“Grrr…”
The Second Prince let out a blood-curdling groan.
The eye revealed through his split forehead was heavily bloodshot. I brought my left hand toward that ominous eye.
“Gaaaah!”
Thud.
His struggling body suddenly went still. The more I absorbed the Darkness through my left hand, the more he withered away into a shriveled husk.
At the same time, my hand transformed hideously. The blackness that had stained the back of my hand began to crawl up my wrist. I gritted my teeth against the indescribable pain that felt both burning hot and freezing cold.
Finally, once all the Darkness was absorbed, the Second Prince crumbled into a handful of dust and blew away in the wind.
[The Chaos Alignment is strengthening.]
[Remove the Darkness immediately.]
“Haah…”
A wave of intense fatigue washed over me, making my vision wobble. However, this was no time to rest. I turned my head to survey the battlefield.
Having lost their commander, the heretics wore expressions of sheer terror. Some were even kneeling and crying out for mercy.
To them, I likely appeared as the embodiment of Darkness, yet they were surrendering simply because they had lost their leader.
I could not feel even a shred of faith in their actions. They lacked any real resolve.
They had lived with lukewarm mindsets, accepted the Darkness half-heartedly, and invaded Laplace with a shallow will to fight.
I wondered how many of our allies had died because of enemies like these.
“Do not let a single one leave alive,” I commanded the Knights.
Thump, thump.
With determined faces, they struck their chests in salute and charged forward. A spray of blood erupted. A beat later, screams and wails filled the air.
The head of a heretic who had just been hurling curses at me tumbled to the ground.
A sword is not guilty simply because it has killed a person. It is the one who draws and wields the sword who commits the murder.
Yes, I was the one killing them. That was why the heretics cursed me. Until their final moments, they spat out resentment and fear.
‘Kill them. Kill them all. Stab every last one of them to death.’
I could not tell if what I was seeing was reality or something beyond an inexplicable barrier. I raised my hand and touched my lips. For some reason, the corners of my mouth were curled upward.
Before I knew it, my left hand was gripping my sword as if I were about to unsheathe it and go on a rampage.
My hand was shaking uncontrollably. This trembling… it felt like the excitement of a madman about to commit murder.
‘Ki—ll them!’
The Darkness inside my body screamed at me to kill those who worshiped the Darkness. I stood there in confusion amidst the battlefield echoing with the sounds of tearing flesh and explosions.
“What a magnificent sight.”
“To see Divine Grace falling into corruption because of a mere handful of Darkness.”
Kalgos, the giant inside the scabbard, babbled noisily. However, thanks to him, I managed to keep my grip on my sanity.
Creeeak—
I immediately drew my sword in a reverse grip and slammed it into the ground.
“Shut your mouth, Kalgos.”
I could already envision the hardships to come. If I lost my focus even for a moment, a catastrophe would surely occur. I had to find a solution somehow.
***
The news of Laplace’s consecutive victories echoed across the Continents.
The crushing defeat of Markus, which had been supported by three other nations, had an invisible but undeniable impact.
The decree from Markus that prohibited interaction with Laplace was now a thing of the past. Envoys from various nations began to frequent Laplace.
And whenever they returned to their home countries, they always carried ‘shining objects’ with them.
[Laplace is the Light.]
[Markus was the Darkness.]
In an instant, these claims became an irrefutable truth. It was a complete reversal of the situation.
Some people passionately argued that they should join forces with Laplace for the sake of continental peace, while others insisted they should wait and see.
However, one thing was certain: this war was no longer just a fight between a Great Magic Family and a single kingdom. It was a war between Light and Darkness—between the Hor Religion and the Darkness.
Strategists from every nation predicted that Laplace would now launch a counteroffensive.
But the reality was different. Both Laplace and Markus remained in a standoff, each having taken a step back.
It was the calm before the storm. This made the neighboring nations, who were merely watching the fight, feel anxious. If the tide of the era was changing, the sooner they jumped on board, the more advantageous it would be.
They had to make a choice. Would they continue to worship the Darkness following the old ways, or would they embrace the Light in anticipation of a new change?
“The Contra Family of the Chotin Principality. You are the last.”
At the sound of the voice, the Lord of the Contra Family looked at the young man. The moment of choice had finally arrived for him as well.
A group that called themselves Inquisitors and claimed to uphold the divine mandate to burn away evil—word that this group was recruiting Magic Houses from various nations had been spreading since before the war between Laplace and Markus broke out.
“Seeing as Young Master Alan has only just arrived, I must confess I feel a bit slighted. It makes me feel as though I was low on the recruitment priority list.”
The Lord smiled, his face twisting as if he were truly disappointed. Behind Alan, a line of wizards that rivaled a legion stood in formation.
