Volume 1: Stranger in a Strange Land Chapter 26 Nightmare Maid
"Do you think he noticed anything?"
After the court mage Vincent left, Duke Simon stared at the end of Wang Kouqi on the table in a daze. A voice that could not be distinguished between old and young suddenly echoed in the empty seat beside him .
"If he didn't notice anything, then he wouldn't be the 'Scorched Sage' Vincent who is known as the number one person under the legend, and this is also part of the plan, isn't it?"
The Duke replied, then leaned over to put the chessboard away, but a hand stopped between him and the chessboard.
A layer of dreamy mist lingered on the hand, and its appearance kept changing in the hazy light, sometimes white and tender like a young girl, and sometimes withered like an old man.
Duke Simon raised his head. The owner of the arm was also shrouded in a layer of mist, and his appearance changed between different ages as the mist flowed.
The nightmare maiden, a member of the family of the Void King Nightmare Lord.
He is also one of the Moon Realm spirits who signed a blood pact with him.
"He will go to the Holy Sepulchre to investigate himself. I know his character."
Duke Simon said.
"I thought you would be more considerate of the old friendship. After all, he has assisted you for twenty-four years."
"He has grown old. Now he is just an old father who misses his daughter. He is no longer the warrior who dared to question the laws of the stars and resist the tyranny of the empire."
Upon hearing this, the nightmare maid put on a faint smile.
"But you still tried to make him a warrior, didn't you? Otherwise, how did the contract medium of the Shambler fall into David Orbis's hands?"
Duke Simon sighed silently.
The nightmare maid chuckled.
"I'm actually very curious. If there hadn't been that heretic wizard who came out of nowhere to mess things up, and Master Vincent really became a warrior again because of his daughter's tragic death, then where would you have found another magic caster close to the legendary realm to replace him as the fuel for the 'King's Ritual'?"
Duke Simon did not speak, but turned his head and looked through the window at the Star Lighthouse standing nearby.
The nightmare maid first looked at the lighthouse in surprise, and then couldn't help laughing. Its image changed rapidly along with the laughter.
“Hahahahaha, that’s really interesting. You actually plan to use the lighthouse keeper of the Star Lighthouse as firewood for the ceremony. Not only the imperial family, but you also regard the Star Council that runs the Star Law as your enemy? It seems that I have to sincerely thank that unknown heretic wizard for rescuing his daughter.”
"It's not because of this..."
Duke Simon replied.
"Once the plan begins, it will only be a matter of time before I break up with the Star Council. If Blackwater Province wants to be truly independent and recreate the glory of the Blackwater Kingdom, it must not only be independent in the secular sense. It must also completely break free from the control of the empire on the transcendental and religious levels."
More than 800 years ago, the reincarnation of the great hero William Kane, Terra I, conquered the entire Vic Continent by force and established the Riel Empire. Since then, there have been countless forces that dared to challenge the authority of the empire, and there have indeed been successful examples of independence in history. However, these forces were ultimately short-lived, and returned to the empire's territory helplessly after a few years.
The reason is that the secular regime is only a part of the Riel Empire. This huge empire is composed of the royal family, the Star Council and the Holy Spirit Church, three pillars that symbolize the secular, the extraordinary and the faith.
Duke Simon understood that if he wanted to fulfill his family’s 800-year-old wish, he had to rebuild his three pillars.
The legacy of the Holy Sepulchre is his only hope.
"Once the ritual succeeds and I have control over the army, I will restore the faith of the Three Goddesses in the Blackwater Kingdom and open up the Moon Realm's contract magic to replace the Star Law as the new magic foundation."
The Nightmare Maid did not respond to the Duke's words, but instead pressed her finger on the mob's chess piece and gently pushed it, knocking out the opponent's chess piece representing the sage.
"Wang Kou, Wang Kou, a rebel can only become the new king after killing the king. If you want to inherit the legacy of the Blackwater King, you still have to really play the role of a rebel. How are the preparations at the Silver Stream Mine going?"
Duke Simon smiled.
"Don't worry, the Weaver will handle everything there. It..."
The Duke stopped speaking in the middle of his words, his face changed drastically, and then he muttered to himself.
"how so……"
The Nightmare Maid asked.
"What's wrong?"
"The Web Weaver just disappeared in my ether."
Before he could continue explaining, the door of the living room was suddenly pushed open.
"Your Excellency the Duke, the Star Lighthouse has sent an urgent message that the 'Reverberation' spell has been activated in the Mage Hall. It was the one you sent to the Silver Mine..."
A herald rushed in, and then he saw the nightmare maid sitting next to him, constantly changing her form.
"Sir, what is this?"
"Come here."
The nightmare maid hooked her finger at the young herald, and the man walked towards her uncontrollably.
"Tell me, what did you see?"
In the eyes of the herald, the image of the woman shrouded in mist kept changing, sometimes young and beautiful, sometimes old and ugly, and finally her image turned into the noble lady he loved.
"I saw..."
The herald held its hand and said in a somewhat confused tone.
The next moment, the woman turned into a horrible, corrupted and festering corpse. She grabbed the other person and pulled him into her arms, opening her mouth full of poisonous snakes and kissing him.
With a "pop" sound, the messenger turned into a pile of foam and disappeared in the kiss, leaving only clothes on the ground.
After doing all this, the nightmare maid bent down, picked up the man's clothes and threw them into the fireplace.
"Do you mind if I do this without your permission?"
"Now is not the time to discuss this. How could the Weaver suddenly..."
The Duke said a little impatiently.
"How about letting me go and take a look?"
The Nightmare Maid asked, rummaging through the herald's clothes with a poker.
"No, the appearance of a Moon Realm Spirit in the Silver Mine is already troublesome enough, and now we don't know who did it. If it was a spy from the church or the royal family, we can't increase my suspicion now."
"I am different from that woman who only plays tricks behind the scenes and becomes embarrassed once her scheme is exposed. No one can see through my disguise."
Duke Simon pondered for a moment, and finally shook his head.
"No matter what, the other party is powerful enough to defeat the Web Weaver. It's too risky for you to go. Go and control the King Slayer first. I must ensure that the ceremony can proceed as usual even in the worst case scenario."
"Who are you going to let go to the mine?"
The Duke frowned and thought for a while after hearing this, and finally said.
"According to the contingency plan for the Silver Mine Cave riot, send three squadrons of Thorn Black Guards and five Battle Mages to quell the riot, led by Master Vincent."
After saying this, Duke Simon sighed.
"Old friend, this is my last chance to give you."
