250. The Emperor’s Eye (9)
If there’s anything more horrifying than seeing someone burning, it’s seeing someone who has already burned. Fernandez wandered the hills of the fire scene, lost in thought.
Blackened ashes still emitted a pungent smoke. The dry smell of burning filled his nostrils.
-Crunch.
The sound of a dry twig snapping underfoot echoed. Of course, it wasn’t just a twig. It was the charred remains of a human. Fernandez was all too familiar with that sensation. In his past life, and in this one.
The bones of a burned person break surprisingly easily. Fernandez bent down and swept through the ashes. A blackened skull revealed itself beneath his hand.
Beyond the empty eye sockets, it seemed as though he could hear something. Screams, groans, cries, pleas.
-How sentimental.
Faijashi appeared behind him, sneering. Fernandez brushed off his hands and stood up, walking forward.
“It was necessary.”
-Expected, too.
As he approached the heart of the fire, more corpses came into view. Even if they were completely disfigured beneath the ashes, Fernandez could distinguish the traces of humans, beasts, and trees.
It was a familiar sight.
-Now you’re feeling remorse? Are you going to bow to the dead and say, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry’? Arrogant, hypocritical, and downright nauseating. If I had a stomach, I might actually vomit.
Faijashi slowly moved in front of Fernandez. He blocked his path, staring at him with blazing eyes.
-Get a grip. In your past life, you were… no, ‘we’ were slaughterers. We willingly created deaths that didn’t need to happen. Cities, towns, nations, fortresses—we burned everything that stood in our way without discrimination.
“It’s not about morality, Faijashi. It’s not some old-fashioned reason like that.”
-Then what is it? Hey, Fernandez… Fernandez… These people had at least thousands of reasons to die, and you had the power to make it happen. That’s all.
That’s all. Faijashi cut off his words abruptly and disappeared. Fernandez looked around without answering. Suddenly, something shiny caught his eye.
Found it. Fernandez walked over without hesitation and pulled out a glass bottle half-buried in the ashes. A liquid flame flask bearing the seal of the Temple of the Gods came loose in his hand.
Under specific conditions, the liquid flame from the Temple of the Gods creates a fire that never extinguishes until it has completely burned. More akin to alchemy than magic, it was a clean tool that left no trace after complete combustion.
Having removed the only trace, Fernandez brushed off his hands and stood up. In the distance, someone was approaching.
“Daryan.”
A young man with a spear slung over his shoulder and deep-set eyes approached. It was a face he hadn’t seen in a long time but could never forget. A young man with spiky hair and intense eyes.
“Fernandez.”
“What brings you here?”
“That’s my line.”
Daryan spun his spear once as he spoke. His aura was menacing. Fernandez placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and looked at him.
“I don’t want to believe it, but I have to ask. Did you do this?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because it was necessary.”
At Fernandez’s words, Daryan’s brow furrowed. He slowly unwrapped the cloth covering the spearhead. The Sun Spear gleamed under the cloudy sky.
“So, you’re the beastmen field commander who crushed an army of fifteen thousand with just three hundred. Of course, who else in the Federation of Nobles could pull off something like this?”
“Why stop me? Is it the Emperor’s order?”
“Yes. The Emperor… doesn’t want excessive power concentrated in anyone’s hands.”
“Excessive power?”
“Bülrang has fallen into the hands of the Chieftain. And even a passing child knows that the Chieftain is allied with King Carvelier. King Carvelier’s authority has already grown too high. In such a situation, rumors of a legendary general who defeated fifteen thousand with three hundred among them… is excessive.”
Daryan closed his eyes and thrust the spear into the ground. He let out a sigh.
“Sworn brother. I meant it. The bond we felt when we crossed blades that day… and even now. I believed you were the only one who could understand me.”
“Understand? You want me to understand a temple knight who sides with vampires and exploits the blood of civilians?”
“At least you and I wouldn’t confuse purpose and process.”
Daryan smiled bitterly and aimed his spear. The spearhead sliced through the air with a cold hum.
“The Emperor holds the leash of the Empire’s people. What do you think will happen if the Empire falls? One vampire might consume one human a day. But the division of the Empire, the war that will follow… tens of thousands of lives will be lost daily.”
“It’s funny, Daryan Schryke. The difference between Shield and Vaitas.”
Fernandez pushed up his greatsword with a humorless expression. The dark greatsword cut through the hazy sky as it rose.
“‘To kill one evil man, even if hundreds of innocent corpses must appear, so be it.’ That’s the doctrine I learned in the church. There is no unnecessary sacrifice. Only insufficient sacrifice.”
The two men stared at each other, then leapt into action simultaneously. Their blades danced through the air.
* * *
The whirlwind created by their blades scattered the ashes. Like a brush dipped in ink painting on paper, a storm of wind and fire erupted in the narrow gap between them.
-Clang!
Every time their weapons clashed, the powerful vortex of force disrupted the ashes. Like rain, like wind. No. Like a tidal wave!
-Skreeeak!
The greatsword slid down the spearhead. If it continued, it would crush not just the fingers but the wrist as well. But Daryan lightly flicked the spear shaft, deflecting the attack.
He thrust the spear into the gap.
-Whish!
The sound of the spear cutting through the air was as loud as a swarm of bees. Fernandez twisted his shoulder, pulling his body out of the trajectory, and swung his greatsword in a circular motion.
-Clang!
The spear tangled, and the greatsword dug into the gap. The spear, deflected, struck down like lightning toward the heart. Like a synchronized dance of two swordsmen. Dozens of sword strikes were exchanged in seconds, yet neither had a scratch on their bodies.
