Chapter 486: Almost There. (1)
“What? What are you talking about? Why would I take you with me?”
Porisco asked in shock. Ghislain answered nonchalantly.
“I just want to meet His Majesty.”
“Then why are you asking me? You could ask the Marquis of Branford instead!”
“He said it’s not possible for now.”
“No, no, no. If I take you with me, that’ll be the day His Majesty breathes his last.”
“……”
“You’ll definitely get on his nerves and make him die from anger.”
“What? Why do you see me like that…?”
“I see you exactly as you are!”
The king was already in an incredibly frail state, so everyone was being extremely careful around him.
But if this troublemaker barged in and provoked him, leading to the king’s death? Then Porisco, who had brought Ghislain along, would be finished that same day.
Porisco groaned in frustration.
“I hate to admit it, but honestly, the king is half a corpse already. He has no influence at all. You don’t need to meet him. Why do you even want to?”
“I just have a few things I’m curious about.”
From everything he had seen so far, it was clear that the Duke of Delfine was obsessively targeting the royal family. Their goal didn’t seem to be simply winning the war.
But no one knew why they had even started the war in the first place. Even the Marquis of Branford didn’t know. Everyone simply assumed that the duke was trying to seize control of the kingdom.
Of course, that wasn’t entirely wrong, but it felt like there was another, deeper reason behind it.
So he simply wanted to ask the king if he knew anything. And while he was at it, he planned to ask about the Shadow Knights as well.
Porisco gave him an incredulous look.
“So… you just want to meet the king because you’re curious? No big reason?”
Ghislain nodded.
Porisco’s voice trembled as he spoke.
“Is the king your friend or something? Do you think you can just meet him whenever you feel like it? The man could die any day now!”
“……”
“Please, just stop making my life difficult, will you? I’ve done everything you asked, haven’t I? Huh? I gave you Piote, I handed over the relics! I even donated all my wealth to you!”
“……”
“I’m an investor in the cosmetics business, too! I even secretly gathered all the donation funds and invested them for you! So why do you keep putting me in these impossible situations?”
“……”
“And even if you follow me, you won’t be able to meet the king.”
“Why not?”
“The Marquis of Branford personally oversees every visit. He even inspects the assistant priests. So asking me is pointless.”
“Hm…”
If that was the case, then sneaking in after Porisco would be futile. He hadn’t expected security to be this tight.
Then again, it made sense, given that the Marquis of Branford prioritized the royal family’s safety above all else.
After pouring out his frustrations, Porisco looked around cautiously before lowering his voice.
“But… even if you do meet him, the king won’t like you.”
Ghislain raised a brow in disbelief.
“What? He hasn’t even met me. How could he dislike me already?”
“The Marquis of Branford is backing you, isn’t he? His Majesty absolutely despises the marquis.”
“Is there a reason for that?”
Although the Marquis of Branford wielded absolute power, he was still fiercely loyal to the royal family. If he had any intention of betraying them, he could have taken the throne a long time ago.
It was strange that the king hated someone like that.
Porisco looked at him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Because the marquis holds all the power, of course.”
“But His Majesty isn’t even in a condition to govern, is he?”
“Ugh, still. Feelings don’t work that way. Everyone pretends not to notice, but every time I visit, he complains about the marquis.”
“What does he say?”
“Well… Stuff like, ‘That bastard thinks he’s the real king,’ or ‘He has no respect for the royal family.’ Oh, and something about being a puppet king his whole life… That he’s lived under constant surveillance… He’s really lost it. I think he’s senile.”
“Hm.”
“But what can he do? The man can barely move. If not for the Marquis of Branford, the kingdom would be in complete chaos. That guy is keeping everything together by sheer force. Honestly, the nobles are a complete mess.”
Porisco seemed completely unaware that he himself was part of that mess.
Ghislain simply nodded.
“I see.”
Thinking about it, the king really had lived a tiring life.
It was understandable, in a way. Even with the limited information he had, it was clear that the Shadow Knights held immense power.
But for the king to speak like that, it must mean that the power was even greater than expected.
It was clear that the king had harbored resentment about this matter his entire life. Even after falling ill, he still despised the Marquis of Branford.
To be unable to move properly yet still cling to power such was the nature of authority, and its terrifying grip.
Ghislain nodded as if he understood.
“Well, if that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do. I’ll just have to meet him if the opportunity arises later.”
He needed to find another way a safe way to meet the king.
Porisco beamed and nodded.
“Yes, yes. That’s a good way to think about it. You’re practically a national hero, so you’ll surely get a chance. So…”
Trailing off mid-sentence, he narrowed his eyes.
“You’re not planning on sneaking in with a mask or something, are you?”
“…What kind of person do you think I am?”
“No, you totally seem like the type to do that. Seriously, don’t. It would be a disaster. The king could literally die of shock. You’d be branded a traitor instantly.”
“…”
If everyone was saying the same thing, then it really seemed like the king was on the verge of death, with just the slightest nudge enough to finish him off.
