Chapter 49: The King in White who must fall

Lumière looked up at the orange-haired man with a sense of fear and anxiety. However, his silhouette remained calm; the shadows did not dare tremble. Lumière's brows furrowed, and his gloved hand that covered his tattooed hand twitched slightly.

"You have a scary aura about you, heretic. Tell me, will you try to set me alight now?"

'He knows I'm a heretic? Who could this man be? Is he from the House of Cards? Another heretic looking to duel me for my card? If that were the case, wouldn't such a thing be prohibited without an official challenge? Moreover, there's no reason for someone to actively seek out the lowest card in the suit... then, how could he know such a thing when I'm supressing my aura? Has he been watching me?'

"Who are you?" Lumière asked of him. He wasn't completely sure that the man would tell the truth, but he thought he might as well ask.

"I'm the person whose fun you ruined." The orange-haired man frowned slightly. "So, I've come to make you take responsibility."

"Whose fun? Lumière raised his eyebrow. "How could I ruin your fun? I've never met you before."

"You remember Callis Alisander, right?"

Lumière's expression immediately paled.

"Alain Monroe's sponsor would be quite the handful to deal with if angered, so I couldn't exactly go after him- Lords of Leiden's Wall are quite scary. However, it was quite fortunate for me that there just happened to be one other party involved in Callis Alisander's death." The orange-haired man grinned. "You should be quite familiar with him, since you were there when he died."

'This man is Alisander's sponsor? Moreover, he came personally? Are these people his servants? Why have they put on such a theatrical act?' Thoughts raced through Lumière's mind. 'Alain knew he wouldn't need to worry about Alisander's sponsor, but I suppose that same protection doesn't apply to me... so, what will he do now that he's here?'

"You're Callis Alisander's sponsor, aren't you?"

The man nodded his head. "You're absolutely correct. My name is Orion- of the Callister family. I'm the eldest son with no father, and so I am simultaneously the head of the family. Isn't that entertaining? There are so many fun things I can do as the head of the family, such as influencing the market of trade by sponsoring lowly merchants to compete in different areas of expertise. However, you've removed a puzzle piece that I had meticulously planned out, and so my scheme is threatening to collapse completely. That's not very fun, is it?"

Lumière had a very bare knowledge of the nobility in the Forger Empire. Besides the Barron family, who were the direct lineage of the founder of the Empire, and first-choice to ascend to the title of 'Emperor', there were dozens of branch nobility families that reigned over various regions of the western continent. The Callister family oversaw the management of the Divide- a city built into a ravine that was a large proponent of the mineral mining industry. Moreover, several elders of the Callister family were members of the Senate, the governmental body that discussed current events and political matters. However, he had no knowledge of the young master that ruled over the entire family, who now supposedly stood before him.

"Act now, little pawns." Orion smiled as he spoke.

Suddenly, the people surrounding Lumière gripped tighter on the flaming lamps. The glass shattered, and the burning of the lamps ceased, cloaking the area in darkness once more. Lumière immediately snapped his fingers, setting his lamp alight with silver flame. When he looked back at the crowd of people, all he saw was red. Blood dripped from their hands, pooling onto the ground in small puddles. They all gripped onto large remnant shards of glass from the broken lamps, holding it against their necks while they grinned maniacally at Lumière. Horror surged through his body once more, and he glanced back up to Orion, who was still smiling genially.

"Are these your servants? Have you sent them to lead me into your trap?"

Orion shook his head in response.

"It just doesn't make sense, right? Why would servants kill themselves for my sake? Do I really pay them that well? Isn't that unlikely, when noblemen love their wealth? This must be what you're thinking right now, am I right?" Orion leaned his head on his hand before grinning. "Then, they must not be doing this of their own free will."

He raised his hand slightly, and the people surrounding Lumière pushed the glass shards upward, cutting them slightly and spilling more blood onto the ground. Lumière grimaced and inquired.

"What is it you want from me? Are you going to kill me, or just mess around?"

