New WorldShadow - 411/412 (Patreon)

Chapter 411: Weapons of Mass Destruction, Let the Armchair Experts Justify It for Me

After the conference concluded without incident, Cid set out for the mountains of southern Kanagawa Prefecture.

According to Yukina Himeragi, there were several natural hot springs around the mountains in southern Kanagawa. Whether they were located inside shrines or at inns that specialized in hot springs, Cid was sure they would provide some much needed relaxation for his thoroughly exhausted body and mind.

Whether it was pure coincidence or some strange telepathic connection between Cid and Nagisa Akatsuki, Nagisa and her father, Gajou Akatsuki, happened to be heading in the same direction. Apparently, they were fond of hot springs too.

Cid didn't think much of it. He chatted idly with Nagisa along the way, and the three of them soon reached the foot of the mountains in southern Kanagawa Prefecture.

“What do you mean this area has been sealed off and I should find somewhere else to go? Explain.”

Cid's voice rose sharply as he faced the two girls who had suddenly appeared to block his path. Both wore red combat uniforms and carried weapons on their backs.

“Hello, sir. We're members of a special agency under the Japanese government. This area has been temporarily sealed off due to special circumstances. Unless you have an essential reason to enter, please choose another destination.”

The short black haired girl, whose features were rather boyish, frowned as she spoke. Even so, the explanation she gave Cid explained practically nothing and offered no compensation whatsoever.

“Then why can Nagisa and the others go in? We came here together.”

Cid pointed at Nagisa Akatsuki, who stood behind the two girls and was looking at him rather sheepishly.

“Uh... I guess that's true. Shio, this man does seem to be with them. Shouldn't we let him in too?”

The other girl, a pretty brown haired girl whose hair curled inward at the ends, seemed to have been persuaded by Cid's argument. She tugged hesitantly on the corner of her companion's clothes.

“Don't get confused, Yuiri. The authorization list we received only includes those two. No one else is allowed through.”

After patiently explaining the situation to the brown haired girl in a low voice, the short black haired girl turned back toward Cid, her expression turning stern.

“That's how it is, sir. If there are no other issues, please head back down the mountain now. If you intend to force your way in, we'll have no choice but to use force to remove you.”

“...Then what am I supposed to do about the hot spring inn I booked online?”

Cid took out his phone, pulled up the reservation he had made not long ago, and showed it to the two girls.

After all, it was a legitimate shrine. He had no idea why it had appeared so far down in the search results, but after narrowing his search carefully, Cid had successfully booked himself a hot spring suite while on the way there.

Now it was the two girls' turn to be dumbfounded.

They carefully examined the location displayed on his phone along with the reservation confirmation, exchanged several glances, then stepped aside and huddled together.

“What do we do, Shio? This looks like the place where Hisano-sama is living right now, and he really did book it through the official website. Should we let him in?”

“We can't, Yuiri. He's not on the authorization list we received. If we let him in on our own, our masters and the others will scold us.”

“But that's Hisano-sama's...”

“This really is a problem. What the hell are those people in logistics doing? They didn't even take the website offline.”

By the end of her complaint, Shio Hikawa, the black haired girl with the boyish demeanor, couldn't stop herself from cursing the logistics staff.

She could more or less guess what had happened.

A retired high ranking member of the Lion King Organization lived in the shrine here. To preserve the shrine's peace and quiet while still giving it a little human activity, they had apparently listed the place online as a tourist destination so that a handful of visitors would occasionally stop by.

But the person living there was already retired, which said plenty about her age. And this was Japan, of all places.

The result was an utterly ridiculous situation. This was an operation on the highest possible scale, with every kind of personnel assembled and deployed, yet somehow everyone had completely forgotten about the shrine's online tourism listing.

“So what do we do now? Why don't we just give him some money as compensation?”

Completely unaware of the complicated thoughts running through her companion's head, Yuiri considered the matter for a moment and suggested what seemed like a workable solution.

It was immediately rejected.

