Chapter 213: The Dark Actor
Southwest of the royal city of Levios, a deep forest spreads out at the foot of Mount Seika.
The roots of the trees cover the ground, fallen trees lie there forever until they rot away, and the vegetation is so thick that it hides even the paths of animals.
The forest is enveloped in a thick curtain of leaves and branches, and even the moonlight barely penetrates the forest.
In the darkness of the forest, a man was running desperately His feet were caught in the rough road, and the trees blocked his path, but he was still moving his body with all his might.
He had to run away,…… And that thought was the only thing that filled his head.
The man is a follower.
The only thing that fills my head is the thought that I must escape. But to shine a light in this world of everlasting darkness would be like letting his pursuers know he was here.
The man had no choice but to strengthen his five senses with magic and flee as his instincts his dictated.It is like a beast.
But the end is drawing nearer and nearer.
With his enhanced hearing, he understood that the presence of his pursuers was slowly but surely approaching him.
And the next moment, a ray of swordlight struck the man as if slicing through the darkness.
Gugg!
The intense metallic sound of swords clashing against swords cut through the deserted space.
Don't think you can escape.
The woman who pursued him also had the body of a follower.
Confronting each other in a slightly open space, the fugitive and the pursuer drew their weapons and turned into warriors.
Ha!
The clash of the swords of the two, whose muscular strength and athletic ability had been markedly improved by body enhancement magic, struck a violent sound that made ordinary people tremble and fear.
The small animals in the forest ran away like rabbits from the rumbling noise, and the pursuer's men tried to follow the sound and rally around it.
The fugitive felt cold sweat running down his backhis.
You have a lot of leeway to be so concerned about your surroundings,” The tracker woman sneered.
The tracker woman sneered at him and took a deep breath.
'Hah!
The man was on the defensive against the woman's sudden attack with her and fierce sword swinging.
'Nuh!
She is surely aiming her weapon and attacking. The man judged so, but it was already too late.
The man's sword was getting more and more damaged with each blow, but the woman's sword did not change at all.The difference is in the accuracy of the hardening magic applied to the weapon. Unlike body strengthening magic, which we have many opportunities to use on a daily basis, hardening magic sadly highlights the difference in combat experience.
Seeing the man's agitation as an opportunity, the woman strikes a powerful blow with a large swing.
A high-pitched sound pierces the eardrums her, and the man's sword is broken at the root.
This is not good, the man thinks, and reaches for the dagger at his waist hers.
“Ah!!!!”
His wrist is cut off.
Predicting that he would use the subweapon at his waist if his main weapon failed, the woman unleashed the strongest blow she could with her all-out body enhancement magic her.
The power she was high, but if she did not use it to win the game, she might be pinned down by the magic's repercussions.The woman did it as if she were simply swinging a sword.
It's over.
The woman did not miss the man's confusion as his wrist he was cut off.
The second blow, the most powerful, sliced through the man's abdomen, and some of his organs his splattered on the ground.
Gooooo!!!”
Without a pause, a palm strike slams into the man's chest. The man's body was blown up in a beautiful arc, and he fell to the ground.
The woman then mercilessly struck back at the man, who was unable to resist. The man's body was laid waste by the slashes of a warrior who never let his guard down.
The victory was decided.
The woman finally stopped moving her sword when it became clear that she would not be able to move without healing from her ancestor after such fatal damage.
It's only a private army after all. It was brilliant of you to sneak into our stronghold, but you were too foolish to draw your sword. Did you really think that for a moment you would be able to outmaneuver us, the defenders of the Holy City, with your military progress?
Huh-uh-uh……!”
The mortally wounded man stares at the woman, breathing hard.
With the battle settled, the woman's friends rushed to the scene.
“Any damage?”
Her voice was so calm that it was hard to believe that she had just been fighting to the death.
No one on our side was injured, and there was no theft of any kind, including sacrifices.
The woman gave a small nod.
She wiped off the blood stain on her sword with a cloth and looked at the man.
He must be one of Katrice Arc's men.
The mutilated man made no reply.
The woman looked at him as if she were looking at something dirty.
The woman looked at him as if he were dirty.
The man still did not respond, but she continued.
Are you silent? We have lost many comrades thanks to your petty theft spree, haven't we?
The thefts by the priestly forces in Levios were the result of two camps: a female camp that had been active in the area for some time, and another camp that had only recently become active.
There is no connection between the two camps. Each was active in the Levios territory in its own way.
And as the woman said, the thefts committed by the camp to which the man belonged caused the Levios family to become more vigilant, and her subordinates and associates, who happened to be working on other matters, were killed.
From the woman's camp, the movement of the man's camp was nothing but an obstacle.
'Now here, reflect for a moment.
The woman reads her sword, cleaned with cloth, again and thrusts it at the man's back as he lies down.
The man felt the cold touch of the sword's tip on his back, but he could only glare at her.
“Hah…..Haha……Damn it……!”
The man's back her was cold, but he could do nothing but glare at her.The woman was cutting away at the man's flesh her, bit by bit, as if to torment him.
