Those time travelers that year

“I don’t believe a cripple would know these things…” Iris looked at Charles coldly and said in a detached tone, “Who exactly are you?”

“A cultist has infiltrated this banquet.” Charles ignored Iris’s question from the sanctuary and muttered to himself, “The cultist disguised herself as a noblewoman and charmed my foolish brother socially. Tonight she entered as Sid Gret, my brother’s lover and companion.”

Iris stared coldly at Charles as he muttered to himself.

“These unfortunate cultists seem to be planning to control my idiot brother tonight… and then, at this banquet… assassinate the Emperor of Ruman…” Charles said. “Then… the opposition and the reformists will clash, the Grete family will be destroyed, but they will gain a war.”

"Who exactly are you?" Iris looked at Charles with a wary gaze.

"If you put it in your words, I'd be a 'heretic' no different from those cultists. But in my own words, I'm just a bastard who'll stop at nothing to pursue power!" Charles chuckled, looking at his reflection in the red wine in his glass. "But I don't want to get into trouble. Having a respectable identity is always better than being a wanted criminal..."

"So, as champions of justice, you shouldn't stand idly by while cultists plot!"

48. A Few Things About the Main World (8)

Lorena linked arms with Sid, her body slightly stiff.

"What's wrong, dear Lorena?" Sensing the mood of the woman beside him, Sid turned around and asked with concern.

"No, it's nothing!" Lorena replied with a forced smile. After losing contact with her accomplice, the cultist codenamed Bishop, she soon learned that the Bishop had been murdered. It was rumored that members of other organizations had also entered the city and killed the Bishop. Shortly after, news arrived that a deacon from the Holy See had arrived in the city, making the situation even more complex. However, even though the Bishop was dead, she was still ordered to continue the plan.

This made Lorena even more uneasy; she had a constant feeling that disaster was about to strike. This feeling had saved her many times before, each time in life-or-death situations, when she would have preferred not to continue the mission. But now, she had no choice but to continue. Compared to the potential danger, the organization's punishment was far more terrifying, forcing her to grit her teeth and keep going.

“I might be feeling a little unwell,” Lorena replied to Sid’s greeting. “If you’d like, I’d like to go and rest for a bit, is that alright?”

“Of course!” Sid nodded, gesturing for Lorina to sit down at a table. Sid wanted to say something more, but was immediately pulled away by Count Gretel, because at that moment the main figures of the banquet, the Ruman royal family, had arrived. The Count hurriedly led his heir to pay their respects, and at that moment, Lorina's heart leaped into her throat.

The opportunity has arrived. If Sid can be controlled to assassinate the king and create chaos, she can escape in the confusion and end this damned mission.

Thinking this, Lorena rubbed the ring on her right hand with her left hand, and the magic ring called the Serpent Ring began to emit a very faint purple light. This light was so small that it went completely unnoticed. At that moment, Sid froze, his eyes seemingly losing focus.

“Finite Incantatem.” Just then, a voice reached Lorina’s ears. At that moment, the ring on Lorina’s right hand dimmed, then cracked and shattered into pieces. Sid was also stunned and looked around in confusion, but was pulled away by the Count.

"This..." Lorena stared blankly at the scene before her, fear gripping her heart. Suddenly, a pang of fear shot through her, and Lorena abruptly turned around to look behind her. A blonde girl stared at her with icy eyes and strode towards her. "...Sanctuary Deacon..."

The mission failed; we have to leave...

Taking advantage of the fact that most people's attention was elsewhere, Lorena immediately stood up and quickly walked out of the garden. Seeing this, the blonde girl's gaze grew even colder, and she followed Lorena out of the garden.

"Hehe..." Watching this scene, Charles finished the red wine in his glass, then put the glass down and walked into the shadows. A cloud of black mist then enveloped him. The Apparition spell carried Charles away from the banquet.

——————————Divider Line——————————

Lorena ran swiftly down the corridor, using a route she had known beforehand to bypass the guards' patrols and stealthily escape the palace. Along the way, she quietly changed her clothes, ensuring no one would recognize her, before disguising herself as a maid and leaving.

The streets were deserted, making her departure easier. A carriage, already parked in an alley, had been waiting for some time. When Lorena reached the carriage, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. The carriage would take her to the station, where a train would depart that evening. By then, no one would be able to find her, not even her accomplices.

"To hell with the organization!" Lorena cursed inwardly as she walked towards the carriage.

"Where do you think you're going, you heretic?" Just as Lorena was feeling pleased with herself, a cold voice reached her ears. With a creak, the carriage door was pushed open by a slender hand. A blonde girl, her face cold, stepped down from the carriage, already dressed in a knight's outfit.