“You’ve reached… a new level!”
Daryan’s eyes gleamed with excitement. It was astonishing. Temple knights were, in truth, devout knights, not priests. But Fernandez was a priest. And a priest’s body… The anointed flesh of the church should not be able to channel magic.
-Crash!
Every time the greatsword deflected the spear, Fernandez’s hair floated on its own. It was proof that magic flowed within his body. And every time the spear fell toward him, he managed to dodge at the perfect moment.
It was the combat instinct of a master, honed through grueling training. A realm swordsmen called “the boundary.” This was the swordsmanship of those who walked that line.
“At your age, with such skill. At your age, with such insight. Truly… impressive.”
“That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”
“Well, swordsmanship is the art of killing, and strategy is the study of slaughter.”
Even amidst the fierce exchange of blows, the two continued their conversation in a casual tone. Amid the sparks from clashing blades and the ashes rising from their intense movements, they acted as if nothing was happening.
As the sun set, darkness fell. The ground beneath them, covered in ash, was now nothing more than solid soil. All the debris scattered and vanished in the wind—
In a monochrome space divided into black and white, light and darkness, their dance continued. Fiercely, intensely. Each strike capable of taking the other’s life, a deadly exchange of blows.
“Do you remember that day?”
Daryan stepped back as he spoke. He adjusted his stance and looked at Fernandez. Unlike before, his gaze now carried a hint of amusement. A natural martial enthusiast. Given Daryan’s temperament, he was now in a state of exhilaration from the intense battle.
“The first time we crossed blades. You said it. Let’s stop since we’re both holding back.”
“Right. One of us would’ve been seriously hurt.”
“You, probably.”
“You think?”
Fernandez dared not step into Daryan’s range and instead adjusted his stance. An overhead strike. Majestic, like a mountain settling. Slowly raising both arms, standing tall.
Though it seemed full of openings, it was impossible to be sure. A deadly aura, like a bear trap waiting to snap shut.
Daryan licked his lips and spun his spear, gripping it tightly. The veins in his forearm bulged.
“You thought only you had improved?”
If Fernandez’s stance was like a mountain, Daryan’s momentum was like a tidal wave. Starting deep beneath the ocean. On the surface, there was no sign, but it carried the ferocity of a natural disaster.
-Crash, crash.
Their blades shot out simultaneously, without a fraction of a second’s delay. The swords tangled, twisted, and finally… passed each other.
-Screech…
The Sun Spear, a golden light, embedded itself in Fernandez’s abdomen like a flash of lightning. And the Greatsword of Mercy, a dark blade, tore through the air and struck Daryan’s leg.
Their bodies were flung back, rolling across the ground. Their weapons, lodged beside each other, trembled on their own.
“Damn it. I lost.”
“It’s a draw.”
“I lost.”
Daryan chuckled as he got up. He had managed to prevent the blade from piercing his ankle, but the impact had shattered the joint. It wasn’t irreparable, but it wouldn’t be the same.
Fernandez, on the other hand, was also in critical condition. Blood gushed from his abdomen. Even as their clash had drained their momentum, Daryan’s spear had pierced Fernandez’s stomach.
“Fernandez. The Shield Church will officially support the Emperor.”
“Is that the church’s official stance? Is the Pope planning to issue a statement?”
“Yes. Our church is more wary of the catastrophe that will follow the Emperor’s death than the one he might cause. I feel the same.”
“What did you get in return?”
“The Emperor will declare the Shield Church as the state religion. Above the Temple of the Gods.”
“You’ve joined hands with secular politics.”
Fernandez wiped the blood trickling down his lips as he spoke. Daryan used his spear as a cane to stand and approached him.
“Is that wrong? Aren’t the secular people also the flock of the Temple of the Gods? Acting all high and mighty, standing back with folded arms, watching secular rulers turn the world into hell—is that truly right?”
“The church’s authority comes from its neutrality in secular society. Daryan Schryke. You’ve made a mistake.”
“We should maintain a secular society that declares neutrality.”
Daryan reached out and helped Fernandez to his feet. Fernandez coughed and looked Daryan straight in the eye.
Their gazes met. No resentment remained from the battle and injuries. Just calmly. They looked at each other.
“The Temple of the Gods is no more. Daryan. The Vaitas Church won’t let this slide. Other churches will follow. The church will split.”
“…Yes. We’ll go back five hundred years.”
Before the council’s declaration. When the Temple of the Gods was not on friendly terms with each other. When the church was more active in secular society’s affairs.
“One more thing. The Emperor will kill Duke Carvelier.”
“He has no justification. Right now, Duke Carvelier is a national hero. The people of the capital all see him as a hero.”
“True. And the Emperor dislikes anyone in the capital being revered besides himself. Especially if it’s an Elector.”
“You’re playing a dangerous game.”
“The situation in the Imperial Palace is worse than that. The Duke will be invited to a royal banquet… and that’ll be the end. It’s already beyond stopping.”
Daryan looked at Fernandez with a bitter expression.
“If we meet again. Even if I raise my blade against you, I won’t hate you.”
“I won’t hold back.”
“Haha. That’s scary.”
At his words, Fernandez chuckled. Daryan shrugged and limped away.
Rain began to fall. A summer night, a moonless dark night. On the ashes. Fernandez watched his back as the rain fell.
Four days later, the Shield Church’s declaration of support and the Vaitas Church’s condemnation were announced.
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