Chapter 137 : Chapter 137
Chapter 137: Newbie Hunter (3)
As the law of ‘No Entry for Miscellaneous Spirits’ was reproduced in the present world, the ghost soldiers surrounding us were bounced away in an instant.
The law of Akiro, which transcended physical laws, had literally blocked the entry of miscellaneous spirits as its name suggested.
“Wh-What? You can do something like this?”
Luna’s flustered voice was heard, but now wasn't the time to answer that.
The law of ‘No Entry for Miscellaneous Spirits’ had the effect of preventing the approach of Ghost types, but it didn't have a function to directly attack them.
Therefore, although the ghost soldiers had temporarily retreated, they were still surrounding us in a wider formation.
“......They look fine?”
Luna said with a bitter expression.
As she said, the moment Akiro's law was lifted, the ghost soldiers would rush in again.
Naturally, there was no way I would allow that.
‘Lion, prepare.’
[Yes.]
Demonic energy condensed in my right hand and was offered as the price for Spirit Magic.
However, Spirit Magic alone couldn't attack the widely spread ghost soldiers all at once.
Of course, I could use the magic itself to sweep a wide area, but that would be a terribly inefficient act even if I am a contractor of a Demonic Spirit.
Therefore, a separate means to scatter this Spirit Magic over a wide range was needed now, and fortunately, I had that means.
[Activates ‘Weapon Summon (??)’.]
[Reproduces weapon, ‘Divine Sword Levatein’.]
[Weapon Reproduction Rate: 15%]
[Reproduction Duration: 5 seconds]
The Divine Sword Levatein revealed itself in my right hand with a blue halo of light.
More precisely, a fake that reproduced it.
A sword that exterminates demons.
And cuts through magic.
As it combined with the Spirit Magic I activated, it created a storm of demonic energy from the blade.
Rumble-rumble-rumble───!!!
“What the......!”
Luna’s face was dyed with shock.
Boom!
The Divine Sword Levatein, wrapped in a storm of demonic energy, was swung.
[Kiyaaaaaaaak!]
Along with the bizarre scream like a wail that resonated again, the ghost soldiers were torn to shreds by the storm of demonic energy.
Even though I am a contractor with a spirit, to create such a scene simply with magic would require an enormous price.
Moreover, Lion's rank as a spirit wasn't that high, so there was a limit to the magic that could be realized no matter how much price was paid.
Nevertheless, the reason for such a miracle was possible.
The power imbued in the Divine Sword Levatein allowed creating such a scene with merely that much demonic energy.
Whoooosh.......
Now, among the ghost soldiers that numbered in the dozens, only one was moving.
And even that one was limping as it moved, having suffered severe damage to its existence.
“Th-There! One is running away!”
“I let it go on purpose.”
“Huh?”
“Let's pursue.”
The reason I intentionally left one ghost soldier was simple.
“Since it suffered severe damage to its existence, it will instinctively try to return to its master. We just have to follow it.”
“Hmm, will that be easy?”
“We have to make it work.”
Ghost types boast speed that human steps cannot follow originally as they are not subject to physical constraints, but not now when it has suffered severe damage to its existence.
Of course, despite that, due to the characteristic of not being affected by terrain, we would lose it if we didn't hurry.
“Let's move for now.”
The place the ghost soldier fled to.
The Newbie Hunter will be there.
***
What is the Newbie Hunter’s goal?
When I first learned about the Newbie Hunter, I vaguely assumed that the goal lay in Ascension Stone Fragments.
Otherwise, it was common sense that there was no reason for a player to risk hunting other players.
Of course, there could be other purposes, but those other purposes usually aren't worth the risk of targeting players.
Bluntly speaking, if one wanted to make money by killing people, robbing nobles scattered throughout the Empire and Kingdom would suffice.
However, if the Newbie Hunter's hunting method isn't performed directly by themselves but through ghost assassins, the story is different.
Hunting through ghost assassins has the advantage of being able to murder players even in the middle of a large city without leaving evidence, but the most important process of recovering Ascension Stone Fragments is very cumbersome.
