Chapter 32: The Revelation
OminousRain
I am become Death
Chapter 32: The Revelation
I was promoted into the 11th Seat of the Knights of Rounds to replace the recently deceased Nelson. No matter how reluctant Fenrir is at approving it, he cannot deny that my talents are needed to replace Nelson. I received my first dose of the Tear of Diablos and I consumed it. In addition to extending lifespan, it also gave me greater boost in magic power than the Red Pills and that boost lasts for an entire year.
As I would be put in charge of developing it, I was given all the data of past developments, including Lord Laugus' notes on the matter and was even given a finger of Diablos which is taken from the Midgar Sanctuary. They gave me a deadline of 5 years to improve the Tears. Heh heh heh. With all these resources in my hands, I will create and hoard the better version for myself, while giving the Rounds inferior products. It's my policy not to give the Cult the best product I have.
I was also tasked with eliminating Shadow Garden, which I accepted gladly. Though even they should accept that even I cannot destroy them that quickly so there is no deadline on this part.
Anyway, I suddenly got a surprise visit from Alexia. How rare. Usually she would avoid me like the plague. Why now? She even requested to speak with me one-on-one, which my sister is unhappy about, though I assured her that nothing bad's gonna happen. We entered the guest room and were served tea by the maids. We ordered everyone to leave. Only the two of us now.
"So, what do you want to talk about, Princess?"
"Hahhh… There's so much I wanna say that I don't know where to start." She replied while clutching her head.
"Well… you can start from the beginning."
"Hmph! Shut it, smartass." She took a deep breath before continuing.
"Let's see. I was sent by Iris on a mission to investigate Archbishop Drake about unsavoury rumors surrounding him while also attending the Goddess' Trial event as a VIP guest along with Princess Rose and the famous author Natsume Kafka. Archbishop Drake was murdered before I arrived and his replacement, a fat baldy named Nelson, dismissed all my questions about the incident. He was suspicious from the start but that's only the beginning." Ho ho ho. Tell me more.
"We watched the Goddess' Trial the next day. It was uneventful… until Shadow appeared in the arena, crashing the whole event." She said.
"Shadow!?" I pretended to be surprised.
"Yeah. And what's more, he summoned two dangerous characters in the Goddess' Trial, The Witch of Calamity, Aurora and Necromancer... or at least… a spirit version of him."
"Necromancer…!" I pretended to be angry while clenching my fist. It was worth practicing this reaction in front of a mirror, although the fact that she's distracted by her own story makes tricking her much easier.
"The battle was astonishing and flashy… but Shadow defeated them both. Then a huge gate appeared in the middle of the arena after Shadow left the scene. But suddenly, we were surrounded by Shadow Garden members." Yeah I saw that.
"They entered the gate, bringing the baldy along with that slu—Natsume, after telling us not to interfere. Obviously I refused and I entered the gate." How reckless of you, Alexia.
"What's their reaction towards you entering the gate?" I asked.
"Well… the leader of their group, an elf woman called Alpha, just said that perhaps I should see the truth too with my own eyes… And see the truth I did inside the Sanctuary. Alpha revealed Olivier's memories to us all."
"What truth?"
"That the hero Olivier… is a woman… and she… Alpha… was her descendant." Oh? That's new.
"And that the Cult has experimented on many children since ages ago, implanting them with Diablos cells, which caused many to die from the symptoms of Demonic Possession, which is caused by the Diablos cells." That I already know. But I pretended to be disgusted nonetheless.
"And only few survived that ordeal and obtained great power, one of them was Olivier. She was manipulated by the Cult into fighting Diablos so they can harvest more Diablos cells. She cut the left hand of Diablos and said hand was sealed in Lindwurm's Sanctuary, where the Cult's researchers, Nelson included, harvested its flesh to create the drugs… the Red Pills that enhances magical powers… and the Tears of Diablos, reserved only for the Knights of Rounds, 12 highest ranking executives of the Cult, one of them being Nelson himself. The Tears of Diablos seems to be a drug that extends their lifespan and was only 12 was produced every year, hence the 12 Knights of Rounds. That's how Nelson was able to survive for hundreds of years." Don't yawn, Claude…. Don't yawn…
"But that's not all… When Alpha interrogated him about Necromancer, suddenly the scenery changed from Olivier's memory to Necromancer's own…" Oh? Finally. They saw it.
"We saw an army of undead led by Necromancer fighting a black knight. Nelson theorized that Necromancer is an ancient being who was present in Lindwurm long before Diablos appeared, which is why the Cult never learned of his existence until recently, nor do they know about him being that ancient." I listened with great interest… trying hard not to grin… which coincidentally made me look angry and frustrated.