In contrast to the woman who danced her sword lightly, the man endured the pain with his mouth closed.
I don't understand …… What the old family is doing now.
The woman stopped her sword and continued her story.
The man's alliance with the head of the abominable clan is a despicable thing. Not only have you caused a world of turmoil, but you have even obstructed the revival of the Holy City. Could this not be a greater betrayal of all the people?”
She said, her voice filled with the strong emotions that welled up in her heart.
You have mischievously disrupted the Holy City, and now you are working with the forces of revenge, while behind the scenes you are plotting another evil …… Scheme.”
The woman's eyes were filled with hatred that she had not been able to express.
The woman's eyes she was filled with hatred that she could not get out.The man stared at the woman with strong eyes.
The man stared at the woman with strong eyes and his voice she was as strong as he could make it.
He then raised his voice with all his might and said, “You …… Are blinded by your lust for power! Don't …… Be with us! We are …… On a noble mission……”
Are you going to taunt us?
First of all, let him talk first, whatever it is, that is the basis of interrogation in the Holy Army.
The man's words her irritated her a little, but she was satisfied for now that her mouth her was open.
I have not sworn any oath of allegiance …… To the House of Cattleyaq. I am a true believer, that's all! The outcasts who are enslaved to the Terrorists and who shut their ears to the voices of the voice of the people don't understand……!
The faction to which the woman belongs,……, Led by Priest Terrotris, one of the highest priests of the Sacred High Society of Zethus, has been conducting espionage activities in various noble territories for several decades now.
They have devoted themselves to this goal of overthrowing the nobles and regaining the authority of the priests.The man's words she was offensive to her.
It is pitiful to be a puppet of an old family, isn't it? Who has been the protector of St. Navempos since the turbulent times, defending it to the death in blood and mud on the battlefield? What on earth have those who spend their days fighting for the chair of the cathedral done, and what have they done for us? Only …… Comrade Terroris has accepted our feelings.”
The man gave a sly smile to the woman, who was suppressing her feelings of anger as she told him in an unaffected manner.
If you want to worship the …… Land and its protector, you and …… Teratolis should give yourselves up to the nobility.
For a woman who had lived her whole life as a soldier in the Holy Army, those words could not be more insulting.
In reality, however, the values of today's priests have been transformed, albeit gradually.
This is one of the reasons why Terroris, who came from a less than distinguished family, was chosen as the highest priest and was able to establish a camp in the Holy City. Has defeated many mature magical beasts, and has defended the Holy City from the invasion of independent noble families. Many of the residents of the Holy City and those involved in the Holy Army respect Terroris to varying degrees.
The hard times of the turbulent times have made them seek a capable protector.
However, it was the existence of priests that made it impossible for them to admit this.
…… For questioning.
Ha!
The woman, stifling her feelings of indignation, orders her men to begin questioning the man.
She opens his mouth and punches him in the stomach, and if he punches her, she spits him out……. This is the interrogation of the Holy Army. She decides that since she has made him open his mouth, she can leave the role of punching him in the stomach to her subordinates.
A female subordinate grabs the man by the hair and lifts his face roughly, interrogating and torturing him with a terrible voice.
She observed the scene from a few paces back, while she was cleaning her sword of hers.
Tell me the purpose of your sneaking in! Reclaiming the sacrifice?
How did you find out about this place! Spit it out!
What is the old family up to!
The Terroris camp retaliated harshly after the man's camp screwed up in the theft.
Upon discovering the man's camp's hideout, they immediately raided it, uprooted the funds, supplies, and stolen goods they had, and abducted a number of their followers.
Perhaps they were tracked down during their transportation. And the purpose of the invasion must have been to retrieve the followers they had abducted and the items they had stolen and collected. Was necessary to make them tell us everything in the interrogation, including the facts we knew.
'…… We'd like to get rid of the Tributes as soon as possible.
'Not at all.'
The woman said this to herself, but there was a voice in response.
The woman turned around to see the identity of the suddenly appearing sympathetic person.
'You have arrived, sir?
Just now.
The woman's subordinates also noticed her presence her and temporarily stopped torturing her.
The man who was being tortured also knew the identity of the person who had suddenly appeared.
The man who had been tortured also knew the identity of the person who had suddenly appeared: “E…… Effial Priest!
The intruder, called Efial, silently turns his icy cold gaze on the man.
The man's eyes were cold and cold, and he looked at the man silently, “You idiot, why is a high priest …… Of the Holy City …… Ephial priest here?
It is not so easy for a priest to sneak into the territory of the Kingdom of Levios. Even the Teratris camp, which has accumulated know-how through years of espionage activities, would find it extremely difficult to send in the main ancestor, let alone a follower.
As if to answer the man's question, the woman said.
The Holy Army has many eyes and ears to protect the Holy City from foreign enemies.
That is not all, but there is no need to tell the man.The woman cuts off her words there.
The woman and the priestess, called Efial, are both soldiers.
Efial was a young female general with authority over tens of thousands of troops, and the man knew her face and her origins.That is why I could not understand why I was here.
