In order to verify the authenticity of the list extracted from the remnants of the Hand of Truth, Loki needed to check each name one by one, making sure it wasn’t some trap meant to mislead him.
And among them, the most important were a batch of local dignitaries from Caesarnia.
If these people—who held vast resources and power in the city—were ever corrupted or colluded with blasphemers, the harm they could cause would far surpass that of a handful of commoners.
Therefore, their priority was the highest. As soon as Loki discovered any concrete evidence of corruption or betrayal, he would immediately call Christine for a devastating strike.
As for the consequences.
The “Black Sword” possessed near-unlimited authority to enforce the law.
This was a privilege granted directly by the Emperor of the Empire.
Moreover, considering the severity of imperial law, local nobles had lost their heads more than a few times—and that was already considered lenient punishment.
Being transformed into semi-mechanical puppets and stuffed into war machines as wetware and the like—that was what truly sent chills down one’s spine.
So Loki didn’t need to worry about the consequences at all.
If Loki had ever seen a castle that could stand up and walk, or angels in red and blue armor, he might have wondered if it would be better to just end himself on the spot.
The first name on the list was Baron Freeman.
He was one of Caesarnia’s city council members, wielding considerable influence with the support of several other nobles, and owning multiple sizable businesses.
As a competent politician and nobleman, he was often featured in various newspapers, always presenting himself as approachable and friendly.
“The list, huh… I didn’t expect you to actually get something out of that blasphemer.”
Selulu walked behind Loki, hands clasped behind her back.
“You didn’t do anything to her, did you? Like you did to me back then.”
She was referring to the raven mark on her shoulder that she’d shown Loki that day.
That was the brand used by the Hand of Truth to control its members’ words and actions. If violated, the lightest punishment was excruciating pain and convulsions; the worst was having one’s brain burned out, like that blasphemer, and then being recycled by the organization as ritual material.
But the mark on Selulu had no such effect.
“The mark on you was drawn by my own hand. How could it be the same?”
That’s right, the brand on Selulu’s shoulder had been drawn by Loki himself.
Naturally, this gave him the opportunity to tamper with it.
Because of this, the girl didn’t have to live in constant fear and pain of possible punishment, and her days were relatively easy.
Back then, Selulu wasn’t as lively and quirky as she was now.
She had been gloomy and quiet all day, her eyes looking dead, and she didn’t even make a sound during body modification experiments.
Thanks to this, she never drew the attention of the other members of the Hand of Truth.
Loki hadn’t given her the green light out of kindness.
He simply knew that Selulu would become an important ritual material, so he planned to use her as a sacrificial tool to sabotage the most crucial ritual of the Hand of Truth.
“What a pity. I was so careful when I took a bath, but this mark still can’t last—it’s slowly fading away.”
“Why would you want to keep something so disgusting?”
“It’s not the same at all! That was a mark you left on me with your own hands. Ah, why don’t you draw me another one? Right here… but use a different design, like a heart or something. And don’t forget to write ‘Loki’s Exclusive’!”
Loki chose to ignore the saintess’s utterly outrageous suggestion.
The two of them kept a subtle distance as they moved along the street toward the very heart of Caesarnia.
At noon, the city center’s commercial district was bustling. The crowd surged like waves, filling every inch of space where a person could stand.
But Loki’s destination was not here.
No matter how enthusiastically Selulu tugged at his sleeve or tried every trick to coax him into a quick, simple date, Loki did not give in.
Gradually, the crowd thinned out.
The buildings in sight no longer had transparent glass windows or huge advertising billboards.
Before long, the two arrived at a plaza.
In the center of the plaza stood a large fountain with a statue of Caesarnia’s founder, surrounded by greenery and flowers.
Behind it was a magnificent white building.
Caesarnia City Council.
“Wow, what an impressive building! Are you taking me inside for a tour?”
Selulu looked up at the three flags flying atop the building.
In the middle was the Empire’s golden-red imperial eagle, flanked on either side by Caesarnia’s kite-shaped shield and the Holy Church’s pure cross.
“Go inside?”
Loki chuckled, folding his arms as he glanced at the soldiers in wide-brimmed hats guarding the entrance.
“This face of mine would only scare all the big shots inside into wetting their pants. For the sake of the city’s normal operation, I usually avoid making trouble in sensitive places like this.”
“Would they really wet themselves? That’s interesting. Can you show me?”
“Five years ago, I probably would have agreed to your request, but not now. I don’t like stirring up trouble anymore.”
“Eh? Really? I thought it was because you’re not as strong as you used to be, so you don’t dare.”
“…”
Loki’s blush said more than words ever could.
A tiger brought low is bullied by dogs—nothing could be truer.
If it were before, and Selulu dared say such things, with Loki’s determination to have no women in his heart, he would at least have pinned her to the ground and given her a beating fit for a two-dimensional character.
“Judging by your expression, did I get it right?”
Selulu spun around Loki, swirling her skirt into a white blossom.
“So you have to remember to rely on me more. Unlike the ‘Black Sword’, I’ll stand by your side for my whole life.”
Loki said nothing.
His gaze passed over Selulu’s head and landed on a man not far away.
A young man in a suit and tie, smiling.
Baron Freeman.
He was chatting with people around him, as busy as a diligent bee.
He looked no different from the way he’d appeared in the newspapers.
It was just about time for the council members to get off work. If someone with ill intentions set off a spectacular explosion in the plaza, Caesarnia’s city government would be paralyzed for at least a month.
“Oh—so that’s your target? That guy with the formulaic fake smile?”
Following Loki’s gaze, Selulu asked in a low voice.
“These nobles’ faces in public all look like they came off an assembly line. It’s ugly.”
“You prefer the arrogant type?”
“Yeah, it’s more satisfying to beat up that kind.”
Selulu’s honest answer only made Loki shrug.
He had no interest in the baron’s face; all he needed to do was stamp him like a quarantine officer, and if he found anything unusual, he’d have Christine take care of it.
As for what the saintess would do, that was entirely outside Loki’s consideration.
“If you need help with that, just say the word. Whatever that woman can do, I can do too. And what she can’t do, I can do as well. No need to let her interrupt our time together.”
Loki opened his mouth but made no sound.
…It seemed she had quite a problem with Christine.
Suddenly, a figure blocked Loki’s path.
It was a young woman.
Her attire was very plain, with nothing particularly eye-catching or odd, but as if to deliberately announce her identity, she wore an old-fashioned witch’s hat and held a staff as long as a spear.
On the outside, she was indeed a witch.
In this world, that wasn’t anything particularly attention-grabbing.
Witches were just a demi-human race more deeply influenced by the Sea of Souls. They weren’t uncommon in the city, and marriages with ordinary people were nothing out of the ordinary.
There were plenty of people far stranger than them.
But for some reason, Loki felt a strange sense of dissonance.
At the same time, Baron Freeman turned his head curiously to look at this suddenly appearing woman.
In the next instant, as if someone had flipped a switch, she raised her staff.