"Golden Dawn Society? Valencia?"
The Dawn Society was the organization led by Zekeʼs mother, Laura Agamemnon, and Pab Valencia, who had been an Arch Paladin.
But for Zeke, it was impossible not to be surprised that the Pope was the chairman of an organization with a similar name, the Golden Dawn Society, and bore the surname Valencia.
Beatrice looked at Zeke and said, "Iʼll explain everything once we go down." Zeke followed her down the secret passage.
The secret passage prepared beneath the sarcophagus extended quite far.
"Your Holiness, is this passage an escape route for emergencies?"
"Thatʼs correct. The previous Pope informed me of it. These days, I use it as a means to secretly meet with the Golden Dawn Society."
As Zeke walked the secret passage following Beatrice, he soon discovered a massive door ahead.
The iron door bore the exact same emblem as the one on the underground tomb Pab had created before.
"Itʼs an emblem different from the standard one of the Sun Order."
With a hunch, Zeke asked Beatrice, "Your Holiness, do you know what this emblem signifies?"
Beatrice nodded at Zekeʼs question and said, "This is the emblem used by the Order of
Light, which worshiped the God of Light before the current Sun Order."
Zeke recalled seeing this emblem in the ark as well.
"If the Order of Light used this emblem... perhaps it represented the God of Light, that is, the Creator God."
Since Zeke wasnʼt well-versed in theology, that was as far as his speculation went.
He decided to ask Arina, who was knowledgeable about such matters, for more details later.
Beatrice infused power into the emblem of light, and once again, the door opened on its own.
She gestured to Zeke. "This way."
Zeke followed Beatrice up the stairs.
Checking the map, he was surprised to find that the secret passage led out of the Papal Palace and connected to the outskirts of the Principality of Vadoka.
Moreover, it linked to the basement of an old warehouse, allowing them to exit without drawing attention from others.
Once they emerged, Beatrice deftly removed her ceremonial vestments and changed into plain clothes she had prepared in advance.
With a spell to change her hair color to brown, she looked like an ordinary woman rather than the Pope.
"Come this way, Sir Zeke."
Zeke followed Beatrice out of the warehouse.
It was a market used by commoners on the outskirts of the Principality of Vadoka, chaotic and noisy unlike the orderly streets and facilities in the city center where clergy and nobles passed through.
Perhaps due to rumors of monsters approaching, the market seemed even more disordered. People trembled in fear, whispering ominous rumors to one another. "I heard theyʼve already burned down other cities completely."
"Then isnʼt this place in danger too?"
"Eh, if it were that bad, the high-and-mighty wouldʼve fled first! Since theyʼre still here, it must be fine!"
"Donʼt talk nonsense. Those folks have that... teleportation magic or whatever, so they can go to another country overnight. Thatʼs why theyʼre holding out, right?"
Beatriceʼs expression darkened at the sight of the subjects trying to shake off their anxiety through chatter.
Still, she steeled herself and strode firmly into an old building in a market alley.
It appeared to be an ordinary general store, but Zeke immediately realized it was a front upon entering.
The woman posing as a clerk was a mage, and the man who seemed to be the owner was a knight trained in combat.
They eyed Zeke warily as Beatrice brought in an unfamiliar face.
Beatrice raised her hand to reassure them. "Itʼs fine. This is someone whoʼs come to help us. Open the second floor."
At Beatriceʼs words, the mage disguised as a clerk activated a hidden magic circle.
The stacked firewood in one corner of the store then assembled on its own, forming stairs.
Beatrice led Zeke up.
To his surprise, the upper floor had a continental map, a situation board, and various documents pinned to the walls.
Beatrice smiled at Zeke. "Welcome to the Golden Dawn Society headquarters, Sir Zeke."
*
Caw! Caw!
An ominous crowʼs cry echoed through the air.
Below it, ranks of soldiers marched with the sharp clink of metal.
Knights on horseback shouted at the soldiers, "Maintain your rows and columns!" The flag the knight held fluttered in the wind, emblazoned with the face of a wolf.
The endless procession of troops filled the royal road of the Holy Kingdom.
At that time, only one power on the continent could mobilize such a force at once: the Rom Empire.
One of the Rom Empireʼs Thirteen Legions, the Knight Order of the Celestial Scorpion Palace, advanced at the forefront of the troops.
Leading the Knight Order of the Celestial Scorpion Palace was Vice Captain Carlito Luciano, armed head to toe in artifacts.
He was the one who had previously joined forces with Siemens to capture Zeke but ended up suffering a reversal, losing his troops, and barely escaping with his life thanks to Rahim, the spatial teleporter and leader of the Six.
He had nearly lost his position as vice captain due to that defeat, but thanks to his political acumen and eloquence, he had managed to hold onto it. This time, he had volunteered for the Emperorʼs personal campaign and brought additional forces.
Beside Carlito rode a man of such massive build he evoked images of a barbarian, eyes closed in deep focus atop his horse.
That was Gillian Apex, captain of the Knight Order of the Celestial Scorpion Palace.
Unlike Carlito, Gillian Apex was the epitome of a martial purist.
With no talent for politics, he left external affairs to Carlito, whose knightly skills were lacking, while he devoted all his time to training to break through the final wall to becoming a Black Knight.
If not for Carlitoʼs persuasion, he never would have joined the previous campaign.
He was glad the persuasion about gaining new insights on the battlefield had worked.
The Knight Order of the Celestial Scorpion Palace pressed on toward the border region of the Holy Kingdom where the Emperorʼs forces were stationed, without pause.
Soon, the road ended, and as they crested a hill, they saw tens of thousands of soldiers encamped on the border plain.
Silver wolf banners symbolizing the Emperor fluttered here and there.
Carlito swallowed hard and entered the Emperorʼs camp.
