Chapter 80. Wreaking Havoc (1)
A Hidden Quest.
As one could infer from the word “Hidden”, it referred to a special quest concealed from the player.
This was the first time I had received a Hidden Quest. Therefore, I had no idea how such quests were hidden—
◆If you ask what a Hidden Quest is, answering is only natural!
The translucent messages, which had remained quiet for some time, seized the opportunity!
A lengthy explanation appeared before my eyes.
===
A Hidden Quest is a quest that is not clearly displayed to the player.
These Hidden Quests may require the player to visit a particular place at a specific time.
Build a connection with a particular person. Or possess a particular object, among other possibilities.
A Hidden Quest begins only after the player fulfills its specific conditions. However, the player receives no information about how to approach or fulfill those conditions.
Therefore, the player’s insight and powers of inference are particularly important, and the player will receive “special rewards” unavailable from ordinary quests.
===
....No wonder the messages had been so quiet lately.
At least the explanation allowed me to understand Hidden Quests immediately.
Then there was the Hidden Quest that had just appeared.
== [Lovely Weather for Wreaking Havoc] ==
[Objective] – Bring about the downfall of Violess.
[Reward] – Ian’s Journal.
[Upon Failure] – No penalty.
◆Thus, Hidden Quests grant you the joy of carefully exploring your surroundings and discovering secrets through deduction!
◆They also offer rewards worthy of your effort and creativity, so show off your adventurous spirit to your heart’s content!!
The messages had seemed calm, yet they quickly returned to making a fuss.
“Ian’s Journal?”
The reward was highly unusual.
Ian’s Journal?
I had not even known something like that existed.
Even if it did—
‘How can the quest give it to me as a reward?’
However, after thinking about it carefully—
‘The quest system is also one of Ian’s abilities.’
I did not know what mechanism operated it, but the quest system was undoubtedly one of Ian’s abilities.
Furthermore, Ian had clearly intended to give me everything he possessed.
Ian had even attempted to transfer his Regression ability to me.
It was entirely possible that he had left messages he wanted to convey within his abilities.
‘Is this what it meant by rewards different from those of ordinary quests?’
I now understood both the mechanism of Hidden Quests and their reward system.
* * *
Boom! Crash!
Another explosion erupted from the Black Market.
“It’s a monster!!”
“R-Run away!!”
The Black Market’s merchants came running out in a panic.
People fleeing in every direction became entangled and fell over one another, instantly plunging Violess into pandemonium.
That was when—
“An intruder!!”
“An unidentified intruder has appeared inside the Black Market!!”
A group poured out from one side of my field of vision while shouting loudly.
They were Ashen Mask Visters—Acatas belonging to the Dark Merchant Company.
‘Their response is faster than I expected.’
Upon closer inspection, several relatively high-ranking Acatas were among them.
There were Evangelistas, whose title meant “Evangelist” and whose position corresponded to that of a Head Priest.
There were also Custodes, whose title meant “Guardian” and whose position corresponded to that of an Assistant Priest.
Several middle-ranking Acatas were mixed among the others.
Their response was both rapid and exceedingly thorough.
Even Isolde would struggle to confront all of them simultaneously.
I dismissed the Hidden Quest window and confirmed that the Covenant of the Abyss—the ring proving that I was Avarus—was securely fitted upon my finger.
After firmly adjusting my mask one final time—
“You there!”
I called out to the running Acatas.
When I raised the Covenant of the Abyss for them to see—
“....Lord Executor?”
The Acatas immediately recognized me and stopped.
“Where are you going?”
“The Black Market’s assault alarm sounded, so we were rushing there.”
It was an entirely reasonable answer. There was nothing in it that I could criticize—
‘It has been a long time since I conducted a disruption operation.’
A disruption operation was intended to weaken the enemy by plunging its organization into internal chaos.
During my time with the Coalition Forces, the disruption operations I had carried out included neutralizing major Imperial Army facilities, infiltrating and destroying military supply depots and armories, severing supply routes and weakening the enemy’s military strength, among countless other objectives.
All those experiences and memories remained perfectly preserved within my mind.
Recalling the countless operations I had conducted in my previous life—
“You fools!!”
I suddenly roared at them.
* * *
Isolde raced throughout the Black Market. While destroying every Black Market structure she encountered—
“Please escape.”
She also freed the slaves who had been restrained with chains.
“Who the hell is that bastard?!”
“Catch him! Catch him at all costs!!”
Whenever she did so, the Dark Merchant Company members stationed throughout the Black Market pursued her relentlessly.
She avoided their pursuit by throwing herself between the surrounding structures, but there was a limit to what she could accomplish.
Strictly speaking, this place was a mage’s territory.
Hummm—!
Hexagram barriers of incomprehensible meaning appeared in every direction.
Dark-red electrical currents erupted from within them.
Crackle! Crackle—!
Lightning magic carrying an enormous electrical current shot toward her at tremendous speed.
