novelraw Chapter 102 : Eye of Kabbalah (2)
Chapter 102 : Eye of Kabbalah (2)
Chapter 102: Eye of Kabbalah (2)
“Anyway, since the agreement hasn’t been fully finalized yet, I’ll make sure to inform you as soon as there’s any new update. Please wait for a moment.”
“…Yes.”
After sharing the current situation to some extent with the only reporter remaining, Mikhail left the room once again.
“I knew I shouldn’t have trusted those reporters.”
By dawn tomorrow, this would surely blow up into chaos again.
Since long ago, the press had been eager to spread gossip, even if it meant twisting the truth.
Back when the Imperial Court still held strong influence, the power of the media was extremely weak. It was a form of dictatorship—a military regime, to be precise.
But as the army’s focus shifted toward subjugating the rampaging beasts, and the Imperial Court gradually lost its authority in the process, the press began to establish its own stance.
At that time, their main patrons were not the Imperial family but the noble houses.
Led by the Bernhardt Family, attempts to control the media were still ongoing.
‘Still, since most major outlets remain under our influence, this will likely end as a minor incident…’
Even so, this was a major event. There was no way it wouldn’t make the front page.
That was the crucial point.
What the Empire’s citizens—the main audience—wanted was never the truth.
A short piece of gossip to break the dull monotony of their daily lives—that alone was enough for them.
Whether it was fake news or some petty scandal, just being caught up in controversy meant one thing… that people were already playing into their scheme.
“…Well, whatever the case, the conclusion has already been decided.”
No matter how much rhetoric, trickery, or elaborate justification one used—
Before overwhelming force, it all became meaningless.
Once the results came out, the noisy citizens would soon fall silent as if nothing had ever happened.
Because the truth meant nothing to them.
When Mikhail returned to the room, the heated atmosphere from before had cooled considerably.
Particularly Archbishop Dominico seemed calmer now, as though he had sorted out his thoughts in the meantime.
“I don’t wish to muddy the waters with internal strife during such chaotic times… but there are choices that can’t be avoided, wouldn’t you agree?”
Even so, the anger lingering in his eyes had not fully subsided.
Mikhail scanned the room once before sitting down again.
“…Where did Executive Officer Karen go?”
“I sent her back. There must be many things she needs to prepare.”
Following up on the previous discussion, Edgar scratched his faint stubble and asked quietly.
“Hmm… You’re really intent on setting Dellowell in motion, aren’t you?”
“Then what? Should the Bernhardts just stand by and watch?”
KWAANG!
“This is a challenge against us. A challenge against the leaders of the great Empire.”
Dominico’s voice thundered through the room as he alternated his gaze among the three men.
“They’re weeds. Unless we crush them, tear out their roots, and burn them to ash, they’ll sprout again someday to trouble us.”
It wasn’t a wrong statement.
‘Though whether they’re weeds or thorned brambles remains to be seen.’
If it was the former, it could be dealt with swiftly—but if the latter, there would inevitably be blood spilled.
Even so, it was better to root out such corruption that festered within the Empire’s system.
Watching the archbishop’s heated expression, Mikhail interjected calmly.
“Then let’s finalize the agreement here—with one additional clause.”
“…A clause?”
As he spoke, he picked up a blank sheet of paper and began writing a long passage across it.
Once finished, Mikhail placed the paper in the center of the table.
The written contents read as follows:
The undersigned parties hereby acknowledge that this agreement implicitly includes the following pledge:
The Centre Agreement represents an unavoidable choice made to protect the steadfast system of the Ribenia Empire.
The system is the first step toward the Empire’s peace.
Failure to comply with this agreement shall be deemed a lack of will to defend the Empire’s order.
In other words, such failure constitutes an act that undermines the peace of the Empire.
All supporters of the Empire bear the mission of safeguarding its peace.
Furthermore, they are obliged to decisively and firmly sanction any act that threatens this peace.
Said sanctions are limited solely to acts of guidance toward those unfit for the system, and shall in no way be construed as acts of war, massacre, suppression, or persecution against humanity.
Below this statement were the names of three people and their blank signature spaces.
As they read through it, Mikhail added a few words.
“If we add solid evidence of blasphemy to this, even if some voices rise in objection, it will be more than enough justification to proceed with judgment.”
“……”
“So let’s conclude it at this point. No objections, I assume?”
After all three signed the agreement and the clause—
Those remaining quickly began moving to carry out their respective tasks.
“Be sure to relay this properly to the Director. I’ll be paying him a visit soon enough.”
“Yes… Understood.”
Mikhail faithfully conveyed the contents of the agreement to ensure that even the last remaining reporter could be properly bought off.
He didn’t forget to apply a little pressure while doing so.
“Well then, I shall take my leave.”
Archbishop Dominico left the building alone without any attendants.
Outside, the gathered crowd and reporters swarmed him, and Bernhardt’s guards quickly stepped in for protection.
“Judging by how things are going… it seems the other side has no intention of yielding.”
Next was Crown Prince Abel Ribenia’s turn.
“Well, as you’ve said countless times, there’s no need to mobilize the army. Dellowell’s forces alone should be sufficient, yes?”
“……”
Edgar silently nodded in response.
“Then, I’ll be going. Stay in touch.”
Once Abel and his attendant departed—
Only Bernhardt’s two wings, Edgar and Mikhail, remained.
Leaning against the wall, Mikhail exhaled a deep sigh, fatigue clearly written across his face.
“Haa… It feels like unexpected things keep happening lately.”
“You’ve done well.”
Since inheriting the position of family head early from his father, Edgar Bernhardt had become more taciturn with each passing year.
Though he could speak eloquently—whether to persuade or threaten—when necessary, he otherwise preferred silence.
