Chapter 228 - 193: Our Past, Our Future

The space-time of the Net Path was a bizarre, kaleidoscopic sight.

The Real Cosmos twisted and folded in on itself here.

「Radiant Calendar, year 1459. November, Iberian Time.」

The Punisher traveled smoothly.

They had endured a series of high-stakes battles, each a brush with the Death God himself. But now, after successfully withdrawing from Kemola despite the enemy’s relentless pursuit, Manon’s taut nerves finally began to relax.

Still encased in Power Armor, his magnificent, two-point-six-meter-tall frame collapsed backward as if its strings had been cut, and he sat down heavily on the deck.

He reached up and yanked off the stuffy, sweat-stinking Full Coverage Helmet, taking a deep gulp of the ship’s relatively fresh air.

Leaning against the bulkhead, he ran a hand through his sweat-drenched hair, shared a look with Matthias, and let out a hearty laugh.

"If I were the Legion Commander of the Gamu Fleet, I’d flay the Dragon Race Prophet who was in charge of the Kemola landing! HA HA HA!"

Though he was exhausted in body and mind, Manon was, after all, a veteran of the Emperor’s Shield Elite. Having successfully escaped the Space Dragon Race’s encirclement and won the battle, his face was filled with unconcealable excitement.

Matthias exhaled a heavy breath, his brow furrowed.

He was not in the same jovial, joking mood as Manon.

After a silent glance at Agate, who was piloting the ship, he turned to Reinhardt. "Sir, what are your plans for dealing with the Grand Governor?"

He came from the Ash Guard of the Death Battle Group.

He knew better than anyone what kind of person Sedon—their former Battle Group Leader, now the Grand Governor of the Imperial Administrative Region—was.

If Agate’s existence threatened the relationship between the Administrative Region and the Mechanical Order or interfered with the Vengeful Angels project, that man would mercilessly hand Agate over to the Judgment Court. Then, without a care for Agate’s life, he would forcibly extract the Ancient Black Box.

At that moment, just as they had successfully withdrawn from Kemola and before anyone could celebrate, the atmosphere inside the Punisher’s cabin fell silent at Matthias’s question.

The bizarre, twisted cosmos outside the ship reflected in Irenia’s eyes. She stood alone before the viewport, her delicate brows knitted with a faint, growing unease.

This former daughter of a noble from the Hearn Territory, this once-naive ’Diplomat’, had endured countless harsh lessons in the Wizard World. Now, she found it difficult to trust anyone.

She wasn’t sure if the Imperial Knights on this ship would simply let her go.

Turning to face Reinhardt, she broke the Punisher’s silence. "I need a relatively safe world to hide from Anatol’s eyes and ears.

"Florant died on Kemola. He will never let me get away with it."

At her words, everyone in the cabin turned to look at her.

Raphael had no love for Wizards, and Irenia’s demonstrated cunning made him especially wary. He frowned. "That’s impossible. Getting you out of Kemola was the absolute limit. Don’t push your luck."

Irenia’s gaze, once mild, turned as cold and sharp as a dagger, stabbing toward Raphael.

"Don’t forget who saved those three outside the Tomb Treasure Vault. You owe me this."

With that, she ignored Raphael, her cold demeanor making it clear she couldn’t care less about the young Priest’s opinion.

Manon and Matthias were left speechless, because it was the truth.

Reinhardt considered this for a moment, his eyes fixed on Irenia’s. "Your request is reasonable. After we make contact with our reinforcements, I’ll arrange for someone to secretly get you away.

"But before that, you have to tell me: what did you take from the Tomb Treasure Vault?

"If it’s related to a Void Demon, I’m afraid we can’t just let you leave."

Seventy-Six, though he was only half a man leaning half-dead against a wall and cradling his weapon, still managed an air of someone just there to watch the show. He quipped, "See? I was right. It’s a huge loss for the Judgment Court that Reinhardt doesn’t work for them."

He didn’t know what had happened in the catacombs, but he knew they couldn’t risk giving Judge Robbie Hiling any leverage over them for the sake of a single Wizard.

In other words, letting her go was, in itself, a risk.

This Witch should be thankful the one she made a deal with was Reinhardt, and not one of the Old Empire’s Battle Group Knights, whose faith in the Emperor was fanatical to the extreme.

In Irenia’s mind, her first impression of Reinhardt had always been that of the reckless boy from the Knight Training Camp. But after spending time with him years later, she was gradually discovering that this man who glorified force had a perception of potential risks and a meticulous mind that left no opening—a level of depth she had never imagined.

In fact, she did have several Wizard’s Secret Treasures she had dug up from the Tomb Treasure Vault, and one of them was indeed contaminated by Void Power.

Although it pained her to part with it, trading it for a chance to escape and giving Reinhardt something to account for to the Judgment Court was a very worthwhile bargain.

After some consideration, Irenia took out an exquisite ring and placed it in the palm of her hand.

"A creation of an Alchemy Saint from three million years ago. You don’t need to know its name. If that bastard Robie asks about my whereabouts, just hand this over to him, and he won’t bother you."

Although the ring’s power was incredibly subtle and its appearance plain, its mere presence in the Punisher’s cabin unleashed an aura woven from Wizardry and Demon Power—a darkness that could devour all light, silently eroding their very souls.

Raphael’s brows knitted tightly together. He could feel the residual power of the Void Divine Artifact deep within his soul resonating with the ring’s Demon Evil Power.

Manon and Matthias’s expressions also shifted, their gazes fixed on the ring as if it were a formidable enemy.

The tension remained until Irenia placed the ring in a spherical metal container and handed it to Reinhardt.

With her escape now settled, Irenia’s taut nerves relaxed for the first time. She looked at Reinhardt and asked, seemingly out of nowhere, "Aren’t you curious about what ultimately happened to Grillers World? And Frostfire Fortress..."

Reinhardt replied coldly, "What are you trying to say?"

Irenia smiled, turned, and walked back to the viewport. "Just a passing thought," she responded, looking outside. "I hope we meet again in the future."

Though she hadn’t answered Reinhardt’s question directly, the implication was obvious.

Seventy-Six was about to crack a dark joke about the Emperor, but then he remembered that a certain someone was still watching over them, so he simply leaned back against the bulkhead and closed his eyes to rest.

Agate, piloting the Punisher Ship, remained silent from beginning to end.

With four hundred years of service under his belt, his heart wouldn’t stir even if the heavens themselves were to fall.

But in this moment, faced with an unknown fate, a ripple disturbed the calm of his heart.

He could accept dying with honor as a loyal Imperial Knight, as a Technician Priest faithful to the God of All Machines.

But to be executed by the Judgment Court in the name of a heretic...