A quote clearly resounded in Alastor's mind."If you can't beat them, join them."
Kios sat in the corner of the room, dozing off.It would be a good time to kill him right now, Alastor brooded, flicking through the newspaper in front of him. The sun had already set, and the moon was hidden behind thick, drifting clouds.
The room was dim, lit only by the faint flicker of an old oil lantern beside him. Shadows stretched long across the worn floorboards as he read.
[The Hawking Herald]
[The tragedy of the explosion at the Palace will never be forgotten. I, Alanna Verley Pendragon, hereby swear to bring those responsible for this heinous act to justice. In order to safeguard and uphold Lamberg's security and best interests, it is imperative that we have a head of state. Therefore, I have taken it upon myself to assume the role of Regent until my eldest daughter comes of age.
Lamberg, in its glorious thousand-year history, has never had a female monarch. However, times are changing, and it is essential that we embrace progress.
My love for King Richard was unwavering, and his death—along with that of my sons—has only strengthened my resolve to uncover those responsible for this tragedy. This is a matter of Lamberg's security and strength, and as such, I find it vital that we form strong alliances.
To this end, the Church of Light shall be our closest ally, for if we cannot trust the Light, then whom can we trust? Envoys from the Holy Land have arrived to offer their support, including the esteemed living Saint Jocasta.
Let us show kindness to our neighbors as we enter this period of mourning. Attend the mass, offer your prayers, and grieve, as I shall do.]
— Queen Regent, Alanna Verley Pendragon
Alastor sighed and slammed the table, the loud thud jolting Kios awake. He blinked, yawned, then took note of Alastor's stormy expression.
"Alanna's known to be quite devout to the Faith of Light. She's a foreigner, after all—hailing from the Duchy near the border. You know what I think? I think the Church is behind this. They're planning to take over Lamberg and impose their religious rule. Of course, once Liras gets here, there's going to be…"
"A civil war…" Alastor sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Liras versus the Church. The noble houses will be quite conflicted, but the key players are the Percy, Sinclair, and Ebinich families."
His gaze drifted to the Thoros book resting on Kios's bed. He still felt irritated about that entire fiasco. Reluctantly, he'd agreed to Kios keeping the Couple.After all, I'm no good with daggers. But who needs daggers when you have a gun.
Speaking of that mysterious revolver—he had examined it earlier, when Kios went out strolling at the harbor.
Strangely, the gun seemed to be fully loaded.Which is odd, because I already shot all the bullets in the fight with the Templar. Although… it's rather neat. It seems to reload itself—like it's always loaded.
He had instinctively decided that the revolver was placed on the altar in the treasury by his parents, who had somehow managed to manufacture and enchant it beforehand.
Before he—
Alastor's eye twitched.Before I killed them…
"I don't want to get caught up in all that. Frankly, I don't care for Lamberg—and neither do you. So we're going to get out of here. By boat, by scaling the massive walls, or by sneaking out."
"And then what?"
Kios clicked his fingers. "Then we go find out the truth behind that book. But before that, we're going to pay a visit to your family treasury."
Alastor ignored him for a moment, but felt compelled to ask, "What is it that you want, Kios? You're a total mystery—besides the fact that you're obviously egocentric and quite mad."
Kios, for once, looked serious."That I'll tell you later. But let me ask you the same question—what do you want?"
What do I want? That's easy.
Alastor faced Kios. A faint golden smoke began to rise from his skin. The room, already dimly lit, seemed to grow darker still. His twin golden eyes gleamed with intensity, and an uncanny smile slowly formed on his face.
"I don't have wants. Whatever I want, I need. And I need everything.More wealth. More power. More fame.Everything—more and more. Repeating needs. Repeating desires. I will never be satisfied. I will always need more. Don't mistake my greed for a bloodline trait—I am innately greedy. It is part of me.That is why I killed my parents.That is why I will do anything—and I mean anything—to further my own agenda."
Kios remained silent, observing Alastor with his abyss-black eyes.
"Every moment I don't have what I need, I am in pain. This is my curse… and my blessing.This is true Greed."
Alastor grabbed the newspaper and shoved it in Kios's face. "I know now what to do. You're no different from me, aren't you? You have it too—that greed, that desire."
Alastor's eye twitched again, his body trembling slightly.
"There's going to be a civil war. And Liras will need help. He'll need gold."
Alastor's smile stretched wider.
"And who has more gold than me?"
"You think we should help him, Mammon?" Kios asked, his voice slightly softer than usual.
"Yes, I think we should. If Liras becomes king… he's not the sort of man who'd forget who helped him. Or so they say."
Kios smiled and clapped his hands."Very well. You make an excellent point. Maybe this is the first part of our adventure."
**
The next morning, both Kios and Alastor were woken by loud chanting. Groggy and irritated, they opened their curtains and peeked through the windows.
Hundreds—no… thousands.
All wore long, flowing white robes with golden outlines. Thin white veils covered their faces as they prostrated in perfect unison before the rising sun.
"O Elyana Lúmir"(O Goddess of Light)
"Uthan sinnis pirer"(Cleanse our sins)
"Vetha holisis Lúmir est umbra erna icenda"(Bring Holy Light to destroy darkness and cold)
"Uthan ous"(Cleanse us)
"Uthan wors"(Cleanse the world)
"Bless holisis solis vetha lúmir"(Bless the Holy Sun's rays of Holy Light)
Alastor could roughly decipher the chants. His tutors had taught him many languages—Ancient Creno among them.
Kios closed the curtain with a scowl. "Another reason to hate these f*cking religious a**holes is their endless chanting in the early morning."
Alastor looked down again at the pavilion, where the crowd knelt, all packed tightly together like a single organism.
One figure in particular caught his eye—short, hunchbacked, with a small wisp of gray hair barely visible under the veil.
That's not just any old hag. That's the 'Lady' Alessandra. That old hag's religious? No fcking way.*
"That woman's the hotel receptionist," he said.
Kios yawned and peeked once again. "I know for a fact she isn't religious. Makes you wonder…"
"If they're somehow 'brainwashing' people."
Alastor might've laughed at the idea before, but now—seeing the sheer number of prostrating figures—he couldn't help but agree.
Maybe they're not brainwashed in the supernatural sense… but they've been manipulated. Fooled into believing in a false deity.Or maybe… maybe I'm the fool. Maybe I'm committing blasphemy, and the deity is real.
If demons exist… then so must the gods.
"Or maybe," he said aloud, "there's just one true 'God.'"
"Do you believe in gods, Kios?"
Kios looked up at the roof. "I don't believe in them, per se. But they exist. Watching. Maybe one's watching us right now.There's something you should know, Alastor. The gods are neither omniscient nor omnipotent. Perhaps, long ago, there was such a one true 'God.'"
"But something happened…Perhaps one day, we'll find out..."