Chapter 123
From early morning, countless birds were flying in the sky over the commander's main camp.
It was because the Patriarch's proclamation had begun to spread everywhere...
Those who saw its contents were utterly shocked.
The reason: the proclamation declared, "As of this hour, Albrecht is officially proclaimed a heretic."
Of course, once one becomes a Patriarch, it's not hard to designate someone a heretic.
However, that doesn't mean the Patriarch can declare 'anyone' a heretic.
Unless one has solid backing and a clear justification, such a proclamation can actually trigger strong resistance against the church.
But, as for Albrecht, the reason the heresy declaration could proceed was simple.
He was currently under a summons from the Watch and had failed to comply; as a result, there was no power left to protect him.
Regardless.
The official reason for proclaiming Albrecht a heretic was that he raised the dead and had acted in defiance of doctrine.
However, among those who read the proclamation, there were some who perceived the 'intention' behind the words.
For instance, commander of the 5th Fortress, Günter, was one such case.
Günter's eyes narrowed as he read the proclamation—he realized that the contents of the document were targeting him directly.
'How clever he is.'
Günter was maintaining an ambiguous stance in this situation.
He wasn't exactly helping Albrecht, but neither was he cooperating in his capture.
But with Albrecht now proclaimed a heretic, Günter was forced to 'choose'. He could no longer remain in such a vague position.
Günter's adjutant, Brandt, spoke up.
"It seems to be intended for something, but I can't figure out the exact reason. A heretic...?"
"This is aimed at me, Brandt."
"... Sir?"
Brandt tilted his head in confusion. Günter crumpled up the letter and replied.
"They know I'm of royal blood, that's why. The moment I cooperate with a heretic, the imperial family in the capital will come under great pressure from the church."
"Pardon me for asking, but what difference does that make? You're already..."
Brandt stopped himself mid-sentence. Günter curled his lips into a half-smile and finished the thought for him.
"A banished traitor, you mean? That's right."
"I didn't mean to say it that way..."
"No, that's just the truth, so it doesn't matter. They're exploiting the subtlety of my situation. Even though I was banished, a member of the imperial family cooperating with a heretic is a huge liability. The only reason the royal family didn't bother to kill me is because I haven't caused them any real trouble yet. In other words, I've been as good as dead while living quietly, which caused no issues. But if I now aid someone proclaimed a heretic... it would give the imperial family a reason to intervene."
The authority of the Emperor is believed to be bestowed by God, and their position can only be taken by blood relatives—this is the royal family's claim to legitimacy.
What supports this is the church's endorsement. Traditionally, therefore, the royal family has always had strong ties with the church...
For someone of royal blood to actively cooperate with a heretic declared by the church?
If that happened, the church would protest to the imperial family about Günter's heretical actions, and as a result, the imperial family could no longer tolerate Günter's existence.
In that sense, this proclamation was a masterstroke by whoever had read the situation so well.
'Was it Erich? I heard he's the grand duke's child—no wonder he can pull off something like this.'
In fact, Günter had not planned to simply assist Albrecht. In truth, he was only 'observing' the situation.
To him, justice was about upholding his duty, and it wasn't within his rights to judge who was right.
Brandt, now understanding the situation, slowly nodded his head.
"Then what will you do, Fortress Commander? I understand you are on rather close terms with Lord Albrecht."
"I won't forget my debts, but the most I can do for him now is refrain from lending a hand in this situation."
"I'm still confused by all that's going on. There are rumors some Fortress Commanders have recently held meetings..."
"We don't need to get involved in such things, Brandt. We simply do our own duty."
However, even as Günter spoke, he couldn't shake a feeling of unease.
Since arriving here, a strange undercurrent had been building among the Fortress Commanders.
Many of them were uncomfortable with the current situation of advancing all the way to the north.
In addition, bringing groups of fortress soldiers just to guard the main camp didn't sit well with the Fortress Commanders either.
To begin with, this whole situation was distasteful to fortresses who had operational independence.
In such circumstances, Günter sensed that an unusually large storm was brewing. His gaze drifted eastward, where Erich and Albrecht were rumored to be.
It felt like the eye of the storm was those two.
