Bastard Homunculus: Reborn in the Corpse Pit-Chapter 115: I Was Never on Your Side

"So, after my mother approached me, and I expressed interest in joining Exalt, a few days after that, I met with some of their members. I did consider arresting them on the spot for interrogation, but after seeing how fanatically dedicated they were to their cause, I surmised that they’d be unlikely to talk.

I figured I needed to get more information one way or another, especially on how many of them there were and exactly who was involved. So, I played along and joined them, and not long after that, they brought me to their hideout. The location...is inside the Quartz Ruins."

"Wait, what? Did the Inquisitors not search that place?" Frowned Aster in disbelief.

"No...it was ruled out as a likely possibility and set as a low priority to search in, since there are so many Monsters down there, not to mention how old and decrepit the place is, so we concluded that they were unlikely to be there," Admitted Siele sheepishly.

"Furthermore, among the Knights who are assigned to guard the entrance to the ruins, there are a few who are on Exalt’s side. They helped them sneak in, and the group is currently hiding out on the fifteenth level of ruins. Only a few of the members entered first, including a group of former Knights to eliminate the Monsters, along with a team of slaves to clean up the place and make the buildings as close to liveable as possible.

And one of the members who entered is someone who’s highly skilled at creating Spell Cards, he created Teleport Spells linked to the hideout. And after so many Nobles began getting arrested and executed, the rest of the members teleported to the ruins. Well, except for a handful of Nobles in positions of power who’ve managed to cover up their crimes and are secretly supporting them, like my mother. Their role in this is to ensure that things go smoothly after Reiss takes over the throne," Explained Tilda with a grimace.

"I see, then there really are more spies lurking about," Frowned Jules warily.

"Yes, but I’ve been told that there aren’t any others in the Capital. But there’s a chance that they still don’t fully trust me, so that could be a lie. At the very least, I think it’s highly unlikely that there are any other spies among the high-ranked Knights, though there are a handful among the lower-ranked ones in the locations outside of the Capital," Replied Tilda with a sigh.

"Guess we didn’t purge the Knight Order thoroughly enough. Don’t suppose you’ve got a list of names of these spies?" Inquired Lexia with a malicious gleam in her eyes.

"Well, I believe I know the names of most of them, but there could still be some that I’m not aware of. Anyway, after they settled into their hideout and began planning out the coup, I decided to try and buy time. I convinced them that going after the Queen first would have a low chance of success thanks to the tight security around the castle, and advised them that the best course of action would be to first eliminate the biggest threats among the Knights, namely the Commander, the Captains and The Irregulars. I figured those targets would be more than capable of defending themselves and shouldn’t be in any real danger of being killed, so yeah."

"Yeah, their first attack was pretty pitiful, it was disappointing how fucking weak they were," Frowned Lexia with a slight huff.

"Well, the main intention of that attack was the prison break, so they sent the deadweights among the group to serve as decoys. After that attack, I noticed that some of them were still suspicious of me, so I figured I’d need to do something drastic in order to maintain my cover. So, I began planning how to convincingly fake the Commander’s death at my hands. If they thought I’d killed her, that would be sure to eliminate any lingering doubts about my allegiance. And well, you know the rest."

"How many of them are there? Do we need to worry about their numbers?" Inquired Rione warily.

"No, I don’t believe so. There are about two hundred of them left now, and of those, only about thirty are actually capable in combat. Five of them are around First-Class level, the rest are mostly around Second-Class and a few around Third-Class. But I think we may have cause for concern...their leader, Reiss Diamond, is strangely confident. Unlike most of the others, he’s pretty sharp and cunning, and he seems certain that their victory will be assured once they take the castle. I don’t know exactly why he’s so confident about that, my best guess is that there’s something in that castle that could give him the advantage. I’ll try to get the information out of him, but at the same time, I don’t want to push it too much and make him suspicious of me," Sighed Tilda in response.

"I see, maybe there’s an Ancient Magic Item or something hidden away that we’re unaware of," Surmised Jules with a concerned frown.

"That’s what I assumed it must be, yes. Since he thinks I killed you, Commander, I might be able to pry it out of him if I voice concern over our odds in the upcoming battle. On that note, I believe I should be able to control when they make their next move...Reiss ordered me to scout the situation in the Capital for a few days and keep an eye on the Knights. When I go back and report to him, I’m reasonably confident that I’ll be able to manipulate him into launching the next attack within a specified time frame.

And right before they set out, we launch a surprise attack in their hideout and catch them off-guard, thus preventing a battle from breaking out in the Capital. However, there is a problem...the Teleport Spells. They have a fairly large stock of them, and the one responsible for making them keeps them with him at all times, so I won’t be able to steal or destroy them unnoticed," Remarked Tilda with a grimace.

"Oh, I think I’ve got just the thing for that. Hang on, be right back," Spoke up Tacitus, before vanishing as he took out and activated a Teleport Spell.

He reappeared a few minutes later, before tossing a Spell Card at Tilda, who caught it and eyed it curiously.

"What’s this?"

"It’s a Spell Card that counters teleportation, I call it Teleportation Jamming. Specifically, when activated, it wrecks all Teleport Spells within a twenty-five meter radius, and it also prevents Teleporters from using their Magic for about ten seconds. Just get close to where the Teleport Spells are being kept and activate it," He informed her.

"Oh, I remember now. Back when you were outlaws, you used this Spell against us before, haven’t you?" Recalled Rione with a grimace.

"Yeah, which means we have proof that it’s effective," Pointed out Tacitus with a shrug.

"Excellent...with this, we just need you to activate this Spell once before Exalt makes their next move. And with their Teleport Spells rendered useless, they’ll be trapped with no escape. And that’s when we’ll make our move, we’ll take advantage of the confusion when they realize the Spells aren’t working and attack," Declared Jules with a look of determination in her eyes.

"Alright, you can count on me. I’ll go back to the Quartz Ruins in a couple of days, I’ll do it then," Nodded Tilda, as she pocketed the Spell Card.

"I have to say, I’m glad you guys are on our side now, it was a pain dealing with you as enemies, but it’s quite comforting having you as allies," Remarked Rione wryly as he glanced at Tacitus.

Now, back to the present...

"N-no, impossible! H-how...how the hell are you still alive, Jules!?" Blurted out Reiss in shock, as he stumbled back slightly.

"It’s been some time, uncle...seems you’ve been busy," She responded icily, as she narrowed her eyes at him.

The other hooded figure then stepped forward and pulled off their hood, Reiss’s eyes widening in horror and disbelief.

"I can finally drop the act, you creepy old shit, it’s about time," Tilda sighed in relief as she cracked her neck with a tilt of her head.

"Y-you...you damned traitor, TILDA MALACHITE!!!" Snapped Reiss furiously, his eyes bulging with rage.

"I should correct you. I’m not a traitor, since this doesn’t count as a betrayal...after all, I was never on your side to begin with," She smirked tauntingly.

"Damn it, after everything I-...! You ungrateful little bitch...!"

"This is as far as you go...you’ve committed treason against the Kingdom of Persona, uncle, and now, it’s time you face the consequences of your actions! Right here and now, Exalt will be cut down!" Declared Jules, flames erupting around her sword as she drew it out and pointed it in Reiss’s direction, who stumbled back in fear...