"Alpha theorized that the reason Necromancer was unknown until now was because he was defeated by the black knight, who she believed to be the past incarnation of their leader, Shadow. And now he has been revived, which is why the Sanctuary summoned him when Shadow appeared, and also why his memory was revealed to us." Yes…. Tell me more….!
"Then, Nelson started attacking us, creating clones of himself, only for them to be torn apart by a Shadow Garden member named Delta, a beastkin who's still strong even with the Sanctuary draining our magic like during the terrorist incident. I almost pity the baldy. Then the baldy summoned Olivier to fight for him. But at that time, Shadow Garden already collected everything they wanted from the Sanctuary and they retreated. We all escaped from the Sanctuary and… we watched a huge explosion outside the city behind the Lindwurm Cathedral… which is undoubtedly Shadow's work."
"I see…"
"You look calm for someone who just heard the revelation of your lifetime."
"Maybe I'm not as calm as I look, Princess."
"Whatever. All I want to say is that I want you as part of my alliance."
"Alliance?" This is an interesting development.
"I… I don't want to remain in the dark while so many things happen in the shadows. I don't want to be ignorant and helpless as a secret war is being waged in this kingdom. I want to know… I want to defend the kingdom and… everything that is precious to me!" She declared while clenching her fist. Wow. To think that you'll grow from a damsel in distress into a main character like that, Alexia. How interesting.
"That's why, Claude! I want you to join my alliance!"
"Why me?"
"You've got a bone to pick with Necromancer, don't you? You want to protect your sister, don't you?"
"… Yes."
"That's why I think you can be trusted and are reliable."
"What about your sister and the Crimson Order?"
"I trust my sister but… I can't help but feel like… she is growing more and more distant from me. And I wasn't the one staying away from her this time… It's been like that since we all witnessed the battle between Shadow and Necromancer. Still, I told her everything to her and my father. My father told us not to spread this information to the public as it would shake the very foundations of the world. With the Cult being as big as it is and even have influence in the Church, we need to be careful so you need to shut up about this too!"
"I can understand that." The king is wiser than I thought.
"So? What's your answer?"
"I'm in. I also don't want to be left behind."
"Good. Now that I've shared to you what I know, do you have new information on your end?" She asked… What information should I reveal? Hmm…
"You say there was an explosion."
"Yes. What of it?"
"The explosion likely occurred inside the Sanctuary and… Nelson stayed inside before you left, right?"
"Yes… He's probably dead by now."
"What if… Necromancer was promoted in his place?"
"That seems plausible but… Zenon was aiming for a seat in the Rounds too… which means there was vacancy long before then and…" She contemplated.
"But with the Cult losing more and more people, some of which are probably candidate for the Rounds like Zenon… and now even an actual member of the Rounds perished…" I clarified.
"Then we should assume that Necromancer has been promoted to the position of Rounds… or at least the closest one there right now." She concluded.
"Indeed."
"But why would he need to do that? As an ancient evil who survived since ancient times, he wouldn't need the Tears."
"Perhaps… he's just using the Cult for his own ends."
"What kind of end?"
"I don't know. Perhaps to use them against his enemy, Shadow. You did say that he fought Shadow's past incarnation, right?"
"That makes sense… Which means he's far more dangerous than the Cult." Heh heh heh. This is the development I wanted. Yes. Fear me. Fear my name. Think of me as a greater threat than the Cult.
"Anyway… This has been insightful. You're more useful than I thought, Claude."
"Thanks."
"Anyway, I'll keep in touch if we got more informations."
"Can I ask who else you've invited to this alliance?"
"So far I've invited Princess Rose Oriana and Natsume Kafka."
"Natsume? Why her?"
"She has better information network than I thought. Even if she's far more infuriating than you, it'll be foolish to not use it." I see even Alexia rated her highly. This Natsume… Definitely a reincarnator like me and Shadow.
"I look forward to meeting her then."
"Hmph. You're not interested in that slut, are you?" She scowled.
"W-Why would you think that?" I asked while taking a sip of my tea.
"Heh. I overheard your maids whispering about how you loved staring at their assets. You're a pervert, aren't you?" She said with a mocking smile.
"Cough!?" I almost choked.
"Speaking of which… I recall Alpha calling Necromancer a pervert as well. It seems you and your enemy has something in common."
AAAAAAARRRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!
I screamed internally. To think it was Shadow Garden who took the glasses!!! To be fair, I couldn't think of any group that is strong enough to clear my dungeons other than them. I had hoped that it wasn't them… So embarrassing!!!
Author's Note:
Info dump chapter. A recap of the Goddess Trial arc from Alexia's perspective. Also, if you're wondering who Lord Laugus is, you can find out in Master of Garden's Auxiliary Chapter: Truth Seekers. It's canon.
