Chapter 92 Holy Kingdom (4)
Holy Kingdom (4)
Descendants of the Magic King.
Those who called themselves by that name. They were a terrorist group that had recently been running rampant throughout the Holy Kingdom.
The problem arose when the main military forces were dispatched during the Subjugation Expedition, temporarily loosening security.
Having infiltrated the Numen Holy Kingdom by crossing the walls, they began running wild the moment the expedition commenced, as if they'd been waiting for this opportunity.
Fortunately, most of the disturbances were quickly suppressed, but it was inevitable that the Holy Kingdom's borders would tighten security. Moreover, those bastards were even using magic that allowed them to disguise themselves.
Because of this, even merchant groups with established trust were struggling to enter the Holy Kingdom now.
With every piece of cargo, every merchant, even coachmen and servants being thoroughly searched, it was only natural that such long lines would form.
After listening to the holy knight's explanation, Abel asked him:
"Why do they call themselves Descendants of the Magic King?"
"The type of magic they use is the problem. They claim to practice what they call Blood Magic, but..."
"Blood Magic?"
"Yes. You know of that long-lost magic, don't you?"
The holy knight sighed deeply as if suffering from a headache. His trembling eyebrows, the dark circles beneath them, even his slightly shaking pupils—
At a glance, he looked utterly exhausted.
"Still, I apologize. That esteemed guests like yourselves had to experience such unpleasantness is entirely my fault."
"No need for excessive apologies. Let's leave it at that."
"Understood."
The holy knight bowed his head in response.
Adel quietly observed the scene from inside the carriage. The Magic King, Blood Magic, and a terrorist group claiming to be his descendants—
No matter how she looked at it, this seemed connected to what slept within her.
According to Silpi, what she'd used to defeat Katra back then had been Blood Magic.
'Silpi.'
When she called out to Silpi through the mental Link, an immediate response came as if he'd been waiting.
[Contractor, do you have some inkling about this?]
'Not yet. There seems to be some connection, but...'
However, she still couldn't grasp how that connection worked. There simply wasn't enough information to go on, so it couldn't be helped.
Yet this nagging unease remained unavoidable. It felt like an unseen time bomb was ticking away somewhere in the room.
As Adel sank into thought, Abel questioned the holy knight again:
"What's their objective?"
"From what we've heard, they seem to be searching for the Magic King's Legacy. To us, it's nothing but incomprehensible nonsense."
The holy knight clutched his head and kept letting out incredulous laughs, as if the very idea was absurd.
The Holy Kingdom had no connection to the Magic King whatsoever. The ancient Macedonia Kingdom—the Magic King's homeland—was located at the opposite end of the continent from the Holy Kingdom.
Even with the finest carriages, it would take over two months to travel between them.
Moreover, the Numen Holy Kingdom had once maintained friendly relations with the Macedonia Kingdom.
No matter how much these terrorists called themselves the Magic King's descendants, from the Holy Kingdom's perspective, they could only be seen as imposters.
It almost seemed like someone was moving to tarnish the Magic King's name.
'Silpi. What exactly is Blood Magic?'
Suddenly curious, Adel asked Silpi. She'd heard the term "Blood Magic" repeatedly but still didn't really understand what kind of magic it was.
Though it made sense, since it was a long-lost art.
Given the current situation, she needed to understand what Blood Magic was. Since the terrorist group was apparently using the same Blood Magic.
There was no harm in learning about it beforehand.
At her question, Silpi paused thoughtfully before haltingly beginning his explanation:
[Hmm... It's literally magic that uses one's own blood as the price. A magic system devised by the Magic King—one with endless applications.]
The Magic King.
A being so powerful that some said he rivaled the gods in magical prowess.
The Blood Magic he created used one's own blood as the price instead of mana. Thus, in terms of raw power, Blood Magic operated on an entirely different level from conventional magic.
The original Blood Magic could only use the caster's own blood, making it even more potent.
'Does that mean... it's different now?'
At Adel's question, Silpi nodded.
[After the Magic King died, some bizarre figures appeared and modified Blood Magic for their own use.]
A modified version of Blood Magic that allowed using others' blood as sacrificial offerings.
An organization had emerged centered around this perverted magic—the complete opposite of the original Blood Magic's purpose.
A group that used this bastardized Blood Magic to carry out terror attacks across nations. They too once called themselves the Magic King's descendants.
Some claimed the Empire had orchestrated this to tarnish the Magic King's name, but no one knew the truth.
[The current situation is strikingly similar to back then.]
Adel sighed at Silpi's words. She'd never imagined that such a troublesome group would start causing havoc just as they were entering the Holy Kingdom.
