Chapter 90

Chapter 90: The Altar of Silence

Continental Northwest, Elvra Holy Empire.

At the heart of the capital, solemn bells resounded throughout the Grand Cathedral. Six holy chalices draped in white cloth were placed side by side before the altar, and silver candlesticks and golden burial vestments wrapped the Pope's remains.

Countless faithful bowed their heads around them, yet there were no prayers. Rather, people's lips were pressed tightly shut, and more looked away from one another than met each other's gaze. One person unraveled the knots of their rosary, while another hunched their shoulders with their head bowed low.

Dong!

When the bell tolled again, those departing became noticeably more numerous. Everyone understood. That an irreversible line had been crossed.

"Does Kriya turn His back on us as well……."

A small whisper spread through the stillness. It was the voice of the Doctrinal Chancellor, Sier Lagrin. He muttered while gazing at one of the chalices through his wrinkled eyes.

"He rebuked me time and again. Not once did He let things pass. He set the standards by which we should advance, and He shielded us from life's storms."

"……."

"In a manner of speaking, He was like a 'living, breathing bulwark'. But now that gap has been opened. Toward whom are we to look as we move forward?"

The sunlight filtering through the windows was unusually pale.

Far in the distance, at the capital's outskirts, flags fluttered at half-mast. Beneath them, wounded soldiers who had retreated from the front lay without cots. From their lips, dry coughs and despairing sighs poured forth ceaselessly.

"……Doctrinal Chancellor! The Empire's southeastern region has been completely breached."

Just then, the quartermaster reported with urgent haste.

"The supply routes have entirely collapsed, and the Holy Knights have been annihilated. We must yield at least as far as the central regions. We must form a new front line in the north and hold firm from there."

"……."

"The Pope has been received into Kriya's embrace—so now you must provide the answer!"

Despite the repeated demands, he only stared into empty space, scattering murmurs to himself.

"With Kriya averting His gaze, who will fear judgment?"

Not a single soul answered those words. On the day the Empire lost its Pope, the sacred silence resounded for the first time bearing nothing but emptiness and fear.

Pfft.

At that moment, a candlestick placed beside a pillar went out.

And so, Elvra was losing its light.

* * *

Around the same time, the eastern region of the Astria Kingdom.

Not a sound came from the plains. The plowing, the wind, the cries of livestock—all had vanished. Clearly, just a year ago, farmers had been tilling this soil. But now, it was as though everything that had ever existed had been uprooted without a trace.

Shhhh.

Rain was falling from the sky.

Rain as red as blood.

The murky liquid spread across the land, seeping in like festering pus. The sun had risen, yet shadows crept in the opposite direction.

Beside a collapsed embankment, a knight clad in iron armor stood frozen in place. His eyes had rolled back, his mouth was torn wide to the cheeks, and his neck had snapped clean backward.

Nearby, the soldiers he had led were strewn about. The warhorses had died parched, and torn banners fluttered in the wind.

Something terrible had occurred.

To make matters worse, the closer one drew to the forest, the greater the sense of wrongness became. Across the ground, thornbushes without a single leaf grew in dense tangles. A single deer crossing through them suddenly crumpled and fell. Its eyes were blind, and blood flowed from its ears.

The villages where people had lived were no different.

The haystacks had turned black with soot without a flame ever being set to them, and within the parched earth, not a single insect could be found.

Everything had stopped. No—it had disappeared.

Plains without sound, without smell, without life.

Only something unfamiliar filled the void.

Crunch.

Then, from far away, came the sound of footsteps.

Thud! Scraaaape.

An unpleasant noise, as though flesh were being dragged beneath a wheel. Uneven and unsteady footsteps continued, like a broken body grinding against the ground.

And soon, one became hundreds, which then became thousands, which before long surpassed tens of thousands.

At last, a great evil had crossed over the Storm Forest.

Yet neither the Astria Kingdom nor the Niboria Empire had noticed. Because upon the land, there were no longer any beings left who could speak.

Silence had swallowed fear.

* * *

Western side of the Viale Mountains.

Beneath a piercing sun, the Gariam Fortress situated mid-slope came into view. The territory of the Cardhun tribe and the domain governed by the Dwarf leader 'Bardhun Car'. The sturdy walls built upon rock were all sourced from the iron mines.

At its entrance, a single figure appeared.

A human man who had not yet managed to shake the desert sand from himself. His banner was torn, and his lips were chapped and cracked.

He made straight for the fortress's iron gate. The Dwarves standing guard had started to raise their axes, then stopped. It was a rather familiar face.

"……I am a messenger from Kalahim. I have brought news from the desert."

The messenger opened his mouth with great effort. A low, dry voice. On his wrist, held upward, was tied a distinctive token woven from red thread and ivory fragments.

