< 57 : Turmoil (1) >
“We’ll be completely out of the Centrius region once we pass this valley.”
Count Meyer looked at Baron Betenge, who was following him, and nodded his head.
Behind Count Meyer, there were countless escort troops, including Baron Betenge.
They were following Count Meyer because of the invitation from the duke that was sent to the major nobles of the empire.
The official reason was that the duke’s daughter had her coming-of-age ceremony, but the real reason was to strengthen the bond within the noble faction.
Count Meyer couldn’t refuse the duke’s invitation.
Especially now that the royal authority had fallen greatly due to Cuebaerg’s problem, the cohesion within the faction was very important.
“What do you think about this matter, Baron Betenge?”
Maybe it was because the long journey was already boring.
Count Meyer looked at Baron Betenge, who was moving next to him, and asked.
He remembered what happened before he left the city.
Baron Betenge asked him back at Count Meyer’s sudden question.
“Are you talking about the duke’s invitation?”
“I’m talking about Rex.”
“Ah… Prince Rex. I heard he was sent to subdue bandits to gain military experience.”
Count Meyer had given Rex an order and attached a hundred men to him before leaving the city.
It was an order to subdue the bandits who were staying in an abandoned fortress.
It was partly because of Count Meyer’s wife’s suggestion, and partly because he thought it would be good to give Rex some experience.
Besides, the captain of the hundred men he attached to Rex was also a fairly competent person.
Considering that Rex had a knight escort by his side, Count Meyer thought that Rex wouldn’t get hurt.
“Right. Do you think Rex will succeed without any trouble?”
“Isn’t that fortress broken and unable to function properly?”
“It lost its strategic value, so they didn’t feel the need to repair it.”
The fortress that was occupied by bandits was built when the empire’s territory was much narrower than it is now.
It was meant to protect the empire’s border from external enemies.
But as time passed, it lost its strategic value and became a completely ruined junkyard.
It would cost too much to repair the fortress now.
That’s why Count Meyer was able to send Rex to subdue the bandits.
Baron Betenge pondered for a moment at Count Meyer’s words, and then gave him his opinion.
“The bandits are few in number and the fortress is ruined, so the prince should be able to capture it easily.”
“Do you think so too?”
“Of course. The bandits can’t stand against the elite soldiers of the city.”
“That’s what you think too.”
Baron Betenge didn’t stop there and added a little flattery to Count Meyer.
“Besides, Prince Rex is like you, isn’t he? He will surely show his excellent abilities like you.”
“I trust your words, since you are the best swordsman in the whole county!”
Count Meyer’s face smiled with satisfaction at Baron Betenge’s words that assured Rex’s success.
He was secretly anxious when he sent his son to the battlefield to gain experience.
No matter how much Count Meyer’s wife badmouthed Rex, Rex was his precious first son.
As Count Meyer and his escort troops were moving along the valley,
One of the knights at the front of the column spotted something and shouted in a loud voice.
It was a shout to order the following column to stop.
“Stop! Everyone stop!”
The rider next to the knight waved a flag, and soon the advancing column of Count Meyer stopped.
Count Meyer looked at the knight who had stopped the column.
The knight was looking at a point not far from his party.
His gaze naturally turned to the front of the valley.
A little ahead of where Count Meyer’s column had stopped,
There was a middle-aged man wearing a tunic standing there.
“Who are you? Identify yourself!”
The knight at the front asked the identity of the suspicious person who suddenly appeared.
The eyes of all the escort troops who were moving along the valley turned to the man in front of them.
He was a man who had not been seen in the valley until just now.
And he was alone in this treacherous valley.
There was no one here who wouldn’t suspect him, who was blocking the column by himself.
At the question of the knight who asked his identity, the man bowed politely in the direction where Count Meyer was and said.
“I am Roan Hebris, Archbishop of the Church.”
“Church…? What are you talking about?”
“I am the most humble servant who serves and spreads His will.”
Count Meyer frowned at the name of the church.
The man in front of him was undoubtedly a heretic who served an evil god.
Count Meyer’s mouth naturally uttered a derogatory term for him as he looked at Roan.
“…Heretic.”
“That’s a very insulting remark.”
“What business do you have with me, heretic?”
Why did this heretic come to find Count Meyer?
Count Meyer thought that as he looked at Roan.
Roan looked at him with a crazed look in his eyes as he licked his tongue.
He reached out his hand toward Count Meyer and said.
“I don’t care much since you’re going to die soon anyway.
“What are you…?”
“I came here to kill you.”
Shriek.
A snake that was sticking out of Roan’s sleeve showed its head.
It was a clear declaration of war.
The soldiers who were waiting for the enemy raised their weapons at Roan’s threat.
There was nothing left to do but fight, since the enemy had clearly expressed his hostility.
The knight at the front pointed his sword at Roan and ordered his soldiers.
“He’s a heretic! Prepare for battle!”
“Charge! Annihilate the enemy!”
With a fierce shout, Count Meyer’s soldiers started to move.
The knights at the front charged at Roan on their horses.
Thud–. Thud–.
The distance between Roan and the knights began to shrink rapidly.
But Roan looked relaxed even as he faced the knights who were aiming at him.
As the knights who had charged forward reached right in front of Roan,
Roan looked at the snake that was sticking out of his sleeve and opened his mouth.
“Beta. You can eat now.”
Kugugugugugung!
With a sound that shook the ground, Roan’s shadow expanded greatly.
And a snake’s head emerged from the shadow at a fast speed.
