Chapter 19 - A Grand Plan
It was long past nightfall.
After returning from my little “field trip,” I kept my black robe and mask on to hide my identity and made my way to an abandoned church on the outskirts of the royal capital.
There was something about a desolate church at night that gave it a certain charm.
Especially that old pipe organ in the far back—it created an atmosphere that was unmistakably out of the ordinary.
Let’s see... I think it was around here... Ah, there it is.
From one of the bookshelves lining the wall, I pulled out a particular holy scripture and moved it to its designated spot.
The next moment, the pulpit at the back rumbled and began to shift, revealing a hidden staircase leading underground.
Mechanisms like this... I quite like them.
Whoever built this was definitely one of us enlightened ones.
Not that I really need to go through all this... with <Void Step> I could just jump straight to the base.
But I loved this little gimmick, so I went out of my way to always use the “official” route.
My footsteps echoed—tak, tak, tak—as I descended the dim staircase. At the bottom was a vast hall with a high ceiling, where figures in black robes knelt in reverence.
At a glance, there must have been about a hundred of them.
To be honest, it was quite the bizarre sight.
Let’s see... today’s case must be that girl.
In the center of the hall stood a pedestal, and upon it lay a young girl.
Her breathing was ragged with pain, and on her right arm, the Mark of Defilement had surfaced.
Judging by the size and the darkness of the mark... she’s in pretty bad shape.
Not as bad as what Dia once suffered, but still...
The pain racking her entire body would be enough to shatter her mind.
As the King of Nihil—Void—I took my seat upon the jet-black throne at the very back of the hall.
Immediately, Dia, who stood by the right side of the throne, lowered her head with a graceful motion.
“Please, grant that pitiful girl a miracle, Lord Void.”
“Very well.”
I gave a grave nod, my demeanor solemn.
Normally, when speaking with the members of Nihil, I kept things fairly casual.
But in formal settings like this, I made sure to act like a true leader of the organization.
If you didn’t tighten the reins when it mattered, you’d just come off as someone soft and unreliable.
Keeping a clear on/off switch was very important.
Extending my right hand, I activated <Holy Purification Light>, harmonizing the girl’s own magic factor and the Demon Lord's factor, and nullifying the Mark of Defilement.
Freed from the Demon Lord’s curse—the agony of hell itself—the girl slowly sat up, tears welling and spilling in large drops.
“...It doesn’t hurt... My body... it’s clean now... I’m so glad...”
Yes, good. That was good.
The Mark would never trouble her again. She could rest easy now.
While I was feeling warm and gentle inside, Dia spoke to her.
“Even though the Mark of Defilement has been neutralized, the exhaustion built up in your body remains. Rest for now. —However, you must never forget that our great Lord Void took precious time to extend a hand of salvation to you.”
Hearing that, the girl turned to me.
“Th-thank you... truly... truly, thank you so much...!”
She bowed her head again and again, repeating her words of gratitude.
I raised my hand lightly and gave a dignified nod.
After that, the girl was carefully carried to a room in the back.
There, she would receive simple treatment and an explanation of her situation. Once she was physically and mentally stable, she would decide whether to join Nihil or return to the surface world... or so I was told.
Dia runs Nihil almost entirely on her own, so I don’t really know the details.
But from what I’d heard, every single person we rescued had begged to join the organization.
Well... after being cast out of society just for bearing the Mark of Defilement, and then used in inhumane magical experiments, it’s only natural they wouldn’t want to go back to their old lives.
In Nihil, there were many others who had shared their fate. For them, this was probably a very comfortable place.
And more than anything, our organization was ridiculously generous—a true white company.
The reason our benefits were so solid was probably because, when Dia was still little, I’d taught her with my Japanese knowledge about just how evil black companies were.
“Now that the Purification Rite is complete, we will move on to the scheduled report. Anyone who has matters to convey to Lord Void, stand immediately.”
As Dia’s voice rang out, the members of the intelligence division instantly rose to their feet.
“The Alvara Empire’s resistance forces have made contact with an envoy from the Holy State of Eria. It seems they’re secretly trading weapons.”
“In the northwestern region of the Kingdom of Klein, we’ve located a hidden base of the Great Magus Cult. There appear to be no executive-class members present, so we plan to dispatch a combat unit in the coming days.”
“A large number of magical devices are being transported deep underground into the Ainsworth estate. We suspect they may be preparing some kind of ritual.”
Yes—this was it.
This weekly status report was unbelievably useful.
Sure, the Forbidden Archive had valuable information too, but that sort of intel tended to lack... freshness.
Being able to gather raw, up-to-the-minute information like this was the true strength of having a staffed organization.
Still... there’s more reports than usual this time.
Maybe the main route’s full activation had set multiple characters’ personal storylines in motion all at once.
“Lord Void, that concludes tonight’s reports.”
Dia closed her briefing, and I slowly rose to my feet.
