Chapter 73.1

The Northern Plague (2)

The former head of the Imperial Intelligence Division, Sigma’s ex-leader, Astra, was officially declared purged.

But in reality, he was still alive.

Somewhere in the harsh, desolate lands of the North.

‘I’ll definitely achieve results this time!’

Of course, his current situation was quite unfair.

But there was no room for excuses.

After all, someone had to be held accountable for failing to assassinate the Northern Grand Duchess, the creation of Mary’s Blessing, and the rise of the Renslet Church.

‘I will repay His Highness’s grace!’

Considering the weight of his failures, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he had been executed for treason and his family had been ruined.

But thanks to the mercy of the benevolent Crown Prince Canbraman, he was simply demoted and secretly sent to this forsaken place. His family was spared from any harm.

‘For the Thousand-Year Empire and the Eternal Imperial Family!’

If one were a loyal servant of the Empire, it was only natural to feel a sense of indebtedness.

“No matter how powerful the Northern Grand Duke may be, he can’t control the entire North. We’ll exploit every possible gap and break through!”

Astra operated in the peripheral regions of the Northern Grand Duchy, where the influence of the Grand Duke was relatively weak.

There, he focused all his efforts on rebuilding the shattered Sigma network.

He moved in secret, evading the Frost Knights and the undercover agents of the North. He had to avoid the sharp eyes of Northerners, who were quick to view strangers with suspicion.

“An urgent message from the capital!?”

One day, an opportunity presented itself—much sooner than he had expected.

“Archbishop Teresia is coming in person?! To the Demonic Territory in the North? And she’s meeting with the black sorcerers of the Devil’s Den?! That madwoman?!”

And it was a truly monumental one.

Some time later.

Another secret meeting took place in a remote part of the Demonic Territory.

A meeting that not even the high-ranking knights of the North, the grand witch of the North, nor the Northern Grand Duke himself knew about.

“What a cursed land. It reeks of human folly and divine majesty all at once.”

A priestess clad in a robe of pure white silk embroidered with golden threads gazed at the barrier conjured by the black sorcerers.

It was none other than Archbishop Teresia, who wrinkled her nose and pretended to shoo away the foul stench with her hands.

“And what a fitting bunch to inhabit such a cursed land.”

Her gaze shifted toward the other side of the clearing. There, a group of figures in ominous black robes stood in eerie silence.

“Take that as a compliment, fanatic.”

The black sorcerers, their bodies wrapped in ashen gray bandages, watched Teresia with peculiar green glows flickering in their eyes.

“Fanatic? Hah! I’ll take that as a compliment too!”

Even if she was a religious zealot, it seemed she still had the awareness to gauge her surroundings.

After all, this place was deep within the heart of the Demonic Territory, right on the doorstep of the Devil’s Den.

And, surprisingly, Teresia dealt with the black sorcerers with far more flexibility than one might expect.

Whew…

Seeing her calm composure, Astra let out a long sigh of relief.

‘Why on earth would an archbishop personally come here?’

The question lingered in his mind, but he pushed it aside, focusing on his role.

“Haha… Since everyone is busy, why don’t we get straight to the point?”

His job was to mediate between the black sorcerers of the Devil’s Den and the archbishop of the Imperial Church.

“Didn’t you already tell us the message, Astra?”

The leader of the Devil’s Den, the necromancer Isaac, spoke with a low, raspy voice.

“We’re fully prepared. As soon as we get that, we can start right away.”

“Y-Yes, but just in case, I thought it’d be best to double-check…”

“There’s no chance for mistakes.”

This time, it was Archbishop Teresia who cut him off.

“Take it.”

She gestured behind her with a wave of her hand.

At her signal, several high-ranking priests of the Imperial Church, who had accompanied her here, brought something forward.

It was a coffin.

“This troublesome thing finally has a purpose,” Teresia said, her eyes narrowing as she gazed at the coffin.

“Truly, the gods are merciful. Even these cursed, godless creatures are being given a chance at redemption.”

Her gaze moved back and forth between the coffin and the black sorcerers.

“……”

Isaac also glanced between the coffin and the priests of the Imperial Church before finally speaking.

“You people are more twisted than we are.”

The reason an archbishop had personally come all the way here was none other than this coffin.

Only an archbishop had the authority and power to control whatever was sealed inside.

“To confront the abyss, one must become an abyss deeper than the abyss itself.”

Teresia seemed unbothered by Isaac’s words, responding with a sly smile.

“With this, our deal is concluded. I sincerely hope you succeed.”

She and the high-ranking priests began preparing to leave, clearly unwilling to stay in this place for a moment longer.

Whirrrr! Whirrrr! Whirrrr!

The black sorcerers also started to dispel the concealment barriers, as if they had no intention of lingering either.

“Oh, wait.”

Teresia suddenly stopped, as if something had just occurred to her. She turned her head to look at Isaac.

“We have our reasons, but why do you black sorcerers despise Renslet so much?”

“Debts must always be repaid, whether it’s kindness or grudges. That’s the Northern way.”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“We’ve lived in the North’s Demonic Territory for generations—far longer than the witches have.”

“So… are you saying you’re also Northerners?”

“It’s not entirely wrong.”

“Did you have some grudge against Renslet?”

“Not with Renslet as a whole, but we owe a debt to the first Grand Duke Rune Renslet and the apprentice of the woman inside that coffin.”

Isaac stopped there, offering no further explanation. He clearly had no intention of saying more.

“Heh, I see. I can guess the rest.”

Teresia snickered as if she had figured it out.

“But you’d better be careful. If Renslet and the witches collapse, you might be next.”

Her words were hard to distinguish—were they a warning or a provocation?

“Do you really think so?”

Isaac chuckled coldly in response.

“Who else would clean up the filth for the Imperial Family, nobles, and the Church, if not for people like us? Just like now.”

His gaze fell on the coffin that had been brought in by the Imperial Church.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“…Disgusting.”

Teresia scowled deeply.

She quickly turned her back on them and left, her expression one of utter disdain.

Behind her, Astra hastily followed.

***

Imperial Palace.

“The deal in the Demonic Territory went smoothly.”

“Hmm.”

Hearing the report from Ricard, the current head of Sigma, Crown Prince Canbraman nodded with a contemplative look.

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