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Hudel sat at his work desk, cradling his head in his hands with a heavy sigh.

“Sigh…”

The dozen or so men lined up in front of him anxiously watched for his reaction.

“Count?”

“Your Excellency, the Cardinal?”

To his left were the knights of the Count Grenthal, and to his right were the followers of the Dark God who had been hiding within the estate.

Hudel lifted his head briefly, scanning the faces of those standing before him, then lowered it again.

Another deep sigh escaped him.

“Sigh…”

He had only delayed by about two weeks, no more.

The only thing that delayed the schedule was a little bit because Elezar had suddenly ordered the collection of the cursed sword he had used, and he had to give related instructions to the Dark God’s cult hidden within the capital.

But when he returned, the household was in shambles, and he was one step away from becoming a wanted man.

‘What on earth is going on?’

Stifling the urge to cry, he tried to assess the situation, but it only made things worse.

‘What? They declared war on the Saisha Temple?’

Hudel knew that Lehane had some zealous tendencies.

But since he was effective at expanding the influence of the cult, Hudel hadn’t considered it much of a flaw. Little did he expect Lehane to cause such a colossal disaster.

“What on earth were they thinking, attacking the temple openly?”

The knights of the Count’s territory seized the opportunity to condemn those standing opposite them.

“Exactly!”

“What were they thinking with such a foolish move?”

Meanwhile, Lehane’s followers nervously glanced around, anxious and unsure.

“We did find it a bit suspicious…”

“But it was Bishop Lehane’s order…”

“He said it was the will of Tesranak…”

Hudel, finding their excuses pathetic, turned away from them and glanced out the window.

A few wandering evil spirits drifted lazily through the thick mist.

Though it was still broad daylight, and their power was weak, such things shouldn’t be wandering around at this hour.

Hudel’s gaze shifted back to his knights.

“If they had already caused trouble, the least you could have done was clean up the aftermath. Why is the castle in this state?”

This time, it was Lehane’s followers who shouted, agitated.

“Exactly!”

“Why is the castle in this state?”

The Count’s knights answered awkwardly.

“There are things in the castle that priests shouldn’t see…”

“We couldn’t let them inside…”

“And without you here, we didn’t know what to do.”

Hudel understood.

Their mission was to protect the castle, and they were just following orders.

If they were just ordinary knights, they hadn’t really done anything wrong.

The problem was that these knights were also followers of the Dark God…

‘Come to think of it, we never really had protocols for a situation like this.’

They had always cut off the tail to preserve the body when problems arose, but now, the entire body was exposed for the first time.

Hudel smiled bitterly.

‘Well, this was bound to happen sooner or later.’

The Gallant Mountain incident was just the trigger.

The Dark God’s cult had been growing in power across the continent for over five years. Even those who had been persecuted now had some strength.

It’s human nature to want to use power when you have it.

There had been increasing voices within the cult calling for judgment upon the world in the name of Tesranak.

They had been patient because they lacked power before, but now they had the strength to change the world.

Of course, it still wasn’t time.

The world remained strong. The Seven Goddesses’ Church was still solid.

But not every member of the cult was wise enough to understand that.

Hudel forced himself to regain his composure.

The situation had already blown up. Blaming Lehane now wouldn’t change anything.

First, he needed to understand how the Empire would respond.

“Did the temple contact the outside?”

His subordinates answered in turn.

“They seem to have sent a messenger to Kalat City.”

“We tried to intercept them but failed.”

“They moved quickly. From what we can tell, they left the morning after the attack.”

Hudel stroked his chin.

“So, it was six days ago, in the morning?”

It took about two days on foot for a swift traveler to reach Kalat City from the Grenthal territory. That was enough time to contact the Evil Slaying Brigade.

‘Of course, it would be unrealistic to expect they wouldn’t find out about this disaster.’

So, when would the brigade arrive at the Grenthal territory?

‘I’ll need to do the math.’

Hudel spread a map of the western Empire across the table.

***

The Seven Kingdoms Alliance followed a traditional feudal system.

There was a king, and lords in each region who maintained the kingdom through mutual contracts.

The Lacaenia Empire was a bit different.

While it was primarily feudal, the Emperor’s power was also significant.

It operated as a centralized local government system, which might seem contradictory at first glance.

Each fief is still ruled by a feudal lord of the empire, but between these fiefs are cities directly controlled by the emperor.

Through these directly controlled territories, the Emperor exerted substantial influence over all the lords of the Empire.

It was a level of influence unmatched by the kings of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance.

The reason this system worked was because each of these imperial cities had a dedicated magic communication center.

In modern times, the most common way to deliver information was still by messenger. Whether on foot or horseback, having someone carry a letter was the most reliable method.

In urgent situations, carrier pigeons were used, but they had too many limitations.

Since they relied on their homing instinct, they could only be used for one-way communication. They could also be lost, and training pigeons was a tedious process.

Thus, they were mostly used for military purposes.

Magic expanded the range of communication slightly.

High-level mages of the 7th Circle or above could use magical messages to replace carrier pigeons.

Magical messages were far less likely to be lost and didn’t require training, so they were more convenient. However, there were still significant drawbacks.

Only mages of the 7th Circle or higher could send and receive magical messages.

Moreover, there were too few of these powerful mages.

And it wasn’t as though mages that strong would spend their time delivering letters for others.

While nobles or royalty could occasionally hire them at great expense for personal use, it wasn’t a system that could be implemented universally.

Necromancers, on the other hand, had an easier method of communication.

