Chapter 142
Eastern
Border War ⑥ - Stirrings
in the Darkness
Translator : PolterGlast
※※※ Third Day of the War
"What?! Such a
ridiculous thing! Are you lot dreaming?!"
Despite the early
hour, Cardinal Castro, the Supreme Commander of the Istoria Imperial Kingdom's
invading army, was in an extremely foul mood after receiving urgent news from
the front-line fortifications. "What's going on?!" he thought,
springing up to meet the messenger. The content of the report was so utterly
absurd that he exploded in rage.
"Such a thing is
just a pretense! I will dispatch God's messengers (Wind Mages) to the front
line later. God's divine skill (long-range arrows) will utterly crush the
enemy's fortifications!"
The messenger, having
incurred the Cardinal's wrath, apologized profusely and left.
"I've finally
climbed this far! I won't stumble here!" Cardinal Castro muttered to
himself.
※
The Istoria Imperial
Kingdom was a nation formed about 100 years ago when its domestic Church
usurped control from the King. Therefore, the Pope, the Church's highest
authority, sat on the throne as the Imperial King. Below him, Archbishops held
various ministerial positions, with Cardinals ranking next.
Cardinal Castro was a
descendant of a once-friendly neighboring country, Kyle Kingdom, whose princess
had married into the Imperial Kingdom, and whose Church, having relocated with
her, had greatly prospered. Therefore, he himself likely inherited some Kyle
Kingdom blood. But he cursed that blood. Because his Church had fallen with the
decline of the royal family, and when he inherited his ancestral Church and
became a young Bishop, it was scorned as a heretical sect, becoming a minor,
poor Church within the Istoria Imperial Kingdom.
About a decade ago, a
turning point came for him. At the suggestion of a suspicious old man who
visited him, he sold a secret, passed down and protected for generations, to
the Imperial Kingdom. The Imperial King, learning of the Mages' secret,
rejoiced greatly and granted him an unprecedented promotion, investing a large
amount of funds. And he was given the mission of unearthing Mages.
He attempted to
secretly acquire catalysts from Kyle Kingdom with large sums of money. However,
Kyle Kingdom, having been deprived of its central power by the Imperial Kingdom
and its Church, which had ousted their royalty, held them in contempt. As a
result, he couldn't purchase the catalysts essential for discovering Mages
through legitimate channels or at regular prices. Castro was forced to acquire
these items via shady routes, at several times the market price, gathered by
dubious merchants.
He then proceeded with
aptitude confirmations, targeting individuals based on rumors and traditions,
so to speak, haphazardly. And his forceful efforts were rewarded. As a result
of investing enormous funds, the Istoria Imperial Kingdom had acquired nine
Mages, and he was promoted to Cardinal.
The Imperial King and
the Church rejoiced wildly over the Mages obtained at great cost, sanctifying
and celebrating them as God's messengers. For the people living in the Istoria
Imperial Kingdom today, the words of the Imperial King and Church officials are
absolute. Furthermore, the magic wielded by the Mages was used to strengthen
the authority of the Imperial King and the doctrine, as God's divine skill.
Therefore, the people also worshipped God's messengers as objects of faith, and
Mages were special beings in the Istoria Imperial Kingdom.
However, his seemingly
smooth unearthing of Mages hit a plateau in recent years. Cardinal Castro
blamed Kyle Kingdom for this, turning it into a strategy to preserve his own
position and to unearth more Mages in the future.
"God's
messengers, to our God! Shouldn't we, of all people, be worthy of God's grace!?
The reason why the probability of aptitude confirmation is lower in the
Imperial Kingdom compared to Kyle Kingdom is because the Kingdom monopolizes
talented individuals! The reason why the cost of aptitude confirmation is
higher in the Imperial Kingdom compared to Kyle Kingdom is because the Kingdom
monopolizes catalysts! Let us reclaim talented individuals and the Demon Realm
for the Istoria Imperial Kingdom, and restore God's glory to ourselves!"
Such declarations from
him were recognized by the Church of the Istoria Imperial Kingdom, and he
became the vanguard of the hardline faction against the Kyle Kingdom.
※
"It's rather
noisy since the morning. What's the matter?"
Cardinal Castro, far
from reprimanding the old man who had suddenly visited his room, hastily knelt
to greet him.
"No, Old master,
the soldiers on the front line were talking nonsense... I apologize for showing
you such an unsightly display."
"No, no, I came
here because I wanted to see your performance again this time... There's a brat
in Kyle Kingdom, like you, who is also utilizing Mages in battle. In this war,
you should do well to pay attention to him as well."
"Old master, is
that true? Such a person in the Kingdom? I thought they were fools who didn't
even realize the value of Mages."
"Yeah, it's true.
The humiliating defeat of the Gryphonia Empire last year is also said to be his
doing. I hear they've brought a small number of Mages with them again this
time, accompanying the army. It wouldn't hurt to be cautious."
"Thank you for
your advice. As always, your intelligence network and unpredictable movements
surprise me, Old master."
"No, no, that's
all my business. Well, I await your distinguished performance, then."
"Yes! I will
strive to meet your expectations, Old master. Hmm? Old master? Where is the Old
master?"
The man called Old
master had disappeared without a trace once he had said what he wanted to say.
Indeed, the old man
whom the Cardinal referred to as Old master and respected was the same
suspicious old man who had visited him over a decade ago. It was no
exaggeration to say that the Cardinal had risen to his current position by
following this old man's advice.
『Someday, acquire the throne of Kyle Kingdom.』
With the Old master's
encouragement, his ambition grew, and he was still climbing the ladder towards
its realization.
