The Hundred Reigns

Chapter 28: Lord of the Berwick Islands (6)

Simon returned to the surface with three walking corpses and a frightening story to tell.

It sickened him that he had to animate his own retainers’ remains with necromancy, but there was no other way to transport them all from the Poison Gardens’ depths to Castle Carcas above without such a measure due to the lack of monsters that could have served as carriers. Climbing his way up to the crypts with three silent ghouls for company—his own former comrades—had been one of the most emotionally draining experiences in his life.

It only hardened his resolve to become stronger, though.

Three times. Three times had his retainers died in the line of duty against much more powerful opponents like Vouivre and now Elios Magnos, all while Simon could only stand by and watch it happen. There would not be a fourth.

Simon would not be taken unaware like that again, and he would grow strong enough to prove himself worthy of his retainers’ allegiance.

Simon wisely asked to meet Lord Paimon and Anna in private when he returned to the surface, only to then show them the animated corpses of his companions and tell them of what he found down there; though he did not mention his and his ancestor’s discussion about the Overlord’s reigns for fear of triggering the failsafe.

Anna was mortified, and her father remained eerily quiet throughout the entire story. He scowled, paled, and spent whole minutes pondering what he had just heard.

Lord Maublanc Paimon, Commander and general of the empire, had been shaken to his core.

“Are you sure he carried the Librarian Noble Crestone?” he asked Simon, his voice subdued.

“His Crestone bore the emblem, and the outfit matched the descriptions,” Simon replied. Although the Class had been lost for ages, part of its blueprints had survived and helped create Vassal Classes like the Scholar. “And House Magnos claims descent from the Librarian.”

Anna grit her teeth in sorrow and anger. “What were you thinking, Father, sending people down there with that thing?!”

“Do you think I would have if I knew? I never saw an underground manatree husk, nor received any reports of such from past explorers.” Lord Paimon shook his head in distaste. “Balzam must have opened up that area and kept it from me, but why? Why in the Light would he do such a thing?”

“I think… I think he tried to parley with the lich,” Simon said. Balzam Magnos had died four times facing their ancestor, so he must have tried to swindle the ancient archmage and paid the price for it. “Elios knew him by name.”

Lord Paimon’s expression twisted into disgust, though Simon couldn’t tell if it was anger at Balzam for letting him inherit a castle built on a lich’s lair and not telling him, or that the man thought he could negotiate with the creature at all. “Madness. Pure madness.”

“That can’t have been your ancestor,” Anna protested. “It was lying.”

“No, I don’t think he was,” Simon replied with a scowl. “He sounded too… too proud of it. And he wouldn’t have spared me otherwise.”

Lord Paimon nodded darkly. “Tales say that Overlord Mardok had a court mage and advisor who bore the title of the ‘Dark Lich’. It is said that it was destroyed fighting Gargauth on its demonic master’s behalf, but clearly its phylactery must have survived somewhere else.”

Simon frowned. “Phylactery?”

“There are five creatures in the Imperial Bestiary with the mention of ‘flee on sight.’” Lord Paimon raised five fingers. “Dryads, archfiends, eidolons, dragons… and liches. The main reason, besides the fact that they are universally powerful archmages, is that they seal their souls in objects called phylacteries to achieve immortality. So long as that artifact remains intact, they will always return from the dead. It is nigh-pointless to fight them.”

“So we can’t even exorcize it?” Anna stared at Leonard’s shambling corpse with horror. “People need to know–”

“No,” Lord Paimon interrupted his daughter. “This information shall not leave this room. I will have the Dungeon walled off like Balzam should have done long ago, and we shall speak of this no more.”

While Simon privately agreed this was the wisest course of action, Anna was obviously less than thrilled. “You want us to keep the murderous ancient undead in our basement a secret?”

“Yes, we will,” Lord Paimon replied bluntly. “The lich said that it was the first and only wielder of the Librarian Noble Crestone. Do you understand the implications?”

Simon did. “Humans received the Noble Crestones from the elves during the Age of Heroes nearly eight hundred years ago.”

“Exactly,” Lord Paimon confirmed. “If even half of what this creature said was true, then it is among the most ancient and powerful creatures in the world. If it can indeed kill anyone below level 80, then nothing short of Louis or Euphemia can even hope to fight it. All he has to do to slay everyone in this castle is to walk up the stairs.”

“All the more reason to inform our people of the threat!” Anna protested.

“I don’t think my ancestor—” Merely saying the word left a sore taste in Simon’s mouth, “—will cause any issues unless disturbed. All he wanted was to be left alone, and he hasn’t caused troubles in the decades since we’ve been here.”

“Hence, we are not giving him any reason to start bothering us,” Lord Paimon said. “We will wall off the Dungeon entrance and say that your retainers died saving you from a ghoul powder poisoning attempt. It is a vile toxin that transforms those exposed into the undead. As a newly legitimized bastard and my daughter's fiancé, no one will doubt that someone out there tried to poison Simon. It will even endear sympathy.”

