Chapter 431: The Only Option Left is to Threaten Them Again. (1)
Kwaang!
Raul struck the table with immense fury.
He glared at the Salvation Church’s Inquisitor, Gartros, seated before him and questioned him,
“What is the meaning of this? Why is the rift uncontrollable?”
Gartros couldn’t give a clear answer. They had merely followed their scriptures in preparing and opening the rift.
Despite using every means to control it, the rift remained untamed. Instead, they only suffered the loss of priests and men.
“…We don’t fully understand everything either. We’ve only confirmed that the rift cannot be controlled with our power.”
The Salvation Church didn’t consider their lack of control as a critical issue. Since it was their first attempt, they hadn’t expected a perfect success.
The problem; however, was that they had created several rifts in the south, where the vassals and servants of the ducal family resided.
Raul narrowed his eyes and twitched as he pointed that out.
“We must divert part of the forces preparing for war towards the rift. We’re now forced to destroy the rifts that we created with our own hands.”
“There’s no other choice. For now, I will lend the Church’s power to eliminate the southern rifts. Executor Aiden and the Silver Knights will also join the effort.”
Raul leaned back in his chair, pressing his fingers to his forehead.
Everything kept going wrong, nothing was unfolding as planned.
Since the rifts couldn’t be controlled, they were now forced to fight against the very rifts they had opened.
This was exactly what Ghislain had wondered about in his past life. Why did the ducal family willingly opened the rifts in their own domain?
Ironically, it was because the Salvation Church had failed to control them.
Gartros, seeing Raul’s frustration, added,
“We didn’t create many rifts in the south, just in case. We also avoided important locations. There are only a few, so they should be easy to deal with.”
“And then? What about the countless rifts spread across the continent? What will you do if ‘that thing’ emerges? Can we stop it?”
“……”
“Our goal isn’t to destroy the world. Didn’t we establish the grand plan to create a new world?”
“You’re right. Ultimately, we must find our ‘King’ only then will this matter be resolved.”
“Does that even make sense? Is such a being even real? Does it exist?”
“The scriptures say so. We’ve kept our faith alive for all this time to awaken the King.”
Thud!
Raul slammed the table again, growling.
“You couldn’t even control the rift that you were so sure about! Does this ‘King’ truly exist?”
“Raul, do not cross the line.”
“……”
“Have you not seen the ‘Gate’ open? The promised time has come, and He is already in this world. We just haven’t found Him yet. Our mission is to awaken Him and build a new world.”
Gartros’ heavy words made Raul’s expression turn cold.
Indeed, the existence of the rifts had been proven true. The scriptures weren’t entirely false.
Therefore, the ‘King’ that the Salvation Church desperately sought for, could very well exist.
Gartros continued, trying to pacify Raul further.
“The scriptures are ancient, so perhaps our interpretation was somewhat flawed. But didn’t the rifts bring chaos to the continent? That alone is enough for now.”
He wasn’t entirely wrong. If they hadn’t opened the rifts, the armies of the entire continent would have already converged against the Salvation Church and its allies.
It was only because the Count of Fenris had disrupted their plans that things had taken such a turn.
“If we find the King, can we truly control the rifts?”
“We must. And we will. The key likely lies in the Forest of Beasts. We must seize the Ritania Royal Court and the Forest of Beasts as soon as possible. Also, the ‘Guide’ must be found. We are certain that it resides in the Ritania Kingdom… yet, we’ve found no trace of it.”
Gartros trailed off.
The Salvation Church had long searched the Ritania Kingdom, but had achieved nothing. Though they wished to intensify their efforts, the Royal Faction’s growing strength made it difficult to act in the open.
In the end, Count Fenris was their greatest obstacle.
Raul signaled to his aides and spoke,
“Bring me the latest intelligence on Fenris and the northern forces.”
Soon, he received the updated report and flipped through the documents before speaking aloud.
“So, this ‘Alfoi’ is indeed the most dangerous figure in the Fenris estate?”
The aide bowed his head in affirmation.
“Yes, there are quite a few suspicious series of events that proves some points about him.”
“What points?”
“When Count Fenris eliminated Delmud, the 7th-Circle Mage, he was there. He was also present during the Siege of Silverlight. Quite the coincidence, isn’t it?”
“Then, are you saying this man is the rumored 7th-Circle Mage? The one who single-handedly stopped the countless mages of Lord Roderick’s army?”
“It’s highly probable.”
