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The Fourth Girl Finally Discovers the Truth – Part 05

“So, what would you like to know?” Luvain asked.

“Anything. Even the smallest detail about the Saaks.”

“Before this, the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas was practically a myth. No, wait.” Luvain suddenly remembered something. “There’s a collector of rare books related to the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas.”

“A collector? Here in Agiapole?”

Luvain nodded. “He’s a priest in Agiapole, but he’s also a wealthy businessman with multiple enterprises. He uses his surplus funds to acquire rare books. Given the long history of the Holy City, such rare books sometimes surface at auctions. I’ve heard reports of him frequenting auction houses in his priest’s garb.”

“Doesn’t that piss you off?”

“I relinquished anger upon becoming Pope.”

“Really? I’d assume a greedy priest would be at the top of the list of people you disliked. Didn’t you purge his kind?”

“Purge is a harsh term. They were disciplined in accordance with ancient Church laws for their transgressions. God always watches.”

“Terrifying. Not a time for smiles.”

“That wealthy priest—his name is Gagantos—has cleverly escaped our scrutiny. There’s no evidence of misconduct. Moreover, he runs legitimate businesses, so any rash actions might jeopardize the livelihood of many employees. He’s a tricky one.”

“Hmm. Rare books, huh? It might be worth investigating.”

“Gagantos’s residence is right here.”

Luvain handed over a map of the Holy City, pointing to one spot with his long, slim finger.

“His businesses are located here, here, and here. Plus, he has warehouses on the outskirts of the city. Oh, let me give you a simple map.”

“You’re quite prepared.” Silver Face said, eyes widening.

Luvain’s smile grew even brighter. “Supporting those who serve the Church brings me immense joy as Pope.”

I’m not doing this for the Church.

Luvain could clearly see what he was saying in his mind, which amused him even more.

“Whatever. Our interests align for now.”

“They’ve always aligned in the past. I expect they will in the future as well.”

“We can’t predict the future. Did you ever predict becoming Pope?”

Silver Face stood up, folded the map, and tucked it into his pocket.

He’d touched a sore spot, but when Silver Face said it, it felt oddly satisfying.

He’s a bad influence on me, Luvain thought.

Silver Face behaved arrogantly yet showed kindness to others. He had the courage to face any danger to achieve his goals, eliminating enemies without hesitation, killing them.

If you wished to reveal your identity, the Church would elevate you to hero status. Not just the Church, but even Emperor Kagurai of the Quinbrand Empire and Queen Kujastria of the Ponsonia Kingdom have taken notice of you. Yet, you seem completely unaware of it.

He was a tricky one, and that’s why Luvain was drawn to him.

“Oh, right. There’s something I’d like to ask His Holiness,” Silver Face said as he turned to leave. “Did you feel a tremor three days ago?”

---

Hikaru recalled Luvain’s words as he sprinted through the quiet night streets.

“An earthquake? Yes, there was one. The impact was unforgettable—a sudden jolt from underfoot that made me feel like I was floating for a moment. I’d never experienced anything like it before, and even older folks said the same. Surely you felt it too? Reports say the tremors were observed over a wide area.”

The floating island loomed dark against the night sky, and the Holy City was wrapped in silence. Taverns were closed, and only patrolling guards were out. Hikaru, hidden with his Stealth, moved unnoticed.

He was currently making his way toward the mansion owned by the wealthy priest, Gagantos. Paula was staying at an inn in the city; Healers weren’t really suited for infiltration missions.

“A jolt from underfoot. That means the epicenter is nearby,” Hikaru mused.

Gagantos’s mansion was enclosed by high walls. Hikaru threw a grappling hook onto the wall and effortlessly climbed up. Though there were guard dogs inside the premises, his Stealth ensured they wouldn’t react even if he passed right by them. It amused him to see them looking around curiously once they were out of Stealth’s range.

“So the epicenter isn’t outside the city but directly beneath it? If the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas extended that far under the city… Nah, that can’t be it. The island would’ve taken a chunk of the city’s land along with it when it surfaced.”

Hikaru inserted the ultra-sharp knife he’d obtained from the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas into one of the windows and snapped the screw-shaped key cleanly. Opening the window, he quietly slipped inside.

“So it wasn’t related to the dungeon surfacing. No, that wouldn’t make sense.”

He exited the room and proceeded down the hallway. It was quiet inside the mansion, but his Mana Detection sensed several people gathered in some rooms. Servants were talking about the floating island.

Hikaru already had a target in mind. He had picked up mana signatures from a room on the fourth floor. He swiftly bounded up the stairs.

His speed came from the points he put on his Soul Board’s Power Burst when his Soul Rank increased in the dungeon.

【Soul Board】Hikaru
Age: 15 | Rank: 41 | 0

【Vitality】
【Natural Recovery】1
【Stamina】1

【Magical Power】

【Strength】
【Muscle Strength】4
【Weapon Mastery】
【Projectile】2

【Agility】
【Power Burst】6
【Flexibility】1
【Balance】3
【Stealth】
【Life Cloaking】5 (MAX)
【Mana Cloaking】5 (MAX)
【Imperceptibility】5 (MAX)
【Assassination】3 (MAX)
【Group Cloaking】3

【Instinct】
【Instinct】3
【Detection】
【Life Detection】1
【Mana Detection】5 (MAX)

He could move like he did thanks to having 4 points on Muscle Strength and 6 points on Power Burst. While having 4 points on Muscle Strength was common among veteran adventurers, 6 points on Power Burst was rare.

Even Kutsuwa, a skilled spy from the Quinbrand Empire, had only 4 points on his. The highest Power Burst Hikaru knew of was Selyse’s, at 5.

Selyse’s Power Burst was specialized for swinging her sword, explaining her ability to slice through a monster’s fiery breath.

Muscle Strength maxed out at 30 and Power Burst at 15, so there was plenty of room for growth.

“An earthquake under the holy city.”

Hikaru quickly reached the fourth floor and arrived at his target room.

A massive, thick double door stood there, equipped with a magical alarm. He understood the mechanism behind the trap, but not how to disarm it. Besides sorcery, the alarm had physical components—wires and springs—which were beyond Hikaru’s expertise. But that wasn’t a problem.

Entering the adjacent storage room, Hikaru opened a small window and climbed outside. He scaled the outer wall to his target room’s window, and with the same knife, he severed the lock.

The door had traps, but the window was left untouched, either out of carelessness or because they were only wary of people within the mansion.

“The epicenter is under the holy city. I didn’t want to think about it, but it must be related to the great pit. If that’s the cause, I feel like it’s my fault. I have no choice but to look into it, I guess.”

Hikaru entered the room. It was like a museum, with various items displayed in glass cases. Numerous objects imbued with mana emitted a faint glow that dimly illuminated the space.

“All right, I made it.”

Hikaru glanced back. The window he had pried open was neatly closed, and it wouldn’t be apparent it was tampered with unless someone tried to open it.

“Sneaking into people’s homes is as easy as breathing to me at this point.”

He felt conflicted. Needless to say, he was well aware that Stealth was well-suited for burglary or robbery. But it felt like he was actually turning into an outlaw.

“No, I’m not doing this for personal gain. This is for the greater good.”

“It’s for my benefit, too.”

Hikaru thought he saw Luvain’s crafty face appear in the darkness.

He shook his head. He tried to avoid Luvain as much as possible, yet he somehow kept needing something from the man. Talking to Luvain was the quickest way to get things done, instilling in Hikaru a bad habit of visiting him.