Ellen had come to see me, but I hesitated to tell her that I had decided to head to the Tomb of the Lich.
I couldn't involve her, especially since Harriet had already decided to tag along, which was making me uneasy. If I told her, Ellen would undoubtedly want to join us.
I wasn't sure whether Bertus would try to involve Ellen or not, but for the time being, I wished that she wasn't there.
As I was worrying about how to dodge the topic, Ellen suddenly made a move.
It seemed like she had something to say, but I never imagined she would suddenly kiss me.
Why did she do that? I wondered if there had been some change in her feelings, but Ellen left without giving a proper explanation, only apologizing.
The unfamiliar sensation lingering on my lips, and Ellen's expression and eyes flickered in my mind.
Even though this wasn't the time to think about such things.
I was curious as to what thoughts led her to act that way, and why she left without a word. However, this wasn't the time to dwell on those thoughts.
I immediately summoned Lucinil.
"Are you certain?"
As I quickly explained the situation to Lucinil, she responded with a serious expression.
"Roswin might not be Cantus Magna, but it's certain that the elite forces of the empire are heading to the Tomb of the Lich."
Even if it wasn't Cantus Magna, it was clear that the empire's most elite forces would be entering the Tomb of the Lich. The Quantum Maze might be breached, and the battle could escalate beyond what we could handle.
"I've decided to join the empire's forces and head to the Tomb of the Lich as well. Depending on the severity of the situation, we may need to decide whether to retreat or fight. We need to capture at least one magician from Cantus Magna. We must inform the Order and the Council quickly. And, please relay the information to Sarkegaar and Loyar."
"Understood."
With those words, Lucinil vanished into the mist.
We had tried to lure Cantus Magna, but the empire's elites had come along as well. Could this be our only chance to capture Cantus Magna, or should we retreat?
If the empire were to steal all of Cantus Magna or if they were to die before securing any information, the situation would be a tangled mess.
Moreover, there was a possibility that we could inadvertently help them complete Akasha.
I would be heading to the Tomb of the Lich with the empire's forces, today or tomorrow at the latest.
There was nothing to prepare.
I felt like praying.
But I didn't believe in gods.
And if there was a god, the true god of this world would be me, so I couldn't pray to anyone.
I was the only one in this world who couldn't pray to anyone.
I was a god.
And my power was the undead.
"Everything will be fine."
So, I prayed to myself.
"I have to make everything go well."
In the end, I had to do well.
Saturday night.
In a land ruled by eternal winter, an urgent council had been convened.
Originally, it was a principle that only members of the Vampire Council would gather around the round table in the conference hall. However, the nature of the Council had slightly changed, and due to the peculiarities of the current situation, there were others present besides the vampires.
The heads of the four Vampire Lord houses, excluding Antirianus who was in charge of the Lich's Tomb, were among the original members.
Eleris, Lucinil, Luruien, and Gallarush were there.
Even Sarkegaar, the servant of Valier.
Epinhauser, a member of the Black Order, was also present.
In fact, almost everyone except for Loyar had gathered.
"Are we sure that Roswin is a member of Cantus Magna?" Eleris asked.
Lucinil furrowed her brow. "We can't be certain. It's only circumstantial evidence at best. However, considering that he was able to pull off such a stunt in the palace and escape, all while being enchanted by numerous spellbooks, it would be strange if he wasn't part of Cantus Magna. And if it is Cantus Magna's intention, it means they have decided to concentrate their efforts on this matter. They must be focusing all their resources on the Lich's Tomb by now. Even if he's not, there's a chance that our bait will cause unnecessary trouble."
Gallarush nodded, arms crossed, as he listened to Lucinil's words.
"That's important, but what's even more crucial is the fact that the Empire's full force is headed there. The tomb will be breached, and it's doubtful whether we can rescue Cantus Magna's mages or not."
Just as the Temple's flag symbolized the goal of fostering exceptional talents regardless of their social status, Shanafel and the Royal Mage Corps were filled with those who had been 'cultivated' in such a way.
It was the strongest group of humans, filled with individuals possessing exceptional talent, aptitude, and unwavering loyalty to humanity and the Empire.
No matter how powerful a secret organization with hidden strength might be, there was no way they could stand against the concentrated power of the extraordinary individuals gathered in one place.
And their goal was not to kill Cantus Magna's core members, but to extract them.
"We may be better off withdrawing instead of relying on such a slim possibility. If we lose too much in our attempt to grasp the clue of Cantus Magna, it may become irreversible," Luruien suggested that withdrawal might be the best option.
Initially, only Eleris, Lucinil, and Antirianus had fully agreed to cooperate within the Council.