"Mm, it's been a while. Looks like you've been through quite a bit."

"Hey, open the gate!"

Shortly after, he stood before the lord of Cardhun, Bardhun Car. The messenger only briefly moistened his lips before hastily relaying his news.

"I convey this on behalf of the sole Great Chief, Yoman. Steadfast Bardhun, dark clouds have fallen upon the continent's east."

"……."

"Kriya, the noble ones, and the Empire have all fallen."

Bardhun remained seated in his iron chair and asked back in a cold voice.

"You speak of the Holy Empire. You've brought news well enough from those distant eastern lands."

"It is not a falsehood. Not long ago, we received a letter sent by the tribal chief's son, Varga."

"……Is he not traveling alongside the Pointing One, Yelayen? As a member of the 'Survey Party', he had gone to investigate the Land of Shadows. My own son answered the summons, so there would be no mistaking it. And yet—have they already returned? Then what of my son? Why is there no word of sharp-witted Sariang?"

Despite the longstanding ties between them and Kalahim, deep distrust colored the ends of his words. The matter was that sensitive.

Yet soon, a single sentence softened his suspicion.

"Regrettably, before the survey party could return to human lands……. The Storm Forest fell first."

"You insolent——!"

Bang!

A thick fist slammed heavily against the armrest.

"How dare you put a transcendent one into common gossip! The Storm Forest is the land where The Circulating One, Leatus, resides! He is not a being to be mentioned so carelessly!"

"Yet it is the truth!"

"……You say the barrier has fallen?"

With those words, Bardhun fell silent.

Lost in thought, he flicked his thumb and forefinger together.

Very slowly. Three times.

And presently, the lord of the Dwarves spoke. His voice, pitched low, carried within it a concern for his son. Though it showed on the surface, he did not make it the subject of the conversation.

"……What does Great Chief Yoman want?"

"A decision."

"He wishes for Viale to move."

"Yes."

He turned his gaze toward the thick stone pillar.

It won't be easy.

Much as he wished to take up his axe that very instant, Viale was a nation formed of alliances. It was not something he could decide by his will alone.

"This is not something I can push through on my own. The axes number five and the bows eight. Uniting them as one is an exceedingly difficult thing."

"The Great Chief also understands Viale's position. That is why he said he would wait. However, he said it must not go on too long."

Upon hearing the messenger's reply, Bardhun let out a fierce snort.

A blunt expression of his displeasure.

It was at that very moment.

Tztztztzt.

With an ominous resonance, something rose from deep within the earth. It came up without form, then shot out beyond the fortress walls like an arrow.

Flutter flutter flutter!

Simultaneously, flocks of birds burst forth from the mountain ridges. Not just a single flock—every winged creature across the entire mountain range kicked off from ground and branch and took to the air.

Immediately after, the thread of power that had enveloped Viale snapped clean.

"What in the……!"

The strange silence lasted but a moment before Bardhun Car rose from his throne with a look of utter shock, kicking it aside as he stepped out.

The protective barrier was gone.

He was not the only one who had felt it. Looking up toward the top of the fortress, silhouettes could be seen moving hurriedly at the position of the watchtowers.

Dong! Dong! Do-ong!

The emergency bell rang.

Beneath the watchtower, every sound of machinery from the iron mines fell silent. The miners stopped their sweating and instead moved busily in search of their battle axes.

Of all times for Minebris to have withdrawn the barrier—could it have been mere coincidence?

Perhaps it had been inevitable.

Bardhun stopped only once he had climbed atop the walls. His eyes, heavy as boulders, moved across the fortress walls, tracing the ridgeline of the mountain range beyond.

"……Is this a sign to make a decision?"

He muttered low, and called for his close aide, 'Full Gorgi'.

"Sound the horn. The tribal leaders must be informed of this."

Reaching consensus would be difficult. But he could wait no longer. And so, a coalition council that people had said would take at least two months just to convene completed its preparations in a mere 5 days.

The tribal chieftains scattered throughout the mountain range gathered at Silant.

* * *

The outskirts of the alpine forest, the Silant tribe's settlement.

"Whoa, whoa."

Calix patted his warhorse's neck. When Royce and Airien also came to a stop, sharp gazes flew in from the forest and fixed upon them. Sentinels stood watching in silence, arrows nocked to their bowstrings.

There were no greetings.

More meaning was held in their expressions than in any words.

"At least that much is fortunate."

Volga, who had come out to meet them, whispered low.

"While you were gone it was absolute chaos. Apparently some protective barrier disappeared……. And people were saying it happened because outsiders came——I genuinely couldn't believe it. They were actually asking if you and the Captain had done something!"

To that, Calix spoke plainly.

