The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 615 The Turning Point of Fate
Holy City.

The long, drawn-out chimes echoed above the dome of St. Clement's Cathedral, startling the white doves that were resting in the square.

A solemn funeral is being held here.

The scent of incense and candles filled the air, and the ethereal yet mournful voices of the choir seemed to guide the souls of the deceased to the sacred heaven.

The church was almost full, and those attending the funeral were all powerful figures who truly held authority in the Ottoman Empire.

This included the three most prestigious dukes in the holy city, the powerful regent, the highly respected Pope, and numerous cardinals, among others.

After all, it wasn't just an earl who died, but also an imperial envoy representing the will of the Senate.

As the choir's singing ceased, the solemn Requiem Mass finally came to an end, but the somber atmosphere lingered in people's hearts.

Duke André Castellion, dressed in a black mourning suit, looked solemn.

He walked steadily to the front row and whispered words of comfort to Earl Sean's wife, who was crying so hard she almost fainted.

"Please accept my condolences, Madam."

Lady Wigniel, her eyes red-rimmed, looked into the eyes of the Duke of Castellón and nodded, her hands tightly gripping the hands of her youngest son and daughter.

The eldest son, who was only eleven years old, stood beside his mother and suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Mr. Andrei, who... killed our father?"

Castellón remained silent for a long time.

"I don't know, but..."

He reached out and placed his hand on the boy's head, gently stroking the soft, golden curls.

“I assure you and your mother that I will not let him get away with this.”

Whoever it is—

He'll make that guy pay a heavy price!
After saying this, Castellón glanced at the Countess, who was on the verge of tears, gave her a reassuring look, and turned to walk to the other side of the hall.

The boy silently watched the duke's departing figure, clenching his fists tightly, and made a vow to the holy light in his heart.

He wants to become stronger!

No matter the cost!
It wasn't just to avenge his father, but also to support his crumbling family and protect his heartbroken mother and bewildered younger siblings.

Although many nobles of the holy city never truly grow up in their entire lives, true growth often happens overnight.

This is probably why demons have never truly defeated humanity. Their evil, which cannot be killed, only makes them stronger!

The reverse is also true.

perhaps--

The chosen one of the next era will be born at this funeral, and may not even be the son of the count who is clenching his fist.

After all, he wasn't the only one who was touched.

Many young faces have also awakened from the silence of their parents' generation.

They've been indulging in pleasure for too long...

……

Marshal Laco Eberg also comforted Mrs. Wigniel, who was deeply grieving the loss of her husband.

Regardless of the differences between the Marshal's Office and the Senate, everyone standing at the funeral silently put aside their prejudices against each other.

Andre Castellón approached Duke Victor Lambert, who was also dressed in black. The former was the duke who commanded the empire's largest fleet, while the latter was the uncrowned king of the empire's judiciary.

Duke Lambert turned his head slightly to look at Castellón, then turned his gaze to the solemn and dignified imperial nobles at the funeral.

He hesitated for a long time before speaking in a very soft voice.

"Our world is more united than ever before, but also more divided than ever before."

With a slight flicker in his deep blue eyes, Duke Castellón asked in a very soft voice.

Do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing?

Duke Lambert shook his head slightly, his voice tinged with melancholy.

"I don't know. But if I had to choose... I would rather have been born in an ordinary era, living a life of leisure and waiting to die in my own manor, than be like this now, watching the world turn into an absurd thing that I can't understand day by day."

Castellón remained silent, offering no comment, and turned his gaze to the Pope, who was offering condolences to the widow of Earl Sean.

The usually kind-faced old man now wore an undisguised sorrow on his face. Castellón could tell that it was genuine grief, not a politician's pretense.

As for Bishop Francis Sylphine, who stood next to the Pope, his expression was much more complicated.

Castellón had vaguely heard some rumors about the cardinal.

It is said that it was his idea to allow the fire in Roland to spread.

Because in the bishop's view, everything the Devalo family suffered was Saint Sith's punishment for their blasphemy.

However, it seems that the bishop probably regrets it now.

Not only because Count Sean died a violent death in Roland City and the priests of Roland City are suffering the wrath of the citizens, but also because this fire, ignited by arrogance, has now completely spiraled out of control and has apparently swallowed up half of the continent of Os.

The royalists, who held considerable military power, did not sit idly by. Meanwhile, allied forces from surrounding kingdoms were continuously gathering in the Duchy of Eiffel in the Kingdom of Ryan.

The young heir to the throne, Charles de Valloo, had already eagerly donned the blood-stained crown and raised the banner of the "Anti-Ryan Alliance."

