Arthur followed Elyna to the manor’s back garden, feeling slightly curious about her unexpected approach. He did remember giving her the heirloom of the Sanguis Family, though that was mostly to throw off any potential pursuers.
Amongst Leonis’ servants, she was the most capable, nevertheless, he thought she would find a way to sell the coin through the black market.
However, with [Magick Sense], he was able to feel an ominous and demonic energy in her body, a bit similar to Lucy’s.
“I see that you’ve been doing well. So, what do you want to talk about?”
Once seated, Arthur stared at the dark-haired maid, unable to see beyond her inscrutable expression.
“Are you leaving any time soon, Master?”
Unlike with Evelyn, Arthur felt a bit uncomfortable to be called ‘Master’, however, he didn’t bother reminding her a second time.
“Yes, we are.”
“Could I come with you?”
Arthur frowned, not giving any immediate response, which pushed Elyna to explain herself.
“I’ve been acting as Feylord’s maid. We had a deal, but now that he’s gone, I need other helpers.”
“Helpers?”
“Revenge. The Sanguis Family killed my mother.”
Elyna didn’t elaborate any further, and, for obvious reasons, she didn’t consider Arthur- or Leonis- as part of her targets.
“...”
“Thanks to the coin you’ve left me, I’ve made a contract with a Demon.”
Elyna raised her hand, conjuring a small Sanguis Barrier, one that had a distinct color.
‘It’s definitely similar to the one I have but it’s unstable and weak. Also, a contract with a Demon? How did she do it?’
Although he had many questions, Arthur kept his thoughts to himself.
“I can conjure barriers and be of assistance. I swear I won’t be a burden, Master.”
As he looked at her resolved face, Arthur sighed.
“Despite what happened in the past, I’ve no quarrel with the Sanguis Family.”
“You killed Leonis Sanguis, Master.”
“I did.” Admittedly Arthur, unfazed, “But they haven’t set people after me, which means they don’t care about his untimely death.”
Elyna bit her lips and, sounding a bit desperate, stated,
“Because of the coin you gave me, they came after me.”
“I’m sorry, but I will not help you exact vengeance. I’ve other matters to take care of.”
“I’m not asking you to help me now…” She paused for a bit, giving him a piercing stare, “In the future. When you’re ready.”
“No.”
Elyna, angry with his immediate refusal, stood up and glared at him.
“You used me to throw them off your trail. It’s your fault.”
“You sure switch from a polite to an accusatory tone real quick, Elyna. Calm down.”
The maid maintained her gaze of fury for a couple of seconds before she stormed away.
…
Western Coast of the Continent.
Agreria, The Militant Capital.
All remaining members of the Aristocratic Consortium gathered at the top floor of Black Wyrm Palace. The spacious and dimly-lit room was dominated by an overly-gloomy atmosphere.
One of the Seats had betrayed them, another was betrayed, and an additional four were caught by the enemy.
Over half of the Militant Syndicate’s leaders were missing, leaving only four; Aranae Puritas ‘The Seat of Purity’, Sancha Sanguis ‘Seat of Honor,’ Raphael of the badlands ‘Seat of Tranquility’, and Forlyn White ‘Seat of Retribution’.
Amongst those four, only Sancha and Aranae were always in Agreria. Raphael was the City Lord of Cinder City of the Ember Lands, whereas Forlyn White was Marquess that lived in a secluded area North-West of Blackcrest.
Currently, these Four Seats were looking at a tall humanoid figure, who was a messenger sent by the former Seat of Deliverance, Kirn Sparrow, now known as the Arman Consul.
The messenger was not unlike the other awakened Armans. He had a normal and bulky human physique, however, his head was rectangular in shape and formed of metallic parts. The face only had two blinking dots that seemed to be the eyes.
Although he didn’t have a mouth, when he ‘talked’, a somewhat synthetic voice would emit from his creepily big ‘head’.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
As the four Seats watched in silence, the messenger quickly prepared the equipment and then turned a big monitor towards them.
Once everything was ready, the messenger, called Alohim, spoke,
“First, I’ll show you the pre-recorded message from the Lord Consul.”
Without waiting for their response, Alohim clicked on the button and then stepped aside.
The monitor’s black screen flickered for a second before it showed Kirn Sparrow. He wore a buttoned black jacket with golden buttons and several medals on the top right part of the torso, similarly-colored pants, and a pair of dark-brown shoes.
Kirn, his blindfold nowhere to be seen, stared right back at the camera, a soft smile creeping on his lips. His golden eyes, letting out a shiny luster, were in full display, much to everyone’s shock.
“Greetings, members of the Aristocratic Consortium. You all know me as Kirn Sparrow, but let me reintroduce myself. I am the last living Consul of the Arman Empire, Kirn Zestia Arman Sparrow.
Kirn, with a hand on his chest, performed a small bow before continuing,
“You will have received this message shortly after the destruction of Daggerstow Fortress. That was my doing.”
“Motherfucker!”
Sancha, her face red from fury, screamed and jumped to her feet, clearly about to attack both the monitor and the messenger.
Fortunately, she managed to restrain herself and keep watching the pre-recorded message.
“I destroyed Daggerstow Fortress to show you what we are capable of. Put simply, it is a show of force. Over five hundred people lost their lives… and many more will die if you attack us.”
