The head of the Theocracy—the high priest superior.
The six high priests, each in charge of their respective denomination.
The heads of the judicial, legislative, and executive branches.
The chief of the magic research facility.
The highest-ranked military officer—the generalissimo.
Together, these twelve formed the supreme executive agency.
All the highest authorities in the land had gathered to chart the course
their country would follow.
The room was neither gaudy nor especially large. The faces at the table
were somber and reserved.
This assembly was not prone to mirth or good cheer even at the best of
times. Yet, they had long served the Theocracy together and knew one
another well enough to allow the occasional dry witticism. However, the
mood was rarely this somber. Today, no one present seemed inclined to ease
the tension.
"The Nation of Darkness has begun their invasion of the Re-Estize
Kingdom. More accurately, they did so long ago. Truly terrifying. The
people of the kingdom themselves went a full month without even noticing.
Our eyes and ears, the wind and the water—were crushed completely. Were
it not for Star Reader–Second Sight, it would have taken us far longer to
catch on. The kingdom's fate is already sealed. There is little time left. We
must redouble our efforts to recruit their adventurers."
The high priest superior's eyes turned to Raymond Zurg Laurencin, the
high priest of earth.
"We're doing what we can," he said.
"It would be a shame if the Nation got their hands on the kingdom's
magic items," the research chief said. "Is there nothing we can do?
Especially their greatest treasures. The Amulet of Immortality. The
Guardian Armor. The Gauntlets of Vitality. And—" He paused dramatically,
counting them off on his fingers. They needed to understand the last was the
most vital of all. "—Razor Edge."
"Impossible. We don't have the resources. Too few hands to play, and
we've got to get our people out, besides."
"The Nation is invading," the generalissimo declared. "After the old
chief warrior fell, did his equipment not pass to his probable successor, this
Ung…la…fellow?"
"Brain Unglaus," the chief replied. "That's most likely what happened
and exactly why we should snatch him up as well. What fool would ride a
horse off the edge of a cliff? He may not be pleased at first, but he'll be
grateful in the end."
"Our investigations suggest he is not that sort of man."
This came from one of two female members of the assembly, the high
priest of fire, Bérénice Nagua Santini.
"You have a high opinion of him?" asked the other, the minister of
justice.
"We do. The high priests consider him a man of character—and thus
deemed him unlikely to accept our offer. Our orders are to avoid making
contact at all."
"Just like his predecessor, then. Unable to see the big picture, slaves to
illogical emotion. I will never understand their ilk," the minister of
legislation said with a sigh. This earned him several disapproving looks,
and he hastily added, "I beg your pardon. That was out of line. Just…from
my perspective, throwing your life away does nothing to safeguard the
future of mankind. And no matter what anyone says, I will not yield on
that."
"Nor will we argue it," replied a gentle voice. The source of that
disapproval was Dominic Ire Partouche, the high priest of wind. "I only ask
that you remember we all have things we will not yield on. This is his."
"Are you of the same opinion, Master Guelfi?" the research chief asked,
unsatisfied.
A man who resembled an old, withered tree nodded. This was Zinedine
Delan Guelfi, the high priest of water.
"Then I have nothing further to say on the matter."
"I am pleased by the talent we have assembled, but tell me, how fare our
new recruits?"
Several adventurer teams had already joined the Theocracy. Mostly
mythril or above, but some lesser teams had also been invited because the
Springwater Scripture's intel suggested they had bright futures ahead of
them.
"Pretty terri—not great." Yvon Jasna Delacroix, the high priest of light,
was in charge of getting them settled. "All of them came of their own
volition and many feel like they've abandoned their people. It's left one hell
of a—I mean, it has become quite a thorn in their hearts."
Someone suggested Yvon could speak freely, and he snapped, "I know
how to watch my damn words!" Then hastily corrected himself. "I mean, of
course I know when to mind my tongue."
When it was just the high priests, his language came and went, but they
knew one another better than the members of the greater assembly.
"In any case, we thought it best to give them an outlet."
"Specifically?" the minister of justice asked.
"If these thorns are born of a failure to save their people, then saving
others will help them heal," Raymond said. "The plan is to ship them to the
Dragon Kingdom and have them fight the beastmen there."
Several people were nodding.
Their intel said the Dragon Kingdom had approached the Nation of
Darkness and purchased undead from them. Extremely powerful undead.
Left neglected, the Theocracy's influence would steadily wane while the
Nation's rose. Dispatching the adventurers would help avoid that. But a
concern was voiced, too.
"If we send former Kingdom adventurers where we can't watch over
them, they might let it slip that we were moving in the shadows during the
war between the Nation and the Kingdom. Wouldn't it be wiser to keep
them within our borders?"
