Count’s Youngest Son is a Warlock Chapter 266 - Russell Paul

 

“I, Florence, a humble servant, swear by the God of Light and everything I hold dear that the Saint speaks the truth!”

 

Florence stepped forward, his hand glowing with light as he placed it upon his head.

 

Had he been tainted by black magic or fallen into corruption, a reaction would have occurred instantly.

 

But nothing happened.

 

“I… I raised the warlocks under the direct orders of Ravid Bahal. I used them to kill the divine beasts and corrupt the holy relics.”

 

Florence’s voice, though laden with guilt, carried unwavering conviction. He had returned to Nevast for this very moment.

 

“The one who claimed to be ‘God’ was nothing more than a wicked entity that seized control of both Nevast and me. Though my body is stained, I could not forsake the last shred of my conscience. I fled to the Saint, confessed everything, and begged for salvation.”

 

“You… You’ve sided with the Empire, haven’t you? Florence, you filthy traitor…!”

 

Ravid’s voice trembled with rage as he pointed a shaking finger at Florence. But the expressions of the priests were shifting.

 

Between an ordinary man, a noble Divine Beast, and someone who could hear the voice of a Divine Beast—who was more trustworthy?

 

If Florence spoke the truth, no follower of the God of Light could ever forgive Ravid.

 

“…It’s true.”

 

At Shaela’s signal, Yones stepped forward, just as Florence had, pulling back the hood of his robes.

 

“I swear it as well, by the God of Light and myself.”

 

How Shaela had convinced Yones was unclear, but the determination in his eyes was undeniable.

 

“Many here know the truth. More than half of the events that transpired after the alliance between the Kingdom of Neubra and the Hand of the Void were orchestrated by Ravid Bahal—carried out in secret, right here in Nevast.”

 

He had no reason to hold back. He was as good as dead anyway.

 

“Yones, you…! You’re insane! What did that bastard Lucion promise you to spew such lies?!”

 

Ravid’s face twisted with disbelief, utterly unprepared for Yones’ confession.

 

“Troy, Brillin.”

 

As the hall fell into chaos and shock, Lucion called upon the two Divine Beasts. Now, it was time for the real protagonists to make their entrance.

 

Turning toward the door, he awaited their arrival.

 

But the sound came from an entirely different direction—the window.

 

Crash!

 

Glass shattered as Troy and Brillin burst through the window.

 

―Hop!

 

‘There was a perfectly good door! Why the window?!’

 

Lucion raised an eyebrow at their grand entrance.

 

If it had been Brillin’s first time, it would have made sense. But Troy? This was way too familiar.

 

-We thought such a dramatic entrance would suit you.

 

Troy’s voice carried amusement as he strode confidently into the hall.

 

―Wooow! Uncle Troy, Ratta saw it! Just like when Lucion threw that chair at the window in the Great Light Temple! Heehee!

 

As Ratta excitedly praised Troy, Russell couldn’t hold back his laughter.

 

[Pffft! Hahaha!]

 

Lucion stood frozen, too dumbfounded to react, while Russell cackled uncontrollably.

 

[Well… at least they have everyone’s attention. So, in the end, it worked out, right?]

 

Bethel fidgeted, looking slightly flustered.

 

Then, before the eyes of the priests, the small tiger cub and bird expanded in size, radiating divine light.

 

“D-Divine Beasts…!”

 

That unmistakable brilliance left no doubt.

 

One by one, the priests fell to their knees in reverence.

 

Until now, they had believed there was only one Divine Beast in Nevast. But their very presence shattered that illusion.

 

The Saint had been telling the truth all along.

 

With that realization, the priests turned their gazes upon Ravid, their expressions darkening.

 

The weight of their fury pressed down upon him.

 

Even the bird-like Divine Beast locked eyes with him, making Ravid instinctively take a step back.

 

“This… This is madness.”

 

The world as he knew it was crumbling.

 

The long-held secret that the first servant inherited was now exposed.

