Prohibitive Edict (25)
“Victor.”
After finishing matters in the chapel, they began to leave the cathedral one by one, disappearing from sight.
Whether they stayed in the city for other business or left Vulcan immediately—there were no questions or answers about it.
It was an organization made up of members who took little interest in each other’s whereabouts or survival.
They would part without even a greeting, then gather again as if nothing had happened to scheme another job.
Just as Lennok was about to rise, gathering his mana, Hairea’s voice stopped him.
Having finished praying in the chapel, Hairea stood and turned their gaze toward Lennok.
“I don’t mind you taking the Forbidden Armament, but at the very least, you’ll have to participate in the operation that will take place in the royal capital.”
[The royal capital?]
“There were several plans we intended to carry out with Doctor’s help, on the premise of recovering the Forbidden Armament.”
Hairea replied, glancing awkwardly at the snack box that Ermong had half-eaten and left behind.
“Clown confirmed that a [Gate] is hidden beneath the Kabahim royal palace.”
[…….]
“We’ll begin once the fisherman arrives, but we’ll need the ability of that artifact to conquer the [Gate]. A skilled manipulation sorcerer would be a great help.”
[A Gate, huh…….]
Hairea left out many details, but Lennok understood what she meant by the [Gate].
The existence of the Rift that Clown had mentioned in their last operation together—something he had to confirm beneath the royal palace.
One of the passages connecting this world to the Outer Sea lay dormant beneath the kingdom of knights.
Realizing this, Lennok tilted his head slightly.
[So that was the second plan you mentioned to me.]
The message Hairea had sent him. The two plans mentioned within it.
He understood now that the second plan—separate from the underground temple—referred to this.
“That’s right. There’s still time before we finalize participants, so set a time that works for you.”
Hairea admitted it readily and pointed at Victor’s gauntlet.
“If you need time to handle the Forbidden Armament, we can wait.”
[…….]
“You haven’t fully mastered it yet, have you? Even though you kept it a secret from the others.”
Hairea removed their eyepatch, both eyes gleaming mechanically.
“I can see the soul within the artifact still struggling. Even knowing you’re qualified, it refuses to be used.”
[How troublesome. So even that can’t be hidden from someone with the talent of duality.]
Though Lennok scoffed, he didn’t deny it.
As she said, he was merely suppressing the Forbidden Armament by force—he had not subdued the soul within it.
Ssshhh……!!
Even now, if he listened closely, whispers echoed endlessly in his ears.
A desperate scream, as if cursing the user—filled with hatred and resentment.
Yet Lennok didn’t even blink.
From the moment he obtained the Forbidden Armament, he understood that the human used as its material had accumulated such karma.
[I can hear the voice. It’s mixed with the malicious thoughts only someone who has killed and toyed with humans can possess.]
“…….”
Seeing Hairea’s slightly surprised expression, Lennok lifted the gauntlet.
[Despite the reputation of being from an Ascendant’s bloodline, the soul inside must have been quite depraved in life. Perhaps becoming material for the Forbidden Armament was a form of punishment.]
“That’s……”
[I’m not the kind of person to feel guilty about crushing a corrupted soul like that.]
Lennok’s voice echoed lazily from behind the mask.
[If anything, I’m more interested in increasing the weight of the punishment that soul carries.]
“…….”
[I’ve already grasped the sensation. Handling the amplification of techniques and extraction of intent is more than manageable. I won’t need much time.]
“……My apologies. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Hairea smiled bitterly, resting a hand on their waist as they looked up.
After pondering something briefly, they met Lennok’s gaze again.
“But… yes, it’s better to say this.”
[What is it?]
“Your guess might be right. There were rumors that the soul used in that Forbidden Armament belonged to a notorious human collector in the central city.”
[…….]
It was unexpectedly useful information—something Lennok hadn’t anticipated hearing at this point.
“For some reason, all members of that Ascendant’s bloodline were said to have fallen into bizarre forms of corruption.”
Watching Lennok’s reaction, Hairea continued calmly.
“If you find it difficult to handle the Forbidden Armament, try investigating its name.”
[Its name?]
“The name of the human used as its material. And the name given to the artifact upon its completion.”
Hairea’s gaze, fixed on the softly glowing glass gauntlet, held complicated emotions.
“It is both a living human and a weapon itself. Simply recognizing what name it was called by will surely help in wielding its fate.”
[That’s quite… an interesting idea.]
The method Hairea mentioned wasn’t information from Doctor.
