Chapter 139
“Who are you?”
Viviana asked, sensing that the aura and presence emanating from him were anything but ordinary.
“A bishop of the Order, the warden of this prison, and the god of this place.”
“…A god?”
At Viviana’s retort, the beautiful man curved his violet eyes and gave a charming smile.
“You look like you could use some salvation.”
To Viviana, who stared at him as though spellbound. The man who was introducing himself as ‘El’ added:
“Bestowing trials to grant enlightenment and saving souls from evil. That’s my job.”
Right, within this prison, he might as well be a god. Having convinced herself of this, Viviana studied him keenly.
Setting aside his dazzling appearance which seemed to radiate its own halo, he was a man of power holding the highest position in the Order.
That was a far more advantageous position than that of Prisoners Number 1 and 2.
El, sensing something, waved his hand dismissively with a bored expression.
“Mm, that’s not going to work, so stop wasting your effort. I’ve had more than my fill of that sort of seduction from a certain Archdemon. During my ascetic training in my saintly days, they tried to corrupt me with fine cuisine and gold and silver, with the allure of beauties, with offers of a king’s throne[1].”
Viviana, who had been attempting to use her charm ability on him, wore a sheepish expression.
“I’m sorry. You’re just so charming that I couldn’t help myself.”
He raised his clean-cut chin and smiled elegantly.
“To cut to the chase: the Order is searching for the Mare ducal family’s heirloom. I’m told it’s kept in a vault reserved exclusively for the Sloth bloodline at the Mari Papias Secret Bank. That vault can only be opened by the registered owner, and not even the gods can exercise authority over it.”
“The registered owner is Number 49. Can’t you just take her there and force her to open it? Or extract the passcode? Should I use force to coerce her into telling us?”
At Viviana’s suggestion, El shook his head and stroked his chin.
“The method to open it is quite complex. It depends entirely on the will of the vault’s owner, Number 49. She must have the genuine intention to open the vault and surrender its contents. Whether you hold a loved one hostage to coerce her or try to win her over with persuasion, that’s what it takes. It’s a top-secret matter, and frankly more than I can handle alone, so I’d appreciate the help of a fellow Sloth bloodline member like yourself.”
Viviana’s mind raced with shrewd calculations.
Did Kido have anyone precious enough to stake the vault on?
No. Her personal relationships were broad but shallow, and the one person who had been closest to her, Marquis Claude Farsene, was of unknown fate.
Even if they attempted to reconcile and coax her, the rift between them had already deepened beyond the point of no return.
El presented Viviana with his terms: if she helped find the Mare’s Heirloom, he would grant her official believer credentials along with a new identity.
And not just any identity. Citizenship in the Mersenne Theocratic Republic, something normally unattainable for the Inmaz.
“Of course, I’ll also arrange for you to keep the Sloth bloodline’s fortune minus the ten-billion-Lib donation. The exact amount isn’t certain, but it’s in the trillions.”
Viviana gasped and clapped her hand over her mouth.
The Sloth bloodline’s fortune was in the trillions?
She’d heard it was an enormous sum, but this exceeded anything she had imagined.
If only she had that kind of money…
Viviana clenched her clammy fists and asked.
“What exactly is the Mare’s Heirloom?”
This was a matter of personal curiosity.
What on earth was it, that he’d hand over a fortune worth trillions in exchange?
El gave a small nod and let out a shallow breath.
“It’s an ancient artifact created by one of the Five Archdemons, the Archdemon of Greed. A Grace passed down through the Greed bloodline for generations.”
The Grace of Greed existed not as an ability, but in the form of a physical object.
Without that knowledge passed down, neither its purpose nor its value was understood, and so House Mare, lacking a Wielder, had naturally lost power and slid into decline.
El leaned down and whispered to Viviana.
“That vault holds the secret to eternal life. One could even become a true god.”
Viviana’s red eyes widened once more.
She swallowed hard, meeting his gaze.
“If… if I succeed in this task, could I also receive the blessing of eternal life?”
Given the premise of obtaining wealth beyond what she could ever spend in a lifetime, it was only natural to covet immortality as well.
“If you’re a good girl, then perhaps. But it would be rather troublesome if the registered owner, Number 49, happened to die, wouldn’t it? You’d never be able to open that vault again.”
With those parting words, he turned and walked away. Viviana, watching him go, flexed her stiff fingers to release the tension.
‘Should I tell Enoch about this?’
Translation Notes
[1] ↩
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