Sword of Salvation-Chapter 102: - Beginning of War

In one of the secret chambers of Moskvallha Palace, Emperor Zalestino sat with a furrowed brow in front of a tall man with slightly long black hair. Since entering the room, the emperor had not spoken a word—he had simply sat there, staring at the man with a frown.

"Don’t look at me like that, Your Majesty. You were the one who insisted on preserving Viertino’s memories and intelligence. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself."

The black-eyed man—who was nearly three times younger than the emperor—finally broke the silence that had filled the room. His eyes, which had been fixed on the arrangement of small blocks on the table, now shifted to the palace’s ruler. Despite sitting in front of an emperor, the man showed no sight of submission. It was as if the emperor was just another person to him.

"I’m just annoyed," Zalestino snapped. "I accepted Athenia’s plan because I wanted to focus on the Kingdom of Mangolla. That way, I would be able to take control of both Denland and Mangolla at the same time."

Zalestino might not have been this frustrated if Viertino had succeeded entirely. If Julia zen Allegria had been taken hostage, he could have kept control of both nations simultaneously. However, when Viertino took him to check the location where his soldiers were supposed to be holding the princess, there was no one there except the stationed guards.

Viertino’s elite soldiers had never brought Julia to that place. That was the answer given by the guards on duty.

"I don’t see a problem," the man responded casually. "In fact, I think that failure is a good thing, Your Majesty. We now have some insight into what the person behind your daughter wants. Hmm, I still haven’t heard his name."

"Mariel Allvar. A member of Ultores. I never really cared about them, so I never bothered to find out. But according to Viertino, his name is quite renowned."

For the first time since Zalestino met Rahvada, the man’s bored expression vanished. His eyes gleamed slightly—like a kitten that had just found a new toy. The name he had just mentioned must not be ordinary, otherwise he wouldn’t have reacted like that.

"You know that boy?" Zalestino asked, somewhat intrigued.

Rahvada didn’t answer right away. Instead, he laughed.

Had Zalestino not known that Rahvada was a member of World Order, had he never attended Walpurgis, he might have scoffed and demanded the man to take things seriously.

But he had attended Walpurgis. Zalestino knew better than to antagonize the World Order. Among all the council members, only the four senior councilors wielded more power than the World Order. Among all the seat holders in Great Human Council, none could command the World Order except those four senior councilors.

So, even though Rahvada’s laughter irritated him, Zalestino had no choice but to wait.

"Romero wants to recruit that boy and Shin as new World Order candidates," Rahvada finally replied after a moment. "Romero didn’t say much about him, but one thing is clear—Mariel Allvar is no ordinary individual."

Hearing Rahvada’s words, Zalestino understood that the young man was a trouble. He had no subordinates on par with a member of World Order. Zalestino himself was strong, but he would never stand a chance against Rahvada and his kind. If that boy sided with Denland...

"Hmm, Mariel Allvar wants to support Athenia in replacing me," Zalestino muttered. "Do you think he’ll be a problem?" he asked. "Viertino is convinced that Mariel was the one who thwarted his attempt to take Julia hostage, but Athenia hasn’t said a word about the princess’s whereabouts."

Thinking about it carefully, it was hard to believe Viertino’s claim was true. If Mariel had indeed sabotaged Viertino’s efforts, Athenia would have announced that the princess was with them. That would have improved Athenia’s reputation and increased Stewart’s trust in them. So, even though Viertino was a hundred percent sure, reality suggested otherwise. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"You mentioned that a certain party wants to shift Moskvallha’s attention toward Denland?" Rahvada asked.

Zalestino nodded. "Someone once eavesdropped on my conversation with others," he explained. "Though vague and uncertain, I strongly suspect it was a demon. Has Primordial Demon Levia decided to interfere?"

Thinking more deeply, Zalestino realized that this made more sense than Viertino’s claim. After all, if Mariel truly was the culprit, it would mean he wasn’t supporting Athenia’s efforts. That contradicted everything he had done so far. Athenia would surely suspect Mariel if he were the real culprit.

"That makes sense." Rahvada nodded. "Even though there’s no information confirming Levia’s involvement, it wouldn’t be surprising if she sent her subordinates to cause trouble."

"But, Your Majesty," Rahvada continued, "it’s also possible that your daughter is merely being used. What if the Kingdom of Denland had already hired Mariel beforehand? While this is a slim possibility, it’s not impossible. I want you to stay cautious and assume that, at any moment, he may target your life."

"You don’t need to remind me about caution. Nothing is more valuable to me than my own life. But if your suspicion turns out to be true, I expect you to handle that boy."

"Of course. You needn’t worry about that, Your Majesty. I am here to secure the victory of Moskvallha Empire. But more importantly, will you return to your original plan?"

Zalestino nodded. "I have no choice but to return to my original plan," he added. "If Denland doesn’t strike first, then I will attack them first."

"Good luck."

Zalestino snorted at that but said nothing. The old man—who looked several years younger than his actual age—rose to his feet and walked away. A servant opened the door in silence, and Zalestino exited without a word.

"Let’s go," he ordered the reanimated corpse of Viertino, who was standing guard.

The undead nodded obediently, following behind the emperor like a loyal hound.

Zalestino still regretted Viertino’s attempt to kill him. If he hadn’t done that, he wouldn’t have ended up as a walking corpse. But the damage was done. There was nothing Zalestino could do to change what had already happened.