"You... Why did you betray me?" A sigh left my lips as I looked at the man casually sitting before me with an unconcerned expression on his face.
"Master, you must be joking." He laughed it off as he was innocent...
Hah... I'm disappointed... To think out of everyone, the person who would betray me first would actually be the Head of my Household's Guards.
I may have put too much faith in his professionalism as a Knight...
"'To kill an old emperor with a borrowed sword.' Have you heard of this old saying among Knights? It was actually created when a few rebellious Knights among our former ruler's most trusted Imperial Guards actually killed a prince of a foreign nature in order to incite a bloodbath among royalty. This happened at the same time as the Holy War and could be considered the most heinous act against humanity at the time..." I spoke while sliding my finger in a circular motion above the glass on my desk. The man before me was surprised as I didn't radiate anger...
"I never considered this unusual yet simple plot that could also be used against my household... If the granddaughter of an important figure was to be assassinated while she was under my protection, then wouldn't everyone of my bloodline suffer a great backlash as a result?" I asked rhetorically, looking as if I had just realised the danger I was in.
It was now that the unconcerned look on my Head Guard's face dissipated.
"You can't kill me." He spoke with a fearful expression. It looked like he wasn't foolish to point that he would entertain the notion of being forgiven.
"I know what you're implying. The repercussions of killing you will be losing the trust of the Guards I hired to protect my household. Though I can't really say I would mind losing such thing. I can replace any of the Guards of the Swordwick Household whenever I see fit." A surge of intense Mana erupted out of my body as Aura while I activated my Skill Root.
[Skill Root- Cloudy Blue Sword Eyes]
My eyes turned sapphire as the reflection of the man that existed in my eyes was surrounded by dozens of my Astral Swords. He didn't even have the time to blink before I trapped him like a caged rat.
"On account of the fact that you have been dutifully serving me in a professional manner all this time. I'll give you a chance to tell me a reason why I shouldn't be killing you immediately." Although I wasn't the kind of person who would forgive traitors, it's only natural I'd give him a lifeline considering his contributions to my ancient Swordwick Household.
"I can help you reach a step closer to your ambitions, sir!" Although the man couldn't see the swords I surrounded him with in reality, he knew the extent of my ability and understood there's no way he'd be able to survive at such a distance. My Skill Root only had a supportive role while I'm conjuring my powerful Intrinsic Art: Infinite Swords.
Other ignorant Nobles might laugh at the fact that I had refined a Water Attribute Skill Root instead of a Light Attribute type which were always superior in every way, but those who have seen my countless battles against the Blood Nation would know that I am not to be trifled with.
"Continue." I restrained myself before giving him a surprised glance. I'm not sure what he's talking about since I've never shown my ambition to others.
"You want to overthrow the royal family, right? I have connections to Cerberus and close ties with the Crown Prince. I can definitely-"
"Hahahaha!" I couldn't help but laugh uproariously after hearing his utter nonsense. What does this man think of me? A traitor within the Noble ranks? Even his words could just be a ploy to lower my trust in the Royal Family. A scheming one indeed...
"What made you think I WANT to overthrow the Royal Family?" I asked as I once again looked at him with the intention to kill. I hope he has something better than this to offer...!
"Sir, the amount of military strength you have been amassing over the years is clear to see. Even if the Royal Family doesn't act immediately, they are definitely plotting to-"
"They aren't." I cut him off once again while ignoring his horrified expression. A prideful look appeared on my face as I looked down on him.
Hah... Is this why my former 'Head Guard' thought I would let him live...?
How foolish...
"I am not a ruthless individual. This is especially true for a fellow Human like yourself. That's why I'll give you a brief explanation of why you'll die today so you can rest in peace." My former Head Guard shivered at my words and immediately tried to escape by using a Dark Art to phase into the shadows. I didn't stop him since his efforts were all in vain...
Every inch of my Swordwick Household was layered with magic-resistant materials and multiple traps I personally prepared here and there.
There was no way to escape from me unless he phased into space itself...
I'm surprised that this Fire Specialist I hired could actually cast Dark Arts as well. However, does this man REALLY think he can get away that easily...?