“Logistics will never reimburse us for that. I'll figure something out.”

After saying this to her companion, the black haired girl turned back toward Cid.

“I'm sorry. This situation was caused by an oversight on our logistics team's part. Once this is over, you can contact our logistics department. I'm sure they'll compensate you.”

“...”

Cid stared silently at the black haired girl.

She met his gaze without the slightest fear. Her companion, on the other hand, looked somewhat guilty. She knew all too well that the retired high ranking member of the Lion King Organization had a terrible temper.

“Sorry, Cid-nii-san. I completely forgot this whole area had been sealed off.”

At the critical moment, Nagisa Akatsuki stepped in to defuse the situation.

It really was her fault. She had gotten so caught up chatting with Cid along the way that she'd completely forgotten to mention the blockade.

Thanks to Nagisa's intervention, the atmosphere finally eased a little.

Still, before Cid left, he pointed directly at the black haired girl.

“I'll remember you. If I don't get compensated, I'm coming to find you.”

On the way back to the hotel, Cid rubbed his chin with a blank expression.

He was considering something.

Should he put on a mask, throw on some black clothes, and simply fight his way inside?

It wasn't because he held a grudge.

He just really wanted to soak in the hot springs.

Normally, Cid wouldn't have cared about something this trivial at all. Unfortunately, his mood today was far worse than usual. It felt as though he'd encountered nothing but bad luck from morning to night.

He had arrived in Kanagawa Prefecture that morning and spent the entire day wandering around without finding a single interesting thing. In the afternoon, after parting ways with Śakra and Giada, an argument had led him to discover the truth about the world. His plan to save the world had collapsed, his resolve had shattered, and he'd accompanied Nagisa to the conference in that miserable state. Then, on the way to finally enjoy a hot spring, two idiots had blocked his path.

Seriously.

Who had he offended just by wanting to soak in a hot spring?

“Break in, sneak in, break in, sneak in...”

Cid plucked one brilliant petal after another from the flower in his hand as he wrestled with a difficult decision.

Should he sneak inside and enjoy the hot spring in style, or should he just fight his way in because it would feel good?

Even an ordinary person might do something irrational when they were in a bad mood, much less someone as powerful as Cid.

Had he worked so hard to become stronger just so he could obey other people's rules?

No.

He had become strong so that other people would obey his rules.

The only thing stopping him now was that he hadn't come up with a suitable excuse.

After all, if he simply barged in without saying a word and started slaughtering people left and right, he'd just look like a completely deranged terrorist.

But if he delivered a few cool lines like, “Know pain,” before doing it, that would be a different story.

Then the armchair experts could justify his actions afterward.

“Break in.”

Cid tore off the final petal of the Gijera flower.

Looking at the bare stem in his hand, he casually crushed it with his Magical Power and let out a cold laugh.

“Hah. Destiny cannot be defied...”

Now that fate had made its decision, all Cid needed was a halfway decent excuse.

And what a coincidence.

Tomorrow, the Prime Minister of Japan would be arriving to deliver a speech titled, “How to Align with the Global Anti-Shadow Movement to Combat and Defeat the Shadow.”

Shadow would make his grand entrance, and something would happen to the Prime Minister.

What a wonderful development.

Still, his justification needed to sound suitably grand and righteous...

As Cid happily imagined what was to come, his body suddenly stopped.

He tilted his head slightly and looked toward the forest covering the nearby mountain.

He could sense a faintly familiar presence.

...

A blue haired elf with twin ponytails, dressed in a white combat suit, crouched atop a tree branch. Her subordinates were crouched nearby.

“Sigh...”

Epsilon's excellent eyesight allowed her to clearly make out the numerous girls patrolling the mountain.

Their sheer numbers formed a blockade without a single opening. Sneaking inside was simply impossible.

A direct assault wasn't feasible either.

If anything happened to even one of the patrol groups, the others would immediately notice and engage them. From there, the fighting would continue without end.

