I tracked Logen’s mana signature deep into the bowels of the Royal Castle.
What was this? Was he buried under the earth?
No, that couldn't be right.
『Just so you know, my Magic Perception is never wrong.』
I figured as much.
There was nothing for it but to go and see for myself.
Having memorized the castle's layout during my time as Irene’s guard, I used Dark Arma to vault over the outer walls and sprint across the Royal Castle Courtyard.
In the courtyard, the knights were locked in a desperate struggle against the Chimeras. From the look of things, they were losing.
"Dark Lance."
Spears of darkness erupted, piercing both legs of a Chimera.
Its movements were sealed. The knights should be able to finish the job now. In exchange for the secret assistance, I’d have to ask them to overlook my intrusion.
I descended the stairs leading to the guest wing and kicked through the sealed door at the end of the passage. Sprinting down the stairs beyond, I eventually reached a vast hall and leaped down into the center of the room.
"This place is..."
"During the war, this space served as a weapon storage."
A voice answered my mutter, though I hadn't expected one.
"As the facility aged and the armaments were moved, it became exactly as you see it now... a hollow shell."
Prime Minister Logen.
The man who had betrayed his country and conspired with the Order stood before me. He had even been polite enough to leave the lights on while he waited.
"The concept of aging applies to all things. Even myths are no exception..."
Logen was clad in a white coat, and he radiated a pressure far beyond anything he had shown before. Prime Minister Logen—no, Apostle Logen—wore a thin smirk that hovered between cold composure and sheer madness.
"So you’ve come, Claude von Einhart. Or should I just call you Claude now?"
It seemed Logen was well aware of my disinheritance. I had expected him to mock me, but he looked at me with a strangely clear, appreciative gaze.
"I never imagined you were a man of such intellect. Playing the villain, pretending to be a comrade just to worm your way into my confidence, and then thwarting my plans at the final hour... To throw away your nobility just to protect Her Highness—that is a hero’s loyalty indeed."
What was this guy talking about?
Everything had been a series of accidents, and he was just the idiot who had managed to destroy himself because of them. I suppose, looking only at the results, he wasn't technically wrong.
『It seems only your enemies are capable of evaluating you correctly,』 Zest remarked.
I’m a stepping stone; I’m not supposed to be appreciated by my allies. I can tolerate it from an enemy, though. I was going to kill him regardless.
"Logen. Why show yourself now? What’s your goal?"
"Goal? Hah... Fuhahahaha!! I have no such thing anymore!!" Logen spread his arms wide, laughing theatrically. "After failing the operation and being discarded by the Order, I have no purpose left to fulfill! Rejoice! You have triumphed over me! The man standing before you is no longer an Apostle, but a mere empty shell!"
Right, I got it. In short, he just wanted to go on a rampage to vent his frustrations.
『And yet, he turns his blade toward the innocent. Is it because he cannot bring himself to defy the Order, or because he cannot discard his faith as an Apostle...?』
It didn't matter. Chimeras were fewer in number than the common soldiers in indigo coats, making them the most precious military assets the Order possessed after the Apostles. The fact that he could deploy twenty of them just for a tantrum suggested Logen had held a significant position within the organization.
Now, everything he had built over the years had turned to ash, and he was acting out of pure desperation. As if I’d let him hurt the people I cared about over something so pathetic.
"Thunder Gate!!"
Logen swung his arm. A yellow rift tore open in space, and countless spears of lightning rained down. For some reason, Logen wore a triumphant smirk.
Come to think of it, this was likely the first time he had actually seen me fight.
I summoned Zest and deployed Dark Gate. The torrent of lightning clashed with a surge of darkness, and both vanished into nothingness.
"What!?"
I closed the distance to the stunned Logen, gripping Zest in my right hand.
『Well, that was expected.』
Exactly. It was expected. When I protected Irene at the castle, one of the Apostles had mocked Logen, calling him an incompetent who had only been granted the rank of Feather as a pity prize.
I wasn't going to lose a one-on-one fight to a mere Feather. Not anymore. I wasn't the same person who had struggled against Luxion.
I swung Zest. A jet-black wave sent Logen flying.
"Gyaaahhhhh!?"
