Chapter 271: Sacrifice (1)
thIuSince the attempted poisoning of Ivar, a constant shadow of gloom had hung over the imperial capital.HjMNZ
Afbfd4Drug addicts wandered the streets, intoxicated, while passersby darted wary glances around them, watching their surroundings. The security guard dragged people away every day to some unknown place. The temple, which should have welcomed the needy, kept its doors firmly shut.dSi9s2c
xZL2kLaughter had disappeared.KqN271A
MEWtQQThrough those desolate streets of the imperial capital walked Elizabeth, alone.BaF
Qtl8B“It’s really hard to believe.”CX1S
u7daShe murmured.pQms5
xEqWq“That the capital has ended up like this…”cQSA4we
id3R0LVShe took off the mask, becoming Elizabeth again, and not the Black Knight.dbkmyFq
xUMVBy changing the color of her hair and eyes, no one could recognize her. Almost no one, apart from Ivar, knew that the Black Knight was actually a woman, so outside the imperial palace there wasn’t a single person capable of identifying her without the mask.BdZa
5RCd3hThus, she moved freely throughout the Empire to assess the situation.C89Y
IWPuHer conclusion was the following.NhULWAY
C4CwhT“The Empire has completely fallen into that man’s hands.”qCJyqP
tJMoNQThe drug spreading throughout the Empire devoured people’s minds, serving as a catalyst for them to easily fall under the influence of black magic.MEA
ag4Elizabeth lifted her gaze.qHx
LueTtDKIn the center of the capital rose a dark tower that reached up to touch the sky.FpTVm
9lFb7uNo one knew since when it had been there, but it was brainwashing the people.Xs4
R9rgh9The addicts were the first to succumb, and after them, the ordinary citizens. Now, all the inhabitants of the capital were in the same condition.wUHLpBH
whKThey blindly obeyed the emperor’s orders and tolerated no hostile act toward the Empire.D17byJ
1ZzMThe Empire’s black army had surely also been formed through that process.lQNUk
SyxThe most terrifying part was that towers like that had been erected in every city of the Empire.eH1
6eyIt was no exaggeration to say that black magic ruled the minds of the imperials.wE7fYlY
x2UzlwHowever, though few, there were still those who resisted.Y8bufv
1UIMAs she walked, Elizabeth stopped before a rarely traveled alley. From the shadows, a man stood up.pcpGquc
JOL3Ox“You’ve arrived.”F5mtf
fk6“Sorry for being late.”cnxs9x
d4p7f9“It’s nothing.”PT4KTJD
qtCThe two went in through a rusty iron door in a corner of the alley.KgI0Iq
osDTgr8After going down some stairs into a basement, before them appeared a space much larger than one would imagine from outside. There was a long table and several people sitting and working busily.XhaljJ0
HKXElizabeth commented.VdJHC
O0UHM“Everyone seems busy.”n8em0RZ
2L09nq“There’s a lot of work everywhere.”2RH
0tW“You must be short on staff.”pgSL
2Qa1“Yes. That’s why we recently made an agreement with someone named Gorio.”AP9uRi
g7Ok“The one from Briol?”hy0b
ESTYmg“Exactly. He may be a thug, but he’s very capable.”Pkjv7
rdjAs she looked around, Elizabeth’s eyes stopped at a spot on the wall — a large portrait of someone she knew well.Cv2Y
1QgcRagnar.2PCoss
Y2swIt was said that he had died from falling off a balcony while drinking, but few believed that version.bEk4n8
2SSw7xThe people gathered there were former followers of Ragnar.yM6rtJ0
i2D7The man, noticing Elizabeth’s gaze, said.K8uf
pb74rr“Prince Ragnar was murdered while investigating the secrets of black magic hidden in the palace.”Y3UB
hLpo“He was a good man.”v7rDu
J5SFTC“That’s right. That’s why we follow his will to this day.”om2f
crx0The man led her to another room inside, where the person she had come to meet awaited her.HAH
25yxnzB“It’s been a while.”ZCjML9
oALy“Yes.”73dn
67HIt was Vlad. Vlad had remained in the capital even after war broke out between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom.kY7
sWH1uytThey had crossed paths in the past as the Black Knight and an ally, but this was the first time he saw her without the mask.uDoBiHW
HNtvGdVlad smiled at the sight of her.HRd61JU
bNYBu“I never imagined that beneath the mask there would be such a face. You are beautiful.”a0s
43dF“Thank you.”wZJed2
WjR“I never would have thought His Majesty had a hidden daughter, and that she would be the Black Knight.”0b1DuAe
OnPr0“We kept it well hidden.”PH5ilTJ