Simon couldn’t argue with the reasoning, having been poisoned once already. However, he only had to take a look at Anna to tell that the plan was doomed to fail.

“No,” she said willfully, her voice dripping with disgust. “I will not lie to Tiella about her brother’s murder. She is my best friend–”

“You are my daughter,” Lord Paimon replied icily. “And you will do as I say.”

Anna winced, and then looked at her fiancé for support. While Simon knew that Lord Paimon’s plan was rationally the best, the way Leonard’s corpse stared at his back only inflamed his guilt. He couldn’t lie to Tiella and dishonor her brother’s memory, especially after sharing her bed.

“I… I have a way to ensure Tiella will not share our secrets,” Simon informed Lord Paimon. “Lying will make her suspicious of us, maybe even drive her into our enemies’ arms.”

It was only a feeble excuse, but Lord Paimon pondered it nonetheless. “You are still too soft, my future son-in-law,” he said with a hint of reproach. “But if you indeed have a way to bind her to silence, I shall allow it.”

Anna sighed with relief and gave Simon a look full of gratitude.

“With the Dungeon’s loss, we will revert to my original plan,” her father said without skipping a beat. “I will send you to Castle Corinte, a fortress closer to our Islands’ manatree, so you can test your mettle against the Green Mother’s faith.”

“Wait,” Simon said. “There is more. The lich warned us to evacuate the castle within one or two years. He warned us that a Zodiac Fiend called the Scorpion would ‘rise last’ during that period before the ‘Serpent-Bearer closed the parade,’ whatever that means.”

Lord Paimon stroked his chin. “This seems to be a reference to the zodiac constellations,” he concluded. “The ancients only recorded twelve signs because they wanted them to each align with a given month, but there are actually thirteen constellations in the zodiac: the Archer, the Goatfish, the Water-Carrier, the Two-Tailed Fish, the Ram, the Minotaur, the Twins, the Crab, the Lion, the Maiden, the Scales, the Scorpion… and the forgotten thirteenth, the Serpent-Bearer.”

“Wasn’t that one of Overlord Mardok’s titles?” Anna pointed out.

Yes, Simon thought, recalling how the demon possessing Eole had called Mardok a traitor. Yes, it was.

“We will investigate this mystery later,” Lord Paimon decided before sending a wary glance at Simon’s undead retainers. “Let us clean these messes up one at a time.”

It fell upon Simon and Anna to break the news of Leonard’s death to Tiella. She obviously didn’t take it well, exploding into cries and sobs. Anna held her close in her arms while Simon watched uneasily. The best he could do was offer her a handkerchief to wipe away her tears when she calmed down a bit.

“W-why?” she asked Simon, her voice shaking. “Why… how?”

“I… I cannot tell you, not unless you sign a magical contract,” Simon said. “It is a state secret.”

This text was taken from NovelBin. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“A… state secret?” Tiella looked up to him in incomprehension. “What… I don’t understand.”

Simon exchanged a glance with Anna, who gave him a stern look in response. Simon took a deep breath, checked that the bedroom door was locked, and then put on the Overlord outfit.

Tiella’s eyes widened in utter shock, her skin paling as the implications behind his appearance became clear. “You… your highness is…” She covered her mouth and turned to Anna, whose expression confirmed her doubts. “This cannot be…”

“Now you see me as I am, and you have received a glimpse of the truth.” Simon opened his hand and summoned the Brands of Sloth and Gluttony. “I can put marks on you. They will grant you benefits such as protection against poison and quick learning, but also allow me to oversee your actions and strike you dead from a distance should you violate your oath of secrecy. Once applied, they will stick with you until death. That’s the price you’ll have to pay for my trust.”

He was exaggerating the risks a bit, but he needed to be sure Tiella would understand the implications. She had seen the true Overlord, and her brother had served him. Anything related to this matter would shake the empire to its core. If she refused to accept the brands…

Simon didn’t want to think about that.

“I…” Tiella bit her lip and then nodded with newfound resolve. “I will take them.”

“I cannot take them off without killing you,” Simon warned her. “One slip-up will kill you.”

It didn’t dissuade her. “I have to know, Your High…” Tiella gulped. “Your Majesty.”

“Very well. Pull your hair back.” Once Tiella obeyed, Simon applied the two brands at the back of her head so that none could see them when her hair fell freely. “Now… the truth.”

Anna and he proceeded to share what they could with Tiella: how Balzam was dead and that Leonard had been tasked with his safety until he could become the Overlord in truth, how they had found a Dungeon in the basement, and how the man had found death there. Tiella listened to everything in silence, her utter disbelief slowly giving way to resignation and a tense grudge.

