Wizard of the Abyss – Ch. 179

Wizard of the Abyss

[Extra Novels]

Chapter 179 - Oblivion (4)

Before long, every noble in the capital was summoned.

Inside the imperial palace, the sky was no longer visible. It had been completely swallowed by a curtain of snow.

As a result, the one to open the emergency council was a young noble holding a lantern.

"Yes. I’ve just confirmed it myself. It appears certain that the entire continent is covered by this abnormal weather.”

"As expected…”

"What is this…so it wasn’t just the shadows?”

With snow still clinging to his cloak, the noble’s report plunged the already gloomy hall into an even deeper gloom.

"That doesn’t seem to be the case. That horrific phenomenon that had covered the Empire’s territory has disappeared. It feels…as though it’s been replaced by these harsh winter conditions.”

"Then…is this a blessing in disguise?”

"Haah. If they had overlapped, it truly would have been catastrophic.”

Just as the nobles were finally catching their breath—

A man entered.

"---But there’s no question this is a situation far worse than those shadows.”

-Step, step

Clad head to toe in silver armor.

A Knight, bearing a greatsword on his back instead of noble attire, strode in as if it were only natural and coldly glared at everyone.

From the corner of the hall, where I was hiding together with Dercia, who clearly disliked the attention, I tilted my head at the unfamiliar face.

"Who is that? I don’t recall seeing him in the palace.”

"The commander of the Guardian Knights who defend the capital’s North Gate, Balkan. There were rumors he’d hold the gate even if it meant dying. It seems there was no truth to it.”

"Aha."

Judging by the way he spoke, he was clearly a Knight, yet the nobles backed away cautiously the moment they saw Balkan.

"S-Sir Balkan, what do you mean by that?”

"Those living shadows were nothing more than bizarre oddities. In the end, they were enemies, who were kind enough to just stand right before us, that could be struck down. I would hardly call them anything to worry about.”

It seemed the position of Guardian Knight Commander ranked above most nobles.

Balkan openly looked down on them, completely dominating this hall.

"But this blizzard struck just before the harvest was to begin. Every crop must be ruined by now. Most structures failed to endure the snow’s weight, and materials for restoration are scarce. We can no longer obtain anything at all from the land.”

"..."

"This is an incomparable state of emergency. We have to act now…”

Balkan’s sharp gaze fixed itself on the highest seat of this meeting hall.

It was still empty. Reserved for the most exalted individual present.

"Where is Her Highness the Princess?”

"Her Highness is currently assessing the situation.”

"Assessing the situation? A glance outside the window would suffice for that. Go and bring her here.”

"...Watch your words! How dare you presume we can decide whether to summon Her Highness or not?!”

Even nobles would not stay silent in the face of such insolent words directed at the princess, so they bit back, gritting their teeth.

Balkan scoffed, seeming amused, and moved his hand toward his waist.

"If the ruler chose to be absent at a time like this, then under the Empire’s supreme law, command authority passes into my hands. If you intend to resist—”

"The law takes precedence through my hands, Sir Balkan.”

-Thud.

What stopped his advance was a Knight of Heavenly Retribution, who casually pushed open the heavy doors of the council chamber with nothing more than her thumb.

Black armor, the exact opposite of his silver. And yet the greatsword on her back was at least one and a half times larger than Balkan’s.

Carose stepped between the nobles and Balkan, delivering her warning with only the bare minimum of courtesy.

"Even a stray mutt on the street will sit still for hours if its master tells it to wait. Is the position of Guardian Knight Commander worth less than a neighborhood dog?”

...Hm, actually, she hadn’t even bothered with courtesy.

Balkan looked at Carose, wearing a helmet, then slowly pulled the corner of his mouth upward.

"The difference between a dog and a Knight is that a Knight can think for themselves.”

"And that is precisely where a Knight is inferior to a dog. Wait patiently. If you don’t wish to, then I can provide you with a fight for entertainment.”

"That would make it 2 against 1!”

A bright, cheerful voice that didn’t match the tension at all chimed in to support Carose.

Seeing Linmel, who was now carrying an even larger greatsword on her back than last time, I shrank further into the corner.

