Advent of the Three Calamities

Chapter 704: Central Meeting [1]

Listening to Noel’s words, I could only close my eyes.

‘Don’t lose sight of the goal…’

At this point, I wasn’t even sure about what the goal was. What was the goal? What was I working so hard for? Originally, I had been pushing myself to the limits because I wanted to get back to Noel.

But now that he was here, what was my actual goal?

Was it to make those who wronged him pay? Was it to defeat the Outer Beings? Was it to survive? To become the eighth god? What… exactly was my goal?

I… felt somewhat lost.

Even worse, Noel was now telling me that he was going to leave and that I was going to take over the Evenus Household?

“…Sometimes change is good, but it can also be fatal. You’ve grown a lot softer, brother.”

Noel’s words whispered into the air as he stood in front of me.

“What we’re fighting for is our freedom.”

Slowly turning his attention back to me, Noel’s eyes met mine.

“I can see that you’re aware of what you must do. However, I also see that you don’t really understand why you’re doing what you’re doing. You’ve grown complacent, now that you’ve found me. You’ve grown comfortable with everything…”

Noel’s words were like arrows, digging right at my chest with each word.

“…If possible, you’d like to live like this. You no longer have the drive that you had before. You’re just doing things for the sake of doing them. And that’s fine, but… until when can you keep going like this? There will come a day when you’ll break. Not because you were too weak. But… because you couldn’t care enough to stay.”

With such words, Noel slowly turned away from me and moved ahead into the distance.

Toward where the other guards were, as he started to give out orders.

They all followed his orders without question. He looked so different than the Noel that I knew, and the more I looked at him, the emptier I felt.

My goal…

What exactly did I truly want?

*

Time moved for no one.

Following the swift actions taken by the Head of the Evenus Household, on the very same night, four Counties were attacked. Not expecting such a swift and ruthless attack, the Evenus Household was able to take over a lot of land.

By the time dawn arrived, the news had spread throughout the entire Empire.

[Sudden actions taken by the Evenus Household! Three Counties attacked! What is going on?]

[From declining household to sudden dragon? The Evenus Household.]

[Several Nobles protesting the sudden actions taken by the Evenus Household. Will Central step in?]

News and headlines circulated everywhere about the situation.

“…This is a bit ridiculous.”

Reading some of them, even I was surprised by some of their titles. The amount of attention that the Evenus Household was currently receiving after what had happened the day prior was even greater than the time when Leon and I became the tw… that thing.

“But I guess this is to be expected.”

One single Viscount managed to take decisive action against several Counts. There was no way the news wouldn’t spread. Plus, it was also determined that the Household was in decline.

This type of reaction should’ve been expected.

But of all the headlines that I saw, the ones that worried me the most were the ones about Central.

“Will they act or not?”

Central was the coalition between all the major noble houses. Some of the nobles who had suffered losses belonged there.

The Evenus Household was also part of Central.

In that sense, the situation wouldn’t be too bad. However, if they did try to force the matter, then I could see things become troublesome.

That, of course, wasn’t what worried me the most.

‘Delilah’s father is the Head of Central. If we’re forced to have a hearing with them, then…’

Just the thought was giving me a headache.

“Ugh.”

Groaning, I sat up in my bed while looking around the room.

Noel’s words still rang loudly in my mind, and even as I mused over them the entire night, I felt lost.

‘I know what I’m doing. I know what I have to do. I also know what I’m doing it for… In that sense, I don’t think I’m missing anything. And yet, it also feels like I’m missing something.’

Pursing my lips, I sat in silence for what felt like an eternity.

But that silence merely lasted for a few minutes until I felt my communication device vibrate.

Checking the message, which came from Noel, I began to read it slowly. But halfway through, my expression shifted, and by the time I reached the end, I was already cursing under my breath.

“Shit…”

[The annual Central gathering will be taking place in a week’s time. Given what had recently happened, they will be talking about the incident alongside the involved noble houses.  I have other things to do; you will be the one to participate in the event. I will leave the decisions to you during the meeting. Do what you must.]

Though I had long seen it coming, witnessing it unfold before me made my stomach sink. I tossed the communication device aside and leaned back against the bed.

Staring blankly at the ceiling, I slowly raised my hand, letting my eyes settle not on the hand itself, but on the black ring encircling my finger.

A thought occurred to me then.

‘Will she be there or not?’