....She could not evade it.
Isolde clenched her gauntlets and gathered her Holy Power.
Then she thrust her fist forward—
Boom—!
The concentrated Holy Power was released in the form of a wave.
Boom, boom, boom—!
The wave triggered successive explosions, destroying everything it touched.
Divine Martial Fist, Lumentius Style - Divine Wave Burst.
The sacred explosion struck both the dark-red electrical currents and the barriers.
Crash—!
And shattered the barriers in an instant.
However, at the moment the barriers broke—
Rumble—!
Remnants of the destroyed magic and fragments of the barriers erupted in every direction.
The fragments flew like stray arrows.
Isolde could easily evade them.
However—
“Eek!!”
“P-Please save us!”
The Black Market’s slaves—
In other words, ordinary people—would be injured.
Isolde charged forward without hesitation. Crossing both arms, she expanded her Holy Power—
Fwoosh!
A sacred veil spread from her crossed arms and enveloped both Isolde and everyone around her.
Divine Martial Fist, Celestia Style- Celestial Guardian.
Crack—!!
The flying magical fragments battered the sacred veil.
“Ugh...!”
The impact caused Isolde’s body to stagger.
Her insides felt as though they had been violently shaken, and blood surged within her.
Fortunately, her injuries healed almost immediately.
However, Holy Power could do nothing about the pain. That pain gradually eroded Isolde’s mental fortitude.
Of course, pain of this magnitude would not seriously affect her, but—
‘There are too many.’
The magical barriers showed no sign of ending, regardless of how many she destroyed.
To put it crudely, the entire Black Market was plastered with them.
Just as clothes eventually became soaked by a light drizzle, she wondered how long her mental fortitude could endure the accumulating pain caused by confronting them.
“Th-That monster...!”
“More importantly, didn’t he just use Holy Power?”
“When are the reserve units getting here?!”
The Dark Merchant Company’s forces were also formidable. None of them held particularly high ranks, but there was strength in numbers.
They became troublesome when attacking in a large group.
At the same time, Isolde could not use any of her large-scale techniques.
Numerous slaves were still trapped throughout the Black Market and had yet to escape.
Those slaves were not members of the Dark Merchant Company. They were the Dark Merchant Company’s victims.
She had to protect them.
As expected, running wild in the middle of enemy territory was difficult. That was especially true when she faced numerous restrictions.
Just as Isolde tightly bit her lower lip—
“They’re here! The reserve units are here!”
“Hurry up and capture that bastard!!”
As if matters were not already bad enough, enemy reinforcements arrived—
“What? Why are there so few of you?!”
....Yet their numbers were surprisingly small.
* * *
The Acatas flinched when I roared at them.
“....Pardon?”
“Does this truly look like an attack upon the Black Market to you?”
“Of course it—”
“You fools!!!”
I unleashed the temper I had learned from Iratum. The terrified Acatas trembled and even stepped backward.
Considering Avarus’s position, their reaction was understandable. Only one person in Violess held a higher rank than Avarus—
Iratum, the Revelator-ranked Devotee whose position corresponded to that of a Cardinal.
Even throughout the entire Order, the number of people who outranked Avarus could be counted on one hand.
“Look over there.”
I raised my hand and pointed toward the Black Market.
I did not forget the small detail of deliberately using the hand that wore the Covenant of the Abyss.
As expected, the Acatas’ gazes immediately settled upon the Covenant of the Abyss.
Boom! Crash!
Another explosion erupted from the Black Market, and their gazes snapped toward it.
Isolde was running wild like an ogre.
Of course, the distance prevented them from seeing her clearly.
However, the sight of someone single-handedly charging throughout the Black Market and destroying everything truly resembled an ogre’s rampage.
“What kind of fool attacks the Black Market alone?”
“Do you mean...?”
“This is a disruption operation.”
The first disruption tactic—
Information deception.
“Where is Lord Iratum currently?”
“He is probably in the Ruins District.”
“The Ruins District?”
“He said he was acquiring the Homunculus materials you requested, Lord Executor....”
“Ah, of course.”
The Ruins District was a shantytown on the outskirts of Violess.
In other words, it would take considerable time for news of the disturbance to reach Iratum.
That was also why I had requested enough materials to create one hundred Homunculi.
Originally, I had intended to wreak havoc alone.
If Iratum had remained inside the Black Market, it would have caused considerable difficulties.
In short, the current circumstances were perfect.
“Until Lord Iratum arrives, I will command the situation.”
The second disruption tactic—Collapse of the command structure.
“U-Understood.”
“But what did you mean by a disruption operation?”
“Look carefully. The intruder is merely destroying the Black Market without any apparent objective.”
“That is true, but....”
“Can you not sense the intention to focus our Order’s attention entirely upon the Black Market?”
“Is that so...?”
The Acatas tilted their heads, clearly unconvinced.
“Are you questioning my judgment?”