“Ugh, I won’t. I have things to do too, you know.”
Ghislain shook his head and rose from his seat.
He had always pushed forward with his plans, even when everyone opposed him, but this was different. If the king really was so close to death that a misstep could kill him, then this wasn’t something he could force his way through.
‘Hmm, maybe I should look for something that’s good for his health.’
It wasn’t an urgent or critical matter, so he could afford to think it over a bit more. If things came to it, he could always capture and interrogate some figures from the ducal families or the Salvation Church.
There was no other choice. He would have to meet the king when the opportunity presented itself.
“Well then, I’ll be going. Take care.”
As Ghislain left, Porisco watched him with an anxious expression, as if he were silently pleading for him not to cause any trouble.
Which was quite ironic, considering how much trouble Porisco himself caused.
On his way out, Ghislain glanced toward Rosalyn.
She was surrounded by noble ladies, eagerly showing off her bracelet. It was the first time he had seen her look so genuinely happy.
With a faint smirk, Ghislain approached Mariel and handed her a bracelet, speaking softly.
“Keep this a secret. Lady Rosalyn thinks she’s the only one who got one. Make sure to hide it well.”
Mariel grinned widely and carefully concealed the bracelet. It seemed she would have to choose dresses with wide sleeves for a while.
She had always been someone who wholeheartedly supported Rosalyn.
* * *
Upon receiving the news from the ducal family, Raul’s expression grew grim.
All four legions had been annihilated. And it was as if they had all been defeated by the Northern Army alone.
As he reviewed the reports detailing the course of the battle, for the first time, his face showed a hint of dread.
“The Count of Fenris…”
Unbelievable. How could a single person wage war to this extent?
He had always known Ghislain was exceptional. That was why he had used even a superhuman as baits against him.
That distraction had allowed them to push back the royal army. And in case Ghislain returned and defeated the Second Legion, he had divided the forces accordingly.
The Northern Army, being too large, wouldn’t be able to face them all at once.
With that, they had planned to swiftly seize the capital and capture the king. As long as they achieved that goal, sacrificing the remaining legions wouldn’t have mattered.
But to think that one man the Count of Fenris had crushed them all.
“No matter how I think about it, this doesn’t make sense… How could they move with such speed?”
Even after reading the reports, he couldn’t believe it. It was more plausible to think that an entire army disguised as the Count of Fenris had appeared all over the battlefield.
His strategists remained silent. They couldn’t understand it either.
“We should have killed him back then.”
They should have ended him long ago, at that banquet. No matter the cost.
Thinking of him as nothing more than a promising young man had been a grave mistake. In reality, he was a monster beyond imagination.
In the heavy silence, Gartros finally spoke.
“In the past, the ‘Shadows’ stood in our way. Now, it’s the Count of Fenris blocking us. The royal bloodline is truly persistent.”
Raul cast a sidelong glance at Gartros. Back then, he had been too young to be in a position to command the political landscape as he did now.
He had only known the rough details of what had transpired.
“We were too cautious, and that led to failure. Perhaps we should have been more aggressive from the start.”
“Enough. We hesitated because the leader of the Shadow Knights might still have been alive. The losses we suffered back then were too great we needed time to recover our strength.”
The Salvation Church had been operating in secret across the continent for a very long time. After years spent lurking in the shadows, quietly amassing power, the first place they made their move was the Ritania Kingdom.
‘And it’s also the place where they tasted failure as soon as they began.’
The Salvation Church had been aware of the existence of an organization called the Shadow Knights within Ritania. Despite having made thorough preparations, they were still defeated.
Because of this, the Salvation Church held a great fear of the Shadow Knight Commander. Gartros feared hers, and Melchior did as well.
‘Just how strong is she…?’
Raul couldn’t understand it. No matter how powerful she was, she was still just one woman. Yet the Salvation Church had been so afraid of him that they remained in hiding for over ten years, merely searching for his whereabouts.
Only when they were certain that she had truly disappeared did they begin preparing to seize the kingdom once again.
Raul was well aware that several high-ranking priests of the Salvation Church had been slaughtered. That was why he, too, had exercised caution.
But look at what had happened. In their hesitation and delay, a monster known as the Count of Fenris had emerged.
It was a frustrating thought, and the same words kept swirling on the tip of his tongue.
“I think we were too focused on conserving our forces. Perhaps we should have forced the war to break out earlier, even if it meant taking risks.”
“No. The Forest of Beasts is a dangerous place. If that forest is indeed the Sanctuary we are searching for, then its Guardians would naturally be protecting it. The decision to preserve our forces at the time was not wrong.”
Gartros nodded several times, as if reassuring himself, before continuing.
“Besides, we also had to keep our identity hidden. That’s why we couldn’t join the battle back then. The only reason things didn’t go as planned was the unexpected emergence of the Count of Fenris. There’s no way we could have predicted everything.”
Having failed once before, they had chosen the safest possible approach to taking over the kingdom. After all, waiting was something they were accustomed to.
