Volume 8, Chapter 20 – The Gathering Dark Clouds

As Yisi and Edith left the ducal estate, the other two great dukes of the kingdom arrived at Duke Wozwahl’s residence.

Although the three great dukes of the kingdom were mostly related by blood due to long-standing intermarriages, they were not a monolithic bloc due to their different upbringings and educations. It would be entirely accurate to say that they were the three major factions within the kingdom.

The House of Wozwahl controlled most of the southern nobles, the House of Herbis controlled some of the central nobles, and the remaining one belonged to the northern faction. Furthermore, in contrast to Duke Wozwahl’s control over the military, the House of Herbis had more control over the kingdom’s economy. And opposite to Duke Wozwahl, Duke Herbis was, like Julius, a staunch human supremacist. Therefore, on most occasions, these two dukes did not get along.

The first to step through the door was a man of about fifty, wearing glasses and impeccably dressed. He was followed by a thin, stern-faced man who rarely smiled. Compared to the first duke, the last one to enter was clearly younger, only between thirty and forty years old. He stood by the door with his arms crossed, saying nothing. If one did not know his identity beforehand, they would have mistaken him for an undisciplined guard.

The joyous mood from seeing Yisi off vanished immediately upon the arrival of the two dukes. Duke Wozwahl’s face darkened at the sight. If, at first, he had thought that the two of them had simply run into each other on their way to see him, he was now certain that they had planned today’s visit together. Although the third duke was reclusive and not fond of socializing, his act of leaning against the wall instead of sitting at the table already showed that he had conveyed what he wanted to say to Duke Herbis. He was only here today to show his stance.

“Yo, Wozwahl, long time no see.” As if walking into his own home, Duke Herbis, upon entering, sat down without hesitation in the seat Yisi had just occupied. He glanced at the tableware that had not yet been cleared. “Entertaining an honored guest just now? Who was it? We only saw two girls walking out when we arrived. It couldn’t have been them, could it? Hahaha, to use such a ceremony for mere children, and taking two concubines at the same time. As expected of the kingdom’s general, your body is truly robust.”

“It’s a lot stronger than some people whose wives have to spend their nights looking for a silver needle in seaweed,” Duke Wozwahl’s boot tapped lightly on the floor, a rare look of amusement on his face. “I’d advise you, Herbis, to take back what you just said. Otherwise, you might not even know when your tongue gets cut out.”

“Wozwahl, you—” his beard trembled with anger. The slightly balding Duke Herbis quickly composed himself, adjusted his glasses, and said, “Hmph, just two mere girls.”

“Then you can go ahead and try.”

Not giving him a pleasant look, Duke Wozwahl waved to his servants, having them clear the plates from the table.

“If you’re only here to chat, then please go back. The person who attacked the eastern city wall last night and the person who created those two golden curtains of light have not been found. If you wander around carelessly, you might lose your head.”

“Tsk, Wozwahl, do you still not know my purpose for coming here at this point? Cooperating with the Divine Religion is pushing the kingdom to its death—”

Thump.

The dull sound of a fist hitting the table.

“His Majesty has approved my proposal. Are you going to defy His Majesty’s order?!”

The anger on Duke Wozwahl’s face already showed that he did not want to continue this topic.

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But Duke Herbis was not intimidated by Wozwahl’s appearance. As Wozwahl’s arch-nemesis, he was already accustomed to his anger. Most of the time, this anger was just a form of intimidation. Once the true interests of the kingdom were at stake, this loyal hound of the kingdom would immediately tuck its tail between its legs and admit defeat. Duke Herbis knew that in Wozwahl’s eyes, the kingdom and the king were the top priorities. If the conditions were right, Wozwahl would even sacrifice his own daughter for the kingdom.

As if he had prepared his lines beforehand, Duke Herbis said calmly.

“Cooperating with the Divine Religion means sidelining the Ymir Church. Although the Ymir Church has always had its little schemes, they are countless times better than the Divine Religion, which has close ties with the Empire. Besides, there are many followers of the Ymir Church within the kingdom. If word of the kingdom’s cooperation with the Divine Religion were to spread and be heard by those followers, it would probably not be a good thing, would it? His Majesty has only recently ascended the throne and is still unsure about many things. As His Majesty’s right and left hands, we should point out his immature decisions and ask him to reconsider.”

“His Majesty is in a coma due to illness. How do you propose to make him reconsider?”