L2cWkElizabeth shrugged.ejSHp
3wIVMc“So, why did you call me?”oZyru
rpju0“What did you think of the Empire after traveling through it?”dtQk1ha
ols“A nest of black magic.”AS2
57X“Exactly. Right now, black magic is overflowing in the Empire. Even keeping the sanity of those of us here requires tremendous effort.”6s9d
5ckThe organizations resisting the Empire used all kinds of methods to protect their minds from black magic.E8s5EX
fuzGnXuThis particular place received help from Vlad and the temple to use holy magic against black magic.M5Ii
6JzdNlVlad continued.iHi
ejWSeq“But a far greater problem has arisen.”QwPN
CGaC“What is it?”CIoODP
bxcrQK“We’ve received information that the Empire is preparing a human sacrifice. To be exact, they’ve already done it once, and now they’re preparing the second.”Vq3Ll
4BfcLHis face darkened.BMZH
cdUPt“How did it happen?”4bqA
8td“We sent someone to investigate suspicious movements in the nearby city of Zveta, and they discovered they were throwing imprisoned foreigners into a pit to perform a ritual. They all died, of course.”nk10h
fU5“What…”zeMjAn
2cWp“And now they’re digging an even bigger pit. They’re moving all the foreigners from other detention camps to Zveta. Everything indicates they’re going to perform a larger ritual. The number of people they’re gathering is enormous.”5Rc4
jmnElizabeth sighed.G5jlGqd
qBVeLShe knew the Empire was corrupted by black magic, but she had never imagined it to this extent.LRYcbN
fwRVtpVlad rested his arms on the table and said.1f1
I8iEaP“That’s why I want to ask for your help, Black Knight… no, Elizabeth.”9rTo
WOhVNi“My help?”0wXt
9ah5t“We’re going to Zveta to stop that ritual.”wPfZ
iwnUsElizabeth frowned.c0eRN
aVmqtKlAfter all, they were an underground organization. They had neither the manpower nor the resources to take on the imperial army.iPBD
73n9“And how? Are you going to declare war?”1IWHJF
jK97“No. There aren’t that many black magicians who practice black magic directly. If we eliminate the black magicians in Zveta, we can stop the human sacrifice.”OMpC
BWAXZ“A selective assassination — so that’s why you called me.”EQSkyJ
YDR2n“Yes, exactly.”xbFBD
SRzL4Vlad nodded frankly. He intended to entrust her with that mission.sbQxOa
74cvHe spoke in a calm voice.LiJz
yo3rB“I knew that sooner or later you would contact me. You’re someone who knows what’s right, so I didn’t believe you would sit idly by in the face of the current Empire.”q0M
TFAwdVt“…”85B
23F67R“When you finally contacted me, I was very glad. You can give us exactly what we lack the most. I believe all of this is the work of divine providence.”OvdRr6k
T6EK“Divine providence…”Xb9q
V0dZ9Elizabeth gave a bitter smile.HPJK
I97zrLately, she had lost her faith. It was not easy to keep believing while witnessing what was happening in the Empire.P4MIUO1
QQQqv“Of course, that’s from my perspective. For you, Lady Elizabeth, the help from God that belongs to you is already prepared. Or perhaps you’ve already received it, without even realizing.”Lawm3
sJukuSNAt those words, Elizabeth remembered someone — the prince of Briol who had recently dealt her a defeat.e1j
X3TboWhat would he have done?tcbWY0
U5PPutting herself in the place of Yuri Briol, the answer came quickly. Elizabeth nodded.mgddcH
YaE“All right.”Su2Yr
duNOf course, it didn’t feel good to think she was being used, but this was not the time to be swayed by those emotions.mbH
JcVylQcThe right thing had to be done.fIF7
4Wg4If she didn’t, black magic would devour everything.25uvNBy
steN“Thank you.”Gg5QC
Uq4Q0zVlad bowed his head.AgSgyN
qzI4sC“I am very grateful to you.”pthwZv
Bii“It’s just something that must be done, so there’s no need to thank me.”bRKxD
Nx3q“There are people who will help you with this mission. I will go and get them.”Xkt
u74v“Who are they?”VVhy3Y
wkDf“Gorio and Gott Bakbar. They will guide you to Zveta.”3cBfPfX
r1hVU***uEzBKvH
vAx1GAfter the great victory on the eastern front, Yuri led the forces of the Anti-Imperial Alliance in a direct advance toward the Empire.ecd
ssi3ryFIt was a colossal army.IFyHc
K8eWVjZAfter completely annihilating the imperial troops on the eastern front, their morale was higher than ever.oQ5C4ZN
Zd6bUZIn the midst of it, Yuri, with firm determination, personally carried out reconnaissance at the head of the army.JVPX
