East Road Quest

Chapter 53: The Black Rock Mountain

A spear, ablaze with blue flames, fell from the sky.

Jade was unaware of the situation outside and thus did not know what it was. While several other spears shattered in mid-air, one fell directly above Sapph and Jade.

He turned his head just as the spear touched the domain of light emitted by Sapph, shattering with a loud noise.

When Jade looked up again, dark blue dust scattered around Sapph like dust. Despite the loud noise, neither of them felt any impact.

“That was…”

Jade was too astonished to continue.

Ruby appeared atop the broken roof.

“Hey! Are you alright? Wow, you are! How did you block that?”

Ruby landed lightly beside the two.

Sapph spoke with a slightly trembling voice.

“I saw something flying towards us and used the light of protection. It was a spell to ward off evil forces, and had it not been the right match, we would have been dead.”

Sapph showed his palm, continuing,

“It still feels numb.”

“That spear, if compared to human weapons, was like firing five catapults at once.”

Ruby stepped into the light’s domain. His skin seemed to absorb the light, shining on its own, and his red hair sparkled like jewels.

“Impressive, aren’t you? More useful than you look?”

Ruby patted Sapph’s head as he spoke.

Sapph showed no sign of rejection.

‘They seem close. I should be glad, but why do I feel like I’ve lost something?’

Jade rose from his seat with a bitter smile.

“What happened?”

Jade helped Sapph to his feet and asked.

“That guy Yol caused a mess and ran away.”

Ruby briefly explained the situation.

Yol and Principal Manoli, who ordered the fire in the annex, the fire that spread to the monastery due to their actions, Yol’s attack, Yol transformed into a demon…

Outside the annex, the chaos was worse than Ruby had described. The annex had collapsed, except for the room they were in, and about a third of the main building was blackened, emitting smoke. The fire did not seem to be completely under control yet.

The monks stood around as if dazed, doing nothing. Some were dead, and others were moaning from injuries.

“Yol ran off to the mountain behind. What will you do?”

Ruby asked.

“We must pursue him. There’s much to ask him.”

Jade said.

Sapph grabbed his sleeve.

“No, you can’t. Father, you’re not yet recovered enough to climb the mountain.”

“But we can’t let him escape.”

At Jade’s words, Ruby nodded vigorously.

“Right. He seemed intent on doing something. It wasn’t just an escape.”

“Intent on doing something?”

“He kept muttering unintelligibly during the fight, but occasionally I heard the word ‘Hellgate.'”

“…Hellgate?”

“I’ve never seen it, but I’ve heard of it often. It’s a word the angels despise the most. It’s said to appear when the world is about to end.”

Jade felt a sinking feeling in his heart. Emperor Benclauss had said he dreamed of Vesuvius erupting because of the Hellgate.

‘Wasn’t it Vesuvius in the dream, but this Black Rock Mountain? Dreams don’t usually reveal the exact location.’

At that moment, Principal Manoli staggered over.

“Father Jade.”

He looked a decade older. The old man handed Jade his book.

“Go.”

Jade looked back and forth between the monastery, from which black smoke poured through the windows, and Principal Manoli’s desolate expression.

“Don’t say anything. Please.”

The principal seemed too exhausted to speak further. Jade felt pity and was about to agree when Ruby stepped forward.

“Ha! Where does this old man get off being so flowery? Just go without a word?”

Ruby approached as if to grab him by the collar.

The chains that no longer needed to be hidden trailed long on the floor, clanging with every movement. The sound was quite threatening in the atmosphere.

“You discussed with Yol how to kill Jade, didn’t you? To take Jade’s bible after killing him, and then kill Sapph and me to deceive the Roman priesthood. I heard everything!”

Principal Manoli screamed and fell backward, covering his face with his hands.

“Please spare me. Please!”

Ruby looked at Jade with playful eyes and continued shouting.

“Answer me. Did you raise that demon? If you lie, the wrath of heaven will fall like flowers from the sky! A giant cloud of flame will pour down fire like rain, and the ground will split open, releasing a poisonous mist that melts flesh like water.

“I don’t know, I don’t know! Please forgive me!”

“So speak up! Where did that demon come from?”

One day, Poe appeared out of nowhere, following the orders of someone above to take lives. “It has nothing to do with me,” he said dismissively. “You suddenly seem to care! You knew Poe was once a heretic inquisitor.”

“It was something I found out later. Poe needed a place to hide his identity, and it just so happened to be the monastery where I was.”

As Ruby pressed on, Jade intervened with an outstretched hand.

“Director Manoli, who is this higher-up you speak of?”

“I don’t really know…”

As Manoli spoke, Ruby raised her hand like a sword, and the sound of chains clanged loudly.

“Speak clearly! Before I split your shriveled head in two, sprinkle ashes inside, and then close it back up.”

Manoli screamed in response, “I don’t know, I really don’t. It’s just my intuition that it might be Cardinal Lorenzo.”

For Jade, this was not surprising.

“So, you’re saying Cardinal Lorenzo ordered my death?”

“That’s my guess. Poe didn’t tell me everything.”

“Is it true that you killed Father Daniel?”

“He said so himself.”

Jade looked down at the frightened old man for a moment before turning away.

“Let’s go.”

“That’s it? You’re done? No more questions?”

Ruby asked, clearly unsatisfied.

“It’s over. Let’s hurry to where Poe has fled.”

Jade urged, but Ruby had not yet moved away from Manoli.

“I’m not finished.”

Ruby leaned in close to the pitiful old man and said,

“I’ll come back after I finish my business. Whether that’s tomorrow, a year, or ten years from now, I’m not sure, but I will return.”

