Chương 175: Lux Vult (5)

Simon's experiments with Edicts proved enlightening. First of all, it turned out he could only cast a single type of them at once; his attempt to cast a second Edict of the Wounded Earth fell flat, but he did manage to briefly overlay it with his Edict of Endless Night by applying the second to an enslaved monster. Amusingly, Endless Night fulfilled the first curse's release condition and lifted it. Of course, the Edict's end didn't magically turn back time and heal the land.

The valley was still filled with lava that would cool down over several days, all the plant and animal life for miles had been burned to death, and the quakes had ravaged the region. Only monsters would prosper in the area for years to come. Edicts were extremely taxing on his miasma reserves, at least during the casting itself; the curse became self-sustaining afterwards.

He was also limited to one Edict per 'focus:' he couldn't cast two of them at the same time on his Dungeon core, or have a monster sustain more than one. None of his thralls survived the attempts. Interestingly, destroying the Dungeon core did not lift the Edict it had served as the focus of, since the exit clause remained unfulfilled. The relation even appeared to work in reverse: the core quickly reformed in the curse's heart and wouldn't budge or move.

Since Simon's Perks caused a Dungeon's range to spread outwards, then it would also cause the Edict's radius to increase. It had only taken months for his Dungeon to encroach on the rest of the Sanctuary during his previous reign, so a well-worded curse could potentially engulf the entire planet if allowed to fester for centuries. If Edicts are so powerful, then why did my predecessors use so few of them? Simon wondered. The answer wasn't hard to guess. Their potential for destruction is too great.

Even neutral parties would mobilize against the Overlord rather than risk their world turning into a fireball. Moreover, it seemed even Simon couldn't lift an Edict without fulfilling the exit clause first. Once the curse was brought into the world, it became its own entity independent from his will. Still, his Edict studies and new level had put him back into a fantastically good mood. Having two Devour Crestone Perks meant he could consume both the Summoner's second eidolon ability and the Warrior's Armsmaster.

Holding off on consuming the Rogue's anti-teleportation escape measure for the time being was a loss, but the boost in power should more than compensate for it. I still need to interrogate Louis about my father's Abyssal Chronicle, and take my mother's skull out of the acid room for a proper burial, Simon thought as he teleported into the High Council chamber at dawn, clad in the Overlord armor. The empire's major power brokers had all finally gathered in Frightwall to discuss the transition of power.

So many moving parts.

"Your Majesty." As always, Shabram had arrived first.

"I hope your meeting with Lady Elaine bore fruit."

"It did, but it's too early to tell what kind." Elaine had departed for Magvolia to hopefully bring her aunts into the fold and open diplomatic channels with Illusea. He hoped his gamble would pay off, though he had plans to defang the Oracle's operations in Endymion either way.

"Shabram?" She perked up.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"You have served my father and me well, for which I am grateful." She had been among Simon's most loyal followers across the reigns, and her loyalty deserved a reward.

"If you have a favor to ask, I will gladly fulfill it."

"Your Majesty is very kind." Shabram shifted in her seat.

"Are you already aware of Aegio's existence?"

"I know of him, yes."

"I would appreciate it if Your Majesty could both spend time with my son and arrange for him to squire for a powerful noble," Shabram asked, which surprised Simon a bit.

"Although Your Majesty's father graced me with a dukedom, my son remains a bastard and half-shifter. I fear he will not be accepted into Endymion's society without help."

"I could take him into my service," Simon suggested.

"He could squire for me, and I would keep him safe." Shabram smiled uneasily.

"That would be unwise, Your Majesty. Her Grace wouldn't take kindly to the presence of another of her husband's bastards at court, especially a half-shifter."

"True…" Simon pondered the issue before quickly coming up with a solution.

"He could squire for Dassein, then. My brother would treat our half-brother well enough and mentor him. It would also show Telluria's people that they too can reach our empire's highest echelons if they are willing to integrate."

"Your Majesty is most wise." Shabram glanced at the door as Euphemia and Mastemo walked into the chamber, closely followed by Maublanc.

"Your Grace, Your Excellency, Lord Paimon."

