As the black knight had anticipated, the erratic movements of the local monster population had been publicized. With this newfound information the Adventurer's Guild had changed the difficulty ratings of their missions. For example, the [Goblin subjugation] mission which was an E5+ rank mission had now been moved to becoming a D2+ rank mission.
By the Guild Master's plea Irina was placed in charge of figuring out what was going on, but other numerous investigations have also gone underway as to the reasons for their erratic movements with so far no new information having turned up. Until the reason was figured out or the entire issue resolved itself the new difficulty ranks were to be placed indefinitely.
As such both Tau and Alice were wandering around town with little to do as most of the low rank missions were being fulfilled by other newcomer adventurers. Since they were also still injured they figured that they would take it easy for the time being and explore the city in detail. With envious eyes they had to pass up the many different shops and merchants as they had little in the way of money but overall seemed to enjoy themselves in this thriving city.
"Oh, we're back here again!"
Alice exclaimed as she pointed towards a large ornate building. They once again found themselves before the Grand Cathedral of Xagon; the center point in the religious sect of this country. When they had visited prior the line was filled with sweaty soldiers but now that line had shrunken down to a bearable amount. Tau turned to Alice only to be returned with anticipating eyes and excitement about the prospects of seeing the holy relic that was the sacred sword.
Rather than having any religious respect for the sword, to Alice it was more akin to a tourist attraction and since they day before Alice had been looking at it with envious eyes. It didn't help that there was a massive line in front of the church which only accentuated the curiosity that she had.
Giving off a small sigh Tau gave into Alice's enthusiasm. There were now also other adventurers and non-military personnel trying to get their turn in removing the sacred sword from the sanctuary. Thus it wasn't going to be awkward if they decided to line up and try their hand at it.
"Alright, we'll just have a quick look then."
"Yay~!"
Thus began their two hour long wait underneath the blazing sun of the sun country. Halfway through their wait Tau could see Alice's prior enthusiasm slip away as she was slouching over and ready to give up. However since they had already waited in line for so long it would be a waste to just give up now so Tau decided to power through the heat.
Now at the center of the cathedral they stood before an ornate shrine decorated and dedicated to the sacred sword of Xagon. To pull out this sword meant to become the hero; which child did not fantasize about becoming some justice serving hero and helping the weak? Even the atmosphere within the sanctuary was a lot different from any other place that Tau had seen, 'holy' would've been the right word for it but it somehow felt that it wasn't enough.
'Calm'. 'Tranquil'. 'Melancholic'. 'Serene'. 'Pure'. 'Clean'.
All those words could apply but again it didn't feel quite accurate to how Tau was feeling as he laid his eyes on the sword. He slowly watched as the people in front of him tried to remove the sword and their muscles bulging out from the strain but none of them could do it properly. 'Why are they doing that? Why can't they see?' he thought to himself.
It was hard to describe in words, but Tau felt as though he knew the right way to pull out the sword. Everyone else was just mistaken and they just didn't know that way so of course it would be impossible to pull it out if they repeated the same mistake over and over. It wasn't a matter of strength nor was it a matter of desire to become the hero.
It was now Alice's turn to pull out the sword but she too didn't seem to understand the 'correct' way to do it. She too decided to arbitrarily use brute force to remove it, if it didn't work the thousands of times before, there was no way it would work now.
"Unnghhh~!!!"
Alice's face started to get red from the pressure. It was obvious by now that no matter how much she tried it would be impossible. Ultimately she gave up on the idea and stepped down from the sanctuary, giving way to Tau.
"What is this? Are you sure the rock isn't part of the sword?"
Alice sarcastically commented, prompting a few laughs from the people who also failed to remove the sword. They all understood the frustrations of being incapable of removing the sword. 'It's just you're doing it wrong', Tau thought.
Not by strength.
Not by desire.
Not even by heart.
It was simple; Tau slowly approached the Sanctuary and as he entered the holy space he felt a powerful force emanate around him. The truth was that it wasn't the sword that chose the hero; it was the hero that chose the sword. So then what were the requirements of becoming the said hero?
To put it simply, there were none. It was never about qualification, merely about understanding what to do in the first place. All that one needed to do was 'ask'; to 'converse' with the sword to be pulled out. It should have been obvious to everyone that this wasn't merely an ordinary sword, so why couldn't the others understand? Or rather, why could Tau understand this simple concept?
The sword was not a tool, but a partner.
It was because he could 'see' it; the spirit that inhabited the sword. A spirit sword, or to be more precise he could 'feel' that this word was very much alive. Everyone should theoretically have the same qualifications so then was it simply a matter of perspective? But of course 'asking' always entailed the possibility that there could be a negative response. It could be that some people have already tried asking but their plea never came to fruition.
Tau silently 'asked' in his mind, unsure if it was being properly translated towards the sword but he did so anyway. Not strength, not desire, not heart, Tau slowly pulled out the sword from the sanctuary as thought it was the most natural thing and a heavenly aura surrounded the interior of the Grand Cathedral. A bright light flashed before those present, even driving some to tears at the revelation of such a beautiful aura.