Manoli was too terrified to answer properly and just nodded his head repeatedly. Still, Ruby did not stop.

“You better behave until then. Otherwise, I’ll nail the document listing your crimes to your forehead, hang a rope around your neck, and drag you through every village for half a year. If necessary, I’ll even take you to that place you call the land of heretics and leave you in the middle of the city square…”

“Ruby.”

Jade interrupted.

“Hmph!”

Ruby turned and followed Jade and Sapp, who were already ahead.

“Your leniency might become the arrow that kills you one day.”

Ruby warned.

“That should be enough. Director Manoli will find it hard to recover from this.”

“That much? Give me another 30 minutes, and I’ll show you what it really means to not recover, tsk.”

Ruby exited through the broken walls of the monastery that Poe had destroyed. Jade and Sapp followed, stepping over the rubble.

The sandstorm had weakened, so there was no need to hold onto chains as they had when they first arrived.

“He’s getting stronger. So, Sapp, you better prepare that impressive Shield of Light you used earlier.”

Ruby said, and Sapp nodded in response.

Ruby also spoke to Jade.

“And you, get ready with the Light of Annihilation.”

“Are you being cautious about this fight? Is Poe that strong?”

“He is strong. And getting stronger. But I plan to be a hundred times stronger.”

Ruby snorted and continued,

“My only worry is if I won’t have the luxury to protect you guys.”

The place Ruby led them to was behind the black rock mountain. It was almost flat, but since it was still a mountain and dark, they had to tread carefully.

“We’ll be walking until dawn at this rate. Can’t we move any faster?”

Ruby complained.

“But it’s hard to see where we’re stepping…”

Jade regretted not bringing a torch. But the wind was still too strong for a torch or lantern to dispel the darkness. For now, they had to rely on the light from Ruby’s chains.

“Where’s Poe?”

Jade asked.

“He hasn’t left this mountain. He’s probably at the summit. He’s not even trying to hide his location.”

While Ruby explained, Sapp brought his hands together and then apart, and light emerged, illuminating the surroundings. It was only as bright as a candle or two, but it was steady and enough to see the path.

“Is this the Light of Healing?” Jade asked.

“Yes. I could make it brighter, but then it wouldn’t last as long.”

“This is enough. How long can you maintain it?”

“Probably until sunrise.”

Jade nodded but felt a sense of inadequacy.

‘Compared to Sapp, I’m hardly making use of the Light of Annihilation.’ Jade asked, determined to fulfill his role.

“Did you also fail to recognize Yol’s true identity, Sapph?” asked Jade.

“Not at all. I thought he was suspicious, but I never imagined he was a demon,” Sapph replied.

“So his name wasn’t visible like Beishufer’s?”

“It seems names don’t appear until their true form is revealed. In Redhill Village, when the evil spirit possessed Kapna Pendale, Beishufer’s name wasn’t visible either.”

“Then we must see Yol in his true form for his name to appear.”

Jade inquired of Ruby, who was leading the way, “Ruby, has Yol revealed his true form?”

“He changed little by little as we fought. By the end, it seemed he had completely transformed. By now, he must be in his true form,” Ruby answered.

Clutching the book in her arms tightly, Jade said to Sapph as if entrusting him, “Let me know immediately if his name becomes visible.”

“Understood,” Sapph replied with a firm voice.

“How interesting. Sapph knows the name, and you extinguish it? It’s as if someone has set you two up as partners,” Ruby joked. However, to Jade, it didn’t sound like a joke.

“It does seem prearranged, doesn’t it? I think so too.”

As they neared the summit, the incline became steeper, and Jade was out of breath. Fortunately, the sandstorm had almost ceased, but as Sapph had said, their stamina was quickly depleting.

“Aren’t you tired, Sapph?” Jade asked.

Sapph, not sweating a single drop, replied, “Not at all. I’ve been surprised by my own stamina during this journey. Thinking back, I hardly ever felt tired working on the farm at the convent.”

“Envious. When I worked at the monastery, I thought about how hard it was at least twenty times a day…”

When Ruby stopped walking, so did Jade.

“There it is,” Ruby pointed.

Crouched under a massive rock, carved as if by a sculptor’s hand, was someone—or something. With hooves for feet, a long tail, and large round horns, the creature bore no resemblance to Yol. If not for Ruby, it would have been impossible to identify.

The creature was muttering, hugging something close. It was an odd sight, almost as if it were offering a prayer, though such an act seemed unfitting for a demon’s form.

“Is that Yol over there?” Jade asked.

The creature continued to mutter without turning around. Approaching seemed too dangerous, so Jade asked Ruby instead, “Can you hear what he’s saying?”

“Hmm. He keeps repeating something like ‘It won’t open, why won’t it open?’”

“Open? Could it be…”

The creature suddenly turned its head.

Sapph’s light didn’t reach the creature’s location, so neither its face nor the object it was holding was clear. It would have been a chilling sight to see alone at night.

Jade asked again, louder this time, “Yol? If you are Yol, answer me.”

The creature placed what it was holding into a hole in the wall and stood up. What it had hidden remained a mystery.

“I… once bore that name.”

“What were you holding just now?” Jade demanded.

“That’s none of your concern.”

“I didn’t expect you to engage in conversation willingly. What is your name?”

“The only demon’s name you’ll hear in this place is that of the one who sent me here. I was ordered to guard this place, to eliminate all that interfere! So, the three of you will not leave this mountain today.”

“Then tell me the name of the one you serve.”

“Byphel!”

Jade was not surprised.

“Yes, that name. I knew it would come up.”