[On the Eve of Destruction — 8:40 PM] [Theocracy Forward Command Post]
The command tent was illuminated by the flickering light of magical lamps, casting long, dancing shadows against the canvas walls. Outside, the sounds of the expeditionary army, the clatter of armor, the low murmur of soldiers, the crackle of watchfires created a constant, dull roar. But inside, the silence was suffocating.
Valeria Ain Obinier, Commander-in-Chief of the Theocracy's expeditionary force, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, staring at a tactical map of the Royal Capital. He let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding when the heavy tent flap was pushed aside.
He felt a measure of relief wash over him as he confirmed that all members of the Black Scripture had returned alive.
However, that relief was short-lived.
The heavy, dispirited expressions on their unmasked faces told him that the situation had already deteriorated beyond repair. The heroes of humanity, usually the embodiment of divine wrath, looked less like legends and more like survivors of a shipwreck.
"Report," Valeria said, his voice steady despite the anxiety gnawing at his gut. "Haven't you found even the slightest trace?"
Clemence did not answer immediately. The Captain of the Black Scripture, a man whose spear had pierced dragons, merely shook his head slowly. It was a gesture of defeat that terrified Valeria more than any enemy ambush.
Sherry, the 7th Seat, stepped forward.
"The replay of the magical afterimage abruptly vanished at the critical location," she reported, her voice lacking its usual dreamy cadence. "All I could confirm was that the target the Extra Seat, breached the Elf King's chambers. After that… I tried everything. I burned three high-tier mana crystals. But I could no longer activate the afterimage."
Valeria looked at the young woman. He knew Sherry well. Several years ago, she had been a core member of the Clearwater Scripture. After reaching the realm of heroes, she had been transferred to the Black Scripture and assigned to this peculiar unit.
She wore an odd combination of clothing a fitted blazer, thigh-high stockings, and a short, pleated garment called a "miniskirt."
To the soldiers outside, she looked ridiculous. But Valeria knew better. According to the knowledge system left behind by the Six Great Gods, this was a "School Uniform." It was a Divine Artifact said to dramatically enhance perceptual abilities and processing speed.
Sherry was a beautiful young woman with short blonde hair and innocent eyes. No ordinary person would imagine that beneath that "uniform" lay a 5th-tier magic caster capable of observing targets from hundreds of kilometers away.
Valeria trusted her judgment implicitly; she was not one for careless errors. Having served as the Grand Marshal's right hand before this campaign, he knew the Black Scripture's capabilities intimately. Faced with such a terrifying unknown, Valeria felt it was his duty as their commander to offer them some steadying words.
"Please don't look so dejected," Valeria said, stepping around the map table. "You faced the unknown in the heart of enemy territory and returned with intelligence. That is a victory in itself."
"Thank you, Commander..." Sherry murmured, clutching the hem of her blazer.
"So," Valeria continued, his eyes hardening. "The reason the magical afterimage couldn't be released is that someone used higher-tier intelligence magic to erase the traces. Is that the only reasonable conclusion?"
"Yes. That's the only explanation."
"Someone cleaned up the battlefield," Clemence interjected.
"All crucial intelligence was erased. There were no bodies, neither the Elf King's nor the Extra Seat's. Every piece of equipment is gone. Even the Elf King's treasury has been completely emptied."
A desperate defection?
The thought surfaced unbidden in Valeria's mind. He remembered the reports regarding Zesshi's mental state. He remembered the words she had spoken before her departure:
(When the hatred my mother etched into my soul finally fades… will I be free? I think I will.)
Had she truly changed after killing the Elf King? Had the catharsis of patricide led her to abandon the Theocracy?
Valeria shook his head, suppressing the thought.
Impossible.
Zesshi Zetsumei was a creature of instinct and combat. She did not possess the subtle skills required to scrub a magical signature, nor did she have the patience to loot a treasury. She would have left the Elf King's corpse rotting on the throne as a trophy.
"Is it possible," Valeria asked slowly, testing the waters, "that the Elf King killed her, cleaned up the scene to hide his weakness, and escaped?"
"We can't rule it out," Clemence replied, though his tone suggested he didn't believe it. "It's possible we've been underestimating that bastard's strength all along… Ah, my apologies."
Clemence bowed his head slightly, ashamed of his coarse language in front of the Commander-in-Chief.
Valeria waved a hand dismissively. "It's fine, Captain. We are past the need for pleasantries."
He looked at Clemence with sympathy. The young man must be regretting that he hadn't stayed by Zesshi's side. But the Cardinals decided to send her alone. And she herself had insisted on going solo to confront her father. This failure lay on the shoulders of the leadership, not on this earnest young man.
"There is another possibility," Valeria said, his voice dropping an octave. "A third party. Someone who waited for them to wound each other, then stepped in to kill the survivor."
"... As you say."
The mood in the tent plummeted.
Zesshi Zetsumei and the Elf King were beings far beyond the comprehension of ordinary humans. They were catastrophes in human form. For a third party to intervene, they would need power that rivaled the Dragon Lords, or have a Divine Artifact like [Downfall of Castle and Country]
"If it were a third party," a deep voice rumbled from the back.
It was Tyr, the 8th Seat. Once known as the Earth shield, now hailed as the Myriad Barriers. He was a man of few words, and his personality was as steadfast as his defense.
"Then it could only be the Council State... or the Sorcerer Kingdom."
Tyr paused, his eyes narrowing.
"And given the method... the Sorcerer Kingdom is the most likely."
Valeria nodded slowly. "Indeed."
The Council State possessed the Platinum Dragon Lord, a being of immense power. But the Dragon Lords were arrogant. They possessed a certain... majesty. If the Platinum Dragon Lord had intervened, he would have likely destroyed the castle or left the bodies as a warning. He would not have looted the treasury like a common thief.
"The Sorcerer King..." Valeria muttered the name like a curse. "An Undead of unknown power. A being that calculates, schemes, and hoards power."
"That despicable Undead..." Someone muttered, "But surely the Sorcerer King wouldn't personally intervene in the Elf Capital? He is a King. Why would he be there?"
"He has subordinates," Tyr countered. "Devils. Demons. Creatures capable of teleportation and high-tier intelligence magic. We saw what happened in the Holy Kingdom; it would be foolish to judge the Sorcerer King by common sense
"… You're right."
"It's impossible to say for certain," Clemence admitted, looking at the floor. "But after the massacre at the Katze Plains... it would be foolish to judge the Sorcerer King by common sense."
Valeria sighed. No matter how Valeria examined the situation, the Sorcerer Kingdom remained the most likely culprit.
Which meant only one thing: the Theocracy's greatest hypothetical enemy had already made its move, and it was a decisive strike from the very beginning.
"We have already contacted the Cardinals via message spell," Clemence said. "Your Excellency Valeria Ain Obinier, please allow me to relay the orders issued by the Supreme Council before we depart."