After Serciarin left, the two men remained in the room.
Armstrong observed the Duke for a while.
“My Lord, what are you thinking of doing now?” he warily inquired.
Duke Agnes remained silent.
“I don’t know what was going through the Princess’s mind when she came here, but one thing is certain,” Armstrong persisted. “There are people who have caught onto our plans. And of those people, one of them is...”
Armstrong grimaced. The word “Emperor” was caught in his throat, leaving his sentence unfinished.
“We don’t know how much we’ve been compromised,” he continued. “In this situation, it’s too risky to continue. I think it’s best to put our plans on hold for the time being and—”
“As I've stated previously,” Duke Agnus interrupted, his eyes suddenly bright, “The plans won’t change.”
“Then—”
“From this point forward, the entire duchy and its vassals will be summoned and issued a notice of conscription.”
Armstrong's brows furrowed.
“Their destination is the Great Kraden Plains. While I’m carrying out the Imperial Order in Reinhardt, you will lead the troops.”
“You mean...?”
At Armstrong’s question, Duke Agnus’s eyes went cold.
“Isn’t the Agnus Duchy a place where even if you know the strength, you can’t win against; the best family on the continent that can block any enemies with absolute force? Isn’t that what we’ve been working on for so long? For the Greatness of the Agnus Duchy?”
Duke Agnus turned around as he continued talking.
“Do not fret. Do not be afraid. I, the Duke of Agnus, will be with you wherever you may be.”
With those words, he walked toward the door.
Armstrong clenched his fists.
‘That’s right. What do I have to be afraid of? The Dark God—one who has reached the absolute top—is here.’Discover new chapters at novel35.com
“As soon as preparations are complete, report to me immediately.”
“Yes, My Lord!”
***
“Aden is most likely thinking the same thing as me.”
“Your Majesty?” Duke Tremblin stared back at the Emperor blankly. He couldn’t comprehend his words. “It might be presumptuous of me, Your Majesty, but I don’t quite get—”
“Keke. How absurd. I cannot believe that there aren’t enough foxes in politics.”
“....”
“Instead, we have people who think ‘That’s impossible’ with things that are very predictable.”
“But Your Majesty, I...”
“I offered Aden a chance to stop being hesitant.”
“...?” Tremblin gave the Emperor a confused look.
“Are you familiar with Rigveda’s Withdrawal?”
Shock took over Duke Tremblin’s expression as he processed the Emperor's voice.
“Rigveda’s... Withdrawal!” Duke Tremblin muttered.
Fully understanding his reaction required some historical context—the story of the Avalon Empire’s beginnings on the continent. The people of Avalon called it “Heaven’s Will,” but other countries saw it as the exact opposite of heaven’s will.
They saw it as a rebellion.
“The reason the previous kingdom Asgard, once known as a prosperous kingdom, collapsed was because of one reason,” Emperor Marcus intoned in a low voice. “At the end of that dynasty, King Kunir, had a vision like I do right now. That is...to rule all of the continent.”
“....”
“Asgard had the power to do so; after all, they were called the strongest on the continent. Not to mention, King Kunir had a great weapon.”
“Was it...”
Emperor Marcus gave a knowing nod to Duke Tremblin, who appeared to understand the situation.
“Aden had his way with her, and she gave birth to a bastard, Joshua Sanders.”
“My God...” Duke Tremblin gaped in disbelief.
“A few days ago, when Aden was away, she came to me and begged for help to save her child. A brother who’s only treated his sister badly... At the very least, I should listen to her request, right? Hahahaha!”
Emperor Marcus laughed for a long time, and after he had his fill, he stopped.
“Aden is a scary man. He’s been hiding his dark intentions for years now just, all for his revenge.”
“....”
“Maybe he has been thinking about this for a long time now, punishing the Brittens who made his mother like that. Maybe he wanted us to pay the same way.... Just like Rigveda...” the Emperor mumbled to himself. “But what is he going to do now? I know everything.”
“....”
“I’m sure he thought everything was prepared. He was probably banking on having his son finish if he failed. Ha... Aden, is that why you pretended you didn’t want war when you secretly did want it to happen?”
“Your Majesty...”
“GWAHAHAHAHAHA!” Emperor Marcus laughed maniacally. “I’ll take this opportunity to show you that the name Agnus will never be as special as Britten! In the Great Plains of Kraden, the reign of the Dark God will disappear into the annals of history!”
Emperor Marcus’s voice rang throughout the Great Hall.
***
With a deafening rumble, the Tower that seemed to stab the clouds began to tilt.
The Tower of Trials had been made so long ago that no one even knew how it had come into being.
Theta stared in disbelief as the structure swayed precariously, threatening to topple over at any minute.
“I can’t... believe it,” he said, slack-jawed.
The Tower of Trials could weather any attack. But what was happening right now?
- Is this the time to climb the Tower ever so calmly, Child of Elenburs, and the Master of the Sole Darkness?
“...!” Joshua and the others looked up toward the sky in the direction of the voice.
Iceline was the first to speak. “That can’t...”
Iceline thought it was nighttime when she first came out of the Tower, but it was clear to her then that it wasn’t night at all. The being covered the entire sky; that shadowy figure in the sky was responsible for the darkness.
- Even now, no one is allowed to reach the peak of this structure.
Joshua stepped forward, wearing a grimace.
“Who made that call?”
- I don’t think this is the time for you to be fighting with me.
“Huh?”
- Go back to where you belong.
“What do you mean”
- The entire continent is going to be a sea of blood soon. Places like the human settlements or Elven Forest where you spent your childhood won’t be safe from it.
“...!”
- Joshua Sanders.
“You—”
- If you wish to ascend the Tower again later, I won't stand in your way.
After Krevas saw that Joshua kept his mouth shut, he began to flap his wings.
- We will talk in the future, Master of the Sole Darkness.
“....”
- Choose between ignoring my counsel and resuming your ascent of the Tower, or returning to where we were and continuing our relationship as it was.
Joshua remained silent for some time before he finally responded to Krevas.