Carose seemed to be quite fond of her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have brought her along to a place like this.

"...Tsk."

After briefly measuring the distance between himself and Carose, Balkan sat back down.

So Sharmia still hadn’t fully taken control of the Empire, judging by the fact that men like him still remained.

As everyone waited in silence, it wasn’t long before attendants opened the doors, and the soft sound of flutes filled the hall.

All the nobles, Knights, and naturally, Balkan as well, flattened themselves to the floor to receive Sharmia.

Sharmia briefly returned the greetings, then quickly took her seat at the head of the chamber.

"I was delayed because I had to compile several urgent reports. I assume everyone has already grasped the situation. If there’s anything you wish to report, please do so now.”

"Yes, Your Highness. I’ve just received word from my territory that the city gates have frozen shut…”

"We’ve received reports from the Magic Tower near the coast that the sea itself has frozen solid. To the point where people can walk across it safely…”

The nobles scrambled to report the damages they had each received.

After listening to each and every single one of their reports, Sharmia, her face deadly serious, finally declared,

"Yes, at present, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the Empire is facing an unprecedented crisis.”

"Your Highness, if I may be so bold.”

At that moment, a noble stepped forward, knelt before Sharmia, and raised his hand with a confident expression.

"The Friad family has wielded extreme flame for generations. Every member of our house can release enough fire to blanket an entire city for a full week. While the current situation is indeed dangerous, if you would grant us a little time, we could resolve it with ease.”

"That’s a reassuring claim. Unfortunately, it’s impossible.”

"...Pardon?"

"This snow doesn’t melt from heat.”

Seeing was believing. Sharmia gestured, and a jar filled to the brim with snow was brought forward.

"Would you like to try melting it? I’ll permit the use of magic.”

"Ah, yes.”

That Firad noble, still dumbfounded, took a deep breath and poured all his strength into scorching the jar with his fire.

-Fwooosh!

"Ooh...!"

"So this is the blazing flame of the Friad family. How impressive!”

The nobles’ praise was sincere. The raging blaze, strong enough to seem capable of melting steel, actually softened the jar until it turned mushy.

But...

"...Huh?"

"What in the world is this…?”

Just as Sharmia had said, the cold snow simply spilled out of the melted jar.

Lord Friad and the other nobles stared at the snow in disbelief.

It was Balkan who moved. Without hesitation, he plunged his hand into the misshapen jar and frowned.

"It’s cold. It hasn’t melted at all.”

"...Th-that can’t be…”

"Lord Melton didn't make a mistake. This snow may have the form of ordinary snow, but in truth it’s made of a metaphysical concept. Even if summer comes and the sun rises high, it won’t melt. Nor will it ever stop.”

"You’re saying unmeltable snow will just keep falling from the sky?”

"Then…if it keeps piling up, what will happen to the Empire?”

"Everyone, please calm yourself.”

Sharmia lightly settled the chaotic hall and rose from her seat.

"If this continues, then as you fear, the Empire will indeed face a mortal crisis. Therefore, the only way to stop this disaster is to eliminate its source.”

"By the source, you mean…?”

"Scarlet Abyss. You already know what kind of people they are.”

At that single statement, the nobles ground their teeth.

"Therefore, our objectives are divided into two parts. First we, those currently within the Empire, must minimize civilian casualties by opening shelters, deploying medics, and releasing food storages so that as many people as possible can endure for as long as possible. I ask all nobles to cooperate by implementing the same measures in your territories.”

"How could we refuse?”

"And second, we’ll form an expeditionary force.”

Sharmia glanced over the nobles one by one and continued in a commanding tone.

"The Empire has confirmed that the main culprit behind this incident is a Scarlet Abyss executive known as Decay. We’ll form an expeditionary force to break through this ice and snow, locate Decay, and subjugate him. Are there any volunteers?”

"..."

"..."

Despite their enthusiasm—

No one raised their hand.

"As was to be expected.”

Dercia, watching from the side, spoke, seeming unsurprised.

"Break through this blizzard and hunt down a Scarlet Abyss Upper Tier whose location is unknown—it’s easy to say, but it’s actually akin to searching for a needle in the desert. What lunatic would volunteer?”

"I will go.”