“I am truly sorry,” Simon apologized before offering her her brother’s Crestone. “This… this belongs to you now. I believe he would have wanted you to have it.”

Tiella stared at her brother’s last memento with sorrow. “Did he die fighting?”

Simon scowled. Lying would be kinder, but that might give Tiella the slightest of false hopes. She was better off fully understanding the danger that Elio Magnos represented.

“He would have if he could,” Simon said sadly, “but it was over in an instant.”

Tiella scowled. He couldn’t tell whether she believed him or not, but his blunt answer shook her enough. Her expression darkened with anger in a way Simon had never seen before. It felt so strange to see a girl so shy show such pure anger.

“Tiella?” Anna asked with concern.

“Will Your Majesty kill that thing?” Tiella inquired.

Simon scowled, but then nodded. “Yes. One day, when I am strong enough.”

He knew he wouldn’t be able to do anything about Elios Magnos for many, many reigns, but he would neither forget nor forgive his retainers’ cold-blooded murder. There would be a reckoning.

Tiella nodded to herself. She understood neither of them could do anything for now, but the fact that he intended to act was all the reassurance she needed.

“Then the Light be my witness.” Tiella clutched the Dreadnought Crestone with all of her hatred. “I shall wield my brother’s Class, and one day drive his sword through Elios Magnos’ rotten heart. That I promise.”

Simon had to admire her resolve, even if he knew her oath would likely go unfulfilled.

Anna took Tiella’s hands into her own. “We are arranging an airship back to the Decarabia Marquisate in Uyo so that we can send your brother’s body back to your family,” she said. “Will you depart with it?”

“I must,” Tiella replied with a small nod. “But I will return to serve Your Majesty… and you, Anna.”

“Yes. Yes, I understand.” Anna turned to her fiancé. “Can you give us a moment?”

Simon took the hint, removed his Overlord outfit, and then returned to his bedroom. The Scorpion’s voice hadn’t reached him in a while. Simon couldn’t tell whether he had to thank Elios Magnos or Lord Paimon’s newly installed seals for this, but that particular problem would not haunt him for some time.

The parade… Simon thought once he was alone again in his apartments. If the Serpent-Bearer ‘closed the parade’ and the Scorpion would rise beforehand, then it meant the Zodiac Fiends would rise one after the other in a specific order. If the Scorpion is the last, then the cycle will probably begin with the Ram.

Elios Magnos implied this would happen in one to two years, which coincidentally aligned with the return of that comet Lorimor identified a few reigns back. Father tried to identify and locate the demonbarrows by observing when that celestial object would travel across the zodiac constellations. Would it somehow cause the Zodiac Fiends to act up?

Elios Magnos said that the Scorpion couldn’t do anything without a vessel for now. That last detail was most troubling. Vouivre and Eole had also proved that the demons could wake up ahead of schedule depending on proper circumstances, so that was something Simon would have to monitor.

Elements pointed to Overlord Mardok being connected to the Zodiac Fiends too, perhaps as the Serpent-Bearer. Was Castle Frightwall his demonbarrow, and the Crimson Throne his miasma crystal? How did it connect to the Overlord class?

And what should Simon make of Elios himself? The mere fact that his ancestor had apparently served Overlord Mardok and helped design the cycle of reigns only raised more questions.

Each time I dig, the well gets deeper still, Simon thought as he sat behind his desk, trying to put the pieces all together. There has to be a connection binding all these threads together somehow.

The air grew chillier all of a sudden.

Simon’s head perked up, and he swiftly noticed a shimmering apparition near the window. It was the pale outline of a woman with indistinguishable features, blurred by age and death, filled with sorrow and anguish.

Simon wondered why she kept showing up to him. Was it because he was the new Overlord? Or because his Class’ unique connection to the Dark let him see her better than most? Or perhaps…

“Where did he put you?” Simon asked the apparition.

She pointed a flickering hand at the secret passage connecting his bedroom to Anna’s; most specifically, at the left wall.

Simon clenched his teeth and then put on the Overlord outfit. He already knew what he was about to find before he began to pull back stones with his new inhuman strength. The bricks were tightly shut together, but removing one of them revealed a secret compartment… and its occupant.

A decomposed skull faced Simon, its mouth agape in a final scream.

Simon stepped back in the midst of horror and disgust. Two decades. She had spent the last two decades trapped here while her ex-husband soundly slept only a few feet away whenever he visited the castle.

“How did this happen?” Simon asked the ghost.

She touched his arm, and then he saw.

He found himself dreaming awake, watching the same nightmare that had plagued his nights earlier through another’s eyes. He was in this very room, facing a much younger Balzam Magnos. He was the same redheaded lion of a man Simon had seen in his previous dream, young, fit, not yet the vicious Overlord so many had come to despise.