Had it not been for his status and role, he would have merely been a stoic man—but for him, Mikhail Bernhardt was the one person worthy of being called a true friend.
Hidden beneath his habitual cheerfulness and sly demeanor was insight and discernment that far surpassed his own.
In an Empire full of fools, Mikhail was the only comrade and strategist to whom he could entrust his back.
And for that same reason, Mikhail trusted and supported Edgar more than anyone else.
Despite the innate divide between direct and collateral lineage, the two shared a close bond.
“So, what do you think of this situation, Mikhail?”
“Hmm… right.”
Since it was just the two of them, his casual tone naturally surfaced.
“When you think about it rationally… there doesn’t seem to be any force behind this other than Duel. No—honestly, even that seems unlikely.”
“What about the possibility that all of this was just a bluff?”
“…If that were the case, there’d be no reason to take such a hardline approach. They’d have tried to buy time or use persuasion instead.”
“…True enough.”
Edgar didn’t bother denying it.
Agreeing with him, Mikhail waved his hand dismissively and continued,
“Well, since things have come to this, maybe it’s for the best. There’s no reason for us to refuse, after all.”
“It’s like they’re offering to blow our nose for us without lifting a finger.”
At that very moment, a sharp current of thought ran through Edgar’s mind.
“No reason to refuse… huh.”
The enemy’s forces were unstable, and their backers uncertain.
Meanwhile, their own side had already secured sufficient justification—and if things escalated, they’d be in a far better position to respond efficiently.
On top of that, Bernhardt’s own resources would hardly be touched.
If anything, more expenses would arise only if Mallet ended up submitting to the Orthodox Faith.
No matter how one looked at it, there was absolutely no reason to oppose.
And then—
“…We’ll need to dig into this a little deeper.”
Edgar instinctively understood that this was the most critical moment of all.
He scribbled three names on a small note and handed it to Mikhail.
“We need to pull back all the seeds we’ve planted in Karbenna. Especially for these three—make sure their information is sent exactly as is, without any alteration.”
They were all familiar names.
“Eugene Carter, Rubia Magnus, Francia Brida… No need to check on Frederick Lake?”
“Those three will do for now.”
“Alright. I’ll get it done.”
“Then let’s get moving. We’ve got work to do.”
Both stood up at the same time and strode out through the large doors.
In the now-empty room, only an untouched teapot and a few cups remained, sitting forlornly on the table.
Reincarnation Stone.
Often called the Stone of Rebirth, or simply the Stone of Reincarnation.
It was listed among MAGA’s three greatest rare keywords, alongside the Fountain of Purification and the Millennium Armor.
Among the three, the Reincarnation Stone was the rarest of all—and accordingly, its effect was extraordinary.
Its effect was simple.
As its name implied, using this stone allowed one to reincarnate a target.
‘At first, I was ecstatic. I raised both hands and cheered.’
I’d believed that with enough of these stones, I could overcome any character’s death.
But that inflated excitement collapsed after the very first attempt.
As its name suggested, it didn’t resurrect—it reincarnated.
Even if I used the stone to bring back A, A’s body would still remain a cold corpse.
Only their soul would be transferred to some other existence, and MAGA refused to recognize it as the same individual.
Moreover, in this world, reincarnated beings couldn’t regain awareness of their past lives.
Without that awareness, they lived the rest of their lives not knowing who they once were, or what talents they once possessed.
And since there was no way to track reincarnated characters within the game, I never realized who they were either.
‘So basically, no regressions, no possessions, no reincarnations allowed.’
Of course, since I was already one exception, there was no guarantee that a second couldn’t exist.
But it was safe to say that the Reincarnation Stone wouldn’t be one of those exceptions.
For humans—each a being with an independent soul—it was an item of little to no use.
That was my overall evaluation of the Reincarnation Stone.
However—
If the target were a Beast, the story changed entirely.
Beasts were, by nature, a hive-minded species.
Dozens of bodies sharing a single soul—an existence beyond the individual.
“……”
I summarized my plan as concisely as possible to my counterpart.
“So, that’s why I need that damned stone.”
Ephraim’s reaction to that was as follows:
“…So, what you’re saying is—if you use the Reincarnation Stone on your Mana Heart, you’ll be able to revive the Incurable Sabnac?”
“Yeah. Though I’ll need a separate medium for it.”
“And by reviving him, you’ll be completely freed from the curse?”
“Well, that’s the idea.”
“That’s the idea, huh… so you’re not completely certain?”
“I’m confident. But…”
“But?”
“There’s always room for variables.”
“…And if there are variables, why not just avoid trying altogether?”
“There’s no overcoming a trial without taking the attempt. You account for all that and move forward.”
My calm response seemed to catch Ephraim off guard.
“…I knew you weren’t normal, but I didn’t think you were this far gone.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
I said with a faint smile, extending my hand slightly toward them.
“So, what’s my price?”
Ephraim’s answer was postponed.
“Hard to say… Let’s find out together.”
With that, he walked deeper into the vast archive, crossing through the middle aisle.
“……”
Silently, I followed behind.
About ten minutes later—
After the scenery around us shifted five times, what awaited me was an overwhelming darkness.
So deep that even breathing was necessary to perceive the person beside me.
Amid that silence and blackness, only one thing stood out clearly.
Wooooong―
Six spheres, each slightly different in color, size, and form, revolved in precise orbits.
At their center floated a black-and-red eyeball, writhing with golden cross-shaped pupils.
“…So it finally appears.”
It was the artifact that symbolized Ain Kabbalah and all black magicians—
The legendary clairvoyant eye that beheld all creation—
The Eye of Kabbalah.