Chapter 182: Secret Meeting
Chapter 182: Secret Meeting
During the time when Roy and the others are busy in Melk and doing their own businesses, somewhere in an unknown location unmarked in any maps, a discussion is happening.
"What the hell happened!?" asked a man in priest clothing and a white mask. Rather than a mask, it was more like a helmet that covers his whole head.
"The experiment is a success. With the invention we make, we can make it so monsters can follow our simple orders. That's what happened." Another man with a lab coat replied.
If Roy, Albert, or anyone from their group listened to this conversation, they would realize who these people are.
That's right. These people are the higher ups of the cult who gave the order to destroy several designated cities by using monsters.
Other than the two masked people, there are several other people there. One of them is Veronica.
These people are called because the higher ups haven't received any news from the stampede. They even send some people to scout the area where the stampede happened, but they haven't returned.
"I understand that your invention worked, but what I asked is why have we never received any news at all!? What about the people we send to investigate!?" The masked man asked.
"Maybe there are some trouble on the way. Please be patient and wait until they return. My guess is the mages around the targeted city are stronger than expected, so the stampede is longer than we thought. And that's why there had been no news at all." The researcher said to calm the masked man down.
"It might take a while for them to return here. Even I who just left Melk a day before the stampede only arrive yesterday. Although they should be faster than my horse carriage, it will still take some time for the people you sent return."
The one who said it was Veronica. Although she is a traitor of the cult, no one knows about it other than Roy's group. And her acting is very persuasive that no one thinks that she is a traitor.
No one looks at her with suspicion, but there is one person who looks at her in contempt. It was Celestine. Another person who, like Veronica, was sent to Melk after the Orc Emperor appearance in Melk.
The clothes she wears shows her cleavage openly making men unable to look away from her.
If Roy is here, he will recognize Celestine just from her look alone despite never seeing her before. He will say something like, 'She's the leader of the big boobs faction!'
Celestine always hated to be compared with Veronica. She always thought of herself being superior from Veronica. And seeing her talking to the masked man makes Celestine hate her even more.
"Veronica. Celestine. You two were sent to Melk city after the Orc Emperor's subjugated, right? Tell me about that city."
The masked man told Veronica and Celestine to explain their experience when they stay in Melk.
Celestine about to explain to the masked man, but she refrains to do so because of their failure to do their job. So, she looked at Veronica and told her with her eyes to be the one talking.
"We might have underestimated that city. The mages in that city are stronger than we thought. The army we sent were all annihilated when we tried to kill someone who was about to level up. But I doubt any of our people leaked our secrets."
"Do you think the one responsible for their deaths is the same group as the one who subjugated the Orc Emperor?" The masked man asked.
"The rumor that was spread by the guild is that someone called Kron is the one responsible in the Orc Emperor's death. So, we were careful to not provoke him. But Kron disappear from the city just a day after the Orc Emperor's subjugation and haven't returned to Melk during my time there. So, the possibility that he was the one who killed our army is small."
Veronica and Celestine's job in Melk is to take care of the powerful mages in Melk before the stampede so their plan can go smoothly. But they failed since they encountered Roy's company.
After that event, Roy left Melk for a while and didn't return to Melk until it was close to the day for the exam. And that's why both Veronica and Celestine unable to investigate who is responsible in the annihilation of an entire army. Although Veronica realize it after Sonia told her about it.
Ever since Sonia told Veronica that it was Roy's party who was responsible for the Orc Emperor's subjugation, she had a slight hope that Roy and the others can stop the stampede. Especially if they are being helped by the king.
But for now, she is playing the role of the evil one. As an important member of the cult. So she answered everything honestly.
"So the both of you think that it's impossible for the stampede to not destroy Melk, right?" The masked man asked.
"… other than the stampede, the person in charge of making sure the city is destroyed has chosen to stay behind. And he's an expert level mage in two elements at least. So unless they have someone who has reached expert level as well, it should be impossible to stop the stampede." Veronica said.
