Chapter 410
Chapter 410: Time is Running Out. (1)
The revelation of the Salvation Society dealt a fatal blow to the Duke Faction.
The Four Major Orders designated the Salvation Society as heretical, and the lords affiliated with the Duke Faction began to defect one after another.
The defection of Marquis Roderick was particularly devastating. As a powerful noble, his alignment with the Crown Prince Faction prompted others to hastily deny their association with heresy as well.
Now, even pretending the Duke Faction was unaware of the situation was no longer feasible.
In fact, if it had been another matter, they could have ignored the confessions of the lowly traitors and demanded more solid evidence.
But with the Four Major Orders stepping in and labeling them as public enemies of the continent, the church couldn’t afford to reverse its stance without losing its authority.
Now it was a situation where neither side could retreat.
Bang!
Raoul, the Duke’s staff officer, slammed the desk and glared at the middle-aged man in the black robe before him.
“Judge Gathros! How did this happen? Of all times, just before a war—this complicates everything!”
At the moment when Ghislaine and Marquis Roderick were about to commence war, the Duke Faction had also gathered its vassals and completed war preparations. Now, instead of standing united, the Duke’s lords had betrayed them all.
The Duke was now at a severe disadvantage, forced to contend with all the nobles of the kingdom and the church.
“Confronting the entire kingdom is feasible. But the Four Major Orders would be too much. Even if we were to win, other nations would interfere! And what about the ‘Gate’? Marquis Branford has found it out!”
Raoul was heated, his temper flaring.
He had just received news that the location of the ‘Rift’ had been discovered. With that, chaos erupted throughout the kingdom, and it was beyond his capacity to control.
The middle-aged man known as Gathros looked at Raoul with weary eyes and replied, “It seems Raviere has made a mistake. If only the holy knights had been uncovered, it could have been managed—but to uncover the ‘Gate’ too…”
That place was one they absolutely couldn’t allow to be exposed. Yet, whatever misdeed Raviere had committed, Marquis Branford was mobilizing armies.
“If it were just where Raviere died, we could chalk it up to coincidence. But pinpointing other locations means information has leaked from within.”
“Are you implying there’s a traitor among us?”
“Raviere might have said something before his death. But right now, I can’t be certain of anything.”
“What should we do then? We can’t move at the moment. Though they can’t either.”
The Crown Prince Faction and the Four Major Orders weren’t making any moves against the Duke Faction, due to the Duke’s considerable strength. It was akin to a mouse trying to bell a cat.
But everyone knew they would eventually have to clash. That’s why everyone was in a state of high tension.
After a moment of thought, Gathros asked, “Has the Apostle said anything separately?”
The “Apostle” referred to Duke Erlhardt Delphine.
The Salvation Society had bestowed the Apostle’s mission upon him, yet it was strange how Erlhardt had remained silent, not offering any opinions.
Raoul shook his head several times.
“This time he told us to conduct affairs as we see fit. But he must be disappointed. The grand scheme has been postponed several times…”
“And Executor Aiden?”
“On standby. His original plan was to head north as soon as the war with the Crown Prince Faction started, but right now there’s a lull. Marquis Roderick and Count Penris are fighting.”
“Who do you think will win?”
“The odds are even. Marquis Roderick has the larger force, but Count Penris has reached the level of Master.”
Gathros nodded, contemplating before saying, “Understood. Wait a moment. We need to observe the situation a little longer.”
The Salvation Society was on high alert as well. They needed to ascertain whether the Crown Prince Faction knew more about the location of the Rift.
And shortly after, they realized that the situation was more serious than they had anticipated.
The powerful Ruthania Kingdom, especially the influential Marquis Branford, was well-known in other kingdoms as well.
The letters he’d sent to each kingdom detailed the deeds of the Salvation Society and the location of the Rift.
The reactions from the kingdoms that received the letters varied.
“The Four Major Orders acknowledged it?”
“Are you saying such individuals are rampant in our kingdom?”
“This is outrageous!”
“If Marquis Branford of Ruthania is saying this, it cannot be ignored!”
“Let’s confirm it first…”
Ironically, some influential figures in certain kingdoms refused to investigate. However, they couldn’t dismiss the pressure exerted by the church.
Ultimately, the misdeeds of the Salvation Society began to surface in other kingdoms as well.
