༺ Lake Granice (3) ༻
Vera walked towards the lake.
No, to be precise, he walked toward the old man who was gazing at the lake.
He had a large figure that defied human standards, his white hair fluttering in the wind.
And his worn-out priestly robes.
“What are you doing?”
Vera’s master and the current Holy Emperor, Vargo, was there.
Vargo turned his head toward Vera.
An ill-tempered expression briefly flickered in his deeply sunken eyes.
“How did the meeting go?”
The question was about the meeting that had just concluded.
Vera moved next to Vargo and looked at the lake as he replied.
“I took control.”
“What about the lake?”
“There was no significant progress. The only thing we’ve figured out is that the spirits in the lake are not missing.”
Vera’s eyes narrowed.
His superhuman body allowed him to clearly make out a distant, blurry flagpole.
“The spirits are trapped in the castle below. That’s what the elementalists concluded.”
“They’re better than wizards or sorcerers, it seems.”
“Do you agree with them?”
“Don’t you see it?”
A crooked smile appeared on Vargo’s lips.
Vera sighed deeply and responded.
“…You’ve seen it through the God’s Eye.”
Even without a lengthy explanation, Vera knew.
He knew that the landscape that Vargo saw through God’s Eye was different from what they saw.
“What do you see?”
“I see something real, and also something disgusting.”
Vargo’s eyes sunk even deeper.
His tone was laced with an indescribable sense of revulsion.
“It’s filthy and hideous. There’s no pattern or direction. Just as it is written in the memoir, it is an unholy and false idol.”
“So you’re saying that it is Alaysia?”
“Yes.”
Tsk, tsk, Vargo clicked his tongue.
In his blazing, blood-red retinas, countless lives cried out in agony and despair.
“They’ve been ensnared horribly.”
Vargo thought.
“We can’t delay any longer. Go summon the elementalists, punk. And while you’re at it, bring the wizards and sorcerers as well.”
They needed to break it down as soon as possible in order to silence those screams.
Vera’s expression hardened in response to his stern tone.
Vera nodded slightly, turned around, and headed in the direction of the barracks.
***
The spellcasters investigating the lake had all gathered in one place.
All of them seemed tense, their inner feelings consumed by fear.
There was no other reason.
The elderly man standing before them was the source of their unease.
Vargo St. Lore, the Mace of the Lord.
Since he broke the silence after fifty years, it would be strange if anyone could maintain their composure in his presence.
This was a fear that particularly gripped the older spellcasters.
It was a kind of fear known particularly well by those who had lived through that era.
Amidst the tense atmosphere, Vargo spoke.
“First, I want to thank everyone for their efforts in the investigation.”
The slight smile that accompanied his words was clearly meant to acknowledge their hard work.
However, no one smiled in return.
Considering the rumors about Vera’s anger, there was a likely possibility that this was sarcasm.
“Those responsible, step forward.”
Vargo’s words caused three people to stiffen.
El Claire, the Head of the Imperial Wizards.
Miller, the Head Professor at Tellon Academy.
And Pelle, who led the Elementalists.
All three moved forward with a tense expression.
Vargo chuckled at their expressions but soon offered them welcoming words.
“I didn’t summon you to scold you, so relax. Are you really trembling in front of an old man like me?”
As they were thinking that the term ’old man’ could not be more inappropriate for him, Vargo continued.
“I just want to clarify one thing. Professor, your name is Miller, right?”
“Yes, yes…!”
“What’s the reason you haven’t figured out what’s happening in the lake?”
Cold sweat broke out from Miller’s forehead.
He felt a sense of crisis by the question pointed at him.
‘Vera’s master…!’
What did that mean?
Wasn’t this the person Vera, who has a foul temper, respected?
Answering incorrectly here could have unimaginable repercussions.
Miller stood stiffly.
His voice was filled with a nervous energy reminiscent of a new recruit on the front lines.
“It’s the surface! The surface of the lake itself is enchanted, making it difficult to investigate what lies beneath!”
“Enchanted?”
“Yes…! We don’t know the exact basis, but we believe that the spirits below are responsible for this. Ms. Pelle!”
Miller passed the baton to Pelle.
Pelle, an elegant woman who had just entered her 30s, looked quite pale as she fidgeted.
Shortly after, she glanced briefly at Miller, lowered her head, and spoke.