"I pray your flight was pleasant, Uncle Maublanc," Simon said as Euphemia sat at his side. Lord Maublanc scowled slightly at the new imperial couple.

"It was," he said warily.

"I still cannot believe you are the Overlord now. Seeing you in that armor will give my daughter pause too." Simon immediately tensed up.

"Anna came with you?"

"Her Grace's message informed me we would be discussing her marriage prospects, so of course I called her." Maublanc frowned at him as he took a seat right next to Euphemia.

"Is there an issue with that?"

"No," Simon lied after a short silence, a vision of her burning corpse flashing in his mind.

"No, it'll be good to see her again…" Alive and whole. Euphemia and Maublanc stared at him in silence, and Simon was most thankful when the remaining councilors arrived: Lauriane, Dassein, Lady Beatrice of the Templars, Odette Kano, and the empire's three generals, Mizuko Vepar, Ronah Andras, and Uruk Leraje. Isabelle Barbatos was also present as a guest and representative of her father, Duke Barbatos. She looked most wary out of all of them, but Simon invited her to join by pointing at an empty seat.

"Brother," Dassein said, bowing respectfully to his sibling alongside Lauriane, albeit with slight awkwardness. It must have been strange for him to defer to a younger sibling. The three generals imitated him, though Uruk's and Ronah's bows felt half-hearted, and the former glared at Beatrice with barely concealed disdain. The military very much resented an outsider's nomination to the rank of Marshal. They don't respect me yet, Simon thought.

He had feared as much, considering quite a few of the people present supported the War Party. I might have to make an example…

"Your Majesty, Your Grace, Your Lordships," Odette Kano said respectfully as she bowed to everyone. The Merchant Crestone glowed on a brooch pinned to her cloak.

"It is an honor to be present here today, though I do wonder what I did to deserve it."

"I wonder that myself," Euphemia replied dryly.

"I have foreseen you will be useful to this administration, for reasons we will address later this meeting," Simon said more diplomatically before steepling his fingers.

"Welcome, lords and ladies, to this administration's first expanded High Council session."

"As you have all been informed, my husband was viciously murdered by Prince Louis with the assistance of an elven agent who infiltrated our government under the name of Patriate Malphas," Euphemia said.

"Both have been arrested and the Crimson Throne bestowed the Overlord Class to a worthier inheritor. We have all gathered you here today to ensure a peaceful transition of power and this administration's new direction."

"Most of you already know each other, with a few exceptions." Simon turned to the new faces in the room.

"Odette Kano, former mayor of Whispermire, will serve as our Merchant and Lord-Treasurer from now on. The lady to her right is Knight-Commander Beatrice of the Templar Order. She will assume the disgraced Prince Louis' duties as marshal from now on."

"I shall serve Your Majesty, Her Grace, and His Excellency with my life," Beatrice said. While Lauriane, Dassein, and the Imperial Wings Commander Ronah simply scowled at her nomination, General-in-Chief Uruk outright looked fit to gag.

"Yes, you shall," Simon said before turning to Isabelle.

"As for you, Lady Barbatos, besides assisting us with your expertise on a particular matter, you will answer for your father's refusal to bend the knee." Isabelle bristled.

"My father did not intend to offend you, Overlord Magnos. He was simply doubtful of what happened here in the capital and did not wish to answer before gathering more information. The idea that my fiancé committed patricide…"

"Is it true?" Dassein asked with a scowl of skepticism.

"I could scarcely believe the letter."

"He admitted it in public and surrendered the murder weapon he used to commit the crime," Lauriane stated. The fact that Louis' most loyal supporter would say so more or less silenced everyone's doubts on the matter.

"As far as admissions of guilt go, that one is irrevocable."

"Prince Louis should be executed," Lady Beatrice suggested immediately.

"Leaving the Overlord's murderer unpunished will encourage others to follow his example."

"I agree," Admiral Mizuko said.

"Malphas should perish too. Their executions would deter future assassinations." Simon didn't miss the way Lauriane and Dassein exchanged a look with Isabelle, or the other generals' scowls. His brother still had too many supporters inside these walls.

