Chapter 271: Sacrifice (1)

Since the attempted poisoning of Ivar, a constant shadow of gloom had hung over the imperial capital.

Drug 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.

Laughter had disappeared.

Through those desolate streets of the imperial capital walked Elizabeth, alone.

“It’s really hard to believe.”

She murmured.

“That the capital has ended up like this…”

She took off the mask, becoming Elizabeth again, and not the Black Knight.

By 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.

Thus, she moved freely throughout the Empire to assess the situation.

Her conclusion was the following.

“The Empire has completely fallen into that man’s hands.”

The drug spreading throughout the Empire devoured people’s minds, serving as a catalyst for them to easily fall under the influence of black magic.

Elizabeth lifted her gaze.

In the center of the capital rose a dark tower that reached up to touch the sky.

No one knew since when it had been there, but it was brainwashing the people.

The addicts were the first to succumb, and after them, the ordinary citizens. Now, all the inhabitants of the capital were in the same condition.

They blindly obeyed the emperor’s orders and tolerated no hostile act toward the Empire.

The Empire’s black army had surely also been formed through that process.

The most terrifying part was that towers like that had been erected in every city of the Empire.

It was no exaggeration to say that black magic ruled the minds of the imperials.

However, though few, there were still those who resisted.

As she walked, Elizabeth stopped before a rarely traveled alley. From the shadows, a man stood up.

“You’ve arrived.”

“Sorry for being late.”

“It’s nothing.”

The two went in through a rusty iron door in a corner of the alley.

After 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.

Elizabeth commented.

“Everyone seems busy.”

“There’s a lot of work everywhere.”

“You must be short on staff.”

“Yes. That’s why we recently made an agreement with someone named Gorio.”

“The one from Briol?”

“Exactly. He may be a thug, but he’s very capable.”

As she looked around, Elizabeth’s eyes stopped at a spot on the wall — a large portrait of someone she knew well.

Ragnar.

It was said that he had died from falling off a balcony while drinking, but few believed that version.

The people gathered there were former followers of Ragnar.

The man, noticing Elizabeth’s gaze, said.

“Prince Ragnar was murdered while investigating the secrets of black magic hidden in the palace.”

“He was a good man.”

“That’s right. That’s why we follow his will to this day.”

The man led her to another room inside, where the person she had come to meet awaited her.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes.”

It was Vlad. Vlad had remained in the capital even after war broke out between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom.

They 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.

Vlad smiled at the sight of her.

“I never imagined that beneath the mask there would be such a face. You are beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“I never would have thought His Majesty had a hidden daughter, and that she would be the Black Knight.”

“We kept it well hidden.”

Elizabeth shrugged.

“So, why did you call me?”

“What did you think of the Empire after traveling through it?”

“A nest of black magic.”

“Exactly. Right now, black magic is overflowing in the Empire. Even keeping the sanity of those of us here requires tremendous effort.”

The organizations resisting the Empire used all kinds of methods to protect their minds from black magic.

This particular place received help from Vlad and the temple to use holy magic against black magic.

Vlad continued.

“But a far greater problem has arisen.”

“What is it?”

“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.”

His face darkened.

“How did it happen?”

“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.”

“What…”

“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.”

Elizabeth sighed.

She knew the Empire was corrupted by black magic, but she had never imagined it to this extent.

Vlad rested his arms on the table and said.

“That’s why I want to ask for your help, Black Knight… no, Elizabeth.”

“My help?”

“We’re going to Zveta to stop that ritual.”

Elizabeth frowned.

After all, they were an underground organization. They had neither the manpower nor the resources to take on the imperial army.

“And how? Are you going to declare war?”

“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.”

“A selective assassination — so that’s why you called me.”

“Yes, exactly.”

Vlad nodded frankly. He intended to entrust her with that mission.

He spoke in a calm voice.

“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.”

“…”

“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.”

“Divine providence…”

Elizabeth gave a bitter smile.

Lately, she had lost her faith. It was not easy to keep believing while witnessing what was happening in the Empire.

“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.”

