Chapter 241. Nightmare (2)
The Kingdom of Estiria was a land with four distinct seasons.
The cool weather and forests dyed in vivid colors were comfortable, and beautiful. Yet those days were coming to an end, the air turning chillier, and trees stripped of their leaves stood bare.
Autumn was heading toward its close.
So too was the kingdom's civil war.
"Retreat, retreat!"
The army of the First Prince pressed in. As a result, the Second Prince's forces collapsed.
They were already outnumbered, but the soldiers and knights had long since lost their will to fight, caring for nothing but their own lives.
Worse still, no small number of commanders had been secretly assassinated by Vintert, so skillfully that no defense had been possible.
If the head was gravely injured, there was no way the limbs could move properly.
The same was true in the sky.
Kwaaang, kwaaang!
Airships were brought down by siege magic circles. Most belonged to the Second Prince's camp, the fleet commanded by Duke Devon.
Before long, in the midst of the desperate battlefield, the enemy succeeded in breaking through the magic circles and boarding the massive airship where Duke Devon was.
"Duke, the enemy is coming, you must flee at once!"
"..."
At his knight's plea, Duke Devon remained silent.
He stared blankly into empty space, lost in thought.
Where had it gone wrong?
Why had Nigel died, poisoned before his eyes?
Why had he not swiftly killed Nigel's guard?
He could not understand.
His mind felt as if clogged with noise. Like in a dream, his consciousness was hazy. Perhaps, he thought, this was all just a nightmare.
Then, someone whispered.
───Destroy.
Ah.
Focus returned to Duke Devon's eyes.
Suddenly drawing his sword, a fierce resolve radiated from him.
"I have thought of a way to break through this crisis."
"Your Grace…?"
"It is to overheat the engine of this airship and destroy it. The enemy will suffer heavy damage as well."
The ducal knights were aghast.
It was the speech of a madman. If he did so, even the corpses of the ducal household aboard this ship would never be found.
Regardless, Duke Devon moved.
"Duke, you mustn't! Stop him, quickly!"
The knights tried, but it was useless.
For Duke Devon had once been counted among the kingdom's greatest knights. Even dulled with age, his strength remained sharp.
Duke Devon laughed.
"Destroy."
The inside of the airship quaked.
Screams rang out, blood splattered, reaching even the engine chamber.
Before Duke Devon, gasping for breath, the massive magic stone that served as the engine pulsed with light. Naturally, he swung his sword.
And then—
Kwooooooooom!
A wave of magic power swept through the heavens.
The shock was enough to obliterate an entire fortress, shaking the skies.
The airship was ripped in half and fell, while the magic circles of the First Prince's massive fleet, caught in the aftershock, also partially collapsed.
Countless fragments fell to the earth like rain.
"..."
That calamity was reflected in the eyes of the Second Prince, Lotnil.
From the highest fortress of the city, the battlefield lay clear before him. Turning his gaze to the tumult below, he saw the massive gates shuddering.
Chuuuk, chuuuuuk!
The magical battering ram smashed the last gate apart.
The citizens of the city bolted their doors and hid in corners. Thankfully, since this was civil war and not conquest, they would not be plundered.
Though some with sticky fingers might rob abandoned homes.
But such things mattered little to Lotnil.
"Your Highness, the Second Prince, what… what should we do now?"
Lotnil's mother, the Second Queen, trembled.
She had rallied her social connections to fully support Lotnil.
Ordinarily, a queen could not involve herself so deeply in such matters, but the current King of Estiria had no interest whatsoever in succession, making it possible.
Which also meant… when the civil war ended in defeat, she would bear that responsibility as well.
Lotnil bit his lip.
Soon, with resolve, he led the Second Queen to find the Third Prince, Evers. He had heard that his younger brother had hidden away an airship.
Under guard, he roughly threw open the door.
"What…?!"
"Kyaaaaa!"
But no living Evers awaited them.
Only a lifeless corpse hung from a rope. The sudden suicide left Lotnil unable to hide his shock.
And in that moment, the First Prince, Valrgna, arrived.
"Kuaaaaaaah!"