"I wouldn't worry about that. They know full well what's going on,
which is precisely why they feel ashamed about abandoning their home in
its time of need. They'd never do anything that would benefit a nation so
cruel. Unless, of course, someone uses a mind-control spell to force the
information out of them."
"I'm less worried about that than the Nation finding out we have casters
capable of using teleportation spells."
"…That's a good point."
"We told them we were using magic items, but there's always a chance
they noticed we weren't. Even if we order their lips sealed, there's no
telling how word might get out. Perhaps it's best to avoid revealing one of
our key cards to the Nation of Darkness."
Coughing, Zinedine Delan Guelfi spluttered, "Mm-hmm… Sorry, I get
your point, but I also think that it could have a deterring effect. If they get a
hint of what we're capable of, they'll likely exercise caution and avoid
taking any rash action."
"I agree with the master. The Triad Caster demonstrates just how well
that works. No reason for us to sweat about every potential leak."
"Oh? How many truly know anything about him? For all the stories
about the Empire's great caster, few—if any—contained specifics about
what he could really do."
"And those who do know seem unlikely to be that fussed about mere
Teleportation."
Opinions flew, but it soon became clear no consensus was possible, so
the assembly went with the majority vote. The final verdict approved
sending adventurers to aid the Dragon Kingdom.
The Theocracy viewed the newly scouted adventurers the way they
would any mercenary—they expected little in the way of loyalty. The
assembly here didn't particularly care if these adventurers chose to settle
permanently in the Dragon Kingdom. They had escorted them out of the
Re-Estize Kingdom to minimize the untimely loss of powerful members of
the human race—not to bolster the Theocracy's own forces.
"If we could just find a means of producing fifth-tier scrolls, we could
use Teleportation all the more often."
"Centuries of work without success. That research will demand far more
time."
One of the Theocracy's most closely guarded techniques was the
production of fourth-tier scrolls. No neighboring countries had this
capability. They had several such secrets, all developed over untold
hundreds of years to safeguard humanity, to allow them to overcome more
naturally gifted species.
For instance, they had successfully created a potion they called Gods'
Blood. Unfortunately, it was the opposite of cost-effective, so research and
development continued to this day.
"Tell me, why has the Nation of Darkness chosen genocide? Supplies
bound for the Sacred Kingdom were stolen, true, but this is hardly a
proportional response. What does our military make of it?"
"First, it could be a show of force," the generalissimo said, holding up a
finger.
This earned several nods.
"Second, well…they are undead."
"Driven by their hatred of the living and what have you? I don't buy it.
Even if they were waiting for an excuse to go to war, it doesn't line up with
the King of Darkness's past behavior."
"Yes, the military leadership believes that possibility is not high," the
generalissimo said studiously.
This earned him a chorus of boos. "Then quit beating around the bush!"
"You're just copying Raymond's stunt!" "This is hardly the time or the
place!"
"Ahem. The third theory is the one we deem most likely." He held up a
third finger. "They're attempting to create an undead spawning ground, like
the Katze Plain."
"Oh…"
Several voices groaned.
The Theocracy had many faith-based casters, and the country's highest
authorities knew the implications of his words all too well.
A vast, corrupted land. It seemed entirely plausible that a new source of
undead was a worthwhile goal. If they were talking about anyone else, that
would be practically impossible, but they were dealing with an undead king
—the ruler of the Nation of Darkness could take full advantage.
Rumor had it he'd already placed the Katze Plain firmly under his
control. Perhaps that had proven a wise decision and informed this latest
move.
"In that case…we can surmise what their next step will be."
"Meaning?"
"This unclean land lies between them and the Council State. With a
shield raised in that direction—"
"Their blades turn to us."
A grim silence settled over the room. Each quietly compared the two
countries in terms of their own field. And of course, their respective
militaries.
Every face looked distraught. None could maintain their composure.
Given the information that had come to light at the previous meeting,
there was only one conclusion. Everyone knew that the spell the King of
Darkness had used on the Katze Plain was too powerful. Too evil.
That would be impossible to withstand, not with all the Theocracy's
secrets, not even with the demigods in play. And they had not even begun to
plumb the depths of what the Nation could really do. The further they dug,
the deeper that abyss might run.
"No matter how many troops we have, it won't be enough. An alliance
with the Council State is our only real option."
"They might send reinforcements when the time comes."
A sneer appeared on every lip.
Even if they came, those reinforcements would never be enough to save
them.
They knew better.
Principles, positions, purposes—none of those things aligned. Their two
countries could never truly work together. Perhaps a signed alliance would
get them some paltry aid, but it would almost certainly not move the
Platinum Dragonlord himself.
