Ulbushis (1)
The atmosphere of the cathedral was strange. No matter what day I visited, the same sense of reverence always lingered. That consistency brought a kind of rare comfort.
"Hello."
"Ah! Y-Yes!"
The guide’s response was always the same. To keep him from mustering up courage, I filled out the visitor’s log myself. With the massive statue behind me, I finally stood before a mere silver plaque.
Moments like this made me want to build a grand statue. Winter had said a certain scale would be necessary to do so.
The chapel was a place for prayer—or more secularly put, a kind of hideout. For sacred acts like offering tributes, the cathedral had to be visited.
"Goddess. I brought this just in case. It's completely useless to me."
A silver plaque engraved with Anaye’s insignia. Kneeling in front of it, I offered a fruit of Yggdrasil. In the past, I had flattered her with honeyed words just to extract information about Anaye. I had planned to lure her in gently. And I got beaten senseless by the Holy Scripture for it.
The scripture was continually being updated. After the beating, a line appeared in 12-point Batang font: "Lies are the greatest sin." Since then, I’d kept things straightforward.
‘Thank goodness.’
Wrapped in a gentle glow, the fruit vanished. I had been worried that showing up with just that would get me kicked out.
Apparently satisfied, the scripture began to tremble slightly.
▶ The scripture has been updated.
I opened the scripture. I thought it might give me something, but there was no particular reward.
The first part of the scripture contained the life story of Anaye. But much of it was blank. Names, passages, and so on.
I slowly turned the pages of the scripture until I found a glowing line.
[The Thunder Deer pierced the heart of the great serpent. The serpent’s blood gave rise to vegetation, and its body soared skyward to become the ash tree.]
So it was a trophy. No wonder she liked it so much. Yggdrasil was connected to the Forest Guardian of Museion Island. If that fruit was a trophy, then it seemed they had fought a fierce battle long ago.
‘Am I going to die here someday?’
It was a possibility. A bad thought suddenly crossed my mind. I shook my head. I still didn’t know anything for sure. And even if it were true, it’s not like a guardian was someone you could easily run into.
I thought knowing her life would make things easier, but that wasn’t the case. None of the place names matched, and everything was vague and obscure. Most of it was just about winning fights against someone or another.
There was about a month left until the temple expedition. For now, I just wanted to enjoy some sunshine and get some rest.
***
"Aaah~ what a pain~"
Winter was sweating coldly. She had been so absorbed in her studies that she lost track of time. She barely made it in time to avoid being late.
She focused on the class without even wiping off her sweat. After the lecture ended and she finished taking notes, she came face to face with an unfamiliar person.
Blue hair. A woman with a high ponytail, her hair a lighter shade than Davide’s. She sat beside her and let out a long yawn.
"All done?"
"Sorry? Oh, yes."
Who the hell is this acting all familiar? Having spent time with Davide and picked up some of his wild instincts, Winter gave the woman a sharp look.
The blue-haired woman had nerves of steel. Unbothered by the glare, she suddenly grabbed Winter by the arm. Startled, Winter instinctively shook her hand off.
"Ah, sorry. Got a bit excited."
"It’s fine."
A surprisingly rough reaction for Winter. Even Davide never touched her without warning. Taken aback by the unexpected edge in her response, the woman offered a calm apology.
"By the way, who are you?"
As she gathered her things and headed out, Winter asked the woman who followed behind her.
"Canis Ulbushis."
She stopped dead in her tracks. In the past, Davide had warned her about someone she must never get involved with. He never explained the reason, only that getting entangled with them could cost her life. He’d dubbed that list with the ominous name: Death Note.
Top danger rankings: Bereninche, the Imperial Princess, the 2nd-year alchemy professor, the 1st-year runner-up in the magic department, and others.
Having already experienced life with Bereninche, the number one on the list, Winter had memorized that roster well—and now she couldn’t believe her ears.
"What did you say?"
"Hm? Canis Ulbushis~ Nice to meet you!"
Bright blue hair. A cheerful expression and a charming tear-shaped beauty mark. And just like that, the fourth most dangerous person appeared without warning.