…It had been a month since I had last seen or talked to her.

How was she doing?

“Oh, wait.”

I suddenly sat up.

“Since she’s probably busy with something, maybe I won’t have to worry about my meeting with Central? It’s not like her father knows anything. I just have to focus on the task at hand, and everything will be good.”

I suddenly felt a lot better.

“Right. He doesn’t know. I just have to focus on the task, and everything will be fine.”

Suddenly feeling a lot more relieved, I calmed down and put my communication device away.

“Hoo.”

Letting out a long breath, I finally managed to relax a little.

‘In that case, I should get ready. I have a couple of days to prepare for what is to come.’

***

Twitch. Twitch.

In the heart of a vast, silent chamber, polished marble stretched endlessly beneath towering white pillars that held the space together. On the cold floor, a figure twitched. Frail, with sunken cheeks and skin stretched too tightly over brittle bones.

“….Quite the pitiful sight.”

A middle-aged man appeared behind the figure, a silver tray balanced carefully in his hands. He looked down at Jackal with no emotion before quietly setting the tray on the floor.

As if sensing the middle-aged man, Jackal’s body twitched.

He seemed to want to say something, but didn’t have the energy to say a single thing.

The middle-aged man sat down next to Jackal as he focused his attention on the two items that were resting on the tray. One was a small and sharp knife, while the other was a black chalice.

“…It may not be the real thing, but it should be enough.”

The middle-aged man muttered while staring at the chalice.

In the end, shifting his attention back towards Jackal, the middle-aged man smiled.

“Don’t worry. Things will end very soon. You just have to bear with the pain for a little longer.”

Besides the two of them, there was no one else within the confines of the enormous room.

With meticulous care, the man picked up the knife and polished it with a white cloth. The slow, thoughtful motion continued as he began to speak again, softly, as if confiding something deeply personal.

“I can sense that you’re quite talented. Not many people have a body that is capable of withstanding the blood of a god for so long. The fact that you were able to stay alive for so long is testimony to it. But of course, no matter how talented you are, a fake will never be able to withstand the blood for long.”

Twitch. Twitch.

Jackal’s body started twitching the moment it heard the words ‘fake’. It was almost as if he was trying to scream, ‘Fake? Who is the fake?’

But this sight only made the middle-aged man smile.

“…Still clinging to that belief, are you? That you were meant for something greater?”

Twitch!

“It is true that you were able to absorb the blood, and that you were able to use its power, but it’s also true that you’ve been used.”

Jackal’s body paused for a moment.

Staring at him, the middle-aged man’s gaze fell on the numerous orbs floating within his body. Primarily, he could see two colors stand out from the rest.

Red and purple.

His lips pulled slightly.

“…From the start, you were never meant to be the chosen one. You were made to think that you were the chosen one in order to play the perfect pawn for the true successor.”

Twitch! Twitch!

The red orb within Jackal’s body grew in size as his body twitched more and more, seemingly in protest. As if calling out for his bullshit.

But this was no bullshit.

“…He’s still alive.”

The twitching stopped, and the purple orb grew.

“He let you believe you’d won. That you’d killed him. But he was always one step ahead. He let you carry the burden. Let you draw my attention. Let you burn.”

Silence.

The purple orb grew further, and the middle-aged man’s voice lowered.

“You… were the fake from the start. A tool used by the real one.”

It was now almost a whisper.

“…Your current state is a result of you being a fake. Your body is slowly tearing itself apart, and you’re now just a few minutes away from dying.”

Twitch.

“…You were never meant to survive this.”

Twitch.

“…You were never meant to be anything.”

Twitch.

“…And in moments, you’ll be nothing.”

Leaning closer to Jackal, the middle-aged man whispered further.

“How does it feel to know that in your last moments, your life will be nothing short of pathetic? That you were a mere fake that was used as a pawn for the real one to grow? How do you feel knowing that you were born with the sole purpose of amounting to nothing?”

A creepy smile blossomed on the middle-aged man’s face as he slowly pulled his head away to see the numerous orbs that were fluctuating in front of him.

Extending his hand, the orbs wiggled wildly until….

Swooosh!

They all flew onto his mouth as he started to absorb them.

By the time he was done, Jackal’s body lay motionless on the ground, completely devoid of any thought or emotion.

“Goodbye…”

He raised the knife—

And brought it down.

“…Fake.”