“The Empire’s resistance should be kept in a state of neither alive nor dead. Keep close watch on their ties to the Holy State, and if the revolutionary momentum rises, contact Dia immediately. As for the hidden Great Magus Cult base in the kingdom’s northwest—it’s a fake. There are ambushers concealed in the area, so cancel the combat unit’s deployment at once. Next—”
I drew on Hollow’s overwhelming information processing and my knowledge of the original storyline to issue the optimal orders.
“And finally—stay away from the Ainsworth estate. That’s the lair of the Zova the Great Elder. Poke it carelessly, and you’ll have a serious problem on your hands. That’s all.”
Once I had given all my instructions, I activated <Void Step> and jumped to the “secret room” located directly beneath this hall.
“Ughhh... I’m beat...”
I tossed aside the stifling robe and suffocating mask, slumped into an expensive-looking black sofa, and stretched out with a long groan.
Just playing the part of a lazy, arrogant noble was exhausting enough, but mixing in just the right amount of “organization boss” energy while directing everyone... honestly, it was pretty draining.
Still, the intel from these status reports was incredibly valuable.
It’s a bit of a grind, but I’ll keep at it.
Incidentally, only a tiny handful of Nihil members knew that Void was actually Hollow von Heisenberg—specifically the Five Prisons, the highest-ranking executives, with Dia at their head.
Someday, the truth that Hollow equals Void will inevitably spread across the world...
But now wasn’t that time.
For the moment, I would keep switching between my two masks—vile noble and founder of Nihil—and use them both to navigate the main route.
While I was thinking that, Dia descended the stairs.
“Good work, Void.”
“You too, Dia.”
We exchanged casual greetings before she settled into the sofa across from me, sweeping back her long silver hair with a smooth motion.
...Seeing her like this again, she’s really grown into herself.
Her translucent silver hair, her long, slender limbs, and those clear, beautiful eyes—perhaps it was the nature of her half-elf heritage, but she had a beauty that felt almost unearthly.
“As always, I’m amazed at how you can process all that information at once... You never fail to surprise me.”
“Thanks.”
That was less about my brain and more about the original Hollow’s exceptional processing ability... but whatever.
By the way, when Dia appeared publicly as Nihil’s First Seat, she spoke to me in formal honorifics. But when it was just the two of us like this, she reverted to her casual tone from the old days.
She was someone who drew a very firm line between public and private.
“By the way, where are the other four ‘Five Prisons’? I haven’t seen them much lately.”
Nihil was a top-down organization with me at its apex.
Beneath Void were the five top executives, and beneath them were the heads of various divisions, then the fighters, couriers, informants, and other assorted personnel.
“Ruby’s in the Kingdom of Klein, Eme’s in the Alvara Empire, Wolf’s in the Spirit State of Phyllis, and Aqua’s in the Holy State of Eria. They’re all making preparations to take on the world.”
“Sounds like they’re swamped.”
“Yes. Being able to do such rewarding work—to help create a new order—that’s all thanks to you, Hollow. If you hadn’t nullified our Mark of Defilement and saved us from that hell, we wouldn’t exist as we are today.”
Dia smiled softly as she said thank you, and I made a point of replying you’re welcome in a light tone. I’d never been one for flaunting my good deeds.
“By the way, Hollow—how’s it going on your end? That plan you told me about before... is it coming along well?”
“Yeah, so far it’s going really smoothly. Though honestly, it’s only just begun.”
Right now, I was putting into motion a certain grand plan.
The original Ronzolkia was a sword-and-magic RPG. As the main route progressed, the enemies just kept getting stronger.
But what would happen if, at such a time, the protagonist wasn’t properly trained... Say, if Allen failed to level up enough early on?
The answer I’d arrived at was—he’d be reduced to a mob character.
This was just my own theory, but I believed the single greatest factor that made a protagonist the protagonist... was their strength.
Defeating evil foes, rescuing heroines.
Slaying horrific monsters, helping troubled villages.
And eventually, overthrowing the Demon Lord and bringing peace to the world.
In a story, the “superhero” was the protagonist—and at the very core of that was overwhelming strength.
I’m going to ruin that...!
My basic policy—noninterference with the protagonist—would stay intact, but I would go around sabotaging Allen’s power-up events.
If I could thoroughly weaken him and force him off the main storyline... Allen Fortis would sink into the role of a mere “ordinary mob.”
I called this the Protagonist De-MC-ification Plan.
Kuhuhu... perfect. Absolutely perfect, if I do say so myself!
What a villainous noble like me truly had to fear was the protagonist’s awakening!
If I could prevent that, conquering the main route would be as good as done!
“Dia—there may come a time when I’ll need you to move as well. When that happens, can I count on you?”
“Hehe, of course. The strength to fight the world, the organization called Nihil, and these precious companions... all of it came from you, Hollow. If it’s for your sake, I’ll do anything. Even my life is not too much to give.”
“Uh—ah—yeah... Don’t take it that seriously, okay? I just mean lending a little help will be more than enough.”
Dia could sometimes be a little—no, quite—heavy in her sentiments... but well, that was just part of her personality. And I ought to respect that.
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