Chapter 391: The Unfathomable Abyss (4)

On the screen, the heads of state shifted their eyes nervously. Even though they couldn’t see each other, their pupils rolled as if they were waiting for someone else to speak first.

‘They look like elementary school brats. They’re all thinking “you say it…” while nudging each other.’

The longer one spends in politics, the stiffer the mind becomes, and the more childishly one behaves.

(Mr. President, I don’t mean you.)

Anyway, that’s how it is.

The silence that had settled over the room showed no signs of leaving.

Thirty-two faces, but not one dared to open their mouth.

—— ……

—— ……

I started to get impatient. I raised my voice a little.

“Are you going to keep rolling your eyes forever? Do you really want to disappear from the map completely?”

It was a joke. I’m not that irrational.

“……!”

Anyway, they all flinched just the same.

After a brief moment, the gazes converged on one point. Had they rehearsed it beforehand? How did they know where each one would appear on the screen?

Naturally, all eyes went to the center. The President of the United States. Because he had been the one who dared to issue an ultimatum to Altair Auditore.

—— Heavenly Sword…

He forced the words out with difficulty.

—— …What you just said is quite problematic.

Just as I thought, his breathing cut short. He gulped air, swelled his diaphragm, and stared straight at me. The static of the connection distorted his face, making the features shift erratically.

—— No matter how much this is a family in the shadows, they cannot stand above international law. Therefore…

“You may run your mouth, but at least say things correctly. The Auditore are not officially a shadow family, but a family of order. And even now, yes, we can transcend the law as many times as necessary.”

—— Not as many times as necessary. That prerogative is only recognized when the position of the other party is clearly established.

“That position is going to be pulverized very soon. The only thing is, the Auditore are in the process of verifying it, and that takes some time.”

—— That verification process, in fact, is a subsequent process, Heavenly Sword. And the accused is Chloe Auditore da Sicilia.

“Accused?”

—— …

The static spread dynamically across his face, as if he were changing expressions dozens of times in an instant.

—— Chloe Auditore has already attacked more than fifty government institutions across different countries. And all within just a week. This is considered a flagrant act of aggression.

This American president was younger, and perhaps for that reason he had more backbone.

His predecessors usually resigned long before their term ended.

For “health problems.”

In reality, they were just collateral damage, crushed between nobles and heroes.

They ended up stepping down of their own will when their body’s alarms could no longer be ignored.

So, in the last election, the citizens voted for someone stronger and firmer. That dark-skinned man who was now staring at me.

—— Furthermore, in today’s society, only two organizations can exercise supra-legal authority: the Auditore and the other.

The president clung to the momentum of the situation and spoke more forcefully.

—— To quell this international controversy, both organizations must be in agreement. Has that ever happened in history?

He said it with airs of superiority. And the other leaders, at last, began to smile with confidence.

History and experience are a powerful logical backing. What hadn’t happened in centuries rarely happens overnight. Almost never.

But there was something they were overlooking.

‘That I am…’

The very one who tore down that thick wall called history.

Step.

I took a step forward. The sound echoed. The heads of state fell silent at once and grew serious.

“So, if the other organization with supra-legal authority approves, you won’t make a fuss… is that what you mean?”

—— Until the verification of evidence is complete, yes.

“Don’t beat around the bush. Say it clearly.”

—— Yes……

“Then perfect.”

I lifted my foot from the floor. They couldn’t see it, nor did they know I had been pressing it against a red thread. The Thread of Transfer. And they also didn’t know where this video call was being transmitted in real time.

— I agree.

The deep voice rumbled, and the leaders were stunned. First they looked to our side, but immediately after, they looked at each other. Once again, the center of the screen shifted.

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Suddenly, a new frame appeared. The screen, once divided into 32, now became 33.

— Wha…? How did it breach security…?!

— This isn’t a public server, it’s exclusive to the OECD!

The face of the new participant grew suddenly, filling the center. He shoved the President of the United States and all the others to the margins.

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A middle-aged man. On the screen, he seemed to be in a cabin, chopping firewood, but in reality he was someone who ruled above the law.

— I.

His voice echoed among the thirty-two countries.

— The Empire shares the will of Heavenly Sword.

And on the screen, he gave me a smile.

***

Do you remember Garyeon, the one from the Consulate, and her abilities?

Her hearing was like that of a bat. Just like when she clung to Kang Geom-Ma like a vampire, Garyeon’s hearing was truly superhuman. And on top of that, she possessed the Blessing of Transmission.

Of course, that didn’t allow her to cross national borders. Much less continents. For that, one required the Awakened Blessing of Transmission, which she didn’t have.

If she had been alone, it would have been impossible.

But Kang Geom-Ma, while heading to the conference hall, released his presence through the Blessing of Transmission.

The distance traveled was no less than 2,000 km. A feat only possible thanks to the Awakened Blessing.

Garyeon perceived it with her unique sense and understood that it was Kang Geom-Ma. She relayed it to the Emperor as if she were receiving a direct signal. (And in the process, she nearly exposed the closeness between the Emperor and Kang Geom-Ma, but in the end it was resolved—or at least it seems so?)

Thanks to that perfect collaboration between Transfer and Transmission, the Emperor was able to break into the meeting.

‘Authority against authority.’

As expected, with the Emperor’s appearance, the complaints died down.

From the very beginning, what the American president had said left a mark, and no politician in the world would dare raise a finger against the Emperor.

Everyone had to stay silent and switch off their screens.

As the faces of the old heads of state vanished one after another into blackness…

— I’m counting on you.

