Chapter 420: Emperor's connection
"The... Emperor?!"
Cedric was stunned. If there was ever a mention of an Emperor, there was only one. The only one, the sole ruler of the world at one point in time.
But... how could such a being have a connection with Hinterlands? This kind of place?
Cedric did not hesitate to voice his doubts. "But how is that possible? And if it's like that, won't this place be subjected to the rules of the Knight Assembly?"
Grandmaster Litos looked pleased by the question. "These are all the right questions, boy. But the world doesn't work like that. How many places do you think the Emperor has connections to? He was the ruler of the world. They are rare, but not that rare. This place is one of the worst places he has a connection to, and nobody has any hope of it turning into gold one day.
"But since we are poor, the High Clans on this side began monitoring Hinterlands. They have nothing to lose anyway. One day, a Rift might appear that has the Emperor's treasures."
Cedric still looked skeptical. "Is this why we stationed observers in Hinterlands?"
Grandmaster Litos smiled. "I really don't know."
"But you said..."
"They were all my guesses. The only thing I know is that this place bore a connection to the Emperor."
And how he knew it was because of what the Hollow Grave told him after he completed their mission. In fact, that mission of killing one of their own was so suspicious that he looked deeply into why all the Hollow Grave members and the Beloved were all wiped out in a single day. And not only those organizations. In a single day, hundreds of spies were killed, even those belonging to the High Clans!
What were they trying to hide? Did they see something in Hinterlands that they tried to conceal?
And the only thing that happened that day was traced back to the war in Akatsuki. It was traced back to Vale, whom Litos found very suspicious.
The boy disappeared as an Errant Knight, but when he returned, he was already strong enough to beat a Master Knight? Isn't that simply too abnormal?
This Vale... could he be related to the Hollow Grave incident?
It took a while before the Grandmaster said anything again. Instead, he passed a document to Cedric.
Cedric read it and frowned deeply. "This... how is it possible? How can an Errant beat a Master Knight? That's impossible!"
Grandmaster Litos shook his head. "It is not. I have looked into the integrity of the information, and there's nothing false about it. Cedric, I called you here specifically because of this."
Cedric's eyes lit up. "You think he's related to the Emperor's connection here?"
The Grandmaster shrugged. "I don't know. But he's suspicious, and he must have a secret treasure backing him. Either he's a Master Knight who's masking his power level somehow, or he's an Errant Knight using some kind of power."
"What do you want me to do?" Cedric asked in a solemn voice.
"You need a faction, right? New followers. But before that, you need to do extraordinary things. Your own strength must be extraordinary. This Vale will be your prey," Grandmaster Litos said calmly. "I'm sure the Clan Leader is already aware of him, and for them not to make any moves, it seems he's not anything that special.
"But what is special to the Clan Leader and to us is quite different.
"And since this is my dominion, I'll give him to you. Learn his secrets, and if it's just natural talent, we'll simply turn him into a potion for you. That potential will be converted, and you'll start the process of becoming a Master Knight."
Cedric recoiled. "But...!"
"You're not ready? Of course you're not. But I have a secret technique created by the Mystic Order. It will destroy all your future paths going forward, and you won't even be able to advance above the Grandmaster rank. But you'll become a true Grandmaster."
Grandmaster Litos suddenly looked at him with steady eyes that looked like pieces of ice cutting through him. Cedric stiffened, and his blood slowed as if it were freezing.
"Of course! Of course! I accept your terms!" He bowed hard, his head slamming into the ground with a loud crack as he hurried to bow.
Grandmaster Litos smiled. "Besides, you only need to be at the Grandmaster rank to be the Clan Leader and control the grand artifact and formations of the Akakawa.
"You are in luck, boy. With the help of my friend, I have searched for the fate of this boy, Vale Athrimir, and it's impressive. Everything will be converted for your use. But first, we need to know what secret he carries and how much trouble he'll bring before we do anything."
Cedric nodded. "Do you have a plan for that, Uncle?"
"I do. The Tachibana are going to Matsumoto to meet him and force him to submit. You'll go with them in a concealed way, and under no circumstances should you show yourself. I repeat, you'll not show yourself. You'll only pull strings behind the scenes.
"I'll give you artifacts. Some of my most precious ones, and some of them carry the Mystic Order's powers. You'll be able to observe and influence things.
"It will go like this.
"If you find an artifact, kill Vale and take it. If you detect a strange entity around him, retreat. If it's linked to something physical, kill him and steal it. If it's in him, fused with him, then kidnap him, conceal him, and bring him here.
"Either way, don't show yourself. Don't let anything be traced back to you."
Cedric nodded slowly, but he also felt as if there were simply too many rules. "Can't I just use my influence and authority as an Akakawa to summon him here?"
Grandmaster Litos was silent for a while before he asked, "If you use your authority, how many people will know what you are doing? How many people will begin to dig into what you are doing here?
"Fool. If I could make a move myself, do you think I'd risk calling you here even with the precautions I made?"
Cedric lowered his eyes. "I apologize."