kscans

Chapter 143 - Altorine vs. Aleister.

I was astonished by what I saw inside.

...To think they had such advanced research equipment and medicinal ingredients.

Even on Earth, few countries would invest this much. Why? Because nations don't spend money on things that don't generate profit. They're only interested in what makes them more money. I wonder how many politicians truly give a damn about the safety and security of their citizens.

...I digress. But this facility was a clear testament to how much funding had been poured into it, and how much had been extorted from others.

I decided to act.

"Alright, time to use a skill... `Detection`, activate."

Information about the surroundings flooded my mind.

There seemed to be a room next to the laboratory. I went to the door, but it was just a solid wall with no handle. A hidden door meant there had to be a switch somewhere. I scanned the area. The desk was a chaotic mess of documents, medicines, and experimental tools. There were no drawers, and the only other conspicuous object was a massive flask.

That meant the switch had to be on the wall somewhere.

As I surveyed the walls, Tina spoke up.

"...When you say switch, the only thing on the wall is that painting, isn't it?"

She was standing in front of it as she spoke.

Indeed, there was a single painting in the lab, depicting nothing more than a towering tree. A strangely out-of-place piece for a research facility.

I mused aloud.

"Hmm... Logically, you move the painting, find a weird red switch behind it, and push it to open the door... It couldn't possibly be such a classic trope, could it?"

As I said it, I moved the painting, pushed the switch, and the wall slid open sideways.

The sheer simplicity of the mechanism left me feeling drained. Come to think of it, this world's culture was close to the Middle Ages. The Empire's advanced technology had made me forget.

The knights entered the open doorway cautiously.

But they just stood there at the entrance, stunned, not proceeding any further. A bad feeling crept over me as I peered inside.

What I saw was, in a sense, a vision of hell.

...Countless prison cells lined the room. In front of the bars, mutilated and burned corpses were strewn about haphazardly. The back of the cells was too dark to see clearly, but the stench of decay was overwhelming. To be honest, it wasn't something I wanted to look at any longer, but the evidence was likely hidden here.

I offered, "...Should I go in and check?"

The words seemed to snap the knight who looked like the squad leader back to his senses.

"No, this is our duty. Please, stay here."

He gave orders to his men, and they began to move.

They worked efficiently, but I could feel a sense of guilt and regret emanating from them, even through their helms. In the middle of it all, one knight entered a cell and suddenly burst into loud, sobbing tears.

Confused, I looked to a nearby knight, who explained.

"You may have heard, but there was a knight who tried to frame Commander Altorine. He was a rookie, had only been in the unit for about a week—a serious, hardworking young man. The one crying was his training instructor. He once said at a drinking party that it was like he'd gained a little brother. The idea that a rookie like that would betray the commander, only to end up dead in the forest... It was a story we could never bring ourselves to believe."

After his explanation, I asked, "May I ask one thing? I heard they moved to capture him, but could it be that—"

Before I could finish, the knight declared, his voice laced with anger.

"Yes. The ones who moved were the Pope's personal guard."

That explained it. Those bastards would do any dirty work on the Pope's orders. If the rookie knight was here, he was likely captured in secret and used as a tool for some depraved experiment in this lab. Officially, he was a criminal who had fled and died.

Fabricating a story like that would be simple for the man at the pinnacle of power.

As I was thinking this, a knight rushed into the lab in a panic.

"S-Sir! We need backup! Please come to the Pope's chambers immediately! Now!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs. What could have happened?

The clock turns back just a little.

In the Pope's chambers, Altorine and her ten knights faced a single man: Pope Aleister.

Ten against one. And the ten were all seasoned knights, with Altorine herself a battle-hardened veteran. The outcome should have been obvious. Yet, the expressions on Altorine and her knights were grim. They had all grown up hearing bedtime stories of the Pope's true power.

They had not been able to see him clearly in the dim light before, but now they saw his form anew. He wore a white mantle over silver armor crafted from Mithril and Orichalcum. On his head was a golden circlet, its center adorned with a glittering red gemstone.

Pope Aleister.

In his youth, he had been a combat-oriented knight who, as Knight Commander, had achieved numerous military honors. The most memorable story was of his days of fierce battle against the Empire's Emperor Dion. The emperor had advanced with the Sacred Spear Gungnir in hand.

When Dion's army marched on the Church, Aleister himself stood on the front lines and challenged him to single combat.

The duel was ferocious. The surrounding area became a sea of flames, the earth was gouged with craters as if torn apart by tornadoes, and countless slash marks scarred the landscape.

It was said that the knights and imperial soldiers of the time did not fight each other, but simply stood and watched the spectacle.

However, that battle was interrupted by a monster invasion from the Empire's northern territories, halting their advance. For this achievement, Aleister was promoted to Archbishop. Later, when the emperor apologized for his actions and sought peace negotiations, Aleister served as the envoy himself. As a result, while not a complete restoration of relations, they reached a point where they could interact. After the previous Pope's death, he ascended to the papacy for that service.

Altorine spoke. "May I ask one thing? Why would you do this? Did you not, more than anyone, love this country and its peace?"

To this question, the Pope replied.

"I certainly did love it. When I was young, I believed that serving the people was a knight's greatest desire. I thought the same even after becoming an Archbishop, and then Pope. However, as I grew older, a thought occurred to me: 'Is this my life?' When I thought that, I grew disgusted with my own foolishness. To have all this power, and to use it for others? What a ridiculously stupid and foolish way I have lived."

