The Lord's Call (3)
"Don't... run... away... anymore?"
Different voices overlapped into one.
A child's clear tone, an old woman's raspy voice, a burly man's thick timbre—all tangled together into a grotesque cacophony.
"Gaaah!!"
Oz spun on instinct and bolted.
This can't be real. It makes no sense!
His mind was a storm of chaos.
What kind of power could turn ordinary people into those monsters?
No—were they even living humans?
He hurled himself into a narrow alley. His heart pounded like it would burst, his legs trembling as if they weren't his own.
To think fear still lingered in me...
The emotion he'd thought forgotten—or rather, discarded—sank into his chest like a venomous serpent.
Deep in the dark, damp back alley, a homeless man huddled under a filthy blanket.
Normally, Oz wouldn't have spared him a glance.
Just some lowly wretch to brush past. But not now. In this horrific terror, he desperately craved confirmation of a normal human.
"Ha... ha... Y-you... are you normal?"
Oz gasped out the words.
"Pardon? My lord, what do you mean?"
The homeless man tilted his head in confusion. His eyes were clear, his voice steady. Living eyes, not vacant.
"Hahaha... Thank goodness. Thank goodness."
Oz collapsed beside him, nearly crumpling to the ground.
"My lord, what happened? Your face is pale... Did you run into thieves?"
"No... something far worse..."
Oz wiped his face with trembling hands. Cold sweat poured like rain.
Was what I just saw... really real?
The gruesome market scene replayed endlessly in his head. But it was so unreal, he doubted his own sanity.
"What's your name?"
The sudden question made the man widen his eyes in surprise.
"Haha, something must be wrong for you to ask a bum like me. I'm Latos."
"Latos... right, Latos. Have you noticed anything strange here? Anything... different from usual?"
"Same as always, but... what really happened?"
Oz hesitated. How could he explain what he'd just endured?
But in this moment, this blanket-shrouded wretch felt like the only sane being left. No—he had to be. Otherwise, Oz would truly lose his mind.
Humans are infinitely weak before fear.
A line from some book he'd read long ago surfaced.
Back then, he'd scoffed. He was different, above such petty fears.
Yet here he was, trembling before a lowly homeless man.
Even a count's dignity scattered like dust before primal terror.
"Listen... no, will you hear me out?"
It wasn't the voice of a commanding superior anymore. Just a frightened man's plea.
"In the market... something horrific happened. Dozens of people froze in place, like time had stopped. Then they all turned to me at once. No life in their eyes."
"..."
Latos's silence made Oz assume disbelief. "Yeah, I know it sounds crazy. But it's true."
"No, I believe you. Perhaps..."
"Yes? What is it?"
Relief washed over him at the empathy. He looked up.
"La... tos... you..."
"They're looking at you like this, aren't they?"
"A... aaaah!!"
Oz screamed.
Latos's eyes stared back—lifeless, just like those in the market.
Latos's hand shot out like lightning, clamping his arm.
The touch felt like a corpse's—ice-cold.
"No... no! Let go! Let me go!"
Oz thrashed desperately, but Latos's grip was iron.
Thud. Thud.
Footsteps echoed from the alley mouth.
He glanced back. The dozens from the market approached slowly, encircling him.
"Aaaah! Please! Stop it, please!"
Oz wailed. Terror devoured his reason.
"Get away! Get away from me! Don't... don't touch me!"
His voice cracked.
"I'm Count Oz of the great Lunaria Empire! Kyaak!"
They closed in. One, two, three... more hands reached out.
The first seized his shoulder. The second his arm, the third his leg.
"No... no!"
Oz fought futilely. More bodies piled on. As the weight grew, his screams faded.
Five, ten, twenty...
Cold, corpse-like bodies stacked higher. A human tower formed.
Oz's cries vanished. Only heavy silence and the sickening squelch of rotting flesh filled the alley.
At last, utter stillness descended.
* * *
I was at Baekseol's castle, watching Lilia's training as usual.
A black crow flew into view outside the window.
That's...
The one Cervantes used for reports.
Found them already?
I flung the window open.
The crow perched on the sill, a small silver tube bound to its leg.
A note inside, no doubt.
I unrolled it. Cervantes's terse handwriting greeted me.
To Astra,
I have urgent news to report.
While tracking your targets per your orders, we detected and intercepted subversive activity from the Lunaria Empire.
Emperor Cassius of the Lunaria Empire dispatched Count Oz to abduct the princess of Beltria Kingdom. The goal was to provoke war with Carmen Kingdom and force an early continental assembly.
We believe the emperor learned of your time in Imperial Prison 3 and sought to confirm it directly at the assembly.
Fortunately, we thwarted the entire plan. Count Oz is now in our custody.
Awaiting further instructions.
Cervantes
Huh... how the hell did they find out?
Kain's power had reduced that place to ash. No traces left.
But more than the emperor knowing about Prison 3, I was stunned by Cervantes's competence.
Infiltrating the Lunaria Empire to capture a count alive and extract everything?
Not some minor kingdom—Lunaria, treated as Haven's equal on the surface.
Kidnapping one of their counts wasn't easy.
And Oz was...
The emperor's shadow. A big name even in the game.
Emperor Cassius of Lunaria rose through politics and schemes, not raw power.
So he kept "shadows" at his side—loyal hounds who handled anyone on imperial orders.
Oz was their leader.
Capturing him and breaking him for info?
What methods did they use...?
Shadows were torture-trained. They wouldn't crack under pain.
A different thought struck me.
"...Wait, isn't this actually an opportunity for me?"
To reach Darkteria, attending the continental assembly and getting the World Tree king's permission was cleanest.
But with three years left, I was planning slowly... and Lunaria hands me the setup.
A smile tugged at my lips, then faded.
But Cervantes stopped it.
I sighed.
"Sometimes overly competent subordinates are a headache."
I drummed my fingers on the desk.
"What to do... Wait, if Oz is still alive, can't I just use their plan?"
I reread the note carefully.
Abduct Beltria's princess...
Quick and effective.
Beltria's princess was the king's favorite. If she vanished with Carmen traces, he'd declare war in rage.
The assembly would convene to mediate.
But kidnapping an innocent princess...
I rubbed my forehead.
Even for a goal, it crossed a line.
Hmm... any other way around this time? Something rings a bell.
I sorted Beltria-Carmen relations in my mind.
Longtime rivals: border disputes, trade route clashes, even ancient royal grudges...
"Ah, right—that."
My eyes lit up.
Small kingdoms thrived on exports. Beltria's fame came from "Tears of the Red Star" gems and their craftsmanship.
Mined in only one place.
Crimson Gorge mines...
Straddling the Beltria-Carmen border.
Closer to Beltria, but Carmen claimed it for decades.
Like Dokdo between Korea and Japan.
I stroked my chin.
Ninety percent of Beltria's royal treasury from those red gems.
Their rarity drew nobles continent-wide, paying fortunes.
If Carmen seized the mines?
Existential crisis. The king wouldn't sit idle.
I picked up a pen.
Time to write additional orders for Cervantes.