Chapter 204: Amaranth (4)
The Webster House was one of the founding retainers of the Rinse Kingdom.
Liste, who was the progenitor of the Webster House, aided Norman Rinse of countryside noble origin and built the Rinse Kingdom.
Afterwards, the Webster House remained as a house of loyal subjects even through numerous ups and downs.
But around the time when Marquis Ettley Webster, the grandfather of the current head of the house and one of the kingdom’s four dukes, Bradley Webster, had just turned twenty, an incredibly insulting and appalling event occurred.
Lent Von Rinse, who had just climbed onto the throne at the time, had seen Ettley’s fiancée Violet Rever, became enamored at first sight, then forcibly raped her and made her his concubine.
Ettley who was hot-blooded at the time tried to immediately attack the palace, but Kevin Webster, his father and the head of the Webster House at the time, shed tears of blood and pulled him back.
Because it was obvious that the cold-blooded and atrocious King Lent won’t leave Ettley as well as the Webster House alone.
Kevin persuaded Ettley with a feverishly boiling heart, and Ettley could only swallow tears of blood and swear of future revenge.
Since then, Ettley acted as if he was loyal to the Rinse Royalty on the outside and schemed an immense and grand revenge on the inside.
That revenge was the very destruction of the Rinse Royalty.
“It took a longer time than we had thought.”
Reminiscing the house’s ancient desire and terrible secret, Bradley exhaled a long sigh.
“Huu.”
His heart kept soaring up with pride.
Continuing through his grandfather and his father, the time had finally come to finish this long and prolonged plan of revenge with his own hands.
Bradley looked at Viscount Lapa Kathers, one of his closest aide and of the house’s branch families.
“How did it go on Marquis Abrie Page’s side?”
If speaking of Marquis Abrie Page, he was the father of Simon Rinse’s fiancée, Rodite Page.
“He has decided to clean up Princess Katy together with his daughter Miss Rodite.”
“That’s quite good.”
The work was flowing as planned and without a single fault.
Bradley, standing up from his seat, fixed his dress.
“Lapa. I will go to the palace, so you clean up the capital during that time.”
“Yes sir. Please do not worry.”
Lapa immediately lowered his head.
Bradley nodded with a satisfied expression, then looked at the young men who were spread out behind him.
“Let’s go.”
An order given with a calm voice.
The young men bowed with courteous expressions.
“Yes. Sir Duke.”
The men following Bradley who was walking ahead and moving along.
The men of somehow dark and dreary eyes were the hexers who had hidden their traces from the world.
They had finally showed up in the capital, Miller, to finish Bradley’s ancient scheme and desire.
The young man who was walking the foremost amongst the hexers.
The young man who was uncommonly wearing glasses looked at the back of Bradley’s head and formed an odd smile.
‘Duke Bradley Webster. I give my applause to your working effortfully until now for the house’s revenge. But……’
From deep within his eyes, a cold light poured out.
‘Your resentment is nothing compared to us hexers’ resentments. Since we were literally thrown away by all humans. Kukuku.’
A laughter rose up all the way to his throat.
A laughter smeared with thick deploration.
This world was a hell for the hexers.
Only to the hexers.
‘And thus we extended our hand to the Webster House first.’
It wasn’t that Bradley had looked for the hexers first as he thought.
In fact, Bradley and the hexers’ meeting occurred much earlier than he thought.
Only, Bradley wasn’t able to remember it at all.
The glasses man breathed in deeply.
‘Duke Bradley Webster. You’ve done well until now.’
A furtively said goodbye.
‘I will now let you rest deeply.’
The glasses man, he was Hesul, the very master of the hexers.
*****
“My lord. It’s as we expected.”
Austin lowered his head with a solidly stiffened expression.
The expressions of Chris, Keep, and so on who followed along were also not good.
Roan, who was checking the documents inside the barrack, nodded his head with a calm expression.
“I see. So it ultimately became like that.”
Roan pushed away the document he was reading and exhaled a long sigh.
Chris, with a short sigh, made his report.
“Amongst the many candidates we predicted, Clay chose Duke Webster. Also, he had began disruption of intelligence together with the druids.”
“He is also intentionally placing snags in the military ration supplying.”
