Barbarian in a Failed Game

077. Rebellion (9)

Clang!

Kal Elson threw his sword away, his voice trembling as he shouted. He found himself dropping to his knees without even realizing it.

“O, stern judge of justice…!”

It was undeniable.

Though her presence in this place was but a momentary glimpse, the keen senses of a sword master did not miss the transcendent being who descended, pressing down on the entire space with her aura.

Among the myriad gods of the Pantheon, the Goddess of Justice undoubtedly belonged to the higher echelons.

The reason: not only did her divine name, ‘Justice’, have a wide-reaching impact, but also a majority of the knights and templars of the Pantheon Church revered her.

Naturally, there were many others who worshiped the Goddess of Justice as well.

‘Ah…’

And such individuals generally fell into two categories.

Those who sought to judge the sins of others and those who sought to atone for their own sins.

“Was it… really true?”

Although the image of the goddess, holding scales and a sword of retribution in her hands, had long vanished, Kal Elson seemed unable to shake off the shock, remaining stiff.

‘The Goddess of Justice really…’

Among the religions of the continent, the Pantheon Church was the most fervent in its persecution of heretics.

There had been times when ‘crusades’ were carried out, deploying knights and templars to lands untouched by civilization for proselytization.

Of course, this was heavily influenced by a period when the continent was in turmoil due to the proliferation of heretical sects.

‘Was I mistaken…. Or has the leadership of the Pantheon Church deceived the people?’

The Pantheon Church, proclaiming all crusades as the will of the gods.

Especially when the knights and templars, who were at the forefront of heretic persecution, were significantly influenced by the Goddess of Justice.

Yet, the Goddess of Justice nonchalantly chose a heretic from the frosty mountains as her champion.

“I told you so.”

Kal Elson, with a vacant expression, lifted his head at the sharp voice, only to see Elena looking down at him with a smirk.

“You’re going to regret it.”

“……”

Kal Elson silently lowered his head.

He remained on his knees in silence for a while, and those who faintly sensed his complex feelings also kept quiet.

“Did… Did a real god just descend among us?”

“Be quiet…! Such an inconsiderate mage, really…!”

There was indeed a small uproar.

“…So.”

After much anguish, Kal Elson finally stood up, several minutes later, his eyes shimmering with an indiscernible light.

“What do you want me to do?”

His voice, carrying a sense of firm resolve, made Khan grin.

“Let’s start discussing that now.”

*

*

*

“Lord, you’ve arrived.”

“…Yes. You’ve worked hard.”

“Not at all. Please, come inside. The Duke has been waiting for you.”

A young nobleman, Viscount Hern, though younger than his full beard might suggest, was greeted by a soldier who gestured for him to follow, and a side door prepared for VIPs opened.

“Please enter.”

“……”

Viscount Hern silently nodded and passed by the soldier.

‘This is exceedingly uncomfortable.’

The city’s gates, once known as Ro-Elpellan and now the capital of the Elpellan Duchy, maintained a strict guard day and night.

Given the circumstances, regardless of one’s status, strict entry procedures had to be adhered to, and noncompliance could lead to execution on the spot.

Skipping such entry procedures meant the Duke had made such arrangements.

‘Why has it come to this…’

Viscount Hern, who had been nothing more than the mayor of a poverty-stricken small town unable to sustain itself for even a year with its own productivity, now found his title slightly altered since the proclamation of the duchy.No, it had changed dramatically…

“Diaz de Hern of Lebron, the Court Minister, has entered──!”

It was a booming shout that would have bowed deeply if not for all the eyes around.

‘Court Minister…!’

Amazingly, the small town’s mayor had turned into the Duke’s Court Minister. It was a social ascent so significant, it could be described as a complete transformation of heaven and earth.

However, Viscount Hern… no, Lebron─now a Court Minister, bestowed a castle by the Duke himself─was in a position far from joy.

‘This ultimately means I’m the leader of a rebellion, doesn’t it…?’

Should the royal family initiate a campaign to subdue, his name was certain to top the list of targets to be eliminated.

Fortunately, up to this point, the royal family had shown no significant movement, just as the Duke had assured. But Court Minister Lebron saw this merely as a temporary reprieve.

Even if the royal family remained silent, the Black-winged Duke wouldn’t.

“Court Minister Lebron is here to see His Excellency. I believe advance notice was given…”

“Right. You can head straight to the audience chamber. Do you need someone to guide you?”

“No, that’s fine. I’ve been down this path before.”

The Duke’s castle was immensely vast. Among the servants within the castle, not a few would get lost if they weren’t careful.

In that regard, Court Minister Lebron’s statement might seem pretentious, but the soldier did not challenge it. There was a belief that the wise Duke wouldn’t have appointed a fool to the position of Court Minister.

‘The war machines that fought alongside the Duke…. Indeed, they’re different from ordinary soldiers.’

With no interference, Court Minister Lebron entered the inner castle and walked the familiar path.

Thud- Thud-

The design of the Duke’s castle was so complex and disordered that its intent was unfathomable.

Passing through a fork, walking a bit down the corridor only to encounter another split path, and endless, bizarre lines on the walls giving off an eerie feeling.

‘Before being a noble, perhaps it’s because he’s a mage.’

Since the eccentricities of mages were not particularly surprising, Court Minister Lebron decided to consider it just a peculiar taste unique to mages.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to navigate this bizarre interior with a clear mind.

“…Court Minister Lebron. It’s you.”

“Indeed. And you are…? I don’t believe we’ve met before. Is Sir Pedro not yet returned?”

“Yes. He is on a long-term mission. He will be absent for a while.”

“I see….”

What’s this? His speech is somewhat awkward… Court Minister Lebron internally suppressed a puzzled reaction.

