Chapter 80: To Each Their Faith
Chapter 80: To Each Their Faith
Wade Xeclyde looked out of the window as he waited for the sunlight to bask upon the lands once more.
Everyday, dawn and dusk; these were the fixed resting times for the grand labyrinth that had segmented the streets into dozens of individual pieces. For an hour during these two periods, the lingering fog would recede temporarily, allowing one to navigate through the labyrinth without suffering from impaired visibility.
However, after the hour was up, the fog would creep back in and a new labyrinth would emerge, rendering all of the information collected over the past half a day useless. This was also the reason why Wade’s allied armies were unable to find Victoria and Ponte no matter how they combed the area.
Unless they were able to gather an army of over a hundred thousand to fill up the entire street, their chances of reaching Victoria and Ponte banked entirely on luck. Furthermore, their armies couldn’t afford to advance too quickly due to the poor visibility, which meant that the efficiency of their search was lower than expected.
Just last night, however, Wade found a new ray of hope. There was no need for him to search blindly anymore, for he had detected a resonance with the royal bloodline on Locke Street.
Without a doubt, the one who was resonating with the royal bloodline had to be Victoria. While Wade couldn’t understand why she would deactivate the magic tool that was suppressing her royal bloodline, there was no doubt that this was a good opportunity for Wade to strike.
As soon as the fog dissipated at dawn, he would personally lead his armies toward where the resonance was coming from.
“Your Highness, we have no idea what Victoria and Ponte are up to. The fact that they dare to reveal their location means that it’s likely for there to be a trap waiting for us there. Please remain here and allow me to go instead.”
Looking at the young man gazing out of the window, Felder Elric placed his fist on his chest and spoke gravely. He felt that it was best for him to move, given the risks involved.
However, the young man he was addressing didn’t respond to him. The other party continued looking out of the window quietly, as if not hearing his request.
“Felder, what do you think is the cause of my mother’s death?”
“Hm? It’s due to the political shenanigans of the nobles and priests of the church…”
Felder was surprised by the abrupt question posed by Wade. He blinked his eyes in confusion as he revealed his own view on the matter, but the latter shook his head in response to his answer.
“No, that’s not it. That’s just scraping the surface. The real reason lies in our differences.”
“Differences?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Wade turned around to face Felder, and he began to explain calmly.
“Geographical differences, racial differences, nationality differences, faith differences; all of these differences we have with one another induce fears. They are like fences that segregate us from one another. We view everything that stands outside our fence with fright, fearing that others would infringe on our sanctuary and threaten our existence.
“Regardless of your identity and merits, as soon as you display any difference from the majority, you’ll be treated differently. It could range from subtle discrimination to genocide. That’s the true cause behind my mother’s death.
“Have I avenged her through this war yet? There are probably many who think that I have achieved my goal. The nobles who had sidelined and pressured her back then have already died, but that’s not my end goal. It’s not over yet. The vengeance I seek goes far beyond that!
“My mother died from the plague and the scorn of the nobles, but more than that, she died due to the discrimination and oppression arising from the differences in ideals. That’s what I seek to shatter in my vengeance. I want to tear down those tall fences that people hide themselves behind! But, there’s just far too much that needs to be eliminated…
“It’s a difficult journey ahead, but it’s not entirely impossible. For one, I could unify the continent together as one, just like the Ancient Austine Empire back in the Second Epoch…”
Wade looked at the dumbfounded Felder with eyes burning with ambitions.
“You once asked me what my dream is. I’ll give you an answer right now. This is my dream! It won’t be easy to realize it; there will be difficulties every step of the way. Your strength is irreplaceable to me in fulfilling this goal… That’s why, I forbid you from viewing yourself as a pawn to me.”
With a faint smile on his lips, Wade refused Felder’s request. However, Felder was in far too much shock to respond right away.
Even though Felder had known that the liege he served was one with great ambitions, he never imagined that the latter would actually harbor such grand dreams. He actually wanted to construct a unified empire for all humans.
… If it’s him, with his talents and the power of the Theocracy, that might just be possible!
Felder suddenly felt that Wade looked far bigger and more imposing than before. The marquess straightened his back once more before bowing solemnly.