Keep added on.
Austin, Chris, and Keep’s reports were those concerning Clay.
“Although it’s all something we expected, it can’t be helped feeling unfortunate and regrettable even so.”
Roan made a bitter smile.
Clay.
To the people of Lancephil County including Roan, he was literally a object of love and hatred.
His abilities were more outstanding than anyone.
When the retainers were showing unconditional loyalty towards Roan, he alone had raised remonstration as well.
The problem was that disregarding above and below, he neither gave trust to people around him nor received it.
He was meticulously alone and used and employed people for his own interests and abilities.
Spying and monitoring Roan too was one type of such work.
‘He not only completely grasped the fief’s state of living the instant he returned to his original position from bottom rank administrator but also is running it truly efficiently. Furthermore, the supplying of military ration too is perfect.’
Since the moment the Lancephil Fief Regiment entered the throne succession war, there was not a single time they returned to the fief.
Swirling through the North and the Northwest, the Center and the East, the Southeast and the South and so on, they were repeatedly waging countless battles.
Naturally, the supply route became longer the more and more time flowed.
Here, Roan began to use up incredibly large amount of military rations while providing relief to the kingdom’s citizens who experienced the calamity of the war.
The very individual who cleaned up all of these complicated situations and supplied military rations to the large-scale legion without a snag was Clay.
That ability was so excellent that it was at a level where even the Count Lancephil House’s retainers who burst out in rage for having spied and monitored Roan, who was their lord, would shake their heads and purely exclaim.
It was a level where few retainers would opine that they must reform Clay and continue to bring him along as an ally in any way possible.
Roan stood up from his seat and headed out of the barrack.
‘Huu.’
He wanted to feel fresh air at least due to his frustrated heart.
Austin and the crowd followed behind him and asked in a quiet voice.
“Although Clay still doesn’t know of it, the trap we prepared on our side is perfect, my lord. Just……”
He hesitated for a moment, then carefully added on.
“His abilities certainly is regrettable, my lord. I’m worried that there may be a vacuum in the military ration supplying and fief’s administration from now on.”
In truth, such symptoms were already showing up.
As according to Chris and Keep’s reports, it was because Clay was disturbing information and creating problems in the ration supplying as he wished.
Although there was no big problem at least on the intelligence side because Agens and Tenebra Troop had already made plenty of preparations beforehand, there was no obvious solution to military ration supplying and the fief’s administration.
Especially in the case of military ration supplying, large impacts were felt on the morales of the frontline troops who were fighting battles daily even if a delay occurred for just a day or two.
Austin was full of worries.
On the other hand, Roan was relaxed without any worries.
“There is no need to worry about the ration problem.”
Words spat out as if casually thrown.
Chris, who was staying quiet, carefully asked.
“Do you mean the Black Amaranth and the Sale Company, my lord?”
In truth, there was no way that he wouldn’t have made preparatory measures concerning the military ration supplying and fief’s administration even when he had predicted that Clay would betray him.
As a preparation for military ration supplying, he had prepared the previous Black Rinse, now the Black Amaranth, and the Sale Company.
It was a plan to receive a very small amount of food from the citizens who supported and were under Roan’s influence as aid, while simultaneously obtaining incredible amount of food using the enormous wealth Princess Aily Rinse had as basis.
Roan wordlessly nodded his head.
With just those two preparations, it was obvious that the Lancephil Fief Regiment’s military rations would exceed the level of being plenty to be comfortably well-off.
But even so, Austin’s expression wasn’t good.
“I apologize for saying these words, but…… military ration isn’t a problem that can be solved merely because the foods are plenty. Providing supply exactly at the needed amount and at the needed time to the right men at right place is more important, my lord. While also solving the countless problems and works tied to supply route, supply troops, security troops, and so on.”
Until now, Clay had shouldered and perfectly executed those incredible works alone.
Roan nodded his head.
He too knew what exactly Austin’s worry was.
However, Roan still had no particular worry.
“Don’t worry. Since there’s a perfect man to take on that work.”
“A perfect man? Are you saying that there was someone else who could take on this many works alone besides Clay, sir?”
Austin, with a shocked expression, asked back.
