Nightmare Maid

"Do you think he noticed anything?"

After Palace Mage Vincent left, Duke Simon stared at the remains of the chess game in a daze. An indistinguishable voice suddenly echoed in an empty seat.

"If he didn't sense anything, he wouldn't be Vincent, the Sage of Scorching Scars, who's known as the number one person below Legendary. Moreover, isn't this part of the plan?" the duke replied and turned around to put away the chessboard, but a hand stopped him.

A layer of dreamlike mist swirled around his hand. Its appearance constantly changed under the dense luster. Sometimes, it was as fair as a girl, and sometimes, it was as withered as an elderly.

Duke Simon looked up. The owner of the arm was also wrapped in a thin layer of mist. Its appearance dynamically changed between ages as the mist swirled.

The spawn of the Void Sovereign's Lord of Nightmare, Nightmare Maid.

It was also one of the Moon Realm spirits who had signed a blood contract with him.

"He'll investigate the Holy Sepulchre himself. I know his personality," Duke Simon said.

"I originally thought that you would think differently in light of the times you spent together. After all, he has assisted you for 24 years."

"He's already old. He's only an old father who worries for his daughter. He's no longer the warrior who once dared to question the Astral Laws and resist the Empire's tyranny."

A faint smile appeared on the Nightmare Maid's face when she heard that.

"But you still worked hard to make him a warrior, right? Otherwise, how did that Stumbling Demon's contract medium land in David Obis's hands?"

Duke Simon sighed speechlessly.

The Nightmare Maid chuckled.

"I'm actually quite curious. If the heretical mage that came out of nowhere hadn't stirred up trouble and Master Vincent really became a warrior again because of his daughter's tragic death, where are you going to find another magic chanter close to the Legendary domain to replace him as fuel for the King and Rebel Ritual?"

Duke Simon didn't say a word. Instead, he turned his head and looked through the window at the Astral Lighthouse.

The Nightmare Maid first looked at the lighthouse in surprise before laughing uncontrollably. Its image rapidly changed with the laughter.

"Hahahahaha, that's really interesting. You actually planned on using the Astral Lighthouse's lampkeeper as fuel for the ritual. It's not only the Empire's royal family, but you even treat the Astral Council—which runs the Astral Laws—as an enemy? Looks like I have to sincerely thank that unknown heretical mage for saving his daughter."

"It's not that…" Duke Simon replied.

"Once the plan goes into motion, it's only a matter of time before I fall out with the Astral Council. If the Blackwater Province wants true independence and wants to restore the glory of the Blackwater Kingdom back then, it doesn't just have to be independent in a secular sense. It also has to completely escape the Empire's control at the extraordinary and faith levels."

More than 800 years ago, the reincarnation of the great hero William Kane, Terra I, conquered the entire Vic Continent militarily and established the Riel Empire. There were countless factions that dared to challenge the Empire's authority. There were indeed examples of independent success in history. However, these factions only lasted for a short period of time before helplessly returning to the Empire's territory a few years later.

The reason was that the secular regime was only a part of the Riel Empire. This behemoth called the Empire was simultaneously formed by the royal family, the Astral Council, and the Holy Spirits Church. These three pillars symbolized the secular, extraordinary, and faith.

Duke Simon understood that if he wanted to fulfill the family's 800-year-old wish, he had to rebuild his three pillars.

The heritage of the Holy Sepulchre was his only hope.

"After the ritual is successful and I control that army, I will reproduce the faith of the three goddesses in the Blackwater Kingdom and open up the Moon Realm's contract magic to replace the Astral Laws as the new magic foundation."

The Nightmare Maid didn't answer the duke. Instead, she gently pushed the piece that symbolized the sage away.

"King and Rebel; the rebel army can only become the new king after committing regicide. If you want to inherit the inheritance of the Blackwater King, you have to truly act as a rebel. How's the preparation at the Silverstream Mine?"

Duke Simon smiled.

"Don't worry, I'll leave everything there to the Webweaver. It…"

Halfway through his sentence, the duke stopped. His expression changed drastically as he muttered to himself,

"How did this happen…"

The Nightmare Maid asked, "What happened?"

"The Webweaver just disappeared from my ether domain."

Before he could continue, the door to the reception hall was suddenly pushed open.

"Your Grace, the Astral Lighthouse has sent an urgent report. The Mage Hall's Resound spell was activated. It's the one you sent to the Silverstream Mine…"

A herald rushed in and saw the Nightmare Maid who was constantly changing her form sitting beside him.

"Sir… Sir, this is?"

"Come here."

The Nightmare Maid hooked her finger at the young herald, and the person walked towards it uncontrollably.

"Tell me, what did you see?"

In the herald's eyes, the image of the woman shrouded in mist kept changing. Sometimes, she was young and beautiful, and at other times, she was old and ugly. Finally, her image changed to that of a noblewoman he liked.

"I see…" the herald held its hand and said in a daze.

The next moment, the woman turned into a terrifying rotting corpse. It pulled the other party into its arms, opened its venomous mouth, and kissed him.

With a smack, the herald turned into a pile of foam and disappeared, leaving behind clothes on the ground.

After doing all of this, the Nightmare Maid bent down, picked up the person's clothes, and threw them into the fireplace.

"Mind if I do this without your permission?"

"Now isn't the time to talk about this. How can the Webweaver suddenly…" the duke said anxiously.

"How about letting me take a look?"

The Nightmare Maid flipped the herald's clothes with a fire poker and asked.

"No, it's already troublesome enough for a Moon Realm spirit to appear in the Silverstream Mine. I don't know who did it now. If it's a spy from the Church or the royal family, I must not make myself any more suspicious."

"I'm different from that woman who only knows how to play tricks behind people's backs and who shows all her flaws when her schemes are exposed. No one will be able to see through my disguise."

Duke Simon pondered for a moment before ultimately shaking his head.

"No matter what, the other party has the strength to defeat the Webweaver. It's too risky for you to go. Control the King Slayer first. I have to ensure that the ritual can proceed as usual even in the worst case."

"Then who do you plan on sending to the mine?"

The duke frowned and thought for a while before saying, "Follow the plan of the Silverstream Mine riots and send three squadrons of Bramble Guards and five Battle Mages to quell the riot. Master Vincent will lead the team."

With that said, Duke Simon sighed.

"Old friend, this is the last chance I'll give you."