UklGBut no matter how much he looked, there was no trace of the enemy. It was as if the entire imperial army had vanished.PzLSi9U
l8tRJea“Mmm…”eNM8eN
85vfKOQYuri let out a murmur.78W
FDgjSI“Why is there no one?”M4Fnj
9JyUea“They probably retreated.”IfVT2
6xcfFrom time to time, they passed through imperial cities and towns, but all were deserted.4o2sghV
pUcSfOIt looked like a ruined country.udSTguo
nwqgpT9Jared, who accompanied him, commented.5F6WbH
e6iZFs“For it to be this empty only means they’re regrouping farther back, looking for a way to hit us. For those imperials, human beings are nothing more than resources… resources they can use as offerings for black magic.”g7zcyG
JpM“That’s true.”hCo4b5D
nI0PYuri nodded.Mz3Z8f
4IdJ“They’re trash.”uSeh
NYazAIZThe black magic Cedric practiced was a vile art that went against all humanity.pcFDIi
HAZJTo steal people’s life force and use it as a source of power could only be described as demonic.tz7MP
M2JCp“I don’t even want to imagine what they could do by killing so many people.”IfMm14j
SFLdJared shook his head.cKnsJu
F6aj“Seriously, the Empire…”AA4PL
j2pAt that moment, Laurent, who had remained silent, raised a finger to his lips.1KO
QPrNy“Shhh.”sk5XT
bjwEUCTBoth looked at him.3Q3Pq
eUhLaurent, with a sharp expression, fixed his gaze ahead.FrY
LAoiuf“There’s something there.”Xs66Tv
P4J“Eh?”6gBRAvv
sJuxpdYuri looked forward.7jMbmg
PqJNot far away was an abandoned village. Through the spyglass, it seemed completely empty, but now he thought he saw something move.G1swhW
Z08a“There’s something there. It was watching us.”0iQ
2BY7s“Who?”Npq
E6v“It’s not human. Probably a monster created with black magic. That’s what it seemed to me.”rnO
cDU0“Oh, really?”QJ4ACdj
DRsM6zYuri checked the position of the main army.hUb
IrbsCmThe Anti-Imperial Alliance advanced slowly, their banners waving among the clouds of dust raised by the soldiers.orNMcF
ChWj7P“Since we’re quite ahead, we have time. Shall we go see?”1DRv
pErGYi“I think it might be better not to…”7iyn
uPyR“Let’s go.”XojglZ
xY4pBIsYuri moved without hesitation. Laurent and Jared followed him without protest; they had long known it was useless to try to stop him.A8p
LeswZtOn horseback, Yuri crossed the entrance to the village in an instant. It was deserted and unsettling.iFLt
f07Z“I have a bad feeling about this…”vjpC
9ASJn8RWhere had all the inhabitants gone? Had they moved deeper into the Empire?BQzNxXj
IJfgYuri looked around, but he couldn’t see what Laurent had mentioned.Jf6CZL
d0g7jThen he raised the aura of the Cut of the Soul and the Heart, closed and opened his eyes, entering the Mental Domain.OH8Fv7
oCdaHis vision changed, showing him a more essential panorama.3XW
sQ2ymUAmid the white glow, he detected tracks on the ground: scattered bloodstains forming a trail.ptqthF
0jMENiy“Come. This way.”srGRy
xB8tN9The trail stopped in the center of the village, in what seemed to have once been a plaza.ViTJxyX
MVnURLTA wide, empty space.LL32C
IvpRYuri placed himself in the center, observing the surroundings. Nothing of what Laurent had described was in sight.m61
MYs“What is this?”GS5
G1muOY6Something felt strange. With the tip of his boot, he tapped the ground. A foul energy rose from below.zVgweX
nIq“Shall we dig it up?”EHIpRl
9uu“The ground?”BhcksYO
GDbLCJy“I think there’s something under here.”4AR
hHE0jwx“A hot spring, maybe?”dP1
Cuw5“No, that’s not it…”xJoR
vpwVv09At that moment, the ground shook.cNxv04I
4spiQac“Eh?”0meO4
QqbThe three of them briefly lost their balance. Yuri drew Guilty.qqVyGjq
ERveJ“There’s something here below.”7zV
7HS6“What are you planning to do?”58pE
8zzo9A“Dig.”r0wr
vRLgdd“With a sword? Maybe with a shovel…”DSA
0Z76At that moment, the blade of Guilty was covered in cutting energy, rising with force.cjjgAk
EuUaWIYuri brought it down against the ground.uds1zg
0RSWith an explosion, the earth flew up. The surface was destroyed, revealing what lay beneath.HJv
x17Bodies.4vuSap
jj5g“My God…”xFixx
5h9RkAlthough he had only opened a part of it, several piled-up corpses could already be seen.wyGqnl
ektJIF1“They buried all these people here?”m2QCJ
Dg4IkNYuri looked around.8johU
HbF“If so, this means…”R8FGq2
oCUiwThen, the ground shook again and something grabbed his ankle.kcFJ8K
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