Lennok sensed that instinctively and asked.
[Personal experience?]
“……No. I won’t answer that.”
Hairea smiled and lifted their gaze.
“For someone as perceptive as you, it’s a story I’d rather not reveal.”
[…….]
Hairea had said she devised the plan to steal the Forbidden Armament immediately after Anathema’s death.
That would only be possible if she already knew a great deal about its existence and history.
If she knew so much about it—and even how to handle its power—
Then perhaps her own talent had once nearly been “processed” in a similar way.
[……Fine.]
But instead of probing further, Lennok turned sharply, gripping his robe.
Normally, he would have gone straight to investigate the Ice Sigil.
But even he had accumulated considerable fatigue from manipulating the Forbidden Armament in his manifested body.
As the members of Pandemonium had said, the continuous battles without recovery were taking their toll.
For now, organizing the gains from today and recovering his body came first.
[I’ll consider the Gate of Kabahim later.]
Lennok glanced back, his eyes flashing beneath the mask.
[But understand this—I’m interested in the Gate itself, not because I obtained this artifact.]
“…….”
[If I participate, the plan will proceed entirely under my lead. Make sure to tell that fool playing fisherman.]
“Well… he’s the kind of person who’s completely insensitive to that sort of conflict or provocation……”
Hairea smiled bitterly and nodded.
“But if you participate, Clown will definitely be pleased. That I can guarantee.”
[A guarantee about an illusionist’s emotions.]
Lennok chuckled as he gathered his mana.
[The least trustworthy assurance in the world.]
***
Countless people walked along a wide avenue paved with white marble.
Every single one wore a devout expression, hands clasped, heads bowed as they murmured prayers.
Though tens of thousands gathered here did not know each other, they all shared the same purpose.
They took four steps, stopped, bowed their heads in prayer—then took four more steps.
Four—the contradictory number symbolizing death, rest, and what comes after.
Yet in this world without salvation, it was the only way to reach paradise.
The headquarters of the Gido Cult.
A procession of countless believers on pilgrimage to the sacred land of the Pantheon.
“They look like insects.”
Sitting in the courtyard of a white palace, Ureka looked down at them coldly.
Though dressed in splendid ceremonial attire, what stood out was the blue cloth tightly wrapped around one arm.
A sacred shroud with a rough texture—hardly something meant merely to wrap an arm.
Even the priests standing silently behind her, holding towels and staffs, flinched at her intense whisper.
But Ureka paid them no mind and muttered quietly.
“At a time when the Order is in chaos, they should be fulfilling their duties with sincerity—yet they waste time on mere pilgrimage prayers?”
“…….”
“Salvation doesn’t come just because you vaguely wish for it. They’re mistaken.”
She turned her head sharply toward the young man sitting across from her.
“Don’t you think so?”
“……Well.”
The Second Apostle, sipping coffee leisurely, replied.
“It’s not that I can’t understand their helplessness. They believe the doctrine delivered by the Order is truth, so naturally they cling to it desperately.”
“…….”
“Rather, I find your existence more interesting. A priestess who carries the voice of that One, yet dislikes the believers of the Order……”
The young man pushed up his glasses as he looked at her.
“Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say that you are a kind of dissonance that never existed in the Order before?”
“……!!”
The priests listening turned pale as corpses at the shocking question.
If an ordinary believer had said that before Ureka, their skin would have been flayed off before they could finish speaking.
“I am different from the other priestesses.”
But instead of anger, Ureka let out a cold smile.
“How could an illegitimate child, born without inheriting the authority of the high priest passed down through generations, ever be the same as the priestesses you cherished?”
“…….”
The authority of the high priest was lost with the death of the 10th priestess, Seina Naidri.
And Ureka Naidri, who became the next priestess, never inherited it.
A new priestess with talent for rituals, yet without that authority.
Thus, what she was given was the power to control apostles driven mad through human sacrifice.
“I am the voice of that One, but I also represent another aspect of that One.”
Ureka said.
“The anger cast aside, the humiliation forgotten, the inadequacy cut away.”
“…….”
“I have not forgotten that I stand here because I was cast out and inferior.”
Her eyes shone cruelly.
“That’s why I can become more complete than any other priestess.”
She did not deny her lack—
That she was born with inferiority from incompleteness.
The 11th priestess, burdened and insufficient even to fulfill the role of high priest for now.
Yet her mind was strong enough to accept that as her identity.
That was not power gained after becoming a priestess, but something innate.
“That may be so.”
