Ch.123World Tree, Truth, and Possession (2)

If asked what one person can change, most would shake their heads in doubt.

After all, what difference could a single person make in the vast theater of war, no matter how powerful they might be?

Yet the reality witnessed by the Extinction forces and Imperial soldiers defied all conventional wisdom.

With each swing of his sword, hundreds of ghouls disintegrated into dust in the wake of light. Dark mages were run through before they could even begin their incantations. Faced with overwhelming power that none dared challenge, Kaisel sighed wearily as he watched the maggot golem’s body explode.

“…If it was going to be like this, should we have waited for Evan before deploying?”

“Remarkable. This is like a scene straight out of mythology.”

The white flames enveloping Evan’s body moved like limbs. They incinerated enemies his sword couldn’t reach, forming massive waves that swept through enemy lines. Evan looked ahead at the enemies, whose numbers had noticeably dwindled.

He still had plenty of stamina left. Besides, this achievement wasn’t his alone.

Neigh!

Knights appeared behind Evan, sweeping away ghouls as they rode. They wore white armor and wielded swords and spears so brilliantly white they hurt the eyes. Their mana-infused horses moved with the speed of expert knights at full charge—the white horses unique to Yuris were truly shining.

The weapons crafted by the two dwarf blacksmiths—weapons effective only against darkness—tore through the dark mages’ mana while effortlessly slaughtering ghouls. No ghoul in the path of their swords survived. Their armor neutralized dark magic while burning any ghouls that touched it with white flames.

“…Elites.”

Kaisel frowned slightly as he observed Yuris’s reinforcement of 1,000 troops. He had thought Yuris suffered the most damage in the fight against Extinction, but it seemed those battles had only strengthened them. The rapidly increased military buildup after the young lord’s kidnapping was apparently for this purpose. Sighing softly, Kaisel shook his head and looked at Evan.

Four years ago when they first met, he had considered himself superior to that knight. He had won consecutive duels and grown arrogant. But now? Evan Fried had reached Master rank faster than him, and even as a fellow Master, Kaisel couldn’t hope to catch up.

What he felt was probably futility. Could he ever catch up if he started trying now? Perhaps not. Evan wasn’t the type to wait for him to catch up. So he gripped his sword. Though his body was too weak to even use his domain, how could he call himself the Crown Prince if he held back after witnessing such a scene?

The flame kindling in his chest was competitive spirit and reassurance. Having such a knight on their side, fighting behind him as the Empire’s shield—this gave the knights courage. It gave them hope of returning alive. Blue flames suddenly erupted from all the knights, decorating one part of the battlefield.

“Are you going?”

“I must. What else can I do?”

Kaisel nodded at Theorad’s question. Though he couldn’t rampage like Evan, surely he could contribute something to the battlefield. They had expected the Hatan subjugation to take three days… but it seemed it would be over before sunrise. Kaisel began running with a refreshed expression he hadn’t shown in a long time.

#

Hatan, the Shadow Hatan. The glorious days when they reigned as one of the Empire’s five great houses had long been swept away.

The head of House Hatan quietly laughed as he looked at the broken flagpole. The time it took for Hatan’s outskirts to be conquered, the great plains breached, and even their final stronghold taken—

It was just one day. Dawn was still breaking, and Evan Fried, who had reached the plains after sunset, now held a blade to his neck before dawn had even ended. It was laughable. The bodies scattered around the room had been his protectors until moments ago—assassins renowned for toying with the lives of foreign leaders like playthings.

“How amusing.”

Evan didn’t respond. He knew resignation was mixed in the Hatan lord’s eyes, but Extinction had deployed too many forces in this subjugation campaign to let his guard down over mere resignation. When had they prepared all this? Roman also had significant forces, but they relied heavily on Biltain and Adel’s individual power.