The heavenly light subsided and with it small white feathers started to rain from above. Standing before Tau and the sword was a figure of pure light, feminine in proportion, pure white wings but all of the details were hidden by said light. Confused as to what to do next when this figure appeared Tau glanced over to his side but none of the other people seemed to be reacting towards the figure of light. 'Could it be that they can't see her?' it was the most likely conclusion to draw from their non-responsive expressions.
It was then a high pitched screeching noise could be heard. Dreadful and unpleasant the noise wouldn't stop but once again only Tau seemed to be the only one hearing this awful sound. Was it the effect of the sword? It didn't feel like something the sword would do but as soon as the noise stopped a faint pressure could be felt coming from his grip on the sword.
It was only for a brief second that Tau was freed from the awful sound but as soon as he realized what was going on he was no longer standing at the Sanctuary but was flying. Flying across the room with at high speeds, not just him but everyone else was pushed aside from a powerful shockwave that pulsed from the sword. Following his brief adventures in the sky he crashed through the walls of the Cathedral and temporarily lost consciousness.
That day the hero was found but also by a strange phenomenon the hero was repulsed by it. People started to speculate whether this meant that the sword was rejecting him or if it was some other oddity. For now no one knew the answer; with the sword placed back at the sanctuary the only thing left to do was wait until Tau recovered his consciousness and tried again.
...
That same day an emergency meeting was held for the Wayfarer Council. It was their first time reuniting after the Catastrophe of Fire. Miraculously none of their core members had perished in that terrible event but that didn't meant that their overall structure was left unscathed.
With the promotion of Morgana Daltress and the massive amount of support the public had showered her with she had become an uncontrollable force. Not only had that but because of the impact of her introduction and accomplishments the church who was heavily in favor of anti-demon policies lost a considerable amount of power and influence.
However their misfortune didn't stop there; Pierre Granate, the minister of war had also lost favor of the king due to his incompetence of handling the situation. Though the situation was beyond his control it could also be argued that it was his job to make sure such situations never came to be.
To top it all off, the Hero had been chosen.
"The hero was chosen."
Sven Serus, illegitimate heir of the king started the conversation. By now everyone had heard the news and the very reason why they were meeting once more, to discuss their next course of actions. Throughout all of this the Luminary was the one who acted the most strangely, his already intimidating presence had intensified ten folds and his gleaming golden eyes filled with disappointment and rage.
"U, uh, yeah. I was just thinking about that. Actually didn't they say that he was rejected by?"
Del Granate, head of the Royal Alchemist Commission responded, slightly fearful of the Luminary's quiet demeanor.
"Who knows? It's a hotly debated topic and no one has come to a conclusion yet until the person in question regains consciousness and tries again."
Alexander Granate, Vice Director of the Adventurer's Guild replied.
The matter of the hero being chosen was something the Wayfarer council had wanted to avoid until they were properly able to regroup after the Catastrophe. Originally the Council had wanted to capitalize on the hero's influence by becoming a supporting party to the hero but right now the problem was that it was unknown whether the hero was chosen or rejected.
Due to this ambiguity it was even harder for the council to make a move.
"Forget the hero for now. The biggest problem we have yet to face is Morgana Daltress. She has gained far too much power too quickly and seems to show no intention of stopping that trend. I propose an assassination."
Pierre Granate, the minister of war exclaimed as he slammed on the table. Still bitter that that his influence and power in the government was waning he quickly wanted to recover the favor of the king. However as long as Morgana existed that was an impossible prospect thus the easiest solution was just to remove her from the equation entirely.
"Wait, weren't we planning on inducting her into our council?"
Del asked.
"Never! That woman is far too unpredictable and needs to be removed this instant! Luminary you agree with me right?"
Pierre shouted in rage and appealed to their leader. The Luminary closed his eyes for a second in contemplation, having been silent throughout this meeting he was now going to make decisions.
"Yes, I too believe that she needs to be removed permanently. That kind of person cannot be controlled and will only serve to be a hindrance to our council."
The Luminary revealed the final verdict. The others all had their own opinions but did not dare speak out against their leader as they had trusted and feared his great insight.
"Then I shall take on that role."
Casec, the OMEGA ranked adventurer volunteered. Having the least amount of sway in the way of politics the only thing he could offer was his skills. The Luminary nodded at the suggestion and ordered the assassination on Morgana. They hadn't forgotten about the Hydra under her command but it was unlikely that she could use it in the middle of the city so it was a perfect chance for a silent assassination.
"Then what should we do about the hero?"
Del asked, returning the topic to the matter of the hero.
"We will wait until we know for sure whether he had been accepted or rejected."
The Luminary spoke, putting an end to the discussion; the vagueness of the issue concerning the hero was an annoying matter. 'Why can't things ever be simple?' the Luminary silently thought to himself. However right now with the attention being focused on the Hero it was the perfect time for them to remove Morgana from her seat of power.