Chris and Keep too were of curious expressions.
Roan faintly smiled and shook his head.
“I misspoke. It’s not a perfect man but perfect men.”
“By perfect men……?”
Keep couldn’t hold on and cut in.
The smile hanging on Roan’s mouth became much thicker.
“Swift, Buro, Raitler, Rotner, Griffin, Nunse.”
Six people’s names.
“……”
Austin had no particular reaction.
Because they were almost completely unfamiliar names.
Even to Chris and Keep, who were leading Agens and Tenebra Troop, the intelligence agencies that were counted as the greatest within the fief, no, within the kingdom, they were completely unknown names.
“They’re names I have never heard before, my lord. Would it be fine to leave such a crucial work to men whose names we’ve never heard of before?”
Austin asked with a greatly worried expression.
Chris and Keep too were also the same in being worried.
Roan quietly stared at those three people, then cheerfully smiled and answered.
“They’re people Onil recommended.”
“Ah……”
The three people let out quiet exclamations.
Director Onil of Lancephil Division of Human Resources.
His eyes for seeing people were excellent and definite without a cause to doubt.
“If it’s Director Onil’s recommendation, then I’m relieved.”
“Right, sir.”
“A worry disappeared.”
Austin, Chris, and Keep formed bright smiles.
Their trust towards Onil.
That was amazingly thick enough for him to abruptly name six men who they had never heard before as managers of military ration supplying and the fief’s administration.
Roan slowly nodded his head.
“Yes. So I’m also looking forwards to it. To how great an ability those six people will show……”
Swift, Buro, Raitler, Rotner, Griffin, Nunse.
This was the very first appearance of the six talents who would later be called Lancephil’s Six Brains.
*****
“Hex?”
Simon Rinse creased his brows.
Because he had heard a completely unexpected story from Bradley.
“Are you saying that we’re going to use hex to control the evil mana inside my body?”
“That is correct. Your majesty.”
Bradley slightly lowered his head, then added on.
“Your majesty’s evil mana has invaded inside your head and is encroaching on your sanity. Although annihilating the evil mana itself through the Holy Palace’s God’s Medicine is the most desirable solution, the means to obtain the God’s Medicine is nonexistent at the moment.”
A situation where they can’t help but find the best alternative plan.
“If we use the hex to vitalize the mind and place a barrier on the brain’s edge so that the evil mana cannot invade, the evil mana will not be able to invade into your head and encroach on your sanity. Although this is merely a best alternative, it technically is a very efficient and great solution where you can maintain the mind clearly while using the powerful strength the evil mana has as is.”
He did not unnecessarily hid the information concerning the hexers’ identity and the information about the hexes.
Because the probability of their identity being discovered during the process of placing the hex was very high either way.
Simon sat down on the throne and looked back and forth between Bradley and the hexeres.
‘Hex, is it……’
It was true that he felt leery.
He knew well of the perverseness the hexers had done long ago.
However, his current condition was too desperate and perilous to simply shoo them away.
‘Now, I don’t only lose my sanity when getting angry but frequently lose my mind at any moment.’
A feeling as if he himself was slowly disappearing by bits.
If a little more time passed like this.
‘It feels like the existence called myself will completely disappear and only a shell will remain.’
He couldn’t endlessly place his hopes only on the Holy Palace’s God’s Medicine either.
‘I am now Rinse Kingdom’s king.’
Although he was an incomplete king who didn’t have the royal family’s crest and the national seal, he occupied the apex of the Rinse Kingdom’s political power.
The seat he wished for so much.
‘Now, I must clean up my two brothers and lead the kingdom to a path of prosperity.’
That was the very role of King Simon.
For the brilliant future, there was a need for him to control his evil mana.
Uddk.
He tightly clenched his teeth.
Simon looked straight into Bradley’s eyes.
“Alright. Let’s control the evil mana with the hex.”
“You’ve thought well, your majesty.”
Bradley brightly smiled and lowered his head.
He soon looked at the hexers lined up behind him and signaled with his eyes.
Master Hesul, who was standing foremost amongst the hexers, stepped forwards.
“I am Master Hesul, your majesty. I will make your majesty free.”
Strange words.