Logen slammed into the wall and collapsed in a heap. If he had possessed any real strength, the Order never would have abandoned him so easily. I approached the blood-spitting man and leveled the tip of my sword at him.
The fight was over. Now it was time for information.
"What were you trying to do to Irene? Answer me."
I glared down at him, but Logen simply smirked.
"Heh, hehe... You think this is torture? Let me tell you, torture is impossible for an amateur. It takes more mental fortitude from the one doing it than the one receiving it."
He was really missing the point. Sure, I might just be an ordinary guy playing the part of a villain. But he didn't know how agonizing that actually was.
Willingly hurting the people I cherished. Willingly betraying the people who believed in me. Compared to that... torture was nothing.
A wet, sickening snick echoed through the hall. Logen’s right ear flew through the air.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!?!?"
Logen writhed on the floor, screaming in agony.
"You’re overreacting for just an ear. You still have another one, don't you?"
"Hieee!? I’ll talk!! I’ll talk, just stop!!"
He really was all bark and no bite. It made sense why the Order had cut him loose.
"Stop right there!!"
A familiar voice rang out from behind me. I turned to see Irene, gasping for breath.
"Claude!! I won't let your evil deeds go unpunished!! Get away from the Prime Minister!!"
Why did she have to show up now? Had she been chasing me ever since I left for the castle? What incredible tenacity.
『But she arrived just in time,』 Zest noted.
I suppose. All that was left was to finish Logen off. Fortunately, there were no other enemies here, so I wouldn't have to struggle to keep her safe. Or so I thought.
The bloodied Logen began to laugh hysterically. "Fuhaha...!! Fuhahahahahahahahaha!!" He wore a twisted, hideous smile. "How foolish, Claude!! You thought pushing that girl away would protect her, but it seems you’ve achieved the exact opposite!!"
"Protect...? What are you talking about...?" Irene’s face was a mask of confusion.
Logen stumbled to his feet. "I intended to enjoy your despair after I released her in the middle of town... but this is even better! Behold the transformed state of Her Highness!!"
The moment Logen finished speaking, Irene let out a choked groan and collapsed, clutching her chest.
What? What had he done!?
"Logen!!"
"Too late!!"
As I raised Zest to strike, Irene’s body erupted with a massive surge of mana. A violent gale tore through the room, and I was forced to stab my sword into the floor just to keep from being blown away.
"How long do you think I served by her side!? Since she was a child—as her tutor and as the Prime Minister—I was always with her!!"
A chilling sensation washed over me. A horrific, bone-deep premonition.
"I planted it years ago!! The Seed of Artificial Mythos!!"
A heavy, sickening thud echoed through the underground chamber like a heartbeat.
"Ag...!? Ah, aaaaaaaaaah!!"
Irene’s scream tore through the air as her body was engulfed in a blinding white light.
"Irene!!"
I lunged forward, reaching out for her. But I was too slow.
The light collapsed inward. Irene’s beautiful blonde hair grew to an unnatural length, spilling across the floor. A pair of white wings sprouted from her back, and her limbs were swallowed by thick, pale flesh.
A ghastly white colossus. Irene's own body was fused into its chest.
The sight was identical to the white monster I had seen through the Master Eye.
...You’ve got to be kidding me.
Irene spread her white wings and looked down at me with hollow, empty eyes. I shuddered at the sheer volume of mana radiating from her. It was equivalent to ten Apostles.
"Hahahahahahaha!! Magnificent!! This is the power of an Apostle—the Angel rank!!"
Logen’s laughter filled the hall. A bead of cold sweat rolled down my cheek and hit the floor.
『This is bad.』
Yeah... it really was. But even so—
I had to do it. Even with this overwhelming gap in power, my goal hadn't changed.
Resist. Fight. Refuse to let this godforsaken fate have its way.
"Hmph, what’s with that creepy smile? Do you think you can bluff your way out of this?" Logen sneered.
It seemed my expression had shifted on its own again.
It wasn't a bluff. This face was my resolve. It was the resolve of a stepping stone who had sworn to see this through, even if it meant falling into the depths of hell.
I would kill Logen. I would protect Irene. And I would never let Reiji be the one to kill her.
I’d do it all. Every single bit of it. I was going to tear this godforsaken fate to shreds!