He swore a blood oath to the Holy Light to crush the New Testament sects entrenched in the Twilight Province and the National Assembly in Roland City under his horse's hooves.

In his manifesto, he declared that the evil Enlightenment ideology was the "Fifth Chaos," and that all the calamities that befell the Kingdom of Ryan were caused by it.

The last time the entire continent of Os united to attack a single nation was over a thousand years ago in the "Holy War" between the Os Empire and the Kingdom of Isaac.

“Actually, before the funeral began, His Holiness the Pope told me something in private,” Duke Castellón suddenly broke the silence, his voice very low.

Duke Lambert looked up at him.

"what's up?"

“He said he heard the oracle from Saint Sis and saw our future in the revelation given by the gods.”

"A prophecy? What did he see?" Duke Lambert's face showed a hint of seriousness, for it was a prophecy from His Holiness the Pope.

Saint Sis rarely gave revelations to believers.

Once the revelation arrives, it means they have reached a turning point in their destiny.

Faced with Duke Lambert's questioning gaze, Duke Castellion's eyes deepened, and he slowly spoke.

"...The boundless fire engulfed our world, stretching as far as the eye could see from the eastern shore of the Whirlpool Sea to the edge of the New World."

"Did he see the end of the world?"

No, not at all.

Seeing the strange expressions on his colleagues' faces, the Duke of Castellón quietly recited the second half of the prophecy.

"Besides the fire, he also saw towering metal towers rising from the ground on the scorched land."

“Metal has grown from scorched earth.” Lambert paused for a moment, then repeated the sentence, “This is very strange.”

“Yes,” Duke Castellón agreed in a low voice, “I also find it strange that the oracles rarely contain anything that we have never seen before.”

Something I've never seen before.

This is likely why the Pope did not reveal the oracle; unfounded suspicions could invite the corrupting influence of the mysterious fog of Novell.

Duke Lambert took a deep breath, putting the strange prophecy out of his mind, and his gaze fell once again on the heartbroken widow and her three children beside her.

"...Instead of His Holiness the Pope's obscure and difficult-to-understand divine pronouncements, let's consider some pressing practical issues."

The Duke of Castellón composed himself and nodded silently.

What are your thoughts?

Lambert paused for a moment, his grey eyes flashing with the shrewdness of a seasoned politician.

“Sean’s death is too suspicious. Even if Lord Sean was careless, he was still a Gold-level mage. Such a powerful figure was shot dead by an ordinary soldier with a musket in the middle of the city... I can’t help but suspect that there’s something fishy going on.”

The Duke of Castellón did not refute it, because every clear-headed elder could see the flaw in it.

This is also the real reason he told Sean's child that he didn't know who the murderer was.

However, even if they did not know who the murderer was, they still had to respond appropriately to the death of Earl Sean.

Lambert sighed softly, his voice sounding even more weary.

"That's the crux of the matter. Even though we both know we've been used, we still have to react accordingly. If we do nothing, neither of us will have the face to face Earl Sean's family or the other senators in the Senate."

"The surrounding kingdoms are also a source of trouble."

Duke Castellón sighed deeply, his gaze falling upon the icon in the church that looked down upon the crowd.

"If we can tolerate even the shooting of our special envoy in the street, they will think that the empire's sword has rusted and the holy city has declined."

When everyone is convinced of this, the decline of the empire will become a reality. Therefore, they must prove to the people that the Ottoman Empire is still powerful, and their blade is sharper than ever before.

After a pause, Duke Castellón continued.

"It seems... even knowing it's a conspiracy, we have no choice but to play this pawn."

"Yes, the majesty of the empire cannot be desecrated."

Lambert nodded slightly, agreeing with Castellón's statement.

Just then, he suddenly remembered something and looked at his colleague beside him.

"Speaking of which, I remember your daughter, Ophia, is still in the Duchy of Campbell, isn't she?"

When his youngest daughter, Ophia, was mentioned, the Duke of Castellón showed a hint of a headache.

That girl has never given him a moment's peace of mind since she was a child.

“Hmm…” Castellón rubbed his temples. “She somehow bribed her subordinates and secretly infiltrated the mission visiting Campbell. By the time I received the news, the ferry crossing the sea had already left the port of the Holy City.”

Actually, if he insisted on keeping Ophia, there were ways to bring the little one back.

But another voice in his heart kept persuading him: why not go with her?

Castellón's ancestors were adventurers who discovered new sea routes and new continents, ushering in a new era for the empire.

Their success stemmed from their adventurous spirit.