The Second Apostle acknowledged her words.
“You’re not wrong. Perhaps the Order does need a priestess like you.”
“…….”
“But then, why did you wish to see me? You know that I and the previous priestesses never interfered in each other’s affairs.”
His eyes behind the glasses glowed silver.
“Or are you saying that’s another way you differ from the Naidri lineage?”
“……!!”
Just meeting his gaze felt like her soul was being crushed under immense pressure.
Only someone with the talent, authority, and mental strength of a priestess could even face him.
How long had he stood at the High Priest’s left hand, devoting himself to the Order?
A weight of time she could not fathom pressed down on mortals through his gaze.
Yet Ureka frowned under that pressure and spoke slowly.
“I require assistance in unlocking the manufacturing ritual of the Forbidden Armament.”
“The Forbidden Armament, hm.”
“The previous priestess sealed the ritual, deeming it inefficient. But that’s not my way.”
She stared at him.
“If there are means available, shouldn’t we use them all?”
“To compensate for the authority of the high priest you lack?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
Ureka grinned.
“I’ll grind up some useless apostles for experiments first, then proceed to full production. If successful, we could have apostles wield weapons made from apostles—a contradiction of blasphemy.”
“Ureka.”
The Second Apostle smiled faintly.
“The position of an apostle isn’t something that can be easily replaced. Have you not realized that even after what happened with Anathema?”
“…….”
“We struggled just to find a temporary replacement for the Sixth Apostle. Kamrodal is scouring the continent even now. I cannot assist in treating apostles as expendables.”
“New things do not arrive only after the old leaves.”
Ureka shook her head.
“Sometimes, only after clearing space can something new be filled. The authority I was given symbolizes that very truth.”
“…….”
“Now that many apostles meant to uphold that One’s place have fallen into mere beasts, I believe it’s time to refresh the seats of the apostles entirely.”
Her authority to control mad apostles was granted precisely because she lacked the high priest’s authority.
She used her very existence as proof that stagnation must be cleared.
“Among the ten highest apostles, only you, Kamrodal, and the Third Apostle acting through your dealings are active outside the central front.”
She touched her wrapped arm as if in pain.
“The successors for the Fifth and Tenth Apostles have already been selected. Once stabilized, they’ll inherit the apostolic techniques.”
“…….”
“And I will also reclaim the remains of Amrita Praubel, which you have kept, for the training of the new Tenth Apostle.”
She looked at him.
“This is for the Order. You won’t refuse for personal reasons, will you?”
She knew he had cherished the 9th priestess, Izel Naidri.
And that he still preserved the body of Amrita Praubel, once host to her soul.
Yet she demanded it without hesitation.
Because she was prepared to be hated.
Her blind faith that her will was the High Priest’s will drove her.
“If that is the will of the new priestess, I will cooperate.”
The Second Apostle finished his coffee and stood with a gentle smile.
“But there is one condition.”
“If it is a request from the leading apostle, anything.”
“You will retrieve Amrita’s remains only after resolving the lightning lodged in your arm.”
Ureka’s face twisted.
“……Why?”
“The nature differs, but Amrita’s remains are also under a powerful curse.”
He smiled bitterly.
“A curse that encrypts biological information and seals the apostolic technique itself.”
“Seals… the apostolic technique?”
“That’s why Seina hastily appointed the next Tenth Apostle. Once Amrita’s scale technique was sealed, there was no other way but to create a new apostle. And above all—”
He stepped closer and touched the cloth wrapped around her arm.
“The lightning within your arm carries a will stronger than any mage I know.”
“…….”
“If that lightning interferes with the apostolic technique… it wouldn’t be good for you or the next Tenth Apostle.”
He straightened and smiled.
“I’m not eager to welcome another new priestess just yet. I’d like to see how far you go borrowing that One’s will.”
“……Understood.”
Did he already know she had been struck by Anathema’s lightning?
“If you’re concerned about a clash of curses, then it can’t be helped. But removing the lightning won’t take long.”
Ureka quickly steadied her emotions and spoke calmly.
Since sealing it with the sacred cloth, she had been researching ways to resolve it.
Residual will left in a victim would inevitably dissipate unless the caster was aware—
“It’s not like that mage even knows I was struck by his lightning—”
“Oh, that reminds me.”
The Second Apostle turned as if recalling something.
“He asked me to pass along a message. He wondered if your arm was alright.”
“…….”
This time, Ureka’s face twisted like she had bitten into something rotten.