Chapter 865 – Battle of Vajra -18-

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After the man in the monkey mask shouted that, he was immediately grabbed by the neck by Diora, who rushed in to restrain him.

In fact, it was so fast that it was invisible to the naked eye, similar to when a bird of prey comes down from the sky and snatches its prey.

After I blinked, the situation was already over.

＂Ugh! Heh, let go… You barbarian…!”

The man’s neck, which Diora was holding with one hand, looked as if it would break at any moment, but perhaps due to resistance of its own, the mechanical arm protruding from his back moved randomly, trying to grab Diora and pull him away.

However, the heat radiating from Diora’s body pushes away the mechanical arm that touches her arm, disrupting her restraint.

“W-what are you doing…! It’s so easy to be defeated!”

Mea must have had no choice but to raise her voice after seeing such a man being so easily overpowered.

“What are you doing?!” “I was treated in a way that wasn’t even funny!”

Lila snorted as she looked at the two people who were busy criticizing each other, wondering if there was such a thing as camaraderie.

“If you’re so busy putting each other down, it means that your relationship will eventually be destroyed someday.”

Then, he approaches the monkey mask that Diora is holding, binds his hands and feet with binding magic, and throws him to the side.

Of course, the same goes for the mechanical arms sticking out from behind the back.

＂Keuuk! Oh, my waist!”

The man who fell while making a comical voice was crushed on top of the weapon, unable to move when his mechanical arm stopped functioning.

“Are you sure this guy is really an official of the Expulsion Church? It doesn’t feel intimidating at all, it’s just like a guy walking around the neighborhood.”

When Lila spoke with an expression of half bewilderment and half disgust at the sight of such a powerless man, Mea spoke as if she was ashamed of the man in the monkey mask.

“Well, that’s… That guy is strange, because he’s the newest among us… He’s not quite out of the world yet…”

When Mea mutters that the other seekers are different, she says, “Hmm,” And Lila speaks with a half-disinterested expression.

“What. Either way, in the end, you end up deciding whether you will be caught and tried or die on the spot.”

＂Under the laws of the kingdom, the only crimes committed by the exiled church are those that do not pose a problem even if they are summarily disposed of on the spot. If you are an ordinary church member, the story may be a little different, but if you are an official, it is even more unavoidable.”

When Selena said that while frowning, the monkey man was okay with that, so he just twitched as if asking for something to be done with the mechanical arms that were holding him down.

[Haha, it sucks. You’re the one who tried to force me into the tank last time, right? Kyaak tsk!]

The Vivre Chimera at Lila’s feet laughed as she spoke, then slapped the fallen man in the monkey mask with a tentacle sticking out from behind her.

It’s strange, I must have lost the mental connection, but I felt like I could hear Buvre’s thoughts that way.

Even with some savory swear words mixed in.

“… I thought it would be full of machines since it was the data room of this fortress. It’s a structure we’re also familiar with.”

And while Lila and Diora were paying attention to the man, Riomes and Demis, who had first checked that there were no other ambushes in the data room and returned, were talking like that.

Aside from the machines, there are books bound in the royal style as well as books of a fairly old style.

Also, there were quite a few scrolls from Eastern countries.

“Well, it might not have been like that at first, but I guess I took various things and piled them up.”

Lila looked around her as she said that, and roughly took out one of the books on the bookshelf and looked at her cover.

“… What is this, Aleista’s past life ritual book? Is it original? It’s an S-class banned book! Apparently, it was stolen from the Academy’s forbidden library decades ago…”

Apparently, the Exiled Church had brought in several books from here and there without permission.

＂This is a book for summoning demons… Ha, these guys are called a cult in name… ＂

Diora, too, could not help but react as if she was appalled when she saw that the books she had roughly selected were clearly out.

＂Joe, handle with care… Those books… Are much more valuable than you or me… ＂

Laila speaks in awe at the sight of him lying down and the way he seems to care more about the books than Laila.

“I know that even if you don’t say it. To begin with, it’s not even your book, so why say it like that…”

Then, Lila noticed that some of his robes were slightly unnaturally puffy, and she narrowed her eyes.

“… Aha. When I asked why the executive was here, I guess he was trying to steal some data in advance?”

As if she understood now, Laila said this and tapped the man with her foot.

When the man doesn’t respond, Lila snaps his fingers.

Then, Demis, who was quietly watching the scene, took Lila’s voice as a signal and immediately approached the man and lifted his robe to check the book he was hiding.

＂Wait! Stop it! This book can never be as good as this book!”

“What do you mean, it’s not your book anyway? I’ll return it to its original owner, so if you don’t want it to get hurt, leave it alone!”

Lila raised her voice like that on behalf of Demise, who was taking the book, and the man, who could not withstand Demise’s power with his hands and feet tied, had his robe forcibly opened.

＂No!＂

The man speaking in a despairing voice was still unable to move.

In the end, he ended up revealing a fairly thick book that appeared after he took off the clothes he was wearing under his robe.

＂Ugh…!＂

But at the same time, Demis couldn’t help but frown again when he saw the man’s bare skin.

