Chapter 145: The Burden of the Third Tome

Back in the inn room after discussing the evacuation of the Lutherias citizens to Xandor and parts of Thetor, King Lamberd and King Alexius took their leave, with Evelyn escorting Lamberd out. Once the door clicked shut behind them,

"Huff."

Dion sank back down onto the edge of the bed. He buried his face in both hands, dragging his fingers back through his hair. Then he turned his gaze toward Aria, who was still sleeping soundly, with little Gina curled up fast asleep in her embrace.

"They’re sleeping like they couldn’t care less about the state of the world we just spent the last hour discussing... First Northgard... then Thetor... now Lutherias... not to mention Eredor... It’s literally turning into a zombie apocalypse movie... starting in one city and spreading across the globe like wildfire," Dion muttered inside his head.

He pulled up his Recall holographic interface. The Black Knight persona was finally ready for use, but beyond that, every other slot remained locked in cooldown, except for the Calamity Supreme Monarch.

"With a war breaking out across every corner of the map... I don’t have the luxury of waiting out these cooldowns... But what can I do? The timers won’t tick down any faster just because I’m stressing out over an emergency," Dion cursed internally.

Click.

Dion whipped his head toward the door as it swung open again. Evelyn stepped back inside just as the faint sound of horse hooves departing echoed through the window. She walked over and sat down beside Dion, staring out the window in deep thought.

"Why’d you come back, Big Sister?" Dion asked.

"No real reason... Ever since we were kids, I always knew you weren’t an ordinary boy... But today was the first time I’ve ever seen your true power firsthand. When we used to practice swordplay back in the day, were you just holding back?" Evelyn asked, turning her head to look at him.

"Not at all. I was giving it my all and still getting my ass handed to me," Dion replied bluntly.

Evelyn just stared at him with a soft smile before shifting her gaze back to Aria and the sleeping dragon in her arms. A moment later, she looked back out the window, her expression turning melancholic.

"Dion... If Thetor falls completely and we’re forced to relocate to your kingdom, please let me serve as one of your knights... You don’t even have to give me a fancy title; I just want to fight side by side with you and Aria... I’m certain Olivia would have wanted the exact same thing," Evelyn said quietly.

Dion looked over at Evelyn’s profile. Even without visible tears, her eyes were still rimmed in red, her face etched with exhaustion, her shoulders carrying the heavy, weary weight of royalty. Dion turned his gaze toward the window as well, reaching out to place a hand over Evelyn’s where it rested on her thigh. She turned her head, surprised by the gesture, and met his eyes.

"All right. If it ever comes to that... Big Sister Evelyn will be the grand general of my holy knight division," Dion answered with a calm, steady voice.

"Thank you, Dion," Evelyn smiled.

"So, what’s the plan for rebuilding the grand cathedral? Isn’t it supposed to be the spiritual heart of the kingdom?" Dion asked.

"Not anytime soon. Right now, our only priority is defense and ensuring the survival of the remaining citizens," Evelyn replied.

"Still, I honestly never imagined... the academic city of Phobos would fall like that," Dion said grimly.

"Yeah... Aside from the Shadow Hand intelligence report, we actually found out beforehand from Lord Edgar, the head of the Aetherias trading company. He evacuated to the capital just in time. Phobos wasn’t fallen yet when he set out, but by the time he arrived and spoke with me, the cathedral had already imploded into an undead nest," Evelyn explained.

"Oh... So he made it out safely. Is he still here in the capital?" Dion asked.

"He departed almost immediately after the cathedral blast. He said he was heading straight to Xandor because he has a branch store and a newly built estate waiting for him there," Evelyn answered.

"Ah, right. Aria actually granted him a plot of land in the city. I’m glad he made it across safely," Dion sighed in relief.

"What about Northgard? I caught bits and pieces of the story from the airship crew and captain, but I want to hear it directly from you," Evelyn said, turning back to face him.

Dion recounted everything that had transpired in Northgard from the moment he arrived until he left for Thetor’s capital. Evelyn listened intently, but as the tale unfolded, the color drained from her face and a visible chill crept into her posture.

"So Northgard is practically finished... The palace has been seized, everything’s in absolute ruins... and King Gred is completely useless," Evelyn concluded grimly.

"Spot on. That’s why Sheila is holding down the fort over there, backed by Mei, Luna, and Cleo," Dion replied.

Suddenly, Dion snapped his head toward the far corner of the room, causing Evelyn to jump and leap to her feet.

"Hey, get word to Mei or Harumi in Northgard: the moment the relief ships arrive, evacuate every single civilian to our territory. Leave no one behind. We’re temporarily writing off the capital of Northgard," Dion commanded sharply.

A shadow detached itself from the darkened corner of the room, causing Evelyn to gasp softly. The Shadow Hand operative dropped to one knee before Dion, bowing his head.

"Understood, Your Majesty. I take my leave," the operative murmured.