"Prince Louis will be tried, as is his right as a crown-prince," Euphemia replied calmly to defuse the situation. Simon and she both knew they could make this case last as long as necessary.

"Malphas is more useful to us as a hostage and source of information for now, but we will deal with him as soon as we identify all of his conspirators." Unless Elaine pulls off a miracle, Simon thought. Either way, he had plans to deal with the issue no matter what happened.

"You may question Louis himself if you do not believe us, Lady Barbatos." Under close watch.

"Once you have answers, you should convince your father of the wisdom of bending the knee before my patience wears thin." This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Isabelle didn't miss the not-so-subtle threat.

"I shall, Your Majesty."

"Now, my late father left us with four threats to our regime he couldn't deal with before his demise," Simon declared as he snapped his fingers. Shabram distributed files to everyone present.

"Gargauth's heirs, the White Unicorn-Illusea coalition, the Cobweb, and the Zodiac Fiends that will bring about the Second Doom. Though they were briefly mentioned in the letters I sent you, these files will go in-depth about our enemies. Containing or eradicating these threats will be our top priority, alongside the pursuit of Operation Deepground." He could see scowls and frowns deepening the further his allies read.

The files contained most of the information Simon had gathered across the reigns on threats against their empire, except for a few tidbits he would rather keep to himself, such as Mastemo's true nature and the Sanctuary's existence. Informing any potential War Party sympathizers of the latter was bound to backfire.

It also provided details about Operation Deepground to those who weren't yet in the loop, to ensure they could continue the project and ensure the empire survived the Parade should the worst come to pass. No one asked questions about where Simon and Shabram obtained so much sensitive information. He guessed most of them were simply used to the Overlord coming around with highly detailed intel, and those who weren't put their faith in the empire's vast spy network.

"An archdemon, sealed beneath my own castle?" Maublanc gripped the report.

"How could I not have been informed? Did Balzam know about this?"

"The crystal is guarded by a dangerous lich, and its demon will rise last," Simon said in an attempt to spare his feelings and reassure him.

"No doubt my father would have informed you closer to the deadline."

"Mayhaps, but still…" A distraught Maublanc turned to Euphemia.

"Did he tell you?"

"No," Euphemia replied darkly.

"My husband kept many secrets."

"I now understand why Your Majesty recruited me," Odette said as she finished reading.

"The Archer fiend is sealed in the lost city of Rhapta in Uyo."

"I know you have spent many years of your life preparing for an expedition there," Simon confirmed.

"You now have the empire's resources at your disposal to complete this task. The Archer will be the first to rise, so time is of the essence."

"I will begin preparations immediately." Odette cleared her throat.

"However, I must warn Your Majesty that the Cobweb offered to support my expedition before you recruited me. They have enough intelligence to potentially pursue the Archer themselves."

"This Attic is a threat too," Dassein observed.

"I can't believe those scum built a teleportation network stretching from Muse to Telluria right under our noses."

"It could be useful to us," Commander Ronah suggested.

"We could use it to send troops far behind enemy lines."

"It's too much of a risk," Maublanc decided.

"Verney is connected to both Lore's government and the Zodiac Fiends. He can easily cut off our access and build new pathways to slip saboteurs into our midst."

"The Cobweb must be eliminated, the Twins and the Rogue captured, and the Attic dismantled," Mastemo agreed, while conveniently forgetting the fact that he had collaborated with them.

"Our Lighthouse has the facilities to contain these fiends."

"One of them, maybe, but twelve?" Lauriane shook her head.

"We cannot put all of our eggs in one basket."

"Agreed," Euphemia said, which took Lauriane slightly aback.

"I have witnessed the disaster in my visions during our war with Gargauth. The scale of the destruction puts all of your worst nightmares to shame. We must explore all possibilities."

"Which is why I also invited Lady Barbatos here," Simon said. Isabelle, being a bright soul, had already guessed why.

"According to this report, the Lion's crystal is what allows Cocagne's royal castle to float. Your Majesty wishes to see if I could reproduce this feat and create secure, floating containment facilities."

"Indeed," Simon confirmed. Besides allowing for the creation of floating islands, it might potentially let them get rid of the Zodiac Fiends by throwing them off the planet.