Most Ghost types cannot carry Ascension Stone Fragments harboring lethal demonic energy, and if one were to step forward directly to recover Ascension Stone Fragments, there would be no reason to go through the trouble of creating Ghost types to commit a perfect crime.
After painstakingly planning a perfect player murder operation, one's tail would be stepped on by other players during the Ascension Stone Fragment recovery process.
So far, no one within the Anonymous Bulletin Board has grasped the true nature of the Newbie Hunter.
No, even if there were, at least that fact hasn't been known to the outside.
This implies a certain fact.
The Newbie Hunter has been killing players with a very simple means close to a perfect crime, and there are few or no people who have noticed that fact so far.
For this to be possible, it means the Newbie Hunter has completely excluded risk in the perfect crime.
In other words, it is highly likely they did not proceed with high-risk processes like recovering Ascension Stone Fragments.
Then what is the Newbie Hunter’s goal?
For what reason do they go around finding and hunting players?
At this rate, doesn't it seem like the goal lies not in Ascension Stone Fragments, but in killing players itself?
‘Of course, it’s all just a deduction so far but......’
If the Newbie Hunter is a player group under the Empire’s control, there is also a possibility that a separate Ascension Stone Fragment recovery team is operating without needing such assumptions.
Of course, considering the success rate of a perfect crime according to the number of accomplices, that possibility is also low.
‘I’ll know once I find them.’
Who the Newbie Hunter is.
What the Newbie Hunter’s goal is.
“What on earth is going on....... Is the Newbie Hunter really there if we follow that?”
Luna said in a voice that hadn't shaken off anxiety.
“Probably.”
“But wouldn't it be dangerous?”
“Since our appearances have been discovered anyway, it will be more dangerous in the future if we don't deal with it now.”
I don't know how the Newbie Hunter found me and Luna, but it is certain that our existence has been discovered by the Newbie Hunter.
Even if we return leaving the Newbie Hunter be, we would likely be attacked by a ghost assassin again while sleeping someday.
In other words, it was right to resolve it right now rather than suffering from the stress of not knowing when we might be assassinated every time we sleep.
“I thought it was all over now, but what is this again....... Seriously, something keeps happening when I get involved with Vell-nim.”
“Isn't it more correct to say you got swept up in this case?”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Luna tilted her head as if she didn't know.
“It’s the Imperial Capital soon.”
The blurry form of the ghost soldier had reached the walls of the Imperial Capital beyond the horizon before we knew it.
As expected, the ghost soldier had come from the Imperial Capital.
“Ah, but once it goes over the wall, won't we not know where it went? There aren't just one or two buildings inside the Imperial Capital.”
“There is no need to worry about that part. Since remnants of Spirit Magic still remain on the ghost soldier, we just have to track that trace.”
“......Then didn't we need to chase in such a hurry?”
“It’s not tracking magic in the first place, so the trace of magic doesn't last that long. And dragging time needlessly would only give the Newbie Hunter room to respond.”
Therefore, it was right to end this pursuit as quickly as possible.
Before the Newbie Hunter can respond, we barge in as fast as possible and subdue them.
“But what are you going to do in the middle of the Imperial Capital? You said they might be on the same side as the Imperial Household? Turning the Empire into an enemy is a bit much even for me.”
“That is why this is needed.”
When I took out the Plague Mask from my bosom, Luna’s expression crumpled mercilessly.
“......You're not serious, right?”
“I am serious.”
“No, come on! You're telling me to wear that stuffy thing again?”
“Isn't it better than turning the Empire into an enemy?”
“That...... is true but! No, even so!”
“Is there another way?”
Luna made a face like she was chewing on shit.
“......There isn't. That makes it really annoying. Why isn't there?”
“Then wear it quietly.”
“Ugh.”
Luna and I wore the Plague Mask set again, and the Imperial Capital drew near before we knew it.
“Since I have no intention of passing through the main gate proudly, we will use space magic. You know how to use a few movement spells, right?”
