12 O'Clock Marionette-Chapter 59

Regardless.

I recited three sentences in order.

"I swear not to reveal what happened today to anyone."

"I swear to ensure the imprisoned investigator does not die."

"I swear to always cooperate with the person before me."

Dylan stammered but obediently repeated after me.

The moment the vow was completed, the chains floating in the air shot into his mouth, embedding themselves at the root of his tongue.

Judging by his reaction—grasping at his throat in distress—it must have hurt.

But.

"Mmph! Mmmgh!"

"Stop exaggerating. You barely even feel it."

"Oh… I see."

The Pledge spell was extremely useful but came with a significant risk.

Simply put… it didn’t last very long.

For some people, it wore off within an hour, which is why I didn’t use it often.

But look at this guy.

He had zero traces of magical training, was young, incompetent, and reckless—and somehow held a high rank.

Clearly a nepotism hire.

Not that it mattered.

He was the perfect target to trick into thinking the spell would last forever.

"S-so what happens if I break the vow?"

"If you're curious, go ahead and try."

I smiled gently. Dylan shut his mouth immediately.

With that, things were more or less settled.

We had lost a lot of time due to the unexpected complications.

I was considering whether to leave and return later when—

"Um, since we’re all on the same side now, I suppose I can ask this…"

"What? Want me to untie you?"

"N-no! It’s just… I have a question."

The way Dylan fidgeted gave me a good feeling.

I gestured for him to continue, and he cautiously asked—

"The Elder who leaked information… was it Lord Ares?"

Huh.

Not Qudil?

Under normal circumstances, people would suspect Qudil first.

Why Ares?

I narrowed my eyes, and Dylan pressed anxiously.

"No, right? It wasn’t him, was it?"

"Are you close with the Tenth Elder?"

Dylan hesitated.

"If you don’t answer, we have no reason to answer you either."

"You won’t believe me, but… I don’t fit in well with the cult."

Actually, that’s the most believable thing he’s said so far.

"My grandfather was a close friend of the Grand Elder, so he looked after me a bit. And, well… people got jealous."

"Skip the sob story. How does Ares fit into this?"

"Lord Ares was the only one who cared for me."

Normally, that would sound like a ‘villains have feelings too’ moment.

But this wasn’t about sentimentality.

It felt more like he was afraid of being caught up in something dangerous.

"So now that Ares is a fugitive, your ties to him have become a liability?"

"More or less."

"The damage is already done. Why are you so nervous? Unless you’ve done something else you’re guilty of."

Dylan flinched.

Bingo.

"It wasn’t an order, was it? You just did what you thought the cult wanted. If it benefits them, they’ll accept it."

That explained how Ares got information about the cult in the first place.

"Don’t tell me… you were the one feeding Ares information?"

"O-of course not! That’s absurd!"

"Then what did you do?"

"……I, uh, just opened the gate for him a little. Just to get some fresh air? He only said he wanted to pray, so… hehe."

……

I stared at him in stunned disbelief.

Even Cruello let out a small laugh.

"So you were trying to gain favor in case the Tenth Elder was reinstated?"

"You don’t mind telling us this?"

"Hehe, you’re temple officials! There’s no way the Elders will hear about this."

"Hmm."

"So, what I’m really asking is… Ares wasn’t the one who leaked the information, right?"

"Who knows? We only received an anonymous report."

Cruello lied effortlessly, his face unreadable.

Dylan’s complexion turned deathly pale.

"I-if that’s true… I’m dead! I won’t be able to help you properly! Please spare me!"

"Just don’t open the gate for him again. No one will know, right?"

"It’s not just once…"

"……"

"Wait. You let him in multiple times?"

I had underestimated him.

He was an idiot, but an audacious one.

"Actually… he’s supposed to come again soon. I was on my way to unlock the gate when you caught me."

Dylan rolled his eyes nervously, watching our reactions.

Finally, his intentions became clear.

Since his own neck was on the line, he wanted us to deal with Ares before things got messy.

I exchanged a glance with Cruello and nodded.

The sun wouldn’t rise for a while anyway.

"Fine. Since you helped us, we’ll return the favor. Lead the way."

We accepted Dylan’s assassination request.

Thank you for the free key.

***

On our first night infiltrating the cult’s headquarters, we had already wandered all over the place.

This time, we arrived at a hidden chamber concealed behind a stained glass window.

It was a special prayer room, only accessible with the Grand Elder’s permission.

The moment we stepped inside, we were greeted by a colossal statue of a female figure and the altar placed before it.

The space was divided into two levels, with the prayer area on the first floor, while the second floor provided an open view from above.

We climbed to the upper level, finding a hidden spot to observe.