Gartros spread his arms and smiled.
“We are better off now than we were back then. Look around. Can’t you feel the divine presence gradually filling the world? In the end, we will be victorious.”
“……”
Raul couldn’t bring himself to say anything. To be honest, he couldn’t feel anything.
But he couldn’t deny the facts either. The rate at which they were opening Rifts was increasing with each passing day, and the number of high-ranking priests in the Salvation Church was steadily growing.
Which meant that there was indeed something at work something he simply couldn’t perceive.
Gartros spoke again, his eyes burning with fervent desire.
“We must hurry and find the King. If we can just find him, our aspirations will come to fruition even sooner.”
Raul asked cautiously.
“Wouldn’t it be better to devote all of our resources… to finding this ‘King’?”
“That’s not an option. Even if we find the King, we won’t be able to fulfill our wish without the Relic. That’s why we must first bring down the Ritania royal family.”
“……”
Raul furrowed his brows slightly. He had no idea what they meant by Relic what it was or how it was supposed to be used.
In the end, he shook his head and sighed as if giving up.
“I just hope we find one soon, even if it’s elsewhere.”
As far as he knew, there wasn’t just one Relic. Priests of the Salvation Church were searching for them in other kingdoms as well.
They only needed to find one. That would allow them to enter the Sanctuary.
The only reason Gartros had come to Ritania was because it had been confirmed that one of the Relics was located here.
Raul also wished they would find it soon not for the sake of the Salvation Church, but simply because he couldn’t stand this suffocating situation any longer.
‘The sooner we put an end to this madness, the better.’
With their focus entirely on finding the Relic, their ability to strategize was severely limited. And this time was no different.
If their goal had been to seize control of the entire kingdom rather than just the royal court, they would have steadily expanded their territory step by step.
Because of the Salvation Church’s strange stubbornness, they had no choice but to adopt an unusual strategy. That was why Raul wanted to end this religious charade as quickly as possible.
To do that, he needed to find the sacred relic as soon as possible.
"The other kingdoms are a problem right now as well."
As the priests of the Salvation Church continued to flock to the Ritania Kingdom, the number of moves they could make elsewhere naturally dwindled.
Moreover, another troublesome matter had recently arisen.
"Some strange necromancer has been running amok. Apparently, he’s been capturing priests and experimenting on them."
"Yes, I heard the reports. A truly blasphemous man."
At first, they thought he was merely an enemy of the Salvation Church. But this man wasn’t just targeting the church he was indiscriminately attacking people throughout the kingdom.
He was nothing more than a lunatic using the chaos to indulge his twisted desires. And to make matters worse, he was powerful.
Capturing and experimenting on the high-ranking priests of the Salvation Church who were superhuman was no small feat.
With a deep, contemplative gaze, Gartros spoke.
"I sent Aiden. He’ll take care of it."
"It’s a shame he wasn’t deployed in this war."
Executor Aiden was incredibly strong so much so that even Count Balzac, the Kingdom’s Strongest Sword, acknowledged his prowess.
And yet, they had to send such a valuable asset elsewhere because of some madman.
Gartros nodded, as if he shared the sentiment.
"There was no other choice. We couldn’t just leave the other fronts unattended."
The ducal family believed that the high-ranking priests alone would be enough for this war. After all, they had lured Count Fenris away, keeping him occupied.
But that strategy had completely failed. And so, Aiden’s absence a combatant of his caliber was deeply regrettable.
Even so, Gartros did not regret his decision to send Aiden.
"Even if we take control of the Ritania Kingdom, things will become difficult once all the other kingdoms and church orders regroup and march against us. That’s why we must keep an eye on them as well."
They had to maintain this delicate balance until they found the sacred relic and achieved their goal.
That was why someone as skilled as Aiden had to move.
Raul agreed with him. There were still high-ranking priests on their side.
Now, it was time to reconsider how they would steer this war forward.
"We still have enough troops. However, Count Fenris and the Northern Army are far stronger than we expected. A new superhuman has reportedly joined them as well."
"I’ve received the reports too. We must prepare accordingly."
"Yes, we’ll minimize our losses as much as possible…"
Just as Raul and Gartros were putting their heads together in deep discussion, the doors to the meeting room suddenly burst open.
Raul flinched when he saw who had entered.
"Count Balzac."
A man exuding the presence of a lion, with a build as solid as an iron tower he was none other than Count Kaiyen Balzac, the Kingdom’s Strongest Sword.
With an expressionless face, he looked at Raul and spoke.
"Viscount Joseph, there’s no need to keep scheming anymore. Forget about minimizing casualties."
"You… What do you mean by that?"
"Everything has already gone awry because of Count Fenris. Send word to the vassals gather every last remaining soldier. I will take command of the Southern Army. The royal decree has already been issued."
"No way…"
"That’s right. I will personally march in and seize the capital. And…"
Kaiyen’s eyes gleamed ominously as he twisted his lips into a ferocious grin.
"I’ll crush the Northern Army myself."