[Main Skill- Lifeblood Homing]
With I slight gesture of my finger, the traitor who had vanished into the shadows of my office was stabbed by my Astral Swords despite having turned his entire physique ethereal...
"How...?" The traitor cried out in despair at the fact I was able to pinpoint his exact location despite using his Art to conceal himself.
"Anything that has been reflected in my Cloudy Blue Sword Eyes is recorded as a potential target. The moment I saw you was also when your fate was sealed by my Skill Root." I answered without caring about the blood I spilt. After all, I could have someone clean up later.
The traitor, who was ready to put his all into escaping moments ago, could only shiver after I pinned his arms and legs to the ground with multiple swords. His face paled considerably considering the blood loss he was currently experiencing, but he didn't have the courage to fight back at all.
This man had probably heard many of those exaggerated rumours about my so-called 'ruthless and sadistic' temperament through his weak or generally misinformed sources...
I only call them inaccurate because I don't show such savagery to Humans.
The only existences worth my wrath is the Blood God and those vermin!
"The Royal Family is well-aware of my true ambitions and have been supporting me from the shadows. I don't know which of the many Nobles I've offended have sent you but you have unfortunately guessed my intentions wrong. I'm not interested in giving you anymore critical information, but you should be satisfied by my sincerity, right?" The swords pinning the traitor down disappeared as I used my Intrinsic Art: Infinite Swords to create a row of swords that flipped him over.
Once his face pointed towards the sky and his eyes were able to grasp my figure by looking downwards in his direction, I casually walked towards him without any fear of retaliation.
"Wait- I... can still be useful! You can't kill me like this! You can't-"
"I can." I simply stated before reaching my hand towards the area of his heart. Goosebumps appeared all over his body as he struggled.
"Before dying, compensate my losses."
[Main Extension- Life Taker]
A blue beam of light struck his Mana Flame and gave it a material, crystal-like form before I pulled it out of his chest! The traitor who was struggling and screaming for his dear life upon seeing my actions suddenly stopped powerlessly as his body turned into a motionless, lifeless corpse.
He didn't have to feel pain nor did he have to go through torment... This was the mercy I showed to Humans who stood in the way of my ambitions.
Hmmm... While looking at the pure white Mana Flame that was slowly crystallising itself into a diamond in my hand, I gestures my hand to get the servants I had hiding in my office's shadows to clean up the traitor's corpse. Dark Specialists might be uncommon but they're not special enough to garner my attention.
If Cerberus wants to get in my way, I have an army exceptional servants!
"What are your thoughts?" I asked towards the ground with a perplexed expression. The ordinary-looking shadow which connected to my feet rippled momentarily like water before a figure phased out of it.
The Ninja that was part of my trusted servants appeared before me...
"I believe the former 'Head Guard' was sent by Count Dragontooth and is aligned with Cerberus. Should I bring him here to be judged?" Anna spoke coldly with a glacier heart.
Her lack of composure when mentioning the culprit who was behind the attack on my most important chess piece was normal considering how intimate her relationship with Martha. I am quite pleased with how Anna has slowly changed over the years... She no longer seems like a lifeless puppet!
"Why kill him secretly when we can go there openly? Do not fret over this matter. I will go to his household personally tomorrow. For now, we have more important things to talk about." I too wanted to kill the scum but I must abide by our kingdom's ironclad rules rather than act out.
"What do you think of Merilin and Simon...?" I asked with uncertainty.
"Merilin's a simple child who really loves magic. As for Simon though... I feel like he's a 'contradiction'." Anna spoke after some careful thought.
I couldn't simply stand while talking about this important matter so I sat down near my desk and allowed her to pull up a chair to sit in front of me.
"Are you saying he's suspicious? He has been raised by Martha and Fredrick personally. There shouldn't be anything wrong about his behaviour, right?" I questioned since there's no way any of the children of my household have interacted with the powers outside this household. I had already bound those few others who became parents in my household with this agreement just in case.
There's no telling when those Dark Specialists hoping to infiltrate my household would try to steal my priceless possessions so I made sure to there would be no loopholes in my security measures. Who knows how thieves would make use of children to infiltrate my Household's depths?