If those patrols were their only opponents, then such a plan might still have been acceptable.

Unfortunately, according to Epsilon's intelligence, these girls were merely the lower ranks of the Lion King Organization. The moment a real battle began, their superiors would enter the fight as well.

And Epsilon's group couldn't defeat them.

“Chi, Omega, have either of you thought of a way to get inside? We've been circling this place for an entire day.”

Epsilon spoke in frustration.

At the start of the day, she had been full of confidence about successfully infiltrating the area. Now she had fallen so far that she was forced to ask her own subordinates for ideas.

There was nothing else she could do.

Trying to infiltrate a place without a single useful lead was simply asking too much, and they had already wasted an entire day.

“I'm sorry, Epsilon-sama. Based on what I've observed, infiltration doesn't seem possible anymore. Why don't we simply attack them directly?”

The blond elf Chi, dressed in men's clothing, thought it over for a moment before giving up on strategy altogether and choosing violence.

“No. It won't work. There's no way we can break through the Lion King Organization's defenses quickly enough. Once they manage to hold us in place, their endless stream of reinforcements and elite fighters will eventually overwhelm us.”

Omega, the chocolate skinned elf, immediately rejected Chi's suggestion.

Epsilon should have been the one making the final decision, but at that moment, she wasn't paying any attention to the two behind her.

Instead, she stared at the people patrolling the mountain, conflicting emotions flickering through her blue violet eyes.

“It looks like you've run into some trouble. Need a hand?”

A familiar, calm male voice suddenly rang through the silent forest.

Epsilon's thoughts were instantly interrupted. Chi and Omega stopped their discussion as well.

Before any of the three could even register why the voice sounded so familiar, their bodies reacted first.

They raised their weapons and attacked the source of the voice.

But the instant they saw who was standing there, all three hurriedly stopped.

They dropped to one knee and brought an arm across their chests in one seamless motion.

“Shadow-sama!”

“What a coincidence, Epsilon, Chi, Omega. I didn't expect to encounter you here. It seems you've noticed that something about this place is unusual as well.”

The man wore ordinary black clothing and leaned casually against a large tree, a faint smile at the corners of his lips as he spoke.

“I apologize, My Lord. The damned Cult of Diablos has already extended its influence into the upper reaches of this country. This should have been the perfect opportunity to sever one of the claws they had stretched into this land, yet I failed to meet your expectations. Because of interference from the Lion King Organization, those people escaped, and we've now lost their trail. I have failed in my duty.”

“It doesn't matter. They're here. Every ending can be traced back to its beginning. When everything finally comes to light, all life will face the trial of the stars.”

“Is that so? I understand, My Lord. Such profound words... I swear I will not disappoint Shadow-sama's expectations.”

Epsilon was moved.

That was the only way to describe how she felt.

She had clearly botched the operation, yet her Master was still comforting her.

She had never even dared to dream of receiving treatment like this before.

If she had remained in the Shadow Garden, would she ever have been treated this way?

Defecting really had been the right decision.

But amid her emotion, Epsilon suddenly remembered something.

Her expression stiffened.

After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke.

“My Lord, there is also the matter of my identity being exposed. While pursuing the Cult of Diablos' minions earlier, members of the Self-Defense Forces and the Lion King Organization most likely discovered who I am. I know I have failed in my duty, but please grant me a chance to redeem myself.”

As she spoke, Epsilon couldn't help grinding her teeth in frustration.

Ever since she'd arrived here, one obstacle after another had appeared in her path.

If she hadn't been worried that exposing her identity would interfere with the public identities maintained by both herself and her Master, she would have killed every last person who had deliberately obstructed her long ago.

“Epsilon, raise your head.”

At the sound of his voice, Epsilon obediently looked up.

She found herself staring into Cid's calm, crimson eyes.

“Only rats that hide in the darkness fear the light so deeply. You have cast yourselves into darkness, yet shine as brightly as the sun. That is how I see you. So raise your head. Those who possess both strength and light have nothing to fear from the unknown ahead.”