“When His Majesty is absent, the three great dukes can manage the affairs of the kingdom. Aren’t we doing that right now? As long as we properly explain the pros and cons to His Majesty afterward…”

“And if His Majesty were to hand down a punishment.”

Duke Wozwahl’s apparent willingness to compromise made Duke Herbis’s face light up. Fearing that a late reply would make Wozwahl change his mind, he leaned forward slightly and said quickly.

“If His Majesty hands down a punishment, I will bear the responsibility alone. How about it?”

Lifting his eyes to give Duke Herbis a contemptuous glance, Duke Wozwahl coldly spat out two words.

“In your dreams.”

His face turning from sallow to red, and then from red to black, Duke Herbis suddenly slapped the table.

“Wozwahl, what on earth do you want?!”

“What do I want? The king’s physician was hired by you, and the treatment is being handled by your people. The king isn’t waking up. Who knows if someone has tampered with things?”

“You—your people didn’t find anything wrong either!”

Faced with Herbis’s roar, Duke Wozwahl simply propped his feet up on the table, leaned back in his chair, and slowly closed his eyes, feigning sleep.

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“Then you tell me, in the kingdom’s current situation, besides the olive branch extended by the Divine Religion, who else can we turn to for help? A seal that even the court magic chanters cannot repair is even less likely to be solved by those riffraff magic chanters.”

“What if the people of the Divine Religion aren’t here to repair the barrier, but to destroy it and let the World Dragon out to destroy the kingdom? Those so-called heroes are not to be trusted at all. Besides, the court magic chanters have already indicated the method to restore the barrier. As long as we fill the hole in the barrier with a sufficient amount of magic power, it will be repaired like a patch.”

“Sufficient magic power? With His Majesty in a coma, no one can operate the King’s Tower.”

At this point, Duke Wozwahl’s frown was very obvious, his impatience clear for all to see.

With an ‘it’s finally time’ expression, Duke Herbis smiled and held up his index finger, saying word by word, in a particularly clear voice.

“Alice. Alice Wozwahl can do it. As long as we have her use the gift of the Fallen, she can fill the gap in the barrier. That pure magic power, capable of rapidly filling the largest magic cannons, can fill the barrier if used a few times. If ten times isn’t enough, then a hundred. If a hundred isn’t enough, then we’ll use it until it’s filled.”

To persuade Duke Wozwahl, Duke Herbis feigned a gentle tone.

“That child would be contributing to the safety of the kingdom. She is a member of the Wozwahl family, one of the three great ducal houses of the kingdom. To protect the kingdom from the evil dragon is both her duty and her honor. Once this is successful, Alice Wozwahl’s name will be recorded in the kingdom’s history. How many nobles dream of such a thing? Wozwahl, do not delay your daughter’s future—”

“You’re full of shit!”

Finally unable to contain his emotions, Duke Wozwahl took his feet off the table and slammed his right hand down. The magic-infused blow instantly created a large hole in the table. To avoid the flying wood splinters, Duke Herbis nearly fell off his chair.

“I will not allow anyone to take Alice away! Do you think I don’t know that the reason His Majesty proposed to let Alice join the army back then was because you people were instigating him from behind? Unless I’m dead, no one can take her from my side!”

“Wozwahl, what are you saying,” dusting off the splinters that had flown onto his face, Duke Herbis stood up in a fit of anger and shame. “She doesn’t have many days left anyway. What’s wrong with dying for the kingdom in the end! The Fallen have made a pact with a demon. Such a filthy existence would have been killed by now if she were born in a theocracy. Letting her go and fill the barrier is giving her a chance to leave her name in history! At the end of the day, weren’t you the one who sent Alice into the army with your own hands? To be so hesitant when the kingdom needs her most, and even saying she has already died once. The last time I saw her, the markings had already grown to her hands. At most, she’ll be in the ground by the end of this year—”

As if he had suddenly remembered something, Duke Herbis’s expression froze, then a look of joy appeared on his face.

“Wait, I remember that when the markings of the Fallen cover their entire body, they will go into a berserk state, and their abilities will be maximized. If we throw Alice into the barrier at that time, wouldn’t we be able to fill it all at once… Eek!”

When Duke Herbis came to his senses, a hand was already clamped around his neck like an iron pincer.

It was Duke Wozwahl.

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As Duke Wozwahl gradually tightened his grip, the veins on Herbis’s forehead bulged. He flailed his hands desperately, trying to break free, but in front of the warrior-born Duke Wozwahl, Herbis’s struggles were no different from an ordinary person’s.

