Chapter 47

The two anonymous letters sent by Rian shook the continent’s two great powers like a massive rock thrown into a placid lake.

At the heart of Holy Kingdom Artemis, the papal seat built of pure white marble, Pope Clemens VII frowned as he read the report written in tears by a ‘nameless priest.’ Around him, the kingdom’s highest cardinals sat in silence, waiting for his next words.

“A curse that feeds on divine power to grow stronger…”

The Pope’s low voice echoed through the sacred hall.

“This is not mere black magic. It is the vilest malice that blasphemes the very power of God and seeks to destroy the order of life.”

Ancient records about the ‘Ashen Worm,’ dormant for centuries in the papal archives, flashed through his mind. He rose from his seat and stared at the great sun emblem carved by the window.

“We can no longer stand by. Cardinal, summon the ‘Order of the Blade of Judgment’ immediately. And send them accompanied by the ‘Lumina Sisterhood,’ who possess the papal seat’s greatest purification abilities. Go to the empire’s eastern border, the village of Karnak, root out the evil, and lead the lost sheep back into the embrace of the light.”

The ‘Order of the Blade of Judgment.’ They were the papal seat’s elite paladin order that executed judgment on heresy and evil in the name of the kingdom. Their mobilization meant the Holy Kingdom considered this situation not a mere plague but a direct challenge to the divine.

At the same time, in the royal mage tower in Kailus, the capital.

Archmage Velleius read the report sent by an anonymous scholar, feeling a thrill and intellectual excitement he’d never experienced in his lifelong scholarship.

“Parasitic plague magic… spore-like propagation mediated by mana particles… My word, such an idea is possible!”

Curiosity trumped fear in his eyes. The analysis in the report was so precise and logical that it felt as if the phenomenon had been dissected and observed firsthand. He was desperate to know who the anonymous scholar was, but as a mage his duty to stop this unknown calamity came first.

“This is a challenge to our mage tower and a grave threat that could unsettle the empire’s mana stability. We must fully analyze the structure of this magic and find a way to turn it to our advantage.”

Velleius issued an emergency alert to every department of the magic tower.

“Third and Fifth Research Departments, proceed to the village of Karnak at once. Deploy all mana-measuring equipment to collect field data and secure contaminated samples safely. The ‘Blue Flame’ squad, composed of battle mages, will escort the research teams and prepare for every threat. Analyzing this phenomenon is a matter upon which the future of our mage tower depends!”

By Rian’s unseen hand, the two titans, the empire and the kingdom, finally rose and began to move toward the small eastern village of Karnak.

While they moved, the source of the storm, Rian, spent peaceful days at Aster estate. He spent most of his time overseeing the estate reform project he had initiated. Today was the day of a small ceremony to commemorate the completion of a newly built silo.

“Brother! Look at that! It’s a tower bigger than our house!”

Lily’s eyes widened as she looked at the giant cylindrical grain silo. Rian took his sister’s hand and smiled.

“If we fill that up with grain, our estate’s people won’t have to worry about hunger for years.”

Count Aaron looked over his estate with a proud face. Land that had been barren and poor only months ago was now transforming into a place full of abundance and hope. All of this was the miracle his little son had accomplished.

That evening, a letter arrived from Kaion in the capital. The letter contained the news Rian had expected.

‘Rian, as you feared, the situation in the eastern border village seems serious. This morning, news came that the imperial palace decided to dispatch investigative teams from both the kingdom and the mage tower simultaneously. The entire empire is watching this. Thanks to that, the nobles who were checking me will likely stay quiet for a while. As always, your predictions are never wrong. Please rest well at the estate. I’ll guard things here.’

Rian read the letter and smiled quietly. Everything was moving according to his plan. The giants had now stepped onto the stage he had designated.

He called Kael.

“Kael, send word to Argos’s Eastern Branch. The investigative teams from the kingdom and the mage tower will arrive at Karnak. Do not let them spot you under any circumstances. We will remain in the shadows and merely observe what they discover and how they move. And…”

A cold light flashed in Rian’s eyes.