“As you command, My Lord. I understand now. Once this operation is over, I will make the truth public. I will condemn the Lion King Organization and the Self-Defense Forces of Japan for attempting to cooperate with a terrorist organization to manufacture weapons of mass destruction, intending to destroy the world so they can rule it. Yes. We were never something that needed to hide in shame.”

I told you to open your mind, not like this.

Cid stared strangely at the utterly determined Epsilon.

Using “weapons of mass destruction” as a pretext, then launching simultaneous attacks both through public opinion and on the ground...

Why did that feel so much like America from the West in his previous life?

Then again, Netheril was basically just like America to begin with.

Still...

Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea.

Cid didn't bother correcting Epsilon.

Instead, a wonderfully absurd idea sprang into his mind.

Originally, he'd assumed this would simply be another routine case of helping Epsilon eliminate the Lion King Organization and Self-Defense Forces who were supposedly disguised agents of the “Cult of Diablos.”

But now it looked like he could get the best of both worlds.

First, he'd spout cryptic lines while fighting his way inside and enjoy a hot spring.

Then, when the Prime Minister arrived the next day, Cid would appear in the middle of his speech and attack under the justification that they were attempting to create heinous weapons of mass destruction.

Once everything was over, the cryptic things Cid had said would line up perfectly with the announcement Epsilon released afterward.

Everything would come full circle.

Then the armchair experts could interpret it all and justify him.

Cid suppressed the smile threatening to rise to his lips.

He looked down at Epsilon, who was still saying something, and his gaze gradually turned colder.

“No need to say anything more. The strong should walk through the front door openly and without shame. This time, I'll give you a hand.”

“Shadow-sama...”

Listening to the gratitude and emotion in Epsilon's voice, Cid manipulated the black liquid around him until it formed a black cloak.

Then he vanished into the depths of the darkness.

...

Chapter 412: Total Victory: Shadow Guardians

“Shio, do you think what we did just now was really okay?”

After letting Akatsuki and his daughter through and driving off Cid, who had tried to force his way through the mountain gate, the two girls on patrol couldn’t help striking up a conversation.

Yuiri Haba, with her short brown hair curled inward at the ends, was the first to speak. As a Sword Shaman who had only recently graduated from probationary status, she was still inexperienced enough to worry about what they had just done.

“What does that have to do with us? This is entirely the Logistics Department’s fault. Even if he wants to complain, he can only complain to them. We were just carrying out our duties.”

Shio Hikawa, a rather boyish girl with short black hair, spoke without much concern. She was more interested in something else.

Didn’t that guy brush against me when he left just now?

“But the problem is, does our Lion King Organization even have a complaints department?”

Yuiri Haba’s question immediately derailed Shio Hikawa’s train of thought and made her hesitate.

“I suppose... we do?”

“There is something similar, but my father told me it’s specifically for communicating with the higher-ups. There’s no channel open to the lower ranks, so strictly speaking, it doesn’t count.”

Most of the Lion King Organization’s cadets were recruited from civilian orphanages or through human trafficking. Yukina Himeragi and Sayaka Kirasaka were examples of that. A small minority, however, were daughters of Lion King Organization employees who had been sent there by their own parents.

Yuiri Haba’s father was a high-ranking priest within the Lion King Organization, so she knew a little about the other departments as well.

But that raised another problem. Military affairs were handled by the Self-Defense Forces, and Kanagawa Prefecture was currently under their jurisdiction. Didn’t that mean the girls were misleading people?

“Doesn’t that mean we’re lying to him?”

“...Probably not. It’s not like the Logistics Department can just ignore its own mistakes. Besides, we’re doing this for his own good. Risking your life in a place like this for a little money isn’t worth it.”

“That makes sense.”

After their brief back-and-forth, the pair fell silent again. But as they looked toward the quiet forest covering the mountain behind them, an eerie chill rose in their hearts. This time, it was Shio Hikawa who could no longer sit still.