Of course, he also admitted that the adventurous spirit ingrained in his bones brought him a lot of trouble when he was young...

"Ofia is a vibrant and daring child. But I must say, her actions were indeed somewhat ill-considered."

Duke Lambert offered a polite reminder, then his tone became slightly more serious.

"The Duchy of Campbell is too close to the Kingdom of Ryan, and we don't know the local lord's stance. If the allied forces of the kingdoms cross the border, they might also be drawn into this civil war... For safety's sake, you should order her to return as soon as possible."

The Duke of Castellón nodded without hesitation and turned his gaze to the stained-glass windows of the church.

"I think so too."

This war is now inevitable.

We can't let Ophia stay there, no matter what.

……

With the private conversation between the two dukes coming to an end, the somber St. Clement's Cathedral finally entered its most important phase of the day.

Regent Granville Porta walked to the pulpit at the front of the church, and all eyes were on him, and the huge church fell silent in an instant.

All the whispers stopped abruptly.

Whether they were high-ranking dukes or generals with heavy troops, they all held their breath and watched the de facto leader of the empire intently, waiting for him to speak.

His sharp eyes swept across the room, and Granville's gaze finally settled on the few orphans and widows who were secretly shedding tears.

"Today, we gather here with heavy hearts to bid farewell to a great elder, an outstanding magician, and a loyal son of the Empire—Count Sean Vigniel."

The Regent's voice was deep and powerful, echoing endlessly beneath the grand dome.

"Lord Sean dedicated his entire life to the Empire, and until his last breath, he tirelessly worked for the peace and unity of the Old World amidst the freezing cold. Yet, his noble efforts were met with the most despicable betrayal. He tragically fell in the streets of Roland, assassinated in a shameful manner by those cowardly scoundrels!"

Granville raised his voice as he spoke, his fists clenching involuntarily, and his originally gentle words gradually took on a ruthless and chilling tone.

"This shameful act of violating rules and oaths is a blatant trampling on the majesty of the Empire! It is also a provocation against the Holy Light! I swear to Saint Sith that the Empire will never let the murderers who killed Count Sean Vigniel go unpunished! No matter who they are, no matter what banner they hide under, the Empire's wrath will burn them to ashes!" Apart from the heartbroken Lady Vigniel and her three children, all the nobles present wore solemn and tacit expressions.

Everyone knew what was going to happen next.

The Regent's prayer was not only in memory of Earl Sean, but also a mobilization for the impending war.

No matter how the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Ryan tries to justify itself, it cannot change the fact that Earl Sean died in Roland.

The flames of war are about to ignite!
However, just as Granville finished speaking, preparing to ignite the unspoken conflict that everyone knew about, the oak doors of St. Clement's Cathedral were forcefully pushed open from the outside.

"boom!"

A muffled, unseemly thud echoed through the church, followed by a gust of cold wind that caused the candlelight on the candlesticks to flicker violently.

Hearing the hurried footsteps, everyone frowned and cast disapproving glances in the direction from which the footsteps came.

The visitor turned out to be Baron Adair, who had been ordered to visit the Duchy of Campbell.

Unlike the well-dressed nobles, Baron Adair looked travel-worn and even somewhat disheveled.

From the Duke of Castellón to the Regent, and from the Regent to the Pope and the Marshal, everyone wore expressions of surprise.

Clearly, Baron Adair had just returned to the Holy City, and he did so via teleportation.

Using teleportation arrays for long-distance travel is no easy task; the more powerful the superhuman, the more severe the backlash from the warp.

This is why the vast majority of nobles regard teleportation arrays as undignified travel. They would rather spend ten days or even a month leisurely traveling to their destination than endure the soul-tearing baptism of the subspace in order to save a little time.

Anyway, they're not in a hurry.

However, the situation is now clearly different.

Ignoring the astonished and blaming gazes around him, Adair strode through the long corridor and went straight to the front row.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Wignier, please forgive me for disturbing your husband’s sacred funeral in such a rude manner.”

Standing before the woman who had just experienced the pain of losing her husband, Adair bowed deeply, his voice filled with sincere remorse.

"...But I have no choice. I must immediately hand over your husband's belongings to you personally before the mistake is irreversible."

As he spoke, Baron Adair extended his slightly trembling right hand and took out a letter from his inner pocket.

It was a private letter sent to him a few days earlier by Earl Sean, who had gone on a separate trip with him.

Ms. Vignier stopped crying. She took the letter with her gloved hands and tore open the envelope with trembling hands.

