Legacy of the Dark Sage

It took another two weeks before the news of Achim and Kesiah's rebellion reached the Capital of Armakea, Larkring.

Achim managed to convince two-thirds of the remaining fort leaders to join them, bringing the number of their knights to approximately 610. This was within Kyran's expectation— only short of around 60-70 headcount from those fort leaders who did not join.

As to those who refused to join, their decision was greatly influenced by the fort's location rather than loyalty to the King. They were near the capital's periphery; thus, if the King mobilized his army, they would be the first to suffer his wrath. The fort leaders could not afford that. It was also possible they would be the first ones the King would dispatch to capture Achim and Kesiah. Between the two options, the fort leaders believed accomplishing the latter was more feasible than defending against the King's army.

The Armakea castle was located in the northeast corner of the capital. Compared to the magnificence of the Kingdon of Cretea's capital and the palace where the Nobles and the Sovereign reside the Armakea castle was bleak and even had an aura of death. This was mainly because of the mood around the castle rather than its design. Because, just like any other castle, its size alone was massive, and its walls were made from the most expensive materials. It was also filled with white gold designs, and the grand garden surrounding it was lush with beautifully arranged flowers. Notwithstanding the majestic look of the castle, the bleakness that hung in the air was too strong to ignore.

A messenger from the fort nearest to the capital was inside the Throne Room, located at the innermost section of the castle.

Before him, a high chair made of gold, with red and blue drapes and ornaments, could be seen. A thick, red velvet curtain hung loosely in front of the high chair, obscuring the face of the person seated on the high chair— King Aran.

Two knights stood a few feet before the curtains on each side. They were standing motionless without making any sound that one would think they were decorations. Nevertheless, the messenger knew these knights were alive and quite alert. After all, the feeling of two pairs of eyes observing him was all too evident; it was suffocating.

Beads of cold sweat trickled down the messenger as a stony silence ensued right after he relayed the purpose of his coming. He knew King Aran was sick, yet he insisted on an audience. While it was confirmed that the news he bore was urgent, informing the King about it while he was in such a state did not seem a good idea.

The messenger closed his eyes and could only sigh in his heart. Even if it was not a good idea to relay such news, given King Aran's state, there was nothing else he could do. Would they delay the matter of Prince Achim and Princess Kesiah's rebellion until it escalated to a point where the rest of the Royal Family members started to take sides?

The answer was no.

Thus, the messenger could only endure and await King Aran's verdict.

"Are you sure it is Achim and Kesiah?"

A frail-sounding and somewhat raspy voice spoke from behind the curtains.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"A rebellion—"

*cough* *cough*

"Y-Your Majesty...."

"— ahahaha...!"

*cough* *cough*

"...interesting..."

Contrary to the messenger's expectation, Aran did not seem bothered by Achim and Kesiah's actions.

As a matter of fact, Aran had been waiting for one of his nieces or nephews to make a move. Of course, the first one he expected to do this was Achim, and he did not disappoint. But for Achim to work with Kesiah, that was something he had not expected. He knew they did not see eye to eye. So, what prompted their collaboration?

Blood ties? After all, they were siblings, no matter how much they detested each other.

'No... Achim never cared about that... even Kesiah, no matter how much she wore that righteous facade... Then, why...?'

The more Aran thought of it, the more he was convinced that there was a much bigger mystery behind Achim and Kesiah's collaboration.

"Filren, gather your knights. Follow this man and see what my adorable niece and nephew are up to."

The knight standing on the right turned to face Aran.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he replied in an almost monotonous voice as he slightly lowered his body in a respective salute.

The messenger hastily stood after inadvertently receiving the King's order and waited for Filren the Knight. When the latter gestured for him to show the way, the messenger bowed before the King once more before leaving.

Filren followed the messenger out of the room.

When Filren left, another knight came out from a door by the side of the throne and replaced his position.

From behind the curtain, Aran said, "What do you think of Achim's move?"

"Changing the pact to give them more authority over the other Knights has been risky, Your Majesty."

The knight standing to the left replied in a heartbeat and without hesitation.

"Ahahaha—!"

*cough* *cough*

"— you don't pull your punches, Mo. But yes, you are correct."

"Shall I call Sulli and have him restore the pact—."

"No, this is fine," Aran replied, cutting Mo midsentence. "I think it is high time we cut off those two-faced relatives of mine. Don't you think so?"

From behind the high chair, a woman's silhouette could be seen.

The woman laughed gently as she seductively touched Aran's shoulders.

"I take it you finally agree to our terms?"

"If what you say about Anshel is true, ascending and becoming this plane's Sovereign might be the cure I have been looking for."

"With your frail body, it will be impossible for you to attempt ascension," the woman replied.

"That's where you come in. Is it not part of the terms?"

The woman chuckled, "Yes, but after you have the Saint heal your body."

"Alas," Aran sighed. "I had expected Achim to accomplish that part. But I underestimated his ambition."

"He might have discovered your plans to kill them all after your body recovers, though."

"If there is one thing I like about Achim, it is that he is ambitious but relatively slow in the head."

"But that is not the same with your niece... Kesiah, was it?"

"Ah... that girl has charisma and the brains... unfortunately, she speaks of righteousness like her father. Among my siblings, my elder brother is the first one I hope to get rid of."

"Should you really be saying that in front of them?"

The woman gestured toward the knights, standing silently by the side.

"Why not? They are my most loyal subjects. They will never betray me... unlike you."

The woman chuckled and withdrew her hand on Aran's shoulder. She then retreated into the shadows.

"Fret not, King of Armakea. We will never betray you... not until we get what we wanted."

"Such an honest woman."

The woman simply smiled before disappearing into the shadows.

Filren and two hundred knights left the castle with the messenger guiding them.

Along the way, Filren let the messenger expound on the news he relayed to the King.

The messenger complied and told him everything he knew.

When the messenger finished expounding on the situation, he could not help but look at Filren in concern. He then asked, "Sir Knight, is it really enough to bring one company to deal with the rebels? Based on our intel, they had already gathered at least three companies of Knights. There are also low to mid-ranked officers not included in the count."

"You only need to lead the way. Leave the rest of the thinking and dealing with the rebels to us," Filren replied in his monotonous-sounding voice.

"Y-Yes."

Meanwhile, the fort Achim chose to reinforce was located behind a long stretch of valley. He planned to use the valley to block and slowly reduce the King's army when they struck.

Fortunately, the fort was built in a way that allowed Achim and his men to observe the whole valley and the lush forest before them.

Nahir also had an additional thirty-meter-high tower built within one side of the valley. Its location was quite hidden from view, allowing whoever was in the tower to provide sneak long-range attacks if needed.

Achim and the rest of the leaders were gathered inside the conference room at a building on the fort's rear side. In front of them was a projection of the surrounding map of the fort.

Red and green dots were scattered over the lush forest in front of the fort; some could be spotted above the valley's edge.

"The green dots indicate the location of the invisible armed towers, while the red dots are hidden traps. We tried to scatter them all over the place and cover as much space as possible. But as you can see, there is still a large berth between each trap and armed towers that a group of scouts could easily pass through," the previous fort leader explained.