#133
Continental Summit (1)
“Then I’ll head to the shrine now.”
“You’ve understood the directives, right?”
“Of course. I’ll make sure everything goes smoothly.”
“Alright, then go on.”
“Yes.”
With Mulo’s reply, the middle-aged man bowed politely and quietly exited the office on silent footsteps.
His identity, acting with such humility to avoid ruffling anyone’s feathers, was known as Duke Bright, a figure wielding immense power in the Talia Kingdom.
He had come for a final report as a representative of the Talia Kingdom for this continental summit.
And as he left, the ever-silent Heinz, who had been sitting in a chair, turned his gaze towards Mulo, who was standing beside him.
“Is that guy not going to do something unnecessary?”
The continental summit was a gathering of the highest echelons of each nation, including the Holy Church Order, and one wrong word there could lead to troublesome consequences.
“Don’t worry, Lord. That guy has been under my preparation since he was a baby. There’s no need for concern.”
However, Mulo merely smiled confidently at Heinz’s words.
He hadn’t used any noticeable psychic magic in case of external exposure, but there were numerous ways to subjugate a person.
Having lived for a long time, Mulo was well-versed in those methods, and with the experience he had amassed, he was a veteran who had never failed even once in decades.
Hmm— “Yeah, in the current situation, even if things go wrong, there won’t be room to worry about this side. The situation on the continent is already in chaos.”
The Talia Kingdom had mobilized the Brokoslac Clan for thorough control of the Forest of Monsters, so the damage from the madness crisis hadn’t been severe.
Of course, monsters were not confined to that area, so there were casualties, but compared to other countries, it was a very manageable level.
However, other nations couldn’t respond as swiftly as the Talia Kingdom, and various interests and intrigues intertwined to worsen the damage even more.
‘On top of that, we had to deal with the undead’s movements in regions outside the west.’
With the Holy Church Order overwhelmed by a flood of support requests from multiple locations, even if Duke Bright spoke recklessly, there was no leeway to act on this side.
‘Thinking about it, maybe this situation would be an opportunity for the clan to take center stage.’
Lower vampires from the Yufershi Clan had already started gathering into the Talia Kingdom through the blood gate one by one.
With two of the three major vampire clans joining forces, it was sufficient to wield the influence equivalent to that of an entire nation.
If we exclude the Talia Kingdom, that is.
‘Six Truebloods and two Purebloods. Below them, there are nearly a hundred Purebloods… sigh, what a ridiculous force even upon re-evaluation.’
If one converted the blood magic of Truebloods to Earth standards, it would reach levels seven to eight.
If Frigia, before being subjugated by Heinz, was level seven, then Mulo would be level eight.
‘But when I fought directly, Frigia was much stronger than the Earth’s Betas. If I had to express it numerically, it would be around level 7.5.’
This difference laid between an awakened one with all kinds of growth buffs and unique skills and an otherworlder who honed themselves over a long period.
If abilities were similar, prowess would differ.
Of course, the situation would be different if the Betas had reinforced their unique skills substantially, but based on his personal experiences, that was the conclusion.
‘And furthermore, that was before Frigia was enhanced by the “Refined Blood Essence.” Now, she would surely be at level eight.’
Yet, six such Truebloods exist.
No, Mulo and Theodore, who were like the clan leaders, should be rated even higher, probably at level 8.5.
‘Purebloods should be rated above level nine. Even if such entities have never been heard of on Earth, who knows what kind of significance that would hold.’
In any case, this level of power could occupy the capital of a fairly strong kingdom, not just a small underdeveloped nation like Talia.
Though, given their elite nature, considering the full-scale human retaliation that would happen thereafter, it would be temporary.
Of course, now that they had already taken over a nation, there was no real need to act in that way.
‘By the way, speaking of Purebloods…’
Heinz, burying himself comfortably in his chair, slowly closed his eyes.
Except for him, another Pureblood, Briki.
The conversation he had immediately after battling the Yufershi Clan replayed in his mind.
About what she desired and her ultimate goals.
“Huff, shall I just wait a bit longer?”
“Yes?”
“Nothing, it’s fine.”
After all, her fate was already in his hands.
Whether he consumed her or gathered her under him.
Everything would proceed according to his wishes.
*
Flicker—
In the darkness, violet flames blazed.
The flames cast an eerie light in the sealed underground chamber, projecting the shadows of figures standing all around onto the walls.
Five bizarre shadows, swaying madly in the flickering purple glow.
And a mysterious man observing them quietly from the darkness finally spoke up.
“…Indeed, it seems Oldman couldn’t attend?”
With that, the secret regular meeting of the Oath of Reversal began by assessing the whereabouts of the absent person.
[Isn’t there anyone who can get in touch with him…?]
[Hehe~ When have we ever cared about each other? The reason is quite obvious, isn’t it? He probably just bit the dust somewhere!]
On the other hand, some hadn’t even grasped the situation due to the distance and their varying connections.
[Hmm, the last update we received was about unsettling movements in the western areas. Some small affiliates were being attacked by someone.]
[Aah— I feel like I heard that the Church was moving! Could it be that the Inquisition Officer is on the move?]
There were some who sensed something amiss due to a little communication.
The organization, structured as a loose network, was advantageous for maintaining security but had the drawback of hampering smooth exchange of information.
In situations where issues arose with the head of a sub-chapter like this, it became almost impossible to quickly grasp and react to the situation.
[Hmm~ I’ve got some information regarding that matter.]
