The black sun hangs high

Chapter 85 The Shadow of the Black Sun
(Oh no, I misspelled the chapter title again.)
Accept them.

Embrace them.

These two sentences are quite subtle.

Upon hearing this, Hugh felt that Zeke Ernst seemed to want him to let go of his aversion to being the illegitimate son of the Ernst family, to let go of his past grievances against the family, and to reintegrate into the family as a member.

He even implicitly condoned Hugh's negative thoughts and feelings toward his "cheap father" in his words.

For the head of a large noble family to display such an attitude during their first meeting after such a long time was extremely unusual.

Not to mention that all of this is based on a series of dubious and unbelievable facts.

Hugh felt that the old man's words seemed to have a hidden meaning, but he had no concrete evidence.

As for Princess Sophia approaching him, Hugh felt from the beginning that it was unlikely to be kept secret from Old Zeke. For someone of his caliber, there was probably nothing that could be kept absolutely secret in the entire Borden or even the entire Kingdom of Walter.

The Ernst family's roots run very deep in this land.

"I already know everything that happened tonight."

Zeke Ernst didn't wait for Hugh's response. He took control of the conversation and pulled Hugh aside to talk about what had happened earlier: "Kid, to be honest, you have a keen sense of smell and you make equally careful judgments when faced with potential danger, but I don't quite understand why you chose to shoot to save Elena?"

Hugh looked at his nominal elder and asked, "Are you saying that I should have chosen to stand by and do nothing back then?"

"of course not."

The old man shook his head, smiled happily, and gently pushed and pulled the metal lever attached to the armrest of his wheelchair with his fingers, driving the wheelchair to a table.

Upon seeing this, one of the maids immediately came up and gently touched a hidden spot, and a concealed compartment popped up on the wall of the exhibition hall.

The hidden compartment contained several unlabeled bottles of wine, their color appearing somewhat dark, like deep red gemstones or lakes.

"one third."

The old man gave a soft instruction, and the maid immediately brought a small glass and reached out to remove the cork from the bottle.

An extremely enticing aroma immediately filled the air.

The deep, rich aroma of the liquor was slightly different from that of ordinary wines; it was more fragrant and enticing.

The glass containing a little wine was handed to old Zeke. The old man watched reluctantly as the bottle was put back into the hidden compartment. Then he turned to Hugh and grinned, "When you get old, you can't enjoy anything casually. This is a treasured wine from the Saint Steel royal family. It was smuggled out of the warehouse before the labels were even put on... I wonder if they'll be drunk first, or I'll be in my grave first."

Old Zeke spoke of death very calmly, without showing the slightest taboo or fear.

"Come on, child, let's continue our previous topic... Of course, there is no absolutely correct answer to what happened tonight, because everyone's decision will always change depending on their own perspective."

"So the reason you're surprised is that you think, from my position, I shouldn't have done this?"

As he spoke, Hugh pulled out another chair and sat down under the watchful eyes of the two silent maids. Then, he directly asked the old man before him, "I'm very curious, in your eyes, what is my position? Or rather, what should it be like?"

The atmosphere in the exhibition hall seemed somewhat stagnant.

Although Hugh still uses honorifics, his actions and tone are completely different from those of the other younger members of the family. In other words, he lacks respect for the family elders and the highest authority.

The two maids' gazes were fixed on Hughes at the same time, as if they wanted to pin his thin body to the wall.

Unlike the maids who were on high alert, Zeke Ernst was quite satisfied with Hugh's performance. He carefully examined his "junior" and then raised his hand to wave at the two obviously strong maids who were also acting as bodyguards.

The two maids paused briefly, then backed out of the exhibition hall, thoughtfully closing the door behind them.

For a moment, only Hugh and old Zeke remained.

The old man took another sip of the wine in his glass, then took a breath and said, “That’s right. People’s choices are not only limited by their position, but also by their current power, background and circumstances… Look, you not only successfully climbed out of that quagmire of Seren, but also crossed the threshold of magic because of it.”

"In the Fifth Guardian Legion, you were not ostracized by the soldiers and mages, but you solved those problems on your own. And when you arrived in Borden, even Princess Sophia immediately began to recruit you."

"This is indeed an achievement worth boasting about!"

Old Zeke still had a smile on his face, but his tone always revealed an elusive and strange meaning.

Hugh stared intently at the old man in front of him. He looked so weak, unarmed and without any protective force. It seemed that if Hugh reached out, he could strangle him to death in his wheelchair.

Have you ever wondered why so many changes have occurred in you?

Old Zeke put down his glass, his smile fading, and said seriously, "Child, have you forgotten what you used to be like? Do you need me to help you remember?"

He leaned back slightly and reached out to pull the blanket on his lap: "A lowly apprentice who was expelled from the academy for lacking magical talent, forced to write inferior texts for a living, forced to hand over his money when extorted by thugs, and unable to even look his father in the eye when faced with his unfair treatment."

"Yet now, you not only possess the skill to handle new firearms, but you even went so far as to expose your magical talent to save a family member you don't even know... Ha, how could this not raise questions about your stance and choices?"

Hughes certainly knew the answers to everything that old Zeke described and questioned.

But he never truly considered these experiences as his past, making it difficult to manipulate his emotions through these words. The exhibition hall fell silent, the magic clock on the wall ticking rhythmically.

Perhaps because he had been drinking, old Zeke's aged face appeared much rosier.