“Yes. It’s much too suffocating because of the evil mana.”
Simon, nodding his head, straightened his posture.
Soon, the hexers including Hesul swarmed up around Simon.
Simon, while sitting on the throne, closed his eyes.
“Then we will begin.”
Hesul was of slightly tensed look.
Bradley too tensed up together.
‘Yes. The Webster House’s wish is finally resolving!’
His heart rapidly raced.
His eyes became hot and a faint smile hanged on his mouth.
‘It isn’t simply making the evil mana rampage.’
The original plan tried to cause Simon’s evil mana to rampage and then end the event with merely eliminating him.
However, it was a situation where the throne succession war still hadn’t ended.
If they rashly killed Simon here, the other surviving princes could climb onto the king’s throne.
‘I will make Simon into my puppet with the hexer bastards’ hex.’
Controlling his mind.
He planned to lead the throne succession war to victory and play around to his heart’s content, then personally cut his neck at a dramatic situation.
The smile hanging on Bradley’s mouth became much thicker.
At that moment.
“Wait.”
Simon opened the eyes he closed and stared at Bradley who was standing still.
“Maternal grandfather. No, grandpa.”
“Yes. Your majesty.”
Bradley, inwardly shocked, quickly lowered his head.
“Please raise your head.”
Simon’s voice pierced through his ears.
A somehow calm and gentle voice.
Bradley slowly raised his head.
‘Hmm.’
A quiet groan filled up to his throat.
He was smiling.
Although definitely faint, Simon was warmly smiling.
With the freedom from evil mana that tormented his entire life in front of his eyes, he was feeling a very brief calm and peace.
“Once I control the evil mana and become clear of mind, I should also be able to become a wise king.”
“Of course. You will definitely become a honorable and wise king that will be left in history.”
Bradley quickly answered without an instant of hesitation.
Simon spat out a long sigh and nodded his head.
He hesitated a little unlike him, then asked in a small voice.
“Grandpa. Do you perhaps regret teaching me the Pienville Mana Technique?”
The Pienville Mana Technique that shook and twisted Simon’s life from the roots.
The forbidden mana technique known as devil’s mana technique and held a horrifying history.
The one who obtained that mana technique and passed it to Simon was actually Bradley.
Bradley, without able to easily answer, quietly stared at Simon.
‘Regret? There’s no way I’ll do such a thing. But……’
He couldn’t answer like that.
“I regret it.”
The lie jumped out like a truth.
Simon deeply breathed in.
“Please don’t regret it. Because it’s not grandpa’s fault. It’s all something I chose.”
There truly were many events to the two people.
Stories winding and deep enough to be unable to ever lay out shortly.
Simon slowly closed his eyes.
“Once I open my eyes again, a new world will begin.”
That was the last.
Simon slowly nodded his head.
Meaning to start the hex ceremony.
Hesul signaled to numerous hexers with his eyes, then pulled up his divine power.
Wuung. Wuung. Wuung.
Together with a sound of vibration, black lights swayed in the hexers’ eyes.
The hexers including Hesul dizzily moved their hands and drew a bizarre figure.
The black lights swaying in their eyes disappeared and instead a much darker black light flowed out from their hands.
The black light murkily moved as if a snake and expanded its size, then soon tightly wrapped around Simon’s head and body.
“Hhm.”
At the chilly feeling, Simon unknowingly leaked a quiet groan.
At that instant.
Paat!
The black light greatly swayed once, then were sucked into Simon’s nose.
An incredible speed.
The black light that was wrapping around his entire body disappeared in an instant.
“Uuuuuuuh.”
A painful sound of groan.
Simultaneously, Simon’s body sharply shook.
Through the closed eyes and mouth, nose and ears, the black light repeated leaking out and entering back in.
“Uaaaaak!”
Simon couldn’t endure no more and screamed out.
A pain like the inside of his head was smouldering up.
From the glaringly opened eyes and widely open mouth, the black light poured out like a fountain.
“Seal!”
When Hesul loudly shouted, two amongst the hexeres changed the shape of their hands and separately chanted a new hex.
Instantly, Simon’s eyes and mouth closed on their own.
“Uuuuh!”
