Wilsden Town

On the day Arthur and the rest left.

40 Hours and 54 minutes until the arrival of Eliminator.

“Something's off about that Holy Knight. He has an artifact that’s making me feel very disturbed.”

In Feylord’s room, which was actually one of the many guest rooms in the manor, Elyna sat across from him and immediately spoke about her suspicions regarding Rein Goldstar.

“I know.”

Feylord only spoke two words before keeping silent, which made Elyna frown.

“So? You should tell your sister.”

“That would only make things worse for me. She doesn’t trust me.”

“Rightfully so.” Commented Elyna without batting an eye.

Feylord gave her a reproachful glare but she just shrugged her shoulders. She was his ‘servant’, but that was only a pretence. While it was true they helped each other, Elyna saw no reason to be polite or respectful to him, especially after learning more about his character.

“From the looks of it, she’s going to kick you out sooner or later. It’s better to risk it and tell her.” After a brief pause, Elyna curiously asked, “Or is it that you don’t care about her?”

“...”

“Wow!” Her sarcastic exclamation only made Feylord sigh.

“We are siblings, however, we’ve never been close.”

“I’m not judging. Anyway, what are you going to do now?”

In response, Feylord raised his hand and let out a bit of fire, which spun around his fingers.

“My condition has stabilized, more or less. I still want to help the Nameless Knight to guarantee my safety but I can’t force it. Staying in Wilsden would be my best bet for now.”

After he was finished talking, he gave Elyna an inquisitive look as if he wanted to hear about her plans too.

“I’m staying here too. The Sanguis Family will probably send people after me, so I can’t be alone. I already spoke to Julie.”

Elyna stood up and walked towards the door.

“Wait…”

“Hm?”

“So, this is it?”

“We can still help each other. You and Julie have travelled together for a bit so you can probably put in a good word-”

“No. You’re on your own, Feylord.” Elyna let out a scoff before adding, “I mean, you literally have the Phoenix’ fire at your disposal. Why are you always seeking help instead of figuring things out yourself? It’s a bit pathetic.”

“Says you.”

Elyna let out a laugh in response as she left the room.

…

Gold City

Surrounded by dozens of Armans, all holding advanced firearms, Duke Terden Sidus was escorted inside the city proper and into the biggest spire.

Although he couldn’t get a proper look at everything, Terden was still amazed by how orderly the place was. The architecture was unique, the streets were interwoven and filled with many soldiers.

Its grand nature as a city notwithstanding, Terden perceived Gold City as an extravagant military encampment rather than a settlement meant for civilians.

There were several war-machinery stationed in key defensive points, though the bulk of them were positioned South, in the direction of the wall that failed to erect from under Hollow Creek.

Except for that ‘hole’, the rest of the city was truly impregnable, so much so that it put Blackcrest or any other major city to shame.

Not even the Imperial Capital had walls as thick and tall as the ones in Gold City, and that while excluding the foreign long-ranged artillery seen everywhere.

There might not be many Armans present, at least not enough to, in terms of manpower, contend against the Militant Legions or the Imperials, nevertheless, they had enough firepower to obliterate entire armies.

The walk to meet the Consul took almost half an hour, a period of time that could have been shortened if not for the fact that Terden’s escorts were purposely ordered to make him see what they had. It was a subtle warning not to try anything.

After all, the Duke might be one man, but he was still the Seat of War. As he was ‘inside’ Gold City, he could cause a bit of damage before being eliminated.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Welcome, Lord Terden Sidus.”

At last, Terden was facing Kirn Sparrow, who didn’t bother to cover his eyes anymore.

The two were in a small office that had a good view of the massive laboratory at the base of Alpha Tower.

The Duke didn’t understand what the massive capsules or most of the machinery here was meant for, however, he was still amazed by the sight.

“Please, sit.”

Kirn politely gestured for the Duke while smiling.

“First, I want to thank you for accepting my invitation and coming here. Alone, no less.”

Terden gave a grunt as a response, looking mildly uncomfortable. After much deliberation with Halric, he ended up coming here to discuss things with his potential collaborator, Kirn.

“Second, I want to apologise for attempting to take you along with the other Seats. My objective was to catch as many of the Seats as possible. I didn’t foresee the parasite to appear and help you.”

As he saw the Duke maintain his silence, Kirn continued,

“Truthfully, I expected Blackcrest to be shrouded by the Demon Lord’s plague. After that, I planned to completely destroy it. The appearance of a Fire Spirit and all the events that subsequently followed were surprising… but not unwelcome.”

“What exactly do you want from me?”

“Why, cooperation, of course! The addition of an ally such as yourself will be a great boon to Us.”

“Us?”

“Us Armans. The rise of Gold City was a meticulous plan that spanned decades. We are going to war, Lord Sidus. The past will repeat itself and everyone will gang up on us, however, this time… this time, we will emerge victorious.”

Noticing himself becoming slightly emotional, Kirn cleared his throat and leaned back against his chair.

“Pardon my unbridled enthusiasm. What I want to say is this: We would very much appreciate your help, Lord Sidus. In return, we will help you rebuild Blackcrest. It will be part of the Arman Empire and you will resume your rule over it.”

