Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 642 Secret Talk in the Mansion (7k7!)
The fact that Uncle Harkas had found him so late at night was most likely to discuss how they, the "Order Killers," should continue to lie low in the Empire... Hayek thought to himself as he walked toward the manor, feeling a little nervous.

In fact, if it were simply a matter of hiding himself and not exposing himself to any orthodox "supreme" authority, it wouldn't be difficult for Hayek; in fact, given his status, he could have done it perfectly.

But Hayek knew perfectly well that he would never be satisfied with this—since he had followed his uncle Hakkas to become the dark side of the "Order of Slaughter" in the "Supreme," it meant that he had ambitions that were not satisfied with the status quo, and if those ambitions were not released, they would turn around and devour him.

This is the "killing order"—in a sense, it is equivalent to transcendence, in order to achieve a new round of pure "supreme".

"..."

Hayek was thinking about these things.

As he thought this, he quickened his pace. It would take about ten minutes to get to the main residence, and walking along the path beside the driveway would be faster.

Gaa ...

Hayek heard the muffled sound of a carriage wheel turning.

Tonight is the Royal Opera House's premiere of the opera "Triumphal March"—an artistic adaptation by the operaticists at the request of the Imperial Court, based on the battle report of Augustus the Great's decisive victory over the Black Duke.
As part of pledging allegiance to Emperor Augustus the Great, and in order to expand their network and social connections at the opera house, many ministers and nobles would attend the premiere of the opera. In fact, Hayek had already seen that quite a few carriages had passed by him.

But this time it feels a little different...

Hayek stopped thinking, his dark red eyes fixed on the source of the muffled wheel creak—a magnificent carriage draped in velvet and wide open, passing by him.

The large canopy was embroidered with the coat of arms of Austin Estate, its edges edged in blue. Hayek recognized it as a carriage belonging to the "Lakeside Villa" within the estate.

Has someone checked into Lakeside Villa?
Hayek thought to himself—he didn't actually have much time to pay attention to each and every guest who checked in.
But the reason he immediately thought of Lakeside Villa was because the villa designed by the landscape architect Delando truly suited Hayek's aesthetic, making him instantly curious to see who lived there.

His gaze then fell upon the carriage curtain.

The carriage curtain was open, and he saw a young nobleman, who in turn looked at him.

Then, a smile suddenly appeared on the young nobleman's face.

Then, the carriage curtain was lowered, so Hayek could no longer see the young nobleman's face.

The carriage continued to move forward with a "creak-creak" sound, and soon disappeared into the turning lane ahead, and then into a rockery garden.

"That person is...?"

Hayek murmured with some doubt.

He didn't seem to recognize the person—but logically, all the nobles who came out of the imperial court should know each other, or at least know what the other person looked like.

Could he be a nobleman from the provinces? To be able to stay at the Lakeside Villa, he must be at least a viscount; he's worth making some effort to befriend…

"..."

Hayek thought to himself.

He secretly made a mental note of this, planning to ask the butler, Old Ober, later to find out who had moved into the Lakeside Villa.

While he was pondering these things, Hayek saw the outline of the manor house in front of him. He stopped thinking, his expression turned serious, he straightened his robes, and stepped into the manor.

……

Duke Harcas arrived at the main manor of Austin Estate about half an hour ago.

Four servants stood in the room, while Duke Harkas sat somewhat hunched over in a wide chair, holding a steaming cup of black tea. The tea's base came from a snowy plateau on the border of the empire, bordering the Holy Kingdom. It wasn't an expensive or famous brand, but it was a very delicious everyday tea.

For Hakkas, he was already past the age of pursuing wealth and luxury—as a duke of the empire, a true "Red-Crowned Prince" second only to Emperor Augustusville, he had seen far too many luxurious and precious things in the world.

He no longer has any such ambitions; he just finds the black tea in his hand quite delicious.

He took another sip, exhaled a warm breath, and a look of enjoyment appeared on his face.

For old nobles like Harcas, they actually preferred drinking tea to appreciating wine.

In his subconscious, those fine wines were essential for young nobles to navigate social occasions, but the Duke of Harcas no longer needed to consider or pursue them, and therefore preferred milder, less stimulating beverages.

As he sipped his Snowfield Red Tea, he could already hear rustling footsteps coming from the stairwell outside.