Just then, a sticky female voice echoed around, drawing everyone’s attention toward her.
Despite being a distorted shadow, she exuded a peculiar allure, delighting in the focus towards her as she slowly spoke up.
[It seems the undead army is assaulting underground organizations. Particularly, our subordinates are being targeted suspiciously.]
Momentarily, a hush fell around them at the information she unveiled.
That was certainly not good news.
[…Why…?]
[Who knows, right~?]
They were aware of the fact that there was someone specialized in obtaining information under her.
Given they had benefitted from that enough times, there was no need to doubt the reliability of her information now.
[Hmm, none of the expected movements of the Undead King have been accurate thus far. Each and every plan has been utterly thrown off course.]
It made no sense for the Undead King, who should be consumed by the Abyss and focused solely on enveloping the continent in death, to remain hidden for so long without taking action.
It was a development he could never have imagined upon first hearing the news of the Undead King’s resurrection.
In fact, the assault on underground organizations could force them to discard most of the plans they had set up until now.
“Then should we assume Oldman fell victim to the Undead King as well?”
[Wouldn’t that be a reasonable supposition? If not, he wouldn’t just go missing like this.]
The Undead King likely didn’t view them as mere obstacles to continental conquest and was aiming to eliminate them.
In this case, they would be seen as useful and acted upon to be utilized properly.
But from their perspective, it was still a troublesome situation regardless of the reasoning.
[Ha! Nothing’s going right because of those idiot fools! After Marcos and Nurabe, now it’s Oldman?]
Amidst the grave atmosphere, a large shadow vented his frustrations.
[After preparing for over ten years, this mess happens before we even get to use our preparations! And you guys are just the same! Ever since I opened the Abyss and unleashed madness, nothing has unfolded!]
Pffft! Hehehe~ That too is a valid point. Pfft!
[Shut it! Or I’ll rip out your tongue before it’s too late!]
[Ah, my apologies! Phew!]
The large figure was fuming, but the frivolous laughter of another wouldn’t cease.
At that moment, just as their atmosphere became increasingly grim.
“Certainly, that isn’t incorrect. Recently, we’ve been overly cautious, just trying to curry favor with the Undead King.”
Suddenly, a voice interrupted their quarrel, drawing all attention toward a single point.
Since the mention of the Undead King had made him ponder, the one who hadn’t spoken up until now could silence those who had been noisy and finally focused on what he was going to say next.
“Everyone knows about the upcoming continental summit, right?”
[Of course. It’s been making a ruckus; how could we not know?]
“Just in time as our preparations are complete. If we get started now, it’ll be… right during the summit.”
[Hmm? You mean… Ah— I see.]
Given their different realms, they weren’t fully aware of the details, but they’d shared an approximate understanding while formulating plans.
Determining the exact timing, scale, and location was entirely down to the individual parties, making it difficult even for them to know when something might occur.
Hehe! Ah— I’m curious about the expressions of those gathered under the pretense of discussing countermeasures! How unfortunate it is that we cannot witness that directly! Huff!
[Is there anything we can do to help from our end?]
“There isn’t. This has been long in the making.”
He slowly glanced around to observe the bizarre shadows focused on him, then firmly added.
“And that moment will be the starting point of the collapse of the current power structure.”
Soon after, as the meeting came to a close.
As the violet flames illuminating the darkness flickered out, only a thick darkness remained in the space.
Swish—
After standing in the darkness for a while, the man quietly ascended the steps of the underground chamber.
As light began to seep into the surrounding space and the interior steadily brightened, his steps did not falter.
Flap—
Finally arriving at the window, he flung open the curtains dramatically.
Instantly, bright sunlight poured in alongside the bustling scenery of the city.
“…This appearance will be the last.”
Knowing that the Undead King was now targeting them, there was no room to be complacent.
After exhausting everything he had prepared all at once, he would have to cut off all contact and go into hiding for a period.
‘Fortunately, Oldman doesn’t hold much information on us. Although he has his own restrictions, it’s unknown what the Undead King might pull, so it’s best to prepare for anything… After this, I should stay wary of others too.’
And thereafter, he continued to silently gaze at the outside scenes until the sun set.
The upper ranks of the Oath of Reversal organization appeared to be on equal footing outwardly, but naturally, there was one with substantial influence within.
Moreover, he was the one capable of imposing restrictions even on several committee members.
The place where he stood was, due to being bordered by three sides of the Northern Mountain Range and ravaged by constant wars with monsters, the Rohan Principality.
*
At the Rosellia Temple, delegations from various forces began to arrive one by one.
From high-ranking officials delegated from each nation to representatives from the Magic Tower Alliance and Mercenary Guild, all congregating in a single spot.
Despite the initial difficulties in coordinating to gather them, the actual transition was swift and easy through the temple’s gate.
And of course, those from the Enamel Continent, being other races, were also included, having rapidly crossed the sea via the “Forest Path” of the High Elf Laforey in accordance with agreements made with the church.
Fortunately, the Elven Kingdom understood the importance of the situation, and due to the enhanced relations from the previous Cecily incident, securing their cooperation was not particularly difficult.
Thus, those who dominated this world, Auterica, gathered in one place.
Right here, at the heart of the continent, the holy land.
If anything were to happen to those present here, it would undoubtedly plunge the world into chaos.
They were influential rulers in their respective territories.
And that meant…
‘Just making a deep impression here is enough to trigger an explosion of karma!’
This place was practically a treasure trove!
