#140 The Immortal King’s Stirring (4)
Immediately after the Immortal King who had attacked the conference hall departed. ‘Unnatural.’ That was the impression felt by Viscount Audre, a high-ranking official of the Azerion Empire’s Intelligence Department and an aide to the Crown Prince at this summit. ‘I don’t know how he managed to infiltrate the Great Temple, but that process couldn’t have been simple. And yet, after going through all that trouble, he suddenly leaves as if on a whim?’ He was the type who believed that every action taken by every person in the world had a purpose. ‘It would make more sense to assume the bastard had some objective, and after accomplishing it, slipped away at his leisure.’ Just as even a baby’s crying had a valid reason, even if it was the thinking of a madman, there was a logic and basis of their own behind it.
And yet the Immortal King’s behavior this time felt somehow unnatural, even to regard it as the actions of a lunatic. ‘Of course, the Hero and the others aren’t pushovers either, so if the fight had continued, they would have managed to drive him off somehow. The sacrifices would have grown, but still, this was the Great Temple.’ If that had happened, it would not have ended with a mere dozen or so dead.
Perhaps even the barrier separately prepared in the rear would have been destroyed, and the delegations inside, including himself, might have been slaughtered en masse.
From their perspective, it was something to be grateful for.
However...
Rustle
—rustle
—Audre took out the documents containing the personal details of several people and examined them again.
They contained the information the Imperial Intelligence Department had investigated immediately after securing the list of conference participants. ‘Count Kayen Turkan of the Empire, His Highness the Crown Prince’s trusted hand. Kanble and Payton of the Mercenary Guild, the Mercenary King and his right arm. The Kingdom of Sharloti’s...’ And as he looked over the details on the deceased once more, he finally managed to connect their common point. ‘Every single one of them had something shady in their background. There were some who survived that battle despite having similar conditions, but at least among those who died, there wasn’t a single virtuous person.’ Was it a coincidence? ...No, he did not believe in coincidences.
Everything had a proper reason, and this incident would be no different.
The problem was that he simply could not figure out what that reason was.
An Immortal King who picked out only villains to kill—where in the world was there a combination of words that suited him less? ‘To collect the negative power contained in the souls of evildoers? In that case, wouldn’t it have been more convenient to kill everyone and then select from among them, rather than deliberately not killing the others? Or was it a process required for some black magic ritual? If not that, then...’ All sorts of hypotheses and inferences filled his head, but no clear conclusion emerged.
Because of that, Audre had no choice but to spend several days racking his brains and brooding over it alone.
Aside from the common point among the dead, the reason the Immortal King had obediently withdrawn was equally questionable. ‘...Am I too bound by preconceptions? Then again, the Immortal King couldn’t possibly be the same as ordinary madmen.’ He was also a veteran investigator who had analyzed the principles behind the actions of countless lunatics, including black mages, but in the end, even they were merely human.
They could not be compared to the Immortal King in the first place.
Just as he had inwardly begun to give up on analyzing this incident, news about the Principality of Rohan finally reached him.
Naturally, at that moment, only one being came to mind.
As the situation grew ever more complicated, he squeezed his eyes shut and muttered that name inwardly. ‘...The Immortal King, Hans.’ The name that was the root of all evil. ***
“What in the world does that mean all of a sudden?! The Principality of Rohan is collapsing?”
“I heard it was in danger but still holding on well enough, so for things to escalate this suddenly...”
“There must have been some kind of warning sign, no? Then surely we could have been contacted in advance somehow...”
The inside of the conference hall where the continental summit was being held grew noisy.
Everyone was visibly flustered by the news that had arrived without warning.
Even the non-human races, who were not well acquainted with the Ion Continent, were grasping the situation with grave expressions after hearing that an entire nation had finally fallen.
Clatter—
In the midst of that chaos.
The doors of the conference hall opened, and the representatives of the Principality of Rohan, the Magic Tower, and the Church entered together.
The bustling space fell silent in an instant, and all eyes focused on them at once.
However, Dennis and the others merely sat down quietly with stiff faces, and the one who stepped forward was Cardinal Cordelia, likewise wearing a hardened expression.
As if understanding the questions of the others, she immediately got to the point.
“I will state the conclusion first. For now, the principality has not been completely destroyed. However...”
