“Come on, tell me! What was the Vinny in this world like in that meat bun’s memories?”

“Oh? Didn’t you just say you’d trade your next two meals for the answer?” the black-robed figure teased.

“Why, yes, I did say that. But surely our magnificent and farsighted Boss wouldn’t make his subordinate fight enemies on an empty stomach, would he?” [Blood-Debt] replied in an ingratiating tone.

“Then I definitely can’t tell you. The image that meat bun had of this world’s me would give you enough material to laugh at me forever,” the black-robed figure said mockingly.

“What? You won’t even share intelligence with your best partner?”

“Just as you guessed, the me in this world is a boring little white rabbit.”

The black-robed figure stopped examining the memories he had taken from Kero.

“Boring? A harmless little white rabbit might be boring on its own, but when that rabbit is an alternate-world version of someone, it becomes something else entirely. That makes it extremely entertaining,” [Blood-Debt] sneered.

“Whether you find it entertaining is irrelevant. We’ll never see him again, so knowing any of this would be pointless. You’re better off without useless information.”

After saying that, the black-robed figure suddenly turned toward the cellar entrance for no apparent reason.

“How can you call it useless? Shouldn’t the two of us decide whether intelligence has value together? How did you get to make that judgment all by yourself?”

[Blood-Debt] still refused to give up.

“Enough. Stop making noise.”

The black-robed figure’s voice grew several degrees colder, though his normal tone was already cold to begin with.

After working with him for so long, [Blood-Debt] knew what those words meant.

They had business to attend to.

“What? Don’t tell me someone actually found our hiding place.”

[Blood-Debt] surveyed the cellar.

It had transformed the place into a grisly nest of flesh. Thin membranes riddled with blood vessels covered the walls, ceiling, and floor.

Those fleshy membranes blocked magical detection. Enchanted tools, spells, and mana perception all failed within their range, making it impossible to detect the aura of an evil Spirit Soul or evil Divine Armament.

This was one of [Blood-Debt]’s specialties.

It had survived for so long not because it was overwhelmingly powerful in battle, but because it excelled at hiding. Its potential for growth was exceptional, and its ability to flee was first-rate.

[Blood-Debt]’s concealment and disguise abilities were so powerful that even individuals several realms above its wielder could not see through their disguises.

That was precisely why so many nations had placed it on their wanted lists and repeatedly attempted to encircle and destroy it.

This was [Blood-Debt]’s deadliest quality.

It was also why so many evil Spirit Soul wielders still coveted it despite its infamous reputation.

Anyone who became its partner would receive the protection of its [Evil-Extinguishing Blood Barrier]. A wanted criminal despised by everyone could vanish into a crowd and wait for the perfect moment to strike.

Ever since a Dawn Saintess developed enchanted items capable of detecting evil Spirit Souls, hiding their evil Spirit Soul aura had become the ability countless wanted criminals dreamed of possessing.

That did not mean [Blood-Debt] was the only Divine Armament capable of perfectly concealing such an aura.

It was simply the only option available to most wanted criminals.

After all, if they already had to rely on crooked paths merely to commit their crimes, how could they possibly obtain the aid of any other Divine Armament?

Even evil Divine Armaments had standards. They were not objects any stray nobody could simply pick up and use.

An evil Divine Armament as indiscriminate as [Blood-Debt] was exceptionally rare even among its own kind.

The black-robed figure said nothing.

He and [Blood-Debt] dissolved into a pool of shadow and emerged outside the concealed cellar entrance.

The black-robed figure took shape behind several broad banana leaves. Using [Blood-Debt]’s power to conceal his presence, he silently observed several students talking not far from the cellar.

His gaze locked almost immediately onto a cherry-haired figure.

His pupils contracted, and his fingers tightened around the banana leaf.

“Oh my? It looks like things just became interesting.”

Noticing his reaction, [Blood-Debt] spoke in a teasing voice that no one else could hear.

The black-robed figure remained silent.

They were too far away to hear the conversation under normal circumstances, so he released his mana and extended his perception.

Their voices immediately reached his ears with perfect clarity.