He knew it was Hayek, so he raised his head, his deep red eyes gazing at the servants in the room, and spoke to them in a hoarse but kind voice:
“Go, [go and greet Count Hayek].

—That was an imperial edict.

"Yes……"

The waiters responded respectfully.

If you look closely into the servants' eyes, you can see that the light in them has vanished—the dim spiritual threads emanating from Hakkas have connected with the servants and are manipulating them like puppets.

That was a kind of "dominance" that had become alienated—

The waiters went to the door and opened it, and the rustling footsteps coming from outside became clearer as the door was no longer an obstruction.

Count Hayek had gone upstairs and then, under the “watchful eyes” of the servants, entered the room where Duke Harkas was.

"You've come, Hayek the Younger."

When he saw Hayek, the Duke of Harkas smiled.

"Greetings to you, Uncle."

Hayek smiled and walked up to Duke Harkas, offering a respectful greeting to this elder of the family.

The waiters had closed the room doors again. Hayek sat down in a chair next to the Duke of Harkas. The waiter then served Hayek a glass of decanted red wine, which Hayek took, swirled, and took a small sip.

"I think you've already heard about the war, Hayek Jr."

Harkas also took a sip of black tea, looked at Hayek, and said:
“The Dark Duke is dead, and Augustusville has seized the divine power of the ‘Order of Slaughter’… We are in a dangerous situation, Hayek the Younger.”

“…I know.” Hayek nodded.

Hayek knew that his uncle, Duke Harkas, would definitely tell him these things.

In truth, the current situation within the empire, aside from this, offers little for a Red-Crowned Prince to worry about. Hayek watched as Duke Harkas placed his teacup on the side table and returned his hands to his robes. His expression darkened, and his voice deepened—

"Originally, we hoped that Augustusville would die in the war."

"In this way, with me, your father, and the other nobles we have already controlled, we can easily overthrow Augusteville's original rule and form a new order from 'murderous order'."

“But we always encountered obstacles—we encountered all sorts of obstacles from the very beginning of the ‘plan’.”

Duke Harkas paused, then began to rub his fingers together before speaking, word by word:

"Initially, we secretly instigated the Kuma territory rebellion—we thought the 'Bloody Declaration' would delay Augustusville's actions, and if that succeeded... we could instigate even more rebellions to disrupt Augustusville's rhythm."

"But for some reason, the plague and famine, which should have lasted a long time, were resolved in just one month. Augustusville no longer needed to worry about domestic unrest, and his speed in suppressing the rebellion far exceeded our expectations..."

"Afterwards, the 'messenger' successfully persuaded the Holy Kingdom to intervene in the war."

"But the Golden Kingdom also intervened, actually helping Augustusville to block the Theocracy's psionic legion on the empire's borders, preventing several border territories from being drawn into war... I still don't understand why the Golden Kingdom chose to intervene."

"They should...have remained neutral..."

“We did a lot, and we had a lot of expectations. But basically... they all failed due to some inexplicable force, with only a small part succeeding. Perhaps only that ‘night of wailing’—only that night made me feel that my expectations had not been disappointed.”

“My last hope was that the Dark Duchy… the Order-Killing Kingdom under that Black Emperor could clip Augustusville’s wings as much as possible. That way, when we truly revealed the true face of ‘Order-Killing,’ the Dark Grand Duke would confront Augustusville head-on, and our ‘Order-Killing’ would proceed… much more smoothly.”

"..."

"But all of these have failed, all of our hopes have been dashed, Uncle."

Hayek sighed, put down his glass, and said in a low voice:

"On my side, many of the other 'Order Killers' that I can directly contact have been discovered and killed by Augustusville's henchmen."

"Although they haven't discovered me yet, I always feel... there's a pair of eyes that even I don't know are watching me, eliminating the 'Order Killers' that I can mobilize one by one."

"The most regrettable thing... do you remember, Uncle? The lord of Matsubara, the illegitimate son of Marquis Vizia Bakal, Verino Bakal, you personally led him to become the 'Slayer of Orders,' originally intending to have him replace Vizia and inherit Matsubara, so that we could indirectly control Matsubara..."

"But Velino is dead too—even the news from Matsubara Castle is that Velino died in the rebellion started by the Order Killers... Ha."

"..."

"Vellino is indeed a pity... Hayek Jr."

