Chapter 112 Expedition Society

I took out the remaining whetstone and vigorously rubbed it on the Dawn Guardian. There was a place I needed to go, and it felt like there would be a time to use this depending on that.

"If the Expedition Society is deeply connected to the Cult, that is."

Or it could end peacefully. But would it really?

As I thought that, I recalled the hidden piece. This was the most important thing.

"As far as I know, there’s one hidden piece in the capital’s underground waterway."

I unconsciously smacked my lips. It could be sold at a high price, and it could even cure something close to an incurable disease.

The problem was its rarity.

"The Empress’s illness is lung cancer. If caught early, it’s a relatively safe disease, but if more time passes, it becomes dangerous. And what if the Emperor loses the Empress?"

I recalled the story from the game.

After losing the Empress, the Emperor eventually went mad, neglecting state affairs, and the palace became a mess due to conflicts among influential nobles within the court. And then it would be exposed to external threats.

Therefore, there was nothing good about the Empress dying. More than anything, the Empress was incredibly beautiful. There was only one illustration and one model, but she was so hot that I even masturbated while looking at it. Hah, my life.

I wanted to see her in person. To feel the reality of her breasts and skin.

Then Goddess complained.

’Hmph! Simp!’

"Wah, no way. Goddess, I’m hurt!"

This kind of degradation, I love it so much. I want to be degraded while getting a footjob from Goddess. Or even from Auntie.

I took a breath.

Anyway, there was no need to rush. Still, I had to do what I needed to do.

"Hup!"

I lightly stretched and went outside. I put the Dawn Guardian in my ring and walked down the hallway.

Everything I saw was new. People’s clothes were incredibly luxurious, and pleasant melodies continued to flow. The lighting, carpets, and sculptures were exquisitely luxurious and beautiful. So much so that I wanted to take them all when decorating my own home.

"Sigh, should I have asked for these when they asked what reward I wanted? No, I’m the Lord of Weaverpool, aren’t I? I should custom-order them with my Lord’s authority, kekekeke."

After wandering the hallways and lobby for a while, I shrugged my shoulders. My impression was this:

"Living in the Imperial Palace is nice. But it’s really not my style..."

How should I put it? Just a suffocating feeling? Maybe it was because I didn’t have anyone close to me. The people also felt somewhat artificial, which I didn’t like.

I was about to leave the Imperial Palace.

"To Legion Academy. There’s something I haven’t dealt with yet."

I had put out the big fire, but I needed to find anything that might become a small fire.

As I was about to leave the Imperial Palace, a guard asked a question.

"Excuse me, where are you going?"

"Just to look around outside. And beat up any cultists I see."

I summoned my sword and showed it to him. The guard rummaged through his pocket.

"Then please take this."

He gave me an Imperial Palace pass. It was a gold medal, and it looked super cool.

"Oh, even the pass is gold...."

"Hero Lucian Vane is a precious guest of the Imperial Palace, so please do not lose it."

"Yes, keep up the good work!"

I headed to the Academy. Maybe it was because I was receiving such VIP treatment, but I felt excited. I even puffed out my chest.

"Is this my peak? No, don’t set limits for myself. There’s no end to Show and Prove!"

Even the blowing wind felt good. I hummed a tune as I crossed the street.

The area near the Imperial Palace was relatively intact. Of course, if you went just a little further, you could hear wailing.

"My heart isn’t at ease."

I arrived at Legion Academy. The academy was barely standing, almost half-destroyed. I could see cadets who should have been at the guard post helping with the work, dealing with collapsed areas and recovering bodies.

In other words, the guard post was empty right now. I wonder if this is okay.

I slipped inside. Seeing the working cadets, they looked somewhat familiar.

"Using soldiers to pull weeds or do manual labor instead of hiring workers."

Hero Cadets. The talents who would later become full-fledged Heroes and display their skills, or move into strategy and tactics to prepare for foreign races.

To use such talents like that, it was harsh.

I naturally asked a cadet who was resting nearby.

"Excuse me, what’s going on?"

The cadet wiped sweat and replied.

"It’s a terrorist incident. The Vice-Chancellor went missing, and the main building suddenly collapsed. It’s terrible."

"Um, where do I go to get to the Expedition Society?"

"Ah, are you a guest of the Expedition Society? Please go to the furthest corner on the right side of the annex building."

"Thank you."

They told me very kindly. I was lucky.

Compared to the other horribly distorted buildings, the annex was fine. Of course. The place where I and Sanji fought was the Vice-Chancellor office in the main building.

I arrived in front of the Expedition Society room. I knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

Only a question was heard. These bastards, they won’t open the door?

Knock knock knock!

I just knocked. Soon, I heard a presence, and the door opened.

"Ah, who are you?!"

As soon as the door opened, I front-kicked him. The cadet, whose hair was styled upwards, let out an "Ehhk!" and fell backward.

I went inside. The cadet I had just kicked was clearly dressed in luxury brands from head to toe.

"What, what’s going on?!"

The other bewildered cadets were mostly similar. People adorned in luxury as if it were breathing.

Yeah, well. I guess that’s possible.

The interior was wider than I expected. Cadets who seemed to have considerable wealth were gathered, drinking alcohol, or perhaps discussing the recent incident, as the nearby whiteboard was messy.

"Who are you? Are you crazy?!"

Someone asked me, but I ignored them. Instead, I climbed onto a table and looked down at them.

Alright, are these the guys who supposedly befriended Alpa?

"Alpa with guys like these? Would these guys even treat Alpa like a human?"

It might be a prejudice, but these bastards, dressed in luxury brands, with even their wine glasses gilded in gold.

