Chapter 130 – Insignia

[Balt Empire, spread of hallucinations of unknown cause… “Awakened again as if flowers bloomed” -Capital News-]

[Allied Kingdoms’ Balt Empire, ‘group hallucinations’ occur… succession of people babbling incoherently -Voice of the Citizens-]

[Is it an epidemic or collective hallucination? Empire ‘smiles’ at Balt Empire’s confusion -Imperial Daily-]

The day after locking up Kaiser.

Rashid was able to see somewhat interesting articles printed in the newspaper.

‘Hallucinations… Has it begun?’

People babbling incoherently about being newly born, as if a flower was blooming, began to emerge.

‘Sayaka…’

For now, Zodiac, who would summon the Evil God, was the problem, but

the seed of an even greater disaster was sprouting not in the Empire, but in the Balt Empire, which could be called the leader of the Allied Kingdoms.

‘Moreover, to start in a hostile nation. Quite a headache.’

If it were the Empire, he could intervene somehow,

but with the Balt Empire, the story had to change.

Someone might ask back if it didn’t matter since he was a person of the Order, but there was a reason for that.

‘Unlike the Empire, it is a place controlled by the Holy Blood Orthodox Church, so there is no way to do anything about it.’

There were two Orders in the world.

The Blood Cross Church located in the Empire, and the Holy Blood Orthodox Church that defined them as heresy when they accepted vampires 200 years ago.

The two Orders shared the same roots, but they were now calling each other heretics and maintaining a sharp confrontation.

They had fought family feuds packaged as holy wars several times, and the captured prisoners were condemned as heretics and publicly executed.

Their relationship was so extremely bad that burning the other’s holy site had now become a common occurrence.

‘She coiled herself in a really awkward place.’

For now, he had no choice but to watch.

‘I must wrap up Zodiac first. For now, this is the priority.’

Knock, knock, knock!

Revealing herself after the knock was her, no different from usual.

“Lord Chief Inquisitor. Good morning.”

As she always did,

she casually began to tidy up the interior neatly.

Staring blankly at her, Rashid quietly waited for some words to come out of her.

But without saying much, she was about to leave after tidying up only the inner side.

“You said you had no interest, yet you checked it well.”

She cast her gaze.

Her expression itself did not change.

It did not take very long for her to open her mouth after pausing for a moment.

“I thought you bought the showroom. In common sense, there’s no way a bike costing 500,000 credits would exist, right?”

“And so?”

“I searched and found that it really exists. So I understood. That you really did buy a bike.”

“Would you like to take a look? Didn’t you say you subscribe to Arcane Tech regularly?”

“I don’t have much interest in men’s hobbies. I only subscribe to it obligatorily because I am a knight, not because I am particularly interested.”

“But was there no mention of that bike in Arcane Tech? Since the Celestial Pole Workshop was involved, there definitely should have been contents.”

“There was, but there was nothing about the price. That is why I couldn’t even grasp it.”

Nodding, Rashid sought to wrap up the conversation.

“Alright. Go on.”

“But won’t you show it to me? I also want to see what a 500,000-credit bike looks like in reality.”

Rashid chuckled and shook his head.

It was an ‘I knew it’ expression.

Soon after, his armory opened, and the bike that had been sleeping soundly inside made its appearance in his office.

“Feel free to look all you want. Because it is a precious ride that is only one of its kind in the world.”

She scanned it half-heartedly, then wore a slightly displeased expression.

“I don’t really know. Whether this is an item worthy of 500,000 credits.”

“Its true value can only be known when the situation actually arises.”

He wouldn’t be able to reenact yesterday’s sprint again.

Still, there was a way to let her know indirectly.

“If there’s an opportunity, I will give you a ride. Then your thoughts will change completely.”

“When is that? Just give me a ride this weekend. My time is free on the weekend anyway.”

“For now, I can’t because of Zodiac. Ah, and.”

Rashid, after calling her over, spread out a map of the Empire.

Then he pointed out a few spots.

“Purchase them when you have time. Right now during the war is probably the right time. Since things are chaotic, the owners won’t be able to get a proper price.”

Unlike toward the hateful bike,

her eyes scanning the locations on the map were brimming with vitality.

“Is a mana stone mine or something going to be established here?”

“You could say so. There are places that aren’t, but it will definitely be meaningful. And half of the profits are mine. You know this without me having to repeat it until my mouth hurts, right?”

“Of course.”

“But will the funds be sufficient?”

“It doesn’t matter as long as the bond prices keep rising like this. Because I can just put it up as collateral at the bank and pull some money.”

“Then that is a relief.”

“I’m going to get busy again. I was really busy before too, buying up the bonds.”

Before he knew it, she was standing at the door.

“Well then, I will go prepare to head out.”

As Rashid nodded, the absorption transceiver rang.

It was the Vice Commander, Akard.

* * *

The confinement facility located in the basement of the Inquisition Bureau.

Rashid was heading somewhere, leading the Emperor.

“I never expected you to come alone. I thought there would at least be guards.”