“I’m grateful for the high opinions you have for me. I’m willing to devote my life to fulfilling your dreams! However, Your Highness, I can’t allow you to walk into Locke Street by yourself. So what if it’s a trap? If I don’t even have the courage to face this bit of danger, how could I possibly be worthy of standing by your side and fulfilling your dreams?”
Those words made the edges of Wade’s lips inch up further. Even though there was no crown on his head, the air he commanded was already comparable to that of a conqueror.
“We’ll set off at daylight.”
…
“Wade will definitely head there, I’m certain of it.”
In the Labyrinth Villa, Victoria Xeclyde pointed to the blinking red dot on Locke Street as she directed a sharp look toward a helpless looking black-haired man sitting not too far away.
Ponte Ascart was holding onto one of his diaries with a musing look on his face. It was a long time later before he finally responded.
“Victoria, is your magic tool really working normally? Could it be malfunctioning? No matter how I look at it…”
“It’s working fine.”
Victoria’s sharp and resolute response left Ponte at a loss for words. As a teacher, he felt that it wasn’t appropriate for him to probe too deeply into the private affairs of his pupil, but given the current circumstances, it didn’t seem like he had any other choices.
“Regarding this… Victoria, does your family have any distant relatives that are not known to the rest of the world or something like that…”
“There’s nothing of that sort.”
“It’s certain that Holy Eminence Ryan isn’t in Loren at the moment, so what do you think this red dot signifies then?”
“Probably an illegitimate child.”
Victoria puckered her lips as her complexion turned a little awful. The worst thing that could happen in the midst of a disaster was for a family crisis to suddenly break out, especially when it was something as explosive as the revelation of the existence of a half-sibling. Anyone stumbling into such a situation would feel utterly annoyed.
As a member of the Xeclyde House, it wouldn’t do for Victoria to speak badly about Holy Eminence Ryan, her father, but it couldn’t be helped, and her mood became awful.
“Ah. What do you propose we do about this then? Are we going to save that person?”
Ponte discreetly glanced at his fuming pupil while asking carefully. Victoria took a few breaths to calm herself, before finally nodding her head.
“No matter what, it’s a fact that our Xeclyde House is lacking in offspring. Furthermore, the fact that the child has been roaming around on the streets goes to show that the Holy Eminence isn’t aware of his or her existence. They’re an innocent bystander in this conflict, so I can’t let them to die in Wade’s hands.”
After saying her piece, Victoria raised her head to look Ponte in the eye.
“Teacher, please help me. I wish to bring that child here.”
Ponte fell into a moment of silence after hearing Victoria’s request, but it wasn’t hesitation on his face but graveness.
“Victoria, I understand how you feel, but you should understand the cost of your action. We might come to blows with Wade over this matter. You’ll be putting yourself in great danger.”
“I understand, teacher, but I can’t turn a blind eye to my kin… Furthermore, for Wade’s plan to come to fruition, he has to hold an unshakable leverage over the Xeclyde House. He cannot allow an illegitimate child to meet our father.”
Victoria’s eyes drooped sorrowfully as she spoke. She hated how things had come to this point between her and her twin brother, but she knew that she had to stop Wade at all cost.
It was not a lack of understanding between them that brought about this conflict. On the contrary, it was precisely because she knew Wade’s plans that made her determined to stop him.
Wade’s ambitions were simply too great. It was to the point where the Theocracy wouldn’t be able to bear the weight of his dreams. It would spell a calamity for the world if Wade were to don the crown. Countless civilians would lose their lives, and families would be torn apart.
“Since you have already made up your mind, I won’t say anything more about it. Let’s face off with those two brats, Wade and Felder, then.”
Ponte sighed deeply in his mind before stepping forward to console his student.
Following that, he began to analyze a feasible plan for the operation. He took a look at the map of Locke Street and prayed that the environment there was suitable for him to exert his prowess.
Meanwhile, Victoria put her sorrow aside and began preparing the manpower required for the operation. There was no doubt that the blinking red dot on Locke Street would spark up a huge battle between both factions after several days of relative peace.
Unknowingly, ominous clouds had begun gathering from all around, bringing a heavy feeling to the battlefield.