A huge snake wrapped in darkness.
A dark beast.
A monster of the abyss that hid in the shadows appeared on the ground.
The knights who saw the monster for the first time in their lives pulled their reins hastily.
“What, what is that!”
“It’s a monster! A monster has appeared!”
“Stop charging! We’ll collide if we go like this…!”
It looked huge enough with just its head that was visible to the naked eye.
What would happen if such a creature lifted its head completely?
Anyone here could easily guess that.
The knights tried to stop their horses and avoid the collision, but Beta was faster than them.
The shadow that was swaying in the dark flashed its golden eyes and opened its mouth wide.
Shiiiiiiiiiiik!
Beta’s huge mouth that was like a bottomless pit swallowed the knights.
Behind Beta’s closed mouth was a dark abyss.
A huge abyss with no light.
An unknown space with an unfathomable depth opened up.
People and horses, as well as carriages, were sucked into it.
“Uh, uh, uhuhuhu…?”
“Co, Count!”
Right after the knights at the front were completely sucked into Beta’s mouth,
Beta closed its mouth completely toward the empty air.
Crunch. Crackle.
With a horrible cracking sound, the knights who had been charging forward disappeared in an instant.
From behind Beta’s closed mouth, screams of people echoed.
“Aaaaaaaah–!”
“Aaah! Save me…!”
Crackle. Crunch.
Beta chewed its mouth several more times after swallowing people.
With every movement of Beta’s mouth, a horrible sound echoed.
When Beta stopped moving its mouth completely,
There was no more screaming from Beta’s mouth.
In a blink of an eye, a terrible tragedy happened and Count Meyer looked at Beta with a blank stare.
“What, what is that…?”
Count Meyer’s loyal knights had vanished into the monster’s stomach in an instant.
The knights that I had spent tens of years pouring the count’s funds into raising had fallen prey to the monster’s meal.
My hand was trembling at the unbelievable sight that unfolded before my eyes.
The loss I suffered now was a huge blow that the count’s house could not easily recover from.
But what was even more frightening was the fact that the monster that had swallowed up the knights did not have a single wound on it.
“Didn’t I tell you? You are destined to die soon.”
“Why are you doing this to me?”
The count’s voice, looking at Beta, was even more powerless than before.
Why did he attack me?
Roan smiled at the count’s question.
His eyes, which had a friendly smile on them.
And Beta’s golden eyes, piercing through the thick shadows.
The two pairs of eyes poured out at the count at once.
“You asked why I’m doing this?”
“Yes, yes. I’m a count. There’s nothing good for you by doing this to the Church…”
“Why not? If you die, Prince Rex will inherit the count’s seat.”
What came out of Roan’s mouth was unexpectedly a story about Rex.
If the count died, Rex would become the next count of Meyer.
Roan was talking to the count like that.
The count’s face was even more puzzled than before at Roan’s words that he would make Rex a count.
“What do you mean, Rex will inherit the count’s seat?”
“Didn’t you know? Prince Rex is already a loyal believer of the Church.”
“Prince Rex is a believer of the Church?”
“Of course. Prince Rex promised to build a temple for the great one in the city once he becomes the count.”
Then, all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place in the count’s mind.
Snap.
The count clenched his teeth as he talked to Roan.
His beloved son was a heretic.
It was a reality that he could not tolerate as a count.
Of course, there were people who moved for the count’s sake while he was conversing with Roan.
Baron Bettinge, who had been by the count’s side all along, grabbed his hand and shouted loudly.
“Count! There is no time for this! Retreat quickly! I will buy you some time!”
“Baron…”
“I can’t stand to see the city fall into the hands of the heretics! Go back as soon as possible and save the count’s territory!”
Baron Bettinge’s determined eyes looked at the count.
Baron Bettinge had been with the count since they were young.
The count felt his eyes moisten at the baron’s words that he would sacrifice himself to save him.
He was grateful for his luck to have such a loyal subordinate until the end.
“Baron, I…”
“We can’t win against that monster with just this number of troops!”
“…I know.”
“You have to go back to your territory and gather as many soldiers as you can!”
To face the dark beast, he needed an army of a suitable size.
Baron Bettinge’s words were nothing but the truth.
And it was the count’s role to raise an army at this point.
He needed to go back to his territory as quickly as possible.
The count expressed his gratitude to Baron Bettinge, who was willing to make such a sacrifice for him.
“Baron Bettinge! I swear I will take care of your family!”
“Count! Please come back alive.”
As soon as he finished his farewell, the count turned his horse and ran away.
Roan watched him go and said, “Count Meyer. Do you really think you can escape like this?”
“You evil heretic! You and that monster will never pass through here as long as I live!”
“I don’t intend to pass through here.”
Roan ignored Baron Bettinge and looked at the fleeing count.
The count was running away with some of his escort troops towards the direction where his territory was.
But Roan did not move an inch from his spot, let alone chase after him.
At that moment, Baron Bettinge felt a bad omen.
Swoosh.
A dagger flew out of Roan’s chest.
It was a beautiful dagger wrapped in a sinister aura.
“Blame your own foolishness.”
“Gah…!”
Crash!
At the same time as a thunderous sound echoed from the sky, the count fell off his horse.
The horse that was struck by lightning died instantly, and the count who was holding the reins also did not escape unscathed.
He hit his head on the ground as he fell, and his limbs twitched.
His blurry vision looked at the direction where the city was.
That was the last scene that Count Meyer remembered.
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