Transmigrated As The Final Villain of a Death Game-Chapter 119: The Harper Citadel Arc [ 1 ]

We were guided through the giant cathedral, past several praying rooms, statues of their imaginary gods, and so many holy artifacts, until finally, we arrived in front of a giant gold-plated door.

The paladin stepped forward and knocked.

Exactly five seconds later, the door opened and a tall golden-haired man stepped out.

He wore a white robe with a golden sun embroidery on his chest.

An embroidery which signified someone’s belief in the Sun God.

Smiling at the paladin, he said:

"William, you may leave us."

The paladin’s eyes widened.

Then, he bowed and quickly made his way back.

Just then, the golden-haired man turned to both of us, and with his chin, gestured inside the room.

Clementine and I exchanged a glance before stepping inside and sitting down on the warm sofa.

The man walked over and sat opposite to us.

For a moment, he stared at us as if he was evaluating us.

But finally, he spoke.

"My name is Fivien, and I am the Arch Priest of the Harper Citadel. You are Mikael and Evangeline, correct? Your reputations are quite astonishing, so I’m glad the two of you could make it here safely."

A faint smile appeared on my face.

"You flatter us. We’re the ones who should be glad we have the chance to meet someone as esteemed as you."

Clementine flashed a puzzled glance at me.

She was probably wondering why I was talking like some bootlicker.

And it was simple.

I just wanted to see how genuine Fivien was.

Would he move straight to business nervously, or would he consider this whole issue as something that he just happened to find, and isn’t involved with the demon at all.

"Hahaha. Flattery is often best in the morning, but so is breakfast. Could I get you two anything before we get started?"

"I’d like a whole chicken and a side of salad."

I subtly elbowed Clementine, and she followed along.

"Two pizzas, two burgers, two salads, two potatoes... Maybe one potato? Yes, one potato."

Fivien’s brow twitched.

But even then, he maintained his composure and stood up, approaching the door.

"Wait there a few minutes. I’ll be back with your food, my esteemed guests."

With that, he left the room and locked the door behind him.

I waited until I couldn’t hear his footsteps to finally speak.

"He seems like a regular priest so far."

Clementine nodded.

"His soul isn’t dark either. He might not be involved."

I shook my head.

"No, I meant he seems like a regular priest. He’s an Arch Priest. Someone with enough authority to order 1,000 Paladins to assemble on a whim. He’s not an errand boy like the regular priests."

Her eyes widened.

"You’re right. I didn’t even think about that... Does that mean he’s desperate?"

"He’s either desperate, or he’s someone’s puppet. Just play along with whatever I do. I’m trying to evaluate his personality."

"Got it."

Her eyes beamed in determination.

A few minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

Soon enough, the door opened and Fivien walked in with a cart of food.

With a smile on his face, he placed the food in front of us and sat back down.

"Please enjoy."

"..."

Don’t mind if I do.

Instead of using the fork that he gave me, I ripped the whole chicken apart with my hands, dirtying myself and my face.

Just like someone with no tact.

And since I told Clementine to do that as well, she soon dug into her food.

We began eating like beasts, and throughout all this time, I was keeping track of Fivien’s expression.

And when we eventually finished eating, I wiped Clementine’s face, then my own, before leaning back and meeting his eyes.

"Tell us more about the mission."

A relieved expression appeared on Fivien’s face. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Very well..."

"Nearly a month ago, we eradicated a few demons that had broken into the Harper Citadel. We aren’t sure how that happened, or how they bypassed the templars’ vision. But it did happen, and it happened again two weeks ago."

He leaned in slightly.

"Another batch of demons broke into the cathedral this time. They killed 7 templars, and over 50 paladins before disappearing again."

"Just this time, one of the templars off duty managed to catch a glimpse of a Marquess-ranked demon. What’s strange is that when the templar tried to track the Marquess Demon, it was already gone without a trace."

Strange indeed...

But I’m seeing a pattern.

"The first attack happened a month ago, the next, two weeks ago, yes? Was it on the same day?"

Fivien nodded.

"Both happened close to 10 P.M. on Friday."

Today was Thursday.

The morning of Thursday.

Since I didn’t believe in coincidences, I needed to prepare for the worst tomorrow.

"Anything else you noticed?" Clementine chimed in.

Fivien fell into thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Nothing that I feel is worth mentioning."

Hmm...

Using Blood-Sight, I could see his heart rate speed up a little when he replied.

That means he’s lying.

"Even if you don’t feel like it’s worth mentioning, tell us if you noticed anything strange before or after the accidents."

"..."

"Well... There have been a lot of pigeons migrating to the north as of late. It usually happens much later, definitely not in winter. As I said, it’s stupid and not worth mentioning."

Clementine deadpanned, and began bombarding Fivien with many more questions.

On the other hand, I blanked out for a moment, recalling one particular detail that had something to do with pigeons.

They were ordinary birds, and they followed an ordinary cycle.

The world didn’t change that much to the point their habits would change as well.

And if I eliminate the natural causes for their migration...

"Right..."

I tapped Clementine on the shoulder, causing her to stop her questioning.

Then, I turned to Fivien.

"Give us a map of where the demons attacked, and where they ran. A map of which areas in the cathedral they were potentially aiming for as well."

"Right away."

Fivien took out a map of the Harper Citadel, and quickly marked down a few areas, before pushing it toward me.

I memorized the locations, stored the map, and stood up alongside Clementine.

He might see my actions as abrupt, but I had a really urgent reason, and I needed to be 100% sure before coming to a conclusion.

But right as I placed my hand on the door, Fivien’s voice rang out:

"I take it you can take care of it?"

"..."

I turned my head slightly, meeting his calm gaze.

And yet, his heart was beating incredibly fast.

He knew more than he let on.

That much, I was sure of after this conversation.

And after testing the waters a little, I was also sure that he was a puppet for someone, and not an actual Arch Priest.

Still...

I needed him clueless.

"Sure. We’ll take a look around and come back here before nightfall."

And with that, Clementine and I left Fivien’s room.

We silently walked through the empty corridors.

And when I finally felt like no one was watching us, I pulled Clementine away into one of the darker corners and decided to tell her what I found out.