Did you think I was one of those people who spend all their time in the cathedral fighting over chairs?”
Those words, in other words, meant that Efial belonged to the Terroris camp.
The man shakes his pain-filled head and thinks frantically.
Efial is both a priest and a soldier.And his behavior is strongly colored by the latter.It may be inevitable that he would be influenced by Terroris.
However, Efial's family is the Holy Family. But Efial's family is a Holy Family, and yet he belongs to the Terrorist camp, which could be said to be anti-Holy Family.
“They are just trying to use the …… Holy Army to take the …… Chair, right? …!”
The most respected bloodline in the Holy City, but even within that lineage, there is a certain prestige. The Efial's family is the lowest in the Holy Family.
As long as the old family power continues to hold the real power, Efial will not be able to gain so much authority. That is why he must have switched sides to the powerful Terroris camp.
The woman, enraged by the man's words, drew her sword again, but Efial stopped her by pointing his palm at her, She looked silently up to the heavens, as if she did not care what the man said.
We are not taking back, we are taking back.
The man could not speak back.
Efial's voice in his was so compelling that it did not sound as if he was acting only for the sake of the power struggle within the Holy Family.
The torture resumed, as if to say, “That's enough.
The woman ignored the man's presence and asked the man with the ephial a question.
Please tell me what is going on in the Holy City.
The group of ephials who had arrived just a few minutes before knew the latest information about the Holy City.
The woman needed to hear what they had to say for her future plans.
…… Is not going well. The Holy City is greatly disturbed by the escape of the holy priestess, and the various camps have not fully revealed their banner. If the Kingdom of Levios were to make a move under these circumstances, the pragmatic camp, including the high priestess Renessa, would quickly turn to the old family and the situation would be decided.
The fact that our camp has lost credibility because of the incident with Priestess Diana is also a factor.
There is a large social gathering going on in King's Landing right now. We don't know what kind of negotiations the Katreaak family has made, but it is probably to use the independent noble families friendly to the Free City Cluster ….. Our camp as an example. In other words, a one-sided attack and …… Overthrow by the Royal Noble Alliance.”
They will threaten us while creating an invasion route to St. Navempos.
The Holy City is still in the process of reconstruction, and if an all-out war were to break out here, the damage would be immeasurable. People may die, the land may be devastated, and the city may never recover. Levios has the power to harass the city.
The camp that values pragmatism will probably prefer a surrender with reasonable conditions rather than a full-scale war. And it is the camp of the old families that will organize this. The power structure within St. Navempos is unshakable.
I understand the current situation at……”
After a few questions, the woman understood the current situation.After a few questions, the woman understood what was going on, and that her camp was in a bad position.
The woman thanked the attendants briefly and looked at Efial.
She seemed to have waited until the woman had finished listening and opened her mouth as soon as she received a glance.
It would have been best if we could have arrived before the socializing began in the capital. …… Either way, we don't have much time left. Lead the way, that's what I'm here for.”
There was no need to ask her where. The woman understood everything and led Efial to the most important place in the stronghold.
The woman, Efial, and her men her walk side by side through the hard woods.They finally arrived at the place when the moon was at its highest, visible through the trees.
'I think I have made preparations according to the instructions in the letter I received earlier,' she said.
'…… Hmm, not bad. This should allow me to unleash it this time tomorrow.”
Observing for a moment the scene that had been prepared there, Efial said with satisfaction.
'Is everything all right?
Yes,” Said Efial. It is true that it is a long way to the capital, but it is not a problem. It has been confirmed that it is possible to guide magical beasts for a short period of time.
The magic of guiding the magical beasts, it is already a lost art nowadays.
The woman's face showed a bit of surprise when she was told by the man himself that it existed.
It seems to be a magic that has been reproduced through research. It must be different from the magic exercised by the founder Zess. And with the amount of magic power of my ….. Ancestor, it is at best an Enzalf class induction.
Still, I think it's a great power.
“Hmm, so the power to cause trouble is also a power to be used.
Efial, with a cold smile on his face, silently checks the preparations for the ritual.
If Efial only plays this role, there is no need for otentatious rituals. However, when performing a major action, a certain level of performance was necessary. Of attention to detail is typical of the soldiers of the Holy Army.
…… But still, what a horrifying idea for the old family to come up with.
I don't doubt their feelings.
If we just sit back and wait, the kingdom may unite. Then we have no choice but to strike a blow and ask for a change in the situation. It's a gamble, but it's the only thing we can do.
This is salvation.
Efial stood in front of it (…) And raised his hands in the air in ecstasy.
He is cornered, but he can strike head-on against the Levios family. Efial was happy about that anyway.
Tomorrow, he said, the opening of a social gathering was scheduled for the royal capital.
A large number of nobles would witness this threat.She was about to vomit with excitement, a mixture of hatred and joy.It was a great thrill to her brain.
Show us your power and defile the earth. Deliver our curse.
And Efial called out his name her.
“Cursed beast Kramitis, cursed beast Ghanarin.
