Episode 9
“You killed my subordinate on your own accord? Without permission?”
This was a clear overreach of authority.
If you kill a traitor without a chance for cross-verification, how can you confirm whether the 1st and 2nd Horns are conspiring to pin the blame on me?
But Sakis Rubas went a step further.
“Listen here, nobleman. We are preparing for a major undertaking. A single minor mistake can ruin everything. I hope you do not take this incident lightly.”
“Don’t be so dramatic.”
“We trusted you, even paying part of the price in advance before the transaction? The information about the Candela Knight Order.”
Aha.
So that’s how Winter Winslet found out about Josephine’s true identity. He got the information by mingling with bad company.
“I am deeply disappointed by this matter, and it will negatively affect our relationship for a long time to come.”
I saw no reason to endure any more of this unpleasant interrogation, so I roughened my voice slightly.
“I can’t listen to this any longer. If you’re unhappy with how I handle things, find your goods elsewhere. If you’re just going to whine, get out of my sight.”
[Warning]
[A Death Branch Point has been updated.]
It’s really convenient to know the other party’s reaction.
Seems he feels like killing me.
However, after remaining silent for a long time, Sakis Rubas made a rational judgment.
He backed down, saying:
“…There seems to have been a misunderstanding.”
Is the traded item truly that precious?
Or is it something only obtainable through Winter Winslet?
“All we want is to recover the goods the traitor stole as quickly as possible. As long as we receive the promised quantity, we will not make an issue of this matter.”
“I’ll look into it.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
I said I’d look into it, but it’s more vague than I thought.
A courier? A traitor? Maybe Winter Winslet would know, but how should I?
I asked Sakis Rubas.
“Is there any information the traitor left behind?”
“Unfortunately, no. The bastard was too frail; even our skilled technician couldn’t keep him alive for long.”
“A foolish mistake that complicates things. If you’d kept the courier alive, it would have been easier.”
“…I’ll concede that. But he refused to talk until the end, so we had no choice. He was a tough one for a student.”
I got an important clue.
The courier is probably an academy student.
Sakis Rubas warned me politely.
“Recover the goods as quickly as possible, but be wary of leeches.”
“Leeches?”
“The Royal Family’s lackeys are prowling around the academy. If evidence of our deal reaches the Royal Family’s ears, you will not escape unscathed either. It’s best to handle this discreetly.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Also, regarding the quantity lost in this incident, we expect it to be replenished by the next transaction date. We must secure the promised amount before this summer, at the latest.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
“Then we’ll await good news.”
With those words, the meeting ended.
Sakis Rubas opened his eyes as if waking from sleep.
The smell of musty sawdust, rat droppings, and a faint light enveloped him.
He was inside a narrow storage closet.
‘As expected, black magic is unpleasant.’
He waited for his mind, dulled by the side effects of the Astral Projection spell, to clear, then retrieved his lantern and left the closet.
Outside the closet was the interior of the café.
It seemed business was over; the door was locked, and blinds were drawn over the windows.
Only one light was on.
A man wiping glasses at the coffee bar greeted him.
“You’re back, Captain.”
“Fire.”
While Sakis Rubas found a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth, the man went into the kitchen and brought out a lit piece of paper.
He very carefully transferred the flame to the cigarette.
Without being asked, he also took out a small glass and poured Sakis Rubas a strong liquor.
Sakis Rubas drained the glass in one go, then took off the ring he wore on his right hand and placed it on the table.
The man looked at the ring and said:
“It’s a fascinating item, no matter how many times I see it. They say if you wear that ring and fall asleep, you can talk to people far away?”
“It’s not falling asleep. It’s the soul leaving the body.”
“Isn’t it similar? I’ve heard stories that when people sleep, their souls leave through their nose and travel the world like butterflies.”
“Another.”
The short-haired blond man poured another glass of strong liquor for Sakis, poured one for himself to wet his lips, then showed interest in the ring on the table.
“This ring… can I try it on too?”
“Don’t play with it for too long. It’s a ring that drinks blood.”
“You said it’s imbued with black magic? It is eerie.”
“Nathan.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Release the prisoners from the Thieves’ Guild.”
At Sakis Rubas’s words, the man’s demeanor changed.
“So the one we interrogated was indeed the culprit?”
“Yes. Baron Winslet has taken responsibility for resolving the issue.”
“That’s good.”
“Bring me the item we received from Baron Winslet.”
The man called Nathan went back into the kitchen and this time brought out a bag.
It was a flat, square bag, about three hand-spans wide and two long.
Opening it revealed several chalk-like rods fixed to the fabric.
Sakis Rubas took one out and held it up to the lantern light, examining it.
The rod appeared white, but upon closer look, it had a subtle iridescent sheen, like the inside of an abalone shell.
“It’s certainly a top-grade item. If it weren’t for Winter Winslet, we couldn’t have obtained something like this within limbart.”
“The matter was resolved easily.”
“But I have a bad feeling about this.”
Sakis Rubas thought about Baron Winslet.
The Baron was more arrogant, self-righteous, and ruthlessly perfectionist than any human he had ever seen.
For such a man to keep a potentially disloyal subordinate was hard to understand.