Duke Harkas sighed and said:
"Although it wasn't our only piece in Songyuan Territory, it was certainly... our most useful piece."

“However, I’ve not come to you today just to confide in you. You know, little Hayek, simply confiding won’t solve any problems.”

"To be honest, even so, we still have many usable pieces—we still have people in the 'Holy Court' and the 'Tower of Sages.' And we also know quite a few things that even Augustusville doesn't know, such as the 'First Cardinal' of the Holy Court, who is plotting..."

"You should have heard that Hayek Jr., the Pope of the Holy See, the one known as 'The Crowned One' Lorend, fell in the final battle. That means that the Holy See's 'First Cardinal,' Finlake, might be to our advantage..."

"..."

At this point, Duke Harkas stopped speaking, only giving a subtle smile, which Hayek understood.

Finlake Saint-Lerran, the First Cardinal of the Holy See, had approached Duke Hakkas seeking his support when necessary—he harbored ambitions to effectively control the entire Holy See, and Finlake had promised Duke Hakkas the necessary rewards.

Duke Hakkas agreed to Finlake's request, but Finlake at the time—or rather, even now—did not know that Duke Hakkas was actually the "Order Killer."

All of this means that Duke Harkas still has a great deal of power at his disposal.

"What I want to tell you is something else."

Duke Harkas looked at Hayek, his voice gradually softening, and a kind, gentle expression returned to his face as he spoke.

"..."

"another thing?"

Hayek narrowed his eyes slightly.

He looked at his uncle, who then picked up a teacup from the coffee table, took a sip of the black tea, and said:

“You remember, right, Hayek? The unknown person you met in the communication you received from the ‘Bottom of the Blood Cave’ in Fafnir.”

"..."

When Duke Harkas brought this up, Hayek's face darkened completely.

"Of course I remember."

Hayek said in a low voice:
"We still don't know who that person is... The informants we sent haven't given me a definite answer either. Some say it's the missing 'Executioner' Koros, some say it's a young bishop from the 'Holy Court' church, and others..."

"..."

"That young bishop."

Duke Harkas interrupted him, saying:

“The young bishop from the Church of Sina, I remember his name is… yes, ‘Rossi Carlos’. I have a feeling he will be a dangerous enemy.”

"..."

You mean that bishop?

Hayek opened his mouth slightly, looking at Duke Harkas with some confusion.

“We did suspect him at the time, because the battle reports from the expeditionary force said that the bishop killed the Blood Sacrifice Lord single-handedly—however, our spies have also investigated, and the person I saw that day was probably not him, but someone else…”

"..."

"Little Hayek, only now do I realize how incredibly stupid you are."

Duke Harkas looked somewhat helpless. He shook his head and said:
"Have you heard the recent rumors about that bishop, about 'Rossi Carlos'?"

“…I didn’t pay much attention.” Hayek shook his head.

"..."

When Hayek answered Duke Hakkas in this way, Hakkas's expression immediately darkened. He looked at Hayek with undisguised disappointment and said—

"He was the one who made the greatest contribution in the 'final battle' of this trial war. He single-handedly killed three Black Pillars, a Lich King, and more than a dozen executioners and chief executioners. He also eliminated countless Black Fangs and Fang Heads."

"Varied--!"

When Duke Harkas said this, Hayek's pupils dilated instantly, his expression froze, and his hand, which had been holding the wine glass, began to tremble unconsciously.

He had never imagined that the bishop would be so strong... The message sent back to him by Pampas, the 'Lionheart General' of the Round Table in Matsubara who was sent to investigate him, was that he was 'just an ordinary bishop with a fivefold destiny'!

"I clearly..."

"You clearly sent people to inquire about him, and the result was that the bishop was fine? Ha... Let me tell you, that very bishop advanced from the fifth level of destiny to the sixth level, and then from the sixth level to the seventh level, in almost two months!" Harkas's expression had become quite solemn. He stared directly into Hayek's somewhat flustered eyes and said in a low, serious voice:

"This is the kind of person you sent... well, a Divine Knight, just a Divine Knight to investigate him? And you actually believe the results of that investigation!"

"At least when that bishop was still active in Fafnir, he should have already been a saint of the 'Sixfold Destiny'. He must have temporarily concealed his true level for some purpose—didn't you even notice that, Hayek!"

