Treatise Of A Failed Knight-Chapter 278: Cult Temple

’What am I?’

Even now, several days after my experience in that sacred cave, I can’t forget the question Ciel sent my way.

What did she mean by that?

’It appears she met Lady Anastasia, and she was the one who showed her the way. Since that’s the case, I can be rest assured that it is legitimate information...’

Although I don’t know much about that mysterious woman, I know she has always helped me out.

This time shouldn’t be an exception.

’But why was Ciel so spooked out?’ I can’t help but wonder. ’Did she also see those terrifying floating things outside Lady Anastasia’s domain?’

I don’t know.

Ciel didn’t say much, even after I pressed her for information.

She only told me what I wanted to know about the Eternal Witnesses of Truth—the location of their Temple, to be specific.

’I’ll find my next clue there, huh?’

That means this isn’t the end.

But is that all?

Why didn’t Lady Anastasia tell Ciel if our allies are alive or not?

Is Seraphina alive? What of Jonathan and the Third Prince? What of Lord Krawford, Aunt Leila’s husband?

Why is there no news on them?

Is it because she knows I will investigate this matter regardless of whether or not they are alive?

Or perhaps she wishes for me to investigate, and my knowledge of their wellbeing would affect the outcome somehow?

I have no idea.

But since I have no way of finding out, I can only go ahead with the sole way forward.

—The Cult’s Temple!

’I’ll have to be lowkey about this since we might tip the perpetrators off...’

Klein, Seth, Aunt Leila, Serena, and the Royal Family; I’ll only involve those directly involved in this matter.

I expect to be sent backup troops filled with Holy Knights. That should help us secure their hideout and take down all the Eternal Witnesses of Truth inside.

Since I still have no clue regarding how powerful these cultists are, it’s better if I do not involve civilians. Thus, as much as I will tell my close allies the details of the Temple, they cannot come with me.

What I do know, however, is the layout of the place; thanks to Lady Anastasia’s revelation.

This means Clairvoyance is not necessary.

I can focus on keeping my Frontflow Conception active—just in case.

’Myself and the Royal Knights are sufficient. With the use of our Armaments and Potions, we can defeat them. I can also rely on my Conceptions if need be, so it is not going to be a major problem taking those cultists down.’

We’ll strike as soon as possible.

They won’t see it coming!

*******

A few days later...

The Cult’s Temple sits nestled in the abandoned district of the Capital—a place where even the boldest citizens fear to tread after dark.

It’s also a place one would least expect such heretic criminals to be.

Hiding in plain sight... very impressive.

It is also quite bold.

Ancient stone walls covered in creeping vines surround the structure, and the air itself feels thick with malevolence. The building was once a legitimate place of worship, dedicated to some forgotten deity, but now it serves a darker purpose.

I can sense it even from our position outside the perimeter.

The wrongness of this place.

Behind me stand twenty Royal Knights, handpicked by the King himself. Each one is a veteran combatant, equipped with their own Armaments and carrying Potions specifically selected for infiltration and combat.

Klein stands to my right, his Armament—a longsword called Stalwart Guardian—already drawn. Seth mirrors him on my left, gripping his spear, Piercing Tempest, with white-knuckled intensity.

In the end, these two were the most determined to come with me.

Since they’re both adults responsible for their decisions, I decided to bring them along. They should possess sufficient combat abilities with these Armaments, and with the other Royal Knights assisting us in this endeavor, there should be no problems.

"Remember," I whisper, keeping my voice low. "We need at least some of them alive for interrogation. But if they resist, don’t hesitate to use lethal force."

The Knights nod in unison.

I activate Frontflow Conception, feeling time slow around me as my perception accelerates to superhuman levels.

Then, I consume Potions.

Every detail becomes crystal clear—the flickering torchlight visible through the Temple windows, the faint sound of chanting from within, the almost imperceptible movement of guards on the roof.

’There are sentries posted at every entrance, but with Frontflow active, I can neutralize them before they raise an alarm.’ I smile to myself. ’They already know that once I give my signal, we’ll breach simultaneously from all sides.’

It doesn’t take me very long to complete my investigations at the entrance and also neutralize the enemies.

Once that happens, I send word to the troops.

Frontflow runs out at the right moment, too.

Time returns to normal.

’Let’s go!’

The Royal Knights fan out, moving with practiced efficiency to surround the Temple.

I can see one captain leading one team toward the eastern entrance, her Armament—a pair of daggers called Twin Mercy—gleaming in the moonlight.

Another commands another group approaching from the west, her staff, Resonant Echo, humming with deep energy.

I take the main entrance with Klein and Seth.

Although they are responsible for their choices, I still wish to look after them.

The chanting grows louder as we approach. I can make out words now—overlapping noisy tongues that make my skin crawl just hearing them.

They’re performing a ritual.

We’re running out of time.

I raise my hand, counting down with my fingers.

Three.

Two.

One.

"NOW!"

We burst through the doors simultaneously from all sides.

The interior of the Temple is a nightmare made manifest. Black candles line every surface, their flames casting dancing shadows on walls covered in blasphemous symbols.

In the center of the main chamber stands an altar—and on it, bound and gagged, are a dozen people.

Students from the Royal Academy, based on their uniforms.

Around the altar, robed figures stand in a circle, their chanting reaching a fever pitch.

One of them—presumably the leader—holds a ceremonial dagger high above their head, preparing to bring it down.

"STAND DOWN!" I roar, my voice carrying the authority of both a Knight and a Leviathan.

The cultists turn as one, their faces hidden behind grotesque masks depicting various monstrous creatures.

For a moment, there’s shocked silence.

Then chaos erupts.

The leader brings the dagger down toward the nearest victim. I activate Frontflow, shifting my Second Layer to my Minute Layer... and the world around me grinds to a near standstill.