Simon pulled up all his strength wishing to at least scream as much as he could, but couldn’t achieve his desire.
His mouth and eyes did not move a bit as if they had become attached just like that.
Kugugugugung!
Instead, the trembling of his body became more severe.
Simon, almost as if the throne would break apart, greatly shook up and down and side to side.
Gulp.
Even Bradley, who was watching, dryly swallowed at the fearsome and bizarre scene.
After who knew how long.
The black light that was leaking little by little out disappeared and Simon too slowly found calm.
The greatly trembling body too did not move any further.
Coincidentally, Hesul spat out a long sigh.
“Huu.”
As if they had been waiting, the other hexers too undid the hand gestures that were forming bizarre geometric shapes and spat out long sighs.
Simultaneously, Simon opened his closed eyes.
Paat!
A black light flashed.
“Hhm.”
Bradley unknowingly let out a groan.
They were black.
Simon’s eyes that shone with bright brown light was colored with a thick black light.
Simon, with his eyes open, did not even twitch.
He merely sat on the throne and quietly breathed shallow breath.
Bradley looked at Hesul and asked in a quiet voice.
“Ho, how did it go?”
At those worlds, Hesul brightly smiled and nodded his head.
“It’s a perfect success.”
“Su, success? Then that means even the suppressed evil mana has all woken up, right?”
Bradley repeatedly asked.
Hesul nodded his head.
“Yes. Even the evil mana he has limited with his mind until now has all woken up. Now, there won’t be anyone amongst the humans who could face his majesty the king, no, Simon.”
The instant his words finished, Bradley burst out a crazed laughter.
“Kuhahahahaha!”
Only after laughing for a long time did he ask with a brightly flushed face.
“His mind is also perfectly controlled?”
“Of course. Simon is now no more than a mere puppet doll.”
“Good. Good.”
Bradley nodded his head with a satisfied expression.
He quietly looked at Simon and snorted out a laughter.
“Hmph. What? Have I ever regret teaching you the Pienville Mana Technique? Of course not! It’s one of the best things I’ve done in my life. Kukuku.”
Bradley slowly moved his steps.
He stood right in front of Simon and formed a bloody smile.
“Simon. I plan to turn you into a devil. A devil amongst devils who pull out people’s heads to kill and chew their raw flesh. When everyone tremble in fear, I will step up at that moment and cut off your head. I will become a hero who saved the kingdom, who saved the world and become the founding progenitor of the new Webster Kingdom. Kukuku.”
Bradley brushed Simon’s head.
Simon, still with his eyes open, did not move a bit.
“You say a new world will begin when you open your eyes again? Kukuku. But what do we do? Even though a new world is starting, only I got to see that.”
Teasing and sarcastic sounds filled the inside of the grand hall.
At that moment.
“Who knows. That sounds like incorrect words.”
Suddenly, Hesul brightly smiled and shook his head.
Bradley creased his brows.
“What’s that supposed to……”
However, he couldn’t continue his words to the end.
Ssskuk.
Because Simon, who was sitting blankly, had extended his right hand and pierced Bradley’s lower abdomen.
“Kuhuk. Wh, what is, ha, happeni……”
At the abrupt situation, Bradley widely opened his eyes and opened his mouth wide.
An incredible pain pushed up from his lower abdomen.
At that moment.
“Kukuku. What do you mean what is happening. You bastard got completely deceived by me.”
Hesul snorted and approached Bradley’s side.
Bradley, because of Simon’s arm that was piercing through his stomach, couldn’t even move as he wished.
Hesul brushed Bradley’s face with a long finger.
“Bradley Webster. You’ve done well until now moving as I wished.”
“You, you bitch……”
Bradley spat out a curse with bloodied eyes.
Hesul, with a tip of his finger, stabbed those eyes.
“Uaaaak!”
Bradley poured out blood and screamed.
Hesul, shaking off the blood smudged on the tip of his finger, continued on.
“Although controlling Simon’s mind and making him a puppet is correct, the owner of that puppet isn’t you. It’s me, Hesul. Kukukuku.”
He tapped Bradley’s shoulders.
A feeling as if consolating and complimenting saying he worked hard until now.