***
A man, swathed in bandages, slowly opened his eyes. He quickly glanced at the blood-soaked wrappings.
― Shaaa...
He ripped off the bandages in an instant. Picking up the middle-sized sword beside his pillow, he looked at his reflection in the blade.
His face was marked by countless scars, his appearance making it impossible to guess what kind of life he had led.
His torso was covered in old wounds, overlaid again and again until his entire body was crisscrossed like a spider's web.
Eventually, the man tied back his red hair and donned the mask lying on the table.
He was the leader of the Shadows, 'King'. He had finally recovered from his injuries.
He gazed at the entrance of the barrack, where light was seeping in. Shadows were blocking the entrance, preventing anyone from entering.
But in a flash, they stepped aside. King rose and knelt before the one entering.
Soon, someone with a black cloak and gold sash spoke.
"Are you feeling better?"
"Yes, heir."
The one for whom King knelt was his lord, Erich. Erich glanced briefly at the discarded bandages and continued.
"Is it some kind of terminal illness, that you'll die if you don't wear that mask?"
"... For us, it is as vital as our lives."
"By the way, none of the Shadows who went with you returned. What happened there?"
King shrugged his shoulders.
"... Is that so. I encountered Albrecht there and engaged him."
"You fought Albrecht? I'd think you wouldn't have any trouble with him."
"... That wasn't the case. He was a Swordmaster."
Erich's eyes widened in disbelief. Neither he nor anyone else knew Albrecht was a Swordmaster.
'Anyone who becomes a Swordmaster, their name becomes known. Both mine and Mikhail's are known even in the south.'
But there had never been any word on Albrecht's prowess. Even within the Watch, Erich had never heard Albrecht was a Swordmaster—he was never known for his martial skill, after all.
That suggests just one thing:
'... He's been hiding his strength?'
Erich had never seen a member of the Watch conceal their strength before.
Granted, Erich himself had hidden his power for a while after his regression, but that was because the circumstances demanded it.
But did Albrecht have any such reason?
And that wasn't the only mystery.
'The power of a Swordmaster isn't something that can be hidden so easily...'
Moreover, for it to be hidden all this time...
Albrecht must have been preparing for this from a very long time ago.
From the Lord Commander to Mikhail, the Watch's longtime Chief Inspector—he must have deceived everyone about his level ever since sometime in the past.
But is that even possible? Unless he, too, is a regressor like me...
Erich spoke again.
"It makes sense you lost. Do you recall any abilities he used?"
"... Apologies. I was unable to confirm anything about his abilities."
Erich nodded. In any case, the important thing was that King had seen the 'eyes' of a Swordmaster; everything else was secondary.
More importantly, there was something else.
"Any other oddities? Based on the situation, something must have been in that research facility."
King recalled for a moment and then spoke.
"... In the heart of First Research Facility, something unbelievable was sleeping."
"Unbelievable?"
King was troubled, seemingly searching for the best way to explain this to Erich.
"They were forging giant dead."
"... Forging the dead? But haven't they always produced the dead?"
"No. These were of a completely different class. First, they assembled a body; then, they placed something full of glowing power nearby to feed energy into it."
Erich's eyes narrowed. Glowing power? What could that be?
"Was it like what was inside the Barbarians' bodies?"
"The color was different. The orb I saw turned into a shining white sphere once it entered the dead's body."
The barrack fell silent. Heavy shadows crossed Erich's face.
"Were there any Head Hunters or child Barbarians there?"
"I saw a few—not sure they were using them as soldiers."
King noticed Erich clenching his fist tight. Clearly, the Heir seemed to have some idea what was going on.
Yet Erich was engulfed by a peculiar feeling, as if all these events were finally unravelling the secret of the dead.
Albrecht wasn't simply making ordinary dead. The hordes of the dead as they are now aren't all that threatening.
But the Death Knights and Necromancers Erich had faced before...
If even stronger ones appeared to lead the dead, those under their control would be far more formidable.
Erich's answer pointed straight to that.
Starting from Fifth Research Facility, what Albrecht was ultimately trying to create was higher-level entities—
The secret of the 'core' that grants the dead their great power was finally being unveiled.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】