Chapter 57
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Upheaval (1)
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"Once we pass this canyon, we will have left the Sentirius region completely."
At the voice of Baron Betenge, who followed behind him, Count Maier nodded and looked at him.
Behind Count Maier, a large contingent of guards, including Baron Betenge, was on the move.
It was all due to the marquis's invitation, sent to the key nobles of the empire, starting with Count Maier.
The official reason was that the marquis's treasured daughter had come of age, but in reality, it was a pretext to solidify the unity of the noble faction.
Count Maier had no choice but to accept such an invitation.
Especially now, with the imperial family's authority having plummeted due to the Kueberberg incident, internal factional unity was of the utmost importance.
"I see. By the way, Baron Betenge, what are your thoughts on this matter?"
Perhaps because the long journey was already growing tedious, Count Maier asked, looking at Baron Betenge who was moving beside him.
The events that had occurred before leaving the city flashed through his mind.
At Count Maier's sudden question, Baron Betenge asked him in return.
"Are you referring to the marquis's invitation, my lord?"
"I'm talking about Rex."
"Ah... you mean Lord Rex. I heard you sent him to subjugate bandits to gain military experience."
Before leaving the city, Count Maier had given Rex a command and assigned him a company of a hundred men.
The order was to subjugate the bandits residing in an abandoned fortress.
It had been Countess Maier's suggestion, and he thought it wouldn't be a bad idea for his eldest son, Rex, to gain some experience.
Moreover, the captain of the company assigned to Rex was quite a capable man.
Considering Rex also had his escort knight, Count Maier believed there was no chance of him getting hurt.
"Yes. Do you think Rex will succeed without issue?"
"Wasn't that fortress in ruins and no longer functional?"
"Its strategic value had faded, so we saw no need to repair it."
The fortress occupied by the bandits had been built when the empire's territory was much smaller than it is now.
Its purpose was to defend the empire's borders from foreign enemies.
But as time passed, its strategic value diminished, and now it was nothing more than a completely ruined liability.
Attempting to repair the fortress now would incur an incalculable cost.
That was why Count Maier had been able to send Rex to deal with the bandits.
The baron pondered Count Maier's words for a moment, then shared his thoughts with the count.
"With so few bandits and a ruined fortress, wouldn't it be an easy conquest for the young lord?"
"You think so too?"
"Of course. The number of bandits reported would be no match for the city's elite soldiers."
"So that's what you think."
Baron Betenge didn't stop there, adding a little flattery for the count.
"Besides, doesn't Lord Rex take after you, my lord? I'm certain he will demonstrate the same outstanding abilities."
"Hearing that from the most skilled warrior in the entire county gives me confidence!"
A pleased smile spread across Count Maier's face at the baron's confident words about Rex's success.
Despite sending his son to the battlefield to gain experience, he had been secretly anxious.
No matter how much Countess Maier slandered Rex, he was still Count Maier's precious firstborn son.
Just as the count and his guards were proceeding through the canyon, a knight at the head of the column spotted something and shouted in a loud voice.
It was a cry ordering the following procession to halt.
"Halt! Everyone, stop!"
The standard-bearer next to the knight waved the flag, and the advancing procession of the count's house came to a stop.
At the knight's action of halting the procession, Count Maier looked at the knight who had given the order.
The knight was staring at a point not far from the group.
The count's gaze naturally shifted toward the front of the canyon.
A short distance ahead of where the count's procession had stopped, a middle-aged man in a tunic had appeared.
"Who are you! Identify yourself!"
The lead knight questioned the suddenly appeared suspicious figure.
The eyes of every guard in the canyon turned to the man before them.
Just moments ago, the man had not been visible in the canyon.
Moreover, the man was standing all alone in this rugged canyon.
There was no one here who wouldn't find the sight of a man blocking their procession single-handedly suspicious.
In response to the knight's question about his identity, the man offered a polite bow in the count's direction and spoke.
"I am Loan Hebriss, an Archbishop of the Order."
"The Order...? What are you talking about?"
"I am the humblest of servants who serves the Great One and spreads His will."
Hearing the name "the Order," Count Maier frowned and looked at him.
The man before him was undoubtedly a heretic who worshipped an evil god.
A derogatory term for the man naturally slipped from Count Maier's lips as he watched Loan.
"...Heretic."
"Heretic? That's quite an insulting remark."
"What business does a heretic have with me?"
Why would such a heretic come to find Count Maier alone?
As Count Maier pondered this, Loan clicked his tongue and met his gaze.
A hint of madness flickered in Loan's eyes as he looked at the count.
Loan extended a hand toward Count Maier, who had asked his business, and spoke.
"I suppose I won't mind it too much, since you're destined to die soon anyway."
"What did you just...?"
"The reason I came here is to kill you."
Hiss.
A snake's head emerged from Loan's sleeve, its tongue flicking.
What Loan had just shown was a clear declaration of war.
At Loan's threat to kill the count, the waiting soldiers raised their weapons in unison.
Since the opponent had clearly expressed hostile intentions, all that remained was to fight.
The lead knight pointed his sword at Loan and gave orders to the soldiers.
"The enemy is a heretic! Prepare for battle!"
"All units, charge! Annihilate the enemy!"
With a fierce roar, the count's soldiers began to move.
The knights in the vanguard spurred their horses, charging toward Loan.
Clop Clop
The distance between Loan and the knights began to close rapidly.
Yet, Loan maintained a relaxed demeanor, even as the knights targeted him.
The moment the charging knights reached him, Loan looked at the snake whose head was peeking out of his sleeve and opened his mouth.
"Beta. You may eat now."
Rumble!
With a sound that shook the very earth, Loan's shadow expanded enormously.
And from within the rapidly growing shadow, a snake's head emerged.
