DMHS 82

…The man clearly wasn’t in his right mind.

Struggling to maintain his stance, his body swayed dangerously. His eyebrow was nearly pierced by a protruding spear, but he regained his balance. In the process, his hands and arms were covered in fresh cuts.

‘Save him first.’

Kian pressed the magic device to deactivate the trap.

“I have no need for a pet human.”

The freed man shook out his limbs, loosening his stiff muscles. Kian addressed him.

“You look every bit a subject of the Kingdom. How did you end up here?”

Kian hadn’t assumed the man was from the Kingdom from the start. This territory lay deep within the Delia tribe’s domain, and the man wore a robe designed to block desert sandstorms.

But after exchanging a few words, Kian recognized the man’s refined pronunciation as that of someone from the Kingdom, specifically, someone with a high-level education.

The man squinted and smiled.

“Well, you’re from the Kingdom too, aren’t you? And you even have a cute rabbit with you.”

Only then did Kian recall the rabbit tucked in his cloak. If the man regarded Kian as strange, Kian couldn’t blame him for thinking he was out of his mind.

Kian wiped his face with his sleeve.

“I found a lost rabbit and…” No, never mind. Do you intend to avoid answering my question?”

“Of course not. I pledged obedience to you, Master, so I’ll tell you anything. My name is Malan. I have no surname.”

Kian narrowed his eyes.

‘No surname?’

Citizens of the Kingdom inherited their parents’ surname regardless of status. Typically, they inherited their father’s surname, though circumstances could lead to taking the mother’s instead.

Having no surname meant being abandoned at birth, an orphan who knew neither parent’s name.

Yet Malan carried the refined composure of a well-bred noble. His command of the royal language was flawless, and his groomed hair and blue eyes radiated dignity.

“You seem skeptical, but it’s true. I was abandoned as an infant and raised entirely within the temple.”

Malan drew a necklace from beneath his robes.

“Greetings. Cardinal Malan, servant of the Goddess.”

“A Cardinal?”

Kian’s eyes widened.

A cardinal ranked second only to the Pope within the Goddess Temple. In a kingdom where the Goddess Temple was the state religion, such a title equated to a duke, a high-ranking noble. At the very least, he wasn’t someone who would venture beyond the kingdom’s borders without a single escort guarding the caves.

Yet the insignia Malan displayed was undeniably genuine.

‘A sacred artifact imbued with immense divine power. Even lowly demons would flee in terror at its sight, retreating back to the demon realm.”

Kian bowed deeply.

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Excellency.”

“All who follow the Goddess are one. Please speak freely. Had you not passed by just now, it would have been quite troublesome.”

“Has your escort left?”

“Escort l?”

Malan glanced at his chest with a sour expression.

“There is something resembling one, but it rarely listens. It only tells me after I’ve stepped into a trap. Ugh. It’s as useless as a cockroach pillow you sleep with. Having to rely on such a creature, can you imagine how much hardship I endure?”

Malan, who had been ranting, suddenly changed his tone. Staring at the relic hanging around his neck, he shouted.

“Didn’t we settle that already?”

“……”

“Fine, fine. I’m not talking to you. What? You think that’s your line? Great! Since we finally agree on something, we can just ignore each other!”

‘He really is a madman.’

The world held all manner of lunatics. Though a cardinal was a position deserving respect, not every high-ranking official possessed sound mind.

‘Right. Perhaps excessive divine power corrupted his sanity.’

Of course, he’d never witnessed such a case, past or present.

Only after rambling to himself did Malan finally glance at Kian’s expression. His eyebrows instantly drooped.

“My apologies for showing such a poor state. There was a bit of a dispute earlier.”

“Such things happen in life. It’s difficult for anyone to fully accept their own condition.”

“Thank you for your understanding. My condition… Huh? It seems you’ve misunderstood something.”

“There’s no need to hide it. I’ll be the only one who knows Your Eminence is experiencing mild dissociative identity disorder.”

Kian responded with utmost courtesy. In contrast, Malan leapt from his seat in denial.

“I am not conversing with myself!”

“Then is it an imaginary friend? I understand that too.”

“Don’t try to make a ridiculous interpretation! It’s not that, it’s the relic I possess…”

Malan’s words abruptly halted. He seemed to be debating, albeit belatedly, whether this conversation should proceed.