“Yuiri, do you know what exactly this mission is about? I’ve been with the Lion King Organization for quite a while now, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen an operation on this scale. All three of the Three Saints have been mobilized. Even small fry like us were transferred here to guard the mountain.”

At first, she had assumed this was nothing more than a minor assignment to protect the Prime Minister. But after the two of them arrived, Shio Hikawa realized that this mission was anything but ordinary. They were even withholding information from their own personnel to prevent leaks.

“Well, about that... I think Father mentioned it before. Apparently, it’s some kind of sealing ritual held once every few years, but I don’t know the details.”

What kind of sealing ritual required a force this large?

Shio Hikawa thought hard about the question but couldn’t come up with an answer. In the end, she abandoned that line of thought and returned to what had originally been bothering her.

“Yuiri, that guy from earlier. Did he touch me when he left?”

“Huh? Shio, you... mean like that?”

“You’re reading way too much into it, Yuiri. Think about my profession.”

One look at Yuiri Haba’s flushed cheeks and shocked expression was enough for Shio Hikawa to realize that she had gotten completely the wrong idea, so she hurriedly stopped her.

“Your profession? What does your profession have to do with it, Shio? Aren’t you just a Shamanic War Dancer...?”

Halfway through the sentence, Yuiri Haba’s voice suddenly trailed off.

To reiterate, a Shamanic War Dancer was an expert in curses and assassination. Even unconsciously, powerful curses formed around their bodies. Top-tier Shamanic War Dancers like Sayaka Kirasaka and Shio Hikawa maintained more than thirty counter-curses around themselves twenty-four hours a day.

Unless they were physically weakened to the point that they couldn’t maintain even the most basic Magic Formulas, there were only two kinds of people who could touch them safely. Someone whose strength surpassed theirs several times over, or someone their subconscious permitted to approach.

“Is there something wrong with him?”

Realizing what Shio Hikawa meant, Yuiri Haba asked the question in return.

“I’m not sure. That’s why I’m asking whether he touched me.”

“But even if you ask me, I can’t be certain.”

Despite saying that, Yuiri Haba still furrowed her brow and tried hard to remember. It seemed that earlier, while the two of them were arguing with him, there had been a moment when they brushed against each other...

“Tap, tap, tap...”

Just as Yuiri Haba was about to remember the crucial detail, a series of heavy footsteps came from the stairs below, interrupting her train of thought.

Another screwup by the Logistics Department?

That was Shio Hikawa’s first thought. She stepped forward and raised one hand in front of herself.

“Please stop, sir. A special military operation is currently underway here, and this area has been temporarily cordoned off. Please leave immediately...”

Her words abruptly died in her throat.

The person producing those footsteps was slowly rising into full view from the stairs below.

Black.

Black.

Nothing but black.

His entire body was shrouded in black. The trailing hem of his black robe hung all the way to the ground, swaying with every step he took.

Beneath the robe, a pitch-black mask concealed his face. Cold crimson pupils stared through its eye openings, sweeping indifferently across the two girls before he continued forward as though they weren’t even there.

Pressure.

Just looking at him subjected them to such terrifying pressure that it felt as though their lungs were being crushed. Their bodies completely lost the ability to move. All they could do was watch helplessly as the figure walked right up to them and then... stopped.

“Please move aside. Thank you.”

His voice was gentle. The lower half of the face visible beneath the black mask curved into a warm smile. Then the black-clad figure reached out with both hands, placed them on the girls’ shoulders, and pushed them aside.

“Thud!”

Unable to resist in the slightest, the two stumbled and fell to the ground. Yet even as pain shot through them, their bodies still refused to move.

The survival instinct buried deep within their genes forcibly suppressed every other thought, leaving only the most primitive reactions. The instinctive awe that ants at the bottom of the food chain should feel toward an existence standing at its very peak, and the desperate desire to cling to life.

