Chapter 109. Two Suns Risen in the South (1)
The center of the southern Felix Kingdom. Bigrove.
A territory with fertile farmland responsible for 30% of Felix Kingdom’s wheat production.
Knights holding flags with a black wolf painted were entering that territory.
On the chests of knights holding flags, Kill Marks symbolizing Ogre Slayer were drawn.
“It’s the Cadmus Knights!”
“Knights of the Black Wolf!”
The Cadmus family knights possessing a completely different status from before.
Their leader Blanc looked at the huge mansion entering his vision from inside the carriage.
Although Bigrove had a mild climate, cold energy seemed to hang around at least in the mansion.
“This city is still uncomfortable.”
Blanc recalled that time when he left Bigrove on a cold winter day with snow blowing.
However, the current Blanc was standing at a different position from that time.
“Move.”
The carriage with the Black Wolf flag moved into the cold heart of Bigrove.
***
“Now, everyone raise your glasses!”
As Count Lacie, the host of the banquet and the owner of the mansion, raised his glass, the southern lords who responded to his call raised their hands one after another responding to his glass.
“Today is my birthday, but I want to take this opportunity to announce that a new hero of the South has been born!”
Count Lacie, with a flushed face, grabbed and raised Blanc’s hand next to him, looking at Blanc as if truly happy and said.
“Now we also have an honorable monarch and knight who will not lose to the bookworms of the center, how joyful is this!”
The lords gathered at this place raised their glasses high and raised their voices praising the achievements of Count Lacie and Blanc.
‘Indeed worthy of calling himself the Ruler of the South.’
Blanc could intuit the extent of his influence seeing the lords responding greatly to Count Lacie’s single word.
Although everyone was talking laughing as if drunk, a streak of tension was hovering deep in their eyes.
The place where that tension started was Count Lacie smiling good-naturedly.
He was dominating this place.
Count Lacie, who drew the lords’ response, sat down heavily next to Blanc and wrapped his arm around his shoulder.
“I recognized Baron Blanc was an extraordinary figure from the first time I saw him, but I didn't know he would shine brightly to this extent!”
Although he was smiling good-naturedly with a flushed face, Blanc could notice.
That Count Lacie’s eyes were not smiling.
The red light of the torch was reflecting red energy into his eyes.
“This is all because Count Lacie supported my back reassuringly.”
Blanc hid his intention with words of modesty and humility, but Count Lacie was in a state already knowing Blanc’s inner thoughts.
Count Lacie exerted great influence on southern lords.
It was not an exaggeration to say the South was on his palm.
“I heard you are solidifying relationships by exchanging letters with nearby lords these days?”
Count Lacie pointed out Blanc’s recent situation smiling cunningly.
Blanc raised the wine glass in front of him without agitation.
It was expected that it would be known to Count Lacie in the first place.
“Since I became a new lord, I thought it natural to greet other lords around.”
Blanc conveyed his intention about the Southern Union through Nilsen.
“Hahaha! There must have been no one teaching you from the side, but you know well about etiquette between nobles.”
Outwardly, the two were laughing harmoniously, but a coldness worse than the north wind’s bitter cold was hovering between them.
“If you wanted to exchange friendship with other lords, you should have come to find me earlier.”
Count Lacie beckoned with his palm and called a few lords to introduce them to Blanc.
“Look at this, doesn’t southern work become much easier if you go through me?”
Count Lacie’s eyes glistened.
He intended to definitely break the spirit of Blanc, the recent rising star, at this place.
“Want to make a Southern Union? Why try to go the long way round for work that ends easily if you go through me too?”
Count Lacie had already seen through Blanc’s intention.
Indeed, it was an influence worthy of calling himself the Ruler of the South.
Count Lacie raised his glass high and shouted.
“Lords of the South! My brothers!”
Count Lacie shouted.
“A newly risen young lord is worrying about our future! This is my fault for not properly taking care of the South until now!”
Although he was speaking towards the southern lords, Count Lacie’s eyes continued to look at Blanc.
“Therefore, I intend to organize the Southern Union following Baron Blanc’s opinion, so those who agree with that opinion, please raise your glasses high!”