“W-well, the presence of spirits is certain. The enchantment covering the surface resembles the sensory hindrance spells we commonly use. I don’t know what kind of spirit it is and why they are aiding in this… but the source of the enchantment is certain.”
“Do the spirits you have contracts with say anything else?”
Pelle shook her head.
“…They are reluctant to even go near the lake. If I try to force them, they create a ruckus and start crying. Spirits have the intelligence level of a four-year-old child, so rational persuasion is impossible.”
“I see.”
Vargo stroked his beard while looking at the lake.
Then, he suddenly spoke.
“What if, just what if…”
“Yes?”
“If the water is the problem, then what if we remove it? Would you be able to understand the true nature of the castle then?”
It was a question that stupefied anybody who heard it.
The one who answered was El Claire, the head of the Imperial Wizards.
“It’s… it’s possible! With sufficient preparation, we could learn a lot from even a brief moment of observation!”
Vargo’s eyebrows lifted at the old wizard’s loud proclamation.
“That’s what I’m saying.”
A sly smile appeared on Vargo’s face.
It was a smile that seemed somewhat dangerous.
At that, the three of them flinched, and Vera stiffened.
‘Don’t tell me…’
Vera felt a chill run down his spine.
“Your Holiness, don’t…”
“Step aside.”
The moment Vera tried to say something, Vargo unfolded his arms.
Whaaaak—!
And then, he unleashed a crimson divinity.
Everyone present held their breath.
They instinctively shrank back due to the divinity that far surpassed their perception.
They felt like frogs standing before a snake.
Among them, the only one unaffected was Vera, who sighed deeply and spoke to the stiffened trio.
“…Be prepared. His Holiness will pave the way.”
Their eyes shifted towards Vera.
And then it went back towards Vargo, who was clenching his entire muscular body which was enveloped in crimson divinity.
A massive figure over 2 meters tall, his intimidating muscles bulging even through his clothes.
And the terrifying mace forming in his hand.
They all realized at the same time.
What Vargo was trying to do.
He was planning to blow up the lake.
He was planning to strike the largest lake on the continent, Lake Granice.
To clear their view.
Although it sounded absurd, they instinctively considered it feasible.
“Hurry!”
Vera shouted.
The three were startled and began leading their groups.
Dozens of people started moving frantically.
Dozens of spell formations emerged into the air.
They started to weave together, intertwining to form a giant telescope.
“We’re ready, Your Holiness! Once the path opens, the information will be captured in this spell!”
Miller spoke.
Vargo nodded his head.
“Let’s see…”
He gripped the mace with both hands and twisted his waist.
He spread his legs shoulder-width apart, then bent them.
In a posture as if he was about to strike something.
Vargo’s eyes flared red.
“Let’s go.”
The words were followed by a blast of crimson light.
—–!
There was a deafening roar.
A massive explosion that seemed to erase existence itself.
Along with it, a terrifying discharge of energy.
While everyone present felt their bodies freeze in place, the spell formations prepared in advance by the spellcasters operated and began to radiate a strange light.
Click—
Such noise was made amidst the tinnitus.
A brief moment, seeming like an eternity, followed.
The sorcerers stared blankly at the path that had opened in the middle of the lake, and Vera stared at the fortress beyond.
Immediately after…
Whoosh—!
With a roar, the lake water covered the path.
***
“…Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?”
“What are you talking about?”
“That you were going to do such a thing.”
Back at Elia’s barracks.
Vera sipped his tea while glaring at Vargo, who was patting his waist.
“You showed off too much.”
Vera was still shaken by the sudden release of divinity.
He spoke while shaking off the lingering tension in his body, and Vargo chuckled.
“You wouldn’t have been affected too much.”
“That’s not the issue, it’s the spellcasters. Thankfully, it was an automated observation spell. Otherwise, it might have been more than just giving them a scare.”
“That’s not so bad either. Isn’t it helpful for the control you’re so concerned about?”
A sigh escaped from Vera’s mouth.
“…In any case, thank you for your hard work.”
“Yeah, when will the results be out?”
“Within an hour, they said. The analysis itself won’t take long.”
Vargo’s hand swept the teacup.
His sunken eyes gazed deeply into the light ripples forming within the teacup for a long while before shifting to Vera.
“Did you see it?”
It was a question without a subject.
Yet, Vera understood exactly what he meant.
Vera nodded.