With those meaningful words, the Emperor closed the transmission. Kang Geom-Ma felt uncomfortable, but soon erased any trace of it from his face. Then he departed hastily. His destination, surely, the Joaquin Academy.

Flavia lifted her gaze toward the trail Kang Geom-Ma left as he disappeared amid thunder. She was still shaken by the impression of having seen him.

“Flavia.”

Knox’s voice pulled her back to reality.

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry.”

Knox’s mask shifted with a faint tic. He was smiling. But, contrary to what one might expect, he shook his head.

“It’s not something you need to apologize for. Almost everyone reacts like that the first time they see Heavenly Sword. It’s fine, be as astonished as you want.”

“…I’ll regain my composure soon.”

“If that’s what you wish.”

Knox sighed with relief. Then Flavia hesitated, but asked.

“How exactly did Heavenly Sword get the Emperor to cooperate with us?”

“Not even I know.”

She hadn’t asked out of mere curiosity. She knew her brother had had a deep relationship with Heavenly Sword ever since he had stormed into his life at eighteen.

“Well, it’s only natural to think about it.”

“Why? Do you want to dig deeper?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Haa… Still, for me, that memory is now a medal.”

It had already been ten years since they mockingly called him “First Blood Knox.” A decade, enough to erase that ridicule.

Heavenly Sword had become the absolute hero. And who was the first to taste Kang Geom-Ma’s blade? Knox Auditore da Sicilia. A name that would go down in history.

First Blood Knox. First Blood Knox. Damn it.

“…Brother, why are you crying?”

“It’s saliva.”

“Are the salivary glands next to the eyes, perhaps?”

“Flavia. If you analyze everything, it loses all fun.”

‘What’s not fun is the way you talk like you’re in a historical drama…’

She thought to herself, but stayed quiet.

Back to the matter.

“It’s known that there have been conflicts between Heavenly Sword and the Emperor. And even so, the Emperor supported him. I don’t understand how.”

“Flavia.”

“Yes?”

Before responding, Knox lifted his gaze to the sky. With the Blessing of the Raven, he confirmed that Kang Geom-Ma’s trail had vanished. After making sure, he brought his mouth close to Flavia’s ear.

“Almost all of Heavenly Sword’s threats are real.”

“Do you mean when he said, do you want to disappear from the map?”

“Silence. Listen carefully.”

“……”

She swallowed.

“When he was seventeen, Heavenly Sword went into the Japanese prime minister’s hospital. Do you know what he did?”

Flavia didn’t know. She had been barely ten years old when it happened.

“He stabbed him in the stomach with a sashimi knife.”

“Excuse me?”

“Without hesitation, he stabbed him.”

“Absolute Archer… but back then the Prime Minister of Japan…?”

“Heavenly Sword, or rather, Kang Geom-Ma, didn’t care.”

Ah…

“It wasn’t the only time. Later he traveled to Antarctica to see Victor Poison.”

The father of the Hero Association and father of the Poison sisters.

“Don’t tell me…”

“Yes. He stabbed him too.”

“…Incredible.”

“Heavenly Sword is like that. He doesn’t care about rank. If someone doesn’t listen, he eliminates them. That’s how he uses his sashimi knife in his own land.”

“He is… someone astonishing.”

The heat in the air dissipated. Knox stepped aside a little. Flavia thought for a moment, and suddenly a flash of realization struck her temple.

“The Emperor too…?”

“Probably.”

Knox lowered his mask.

“Besides, if Heavenly Sword decided to destroy those 32 countries, the Emperor would lose power too. He appeared to prevent that.”

“B-but then… Heavenly Sword is like a Demon Lord.”

“Kang Geom-Ma is that kind of man.”

The stars shone in the sky. Twilight over the Mediterranean was brief, and as night fell, the stars glittered above them.

“For the sake of harmony, he doesn’t mind becoming a villain.”

“Then he’s not a hero.”

“No, he never has been.”

Knox said it smiling, with the stars reflected in his eyes.

“And yet, even for us, the Auditore, who live and die in the shadows… he is light.”

Like the stars in that night sky.

***

As soon as I returned to the country, I left everything aside and headed to the academy.

In the laboratory they were washing clothes. The graduate students had to take care of the professors’ socks, an event that repeated every other day.

Ignoring the laments of those modern slaves, I arrived at Meian Poison’s laboratory.

“Professor.”

I forgot to knock on the door and barged right in.

“Ah.”

Mistake.

Meian Poison was right in the middle of her metamorphosis.

Unlike her sister, whose Blessing consisted of making the target younger, Meian’s was different—she could change her own appearance. It was more direct and powerful, but it had its limitations.

The process took about an hour. During that time, she was completely defenseless. She couldn’t have a single thread of clothing on her, otherwise the Blessing would be interrupted.

“Oh.”

Meian covered her lips with both hands. In that situation, shouldn’t she be covering another part instead of her mouth?

“A lucky sukebe?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I was changing back to my original appearance to receive a guest anyway. If you came for something urgent, sit down.”

Meian covered herself with a velvet cloth hanging from the back of the chair. It didn’t even look like clothing. Rather, it gave the impression of someone caught halfway between undressing and dressing.

‘If Ryozo or Abel saw this…’

My neck hurt just thinking about it.

‘No. I have to get out of here.’

“I’ll come back in an hour.”

“Eh? Wasn’t it urgent?”

“I think I should talk to Ryozo and Abel first.”

“Oh, that makes sense. Although…”

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

The footsteps of two people could be heard. The rhythm and cadence were very familiar to my ears.

“In fact, I had an appointment with them.”

Clack!

The door opened, and an icy wind struck my back. I turned my head stiffly.