They all flinched at my cold tone.
As long as they firmly believed that I was Avarus, my words were effectively absolute truth.
The Devotees of the Fallen Souls were an Order that worshipped the Monarch of the Abyss as their god.
To them, Avarus was practically a “Representative of God” upon whom the Monarch of the Abyss had bestowed a “true name”.
How could they doubt the Representative of God who conveyed their god’s voice?
“O-Of course not!”
“How could we possibly question Lord Executor’s judgment?!”
“We would never do such a thing!”
Consequently, the disruption operation proceeded smoothly.
“This is a diversionary operation.”
Disseminating false information and spreading groundless rumors.
“The true objective lies elsewhere. Perhaps our Order itself is being targeted.”
Creating tactical confusion through false orders.
“We must consider the possibility that the Crimson Soiree and the Black Grasp are cooperating.”
Dividing the factions against one another.
“Therefore, I will stop the intruder attacking the Black Market. Return to your assigned areas and prepare for any unexpected developments.”
“Yes!”
“Inform the other reserve units that they must defend their assigned areas instead of coming to the Black Market.”
Canceling requests for reinforcements.
“There may also be a traitor within our Order. Minimize communication between your units.”
Fostering internal discord and conflict.
“Furthermore, we must move the Black Market’s funds somewhere safe in preparation for any emergency. You there—are you an Evangelista-ranked Acata?”
“Y-Yes!”
“You will follow me.”
Seizing the enemy’s supplies.
“Custos-ranked Acatas, evacuate every slave within the Black Market to a safe location.”
Ensuring civilian safety.
“Pardon...? Why should we evacuate the slaves—”
“You fool!!!”
Interrupting him.
“Do you have any idea how expensive those slaves are?!”
Insisting until they accepted it.
“If any of them are injured or killed, our losses will be enormous!!!”
Losing my temper.
“Or would you prefer that I grind you down and use you to create Homunculi?!”
Threatening them.
“Eek!”
“W-We failed to think the matter through!”
“Please forgive us!!”
Terrified that they might be turned into Homunculi, the Acatas hurriedly bowed.
Judging by their reactions—
‘It looks like Avarus has done that before.’
Avarus must have captured Acatas who displeased him and transformed them into Homunculi.
Considering that the madman had transformed the entire population of Venenon Viscounty into Homunculi, it was hardly surprising.
Thanks to that, my disruption operation proceeded even more smoothly.
“The remaining Acatas will return to their assigned areas and defend them.”
Weakening the enemy by dispersing its forces.
“What are you waiting for?! Move!”
“Y-Yes!”
The Acatas answered loudly before rushing away again.
With the large force of Acatas gone—
“We should move quickly as well.”
“Th-This way, please!”
Guided by the Evangelista-ranked Acata, I headed toward the Dark Merchant Company’s treasury.
* * *
The Dark Merchant Company’s reinforcements arrived at the Black Market. For some reason, however, there were remarkably few of them.
That was not all.
“Where are the other reinforcements...? H-Huh?!”
“What are you doing?!”
“This is no time to worry about those worthless slaves!!”
Despite their already limited numbers, the Dark Merchant Company’s reinforcements were evacuating the Black Market’s slaves.
Just as Isolde wondered what was happening—
“Those are Lord Executor’s orders!”
A shout rang out.
Isolde’s mind instantly became alert.
“Lord Executor’s orders...?”
“That’s right! Lord Executor ordered us to minimize the damage to the Black Market!”
“W-What are you talking about...?”
“Shut up! Unless you want to become a Homunculus!”
“What...?”
“There’s only one intruder anyway!”
“Lord Executor will arrive soon, so follow your orders!”
One by one, the slaves safely escaped from the Black Market. Only then did Isolde understand the entire situation.
Apparently—
She had made another grave misunderstanding.
The man known as the delinquent of a count’s family—Adrian White Wolf.
His actions—deceiving the Dark Merchant Company and carrying out an operation to wreak havoc—were unquestionably those of a delinquent.
However—
He unmistakably possessed the heart of a human being.
At some point, Isolde’s tightly bitten lips had curved into a faint smile.
Everything that had restrained her was now gone.
In that case, why should she hesitate?
Isolde squeezed out her Holy Power and concentrated it throughout each part of her body.
This was the technique she had almost used at the end of her battle with Adrian.
It was also a technique she had not yet completed.
Isolde focused her mind and forced Holy Power into every individual muscle fiber and nerve cell.
Then she detonated it all at once.
Boom—!!!
Empowered by the exploding Holy Power, Isolde’s physical capabilities surged out of control.
Her muscular strength, reflexes, stamina, speed, and every other physical capability—
Her combat power based upon those abilities instantly “transcended” the limits of humanity.
Divine Martial Fist, Isolde Style - Divine Ascension.
Golden energy rippled around Isolde.
She no longer resembled a human being but a transcendent entity.
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