"I guess that's that then. Hmm? Wait where's Lazzaro?"
Del asked as she turned to the empty seat next to her. Usually he would be the most boisterous in asking for Morgana to be taken down. It was because of her that he lost so much power after all, so at least their leader's decision would've made him happy but he wasn't here to hear it.
"Is he running late? That's rather unlike him."
Sven shrugged.
"That guy's always causing trouble! He should at least be here on time for the meetings. Really, just what is that guy doing?"
...
The Grand Cathedral, while not in complete ruins, it had suffered quite a fair amount of damage due to the day's incident. The walls had been knocked over and the glasses were all shattered. Strangely enough, the center of the impact, the Hero's Sanctuary had been left completely intact, almost to a mockery of everything around it.
Lazzaro Zeder, the Grand Cardinal paced around his ruined church. Staring at the debris with apathetic eyes he silently cursed all the series of misfortune that had befallen him recently. The Cathedral was his last remaining sanctum; the symbol of his power but that too was laid to waste.
"A quite night as this, the screeching of sorrows can be heard clearly."
Amongst the silently night covered in debris and exposed by the light of the moon the poetic voice of a young female was heard. The Grand Cardinal, Lazzaro Zeder knew this voice; even though he had only heard it once he recognized it in an instant.
"You!"
Turning to face the voice his fears had been realized. A young girl with blonde hair and a sinister smile approached him. The one he feared as 'Morialia', the ever so elusive demon that plagued his thoughts ever since she had bested him. This girl was not a light to his darkness but a darkness that went beyond his own shadows; her existence itself was an abyss that quietly ate away at his sanity.
Ever since their first meeting under the skies filled with fire, not a single day went by when he hadn't checked his back. A cold shiver ran down his back, as he audibly gulped. Unbeknownst even to him he started to subconsciously step a few steps back in fear.
This was Morialia, but not just a doppelganger but the real body. Mordred had waited for this day ever since the raid on Rena's inn; he waited so long for this chance. As promised, he had been disgraced and should he die now it would only add insult in injury.
Which was perfect.
Mordred knew himself best and if there was one fault that he found in himself it was that fact that he was extremely vindictive. His first friend, not just in this world but in his life had been hurt, so it was only right to repay the favor. It would be so easy to just take this man's life right now but he also wanted him to suffer.
It was then that Mordred revealed a small facet of truth to the Grand Cardinal; before his very eyes Morialia 'transformed' into Morgana Daltress. The Cardinal's eyes widened with disbelief, anger and wrath swelled within him violently as he finally realized the 'truth'. Morgana merely smiled back in mockery.
"YOU!!!! IT WAS YOU!!! I WILL KILL YOU!!!"
He shouted but none of his wrath was properly portrayed and easily dismissed. Lazzaro lunged towards Morgana with the full might of his 'shadows' but was easily dispelled by an invisible force. It was the same [repulsion trap] but on a weaker scale, however even watered down the Grand Cardinal didn't have enough power to break through.
"[Holy Chains]."
Morgana spoke out a spell. A snare type spell from the [templar] class, as the named implied it summoned 'holy' attuned chains to hold down an enemy and with the Cardinal's shadow affinity he was taking quite a bit of damage from them.
"LET ME GO! I'LL KILL YOU!! YOU BITCH!!"
Morgana slowly approached the hero's sanctuary and grasped the hilt of the sacred sword. At the same time she applied a suppression spell in order to keep the sword from awakening. As she removed the sword Lazzaro's eyes once again widened with disbelief.
"Im, impossible..."
"You know, I've only ever personally killed a single person ever since coming to this world. Granted the [Hellgate] spell killed thousands but it didn't feel personal enough; it was more like watching a natural disaster. Killing someone with your own two hands feels a lot more... sanity consuming."
Morgana approached slowly with the sacred sword in hand as she stared down the helplessly pinned down Lazzaro.
------------------------
"I've always wondered why the villain gloats everything to the protagonist when he has the upper hand. I mean it really does sound dumb, but I realize now why they do so. Because it feels really fucking great adding insult to injury when it's someone you hate. However the protagonist always escapes somehow making it a big mistake on the villain's part, but here's the clincher: you're no protagonist."
Yay~! I felt bad leaving you with that kind of cliff hanger so I decided to leave you guys here with this cliff hanger! *Clap clap clap!* Oh and I should warn you all but I have a naturally immunity to sporks so, hah!
Anyway, as I have said before I will be taking a two week break for my exams so please understand that I won't be able to update for that duration. I would like to once again thank all of my readers who have stuck with me until now and hope you continue to enjoy my work.
On a slightly unrelated note, I'm honored that everyone has been comparing this story to overlord. I really love that story but I just want to clear one thing up. Rather than Ainz, Mordred actually has more in common with Jonathon Irons from Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, this is in terms of ideology and methodology.
Make of that whatever you will, it doesn't really matter.
So for now, toodles~