The Berserker’s Second Playthrough Novel - Chapter 89

Chapter 89
Chapter: 89

Chapter Title: Followers of the Forgotten God (11)

—

In a secluded part of the chamber where the remains of the avian beast lay scattered, Guard Captain Yulitan was sprawled across the floor, completely dead to the world, his heavy breathing sounding as rhythmic and untroubled as a sleeping infant.

“…….”

Kadim reached down, seized the man by his collar, and began hauling him away. Despite having slit the captain’s throat on two separate occasions and suggesting he be left for the scavengers… well, he had ultimately spared the man’s life, so there was no reason for a grudge.

Navigating the subterranean corridor, the Atalan warriors were occupied with the grim task of removing the remains of the bishop. While they hadn’t contributed much to the actual combat against the Night Raven sect, they had fulfilled their duties by maintaining a quiet perimeter at the entrance without interference.

Kadim decided to offer a gesture of gratitude in his own fashion.

“When this is settled, I’ll speak with the councilors who deployed you and listen to what they have to say.”

“……Are you serious?”

“Indeed. I don’t intend to enlist in your military or anything of the sort, but I can grant them an audience. I have to collect the reward from those individuals regardless.”

Perun was visibly pleased, though he once again whispered a warning to remain wary of the councilors’ motives. Kadim simply brushed the concern aside with a flick of his hand. If anyone needed to be on their guard, it was the politicians.

He left the remaining cleanup to the Atalan warriors. As he walked away, their voices rose in a boisterous chorus behind him: “Praise to the mighty brother who struck down the master of that shadow cult!” “Glory to the Father of the Wilderness for sending such a champion to our side!”

Stepping out onto the pavement, he found the city bathed in silence. High above, the firmament was still draped in a heavy cloak of obsidian, with only the faint glimmer of stars suggesting the coming dawn. Kadim drew in a breath of the cooling, humid summer air and moved through the night like a specter passing beneath a storm.

Galentana University, Paulownia Hall, third-floor dormitory.

Keeping her promise, Ilenia had remained awake and expectant. Curiously, Duncan was currently lying on the floor, his limbs bound and a gag stuffed into his mouth, twisting about.

“Mmph! Mmmph! Mmph!!”

“……Has he been snatched again? What’s with the restraints?”

“It isn’t what you think… He started shouting that I was a biological imitation and tried to attack me… No matter how much I bled to prove my humanity or tried to reason with him, he refused to listen. I eventually had to tie him up just to get some peace…….”

Ilenia spoke with a voice heavy with fatigue.

The situation was ridiculous, yet Kadim found he could understand the merchant’s paranoia. He let out a dry laugh and dropped the unconscious guard captain onto the floor next to Duncan. Then, he moved toward the archaeologist and presented the blood-caked shards of the crow mask.

Ilenia’s eyes widened, her pupils vibrating with shock.

“This is…….”

“The mask worn by that bishop. Along with the currency he was carrying.”

Clink—

There were six silver coins from the fallen kingdom in total. Adding the one Kadim already possessed to the five taken from the bishop made for a significant hoard. Ilenia stared at them, her gaze trembling as if she were witnessing an impossibility.

She struggled to regain her composure before speaking.

“You actually located and dismantled the Night Raven sect. And in less than a single day…….”

“There might be some stragglers left hiding in the shadows. But without these specific coins, they lose the ability to perform those rituals, like sculpting doppelgangers or manifesting those avian horrors.”

“……Avian horrors? Did the bishop actually manage to call forth a ‘Beast of Darkness’?”

“A creature of that nature, yes. It was a remarkably irritating bird.”

Her professional mask slipped once more.

Ilenia was well aware of the terrifying power inherent in a ‘Beast of Darkness’. To hear such a creature described as merely “irritating”? She found herself continually stunned by the sheer, overwhelming capability of this mercenary.

“In the ancient records, it was said that if the Elga Church commanded Arch Paladins, the Forgotten God cult countered with Beasts of Darkness. They weren’t exactly equal in power, and the cult was eventually wiped out… but those creatures left a trail of terror in history.”

“…….”