Moreover, the Baron Winslet he met in today’s Discard meeting was slightly different from the impression Sakis Rubas remembered.
While people could show minor differences in speech and behavior depending on their daily mood, Sakis Rubas decided not to ignore his instincts.
“We must not trust Baron Winslet completely.”
“Do you think he has some other scheme?”
“I don’t know. But we can find out from now on. Put him under surveillance.”
“Should we deploy tails or observers?”
Sakis Rubas shook his head.
“No, he’s quite perceptive. If we plant watchers openly, he’ll notice easily.”
“Then we should start by placing a few people in the academy. We should be more careful with direct surveillance.”
“Speaking of which, your younger brother has a talent for magic, doesn’t he?”
“Yes. He received special training for it back in our home country.”
“If we send him to the academy, he can naturally get close to Baron Winslet. Tell Jamie to prepare for the academy entrance exam.”
“Understood. That kid might ignore me, but if it’s the Captain’s order, he’ll definitely pass the exam.”
Nathan thought of his brother, who hated studying, and chuckled briefly before asking.
“But if Baron Winslet becomes an obstacle to our plans, or if he intends to betray us, what will you do?”
“We’ll make him pay. By any means necessary.”
Be it poison, a sniper’s bullet, or kidnapping and killing those around him one by one to break his spirit.
“That is the way of our Longsonniers.”
Returning to the study after the Discard meeting, the tension drained from me, and I let out a deep sigh without realizing it.
Phew…
My breath smelled of alcohol.
Now that I thought about it, I had drunk whiskey before using the Astral Projection spell.
I went ahead and poured myself another half glass.
To suppress the tension with alcohol.
The Seven Deadly Sins Society and Sakis Rubas.
I had gotten entangled with the very people I should avoid most in Candela of Judgment.
Today I only encountered two of the seven members, but the rest of the Seven Deadly Sins are just as dangerous.
Aren’t they the main culprits behind the major events in the main story of Candela of Judgment?
I recalled their faces one by one.
1st Horn, Olivier Ljungberg.
The head of the Thieves’ Guild, he doesn’t typically initiate things but is an opportunist who moves for profit and has a finger in every pie.
2nd Horn, Sakis Rubas.
The spy captain from a neighboring nation, he is the first major villain to become active in the main story of Candela of Judgment.
The chaos in the royal capital begins with the terror caused by his spy unit, Longsonniers, making him effectively the root cause of everything.
3rd Horn is Winter Winslet, so I’ll skip that.
4th Horn, Neriko Resolu.
The cult leader of heretics working in secret to resurrect an ancient demon in the heart of the capital, Rambart.
He kidnaps live sacrifices for human offerings; all the disappearances in Langbard every night are his doing.
5th footnote, Paul Detouche.
A fallen former legendary Inquisitor.
A hardline cleric who fell from grace within the church due to excessive self-righteousness, he is a budding warlord building his own power in Laurencia, far from the church headquarters, to reclaim his lost authority.
6th Horn, Papan de Re Tangins.
The Grand Black Mage, shrouded in the most mystery.
All that is known is that he is preparing a great spell capable of destroying a nation; his identity and goals are unknown.
In Candelabra of Judgment, any route that fails to stop his plan leads to a dead end, earning him the nickname ‘Newbie Crusher’ at one point.
7 Footnote, Keith d’Alembert.
The Vampire Lord.
His goal is to corrupt the political world of the Kingdom of Laurencia through infection and enchantment, creating a country suitable for vampires to live in.
He’s arguably the least destructive among the Seven Deadly Sins, but in scenarios where he becomes the final boss, the entire kingdom becomes brainwashed, turned into a blood farm, so it’s not good for him to gain power either.
Given the nature of the Seven Deadly Sins members, if I wanted to live peacefully, it was better not to associate with them at all.
But since Winter Winslet had already started dealings with the 2nd Horn, Sakis Rubas, things had gotten complicated.
If I tried to withdraw from the deal, Sakis Rubas would retaliate. If I continued dealing with him, I’d eventually get caught, leading to a visit from the Candela Knight Order.
Survive as Winter Winslet and see the ending in this situation?
…How amusing.
This level of challenge is just right for a veteran like me.
Alright then, where should I start preparing?
Winter Winslet is already a powerful character, but a boss in Candela of Judgment is ultimately someone to be defeated by the player.
He can’t be called invincible.
So, I need something to cover my weaknesses.
For example, rare equipment, powerful summons, or… reliable allies.
The first that comes to mind is my fiancée Josephine, with her S-Rank Swordsmanship.
I have Josephine firmly hooked with my charms, so if I’m in danger, she’ll fight for me.
But if I become a target of the Candela Knight Order in the future, it’s hard to say how even Josephine would react.
It would be better to create several allies in preparation for the future.
Candela of Judgment was a strategic game where you could recruit various companions to form party combinations, and there were named NPCs with all sorts of talents and uses.
Now that I thought about it, there were a few named NPCs at the academy where Winter Winslet worked.
Coincidentally, tomorrow was the day of the Laurentian Royal Academy’s freshman entrance ceremony.