With a ripple of shadow, the agent vanished. Evelyn slowly lowered herself back onto the bench, her hand drifting away from the hilt of her sword.

"Why are you pulling those barbarian tribes into your own city?" Evelyn asked.

"I’m not about to let the undead army swell with fresh recruits and make our lives harder down the line. Besides, the capital’s infrastructure is shot; there’s no way we can waste time trying to rebuild cities in the middle of a global extinction event," Dion reasoned.

"True enough. Even with Cleo stationed there, she’s only one person... Sheila, Mei, and Luna obviously can’t throw up a barrier large enough to cover the whole place," Evelyn conceded.

"Yeah... The real ticking time bomb is Eredor. I figure Lutherias can hold out long enough to finish the evacuation, but if Springrock falls to the undead, the capital of Eredor is next on the chopping block... Looks like we need to brace ourselves for a wave of attacks hitting our eastern borders soon," Dion analyzed.

"As far as I know, King Araki is already well aware of the situation. He’s reportedly making preparations to move his entire populace into your territory, even if he hasn’t formally discussed it with you yet, so you probably don’t need to stress over them," Evelyn reassured him.

"Right... Lord Sion is backing them up over there. I’m sure they’ll manage," Dion nodded.

A heavy silence settled back over the room as both of them stared out the window. After a quiet moment, Evelyn stood up and turned to face Dion. Seeing her rise, Dion automatically stood up as well.

"I should get going, Dion. I need to head back to the palace, reorganize the knight divisions, and tally up our casualties from the cathedral disaster," Evelyn smiled faintly.

"Alright. But don’t work yourself into the grave, if you collapse on us, your knights won’t know what to do," Dion teased gently.

"Haha... Don’t worry about me... Oh, right before I forget, you should probably take this," Evelyn said.

She reached into the satchel at her side and pulled out a small, rectangular object neatly wrapped in cloth. She handed it straight to Dion. The moment his fingers brushed the fabric, a cold shiver ran down his spine. He instantly knew what it was, and his face turned stark white as he looked up at Evelyn.

"What... is this?" Dion feigned ignorance.

"Oh, that? One of the knights found it inside the crater where the grand cathedral used to be. He brought it to me and asked if I could hold onto it..."

"Pardon me, Your Royal Highness,"

Before Evelyn could finish, a voice interrupted from the doorway. Dion and Evelyn whipped their heads around to see a holy knight standing in the doorway, with Takeshi stationed calmly behind him.

"What is it?" Evelyn asked.

"His Majesty the King has arrived back at the palace. He requested that I inform you to return immediately to discuss defensive strategies and how to escort the upcoming wave of Lutherias refugees. King Alexius is participating in the conference as well," the knight reported.

"Understood, I’m heading back," Evelyn replied. She turned back to Dion with a soft smile. "I’ll see you later," she added, leaning forward to press a light kiss to his cheek.

Before Dion could even react, Evelyn spun on her heel and walked out, offering a crisp salute to Takeshi in the hall before the knight pulled the door shut behind them.

Dion looked down at the wrapped object in his hands. Carefully peeling back the cloth, his worst suspicions were instantly confirmed: it was an antique-bound volume titled The Ancient. The moment his fingertip brushed the cover, the book flared with a blinding white light, hovering in the air as it snapped open with a sharp crack.

Dion threw an arm across his face to block the searing glare. When he lowered his arm a second later, the physical book had vanished, replaced entirely by a glowing holographic system prompt hovering in the empty air.

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Change Soul Persona :

1. Dion von Oswald [current].

2. Black Knight rank SSSS [activate ?] [yes] [no] (cooldown 1 day)

3. Shadow Assassin rank SSSS (cooldown 07:13:28)

4. Berserk Monk rank SSSS (cooldown 18:11:15)

5. Mechanical Crafter and Gunner rank SSSS (cooldown 49:11:55)

6. Ancient One rank SSSS (cooldown 113:43:01)

7. Calamity Supreme Monarch rank SSSS [activate ?] [yes] [no] (cooldown 10 days)

8. First Primal Demigod rank SSSS (Unlock requirement: collect the Book of World Spirits scattered across the world [3/7]).

9. Ultimate Persona : World Keeper rank GOD (Unlock requirement: all soul personas must be fully unlocked.)

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All remaining color drained entirely from Dion’s face. He blinked rapidly, desperately praying that the numbers he was reading were a glitch, his collected book count had officially ticked up to three. He wanted to smash his fist against the nightstand, but right as his knuckles brushed the wood, he glanced sideways at Aria and Gina sleeping peacefully. He clamped his jaws shut so hard his teeth ground together audibly.

"Son of a bitch... I save this entire city, and my reward is another damn book? This is a total disaster... I’m getting dangerously close to unlocking the final persona... Aaargh... Why the hell did you have to hand me that book, oh mighty princess... This is so frustrating, to hell with this," Dion cursed furiously inside his head.