“I assumed the summoning process was too complex for them to finish in time, but the bishop must have done the groundwork long ago. We were on the verge of a catastrophe. Without your intervention, mercenary, the Night Raven sect might have truly dominated Galentana.”

“I’m not here for your praise. The contract is fulfilled, so I expect you to honor your side of the deal.”

Kadim fixed her with a piercing look.

“…….”

A heavy silence followed.

Her golden eyes flickered with a hint of hesitation. Kadim felt a familiar sense of irritation rising. His intuition for these things was rarely wrong.

“……I-I’m afraid the task isn’t entirely finished.”

As he suspected. Another link in the chain.

He had no patience for shifting goalposts and let his hand drift toward the handle of his axe. Ilenia gulped and began to explain herself with frantic speed.

“Recall when I mentioned that a councilor from the university faction provided the Night Raven bishop with holy relics? He didn’t surrender all of them. To ensure the bishop remained under his thumb, he kept more than half of the collection for himself.”

“…….”

“The Forgotten God cult is comprised of many heretical groups beyond the Night Raven sect. If other factions make a pact with that councilor, this nightmare will simply start over. We need to enter his estate and retrieve those relics immediately.”

“……What is this councilor’s name?”

“Vittorio. He is a senior figure in the university faction with ambitions for the chairmanship. He has the power to fund any group that might target you.”

“…….”

Kadim stared at her with a flat, unimpressed expression. While cleaning up the loose ends was logical, it felt like she was manipulating him into performing her political housecleaning.

Ilenia sensed his skepticism. To tip the scales, she revealed a reward she had been saving for the right moment.

“However, I realize it’s unfair to ask for more without proper payment. I will accompany you on this mission. And once we succeed, I will provide you with a unique ‘token of appreciation’.”

“……If you’re talking about more of those silver coins, don’t bother.”

Ilenia offered a faint, knowing smile and shook her head, describing the nature of the gift.

Kadim’s brow arched upward.

“You are capable of crafting such a thing?”

“Yes, it is within my power. You’ve seen it with your own eyes, haven’t you? By channeling the essence of the Forgotten God through the ‘fallen kingdom’s silver coins’, one can manipulate the fabric of space.”

“…….”

The boredom left Kadim’s expression, replaced by a flicker of doubt.

Through his association with her and her group, he had acquired the ‘dwarven throwing axe’ and the ‘stone tablet that pursues ruins’. They were powerful tools, certainly—but they were still just physical objects.

The prize she was offering now sounded more like a fundamental change to his own capabilities.

Could she actually pull it off? While he weighed the possibility…

An agitated voice erupted from the floor behind them.

“Mmph! Ptui! N-No! Absolutely not! Crossing a Senate councilor will bring nothing but ruin down on us later! And a manse of that size—how do you expect two people to search the whole place in a single night?!”

Duncan had finally managed to spit out his gag and was shouting at the top of his lungs.

Ilenia shot him a look of pure exasperation, while Kadim took a moment to reflect before speaking coldly.

“Is that your concern? Fine. You’re coming with us to help with the search.”

“……I beg your pardon?”

Duncan’s face took on the look of a beast realizing it had just walked into a trap.

A downfall doesn’t happen in an instant.

It is usually the result of a slow buildup—the cumulative weight of years of poor choices and bad luck finally reaching a breaking point. It is the final drop that makes the glass overflow or the last grain of sand that causes a dune to slide.

Most people, however, only notice the end result.

From a distance, it looks like a single mistake destroyed everything. That’s why those who fall often blame their “final error,” ignoring the long road of bad decisions that led them to the cliff’s edge.

For the university faction’s elder, Vittorio, his “final error” was the woman standing before him.

“……I don’t understand. We had an agreement. You were supposed to purge those Agon thugs from Galentana, and in return, I would provide all the silver coins you desired.”

“…….”

“Is this about that ‘Demon Slayer’ brat? Do you need more power to kill him? Why not just bring him into the fold? The Agon faction is desperate for his talent…….”

“…….”