"I have practically watched Simon grow up... Despite this, I'm unable to believe that the same child I saw feigning maturity at a young age was also the 'Hero' who went up against a rare Sleeper sent by Cerberus.
Although the age of the assassin doesn't seem to be high judging on what was left of her body, I am absolutely sure her combat prowess wouldn't have been any weaker than an adult Dark Specialist when she was alive. More importantly, I can't bring myself to believe Simon was the one who blew her head off... Isn't he too cruel for his age?" I poured her a glass of water out of concern and gave it to her to drink. She is a very useful subordinate and I don't want her to lose her composure over this incident.
"I've already checked and isolated all information about what actually happened back there. The marks left behind by their battle indicates that one of them had a unique kind of projectile weapon that could even break through our best magic resistant walls. None could be found on the Sleeper's corpse... so it looks like Simon is hiding secrets from everyone about his abilities." I said thoughtfully while stroking my chin.
"He's hiding a weapon like that as well?" She mumbled in response.
"Either way, he's still a Universal Specialist who use up his Rank F Magical Talent to form a Skill Root. I have even heard from some sharp-eyed individuals that his Auxiliary Skill can be separated into the five elemental attributes. I didn't expect this to happen but considering his current accomplishments. I don't need to hesitate to include him in my future plans. Perhaps he can even replace Merilin as the 'protagonist' of our chaotic Era." I shook my head before getting up to walk to a bookshelf not far from my desk.
I used my Water Aura to manipulate a few mechanism behind the shelf until the noise of gears turning could be heard. The bookshelf shifted and showed the myriad of sword I had hidden behind it. I'm sure no one have ever heard of this kind of advanced armoury on Sphera before!
I looked at the metallic yet oddly mystical swords hung up orderly in front of me and traced my hand along the most important weapon at the centre of everything. My ancestor's sword named 'God Slayer' was still as unaffected by time as always...
Only I was aware that despite this ordinary-looking sword's external appearance, the entirety of God Slayer was actually made of Light Mana that had been compressed to its limits.
In other words, it was made of the legendary 'Sun Mana' which had long been lost in history after the those of ancient humanity were forsaken.
Just imagining that there will one day be a second God Slayer owned by my household filled me with pride. As long as that girl is loyal to my daughter, then I will never have to worry about my child's safety... It just hurts my heart to lie about Sylphy's origins to my dearest daughter... but I have no choice. She doesn't need to know her maid's identity for now...
I stopped thinking about useless things and moved on to looking for suitable swords to give out to the two people I've chosen to become the central figures of the 'Blood Annihilation' project I planned.
Whether they meet my expectations or not will depend entirely on them...!
As I was searching through the various Enchanted Swords I, and the House Masters before me, had synthesised over the years using our Intrinsic Art: Infinite Swords... The only ones that seemed suitable for them were the swords named 'River Stream', 'Life Seeker', and the new prototype Enchanted Sword I was trying to create through the help of Mark Greenlock, which was named the 'Calamitous Harbringer'...
"Anna, take these three Astral Swords to Merilin and Simon. The blue sword is to be given to Merilin as an apology for what happened while the other two will be given to Simon as both a gift and apology." I hardened my heart as I gave my family's most precious possessions away just like that... (I had no choice in the matter considering the Archmage backing them. I needed to show 'sincerity'.)
Anna looked at me in surprise before nodding her head. Her figure vanished as she left with my swords in excitement. My heart is bleeding now that I've lost three of my Swordwick Household's precious family heirlooms.
They were supposed to be for my daughter, Sapphire!
Hah... I shouldn't complain over this...
Not only did I have to give away the heirlooms I was creating for my daughter to appease Hilda, the eccentric Lightning Archmage, which was the correct choice, but I also needed to two of them to grow safely for my plan to come into fruition.
It's already a fortune that I have a backup rely on like Simon if anything was to go awry. Although manipulating them like this could be considered evil from a certain standpoint, it's not like I'm ever going to force them to do anything out of their power to do... After all, Sapphire and Sylphy are also going to be unknowing participants of the 'Blood Annihilation' project as well...!
Five years... I've waited for five years already... Another five will be easy...!
I must be patient... I must prepare for the great storm that is to come...!
The Holy War will be our stage!!!