The Principality of Rohan bordered the northern mountain range on three sides, excluding the south, and ever since the madness incident broke out, the entire nation had been pouring all its strength into defending its borders.
The Main God Church, too, had been actively helping them, dispatching not only the temple forces stationed there, but even reinforcements including paladins from the main order—
“...In the midst of their desperate battle against the monsters, for unknown reasons, the defensive lines on all three sides are said to have collapsed at once. In addition, around the same time, suicide bombings occurred simultaneously at key facilities throughout the principality.”
The headquarters of the knight order located in the principality’s capital, the temple of the Main God Church, the Magic Tower of the Magic Tower Alliance, and more...
Even the royal castle where the Grand Duke resided was attacked by an unidentified group.
Due to that sudden assault, the temple, which had been supporting border defense while leaving behind only a minimal force, suffered heavy damage, and even the gate that was the core of the Church’s mobility was destroyed.
Of course, the circumstances of the other places that were attacked alongside it were not much different.
“Even if their troops had been drawn away, they destroyed a temple of the Main God Church?”
“That is not all, is it? Just how many places did they attack at the same time?”
“Judging by the timing, they must have been the ones who tampered with the border as well. And there should have been not only the Church there, but even reinforcements from the Empire.”
The delegations, who had begun murmuring among themselves again in small groups after the additional information was revealed.
And quite naturally, their thoughts soon converged on one place.
“This, too, must be the work of the Immortal King Hans, no?”
“Surely...! Was his attack on this place meant to divert our attention before setting this in motion?”
“That seems a little strange, considering his actions...”
“Didn’t things end up like this in the end? As expected, that was merely his attempt to mock us!”
It was an entirely natural flow for them to point to the Immortal King as the culprit behind the incident.
Because the infamy he had built up until now was so great, even those who had initially been skeptical later found themselves naturally swept along by the mainstream opinion.
And among those listening to that conversation and nodding with serious expressions.
Was Heinrich, the Saint of the Main God Church and the Hero who would oppose the Immortal King.
However, his inner thoughts were quite different from his outward appearance... ‘No, what the hell is going on here?’ He, too, was flustered by the reality that a single remark he had tossed out without much thought had returned as karma.
Frowning at the unexpected turn of events, he slowly reviewed the information that had been delivered so far. ‘I can feel a malice determined to destroy Rohan no matter what. In the middle of their fight against the monsters pouring in, the defensive lines were brought down all at once, and to block additional support, even the Church and Magic Tower were attacked.’ This was beyond the capabilities of any ordinary organization, and even more so not something that could be prepared in a short time.
At minimum, it would require years of effort.
And Heinrich knew very well of one group capable of something like this. ‘The Oath of Reversal... Did those bastards move?’ In truth, because they had been beaten down by him so many times until now, he had unconsciously regarded them as not much of a threat, but they were by no means pushovers.
Above all, did the fact that they were the culprits who had opened the Abyss and unleashed that “madness” not explain everything?
If they set their minds to it, overturning a single nation would be nothing to them. ‘I didn’t hear anything about this from Oldman. As expected, the problem is that they’re a cell organization.’ Oldman, the head of the Tulk Kingdom branch, whom the executives had all gone out to capture based on the information obtained by the Banshee Queen Olivia.
Even after capturing him, she had expressed difficulty in extracting information due to the unknown restriction engraved in his core, but there was no way that would apply to Hans, who had reached the pinnacle of the arcane arts. ‘Of course, since it was a spell close to a self-destruction code, it was a little troublesome.’ It was a restriction that limited the soul solely to prevent information leakage, without the slightest concern for the target’s safety. According to “Forbidden Knowledge,” it was high-level black magic that humans could not even attempt, and one would have to be at least of the demon race to use it... ‘Still, there might be something I missed, so I’ll have to wring him out once more.’ The matter at hand was far too large to dismiss lightly.
At this very moment, madness-filled monsters must be pouring endlessly through the collapsed defensive lines, yet not only the temple’s gate but also the Magic Tower had fallen, eliminating any way to provide support quickly.
Of course, it was not as though there were no rear interception lines, but with the front line into which the nation had poured all its strength already broken through, how long could those possibly hold?
This was not merely a worsening of public order, but quite literally a crisis threatening the existence of the nation.