I was promoted into the 11th Seat of the Knights of Rounds to replace the recently deceased Nelson. No matter how reluctant Fenrir is at approving it, he cannot deny that my talents are needed to replace Nelson. I received my first dose of the Tear of Diablos and I consumed it. In addition to extending lifespan, it also gave me greater boost in magic power than the Red Pills and that boost lasts for an entire year.
As I would be put in charge of developing it, I was given all the data of past developments, including Lord Laugus' notes on the matter and was even given a finger of Diablos which is taken from the Midgar Sanctuary. They gave me a deadline of 5 years to improve the Tears. Heh heh heh. With all these resources in my hands, I will create and hoard the better version for myself, while giving the Rounds inferior products. It's my policy not to give the Cult the best product I have.
I was also tasked with eliminating Shadow Garden, which I accepted gladly. Though even they should accept that even I cannot destroy them that quickly so there is no deadline on this part.
Anyway, I suddenly got a surprise visit from Alexia. How rare. Usually she would avoid me like the plague. Why now? She even requested to speak with me one-on-one, which my sister is unhappy about, though I assured her that nothing bad's gonna happen. We entered the guest room and were served tea by the maids. We ordered everyone to leave. Only the two of us now.
"So, what do you want to talk about, Princess?"
"Hahhh… There's so much I wanna say that I don't know where to start." She replied while clutching her head.
"Well… you can start from the beginning."
"Hmph! Shut it, smartass." She took a deep breath before continuing.
"Let's see. I was sent by Iris on a mission to investigate Archbishop Drake about unsavoury rumors surrounding him while also attending the Goddess' Trial event as a VIP guest along with Princess Rose and the famous author Natsume Kafka. Archbishop Drake was murdered before I arrived and his replacement, a fat baldy named Nelson, dismissed all my questions about the incident. He was suspicious from the start but that's only the beginning." Ho ho ho. Tell me more.
"We watched the Goddess' Trial the next day. It was uneventful… until Shadow appeared in the arena, crashing the whole event." She said.
"Shadow!?" I pretended to be surprised.
"Yeah. And what's more, he summoned two dangerous characters in the Goddess' Trial, The Witch of Calamity, Aurora and Necromancer... or at least… a spirit version of him."
"Necromancer…!" I pretended to be angry while clenching my fist. It was worth practicing this reaction in front of a mirror, although the fact that she's distracted by her own story makes tricking her much easier.
"The battle was astonishing and flashy… but Shadow defeated them both. Then a huge gate appeared in the middle of the arena after Shadow left the scene. But suddenly, we were surrounded by Shadow Garden members." Yeah I saw that.
"They entered the gate, bringing the baldy along with that slu—Natsume, after telling us not to interfere. Obviously I refused and I entered the gate." How reckless of you, Alexia.
"What's their reaction towards you entering the gate?" I asked.
"Well… the leader of their group, an elf woman called Alpha, just said that perhaps I should see the truth too with my own eyes… And see the truth I did inside the Sanctuary. Alpha revealed Olivier's memories to us all."
"What truth?"
"That the hero Olivier… is a woman… and she… Alpha… was her descendant." Oh? That's new.
"And that the Cult has experimented on many children since ages ago, implanting them with Diablos cells, which caused many to die from the symptoms of Demonic Possession, which is caused by the Diablos cells." That I already know. But I pretended to be disgusted nonetheless.
"And only few survived that ordeal and obtained great power, one of them was Olivier. She was manipulated by the Cult into fighting Diablos so they can harvest more Diablos cells. She cut the left hand of Diablos and said hand was sealed in Lindwurm's Sanctuary, where the Cult's researchers, Nelson included, harvested its flesh to create the drugs… the Red Pills that enhances magical powers… and the Tears of Diablos, reserved only for the Knights of Rounds, 12 highest ranking executives of the Cult, one of them being Nelson himself. The Tears of Diablos seems to be a drug that extends their lifespan and was only 12 was produced every year, hence the 12 Knights of Rounds. That's how Nelson was able to survive for hundreds of years." Don't yawn, Claude…. Don't yawn…
"But that's not all… When Alpha interrogated him about Necromancer, suddenly the scenery changed from Olivier's memory to Necromancer's own…" Oh? Finally. They saw it.
"We saw an army of undead led by Necromancer fighting a black knight. Nelson theorized that Necromancer is an ancient being who was present in Lindwurm long before Diablos appeared, which is why the Cult never learned of his existence until recently, nor do they know about him being that ancient." I listened with great interest… trying hard not to grin… which coincidentally made me look angry and frustrated.
