25-276

EP.276. [The True Identity of the Shadowy Mastermind Revealed.] 

“This really is quite the labyrinth.” 

Victoria’s party finally entered the secret headquarters of the Sophist Order. The secret passage through the cave was nearly a maze, and Vincent muttered his amazement in a low voice. 

“I agree, Vincent. We can’t just rely on the map. We need to hurry so we don’t miss the signal ahead.” 

Victoria glanced at the map again and surveyed her surroundings. The map, secretly provided by Imperial Knights’ Kaiser Antoine de Sel Oblaing, was a predicted diagram of the secret passage to the Sophist Order’s headquarters. It was impressively detailed, but the real maze was much more complicated than any map could convey. 

After about ten minutes navigating the maze, Victoria’s group heard an ominous shout from within the Sophist Order: 

“A rebellion! A rebellion has broken out!!!” 

“It’s begun.” 

This was the signal Victoria had been waiting for, and she quickened her pace. Victoria was thorough and preferred stable operations over risky ones. Although the number of defenders inside the Sophist headquarters wasn’t that high, she set up a diversion: allies already embedded inside the order would draw attention at the front, while Victoria’s team would use the distraction to quickly reach Jedi Raonjena or at least secure a strategic position. 

“What the ? Enemies are appearing from the rear too!” 

 Slash!  Crash!  Clang! 

Now, fighting broke out not only at the front but also at Victoria’s position. Victoria’s group included five sword experts and four sword-user knights covering the rear. While this wasn’t enough for a full frontal assault, the combination of diversion and rear infiltration made their attack devastatingly effective. 

“Jonathan and the rest of the elite knights, hold this position and keep an eye on the situation at the front. Just block the passage and be ready to support the front if needed.” 

“Yes, Victoria, quest leader.” 

With the first stage of the quest cleared, Victoria’s group paused for a mid-mission check. She planned to use the maze-like interior to their advantage, splitting up to maximize efficiency. 

“Damn.” 

After splitting up, Victoria and four companions headed toward the area where Raonjena was believed to be hiding. But soon, her expression turned troubled. 

“Why is there a fork right where the map ends?” 

Antoine’s map was not perfect. It detailed the entrance and middle sections, but only gave rough descriptions of the area near Raonjena’s hideout. When they reached that point, they found a fork in the path. 

“My brother and I will take this way,” said the twin sword experts, pointing to the right-hand tunnel. With five people, it made sense to split into groups of three and two. 

“Let’s do that. If you find Valgas, don’t engage right away send a signal with the magic stone and wait for us.” 

“Understood, Victoria.” 

Victoria agreed to Pedro’s suggestion, asking the twins to wait for her group before engaging for the sake of a coordinated final report. 

“The security isn’t as tight as I expected, Victoria.” 

After splitting up, Victoria’s group took the left passage. Parneze tilted his head, noting that despite the secure structure, they encountered almost no guards. 

“I noticed that too, which is why I agreed to Pedro’s plan. But let’s stay alert for traps. We’ve come too far to turn back now.” 

Victoria was wary. If Raonjena’s power had been weakened by the elixir’s side effects, he would likely keep his remaining forces close. Yet, the deeper they went, the fewer defenders they saw. 

Suddenly  

Rumble! Slam! Rumble! Slam! Bang! 

The passage behind Victoria’s group began to seal off. 

“Victoria! Some kind of mechanism has been triggered!” 

Parneze and Vincent stopped in their tracks at the noise. 

“Stay calm.” 

Victoria also stopped and tried to keep everyone composed. She wondered if this was the passage where Raonjena was hiding there was no similar noise from the other side, which was suspicious. 

Just then, a voice full of energy echoed toward Victoria’s group: 

[Heh heh heh... Antoine, that man... So he’s discarding me like this... Heh heh heh...] 

Victoria immediately recognized it as Raonjena’s voice, now charged with energy, likely due to the elixir’s effects. The mention of Antoine and the tone of his words were deeply unsettling. 

[Come inside, intruders. I’m curious now. What kind of scheme is that snake of a man plotting? There must be a reason he sent you.] 

Rumble...! 

Not only did Raonjena’s voice echo, but a massive wall before Victoria’s group began to open with a strange sound. 

“Who is it? Who is the snake-hearted one? Other than my brother’s father, Sword Saint Ulysses Schneider, who else entered the domain of the Demon Eclipse? Was it that person who awakened the Demon God’s Eye?” 

Elizabeth’s intuition flared. Though eccentric, her instincts and curiosity were sharp, and she felt she was on the verge of a revelation. 

“Before that, I have some questions about you. For the blue-eyed witch to have maintained a connection with you this long, you must be no ordinary person.” 

Anastasia suddenly shifted the topic to Elizabeth. 

‘What is this? It’s like stopping just before climax! How infuriating!’ 

Elizabeth had come all this way to the far north, braving the demon tribe’s snowy mountains, and now, at the moment of truth, Anastasia changed the subject, nearly breaking Elizabeth’s composure. 

“Is it difficult to answer? Then I’ll have to reconsider. What I’m about to say is extremely significant I won’t share it with someone who can’t handle it.” 

But Anastasia held all the cards, having noticed Elizabeth’s impatience. She seemed genuinely curious about Elizabeth’s identity and cleverly prodded her. 

“It’s not difficult at all. I just didn’t want to be the first to brag. But if you want to know, I’ll tell you.” 

Elizabeth, after regaining her usual confidence, responded to Anastasia’s provocation. At just 20, she was already head of the imperial academy’s tower project. The only time she lost control was when she was being dominated by her beloved brother. 

“What do you want to know? My abilities? Whether my magic is worthy of your plans?” 

Elizabeth picked up her staff, ready to prove herself. 

Priests of the demon tribe are more like witches or mages than nuns. Their basic abilities are curses and debuffs, and the witch class itself was created through interaction between mages and demon priests. They tend to have strong egos and want sincere conversation with those of equal caliber. 

“Heh, at my age, I’ve learned the futility of ego battles. I no longer demand proof with fiery eyes. I just want to satisfy my curiosity mainly, I want to know your background, since you seem to come from a noble house.” 

Anastasia, showing the wisdom of a thousand years, waved her hand dismissively. She found Elizabeth’s youthful bravado cute, but that wasn’t her real aim. 

‘Hmm… That’s the part I least want to talk about…’ 

Elizabeth, who usually disliked boasting about her family, felt awkward. 

“I’m from the Elysium Empire’s top noble house, the Oblaing Ducal Family. I’m the third daughter, Elizabeth de Sel Oblaing.” 

Still, eager to help her brother, Elizabeth revealed her prestigious lineage. 

“I see... So that’s it?” 

Anastasia smiled, clearly intrigued. 

“Then I’ll keep my promise. I’ll tell you who stepped into the Demon Eclipse and awakened the Demon God’s Eye.” 

Her expression turned serious. 

“That person was none other than Antoine de Sel Oblaing, who at the time was a swordsman considered the next Kaiser of the Imperial Knights.” 

The name she revealed was none other than Elizabeth’s father, the current Kaiser and de facto ruler of the empire, Antoine de Sel Oblaing.