“Cardinal Pirei, who is currently at the Jerron Great Temple in the Empire, has decided to personally step forward in this matter. He said he would gather the Church’s elite forces within the Empire, move them to the temple closest to the Principality of Rohan, and attempt to save as many people as possible.”
Cardinal Cordelia’s voice continued calmly.
However, there was no one who failed to notice the boiling rage contained beneath that composed voice.
The damage the continent had suffered so far had already been considerable, but thinking of the refugees that would arise after the fall of an entire nation made it impossible not to feel suffocated.
The meeting afterward centered on a response to the Principality of Rohan.
The Main God Church and the Azerion Empire, who could provide swift support first, were already taking action, but this was not a matter the Continental Allied Forces could simply stand by and watch.
And so, as discussions proceeded actively.
Heinrich quietly sank into thought as he watched the situation unfold. ***
“Mullo, has any new news come in about the Principality of Rohan?”
“Yes, Lord. At present, the border has completely collapsed and they are holding the monsters back at the second interception line, but it is said they are insufficient to properly stop the monsters.”
Heinz’s efforts to create an intelligence organization spanning the entire world had continued steadily until now.
Naturally, a vampire of the clan had been dispatched to the Principality of Rohan as well, and through him, Mullo was able to receive local information in real time. ‘He really is talented. This is also only possible because we have Mullo, who has mastered blood magic.’ Having grown stronger through the “Refined Blood Essence,” he had now gained the ability to communicate in real time with the vampires under his command if he so wished.
An indispensable ability for the head of a continent-scale intelligence organization.
Even while Heinz inwardly watched him with satisfaction, his report continued.
The hastily assembled second interception line had holes everywhere, allowing many monsters through, and was said to be only slightly better than having nothing at all.
However, the situation was not even allowing that...
“It is said that the second interception line will not hold out for very long either. So they are preparing a third interception line in front of Rohan’s capital, but...”
Mullo, who had been speaking, closed his mouth and quietly shook his head.
There was no need to say what came after that.
“Hmm...”
Heinz slowly closed his eyes and sank into thought.
Of course, just because the Principality of Rohan was in danger did not mean he intended to lead the vampire clan there to help.
There was no reason to in the first place, and the conditions did not allow it.
The Blood Gate of the Yufersh Clan, which could move across long distances,
was a spell that consumed a considerable amount of time and resources, and it was still too early for them to step onto the front stage.
“As expected, there seems to be no other choice.”
“Pardon? Is there something you wish to command separately?”
“No. More importantly, is Theodore’s work progressing well?”
“Yes. Since the clan members are spread all over the world, it seems it will take some time, but there should be no major issue gathering them here.”
The Kingdom of Thalia, located at the western end of the continent.
Heinz II intended to make this place his territory and gradually expand the influence of the vampire clan.
Once they were prepared to a certain extent, he was also considering stepping into the world in earnest.
Then, the next thing needed was— ‘...It’s about time Hans prepared at least one base of operations as well.’ In truth, continuing to keep the Immortal Army inside Hans’s negative-dimensional space as he did now was inefficient.
To properly operate an army, a garrison was necessary, and given their nature, a place that was difficult for the people of the continent to access and sparsely populated would be suitable.
The west had already been decided as Heinz II’s territory, the center had the Empire and the Holy Land, and the east had the Republic and the island nation known as the Magic Kingdom.
The southern desert was relatively sparsely populated, but conflict with the Tribal Alliance located at the southernmost end would be unavoidable.
In the end, only one place remained. ‘As expected, a Demon King’s Castle tastes best when it’s in a place like that.’ A place where the harsh environment and rugged terrain prevented just anyone from approaching, and all sorts of savage monsters swarmed.
A high-level field itself, one that beginners could not even approach.
The northern mountain range.
That place was the most suitable. ‘Still, if I hide too deep, I won’t be able to properly showcase the majesty of the Immortal Army. A location that is difficult, but can be reached after hardship, would be appropriate.’ And just in time, was there not a suitable place?
Yes, for example... ‘...The mountain range north of the Principality of Rohan would be perfect.’ And if that happened, naturally.
The existing residents who lived there would have to change their affiliation, even if by force.
From “madness.”
To “death.”