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Extermination
*Bang!* Under the eyes of numerous helpless onlookers, desperation surfaced in the duke’s eyes. However, their legendary might was all for naught as his body suddenly exploded, flesh and blood scattering as the corrosive pus covering the barrier almost caused Alustriel and the rest to puke.
“To kill a duke right in front of us… This is a serious provocation!” A solemn look surfaced on Elminster’s face. He was disappointed that he hadn’t been able to identify the enemy from the duke’s eyes, and soon that solemnity was replaced by infinite fear. The duke was a legendary wizard himself, and he was killed so easily. What about everyone in the hall right now?
“Report!” a high-ranked wizard staggered in, the panic noticeable on his face.
“What’s wrong?” Elminster asked with a frown, overstepping Alustriel’s authority.
“Earl Eric, Chekov, Viscount Agar, and even Dorwick and Lady Merida… We just received news that they’re all dead!” The hall grew completely silent in an instant, and everyone stared blankly at the spot where the legendary duke had exploded.
‘That is to say… everyone in Silverymoon carrying his bloodline was eliminated in an instant?’ Elminster felt a sudden chill in the air, invading his very soul.
……
“It seems like the bloodline curses from the Magus World work quite well…” Leylin withdrew his gaze. Even those with legendary might could not withstand his rage, and despite numerous powerful existences surrounding him the duke had died. This was the terror of the Magus World! With the extinction of all of the duke’s blood, Leylin had announced to the influences and gods with the north that he’d arrived.
……
“This is clearly provoking us!” Seeing the unending stream of death reports from the frenetic city, an unperturbed look appeared on Rafiniya’s face. However, this was obviously the calm before the storm.
Everyone related by blood to the legendary duke had perished without reason, and the terrifying sights of their deaths had astonished all of New Silverymoon. Adding up the clones and true bodies as well as the descendants of the legendary duke and his family, there were hundreds within Silverymoon. Furthermore, numerous family members had perished in the sight of the general public.
The disturbance caused by event allowed other villains and adventurers with ulterior motives to take advantage of the situation, causing the chaos to intensify. To Rafiniya, who’d been entrusted with maintaining public order, this was an insult to her job, a shame that could never be removed!
“Dispatch the paladins to assist the garrison in stabilising the situation!” Numerous solemn paladins rushed out of the church, causing all wild schemes to fall apart in an instant. However, the vague moans of lament within the gradually recovering city caused Rafiniya’s expression to grow even more heavy.
‘A curse with hundreds of victims… If we can’t capture the culprit, I won’t be able to account to the Queen and other citizens who trusted me…’ Rafiniya swiftly started to speculate about the true mastermind. ‘Was the culprit an enemy of the duke? A wizard trying to collect souls, or an evil god trying to spread fear?’
Rafiniya knew fully well that if this incident was related to a god it would become an extremely huge problem. However, the ideal of justice in her heart would not allow her to back down.
“Rafiniya!” A cardinal said as he walked towards her, his face drooping with gloom. “We just received word that another family at the Ironsword Castle met its end, the symptoms the exact same as the duke’s family…”
“Could it be…” Rafiniya’s brows twitched.
“Yes. It’s a branch of the duke’s family that separated a hundred years ago and settled down at Ironsword Castle. Even the branches passed away when the duke died, and the old and young weren’t spared even if they were in a church at that moment…”
A faint trace of foreboding emerged within the cardinal’s eyes, “The Church gave us the same news. The branch in the central kingdoms perished as well…”
“A curse that can affect the entire continent…” Rafiniya muttered.
“Mm. Not just that, there were a few cases of other aristocrats in Silverymoon, and even a few stable lads and gardeners. There’s a lot of panic thinking it’s spreading, but we know why they died…” the cardinal continued.
‘Those licentious idiots, having numerous illegitimate children and causing a huge problem now…’ Rafiniya was secretly elated. She’d been irked by the luxurious and messy lifestyles of the higher nobility.
“The main problem is even the descendants that we weren’t aware of were killed off… This is the power of a god! An evil god has declared his arrival! The cardinal said with all seriousness.
Rafiniya nodded her head in acknowledgement. Only a true god could release such a large-scaled curse upon the mainland. Even peak legendary wizards couldn’t wield such terrifying power.
“Those evil gods are the greatest threat to our cause!” Rafiniya clenched her fists, missing the cardinal’s bitter smile.
‘There aren’t many evil gods capable of killing off descendants a thousand miles away, and they’re all terrifying existences…’ the cardinal sighed in secret. With his understanding of gods, he naturally knew the terror of the one behind this event. Still, his expression returned to normal soon enough, “Paladin Rafiniya. Your mission is to assist Queen Alustriel in maintaining peace and stability within New Silverymoon City… Do you intend to shirk your duties?”
……
Rafiniya’s face instantly blackened after the cardinal left, and she draw her longsword to a terrifying keen. She’d noticed a clear hint of warning within the cardinal’s words, asking her to accept a compromise. It was like the church didn’t plan to take actions against that cruel god!
Even though Rafiniya knew that one needed to compromise and back down sometimes for the sake of justice, this incident had exceeded her bottom line. “Don’t tell me even the Lord’s Church has started to be corrupted by darkness…”
Even though she knew she shouldn’t think that way, a trace of darkness enveloped Rafiniya’s thoughts. Her expression warped within the shadows, and that trace of dark red grew even more bright.
……
“Oh Lord… Please pardon my sins, do not afflict me with such a terrifying curse…”
“No matter who it is, Lord… Please protect me, Coco, and Laffrey…”
“Dear Lord… I pray for you to swiftly end this disaster…”
“Oh Lord, whoever you are, wherever you come from… Thank you for exterminating Earl Eric and avenging my family…”
The amount of golden faith in the void had increased severalfold, and numerous prayers that matched Leylin’s expectations were transmitted to him. The horrifying death of a family protected by legendary beings had caused mass panic within New Silverymoon, and only the gods had the ability to protect and comfort these civilians.
Those of faith had increased substantially within New Silverymoon, and the strength of the faith already present had grown as well. Aristocrats and businessmen grew more generous in their donations to the churches, as if such actions would prevent the misfortune from falling upon them.
All gods had raked in a great harvest, and inevitably some of this scattered faith had been devoured by Leylin. After all, spreading terror and power could also grow faith. It was simply normal for people to pray to the harbinger of this disaster out of fear. The Goddess of Plagues and Umberlee both adopted similar methods to grow their following.
‘Although this line of faith isn’t stable, it could be considered great replenishment…’ Emotions of fear and gratitude followed the faith to Leylin. Every action of a true god would affect the entire prime material plane, and this one from Leylin could be considered a different type of miracle.
His godfire and divine domain were strengthened by the massive faith, accumulating with Leylin’s true body. However, Leylin seemed apathetic, seemingly not affected by the fanaticism of the mortal world.
“Now that the Blackmoon Merchant Group and their backers have been sorted out, there should be no more obstacles to the plan. The transaction with the Blackblood Tribe should speed up as well…” Leylin simply couldn’t care about a possible counterattack from the good gods. Someone had blasphemed his divinity, so how could he tolerate it? No action taken in punishment would be considered too much.
What’s more, he was also an evil god! If he didn’t leave a trail of terror wherever he went, would he be worthy of his reputation?