Edgar 5

The first six months, we focused on identifying individuals directly connected to Rowen.

Through Duke Crosby’s secret intelligence network, we uncovered Rowen’s supporters within the knight order and discovered that they were in contact with some court nobles.

I investigated during the day and learned magic from the Duke at night.

Initially, it was simple defensive magic.

But it gradually advanced to more profound life magic.

“The darkness grows thicker, the light of life becomes more necessary. This magic will save your life someday,” the Duke often said.

“It seems to be centered around Count Walter,” I said as we entered the first year of investigation.

The Duke nodded.

“Counts Birdan and Viscount Listy are also suspicious. They seem to meet frequently.”

As we entered the second year, we discovered our first major clue.

The letters of Count Birdan frequently mentioned the words “ritual” and “offering”.

And after three years, Duke Crosby’s study was filled with the documents and evidence we had collected.

The walls were covered with maps showing the names of the nobles involved and their connections, all linked by red threads, with Count Walter and Count Birdan at the center.

“Any progress?”

On the last day of spring in the third year, the Duke asked as he entered the study.

His hair had turned whiter, and his face was more wrinkled.

The endless investigation had taken a toll on him, but his determination remained unwavering.

“We found a new clue at Count Birdan’s estate,”

I carefully unfolded the letter I had found.

My hands trembled.

I had risked my life to obtain this letter.

“This is a secret communication sent to Count Walter. Look here,”

The letter mentioned a “new mine” and emphasized the word “Mesmeris”.

“This is…”

The Duke’s eyes sparkled.

He quickly approached a bookshelf, opened a locked drawer, and pulled out an old leather-bound book.

“Is this one of the books from the Michel Temple’s list of forbidden books?”

I asked in surprise.

The Duke nodded quietly.

“It was something I saved during the temple’s great fire years ago. I had seen records of Mesmeris in ancient texts.”

When he opened the book, a picture of a gemstone with blue and black hues appeared.

The center of the gemstone swirled like a living entity, surrounded by robed figures in a circle.

At their feet were what appeared to be sacrificial bodies.

“Mesmeris is a rare mineral that absorbs life force,”

the Duke said in a trembling voice.

“The blood of those whose life force has been drained by the mineral is used in the dark ritual. The contaminated blood can faintly blur the boundary between the two worlds, allowing beings from the demon realm to cross over.”

“The descent of the evil god…”

I muttered.

“Yes, exactly. Now the evidence is complete,”

the Duke said, pointing to the documents.

“Count Birdan secures Mesmeris through the mine and provides it to Count Walter. Count Walter is the one who performs the ritual. And Rowen…”

“Was his subordinate,”

I completed the sentence.

Finally, the puzzle was coming together.

Rowen’s unusual promotion within the knight order, Count Birdan’s sudden wealth and influence, Count Walter’s secret meetings… Everything was now crystal clear.

But at the same time, an uneasy premonition lingered.

The pieces fit together too perfectly…

As if someone had intentionally let us discover them.

“We must take this evidence to His Majesty tomorrow,”

the Duke said with determination.

“We can no longer hide. The fate of the kingdom is at stake.”

That night, I fell asleep with anxiety.

Tomorrow, our three years of investigation would finally come to light.

But when I went to find the Duke in the morning, his bedroom was empty.

The neatly arranged bed was disheveled, and there was a distinct dry black stain on the white sheets.

It was blood.

My heart sank.

Instinctively, I drew my sword and remained vigilant.

The mansion was eerily quiet.

No sound of servants or morning meal preparations could be heard.

Sensing danger, I hurried to the Duke’s study.

We had to secure all the evidence.

But upon entering the study, something felt off.

The documents on the desk showed signs of recent disturbance.

Someone had already been there.

Frantically scanning through the documents, my heart froze.

The letter the Duke had mentioned about Count Walter was laid out in the center of the desk.

And on it was a newly written phrase:

“Today.”

Upon checking the date on the letter, a strong impact struck the back of my head.

A sharp pain spread like lightning.

My spine chilled, and my body staggered.

As I fell to the ground, the last thing I saw was Count Walter’s signature and the words “Next Ritual”.

And then everything turned black.

Pain surged through me.

My head hurt as if it would burst.

It felt like someone had struck my skull with a hammer.

“What’s…”

I slowly opened my eyes.

Only pitch darkness filled my vision.

It seemed like a cave, but the air felt different.

A cold, damp smell of stone.

The suffocating feeling of an underground space with poor ventilation.

I tried to move but couldn’t.

My wrists and ankles were bound.

Tightly tied with leather straps, I couldn’t move at all.

“Where am I…”

Memories slowly returned.

I had been examining documents in Duke Crosby’s study.

I found a letter addressed to Count Walter, and then… everything went black.