They were familiar faces. All of them were people who had participated in the Magic Alliance.
“The Contra Family has always been devoted to Markus. I simply gave you time to think.”
Alan took a step forward.
“I believe I have given you plenty of time to decide. Lord of Contra, will you remain a spectator? Or will you become a heretic?”
“Is there no other option?”
“Of course there is. However, I doubt your family has the strength to oppose Markus.”
The Lord closed his eyes. The question of whether he could oppose Markus was one he had asked himself many times.
The eyes of his retainers were fixed on him. The future of the family depended on his answer.
“I am well aware of what the current Markus worships. There is no way I could not know.”
The Contra Family had also participated in the Plague War. The demonic energy exuded by the Giant back then was still vivid in his memory.
Today, Markus had become a den of demons worshiping that horrific demonic energy. It was no longer the ruling family known as the Great Magic Family. It was nothing more than ‘heresy.’
“My family will join the great cause, Young Master Alan.”
“Good. As of today, Contra shall serve the Light and destroy evil.”
The Lord knelt. At his action, the retainers all bowed their heads simultaneously. As silence hung in the air, the Lord of the Contra Family spoke.
“Young Master. This does not mean we will no longer serve Markus.”
“What?”
“Is the one standing before me not of the Markus bloodline, walking the righteous path?”
Totaling 2,315 individuals. That was the number of wizards who had survived the Plague War. And now, it was the number of Inquisitors.
***
Alisa, the Knights, and I returned to the capital. There was no particular movement from Markus, and we needed time to reorganize.
While we were establishing our strategy in the capital, numerous envoys moved in and out of the city.
Some nobles looked down on them, calling them bats, but Alisa welcomed the envoys from each nation grandly.
“The tide has turned in our favor. This is naturally something to be welcomed.”
“Indeed. Besides, it is not as if they are personally guilty. They are merely moving for the benefit of their own countries rather than personal gain.”
I sipped my tea. I had tried it once because it was said to have a calming effect on the mind and body, but now I lived with it practically attached to my lips.
As I took a few more sips, Alisa, who was sitting across from me, glanced at my left hand.
“Do the gloves fit your hand well?”
“Yes. Thanks to your concern, I can sleep more comfortably now.”
A thick glove was fitted over my left hand. It was a Mana Suppression Artifact that Alisa had found by scouring the kingdom’s treasury.
Mana and demonic energy were clearly different powers, but it did have a very slight effect.
“Why do you push yourself so hard? Even if you need the Darkness, there is no reason to keep it inside your own body.”
“A bomb that could explode from even a small impact should be kept in the safest possible place. Regrettably, I cannot think of any place safer than my own body.”
She furrowed her brows.
“Richard. It is embarrassing to say this, but your strength has become the greatest pillar of support in this war. What will happen if you cannot use that strength when it is needed?”
It was a valid point. If people saw me losing my mind because I was forced to harbor the Darkness, their reliance on me would vanish. However, I shook my head and spoke.
“Master. Do not worry.”
“How can I not worry? This is a war where the lives of countless people are at stake.”
“I will not become a burden.”
Alisa turned her head away sharply.
Her protruding lips expressed her full dissatisfaction.
“I truly do not know what you are thinking. It is beyond my comprehension.”
I had no choice but to smile awkwardly. This had become part of my daily routine.
Everyone from the Knights, Adele, and Mar to Alisa would grumble like this because I wouldn’t share my plans.
“Please wait just a little longer. I will reveal everything once I have absorbed all the Darkness from Markus.”
By then, it would be too late to turn back. No matter how much they tried to persuade me, what was done could not be undone.
The tea time continued in the awkward atmosphere. Then, some welcome news arrived. In front of the capital’s Gate, a line of wizards had appeared.
It was a legion-level force totaling nearly 2,000.
Alan, at the lead, held high the Sacred Emblem of Hor. Unlike his expressionless face, his actions were as triumphant as a victorious Marshal.
“Alan! What a magnificent achievement! To have recruited so many allies!”
As soon as the Gate opened, Alisa ran out and commended Alan for his hard work.
“I simply did what needed to be done.”
“You sound exactly like a certain someone.”
I shifted my gaze from the siblings chatting away. The wizards Alan had brought with him were staring intently at me.
‘I suppose they all remember me.’
Since we had fought together in the war against Kalgos, it made sense that they would recognize me. That was what I was thinking when…
Whoosh—
A pure white flame erupted from Alan.
However, the look in his eyes as he glared at me held the hellish fire of judgment.
“What is this? Why the sudden outburst?”
“I sense Darkness. This is… the energy of a heretic!”
“It’s a heretic! I will burn you to death!”
Ah. This was quite the problem.