“Alice has been cured by me with the Tears of God. In the mouths of you profiteers, she has already died once for the kingdom. I will not let her die a second time. Now, I will protect her as a father. No one can have any designs on Alice…” his narrowed eyes emitted a dangerous gaze. Duke Wozwahl took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. His low voice sent a bone-chilling coldness down one’s spine, as if they had been plunged into an icy cellar. “…No one.”

“Wozwahl.”

The third duke, who had been standing by the door without saying a word, finally spoke. Unlike with Duke Herbis, Wozwahl’s relationship with him was neither good nor bad. If he went too far, he would push this duke to the opposing side. Wozwahl was silent for a moment, then released his grip on Herbis’s neck.

“Cough cough, cough cough cough, Wo-Wozwahl, you’re insane, you’re insane! To use force against a duke, I… I will make you pay!”

Coughing violently, Duke Herbis, who had fallen to the ground, clutched his neck with both hands. His face was flushed as he scrambled backward, trying to get up.

Wozwahl was unmoved.

“Get out. And don’t let me see you again.”

“You’ll regret this! Let’s go!”

Watching the disheveled Duke Herbis leave, Wozwahl’s fists were clenched so tightly they turned white. No one knew what was going through the hawk-like eyes of his at that moment.

◇

After leaving Duke Wozwahl’s residence, Yisi took Edith straight back to the temple. Although it was already afternoon and the already overcast sky had grown even gloomier, the punishment for Shinku and Fran had not yet ended. At one point, driven by curiosity, Yisi had used the ‘Concealment’ magic to quietly approach the room. However, just as she was about to hear the sounds from inside, she was overcome by a guilty conscience, believing that eavesdropping/peeping was not something a gentleman—or a lady, for that matter—should do, so she quietly returned the way she had come.

It was worth mentioning that Yisi discovered that as she approached the door, Tiffany, who was guarding it, had looked in her direction as if she had discovered her. Even as she moved left and right, Tiffany’s gaze would follow. Therefore, even though she knew that Tiffany couldn’t see her while she was using ‘Concealment,’ Yisi felt extremely guilty.

Of course, that’s all in the past. Anyway, since I didn’t actually eavesdrop, I probably don’t need to feel so anxious about it. Tiffany couldn’t possibly have discovered me. Mm.

Her nervousness made Yisi unconsciously squeeze the hand she was holding. Mary, whose hand was being held, tilted her head in confusion.

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“Master, are you nervous? Your hands are sweating.”

“Er, n-no. It’s just that the weather in the capital is too stuffy. It’s both midsummer and the rainy season. Ah~, so hot.”

“That was a very fake act.”

“…”

If someone else had said that, she would at most only feel a little embarrassed. But for Mary to say it, it gave her a subtle and indescribable feeling. Although she had had this intuition for a long time, it was only now that she clearly felt that Mary was actually very smart, especially in unnecessary areas like sensing others’ moods or gossiping about love interests.

“Ahem, so the Fallen can now move freely in the capital.”

Changing the subject, Yisi observed the people on the street. The [Omniscient Map] showed a few scattered Fallen buying vegetables. Although the number was small, it was something that would have been absolutely impossible in the past. Due to the rule of the Ymir Church, the Fallen were persecuted to the point where they hardly dared to go out, and could only hide in dark corners. Although the markings on these Fallen walking on the street had not yet reached the point where they would be noticed, this was already great progress.

After a moment’s thought, Yisi gently squeezed Mary’s small, soft hand. It was incredible that Mary’s hands had no calluses, even though she used a large shield as a weapon.

“Mary, there’s something I want to tell you.”

“What is it?”

A large question mark appeared above her small head. Mary blinked her purple right eye.

“Mmm… it’s about what I said last time, about you marrying me.”

“Eh? E-eh?! M-m-m-m… Master, are you serious?!”

Her voice was so high that the people around them all cast strange glances. Yisi quickly covered Mary’s mouth, but this intimate gesture only made Mary’s eyes grow wider.

“I’m kidding! I actually wanted to ask if you’d like to try taking off your bandage.”

As she spoke, Yisi traced the bandage over Mary’s left eye with her index finger. Because her red left eye would turn into a terrifying cat-like vertical pupil when her Fallen ability was activated, and Mary had been treated as an ominous monster in the past because of this ability, she had always kept her left eye covered with a white bandage.