 

Ravid clenched his fists, rage bubbling within him.

 

Slowly, he turned to face Lucion—the man who had unraveled all his careful plans with a single stroke.

 

Veins stood out around Ravid’s eyes, and hatred radiated from him.

 

“There were five Divine Beasts in Nevast.”

 

Lucion met Ravid’s glare head-on, his voice unwavering.

 

The Divine Beasts had always been five, from the very beginning.

 

“Three of them were eliminated—by Ravid Bahal and the priests who followed him.”

 

Now, with the presence of Troy and Brillin, Lucion’s words carried undeniable weight.

 

“The name of this Divine Beast here is Troy. He is a Divine Beast born in the Empire, who saw through the lies and came here to save the Light.”

 

Lucion spoke while gently stroking Troy, who stood at his left.

 

Following the soft touch, Troy smiled warmly.

 

A Divine Beast from the Empire?

 

The priests, who had been consumed by rage toward Ravid, now gazed upon Troy with awe and reverence.

 

“And this is Brillin,” Lucion gestured toward the massive bird beside him. “One of the remaining Divine Beasts—imprisoned beneath Nevast. Some of you may already know of him.”

 

At Lucion’s words, Brillin spread his wings wide, as if declaring his presence.

 

-Little one, please speak for me.

 

Brillin bowed his head toward Lucion, making a humble request.

 

Lucion nodded, lending his voice to the Divine Beast.

 

“-Ravid. I—no, we—hid ourselves under an agreement with the First Servant. For you. We did it for you. …We truly cherished and loved you all.”

 

“Don’t be deceived! That man—no, that devil—has bewitched the Divine Beasts! The Empire seeks to destroy Nevast!”

 

“-Ravid Bahal!” Brillin’s voice thundered through Lucion’s own. “How dare you reject our final mercy?!”

 

Had Ravid come here to repent, he would have been forgiven.

 

But he had chosen defiance.

 

-It is time for us to decide.

 

A divine beast resembling a wolf approached from behind Lucion as it spoke.

 

Now, with three divine beasts standing at his side, there was no longer any doubt—Lucion was indeed the Saint.

 

Since divine beasts did not follow humans of their own will, the priests had no choice but to believe that everything Lucion had said was true.

 

“Calm yourself, Brillin,” Lucion soothed, before turning to Hume.

 

“Hume, set the table properly.”

 

“Understood.”

 

Even amid the chaos that still filled the hall, Lucion had a way to bring everything to a decisive conclusion.

 

Hume lifted the overturned table, and Lucion retrieved something from his pocket—the holy relic.

 

The moment it appeared, Troy, Brillin, and the wolf-like divine beast shimmered with radiant light.

 

—Whoa! It’s glowing!

 

Ratta, who had been lying low in the shadows, cautiously lifted her head.

 

‘…!’

 

In that moment, intense pain shot through Lucion’s body, causing him to falter and eventually lose consciousness.

 

“Young Master! Young Master!”

 

—Lucion! Wake up!

 

Lucion was startled and opened his eyes at Hume and Ratta’s urgent voice calling him.

 

A metallic taste filled his mouth, and he noticed a handkerchief pressed against his lips. Brillin’s wings were wrapped protectively around him.

 

Lucion’s eyes widened in shock. Before he could speak, Heint’s voice reached him.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

That was when he realized—he had blacked out for a moment.

 

‘Thank goodness… I’m still conscious.’

 

-I’m sorry, Lucion. Truly.

 

The two divine beasts, including Troy, were at a loss.

 

They should have warned him. A brief resonance was inevitable when the holy relic met the divine beasts, yet they had failed to mention it.

 

[Are you awake? Can you hold on?]

 

[Is the pain unbearable? Lord Lucion, can you endure this?]

 

Russell and Bethel asked anxiously.

 

Lucion wiped his mouth with the already bloodstained handkerchief, took a deep breath, and smiled faintly.

 

He was fine.