"Why is it so quiet?"
Upon arriving at the camp, Carlito sensed something off in the atmosphere.
A camp housing this many troops couldnʼt possibly have been this silent.
Even in a well-disciplined barracks, there should have been sounds of camp construction, cooking, or at least soldiers chatting—yet there was absolutely nothing.
The eerie silence, as if no one was there, sent chills down his spine.
Dismounting, Carlito looked around the camp.
Peeking into the soldiersʼ tents, he could sense presences inside.
But the soldiers were either sitting blankly without a word or lying down muttering to themselves—that was all.
They showed no vitality, merely reciting faint soliloquies with unfocused eyes staring into space; they were far from normal.
"Damn it, what the hell? Did they all get addicted to Soma or something?"
As Carlito shuddered at the creepy sight, a black-robed mage suddenly appeared before him.
"Eek! What the— you startled me!"
Carlito stepped back at the sudden appearance of the mage.
The hood was pulled low, hiding the face, but the mageʼs lips, stained black like a corpseʼs, and pitch-black nails caught the eye.
Moreover, the mageʼs skin had a bronze hue; it moved, yet felt utterly lifeless.
"His Majesty summons you both."
The mageʼs raspy voice sent shivers throughout.
Carlito suddenly recalled the bloodline ability users from the Nostra Family heʼd met while working with Siemens, or the Dark Mages of Narak.
He had found them bizarre, but compared to this Emperorʼs army and mages, they seemed almost human.
The Emperor was delving into all sorts of forbidden arts for immortality, it seemed. Even keeping such irreverent and dangerous creatures by his side.
Carlito had volunteered for this campaign to secure his position, but he couldnʼt shake the unease.
In truth, he had tried to align with Julius, who was connected to Siemens, but that fell through, so he had no choice but to reattach himself to the Emperor for this expedition.
Rumors about the Emperorʼs personal affairs and various other matters were so dire that other knight orders were reluctant to join this personal campaign.
In the end, the Emperor had set out with only his personal guard and soldiers.
After much deliberation, Carlito had persuaded Gillian to follow the Emperor.
He heard the goal of this expedition wasnʼt the monsters, but the Holy Kingdom. If the Emperor overcame this hurdle, maintained imperial authority, and expanded territorial wars starting with the Holy Kingdom... he could seize a chance for advancement.
Carlito prided himself on his eye for opportunity.
Having risen from the second son of a minor provincial baron to this position by seizing chances well, he had reason for confidence.
It was a gamble of a situation, but if he navigated this moment right, he believed he could forge a new future.
Steeling his tumultuous mind, he entered the Emperorʼs tent with Gillian.
But upon entering the Emperorʼs tent, Carlito regretted his decision for the first time in his life.
The interior was a scene of horror beyond description.
A group of cultists with black lips and nails were squeezing fresh blood from living people, mixing it with various drugs to create bizarre potions.
The cultist mages were fiends who casually committed evils even more sinister and horrific than those of Dark Mages.
Such cultists were ceaselessly producing horrific forbidden elixirs in the Emperorʼs tent, using humans as ingredients.
"Urk."
Even Carlito, who prided himself on a strong stomach, felt his head spin and retched at the stench of blood and potent drugs wafting from the Emperorʼs tent.
Gillian, who had kept his eyes closed, now opened them and gazed at the gruesome sight.
At that moment, the mage who had guided them gestured toward them and said, "This way, please."
Carlito and Gillian passed through the hellish tent and entered deeper, where the Emperor resided.
The Emperorʼs tent was littered with countless potion vials, blood-drawn magic circles, and scrolls scrawled in unrecognizable languages.
Incense continuously rose from censers, and merely inhaling the eerie scent felt like it could drive one mad.
The Emperor lay on a bed, surrounded by over a dozen cultists.
Curtained off, his form was hidden, but tubes connected to over a dozen potion vials clearly showed how dire his condition was.
"Have the knights of the Celestial Scorpion Palace arrived?" Suddenly, a voice came from beyond the curtain.
Startled by the Emperorʼs clear and majestic voice, Carlito immediately knelt.
"I pay my respects to Your Majesty! Carlito Luciano, holding the position of vice captain of the Knight Order of the Celestial Scorpion Palace, has arrived here with the knights of the Celestial Scorpion Palace, led by Captain Gillian Apex, to heed Your Majestyʼs command!"
The Emperor fell silent for a moment after hearing Carlito.
Then, in the same clear voice, he said, "Carlito. Yes, I remember you. You were the righteous one who volunteered for many difficult tasks in place of the speechless Gillian."
In truth, Captain Gillian was a mute who couldnʼt speak.
But few knew this fact.
Most simply thought Gillian was taciturn, and since Carlito handled most external affairs, it remained hidden.
Carlito was shocked that the Emperor remembered this.
"Y-Yes, Your Majesty! You remember me."
"Yes, I remember. You were a young man with keen, wise eyes. Itʼs been twenty years since I granted you your title."
At the Emperorʼs words, recalling even the time he bestowed the title, Carlito nearly teared up in emotion.
Then he snapped back to reality.
He wondered if the Emperorʼs condition had improved.
Though hidden by the curtain, the voice betrayed no illness.
It was even more vigorous and majestic than the one he remembered from his knighting ceremony twenty years ago.
If the Emperorʼs health had recovered, this was a great opportunity for him.
He had long forgotten the horrific scene from earlier.
Carlito was solely focused on how to maximize his gain.
At that moment, the Emperor said to Carlito, "Carlito, my old friend. With your companion Gillian, can you subjugate the monsters threatening the Holy Kingdom for me and save the suffering subjects of the Holy Kingdom?"
At the Emperorʼs casual mention of "salvation," Carlito reached one conclusion.
His physical state may have improved, but the Emperor was still mad.