The Pillar of Enera

[Chapter 40 part 1] Light - Shine Balladeer

"The audacity." Lily raged. Everyone was gathered in the InnerPalace to discuss Northern Emperor's latest gambit. Last night during the outbreak, an elite squad, backed by an immortal, had seize the Pillar of Enera and set up a perimeter around its base. The Isle was in an uproar.

"It's an inexcusable infringement of our sovereignty." Lily seethed.

"Agreed, but we can't chase them away." Astra said. "Samuel has many convinced that securing the pillar was a safety precaution to prevent a Dark Age. If we interfere, it'd give him an excuse to escalate things. There are undoubtedly reinforcement ready to warp in. He's that desperate."

"Don't you think I know that?" Lily snapped back. Anger is making her fearless. "The one who led Arther to his death is right there, and we can't afford to touch him. It's maddening!"

"At least we know the identity of the Laughing Man impersonator." Simon said.

"The immortal Sion Gale," Lily spat. "I should have guessed he'd send the Child Killer."

"What do you mean?" Astra asked.

"Right, you wouldn't have heard." Lily said. "He's a newer state-sponsored immortal. Seventy years ago, he was assigned the eradication of a pirate's nest deep in the Twisted Lands. Only when he arrived there, he found a village of non-combatants, primarily children. Someone had gotten their intel wrong. Since communications were cut off, Sion executed his orders and murdered them all, earning himself the title 'Child Killer'. It was a major scandal at the time."

"Wait," Soul jumped in. "Shouldn't he be in Tartarus?"

Lily shook her head, "From the Empire's perspective, Sion wasn't at fault. State-sponsored immortals are considered living weapons who ideally follow orders to the letter. Slaughtering those children only served to prove his loyalty. The ones reprimanded were those who'd organized the mission."

Soul was speechless. Sounds evil even to me.

"I see." Astra said icily. "Such an immortal is indeed perfect for acts of terrorism." She turned to them. "Don't approach him. He may only be a state-sponsored immortal, but you don't stand a chance."

Adventurers had to juggle their finances between their activities. Not all jobs offered by the Guild were glorious. Sometimes they were retained as backup by cities or large organizations. These gigs lasted months and paid well, but did little to further their renown ——except in cases like last night. In contrast, state-sponsored adventurers had teams dedicating to outfitting them and guiding their XP gathering. They could devoted themselves entirely to running dungeons and ranking up in coliseums. Those who survived reliably reached the wall through the quantity of their exploits.

They're the weakest. Since their history was scripted, they rarely possessed Sublime Vagaries. Their progress also halted after immortality as they ceased unapproved risk-taking. States don't want to lose their investments. While stronger than saints, they were lacking compared to peers.

"Doesn't Sion wield a spear?" Rose asked. "With his reputation, surely some must suspect..."

"They do," Simon said. "However, the real Laughing Man has been active, causing uncertainty. It's also hard for many to doubt the Northern Emperor, at least openly. Lithorn is a master at cultivating trust, and his influence holds sway over too many to be ignored."

"Why hasn't he outed us?" Light asked. With the Pillar secured, there's no reason not to. Anonymous sources had already leaked their identity, but these reports were being met with a great deal of skepticism. You can hear it in the voice of news commentators.