They remained trapped in that chaotic state until the black figure had completely passed them and begun walking deeper into the mountain.

Only then did control return to their bodies. The two girls remained kneeling on the ground, gasping desperately for air.

“Shadow. It’s really Shadow. It’s definitely Shadow. Not one of those fake Shadow cosplayers online. That pressure... it has to be...”

Shio Hikawa’s body trembled uncontrollably.

The experience had been no different from narrowly escaping death. Lingering fear overwhelmed her. Her body’s instinctive reaction couldn’t lie. If that man had harbored even the slightest trace of hostility toward them, they would have died instantly.

That was enough for Shio Hikawa to be certain.

The person she had just faced was the genuine Shadow, one of the “World’s Five Strongest.” He wasn’t one of those crazed Shadow fanatics on the internet.

Damn it, why is Shadow himself here?

Once she confirmed the identity of the person who had just passed them, the question immediately surfaced in Shio Hikawa’s mind.

Among the tens of billions of intelligent life forms in the entire world, only five beings stood at that level, and they had actually encountered one?

If this wasn’t simply absurdly good luck, then it could only prove one thing.

Something here carried enough weight to warrant Shadow’s personal appearance.

A reason, an enemy...

The moment she reached that conclusion, Shio Hikawa’s eyes widened and her pupils trembled violently.

She had to report this to her master and the others immediately.

Struggling to her feet, she reached out to grab Yuiri Haba so they could leave together and report the situation to the higher-ups.

Her hand closed on empty air.

Shio Hikawa froze.

“You... can’t go in!”

Yuiri Haba’s voice and hurried footsteps came from behind her.

Shio Hikawa spun around in astonishment and saw that Yuiri had already drawn the long Spear from her back. She sprinted after the black figure disappearing into the distance, leaped high into the air, and swung her weapon in an attack.

“Yuiri, stop!”

Realizing that her partner might not have recognized the identity of the black figure at all, Shio Hikawa shouted desperately, trying to stop her attack.

As though impressed by Yuiri Haba’s courage, the black figure turned his head and glanced at the girl attacking him.

Setting aside accuracy, stability, resource consumption, and everything else, Yuiri seemed to understand the enormous difference in strength between them. She had gambled everything on this single surprise attack.

Its sheer offensive force and destructive power had already surpassed what she could normally produce at her peak.

“That’s some courage.”

Even by Cid’s standards, that much was worthy of praise.

“But courage that can’t recognize the difference in strength is nothing more than recklessness.”

“Hum...”

His steps never slowed.

Invisible ripples spread outward with Shadow at their center.

The silver Spear, radiating blue Spiritual Energy as it flew through the air, collided with the invisible wave and remained locked against it for a single second.

Then...

“Boom!”

Yuiri was hurled backward even faster than she had charged forward.

She slammed into Shio Hikawa, sending both of them crashing into the forest. Tree trunks as thick as a man’s waist snapped apart as an enormous explosion thundered through the woods.

When the smoke and dust finally cleared, the two girls lay curled together on the ground, completely incapable of further resistance.

In the final instant before she lost consciousness, Shio Hikawa saw only the black figure’s back as he swaggered deeper into the mountain.

He raised one hand high above his head and casually waved goodbye to them.

...

Having crossed the defensive line formed by the two girls, Cid yawned as he watched several more girls rapidly approaching from the distance as reinforcements.

He paid them little attention.

“Snap!”

With a snap of his fingers, the pitch-black coat covering his body liquefied and disappeared back inside him.

“Thank you for your assistance, My Lord. All Shadow Guardians have successfully completed their infiltration and are now searching the mountains and forests for traces of the Cult of Diablos. If we encounter high-ranking members of the Lion King Organization, should we engage them?”

Cid turned around.

At some point, a group of Shadow Garden members he had seen before had appeared behind him, kneeling on one knee.

They were all dressed in white combat suits. Epsilon stood at the front, with Chi and Omega beside her. They had all slipped inside while the Lion King Organization’s personnel were distracted by Cid.

