12 O'Clock Marionette-Chapter 67

The conversation between Julian and the other members of the congregation continued to echo.

"Ah, that's true. How long has this been open?"

"It shouldn't have been for long. When Dylan was dealt with, he tried to flee this way, so I closed it again."

"Shall we go inside?"

"No, I’ll check it."

Then, from behind, something began chasing after me.

The sound got closer and closer, and I never expected it to be this terrifying.

To describe it, it sounded like this:

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

Why is it so fast? Was it a cockroach in its past life? How can that be in a human body?

I was gripped by fear in a completely different way and desperately swung my limbs.

By sacrificing part of my knee cartilage, I finally reached the end of the passage.

But then...

"Hmm..."

It was a dead-end.

It wasn’t a passage; it was a trap.

I blinked a couple of times.

Well, I did find an odd angle of a portrait in the office I entered, and it just so happened to connect to the place where Gavotte was trapped.

I thought I was lucky, but it was a failure.

As I chuckled bitterly, the sound grew nearer quickly.

I resigned myself and awkwardly turned my body in the narrow space.

I glanced down at the ring on my finger and, for no reason, put my hand in my pocket.

Even in the worst-case scenario, there was always one last move.

But would I be able to save Gavotte and take him with me if it came to that?

As my mood began to sink, a hand suddenly reached out from the wall and grabbed me.

"Hah?"

My body was sucked into the wall.

Out-of-body experience? Of course not.

"Shh."

The person who pulled me in covered my mouth and whispered.

At first, I thought it was Cruello, but it wasn’t him.

It was difficult to recognize in the pitch-black darkness, but as I traced the vague shape, I figured out who it was.

It was the secret investigator I met before.

Dylan was said to have been dealt with, yet somehow he was still alive.

I nodded, and he removed his hand from my mouth.

I then checked the space I had entered.

It was just a passage hidden by an illusion, a path that turned right at the dead-end.

The spot where I had been crouching just a moment ago was clearly visible from here.

So, I was able to confirm the identity of the sound chasing after me.

"…"

A round body, seemingly made of tangled vines, with four lizard-like legs.

In the center was a large rose in bloom, with a round eye embedded inside.

The huge eyeball rolled around, scanning the dead-end.

I thought Julian was coming fast, but it wasn’t him.

I swallowed dryly and observed the mana creature, still unsure of what it was.

There really is everything in this world.

From behind, I heard Julian's voice.

"Did I make the wrong call?"

"Is there something there?"

"Nothing. It looks like the portrait fell when there was a commotion earlier."

"Well, it wasn’t exactly quiet."

With those words, the eye-shaped mass melted and disappeared.

I heard the door close, indicating that Julian Minerva must have left the office.

I let out a long sigh.

"Thank you."

Last time, I had used informal language when we first met, but since he helped me, I decided to use formal language.

"So, how did you end up back here?"

"How about you? You just got out of prison... Ah, did Dylan help you escape? Where is he now?"

"If you're talking about the person who helped me, that person is dead."

The investigator's voice came out flat.

Well, of course.

I had suspected that Nigellia, who wanted to clean up the church, wouldn’t leave someone who had collaborated with the enemy alive.

Besides, Dylan was an unbeliever who had openly relied on the Grand Elders’ connections.

As Julian said earlier, he must have dealt with him.

"Guess there's nothing to be done."

It was just losing an easy card.

It felt a bit unsettling, but what could I do?

Maybe I’d pray for him later.

"So, Investigator, why aren't you leaving? Still investigating?"

"I'm not staying; I can't leave."

He smiled bitterly as he spoke.

"The person who unbound my shackles was that 'Dylan' member. He left me in the prison with no reason to keep me alive, so he told me to pretend to escape."

"Did he block the exit after saying that?"

"No. As soon as I managed to slip out of the secret prison, I was killed by Jeran. After that, when my escape was discovered, a new magic was cast on the outer door."

"Ah, the really big door, right? I came in through that."

"To leave, you need to use a specific magic to open the door."

"So, if you just grab someone and threaten them—!"

"It's a signal magic. There’s a loud noise, and red light spreads all around. Then, after 3 minutes, the door starts to open."

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Those bastards.

I clenched my teeth.

But I wasn’t in despair.

I had two rings that could take me outside.

"You're a secret investigator, yet you don’t carry any magic tools for teleportation?"

"There were supplies, before I was locked up in the prison."

