Reincarnated as the third son of the Duke-Chapter 66 - Whispers of a Dark Ritual

66 Whispers of a Dark Ritual

William remained silent, but Raymon stiffened beside him. He had expected trouble, but an actual siege on Bornholm Castle?

That was a fortress considered nearly impregnable. And now, an army without proper siege weapons thought they could take it down?

Even with proper siege engines, breaching those walls would be a nightmare. How do they expect to succeed with just monsters and two mages?

"The walls," the young man continued, "will be destroyed by the Celestial mage. That’s why he’s been conserving his mana. He’s preparing a spell that will be used only on that day."

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

Raymon’s doubts evaporated instantly. If magic could shatter the castle walls and the monsters surged in, chaos would be inevitable. Even the best defenses couldn’t prevent the initial pandemonium. If the castle’s security collapsed, the Liberation Alliance would have free reign to achieve their goal.

"That’s all I know."

The young man’s lips pressed shut after that. He had revealed everything regarding the mages’ involvement, but clearly saw no need to disclose further details. William, however, found the information more than sufficient.

"Thank you," he said, nodding in satisfaction. "Because of you, innocent lives will be saved."

The prisoner remained silent, his expression unreadable. He had made up his mind not to say another word.

William stepped away, signaling for soldiers to take the captive to the castle. As he did, Raymon—who had been listening quietly—let out an incredulous sigh.

"Incredible, young master. Since when did you start studying magic?"

"What magic?" William asked blankly.

"You mentioned earlier that setting up anchor points would corrupt the surrounding mana. I had never heard of black mages using such a method."

William smirked. "That’s because it’s not exclusive to black magic."

"...What?"

"Mages of all kinds use totems and markers to amplify spells. It’s a common practice, not something unique to black mages."

Raymon’s face twisted in confusion. Just earlier, William had spoken as though it was a forbidden practice limited to dark magic. Hadn’t he implied that only black mages used such methods?

Seeing the doubt in Raymon’s expression, William chuckled. "That was a bluff. I needed him to believe that he and his people might be victims. That made him talk."

"So… all of that was a lie?"

"Half of it was," William admitted. "But it turns out the other half was actually true."

Raymon frowned. "What does that mean?"

William’s expression turned serious. "Well, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"

A hint of unease crept into Raymon’s face. He had thought they had just uncovered the enemy’s entire plan. Shouldn’t that mean only good news remained?

"I suppose the good news first," he said hesitantly.

"The good news is that I’ve figured out their plan."

"I… already heard that."

"No, not just the Liberation Alliance’s plan. The mages’ plan."

Raymon narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean? Are you saying the mages have a different agenda?"

William sighed. "We’ll get to that later. Now for the bad news."

Raymon braced himself as William continued.

"The bad news is that I wasn’t bluffing. There really is a black mage among them. And the Liberation Alliance doesn’t even realize they’ve been deceived."

Raymon stiffened. "...!?"

William wasted no time. The prisoner was immediately sent to Bornholm Castle, and an emergency meeting was called with Tristan.

"Before you arrived, I interrogated one of the prisoners," William informed him.

Tristan’s face darkened. "I told you to stop getting involved in these matters. Yet here you are, escalating things once again."

His displeasure was obvious. William, however, simply shrugged.

"If you’re already upset, you’ll be even more furious when you hear this. There’s a black mage within the Liberation Alliance."

Tristan’s eyes widened. "What?!"

"They infiltrated the group by posing as an unregistered mage. Even the Alliance is unaware of their true identity. You know what that means, don’t you?"

Tristan fell silent, his expression hardening.

Unregistered mages typically hid due to necessity, seeking to avoid royal scrutiny. They longed for legitimacy and recognition.

But black mages were different.

They didn’t care for social status. They only cared for blood and sacrifice.

Their entire philosophy revolved around disrupting the natural order. If one had embedded themselves within the Liberation Alliance, it wasn’t for political power—it was for something far more sinister.

"The Alliance wants to destroy Bornholm Castle using magic," William continued. "But the black mage? They have their own goals."

Tristan’s eyes narrowed. "They plan to use the people of Greve as sacrifices?"

William shook his head. "No. Their true objective lies elsewhere."

Tristan frowned, trying to piece together the puzzle. "Bornholm Castle is strategically important, but not exactly a comfortable place to live. In times of war, it becomes the frontline. Most of the region’s population lives in Greve instead."

"But the Liberation Alliance wouldn’t target Greve," Tristan mused. "It’s just a densely populated city with no tactical significance. If Bornholm falls, Greve would be taken easily anyway."

William nodded. "Exactly. The Alliance plans to pretend to attack Greve, forcing Bornholm to send reinforcements. Once the castle’s defenses are weakened, they’ll strike."

Tristan held up a hand. "Wait. Let me sort this out."

The Liberation Alliance’s original goal had been to feign an attack on Greve while launching a real offensive on Bornholm Castle. Since Bornholm was a major military asset, its fall would severely damage the Empire.

But for the black mage, the true prize wasn’t Bornholm. It was Greve—the city teeming with people.

And, by pure coincidence, the mages had arranged for the monster horde to be stationed at Greve before converging on Bornholm.

"The black mage is using the Liberation Alliance as a tool," William concluded. "They’re letting them focus on the castle while they gather sacrifices from Greve before slipping away."

Tristan’s expression turned grim. "...!"

Tristan was left speechless by William’s deduction.

Attacking Greve City for real, not as a diversion, to secure the sacrificial offerings? Keeping the Imperial Liberation Army stationed near Bornholm Castle the entire time?

"Is that even possible?"

"It is," William replied. "What do you think the goal of most mages is? I’m not talking about dark mages, just unlicensed ones."