 

He could endure this.

 

Just one more step.

 

“This is a holy relic.”

 

As Brillin folded his wings back, murmurs spread among the priests.

 

There was no denying it now—the relic in Lucion’s hand had resonated with the divine beasts.

 

“Indeed, it is a holy relic,” one of the priests muttered in astonishment.

 

Though the taste of blood still lingered in his mouth, and nausea churned in his stomach, Lucion saw the hesitation in Ravid’s expression. He reached out and gently stroked Troy, offering a brief, reassuring smile.

 

“The being that deceived you is no god.”

 

With those words, Lucion outright denounced the entity that Ravid had devoted himself to.

 

“Would the God of Light truly command the destruction of light? Would the god you know really have ordered you to kill the divine beasts and corrupt the holy relics?”

 

It was a simple argument—one that anyone could have made. But this time, the circumstances were different.

 

There were witnesses.

 

And, more importantly, the divine beasts themselves stood before them.

 

“Could it be… that the First Servant followed the voice of an imposter instead of the God of Light and did such a thing?”

 

A priest raised his voice, his tone filled with doubt.

 

“No! It was a god! I heard him myself!” Ravid shouted, his voice shaking. “You have no proof!”

 

“If it’s proof you seek, look around you.” Lucion gestured to the divine beasts. “They experienced it firsthand. And the very place where they were imprisoned serves as undeniable evidence.”

 

Lucion sneered as he saw Ravid’s face twisted in panic as the growing hostility of the crowd pressed in on him.

 

“He’s lying! No one has ever truly heard the voices of divine beasts before! At most, simple communication was possible. But now he claims to understand them clearly? It’s absurd—”

 

Bang!

 

Lucion slammed his hand against the table, cutting off Ravid’s frantic denial.

 

Another wave of nausea hit him. His chest tightened as countless eyes focused on him, but he forced himself to endure it.

 

“If the balance between light and darkness has been broken, and the scale tilts toward light, then the solution is not to kill the light, but to restore the darkness. Yet the god Ravid claims to serve commanded the destruction of light. Yes, eliminating light would momentarily create balance. But tell me, what would the diminished light fear the most?”

 

It was the very question Ravid had posed to him the previous day, using the sun and moon as an analogy.

 

“It is darkness. The fear of perhaps receiving the punishment for suppressing darkness until now. That’s why Ravid suppressed the darkness even more, and even raised it with his own hands. It’s to control the darkness as much as the light has decreased.”

 

Lucion scoffed momentarily.

 

“Balance? You’re spouting nonsense. In the end, the diminished light and darkness will lead to mutual destruction. This was exactly what that imposter, who dared to present himself as a god, had aimed for from the beginning.”

 

“Th-That’s not true! Those words are not…”

 

“Then prove it, Ravid. Have the god you believe in confirm the truth.”

 

Lucion took a step forward, extending the holy relic toward Ravid.

 

Who had heard the voice of Veronia the most, and had been closest?

 

It was none other than Ravid Bahal himself.

 

It was clear what effect Veronia’s tainted power would have on Ravid, who was once blessed by the light.

 

‘Since Troy already said he’s half-corrupted, he won’t be able to touch the relic.’

 

Lucion, protected by Troy and Brillin’s blessings, could hold the relic without issue. But Ravid could not.

 

“If the God of Light truly commanded the destruction of light, then prove it with that so-called pure light.”

 

As Lucion stepped toward him, Ravid instinctively retreated.

 

A slow grin spread across Lucion’s lips.

 

By avoiding the holy relic, Ravid had already confessed everything.

 

He was a corrupted priest.

 

A wave of shock spread through the hall, crashing over the gathered priests.

 

Everything the saint had spoken was true.

 

There was no longer any room for denial.

 

One by one, the priests slumped into their seats, their faces filled with despair. Their expressions were as if they had lost their homeland, their eyes clouded with confusion.

 

“This is the end,” Lucion declared, looking toward the divine beasts.

