SOTBW - 179

Kharki, taken by surprise, greeted the man with a nod. The man extinguished his cigarette and approached Kharki. Fearing he might be trying to rob him, Kharki quickly opened his empty pockets.

“I-I’ve lost all my money. I don’t have a single penny left!”

Kharki exclaimed desperately, and the burly man burst into laughter.

“You think I’m going to beat up some poor guy and steal his money? I saw you lose all your money while playing cards earlier.”

“Ah, yes... I see... you know I’ve lost all my money...”

Kharki sniffled, feeling downcast.

The man clicked his tongue and draped an arm around Kharki’s shoulder.

“Take this.”

The man handed Kharki ten coins. Kharki, stunned, took the money and looked at him with a confused expression.

“W-why are you giving this to me?”

“If I send someone out of the gambling house empty-handed, they might come back with a knife later. I feel better doing this, so don’t feel burdened and take it.”

Kharki looked up at the man with a tearful face. He had been frequenting gambling houses for quite some time, but no one had ever shown him such kindness before.

With a sniffle, Kharki pocketed the coins and kept bowing to the man in gratitude.

“Thank you, thank you so much, sir.”

The man looked at Kharki with pity.

“Have you eaten? You look so weak. You’re not coming here to gamble with money you need to survive, are you?”

“Ah, not quite yet...”

Kharki mumbled, avoiding the man’s gaze, feeling a bit guilty. The man smiled meaningfully at his reaction.

“Since fate brought us together like this, how about going for a drink? I’ll treat you to dinner.”

“Really?”

“Of course! There’s a tavern just up ahead. The stew might be a bit of a mishmash, but it’s actually pretty good.”

Kharki, trusting the man, followed him without hesitation. It wasn’t a deep alley but a place on the main street, so he felt safe.

The tavern was brighter and livelier than the gambling house. As soon as they sat down, the man quickly ordered bread, stew, and cheap wine for Kharki. Kharki’s eyes shone with emotion as he sat down to a warm meal for the first time in a while.

He dipped the hard, stone-like bread into the stew and devoured it eagerly. The man watched Kharki with a look of pity and clicked his tongue.

“Were you starving? I won’t take it from you, so eat slowly.”

“Y-yes, thank you…”

The man began to talk casually while watching Kharki eat in a hurry.

“By the way, do you frequent gambling houses just for fun?”

“I was thinking of trying my luck…”

“You shouldn’t be thinking about winning money in a gambling house! It’s just a social gathering for people like me who live recklessly. If you win too much, you’ll end up dead in a dark alley, and no one will even know.”

“A social gathering?”

“It’s a place where people buy and sell information.”

The man leaned closer to Kharki and whispered secretly.

“Have you heard the rumors about Najane Schnicks?”

“…Are you talking about the knight from Romsoa? Why would he be involved?”

Kharki blinked, looking confused. The man put down his drink, looked around briefly, then leaned in as if sharing a secret.

“It’s rumored that Najane Schnicks isn’t from Bastronia, but that he’s been insulting the Holy Church because of his influence from the Astien Empire.”

“Eh?”

Kharki, genuinely surprised, let out a high-pitched sound.

The man silenced Kharki with a gesture and continued.

“Though I look like this, I make my living by selling information. Once, I took on a request to investigate Najane Schnicks. But here’s the thing—there’s no record of her in the Noctis archives. I mean, does that even make sense?”

“Th-that’s right... If she entered Noctis, there should definitely be a record...”

Kharki nodded, agreeing with the man’s words.

“So, this woman has been spouting nonsense about the Holy Church, but since there’s no record of her, the rumor going around among us information brokers is that she might be someone sent by the Astien Empire.”

“Good heavens... You’re saying the Astien Empire sent a spy while the Serith are in power?”

“Well, who knows! The Astien Empire is so strong that even if the Serith invade, they won’t budge! Once the Kingdom of Bastronia falls, the world will basically belong to them.”

Kharki covered his mouth in shock at the man’s words.

Najane was a knight from Romsoa, and she was well-known for her swordsmanship. Although Kharki didn’t fully believe everything the man was saying, hearing such rumors made it hard not to question Najane’s true identity.

If she had entered Noctis through proper means, there would be a record of it. Becoming a knight meant there should be some trace in the Noctis archives.

Kharki, feeling suspicious about the man’s claim that there was no record of Najane, absentmindedly ate his stew. It seemed like the man noticed Kharki’s unease, as he sighed deeply and exaggeratedly shook his head.

“Sigh... But the archivist who gave me this information seems to be lying... Anyway, I’m trying to find someone who works at the archives to get more details. I’m even offering a large sum of money, but... it’s not working out.”

The mention of a large sum caught Kharki’s attention. He knew that archivists occasionally bought and sold information, but it was only for records that weren’t in the restricted section. If it wasn’t about forbidden records, it was usually fine to leak it. After all, the archives were supposed to fairly document everything that happened at the Noctis fortress.

Kharki was curious to find out if Najane’s record truly didn’t exist. If he could satisfy his curiosity and make some money in the process, it seemed like a good opportunity.

“So, how much money are you offering…?”

Kharki cautiously asked the man.

“If you just get the information from the archives, a hundred lirangs is nothing! If the information is accurate, I might even double or triple it! And even though I look like this, I have a sense of honor, so I’ll give you an advance!”

The man boasted while tapping the table. At the mention of an advance, Kharki’s face brightened. This was an opportunity—another chance to win money at the gambling house!

