While the sovereigns all over the continent closed their eyes in unison to let their minds firmly fixate upon the goals that they had pondered deeply about, in a different place, a very important meeting had begun.
It was in the same, large cave with the rows and rows of seats occupied by disguised figures, but in the center which had been occupied by two individuals before, there was only one.
The empty seat beside him seemed to magnify in the eyes of all those present. They kept looking at it, as if it signified their own fate in the future, and at one point, even the one beside it could not help but fall into a trance while looking at everything it represented.
The meeting had been called by him, but he hadn"t spoken a word since everyone had gathered. Still, the stakes were higher than ever, and everyone knew that it was now, or never.
They patiently waited for the man to speak his mind, because they knew him to be someone who meant what he said. Even if he took his time, the decision he made would carry the greatest impact, so no one dared to say anything while he was absorbed in his thoughts.
It took an entire five minutes for him to finally stand up and look at all those who had gathered. While he did so, his eyes contained a grave expression which no one had seen even in situations that had felt much more dangerous in the past, and this, more than anything, made it clear that things were much more worrisome than they had thought.
"Northstar. Due to how she is now, it"s not really important that her ident.i.ty is hidden anymore. She was conned into a hostage situation, and attacked by the Heros for whom their descendants were the most precious things in their life. If that method hadn"t been used, there might have been hope to save her, but… It all happened too fast. How could she have been expected not to try to save herself in that situation? Any one of us would rather fight and escape rather than surrender and be at the mercy of those in that darn organization. She did the best she was capable of, but she could only go down in a blaze of glory. We were all watching. When she fought against 14 Peak Heroes all at once, we watched. When she was captured and brought in front of the continent, we watched. When they cut apart her consciousness from her body, we still watched, and even when she"s tortured every second of every day, we continue to watch, for we dare do nothing. I know that all of us follow the Church for different reasons, but she was one of us. And her fate… represents what might be in store for us, too. I"ve been thinking a lot. I"ve made many, many calculations, leading to many, many possible ways in which this conflict could have played out. But in each and every one the variable is always one person: that King. Without him, we would have faced no problems in bringing about the defeat of Angaria. Without him, we would happily be in the Mainland by now, studying the trove of information promised to us. Without him, we would still have all of our numbers, and while those of us who choose to become the rulers of the continent stay behind, the rest would have already succeeded in breaking through to the next realm, and increasing their lifespans farther than anything they could have dreamt. All of these dreams, all of those wishes… Stand to be destroyed as long as he is alive. And if we allow this unification… The blame will be on us. If we stand aside now, still intending to use excuses such as no communication from the Church, or the intent to keep our ident.i.ty secret, we will be the ones responsible for the eventual rout of all those of our kind. I don"t know yet how he will make it happen, but I"m convinced that he will find a way if he is allowed to be free. My choice is this: I shall stand by no longer."
This was the longest that the central figure among those who had allied with the Church had spoken yet, and it was also the most emotion he had ever shown.
Each and every word was delivered with the fervent resolution of one who was willing to even die to stand by his decision, and after saying the last word, he did something which made almost everyone in the cave stand up in shock.
With a wave of his hand, his disguise disappeared, revealing a wizened old man with a long beard that reached his knees.
His hair was tied back in a ponytail, and his strong features were fixed in a solemn expression.
Folding his hands behind his back, he spoke in a thunderous voice.
"Some of you might have guessed my ident.i.ty, but now, I make it clear to everyone here. I am Wohler, of the Sect of Hedon. I have always looked out for myself, first and foremost, and if needed, I shall die in the pursuit of not having to perish when my lifespan reaches an end, for I was born in an age when most of you were still toddlers. I have only ever taken on two disciples, who have both made me proud: one of them is in prison because of that King, and by killing him, I will also be taking my rightful revenge. My other disciple is also ready to lead the charge with me, and together, we shall succeed. The rest of you, understand this: I have always been known as the best strategist in the continent, so when I say this, I do so with the utmost certainty - as long as he is alive, we are as good as dead. We attack as soon as his ceremony begins."
"But the signal-"
"d.a.m.n the signal! We can no longer afford to wait! Now, tell me- how many of you have the courage to act?"