As she read the letter word by word, large tears fell like broken strings, soaking the thin paper.

Castellón and Lambert exchanged a glance, seeing surprise on each other's faces, and even more so, a hint of something intriguing.

Things didn't seem to go as they had planned.

The Countess took a deep breath and wiped away her tears.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, she did not put the letter away, but instead handed it back to Baron Adair with trembling fingertips.

"Your Excellency Adair, please read my husband's letter aloud... in the presence of Saint Sis."

As she finished speaking, the nobles around her exchanged glances, their expressions much the same as those of the Duke of Castellón.

Regent Granville, standing on the podium, frowned slightly, while the silent marshal wore a thoughtful expression.

The Pope gazed at the Countess, while Bishop Frans Sylphine, standing beside the Pope, looked at the suddenly returning Baron Adair with a strange expression.

Aside from these powerful and influential figures, Baron Harvey Mitia, standing in a corner of the church, also showed a surprised expression.

Baron Adair hesitated for a moment, glanced around at the powerful figures around him, and then cast an inquiring look at the Countess again.

"Madam, is this really alright? This is your husband's private last letter to you."

The Countess nodded gently, her red eyes shining with a moving determination.

“My husband fought for the truth until his death. He had unfinished business, and I don’t want his blood to serve the ambitions of those lurking behind the scenes who want to exploit him…”

Adair took a deep breath, turned around, faced the entire hall, and nodded slightly to the Pope, the Regent, and all the elders.

He then unfolded the letter in his hand, cleared his throat, and read it aloud facing the icon in the church.

"...Lord Adair, by the time you receive this letter, I will be arriving in Roland in about two days. However, as I get closer to the city, my heart is filled with unprecedented anxiety."

"The various reports I secretly gathered along the way, as well as those chilling clues, all indicate that the true situation on the ground has far exceeded the Senate's expectations."

“A certain evil force has long since seeped into our flesh and blood, and is quietly spreading throughout the empire.”

Upon reading this, Adair's voice carried a hint of indignation, while Baron Harvey Mitteria, standing in the corner, subtly averted his gaze.

Although he knew that Earl Sean wasn't referring to him, he was indeed one of those corrupted by blasphemy...

However, his affairs are not important here.

The important thing is Earl Sean's last words.

Although this letter was not yet a will when it was written.

"...The deeper I investigated the secrets beneath those ruins, the more terrifying this power became, to the point that I couldn't help but worry about my personal safety."

"I have a strong intuition that some unseen force may have already been watching me. The only thing I don't know is when they will make their move."

"I must pass on His Highness Colin's advice to you: please be very careful of the mages who linger in the shadows. They have not a shred of reverence for the Holy Light in their hearts, and their shadow is behind every drop of blood, from the chaos in the Dusk Province to the blasphemy in the Ten Thousand Mountains."

"If anything happens to me, please give this letter to my wife and tell her... I love her and our children."

"Also, please convey my message to Duke Castellón... I regret that I was unable to complete the task you privately entrusted to me."

The church was completely silent.

The Duke of Castellón clenched his fists tightly inside his sleeves, his knuckles trembling slightly. Lady Vignir hugged the children's shoulders, her eyes red as she fought back tears.

“If I had known what Lord Sean was investigating, I would have stopped him from acting rashly… Unfortunately, by the time I learned of his death, it was too late.”

Adair gave everyone no chance to catch their breath.

He returned Lord Sean's last words to the lady, then activated the spatial ring on his finger, displaying the lead box he had obtained from Grand Duke Campbell in the hall bathed in holy light.

The moment the lid was pushed open, a sinister aura rushed out!

Referee Jiménez narrowed his eyes, while Marshal Laco Eberg frowned and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Your Excellency Adair, what is this that you have taken out?" Duke Castellón stared into Adair's eyes, then his gaze fell on the tube of liquid in the lead box.

An unsettling power sloshed within the clear, transparent liquid—a power that was neither magic nor holy light.

It's more like something close to the origin.

for example--

The human soul.

Just then, the Duke of Castellón suddenly remembered something.

Ophia's hesitant expression upon returning from the academy.

All the clues seemed to be connected, and even though the mystery was not yet solved, he could smell something bad.

“It is ‘holy water,’ Your Grace! But it is not the holy water we know. A group of blasphemers have used the name of holiness to cover up their blasphemous acts!”

Baron Adair, his eyes bloodshot, revealed the shocking truth in a trembling voice and showed everyone the evidence he had brought back from the Duchy of Campbell.

From the origin of holy water to its uses, how it is refined, and how the magicians of the Soul School solve the problem of impurities and obtain the pure white "soul essence".

