Chapter 174
The floors of Moon Gate’s buildings were huge, but the entire fifth floor seemed like it was only made for one person.
Joshua perched on a chair in the center of the room. The woman from earlier was sitting in front of him and was hiding her face behind a cat mask but not the rest of her figure. In fact, her clothing emphasized her curves.
“I was impolite,” muttered the woman as she bowed toward Joshua. Yet, her harmless motion carried immense destructive power that was especially effective on men, and it was all thanks to her white clothes, which really stuck to her skin.
“This is my first time receiving an outsider, you see...”
“...” Joshua stared weirdly at the woman. He deliberately ignored her subtle movements and said, “I didn’t expect that Moon Gate’s master is a woman.”
“Were you surprised?” The woman sat upright. A certain part of her body bounced strongly whenever she moved, and the way the fabric of her clothes stuck to her skin made it seem like the bouncing was deliberate. “A fifteen-year-old Master is something out of a fairy tale, but someone like that can actually get caught up on the fact that Moon Gate’s Master is a woman?”
“Well, I’m not really surprised. There are more women than men in this world, so it’s only natural that women are a bit more prominent when it comes to certain fields.”
The woman’s eyes behind the cat mask gleamed as she said, “In that case, I should be the one who should be surprised. I was under the impression that people in positions of authority would find it hard to abandon their biases against women.”
“If you put those glasses on and started looking at the world with stereotypes in mind, then the way you’ll look at the world will be twisted. Take me for example, no one could have imagined that the bastard son of a ducal house would be a Master at fifteen.”
“Ah-hah.” The woman nodded. She understood what Joshua was talking about. The nobles of Igrant’s prejudice about illegitimate children was as ingrained as the patriarchy of the continent. She revealed a gentle smile before saying, “That makes you even more remarkable to me, Joshua. I understand better than anyone else how tough your journey must have been so far while under their prejudice.”
“...” Joshua was momentarily stunned. The woman had spoken his name casually as if she were speaking to an old friend, even though this was their first meeting. In addition, it had basically become tradition, especially among nobles, for people to introduce themselves by their surnames rather than their given names.
Joshua’s surname was Sanders, so the woman should have addressed him as ‘Sanders’ rather than his given name.
Joshua didn’t really care about that, but he still found it funny.
“Aside from a few events, I didn’t really have a hard time.”
“...” The woman remained silent.
“Honestly, there is someone else who is leagues ahead of me. I’m an illegitimate child, yes, but I was still born into a noble family. However, they were born as a commoner, but they achieved so much that it’s astonishing.”
At that, the woman’s eyes brightened as she said, “You’re talking about the fallen genius, Icarus, am I right?”
Joshua paused when he heard Icarus’ name. He finally recalled the reason he came here and asked, “Humor me. What do you think I am doing here?”
“For the Pontiers? There are reports that the Mercenary King appeared at the Crombell Residence.”
“Ah yes,” Joshua stared at the woman and said, “I want to know more about the current events there.”
“...” The woman revealed a genuine smile and asked, “Just in case, after you left for Reinhardt, do you have any idea what has been happening with the Pontier Family?”
“I haven’t heard anything since I left for Reinhardt.” Joshua shook his head in response.
The woman covered her mouth with her palm in astonishment. “Regardless of how important the Masters Battle is, to think that you wouldn’t even care… Once again, I am compelled to wonder if it’s true that Duke Agnus is the mastermind behind all this…”
Joshua’s gaze sharpened at the woman’s muttering.
“Stop trying to get information out from me. I don’t have much time to waste,” he said.
“If that’s the case, then you should hurry up and answer me. Why is it that you never looked for any news about what is going on with the Pontier Family after departing for Reinhardt? You see, I want to know what kind of person you are, Joshua Sanders.”
“...” Joshua stared at the woman for a while and immediately saw that it would be difficult to avoid answering her question. In the end, Joshua had no choice but to concede.
“There really isn’t any specific reason.” Joshua stared into the woman’s eyes behind the cat mask and continued. “I didn’t look for any news because I have faith in my people.”
“...!” The woman’s eyes widened. She was all smiles once more as she asked, “The mysterious Black Knight who made a debut in the Pontier Family must be closely related to you, am I right?”
“...” Joshua remained silent.
However, the woman didn’t take offense as she said, “You don’t have to say it. Sir Cain, Icarus and the Black Knight are all reliable people who suddenly appeared on the Pontiers’ side. Their reputations precede them. Without the Mercenary King, victory would have been assured, no?”
The woman’s words contained a lot of information, but the most surprising of them all was the confirmation of the Mercenary King’s presence on the battlefield in a war between the Mercenary King and the Pontier Family.