Perhaps lacking powerful individuals, Hatan’s forces were sufficient to overwhelm the Empire’s army. If there had been no Masters—no, if he himself hadn’t been there—Hatan alone could have dealt a significant blow to the Empire. This raised questions: When had they planned all this? Creating a ghoul required one corpse—considering the countless ghouls covering the plains… could this be accomplished with just 4-5 years of preparation? Perhaps like Roman, Hatan had also been connected to Extinction for hundreds of years.

“Do you intend to kill me?”

“His Highness must decide. I’m merely threatening you.”

“…I think I should ask a few questions here first, since there’s much to inquire about.”

Kaisel stroked his chin as he looked at Roy, the head of House Hatan. He didn’t expect Roy to answer all his questions, but he thought there was no harm in asking. If he promised to spare his life, wouldn’t he talk to some extent? And if he refused to speak… certain ‘tools’ could be used.

Kneeling before Roy, Kaisel carefully began.

“It’s been two years since we last met face to face.”

“…You’ve grown. It seemed hopeless before, but congratulations on your success.”

“Well, that’s in the past. In the end, I’m standing before you now, so it all worked out. I have questions—will you answer them?”

Kaisel placed his sword against Roy’s groin with a sly smile. He wouldn’t need to produce more children anyway, so losing one wouldn’t matter. Roy smiled bitterly before nodding. Any hope of escape had vanished the moment Evan Fried appeared. Answering these questions was his only chance at survival.

Seeing Roy nod, Kaisel removed his sword with a bright smile, satisfied with his quick decision befitting a family head.

“Besides Hatan and Roman, are there other houses among the five great families cooperating with Extinction?”

“…Kup!”

Thunk-

With an expressionless face, Kaisel stabbed Roy’s thigh, then quietly wiped the blood from his sword while patting Roy’s shoulder. If he intended to answer, he should speak quickly rather than wasting time. After enduring the pain with gritted teeth, Roy hastily spoke as Kaisel’s hand moved upward again.

“That’s all! Only Roman and Hatan have been involved with Extinction for 200 years! The other houses have no connection to Extinction as far as I know.”

“There, that wasn’t so hard.”

Though he couldn’t fully trust this statement, Kaisel noticed no deception in Roy’s eyes and felt somewhat relieved. If Yuris turned to Extinction’s side, the Empire’s rise or fall would become meaningless—only the path to destruction would remain. Two of the five great houses might be manageable, but if three turned, the Emperor’s reputation would plummet.

“Are the barbarians involved?”

“…The barbarians don’t cooperate with Extinction. They merely respect each other’s faiths and maintain mutual non-aggression.”

It was fortunate the barbarians weren’t involved. If they had joined Extinction’s invasion of the Empire, they wouldn’t have the luxury of interrogating anyone now. Though many questions followed, no particularly alarming threats emerged. Evan’s expression briefly hardened when the name Fried was mentioned, but these were things they already knew.

The information known to the Imperial family wasn’t significantly different from what Extinction possessed. Somewhat relieved by this, Kaisel instructed Theorad to watch Roy and turned to Evan.

“It seems there’s not much to worry about. We still have quite some time left, don’t we?”

“About a month from what we know. But we should ask exactly what that means.”

“…True. We only know something happens on the day of the total lunar eclipse, but we don’t know exactly what appears beyond something about Mavet.”

On the day of the total lunar eclipse, the great dragon Mavet would be resurrected. That’s all they knew—they had no idea what would happen as a result. Nodding at Evan’s words, Kaisel turned his gaze to Roy, and Theorad slightly moved aside to allow eye contact.

“…Do you have more questions?”

“What exactly does the red moon signify? I know it’s a total lunar eclipse, but I can’t understand why Extinction awaits the red moon.”

“The total lunar eclipse is… when the shadow is most complete. Do you know what Extinction’s goal is?”

“To resurrect the great dragon Mavet and overturn the entire continent, isn’t it?”

Roy’s eyes widened at this, and he eventually bowed his head, chuckling. Despite Kaisel and Evan’s simultaneous expressions of confusion, Roy continued laughing for a while before raising his head. How could he not laugh? What they knew was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Revealing this might distort Extinction’s plans, but contingencies for such disclosure were already in place. Stroking his throat where the blood was boiling, Roy slowly began to speak.