At these words, Altorine could only ask, "A foolish way to live?"

The Pope's voice was filled with rage. "Yes, foolishness! Power is something you use for yourself! For others? For the country? Nonsense. Utterly nonsensical! Ah! Now that I think about it, I should have helped the Empire's Dion back then! If I had, the two of us could have had the entire continent! I wish I could do it all over! I really do!"

At this confession, Altorine's face hardened.

"Pope... no, Aleister. It seems further discussion is unnecessary. Everyone! Seize him!"

At her command, the knights charged.

Every one of their faces was filled with righteous fury. The disappointment that Aleister was this kind of man was written all over them.

Aleister just smirked. "Hmph. `Acceleration`."

The moment he whispered the word, he vanished.

The knights looked around frantically, and at that moment, Aleister was behind them. The instant the knights sensed a presence at their backs and turned, all of their heads flew from their shoulders. Blood erupted like fountains of gore. Every last knight was dead.

Seeing this, Altorine turned to the one knight still standing behind her.

"You, leave this place at once and tell the remaining teams. 'Evacuate the church.'"

The knight, hearing her words, protested. "Lady Altorine! But what about—?!"

Before he could say more, Altorine roared.

"Go! Now!"

Spurred by her shout, the knight turned and fled.

Aleister, who had watched the whole exchange, sneered.

"Not running? Or have you resigned yourself to becoming my woman?"

To this, Altorine replied coolly.

"Neither. I am here to apprehend you. That is all."

Altorine readied her sword.

She knew it herself—Aleister was the stronger of the two. But she could not afford to lose. Aleister's goal: the complete domination of the Church.

He would show his rejuvenated form to the masses, proclaim a divine miracle, and solidify his support. Eventually, he would interfere with other nations—in other words, start a war. At first, his reasons were unclear, but from what he'd just said, it was likely for nothing more than personal gain. She could not let that happen.

With that resolve, Altorine cried out. "Skill: `Charge`!"

She activated the skill. An invisible wall enveloped her as she rushed forward. Seeing this, Aleister chanted.

"O, flames. Dwell within my sword and strike down my enemies!"

Flames coiled around his raised sword like a serpent, cloaking it in hellfire.

Aleister met Altorine's charge head-on. The two clashed. Altorine was slightly surprised to be stopped, but she didn't falter and continued to push forward.

Aleister wore a relaxed expression, but then... "This is tedious... `Explosion Sword`!"

His flaming sword suddenly detonated.

The blast sent Altorine flying. She rolled across the floor but managed to regain her footing. Fortunately, the wall from `Charge` had protected her from damage. The black smoke cleared to reveal an expressionless Aleister, standing there completely unharmed. He had withstood a point-blank explosion. Was it the sword's power or something else? In any case, her opponent was still standing.

Altorine straightened her posture and charged again, this time without a skill. Doing the same thing again would be pointless. All she could do was change her tactics.

She attacked with a wide horizontal slash from the right, but Aleister parried it. He used `Body Enhancement` to effortlessly block her full-strength attack with one hand and deflect it. From there, Aleister's sword came back at Altorine like a counter-strike.

However, Altorine had the skill `Foresight`. It only allowed her to see five seconds into the future, but in combat, five seconds is a huge advantage. She dodged with minimal movement. The sword passed inches from her head, sending a few strands of her hair dancing in the air. Feeling it pass, Altorine drove her left fist into Aleister's stomach.

Aleister was knocked back slightly, but he slid across the floor without losing his balance.

Having created some distance, Altorine shouted. "`Flash Sword`!"

She activated her light magic.

Her sword became cloaked in light, transforming into a blade of pure radiance. There was no longer any reason to hold back. If capturing him alive had become this difficult, she would have to fight with the intent to kill, or she wouldn't win.

Aleister smirked. "Hmph. Flames, enshroud."

He once again created his sword of fire.

And then, they clashed. Their swords crossed in a blur of vertical and horizontal strikes. The exchange was ferocious, a flurry of blocks and parries with neither able to land a decisive blow. They exchanged countless blows.

Then, Altorine cried out. "`Flash`!"

Light erupted from her left hand.

It had no offensive power, but it could blind an opponent.

Some time ago, when she had explained light magic to Shinsuke, he had said, "It seems to be all attack-based. But since it's light, there must be ways to daze your opponent."

This was a technique he had taught her.

Honestly, she had been skeptical. Sure, it was bright, but she hadn't thought it would be that effective. However, after trying it against monsters a few times, she realized it was nothing to scoff at.

Blinded by the sudden flash of light, Aleister's assault paused.

Altorine saw her chance.

"Split Flash!"

A myriad of slashes, a chaotic dance of light.

Before this attack, any opponent would be sliced to ribbons. That's what she thought. But Aleister was different.

Before Altorine's attack could begin, a single phrase echoed through the hall, turning the tables completely.

"Skill: `Summon`."

The knight's frantic report sent us running.

This was no longer a situation the knights could handle alone. After running for about ten minutes, we reached the stairs near the Pope's chambers on the top floor. We were all out of breath, but we quickly composed ourselves and started running again. The door to the Pope's chambers was open.

But there was no sound. A profound silence dominated the space. And there, lying collapsed on the floor, was Altorine.