Realm of Myths and Legends

Chapter 1328: An Uncovered Plot In The Shadows of the Capital City

Izroth already knew from the quest he received that the League of the Eidolon was somehow connected to the strange events that occurred in Danaharpe City. However, now that Amelia had confirmed she met one of the Faceless Ones, there was finally solid evidence of their direct involvement.

“If the dangerous substance you mentioned uses shadahi blood as its core, then whatever the League of the Eidolon is planning must be stopped. Not just for the sake of Danaharpe City or the Amaharpe Kingdom, but for the sake of the entire Mortal Realm.” Izroth stated.

“Those crazy maniacs…! Worshipping the Netherworld Monarch is already betrayal enough, but to even side with the shadahi—do they not care about their own existence?!” Mithron scowled as he tried to keep his anger under control.

Mithron was someone who was around during the first shadahi war. He had seen endless death and suffering caused by the shadahi. He had lost family, friends and those who he called his brothers. That’s why, every time he thought about the reckless actions of those like Tempest and the League of the Eidolon, he could not contain his anger. Did they truly wish to revisit those days with no end to war and fighting in sight? Had they forgotten about all the tragedies that happened back then?

Old Shan let out a small sigh as he shook his head disappointingly and said, “Aye, those who do not learn history are bound to repeat it. But, those who know the history and still decide to go down that path—they are no longer human. They become something lower than beasts.”

“I was aware of it before, but now I am certain. In the Capital City of Amaharpe, there are numerous factions and powers vying to expand their influence. My father leads one of the top three factions known as the Swords of Harpe, alongside the Royalist Faction and the High Nobles Faction. Recently, several influential individuals who supports my father found themselves entering into a deep sleep that they could not be awakened from no matter what methods we used.” Amelia said as she gently brushed her hair behind her ear.

She then continued, “At first, we believed that it was a targeted attack aimed at chipping away at the Swords of Harpe influence. However, we soon learned that the Royalists Faction and the High Nobles Faction were also experiencing the same problem. At that point, it became clear that someone wanted to disrupt the delicate power balance between the factions. After some investigation, we found a common link between all those who fell into a deep sleep. They had all taken the same dangerous substance before falling into their comatose state. We do not know its true name, so we have decided to temporarily label this dangerous substance as Phantom Core.”

‘Infiltrating Danaharpe is one thing, but to find a foothold in a place like the Capital City of Amaharpe while making such a bold move—even a force like the League of the Eidolon would not dare to do so without inside help. There’s no doubt in my mind that someone who holds a great deal of influence is helping the League of the Eidolon. Or, perhaps they are helping the shadahi by assisting them. Either way, it’s dangerous if the situation continues to unfold this way. How troublesome.’

Izroth had to visit the Mother of All Forests soon in order. It also would not be that long until someone from the Dragon Palace came to escort him to the Path of Dragons, a trial that Izroth was required to pass if he wanted to make progress on a certain quest. There was also the new store he wanted to set up in Danaharpe City, new recruitment for the Special Unit, helping Vexpela expand the influence of the Fourth Pavilion and many other tasks that needed to be dealt with.

He could handle the League of the Eidolon situation in Danaharpe City; however, Izroth had a feeling that it would not simply end there.

“This Phantom Core—do you have a sample of it?” Izroth questioned.

Amelia shook her head and said, “We have tried recovering a sample, but the vial self destructs whenever we try to take it. We know that it is the work of a highly advanced ownership and anti-tampering magic. But, we are only about halfway to figuring out how it works and coming up with a countermeasure for it.”

“They’ve gone as far as setting up such complex magic for each individual vial? The cost to produce them must be enormous. If that amount of money is moving through the Seven Kingdoms, we should have an easier time finding the source of the funds.” Mithron added.

“One of the biggest concerns is how the League of the Eidolon were able to gain access to so many influential individuals. To the point where they essentially got close enough to ‘poison’ them.” Amelia sighed.

“I think you overlooked a simple explanation.” Izroth mentioned.

Amelia shifted her gaze to Izroth and said, “Overlooked? It’s certainly possible. They do say a fresh pair of eyes never hurt. So, tell me, Sir Izroth—what do you believe that I have overlooked?”

“The Noble District of Danaharpe City is not easy to gain access even for those who have verified identities, let alone those with uncertain backgrounds. I have never personally been to the Capital City of Amaharpe; however, I believe it’s safe to assume the security there is several times higher than that of Danaharpe City.” Izroth started.

Amelia nodded, “You are correct. No one without a verified identity can make it through the city gates, not to mention the core of the capital city.”

“Yet, the League of the Eidolon went out of its way to stage an attack on the Noble District just to get to you. They even sent a Faceless One to ensure that it was carried out successfully. Every time the League of the Eidolon wants to get someone of influence to consume this Phantom Core, they launch an attack and send a Faceless One to head the charge. Even saying it out loud sounds ridiculous.” Izroth said calmly.

Amelia furrowed her brows. Indeed, it was just as Izroth said—she had overlooked something so simple. How did the League of the Eidolon get influential individuals from the most powerful factions in Amaharpe to consume the Phantom Core?

Using force to do so was not feasible and it would have caused them to stand out much sooner. If that happened, the nobles would have gone on heightened alert with increased protection. This would have made it even more difficult for the League of the Eidolon to make any potential moves; therefore, it was the last thing they wanted.

“What if those who consumed the Phantom Core did so willingly?” Izroth stated.

Amelia’s eyes widened in shock before the expression on her face turned serious and she entered into deep thought.

Mithron frowned, “Why would they willing take something that would make it so that they can never wake up again?”

“…Because it also does something else.” Amelia said with a firm expression and a sharp gaze.

She then continued, “If you placed a pale of water before a horse dying a thirst, would it refuse to drink?”

“I see you’re understanding now.” Izroth said in a carefree manner.

Izroth’s train of thoughts was simple. If the League of the Eidolon could not force every single person to take Phantom Core through extreme means, then they must have relied on a more realistic approach. Without a doubt, Phantom Core was not just a dangerous substance that caused one to fall unconscious. It must have provided some other benefit. One that was tempting enough for those influential individuals to take it—even if there were potential bad consequences that followed.

“Despite being unconscious, it would not be wrong to say that you were, in all sense of the word, healthy. If I did not use a precise method to discover the traces of shadahi blood within you, it would have been easy to believe that you were merely sleeping for a longer time than usual.” Izroth said.

“Then… Does it have something to do with bolstering one’s health? It’s certainly possible, but… I must confirm something. I need a secure communication orb that links to the Capital City of Amaharpe.” Amelia said.

“I will send for one right away.” Mithron said as he used the communication orb next to the bed to carry out Amelia’s request.

At the same time, Izroth was becoming curious about something else. Despite how discussion with Amelia and how far they were digging into the plot at hand by the League of the Eidolon, he had still not received any alerts from the system about his completion of the quest tasks. This meant they had not yet approach the core of the problem at hand. And, more importantly, whether she was aware of it or not, Amelia had an important piece of information that she had not yet shared.