Godfather's System

077. Interlude - Zolast

"Work never ends —" Zolast started to mumble as he stepped into his tent, bored and exhausted, only to freeze as he felt a chill at the back of his neck. He wanted to react in some form… but he knew that it would have been useless.

They found him. And his restricted state, he had no hope of resisting. He expected a blade covered with runes to plunge into his back, ending his life. Pity, just as he was getting used to his cursed existence…

"Still as impressive as always, Holy Guide," a familiar voice spoke rather than the blade.

Recognizing the voice, Zolast turned toward it, realizing that his execution was not going to arrive immediately. "Junior Inquisitor Bartnam, what a great pleasure. I wish you have sent a messenger, I had prepared some refreshments you could enjoy," he said calmly, like he wasn't preparing himself to be summarily executed. "Also, please don't use my old title. I don't have it anymore."

"Nonsense, Holy Guide," he answered. "Regardless of what happened, you'll always be my great leader, the man that had brought our middling church to great heights. It would be disrespectful of me to ignore it … especially when you're kind enough to remember my lowly name."

"As you wish," Zolast said, doing his best to erase any outward sign of his reaction, determined not to give him anything. He was determined to maintain his dignity at the last moment of his life. He walked to a small corner and poured two glasses of his best drink. "Not worthy of your presence, Junior Inquisitor, but please enjoy it," he said as he served the glass in front of him.

"Of course not, Holy Guide. Being served from your hands is already the greatest honor I could imagine," he answered. His words were respectful, but he was unable to hide the smug pride in his tone. Zolast wasn't surprised. After all, the other party was just a Junior Inquisitor, one that wouldn't even dare to look him in the eye before his fall from grace.

Now, he barged into his tent, enjoying his power. Zolast expected him to start bragging as well, maybe even subtly insulting the drink he offered before he delivered the latest blow … but that didn't come.

Instead, he enjoyed his drink calmly and silently.

And, just like that, it clicked on Zolast. The other party was not here to deal with him. He wanted something. Zolast almost declared it so, a lifetime of habit ordering others to show itself. He would have done so, when a memory showed itself.

Euon, facing Knight Artmiss, easily bowing down to take the unglamorous position of the Quartermaster, ignoring the shame of being treated as a mere merchant rather than the old but dangerous warrior he truly was.

Maybe he needed to copy that, Zolast thought. Not because of his own survival, but to save the lives of the thousands of people that relied on them.

Of course, he also knew himself. It was impossible for him to discard his pride completely, not against a member of his former organization. Luckily, he didn't need to bow and scrape and act like a servant in front of him.

That was not necessary. He knew more about Bartnam than he was aware of. Zolast had made a habit of personally studying every single candidate for the Inquisitor ranks before they could even get the opportunity.

Class Upgrade was not a simple opportunity to grant, and as the leader of the church, it had been his responsibility to send people that could handle the increased power and responsibility before they received the power of their god to be improved.

He still remembered the report about Bartnam. A boy who had been born into a merchant family, but lucky enough to awaken as a Priest, he had received great attention from his family, hoping that his rare class would elevate them into a minor noble family.

Unfortunately for his family, rather than joining one of the more established churches that would eventually bring such an opportunity, Bartnam joined the small but growing organization under Zolast. Bartnam gave many reasons for that such as piety…

But the agent who had been responsible for his initial recruitment had a much simpler conclusion. Bartnam was ambitious, and joining a more established group would mean respect, but no chance to grow more.

Not for a boy from a merchant family with no favors he could summon.

Zolast remembered reading the report and agreeing with the conclusion. Bartnam was only level thirty when he joined the church, smart enough to delay his Promotion with the hopes that Church had secrets that could empower him further.

He was right about that, and the agent was right about his conclusion. After his Promotion, rather than staying in the church and helping with the daily tasks to contribute while building a slow but steady career by using the limited dungeon quotas to level up safely while protected by the Templars, he volunteered to go outside, and started working with several smaller guilds as a healer… Along with it, he brought a lot of rare items, stat and skill sparks, and most importantly, critical information.

And, as a result, it took only two years to earn his third Promotion opportunity … and incredibly, he managed to awaken two stats naturally in the process. A combination that separated him from his peers and earned him the incredible opportunity of Class Promotion — a rare opportunity that could only be granted during the third promotion.

For most people, even the possibility was not known, though it wouldn't have mattered even if they knew. It was not like high-class skills that were hard to find because the noble houses monopolized them, or like stat sparks their rarity limited their accessibility; treated as a strategic even with the various side effects and compatibility issues.josei

No, every single class promotion required not only the direct attention of a god … but also the permanent sacrifice of their power. Minuscule compared to their total power, maybe, but Zolast knew very well the atrocities gods committed to gain more of it — learning it was the thing that ended up with his exile.

Even the slightest self-sacrifice from them was a rarity.

And, Bartnam earned that opportunity due to hard work, wild gambits, and dangerous political tricks. An opportunity that he managed to dispense excellently, turning into one of the more reliable young agents of the Church, working excellently after his promotion while leveling up as fast as he could manage.

A decade of hard work that he was risking just by talking to Zolast rather than just assassinating him directly. And, while Zolast imagine him bragging before delivering that blow, letting him go was not something Bartnam would do.