The entire continent was thrown into chaos. The realization that a cult had long been operating unbeknownst to them and had killed countless innocents struck them hard!
Moreover, they had been engaging in mysterious activities in secret locations.
Rumors spread uncontrollably. Especially among the intellectuals, there was outrage.
“What have the nobles been doing all this time!”
“They were too busy filling their own pockets, oblivious to the cult’s activities!”
“The kingdom needs reform!”
Now chaos erupted from unexpected fronts. The revolutionary group, which had remained quiet, began to stir, and many joined their ranks.
During this turmoil, nobles who had previously allied with the Salvation Society, unable to cope with the surrounding pressure, started raising armies.
There weren’t many nobles like the Duke Delphine who were too powerful for the kingdom to touch.
They had no choice but to act before they were acted upon.
“A rebellion has erupted in the Seiron Kingdom!”
“There’s civil strife in the Turian Kingdom…”
“The Moravis Kingdom is currently attacking even the church…”
The entire continent began to boil with war. With the situation reaching this extent, the Salvation Society had no choice but to reveal themselves formally.
They unveiled their true identity, openly assisted the nobles who had cooperated with them, and began their missionary work, forcibly converting people in influential areas.
“It’s a mess.”
After hearing the updates, Raoul could say nothing else. The entire continent had become a chaotic disaster.
And all it took to start this chaos was a single person.
“Count Penris…”
How could one person wield such immense influence?
He not only sabotaged all the Duke’s endeavors but also captured Raviere and exposed the plans of the Salvation Society.
Gathros also reproached Raoul.
“How could you not eliminate him sooner? Didn’t our plans get revealed too early because of that? Half the Gates have closed now.”
…
Raoul had no words. The coup of Ruthania was his assigned duty.
But who could have imagined? That a northern brat would grow so much in just a few years and ruin everything.
Gathros, having heard Raoul’s grievances from reports, didn’t continue to scold him. It was a statement filled with sympathy.
“Whatever happened, quite a few Gates have closed. It seems Raviere either confessed or fell victim to mental manipulation. How that could be possible…”
Ghislaine had certainly not used mental manipulation. It wouldn’t work on someone as strong as Raviere. It was equally unfathomable for Raviere to confess.
But without one of those explanations, this situation couldn’t be understood at all.
“There’s no choice. We must open the remaining Gates before they disappear…”
“Isn’t that still a bit unstable?”
“Even so, we cannot afford to drag this out. At this rate, we will be the ones to suffer first. Other judges think the same.”
Now the Salvation Society had become a public enemy of the continent. The nobles that allied with them were in the same boat.
They couldn’t confront all the kingdoms of the continent by themselves. If this continued, defeat was inevitable.
So ultimately, they had no choice but to draw upon other powers.
“Our plans have deviated significantly, but they’re enough to throw the continent into chaos. Besides, the scheduled date is not far off now.”
Thud!
Gathros struck the ground with the staff he held, continuing, “Inform all the believers in Ruthania that we will now open the ‘Gates.’ We will commence the ‘Holy War’ to create a new world.”
*
“This is the work of our lord.”
“Mhm.”
At Claude’s words, Ghislaine smiled satisfactorily.
Chaos erupted in all the kingdoms across the continent. Everyone was raising armies to take down the Salvation Society and close the Rifts.
Claude hadn’t predicted that the situation would escalate to this level. What Ghislaine had initiated had now reached a continental scale.
In some way, it was monumental, and in another, it was utterly absurd.
Of course, for Ghislaine, this current situation was nothing but fortunate.
“Everyone’s become alert.”
In his previous life, he had suddenly been struck without any preparedness. Those who had prepared armies had been absent, leading to massive losses in the early Age of Turmoil.
But this time was different. The number of Rifts had significantly decreased compared to his past life, and the lords’ tension regarding the Salvation Society was rising.
The problem was that there were still individuals who would not listen.
“What about those who insist on doing research?”
“Each kingdom plans to leave one or two Rifts open to investigate what they are. It seems the mutants have piqued their curiosity.”
“Ugh… There are just too many who won’t listen to reason. Even after we’ve explained it all, they still insist on pressing on?”
“People tend to not believe unless they see it with their own eyes. And they want to find out if it can be exploited for their own gain.”
