Chapter 966 Dolores
"What about you, Dolores?"
As the question echoed in the large cavern that had suddenly been filled with people in just the last two minutes, all eyes turned in the direction of a woman who sat right in the center of the entire place.
Beside her was one other person, but judging from the shape of their body, it was clear that it was a man.
Although all the individuals in the room were masking their identity using Peak Hero-level trinkets that shrouded their entire body in a veil of darkness, it was these two who were different, as they were actually casting the spells themselves.
It was no mean feat to be able to do so actively for an extended period of time, and with this, itself, the disparity of power between them and the rest was displayed.
Even though there might be others who might be capable of the same, they were the only two who were confident enough to expose this without thinking too much of it.
As even the man turned to the woman in order to see what her answer would be, she stood up, which in turn caused all those looking at her to tense up, as if an apex predator had set its eyes on them.
She did look around with an inscrutable look in her eyes, which was the only part of her body visible, and for a moment, the pregnant silence seemed like it might even devolve into violence, which would be swift and merciless, as was known to be her style when she chose to act.
However, as the man raised his hand to touch her, she calmed down and spoke.
"I would like to remind everyone that the status quo has not changed. Just because a project of mine failed, it does not mean that just anyone can take my name and dare to ask me about something which does not really concern them. I'll be letting it pass, this time, on account of Maximo's insistence that we keep the peace. The answer is that no, I did not send the communication to the Church. The reasons are simple enough- first, so many people know it that they would all have already sent the news ahead of me. Not everyone can simultaneously be compromised, which is the case in which I might have had to send it in order to corroborate the truth. Second… It's off. I judge myself an excellent judge of character, and so I know that the King of Lanthanor's cunning is close to, or even greater than mine. I feel no shame in admitting that. So, I put myself in his shoes, and I just cannot see a way in which I would have been willing to do that, unless I was truly desperate. True, he was desperate, but if needed, he would have utilized other methods, as I know how much he cares about someone like his ex-master, even if they parted on bad terms before. Yes, everything about this feels off, and I haven't been able to scratch the itch that is creeping onto my back more and more, as the days pass by. My original intention was to sit to the side as much as possible, but now… We clearly do not have that option."
Saying so, she sat down, and as she put one hand on her chin and began to think deeply, the others began to whisper among each other.
Through all of this, the man who had just been called Maximo was gazing around calmly. His eyes were a deep golden color, and it was as if they had a special power to them which allowed him to look deep into the very consciousness of all those they fell upon, even though they were using the best enchantments possible to hide themselves.
This was the reason why no one dared to even glance in his direction even though they had built up the courage to do so in the case of the other strongest Hero in the room, and as time passed by, it became clear that no one was even close to stepping up and putting out in the open just what they were talking about.
Breaking this buzz of conversation, the man stood up and spoke.
"I don't care what you're discussing, but the reason I initiated this meeting was to give my decision, and some information. On the day of the unification, I will be attacking the King, and I have a 30% chance of succeeding in my goal to kill him before he becomes capable of using the Grand Inheritance. And, yes: that is the information."
The Grand Inheritance!
Those two words caused such a hush to fall upon the room that it was as if the world, itself, had been stifled, leading to almost everyone feeling uncomfortable as they came to terms with the truth that all of them had been avoiding until now, while hoping that it would not come to be.
Seeing this reaction and having clearly expected it, Maximo narrowed his eyebrows and continued.
