Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Nobles Dyed in Darkness (1)
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What exactly is a black magician?
Opinions vary from person to person, but one thing never changes.
Black magicians are those who wield forbidden black magic.
Still, those who have encountered black magicians often say this much.
They aren't human.
They are the first beings one encounters when a person falls into depravity.
The magic they wield can hardly be called magic at all.
There are plenty of other tales like these, but the prevailing view is that they are ominous, cursed individuals.
And that assessment wasn't wrong at all.
The noble who had witnessed them firsthand—Phillips Hyta—now felt regret creeping in.
He had initially colluded with them to take down Edn, but the true nature of these black magicians exceeded his wildest imaginings.
Yet he had already crossed a river of no return.
If he had any thought of backing out, he never should have gotten involved in the first place.
Aware of this, he had no choice but to follow orders without protest.
"Preparations should be complete by now, right?"
"I'd love to say yes, but there's still one spot unfinished."
"Where's that?"
The dark blue robe pointed to a spot on the map.
It was a perfect replica of the capital city, and the robed figure tapped several locations with a finger.
"We haven't deployed the test subjects here yet. It's a populated area, after all."
"So we just need to handle that part? Honestly, I'm getting worn out."
Some among the anti-emperor faction and noble faction had colluded with the black magicians.
Just as their plans were solidifying and preparations were underway, they were the first to refuse tax payments.
To be precise, they refused to hand over a portion of the taxes they had collected to the emperor.
No matter how much the empire presented itself as a unified nation, it still recognized the nobles' autonomy.
In effect, it functioned like a federation.
This meant nobles kept a share of the taxes from their territories.
But two months ago, certain nobles began refusing to comply.
Right when Edn was starting to devise and execute his plans.
The imperial family had tried negotiating with representatives to find a compromise, but it failed.
Now they were at the point of issuing ultimatums, declaring no more talks with the court.
The imperial army could march in at any moment.
"But it was bound to happen someday."
It would have occurred even without Edn's involvement.
The mere existence of the anti-emperor faction meant there were those harboring great and small grudges against the emperor.
"Whew, anyway, we'll handle that spot. I've got some hands I can borrow."
"Understood. Then I'll inform the others of the execution date."
"Good. See you later."
Phillips left the basement, and the dark blue robe stared ahead.
One test subject hung from the wall, gasping raggedly.
The robed figure gazed at it, humming softly.
"Fascinating. How did that guy create something this entertaining?"
His delighted laughter was the very picture of a black magician.
Meanwhile, Phillips hurried down the main avenue after exiting the basement.
To be exact, he was walking briskly.
"Huff, here it is. This is the place."
It wasn't a short distance, but not enough to leave him truly winded.
Yet, unused to exercise as he was, he panted heavily.
He caught his breath and climbed the stairs.
The house was built in a low-lying area that flooded during rain, so they had stacked it higher deliberately.
He barged in without knocking and began wandering the first floor.
No one stopped him despite the lack of permission from the homeowner.
Some even pointed him in the right direction.
He reached the room at the end of the first-floor hallway.
He flung the door open and shouted.
"Assemble the assassination squad now! I've got a job for you!"
"Whoa, you startled me. No need to yell."
The one startled by his outburst was the vice-leader of a notorious assassination guild in the capital.
The vice-leader blinked in surprise, but Phillips didn't buy it.
"You don't look all that shocked. Anyway, listen up from now on."
Phillips explained about the test subjects, as described by the dark blue robe.
In short, they needed to transport something resembling humans.
The vice-leader nodded at first, then shook his head.
"Sorry, but—"
"So you're refusing?"
Even a rotten fish had its value—being a noble, Phillips summoned his mana.
A blue thread appeared between him and the vice-leader.
The 'Thread of Fate,' a type of soul contract, revealed itself.
This magic was among the weaker soul contracts, which conversely gave the caster strong control.
He couldn't order death, but he could issue quite severe commands.
However, with their souls linked, any harm to one would affect both.
