Only My Magic Levels Up - Chapter 180



Only Noblemtl

Episode 180: The Origin (6)

Although he did help interrogate Atma, he kept his distance on purpose so that all Galen heard was his screams.

He didn’t ask me anything else after the torture was over, and he didn’t even attend Jason’s interrogation.

Anyway, if you wait, I’ll collect and organize everything and tell you first. Just like now.

“The core is the cult members who call themselves the ‘Devil’s Cult’.”

“It’s the Devil’s Cult.”

There is only one religion in this world, and only one god worshipped in the church. Also, since miracles are real, it is difficult for fake religious leaders to exist.

In short, in evil religions and cults, the object of worship is set: the devil.

“Those who conspire with the devil for their own gain are called devil collaborators, and some of them even receive power directly and become devil contract partners. But interestingly enough, they don’t necessarily worship the devil. There are quite a few cases where they treat the devil as a kind of… object of use.”

“…Does the devil know that and still lend you his power?”

“I’ll lend you my hand. Whether you truly follow the devil or follow him in vain, the moment you join the devil’s hand, you’re a target for slaughter.”

“Isn’t that so?”

“In any case, if humans can fight each other, why wouldn’t I lend my strength? The devil is a species that considers the whole process a game.”

Anton clicked his tongue with a displeased expression.

“Anyway, that’s why cultists are more troublesome than ordinary servants. Anyone can see that they’re doing something crazy. They go even though they know it’s a place where they’ll die. Why? Because the devil told them to. Their behavior is like that, so it’s not easy to predict.”

“It must be a real headache.”

“But doesn’t that make it easier to find?”

Lilia asked cautiously.

“I heard that since they are the ones who just leave, the damage is great, but they are also very noticeable, so they are relatively easier to subdue than collaborators who are good at hiding… … .”

“That’s right. In fact, cultists are like cockroaches, crawling out from somewhere, and the name ‘Majong Cult’ has probably been used dozens of times in the past. It has a unique meaning, ‘a religious group that follows the devil’. So, if it were normal, it wouldn’t be a small matter, but it wouldn’t be a big deal either. The problem is that these guys are not normal.”

Anton, with the corners of his lips twisted, took out a piece of paper from his bosom.

It was a rather elaborate portrait of someone’s face.

As soon as they saw the picture, Galen and Lilia simultaneously recognized the owner.

“Hey, who’s this guy?”

“Isn’t that the man from back then?”

Late last year, there was a major outbreak in the Southwest. The truth is that it wasn’t a plague, it was poison.

A mysterious figure who attempted to manipulate the villagers into offerings, and was also attached to the orc wizard at around the same time.

“The name is going to be a pseudonym anyway, so I’ll just call him Squinty. He was the one who supplied the Spirius family with magic soldiers. I showed Jason the portrait and confirmed it. The name of the Magic Cult was mentioned at that time. Atma also mentioned the existence of Squinty.”

“If you were connected to the devil, you could have easily brought me the soldiers. If it was the devil’s orders to do something like the Great Plague, there would be no need to understand the purpose.”

“Then, he’s the leader of the Squinty-eyed Demon Sect… or at least a key member of the leadership. He’s constantly involved in major incidents.”

“Nine times out of ten. Do you know why I said it was a problem?”

Galen and Lilia nodded amicably to Anton’s question.

The events in the Southwest happened late last year, late winter. It’s now late summer. It’s been almost half a year.

Have you not been chasing the squint-eyed ones in the church all this time? You have been chasing them with fire in your eyes.

Of course, there are no spy satellites, no internet, and no CCTV, so half a year is not enough to find a single person on this vast continent.

In any case, they were not discovered at all until traces were found in a prestigious family in the southeast, and it was only then that their affiliation with the Demon Sect was revealed.

“He is a very cautious man. However, he is also diligent and plans his actions according to his own grand plan. It is rare to find a cultist who has planned such a detailed and large-scale conspiracy, even in the records of the church.”