"Yes, the Grand Inheritance- that forgotten thing which all of you have pointedly not been thinking about, even though it should be the single most important thing, as it is in the path of what we want. I have been reading the signs all over the continent, and everything points to the terrible conclusion that the King of Lanthanor is the descendant of the Emperor. True, almost no proof has been found to support this, but I feel that this might be because of his active efforts to make sure that this link is not thought of. Well, it is my job to always think of the worst case, and here, my calculations tell me that there is a very high probability of it being true - the moment the unification happens, the threshold of support which is needed for the Grand Inheritance to work will be crossed, and even though there might still be quite a lot of risk, he will be able to use it if worst comes to worst. You might be tempted to ask how I know this, and even what I'm talking about- don't. Those who can understand, will understand. Now… Tell me. How many of you want a repeat of what happened in the last war? I don't think I need to tell you that if it does come to that, he can wipe us all out in a single breath? Everything we hoped for - all the knowledge, the years of life, the power and the prestige will all be gone: wiped away by one single upstart who none of us could foresee even with our combined knowledge and insights into the world. It is shameful, but as you all know, I'm a man of hard facts - the fact is that he is the strongest threat to our existence as we chose to ally with the Church, and if I'm right, this is the last chance we have to face him. All of you already knew this - you were suspecting it, you were keeping an eye on the pieces of the Grand Inheritance, and you were hoping against hope that it would not be pulled into this fight. All of you are wrong. My decision is final. At least, when the Church arrives, I can tell them that I used the opportunity in my hands. The more people join me, the more the probability of success will grow. Farewell."
The man with the golden eyes spoke for a long time, and his voice had a flat intonation to it, almost as if it was coming out of someone who had lost their humanity long ago. There was no emotion, whatsoever, in all of his words, but somehow, all of it combined had the opposite effect of invocating all the more emotions in those who were hearing him.
The Grand Inheritance had been a hush-hush topic until now, as everyone had been hesitant to bring it up even though it was the elephant in the room.
Now that it was finally out in the open in one swift stroke, many things began to change, first of which was the analysis of the threat that the King of Lanthanor posed.
Seeing the changes coming among her band of traitors, the woman who had been called Dolores sneered and then disappeared, too, leaving the center of the room empty.
This led to a full-blown discussion emerging in the cavern, but she wasn't there to hear it. Still, she knew that a raging debate must have begun, but right now, it was time to make her own decision.
Appearing in the Goddess's Sanctum sect, the woman saw that some sort of festivities were going on. Her mind was too occupied with the matter at hand to really pay attention, so she simply took it in stride and started to walk towards her quarters.
On the way, more and more signs of change began to be seen, but still, the woman who had long ago stopped to care about the sect that she had come from except to see whether she could use it to further herself ignored them, while thinking about everything that she had just heard.
The weapon used all those years ago had always been on the minds of those who were the truly powerful in the continent, especially if they were working to bring about another war.
As it had not been mentioned in a long time, it might seem as if they had forgotten it, but that was definitely not the case.
The original plan had been to keep it secret, and go about targeting it discreetly, in case their plans became exposed.
Now, it looked like the end times were finally approaching, so everything was being kicked up a notch.
Dolores didn't like it. She didn't like it when things weren't in the palm of her hand, and she certainly didn't like it when things moved so fast that she had to react, instead of act.
As Maximo had set a lot of things in motion, the day of reckoning would soon be here, and she had to decide, before then, just what would be doing when it arrived.
Looking up, Dolores finally saw that men were also present in the sect.
Huh? Was some kind of combined training going on?
Deciding to ask the head, Dolores entered her room, which was the largest after the villa given to the leader of the sect.
Only, the moment she did so, itself, she felt that something was wrong.
Turning around quickly, she tried to leave, but all sorts of formations had already sprung to life.
What happened next was completely unexpected: 20 men and women with startled expressions appeared in her room, and as she turned around to look at them with shock, they all collapsed to the ground, writhing, while holding their throats.
At the same time, a voice resounded over the entire sect, and as she heard it…Dolores wondered whether she was going mad.
"The suspected traitor, Hero Northstar of the Goddess's Sanctum has taken the scions of the Peak Heroes of Angaria as hostages! She has also poisoned them, and is asking for safe passage beyond the continent if they are to live! Goddess's, evacuate! The Peak Heroes are arriving to contend with her and save the lives of their loved ones! The Sect will be the location of a massive fight! Evacuate, and pray for the destruction of that False Goddess!"