Lotnil's guards were slaughtered by the First Prince's knights. Valrgna, striding proudly over the blood-stained corridor, entered through the door.
The first sight that met him was Evers, who could not close his eyes even in death.
"Hm, lived greedily beyond his means, and yet went simply in the end. Still, at least my younger brother did not force me to kill him with my own hand. In that, he was admirable. Don't you agree?"
Valrgna slowly turned his head forward.
The Second Queen collapsed in shock, while Lotnil, eyes wide, hastily opened his mouth.
"B-brother…!"
"It's been a while, Lotnil. I thought you'd cling to women even in death, since you lived obsessed with lust your whole life, but here you are with your mother. It seems people truly change at the end."
Valrgna smiled.
But his eyes were chillingly cold.
Lotnil dropped to his knees at once.
"I… I will live quietly from now on. Please, spare my mother and me, Brother Valrgna!"
"Live quietly?"
"I swear it! No, I will do anything you command, only spare my life…!"
"Prince Valrgna, we are still members of Estiria's royal family, are we not? Please, show us mercy…!"
They begged desperately for their lives.
The arrogant Valrgna found it pleasing. To make those who dared defy him kneel was a pleasure he could never forsake.
"Well, the civil war is over, so I see no reason not to."
"R-really?!"
"Yes… and yet, on second thought, a better idea comes to mind."
Valrgna whispered cruelly.
"The Second Prince and Second Queen take responsibility for defeat and leap to their deaths… doesn't that picture seem better? It would please me, and others too. You could even preserve a shred of honor in death. Don't you think?"
The atmosphere froze instantly.
"Brother Valrgna! Please, please spare us, brother!"
"I, I am the queen! For a prince to kill his queen mother—His Majesty will never forgive such a deed!"
Their cries were useless.
At Valrgna's nod, knights slowly advanced. Terrified, Lotnil and the Second Queen stumbled backward until they reached the window.
There, a sheer cliff, lashed by fierce wind, awaited them.
Moments later.
───Thud, thud.
The two heavy impacts echoing from beneath the fortress announced the end of the civil war.
***
As the civil war concluded, cheers erupted.
The soldiers of the First Prince's camp shouted Valrgna's name and reveled in victory. Robert watched the scene from afar.
"At last, the tedious war of succession is over."
Though the victory of the First Prince, Valrgna, supported by Vintert, was certain, Robert's expression remained indifferent. Quietly, he folded his spyglass and handed it to Gail.
"With this, Vintert has obtained the chance to step into the light. And yet, Lord Robert, you do not seem very pleased."
"Why should I be pleased? This shabby civil war had its ending decided from the beginning, it's nothing but a waste of the kingdom's resources, and that is what I regret."
The possibility of civil war had been considered.
But no one had expected events to unfold so quickly. That Duke Nigel of House Dosramd would disappear—no, be killed—by Duke Devon, had been beyond expectation.
'And the explosion of Duke Devon's airship, and the Third Prince Evers's suicide as well.'
An unpleasant feeling lingered.
There was a sense of incongruity, as if the Duke Devon and Prince Evers he had known were entirely different people.
Robert shook his head, forcing the thoughts away.
It was all over anyway.
Duke Devon was dead, the Second Prince and the Third Prince were gone as well. To brood on it would be nothing more than a waste.
Instead, he turned his thoughts to another problem.
"More importantly, what of the securing of Asher?"
"There is still no word."
"Still? Even if he went into hiding, to not even know his whereabouts? And yet neither the broker Perne nor Galliark have been captured. Slay's handling of this matter is rather disappointing."
"Shall you intervene?"
"Of course. Leonil's patience is nearly at its limit… to delay further risks creating a dangerous situation."
Leonil was the kingdom's undisputed strongest.
One should not make an enemy of a 6th-tier fire Magus at full power. Only the king of the underworld could contend with him.
Maintaining amicable relations was essential. Otherwise, the entire underworld could be reduced to ashes.
"Now that the civil war has ended, it would be best to turn the manpower used here toward the search for Asher. Though I regret it, even Draken, who is likely resting, must be mobilized—this is urgent."
"Understood, Lord Robert."
