Jorganism Po(2)
As soon as Isabelle finished speaking, silence fell. It was quiet—eerily, unnaturally quiet. Count Aaron Valua’s brow furrowed deeply. Isabelle lifted her seductive voice, letting it ring out across the garden.
“After the Ten-Year War ended, you built this city on the ruins of Yoronda Village. You can’t possibly be ignorant of what lies beneath it, Aaron di Valua. If you wish to save this city tonight and keep your own life, you will bring the Goddess Yoronda’s corpse and lay it at my feet right now.”
A sudden rustling rose from the far corner of the garden. Then, like a black tide rolling in, countless insects surged forward and encircled the entire area. They resembled small beetles, each one no larger than a fist, yet every single pair of eyes glowed with a malignant red light.
Count Aaron stared at the revolting swarm and spoke in a calm, measured tone.
“Powerless humans like us could never hope to defeat you. The city would be destroyed, every living soul wiped out.”
He tapped his cane against the ground twice—light, almost playful clicks.
“Still, I have one question.”
“Speak.”
“Even if no one in this world can stand against you… do you truly believe you could overcome the power of a god?”
“What are you talking about?” Isabelle laughed, tilting her head with mocking curiosity.
Count Aaron’s lips curved into a triumphant smile.
“We’re both busy people. There’s no need for either of us to waste time with pointless posturing. Look over there.”
He pointed toward a statue standing along the right-hand walkway. Every eye in the garden, including Isabelle’s, followed his gesture. A graceful goddess statue three meters tall stood alone, untouched by the chaos engulfing the city, radiating quiet dignity.
This feels… unpleasant.
Cloud stared at the statue and felt not awe, but a strange, crawling discomfort.
Count Aaron’s voice continued, cold and confident.
“Humans can never become gods. But we can imitate their power by making use of them. If you intend to stop us, we will strike you down with a weapon forged by borrowing divine strength.”
“Haha… hahahahaha!”
Isabelle threw her head back and laughed, the sound rich and mocking.
“You used her corpse? You think that pathetic statue can do anything to me? Oh, Aaron. Cowards always nurture vanity to hide their own spinelessness.”
“Vanity?” Count Aaron’s voice turned icy. “Don’t be ridiculous. When we first discovered Yoronda’s body, it contained a rare energy our accumulated knowledge of thousands of years could not explain. We named it Yorganism Energy in her honor. I will now show you the power of the divine weapon created from that very energy.”
He turned to the knight standing at his right.
“Activate the Yorganism Cannon at once.”
“Yes, my lord. Activating the cannon.”
The knight spun on his heel and gave a sharp hand signal toward someone deeper inside the castle.
“Look at the statue!” Count Aaron shouted.
All eyes turned toward the distant goddess statue.
The statue’s eyes opened slowly. Pure white light poured from them.
Cloud swallowed hard. It looked human in shape, yet monstrous in presence.
The statue’s mouth opened wide.
In a single flash, a thick beam of light erupted from within. The statue began to rotate clockwise, sweeping the entire sky above the city as though swinging a colossal blade of pure radiance. The brilliant beam devoured the wyverns hovering overhead and the goblin riders astride them without a sound. Anything it touched simply melted away.
When every last wyvern that had darkened the sky was annihilated in an instant, everyone watching fell into stunned silence. The fierce fighting continued on the ground, but the sky above the city had gone deathly quiet.
Count Aaron smiled at Isabelle.
“What do you think? Not even you could survive a direct hit from the Yorganism Cannon.”
“You’ve created something truly magnificent, Aaron.”
Isabelle could not tear her astonished gaze from the statue. Then a delightful new idea bloomed in her mind.
Huhu… What if I used that weapon to kill Ophelia?
Having made her decision, Isabelle immediately ordered a full retreat. Doom, Galatea, and the red knight were no exceptions. She chose to spare Count Aaron—he would make an excellent tool in the future.
Before she left, Isabelle cast one final glance at Cloud. Her voice reached him through a mental link that no one else could hear.
“It’s an honor. I had no idea you were the hero Isabelle. So that’s how you knew Ophelia’s real face.”
“That’s because you gave me power. Thanks to you, I’ve walked a fairly smooth road. I even survived several moments where I should have died.”
“What can I say? She’s completely fallen for me.”
Cloud looked around in bewilderment.
“You want me as your subordinate? Why?”
“W-what are you—?!”
Isabelle immediately tried to seize Cloud with her power, but it failed. Hess’s necklace reacted, completely blocking her dark magic.
Isabelle gave up on Cloud without much regret and turned her gaze back to Count Aaron. She left behind the message that she would be waiting in Sutmag, imprinting her cruelly alluring figure upon everyone’s memory before she vanished.
