455 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

Chapter 455 Rumors of a holy beam of light shooting up from the remote forests in the eastern continent spread rapidly. Ordinarily, the common folk would never have witnessed such light, but many claimed to have seen this 'sacred' light and buzzed with stories. The fervor was further fueled by the temple actively searching for Harmon's whereabouts, causing even more commotion. Lord Harmon, the divine swordsman, had become an apostle of the gods. As the rumors, spread on the wings of the temple, passed from person to person, they eventually reached the Cassel Tower. "A sacred light that touches the heavens... even commoners saw it, you say?" [Yes. There are quite a few witnesses for it to be ignored, and the temple's response has definitely changed.] The old man's face contorted at the report from his subordinate through the communication sphere. Tap. Tap. Tap. The old man tapped the armrest of his chair, lost in thought. Yet, no matter how he pondered, all roads led to one conclusion. "An apostle, you say? At this time of all times... I believed the gods no longer had the power for such things..." [...Sir?] "No, it must be because of this time that an apostle descended. Likely to stop 'Him,' even at the cost of divine energy... Yes, it's entirely possible." The habitual smile he forced himself to maintain vanished, and he could feel his complexion hardening. ‘Can’t be helped, I suppose.’ "Assume an apostle has descended and revise the plan. Accelerate the ritual." [...Understood.] The situation was unfolding more urgently than anticipated. This naturally brought to mind the ‘alliance’ he had tentatively rekindled. “What of the Emperor? Have there been no further correspondences?” [Only word of war preparations. Perhaps the Tower Master should make direct contact...] "Fool... Still concerned with appearances in such times." The Tower Master grimaced, nodding curtly before ending the communication. He then searched for the imperial code, which he could now connect to with dignity. However, [The Emperor cannot take a call at the moment.] “Even when I am calling directly?” [It is impossible for anyone. The Emperor is currently busy with war preparations.] “Just contact him and let him know the war might take an unexpected turn!” [Impossible.] “What?” [I said it’s impossible.] The expression of the imperial administrator within the communication sphere remained as calm as ever. Trying to deduce anything from that placid expression—especially at a distance—was impossible, even for the old man. Maintaining a composure that seemed about to waver, he let out a sigh filled with anger. "Tell him that due to a certain turn of events, the fate of the damn war could change. Make sure he gets the message!" [...I will relay it to His Majesty.] Those beggars. He felt as though things were increasingly spiraling out of control, but there was no way to hasten things now. 'To speed up the ritual, I need more sacrifices. That Logan McLine must be drawn in sooner than planned.' His train of thought shifted to the prophecy that had reached the Tower. The latter parts allowed for interpretations, but there was consensus among all the past Tower Masters about this one part. – The ruler of the mightiest empire on the earth. Our god shall descend upon that bloodline. Therefore, the task at hand was clear. ‘Capture more royals. If possible, the First Prince as well.’ The emperor inheriting the legacy would be ideal, yet that card must be reserved for capturing Logan. However, since the Second Prince Varos became a traitor, the First Prince Clyde never left the imperial city. This remained unchanged even as the war intensified. ‘Of course. He is the last one left to inherit the legacy.’ Other princes vying for the throne had either died or been eliminated. The very struggle for the throne serves as a process to inherit the legacy; the Emperor had no other options. Even disposing of Clyde and starting anew by having another child, later commencing a fresh succession war, could be a solution... but the Empire wasn't in any shape for such undertakings. Yet, infiltrating the palace, especially where the Emperor resided—doing so even in person would be a death wish. And risking the fragile alliance formed would also be necessary to consider. Then... ‘The Four Kings. Focus on Varos and include the heirs of the Four Kings as sacrifices. This should hasten the ritual.’ Working with the Four Kings had long been 'in progress,' so it wouldn't be difficult. Especially considering the current state of the Empire, they wouldn’t bother with the heirs of the Four Kings. Moreover, with his profound understanding of souls and karma, there would be no problem in varying the ritual. ‘Incidentally, we have a mage among their descendants.’ A ruthless smile appeared on the Tower Master's lips. * * * "What!? What on earth have you done!" Looking at her father, who exploded in anger, Louisa clenched her teeth. She had confessed what she told King Logan, feeling it was the right time, but her father's reaction was far more intense than expected. It was somewhat saddening that this was his most dramatic emotional expression after abandoning the position where he could only smile. However, such a reaction from her father was also anticipated. "...I've observed the Tower Master longer than you have, Father. The current Tower Master is... strange. No, perhaps he was always like that, but we just didn’t notice." "Stop speaking nonsense! He promised us! You've seen his powers, his miracles just as I have!" Watching her father's resolute face, Louisa bit her lip. What she was about to say might touch upon the fundamental desire they, as father and daughter, shared. But she had already come too far. Since two years ago, Louisa had harbored suspicions that she now expressed candidly. "More than that, I doubt if reviving Mother was ever possible." "...What!?" "Isn't it strange to you, Father?" "Silence! What a ridiculous claim! We've come this far, even having to destroy the King's Council. How could you now...?" "Isn't it that you desperately want to believe in it because of all you’ve invested and sacrificed?" Her words caused Gerard’s expression to change completely. The process of someone completely investing their life into a cult, offering not just their material possessions but their entire livelihood, is akin to someone who, after failing in business, cannot let go of their last hope and even turns to loan sharks. This sense of sunk cost—‘I've invested too much for this to be false’ or ‘It can't fail’—acts as a psychological reward mechanism. This blinds people and stops them from hearing the truth, preventing them from recognizing something wrong as wrong, stopping them from avoiding the fire right in front of them. Gerard would not be oblivious to the sting in Louisa's words. “What are you trying to say?” His face turned cold instantly. As he looked into his daughter's blue eyes, ringed with a faint gray he recognized from his own reflection, Louisa gritted her teeth once again. “Father, have you ever considered that... we might have been deceived by him?” “...How could that be? He showed me a miracle, bringing someone back to life right before my eyes. You saw it too, didn’t you?” “Are you certain about that memory?” Gerard's eyes began to tremble violently. “What do you mean...? Ha…” But he soon regained his calm tone. “The king's chamber had defenses against mental magic, just like the royal family does. And I was already a fourth-circle wizard back then. There's no way I could have been fooled…” “The Tower Master is a grand mage, Father. He's specialized in dealing with minds and souls. And you were hardly in your right mind at the time. Let me ask again, are you truly sure?” “Nonsense...!” “Father!” Louisa shouted, cutting off Gerard's words. Then she presented a choice he couldn’t ignore. “Who do you trust more: the Tower Master, or me?” “Of course, I trust the Tower Ma…” At that moment, Gerard's face froze. He was shocked by the words that came out of his own mouth. “More than me? Why?” Despite their strained relationship, they were still father and daughter. Moreover, their shared wounds were tied to the reason, weren’t they? Gerard, who had just admitted he trusted a stranger over his own daughter, clutched his head in confusion. “No, that can’t be. I, I...” Facing her father, who could hardly compose himself, Louisa continued speaking calmly. "...Try to recall that memory again, Father. And listen to what I have to say. Though I fear it might already be too late..." When Gerard looked at his daughter with trembling eyes, Louisa began to recount her story. “It all started when I encountered Logan McLine, the one who changes fates. Back then...” Louisa remembered the first time she met Logan. When she faced him, she felt a small crack form somewhere in her mind, allowing a faint doubt to bloom. And the more she remained in the same area as him and occasionally ran into him, the larger that crack grew. More precisely, she began to question the path she had been following up to that point. From then on, she avoided encounters with him whenever possible, as she feared that engaging with him might provoke even greater fears, which would prevent her from fulfilling her duties to the Tower. “I had a vague sense that something was off back then. Though I didn’t understand how deeply.” Yet in the new war, driven by the desire for revenge against the Emperor, she sought out Logan again, and this time, it deeply widened the crack. The decisive moment came not long ago. “...When I heard the Tower Master's abusive words, something in my head felt like it was shattering. At the time, I thought it was just hurt feelings...” After that day, Louisa noticed a change in herself. No, she had to change. Forgotten memories came rushing back, including the sacrificial rituals she had performed on the Tower Master's command. Realizing that her memories had been sealed, she naturally began to doubt the Tower’s motives thoroughly. At that same time, she sought out King Logan again. “At first, it was just a measure in case of emergency, a thought to prepare a lifeline. But then…” While she was tortured by terrifying memories, the truth that she had completely overlooked struck her mind like lightning, shattering everything she had once believed in. That realization came only yesterday. That’s why she came to her father today. The truth she had uncovered was simple... “Neither the Tower's magic nor the soul magic of a seventh class can bring back the dead. As someone versed in the Tower's spells, I know this.” At this, Gerard's gaunt face contorted horribly. “No, no, those subjected to mind magic can't think clearly. You're misunderstanding something.” That couldn’t be the case. It cannot be. As she watched her father continuously shake his head, muttering to himself, Louisa gently placed her hand above his head. “It must be a finely crafted spell by the Tower Master. Something I ordinarily couldn't break. But things are different now.” After all, her father had spent quite some time with King Logan. ‘And it's been a while since he last met with the Tower Master, even longer than I have.’ If the power that alters fate indeed disrupts the Tower's magic, then the spell on her father would have significantly weakened. Thus, it was possible. Looking at her distressed father, Louisa spoke with determination. “Keep that thought at the forefront of your mind. I’ll free you from these chains.” Wrrrrring. But the process was more challenging than she'd anticipated. As Louisa's mana, that of a mage who had mastered the sixth circle, was nearly depleted... After Gerard coughed up blood a few times, the former Duke was finally freed from the spiritual shackles he had unknowingly borne for twenty years. Yet, the truth awaiting the father and daughter was nothing short of harsh reality. "What are we supposed to do now? No, what can we even do at this point?" Gerard, looking as if he had aged ten years in an instant, watched as Louisa gave a bittersweet smile. However, her voice that followed was filled with firm resolution. "We need to avenge ourselves. Against the Emperor and the Tower Master. All of them." "But how can we possibly...?" "King Logan. We must relay everything we know to him. And whatever we uncover in the future too." "You're suggesting we become spies?" "...In a manner of speaking, yes. Be careful to avoid direct encounters with the Tower Master." The day after the father and daughter renewed their resolve, almost as if orchestrated, a messenger from the Tower came searching for them. "Are you Gerard von Aserion and Miss Louisa? By order of the Tower Master. Follow me." The messenger was a grotesque dwarf, with a stature barely reaching the waist of an average adult, his face mostly covered in purple spots. In noble bloodlines, many karmic debts accumulate. The karmic threads within those bloodlines become a staircase unto divine might. The descendants shall prepare the noble blood as a vessel of divinity, placing it at the pinnacle of the tower of soul and body. Thus, it shall be...