“Thank you so much, Lady Margaret! Thank you for healing such a troublesome injury,” a female student said gratefully. “I hurt myself during training before, and I had no idea what to do. Even after I asked a nun to treat it, there was always this faint aching pain. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong, but after you treated me, it stopped hurting completely.”

“Me too!” a male student chimed in. “Margaret, you’re practically a Saintess descended from heaven! You’re the true Dawn Saintess!”

“...”

The black-robed figure watched from the shadows without speaking or showing any visible reaction.

However, the banana leaf clutched in his hand had already torn.

“Now this is entertaining.”

Seeing his reaction, [Blood-Debt] was delighted, like a spectator eager to watch the chaos unfold.

It then turned its attention toward the cherry-haired girl whose back faced them.

The Dawn Saintess?

That could not be right.

Even an evil Divine Armament like [Blood-Debt] knew that the Facilis Family had only one child in each generation.

The Facilis of this world—the other Vinny—had already been replaced and sent to another parallel world.

So where had this additional “Dawn Saintess” come from?

[Blood-Debt] did not know.

But it was more than happy to enjoy the spectacle.

It seemed someone still harbored a great deal of resentment over the matter.

“You’re all too kind. Being able to help you is the best reward I could ask for.” Margaret smiled gently. “And please remember to rest properly between training sessions.”

“Mm-hmm! We’ll remember what you said, Lady Margaret.”

[Blood-Debt] had wanted to keep watching, but it suddenly realized that the black-robed figure who had been standing beside it a moment ago had disappeared without a trace.

There was nothing it could do.

He controlled its meal supply.

No matter how intense [Blood-Debt]’s curiosity was, it had no choice but to follow him back into the cellar.

“Heh heh, Boss. Are you in a bad mood?”

The black-robed figure stood with his back to it, saying nothing. [Blood-Debt] laughed cheerfully.

“You shouldn’t bottle things up when you’re upset. We’ve already chosen this path, so why bother restraining yourself?”

“How about this? Let’s devour that Margaret and find out whether she’s real or fake. Then we can kill a few more people and eat a couple of meat buns to improve our mood.”

“Boss? Say something. This is a terrible time to go quiet.”

When the black-robed figure remained silent for a long while, [Blood-Debt] could no longer resist prompting him again.

“Heh. I have my own plans. I don’t need your commentary,” the black-robed figure said coldly.

His tone was noticeably more frigid than before.

“Even in a different world, the Pope of the Dawn and those pointy white turnips under him are still just as revolting and sinister.”

“Exactly. Those people reek worse than anyone,” [Blood-Debt] said, eagerly fanning the flames. “Let’s finish what we never had the chance to complete in the previous world. We’ll utterly destroy your enemies and tear down the Church of the Dawn’s stronghold.”

“Did you think I needed you to tell me that?”

The black-robed figure’s voice was icy.

“The monsters raised by the true culprits must naturally be devoured.”

“Those sanctimonious, treacherous scoundrels and hypocrites... Sooner or later, this young master will make every last one of them kneel and beg me to grant them an easy death!”

“Then I’ll tear them limb from limb!”

The black-robed figure had always spoken with a stiff, chilling detachment.

For once, however, his voice was saturated with profound fury and hatred.

“But there’s no need to rush. Time is on our side.”

“Besides, Carillian Academy still hasn’t been dealt with.”

“We’ll take them one at a time. First, we’ll make blood flow like a river through Carillian Academy. Then we’ll leave the Church of the Dawn covered in corpses.”

His expression turned dark and vicious.

“Not a single one of them will escape.”

“That’s right. That’s exactly how it should be. Not a single one of them will escape.”

[Blood-Debt] eagerly encouraged him, caring nothing for the chaos that would follow.

The thought that its future menu would include talented prodigies from every faction and members of the Church clergy filled it with excitement.

Choosing to follow this man had indeed been an excellent decision.

Of course, he was merely one choice.

As far as [Blood-Debt] was concerned, it had plenty of choices.

“Before that, I’d like to see what petty trick those pointy turnips from the Church are trying to pull this time.”

The black-robed figure clenched his fist. His rigid lips twisted into a savage smile.

“What a pity. In the previous world, we had only just killed that [Hero]. We never even got to enjoy the final celebration,” [Blood-Debt] complained.