Of course, unless the opportunity was too great to miss.

Zolast went through all that information in an instant, and concluded the best way of acting. He let his hand tremble just as Bartnam looked somewhere else, which, along with a few other details, made it look like Zolast was afraid of death…

Bartnam believed it, not because he was stupid — a stupid man couldn't achieve all Bartnam did in just a few years — but because he had the undisputed upper hand. Even if Zolast could have alerted the others about his presence, only the Knight Artmiss would have had a chance to take him down.

And, the knight would never fight on Zolast's side when the truth of their identities was revealed. Meaning, Bartnam was convinced of his invincibility and power, and rightfully so. The speed he consumed the drink he presented got even slower to enhance the pressure.

Zolast continued to 'reveal' subtle signs of fear to give Bartnam what he needed. Finally, he put his drink down, and sighed. "I wonder just how you managed to trick everyone, including our exalted god, and positioned yourself to such an incredible position, Holy Guide," Bartnam finally said. "I'm in awe of your grand plan."

Zolast froze, shocked by the absurdity of Bartnam's statement. He had been excommunicated by his god, a fate he had earned after dedicating his life to that bastard, only because he discovered just how little they cared about mortals … and the only reason he was alive was a few old friends outside the church saving his life before the ax of the executioner could land.

There was certainly no great plan, but Bartnam seemed to be convinced otherwise. "My grand plan?" Zolast stammered, his shock genuine as the words spilled out before he could control them. He couldn't help it.

The declaration was simply too absurd.

Bartnam laughed. "Don't treat me as a child, Holy Guide," he said, his tone strong, but oddly respectful despite his other attitudes. "Are you saying that it's a coincidence that you have been excommunicated and drifted away … only to end up spitting distance from the forest where one of the five Heroes got lost right after his summoning."

Zolast froze. The loss of a Hero, right after the summoning, was too hard to contemplate. Of course, knowing what he learned about Calamities, Zolast wasn't sure whether it was a bad thing, but either way, it was a difficult thing to contemplate.

No wonder the God of Destruction was pushing hard to breach into the material world. The prospect of an unclaimed Hero as an anchor, right before the Calamities, was too big of a prize.

In comparison, there was nothing extraordinary about the military response, but that didn't surprise Zolast. He didn't doubt that the loss of a Hero was treated as a secret at the highest levels, and the search was being conducted.

Zolast had no doubt about the eventual fate of the poor man that had been summoned as a hero. He would either be captured and forced into a horrible ordeal that would end up with him being sacrificed … or, if he let the God of Destruction touch him…

Summarily executed.

Still, it was just another sign of Bartnam's capabilities that he somehow managed to learn it, the kind of capabilities and connections that would have been impressive for the next High Priest, let alone an Inquisitor.

Clearly, the term ambitious had greatly underestimated him.

"I know you're shocked by my … capabilities, Holy Guide, but you don't need to be alarmed. I know that I don't have the capabilities to monopolize such a great reward … I don't even have the ability to make a move without being noticed by the true movers. Yet, you somehow managed to arrive here without arousing anyone's attention, set up an independent guild, and even managed to trick a decaying noble house to be your cover."

"And, what do you want in return for your … contributions?"

"Not much. Just an opportunity for Ascension, and some meager support in the lands of gods after the ascension." He paused a moment, a dismissive smile on his face. "I'm sure, for a man with your capabilities, that's a very small request. After all, why would you waste your guaranteed opportunity to Ascend if the potential reward is not much bigger."

Zolast, still shocked by the request, had no choice but to agree. "That could be arranged … maybe even more. Of course, I can't make the final decision…"

"Of course not, a partaking this big couldn't be handled by one person, not even one as exalted as you, Holy Guide," Bartnam answered, accepting his comment. He passed Zolast a small communication stone. "I have the only matching pair, and it's completely safe from scrying," he declared. "Feel free to talk with me whenever you want…"

And with that, he cast a spell Zolast didn't recognize, and his presence slowly faded away. One last attempt to show off as he disappeared, leaving Zolast alone with his thoughts.

Zolast sat down, shocked at what just happened. If it wasn't for other shocking details he had revealed, he would have been wondering whether Bartnam had ever been just a son of a merchant family, or the church had been played all along.

But, he was retired, and the affairs of the church were no longer his problem.

He just didn't expect his retirement to be interrupted in this manner. A lost hero, one that would drive every organization mad with ambition, giving them the opportunity to suddenly turn into one of the biggest players in the world.

Every calamity rearranged the world's powers, and success always lay on getting the favor of a hero. Having not only the favor of a hero but a total alliance.

Impossible to imagine anyone smaller than an empire … until today.

And, somehow, Zolast found himself at the edge, blackmailed to take action. Not the retirement he expected, but he couldn't explain to Bartnam that it was just a coincidence. Certainly not after a chain of unlikely events that put him in an advantageous position in the hunt for a hero, without even knowing that there was an advantage to be taken…

Then, a flash of realization hit him.

There was no coincidence.

Everything that happened, every little coincidental detail had been instigated by Euon, a man of mysterious means… Zolast tensed as the realization of how badly he had been played occurred to him.

But at least, one mystery was solved. He had finally understood the true objective of Euon.

Euon was here to find and recruit the lost Hero!