“You… you traitor!” Simon said with a voice that wasn’t his own; a woman’s voice. “You loathsome, selfish rat!”

“Calm down, Eleanor.” Balzam’s eyes lingered on her womb with what could pass for a sliver of concern. “It’s not good for the child or for you to act up like this.”

“Calm down?! After this betrayal?!” Simon watched Eleanor throw a piece of paper at Balzam’s face through her eyes. “Seven years of marriage, and now you want to set me aside for some… some three-eyed whore?!”

“This is nothing personal, Eleanor,” Balzam replied calmly. He didn’t even react at the paper thrown at his face and his voice just oozed indifference, as if they were discussing a done deal. “The Church of the Light recognized Euphemia as a living saint, and the realms rally behind her. Once I marry her, we’ll have a large enough army to take down Gargauth and–”

“An army?!” Eleanor laughed bitterly. “I gave you your army, you ungrateful wretch! It was my family’s coffers that funded your soldiers, and my forges that equipped them! You would still be some backwater bandit king without my help!”

“And for that I am very grateful, but things have changed.” Balzam Magnos crossed his arms, his tone turning from apathy to decisive and passionate. “Gargauth is a selfish worm content to squirm on a bed of gold and riches. He has no vision beyond growing wealthier. The Overlord Class is wasted on him. Once I obtain it, I’ll be able to carve out the greatest empire this world has ever seen. No more squabbling, no more wars. It will be good for everyone.”

“It will be good for you! You only care about yourself!” Eleanor wept, and was met with cold indifference. “I closed my eyes on that… that peasant, but this… how can you treat me like this?!”

“I do not see why you’re so upset about this,” Balzam replied with a dismissive shrug. “These divorce terms are extremely generous. I will recognize our fourth unborn child as my own, you will keep the Berwick Islands and your title of queen, this castle too. You’ll even be allowed to remarry. A stroke of your pen and you walk away a queen.”

Simon could feel Eleanor’s teeth clenching in rage. “I won’t do it.”

Balzam sneered in disdain. “You have no choice.”

“Yes, I do. I’m not signing this. You’re not going to rid yourself of me so easily, you little ungrateful–”

Balzam slapped her so hard that Simon felt the pain reverberate all the way to the future. Eleanor looked at him in disbelief, though it quickly turned to anger.

“I have indulged you long enough, woman,” Balzam said icily, his jaw scowling. “Sign now, or else–”

“Or else what?” Eleanor snapped. “I’m not signing this!”

Balzam stared at her without a word for a moment, an evil and sinister gleam in his eyes; a sight that eerily reminded Simon’s spirit of a man-eating manticore assessing whether to pounce or not. Eleanor held her breath as she sensed the danger.

Her husband reached his decision in an instant, and lunged at her without warning.

She tried to reach for the door, but he swiftly caught her. His hands grabbed her throat with immense strength and then hurled her to the bed they had once shared. She scoffed and fought for her life, clawing and kicking and struggling, but he was big and she was small.

“I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, Eleanor,” Balzam Magnos said while crushing her windpipe, her teeth clenching and his eyes burning like abyssal pits. A vicious, cruel smile of vile satisfaction stretched on his lips. “But I won’t let you or anyone else get in my way.”

Simon felt his stepmother’s fear and dread, the tears of despair raining down her cheeks, the last of her breath escaping her lungs… but none of her silent pleas would move Balzam Magnos’ heart of stone as he choked the life out of her without a shred of hesitation.

The last thing she saw was his thin, cruel smile.

“Till death do us part,” he quipped, without remorse or guilt.

Simon returned to the present with the feeling of his neck snapping. He could still feel the fingers on his throat, and the pain of Eleanor’s last moment. He stared at the ghost with pity, anguish, and compassion.

She was pregnant. The very thought sickened Simon to his core. His own wife and child.

Balzam Magnos had always been a monster, even before he became Overlord.

He had just stopped playing pretend.

Lord Paimon’s story became the official truth. Leonard, Meredith, and Lorimor’s deaths were blamed on a ghoul powder poisoning attempt, and the Church of the Light’s priests were mobilized to exorcize the undead to give the tale more credibility. The ecclesiastic hierarchy strongly condemned the murder attempt and promised an investigation, which Simon had the feeling would likely be blamed on the Green Mother’s faith.

Tiella flew back to Uyo with her brother’s corpse, and Meredith’s remains were sent back to her family alongside a large indemnity from Simon’s own pockets. Lorimor’s estranged wife refused to have him back, so he was buried on castle grounds.

Unknown to all, Eleanor Magnos was finally put to rest in the crypts below, her tomb walled off to prevent access to the Poison Gardens. Haunting sights not so mysteriously ended right afterwards.

Thus, the curse of Castle Carcas came to an end, and the evil in its basement was left undisturbed…

This time.