I Returned with the Cheat Holy Sword

Let’s rewind a bit.
Carlyle recalled that he had once made something up to Felix, and the man had reacted with surprising intensity.
‘What did I lie about again back then?’

[...You said you had some connection to demons and thus knew related information.]
Ah, right.
It had been a lie meant to deflect suspicion when Carlyle had handled a demonic incident in the capital with unnatural smoothness.

Apparently, that had struck a serious nerve for Felix.
The fact that he went straight to the point without any preamble the moment Carlyle entered the room proved as much.
“Do you know the name ‘Valthheimer’?”

“...Isn’t that your name, Cardinal?”
Carlyle tilted his head in confusion.
Felix Gregory Valthheimer.

That was his full name—or so Carlyle remembered.
So why ask about it like it was unfamiliar?
“...”

But Felix shook his head calmly.
“Not me. I mean, do you know another Valthheimer?”
As the coffee flowed into the cups before them, Carlyle quietly studied Felix.

Come to think of it, their very first serious conversation had started in a similar setting.
A café, a cup of coffee, Felix slowly opening up about himself.
He remembered hearing about Felix’s family.
The man inside the locket he always wore around his neck—a younger-looking man Felix once called his father.

“Where should I start…”
And as if to confirm this déjà vu, Felix placed the locket, removed from his neck, gently on the table between them.
“…It’s about him.”

“…”
“Do you have any idea?”
No.

None at all.
Carlyle remembered Felix once saying the man resembled him, but beyond that, there was nothing to go on.
“I’m not really sure.”

“…”
Felix nodded slowly.
“To be honest—I looked into your background.”

“…”
Hmm.
Carlyle believed in distinguishing between when honesty was necessary and when it wasn’t.

But from Felix’s perspective, the fact that he was even saying this showed just how much goodwill he was offering.
“…And why did you do that?”
Hearing that, Felix let out a small chuckle.

‘You’re easy to talk to, see.’
Carlyle’s calm response, trying to understand the situation instead of reacting with anger, suited Felix perfectly.
“Do you remember me saying this man is my father?”

“You did mention that.”
“He’s still alive.”
“…”

Carlyle blinked slowly.
Oh. Is that so?
He thought Felix had said the man was dead.

[He didn’t say that exactly. Just gave off that kind of impression.]
As the Holy Sword added context, Felix echoed that sentiment aloud.
“…The odds are slim. But I still believe it.”

“…”
I see.
But still—

“Why are you telling me this?”
Honestly, it made Carlyle uneasy.
This entire conversation was being prompted by a lie he had made up on the spot. That Felix would investigate based on that and then come back with a deeply personal confession—felt extremely wrong.

It felt like the kind of butterfly effect that would one day come back to choke him.
“You’re the only lead I have. The only person left who can help me track him down.”
“…”

“At least, based on everything I’ve uncovered so far.”
Uh.
Uh-oh.

‘Hero.’
[Mm.]
‘I think we’re fucked.’

[…Yes.]
He’d had a bad feeling ever since Felix reacted so strongly to his story.
Now the situation had spiraled out of control.

***
As Carlyle wiped the cold sweat from his back, a stack of papers landed before him.
“What’s this?”

“Read it.”
He tilted his head and pulled the neatly clipped files apart.
Scanning the contents—

‘…This is me.’
It was a thorough record of his own past.
Tracking his journey from a war orphan wandering the streets to enlisting in the Imperial Army.

…All parts of his life he had no memory of.
“Looks familiar, right?”
“…”

No. It didn’t.
But Felix must have interpreted Carlyle’s silence differently, because he lit his pipe and continued speaking.
“I went through a lot to dig this up. It’s no easy task to trace the movements of a war orphan with no official records.”

“…”
…How the hell did he do this?
In a civilized society where record-keeping is everything, those without documentation might as well be invisible.

Especially a nobody war orphan—someone so insignificant that even after scouring everything, you’d expect to find absolutely nothing. And yet, Felix had pulled this much together?
That alone sounded like the kind of Herculean feat that would take the power of a Grey Cardinal to achieve.
…Wait.

Was Carlyle really important enough for the Grey Cardinal to investigate to this degree?
Was he someone with that kind of hidden background?
Despite spending lifetimes memorizing information about everyone else, Carlyle had never looked deeply into himself—because there was never anything special to look at.

Was it possible he was unknowingly some sort of hidden genius?
[You don’t have to worry about that.]
‘…’

[I swear on the honor of Heroes: while the results of your regressions are impressive, your natural talents are pathetically average—]
‘Yeah, okay. Enough.’
As the Holy Sword helpfully reiterated what Carlyle already knew, Felix quietly continued.

“Valthheimer… he was a researcher. Studying Hell. Under orders from the Imperial Family.”
“…The Empire was researching Hell?”
This was brand new information.