“How…how is this possible…” Lorena took several steps back in a panic.

“Surrender, heretic,” Iris said coldly, drawing a one-handed sword from its scabbard at her waist. In this era, cold weapons had long been replaced by firearms, yet when Iris gripped the blade, she was like a sharp, unsheathed blade. “Or I’ll end your filthy life with my own hands…” But before Iris could finish speaking, a spike emerged from the shadows and struck her directly.

Escape was no longer an option, so what could be done? After a moment of panic, Lorena made a new decision. Taking advantage of Iris's words, she used her confusion to conceal her true intentions and then immediately launched an attack on Iris.

"Die, you bitch!" Sharp spikes emerged from the shadows everywhere, attacking Iris. Not only in front, but also behind, to the sides, and at her feet, shadow spikes were protruding.

"Hmph!" Iris snorted coldly at this situation, then swung her sword. At that moment, a bright white light enveloped the blade in her hand. The shadow spikes, upon contact with the white light, melted as if ice had met fire. Moreover, with a flick of her wrist, the blade transformed into a dazzling light, like a blooming rose or petals falling from the sky. The shimmering sword light enveloped everything around it; above, below, in all directions, it was surrounded by a ball of sword light.

This was not some mystical sword energy, but simply swordsmanship. Yet, beneath the white light emanating from the blade, shadows receded wherever it passed. The girl wielding the sword seemed to be performing a solo dance, her movements dreamlike and ethereal under the sword's gleam.

“The White Rose Swordsmanship of the Sanctuary…” Lorena stared at the scene before her in astonishment and fear. Looking at those grey eyes and golden hair, she seemed to realize something and stammered in panic, “It’s you… the Sanctuary’s Executioner… the Executioner—Iris Galgwin, no, it can’t be…”

In this world, there are always some unimaginable geniuses, even in the supernatural societies of the underworld. Iris Galgervin is one of them. A deacon of the Sanctuary, the girl known as the Sanctuary's executioner is one of these geniuses. If converted to the mystical classification, this girl from the Sanctuary is equivalent to a fourth-order Boss. In Ciel's understanding, a third-order Boss is already comparable to an Auror from the Harry Potter world, while a fourth-order Boss far surpasses a third-order Boss by more than ten times. Therefore, this girl from the Sanctuary far exceeds the limits of ordinary people.

"So what if you're a fourth-class being? Die!" a desperate Lorena shouted, tearing the necklace from her neck and throwing it to the ground. The necklace shattered upon contact with the ground, and rows of shadowy spikes shot out from the ground, heading straight for Iris.

boom!!

Standing a dozen meters away, Iris drew her sword and slashed, circular halos appearing on the blade. The next moment, a huge white light roared out from the blade, engulfing all the flying shadow spikes.

"Die, die..." Lorena suddenly pulled a silver gun from under her clothes and began firing at Iris. The reason firearms replaced melee weapons was simply because their power far surpassed that of melee weapons; however, this theory was reversed here. Facing the hail of bullets, the girl merely swung her sword, the blade of her one-handed sword transforming into a swirling flash of white light.

Clang clang clang... Several orange sparks bloomed in mid-air.

The incoming pistol bullets were all sliced ​​down in mid-air by a one-handed sword.

“No…monster…” Lorena stared in disbelief at the desperate scene before her. The empty pistol in her hand fell to the ground, and then she knelt down with a look of despair and empty eyes, watching Iris slowly walk towards her with a one-handed sword.

Suddenly, Iris paused, her gray pupils contracted, and she charged towards Lorena with a burst of speed. She covered the ten-meter distance in an instant, then slashed forward.

The air rippled slightly, and the blade of the one-handed sword seemed to have struck an invisible barrier, producing a crisp sound.

what happened?

Before Lorena could react, a hand landed on her shoulder. She instinctively raised her smooth neck and saw someone she recognized standing behind her with a hand on her shoulder.

Charles Gretel...

"I've been thinking about my entrance lines. By the way, what do you guys think?" Charles said with a smile, uttering the words of death, "Let the flames purify everything!" As soon as Charles finished speaking, the raging flames engulfed Lorina below. Before she could even utter a word, Lorina was instantly wiped out by the flames.

49. A Few Things About the Lord's World (The End)

Watching Lorina die engulfed in flames, Iris stopped, watching as the flames, as if alive, returned to Charles's hand, leaving a clump of black ash scattered on the ground. Her grey pupils reflected Charles's image, his beautiful face cold, his tone icy. "Heretic..."

