Chapter 111. The Hypocrite (1)
There was a strange rumor making the rounds in the Divide Kingdom. “Don’t you think His Majesty has changed recently?”
“They say he doesn’t frequent Her Majesty’s chambers anymore. Apparently, he’s found himself a concubine?”
“Not only that, but they say he also invites young girls into his sleeping chambers every night.”
The Royal Palace Garden.
The gardeners who gathered there exchanged the rumors they’d each heard as they trimmed the trees.
A place like the Royal Palace was an awfully secluded place, where rumors could cultivate and fester over the course of an afternoon.
“The circumstances are becoming more and more unsettling. He’s been hiring strange people as guards…”
“Shh. He’s coming this way.”
At the gardener’s words, everyone went silent.
A moment later, a well-built man wearing an intricate cloak passed them. All the while, the gardeners tried their best not to let out a single breath as they focused on trimming the trees. Once the parade of knights tailing behind him were out of sight, the gardeners let out a unanimous sigh of relief. He hadn’t heard anything. It would be hard to hear anything from that far away.
But their assumption was unfortunately wrong. As they let out a sigh of relief, the man gave a command to his knights.
“Kill all those who run their mouths within the palace.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The knights all headed towards the gardeners en masse.
After being faced with derision, he dismissed his servants and walked along the hallway. Lined with marble, it was extremely long.
Moments later when he reached his destination, he mumbled to himself as he gripped the doorknob.
[The oaths of the abandoned will shine brightly even in the deep sea.] As if it understood his language, the door opened.
The place that was finally revealed was a room exuding a sinister air too dark to be considered the king’s sleeping chambers.
The King of Divide.
Clora Ars F. Baldershu.
As he walked into the bedroom, he opened his mouth. “Is it to your liking?”
A voice whispered coyly into his ear.
“Hm, compared to what I’ve been through, it’s very pleasant here.” A woman lay upon the big bed.
She didn’t hide her busty figure as she wore a revealing outfit, but there was something else that drew attention.
A mask that was embellished with intricate gems and feathers.
Though not evident, there was most definitely a beautiful face hidden behind the mask. She spoke in a gentle tone.
“I’m grateful to you.”
She rubbed her face on a soft pillow.
“I really like it here. Soft blankets and extravagant food, but most of all, being provided with an endless supply of virgins’ blood.”
It had been long since maids and servants, and even the queen consort had been dismissed. Not a single person within the palace could frequent the king’s sleeping chambers.
The King of Divide took off his cloak. As soon as he did, his strong and sturdy body shrunk as if it was never real in the first place, revealing a much slender body.
Now only the face bore a resemblance to the king of Divide’s figure.
“That’s a relief then. My head is about to split as I try to take care of things I’ve never done before.”
He grumbled with his back facing the woman. He groped his face, taking the “King of Divide’s face” off and placed it on the table.
And from his chest, he took out a clown mask and hid his face. “There’s no other mask that suits me more than this one.”
Clown Mask donned his usual mad smile at the bottom of his mask. The last thing countless people had seen was that smile, before being gruesomely murdered.
He approached the bookshelf and pulled at books placed in various locations in a sporadic order. As he did, a whirring sound filled the room, indicating that some kind of engine had to come to life. The bookshelf slid to the side with a creak.
A hidden area came into view.
As Clown Mask and Feather Mask entered, the door shut automatically.
In the dim room, a young man wearing a Crow Mask and an old gray-haired man wearing a
Skull Mask were seated.
A massive mirror had been placed in front of them. The mirror that spanned the entire length of the room displayed not only the major facilities of each nation, but also detailed information that only locals would know.
The moment Clown Mask and Feather Mask took a seat, the mirror shivered as it continued to update information in real-time.
Small and big events were all displayed on the mirror in real-time.
Clown Mask had never seen an artifact more remarkable.
It was typically referred to as the Mirror That Holds Shadows.
With no limits, it could gather information about any ‘event’ happening from far away. Even amongst all other artifacts, its ability to collect information was astounding.