“But there are too many rumors about someone else. That maid named Vanessa, for instance. Even the estate residents all say that she’s the greatest mage.”
“It’s just a rumor spreading among the ignorant common folk. It means Fenris is hiding information. As proof, Alfoi’s circle level is currently known as the 5th Circle. But until just recently…”
“He was a 3rd Circle mage.”
“Yes. That speed of advancement makes no sense. It seems Fenris couldn’t keep it hidden any longer and had to reveal this fellow’s circle advancement. Even spreading absurd rumors about him consuming a Dragon Heart in order to explain his circle’s sudden rise.”
“Then, are you saying Vanessa really is a 6th Circle?”
“She’s likely a decoy mage. Alfoi must have been working behind the scenes all along. After all, you don’t earn a title like ‘The Man Who Defeated a God’ for no reason.”
“Yes, that sounds plausible.”
Raul nodded.
Even after multiple investigations, suspicious points remained. However, if Alfoi truly was a 7th-Circle Mage, all the lingering doubts would be resolved.
He had been overthinking, to the point where he was circling around the truth despite thorough investigations.
Raul flipped through the documents once more and spoke.
“This so-called ‘Bribe King’ has also been deceiving us all this time.”
“That’s correct. He was the commander of Silverlight. In truth, it was his strategy that annihilated Roderick’s massive army.”
“They couldn’t help, but be defeated, failing to properly assess these individuals.”
Raul clicked his tongue. They had been so focused on Count Fenris, who had reached the rank of master, that they had missed other exceptional figures.
Count Desmond’s defeat had its reasons.
Raul placed the portraits of Claude and Alfoi at the top of the documents and declared:
“These two must be killed at the first opportunity. We need to cut off Count Fenris’ hands and feet. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
Sooner or later, they would have to clash head-on with Count Fenris. They needed to eliminate his key figures during moments when they were separated from him.
Therefore, he was already preparing for that possibility.
After reviewing the report, which was a blend of the truth and misconception, Raul asked another question.
“What about the other nobles?”
“…They’ve all turned against us.”
“Tch.”
Ever since Marquis Roderick left their faction, the other nobles of the ducal faction had also begun to withdraw. Opposing the Four Major Temples was too great of a burden for them.
Only a few southern vassals remained, and even they were staying only out of fear of the ducal family.
Raul clenched his fists. Just thinking about it made his blood boil. He had invested so much in getting the support of the other nobles, and now it had all been for nothing.
Among them, the one that the ducal family had invested the most in was…
“Amelia… You really bled us dry and fled, didn’t you?”
She had taken everything she could, and the moment the Salvation Church incident erupted, she cut ties without hesitation. Though the circumstances were understandable, he couldn’t shake the feeling of being used.
“Hoo…”
Raul leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
Ultimately, Count Fenris was the root cause of everything. Moving against him while he was leading the northern army to fight the Rift would be ideal, but he couldn’t act yet.
There was still too much to deal with.
His voice turned cold.
“Destroy every shrine of the Four Major Temples left in the south and kill all the priests.”
“…Understood.”
Most of the Four Major Temples’ priests had already left the south. However, a few had remained, determined to spread the word of the gods and aid the people.
Now, they too would have to be killed. They were already confirmed enemies.
“And assemble an army to handle the Rift as quickly as possible. We need to shrink its territory before it expands further.”
Clearing the Rift in the south was necessary before starting the war. The sooner it is resolved, the better.
This was practically a battle between the northern army and the ducal faction. The outcome would depend on which side cleared the Rift within their territory first.
The ducal faction had many skilled knights. Combined with the superhuman-level priests of the Salvation Church, they could handle the Rift quickly.
“But the northern army’s speed is surprising.”
He couldn’t be certain of how fast they could clear the gates. If they were still occupied with the Rift and the northern and royal armies began their offensive, it would be a disaster.
Still, they weren’t out of options. Preparations were being made behind the scenes.
Raul turned to Gartros and asked,
“What about Dentaria?”
“The Rift is expanding smoothly there. It will soon reach the Northern Fortress. Thanks to the rich life energy in the area, it’s growing far faster than anywhere else.”
“This situation favors us, then.”
“Yes, your scheme worked. That man Woroqa has already gathered all the warriors of the tribes. While Ferdium fights the Rift, he plans to strike the North. The North won’t be able to contain the anger of the barbarians that they have suppressed all this time.”
Raul nodded and smiled.
The Count of Fenris would never sit back and let Ferdium handle the barbarians. He would definitely head to the Northern Fortress.