“Must I attach guards? I am practically a knight now.”

“Still, wouldn’t it be better to have them?”

“It will only invite unnecessary suspicion. Besides, guards are unnecessary now.”

Hearing that answer,

Rashid also felt many things in his own way.

‘Guards are unnecessary?’

Come to think of it, he had no idea how much she had grown.

“Your skills must have improved a lot?”

“I have completed even the Blood Succession Ceremony that the previous emperors did. I am at least capable of protecting my own body.”

Rashid asked quietly.

“Have you ever thought about that? Thinking that it would have been better if you possessed the current strength along with the power of authority back when it was valid.”

The Emperor smiled faintly.

“Why wouldn’t I? But the problem is that it wasn’t possible. This strength is also one I obtained only after giving up my authority. Unless I regressed, it would have been hard to possess both.”

The place where their steps stopped was the playground-like place, not even close to a prison, where the Empire’s nobles had sneaked into for shelter previously.

Here, Kaiser saw Rashid who had come to find him, and was somewhat puzzled.

“Well, what brings you here? Do you have something to say?”

“As you can see, the Party Representative is well here.”

“Inquisitor. You kept your promise.”

-You have completed the main linked quest ‘His Life or Death’.

-Obtained ‘Mana +1’ as a reward.

To the somewhat puzzled Kaiser,

Rashid gestured with his chin toward her whom he had brought.

“By any chance, is it Her Majesty?”

“I was greatly worried because there was no news. The Party Representative was indeed alive.”

“Haha, that’s… because circumstances arose. I am sorry to have caused concern. Come to think of it, I was missing for a month.”

Since it was not a place to stay long,

Rashid led her.

“Let’s talk about the rest upstairs. I will explain.”

A short while later,

the two returned to sit at the inner chamber reception area.

It was she who restarted the conversation.

“I was worried. Lest you had lied to put me at ease.”

“Although you verified it directly, it is indeed him.”

“I know. Because I still remember that fellow’s light tone and voice.”

Rashid told her the story of what had happened in the meantime.

“You’re saying he was held by the Dharma Mage Division?”

“Yes, the culprit was Zodiac, and I brought him back from where he was locked up in the Dharma Mage Division. He won’t be able to return to the political stage immediately, but once Zodiac is dealt with, he will stand at the forefront again.”

“Is staying here his wish?”

“Yes, isn’t this place naturally where he flees when it gets dangerous? You can consider it similar this time too.”

“That is a relief.”

She showed a look of relief.

Rashid was similarly relieved.

‘A relief. That I was able to avoid that woman’s bloody rampage.’

His relief lasted only a moment.

She spoke honestly about what she had felt earlier.

“However, it was different.”

“What was?”

“It was fascinating how we can be so different despite being fellow Players.”

She vividly recalled the two who were distinctly different.

Because while one was composed of pure mana itself, the other had absolutely nothing of the sort.

“The Party Representative in the basement was at a level where it is safe to consider him just an ordinary person. Weren’t you fellow Players? Why are you completely different?”

“We simply grew in different ways. He is not a person to be disregarded like that. If Her Majesty were not protected by authority, you would unconditionally be swayed by his silver tongue. Because he possesses such power.”

“A silver tongue… is it similar to the authority I possessed?”

“It probably is. That Party Representative will lead the Empire with that power. It is a power that is not at all inferior to the power of authority you held.”

“I see.”

Rashid was observing her without her realizing.

It was wariness.

If she were merely an Emperor who had lost authority, there would be no need,

but that was not the case at all now.

“Inquisitor. I am still doing a lot of thinking. I am also keeping the words you said in my heart.”

The Emperor cast her gaze at Rashid.

“I do not think that matter is solely your concern. And if only to allow the Party Representative in the basement to return safely, that fellow must surely be an axis of evil that needs to disappear.”

Recalling his past memories, Rashid asked her quietly.

“I want to ask one thing. Among various magical visions, I heard there is something called Clairvoyance that allows one to observe far places. By any chance, were you the one monitoring me without my knowledge? I am asking because no matter how much I think about it, no one else comes to mind besides you.”

The Emperor did not answer that.

“Inquisitor. As my personal reward for rescuing the Party Representative, I have something to give you.”

As she stood up and approached, Rashid also stood up following her.

‘What is she trying to do?’

As the distance to her closed, Rashid also couldn’t help but be on guard.

But making his extreme caution feel useless,

she calmly pinned a cross-shaped insignia on the chest of his uniform.

“This is my heart given to commend that deed. Always, everywhere, I will be with you. Please, stop the one named Zodiac.”

Rashid silently looked down at the insignia she was pinning.

Since it was an award given by an Emperor who had stepped down from the throne, it probably didn’t carry much meaning,

but he thought there was no harm in wearing it.

“Do not worry about Zodiac. As long as you stay quiet, I will handle that fellow on my own even if you don’t say so.”

Because she wore a mask, her eyes were not visible,

but the corners of her mouth below were clearly smiling.

“Then I shall trust you.”