Before Terden could say anything, Terden quickly added,

“It is either this or letting it fade into the river of time. With our technology, Blackcrest could be made better than ever before. Plus, you know as much as I do that the Militant Syndicate will not take you back, not without subjecting you to restrictions and punishments.”

“You are asking me to wage against my own nation. My people.”

“I-no… we are asking you to help mitigate damages. Imagine it, Lord Sidus, a single nation that spans the entire world. Everyone united under a single standard. No slavery, no racism, no discrimination. Isn’t this better than the current status quo? Where the petty rulers are vying for lands and powers while the citizenry and soldiers are made to suffer and kill each other?”

“You want peace yet you’re using war to achieve it.” Retorted Sidus, clearly unfazed by the Consul’s words.

“Our goal is not to raze cities to the ground or kill any and all enemies. What is the point of a nation if everyone in it is dead.”

“That’s sophistry. Don’t think I haven’t heard of what befell the Daggerstow Fortress.”

Kirn sighed and shook his head, “That was to warn our enemies. I am not wont to choose the sword over the olive branch, but it is a pity men are loath to accept one without first being shown the other.”

Terden didn’t answer. He just sat there, in a deep silence.

“I’ll give you time to think about it, Lord Sidus. I’ve arranged a room for you. Please enjoy your time here and look around as much as you can.”

…

35 Hours 22 minutes until the arrival of Eliminator

“Arthur! Help me!”

Arthur’s eyes flung open, his body turning into mist and swiftly exiting the tent. In an instant, he was already outside, ready to face whatever dangers he had expected to find.

The green mist spread at an incredible speed, covering their entire ‘camp’ and even further beyond, however, after a few seconds, Arthur materialised and the Mist of Decay vanished.

“What’s going on?”

He stood in front of Chris, who was cowering while looking at Lucy.

“She was about to attack!”

A couple of feet away, Lucy, whose hand emitted a frosty cold energy, glared at Chris.

“I told you to stop.”

“...”

Arthur looked at his friend, but the latter shook his head,

“I-I didn’t do anything!”

“He keeps leering at me and talking nonsense.”

“I was complimenting your beauty! What’s wrong with that?”

Arthur, who had been expecting a serious fight, rolled his eyes.

“If he keeps doing it, I’m going to kill him.” Stated Lucy while maintaining her piercing-cold glare.

“Just ignore him.”

“No.”

“You wanted to come with us. If you attack Chris or Charles, I’ll kill you.”

Lucy snorted but retracted her magic, though it was apparent she wasn’t pleased with any of this.

“And you… stop being such an ass.”

“What’s wrong with looking? Fuck! Talk about being sensitive.”

Chris shrugged his shoulders, unwilling to admit that this was his fault.

“She’s traveling with us for now but that doesn’t mean she’ll stay. Keep your distance and try not to talk to her. She seems to have a short fuse.”

Chris just clicked his tongue and begrudgingly nodded.

After a good night’s rest, the five of them were about to embark only for the sky to suddenly brighten.

Arthur immediately conjured a large barrier that surrounded them as the Mana in the air turned extremely turbulent.

Akin to a thunderclap, a pillar of light came from the South, traveling at a ludicrous speed. Even with the trees obstructing the view, all four of them saw a blinding radiance akin to a tsunami make its way towards them.

However, as it grew dangerously closer, it grew dimmer until it vanished.

A few seconds of tense silence before they regained their senses. Charles was lying on the ground protectively holding his head, his body trembling non-stop. Even Lucy was startled, her face paler than usual.

“What the fuck was that?!”

“I don’t know. Wait here.”

Arthur possessed the Little Bunting in his storage and flew into the canopy to get a better view.

There were no more signs of that pillar of light, and the rest of Greenbell Forest was peaceful.

[Magick Sense]

‘Something is happening in Wilsden… it’s similar to that night. Was it triggered by that light?’

“Did you see anything?”

Once Arthur was back, Chris approached him and worriedly asked.

“No, but we’re not staying here. Let’s move fast.”

Arthur’s hunch was correct. The situation was going to get worse for Wilsden and staying close to it would bring about certain doom.

He was worried for Julie, but he couldn’t risk going there now, even with the help of a flying host.

…

“A lot of people lost consciousness for a moment… w-what’s that?”

Unlike Aerin, who had reached to where the anomaly was the moment there was a second, stronger reaction, Julie had to deal with the aftermath.

This time, everyone in Wilsden was affected. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but the fear and anxiousness of the townspeople was unsurprising.

As she approached the minstrel and looked at the gaping hole under the manor, she saw a noticeable crack at the center.

It was minuscule, no longer than 1 centimeter in length and width, but it was visible even from a distance. It was slightly similar to a Spatial Tear, though its properties were clearly different.

“Now…” The man sighed, “Now I know what the anomaly is. I’m certain of it.”

“What is it?”

“Nihil.”

“Huh?”

Julie was evidently confused by his answer.

“I’ll explain it to you more, but first… you must evacuate everyone out of Wilsden. Do it fast, Miss Julie. I need to go somewhere.”

“Wait a minu-”

Aerin didn’t wait for her, he hastily took out a pouch and sprayed grey dust on himself, which made his body turn blurry then vanish.

33 Hours and 12 minutes until the arrival of Eliminator.