Having said so much in one breath, he was eventually a little tired. After catching his breath, the old man spoke again: "Alright, let's get back to the main topic... Child, I think you must be wondering why the family is trying so hard to bring you back to Borden, right?"

Hughes nodded slightly.

Old Zeke, who had received a response from Hugh, stared at him and asked, "Have you ever heard of the Black Sun Society, or the Black Sun Prophecy?"

Upon hearing this question, Hugh paused slightly in thought.

Although he had previously suspected that the Ernst family might be connected to the Black Sun Society, he did not expect that Zeke Ernst, as the head of the family, would reveal this potential and strange connection to him so openly and without any hesitation.

Hugh controlled his expression. The disc in his mental world began to spin faster, but there was no change on the surface. Then he asked softly, "Of course I've heard of it, especially the latter."

"One day, the gods will go mad, knights will be devoured by beasts, and laughter will fill the broken throne... The eternal black sun will become the messenger of war, believers who have lost miracles and divine grace will kill each other, and nobles who have lost their offspring and crowns will bleed rivers."

Old Zeke slowly recited this widely circulated prophecy, then asked, "So, what do you know about the Black Sun Society?"

"The Wild Mage Guild regards the prophecy of the Black Sun as truth, but I don't know anything else."

"Um……"

Old Zeke gave Hugh a meaningful look, then said, "Wild Mage Society, that's what Merlinler calls the society... To those 'usurpers,' isn't anything that threatens their current position a 'wild mage'?"

"You mean the Black Sun Society's origins are even older than Merlinler and the Legal Committee?"

Old Zeke did not answer Hugh's question. He tapped the ground lightly with his cane: "The origins of the Society are difficult to trace. Like our family, it has a history that spans the entire Lovi Plateau and Vaan."

“The Society existed long before those kingdoms were founded, long before the Council of Laws was established in the North… It has had many, many names. In its heyday, its members were everywhere in Vaan. In its decline, only a few members managed to survive. But it still exists today, and the prophecy of the Black Sun continues to circulate among the people.”

"So, according to you, there is a connection between your family and the Black Sun Society?"

"They are closely related."

Old Zeke slowly sat up straight and said in a low voice, "When the Ernst family decided to establish itself in the Kingdom of Water, a contract was already made with the Society. From that time on, every head and heir of the Ernst family will become a member of the Society, and this manor will permanently become the Society's outpost and sanctuary in the Kingdom of Water."

Hearing these words, Hugh couldn't help but frown: "This setting is too unfamiliar. It seems that in this real Vaan, the history of the Black Sun Society is far more profound than what we wrote back then. Moreover, judging from Zeke's words, the history and origin of the society can be traced back to before the Legal Committee... This Black Sun Society and the prophecy of the Black Sun are probably going to be associated with the so-called Lost Gods again?"

After thinking it over carefully, Hugh tentatively asked, "So it sounds like the family's survival has been greatly supported by the society?"

The old man shook his head: "Never."

"So, does that mean that a society can remove certain obstacles for a family, or provide certain conveniences?"

“Neither.”

The old man's answer surprised Hugh, but he then revealed the truth to Hugh: "The fundamental reason why the Ernst family was willing to enter into a contract with the Society is that we believe in the Society's prophecies—they have never failed. It is precisely because of this that the Ernst family has been able to avoid those disasters that were enough to destroy weak countries and survive them."

"It sounds like the folk legends about the black sun are just a part of those prophecies?"

"exactly."

The old man nodded solemnly: "The terrible plague that killed half the population of the plateau and plains, the establishment of the Kingdom of Walter, Augustine's usurpation of power, the terrible tsunami that destroyed the coastal town of the Kingdom of Hein... all of these have been accurately predicted. It is no exaggeration to say that the members of the Black Sun Society are like the gods of fate, always able to issue one important warning after another, thus revealing the changes that the whole world is about to face."

"It sounds a bit... ethereal."

"But that's the truth."

The old man and Hugh looked at each other: "The Ernst family is convinced that everything in the prophecy will eventually be proven true, and in the Society's latest prophecy, the figure of the Black Sun has finally appeared."

His eyes became somewhat vacant. After taking several deep breaths, he opened his mouth and softly recited two passages: "Ignorance will destroy peace, and hypocrisy will turn cities into sacrificial pits. War will be the forerunner of the black sun, and the only child of the abyss will be born in the sacrificial pit."

He hadn't seen the first part of the sentence in the goblin mage Marcel's notebook before, but he was very familiar with the second part.

Old Zeke continued, “The reason why an accurate prophecy is so moving is that it will eventually become an irrefutable truth at some point, and child… I can tell you that now is the moment when this prophecy will be fulfilled.”

How can this be verified?

"You know perfectly well, don't you?"

Old Zeke turned to look out the window. At this moment, the snow intensified again, and the endless white light and shadow formed a vast, boundless curtain in the cold world outside: "The first half of the prophecy has been fulfilled. Seren can no longer call itself a city of peace. It has been completely destroyed by the ignorance and hypocrisy of its people... War could break out at any time, maybe next week, maybe next month, hehe, or even tomorrow."

"As for the second half of the prophecy..."

Hearing old Zeke's words, Hugh's previous terrible predictions were perfectly validated at this moment: "Isn't that only son of the abyss who crawled out of the city of Seren, the pit of avatar sacrifice, sitting right in front of me?"

(End of this chapter)