Chapter 488: Ominous Clouds

Ominous Clouds

Late at night in Yadith, in a certain private residence, the leader of the revolutionary army sat in his study. By the glow of a desk lamp, he quickly scribbled words on an open storybook. Worries about the army’s deepening divisions, the threat of renewed warfare in Addus, and his fears as its leader—he had jotted them all down just moments before.

“In any case, tomorrow I’ll do my best to protect you from Muhtar’s ambush, then we’ll look for a chance to withdraw from Yadith, heading somewhere safer in Addus. The goal is to evade Muhtar while avoiding a direct confrontation if at all possible—put as much distance between us and him as we can.”

This was what Shadi wrote. Moments later, Vania’s response appeared before him:

“Protect us while we escape Yadith? Mr. Shadi, what are the odds of success if we have to face Muhtar?”

Reading Vania’s question, Shadi paused a moment, calculated mentally, then wrote with a heavy look.

“If it were just me watching out for myself, I’m fairly certain I could slip away from Muhtar. But factoring you in, I’d guess about a thirty percent chance. Even so, Sister Vania, please don’t worry—I won’t abandon you. You’re the only ones who can explain the real situation in Yadith to the Holy Mount and clear me of complicity with the Savior’s Advent Sect. That’s why I can’t leave you behind.”

Indeed, Shadi had to ensure the safety of Vania’s delegation. Only then could she appeal to the Holy Mount on his behalf, helping him disassociate himself from the Savior’s Advent. When the Holy Mount’s forces arrived in Addus, they wouldn’t necessarily brand Shadi an enemy to be purged. Thus, no matter what, he had to protect Vania tomorrow.

“I’ll do everything I can to protect you, Sister Vania, and see you safely out of Yadith. Then you must swiftly seek reinforcements from the Holy Mount so they can send a crusading force to wipe out the heretics. Meanwhile, I’ll lead those loyal to me to fight Muhtar and hold out until the Holy Mount arrives.

“So please, Sister Vania, request aid as soon as possible. Only with the Holy Mount’s backing can we eventually defeat Muhtar’s Savior’s Sect in the upcoming war.”

Shadi wrote out his plan on the page. Staring at the words, he felt a heavy weight. Although it looked simple in writing, who knew how steep the cost would be—how much devastation Addus might yet endure?

Escaping Yadith under the onslaught of Muhtar, a Crimson-rank Beyonder, and his personal guard would be anything but simple. While Setut’s help gave Shadi power beyond typical White Ash-rank fighters, in the face of a Crimson adversary, he could only just manage self-preservation. Yet now, he had to protect himself and the Church’s delegation. The difficulty rose dramatically.

And even if Shadi’s side succeeded in fleeing Yadith, the next stage would be full-blown civil war among the revolutionary army. Once news of the Yadith split spread, renewed violence throughout Addus would be inevitable. The idea of former comrades turning blades on each other, of a hard-won peace plunging back into inferno, weighed painfully on Shadi’s heart. The very silence he’d maintained until now had been an attempt to prevent this looming outcome, to preserve the fragile calm in Addus.

But with the Savior’s Advent Sect applying direct pressure, Shadi realized it was no longer possible to remain neutral. If war was inevitable either way, he had to choose the path of lesser harm. Taking the Savior’s side would condemn the revolutionary army to destruction by the Holy Mount’s war host—Addus would burn once again, and the old Baruch nobility would be reinstalled with Church support.

If he sided with the Holy Mount, the break with Muhtar in Yadith tomorrow would be perilous, but if he managed to escape and endure until their army arrived, things might turn out better. Afterward, Shadi and his faction could at least survive, negotiating some standing with the Holy Mount. In that scenario, the old Baruch nobility would also come back, meddling in Addus’s new order. Best case, the Holy Mount would let him maintain leadership over Addus; worst case, they’d support the old nobility and marginalize or even discard him entirely. Either way, Holy Mount’s intervention would inevitably impose Baruch’s old guard. Shadi disliked the idea, but he no longer had a choice—it was too late for fence-sitting.