The one who answered wasn’t me.

Balkan was the first to raise his hand, meeting the princess’ gaze with a firm expression.

"Sir Balkan, aren’t you in charge of guarding the Empire’s northern gate?”

"If an enemy of the Empire were to attack in this weather, there’d be no better fortune. They'd all freeze to death. More importantly, those who can endure this cold... There are none among these nobles at least.”

Balkan applied silent pressure to the nobles with his words.

When the nobles dared not even lift their heads, he snorted and looked back at Sharmia.

"I will absolutely bring back the head of the one called Decay. You have my word.”

"...That’s reassuring. Very well, is there no one else?”

"..."

Carose kept her mouth shut. Her hand twitched as if she wanted to raise it.

At the very least, she seemed to have the sense not to leave Sharmia alone in weather this severe, which was a relief. The problem was that aside from Balkan, no one stepped forward. In fact, Balkan’s presence made the nobles even more reluctant.

"It’s fortunate that I obtained Sir Brimdal’s consent beforehand. This expedition will consist of Sir Balkan, Sir Brimdal, and Lady Dercia.”

"...”

Dercia stepped into the center of the hall with a displeased expression, as if it couldn’t be helped.

"S-so she was part of it as well…”

"Ahem..."

The nobles whispered among themselves when they noticed Dercia, then hurriedly lowered their heads when struck by her cold gaze. Looking at the composition of the expeditionary force, it was pitiful beyond words, regardless of the members’ actual ability.

Balkan, who was clearly despised by the nobles.

Dercia, who was hated by practically everyone in the world.

Brimdal, who was a legendary lunatic who had driven countless squires into ruin.

Rather than an expeditionary force, it felt more like an order telling the troublemakers to take this chance to go out and die.

"Your Highness, do you have any idea where the one called Decay might be hiding?”

"I don’t, but there is someone here who knows the way.”

"..."

Sharmia smiled as she looked toward me, hidden deep in the corner.

In an instant, the nobles’ gazes gathered on me. How did she find me?

...Surely I wouldn't die from this, right? With a sigh, I stepped into the center of the hall where they could see me better.

"Jern Aspandil. Currently Dercia’s disciple...”

Aside from Linmel, who looked startled, the nobles seemed quite unfamiliar with me. At most, I caught impressions like, “Hm…wasn’t he that one who got imprisoned?”

Sharmia paused mid-introduction and met my eyes.

I had a feeling what she was about to say. With Balkan, who was a complete outsider, already included, there was little point in hiding it any longer. I nodded.

"—And the only Fallen I can employ.”

"...Wh-what?”

"A Fallen…?”

The moment they heard the word, the nobles’ gazes toward me changed.

As if they were looking at something eerie that they couldn’t comprehend with their common sense.

In truth, that wasn’t so far off. From their perspective, the word "fallen" probably was almost 80% synonymous with "Scarlet Abyss."

"I ask that this fact never be spoken of outside this hall. Jern can locate Decay with his abilities. In other words, he is our only hope.”

"Ooh…!”

"I-in that case…”

The moment they understood that I was a means to find Decay, their expressions made a total 180, breaking out into cheers.

I could only wear a bitter expression seeing their reactions, wondering if this enthusiasm would last even after Decay’s subjugation, and glanced around.

I was curious about Linmel’s reaction now that she learned that I was a Fallen.

'...Where did she go?'

She was nowhere to be seen.

Well, maybe she’d gone to the restroom. It didn’t feel right to use my Tide Sense for something like that, so I shook hands one by one and stood beside Dercia.

"Please, I beg you.”

Sharmia bowed her head deeply toward Dercia, Balkan, and me.

"—We will endure as best we can on this side, so please, take care of Decay.”

"Yes."

"No problem."

"Understood. However…”

Balkan finally gave his answer, then looked at Sharmia with an oddly uneasy expression.

"When all of this is over, would you acknowledge my merits and answer one question for me?”

"Of course. If you wish, I can do so even now.”

"...It wouldn’t do to receive a reward before the work is done.”

As if every moment counted, Balkan turned his head and strode out of the hall.

He looked as though he was in quite a hurry.

...Very much so, actually…

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