Instead of magical messages, they could use things like zombie crows or pigeons, a simple spell even beginner necromancers could use.

However, this method released a considerable amount of evil energy during the process.

A passing priest would see a dark figure soaring through the sky, radiating the power of darkness, and it would be a death sentence if discovered. Therefore, it wasn’t a method to be used lightly.

Thus, the most common means of communication across the continent remained human messengers.

But the Lacaenia Empire was different.

As a massive empire that ruled over more than half the continent, they mobilized a large number of high-ranking mages to create an extraordinary network.

At great expense, they laid a vast web of magic communication lines across their territory.

It was so expensive that the Seven Kingdoms Alliance couldn’t even consider attempting it.

Just installing the communication lines would consume a large portion of a national budget.

The catalyst for the complex magic circle installed at each communication center was as valuable as its weight in gold, adding even more cost.

Even maintaining the system was exorbitantly expensive.

Each time a message was sent, the magical catalyst was consumed.

Maintaining the network alone cost half the yearly budget of the Kingdom of Yustil.

But the efficiency was unmatched.

Running a magical communication center didn’t require a high-level mage.

A mage of the 3rd Circle or higher could use it, and they could send real-time messages to any connected region.

Magic communication centers were established in the four regions of the East, West, South, and North, and 17 cities under the direct control of the Emperor.

This allowed the Empire to collect and disseminate information at a speed impossible for the feudal lords to match.

It was a major factor supporting the Emperor’s power.

Looking over the map, Hudel tried to estimate the messenger’s path.

‘The messenger likely arrived in Kalat City on the evening of the fifth day and immediately used magic communication to contact the Evil Slaying Brigade.’

Unlike the King’s Order, which was limited to the small kingdom of Yustil, the Evil Slaying Brigade was the Empire’s forces, covering a vast area.

The brigade was divided into five divisions stationed in the east, west, north, south, and central regions of the Empire.

The division overseeing this area was stationed at Hárlan Fortress, two days from Kalat City.

How would the brigade have responded after receiving the message?

Lehane’s actions amounted to rebellion. They would have declared an emergency.

‘They must have started gathering troops immediately.’

If the brigade assembled their forces and marched to Grenthal at full speed, it would take about three to four days.

‘They’re probably on their way now. If they’re fast, they’ll be here in two days.’

Having finished his calculations, Hudel leaned on his chin, lost in thought.

‘What do I do now?’

The first thought that came to mind was to clean up the situation and escape unscathed.

Kill everyone in the Saisha Temple, rebuild the temple with only the low-ranking priests, and throw a few cult members to the authorities as sacrificial lambs. Hudel and his faction would then pretend they had no ties to the Dark God’s cult.

‘No, that won’t work.’

There are limits to how much you can cover up with lies.

That strategy only worked when there were a few people involved.

They had caused too much damage this time.

Not only had they attacked the temple, but they had also destroyed the entire village below the castle.

‘They even messed with outsiders.’

Grenthal’s territory was a key trading hub for merchants crossing the mountains to the Seven Kingdoms.

Even after the incident, merchants continued to visit the estate.

These foolish and zealous cult members had enslaved all of those outsiders with mind control.

‘How could they so recklessly kill the goose that lays the golden eggs…’

Having built up the estate’s prosperity to this point, the situation pained Hudel greatly.

Now, only one option remained.

He had to flee in the night.

He would have to abandon the power, status, and wealth he had accumulated.

‘Yes, I must give up my position in the Empire.’

But he couldn’t give up his standing within the cult.

If he was going to lose his influence as an imperial noble, he needed to secure power as a Dark Cardinal. Only then could he maintain his status within the cult.

‘And the easiest, fastest way for a necromancer to grow in power is by offering sacrifices.’

Powerful aura users, mages, and devout priests were the most coveted sacrifices for demons. And they were all holed up in the Saisha Temple.

“Tonight, we will use all of our forces to wipe out the temple.”

Having made up his mind, Hudel issued his command.

“Activate all of the necromantic barriers in the castle to draw out power!”

The expressions of those gathered brightened.

A powerful necromancer alone could display the strength of an army. Hudel was strong enough to achieve that.

“For Tesranak!”

“We will finish them off tonight!”

They were now ready to secure a decisive victory for the Dark God’s cult.

The knights of the Count and the necromancers alike smiled with joy.

‘Don’t smile, damn it!’

Seeing his subordinates celebrating made Hudel’s head throb once more.

***

Karnak, who had been lounging around the temple, suddenly looked up.

“Oh, I think he’s here.”

Baros looked at him in confusion.

“What’s here?”

“That Hudel guy.”

Serati, also puzzled, asked, “How do you know? Did you sense Hudel’s presence?”

“Sense the presence of someone I’ve never even met? How would I do that?”

Scoffing, Karnak threw a question back at the two of them.

“Do you feel the change in the castle?”

Baros and Serati concentrated for a moment before shaking their heads.

“No, not at all.”

“It feels the same as usual.”

“Right? You can’t feel anything, can you?”

The change happening in the Count’s castle right now was so subtle and refined that only someone like Karnak could barely perceive it.

“If a necromancer that skilled had been in the castle from the start, last night’s attack wouldn’t have been so weak.”

In other words, Hudel had returned.

“We should let the priests know. We need to start preparing.”

Karnak was about to leave the room to find Alius when Serati absentmindedly asked, “What will you say? How will you explain how you figured it out?”

Karnak paused mid-step.

“Oh, that’s a problem, isn’t it?”