The vice-leader wondered how he'd ended up with such a weakness exposed, then shook his head.
"Ugh, fine. We'll do it."
"That's more like it. See you later."
Phillips left with a satisfied grin.
Staring at his retreating back, the vice-leader clenched his fist.
"Damn it, can't even kill the bastard."
He swung a mock chop at Phillips's retreating head.
Once he was gone, the vice-leader rang a bell to summon his members.
"Time to work. There's cargo at the client's specified location. Simple mission: transport to each point."
"Anything to watch out for?"
"Don't freak out when you see it. And avoid people's eyes."
The members found the vice-leader's words odd but didn't argue.
They would have carried it out regardless.
And so, shadows began moving through the capital's darkness.
They blended seamlessly with the night, but they couldn't hide their shock at the cargo sites.
"What the hell is...?"
"...We just follow orders. Hurry and move them."
Shock lasted only a moment as they assigned one member per test subject and transported them.
Fortunately, the subjects remained docile, without a twitch.
Thanks to that, they delivered to all points safely.
The moment the test subjects reached every location, a notification went out.
The dark blue robe, confirming it, snapped his fingers.
Pillars of darkness erupted across the capital.
"Gasp! What is that?!"
"Oh my god!"
"What's happening now?"
Everyone recoiled at the sudden pillars of darkness.
But it didn't end there.
"We shall emerge from beneath the light."
Broad daylight.
Beast-like howls echoed from various spots in the capital.
And the test subjects began rampaging through the streets.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I'd safely finished the reading marathon.
The multi-hour event had everyone exhausted, but we wrapped up with smiles.
Sharing prizes, laughing, and chatting.
Including Rlangbur, nearby territories held a festival for a few days.
Now that even that's over, I'm resting while pondering what to do next.
I hadn't thought ahead after the reading marathon.
First thing that comes to mind is rest.
Second is writing my next work.
Third is tackling the tasks I've been putting off.
For the next one, I want something light and easy to read.
Honestly, Sherlock Holmes, Don Quixote, and Jekyll & Hyde aren't light reads.
Sherlock Holmes and Jekyll & Hyde are dark, with heavy themes.
Don Quixote starts as an adventure tale in part one, but part two changes.
Especially the ending—it gets profoundly heavy.
Don Quixote awakens to reality and faces death.
"So let's skip the heavy stuff for now."
Hmm, a few ideas spring to mind right away.
No need to decide immediately.
I shifted to the third option.
The third is for everything I've created so far.
It could shatter this medieval civilization in one go.
"To escape the medieval era, we need mass production and mass migration to cities."
That way, everyone shares a similar standard of living, sparking various changes.
Opinions converge.
Basic shelter, clothing, and food are secured at minimum.
Education levels rise significantly.
"Of course, there are tons of things to revise along the way."
Still, I've built up infrastructure diligently—time to put it to use.
Not that I built it all myself.
"But my tech played the biggest role."
I have plenty of money now, making it an appealing choice.
Not that I'd spend it all, and I'd need sponsorship or investment since I don't know the scale.
"Third it is, or maybe second?"
I'm already resting, so first is checked off.
Lying in bed mulling it over, I hear urgent footsteps approaching.
By the sound, not sure who.
Only one person rushes to my room like this—Biena?
I sit up just as the door flies open.
As expected, it's Biena, her face a mask of utter confusion.
Sweat-soaked, hair disheveled.
Good lord, what could rattle even Biena like this?
She didn't even knock, so it must be serious.
I straighten up instinctively and look at her.
"What happened?"
"Young master. A rebellion has broken out in the capital—no, across the entire empire."
"Ah, a rebellion."
...Wait, what did she say?
I furrowed my brow at the unbelievable words and asked again.
"A rebellion?"
"Yes! The family head is—"
Biena kept talking, but it wasn't sinking in.
No, I was just starting to relax—what kind of rebellion is this!
I could only slap my forehead in disbelief.