She had told Roy and the others that Luiz is an expert level mage, but she is still doubtful about them being able to stop the stampede. Until the day after the stampede when Sonia visits her in the middle of the night to inform her what happened. And now Veronica is more hopeful than ever that she can finally say goodbye to the cult that raised her and used her.
"Not just Luiz. I also left some people to disturb the city's defense in case they can hold back the stampede. And one man among them has just became an expert level a few days before the stampede began. Which makes there are two expert level making sure the city is destroyed. There might be survivors among the people of Melk, but our goal should be completed this way."
Not wanting Veronica to gain all the credits, Celestine said that to the masked man.
Veronica is surprised when she heard that. Sonia didn't tell anything about how Roy stopped the stampede so she doesn't know at all that there is another expert level mage. She doesn't know of the fate of that other expert level mage.
What if he survives? He will then tell the cult how the city survives the stampede. Many thoughts entered her mind, but she still has an expressionless face to show the others.
"Is that so. It's good news to have another expert level mage under us. When he returns, tell him that his rank will be raised."
"I will." Celestine smiled thinking that she will be the one taking the credits from Veronica.
When she was told to visits Melk together with Veronica, she didn't like that idea at all. She has always been compared to her. And she hated the idea that the higher ups think that Veronica is at the same level as she is.
That's why when she was in Melk, she quickly told Veronica that she will pick someone from her faction who will lead the army so she can gain some credits. But only after killing some weaklings, somehow, the army who went on a mission never returned.
And so, her stays in Melk were lengthened. But there's no clue at all as to why her people never return. Which makes her think that there are some hidden experts in the city.
She is also the one who send people to spy on Veronica. They are disguised as Veronica's people.
While thinking so, someone entered the room in a hurry.
"Report! The stampede in Hirugas is a failure! And most of our people there have been killed during the stampede!" The messenger reported.
"What!? Who killed them!?" Asked the masked man.
"We don't know. But from the corpses the witness says, it seems to be the work of the monsters!" replied the messenger.
In Hirugas, the one in charge of taking care of the stampede and evacuation in that area is the current Prime Minister's son, Hector. He told the agents there to disguise the death of the cult members as if it was the works of the monsters. He ordered it just in case someone from the cult survives and reported it to their boss.
As for the witness, it was a fifteen years old boy who has just recently joined the cult. He joined just after Roy left that city. That's why no one from the agents who were send to protect Hirugas noticed that there is a survivor from the cult in that city.
"You mean that while the stampede is a failure, we are the one who received casualties as well? How could that be!?" The masked man shouted in anger.
"Whatever the case, our research has come to fruition. We can control stampede to happen. What about the flight transportation?"
Suddenly, there was a voice of a man coming from a door that no one other than the masked man can enters. He is the leader of the cult. The man who proclaimed himself as the True God and the one people from the cult worship.
"My lord! The transportation is a success! We used the wyverns to transport monsters directly into the city. Soon we will be able to use the wyverns and other flying monsters as our means of transportation!"
The masked man then kneeled toward the door, followed by the other people who are there.
"Good. Once we control the sky, we can control the world. And destruction will come after."
The one who called himself as the True God makes world destruction as his and his cult's goal.
Veronica's body shivered each time a word comes out from the door. She can't take being there any longer and wish that the one behind the door doesn't realize her betrayal.
Not just Veronica. Even others who are extremely loyal such as the masked man, also shudders from hearing the voice from the door.
"Melk. Are there any other unresolved issues from that city?" The man behind the door asked curiously. It was because after hearing about the death of one of their experiment, the Orc Emperor, he was slightly curious about that city.
Celestine and Veronica shook their heads and replied that nothing worth mentioning happened.
But there's one thing that they didn't report. It's about someone almost destroyed a practice target by throwing a button and no one knows who did it. Veronica knows that it was Roy who did it and keep it as a secret, while Celestine never thought of that event as something important so she forgets about it.
Which is good, since if they reported about it, the man behind the door will know that it was the works of an Aura user. A non-magic ability that should have been extinct for a thousand years.