“Simon becomes seized by madness, kills his maternal grandfather Duke Bradley Webster, and soak the world with blood. Why he went mad, that kind of reason isn’t important. The important thing is, that the crazed monarch Simon will bring end to the world.”
Hesul spoke in Bradley’s ears as if to whisper.
“What do you think? It’s a good scenario, no? It’s much better than cliché scenario of you becoming a hero and a founding progenitor. Kuku.”
“You, you crazy……”
Bradley’s voice was slowly losing strength.
Hesul nodded his head.
“Yes. I’m crazy. I couldn’t not go crazy.”
The smile hanging on his mouth disappeared and malice and killing intent flashed in his eyes.
“I was born in the darkness and could only grow up in the darkness. Although I was a same human, I had to live while running from humans. The world was a hell. The problem was that this damned world was only a hell-like world to us. So I decided. That I’ll make other human bastards also experience the same hell we tasted and endured.”
A killing intent flowed in his voice.
“Crazed Monarch Simon, the Mad Monarch Simon is merely the start of our plan. Since we’ll definitely turn this damnable world into a real hell.”
“Kuuuuk.”
Rather than answering, Bradley leaked a groan.
‘Wh, what have I…… ‘
He reprimanded his own stupidity and ignorance.
But the situation was simply and much too late.
Hesul looked at Bradley’s face soaked in pain and snickered out a laughter.
“Don’t be so pained. Since dying now instead will truly be a happy and thankful thing.”
He slightly stepped back.
He was now going to send Bradley off.
When he give the order through his head, Simon would immediately rip apart Bradley’s torso.
“Good bye. It looks like we will have to see the new world only by ourselves.”
“Kuuk!”
Bradley clenched his teeth.
Hesul tried to give the order through his head but paused.
A peculiar smile hanged on his mouth.
“Ah! Something I want to ask came up.”
He looked straight at Bradley.
“How is it? Do you regret what you did to Simon?”
The question Simon asked Bradley.
Bradley tightly clenched his teeth.
‘I regret it. You damned son of a bitch!’
Even though he wanted to answer, his mouth didn’t open up.
His breath became shallow.
Hesul’s voice was heard through the edge of his ears.
“Ah…… you don’t have to answer. Just give the answer when you meet Simon later. I’ll send him along soon.”
Simultaneously, he gave the order through his head.
As if he had been waiting, Simon, who hadn’t even been twitching, moved his right arm.
The right arm that was piercing Bradley’s stomach mercilessly moved.
“Kkuaaaak!”
Bradley’s scream fully filled the grand hall.
Simultaneously, the body that had been strong was ripped apart into tens of pieces.
Tutud.
Blood and pieces of flesh fell onto the floor.
“Kukukuku.”
Hesul, seeing that sight, burst out a crazed laughter.
Brushing Simon’s head, who was sitting on the throne, he deeply breathed in.
“Simon.”
Quietly calling voice.
“Yes.”
Surprisingly, Simon answered in a voice completely not different than usual.
Of course, his eyes were still black.
Hesul cutely smiled as if such Simon was cute, then whispered in a quiet voice.
“Should we now go to make a new world?”
“Yes. Understood.”
Simon slightly lowered his head.
The black eyes aberrantly flashed.
Rinse Kingdom’s incomplete king Simon Rinse.
Just like the last life, he had become a mad monarch.
But no one could know where in the last life and current life was same and where was different.
The reason he became the Mad Monarch? The time he became the Mad Monarch? The situation the Mad Monarch killed Bradley?
There was nothing certain.
However, one could guess that the world Hesul desired wasn’t quite a beautiful world.
However, before the Hex Master Hesul and the Mad Monarch Simon went out to make a new world, there was one who stepped forwards a step ahead of them in order to create a new world.
Furthermore, the world he declared he would create was a truly peaceful and beautiful world of salvation where everyone could live well in.
The person who stepped forwards saying he would create a world that anyone could live happily in.
He was no other than Roan Lancephil.
Roan Lancepihl the Crimson Ghost against Mad Monarch Simon, Hex Master Hesul.
A new world versus a new world.
Who wins and what kind of world unfolds was something one would had to watch to know.
< Amaranth (4) > End.