"Why are you so anxious to get to the heart of a matter?" Orion sighed. "Haven't you been taught to enjoy the small things in life?"

Orion reached to his side, and procured a leather briefcase. He threw it towards the ground, causing it to open and spill its contents into the mud. In several denominations, stacks of bills littered the ground. Lumière's expression grew confused as he stared at the money soaking up mud.

"Play a game with me, Lumière Croft. This will make up for losing me a valuable toy in Callis Alisander."

"What kind of game are you proposing?"

"A game of death. You will kill me, or I will kill you. Those are the only two outcomes in this game. Whatever else happens in the process is just the fun of it all." Orion grinned. "Well, are you interested in playing this game with me?"

Lumière shook his head. "Not in the slightest."

"If you don't, I'll kill your priest friend. I'll take that attendant in the show hall who treats you with so much kindness as one of my mistresses. Perhaps I'll buy the store owned by that woman who cared for you- Adjest Hammond, and make her sons work incredibly unreasonable hours until they're forced to kill themselves so they can finally get some rest."

Orion let out a slight laugh as he gestured with his hand.

"Perhaps I'll go to that quarantine district Leiden has, and go fool around with that senile mother of yours-"

"Enough." Lumière interrupted him. "People have looked into my background in the past. Do you think this much bothers me? If I kill you right now, do you think you can still do those things?"

"I implore you to. Then you will have played your part in my game. However, you're foolish to think I'm incapable of doing such things. These aren't idle threats."

Lumière let out a disbelieving 'tsk'.

"What is the money for? Have you simultaneously discovered my destitute background, and are flaunting wealth in front of me to gauge a reaction?"

Orion snapped his fingers.

"Now that's a brilliant idea. You really are a funny guy, Lumière! However, that's not the case. This money is for the purpose of 'preparation'. Use it how you wish. After all, I'm going to kill you. I recommend you use it to grow stronger."

"If you're aware I'm a heretic, then you should be afraid. That is, unless you yourself are a user of a domain? Are you not afraid to confront me because you too wield power?"

Orion nodded his head.

"Wonderful. Your deduction skills really are brilliant. This game is going to be so much fun." Orion laughed. "You're absolutely correct. However, it's not a domain of magic I wield. This is simply borrowed power. However, its extent of influence is quite large. For a period of time, I can exert control of people. They will do whatever I consciously command them to."

'He has borrowed power? Then, is it from a demon, or an evil deity?'

"Aren't you hesitant to tell me such a thing? What kind of person reveals the cards they have hidden up their sleeves? Are you a fool as well as a gaudy person?"

"Whether I tell you or not changes nothing. In the end, I'll still be trying to kill you. In any case, I know the extent of your abilities. It would be unfun to start out on such unfair terms. A master of chess playing a game against a child without handicap is something anyone would demean."

"Then, are you saying you're a master, and I am a child? Is this confidence or hubris?"

"Perhaps it is both, and perhaps it is neither. Maybe I've been messing with you this whole time for my own amusement. However, I'm still waiting for your answer. Will you participate in my game willingly, or will you participate after I mess with you some more?"

Lumière looked over towards the people that had surrounded him. Suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. Holding the glass shards to their necks, they had become hostages in Orion's game. Moreover, having borrowed power from a mysterious and powerful entity, the shadow in Lumière's silhouette had shrunken back, failing to attack when his emotions grew out of his control.

"Fine, I'll play your game. All I have to do is kill you, right?"

However, Lumière had no real intention to kill this man. He only wished that his annoyance would end, and he would vanish back into the shadows. He simply couldn't be bothered to deal with yet another powerful figure.

"Very good." Orion nodded, standing up on top of the boxes. He then reached into his pocket and procured a small item.

Orion threw the object to the ground, settling it deep in the mud. When Lumière glanced down at it, he realised it was a chess piece- a Black King.

"Then, I look forward to our game, King in Black." Orion winked.