The form of a giant serpent cloaked in darkness.
A Shadow Beast. A creature of the abyss that lurked in shadows had revealed itself on the surface.
At the sight of a beast they had never witnessed before, the charging knights hastily pulled on their reins.
"Wh-what is that!"
"A monster! A monster has appeared!"
"Cease the charge! We'll collide at this rate...!"
The head alone, visible to the naked eye, was massive enough.
What would happen if such a creature were to raise its head completely?
Anyone present could easily guess the answer.
Flustered by the sudden appearance of the Shadow Beast, the knights tried to stop their horses to avoid a collision.
But Beta, already in motion, was faster, lunging forward with its jaws agape.
The shadow, which had been shimmering in the darkness, flashed its golden eyes and opened its maw wide.
Hiiiiisssssss!
Beta's mouth, like a gaping chasm, emerged from the shadow and swallowed the knights.
What was revealed inside Beta's wide-open mouth was a lightless abyss.
A vast abyss with no discernible end.
An unknown space unfolded, its depths impossible to fathom with mere human senses.
Knights were sucked into the enormous space, large enough to accommodate not only men and horses but carriages as well.
"Wh-wh-wha...?"
"M-my lord!"
Immediately after the lead knights were completely swallowed into Beta's massive mouth, Beta, which had its jaws open to the air, snapped them shut.
Crunch. Crack.
With a sickening crackle, the charging knights vanished in an instant.
From beyond Beta's tightly closed mouth, the screams of men echoed.
"Aaaaargh!"
"Aaaah! Help me...!"
Crack. Crunch.
Having taken the men into its mouth, Beta chewed a few more times.
Each time its jaws moved, the gruesome sounds continued to echo.
When Beta's busily moving mouth finally came to a complete stop, no more screams could be heard from within.
At the horrific tragedy that had unfolded in an instant, the count stared at Beta with dazed eyes.
"What... what in the world is that..."
The count's loyal knights had vanished into a monster's belly in a single moment.
The knights, nurtured with the count's funds for over a decade, had been reduced to a monster's meal.
Count Maier's hands trembled at the unbelievable sight before him.
This loss would be a devastating blow to his house, one from which it would not easily recover.
But even more terrifying was the fact that the monster that had devoured his knights showed not a single scratch.
"Didn't I tell you? That you were fated to die soon."
"Why... are you doing this to me?"
Count Maier's voice, as he looked at Beta, was weaker than before.
Why was he being attacked?
At Count Maier's question, Loan smiled.
The eyes of Loan, who wore a good-natured smile, and the golden eyes of Beta, which pierced through the deep shadow.
Two pairs of eyes simultaneously fell upon Count Maier.
"Did you ask why I am doing this?"
"Y-yes. I am a count. Doing this won't do your Order any good..."
"Why wouldn't it? If you die, Lord Rex will inherit the title of count."
What came from Loan's mouth was, unexpectedly, about Rex.
If the count died, Rex would become the next Count Maier.
That was what Loan was telling the count.
At the words that he intended to make Rex the count, the count's face became even more bewildered than before.
"Rex inheriting the title? What on earth are you talking about?"
"Did you not know? Lord Rex is already a loyal follower of the Order."
"Rex is a follower of the Order?"
"Of course. When Lord Rex ascends to the countship, he has promised to build a temple for the Great One in the city."
Only then did all the pieces of the puzzle click into place in the count's mind.
Grit.
Count Maier, who had been conversing with Loan, clenched his teeth.
His beloved son was a heretic.
It was a reality the count found absolutely impossible to accept.
Of course, even while the count and Loan were talking, there were those who moved for Count Maier's sake.
Baron Betenge, who had remained by the count's side, grabbed his hand and shouted loudly.
"My lord! There's no time for this! You must retreat at once! I will buy you time!"
"Baron..."
"I cannot bear to see the city fall into the hands of heretics! Return as quickly as possible and save the county!"
Baron Betenge's resolute eyes looked at Count Maier.
Baron Betenge had been with Count Maier since childhood.
The count's eyes grew hot at the baron's words, his willingness to lay down his life to save him.
He was thankful for his good fortune to have such a loyal subordinate with him until the very end.
"Baron, I..."
"With numbers like these, we cannot win against that monster!"
"...I know."
"You must return to the domain and gather forces as quickly as possible!"
To face the Shadow Beast, an army of appropriate scale must be raised.
Baron Betenge's words were nothing short of the absolute truth.
And at this point in time, raising an army was the count's role.
He needed to return to his domain as quickly as possible.
The count expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Baron Betenge, who was willing to sacrifice himself for him.
"Baron Betenge! I will surely take responsibility for your family!"
"My lord! You must survive and return."
As soon as he finished his farewell, Count Maier turned his horse and began to flee.
Loan, watching him, looked at the fleeing count and said.
"Count Maier. Do you really intend to run away like this?"
"Vile heretic! As long as I am here, you and that monster shall not pass!"
"I have no intention of passing."
Loan ignored Baron Betenge, his gaze fixed on the fleeing Count Maier.
Count Maier was riding toward his county with a portion of his guard.
But Loan, far from moving toward the count, did not take a single step from his spot.
Just as Baron Betenge was wondering about Loan's attitude, a dagger shot out from within Loan's robes.
Swish.
It was a beautifully crafted dagger, wreathed in an ominous aura.
"Blame your own foolishness."
"Keoheok...!"
CRACK!
Simultaneously with a clap of thunder from the sky, Count Maier fell from his horse.
The horse, struck directly by lightning, died instantly, and the count, who had been holding the reins, did not escape unscathed.
The count's hands and feet trembled as he hit his head on the ground.
Through his fading vision, the count's gaze turned toward the city.
That was the last sight Count Maier remembered.