another Player who would appear in conjunction with her emergence.

“There is actually a fellow who swallowed a thousand needles.”

“Do they even all go in?”

“I don’t know either. Ask him when he appears. Since Sayaka has appeared, that guy will definitely appear as well.”

“Sigh… a thousand needles. Just imagining it is horrifying.”

Rashid spoke as he looked in the direction he had fled from.

“More than that, now that Sayaka has appeared, even if Zodiac returns from Hell, it will be difficult for him to target me.”

Kaiser expressed doubt.

“Are you saying Zodiac will just sit still even after you did that? No way. He should have plenty of subordinates to order around, so would he stay quiet?”

“Sayaka has appeared, right? And she is infecting the Dharma Mage Division. This means the number of Dharma mages following Zodiac is decreasing.”

“Ah, that’s true. Since creating the gate is, at any rate, the job of the Dharma Mage Division.”

Rashid was certain.

“If Sayaka interferes, the number of Dharma mages Zodiac can employ will significantly decrease. Then, with the reduced personnel, they will be too busy just building the gate. No matter how much he hates me, achieving the goal itself will be more important.”

“Won’t Zodiac come find you directly?”

“Would he come find me again even after seeing my power? I just sent him to Hell.”

“Ah, once he has tasted that, it would indeed be hard for him to attack easily. He will think of it as rather troublesome.”

“Zodiac is also a guy whose purpose is rock-solid. For what it’s worth, he’s a fellow who thinks of a grand cause. So he won’t ruin the work itself because of me.”

Kaiser recalled the Dharma Mage Division following Zodiac.

“Come to think of it, Zodiac’s power of submission had some aspects different from the Emperor. The control felt somewhat weaker.”

Also,

“And they didn’t even think they were summoning the Evil God.”

“Probably. Because it is the power of submission, they are made to follow out of fear; it’s not unconditionally forced by authority like the Emperor.”

Kaiser remembered clearly what the Dharma mages had said.

“They said that the gate work was to send Zodiac back to his hometown. There was absolutely no sign that they thought it was to summon the Evil God.”

Looking at it differently,

“What I felt seeing that was that we could sufficiently persuade the Dharma Mage Division. If Zodiac hadn’t given instructions not to listen to my words, I probably would have tried to persuade them there.”

It was not impossible for the relationship between Zodiac and the Dharma Mage Division to sour.

Because as Kaiser said, the Dharma Mage Division was currently in a deceived state.

“It would be nice if we could talk, but they are blocking their ears…”

“More importantly, what do you plan to do? Do you plan to return to the party like this?”

At that question, Kaiser shook his head.

“No. I plan to stay in the safest place in the world until the affairs related to Zodiac are completely sorted out.”

“The safest place in the world?”

As Kaiser grinned, Rashid’s expression stiffened.

“You don’t mean you’re going to crawl back in there again, do you?”

Although he detested being locked up,

there was only one place in the world that was the safest from the threats of the Dharma Mage Division and Zodiac.

“I ask this favor of you. Still, that place is better. It’s a familiar place, and since I visit frequently, I’ve grown somewhat attached to it.”

“Sigh… you’re a nuisance.”

“Please, just until Zodiac is sorted out.”

“Get on.”

Rashid grabbed the bike handlebars again, then made contact somewhere via the absorption transceiver.

Since he had found him, it was now time for the reward.

After a few ringback tones, a familiar voice connected.

It was the Vice Commander, Akard.

Rashid conveyed his business to him.

“I would like to see Her Majesty. If you tell her I found him, she will probably know.”

The communication ended,

and Rashid headed toward Basilica of the Holy Blood State with a quiet ride, unlike before.