Sword of Salvation-Chapter 49: - Pieces on Chessboard

When Mariel opened his eyes, he found himself in an unfamiliar place.

This was not the inn room where he and Celinee had been staying.

However, Mariel didn’t panic; Mariel hadn’t forgotten the event that had rendered him unconscious. How long had it been? He didn’t know. What he did know was that the pain in his back and stomach had completely vanished. It felt as though he had never sustained life-threatening injuries.

Recalling his defeat, Mariel’s mind immediately began to reflect on himself.

No one desired defeat. No one wanted death. People wanted to keep winning; people wanted to keep living. However, both were impossible to achieve. If someone won, someone else had to lose. With life came death. That was normal, natural—a universal truth.

Mariel was no different. He wanted to keep winning. He wanted to keep living. He had found his purpose in life; death was something he wanted to avoid at all costs. The same went for defeat. Avoiding defeat meant avoiding death. The two were inseparable. If they could be separated, it would be through sheer luck.

However, as dictated by the wheel of life, it was impossible to always win and live forever. One day, the undefeated would be defeated. One day, those with long lives would die. History had shown that even the gods were no exception. Life had its own rules.

For that reason, Mariel didn’t dwell too much on his defeat at Romero’s hands. He was more grateful to still be alive. However, he was slightly annoyed at having nearly died—especially since this was the second time. The first time, Lukhiel had saved him. The second time, his enemy had intentionally let him live. In both situations, Mariel had been unable to save himself. That was what annoyed him.

Even so, Mariel didn’t dwell on his annoyance.

His mind was now preoccupied with two more serious problems.

The first problem was that he had failed to obtain Lunar Scythe Zesteria. He had held the scythe, but it slipped from his grasp. Mariel could have blamed Shin. However, if he had been stronger, the weapon wouldn’t have slipped away. So, it wasn’t entirely Shin’s fault. Mariel was also to blame. His weakness was the reason why the sacred scythe slipped away.

The second problem was related to the first. With Romero taking the sacred scythe, Mariel worried that the World Order or Great Human Council also desired the sacred weapons. Romero hadn’t mentioned him saving Lukhiel, but he clearly knew—he had called him the Camelot Fugitive. The question was whether he also knew that Lukhiel possessed the thirteenth sacred sword.

Assuming they knew, World Order would surely continue monitoring him. Mariel’s decision to hide the sword had been a perfect one. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

However, if they gave up after failing to locate Lukhiel or the place where the demon hid the thirteenth sacred sword, they would surely come after Mariel—and Celinee. No matter what, dealing with World Order and Great Human Council was now unavoidable.

Mariel hoped his assumption was wrong; he hoped Romero’s action of taking Zesteria was purely his independent decision.

However, remembering Ruthlemia’s story, there were forces that didn’t want the gods to return. There were forces that didn’t want the world to return to its former state. Mariel wouldn’t be surprised if Great Human Council was connected to those forces. The Great Human Council currently ruled the world indirectly; their power would be threatened if the world reverted to its original state.

For that reason, even though he hoped his assumption was wrong, Mariel had to act on the basis that it was correct. With that assumption, at least his enemy was now clear. He had to be more cautious with his next steps.

Just as he reached that conclusion, the door to the large room Mariel was in opened.

Lasyana entered with Delphia. Behind her was Celinee, no longer wearing her mask. Her amber eyes met Mariel’s crimson gaze directly. There was no need for him to ask. Lasyana clearly already knew Celinee was half-demon. Delphia—who had known from the start due to her analytical abilities—had informed the empress.

"We’ve been waiting for you to wake up."

Mariel immediately sat up when Lasyana spoke. "What happened to Shin?" he asked.

"The wounds Shin sustained were more severe than yours." Lasyana took a seat in the chair beside the bed. "We’ve healed him completely, but he hasn’t regained consciousness yet. It’s only a matter of time."

"How long have I been here?"

"Not long. You were injured last night; it’s still midday."

That was good. Mariel had told Weimei to meet him in two days. If he had only been unconscious for one day, that meant Weimei would meet him tomorrow. That was good. He needed to get Weimei moving quickly. Mariel needed to build an information network as soon as possible.

"So," Lasyana wore a serious expression, "what happened?"

"What do you think?" Mariel asked back.

She could sense Lasyana’s frustration. The empress was likely very upset that the sacred scythe wasn’t with them.

"It’s obvious you weren’t fighting among yourselves. From that clue, it’s easy to deduce you were fighting someone else. I don’t know who, and that doesn’t matter now. What I want to know is, what happened to my scythe?"

"You aren’t wrong, but not entirely right either," Mariel said as he straightened his sitting position. "When I pursued the demon that stole your sacred scythe," he began, "Shin had already dealt with it. He seized the scythe but refused to return it. I had no choice but to fight him. But before our battle reached a conclusion, someone intervened."

"Someone strong enough to defeat both you and Mr. Shin at the same time?" Delphia asked from behind the empress.

Given Mariel and Shin’s condition, Delphia’s question clearly needed no answer.

However, everyone in the room knew she wasn’t asking for confirmation. She simply expressed disbelief. Shin’s reputation was immense, and she had assessed Mariel to be strong. It was hard to believe they were both defeated simultaneously.

"Have you ever heard of World Order or Great Human Council?" Mariel asked, directing his question to Delphia, Lasyana, and Celinee.

"No," Celinee answered as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"This is my first time hearing it," Delphia said with a furrowed brow. "But hearing those names gives me a bad feeling."

"...I don’t remember," Lasyana said hesitantly. "But those names sound familiar. I must have heard them before, but I can’t recall when or where."

"Shin knows about them. You can ask him. What’s clear is that Great Human Council is an organization that controls the world indirectly. World Order is a group of fighters that answers only to them."

"The person who defeated you and Shin is a member of World Order."

Mariel nodded at Lasyana’s conclusion. "His name is Romero. According to Shin, he might be as strong as Nessthanovla. Romero himself claimed to be the second-strongest member of World Order. Your sacred scythe was taken by him."

Lasyana inhaled sharply, trying hard not to show her frustration. "How much does Shin know about them?" she asked.

"Not much."

"Not much? Then it’s useless to dig for information from him. Delphia, order Shin to be dumped on a deserted street or filthy place. Let him wake up like a beggar."

Delphia didn’t question Lasyana’s decision; she nodded and left.

"What about Libertania?" Mariel asked, changing the topic since there was no point discussing Great Human Council without enough information. "Did Girhamvell say anything?"

"Before leaving, Girhamvell said he agreed. He’ll come here in two weeks with all his members," Lasyana replied, pausing briefly. "By the way," she continued, "your role in this matter exceeded my expectations. I promised to pay you well, but you can ask for more."

"No need."

"No need?"

"After all, I’m still a citizen of the empire. Consider it a form of service. Besides, I failed to retrieve your scythe. That sacred scythe is practically an imperial relic, right?"

"Are you sure?" Lasyana asked to confirm. "Setting aside the fight with Zagabob’s forces, you helped sway Libertania to my side. I’d be happy to offer a reward."

"Oh, you can pay half the initial amount to Celinee. She’s not a citizen of the empire. You’re okay with that, right, Celinee?"

"I don’t mind," Celinee said, waving her hand dismissively. "But are you sure you don’t want payment? I thought you wouldn’t refuse money, especially in a large amount."

"As I said, I’m still an imperial citizen, even though I spend half my time in Camelot. Besides, Lasyana already had people heal me. That’s more than enough. I might have died if I hadn’t been helped."

"Oh."