The Council’s administrative office sat slightly removed from the heart of Aingurna. Looking from the Dungeon Gate, it was situated on the opposite side of the city center. While the surrounding area was filled with large buildings, the one housing the administrative office was built with a grandeur that put the others to shame. Its presence was more striking than its actual size—it felt stately, or perhaps more like an ancient Great Temple. At least, that was the impression I got.
Following the Captain of the Guard’s lead, we passed through a gate so intricately decorated it was almost overwhelming and entered the building. The guards continued to surround us, making the atmosphere feel incredibly tense and heavy. Some Council employees who weren't in the loop looked on with surprise, clearly wondering what all the commotion was about.
Eventually, we arrived before a pair of massive doors.
"This is the Instruction Chamber," the Captain of the Guard announced. "Chief Mentor Ragiel is inside. See that you do not act out of turn."
It seemed we were meant to proceed past this point on our own.
The title of Chief Mentor belonged to the twelve top leaders of the Council. Given that we had been summoned in such a fashion, I assumed this person was likely on the side of the cult... and a high-ranking one at that. It certainly explained how the evil cultists had managed to gain so much influence over the Council.
"I’m opening it," Lowell said.
"Ah, wait a second."
I stopped Lowell just as he reached for the handles. There was something I wanted to do before we stepped inside.
I crouched down and chanted a few spells under my breath. Since I did it discreetly, the Captain of the Guard probably couldn't tell what I was up to. He gave me a suspicious look, but he didn't try to stop me. Lowell and the others looked like they had questions of their own, but this wasn't the time or place for explanations.
I gave Lowell a reassuring pat on the back, telling him not to worry about it. It was just a little bit of insurance.
Steeling ourselves, we entered the Instruction Chamber. The double doors gave a faint creak as they swung open. The interior was smaller than I had anticipated—roughly the size of two side-by-side classrooms from my old world. Near the wall directly ahead, the floor was slightly elevated into a dais, and standing there was presumably Chief Mentor Ragiel.
He wasn't alone. About ten men and women stood in rows to the left and right, dressed in the robes of the Council. While none of them appeared to be armed, I couldn't afford to let my guard down. Among them, I spotted a particularly suspicious figure wearing a hood, their head bowed low.
I was curious about the hooded individual, but I couldn't very well demand answers yet. I stepped forward to face the man on the dais. We were separated by about five meters—unfortunately, that was just out of range for my Clean magic.
"I am Chief Mentor Ragiel Guena," the man declared. "Are you the outlaws who have been disturbing the peace of Aingurna lately?"
"We aren't outlaws," I replied.
Well, technically we were causing a bit of a stir, but still!
"Is that so? We have received reports of harm caused by your songs and your suspicious food. I hear people suddenly collapse, only to wake up with their personalities entirely altered. If that is not the work of outlaws, then what is?"
Regardless of whether he considered it "harm," there was a grain of truth in Ragiel’s words. People whose brainwashing had progressed significantly sometimes fainted during purification, likely due to the mental strain. And because the Evil God's influence had already warped their behavior, being purified simply returned them to their original selves. To an outsider, it might indeed look like their personalities had changed.
"That is simply because the people brainwashed by the Evil God were purified and returned to normal," I explained.
"What nonsense. The voice they heard was the voice of the Trial God. By what right do you unilaterally brand that as an Evil God and cast it aside?"
I wanted to point out that brainwashing people was the real unilateral move here, but I knew it was a lost cause. Ragiel was clearly fully committed to the Evil God’s side. It would be faster to just purify him with Clean. However, if I moved personally, the followers flanking him would probably tackle me. I might have been able to force my way through, but a more subtle approach was better.
(Shara! Tell Shiroru to purify that man.)
(Got it!)
I sent the mental command through the Bracelet of Bonds. Shara, having received the order via Shiroru, poked her head out from my trench coat pocket. Ragiel didn't seem to notice her.
Shara used the Shadow Leap enchanted magic tool to jump into the shadow cast by the dais. From that vantage point, she was well within range. She swapped her staff and unleashed the spell. In an instant, a brilliant, dazzling light erupted from Ragiel. It was unmistakably the light of purification.
Ragiel collapsed with a groan. While the others were distracted, I caught Shara as she zipped back and tucked her safely into my pocket. It seemed Ragiel’s brainwashing had been quite deep, as he appeared to have lost consciousness immediately.
The operation was a success... or so I thought. Something was wrong. Despite the Chief Mentor suddenly collapsing, the surrounding followers didn't rush to his aid, nor did they move to restrain us. They just stood there.
"What's this?!" Halfa suddenly cried out.
She was looking at the floor beneath our feet. A massive magic circle, covering the entire room, had flickered into existence without us noticing.
"It’s him!" Lowell shouted, glaring at the suspicious hooded figure.
The man’s mouth curled into a sneer, as if mocking Lowell's attempt to rush him. As he threw back his hood, I recognized his face. It was Godfee—the man I had briefly encountered in the Garond underground waterway.
The moment the realization hit, a pale purple phosphorescence erupted from the magic circle, followed by an intense flash of light that seared my vision. The magic had been triggered.
When I finally came to, I was standing in a void of absolute, featureless white.
"Everyone!" I shouted.
There was no response. It seemed I was completely alone.