The image of the castle that had been revealed filled his mind.
“…It was an inverted cross.”
The inverted cross was lodged in the center of the castle’s main body.
Vera frowned as he recalled it, and Vargo nodded in response.
“Yes, it’s a symbol of blasphemy.”
The inverted cross had been a symbol of unfaithfulness since ancient times.
The cross signified the completeness of the Gods.
Inverting it was a kind of insult representing the fall of heaven, an expression of apostasy.
“Alaysia is committing blasphemy against divinity.”
The purpose of the castle was now pretty clear to the both of them.
“That castle itself must have been built to desecrate the divinity of this land.”
Vera’s expression twisted.
Vargo, too, had an angry look on his face.
“The castle itself is said to be alive.”
“Yes, they said there’s flesh embedded beneath the outer walls.”
“What could that mean?”
“It’s a human sacrifice.”
A long sigh escaped Vera’s lips.
Vera was someone who knew about these kinds of rituals.
“It’s an act of apostasy. It was rampant at the end of the Age of Gods.”
“So it’s her doing, after all.”
Vargo and Vera’s gaze simultaneously turned towards the lake.
Shortly after, Vargo muttered.
“She’s been preparing for this since then.”
A castle made from human flesh.
A blasphemous, inverted cross.
And Alaysia, scheming within it.
They thought about how long she had been preparing this.
Alongside it rose anger.
As emotions of indescribable wrath boiled within them, their expressions became more grim.
[Are you angry?]
A seemingly hollow voice echoed in their heads and shook the both of them.
Flinch—
Vera’s body trembled, and Vargo’s eyes widened.
Their gazes shifted towards a single direction.
What they found there was…
“…A dog?”
“…A puppy.”
A black puppy.
It was wobbling towards Vera’s feet.
Why a puppy?
Just as Vera was pondering about it, his eyes focused on the dog and he froze.
It was for no other reason.
The puppy had two unusual features that he recognized.
“…Gorgan.”
A golden pupil on its forehead, and a snow-white arm wrapped around its neck like a necklace.
[…Hello.]
The Wave of Despair, Gorgan.
He waved a white hand over his immaculate fur, which was the complete opposite of the despair he supposedly embodied.
༺ Lake Granice (3) ༻
Vera walked towards the lake.
No, to be precise, he walked toward the old man who was gazing at the lake.
He had a large figure that defied human standards, his white hair fluttering in the wind.
And his worn-out priestly robes.
“What are you doing?”
Vera’s master and the current Holy Emperor, Vargo, was there.
Vargo turned his head toward Vera.
An ill-tempered expression briefly flickered in his deeply sunken eyes.
“How did the meeting go?”
The question was about the meeting that had just concluded.
Vera moved next to Vargo and looked at the lake as he replied.
“I took control.”
“What about the lake?”
“There was no significant progress. The only thing we’ve figured out is that the spirits in the lake are not missing.”
Vera’s eyes narrowed.
His superhuman body allowed him to clearly make out a distant, blurry flagpole.
“The spirits are trapped in the castle below. That’s what the elementalists concluded.”
“They’re better than wizards or sorcerers, it seems.”
“Do you agree with them?”
“Don’t you see it?”
A crooked smile appeared on Vargo’s lips.
Vera sighed deeply and responded.
“…You’ve seen it through the God’s Eye.”
Even without a lengthy explanation, Vera knew.
He knew that the landscape that Vargo saw through God’s Eye was different from what they saw.
“What do you see?”
“I see something real, and also something disgusting.”
Vargo’s eyes sunk even deeper.
His tone was laced with an indescribable sense of revulsion.
“It’s filthy and hideous. There’s no pattern or direction. Just as it is written in the memoir, it is an unholy and false idol.”
“So you’re saying that it is Alaysia?”
“Yes.”
Tsk, tsk, Vargo clicked his tongue.
In his blazing, blood-red retinas, countless lives cried out in agony and despair.
“They’ve been ensnared horribly.”
Vargo thought.
“We can’t delay any longer. Go summon the elementalists, punk. And while you’re at it, bring the wizards and sorcerers as well.”
They needed to break it down as soon as possible in order to silence those screams.
Vera’s expression hardened in response to his stern tone.
Vera nodded slightly, turned around, and headed in the direction of the barracks.
***
The spellcasters investigating the lake had all gathered in one place.