"Alpha theorized that the reason Necromancer was unknown until now was because he was defeated by the black knight, who she believed to be the past incarnation of their leader, Shadow. And now he has been revived, which is why the Sanctuary summoned him when Shadow appeared, and also why his memory was revealed to us." Yes…. Tell me more….!
"Then, Nelson started attacking us, creating clones of himself, only for them to be torn apart by a Shadow Garden member named Delta, a beastkin who's still strong even with the Sanctuary draining our magic like during the terrorist incident. I almost pity the baldy. Then the baldy summoned Olivier to fight for him. But at that time, Shadow Garden already collected everything they wanted from the Sanctuary and they retreated. We all escaped from the Sanctuary and… we watched a huge explosion outside the city behind the Lindwurm Cathedral… which is undoubtedly Shadow's work."
"I see…"
"You look calm for someone who just heard the revelation of your lifetime."
"Maybe I'm not as calm as I look, Princess."
"Whatever. All I want to say is that I want you as part of my alliance."
"Alliance?" This is an interesting development.
"I… I don't want to remain in the dark while so many things happen in the shadows. I don't want to be ignorant and helpless as a secret war is being waged in this kingdom. I want to know… I want to defend the kingdom and… everything that is precious to me!" She declared while clenching her fist. Wow. To think that you'll grow from a damsel in distress into a main character like that, Alexia. How interesting.
"That's why, Claude! I want you to join my alliance!"
"Why me?"
"You've got a bone to pick with Necromancer, don't you? You want to protect your sister, don't you?"
"… Yes."
"That's why I think you can be trusted and are reliable."
"What about your sister and the Crimson Order?"
"I trust my sister but… I can't help but feel like… she is growing more and more distant from me. And I wasn't the one staying away from her this time… It's been like that since we all witnessed the battle between Shadow and Necromancer. Still, I told her everything to her and my father. My father told us not to spread this information to the public as it would shake the very foundations of the world. With the Cult being as big as it is and even have influence in the Church, we need to be careful so you need to shut up about this too!"
"I can understand that." The king is wiser than I thought.
"So? What's your answer?"
"I'm in. I also don't want to be left behind."
"Good. Now that I've shared to you what I know, do you have new information on your end?" She asked… What information should I reveal? Hmm…
"You say there was an explosion."
"Yes. What of it?"
"The explosion likely occurred inside the Sanctuary and… Nelson stayed inside before you left, right?"
"Yes… He's probably dead by now."
"What if… Necromancer was promoted in his place?"
"That seems plausible but… Zenon was aiming for a seat in the Rounds too… which means there was vacancy long before then and…" She contemplated.
"But with the Cult losing more and more people, some of which are probably candidate for the Rounds like Zenon… and now even an actual member of the Rounds perished…" I clarified.
"Then we should assume that Necromancer has been promoted to the position of Rounds… or at least the closest one there right now." She concluded.
"Indeed."
"But why would he need to do that? As an ancient evil who survived since ancient times, he wouldn't need the Tears."
"Perhaps… he's just using the Cult for his own ends."
"What kind of end?"
"I don't know. Perhaps to use them against his enemy, Shadow. You did say that he fought Shadow's past incarnation, right?"
"That makes sense… Which means he's far more dangerous than the Cult." Heh heh heh. This is the development I wanted. Yes. Fear me. Fear my name. Think of me as a greater threat than the Cult.
"Anyway… This has been insightful. You're more useful than I thought, Claude."
"Thanks."
"Anyway, I'll keep in touch if we got more informations."
"Can I ask who else you've invited to this alliance?"
"So far I've invited Princess Rose Oriana and Natsume Kafka."
"Natsume? Why her?"
"She has better information network than I thought. Even if she's far more infuriating than you, it'll be foolish to not use it." I see even Alexia rated her highly. This Natsume… Definitely a reincarnator like me and Shadow.
"I look forward to meeting her then."
"Hmph. You're not interested in that slut, are you?" She scowled.
"W-Why would you think that?" I asked while taking a sip of my tea.
"Heh. I overheard your maids whispering about how you loved staring at their assets. You're a pervert, aren't you?" She said with a mocking smile.
"Cough!?" I almost choked.
"Speaking of which… I recall Alpha calling Necromancer a pervert as well. It seems you and your enemy has something in common."
AAAAAAARRRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!
I screamed internally. To think it was Shadow Garden who took the glasses!!! To be fair, I couldn't think of any group that is strong enough to clear my dungeons other than them. I had hoped that it wasn't them… So embarrassing!!!
Author's Note:
Info dump chapter. A recap of the Goddess Trial arc from Alexia's perspective. Also, if you're wondering who Lord Laugus is, you can find out in Master of Garden's Auxiliary Chapter: Truth Seekers. It's canon.