At that same hour, elsewhere in Yadith, within a lavishly furnished room at the royal palace, Vania sat at a desk. She was frowning at Shadi’s most recent lines. In truth, it was Vania herself communicating with Shadi this time, not Dorothy. Rather than bother imitating Vania’s style, Dorothy simply relayed Shadi’s words, written in her own Literary Sea Logbook, onto Vania’s communication page. Vania replied there with Dorothy’s guidance, and Dorothy forwarded her responses back—thus enabling their direct exchange.

Seated at her desk, Vania stared worriedly at the text describing Shadi’s view that renewed hostilities in Addus were all but certain. It pained her; she genuinely longed for peace and still clung to a faint hope that war might be avoided.

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Rather than reply immediately, she paused, then began writing to Dorothy.

“Miss Dorothea, has Addus’s situation truly reached this point of no return? Is war now inevitable?”

In the Temple of Revelation Runes’ hidden realm, Dorothy sat on the floor of the ancient hall, reading Vania’s words. She ran her hand along her chin, pondering as she gazed at the stark, surreal surroundings.

“It looks like tomorrow’s clash with Muhtar can’t be avoided. He’s got a host of subordinates, occupies a major position in a national-scale mystic society, and is a Crimson-rank sect leader. Is any confrontation even feasible…?

“Though Shadi is on our side, he said there’s at best a thirty-percent chance of saving Vania from Muhtar. Even with me included… maybe that rises to fifty at most. Still too uncertain, not a comfortable margin at all…”

Dorothy mused inwardly. Stopping a war altogether felt too remote and grand. She was more focused on the immediate problem: how to maximize her side’s combat strength tomorrow, upping their odds against Muhtar. That was the crux of the matter.

At the moment, Dorothy didn’t answer Vania’s question. Instead, she rose inside the hall of the hidden realm, pacing slowly across its floor. While she walked, her eyes swept over the floating characters in midair, scanning the structural lines of the temple. Eventually her gaze rested on the symbol hovering above the altar at the center: an eye half-lidded, its pupil radiating arcs of lightning inside and beyond the socket—a depiction of Heaven’s Arbiter’s pupil. Heaven’s Arbiter was that ancient deity who, thousands of years ago, had already fallen, buried within mystic history.

Dorothy gazed at the lightning-filled eye floating before her and seemed momentarily entranced. After a brief pause, she recalled the information from the temple’s introduction she had seen earlier, and a sudden idea emerged in her mind.

“Right… going by that earlier explanation, this Heaven’s Arbiter’s temple has functions beyond just its core temple role. If those features aren’t broken…”

Muttering these words to herself, Dorothy set about testing her hypothesis. She began using the temple’s ancient “AI” to search for the data she needed. Not long afterward, she found exactly what she was looking for. Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

Reading over the passage, Dorothy exhaled in relief. With that text in hand, she now felt more confident about the confrontation with Muhtar tomorrow. In fact, she wasn’t just more hopeful about escaping him—she was more hopeful about beating him.

“So… there actually is room for maneuver tomorrow. If we pull this off, we might even partially avert Addus’s civil war…”

Having settled on a plan, Dorothy promptly sat back down on the temple floor, took out her Literary Sea Logbook, and wrote a message to Vania.

Meanwhile, across Yadith, Vania was anxiously waiting, worried by Dorothy’s prolonged silence. She was on the verge of praying to Aka for an update when Dorothy’s response finally appeared on the page in front of her. Reading it, Vania’s eyes widened.

“This is…”

She quickly realized Dorothy’s new information signified a potential turning point. Smiling in relief, she immediately followed Dorothy’s instructions by writing to Shadi on her own page. Before long, her words appeared to Shadi.

“Mr. Shadi, there’s still a slim window of opportunity for Addus—things haven’t yet reached the worst-case scenario of war. If we cooperate tomorrow, there may be a way to avoid that calamity.