And it was a terrorist organization that had once appeared in history before.
'Could they be the same group?'
[No idea. But the likelihood seems high.]
'This complicates things.'
She leaned back against the carriage seat. Then, she glanced at Lily, who was dozing peacefully beside her.
A smile naturally formed on Adel's lips as she took in the girl's serene face—whether or not Lily was aware of the current situation. Quietly, Adel turned her gaze outside, watching the scenery pass by.
From far away, the sound of an argument reached her ears—likely some kind of scuffle. When she looked toward the commotion, she saw a guard and a merchant engaged in a heated exchange.
The distance was too great to make out their words clearly.
[You could use my power, you know.]
'The wind's power?'
[Wind spirits are far more versatile than you'd think.]
She could practically picture Silpi shrugging his shoulders proudly as he spoke, and Adel let out a quiet chuckle. Following his suggestion, she summoned a gust of wind and sent it toward the distant argument.
A streak of blue wind shot toward the scene.
"...So, you're telling us to just stand here and wait?"
"That is correct."
"Do you have any idea how many days we've been stuck here? Three! Three whole days!"
The merchant, his indignation boiling over, thumped his chest as he protested to the guard. The other merchants standing beside him chimed in with murmurs of agreement.
"It is His Holiness the Pope's decree. No exceptions can be made."
But the guard's response was firm and unyielding. The merchant's face twisted in frustration at his words.
Pointing a finger toward Adel's carriage in the distance, the merchant raised his voice to a shout.
"Then what about them?! Why are we the only ones being held here?!"
"They are honored guests who have received the Holy Kingdom's grace. Thus, they are an exception."
"You just said no exceptions could be made, and now this?!"
His anger must have reached its peak, because the merchant grabbed the guard by the collar. The guard's brow furrowed in displeasure.
Yet, undaunted, the merchant shook the guard violently by his grip.
"We are a merchant group already trusted by the Holy Kingdom! Even the primitive tribes of the Eastern Kingdom wouldn't treat us like this!"
"Haaah..."
The guard let out a long sigh, as if engraving the word patience into his heart.
'Three days is too long, isn't it?'
[Definitely. From the merchants' perspective, they have every right to be furious. For them, time is money.]
'You're surprisingly knowledgeable about that sort of thing, Silpi.'
[Not all spirits are ignorant. That's just Sally.]
Sally—so he meant that fire spirit from before.
Even when they first met, the two had been growling at each other. It seemed Silpi and Sally were bound by some kind of cursed relationship.
Which was odd, considering wind and fire were attributes that should synergize well together.
[Attribute synergy and personality compatibility are two entirely different things, you know?]
'Alright, alright.'
She quickly soothed Silpi, whose voice had risen in an instant. Normally rational, he always got worked up the moment Sally was mentioned.
It must have been one of those inescapable, karmic grudges.
"This is unacceptable."
"We're the ones finding it unacceptable! We've already wasted three days!"
The back-and-forth bickering continued. As Adel quietly observed the scene, an odd presence brushed against her senses—a trace of magic, both familiar and unsettlingly foreign.
[Huh?]
Silpi must have sensed it too, judging by his reaction. A sharp, crimson mana signature snagged at Adel's heightened awareness.
A sense of foreboding gripped her. Gritting her teeth, she swiftly cast a shield spell toward the window.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion followed as crimson spikes shot in from all directions. Most of the merchant group managed to block them thanks to their guards.
The unlucky few, however, had their bodies impaled, blood gushing freely from the wounds.
Before anyone could properly react to the sudden attack, a man emerged from the swirling dust.
A hooded figure.
A man clad in priestly robes, radiating an ominous aura.
'Danger—I knew it!'
The shield spell she had cast over the carriage window barely held. The spikes that had been flying through the air shattered harmlessly against the translucent barrier.
"Hah... ugh..."
Adel exhaled shakily, bowing her head. A second later, and Lily would have been skewered.
The thought of those spikes piercing straight through the girl's skull sent a violent tremor through her entire body.
"Mmm...?"
Lily stirred in her sleep, mumbling peacefully. Adel pulled her close, shielding her, and glared at the man standing in the distance.
"I am Darga, descendant of the Magic King! In His name, I have come to execute the blasphemers!"
Crimson spikes shot toward the guard. He shoved the merchant aside and raised a shield infused with holy power.
"Guh—?!"
With a resounding CRASH, the guard's shield was sent flying. As eerie, glowing eyes loomed before him, his pupils trembled.
"Cheap tricks!"
Blood began gathering from the pools scattered across the ground, droplets swirling toward the man's outstretched hand. Adel's face twisted in disgust.
'That's... blood magic.'