"..."

Harkas's words were like a wake-up call for Hayek.

His mind went blank for a moment. Recalling the figure of unknown identity he had seen in the spiritual illusion, he suddenly felt that it was the bishop, it was Roshu Carlos...

If that's really the case, maybe that bishop has been investigating me for a long time, following the lead of the "Lord of Blood Sacrifice"... but I was completely, completely unaware of it.

“You did the right thing, Hayek,” Duke Harkas’s voice finally softened as he spoke to Hayek during his breakdown.
"It was you who made me, and your father Austin, erase the 'memory' of all the guests who attended the banquet."

“That way, none of the guests will remember that you were at the banquet. So I think... if the person you ‘saw’ was the bishop, he wouldn’t know it was you.”

"..."

"...I hope so."

Hayek leaned back, a somewhat dejected expression on his face.

He always felt that he might have gotten himself into some trouble he shouldn't have.

There was nothing in the scene he 'saw' that could be used as a handle to retaliate, but the magic crystal ball left by the Blood Sacrifice Lord could directly contact him, which was difficult to wash away no matter what.

"But things haven't gotten to a very serious point yet... Hayek Jr."

Seeing Hayek slumped in his seat, the Duke of Harkas's kind and benevolent expression returned. He said to Hayek:

"The reason I am telling you this now is because I received a message from a friend at war, who told me that the bishop is about to receive the coronation from Augustusville."

"That bishop is in the capital right now, and... where do you think he is?"

"Where?" Hayek blurted out.

"..."

“Auston Estate,” Harcas said in a deep voice.

"Varied--!"

Hayek, who had calmed down somewhat and felt he was able to think things through rationally, once again blurted out unconsciously—

"How could he be...at Austin Estate?!"

“...I knew it, you didn’t know these things, Hayek.”

Duke Harkas sighed and said:

"He refused to stay at the palace and instead specifically requested that the Minister of War, Lagrand, arrange accommodations for him at Austin Estate. This was all decided on the spur of the moment this afternoon, and I just learned from the steward that the bishop is currently staying at Lakeside Villa."

Lakeside Villa!
When Hayek heard the words "Lakeside Villa" from the Duke of Harkas, his mouth gaped open once again, as if he were recalling something.

On the way to the manor lord's manor, I saw a carriage—a carriage specially provided by the Lakeside Villa—and a young nobleman behind the curtain.

...That person is...Bishop Rosh Carlos?

How...how is that possible?

"..."

"I may...maybe I have already met that bishop."

Hayek said somewhat absentmindedly.

"You've already seen it?" Duke Harkas's face showed a moment of surprise.

“Yes…” Hayek nodded.

"On the way here, I saw a carriage coming out of the Lakeside Villa. Inside the carriage was a young man who looked like a local nobleman. He saw me too, but didn't seem to notice me much."

At this point, Hayek gradually regained his composure and addressed Duke Harkas:
"Hmm... that carriage was heading towards the opera house. I'm thinking, perhaps the bishop didn't actually realize it was me, and the reason he chose to stay at Austin Manor was simply because of the manor itself..."

“I hope so too,” Duke Harkas said after a moment of contemplation.

"It better be this way."

"However, according to what you said... that bishop probably didn't find anything either. I'm telling you this specifically so you can prepare in advance."

At this point, Harkas's tone became more serious, and he said to Hayek with a solemn expression—

“Absolutely, absolutely not, do not test him yourself, Hayek. That would be dangerous and foolish. Don’t risk your life before that bishop actually does anything to you.”

"Just treat him like an ordinary guest, and let the manor treat him well. Make sure to keep him calm. As for investigating his background or even getting rid of him... I will take care of that. Hayek, don't interfere."

"Then, for the foreseeable future—until the end of Augustville's 'granting of titles'—you shall not remain in the capital. I will send someone to escort you out. You shall go to... well, to the Duchy of Austin, to your father's territory, to take refuge for a while. I will send someone to protect you."

"Did you hear me clearly, Hayek?"

"..."

"……Um."

Hayek nodded somewhat heavily.

He didn't really want to leave the capital like this—but as Duke Harkas said, if the bishop was after him, then his situation was actually quite dangerous.

In that case, going to the Auston Duchy would indeed be the safest option... but Hayek was somewhat upset about it, as if he had lost before the battle even began.