"I have already set Lauriane on recovering the Minotaur, and once Norbelle brings in Cocagne, we will be able to cooperate with them to contain the Lion. In the short term, we must secure the crystals in Bujan, Fablan, and Telluria. Since the latter's site is held by one of Gargauth's heirs, we will be able to kill two birds with one stone." Dassein immediately put himself forward.

"Allow me to handle this, brother. I can muster a force and besiege the old kish capital in days."

"And you will, but not alone," Euphemia said with fire in her eyes.

"I will deal with this Vouivre personally." Many eyes turned her way, Simon's own included.

"Are you sure?" he asked her. She was usually loath to leave Frightwall.

"I will not suffer the brood of Gargauth to live," Euphemia declared with venom in her voice.

"Your father and I slew their father. I will finish what we started." She won't tolerate a rival dynasty to threaten her own, Simon realized, and she doesn't want Dassein to earn all the glory from this assignment. She wishes to show that the Church Party will deal with threats by force if necessary. The enmity in her voice sounded beyond mere professional rivalry. Considering how much trouble Gargauth caused her, Simon guessed she relished the thought of extinguishing his line.

"I see." Simon knew from experience that Euphemia could handle Vouivre, but this was the first time she would go after the dragon so early rather than let Louis or Dassein handle it. This ought to prove interesting.

"Casval Ashmodai is weak enough to be captured for information–" And for his own good.

"–While his sister must be eliminated and her Chest of Worlds recovered."

"We will do more than secure the Twin-Tailed Fish crystal," Euphemia replied.

"The beastmen's subjugation is long overdue. They have threatened our northern borders for too long and we cannot allow another warlord to exploit the void this Vouivre will leave. We must complete the continent's unification." What did she say? Simon blinked behind his helmet. Euphemia had not consulted him about this at all. This is new.

"What does Your Grace suggest?" Lady Beatrice asked.

"Once Dassein and I have shattered Vouivre's forces, you and Lord Maublanc will lead a campaign to pacify the region and convert its inhabitants to the glory of the Light," Euphemia decided.

"We will exploit the chaos left by the dragon's death and the secret airship fleet my husband built will let us intimidate the remaining beastmen tribes by showing we can strike them anywhere."

"A most wise course of action, Your Grace," Mastemo agreed.

"My researchers have made great progress on curing the beastmen's condition. Study of the Twin-Tailed Fish's crystal might let us speed up the process." Dassein cleared his throat.

"I do not mind assistance on the Tellurian front, but we lack the manpower to occupy all of Telluria."

"We do not need to," Simon said. Considering the stakes, he decided to go along with Euphemia's plan rather than show potential cracks in their unity in front of their leadership.

"I have a potential viceroy who could rule the region in our stead. One of the last kish." Mastemo's head perked up at this, while Euphemia nodded.

"We can discuss how to keep the land under control once we have dealt with the dragons and the Cobweb," she said.

"Otherwise, we must also deal with the Magvolia issue. Illusea exploited strong royalist and revanchist sentiment to plant agents there. We must reinforce our legitimacy if we are to secure our western borders."

"Indeed." Simon met Dassein's eyes.

"I believe you will be instrumental in this, Dassein." Dassein frowned.

"You want me to suppress the royalists?"

"In a way. You are unwed, and so is Magvolia's exiled princess, Satine Renais." The more Simon spoke, the more uneasy Dassein looked.

"A match between you would legitimize our hold over the region."

"It will also silence the…" Euphemia's tongue clicked in her mouth." Rumors following you."

"Those are calumnies!" Dassein argued. It was rather rare for him to show anger.

"You all know that! I never touched my manticore in such a wa–""Nobody said that, Dassein," Simon reassured him. Such were the trials of being an unwed Rider.

"But this marriage is an option we have to explore." Dassein's jaw clenched until his face seemed made of stone.

"I will do it if I must, brother, but surely there is someone more qualified."

"There are no other available princes," Euphemia countered.

"Speaking of weddings, perhaps we should move on to the subject of Your Majesty's and Your Grace's union and coronation," Mastemo said.