"Um. Did I do something wrong?"
As Canis suddenly began to cry, Winter froze. Her face showed no expression, yet tears were falling—disturbing, to say the least.
Unlike the flustered Canis, Winter waved her hands dismissively. Her head throbbed. Fine, Bereninche was at least Davide’s sister, so that made some sense. But what the hell was this one doing here?
Tormented as she already was by Bereninche, Winter couldn’t see a single person on that Death Note list in a favorable light.
"What brings you here?"
Her voice was wary, but polite. Canis tilted her head at the strange tone. She couldn’t tell if she was being welcomed or rejected.
"You're Winter Seraphist, right~?"
"No."
Her pure-hearted desire not to lie clashed with her selfish wish to escape the hell that was about to unfold.
In the end, selfishness won, and she shamelessly denied it. Canis tilted her head again. Thanks to Winter’s Death Note prejudice, even that act of denial seemed like a calculated façade.
"149 cm, 39 kg, white hair, petite frame~ Divine Studies uniform. It’s you."
"……You know everything, huh."
How did she even know my height and weight? I didn’t bother hiding my displeasure. I didn’t have the power to drive out someone who had clearly come with intent.
"What brings you here?"
"I want to sponsor the Anaye Order~"
At this point, even I couldn’t help but feel suspicious. First, the Imperial Knight Order—sworn enemies of the Duhein family—now the runner-up of the Magic Department had come to visit.
The Ulbushis family, a powerful marquis house with great influence in the western continent. All I knew was that they held authority rivaling the Duhein family. It really felt like some kind of political maneuvering was underway.
"You’ll need to talk to my senior about that."
"Senior? Ah~ you mean Davide?"
The way she said it, as if they were best friends, made my eyebrow twitch. That bastard Davide didn’t have anything like a friend. Even if he’d improved a bit lately, his reputation was historically atrocious.
They weren’t even close—yet she was calling him by name like that?
"Sorry, but could you tell me where Davide is? He’s always disappearing~"
Could I really bring her to him? I hesitated. I recalled Davide’s face when he told me about the Death Note. It looked like he’d stepped barefoot into the foulest pile of shit imaginable.
For whatever reason, even though Davide was usually gentler around me, I had a feeling it’d be different if I brought Canis along. I might get slapped. A sudden fear crept in.
"Please~ I’m counting on you~"
She was pouting playfully, oblivious to my internal struggle. I lost all motivation. Whatever. I’d bring her. Davide could deal with it himself.
What power did I have anyway? Beaten down by my own selfishness, I ended up leading Canis to the chapel.
"What the hell is this?"
"……I’m sorry."
"……No. Good work."
Thankfully, Davide was more tolerant than I expected. As soon as he saw Canis, he patted my shoulder and said I’d done well. I nearly cried.
"Could I~ maybe get something to drink?"
"No."
"Huh? Oh~ okay."
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"What year are you?"
"F-First year."
"I’m a second year."
"Ah."
"Still planning to talk casually?"
"Ah… no~ sir!"
Without thinking, I clapped my hands. Davide, when pissed, was the most terrifying person in existence. Especially now—he was still wrapped in bandages from a recent serious injury, and today, he was particularly on edge.
The usually carefree Canis shrank back under the sharp glint in his eyes.
Secretly, I was rooting for Davide.
"So, why are you here."
"Um! Uh! I came because of the sponsorship~… sir!"
"Sponsorship?"
Davide frowned faintly. An uninvited guest ruining his peaceful rest. And not just any guest—someone ranked fourth on the Death Note’s danger list.
There was no way he could greet her kindly. At his sharp words, Canis became flustered. He seemed far more dangerous than the rumors suggested. A beast staggering around as if drunk. A piece of human garbage picking fights over every little thing.
But the person before us now was different. The gleam in his eyes and the heavy stillness around him weren’t that of someone out of control.
"Is this the will of the Ulbushis family?"
"Yes! The Ulbushis family~ wants to sponsor the Anaye Order! …sir!"
"Why?"