Would they really treat Alpa, who had nothing to boast about, as a friend? I doubt it.

"Hey, who’s the boss among you?"

"What?"

"Who’s the boss among you? Nobody? Is the Expedition Society only this much?"

"Yes, that would be me."

Suddenly, a bald cadet stood up. His expression was subtly like a dick.

"Who are you?"

"Abe Hideki. I am the president of the Expedition Society. What is the meaning of this tyranny?"

"Tyranny my ass. Anyway, another bastard with a fucked-up name has appeared."

It’s making my head spin. I don’t even want to imagine what kind of guys will appear next.

"What?"

"Nothing. Let me ask one thing. What’s your relationship with Those Who Recite Sins Cult?"

At my question, Abe immediately became wary. He glared at me with narrowed eyes.

"Why do you ask that?"

"Because my actions will change depending on your answer. Ah, I won’t kill you. I’ll send you to prison, befitting your name."

"...Are you trying to oppress a religion now?!"

"Religious oppression my ass."

Abe Hideki was flustered. One of the other cadets drew his sword and stepped forward triumphantly.

"You bastard, who are you? Where did you come from?"

I just looked back at him. And I said just one word.

"Kneel."

I brainwashed him and made him kneel immediately. The cadets became even more intimidated and began to tremble as they looked at me.

What a good scene.

I looked at Abe again. He was sweating profusely from his hairless head.

"...The organization supporting us from behind is Those Who Recite Sins Cult."

"Is that so? You know that Those Who Recite Sins Cult is the main culprit in this situation, right?"

"That’s right."

"You must have been influenced by them too, then?"

I finished my question with a smile. Abe shook his head.

"Th-that... no!"

"Alright, if your innocence is certain, follow me."

"Where do you intend to take me?"

"Since this situation was caused by Those Who Recite Sins Cult, you will go to the Imperial Palace Investigation Department and undergo an investigation yourself."

"Why should I do that?"

This bastard, can’t he read the room? Or is he asking why he should do it because he’s from a rich family?

If it’s the latter, I might get a little angry.

"Anything with Goddess is good. Because she’s my woman."

I chuckled and glared at Abe.

"Otherwise, I’ll cut off one of your legs and take you. Gotta cut off the sprouts of evil later, right?"

Of course, I didn’t say I’d pull out the root. If I were to pull out the root, I’d have to pull out this guy’s dick root.

That would be fun too. Though I don’t know if it’s big enough to pull out.

At my threat, Abe swallowed dryly. The surrounding cadets looked only at Abe, as if begging for rescue.

It was truly amusing. That guys with so much money and power were like this.

"These guys are Heroes? Ridiculous."

They’re probably just trying to become Heroes to make money anyway. The future of this land is truly....

As I inwardly scoffed at the Expedition Society, Abe made up his mind.

"...Alright. I’ll go for the investigation."

"Good thinking. Ah, don’t even think about hiring a defense team and pulling some dirty tricks to get out, okay?"

"Understood."

"One more question. You guys know Alpa, right? You’re close, aren’t you?"

At my question, the cadets all tilted their heads. What was this?

"Alpa? Who’s that?"

This is exasperating.

"You don’t know? He uses that weird way of speaking, like ’What did you do, I’ll kill you’?"

Now that I think about it, these bastards’ way of speaking is normal? Uh, what is this?

At my question, the cadets, in turn, scoffed. As if I were pathetic.

"What kind of speech is that? Sounds like a total loser!"

Fuck, I’m just getting laughed at for nothing. Then one of the cadets laughed.

"Oh, right. That guy who tried to act close to us to get friendly, but got rejected and became a pathetic mess! There was one guy like that. Is that him?"

Finally, it seemed like someone I knew had come up. But the content, somehow, was a bit...?

I was speechless. So, all that talk about being close was a lie. The Expedition Society just acted friendly to seem impressive during their study abroad, like a side dish.

"...I won’t ask any more. Why is it that such bastards are just a given, whether in reality or here?"

I shook my head. Then I called Abe.

"Hey, follow me. And you know what happens if you try anything funny, right? It’ll get even more interesting."

We left the academy together. Abe clicked his tongue as he looked at me.

"You threaten quite convincingly, for a Hero."

"Threat? Should I show you what a real threat is? Want a little field trip?"

"...No."

I went to the trouble of not brainwashing him, and he’s all talk. As much as I wanted to break a leg, these guys were just receiving support.

I had to be careful, as they might not actually have any direct connection to the religion. In such cases, it would be better to leave it to the Imperial Palace.

So, I handed Abe over to the guard. I warned him.

"Hey, don’t even think about using your parents’ influence to get out. As long as I’m here, I’ll be watching everything."

"Keueuk."

"Hoho..!"

The guy laughed strangely to provoke him, then even waved his hand.

And then I headed to the underground waterway. There should definitely be an entrance to the underground waterway nearby.

I rubbed my hands together as I passed through a deserted alley. Turning a corner, I finally found it.

An entrance appeared, shaped like a large, tilted well.

"Found it!"

I was about to go down immediately. But a guard blocked my way.

"What’s the matter?"

"Ahem."

I took out the gold medal pass.

"I’m patrolling to see if any cult fanatics have escaped. I’m going into the underground waterway, and I won’t be long."

"Ah, a guest of the Imperial Palace! Understood."

I went down through the entrance. I felt the temperature drop sharply from the entrance.

That was natural, being underground.

Footsteps echoed everywhere, returning as strange reverberations.

I officially entered the underground waterway.

"Alright, shall we begin?"

I grinned and slowly moved forward. Let’s finish this easily again!