“The relic, you say…”

“……”

“So this relic…”

The pause stretched on. Kian narrowed his eyes, studying the man.

‘There’s a story here.’

After a long struggle, Malan bowed his head.

“That’s right. I was just conversing with a secret friend.”

Kian calmly continued his questioning.

“If it’s a friend, it must have a name.”

“Ah? Of course. The name is Astaroth.”

“Astaroth?”

Kian’s eyes widened at the unexpected name. But Malan waved his hand dismissively and changed the subject.

“Let’s skip this embarrassing topic. Anyway, I infiltrated this place after learning about a ritual to summon demons. It’s puzzling that no one guards the temple, contrary to my expectations.”

“Most are likely occupied with funeral preparations.”

Kian relayed the news that the Delia tribe chieftain had just passed away.

Malan made the holy sign in mourning for the chieftain’s death.

“But how did you come to be here, sir?”

“For reasons similar to the Cardinal’s.”

“Ah, then might I request your company? That fellow, no, the situation has become complicated, making it difficult to pass through here.”

Kian slowly stroked his eyebrow.

This place was a cult’s lair. It was also the anticipated site for summoning a high-ranking demon from the demonic realm.

Though it was enemy territory for those belonging to the Celestia Temple, Malan remained unnervingly calm. It wasn’t simply a matter of being a good person.

‘In cases like this, it’s usually one of two things. Either they’re so foolish they can’t sense the tension, or they possess overwhelming skill to dominate the situation.’

“Very well. Follow me.”

The path to the chapel was a single track anyway. Kian led the way, with Malan trailing behind.

As the two conversed, the rabbit’s ears stood rigidly erect, likely tense at the unfamiliar voices.

“Shh, it’s okay.”

Kian soothed the rabbit as he cautiously moved forward.

It didn’t take long for Kian to reach the final trap. Opening the door blocking the passage revealed the chapel, wide open on all sides. Its design offered no place to hide.

“Your Eminence, please wait here for a moment. I’ll go inside and assess the situation.”

Kian, clad in his robe, would be relatively inconspicuous.

But Malan stepped forward with a confident expression.

“Infiltration isn’t necessary. Just stall them up front for a bit, and I’ll handle the rest. Believe it or not, I’m the temple’s most renowned heresy hunter.”

‘…I don’t buy it, but if things go south, I can step in.’

Kian removed the robe he wore and handed it to Mallen.

“Then wear this. I’ll distract their attention.”

“Thank you.”

While Malan draped the robe over his clothes, Kian tucked the rabbit deep inside his shirt. He didn’t forget to unbutton only the front panel near the face to allow easier breathing.

“Sorry. I’ll free you first thing when this is over.”

Malan, now ready, signaled. Kian raised his hand to the magic device and opened the cave entrance.

Thud-thud-thud-thud.

With the sound of shifting rock, the Heart of Dawn’s headquarters revealed itself.

The ceiling, sparsely adorned with stalactites, and the cave interior were indistinguishable from a parallel world.

Unlike before, when cushions on the floor and a pulpit on the platform made it resemble a chapel, this space contained no furnishings whatsoever.

Instead, multiple overlapping magic circles were etched onto the exposed cave floor.

Sniffing the scent lingering in the air, Kian’s eyes sharpened with certainty.

‘A demon-summoning ritual.’

If so, the patterns on the floor were undoubtedly summoning circles.

Kian’s gaze, which had been slowly scanning the patterns, suddenly froze in one spot.

“……!”

A look of horror slowly spread across Kian’s face.

In the center of the magic circle, where the sacrifice should have lain, was none other than the corpse of Salman Harkin, the leader of the Delia tribe.

It was utterly appalling that while all the Delia tribe members were busy preparing his funeral, the chieftain’s own body was being used to summon a demon.

The figure seated on the dais, observing the proceedings, glared at Kian and Malan.

“Two uninvited guests have arrived.”

The personnel mobilized for the demon summoning were sparse. Only about ten priests stood at each focal point to maintain the summoning circle, along with the man on the dais. All wore robes concealing their faces.

Yet Kian could infer their identities by voice alone, thanks to a scene witnessed in a parallel world.

“So it was you after all. Asif’s son, Pearl.”

Seemingly uninterested in concealing his identity, Pearl Asif lifted his hood to reveal his face.