Chapter Forty-Two: The Heretical Sect

Some time ago, the King of Dawn had already noticed a series of subtle maneuvers from his disappointing eldest son. Since nothing major had erupted and with the royal selection approaching, he chose not to investigate further.

But if everything Qin Le said was true, then this matter clearly exceeded his expectations.

With a grave expression, the King of Dawn said, "Sir, may I see the corpse worm you discovered in the assassin's heart?"

"Of course," Qin Le replied, glancing at Fishhead to signal him to perform his role as the gatekeeper.

Fishhead stepped forward, producing a palm-sized metallic cube that emitted a faint blue glow.

Swish!

A red portal slowly split open. Fishhead stepped directly into the portal and vanished from sight.

The King of Dawn, the man in the iron mask, and the captain of the royal knights craned their necks, gazing at the portal with curiosity. Each time they witnessed this miraculous gateway, their awe and reverence for these suspected higher humans only deepened.

Such miraculous technology was not something any ordinary nation could wield; even the empires had yet to master such wonders. Perhaps the ancient Victoria Elven Kingdom possessed similar abilities, but they could never use them as effortlessly as these higher humans.

Moreover, the various metal constructs used to quell the Green Goblin disaster had shown terrifying power as well.

They might be ordinary people without any supernatural abilities, but they wielded another kind of power—enough in itself to command respect.

Before long, Fishhead returned with a glass vial filled with nutrient fluid and a black worm writhing inside.

He set the vial on the table. The King of Dawn carefully picked it up, observing the black worm within.

"Is this a corpse worm?" the King of Dawn asked uncertainly.

From what he knew, the worms inside ghouls could not usually be preserved—they would dissolve instantly after leaving their host for any length of time. Yet this one showed no sign of decay and had been preserved intact.

Suddenly, wisps of black vapor rose from the worm. Before anyone could react, the shadowy master in the iron mask appeared beside the king in a blur, pressing down on the vial as a shadow instantly enveloped it.

"Your Majesty, this aura is indeed that of a ghoul," came the raspy voice from behind the iron mask.

At these words, the King of Dawn's face darkened, and the captain of the royal knights beside him furrowed his brow deeply.

Both knew who had sent those so-called assassins. If this worm truly came from one of them, the implications were chilling.

The eldest prince was likely colluding with a heretical cult, and might even have already held a ritual in secret—summoning an unknown number of abominations into the capital.

Bang!

The King of Dawn slammed his hand onto the ornately carved stone table, which instantly spiderwebbed with cracks. His aged face contorted in fury.

"How dare he! Colluding with a cult! He means to destroy the thousand-year legacy of Dawn!"

Beside him, the Sword of Dawn shimmered faintly, its sharp aura beginning to manifest.

The king gripped the Sword of Dawn, his presence becoming transcendent and commanding. He ordered, "Mark, take three hundred royal knights, surround the eldest prince's residence, and bring him to the palace! If the rumors of collusion with a cult are true, hang him for all to see—let everyone know what can and cannot be crossed!"

He could tolerate his children's petty intrigues—they were within the rules of the royal selection. Even acts like assassination, though beyond the pale, he could turn a blind eye. But crossing the world's red line, consorting with heretics, or aiding them—this could never be forgiven.

Countless lives had already proven to the world: cults could never be trusted. They were madmen beyond reason, always bringing death and disaster wherever they went.

They delighted in creating calamities, often for no reason at all—simply to please their gods, as their name implied.

Just imagining the capital possibly crawling with cultists and abominations sent a chill through the King of Dawn.

"Your Majesty, please calm yourself. I believe we shouldn't act so openly before the matter is fully investigated," Mark advised. "We should first send the Shadow Guard to investigate in secret. If the rumors prove true, the royal knight order can act then—it won't be too late. Striking now might only alert our enemies."

Though shocked and angry himself, Mark had not lost his reason. The graver the crisis, the more caution was needed.

Seated opposite, Qin Le also spoke in persuasion: "Your Majesty, at this point we only have suspicions—it is wise to tread carefully."

This cult was likely connected to the mysterious figure who had cursed them before. According to the information provided by Aimoa, curses were exceedingly rare in this world. Such magic was a perilous double-edged sword, forcing the caster into a strange, dangerous netherworld where their mind could easily be corrupted.

Only cultist madmen would employ such self-destructive measures—hurting themselves even more than their enemies.

Xuanlü had the means to uncover the mastermind, but now they could also leverage the King of Dawn's authority. Once these rats were rooted out, retribution would be swift and merciless.

It was also a chance to eradicate the threat at its root—or at least make the enemy feel real pain.

"Your Majesty, if the cult cannot be completely eradicated, it will remain an endless threat."

"And what do you propose, sir?" the King of Dawn asked.

He realized that with the kingdom's current power, there was no way to wipe out the cultists entirely; killing some would be the best they could hope for. But that would only bring a fleeting peace—no one knew how many traps these madmen might have left behind.

At any time, their hidden schemes could erupt, catching everyone off guard—just like what happened to the Kingdom of Haier decades ago.

Relying on the Empire was out of the question; they would not care about the kingdom's fate unless it threatened the world itself, as the Green Goblin disaster had. Now, the only ones he could count on were the higher humans.

Qin Le said, "We can use listening devices to see if we can gather any useful intelligence."

Xuanlü had offered the king these devices, promising to monitor all royal candidates and major nobles in exchange for the kingdom's extraordinary knowledge—and to collect more intelligence. Even aside from the agreement to monitor the royal selection, Xuanlü would have intervened just to investigate the source of the curse.

Their curses were powerful indeed, but could they withstand the Holy Fire of Banishment?

...

The Residence of the Eldest Prince.

In a room filled with exquisite decorations, the curtains were tightly drawn, plunging the space into darkness.

Suddenly, a cacophony of crashes filled the air as countless luxury items shattered against the walls, breaking into pieces.

Prince Alex, his face twisted with rage, smashed his treasured possessions one after another.

"How dare they treat me this way! I am the first prince, the rightful heir! When I become king, I'll have every one of them hanged! And that wretched Irene—I’ll make her pay dearly!"

Alex’s features contorted with madness; his voice was wild with fury.

It had all been his, for as long as he could remember. Everyone had told him he would be king one day, would sit upon the throne, wielding the mighty and beautiful Sword of Dawn.

But everything changed when his second sister appeared. When that woman crushed the rebellion and swept through the neighboring nations, all eyes turned away from him, and the throne seemed to recede further and further from his grasp.

When his mad sister was exiled by their father for her excessive merits, Alex’s hope was rekindled—but how long could it last, with Olina suddenly emerging as a new rival?

"Damn it! Damn it!"

At that moment, a graceful figure emerged from the darkness, her presence marked by a faint, ethereal fragrance and a lazy, otherworldly voice.

"Your Highness, why such anger? The royal selection is far from over."

She was a beautiful woman draped in black robes, with ink-black hair and dazzling red eyes, her look accentuated by dark eyeshadow that lent her an air of mystery.

"As long as you listen to me and follow the script, you’ll achieve your perfect ending in the end."