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Angel of Ruin and Blade of Shadows – Part 01

The staff of the Advanced Research Compound thoroughly examined the storehouse that concealed the cure for the Accursed Toxin. The investigation revealed that approximately one and a half crate worth of antidote had been stolen.

The knights had been dismissed, leaving only the white-coated staff, who huddled together, murmuring about the intruder. Then, a short woman in a worn white coat, who seemed deceptively young, entered the scene.

“Lady Ranna!”

A person straightened up, drawing the attention of all the staff members.

Ranna had disheveled dark red hair, braided haphazardly on both sides, with uneven bangs. Large, round glasses sat on her freckled nose. She glared at the staff, dark circles under her eyes.

“I heard some of the cure was stolen.” Her voice was spine-chilling.

“Kn-Knights reported hearing some noise during the night, and they suspect the theft happened then,” the most senior staff replied. “But no one saw the intruder.”

Ranna turned her gaze at them. “Noise, huh… Noise, noise… Do you think someone capable of sneaking in all the way here would make noise?”

“I, uhh…”

“Can you not even understand something so simple? You’re all utterly useless. The intruder used the noise to lure the knights away, then escaped through the staff entrance.”

“What?!”

“I swear to the gods, you’re all stupider than I thought.”

“That’s enough, Miss Ranna.” Arriving late was Archpriest Luvain, a close aide to the Pope. “Weren’t you the one who insisted this place be unmanned during the night? You said it would be more efficient to rely on traps for security.”

“It worked once.”

“But it failed the second time.”

Ranna ground her teeth and glared at him.

“There’s no point in arguing. In your opinion, do you believe this was the work of the Quinbrand Empire’s spies?”

“…”

The archpriest expected an answer in the affirmative, but Ranna remained quiet, lost in thought.

“Miss Ranna?”

“I don’t know. No one in the Empire or among the Man Gnomes have this level of audacity and skill. We update and increase our traps daily, yet they got through easily.”

“So they acquired a new talent?”

“Lady Ranna, Your Grace. We found this buried right outside the compound wall.”

One of the staff presented a short spear they had extracted from the ground. A metal ring was fixed to its base—the same spear that Hikaru had buried.

Ranna examined it meticulously. “They leaped from the roof to the wall and used a rope threaded through this spear to descend. This method doesn’t seem like something Man Gnome would employ.”

“If it wasn’t a Man Gnome, does that rule out the Empire’s spies?”

“…I don’t know. Figure it out yourself.”

Aside from the Empire, no other parties had a motive to secure the cure in large quantities. However, other nations might have extended a hand upon learning of the Empire’s predicament.

“Circumstances point to Vireocean as the primary suspect. They have a close relationship with the Empire. The Kingdom of Ponsonia regards the Empire as its arch-enemy. The United Nations of Forestia are currently undergoing a change in leadership and are unlikely to have the time to meddle in this.”

“That so,” Ranna responded disinterestedly. “Anyway, tell the Pope that with the Empire taking serious measures, you can’t afford to take it easy against Einbiest. Although Bios and the Empire aren’t directly at war due to Ponsonia being right in the middle, they will come knocking if they learn that Bios is responsible for the Accursed Toxin, even if it means cutting through Ponsonia.”

“Miss Ranna.” For the first time, Luvain’s eyes turned cold and sharp. “You will address His Holiness with respect. Keep in mind that Bios is protecting you. And don’t forget to continue your research. His Holiness is eagerly awaiting its completion.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Waving her hand casually, Ranna turned to leave.

“Where are you going?”

“To the lab. The Commander of the Knights Templar asked for a large quantity of Accursed Toxin. He’s probably planning on using the angels to pour poison all over the Beastmen army.”

“What did you say? A messy tactic like that could get our men infected.”

“Don’t look at me. The commander made the decision. It’s not my problem,” Ranna said, then left.

---

“Mass production of the Accursed Toxin? It’s too dangerous. Poison is a double-edged sword.” Luvain bit his lip. “I have to do something.”

He pondered the matter as he walked. Although he had no accompanying entourage, his status within the Tower was exceptionally high, and anyone passing by would stop and bow their heads. Except for one person.

“Stop frowning. You’re ruining your good looks.”

The only ones who would address an archpriest, the second in rank to the Pope, so casually were fellow archpriests, someone in a higher position, or a person outside the Church’s hierarchy.

“I didn’t know you were here.”

“Hmm? I’ve been here in the Tower the whole time,” said the handsome young man, combing up his wavy, blond hair with his fingers.

Even without knowing his identity, a young woman would have found herself captivated by his striking, large blue eyes. His attire, unconventional for the Tower, featured a jacket of fine quality, made from monster hide. The longsword strapped to his back marked him clearly as an adventurer.

“Lord Igloo. Why are you still here?”

Igloo Fulblood. A Rank A adventurer and leader of the party Rising Falls.

Rising Falls had been dispatched to Einbiest’s Ruler’s Rumble tournament to assassinate Gerhardt and Jillarte, but failed, with all members except Igloo getting arrested.

His younger sister should be among them, Luvain thought.

“You can drop the Lord. You’re one of the bigwigs here, and we’re probably not that far apart in age. Just address me casually.”

“That wouldn’t be appropriate.”

“You’re an archpriest of the Church, an organization that reigns over the continent, and I’m a Rank A adventurer. Together, we could join any social gathering and choose any woman we want.”

“What? Social gathering?”

Luvain couldn’t believe what he was hearing in such a dire situation.

“Yes, a social gathering. Now that I’ve made a name for myself, I get invited all over the place. But I just can’t seem to find someone to hang out with.”

“There should be plenty of nobles out there with nothing much to do.”

“I can’t stand them. One misstep and they immediately try to assert their dominance. Deep down, they all know their power stems solely from the luck of their birthright. In that sense, I’m different, right? I’ve risen to the top as an adventurer with my exceptional talent.”

“I see…”

Luvain was getting more and more confused. This man was neglecting his captured comrades and sister to attend social gatherings and woo women.

I have to end this conversation.

“Oh, by the way,” Igloo said offhandedly. “I’m pretty sure they’re gonna target the factory next. How’s the security there? Tight enough?”

“Wha…”

The research on the Accursed Toxin conducted by Ranna was top-secret, known only to the upper echelons of the Tower. There was no way an adventurer should know about it.

“Huh? Is it really that surprising that I know about it? Ah, I get it. You’re a saint who doesn’t know how to navigate society. How about I help you out, then?”

“Um, I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, don’t play dumb. I take care of whoever’s targeting the factory, and you come with me to a party. Sound good? All right.”

“Uh, well…”

“With me on the case, you can rest easy. Later!”

Igloo raised a hand and left.

Snapping back to his senses, Luvain racked his brains. Igloo said he would take action, and he would likely do so alone. There was a high likelihood that he already knew the factory’s location.

“What is going on here?!”

The person who had leaked confidential information to him was likely someone higher ranked than a priest, likely another archpriest. A list of possible suspects popped into his mind as he strode through the Tower, thinking about his next move.

A grim feeling gripped him. What in the world was happening in the Tower?