Like most ancient temples, this one—though merely an imitation—bore an unsettling resemblance to the Pebula Temple.

That alone made me uncomfortable.

"Something wrong?"

"Nothing."

I glared at the statue for a moment before sharply turning away.

Dylan, who had led us here, was visibly nervous, fidgeting anxiously.

"You really have to be careful. Normally, you can only reach this place through the Grand Elder’s mansion, but I used a secret path. No one knows I’m aware of it, so if we get caught—"

"Ugh, shut up for a second. We won’t even hear Ares coming at this rate."

"He always arrives exactly on time, so it’s fine! I’m serious, this place is high-security. Any unauthorized believer is immediately thrown in prison!"

"Doesn’t seem that important to me."

"I told you! This is the only place where we can receive revelations!"

"You worship a nonexistent demon, and now you’re talking about divine revelations?"

It was obvious.

Some ancestor of theirs had fabricated some convenient ‘revelation’, and now they all believed it.

Dylan trembled, clearly offended but forcing himself to stay silent.

Hmm.

"Is the person who received the revelation still alive?"

"I-I will never reveal that!"

"What’s the difference? You just admitted it exists."

"……."

"Was it the Grand Elder?"

"……."

"The Second Elder?"

Dylan flinched.

Aha.

So it was Nigellia.

That would explain why she held more influence than even the Grand Elder.

Dylan, realizing he had given something away, squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears.

Cruello forcibly pulled his hands away.

I spoke kindly.

"Don’t be upset. The Second Elder probably got scammed too."

"It’s not a scam! If it was, why wouldn’t she just let everyone hear it? Why would only the Second Elder be chosen?"

"Maybe she got tricked too."

"That’s impossible! The revelation is heard directly in her mind! And this prayer room slows mana flow, meaning telepathic magic wouldn’t work!"

"Really?"

I turned to Cruello, who tested the mana flow, moving it around experimentally.

After a moment, he frowned slightly.

"Magic resistance is stronger here."

Hearing that, I tested my holy power.

It flowed perfectly fine.

In fact…

It seemed easier than usual.

Should I try something?

It wasn’t telepathy, but I had something similar.

—Third Spell: Signal.

A white butterfly formed from my holy power and fluttered toward Cruello’s forehead.

[Raise your right hand.]

[Raise your left hand.]

[Lower your right hand, but keep your left hand up.]

[Now lower your left hand, but don’t raise your right hand again.]

"How long are you going to do this?"

"Just making sure it works."

"……Excuse me, what exactly did you just do?" Dylan asked hesitantly.

"A holy power test. It works fine. If anything, it’s smoother than usual."

Was my holy power rebellious or something?

Dylan stared in shock.

"That’s… impossible? They told us the first thing they sealed was holy power. Was that a lie? Or was He not a demon, but an actual god? An evil god? An evil… Wait! Why did you hit me?!"

"Because I didn’t like what you said."

"But I—"

"Shut up."

Cruello coldly silenced Dylan.

At the same time, I sensed someone approaching.

I stepped back, ensuring I was out of sight from the first floor, and held my breath.

Cruello, meanwhile, put Dylan to sleep.

He had woken up quickly last time, but this time, Cruello had likely adjusted it properly.

If he suddenly panicked and betrayed us, we’d be in trouble.

Finally, from the secret passage we had entered through—

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A tall figure appeared.

A man, towering well over two meters, with a massive frame.

Despite his size, his presence was eerily silent.

It was my first time seeing his face.

His features were strong and symmetrical to an unnatural degree.

His dark circles suggested exhaustion, but his gaze burned with intensity.

There was no doubt.

Tenth Elder, Ares.

I decided to test him.

I flicked a tiny pebble toward the lower floor.

The moment it hit the ground—

Whip.

Ares’ head snapped around instantly.

He didn’t draw his sword, but his body tensed like a wild beast on high alert.

His wide, frenzied eyes made him look insane.

Luckily, we were far enough that he didn’t spot us.

Ridiculously sharp senses.

I held my breath, impressed.

He was probably even more on edge due to being on the run.

Why would someone like him return to the cult headquarters?

What a pain in the ass.

"…Was it just my imagination?"

After scanning his surroundings one last time, Ares stepped toward the altar.

He knelt, lowering his head, pressing his palms together, and closing his eyes.

To any onlooker, it was the posture of a devout believer.

What could drive a man like him to pray so desperately?

I couldn’t understand it.

After a long moment, he rose and left through the passage he had entered from.

Watching his retreating figure, I felt a strange unease.

But rushing after him now would be reckless.

We had already learned that Ares visited every other day.

There would be another chance soon.

I waited until I was certain he was gone before finally speaking.