I cross the distance in what feels like several seconds but is actually a fraction of an instant.

My hand catches the cultist’s wrist before the blade can find its mark.

I twist, hearing bone snap, and the dagger clatters to the floor. The cultist screams—a sound that’s cut short when I slam them face-first into the altar.

Time resumes its normal flow as the Royal Knights pour into the Temple.

"Protect the students!" Klein bellows, his sword already engaged with a cultist who has drawn their own weapon.

These aren’t ordinary criminals.

Each cultist wields their own Armament, and I can see the shimmers of Potions and their Trace Elements on them.

The mystical abilities are already taking effect since they had already downed those vials before we invaded.

One cultist’s body begins to smoke, becoming intangible. They phase through Klein’s strike and counterattack with a blade that seems to drink in light.

But Klein is ready.

He activates his Armament’s ability, and a golden barrier materializes around him. The shadow blade rebounds off the shield, and Klein’s riposte catches the cultist in the throat.

Good on him!

Seth engages one more, his spear moving in a blur. Piercing Tempest lives up to its name, the weapon generating miniature whirlwinds with each thrust.

WHOOSH!!!

One cultist tries to dodge but gets caught in the vortex, their body lifted off the ground and slammed into a wall with bone-crushing force.

A second cultist drinks a Potion, and their skin turns metallic.

Seth’s spear bounces off their hardened hide.

"Switch!" I call out.

I engage the armored cultist while Seth moves to support Klein. My own Armament materializes in my hand.

Its brilliant golden light shimmers with unstoppable force.

This was once a Divine Grade Armament.

I used it to slay a Cadre 6 Magivore!

However, due to its regression, it has fallen to the level right above A Grade, but not quite S Grade yet.

The mysterious blade—Golden Dawn!

I slash across their chest.

The blade cuts through the metallic skin like butter, and I feel Golden Dawn rapidly breaking down the enhancement Potion’s effects.

The cultist shudders and dies, not even able to scream in pain.

’If I still had Serpent, from the Trial Scenario, how would this play out?’ I wonder to myself.

If possible, I would like to recreate that Armament here, in the real world.

I have the formula, after all.

Around the Temple, similar battles rage.

The captains and their team have secured the eastern chamber and the western wing, rather easily I must add.

"They’re not as skilled as we expected," Seth observes, panting slightly as he dispatches another opponent. "They have Armaments and Potions, but no real combat training."

He’s right.

These cultists fight with desperation and borrowed power, but they lack the discipline and experience of true warriors. The Royal Knights systematically dismantle their resistance.

Even Seth, a clergyman, and Klein, an academic, both don’t struggle at all in this conflict.

Within minutes, half the cultists lie injured or dying.

The survivors realize they’re beaten.

And that’s when they make their move.

I see it happening in real time.

Multiple cultists simultaneously reach toward their mouths.

They’re going to—

"STOP THEM!" I activate Frontflow again, surging forward.

The first cultist bites down before I can reach them. Blood pours from their mouth as they sever their own tongue. They collapse, choking and convulsing, but alive—barely.

I reach the second cultist in time, my fist connecting with their jaw before they can complete the action. Teeth crack, and they go down unconscious but intact.

The third, fourth, and fifth—I move between them like a ghost, striking with just enough force to render them unconscious without permanent damage.

But I couldn’t save them all.

By the time Frontflow took effect, seven cultists had successfully bitten through their tongues. They lie on the Temple floor, drowning in their own blood, their eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling.

We managed to capture four alive.

’Four is fewer than I wanted, but we can definitely work with that...’

"Secure the prisoners!" I order. "Get them medical attention—I want them kept alive at all costs. And someone check on the young ones!"

Royal Knights rush to comply.

The dozen students bound to the altar are carefully freed, shaking and traumatized but physically unharmed.

We were just in time.

"Search the rest of the Temple," I command the Royal Knights. "There might be more victims being held somewhere."

The Knights spread out, searching every shadowed corner of this cursed place.

They find them in the lower levels.

A dozen more people, locked in cells beneath the Temple proper. More students from the Academy. A few merchants who’d been reported missing weeks ago.

Even two minor nobles whose disappearances had been attributed to this mysterious case.

All of them match names from the missing persons reports.

"This is them," Klein, who has especially been following the case with me, confirms, his expression grim. "The Cult is definitely behind the Paranormal Abductions."

But even as relief floods through me at the rescued victims, I notice something troubling.

This isn’t everyone.

There are still names on the missing persons list that we haven’t found.

The most important ones, even!

Seraphina. Jonathan. The Third Prince. Lord Krawford...

"Keep searching," I sigh deeply. "Tear this place apart if you have to. There must be something we’re missing."

The Royal Knights comply with thoroughness bordering on obsessiveness. They check every stone, every beam, every inch of floor and ceiling.

They find nothing.

No hidden chambers or additional prisoners.

The Temple, for all its sinister atmosphere, is just a building. There’s nothing here that explains where the remaining missing persons might be.

Finally, after hours of fruitless searching, I’m forced to accept reality.

’They’re not here...’

Disappointing.

This entire venture has been disappointing.

The only good news here is that we can now confirm, based on the identities of the people we rescued, that this cult is indeed behind the disappearances.

However, the cultists themselves are incompetent.

Their numbers are also fewer than expected.

This tells me that there are likely more of them out there—perhaps larger temples with even more sacrifices.

After all, I already estimated the number to be in the hundreds to thousands.

A couple dozen is not nearly enough.

Regardless...

... It appears we are done here.

’Even with Clairvoyance and my Existential Resonance, I don’t detect anything extraordinary here.’ I sigh, forcing myself to acknowledge the truth.

Once I do, I send the order out to everyone present.

"Bring the prisoners. We’re leaving."