“There’s no hurry. We can play with them for a while.”

“This young master has plenty of methods now, and the initiative is in my hands.”

“It won’t be long before Carillian Academy becomes a sea of blood.”

“But before that...”

The black-robed figure smiled.

“I’ll take a closer look at that fraud the Church has propped up and see exactly what she is.”

“Huh?”

Elsewhere, Margaret watched the students who had thanked her leave, then thoughtfully turned around and looked behind her in confusion.

There was no one there.

The wind blew through several swaying banana leaves. One of them had been inexplicably torn apart across a large section.

Had she imagined it?

Margaret’s fine brows furrowed.

For a moment, she had felt as though someone very familiar had been secretly watching her.

To be honest, she had been feeling strange lately.

She constantly felt as though she had forgotten something. Yet whenever she considered it carefully, everything seemed perfectly normal. She remembered everything she was supposed to remember.

Nothing appeared to be missing.

Night descended, and a dark curtain covered the azure sky.

“Your Highness, are you all right?”

The young woman hurriedly questioned the noble black-haired girl who had just awakened from an unconscious sleep.

“Help me sit up.”

The young woman quickly supported the black-haired girl, helping her lean against the headboard.

Isatia opened her exhausted eyes.

Her vision remained shrouded in darkness.

The familiar weakness and gloom had surged back after slipping from her control, steadily gnawing away at her consciousness.

That was an extremely bad sign.

Isatia turned toward the window, although her current vision was severely impaired.

“Has the double-moon phenomenon arrived?”

“Yes. It appears to be close. Tonight, we can already make out the outlines of both moons,” said the female student responsible for caring for Isatia.

“He still hasn’t returned?”

“Do you mean Vinny? No. Vinny still hasn’t been seen. He hasn’t attended class either, so there’s a very high chance that he’s one of the missing students.”

Isatia, dressed in her nightclothes, fell silent.

“Your Highness, you don’t need to worry too much. Perhaps something suddenly happened in Vinny’s family and he had to return home. Or perhaps—”

“No.”

Isatia shook her head with some difficulty.

“He’s in trouble.”

“How do you know?”

Isatia did not answer.

She continued looking out the window.

“Strange incidents have become increasingly frequent lately. I can smell something ancient and decayed in the air.”

“He must have encountered some kind of trouble at this critical point, just as the double-moon phenomenon is about to occur.”

Isatia pressed a hand to her head.

“This isn’t my territory. I can’t mobilize my own forces to investigate.”

“Please rest assured. The Academy has already begun an investigation.”

Isatia merely fell silent.

She was accustomed to handling everything personally. She never placed all her hopes in other people.

Had she not reached the point in her treatment when her medicine needed to be changed, she would certainly have searched for him herself.

Still, even if Vinny had encountered trouble, she continued to believe in the Facilis heir who had drawn her out of the darkness and fought through countless obstacles to reach this point.

He would never surrender here.

*****

“Dean, do you think the recent disappearances of two students could be connected to a Demon Pillar or its cultists?” a deputy dean asked.

“What? How could that be possible?”

The dean frowned.

“Carillian Academy has multiple checkpoints between its islands. Every outsider who enters is registered, and no one is admitted without a pass issued by at least a vice principal, followed by a rigorous inspection.”

“Under those circumstances, I cannot imagine how a Demon Pillar cultist could infiltrate the Academy, much less abduct two students and remain so thoroughly concealed afterward.”

“The only alternative would be for the intruder to appear inside the Academy out of thin air, and that is impossible.”

“The entire Academy is protected by the Nine-Eyed Curse Array. The moment an evil Spirit Soul wielder entered the grounds, the array would inevitably react.”

“What if the evil Spirit Soul wielder used some method to evade the Nine-Eyed Curse Array’s detection?”

“How could that be possible? That is already far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary Demon Pillar cultist.”

“...Are you suggesting [Blood-Debt]?”

“But according to the students’ reports from the Kamov Mountain incident, [Blood-Debt] disappeared afterward. Judging by its condition at the time, it may even have been destroyed.”

“Even if it survived, our assessment was that it had suffered grievous damage and would be unable to emerge and cause trouble again for at least a century.”

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