Count Lacie’s ringing voice echoed fully in the banquet hall.
“Count Lacie’s words are right!”
“For the new South!”
As soon as his words ended, lords competed to raise their glasses.
Although the reasons each raised their glass might be slightly different, there was a common reason all lords had.
It was fear towards Count Lacie.
“Look at this. Going through me, the Southern Union is created this quickly, isn’t it?”
Count Lacie shrugged his shoulders with shining eyes.
“Now only you need to raise your glass.”
Count Lacie picked up the wine bottle and poured into Blanc’s glass.
“…….”
Red wine continued to flow down from Blanc’s glass which was already full.
“Raise your glass. Baron Blanc.”
The snake hiding poison on the tip of its tongue flicked its black tongue.
Blanc quietly watched the red wave wetting his hand.
“Thank you for pouring wine containing friendship. Count.”
Then raised the glass.
And threw it to the floor.
In the banquet hall where silence hovered, only the noise of the wine glass rolling on the ground was heard.
“Since we made a new vessel called the Southern Union, we should prepare a new wine glass to celebrate this work as well.”
“…….”
The Black Wolf revealed his fangs to Count Lacie.
Count Lacie and Blanc.
Southern lords watching the two’s mood could not even breathe properly and only rolled their eyes.
“……Oh my.”
Count Lacie had acted as a magnanimous figure liking alcohol until now, but at this moment, he had no choice but to reveal the cold snake-like appearance he was hiding inside.
The strike the Black Wolf delivered was too sharp to deal with while hiding his true appearance.
As Count Lacie stood up from his seat, the chair he was sitting on was pushed back creating an unpleasant noise.
Terrible silence, enough to hear the sound of the chair being pushed, wrapped around the banquet hall.
“I understood well what you mean. Baron Blanc.”
The snake hiding poison inside its tongue revealed its teeth towards the Black Wolf.
The moment the teeth hiding poison were about to extend towards Blanc.
“Count.”
The butler of the Lacie Count family hurriedly ran into the banquet hall and whispered to him.
“What?”
Count Lacie had to fold his anger for a moment.
Because he heard that the Religion’s Paladin Order arrived at the lobby right now.
Count Lacie rolled his head thinking of the reason why the Paladin Order came to his territory, but no matter how much he thought, he couldn’t find the reason.
If they didn't come because of him, they must have come because of someone in this place.
‘Oh no……!’
Blanc entered Count Lacie’s vision.
The Black Wolf was raising a new glass and smiling coldly.
“……Escort them inside.”
Although he knew it was intended by Blanc, one cannot keep the knights of the Religion upholding the will of sacred Goddesses standing outside.
Count Lacie had no choice but to let the Paladins inside.
“Yes, Count.”
Knights wearing blue armor entering the banquet hall following his order.
Holding a flag embedded with 3 stars symbolizing the Goddess, they entered unhesitatingly where southern lords were gathered.
“Forgive the rudeness. Count Lacie. It was unavoidable as it required urgency.”
“As a lord following the Goddess' will, I only welcome your visit.”
Count Lacie wanted to smash all the heads of the Paladins in front of his eyes if he followed his thoughts, but he was a seasoned lord and a person like a cunning snake.
Count Lacie welcomed them nonchalantly, hiding his anger and embarrassment.
“Baron Blanc Cadmus. Come forward and receive the will of sacred Goddesses.”
Sacred and blue light was hovering in the decree the Religion’s messenger took out.
This was not a decree ordinarily issued by the Pope or the Religion’s leadership.
As the messenger fully unfolded the decree, sacred blue light poured out from inside.
‘Book of Oracle?’
At that moment, Count Lacie felt things were going terribly wrong.
“Ohhh…….”
“Book of Oracle!”
“I see that before I die!”
Lords who noticed what that light meant immediately stood up, knelt, and bowed their heads.
The decree the messenger unfolded now was the Book of Oracle symbolizing the highest authority of the Goddess Religion, containing the will of Goddesses, not the will of humans.