Besides the knight being a new face, concern about his capability to fight properly preceded due to his dull eyes and intermittent speech.

“Understood. May I enter?”

The knight with dim eyes nodded and pushed the door open, and the Count, desperately hiding his discomfort, stepped into the audience chamber.

“You’ve arrived, Court Minister Lebron.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Bowing his head and proceeding to the center of the audience chamber, Court Minister Lebron knelt down and paid his respects, waiting for the Duke’s instruction to raise his head.

“Hmm. I thought I said ceremonies were unnecessary, Court Minister. Have you yet to fully grasp your standing in the homeland?”

“My standing is nothing compared to yours, Excellency. Was it not you who raised a mere town mayor to a Court Minister?”

“Your capabilities are exceptional, how could I not employ them? Let’s end the formalities here.”

“Yes.”

With a quiet nod, the Court Minister began to report the prepared matters.

“Firstly… about the armed group that used to claim themselves as mercenaries causing various harm, I have sent messengers to all of them. Currently, half have expressed a positive intent, three tenths responded cautiously, and for the remaining two tenths, since the messengers have not returned, it appears they have refused…”

“And the follow-up action?”

“I promised a reward to the groups that showed a positive intent, ordered them to capture the others before joining us. The promise of giving them a share of the spoils has made them hurry.”

“Neat. A chance to evaluate their usefulness and a sufficient motive to mobilize the rest. Your idea?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm- Is that so?”

Court Minister Lebron couldn’t hide his unease as he saw the Duke smiling satisfiedly.

Even though the Duke showed a friendly demeanor for now, the Count knew too well that the moment he outlived his usefulness, he would be executed, just like Count Rante who had been beheaded by the Duke’s magic.

“And next is… in the process of rallying the noble forces and distributing the promised food, an incident occurred…”

The longer the report went, the thicker the smile on the Duke’s lips became. Court Minister Lebron, his hand sweaty with tension hidden in his sleeve, made his last report.

‘Damn it all…’

Potentially raising an issue that could upset the Duke…

“Your Excellency, have you heard anything about the letter sent to the guildmaster of the Mercenary Guild?”

“Nothing. Not a reply, nor anything except for word that the head themselves were away.”

“I see…”

“Why? Do you have something on your mind?”

“Well, it’s just that.”

Court Minister Lebron took a moment to compose himself before speaking.

“It seems there’s a strange rumor spreading among the mercenaries lately.”

“Rumor? It’s nothing new for those barbaric folks to obsess over superstitions.”

“If it were only superstition, we could be so lucky… But this type of rumor isn’t like that. Worse yet, it’s spreading incredibly fast through the entire North.”

“Could it be the work of the Mercenary Guild?”

Court Minister Lebron shook his head.

“It’s uncertain. However, it’s highly likely. Spreading information covertly among the mercenaries to sway public opinion is all too easy for the Guild. The problem is, it’s impossible to prove their involvement.”

“Impossible?”

“Yes. There is suspicion, but impossible to find any concrete evidence. Considering the resources we might put into investigating, the outcome looks rather unsatisfactory, in my opinion.”

“So you suggest we just let it be.”

“After all, it’s nothing more than a rumor started by mercenaries. Opposing it directly would only make us look foolish. They probably want us to get muddied in the mess. Ignoring it might be the best strategy.”

Hearing the advice of the Court Minister, the Duke remained silent for a moment before asking in a calmer voice.

“So what’s this rumor about? If you’re bringing it up to me, it must be quite the joke.”

Damn it. The Court Minister had dreaded this moment but closed his eyes tight.

“Why the hesitance? How hilarious is this joke?”

“…It says that Your Grace is the true mastermind behind the curse of the North and staged the whole thing to engulf the North.”

“Hmm, all this fuss over just that? Sounds like a conspiracy theory those fools would believe. You seem smart, but you lack the knack for making people laugh.”

“And, there’s more!”

The sudden raise in the Court Minister’s voice made the Duke squint.

‘Dammit. Dammit!’

“The Duke is preparing to turn all citizens of Kondo into ‘living corpses’ to offer to demons! As evidence, magic circles that cover the entire castle have been drawn in the Duke’s castle!”

Court Minister Lebron opened his eyes wide, revealing the last part of the rumor while trying to push the suspicious lines drawn on the wall to the back of his mind.

“All the evidence is… inside the duke’s private workshop, behind the black iron door in the duke’s castle.”

“…!”

The Duke’s eyes widened with shock, and the Court Minister could read the astonishment on his face.

*

*

*

“Is there really such a place in the Duke’s castle?”

“It’s being spread because it exists.”

“Then, is it true that all evidence of the Duke being the mastermind is in that workshop?”

“Yes. I heard they’re making strange things there with the Followers of Truth.”

“But… When have you been to the Duke’s castle?”

“Never been.”

“Boss. Doesn’t it sound strange to you? How do you know if you’ve never been?”

“Well.”

At that question, Ron pounded his chest.

“Stop being so mysterious! Then tell me properly why you spread the rumor! Knowing you, it must be another dangerous plan.”

“Put simply, it goes like this.”

If you suspect, ghosts that weren’t there start to appear.

“Let’s watch. How a force united by fear shakes.”

*

*

*

“V,Viscount Hern… no, Court Minister! Is it true there’s a secret workshop hidden behind a black iron door within the Duke’s castle, and in it, a hundred mages are conducting rituals to summon demons?”

“Viscount Ermon… What in the world are you talking about…?”

“That’s not all! They say the Duke’s soul was stolen by a puppeteer mage, and now the mage is pretending to be the Duke!”

Seeing Viscount Ermon, who was taken by such absurd rumors, the Court Minister Lebron tapped his forehead.

‘Surely, there can’t be more fools like him…?’