“No matter what he promised, he’s still a bastard just because he’s managed to get a prestigious family on his side. Honestly, the problem is that he’s using his talent for the devil, not humans.”

“I have to catch it quickly… It won’t be easy, right?”

“It’s not easy. But things are a lot better than before.”

Thanks to the great performance of Galen and Lilia, the words were omitted. Anton smiled faintly.

“The Spiris family was, simply put, a warehouse. Its role was to store the cavalry and pass them on to suitable candidates. It had no direct production capabilities. It relied on the Squints for supply. But it’s unlikely that the Squints would have carried the cavalry on their backs and delivered them themselves.”

“He must have ordered his subordinates to do it. Disguised as peddlers or something.”

“That’s correct. And Jason knew the identities of his subordinates. I don’t expect it to reach Squint himself, but if you dig, you’ll get some results.”

If you have information about your subordinates, it’s a bit easier than just looking for one person with half an eye.

However, it is somewhat disappointing to call this an achievement alone.

Perhaps reading Galen’s mind, Anton asked a question that seemed out of the blue.

“Can I ask where you’re going next?”

“Where are you going?”

Lilia tilted her head and looked at Galen. She could tell just by looking at his eyes. He wasn’t thinking anything of anything. It was telepathy, and Galen was the same.

“Well, I was planning to visit Lilia’s hometown, but somehow I ended up here. Nothing was set in stone.”

“If you do, I’m sorry, but can I ask you one favor?”

“What is it?”

“Could you please pass on a report on this matter directly to His Holiness the Pope? The Church’s communication system is not that lax, but… if even one leak were to occur, the aftermath would be huge.”

“It’s not that difficult.”

Even if Galen refuses anyway, if you ask the same favor to Lilia, she, as a church member, will not be able to refuse. Galen, who has no intention of breaking up with Lilia, will naturally follow.

“I guess the matter regarding the Demon Sect is that important?”

“It’s important. But not so important that it absolutely must not leak out.”

Anton’s answer to Lilia’s question was somewhat unexpected. Then why did he insist on delivering it in person?

“Wouldn’t it be soon obvious to you that the Spirius family has been destroyed? You may not even know it yet.”

“yes.”

“He must have guessed that Jason was tortured. He must have guessed that his existence and that of the Demon Cult were revealed in the process.”

“I guess so?”

“But you would never guess that Atma was tortured. Jewels are impossible to capture alive.”

“ah!”

This is a very special case that was possible because Atma was an elementalist and Galen had the ability to subdue spirits.

If a blind man with no other witnesses and no way of knowing Galen’s abilities could guess that, then it should be called omniscience.

“So… you’re pretending to dig up the information you got from Jason on the outside, but you’re actually digging into Atma!”

“To be exact, we’re going to dig into both, but the point is to keep the latter from being noticed as much as possible. That way, he’ll let his guard down.”

“Can you tell me what information that is?”

Galen, who had been listening silently, asked.

“Of course. Can I keep it a secret from you too?”

Anton answered as if it was a given.

“Jason was never a victim who followed the devil against his will, but it was definitely Atma’s intention that played a decisive role in the leadership of the Spirius family joining hands with the devil.”

“Well, he is the eldest and most important person in the family, so how could I not follow him and leave him?”

“That’s how much information Jason didn’t know. First of all, it seems like there are other collaborators in the Demonic Cult.”

“That goes without saying… Among the big shots, perhaps?”

Since it was a cult that had even attached itself to prestigious families, there must be countless small-time collaborators, so why would Anton bother mentioning them?

“It seems that the cross-eyed man had mentioned it indirectly. There are many collaborators who are no less powerful than Spiritus, so once all preparations are complete, they can easily destroy the church.”

“I guess we can’t just dismiss it as a common bluff. There really were Orc wizards.”

“That’s right. In fact, if they’re just a noble family, they’re not a serious threat. Even if they’re armed with cavalry, their power is limited.”