This artifact had played a big role in allowing the Outsiders to operate carefully while staying out of sight.
If it weren’t for the artifact, the Outsiders would have dispersed long ago.
Skull Mask had several more artifacts of this level. For someone to possess numerous artifacts of the highest standard, artifacts that could turn the tables on the most dire of situations, evoked a somewhat awe-inspiring sensation.
Clown Mask shifted his gaze back to the mirror.
Information continued to pop-up constantly.
As Crow Mask studied the information being displayed on the mirror, he used a long-distance communication device to send commands to his subordinates scattered across several nations. “Troops at Lintholin join up with troops at Liheim. There will be a big scale movement of the heads soon. It’ll be a chance for us to earn a considerate amount of money.”
“Hebrion’s troops are gathering at the north. An extensive inspection is to be expected. Halt all action and conceal yourselves as best as possible.”
“Sodune Canyon’s newly appointed commander will not go easy on us. The information that’s been identified so far is likely a trap, so ideally we should… ”
Crow Mask led these people who didn’t amount to much individually and challenged the entire Hebrion Empire as a whole. He was once a commander that occupied the capital of the empire that displayed tactics and strategies that made him a widely feared opponent at that time.
Now as an Outsider, he gathered information using the artifact, which he then used to predict future outcomes and calmly design a strategy to slowly bring about the downfall of the kingdoms.
A vast sea of information and an excellent commander. The combination of the two was what truly allowed the Outsiders to make such amazing results.
Clown Mask turned to speak to Crow Mask who was moving around tirelessly. “An official message came from the Western Empire today.”
*Click*
Crow Mask turned off the communication device and stared blankly at the Clown Mask, as if urging him to continue.
Suppressing the desire to crack a joke, Clown Mask continued speaking.
“They requested the right to command and also requested additional soldiers from the Avalon troops that Divide appointed.”
“And their goal?”
“The demise of the Outsiders.”
The words that Clown Mask stated so casually was a direct declaration of an all-out war coming from the Western Empire.
But not a single person present was surprised.
The time had come.
Ever since the event in Prichella, the five nations of the Western Empire had unanimously agreed to join forces in order to get rid of the Outsiders. Until now, there had only been empty promises of such plans, with no further action, in order to appease their citizens. However, that had all changed. They had finally started making a move.
But it was a little too late. They’d already found a place within the Western Empire. No, they hadn’t just found their place. They’d grasped the entirety of the Empire and its military power. They held the entirety of Divide in their hands.
Clown Mask spoke.
“It’s best to comply with their requests for now. Just enough to save face.”
What they had a hold of was a section of the Western Empire. Their goal didn’t stop there. They still needed to establish a stronger position from the inside.
“Who’s sending the most troops?”
Clown Mask sneered as he spoke of the nation with the most hostile attitude.
“Prichella Empire. They still haven’t recovered from their losses, but they must be overflowing with rage towards the Outsiders. Heh.”
The sound of sneers rang across the room. Soon, that sound was interrupted by Crow Mask’s command.
“Send double the number of troops to them.” “Eh?”
“Huh?”
Clown Mask and Feather Mask cocked their heads. It was an order they didn’t understand. “Can I ask why you made that decision? It doesn’t affect our organization settled here in Divide, but other organizations may be annihilated.”
“The others accepted that death was just a step away when they decided to join the Outsiders. Have you forgotten the pledge? The Outsiders all prioritize their own goals, and to achieve those goals, we use each other.”
The Outsiders were an organization made up of many different groups that had joined forces. As they merged into one, a single pledge was made.
To achieve a goal, one may utilize others whenever they must.
The organization had been united by the same ideals. Individually, everyone had different motives.
Thus, the pledge had been made.
And that pledge had molded everyone into humans that wouldn’t stop at anything in order to achieve their goals.
Of course, some had been like that from the start.
As Clown Mask was listening to Crow Mask’s rationale, he couldn’t help but grin with glee.
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