Wait.

Shadow Guardians?

Wasn’t it supposed to be Shadow Garden?

Noticing something wrong with the name, Cid almost instinctively opened his mouth to ask Epsilon about it, only to stop himself at the last moment.

Epsilon probably remembered it wrong.

The setting had never been particularly consistent in the first place. Minor changes every three days, major overhauls every five. That kind of thing had happened all the time in the beginning.

Better not worry about it.

Cid nodded, accepting his own explanation before answering Epsilon.

“You decide. If you want to grow, you need to understand your own thoughts. Once you can think rationally and issue orders on your own, that means you’re ready to stand on your own.”

!!!

At those words, Epsilon, who had been bowing her head, suddenly looked up in excitement. Her blue-violet eyes sparkled.

“Yes, My Lord. I understand. I will never disappoint your expectations.”

Cid had no idea what exactly Epsilon had inferred from his words, but since they seemed to have worked, he didn’t think too much about it.

“Keep working hard. I look forward to seeing how brightly you all shine in the future.”

With those words, Cid turned and walked away, leaving everyone behind thoroughly fired up.

Looks like Epsilon’s subordinates are extremely loyal, Cid thought.

But none of that had anything to do with him.

His current goal was to soak in the hot springs.

Now that Cid understood the whole truth, he had successfully devised a triple-win plan for both himself and Epsilon.

First, he would openly walk through the mountain gate as Shadow, drawing everyone’s attention and allowing Epsilon and her people to infiltrate without trouble.

That was a win for Epsilon.

Second, Shadow had already taken out the two women guarding the mountain gate. That meant the bit player Cid could sneak inside while no one was watching and enjoy the hot springs. Even if someone discovered him, he would have a perfectly legitimate excuse.

That was a win for Cid.

Next, any damage Epsilon caused after infiltrating the area could be blamed on Shadow, further worsening Shadow’s reputation.

That was a win for both Epsilon and Shadow.

Then tomorrow, Shadow would attack the Prime Minister at the venue, speak in riddles, and make his presence known.

That was a win for Shadow.

Finally, Epsilon would issue a condemnation statement on behalf of Netheril, indirectly validating Shadow’s riddles and making Shadow seem even more mysterious.

Another win for both Epsilon and Shadow.

In short, win, win, win.

He’d won big time.

As for the Cult of Diablos?

Wasn’t that just the excuse the Seven Shadows used to weed out their enemies, pin labels on people, and then eliminate them?

It was certainly unethical, but Cid had never particularly cared about that sort of thing.

And just like that, a world where nobody got hurt had been achieved.

“Heh heh heh.”

Back with Epsilon, she watched Shadow disappear into the distance.

Only after confirming that her master had left did she rise to her feet and brush the leaves and dirt from her clothes.

“Very good. It seems My Lord was quite pleased with my performance. He has fully acknowledged the Shadow Guardians. Now all that remains is to deal with those Witches. Omega, once this mission is over, find a way to bring more people into the Shadow Guardians. I need more power.”

“...Lord Epsilon, are you really sure this is okay?”

Omega spoke uneasily. The thought that the remaining members of Shadow Garden already regarded her as a traitor filled her with anxiety.

“If this continues, Lord Epsilon, you may end up regretting the consequences.”

“Omega, we are the legitimate ones.”

Epsilon glanced at Omega and spoke with absolute confidence.

“You can’t build something new without tearing down the old. Rather than letting Shadow Garden linger in a half-dead state, why not simply have everyone join us, the Shadow Guardians? Once everyone has joined, wouldn’t that amount to Shadow Garden being reborn?”

At most, they would change the name, kick Beta out of the Seven Shadows and make her an officer instead. Her position would only shift slightly.

Epsilon stopped Omega before she could say anything more and began issuing orders.

“Enough about that. For now, put everything into searching for traces of the Cult of Diablos. Find out exactly what they’re planning.”

“Yes, Lord Epsilon!”