At those words, Elizabeth remembered someone — the prince of Briol who had recently dealt her a defeat.

What would he have done?

Putting herself in the place of Yuri Briol, the answer came quickly. Elizabeth nodded.

“All right.”

Of course, it didn’t feel good to think she was being used, but this was not the time to be swayed by those emotions.

The right thing had to be done.

If she didn’t, black magic would devour everything.

“Thank you.”

Vlad bowed his head.

“I am very grateful to you.”

“It’s just something that must be done, so there’s no need to thank me.”

“There are people who will help you with this mission. I will go and get them.”

“Who are they?”

“Gorio and Gott Bakbar. They will guide you to Zveta.”

***

After the great victory on the eastern front, Yuri led the forces of the Anti-Imperial Alliance in a direct advance toward the Empire.

It was a colossal army.

After completely annihilating the imperial troops on the eastern front, their morale was higher than ever.

In the midst of it, Yuri, with firm determination, personally carried out reconnaissance at the head of the army.

But no matter how much he looked, there was no trace of the enemy. It was as if the entire imperial army had vanished.

“Mmm…”

Yuri let out a murmur.

“Why is there no one?”

“They probably retreated.”

From time to time, they passed through imperial cities and towns, but all were deserted.

It looked like a ruined country.

Jared, who accompanied him, commented.

“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.”

“That’s true.”

Yuri nodded.

“They’re trash.”

The black magic Cedric practiced was a vile art that went against all humanity.

To steal people’s life force and use it as a source of power could only be described as demonic.

“I don’t even want to imagine what they could do by killing so many people.”

Jared shook his head.

“Seriously, the Empire…”

At that moment, Laurent, who had remained silent, raised a finger to his lips.

“Shhh.”

Both looked at him.

Laurent, with a sharp expression, fixed his gaze ahead.

“There’s something there.”

“Eh?”

Yuri looked forward.

Not far away was an abandoned village. Through the spyglass, it seemed completely empty, but now he thought he saw something move.

“There’s something there. It was watching us.”

“Who?”

“It’s not human. Probably a monster created with black magic. That’s what it seemed to me.”

“Oh, really?”

Yuri checked the position of the main army.

The Anti-Imperial Alliance advanced slowly, their banners waving among the clouds of dust raised by the soldiers.

“Since we’re quite ahead, we have time. Shall we go see?”

“I think it might be better not to…”

“Let’s go.”

Yuri moved without hesitation. Laurent and Jared followed him without protest; they had long known it was useless to try to stop him.

On horseback, Yuri crossed the entrance to the village in an instant. It was deserted and unsettling.

“I have a bad feeling about this…”

Where had all the inhabitants gone? Had they moved deeper into the Empire?

Yuri looked around, but he couldn’t see what Laurent had mentioned.

Then he raised the aura of the Cut of the Soul and the Heart, closed and opened his eyes, entering the Mental Domain.

His vision changed, showing him a more essential panorama.

Amid the white glow, he detected tracks on the ground: scattered bloodstains forming a trail.

“Come. This way.”

The trail stopped in the center of the village, in what seemed to have once been a plaza.

A wide, empty space.

Yuri placed himself in the center, observing the surroundings. Nothing of what Laurent had described was in sight.

“What is this?”

Something felt strange. With the tip of his boot, he tapped the ground. A foul energy rose from below.

“Shall we dig it up?”

“The ground?”

“I think there’s something under here.”

“A hot spring, maybe?”

“No, that’s not it…”

At that moment, the ground shook.

“Eh?”

The three of them briefly lost their balance. Yuri drew Guilty.

“There’s something here below.”

“What are you planning to do?”

“Dig.”

“With a sword? Maybe with a shovel…”

At that moment, the blade of Guilty was covered in cutting energy, rising with force.

Yuri brought it down against the ground.

With an explosion, the earth flew up. The surface was destroyed, revealing what lay beneath.

Bodies.

“My God…”

Although he had only opened a part of it, several piled-up corpses could already be seen.

“They buried all these people here?”

Yuri looked around.

“If so, this means…”

Then, the ground shook again and something grabbed his ankle.