Before the Hell Invasion, there’d never been any indication that the Empire was involved in something like that. If they had, wouldn’t they have been more prepared?
“The Emperor issued a personal edict. Said that Hell might pose a grave threat someday and ordered preventative research.”
“…”

Huh.
If the Emperor himself issued such an order—
Then a few implications came to mind.

Given what Carlyle knew of the Emperor’s absolute authority in the Empire, for such an operation to vanish without a trace…
“…There must’ve been an incident. Big enough to damage the Emperor’s reputation if exposed.”
“...Exactly.”

Felix gave a bitter smile.
“All the researchers involved… disappeared after a demonic incident.”
Apparently, not a single body was recovered.

In cases involving demonic contact, there were usually two outcomes.
Either they were pulled into Hell.
Or they succumbed to temptation and fell into corruption.

Either way, it was a disastrous result for something directly ordered by the Emperor.
So the entire operation was buried.
“And also…”

Felix exhaled deeply and rubbed his face.
“Your movements. The ones recorded in that ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ file.”
He looked as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was saying.

“The point where your movements as a war orphan become traceable—it exactly coincides with when Valthheimer disappeared.”
“…”
“It could all be coincidence. But still…”

Carlyle and this Valthheimer apparently looked alike—enough to be mistaken for family.
And Carlyle had told Felix that he had experience with demons and knowledge of demonic matters.
And the very moment Carlyle entered society was after Valthheimer vanished—

“…”
At this point—
You’d have to be an idiot to still insist it was all coincidence.

“…So you’re saying I might be connected to this Valthheimer person somehow.”
So this is how it connects.
That one random lie he’d made up was now wrapping around his neck like a noose.

“…”
Felix gave a quiet nod.
“…Please.”

The plea came in a voice trembling with sincerity.
“If you know anything about him, anything at all—please tell me.”
“…”

No.
No, seriously.
What the hell was he supposed to do now?

His back was damp with sweat. He couldn’t just say it was all a lie.
If he admitted that, it would only make things worse. And if he couldn’t explain where he got his knowledge of demons, that alone would make him a criminal under Imperial law.
Knowing too much was inherently considered dangerous, corruptive knowledge.

So—
“…”
He had to think. Fast.

What could he say here?
What could he get away with?
“…Cardinal.”

Carlyle took a deep breath.
“To tell the truth… I have no memories from my early childhood.”
…Another lie.

But this one contained a sliver of truth.
“No memories?”
“Yes. My first clear memory is right around the time the records in that file begin.”

“…”
“I want to help, truly. But I just… can’t. I’m sorry. If anything ever comes back to me, I’ll let you know right away.”
“…”

Felix nodded quietly.
“…Even so, I still think you’re connected to him in some way.”
“Do you?”

“Yeah. You look too much like him. Maybe you’re even his son.”
“Didn’t you say you were his child?”
“I was adopted. For all I know, he could’ve had a biological child I never knew about.”

“…”
What?
Carlyle stared at her in bewilderment. She met his eyes with a blank expression.

Her face was completely serious.
They both went quiet for a long moment.
Then Felix waved her hand and gave a chuckle.

“Kidding, kidding. The man could never do that kind of thing.”
“…”
“He had… a lot going on. I don’t think he was even capable of having a son.”

“...I see.”
“But more than anything—”
As Carlyle awkwardly nodded, Felix’s smile faded.

“If you really were his blood relative… there’s no way you wouldn’t have come to me. You’d have asked me for something. Anything.”
“…Excuse me?”
“…Because I have a debt to pay. To him.”

“…”
“If you’re connected to him in any way—then I’ll do anything. Anything.”
What is she talking about now?

Carlyle tilted his head in confusion.
Felix shook her head with a sharp, bitter smile.
“…Forget it. That was nonsense. I’m just rambling.”

“…”
Hmm.
‘This must be her weak spot.’

[…It certainly looks that way. Best not to pry.]
It felt like—
This was the very thing that had pushed her to become the Grey Cardinal.

Something better left untouched.
So Carlyle tossed out a light joke to defuse it.
“Then that would make me your long-lost little brother, wouldn’t it?”

“Not a bad deal. Come here. Big sis’ll take care of you.”
“…Wow. That’s… genuinely horrifying.”
They laughed together as the tension melted.

Carlyle silently sighed in relief.
At least it hadn’t turned into a catastrophe.
At least not—

Until his face suddenly froze.
“…What’s wrong?”
“…”

Staring blankly into space, Carlyle forced a crooked smile onto his face.
“…Just imagining being your little brother gave me the chills.”
“What the hell? You wanna die?”

Thankfully, she took it in stride.
Her small, amused smirk confirmed it.
Thank God.

Seriously—thank God.
This woman…
-System Message-

▶ You have obtained information on “Gregory Valthheimer.”
▶ Acquire clues about your biological father to unlock new special abilities!
▶ Information has been added to the trait: “Cardinal’s Ideal Type.”
▶ Gaining this information causes a major increase in target’s “Obsession,” “Guilt,” and “Regret.”
▶ Target may become bound to you!
Well… she nailed it in one shot.