With the camera following him, Kirn stood up and walked towards transparent cages.
“As you can see, we have captured Four Seats.”
The camera panned to the cuffed Gerard, Olivia, Sulong, and Hector. Olivia, especially, was in a very bad condition.
“They really were caught.” mumbled the Seat of Purity, her usually serene demeanor becoming turbulent.
“This is a declaration, not only to the Militant Syndicate, but to all nations of the continent. The Arman Empire is back and we will take back what’s rightfully ours.”
Without any hesitation, Kirn signaled his subordinates. After that, Sancha and the rest helplessly watched as the bound Olivia, stricken with dread, screamed atop her lungs as fire erupted within the cage, burning her alive.
“This is just the beginning.” Stated Kirn, his expression solemn, “Take your armies and return whence you came: The Western Continent. If you try to resist, do not blame me for what happens after. I will burn your cities to the ground if I must.”
With that, the recording came to an end, however, Alohim quickly adjusted a couple of things and then spoke,
“The same footage has been delivered to the Despot Collective and the empire. Now, I will start a direct connection to the Lord Consul.”
Just as the monitor flickered and showed Kirn again, something fast and semi-visible struck Alohim’s head, destroying it in an instant.
The monitor, too, didn’t escape unscathed. A sharp object pierced through it, cracking it and cancelling the connection.
“We don’t need to listen to him.”
The Seat of Retribution, Forlyn, walked to the fallen body of Alohim and crushed what little remained of the head.
“We might’ve lost Olivia and the others, but I’ll be damned if we let that crazed dog do as he wants.”
Forlyn swept his gaze across the three of them, expecting them to fervently agree.
“Daggerstow was destroyed in an instant. We must be careful.”-Raphael
“So what?” Forlyn, becoming increasingly angrier, raised his voice while retorting, “We have our own weapons of war! We fight back! We gather all our armies and kill those Armans!"
“How about you sit down and calm your shit, Forlyn? With Olivia gone, it leaves Spectral Steel vulnerable and open for an attack. Furthermore, we need to see how that Southern Brute and the Emperor react to this.”
“Sancha is right.” Agreed Aranae, “We need to consider our options. Of course, we’re not going to let Kirn do as he pleases, but let’s not forget that he declared war not only on us, but the rest of the nations too.”
----------------------------------------
Blackcrest
Seat of War, Duke Terden Sidus, sat in his office and watched the recorded message with a deep frown. Next to him stood Halric, who was eyeing the messenger with interest.
“The Lord Consul would like to help you, Lord Sidus.”
“Help me?”
“I am sorry, but I wasn’t given any more details. He humbly awaits your visit.”
Terden looked at the messenger with wariness before waving his hand dismissively.
“First, he sends his hounds to catch me and now he wants help?”
In response to this rhetorical question, Halric shrugged his shoulders,
“I wasn’t able to get close, but I still got a good look. That golden city is a technological marvel. It won’t be easy to lay siege to it. Clearly, since the other Seats betrayed you, Kirn wants to recruit you.”
“Hmpf! He wants to use me!”
“Actually, it’s not as bad a deal as you think.”
As the Duke gave him a reproachful look, Halric explained,
“Blackcrest is in ruins, literally. Even for me, it will take time for me to get rid of the Blight, but Arman technology, that process will be accelerated. Think of it, Terden, what use has Kirn of a totally destroyed city? If I had to make a guess, he wants to help you repair it.”
“I will not join hands with Armans!”
“What choice do you really have? Do you want to return and beg the Consortium? Or join the Imperials? After all, you can’t just stay here and do nothing. Repairing your home will require significant manpower and resources, both of which you don’t have. Despite what he did, I don’t think Kirn is targeting you right now, so why not go and listen to his offer?”
----------------------------------------
The Ember Lands
A couple of miles north of Cinder of City, inside an abandoned chapel of the White Night Goddess, several members of the Circle of Damnation have gathered.
To be precise, four members were present: The Eye, The Holy Necromancer, the Fake Magician, and the Black Priest.
Connection stable… beginning transmission
A human-sized eyeball, which turned pitch-black, let out a robotic voice while it vibrated intensely.
Eventually, it spoke with a different, emotionless tone. Rather than a single voice, it sounded like a cacophony of synthetic voices speaking simultaneously, at the same frequency.
Scheduled arrival is in 47 hours and 15 minutes. Prepare the vessel. Isolate the dimension.
“The Nameless Knight is in Astria.”
After a momentary silence, the voices came out of the Eye again.
Irrelevant. The Nameless Knight is weakened.
Besides the Holy Necromancer, the rest didn’t speak.
“It is too much of a risk. We can delay-”
‘Our’ arrival is imminent. Do as you are told.
After that, the Eye returned to its usual dormancy, silently floating above the ground.
“I’m still not sure about all of this. The Devil Doctor was supposed to help us.”
The Black Priest looked at the Eye and sighed. One of the core members of their plan unexpectedly died at such a crucial time. Even though they were going to receive immense help from eliminator, the presence of the Nameless Knight didn’t bode well at all.
None of them were stupid enough to think they could resist the Nameless Knight, even in his weakened state.
“For now, we will proceed as planned. Even though it is but a single fragment of Sedos, it will be worth it.”
“For you, maybe~” The Fake Magician chuckled while playing with a deck of black-colored cards.