Whichever of them collapsed first, the survivor would have to bear the
brunt of the Nation's might alone. To avoid that fate, the smart play would
be to fully commit to a united front. But what if—hypothetically speaking,
of course—their coalition did manage to invade the Nation and secure a
lasting victory? The moment that happened, the Council State and
Theocracy would be potential enemies once more.
Considering the post-war situation, you'd have to maneuver your ally
into committing as many troops as possible to the Nation assault. And the
increased flow of people between the two countries due to the alliance
would make their respective espionage efforts all the more intensive.
An alliance with the Council State simply could not be trusted.
It was easier to believe the Theocracy could go it alone.
Even if tensions with the Nation of Darkness exploded into armed
conflict, it was best to avoid an all-out war. The risk of mutual annihilation
left the Council State free to claim any land that became vacated.
A three-way balance was ideal, but that required they be evenly matched
in the first place.
"Bending the knee to the Nation of Darkness is an option. Bide time for
decades, centuries, then destroy them from within. By then, we'd know
everything about their inner workings."
"The Empire became a vassal state. They might be willing to consider
the offer. Based on how they treated the Empire, it might not be all that
tragic."
"But would our people accept it?"
"Unlikely. No average citizen would want that. We might lose control
entirely."
"Fools are easily suppressed."
"Let's not get extreme! That's a last resort. Remember, the masses are
by and large in the dark about all this."
"Then should we share what we know? History shows too much
information often leads to uprisings. That's precisely why we have
restrictions in place!"
"Don't squabble. The Nation might topple the capital, but their focus
won't be pacifying the populace or governing occupied territory. We'll have
time to—"
"We can't say that for sure. They've completely obliterated any number
of cities and towns. They might do the same to our capital."
A great many people lived in the city. Massacring every last one was a
tall order, but the Nation had done worse.
"The undead do loathe the living."
"…We may have grown overconfident when E-Rantel was taken
without excessive bloodshed."
"The Nation of Darkness has made the Empire a vassal state, and they
already influence the Sacred Kingdom as well as the Dragon Kingdom. And
now they're annihilating Re-Estize. We have to assume we're next.
Surrender or die. A trite cliché, but there's no escaping the reality of the
situation. If we're going to face them at all, we have to solve our other
problem."
"Indeed. We have to end that rotten elf. There's no telling how relations
with the Nation of Darkness will turn out, but only a fool wages two wars at
once."
They had been devoting a great deal of resources to eradicating the elves
long before the Nation had appeared. And it was a big part of why they'd
been unable to address their newest problem.
"Given the Nation's overwhelming might, finding ourselves in a headon fight with them would be a worst-case scenario, but it's our job to
prepare for that and grab for the snake in the grass. That means bringing the
war with the elves to a quick conclusion."
"I doubt the Nation will take a stab at us while they're busy mopping up
the kingdom, but if we act in haste, they might feel threatened and retaliate.
We need a diversion. Consider summoning some undead near the border,
making it seem natural. That should allow us to marshal our forces."
"Yes…but we should also try to preserve as many humans as we can."
Several grave nods followed that admonishment.
"Evacuate a portion of the population. To our land of hope. Or the
remnants of despair."
The Theocracy had nowhere to turn, no one who would take in their
people. But they could not leave them adrift.
There was just one place of refuge beyond their borders. A hidden
village of sorts. The place where, six hundred years before, the helpless
tribe known as humans had taken shelter, cowering.
This place was guarded by the Dustfallen, one of the six scriptures.
"…If we're evacuating the borderlands, we'll need to start prepping
right away. Who's going?"
"It can't be random. We'll all stay behind, of course. Each of you pick a
representative and have them choose the rest."
"No, you should go, Laurencin."
"Why?"
"In the event we are wiped out…you were once in the Black Scripture.
You can protect and educate those left behind."
"My strength is not what it once was. Those at the top should remain no
matter what. If I do not, who would place their faith in me?"
"Still…"
"No…"
"I believe…"
As the argument grew heated, the high priest superior spoke.
"This passion serves no one. It is a vital question, but we do still have
time."
No one argued.
"Very good. Now, to the most pressing issue. The elves themselves—
they, we can spare. But that damnable elf king must be cornered and—"
Like a man possessed, his face twisted with rage.
Raymond nodded.
"We'll give No Death–No Life her shot."
"Mm. Even if the Platinum Dragonlord learns she's left our borders, he
won't complain too much once he hears the reason. I'd prefer to make the
elf king suffer like no mortal ever has before he dies—but her happiness
takes precedence. See it done."
"As you wish."