All of them seemed tense, their inner feelings consumed by fear.
There was no other reason.
The elderly man standing before them was the source of their unease.
Vargo St. Lore, the Mace of the Lord.
Since he broke the silence after fifty years, it would be strange if anyone could maintain their composure in his presence.
This was a fear that particularly gripped the older spellcasters.
It was a kind of fear known particularly well by those who had lived through that era.
Amidst the tense atmosphere, Vargo spoke.
“First, I want to thank everyone for their efforts in the investigation.”
The slight smile that accompanied his words was clearly meant to acknowledge their hard work.
However, no one smiled in return.
Considering the rumors about Vera’s anger, there was a likely possibility that this was sarcasm.
“Those responsible, step forward.”
Vargo’s words caused three people to stiffen.
El Claire, the Head of the Imperial Wizards.
Miller, the Head Professor at Tellon Academy.
And Pelle, who led the Elementalists.
All three moved forward with a tense expression.
Vargo chuckled at their expressions but soon offered them welcoming words.
“I didn’t summon you to scold you, so relax. Are you really trembling in front of an old man like me?”
As they were thinking that the term ’old man’ could not be more inappropriate for him, Vargo continued.
“I just want to clarify one thing. Professor, your name is Miller, right?”
“Yes, yes…!”
“What’s the reason you haven’t figured out what’s happening in the lake?”
Cold sweat broke out from Miller’s forehead.
He felt a sense of crisis by the question pointed at him.
‘Vera’s master…!’
What did that mean?
Wasn’t this the person Vera, who has a foul temper, respected?
Answering incorrectly here could have unimaginable repercussions.
Miller stood stiffly.
His voice was filled with a nervous energy reminiscent of a new recruit on the front lines.
“It’s the surface! The surface of the lake itself is enchanted, making it difficult to investigate what lies beneath!”
“Enchanted?”
“Yes…! We don’t know the exact basis, but we believe that the spirits below are responsible for this. Ms. Pelle!”
Miller passed the baton to Pelle.
Pelle, an elegant woman who had just entered her 30s, looked quite pale as she fidgeted.
Shortly after, she glanced briefly at Miller, lowered her head, and spoke.
“W-well, the presence of spirits is certain. The enchantment covering the surface resembles the sensory hindrance spells we commonly use. I don’t know what kind of spirit it is and why they are aiding in this… but the source of the enchantment is certain.”
“Do the spirits you have contracts with say anything else?”
Pelle shook her head.
“…They are reluctant to even go near the lake. If I try to force them, they create a ruckus and start crying. Spirits have the intelligence level of a four-year-old child, so rational persuasion is impossible.”
“I see.”
Vargo stroked his beard while looking at the lake.
Then, he suddenly spoke.
“What if, just what if…”
“Yes?”
“If the water is the problem, then what if we remove it? Would you be able to understand the true nature of the castle then?”
It was a question that stupefied anybody who heard it.
The one who answered was El Claire, the head of the Imperial Wizards.
“It’s… it’s possible! With sufficient preparation, we could learn a lot from even a brief moment of observation!”
Vargo’s eyebrows lifted at the old wizard’s loud proclamation.
“That’s what I’m saying.”
A sly smile appeared on Vargo’s face.
It was a smile that seemed somewhat dangerous.
At that, the three of them flinched, and Vera stiffened.
‘Don’t tell me…’
Vera felt a chill run down his spine.
“Your Holiness, don’t…”
“Step aside.”
The moment Vera tried to say something, Vargo unfolded his arms.
Whaaaak—!
And then, he unleashed a crimson divinity.
Everyone present held their breath.
They instinctively shrank back due to the divinity that far surpassed their perception.
They felt like frogs standing before a snake.
Among them, the only one unaffected was Vera, who sighed deeply and spoke to the stiffened trio.
“…Be prepared. His Holiness will pave the way.”
Their eyes shifted towards Vera.
And then it went back towards Vargo, who was clenching his entire muscular body which was enveloped in crimson divinity.
A massive figure over 2 meters tall, his intimidating muscles bulging even through his clothes.
And the terrifying mace forming in his hand.
They all realized at the same time.
What Vargo was trying to do.
He was planning to blow up the lake.
He was planning to strike the largest lake on the continent, Lake Granice.
To clear their view.
Although it sounded absurd, they instinctively considered it feasible.
“Hurry!”
Vera shouted.
