Chapter 144
Chapter 144
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: Setting the Trap
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* * *
The Demon Lord's territory in the north, now the land of the Church, offered to the Sister Goddesses Sistina in the name of House Sachsen.
The White Mages and the true standard-bearers of the goddess, who called themselves the Swords of the Church, were there. And that man was there as well.
“It is the will of God…”
Master Templar, Guy de Lusignan.
“Praise be!”
Amidst the resounding hymns of the White Mages, wings of light began to flicker behind them, proclaiming themselves the harbingers of dawn, clearing away the twilight of the Demon Lord's territory.
Facing the horde of ghouls rushing toward them, the Master Templar aimed his sword.
“Goddess, grant me the strength to stand against evil.”
Immediately after, a pillar of light descended from the sky. It struck the very spot the Master Templar's sword was pointing, like a satellite bombardment from a science fiction movie.
Satellite Beam.
A pillar of light rained down from the heavens. The celestial bombardment engulfed the horde of ghouls, and at the same time, their bodies froze. What appeared to be ice at first glance was, however, not ice.
It was salt.
Like the punishment God had sent down to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, everything touched by the light pouring from the sky was turned into a pillar of salt.
“Praise be, you pitiful souls who know not the love and mercy of the Sister Goddesses!”
Unable to contain his surging faith, the Master Templar made the sign of the cross.
He paid no mind to the fact that the goddess's wrath unfolding there was, in many ways, quite removed from love and mercy.
“We shall drive out the darkness from this land and deeply engrave the goddess’s will upon it.”
The Master Templar muttered. And the land he spoke of was by no means limited to the Demon Lord’s territory. He turned his head.
Toward the land of the apostates who had once forsaken God, the northern duchy of Sachsen.
* * *
Even after offering the Demon Lord’s territory to the Church, Dale remained there as the ‘representative of Sachsen.’ He was no longer in the Sachsen family castle, but in the old Sachsen fortress, which was being transformed into the cathedral of the Sistina Church.
Furthermore, after the Church officially gained control over the Great Labyrinth project in the Labyrinth City of Labyrinthus, several new laws were enacted.
The tithe.
The act of offering ten percent of one's income to the goddess.
As long as the Demon Lord’s territory had become a diocese of the Sistina faith, no one within it could be exempt.
Pioneer farmers, monastic orders, and even the adventurers who braved the labyrinth were no exception. This tax had to be paid separately from the brokerage fees for artifacts and magic stones they acquired in the labyrinth, and it was another matter entirely that those brokerage fees had also become more expensive in the goddess's name.
In any case, the frenzy of the Artifact Rush still offered a fortune worthy of its risks. The Church, knowing this, began to squeeze the wealth of the Demon Lord’s territory in every way it could.
Around that time, whispers began to spread among the adventurers about the new rulers of the Demon Lord’s territory.
At the forefront of this, without a doubt, was ‘Edward of Dulles,’ the head of the noble adventurer faction and the one reaping the greatest profits in this Labyrinth City.
Dale had been aware of his existence from the beginning. Yet, he remained silent about his tyranny, not for trivial reasons like being afraid of his backers or lacking evidence.
Sometimes, even poison can be medicine, depending on how it's used.
It was around then that Dale sought out Edward, intending to use one poison to control another.
* * *
“Damn those Church bastards!”
Edward’s mansion in the Labyrinth City of Labyrinthus. As a result of the pioneering project that began a few years ago, it was not unusual for successful adventurers to own private residences within the city. Among them, a few were particularly large and luxurious—at least by the standards of the northern backwater that was the Sachsen Duchy.
“It seems even the almighty Sister Goddesses can’t escape money problems.”
In that very mansion, Dale muttered as if it were someone else's problem.
“I imagine this must be a considerable blow for you as well, Young Master Edward.”
“How can you even say that!”
Edward raised his voice again at Dale's words. Dale looked around.
The interior of the mansion, belonging to what should have been one of the wealthiest adventurers in the Labyrinth City, was an absolute mess. It looked as if it had been hit by a bomb.
It had happened less than a few dozen minutes ago.
The Church had gobbled up the adventurer’s guild Dale had established, used its information to identify high-income adventurers… and based on that information, the ‘Tithe Enforcers’ of the Knights Templar had stormed Edward’s mansion.
Immediately after, under the pretext of collecting the tithe according to Church law, they had ransacked every corner of the mansion and stripped Edward of his assets.
The Church could legally take ten percent of the wealth adventurers had accumulated in the Labyrinth City. Therefore, in order to collect the ‘largest possible ten percent,’ they had practically hung Edward upside down and shaken him clean.
They also added that the ten percent of the income he would earn each month in the Demon Lord's territory would be no exception.
“And on top of that, they’re nearly doubling the brokerage fees! Isn’t this enough to make the Sister Goddesses weep!”
“It appears the Sister Goddesses are in urgent need of funds.”
“What on earth were you thinking, Viscount Sachsen, handing the territory over to them!”
“What choice do I have in the face of robbery committed in the name of God?”
Dale shrugged. There are many types of robbers in the world, and the most fearsome are those who borrow the name of God.
