(EP-233.2) #1

233 – Dawn #1

The man repeatedly banged his head on the floor. His forehead split open, and blood started to flow, but he didn’t stop.

I had to make him stop before he gave himself a concussion. There were still many questions I needed to ask.

“That’s enough, stop it.”

“I, Theodoros Gospel. No, the Rank 3 Basago. I failed to recognize the remaining master and brought disgrace. This is a sin worthy of death….”

Why did this bloodied man’s face remind me of Finance Minister Belmott Douglas?

Their directions might be different, but…

In any case, I was fairly certain now that he wasn’t the traitor to the Demon King. This allowed me to breathe a bit easier.

* * *

After about an hour, the man’s broken arms and legs had completely healed.

I didn’t know how a human body could regenerate so quickly, but as mentioned before, regenerative abilities were a characteristic of the Ars Nova.

“Please call me Basago. This body has waited for the day my name would be called again by the master. There is no greater joy than hearing my name spoken once more.”

The man Theodoros, or rather Basago, despite being freed from his restraints, neither fled nor attacked me. On the contrary, he seemed anxious to tell me something.

“Indeed, I had no idea. That master’s blood still flows. Even I, Basago, who was granted prophetic power, could not foresee this.”

Basago said he had never thought of my existence. Then, Professor Balan, who was beside him, said.

“In a situation where we don’t know who the traitor is, or who might target the Demon King again, we had no choice but to hide our identities.”

“I see. A wise decision. A half-fairy… who would have known? Moreover, you executed and perfected the plans I had made several steps ahead.”

Basago excessively praised my insight.

“To gain the trust of the Queen and everyone’s family. And then, at the height of their favor and vulnerability, you aim for their heads! Truly, a gentleman’s revenge.”

… No, I wasn’t really thinking about it that way.

I was more on procreation…

“Basago, the young Demon King’s plan is this…!”

Balan explained in my stead, and Basago raised his eyebrows as if he had heard something bizarre.

“Children…? I had never considered such a method. Indeed, that’s an approach for revenge. There must be an ultimate truth in it that I cannot comprehend.”

Well, no…

There was none.

Anyway.

The more I talked with him, the more I realized that he had a lot in common with the “Demon Monk” that appeared in the original.

“My goal was to be sold to Lady Lioness and make my way to the royal palace. It was a perfect plan. But at some point, I realized something had gone wrong.”

This made it increasingly difficult for me to ignore the one question that’d slowly crept up within me.

Could it be…

Was this guy the real Theo Gospel?

The true Demon Monk…

Was I wrong about having possessed the Demon Monk’s body?

「You have calmly judged the situation!

You have gained experience points through the talent 《Calm Thinking》.

All job experience +5」

…….

A dizzying sensation overtook me. If not for my talent Calm Thinking, I might have jumped up and screamed.

No, was it really?

「You have calmly judged the situation!

You have gained experience points through the talent 《Calm Thinking》.

All job experience +5」

You were just shooting my corpse at this point?

What had I been doing all this time?

Come to think of it, I didn’t really know why I considered myself to be Theo Gospel. Elga did call me Theo at the slave market….

So I just assumed.

My name was clearly written as Theo Gospel on the status window as well. Was the name just a coincidence?

What was going on…

While I was lost in confusion, Balan and Basago continued their conversation.

“I, Basago, has traveled the world in search for master’s traces. But to find him so close….”

“I didn’t know at first either. It’s the perfect cover-up. A disguise that fooled even our eyes. Who could’ve….”

As Balan tilted her head in puzzlement, Basago muttered something.

“Maybe it’s Isaiah…?”

Isaiah.

Wasn’t that the name of the one who could be considered my father? I was awakened by the mention of the name I had buried deep in my memory.

“Do you know anything about him?”

“Other than the fact that he was a student at Ark and disappeared beyond the barrier of the Witch Forest, I know nothing. My memories of the past are unstable….”

“Your memory is unstable? And, beyond the barrier?”

It was Professor Balan who answered my question, not Basago.

“Basago, it seems you are like me. The memories up to the point where the Demon King was torn apart by the heroes are vague.”

“It’s the same for you? When I woke up, I was with the body and soul of this man, Theodoros.”

There were many to discuss.

But we couldn’t continue because we all noticed the dawn breaking in the distance.

Despite various issues, in the end, Basago became my ally.

“So, Basago, what is the effect of your great magic?”

Gamigin, ranked 4th, is a high-level necromancy magic. So high that it’s ‘transcendental.’ My heart pounded as I wondered what kind of magic the third ranked Basago was.

It felt like opening a mystery box.

“I-.”

When the Demon Monk Basago finally spoke, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

Edited by: faker