No matter how strong he was, he couldn’t possibly fend off both the massively expanding Rift and the barbarian horde all at the same time.
Even if the Count of Fenris managed to win on one front, the North would lose all the foundations it had built up.
In the meantime, they just had to eliminate the Rift first and make their move.
Raul curled his lips into a cruel smile.
“This time, things won’t go your way, Count Fenris.”
Until now, the plans of the ducal family had been constantly thwarted because of Fenris, always being forced to react.
But now, it was Fenris’ turn to dance to someone else’s tune.
* * *
Northern Fortress, Kaipiler.
Where the Ferdium army was stationed had been unusually, or rather, perfectly peaceful lately.
There was an abundance of food, and the equipment was excellent. Thanks to Ghislain, they now had a supply-focused mana training technique, and the number of knights had significantly increased.
At last, they had become a military force truly befitting a Margrave’s command.
It had also been a long time since they last clashed with the barbarians. Since they were now receiving food supplies, the barbarians had no choice but to stay quiet.
Because of this, the garrison’s daily activities mostly consisted of eating, sleeping, and training.
Of course, Zwalter’s characteristic timidity and caution kept the guard and patrol duties running strictly and thoroughly.
“Ha… Caught again.”
Skovan, who had been comfortably staying in Ferdium, wiped his nose as he gazed out over the vast northern lands.
While transporting various supplies to the Northern Fortress, he had once again been pulled into patrol duty. Since the junior knights were focused on their training, it seemed he had to fill in for them.
Boredly tagging along, his handsome lieutenant, Ricardo, spoke up beside him.
“The fortress has been so peaceful lately. Do we really need to patrol this much? This area was only patrolled back when we were fighting the barbarians, right?”
“Hey, you know our lord is secretly a scaredy-cat, right? He’s been through too much hardship.”
“Haven’t we gotten way stronger than before? We have a hundred knights now! We’re practically a great territory at this point.”
Skovan nodded in agreement.
“All thanks to the Young Lord. He’s the commander of the Northern Army now, isn’t he? We’re probably the most powerful group around these days.”
“Yeah, I never imagined that the Young Lord would rise this high. It’s unbelievable.”
The two of them fell into nostalgic recollections.
They had both witnessed Ghislain slaughter a horde of orcs right after his regression.
Skovan had told his comrades about it, but was branded a liar for a while, drowning his frustration in alcohol. Though, to be fair, he had made some money betting on that story since no one believed him.
Honestly, even Skovan wouldn’t have believed it himself if he hadn’t seen it firsthand. Ghislain had been nothing more than a troublemaker back then.
Thinking about how far Ghislain had come made him feel sentimental.
“Hey, remember when the Young Lord dashed out of the castle…?”
“And ended up locked in our prison after going into the Forest of Beasts…?”
Having someone to share such bizarre memories with, was a rare comfort.
The two continued their patrol while chatting about old times. Since it was a route they often patrolled, there was nothing particularly challenging about it.
Small talk was the best way to pass the time during a long patrol shift.
By the time they had distanced themselves significantly from the fortress, Ricardo suddenly joked,
“Come to think of it, didn’t something bad always happen whenever the captain was stationed around here? The barbarians used to attack and all.”
“Hey, am I cursed or something?”
“No, really! Every time you were around, something happened! Even the Young Lord’s first major feat was during that orc hunt with you. And after that, the war, the Forest of Beasts expedition, the battles with the barbarians… you were always there!”
Skovan scowled at Ricardo’s teasing.
“Don’t joke about stuff like that. You’re making me nervous that something might actually happen again.”
“Hahaha, relax. There’s no way anything like that could happen anymore. We’re not even involved with the Young Lord these days.”
“Yeah, you’re right. We’ll just live here peacefully. Hahaha!”
The two of them laughed heartily.
The current peace felt too good. They had suffered too much in the past, especially due to their involvement with the Young Lord.
While they were still chuckling, a junior knight walking beside them spoke up.
“Captain, what is that?”
Though it was dusk, there was still enough light to see clearly.
In the distance, the land was covered in a dense blue mist. And the mist seemed to be rippling, slowly advancing toward them.
Skovan and Ricardo’s laughter died instantly.
It was a phenomenon they had heard described countless times before.
The hallmark of a Rift.
Cold sweat trickled down Skovan’s back as he thought:
‘Is it… really because of me?’
Though he hated to admit it, Ricardo’s words seemed to be true.