Something moved in the darkness.

Candles flickered, casting faint light and dispelling the shadows.

The space revealed itself.

It was clearly an underground chamber.

Black stone walls and ceiling.

Tall pillars with robed figures standing in a circle.

In the center of the chamber was an elevated circular platform like an altar.

And I was tied to it.

“Like this.”

I instinctively knew.

This was a ritual site for the evil god’s followers.

After three years of searching, I had found it in such a way.

I took a deep breath.

Must not panic.

“Assess the situation first.”

The platform had faint markings.

A serpent biting its own tail.

Within it were three stars forming a triangle.

This was… the Ouroboros.

An ancient symbol I had learned about during deep investigations with the Duke.

Known as a symbol of eternity, but it also symbolized the followers of the evil god.

The lines on the floor glistened.

Upon closer inspection, it was blood.

Still wet, the crimson lines flowed along the pattern.

“Sacrificial blood…”

And I was about to become the next sacrifice.

The robed figures’ faces were hidden by their hoods.

They were chanting in low voices.

Their murmurs harmonized into a single, eerie melody.

“Great Abraxas, we await your descent…”

Their prayer echoed in my ears.

“Abraxas…”

My heart sank.

A legendary evil god.

One of the most powerful beings in the demon realm.

This was no mere superstitious act.

This ritual was real.

The chanting grew louder.

A figure stepped forward.

He lowered his hood, revealing a face I had seen several times at the palace.

It was Count Walter.

“Abraxas, open the gate of blood and darkness and descend upon this world. Your glory shall envelop the world like darkness…”

In Count Walter’s hand was a knife with an intricate pattern.

The blade looked like transparent glass, but within it swirled a dark, smoky substance.

A cold fear ran down my spine.

I knew that this knife would soon pierce my chest.

The candles in the chamber flickered, though there was no wind.

The shadows on the walls seemed to dance.

I could hear the sound of dried blood dripping from the walls.

“Crosby…”

Instinctively, I asked, “Is this…”

“This is the ritual site we’ve been searching for.”

“Crosby is already dead, isn’t he?”

I tried to maintain composure.

As a noble and a knight, I had to preserve my dignity.

But I couldn’t stop the cold sweat running down my back.

“This offering is special,”

Count Walter said.

His voice was strangely resonant, as if multiple voices spoke in unison.

“The sole survivor of the Kingdom’s Second Knight Order. The last witness who knows our true identities.”

Laughter erupted from the robed figures.

It sounded more like shattering glass than human laughter.

Count Walter approached me.

His eyes glowed with a reddish light.

Far from a normal human’s eyes.

“Do not fear, Edgar Hind. Your blood and soul will become the cornerstone of a new world.”

I clenched my teeth.

To counter his terrifying voice.

“What are you talking about? This is treason. Treason against the kingdom, against the God of Light, Michel.”

My voice was firmer than expected.

Count Walter’s lips curled into a sneer.

“Treason? Is this treason? No, this is liberation. Liberating humanity from the chains of the gods that have bound us for thousands of years.”

He waved his hand.

The blood on the wall rose into the air, paused, and then formed the Ouroboros pattern before flowing toward the altar.

“Black magic…”

Witnessing Count Walter’s sophisticated dark magic, I could gauge how long he had been a follower of the evil god.

“We are merely summoning the old beings. The true rulers of this land before the gods came. When Abraxas descends, Michel’s era will end. A new era will begin.”

He walked slowly along the pattern on the floor.

His movement resembled a snake’s dance, following the lines of the Ouroboros.

“When Abraxas arrives, Michel’s time will end. A new era will begin.”

Then another robed figure approached.

He carried a scroll.

When he lowered his hood, a familiar face was revealed.

Count Birdan, known as the kingdom’s wealthiest man.

Owner of the Roseberry Mine.

“Is the offering prepared?”

Count Birdan’s voice trembled.

His eyes showed a mix of awe and fear.

Unlike Count Walter, he did not seem fully immersed.

Count Walter nodded in agreement.

“Everything is perfectly prepared. Abraxas will be pleased.”

Count Birdan unrolled the scroll.

It contained even more complex patterns.

As he placed it on the floor, the patterns began to soak in blood.

“This is…”

The situation was becoming increasingly bizarre.

But instinctively, I knew.

This was a very powerful and dangerous ritual.

“Count Birdan.”

I called out.

He flinched in surprise and looked at me.

“Where is Duke Crosby?”

Count Birdan hesitated for a moment.

But Count Walter answered instead.

“His blood has already become the cornerstone of the ritual. Yours will be the completion.”

A chilling feeling froze my heart.

Duke Crosby, my ally and mentor for three years.

He had already been sacrificed.

Count Walter approached me again.