It had been the same in his previous life. Many had pondered how they could use the Rifts to their advantage.
The information Ghislaine had provided regarding the Rifts was limited.
He didn’t remember all the Rifts from his past life. There were parts he hadn’t encountered, too distant, or that he simply hadn’t paid attention to.
There were certainly places in the Ruthania Kingdom that had been overlooked. They needed to minimize losses by reducing even one, yet they intentionally leave some open.
If a Rift were to open up by chance, it would inevitably lead to great losses.
After hearing the reports, Ghislaine clicked his tongue and said, “Tch, we can’t just search everything and close them all. It’s going to take a few hits before they come to their senses.”
“Let’s make sure we’re prepared first.”
“Yeah, that’s the way to go. The battles from here on will be more intense.”
Ghislaine roughly relayed the information about the Rifts to his retainers. Naturally, it was shared with the Crown Prince Faction as well.
People living near the Rifts were gradually becoming mutants, and unidentified creatures were surfacing from those places.
Everyone was curious how Ghislaine knew about all this, but he brushed it off by saying he had heard it from Raviere.
In reality, since mutants had been discovered, it all slipped by fairly smoothly.
“What about the Salvation Society’s movements?”
“They’re moving with the cooperating lords. There aren’t many believers, but the priests are reportedly quite powerful. Especially the high priests, although few in number, appear to possess strength bordering on superhuman.”
“It won’t be easy to subdue all of them.”
“The situation varies from kingdom to kingdom. Some are cornered, while others are bolstering their strength. Not many are in a stale situation like the Ruthania Kingdom.”
“That makes sense. Here, it’s tough to strike a blow against the Duke Faction.”
The Duke’s power was widely known to be formidable. Even with the Four Major Orders involved, attacking them wasn’t straightforward.
Moreover, the high priests of the Salvation Society demonstrating power on the level of superhumans posed an issue.
Yet, their strength was no longer insignificant either. The mere fact that the lull had persisted testified that even the Duke Faction couldn’t afford to underestimate the Crown Prince Faction’s might.
The concern lay in the fact that this situation wouldn’t last long.
“Now that the Salvation Society has begun to move, this situation won’t hold for long.”
“Are they planning to utilize the Rifts?”
“Yes, that’s how they’ll weaken the power of other lords and stir confusion.”
Claude nodded gravely, his expression serious.
“Hmm, we need to prepare quickly.”
It wasn’t his solemn expression resulting from the severity of the situation. It was because there was a lot to do.
Ghislaine nodded and said, “Have we secured a lot of the Fairy’s Blessings?”
“Yes, we’re managing the self-sustaining lands well. We should be able to keep the supply going for a few years.”
The Fairy’s Blessing was the essential ingredient for making potions. With it, Penris had secured a staggering amount of potions.
Currently, those potions were also being sent to Perdium.
However, the Fairy’s Blessing wasn’t only used there.
“What are the developments with the other medicines?”
“We have started mass production by diluting it very weakly. We can make hundreds of bottles from one root.”
“Good, we’re going to need a lot of that ‘medicine’. Push on with the production.”
“But… do we really need this much?”
“Yes, not for us, but for others. Make sure to send the manufacturing method to the Crown Prince Faction. Convey to Marquis Branford that it must be sent to other kingdoms as well.”
“Understood.”
So far, it had been Ghislaine’s fight alone. But now, it wasn’t.
Even though they had reduced the Rifts, the threat still remained. Anything that could be shared should be shared, and any information should be passed on.
Only then could they combat and overcome the threats that would strike the continent.
Penris pushed on with troop reinforcements and weapon production while developing the new medicine Ghislaine had informed him about.
More troops and weaponry—this was what Ghislaine desired.
Stabilizing the west was being handled simultaneously, leading everyone to be busier than ever.
One night, as everyone was bustling about, the territory residents gathered outside to look up at the sky.
“Wow, it’s beautiful!”
“I’ve never seen so many shooting stars before!”
“Let’s make a wish, everyone!”
Bright meteors were falling across the dark night sky.
The meteors seemed unending, spreading throughout the continent.
The territory residents were delighted by the beautiful phenomenon they were witnessing for the first time.
Only one person.
Ghislaine stared up at the sky, his expression cold.