"Ah."

"Since there was no other choice, I set up a few bombs to at least cover the sound of the signal magic."

"Ah... So the explosion earlier was your doing?"

"Yes, I detonated it. I was observing the situation from a secret passage in the ceiling."

"How did you know it was me?"

"Because you check your mask every ten seconds."

"...."

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My perfectionism had caught up with me.

Tch.

"I owe you one."

"No. Even if the bomb went off, there were still congregants who held their ground. It was an impossible approach from the start."

"So there's no debt, then."

"...The priest shouldn’t have come back in here either."

"That’s something I’ll handle. But Investigator, you’ve already searched this place, so you're familiar with the building’s structure, right?"

"Well..."

"Then do you know where this is?"

I quickly pulled out the communication orb and held it in front of him.

There wasn’t much time left for me to engage in idle chatter.

He seemed surprised when he saw the reflection of a person in the orb, but quickly focused on the question.

"This is the interrogation room. I briefly visited before I was transferred to the underground prison."

"Oh! You know the location? Can you guide me?"

"There's a space that leads to a secret passage, so it’s not difficult."

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, as though about to say something else, but then silently began to lead me.

It was a strange path, not exactly like a villain's secret lair, but definitely odd.

Places that seemed like walls had openings, and spaces that seemed passable were blocked.

It was a maze that only someone who had lived in a temple for a long time would know.

Without a guide, I would have surely run out of time before finding Gavotte.

"Over here."

The investigator stopped on his knees.

"Just go straight to the end of this passage. Be careful when you drop, the passage is about 3 meters high."

"Not planning on coming with me?"

"My body won’t hold up."

He said this calmly.

I already knew that.

Since the investigator was leading, I couldn’t help but notice the blood dripping as he walked.

It was too dark to see clearly, but just that was enough for me to gauge the severity of his injuries.

Has it been eight days since the last incident?

Maybe he had some first aid, but I doubt he had time for proper treatment.

I certainly couldn’t tend to his wounds either.

Thanks to the explosion, we managed to escape, but many high-ranking dark mages had already appeared inside.

With such sensitive enemies in the same space, I couldn’t risk even a slight danger.

Hmm.

I fiddled with the end of the ram's mask and spoke.

"About that code you gave me last time, any more hints you can provide?"

"...I owe you an apology for last time. In the chaos, I forgot about the curse preventing me from speaking."

He chuckled awkwardly, and I couldn’t help but laugh along.

A decision was made.

"Investigator, would you prefer a method where everyone could survive, though the chances are slim, or one where someone definitely dies, but the chances are high?"

"Huh?"

"No, never mind. Don’t answer. I’ll choose the first one anyway. I believe in miracles."

Since I had been brainwashed since childhood to follow divine teachings, I was tired of trying to be good, but there was no helping it.

What could I do? It’s just my nature to be this beautiful.

I took off both rings on my hand and handed them to him.

The investigator took them in a daze.

"Rubbing the purple gemstone will transport you to a dark building. Don’t panic."

"That...?"

"Cause a ruckus with all your might. You can break anything inside, even start a fire."

"Priest..."

"Then someone will appear. Give them this snake-shaped ring."

The investigator’s expression darkened.

"Come with me."

"You saw there are hostages. I don’t think the ring can transfer more than three people."

In truth, even if it was just Gavotte and me, I wasn't sure the gate magic would work.

Nigellia knows about the rings I possess with gate magic, so she likely made some arrangements with Gavotte's side.

Last time, I failed to bring the investigator out because of the chains stuck to the wall.

It’s unlikely Gavotte is free either.

So my real choice was whether to give him one ring or both, and I decided to call Cruello with the second one.

"But to give you the ring, you have to swear an oath."

Although it was only valid for a week, I had to put some safety measure in place.

The other party wouldn’t know about the expiration date, so there was a higher chance they’d remain silent for longer.

─5th Spell. Oath pledge.

Pure white chains rose around me, forming a circle.

"Repeat after me."

"I swear I will not reveal what happened today to anyone for one year."

"I swear I will keep the agreement I made with the person in front of me."

The investigator didn’t immediately follow my words.

"You don’t think dying here is a better option, do you?"

"I’ll do it."

After the grand oath, a chain wrapped around his tongue.

Now that the decision was made, he didn’t hesitate.

"Hide well. I will surely repay this kindness."

Then, the investigator disappeared without a trace.