“We must work together with all our strength, especially concerning Muhtar, our biggest obstacle. Therefore, I need every detail you know about him. You once fought side by side; you must know many things about him. Please share all the intelligence you have…”

Vania’s request finally arrived before Shadi, who had been waiting so long that he’d begun to suspect something might have happened to her. Seeing her words, he paused in thought.

…

Under the night sky of Yadith, various hidden forces stirred, conspiracies weaving together. Elsewhere in the city, atop a high rooftop, Nephthys—dressed in black for a nocturnal errand—stood gazing at the tall outline of the temple looming against the darkness.

“Miss Dorothy still hasn’t signaled for me to go pick her up… Is that Crimson old man still stationed there? Dammit, how long does he plan to stay…?”

Nephthys felt restless as she looked toward the silhouette of the temple. Dorothy had placed her nearby, ready to help if needed, but Muhtar’s early return forced Dorothy to urgently order Nephthys to leave the area and avoid him for now. Once Muhtar left, she could come back for Dorothy.

So Nephthys waited in the cold night air, worriedly anticipating Dorothy’s call. Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in her mind. She froze, assuming Muhtar had finally left and Dorothy was summoning her—but that wasn’t it at all.

“O mighty Aka, please relay this to Senior Nephthys: Don’t come for me tonight. She has something else that must be done. Please have her head to Yadith’s museum to fetch something.”

Nephthys stood dumbfounded, the request tugging at her memory of what felt like not so long ago in Adria.

“What… a museum… to steal something? Suddenly we’re going back to the old job… Wait, that’s not ‘the old job’! My main field is archaeology!”

The night wind blew as Nephthys shook her head firmly. Carrying her questions, she communicated with Dorothy. After their exchange, her confusion turned to astonishment, which then became complete speechlessness. It was a while before she returned to her senses, muttering.

“So there’s going to be a new ‘character’ in the mix this time…”

…

Time flew by, and night soon passed. With the moon sinking and the sun rising, a new day dawned on Yadith.

As usual, the people of Yadith set out about their daily activities, devoting themselves to relief work and postwar reconstruction. Yet before long, many noticed something unusual about the day. Early that morning, thick cloud cover had begun gathering overhead, and as time went on, it only grew denser. By midday, these clouds had all but blocked out the sunlight that normally scorched the city, draping Yadith in a shroud of gloom.

Seeing the sky in this state, most citizens assumed a downpour was imminent. Although Addus had a dry climate and seldom saw rain, it was not wholly unheard of—such weather, though rare, occurred a few times each year. As a result, people took little notice, simply preparing in case they had to dash for shelter.

That afternoon, Muhtar set out from the Light-Prayer Cathedral at the head of his most trusted subordinates in Yadith, flanked by heavily armed troops. They made their way toward Baruch’s royal palace, every one of them radiating a subtle killing intent. All knew that this round of “negotiations” would be the final one.

Beneath the overcast sky, the fervent warriors of the Savior’s Advent Sect, led by Muhtar, went forth to resolve matters by sword. Meanwhile, those members of the Sect left behind gathered in the towering cathedral’s grand hall.

Before the Savior’s altar, the small contingent that had remained behind knelt in prayer, pleading for success in the day’s endeavors and for future victory in the coming holy war over Addus.

Just then, in that same Light-Prayer Cathedral—or Temple of Revelation Runes—above the hall’s lofty ceiling, a lone figure stood quietly observing the scene below.

She was clad in a sleek, white robe that hugged her graceful form, revealing long, dark-skinned arms. Gold ornaments of every kind adorned her body and hands, while golden bracelets contrasted perfectly against her dusky skin.

A gold headdress and a white veil concealed the woman’s features, leaving only her eyes visible as she stared at the devout Radiance Church “heretics” praying fervently below. After a moment, she looked skyward, seeming to gaze straight through the heavy layer of clouds.

Under her watchful scrutiny, a low peal of thunder rumbled across the overcast sky.