“Regardless, you are making a massive blunder. Do you think you can betray me and walk away? I have a courier ready to ride for the Empire! Should I perish, he will expose the Forgotten God cult’s presence here. Unless you want the Elga Church to come and finish what they started centuries ago, you will let me go!”

Inside the quiet office on the third floor of Vittorio’s estate.

The woman with the thick, dark brown hair paid him no mind. She was busy scanning the carpeted floor, the ornate ceiling, and the walls decorated with expensive metalwork, her focus entirely on locating the hidden relics.

Vittorio let out a groan of frustration. He had known she was a dangerous partner, but he hadn’t expected her to strike before he could use her. Had he realized how unpredictable they were, he would never have made the deal.

Relics of the Forgotten God weren’t exactly something he could report stolen. Whether she took them or not, he had no legal recourse. He could already see his influence being stripped away by the Agon faction. He could only hope she wouldn’t find the hidden compartment.

That hope was short-lived.

“……I’ve found it. It’s here.”

Click, thud—!

A heavy metal chest, concealed beneath a mechanism in the floor, slammed down. Vittorio’s spirit sank with it.

But there was still a chance.

The woman quickly realized the box was protected by reinforcement enchantments, making it impossible to force open. She turned to him, her voice freezing.

“The key. Where is it?”

Looking into Ilenia’s eyes, Vittorio squinted in confusion.

“Who… who are you? You aren’t the person I spoke with before…….”

“…….”

“You look the same, but your eyes… what kind of trick is—urk!”

A concealed blade flicked from her sleeve, drawing a line of blood across his neck. Vittorio collapsed, clutching the wound. The sharp spike of pain cleared his head, sparking a desperate urge to survive.

“Gah, you arrogant thief! I don’t care who you are—I’m not giving you the key! Even if you kill me! You’ll kill me anyway, so why should I help you?”

He began to crawl backward toward a cabinet. Inside was a knife and a ring of keys. If he could cut his ties and get the keys, he might have a chance to fight back or negotiate.

That plan was aborted before it could begin.

“Ha! Found it! This looks like the right keyring!”

“……!”

Vittorio spun around, terrified. A small man had appeared like a ghost behind him, kneeling by the cabinet. He tossed the dagger aside and handed the keys to Ilenia.

Jingle—

“……My thanks, old man. That’s the first thing you’ve done right today.”

“Don’t give me thanks, give me the money. Just stick to the deal, miss. Add the 100 luden you owe from before—that makes 1,100 luden in total.”

“…….”

He was risking a break-in at a councilor’s home for pocket change?

Vittorio didn’t have time to process the absurdity. With the key in their hands, his options were gone. He tried one last desperate bluff.

“Enough! Get out of here while you still can! I don’t know how you got past my men, but the Senate guards will be here any second! They are everywhere! Unless you want to be crushed by a sea of elite soldiers—leave the box and…….”

“……Senate guards? Are you talking about these people?”

A voice like grinding stone cut through his words.

A massive shadow loomed in the doorway.

Thud!

Several unconscious Senate guards were dumped onto the floorboards. A hulking figure, more mountain than man, stepped over them. Even though Vittorio had never seen him, the sheer intensity of his presence and the rumors from the city made the identity obvious.

“D-D-Demon Slayer……?”

Vittorio could only stare, his mouth hanging open. Kadim ignored him entirely and walked toward the chest.

“What is taking so long. Get on with it.”

Clank, tick! Clank, tick!

Ilenia was frantically trying keys in the lock. Her fingers were moving at a blur, but the sheer number of keys was slowing her down.

“Just a second… I’m looking for the match…….”

“Why don’t you just break it open.”

“It’s enchanted with reinforcement magic—it’s unbreakable! Put that axe away…….”

Bang! Kra-kaka-kak!

The magically hardened metal shredded like parchment under the edge of the heavy axe.

Kadim tilted the ruined box and poured the contents out. Ten silver coins from the fallen kingdom spilled onto the floor with a metallic ring. He gathered them up and looked at the stunned Ilenia.

“What were you saying about the box?”

“…….”

“…….”

The archaeologist sent up a silent prayer of thanks that she wasn’t his target. The elder councilor, however, felt as though he were already staring at his own gravestone.