"Then let us hasten back to Roafra. Urgent as it is, we must first obtain His Majesty's sanction."
Robert and Gail set off toward the underworld.
But neither knew.
They did not know who Vintert had now chosen as his enemy. Nor what consequences that choice would bring.
***
Since leaving the magic tower, Verden had made his own growth his highest priority.
To raise his tier, he had endlessly trained his mana circuits, completed requests to gain battle experience, and faced enemies, earning victories.
His current realm was the fruit of that accumulation.
Twice he had Defied the Heavens, pushing his body beyond its limits.
Activating another Defying the Heavens magic circle was now impossible, as was ascending further tiers through mana circuit expansion.
In other words, he had reached completion.
'This much is enough.'
There was no longer any need to restrain himself.
Though the stage of spiritual enlightenment remained, now that he had reached the Quasi-Transcendent realm, there would not be many in the world who could stand against him.
The Administrator had confirmed it, and Verden himself was certain.
Fwoooosh.
Verden slowed his pace.
At the end of his sight, the great city of Aurofl appeared. Hidden deep below lay the underworld, Roafra, now close at hand.
Verden moved toward the gates.
He could now use Invisibility without the Robe of the Wanderer, but he had no intention of sneaking in. Whatever the situation, he was confident he could overwhelm it.
Then it happened.
───Hey! Asher, you bastard!
A familiar voice rang out.
Instinctively, Verden's gaze shifted downward.
A massive man with a savage face, a great axe strapped to his back, was swinging a hand axe wildly.
"Butcher?"
The Platinum-rank adventurer, Butcher Galliark.
An unexpected reunion.
Why was that mad adventurer here? Wondering, Verden descended to the ground.
Galliark strode forward.
"Damn, I figured I'd run into you here, and here you really are, you unlucky bastard."
"You were looking for me? Why…"
Verden cut his words short.
On closer look, Galliark's condition was poor. His armor was in tatters, wounds covered his body—he looked as if he had been ambushed.
Who could have done this?
Verden was simply curious.
"What happened to you?"
"Ha ha ha, what happened?"
Galliark gave a bitter laugh, then scowled.
"Because of you, you son of a bitch."
***
Galliark was in a foul mood.
He had never imagined that, just because he had once accompanied Verden in the underworld, he would be attacked again and again.
Vintert's assassins, mercenaries hired by Vintert, even scum from the back alleys—his attackers were of every sort.
"Kill one, and another comes. Not just that—poison slipped into my food, night raids to keep me from sleeping. Damn it, what did I do to deserve this?"
Galliark pounded his chest.
It looked strangely out of place, his expression one of pure grievance, as if he might die from frustration.
'Well, I suppose so.'
Not only Perne, but even Galliark had been targeted. They were truly desperate to find trait-holders.
"It wasn't intentional."
"Hah, so you've learned some manners since I last saw you? Well, whatever. What are you going to do now? Looks like you're planning to stir up the underworld."
Galliark's eyes roamed over Verden.
A robe of obvious value, a staff he had never seen before—far superior to his previous equipment.
But what bothered him more was something else.
'What the hell is he?'
Hard to describe… but if he had to, his very presence seemed different.
Before, he could feel Verden's mana. Now, nothing. And yet, there was a quiet, overwhelming pressure in the air around him.
Whatever it was, something had changed greatly.
At that moment, Verden spoke.
"I had no particular intention of interfering. But recently, Vintert has grown bothersome."
"So you mean to wipe them out? Then you'll be up against the entire underworld."
"That was my purpose in coming here."
Not a trace of hesitation.
Galliark grinned wickedly, his shoulders shaking.
"Asher, you bastard. You're still as bold as ever."
"What about you?"
"Of course I'm coming along. That's why I came."
Even if told to get lost, he would follow.
Verden did not particularly mind.
Galliark would not be a hindrance. Honestly, no matter who came along, the outcome would be the same.
"Then come."
Verden and Galliark.
The two, companions once more, entered Aurofl.
The greatest underworld in the Eastern Continent, Roafra.
There, a terrible nightmare wrought by a Magus was about to begin.
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