"Pleasure doing business with you, Miss of the Sanctuary." Charles looked at the girl before him with a slightly solemn expression, but his face remained relaxed. To be honest, even if he could travel to other worlds, having witnessed this scene from the shadows, Charles found it utterly unbelievable. A sword cutting through bullets! This scene, which had always existed only in anime and novels, was happening in reality, leaving Charles speechless. As for the dazzling swordsmanship earlier, and the sword-like energy that followed, Charles completely forgot about it. Facing a freak who could slice bullets with a sword, it wasn't surprising that she possessed absurd skills.

It's important to understand that in the Sword Art Online: Gun Gale Online arc, Kirito's ability to slice bullets with her lightsaber was entirely due to the game's mechanics, specifically the bullet trajectory system present in Gun Gale Online. Now, however, a real powerhouse capable of slicing bullets with a sword has appeared before Ciel, making him genuinely uneasy.

Although he was far more powerful and capable of dealing damage than this emotionless girl, if they got close, he, Ciel, would probably be killed in one combo. Adding to that the charges and cleaves from before… Ciel scanned the invisible barrier in the air. [Obstacles Upon Obstacles] had indeed stopped this girl with explosive combat power, but… just a moment ago, the barrier of [Obstacles Upon Obstacles] had undeniably been cleaved open.

The hardness of Nimei's composite steel plate was directly cleaved, although it was only for a moment, but it was indeed cut open... Girl, you can actually cut through tanks with a sword by now... Facing such a melee explosive warrior, Xia Er still felt that it was best not to confront her head-on.

Iris ignored Ciel's words and instead raised her one-handed sword with a cold expression, looking at Ciel as if she was considering how to make her move.

"Hey, hey, isn't that a bit much?" Charles said helplessly, looking at the gaze of the temple girl before him. "Besides... my brother's lover left midway through the banquet and was then suspected of being murdered. How do you explain that?"

“I didn’t kill anyone, you killed them!” Iris replied coldly.

“But along the way, only people saw you from the church, and…” Charles pointed to the black ash at his feet. “…and this lady left the banquet. Think about it, who would be the first person suspected?”

Clang!

A bright sword light appeared, but the barrier of "obstacles" blocked it. The next moment, with a crack, a crack appeared in mid-air, and a section of the sword blade pierced through the invisible barrier and got stuck in mid-air.

"This is truly dangerous!" Looking at the sword tip before him, Charles secretly wiped away a bead of sweat. "Alright! Then I'll take my leave..." Charles said, "As for those cultists, I suppose you, Miss Iris, don't want to deal with them... So, I'll take my leave now."

Apparition

Black smoke enveloped Ciel's figure before he vanished from the spot. Watching where Ciel had disappeared, Iris sheathed her one-handed sword and turned to leave the alley.

……

After walking through several streets, a carriage with a lit oil lamp hanging above it came into view. Iris walked over, opened the door, and got in.

Inside the carriage sat an elderly priest dressed simply. After Iris boarded, the carriage began to move. Inside the swaying carriage, Iris looked out the window at the scenery without uttering a word.

"Did something unexpected happen? This is the first time I've seen you like this," the priest asked.

“An unexpected situation…” Iris began, but her gaze remained fixed on the window. “The heretics of ‘Dark Corner’ have infiltrated the circle of Sid Grete, who goes by the name of Lorena. They have infiltrated the royal banquet in an attempt to control Sid Grete to assassinate him and frame the Grete family. Their target is the King of Ruman, and they intend to incite a war between the opposition and the reformists.”

"...War?" The priest frowned. "Are they planning a blood sacrifice?" War kills people, and for cults, the more people die and the greater the turmoil, the more opportunities they have for expansion.

"Where is that cult member?"

“He is dead…” Iris said, “but I did not carry out the execution. An unexpected visitor killed the heretic, and it was also that unexpected visitor who reminded me of the heretics’ plans.”

"What?" The priest was stunned. "There are other members of the mystical side who have infiltrated as well?"

“Another heretic, Charles Grete…”

“I remember, that was the eldest son of the Grete family, the one who was rumored to be obsessed with witchcraft and mysticism, and who was ultimately stripped of his heirship due to disagreements with his father… Wait, you mean?”

Iris nodded. "For now, I estimate it to be fourth-tier. The abilities it displays include manipulating flames, teleporting through black mist, and creating invisible barriers... barriers I can't break through..."

"Hiss!" The priest gasped. "You can't cut through it? How is that possible? Fourth tier... Alright! I understand. I'll have people focus on gathering information about Charles Gretel. You..."