"I suggest the twenty-fourth of Nivose, to celebrate Saint Pharis' first miracle." At this point, the conversation moved towards the wedding preparations, from its location—Marthrone's cathedral—to the number of guests—thousands—and the finer points of the ceremony. Foreign dignitaries from all across the world would also partake in the revelry to witness the strength and splendor of House Magnos. To Simon's surprise, the meeting concluded without shouts or much tension.

The War Party's remaining supporters were too busy arguing how to conduct the unification of Telluria to argue about the wedding or Beatrice's promotion.

"It went better than I thought," Simon admitted once he and Euphemia were alone in the chamber. He poured them both a glass of wine from his Inventory.

"I feared I would have to kill someone to make an example."

"I know," his stepmother replied calmly.

"It's why I suggested concluding Telluria's conquest." Simon had suspected as much.

"To give them a common enemy to fight?"

"Partly. You have seen how the generals looked at Beatrice and at us. They resent her nomination, because she was never part of the army, and because two of them are thugs named by your brother." She sipped her drink.

"We must ensure Lady Beatrice can prove herself a capable commander, secure quick military victories to prove our regime's strength, and distract our more unreliable allies until we can purge them."

"That is wise," Simon admitted, though it would displease Eole. He guessed he could convince her to accept the role of viceroy and collaborate with Endymion rather than fight a hopeless battle. She could be convinced to ally with Vouivre, so I should be able to change her mind…

"Besides, the beastmen have been a plague on our borders for too long," Euphemia said.

"Dealing with them will take care of a security risk."" Shifters," Simon corrected her.

"The right term is shifters." Euphemia scoffed in disdain.

"Beasts they are, and beasts they remain," she said with dripping contempt.

"You don't know them like I do. They are savages who rape and kill and enslave each other; no doubt the result of the foul demonic magic that created them." It didn't surprise Simon that Mastemo would have told her about this, but her attitude did rub him the wrong way.

"Shifters are people," he said.

"There are as many kind and wise people among them as there are good souls among us humans."

"Then there must be precious few," Euphemia quipped, before setting her glass aside.

"Three times I attempted to recruit the beastmen to our cause during the Reformation. The first time, they tried to rape me; the second time, they tried to sell me out to Gargauth to save their own furry hides; and the third time, they proved false when we needed them the most." Simon raised an eyebrow.

"Care to elaborate?"

"Why?" Euphemia squinted at him.

"You think this knowledge will give you an edge?"

"Do you take me for Balzam?"

"I do, sometimes," Euphemia replied.

"You look the same as he did in your armor, and you remind me of how he acted before he put on the Cl–""I am nothing like him!" Simon snapped at her angrily, his grip cracking his own glass." Nothing! He was a beast in human skin, a rapist, and a madman!" His outburst had taken Euphemia slightly aback, though she quickly regained her composure.

"What did he do to you?"

"He murdered my mother when she had the gall to find love with someone else," Simon admitted. Euphemia avoided his gaze.

"You know what the worst part is? You're not even surprised."

"I'm not. He killed another of his concubines for the same reason." Euphemia hesitated a moment before speaking up again.

"During the fight with Gargauth, I tried to rally the beastmen tribes to our cause. One of them welcomed me under the pretense of negotiating an alliance, but it was a trap. What they wanted was to sell me out to that dragon to earn his support against other tribes. Your father saved my life that day, for which I was grateful." Simon could see where this was going.

"Did he plan this ambush? So you would be indebted to him?"

"I think he did," Euphemia admitted, "He was an experienced Commander by then, and clever at covering his tracks." She looked away.

"Either way, the Tellurians were and are still a treacherous, untrustworthy lot."

"Their society does have problems," Simon concurred, "but a few trees do not make a forest."

"And one cannot plant pines in the desert. The beastmen are culturally and religiously too different from us to coexist with our civilization. We must convert them to the Light before peace becomes possible." She finished her glass.

"Cultural and religious unification is the only way to unite the people as one. Your father understood that, and I hope you will too." Simon meditated on her advice when the Keeper appeared.

"What is it?"

"An airship has arrived from Cocagne, Your Dark Majesty," the ghost replied, "Your lady sister has arrived."