Chapter 116: Conspiracy
"Gathering of Darkness! It's the Gathering of Darkness again!"
Elliot VIII had just sent away Chief Justice Sean from the Judges of LIght, before exploding within the main hall in fury. Apparently, the organization that was previously called the Gathering of Nobles had now renamed itself the Gathering of Darkness.
No matter how many times Elliot VIII had attempted to wipe them out, he was unable to completely extinguish them! These disgusting rats would always get wind of his actions and escape every time!
Just like that, they had grown and regrouped, right under the watch of Elliot VIII! What's worse, they had struck at the core of the Church of Light, as even the clergy members of the Church of Light were bought by them.
This betrayal had caused Elliot to now look at all of the people around him with suspicion. He was understandably terrified. After all, these bastards didn't only want to overthrow the Church of Light, but they also wanted to take his throne!
As Elliot VIII grew more agitated, his coughing worsened, wracking his entire body with shudders. The severe coughing fit made it seem as if he could keel over and die at any moment. Earl Yi Wensi immediately headed over to support him, gesturing for an aide to come over as well.
The aide approached with an ivory cup that was filled with water, while making eye contact with Yi Wensi. With a tacit understanding, he helped Elliot VIII drink the water and take a pill. Elliot VIII's symptoms were immediately alleviated.
Elliot VIII calmed his breathing and sat up, saying, "I heard that the court physician is an apprentice of the legendary Bohr Kelermo. As expected from a direct apprentice of Mr. Kelermo, if he wasn't this skilled, I probably would have died a long time ago."
It was already Year 21 of the San Calendar, and Elliot VIII was just past the age of forty. Although this was not so very old, his previous ailments could not be cured, so he had aged far beyond his years. Even with the expertise of the pastors from the Church and the apprentice of Kelermo, it was impossible to find cures. Hence, he could only maintain his current state.
Yi Wensi spoke. "This time, with the arrival of Chief Justice Sean, the Knights of Light have already entered our borders. If we add the numbers of Cardinal Leon's garrison, there are over forty thousand well-trained soldiers here from the Church. Should we really grant them such freedom? Though they are here to investigate the Gathering of Darkness, who knows what else they may be planning."
Elliot VIII's face darkened. His relationship with the Church of Light had always been quite complicated. On one hand, he had secured his position as the Emperor of Crete through the support and the authority of the Church. On the other hand, as the head of the Crete Empire, he could not let the Church interfere with domestic affairs and eclipse his own power.
However, this time the Church had stepped way out of line in sending the Chief Justice of the Judges of Light here. The elite squad within the Knights of Light had marched into the borders of Crete without his authorization, completely disregarding his position as the Emperor. This was also one of the factors that fueled his earlier tantrum. He just didn't dare say it aloud.
Elliot VIII could still barely suppress his rage. "Ignore them, the Church has lost the Sword of the King. Pope Hodap is only panicking, as he is becoming reckless with worry over losing an artifact granted by God. Nothing can stop them."
After he spoke, Elliot VIII barked out a chilly laugh. "Now that they have lost the Sword of the King, let's see how they conduct the next Coronation ceremony. Yi Wensi, put all of your efforts into watching the movements of the Church. This time, three Saints will be gathered in our empire. We must be very careful!"
As Yi Wensi left the palace, he encountered a carriage and a man dressed like a driver at the entrance. Yi Wensi's face changed color, as he quickly boarded this new carriage, being informed that his original carriage had been driven to his estate already.
Yi Wensi hurried to the underground meeting room and saw that all the other three members within the Crete Empire were already assembled. Yi Wensi promptly took his seat.
"The Church of Light definitely will not give up until they find the Sword of the King. What's more, they have a fierce determination to annihilate us. This isn't the same as the scuffles we have had before."
"What we did this time was too risky. Why did we take the Sword? Did we take it simply because it is said to hold supernatural powers in the legends? Even stealing the Mask of Faross would have been better than taking the Sword of the King!"
"Exactly! Why were we not notified about such an important plan? I only found out about it just now. The Three Saints are here, including the most terrifying one, the Chief Justice of the Judges of Light. Even the elite squad from the Knights of Light have entered our borders. Everyone has been thrown into complete chaos!"
"Well, that's not true. The symbolic meaning of the Sword of the King is far superior to the Mask of Faross. It symbolizes the God given right to rule. Without it, the authority of the Church is deeply impacted. The next Coronation would definitely go wrong."
The man at the head of the table spoke. "It was my decision, I have already started the plan. We will definitely succeed this time!"
There was a sudden silence. The black hooded man across from Yi Wensi swallowed, obviously excited, then faced the speaker. "It has already started?"
Yi Wensi was also thrilled. "We have waited for over twenty years, and now we finally have our chance. Elliot VIII's health is already failing. I will order them to increase the dosage. He definitely will not last past this spring."
The man at the head of the table lifted his head, causing his hood to fall down and display features almost identical to those of Elliot VIII. He was the younger brother of Elliot VIII, Duke Vortigen!
The legendary founder and head of the Gathering of Darkness was actually the younger brother, who Elliot VIII trusted the most! Upon recognizing him, all of the people there lowered their hoods in respect, one by one.
Other than Yi Wensi, who served as the Prime Minister, all of the other men were Elliot VIII's most trusted ministers. Including Duke Vortigen, all those gathered represented the highest levels of authority within the Crete Empire.
Vortigen looked everyone at there, his eyes finally coming to rest upon Yi Wensi. "Yi Wensi, this time the Church of Light has moved the Three Saints and lost the Sword of the King. The Crete Empire must answer for this. We need an important figure to stand out and attract their attention, and to make a sacrifice for the Gathering. At the same time, this is a very important stage for us. In the future, we will truly take the stage into a new era, and the Gathering of Darkness will follow you name, Earl Yi Wensi, to its death."
All eyes were now focused upon Yi Wensi. He paled immediately with unease. It seems that his presence today was a mistake. Yi Wensi had never thought that he, as a person who treated everyone else as sacrificial pawns, would ever end up being the one in such dire straits!
"No, you, you're all joking, right?" Yi Wensi said, shaking. Yet the looks the others were giving him, as if they were gazing at livestock being prepped for slaughter, were chilling to the bone.
Yi Wensi broke into a cold sweat and tried to stand up, yet his entire body had lost its strength. Failing in his attempt, he fell to the ground. "No, you can't do this to me."
Yi Wensi tried to turn toward the tunnel behind him and escape. He had to leave and expose the plot to the Emperor! He had to show these bastards the consequences of betraying him!
Yi Wensi had just managed to get up, when a thin woman walked out of the tunnel behind him. Two weakly glowing eyes emerged from the darkness and locked onto Yi Wensi, causing him to immediately freeze up.
The thin woman grabbed his throat and lifted him up with one hand. Yi Wensi struggled with all his strength, but could not escape her grasp.
"Wizards! You actually sought out the wizards again, you.." Yi Wensi's shrill voice flattened out into a whine as he trembled in terror.
The woman extended a hand, and a black insect jumped from it and crawled into Yi Wensi's ear. Yi Wensi gave a horrified scream and convulsed, causing him to fall to the ground until his entire consciousness fell into darkness.
After a long time, Yi Wensi crawled up from the ground. His eyes were deadened with a hollow gaze. Vortigen clapped as he looked at the female wizard. "Please take care of the rest."