But in the end, he did not disobey his uncle, the Duke of Harkas.

"I understand, I'll pack now... um, I'll leave tonight."

Hayek said.

Only when Hayek said this did a kind smile reappear on Duke Harkas's face.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Hayek the Younger."

Duke Harkas stood up, helped Hayek to his feet, and led him out of the room.

"After this is all over... after I've sorted things out, I'll bring you back."

“We’ll think about how to continue the ‘plan’ when the time comes… At least for now, your safety is the top priority, Hayek Jr.”

"..."

"it is good."

Hayek nodded heavily.

He and Duke Harkas had arrived in the courtyard of the main residence, and Duke Harkas released Hayek's hand, turned around, and instructed the four servants who had followed him:

“Go, [take Count Hayek and leave].

"……Yes."

The four waiters, their eyes vacant, responded in low voices.
Then they surrounded Hayek and led him away.

……

I watched Hayek's departing figure.

Only after Hayek's figure had disappeared from sight did the Duke of Harkas's kind expression completely vanish. His right hand trembled as he reached into his robes and pulled out a bronze whistle engraved with intricate patterns.

Duke Harkas gently placed the tip of the brass whistle into his mouth and blew softly, but no sound was produced.

Around him, and throughout the entire courtyard, a restless wind seemed to rise from the ground.

"you……"

A voice rose from the shadows and reached Duke Harkas's ears—

"Blowing this bronze whistle means you finally need my help, my old friend..."

"..."

“I need the help of the ‘Mutual Aid Society’ for a… perhaps a difficult request.”

"...A bit difficult?"

The voice that rose from the shadows carried a hint of mockery, "Since you say it's somewhat difficult... then the reward..."

"The compensation will satisfy you."

Duke Harkas's gaze was fixed on the distance, and he spoke in a low but clear voice:
“A cardinal with a [Radiant] seventh destiny… The target lives in this manor. I need you to investigate his background, closely monitor his every move, and if the opportunity arises, eliminate him.”

"Afterwards, I will have my 'messenger' convey to you detailed and complete information about that cardinal. If his behavior is abnormal, it would be best to deal with him before the emperor holds the investiture ceremony."

"..."

"Your demands are rather harsh... old friend."

The voice from the shadows continued its mocking laughter without waning:
“Let us go… help you resolve the issue of a cardinal with a ‘sevenfold destiny’… This is no simple matter, it’s not just ‘a little difficult’…”

"You can't do it?" Duke Harkas's voice suddenly turned icy.

"Heh," the voice from the shadows scoffed again, "Knowing who the other is is enough..."

"However, it'll cost extra, old friend..."

"..."

“I’ve already said, compensation is not a problem,” Duke Harkas said, his tone softening slightly. “You might even want compensation beyond money, and that’s fine with you this time.”

"All I need is for you to help me get rid of him cleanly and efficiently, and eliminate this potential threat..."

"..."

"Ah, I understand, I understand."

The voice from the shadowy figure was still laughing, but to Duke Hakkas, the voice was gradually fading.

It was as if the owner of that voice had already gone far away.

"Wait a moment."

Duke Harkas suddenly called out to the voice once more.

"Is there anything else, old friend?"

"..."

"If you're going to take action,"

Duke Harkas said:
"Don't do anything at Austin Manor... I don't want to see a corpse in the manor the next day; that would damage our reputation."

"Ah, I understand..."

The voice responded to Hakkas, and then no further voices were heard.

The turbulent wind that had stirred up the courtyard gradually subsided. Hakkas knew that the true king of the "Mutual Aid Society," the largest assassin organization in [Bitter Tea], and also the sharpest blade in his own hands, had already begun his preparations.

After that, all he had to do was return to his residence and wait for the "Mutual Aid Association" to give him a response that the commission had been completed.

"..."

Hakkas thought to himself.

He hoped to wake up the next day to the news that the bishop had not returned to the manor all night.

Although that bishop... reported back outrageous battle results from the front lines, he was still, after all, a newly promoted young bishop. Hakkas was more inclined to believe that 'luck' had simply been on his side.

Hacas believed in the efficiency of the Aid Society... but would the Aid Society disappoint him, given that he was only dealing with a Cardinal who had just advanced to the "Sevenfold Fate"?

……

(End of this chapter)