Iris raised her right hand, which had been gripping the sword, revealing a split at the base of her thumb, blood streaming down her wrist. "I tried to cut through that barrier, but it was no use. I only managed to tear a small opening, and my sword is damaged too. Don't even try to get close without reaching the third tier; there's no way to fight back..."

"I understand! I will arrange for professionals to gather intelligence secretly."

"This is troublesome. Once you've gathered the intelligence, send one copy back to the Sanctuary headquarters, marking it as a Moonlit level danger level. Leave one copy for me to review." After saying this, Iris lowered her hand and turned her gaze back to the outside of the car window.

——————————Divider Line——————————

After a period of relative calm, the situation erupted. At least at the royal banquet, a woman who left midway through was confirmed to have been brutally murdered, her body completely burned, causing a major uproar in high society. Naturally, the Ruman royal family was furious and ordered those assisting with the investigation to pursue the matter to the fullest extent.

However, as the investigation deepened, it became clear that the noblewoman named Lorena was suspected of having an affair with a cult member, and that her identity was fabricated; the true owner of that identity had been confirmed to have died in an accident several months prior. Furthermore, that same evening, a woman from the church, Iris Galgervin, also left the banquet midway, and no one could verify her whereabouts…

Later, due to the pressure on the royal family's reputation and the church's attitude, the matter was suppressed, and a death row inmate was used as a scapegoat to hastily end the affair.

Sid Gretel, having lost his lover and learned of his lover's lies, remained deeply depressed. Incidentally, because of this incident, Earl Gretel severely reprimanded Sid. It's said that the reformists used this incident as a pretext to launch a major political attack on the old guard of the opposition…

As for the original author, Charles, he didn't care about these issues. After making preparations, he perfectly intercepted the soul and read the previously missing information from it. Then, he made full preparations and went alone into the sewers beneath the capital to the headquarters of that cult.

……

The sound of exploding flames echoed through the cavern, the scorching fire destroying all life. The meticulously prepared Xia Er had wiped out the cultists' entire lairs. His aim was to glean a single message from their souls: these cultists worshipped a demon.

Demons! The true profession of a warlock! As a warlock who has never had a pet by his side, Sharl has always felt immense pressure. Although he created a Fiery Demon using the [Fiery Spell], it is not a real demon, but merely a magical creature summoned with magic, and he has to spend MP to maintain its existence.

Now that he's heard news of a demon in the main world, Ciel naturally has to run up and check it out.

After thoroughly tormenting the last enemy, the rather troublesome black-armored warrior, to death with a master-level illusion magic paralysis, Charles looked helplessly at the empty underground altar.

Ran!

"What a waste of my solo dungeon run..." Charles sighed, looking at the empty underground altar. His only gains along the way were some soul fragments. Most of the cultists were ordinary people; although they had somehow acquired some firearms, Charles could easily handle them. The only truly troublesome enemy was the black-armored warrior before him. He appeared to be a fourth-tier fighter, but he didn't seem as powerful as the girl from the Holy Temple from that night. At least that girl could forcefully break through the barrier he had created, while this one couldn't.

"Forget it, let's get ready to go to the next world!"

50. Holy Grail War

The Holy Grail (Sangreal) is a wine cup used by Jesus and his eleven disciples at the Passover Supper in 33 AD, on the 11th day of Nisan in the Jewish calendar, after Jesus sent Judas Iscariot away. Jesus took this cup and instructed his disciples to drink the red wine inside, symbolizing his blood, thus establishing the Passion memorial ritual. Later, some people believed that this cup possessed some kind of magical power because of this special occasion.

This relic of miracles, originating from the legend of Christ, is said in many tales to grant eternal life, rejuvenation, and resurrection to anyone who finds the Holy Grail and drinks its water.

For the mystical side, living on the other side of the real world, the Holy Grail is the gateway to the Root. What is the Root? Many magicians believe that the Root is the name for the Vortex of Root, or a name for this "state of being." It should be the "cause" of everything, the origin of all phenomena. Since every "cause" produces an "effect," in terms of existence, this is "ultimate knowledge." The lifelong pursuit of magicians is to reach the pinnacle of existence. Therefore, the Root is the ultimate goal that all magicians dream of, a dreamlike place that humanity can never reach in a lifetime. By going to the Vortex of Root, humanity can grasp the fundamental cause and effect and laws of all things in the world, and thus change the world's structure and order—in other words, create a new world and destroy the old one.

But how much of this is real and how much is imagined, no one knows. How many people can withstand the Root, and who they are, is completely unknown. The only thing known is that some can control the rules and power called "Law" flowing from the Root. Currently, the known person who has mastered magic is the Second Magician, the Jewel Mage-Marshal Zelrich, whose ability manifests as parallel space interference.