No one could refute the fact that an Absolute could change the course of a war, but war wasn’t the only problem. Everyone had their limits—no matter how much stronger Cain was than a typical knight, and no matter how ingenious Icarus’ plans were, there was no way they could overcome a Superhuman with just the two of them.
It was surprising to hear the renowned impartial judge—the Master of the Moon Gate—saying that Joshua’s side would have certainly become victorious if it wasn’t for the Mercenary King.
“I’m jealous. They gained so much trust from their master. I’m just a little jealous.” She sat up straight and smiled. “I’ll give you whatever information you want. Not just the Pontier Family, but about the Imperial family of Avalon and the overall situation of the continent as well.”
“...!” Joshua repeatedly blinked. It was an understatement to say that he was shocked.
“But before that…” the woman trailed off. Her tone of voice suddenly changed into a formal one as she continued, “You need to pay your outstanding fees and any accrued interest for services provided to date. First and foremost, your balance—you haven’t forgotten the agreement we made five years ago, have you?”
“It’s about the red coin, right?” Joshua whispered.
The woman nodded in response. “If you don’t have the time, just tell us where it is. Our agents shall obtain it for us.”
“I don’t think it’ll be possible for you to procure it even if I told you where it is.”
“What are you—” the woman started.
However, Joshua interrupted her. “Does it still matter?”
“I knew you know something about it, but I want to know how much you know about it,” said the woman.
Joshua didn’t disappoint her. “The Red Coin. It is also known as the Holy Grail in Hubalt, but now that Hubalt has a new pope, is the red coin still significant to the Moon Gate?”
“...!” The woman stiffened.
“The moon symbolizes divine Hermes. The Imperial Family’s faction and the Pope’s faction had been fighting for dominion over Moon Gate for many years now. As Cardinal Marhel, a man of faith since birth rose to the papacy, the struggle to succeed the Moon Gate has shifted to you, who is also a person of faith…”
“The mastermind controlling all information throughout the entire continent is the Hubalt Empire, and they gather their information while pretending like they’re moving in the name of Hermes. Your dual identity truly astonished me.”
The woman’s expression became stiffer as Joshua regaled her with top-secret information about the continent.
“The real question here is if you really need it, Lilith Aphrodite, the Silver-eyed Ghost Sword.”
Joshua’s exposition was like a massive bomb, but the woman’s response seemed casual as she carefully removed her cat mask.
Without the cat mask, Lilith’s silver eyes seemed like they had been unleashed. Joshua glanced at her eyes once, and he already felt like he would get sucked into them.
“There have been some changes, and it has become necessary. The organization itself wouldn’t be that affected, but the church needs it. Their icon is gone—or, more accurately, it was destroyed. I believe you know why because you did it,” said Lilith.
“You’re talking about the crystal ball…” said Joshua.
Lilith nodded. “Symbolic significance aside, the Holy Grail’s power is incomparable to the Tears of the Gods. The church’s leaders believe that it can replace the Tears. Can you tell me? Where do I find the red coin, the Holy Grail?”
“...” Joshua went silent. He fell into deep contemplation before finally emerging from his thoughts with the answer as he said, “It’s in the Avalon Empire.”
.
“...!”
“It’s in the hands of the Avalon Empire’s Imperial Family.”
“So you say…” Lilith bit her lips. “In the end, I can only trust you.”
“A promise is a promise. When I return, we’ll discuss it again.”
Lilith thought for a bit before nodding. “I like the sound of that.”
If the Holy Grail was in the hands of the Imperial Family of Avalon, then there was no way for them to procure it. Moreover, there was no way Joshua Sanders was lying. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gotten this far.
“It’s your turn.”
Lilith smiled for the first time since she removed her mask. Her smile was so beautiful that she could definitely break a man’s heart quite easily if she wanted to. In addition, she truly lived up to her moniker as Hermes’ Goddess with her figure.
“The information you divulged about the Holy Grail only satisfies your previous balance with us. As such, we will have a new agreement moving forward.”
“If it’s money, I’ll pay,” said Joshua.
Lilith shook her head. “We have enough money.”
“Tell me what you want, then. If I can do it, I will do it.”
“Really?” Lilith’s grin widened. “Please don’t misunderstand me, all right? I’m gambling on your words because I have this certain dream, you see? And it involves marrying someone more powerful than myself and receiving their seed.”
“Huh?” Joshua was dumbfounded.
“I just can’t find anyone who satisfies those conditions. Yes, technically, there are people stronger than me, but they are a few decades older than me.?Ah, I have such a tragic life…”
”I will never be able to find anyone like you, even if I searched the entire continent, so…” Lilith trailed off before continuing. “I want you to marry me. That is my condition for us to continue our cooperation moving forward.”
Joshua stared blankly into space, or perhaps he was falling into the abyss?
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