"Someone! Is
there no one?! I shall now go to the front with God's messengers. Prepare
immediately!" Cardinal Castro roared inside the fort.
※
While Cardinal Castro
was preparing for his departure, in a dimly lit room within the fort, a man
knelt before an old man sitting in a chair, bowing in respect.
"Your Excellency,
thank you truly for coming all the way to the Istoria Imperial Kingdom."
"No, I merely
wished to give words of encouragement to you, who infiltrated this distant land
for our great ambition."
This old man, referred
to as His Excellency, was the same man whom the Cardinal had just called Old
master. And he was the same suspicious old man who had previously appeared in
Viscount Hiyorimi's territory and traveled as an envoy to the Gryphonia Empire.
"Your
Excellency's consideration is deeply appreciated. For now, Cardinal Castro is
dancing perfectly to our tune. Of his own free will..."
"Indeed. Compared
to the South, the East seems to be progressing smoothly, which is good. The
sacred family is easily drawn to darkness. He may not be a Mage, but the blood
of a Holy Mage family flows in him. Therefore, things should be simple."
"It's what's
referred to as Sōkoku1, huh? And how is the South, Your Excellency?"
1 Sōkoku" (相克) refers to a
relationship of mutual antagonism, opposition, or conflict.
"That Hiyorimi
rascal, despite all our preparations, everything he does backfires. I don't
know why we've spent the last 20 years eliminating those who would hinder him!"
"That would be...
the Gorman family, the former Lord of Estol, and so on, correct?"
"Precisely. The
three Gorman brothers, who boasted unparalleled unity and strength, had their
eldest brother eliminated on the battlefield, and their second brother died by
our hand. The remaining youngest brother was to be our puppet... but recently,
he's regaining his former momentum.
As for the troublesome
Estol territory, we should have annihilated the Baron, who was called a great
talent, along with his entire family on the battlefield, and then installed
some obscure individual who would surely collapse later... But then..."
"The user of
light, whom I've heard rumors about?"
"Yeah, I never
imagined a descendant of the Light Clan would emerge in his son. Up until a
certain point, our schemes against his territory were proceeding smoothly, and
as we predicted, it was supposed to fall into complete decline. Thanks to the
dark rituals of the Dark Clan, that territory's fortune had been cut off, and
we were just one step away from achieving our goal. The unexpected user of
light was also just one step away from being eliminated by our schemes. Light
should have vanished like dew on the battlefield and fallen to the ground,
but..."
"Do we really
need to be that wary of the Light Clan?"
"From ancient
times, even we, who ruled the 12 clans, had natural enemies among the clans.
They were Light and Gravity. You, as one of the candidates to inherit my
position, should bear this in mind for the future. Light dispels darkness. It
is an antagonism. Through our long years of effort, we succeeded in destroying
the direct line of the Light Clan. However, their blood has not yet completely
vanished. Although few in number, there are still some nobles who inherit Light
Bloodline Magic as a collateral branch. However, now that the direct line is
gone, they don't know how to properly use Light Magic. We must crush them by
any means necessary in the meantime."
"I understand
about Light, but do we need to fear Gravity Mages? For me, it's just..."
"Of course! That
is not merely magic that manipulates the weight of objects! We, who have
received the baptism of darkness and become inhabitants of darkness, are vastly
different from ordinary Dark Mages, and are strongly drawn to darkness. The
more one delves into darkness, the more one becomes trapped within it. The
reason we must be wary of Gravity Mages is that they can even alter the weight
of the darkness itself, what those trapped in darkness carry. A master user
will realize this sooner or later. Once that happens, no matter how much we try
to conceal ourselves, they will see through our darkness and can attack us.
Once they throw us into the bottom of the deep well of darkness, we will be
unable to crawl out from the bottom of darkness, and will become living
corpses..."
"What?! That is a
grave matter..."
"Fortunately,
through our 500 years of effort, all nobles who inherited the bloodline as
Gravity Mages have died out. The power of the 12 clans has been lost, and it is
no exaggeration to say that the blood of the People of the Demon Realm, who
inherited that power, has also been lost from the Kingdom. In that regard, I am
somewhat relieved."
"I see. Thank you
for your advice. We too will pay particular attention to those two attributes
from now on. By the way, returning to the topic, what do you intend to do with
the South now?"
"If he repeats
his blunders, he will be abandoned by us and lose his value as a parasite. That
fool completely misunderstands himself as the leader of the Dark Clan. Unaware
that he himself is a parasite. Even now, he is planning grand schemes and
diligently plotting. I, too, visited this place on my way back from a trip to
the Empire for that very scheme. If, even after all this preparation, he fails again,
he will disappear. The role of parasite can be transferred to his eldest son,
or if a new seed sprouts, that can be the new host."
"Indeed. Now that
the South is taking more time than expected, the East, prepared as a
contingency, will take over that role. Is that what you mean?"
"Don't humble
yourself. One prepares several plans in advance. The main attack does not
necessarily have to come from one direction. I also have high expectations for
your efforts."
"Thank you for
your words. I will strive to meet your expectations and fulfill this great
mission. And after the Cardinal, lost in his sweet dream, destroys Kyle
Kingdom, we shall raise our battle cry and once again rally the People of the
Demon Realm. We shall place that country under the dominion of the Dark Clan,
just as it once was."
"I have high
expectations for you. Now, I will leave the rest to you and return."
Saying that, the old
man disappeared without a trace.
"His Excellency's
concealment is always admirable. I can no longer even sense his presence."
Saying that, the
remaining man also disappeared into another room.
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