Even today, Thunder City is still home to a large number of survivors, each of whom can testify to what they experienced.

In the past, no one cared.

Everyone looked surprised.

When Chief Judge Jiménez heard that the magicians of the Academy were plotting with the ratmen deep in the Wanren Mountains to bury the people of the Holy Light in a flesh-and-blood mill to purify their soul essence, his face turned completely ashen, and his fingernails almost pierced his palms.

Saint Sis above—

He stayed there for a year and didn't notice anything!

However, no one paid him any attention. Compared to that blatant blasphemy, his dereliction of duty was utterly insignificant.

No one expected that the magicians of Xuebang would do such dirty things behind their backs!
The Countess bit her lip, her face filled with disbelief.

Although she realized that there was something fishy about her husband's death, she never imagined that the person who killed her husband was actually a magician from Xuebang!

Baron Adair continued in a resounding voice.

"...Gentlemen! As you have seen, Earl Sean was not killed by the rebels in Roland City at all. That clumsy frame-up was nothing more than a smokescreen to divert our attention!"

"All the evidence points to the fact that Earl Sean touched upon their taboo while investigating the 'Holy Water' project, leading to his murder! And their evil doesn't stop there; they want to exploit our anger and use us to cover up their crime!"

Adair turned around abruptly, looked at the Regent and the Pope standing in front of him, and uttered a resounding voice.

"If draining the souls of millions of Holy Light's citizens to satisfy personal ambitions isn't chaos, then what is chaos?!"

"I have every reason to believe that our mage tower has succumbed to the corruption of chaos! And that is why the sages of the Soul School are inciting a coalition of kingdoms to enter the northern border of the Kingdom of Ryan in Dragon's Eye City!"

That information was also provided to him by Archduke Edward.

The puppet troops trained by the Academy for the Kingdom of Rhodes have been stationed on the northern border of the Kingdom of Ryan, ready to respond to the royalists' advance on Roland City at any time.

Allies suddenly turned into enemies.

Faced with this sudden turn of events, all the nobles in the church were stunned and held their breath for a moment.

The nobles, bishops, officers... even the regent and the pope present all wore expressions of astonishment and anger.

No one expected that Xuebang, which has always touted itself as rational and knowledgeable, would secretly commit such heinous acts that would disgust even the devils of hell.

What they found even more unforgivable was that these mages had gone so far as to extend their reach to the Holy City, and in order to cover up the truth, they did not hesitate to assassinate the imperial envoy representing the will of the Senate!
Looking at the excited crowd in the church, Baron Adair knew he had done something dangerous that could even ruin his political career.

However, he had no other choice.

Because if he doesn't stand up, his children and his people will become accomplices of the devil, fulfilling their ambitions for him.

After a brief silence, a fury erupted like magma.

The political pretense on Regent Granville's face had completely vanished.

He glanced at the lead box containing the evidence of blasphemy, then slowly raised his head and looked at the statue of Saint Sis in front of the church.

"This is not only a provocation against the Emperor's will and sacred dignity, but also a sign that they have completely abandoned their identity as human!"

“I think so too…” Marshal Lako, who had remained silent throughout, slowly spoke, his eyes icy cold. “I never imagined that a demon more evil than the demons was right behind us. I hope they are prepared to face the wrath of the Empire.”

The oppressive aura of a demigod-level powerhouse enveloped the sacred hall, and this marshal was not the only enraged demigod-level powerhouse.

Granville glanced at the Marshal and nodded slightly, then turned to the elders in the hall, as well as the many Holy Light nobles and civilian officers who were loyal to the Empire.

Baron Adair has presented enough evidence.

Rather, Granville was surprised that such a momentous event had only been fully exposed today…

Perhaps they have indeed neglected the people of the borderlands for too long.

Granville said in a calm tone.

"Then let's use the oldest method... a show of hands."

He didn't include the specifics of the vote in his statement, yet everyone standing there had a clear understanding of the situation.

This is not a Senate voting session; there are no endless meetings or tedious procedures.

They will use the oldest methods of the Os Empire to prove their courage and loyalty to the Holy Light, and to show their fists to the enemies of the Holy Light!
The Duke of Castellón was the first to raise his right fist.

Next to him was Duke Lambert.

Then, one by one, the raised right fists formed a vast, sea-like forest in the solemn and majestic hall.

Even Earl Sean's youngest child raised his tiny fist.

There was not a single sound.

The group reached a tacit understanding without needing to say a word.

war--

It has already begun!

(End of this chapter)