The sacred Book of Oracle permitted by Goddesses borrowing the Saintess' power.
Everything was deviating greatly from Count Lacie’s intention.
“New Evil operating in secret is threatening our world.”
As the messenger opened his mouth and read down the book containing the Goddess' will, human lords bowed their heads listening to the Goddesses’ words.
“This Religion confirmed those who summoned new Evil trying to harm this world, and the names of those wicked ones are Langketa, Vicious, Kamora.”
All lords here flinched with surprise as the names of the three families who confronted Cadmus came out.
Although they didn't think Blanc was an ordinary man, no one expected he would have defeated even forces related to Evil.
“We excommunicate them in the name of Goddesses.”
As the word excommunication came out, lords ended up raising their heads without realizing it.
Because they knew what meaning the word excommunication implied.
“We suspend all rights these 3 families possessed on the foundation of the Religion until now, Baron Blanc Cadmus shall retrieve these rights.”
Count Lacie bit his lip.
‘Was it because of this!’
Just as Count Lacie possessed a strong foundation within the Felix Kingdom, Blanc also had solid forces supporting him in the Goddess Religion.
Therefore, he could dare to rebel against him openly.
“Baron Blanc Cadmus, raise your head.”
Blanc raised his head following the messenger’s instruction and looked at him.
“Upholding the will of Goddesses, we grant a new title to you, the righteous avenger against the three families.”
Blanc received the flag the messenger was holding.
“From now on, Baron Blanc Cadmus is appointed as the vanguard of the Holy War inheriting the will of Goddesses, so everyone here please become witnesses!”
The flag shining blue was handed to Blanc.
All southern lords were watching that glorious scene.
Even Count Lacie.
The honorable vanguard upholding the will of Goddesses held the flag emitting blue light and stood up proudly.
The Black Wolf stood up proudly in the heart of Count Lacie.
Count Lacie knew he was swept away by the huge flow Blanc prepared, but since that flow was too huge, he had no choice but to lower his body for now.
‘Cannot be like this!’
However, he couldn't just sit still and be swept away here.
Count Lacie’s head, which solidified the current position through machinations defeating numerous political opponents, began to move extraordinarily.
“Those who are here…….”
“How joyful it is that the will of Goddesses reached here!”
Count Lacie quickly blocked Blanc’s words and ran out towards Blanc overcome with emotion.
He ran out in a breath, grabbed Blanc’s hand, and said.
“This is Bigrove’s fortune and further a great blessing descending upon the South!”
Count Lacie quickly stood next to Blanc and spoke towards the southern lords.
“Goddesses deciding the vanguard of the Holy War at this place where all southern lords gathered now is like granting that duty to us as well!”
The snake that was threatening the Black Wolf flicking its tongue just a moment ago quickly hid its poison.
“I, Count Lacie, in the name of the head of the Southern Union just created, swear to support Baron Blanc with my best!”
The huge snake tried to drive a single dagger into the Black Wolf’s spine while adapting to the flow.
If he couldn't embrace Blanc, proudly solidifying his influence rooted until now would be the second-best choice.
“Let us gather our strength and uphold the will of Goddesses. Everyone!”
Count Lacie holding Blanc’s hand and raising it high.
He quickly snatched the seat of the head of the Southern Union and sat next to Blanc.
“The will of Goddesses reached the South!”
“It is a Holy War!”
“Long live the Southern Union!”
Southern lords raised their glasses high and poured out praise towards Count Lacie, the Ruler of the South, and Blanc, appointed as the vanguard to lead the Holy War newly.
“The work of the South is my work. I will take responsibility and help.”
Count Lacie growled at Blanc risking the name of Goddesses in front of southern lords.
That he would help Blanc Cadmus whom he wouldn't be satisfied even if he chewed him to death.
“Thank you.”
In the praise sent by numerous people, the gazes of the two were crossing.
Blanc succeeded in escaping from Count Lacie through the flag of Goddesses, but.
The snake flicking its tongue quickly bit the chunk of meat called the head of the Southern Union and disappeared into the darkness.
The Black Wolf and the huge snake faced each other.