The knife in his hand had turned darker, as if absorbing light.

“The proud heir of House Hind. Your sacrifice will not be in vain.”

For a moment, I hesitated.

“Wait. The offering isn’t using Mesmeris. Then the ritual won’t work, will it?”

Count Walter’s gaze wavered.

Silence followed.

“You ask a clever question, Edgar,”

Count Walter replied slowly.

“Mesmeris does indeed strengthen the offering’s blood. But it’s not absolutely necessary. Especially…”

He pointed at me.

“…if there’s special blood. The lineage of one of the kingdom’s seven noble families, and especially that of a renowned martial family like House Hind. Your blood is ten times more powerful than that of an ordinary offering.”

In that moment, I realized why Duke Crosby had met such a horrific end.

He too was from a distinguished family.

Then something happened.

Something appeared in the darkness.

The air twisted and distorted, and an indescribable form slowly took shape.

“This is…”

It was humanoid but undeniably otherworldly.

Its limbs were long, with sharp claws that glinted in the dark.

Its face was indescribable, a form my brain struggled to process.

“Abraxas’s emissary has arrived,”

Count Walter said in a reverent tone.

“Please accept our offering.”

An unspeakable dread emanated from the being.

The chamber was filled with its presence.

Its appearance was like the melting boundary between reality and nightmare.

The emissary slowly approached.

Its long, twisted fingers reached for my chest.

And began to tear into my flesh.

“Ahhh!”

Excruciating pain coursed through my body.

It felt as though my very soul was being torn apart.

This was no ordinary physical pain.

It was as if my existence itself was being denied.

“Stay calm, Edgar!”

The sudden thought of the kingdom’s oath and Duke Crosby, who had vanished on the same mission, flashed through my mind.

The sacrifices of Rowen and the knights who had perished in the labyrinth.

Cloud’s gruesome corpse.

All these sacrifices must not be in vain.

Then, the impossible happened.

The secret technique of House Hind manifested.

Wind Blade. Even without a sword, the wind’s energy enveloped my body.

“How…”

I wondered in surprise, but instinctively drew the energy toward me.

Simultaneously, the basic magic Duke Crosby had taught me resurfaced in my memory.

The Duke had secretly taught me a resistant magic.

The restraints on my wrists loosened.

Using the wind’s energy, I cut through the leather straps.

And finally, one hand was free.

“Kukuku!”

The emissary let out a strange, pained cry.

It sounded both agonizing and joyful.

As if it were enjoying the situation.

Count Walter’s eyes blazed with anger.

“How did you…!”

The emissary twisted its distorted body toward me.

Its claws darted toward my face like lightning.

Instinctively, I dodged, but the sharp claws grazed my ear.

A searing pain spread from my ear.

“Ugh!”

I quickly freed my other hand and feet.

The emissary attacked again.

Even faster and stronger this time.

Its form was difficult to gauge.

It seemed to attack from multiple places at once.

Desperately, I used the wind’s energy to defend myself.

But the emissary’s attacks grew stronger.

I had no time to breathe.

“Think, Edgar. Remember Duke Crosby’s teachings.”

Then, I recalled his final advice.

“The wind in your veins and the light of life I’ve imparted-unite them as one.”

House Hind’s sword technique.

Leaping into the air, I focused.

Following Duke Crosby’s final teachings, I infused my life force into the wind blade.

Reaching out, I drew a line in the air.

The wind blade and life magic merged into one.

A vibrant green blade of light, a mix of blue wind and golden magic energy, unfolded.

“What…”

Count Walter cried out in shock.

“Kukuku!”

The emissary let out a sharp wail.

The blade of light struck the being, but couldn’t fully vanquish it.

Just how powerful this entity was became clear.

But this was enough.

We had succeeded in disrupting the ritual.

The chamber trembled.

Stones fell from the walls, and cracks spread across the ceiling.

“The ritual has failed! The emissary is uncontrollable!”

A scream rang out.

The robed figures began to scatter.

I summoned my last ounce of strength and struck again.

This time, toward the ceiling.

The chamber began to collapse.

Using the wind’s energy, I propelled myself through the falling debris.

It wasn’t easy to escape the crumbling rocks.

I was struck several times, but I couldn’t stop.

Finally, I saw light.

A hole in the collapsing ceiling revealed the moonlight above.

“Must survive… Must tell them…”

With my last strength, I leaped.

My chest was bleeding.

From the emissary’s claw wound.

But I couldn’t die yet.

As soon as I emerged, I entrusted my body to the wind.

A massive green blade of light slashed through the sky.

A message visible to all.

“House Hind… does not surrender.”

My body grew lighter.

Consciousness faded as a sweet, deadly scent filled my nostrils.

“The King of Insects…?”