It was the obvious question. Sponsorship wasn't complicated—it was a way of indebting someone. Provide support to those destined for greatness, and get paid back in the future.
But the person on the receiving end this time was Davide. A piece of human trash, a thug expelled from his own family. What would make him worth sponsoring? Clearly, there had to be an agenda behind it.
No one would welcome such an offer with open arms. That’s why Davide asked with such menace. Canis, unfazed, fell into brief thought.
"I'm not interested. Leave."
"Ah, that would be a problem~ sir."
She didn’t seem ready to reveal anything easily. Seeing that, Davide issued his order to leave. Only then did Canis visibly falter.
"I must be pretty tasty, huh."
"…Huh?"
"Ah?"
At the sudden bizarre comment, both Canis and I made blank noises. Davide, paying no mind to our reactions, sank into thought. His hand slowed as he stroked his chin.
"The Imperial Knight Order and the Ulbushis family. Two powerful forces showing interest in me. All I have is a shitty personality, the scripture, and Duhein blood."
"Wait, the Imperial Knight Order visited? …sir?"
"My trash personality isn’t worth much, and if you’re after the scripture, your wealth and power far exceed its worth. That leaves the bloodline. I see. You want to bring down the Duhein family."
Ignoring Canis’ question, Davide arrived at a conclusion. The Imperial family had a terrible relationship with the Duhein. Ulbushis wasn’t much different—only a matter of degree.
Seeing Canis’s blank expression, Davide nodded to himself. The downfall of the Duhein family came in the mid to late episodes. This kind of thing never happened in the game.
"It’s because of the religion. So you’re here under the pretext of sponsorship. Makes enough sense."
"Wow~ you’re smarter than the rumors say! …sir."
Realizing she had no way around it, Canis admitted the truth without resistance. I nodded as well. Come to think of it, it was simple.
A newly established religious order—everyone knew how much start-up funding that required. And with Davide exiled from the Duhein, it would make sense to think he might want back in.
"Join hands with us~ and let’s bring down Duhein."
"'Let’s'?"
"Let’s destroy the family~ and you can take it all for yourself… sir!"
Things were becoming clearer. The Imperial Knight Order just wanted the fall of Duhein. The Ulbushis family, though, was after a particular individual within it.
"You’re targeting the family head."
"Oh~ I’ve been found out."
Nerva Hardria Duhein. The one most fitting to lead Duhein, and the most terrifying monster of them all. Ulbushis was aiming for him.
"So you want me to commit patricide?"
"Aww~ don’t say it like that~ it’s just a little help we’re asking for! …sir."
My eyes narrowed. I didn’t like her drawn-out tone, and I didn’t like her goal. Now I understood why her name was on the Death Note.
"I know Ulbushis is a powerful family. But no matter how useful I may be, the family head is off-limits."
"Hm? I heard you didn’t really care about family~"
"It’s not about family love. It’s just impossible."
Davide shook his head. Nerva Duhein was the final boss of Episode 6. A monster that took the full force of the Imperial family’s aid just to be barely defeated. It wasn’t for nothing that he’d sired Bereninche.
"What do you mean by that~?"
"Even with Ulbushis and me, we wouldn’t stand a chance. Even dragging the Imperial family in would barely tip the scales."
Davide raised his Divine Power. Canis Ulbushis, runner-up of the 1st-year Magic Department. He knew her well—this girl who had enormous influence on the main story.
A cheerful and bold personality, but with no mercy when it came to action. The reason: a parasitic organism.
"Ulbushis can’t handle it."
"Ah, no good~ hey! I said no! Don’t come out!"
Suddenly, Canis began muttering strange things. I looked at her, confused by the lack of context, but Davide drew the Lightning Spike of Anaye from the scripture and swung it.
Something that had burst out of Canis’ body was skewered by the Lightning Spike. While it didn’t deal damage, its shocking effect was potent. The massive slime-like creature screamed in agony.
―Gyaaaaahhh!
"Uwaaahhh!"
It looked like a lump of black shadow, with jagged shark-like teeth. That alone was grotesque, but it was also screaming in a disturbing, twisted voice.
I screamed with everything I had.