His body was so covered with various machines that it could hardly be considered human.

The area that was discolored black seemed to have been forcibly restored by a machine under the skin – the area where muscles and internal organs were intertwined.

Is this also the technological power that the Exiled Church possesses?

While Demis pauses for a moment, the man tries to escape from Demis by moving his body, but in the end, Demis does not forgive him and confiscates the book he was carrying.

“Oh, no, don’t take my book!”

The man who was clinging as if pleading seemed pitiful now.

“It’s your book… That’s right.”

Demis handed Lila her book, and Lila also scolded the man by saying something.

And, when I checked the book I was handed, I found out that it was more like a research note that did not even have a proper cover and whose author was unknown.

＂Plus, most of the content inside is not printed in print, but handwritten… Are you really saying it’s your book?”

When Lila opened the cover of the book, she reacted as if it was a little difficult to believe, but the man’s reaction made her believe that it was not an ordinary book, and she asked him a question.

Then the man answered by nodding his head.

“Okay! I told you earlier that it was my book! If you know, give it back!”

“No… Let alone why we have to do that. This content… This─＂

Lila felt a bit of cold sweat as she entered this room for the first time.

A font I’ve seen somewhere before, and what’s written.

─It was related to a giant mechanical snake buried underground in the Four Dragon Mountains.

It was the result of someone’s life-long research on what is also called ‘Leviathan’.

And, Lila recalled that she had been introduced to this by someone.

“─It’s the same as her father’s notebook that Artis had…”

Lila muttered a little in disbelief and looked at the man lying down again.

This man said this was a book he created.

That’s why Lila closed her eyes tightly and spoke to him.

“… It’s a lie, you couldn’t have written this book.”

“What!? My research results are mine and mine alone! I didn’t make it for someone else, it’s something I researched and risked my life to find out!”

His voice was desperate and persuasive.

Lila was also a researcher, so she could understand the pain and anger of her research being denied more than anyone else.

But still, Laila couldn’t admit it.

Because- if you admit this.

Now, I’m lying ugly on my seat, unable to get up on my own-

A man belonging to an exiled sect who committed numerous evil deeds—.

This was because he was acknowledging that he was the father of ‘Artis Slainen’, who could also be said to be Laila’s colleague.

“Sorry, Demis. Just one more thing.”

“… Yes. What is it?”

At Lila’s words, Demis nodded his head in understanding and looked at the man clamoring at his feet.

“Take off that man’s mask. I’ll have to look at his face to check. … I think it’s nonsense as expected – but it could be possible.”

Lila muttered as if she was a little dizzy, holding her hand to her face.

Then, Demis nodded his head as if he understood and walked closer to him.

He was trying to remove the monkey mask that was on his face.

“Now, wait a minute. Are you trying to unmask me this time!? No! This is an irreplaceable treasure that I received in recognition of my membership in the church!”

However, the man refused quite vehemently, and Demis turned his head towards Rio Mes as if he had no choice.

Then Riomes was a little reluctant, but he figured out that Lila was trying to find out something about her, so she walked up to him and placed his hand on her arm.

And I will infuse him with magic mixed with my own life force, temporarily paralyzing his body.

Then, suddenly, the man’s body stopped for a moment.

If Demis takes off the man’s mask at that moment – boom! As a sound was heard, some ‘wires’ connected to the back of the mask were torn from the man’s face.

＂──!＂

The face that was revealed was worse than the belly of the man Demis had seen earlier.

About half of the face was exposed, with a skeleton that seemed to be made of a machine, and behind it, red, glowing machine eyes were flashing and rolling around.

Nevertheless, the remaining half of his face was barely recognizable as a human face, and thanks to this, we were able to figure out that he was not a complete machine, but a human whose missing parts had been replaced by machines.

＂Aaaaah!!＂

The man screamed and writhed as if the mask had been removed, as if the skin on his face had been ripped off, but Lila’s expression hardened even more after seeing that face.

It wasn’t because half of his face had become a machine.

That face – navy blue hair and eyes of the same color.

This is because the appearance was very reminiscent of Artis, with a slightly slanted impression and a dark appearance.

Therefore, Lila had no choice but to place the note she was holding on the desk with some emotion and then walk over and grab the man by the collar.

＂Answer me! “What’s your name?”

Looking at Lila, who was attacking her with a force that seemed as if he would burn her at any moment, the man responded to her obediently, perhaps because he was scared of her.

＂Hey, name? My name is Sigmund… Sigmund Sleinen.”

─ At the sound of the last name Slainen, Lila felt her head hurt once again.

This is because Laila did not forget that it was Attis’ surname.

＂Then… Are you really Attis’ father!? Why are you in the Exile Church? How much will your daughter have to do to carry on your will…!”

“Now, wait, wait! Wait!”

While Laila continues, the man listens to her story with a blank expression, but eventually stops her as if he can’t stand it anymore.

It seemed like he was asking me not to just talk about myself, but to also listen to this side of the story.

＂You said it was Artis earlier…! Who the hell is that? “I don’t have a daughter!?”

His expression appeared as if he really didn’t know, and he answered as if it was unfair.