“Do you think Extinction truly desires to overturn the continent?”

“If not that, why fight the Empire at all?”

“While destroying the Empire is one of Extinction’s goals, it’s merely secondary. Do you know why the great dragon Mavet opposed Emperor Alarr, the founder?”

After catching his breath, Roy continued. His eyes, completely dyed purple, glowed in the darkness, momentarily flaring with obsession that made Evan frown.

“A thousand years have passed since the Empire’s founding. Do you know what Mavet feared most? What’s united will eventually divide. Surely you know it’s a lie that the Empire, which occupies most of the continent, has never been embroiled in conflict. Extinction seeks to overthrow the Empire, to stand against it despite these sacrifices, ultimately to return everything to the beginning.”

“The beginning?”

“A new beginning with new life and civilization. Alarr fought for already corrupted humans, and Mavet, defeated, was sealed somewhere in another dimension. Now it’s time to honor Mavet’s will and return everything to the beginning—”

Ha. Kaisel sighed softly, punched Roy’s chin, and quietly caught his breath. It was sophistry—the kind of nonsense only fanatics would spout, as if possessed by something.

“There is a similar story.”

Evan shrugged. Though the Hatan lord’s words were mere sophistry, didn’t the Empire’s religious canon contain such a passage?

“Do you know about the Ark?”

“I’m not particularly interested, but I know the basics. Are you suggesting Mavet intends to pass judgment on corrupted humans?”

“That’s what it means. Not that Mavet is a god, of course.”

A god? Kaisel’s gaze turned to the faint sun visible through the collapsed ceiling. If there were gods, they would be up there, surely watching all this. Yet could beings who remained idle truly be called gods? Even if they existed, Kaisel didn’t believe gods would help them.

“…Nonsense. Just excuses to justify their massacres.”

As he spoke, he thought of a woman for whom he had briefly felt affection. But he had already heard too much, and the mere fact of her association with that organization twisted his insides. His chest tightened as his lungs filled with air, then relaxed as he exhaled.

“Scarlet Terazein.”

“Have you made up your mind now?”

The plan had been delayed at Kaisel’s request—either to completely win over Scarlet Terazein or deal with her beforehand. Staring at Evan, Kaisel eventually lowered his head and moved his lips.

“…Let’s try to win her over. If that doesn’t work, well, what can we do?”

Kaisel couldn’t bring himself to say what came next. Though his insides twisted, he couldn’t say that hatred alone pervaded his tangled emotions. After all, what resided in one corner of his heart was clearly love.

He could only laugh hollowly as he blankly watched Evan bow his head.

#

They were joyful days. The palace maids all smiled warmly at Scarlet’s gradually changing demeanor after meeting the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince, who had lived a dissolute life surrounded by many women, had changed. And now there was a woman waiting for him—Scarlet blushed at rumors that they might soon see a royal heir.

Marrying the Crown Prince? At first, she had only tried to become close because she was told he was an important person. But as time passed, her thoughts changed. Perhaps Extinction, which she had thought was good, was truly evil?

Gradually, her thinking changed, and she no longer frequently met the old butler who had cared for her since childhood. Instead, she often met with palace maids, slowly becoming accustomed to the capital’s atmosphere. She grew used to being called Kaisel’s lover. Sometimes they held hands, and her heart raced when he smiled at her sincerely.

Why hadn’t she known this before? If only she had met Kaisel earlier.

Scarlet’s face was full of smiles as she swung her feet while holding a teacup. What excuse should she make if her family tried to take her back when the red moon rose? Perhaps she should throw a tantrum and say she wanted to travel elsewhere. Though she was too old for tantrums, Scarlet believed her parents would grant her request.

“…It seems I need to hasten my return.”

Looking only at the sunlight, completely unaware of what was happening in the shadows behind her, Scarlet still firmly believed in her family—without a shred of doubt.