Once the witch had departed, Count Aaron glanced toward Fred, who was still hiding in a corner of the garden.
“What a waste of talent.” He clicked his tongue. Yet the regret did not linger.
“In any case, the world is full of talented people. When a position opens, simply fill it with someone eager to work.”
His eyes then moved to Cloud and Elena, who stood mixed among the soldiers.
“Bring that elf and that man before me.”
When they were summoned forward, Cloud dropped to one knee and bowed his head. Elena stood tall with perfect posture, staring at Count Aaron with an expressionless face. An elf had no reason to follow human customs or etiquette.
“I witnessed the two of you saving Sylvia. The elf aside, the man appears to be one of Valua’s soldiers. Your courage was impressive. I observed it well. Do either of you have a request?”
“None,” Elena answered cleanly.
“I don’t have any either!” Cloud hesitated for a moment before shouting the words. In truth he had many desires, but he judged that humility was the wiser course.
Count Aaron studied Cloud with an unreadable smile.
“Your name?”
“It’s Cloud, my lord!”
“Very well, Cloud. What is your current rank?”
“I don’t have one yet. I am currently training to become a 20-Man Commander.”
“A 20-Man Commander…”
Count Aaron leaned toward the commander standing beside him and whispered.
“Vurmir, promote that fellow to 100-Man Commander effective immediately. He looks like he’ll be quite useful to our house.”
“Understood.”
Count Aaron looked at Cloud once more.
“Do you believe you can perform well as a 100-Man Commander?”
Cloud kept his eyes on the ground, inwardly stunned. Me, a 100-Man Commander!
Sylvia watched the scene with obvious anxiety.
Refuse him, Cloud! You must not draw attention right now!
After a brief hesitation, Cloud finally answered.
“Thank you! I will work hard and prove myself worthy!”
Thanks to his transformed body, Cloud’s heart overflowed with confidence. He had no intention of letting this opportunity slip. Instead of waiting for an uncertain future, he believed it was wiser to seize the chance when it appeared. A fierce ambition to live a more brilliant life than anyone else surged within him.
Sylvia, by contrast, wore a hollow expression.
It’s good that Cloud received a promotion, but this is far too fast. Things have suddenly become complicated. If he ends up being dragged into the witch hunt, what then…?
The long night finally gave way to dawn.
Count Aaron retired into the castle with his retainers. In the now-quiet garden, only Cloud, Elena, Sylvia, and Felipe remained.
Felipe bowed respectfully.
“My lady, you should go inside as well and rest.”
But Sylvia did not move. She was glaring at Cloud and Elena.
“Where exactly do you two intend to go now?”
Cloud scratched the back of his head, seemingly unbothered by her displeased tone.
“Where? I’ll stop by the Tyrond Inn for a moment, then return to the unit. As for Elena, the only place she has to stay right now is the Tyrond Inn, so—urk!”
Suddenly Sylvia grabbed Cloud by the collar and began dragging him toward the mansion.
“Wh-what are you doing?!”
“Be quiet! You’re coming inside the castle with me!”
“My lady! You mustn’t!”
Felipe tried to intervene, but her efforts were useless against Sylvia, whose strength rivaled any man’s.
“Father himself praised you and promoted you to 100-Man Commander! I cannot simply send away the benefactor who saved my life. I must entertain you with every courtesy!”
“I’ll handle the repayment myself, so please go rest, my lady!”
“Stay out of this! I received the help, so I will be the one to express gratitude!”
“Th-then let’s have tea in the reception room. I’ll prepare it immediately.”
“No. I will serve him tea myself in my own room. That is final!”
“My lady!”
Felipe frowned, clearly unhappy. She disliked the idea of her lady being taken away by some common-looking vagrant.
“No. You can’t take Cloud.”
Elena stepped forward as well, grabbing Cloud’s arm and pulling in the opposite direction.
“Whoa! I’m being torn apart!”
With one woman yanking his collar and the other pulling his arm, Cloud felt as though his body might rip in half. In the end, Sylvia agreed to let Elena accompany them and dragged Cloud into the castle.
At Sylvia’s suggestion that they wash and change into clean clothes before drinking tea, Elena quietly agreed. While the maids helped Elena shower, Sylvia swiftly pulled Cloud into her room.
The door slammed shut with a bang.
Before he could even admire the luxurious chamber, Sylvia—completely lost to jealousy—rushed at him with fierce intensity.
“Mmph—! Mmmph—! Uup!”
She wrapped both arms around Cloud’s neck and showered him with hot, greedy kisses. The shy, hesitant girl who had once been overwhelmed by desire was gone. In her place was a beauty ravenous with lust.
“Sylvia! Mwah! Mwah!”