Chapter 293 - The Shadow of the Great Lord
Nathan Evenhart:
I was lost in thought as the carriage moved along the road toward Apsalon. The journey from the Royal Capital to the academy took two days—enough time to reflect on everything that had happened.
What Marquess Caelan mentioned about the man with the hammer in the soldiers' dreams was unsettling. Jormungandr had also spoken of a man with a hammer… A coincidence? I wasn't sure, but I knew that nothing in this world happened by chance. As I pondered this, my concerns drifted toward the demons and the deeper mysteries of this world.
I lifted the curtain of the carriage slightly, manipulating the wind so I wouldn't have to use my hands. Outside, other carriages followed in a line, transporting maids and a few other attendants. On my lap, Cylla slept peacefully in her feline form, curled up on my legs. Chloe rested on my right shoulder, and Kinue on my left—both having dozed off from the exhaustion of the trip.
My mother traveled separately in another carriage, accompanied by Aunt Margie. She was handling affairs with the Norfolk family, specifically regarding healing potions and, more importantly, my elven citizenship.
From what Adrihna had explained, I was about to be officially recognized as a citizen of another kingdom. I would have dual citizenship. The process had been delayed due to the political turmoil surrounding the Olarion Kingdom, which had slowed down various bureaucratic matters. Even the expedition to the Inverted Tower, which was supposed to take place last year, had been postponed. With Apsalon serving as a hub for meetings and negotiations among nobles, no one could afford to spend days inside a dungeon. Fortunately, the situation seemed more stable now, and soon, I would have the opportunity to explore the dungeon with the other students. More than that, I would finally get to see artifacts from the ancient civilization.
And then there was the riddle…
I had spent the past few days trying to decipher it, without success. The part that intrigued me the most was:
"When I leave Midgard, all ceases, and the void takes my place."
Why would the void replace something that departs? What did "Midgard" mean in this context? Was it a human kingdom? A state of existence?
The answer seemed to contain another puzzle within itself, and without understanding it, I couldn't move forward.
I set that thought aside for now. At least I had managed to discover something interesting before leaving the castle.
The mysterious woman with long black hair and blue eyes, depicted in two portraits in my family's Hall of Kings, was my ancestor. More than that, she had been a former wielder of Special Eyes. I had passed through that corridor only a handful of times in my life—maybe five at most—and had never noticed this detail before.
Her name was not recorded. Only a generic title: Grandmother.
My family was, at its core, an organization of assassins. Perhaps she had chosen to keep her name hidden because of her abilities. Whatever the case, this confirmed something for me—my talent came from both sides of my lineage.
On my father's side, I descended from a millennia-old line of mage-kings. On my mother's side, I carried the blood of elven nobility. I was never meant to be an ordinary person. Even if I hadn't been a half-elf, my father's family had always been naturally gifted. He was a lightning user; my uncle, an earth-element Summoner. My cousin, Chloe, had inherited that summoning talent and had demonstrated impressive skill from an early age by summoning her own Soul Golem.
Compared to her, I was still far behind.
Chloe had named her summon Wendigo—a powerful monster with a unique trait: it had elemental fusion with ice. That made it far stronger than conventional Soul Golems, which typically mastered only one element.
The only problem was that Chloe couldn't maintain her summon for long. Unlike me, she was a natural-born Summoner and had already developed spells in sync with Wendigo. Meanwhile, I… could barely summon Chronos.
I let out a sigh.
Athena had been quiet lately. Not that I missed the haunting presence of my archenemy, but after sixteen years of her constant intrusion, I had gotten used to it.
I looked outside, watching the road stretch endlessly before us. Solving that riddle was a secondary concern for now. What intrigued me more was figuring out who Siegfried Hraesvelgr truly was—or rather, what he was. There were powerful beings out there somewhere. No human could alter reality like that. Only one thing was capable of such a feat.
The Celestial Eyes…
And there was only one people capable of possessing those eyes—the people of Sisika. Or rather… the people of Cylla. If my suspicions were correct—and I was nearly certain they were—it meant that they were still out there, watching me. Or at least, staying close enough to observe certain key moments.
"Master Nathan," a soft voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I looked down and saw Kinue, still a bit drowsy.
"Sorry… I mean, Nathan," she corrected herself, looking slightly embarrassed.
"It's fine," I reassured her.
Because Kinue was a servant of my family, she was required to address me as 'Master' in certain situations, especially in ceremonies and noble gatherings. Though I wasn't particularly fond of this formality, I understood its necessity.
We had grown up together as children, always close. But now, with the responsibilities of nobility pressing down on me, that invisible line between master and servant had become more pronounced. In places like the academy or among friends, she was free to call me by my name. However, in formal settings or in the presence of other nobles, etiquette dictated that she address me as 'Lord' or 'Master.' It always made me a little uncomfortable.
I remembered once catching her practicing in front of a mirror, repeatedly saying, 'Master Nathan and Master Chloe' to drill it into her habits. That memory had stuck with me, and honestly, I found it kind of adorable.
"Are we almost there?" Kinue asked softly, her voice still tinged with drowsiness.
"Not yet," I replied. "We'll probably stop at an inn to rest before continuing."
Fatigue was creeping up on me, but the journey was far from over.
The trip took two days, mainly because we had to stop and let the horses rest. When I traveled with Professor Adrihna, we made the journey in a single day—but that was because her horses were magical golems, immune to exhaustion.
Kinue shifted closer, resting her head on my shoulder.
And then… a certain part of Kinue pressed against me.
I felt the weight of something large.
Soft.
Extremely soft.
And round.
I took a deep breath.
Calm down… General… I thought, trying to maintain focus.
It was hard to keep a general's composure in moments like this—especially when trapped in the body of a young man with raging hormones.