“W-well... I know someone who works at the archives...”

Kharki mumbled in a hesitant voice. The man and those sitting around them exchanged meaningful smiles at his words.

________________________________________

In Venus’ office, voices were raised. The priests, with worried glances, occasionally stole looks at the firmly closed door. The person arguing with Venus was Gwyneth.

Since yesterday, whenever Gwyneth arrived, Venus’ room had become noisy. The two archbishops were talking about something, and it was surely a serious matter related to the Noctis fortress and the Holy Church.

After a long conversation, Venus sighed deeply and slumped into his chair, exhausted.

“You’re talking nonsense... It’s absolutely impossible. How can you put someone else’s heart into another body? Our hearts are unique, and replacing them with someone else’s is unthinkable. Even if you somehow managed it, they wouldn’t survive!”

Venus shouted in frustration. But Gwyneth stubbornly stood his ground.

“Who cares if it’s this heart or that heart? Even if it seems like a hopeless task, we have to try!”

“Alright, let’s say we try. Then where are we going to get a fresh, healthy heart from? Are you suggesting we just cut open a living person’s chest?”

“Of course, we’ll take it from someone who’s just died.”

At Gwyneth’s words, Venus let out a hollow laugh, clearly incredulous.

“Sure, that’s exactly what people will happily agree to! If you’re going to take a heart from a dead person, who will understand that? Please, stop this, Archbishop Spello. This is a pointless debate. It’s just a waste of time!”

Venus sighed wearily. Gwyneth, not replying further, kept silent. He had expected it wouldn’t be easy to persuade Venus, but the resistance was stronger than he had anticipated.

However, in Gwyneth’s plan, Venus was indispensable. There was no priest who could handle incantations as well as Venus.

To properly judge which incantation to use when implanting a new heart into Najane’s body, Venus’ expertise was crucial. Venus was also unparalleled when it came to quickly and accurately inscribing incantations.

Gwyneth sighed again and rubbed his forehead. Regardless, the fact remained that Venus was needed to improve Najane’s condition.

Stepping back, Gwyneth crossed his arms and looked at Venus.

“You never asked where I got this incantation from, did you? Do you remember?”

Mention of the incantation made Venus, who had been tired, immediately lift his head. Gwyneth pointed to papers covering the walls and calmly spoke.

“These incantations were found in Najane’s body.”

“A knight from Romsoa?”

Venus knew about Najane. Previously, Gwyneth had asked him to find out about her due to some rumors, and Venus had gathered that she was a diligent, excellent knight who cared for her body on the battlefield.

Gwyneth, who didn’t like owing people, rarely made requests for others, so it was surprising that he asked for a song to be written for Najane. But now, hearing that the incantations came from her, Venus looked at Gwyneth with a shocked expression.

Gwyneth glanced at the incantations and continued speaking.

“To put it simply, from the start, it was impossible to maintain the incantation with a 3-form structure. What I found in Najane’s body could possibly be the prototype of the incantation that Aron Noctis used freely.”

Gwyneth spoke confidently as though he had unraveled the secret of the incantation, and this was enough to pique Venus’ curiosity. Venus nodded, as if everything was finally making sense.

“So, you brought up the heart transplant because of that knight, Najane.”

“Exactly. If we leave her as is, she won’t survive long. We need to find a way to save her...”

“Even Boris’s power can’t do anything. How are we supposed to manage this?”

“It’s better than standing by and watching Najane die.”

Before Gwyneth could finish speaking, Venus let out a deep sigh.

No matter how important and exceptional Najane was, he could not agree with Gwyneth’s suggestion of transplanting another person’s heart into her. From Venus’ perspective, it was a highly immoral act.

However, Venus desperately wanted to uncover the identity of the mysterious incantation found in Najane’s body. The 4-form incantation completely shattered the long-established 3-form structure and pointed the way toward a new path, like a fresh wind blowing in.

For Venus, who had spent his life following in Aron Noctis’s footsteps, the 4-form incantation was an incredibly thrilling and honorable mystery.

“Have you really uncovered the secret of the 4-form incantation?”

Venus asked cautiously. Gwyneth nodded his chin in response. Venus, lost in thought, pressed his temples and sighed softly.

“With the 4-form incantation, do you believe it’s possible to stop the breath of a living person for a short time and transplant a new heart?”

“At least, I think so.”

Gwyneth’s firm answer caused Venus to fall into deep contemplation. If he refused to help Najane, it seemed unlikely he would ever learn the secret of the 4-form incantation. But going along with the heart transplant, an utterly absurd idea, made him uneasy.

After a long pause, Venus, with his eyes tightly shut, hesitated. He remembered Aron, who had relentlessly developed incantations and saved people from the Serith, despite being shunned by everyone. Aron had moved forward without hesitation, even when there was a small chance.

After a long, exhausted sigh, Venus, resigned, looked at Gwyneth with a determined face.

“...Aron Noctis was able to become the example for everyone today because he, like you, wasn’t afraid of adventure. Sigh, fine. I’ll join you in your ridiculous plan. I swear by the great name of Shilin that I will do my best for Najane Schnicks.”

Venus, who had reluctantly changed his mind, wore a fatigued expression, but Gwyneth, as if he had been waiting for this moment, smiled and pulled out a piece of paper from his coat.

The paper contained detailed principles and secrets of the 4-form incantation.