Even if they were a prestigious family, they only had a few goldsmiths, and even if they multiplied by the number of cavalry, they would not dare to attack the church. How easily were they cut down by Lilia, even though Galen did not do anything.

“The problem is that if the ‘collaborators’ are jewels, or even more so, if they are from prestigious families with jewels like this, it becomes boring. If you guys weren’t here, Michael would have definitely died. If the jewels on the church side start getting taken away one by one, then in the past… … .”

“It’s probably an ending you don’t want to imagine. But you can’t just capture the jewels and interrogate them to find their collaborators, right?”

“Of course. While monitoring Hani’s current activities, we should also look into her past activities. Is there anything suspicious? I think a full investigation is necessary.”

“Tongue, brother, you are innocent!”

Lilia cried out, hugging Galen’s arm tightly. Anton let out a hollow laugh.

“Would I tell this story to someone I don’t think is innocent? Since I never suspected anything from the beginning, you don’t have to get so caught up in it.”

“Well, even if I’m suspected, I’ll just laugh it off.”

Galen added casually, pinching Lilia’s cheek lightly.

“I don’t think the other gems would do that. They absolutely must not be caught… Considering that Squint-eyed will have to be extra careful, it won’t be easy.”

“Even if it’s difficult, we must do it. You just have to convey it. His Majesty will make the decision, but I’m sure he’ll think the same way as I do.”

“All right.”

“And… there’s even more important information.”

Anton paused for a moment and then continued speaking slowly.

“Do you remember how Atma said she became a jewel?”

“I met the devil and gained enlightenment… Ah.”

“Yes, we met. Maybe it was because of pride, but it seems like he didn’t make a contract, but anyway, Atma met the devil ‘in person’. Under the guidance of Squint-eyed.”

“Have you figured out the location?”

“If that was the case, I would have suggested forming a punitive force right away. Even the squint-eyed used their brains to hide their location. They put Atma in a windowless carriage and only moved at night near their destination.”

But that doesn’t mean the location could be completely hidden.

Even if you ride in a carriage that you can’t see outside, there is a limit to how far the carriage can travel in a day.

Crucially, the devil wasn’t hiding in the middle of a bustling city center.

“Ruins somewhere in the Great Mountains. Considering the distance a carriage can travel and the terrain… from the Great Mountains in the southeastern west, up to the border between the southeast and the east.”

“The scope has narrowed down, but… it’s still really wide. Shouldn’t we search for at least several months?”

“It took more than a year from the appearance of the demons to reaching the Spirius family. It would be a lot faster to find the demons directly if it took a few months. We’ll have to see how long it actually takes… … .”

Anton looked at Lilia, his voice trailing off.

“When that time comes, Archbishop Lilia will definitely have to participate.”

“Of course I should go!”

Lilia spoke confidently, without a moment’s hesitation.

Given her personality, there was no way she could be left out here, and to begin with, the Archbishop was the only one who could deal with the demons, so how could he not mobilize Lilia? There was no need to discuss it.

Still, the reason Anton brought it up was obvious. Galen laughed.

“You can just ask me directly whether I should help you or not.”

“Ahem.”

“Please call me. I’ve defeated the evil spirits and the servants, but how can I afford to lose the most important demon?”

“I’m sorry for always asking for your help. Thank you so much.”

Anton’s complexion brightened significantly.

For Anton, whose trust in Galen had skyrocketed after experiencing this incident, Galen’s declaration of intent to join the war had a greater impact than a thousand troops.

“Anyway, if you could just organize the report and give it to His Majesty, there’s nothing else for me to do, right?”

“Of course. Get some rest.”

“Then I will just prepare appropriately.”

“…huh?”

“I’m scared. I don’t know how strong the devil is, so I need to refine myself a little more.”

“Uh, um.”

When people say they spend a few months honing their skills, I think that’s what happens.

For a monster who became a jewel less than two years after beginning his career as a wizard, do a few months really mean the same thing to others?

Anton was both excited and scared to see what Galen would be like the next time they met.

Luckily, he was an ally.