The three were startled and began leading their groups.
Dozens of people started moving frantically.
Dozens of spell formations emerged into the air.
They started to weave together, intertwining to form a giant telescope.
“We’re ready, Your Holiness! Once the path opens, the information will be captured in this spell!”
Miller spoke.
Vargo nodded his head.
“Let’s see…”
He gripped the mace with both hands and twisted his waist.
He spread his legs shoulder-width apart, then bent them.
In a posture as if he was about to strike something.
Vargo’s eyes flared red.
“Let’s go.”
The words were followed by a blast of crimson light.
—–!
There was a deafening roar.
A massive explosion that seemed to erase existence itself.
Along with it, a terrifying discharge of energy.
While everyone present felt their bodies freeze in place, the spell formations prepared in advance by the spellcasters operated and began to radiate a strange light.
Click—
Such noise was made amidst the tinnitus.
A brief moment, seeming like an eternity, followed.
The sorcerers stared blankly at the path that had opened in the middle of the lake, and Vera stared at the fortress beyond.
Immediately after…
Whoosh—!
With a roar, the lake water covered the path.
***
“…Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?”
“What are you talking about?”
“That you were going to do such a thing.”
Back at Elia’s barracks.
Vera sipped his tea while glaring at Vargo, who was patting his waist.
“You showed off too much.”
Vera was still shaken by the sudden release of divinity.
He spoke while shaking off the lingering tension in his body, and Vargo chuckled.
“You wouldn’t have been affected too much.”
“That’s not the issue, it’s the spellcasters. Thankfully, it was an automated observation spell. Otherwise, it might have been more than just giving them a scare.”
“That’s not so bad either. Isn’t it helpful for the control you’re so concerned about?”
A sigh escaped from Vera’s mouth.
“…In any case, thank you for your hard work.”
“Yeah, when will the results be out?”
“Within an hour, they said. The analysis itself won’t take long.”
Vargo’s hand swept the teacup.
His sunken eyes gazed deeply into the light ripples forming within the teacup for a long while before shifting to Vera.
“Did you see it?”
It was a question without a subject.
Yet, Vera understood exactly what he meant.
Vera nodded.
The image of the castle that had been revealed filled his mind.
“…It was an inverted cross.”
The inverted cross was lodged in the center of the castle’s main body.
Vera frowned as he recalled it, and Vargo nodded in response.
“Yes, it’s a symbol of blasphemy.”
The inverted cross had been a symbol of unfaithfulness since ancient times.
The cross signified the completeness of the Gods.
Inverting it was a kind of insult representing the fall of heaven, an expression of apostasy.
“Alaysia is committing blasphemy against divinity.”
The purpose of the castle was now pretty clear to the both of them.
“That castle itself must have been built to desecrate the divinity of this land.”
Vera’s expression twisted.
Vargo, too, had an angry look on his face.
“The castle itself is said to be alive.”
“Yes, they said there’s flesh embedded beneath the outer walls.”
“What could that mean?”
“It’s a human sacrifice.”
A long sigh escaped Vera’s lips.
Vera was someone who knew about these kinds of rituals.
“It’s an act of apostasy. It was rampant at the end of the Age of Gods.”
“So it’s her doing, after all.”
Vargo and Vera’s gaze simultaneously turned towards the lake.
Shortly after, Vargo muttered.
“She’s been preparing for this since then.”
A castle made from human flesh.
A blasphemous, inverted cross.
And Alaysia, scheming within it.
They thought about how long she had been preparing this.
Alongside it rose anger.
As emotions of indescribable wrath boiled within them, their expressions became more grim.
[Are you angry?]
A seemingly hollow voice echoed in their heads and shook the both of them.
Flinch—
Vera’s body trembled, and Vargo’s eyes widened.
Their gazes shifted towards a single direction.
What they found there was…
“…A dog?”
“…A puppy.”
A black puppy.
It was wobbling towards Vera’s feet.
Why a puppy?
Just as Vera was pondering about it, his eyes focused on the dog and he froze.
It was for no other reason.
The puppy had two unusual features that he recognized.
“…Gorgan.”
A golden pupil on its forehead, and a snow-white arm wrapped around its neck like a necklace.
[…Hello.]
The Wave of Despair, Gorgan.
He waved a white hand over his immaculate fur, which was the complete opposite of the despair he supposedly embodied.