“......Ordering me around as you please.”
Luna grumbled but didn't neglect preparing magic.
If it were moving a long distance, maybe, but for a spatial mage of Luna's caliber, secretly crossing over a wall didn't require much price.
Fortunately, the walls of the Imperial Capital were very high, and thanks to that, surveillance on top of the walls was also quite lax.
Should I say loopholes were created rather due to the open view because it was broad daylight and the high walls?
After easily breaking through the walls of the Imperial Capital like that, I chased the energy of the ghost soldier that had already disappeared beyond the buildings.
‘Lion, you can find it, right?’
[Yes. It's over there.]
“It’s that way.”
I immediately took steps following the direction Lion sensed the demonic energy.
There are many people in the Imperial Capital, and wandering around wearing the conspicuous Plague Set among them isn't a very good thing.
Therefore, I activated one of the laws of Akiro’s Ring.
[Akiro's Law is activated.]
[The law of ‘Invisibility’ is applied.]
Law of Invisibility.
As the name suggests, a law where beings belonging within the law become imperceptible to each other. Originally, it was one of the very tricky laws to encounter in the labyrinth, but it was a law optimized for infiltration as much.
Therefore, despite our attire that would have instantly drawn the gaze of the citizens in the Imperial Capital originally, we could cross through the Imperial Capital all too easily.
“......It really compares to the ring I received.”
“Yours is plenty good too.”
“Then trade with me even now.”
“That is a bit.”
After quickly breaking through the center of the Imperial Capital like that, Lion spoke in front of the building we finally arrived at.
[The energy is cut off here.]
In other words, this is where the Newbie Hunter is.
“......This is a little unexpected.”
Luna also couldn't hide her trembling eyes behind the mask lens as if agreeing with those words.
“No, does this make sense?”
Temple of the Punishment Order.
The place where the trace of the ghost soldier was last cut off was none other than here.
I felt I knew how such ghosts appeared in the middle of a large city where a temple of the Punishment Order exists.
If the one controlling the ghosts is the Punishment Order itself, they could have manipulated the barrier as much as they wanted without difficulty.
Luna spoke in a bitter voice.
“I think it would be better not to go in.”
Honestly speaking, I didn't think much differently, but we couldn't turn back now.
“Let's go in.”
“If we go in looking like this, it looks like we'll be dragged away by the Inquisitors at a glance......”
“Strictly speaking, this is a doctor's outfit so there is no need to worry.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Luna cautiously knocked on the door of the Punishment Order's temple, but for some reason, no sound was heard from inside.
“What? Is no one there?”
“Let's try going in first.”
The door was locked, but we weren't ones to be unable to enter just because a door was locked.
Click!
As Luna pushed the door roughly, the locking mechanism was undone at once and the temple door opened.
“......What? There's no one?”
As she said, the Punishment Order's temple was empty to the point where it was unbelievable for a temple in the Imperial Capital.
As if no one had been there from the start.
“Let's go in.”
Despite moving our steps inside the temple, it was equally silent.
It wasn't just that no one was near the entrance; not a single ant could be seen in the entire temple.
“Certainly, it is not a normal temple.”
Since it was the place the ghost soldier returned to, there was a possibility that the ghost soldier itself was created here.
In other words, in a way, this place could be seen as a ghost army production site through necromancy disguised as a temple.
“......It's gloomy.”
“I agree.”
Walking inside the empty temple, a door that looked like a grand conference room appeared before we knew it.
And, a clear human presence was felt inside this.
“Let's go in.”
Whoever is inside, we will know once we open the door.
Luna and I opened the door at once, each prepared to take out weapons and magic.
Bang!
Unlike the preparation to respond to an attack at any time with the roughly opened door, nothing happened.
“.......”
However, we couldn't relax our tension.
Because someone wearing the formal attire of the Punishment Order was sitting on a chair at the huge round table where dozens of people should have been sitting originally, looking at us.
“You have come.”
I knew with that single phrase.
This person was waiting for us.
“Please sit, it seems we have urgent matters to discuss.”