“But we can’t just stand by and watch the Labyrinth City collapse like this!”
Edward began to shout as if he were the lord of the Demon Lord’s territory himself.
“It’s true that many adventurers are earning significant income from the Great Labyrinth. However, my primary goal is to reclaim this land, the Demon Lord’s territory, for humanity. As long as the Church is faithfully carrying out that project… I suppose we must endure a certain amount of loss.”
“But the imperial prince and princess, along with powerful figures from all over the continent, have already gathered for the ‘Grand Alliance Against Demons’!”
Edward raised his voice.
“For the Church to unilaterally dictate the situation is utterly absurd!”
“Just as I’d expect from you, Young Master Edward.”
At those words, Dale smiled faintly.
“In fact, I deeply sympathize with what you’re saying.”
He continued after his smile.
“It seems we have no choice but to be in the same boat.”
* * *
After striking a certain ‘deal’ with Edward, Dale immediately headed to the hideout of the Shadow Court he commanded.
Their grand court was temporarily hidden within the Sachsen Duchy, avoiding the Church that now controlled the entire Demon Lord’s territory.
The true nature of the Shadow Court, the Shadow Church, was a heresy that the Sistina faith could never tolerate.
And as long as Dale existed as the ‘Shadow Lord,’ who had earned the loyalty of the Shadow Church, he needed to conceal their existence thoroughly.
In that regard, the fact that they were also the continent's foremost organization of assassins was a fortunate thing indeed.
“No sooner have we struck down the apostle of fire and light than new apostles of gold appear.”
There, in the grand court, a girl with her eyes covered by a black bandage spoke.
The Shadow Saint, the focal point of their organization, which served Dale and the old Mother of Darkness, Shub.
“You called Mikhail Lancaster the apostle of fire and light.”
“That is correct.”
“What do you mean by ‘apostle,’ Saintess?”
“It means exactly what it sounds like.”
The Shadow Saint smiled as she continued.
“They are servants to whom the gods of Gold and Shadow, Light and Darkness, send revelations to execute their will upon this land. Just as the Holy Maiden Orelia of Britannia Isle once was.”
“Are you talking about power that is granted for no reason?”
“It could be that, or it could be that those with special talents, like Mikhail Lancaster, awaken to their beliefs. Furthermore, there are even those who carry out their duties as apostles without even knowing it. The forms and methods vary, but ultimately, the apostles have only one goal.”
“And what is that?”
“To establish an empire for their God in this land.”
“Are you referring to Gold and Shadow?”
“In a broad sense, yes. But just as there are many forms within the shadow, gold is no exception.”
It likely meant that just as there are far-left, moderate, and other spectrums within political ideologies, the same was true here.
“There are apostles who proclaim themselves the loyal standard-bearers of the Lord of Gold and the Lord of Shadow, and there are also apostles who harbor the ambition to become the Lord of Gold or Shadow themselves. Much like the ‘Empire of Fire and Light,’ which is still endlessly scheming behind the scenes to seize the Golden Throne.”
Like a priestess receiving an oracle, the Shadow Saint’s words were abstract and steeped in fanaticism. Yet, there was a certain logic to what she said.
Mikhail Lancaster was not someone who was unconditionally loyal to the imperial family. Rather, the peace he spoke of was imbued with a greater ambition.
“What exactly are ‘Gold and Shadow’ in the first place?”
“Hehe, there’s no need to rush to understand. Soon enough, you will have no choice but to know, whether you like it or not.”
The Shadow Saint smiled enigmatically again, her black bandage still in place.
“The Shadow Court and I have simply sworn to serve the Shadow Lord more faithfully than anyone, and we believe in the empire you will bring to this land.”
“Even if someone more suitable as the Apostle of Black appears and claims the name of Shadow Lord in my stead?”
“Who would dare claim that name in place of the ‘Black Prince’?”
The Shadow Saint asked in return.
“The successor to Sachsen and Black, who stands with the old Mother of Darkness. Is that not the ‘Black Prince’?”
“…”
“The apostle of fire and light, Mikhail Lancaster, is only the beginning. Countless more apostles of Gold and Shadow will appear and stand in your way. Just as the ‘Master Templar’ who is currently violating this land does.”
Master Templar. At that name, Dale momentarily held his breath.
He glanced to the side. There was Master Baro, his feet propped up on the table, sipping a beer.
“Master Baro.”
“What is it?”
And finally, Dale spoke the true purpose of his visit to the Shadow Court.
“Time to bloody our swords. Call in the boys.”
* * *
Although he had made a deal with Edward, strictly speaking, it didn’t change the fact that Edward himself was a poison to Dale. Considering the tyranny he and his noble adventurer faction had wielded within the Labyrinth City, it wouldn't have been strange to have nipped him in the bud long ago.
Thus, to Dale, ‘Edward of Dulles’ was nothing more than a disposable hunting dog. No, to be precise, he wasn't even the hunting dog.
The ones who would be hunting the Church would be Dale and the Shadow Court.
But when the hunt was over, the one to take the ‘blame’ would be Edward and his cronies.
With a sacrificial hound prepared well in advance, it was time to begin the hunt for the Church.