Gallarush and Luruien had agreed to assist as much as they could, but they had no intention of sacrificing their lives for Valier.
So, they were more than willing to back out if the situation became too dangerous.
Luruien's judgment was not strange, considering that confronting Cantus Magna and the Empire simultaneously to uncover the truth of the inscrutable artifact known as Akasha was an insane act that crossed the line.
"I agree with Luruien's opinion. It would be one thing if we were only dealing with Cantus Magna, but taking on the empire itself would mean taking on too great a risk."
These were the words of Gallarush.
Upon hearing this, Sarkegaar, who took on the appearance of an ordinary human male, spoke in a worried tone.
"But didn't our master say that he is heading to that location?"
"Yes."
Lucinil nodded in response to Sarkegaar's words.
"Valier plans to join forces with the Imperial army and head to the tomb. So, Valier's safety shouldn't be in too much danger. However, we can't be certain how much of their power Cantus Magna will deploy. So, we can't be completely at ease. And even if we go there ourselves, it doesn't necessarily mean we'll be fighting directly. We can observe from a distance and intervene when it seems necessary. And well, if we capture Cantus Magna's mage, we can always exploit the situation later."
Lucinil stared at Sarkegaar.
"You're good at that kind of thing, aren't you?"
Lucinil and Sarkegaar had met a few times to communicate, so Lucinil already knew Sarkegaar was quite capable.
Sarkegaar excelled in camouflage and infiltration rather than direct combat.
"I'm skilled enough to be called an expert."
Epinhauser stared at Sarkegaar with confidence in his words, but he didn't say anything.
"The royal family would probably prefer to capture them all rather than kill them. It's not too late to find out why they did it and string them up. But since Cantus Magna has decided to give it their all, we must prepare thoroughly."
"Lucinil, are you going to that place?"
Luruien stared at the silver-haired girl with a puzzled look at Lucinil's words.
"Yeah, why not?"
"I don't understand why you're so devoted to his cause..."
At Luruien's words, Lucinil crossed her arms.
"A pretty boy always deserves a favor, and in my opinion, our Valier is pretty enough."
Lucinil grinned, and Luruien sighed heavily, unable to understand.
Somehow, Lucinil had ended up leading the meeting.
There were six people gathered in this place.
Lucinil, Eleris, Sarkegaar, Epinhauser, Luruien, and Gallarush.
They had decided that someone should monitor the situation at the Lich's tomb and intervene if necessary in case of an emergency.
"Anyway, I'm going. Anyone who doesn't want to go, raise your hand."
At those words, Luruien quickly raised her hand.
"…?"
Luruien was the only one with her hand raised.
"…Gallarush, have you become hard of hearing due to old age?"
At the words of the oldest vampire who was genuinely concerned about the aging of vampires, Gallarush answered plainly.
"I plan to go."
"…What?"
Like Luruien, Gallarush was not inclined to cooperate with Valier either. So it was assumed that he would not participate, but he was going along.
Luruien silently observed the sinister expressionlessness of Gallarush.
Gallarush was glaring intently at the wriggling Lucinil. It was clear that he was worried about Lucinil and decided to follow along.
"Ah, this dishonest monster..."
"Quiet, big ears."
"What, what?! Big ears?"
"You're the one who called me a monster first."
Epinhauser simply watched the elf and orc vampire bickering.
In the end, everyone at the gathering, except for Luruien, decided to go to the scene.
"I'm not usually the type to get swept along... I'm really not..."
As everyone said they were going, Luruien hesitated, feeling that it would be strange if she were the only one left out. Moreover, she didn't want to miss out on a matter that shouldn't be decided like this, so she mumbled to himself.
"No, Luruien, you do have a tendency to get swept along."
It was Lucinil who spoke.
"Well, you certainly lean that way."
Eleris added.
"From what I've observed for a long time, you lack a backbone."
And finally, Gallarush's last words.
Due to their memories being reset every 200 years, the words of the Lord Vampires who had been observing Luruien for a longer time than she herself was more accurate.
Knowing this, the already pale elf vampire's complexion became even paler.
"Re... really?"
"Yeah, it's always like this. You think you have a strong will, but when you realize that you're actually a person who gets swayed back and forth without a backbone, you always react like this."
At Lucinil's words, Luruien's mouth fell open.
"I... have no backbone...?"
In reality, Luruien had no intention of cooperating with Valier, but when Gallarush decided to side with Valier, she reluctantly agreed to cooperate.
In the end, the decision was made for the backboneless Luruien to join the others in going to the Lich's tomb.