 

The revelation had concluded.

 

Nevast had fallen.

 

The nameless, wolf-shaped divine beast lunged at Ravid, pinning him down with a light-imbued paw.

 

Crack.

 

The sickening sound of bone shattering echoed through the hall.

 

“Kugh!” Ravid groaned in pain.

 

-You were a beloved child. I would have given you anything. And yet… you killed us! You tried to slaughter the countless children here!

 

“Don’t be absurd… The god… told me to maintain balance, to protect the world.”

 

Even as he lay crushed beneath the divine beast’s weight, Ravid clung to his delusions.

 

“I… kuhk, I only did this for the world! I only wanted to protect it!”

 

Suddenly, black veins spread through Ravid’s eyes. A grayish hue seeped from his body, and in an instant, the divine beast was thrown off.

 

-…?

 

The divine beast stared at Ravid in shock. In Ravid’s hand, a viscous substance dripped like blood.

 

—Lucion, that thing… It feels strange. My heart is pounding so fast.

 

Ratta quickly voiced her unease.

 

‘A corrupted holy relic.’

 

Lucion recognized it instantly.

 

“I wasn’t wrong…!”

 

Black blood streamed from Ravid’s eyes.

 

“I did it for the world!”

 

Screech!

 

Ravid tore at his own clothes, revealing numerous magical formations inscribed on his body.

 

‘What is that?’

 

Thump. Thump.

 

‘What the heck is going on?’

 

A cold dread gripped Lucion as he tightened his hold on the holy relic.

 

“Summoning? Are those… summoning inscriptions?”

 

Shaela’s sharp gaze swept over the markings. Just as she began to decipher them, she abruptly stopped, her expression darkening.

 

[It’s him…! He’s using his own body as a summoning medium! Kill him now!]

 

Russell’s urgent cry rang out.

 

Hume didn’t hesitate.

 

In an instant, he drew a knight’s sword and lunged forward.

 

“This world needs the God of Light. I wasn’t wrong. Come forth, oh God…!”

 

A crimson glow flared in Ravid’s eyes.

 

But before he could complete his incantation, Hume’s blade cut cleanly through his neck.

 

Blood gushed from the wound, spilling onto the corrupted holy relic.

 

The relic quivered violently, as if awakening.

 

“Aaaargh!”

 

One by one, the priests let out agonized screams—then exploded.

 

[Those lunatics…! They inscribed summoning seals on themselves as well…?]

 

Russell’s eyes widened in horror.

 

With every priest that perished, another sacrifice was made.

 

The ultimate offering was not a ghost, nor darkness, nor corruption—but living human beings.

 

[The black magic is complete. It’s happening…]

 

-Run, Russell, Bethel. Don’t worry about Lucion.

 

At Troy’s voice, Bethel grabbed Russell’s arm, who was standing blankly, and immediately ran out.

 

The only force that could stop the black magic now was light.

 

Boom!

 

A blinding radiance erupted.

 

Bethel staggered, her entire body trembling at the overwhelming glow of the divine beast’s power.

 

The light was so immense, it felt as though night had turned to day.

 

[Bethel, get farther away. Stay beyond the reach of the light.]

 

Russell clutched his chest anxiously as he pushed Bethel back.

 

[Russell…? What are you saying? You must move too.]

 

[Did you forget? I’m bound by my contract with Lucion. I can’t leave. And besides…]

 

His shoulders slumped, his eyes widening in disbelief.

 

A door appeared in midair.

 

It flickered ominously, yet it was unmistakably a door.

 

The world fell into a deafening silence.

 

A sinister night descended.

 

‘Veronia.’

 

The divine beasts had failed.

 

No.

 

The priests, their bodies marked with hidden summoning seals, had been sacrificed, forcefully triggering the black magic.

 

But none of that mattered anymore.

 

Veronia—the being cast out by the world—

 

For the first time in this endlessly repeating world,

 

Was about to descend.