"They're right."

"Still, we managed to get what we needed……. Huh? What did you say?"

"I said they're right. I did it, I removed that barrier."

"……."

Watching his friend's jaw drop wide open was not a particularly pleasant experience. Then his mentor, the Dwarf Basim, stepped in on his behalf.

"Let's get to the point first. There are things we obtained before everything unraveled. Things regarding the coalition council. Wherever that fellow stirred things up, I cleaned up after him."

He drew a short breath and then began laying out his findings one by one.

"The Elf tribes first. Let's set aside Silant and Wesaria since they seem to be in favor——they're not the concern. What matters are the neutral factions."

"First is Rowent. The young ones appear keenly interested in news from outside. I've heard they're curious about the Mountain Rabbits. I couldn't make direct contact, but word is certainly going around."

"Second is Albant. They're the sort who abhor fighting, but it seems some of them have ventured beyond the mountain range recently. In particular, they're moving centered around the tribe's heir."

"Third is Belarin. On the surface they're the quietest, but they moved swiftly once they heard of this matter. They were practical calculators from the start. If a proper justification is presented, they might well shift to the favorable side."

Calix nodded in agreement.

He really had gathered quite a lot in the interim.

"The Dwarves, on the other hand—three places matter. Cardhun, Heimrack, and Mordan. Five tribes in total, so we'd need to draw in at least three for there to be any chance of winning."

"The first to move was Cardhun, the second Heimrack. This is no coincidence. The two tribes had been close since before my time here. Given how quickly they sent their messengers, I'd say there's a good chance of winning them over."

"Mordan arrived last, but they've been making contact with representatives from other tribes since the moment they arrived. I suspect they're gauging the atmosphere. In other words, they haven't yet made up their minds."

Beyond that, the personalities of each tribal chief, the culture and characteristics of each tribe—an endless stream of information came pouring out. It seemed complex at a glance, but it could be simplified.

"To put it plainly, here it is."

Basim folded his fingers to show.

"Of the Elves' eight tribes, four. Of the Dwarves' five tribes, three. Out of a combined thirteen votes, we need to surpass seven. For reference, right now we haven't even reached half of that."

However, immediately after, he crossed his arms and spoke in a low voice.

"Well, that's enough of that. But the problem is what comes next."

His eyes sharpened.

"Calix, you said you removed the barrier."

"Yes."

"……You gave them no choice in the matter."

A pointed rebuke.

"Whether Elf or Dwarf, this is what they'll bring up first. 'Who gave their consent?' they'll say. 'When did we ever permit outsiders to remove the barrier?'"

Basim continued in a composed yet heavy voice.

"The tribal chiefs will not want to be the first to act. The moment they cast a vote in favor, it's tantamount to declaring they're willing to pay the cost in their people's lives. That's why, until now, nothing had been done. And then you…… Overturned the furnace. Accordingly, the moment the barrier was lifted, there is only one person who will become the target of blame."

"……That would be me."

"That's right. You."

Calix did not make excuses. His reasons had been stated well enough——now it was time to face the consequences. He simply nodded and accepted it calmly.

"It was my choice. It was by my own will, and no one coerced me. Perhaps it was a grave mistake."

He kept his gaze fixed forward and spoke quietly.

He understood well enough the weight of responsibility. But if someone had to bear it, then it was clearly himself. Fear and regret had been left behind on the road already traveled.

"But if that choice can change something……. Then bearing it is also my share to carry."

For a long while, no one spoke.

Royce had listened to the strategy he had devised and accepted it. Dwarf Basim felt his resolve and let it pass. And Volga…… Simply trusted him.

It was Airien who broke the silence.

"……My father will summon you all to the council."

She spoke while gazing toward the forest. As though trying to gather something within herself, her eyes did not meet his even as she spoke.

"He will not reprimand you, but he will not shield you either."

The Elf woman paused briefly, then added one final thing. Only in that moment did she look Calix directly in the eyes.

"You said you could bear it. Then you must now prove it. Because we have come too far……to pretend we don't know."

With those words, Airien turned her back and left. At the hem of her fluttering cloak, complex emotions were woven in.

"I really can't stand these big-eared lot, I tell you."

Basim grumbled, pushing the silence aside.

And that evening, a resonance burst forth from throughout the mountain range.

From the alpine forests and mist-covered highlands, icy valleys and mountain fortresses, deep ravines, faintly simmering volcanoes, and underground lakes——all those who made their home in Viale simultaneously sounded their bells, announcing the opening of the council.

In that instant, Gregor hummed a little tune and let out a sound of admiration.

"My cook comrade, I don't know how it'll turn out……. But one thing is certain. From here on, everyone will remember your face!"

It was the first coalition council in a full 200 years.