I could feel a certain part of me reacting to the situation.
"I think I bumped into something hard on your lap," Kinue muttered, confused.
I shut my eyes and tried to redirect my thoughts.
Blood, battles, death, heads flying— I started mentally reciting, forcing myself to recall the horrors of war.
Damn it… Cylla is on my lap…
I clenched my eyes shut and continued my internal struggle.
Blood, death, battles... eyes popping out of their sockets.
Kinue seemed to notice something. "Are you okay?" she asked softly. "Did something get in your eyes?"
"Ah… yeah, something did, but it's gone now," I replied, forcing a smile to cover up my internal struggle.
She pressed herself even closer against me.
"I'm going to keep using you as my pillow…" she murmured, slightly embarrassed. Then, in a whisper that was… surprisingly sensual, she leaned in and breathed against my ear: "If I'm bothering you, let me know… 'Master Nathan'."
It looks like I'll need every ounce of my concentration in the next few hours to resist temptation…
Sebastian Blake:
I remained still, holding Claire's head as the others resumed murmuring and whispering among themselves. The door was shut, and Sindra had left the room.
My father walked over to me.
"I'll have a servant take care of this. Don't worry. We'll also make sure she 'disappears' without raising suspicion," he said.
The door opened, and several servants entered.
"Clean this up," my father ordered.
I stayed frozen as they took Claire's head from my lap.
"Fix that expression, Sebastian," he said, returning to his seat at the table. "I warned you from the start to stop indulging in this hobby of yours—messing around with whores. This would have been a massive problem even if Lady Sindra hadn't intervened. Do you have any idea what would happen if word got out that Alice Asalon's fiancé was sneaking around with a prostitute?"
I remained silent.
"You put over fifteen years of planning at risk. You're lucky she didn't decide to kill that peasant mother of yours just for fun and settled for this whore instead."
"Claire…" I murmured. "Her name was Claire…"
The others kept talking amongst themselves.
"Cheer up, boy," said another man, his face concealed behind a wooden mask. "Better her dead than you."
I stared at my hands, still stained with Claire's blood.
"You are Sebastian Blake, one of the chosen. Your family climbed from the lowest ranks of the military to the highest position of prestige," he continued. "This is but a small reward from the Great Lord. There is much more to come, and you know it."
I looked at him and nodded. "You're right…" I said, composing myself.
"The Great Lord will grant us power. We will live longer, grow stronger, and rise to positions of immense political influence. When he returns, we will be the ones ruling at his side. No amount of wealth can buy an extended lifespan, but with him… we may even live forever."
I agreed and forced my mind back to the meeting.
My family had come too far. I couldn't—I wouldn't—fail. The world would bow to the power of the dark beings, and I was fortunate enough to stand on the right side of history.
I remembered my father telling me all the things he had to do to reach this point. And because of that, we were chosen. He proved his worth, and I had the privilege of being rewarded by them. I was engaged to the daughter of the most powerful family on the continent. I had become part of the royal family. Everywhere I went, I was respected. People admired me. They wanted to be me.
I was placed at the top.
I thought of what my father had done, of the things he told me. Playing the role of the fiancé to a foolish girl was nothing compared to what he had endured.
I am Sebastian Blake. Wherever I go, others kneel at my feet. There's a line of whores begging to be fucked by me.
Claire was just another one.
I refocused. I couldn't afford mistakes.
My father had been chosen, blessed by the Great Lord when he proved his worth. Our family had sabotaged countless key mage squads in the last war—especially the mage battalion that died fighting against the former Emperor Song. They all perished, while my father walked away as the sole survivor, claiming all the glory.
They fell—just as it was meant to happen.
The former General Valemont, uncle of Edmund Valemont. The father of Viktor Saul's cousin. The Duke Evenhart and his brother. The Queen Mother of Rose Olarion. Even key figures of the elven and demi-human armies. Every single one of them fell in that battle—because of my father, because of my family.
We caused their deaths, sabotaging them from the shadows, ensuring they perished alongside Emperor Song. That was the price paid. But the reward… was immeasurable.
My family rose to power, and today, I stand in a position of true importance.
I am Sebastian Blake. I am not just anyone.
I clenched my fists.
I just have to endure that spoiled girl for a little longer. Then, when the time comes, I will have the last laugh when everything falls into the hands of the Great Lord—and I will stand beside him.
"Are you certain?" my father asked Theodore Borir.
Theodore Borir…
He was one of the more prominent leaders—close to Lady Sindra. I didn't know much about him, but I was sure his name was fake. Theodore was far too common, and Borir was a surname frequently found among commoners. His identity was built from banal, forgettable information—definitely fabricated.
He always wore a mask, but I remembered something—at a different meeting, I had encountered another man using the same first name or surname. Was it a coincidence? Or was Theodore Borir a position, not a person?
I forced myself out of my thoughts and focused on the meeting again.
Everyone was holding documents, reading them carefully. A few lay in front of me, waiting to be picked up. I reached for them, flipping through the pages—
And I couldn't believe what I was reading.
These are documents from Apsalon Academy…
I kept scanning through them.
Information about the Inverted Tower. Its floors. The campus. The class divisions. These weren't reports just anyone could obtain. They had to come from someone inside the academy… or from high-ranking political figures.
Just how many people out there serve the Great Lord?
"The Great Lord has a mission for you, boy," Theodore Borir said.
"For me?" I asked, unable to hide my shock.
"Yes. He wants to stir things up even further, and it all begins at the academy. More specifically, things will start escalating during your upcoming excursion to what you people call… 'The Inverted Tower.'"
My pulse quickened.
"What do you need me to do?" I asked.
Borir's masked face tilted slightly.
"Just be in the right place… at the right time… when a demon arrives."