Chapter 26

Germania, the capital of the Duchy of Germania.

The name of the country and the name of the capital are identical, so there's no mistaking it, but despite its ambitious self-proclaimed "world capital," it's the perfect place for a seemingly sane person to become mentally ill.

The entire city is obsessively vertical and massive, a giant prison of ashen majesty.

In the center, the military facility that practically dominates the principality rises like a spire, and it is a surveillance-type planned city with a panopticon structure that can overlook the entire radially expanding city, using it as a 'watchdog's eye.'

Even now, plainclothes secret police officers mingle in the streets. Even without the secret police, it was a place where the entire country literally functioned as one giant prison, where mutual surveillance of each other was an accepted norm.

The structures built in the city had only one purpose: to "overwhelm" people, and this was compounded by the fact that they had no regard for practicality or efficiency.

We were walking down an ashen road that stretched out into the void in all its futile majesty, and the rain was falling so heavily against a gray sky that I thought I was going to get sick.

"Two packs of cigarettes, any kind."

"Are you sure it's two?"

"...No, three."

"Tsk, tsk, you're going to puncture your lungs."

"Five packs to finish it off."

"...."

I had no choice, so I stopped at a general store on the way and bought some cigarettes.

In front of the general store was Aria, dressed head to toe in black, down to her umbrella, along with Alice, a blonde girl in a frilly gothic dress.

"You'll puncture your lungs, sir."

"...."

"I'll see if I can find a skilled High Elf healer in the Great Forest ahead of time."

"...Please."

"Yes, tobacco is bad for you, master! People who smoke a lot of it get a weird taste in their mouths!"

I was grateful for her concern. It was so sweet that I almost cried.

We crossed the street, dressed in outfits that wouldn't look out of place at any funeral home.

I immediately left behind the <Commander Secret> I had in my hands and the mysterious note written on it—to see a new 'recruit' along with a subordinate who was staying in this city.

The Black Snake, a mysterious shadowy and villainous group from Heroic Age Series are in the end just another villain in the game, not a phoenix.

When you die, you die.

I know it sounds silly, but it's true.

It's not uncommon for the main character to be ripped off and replaced one by one in every series, and I don't even know all the faces of the subordinates that are ripped off and replaced.

Fortunately, the man in front of us is different since I recognize his face.

He may not be a regular, but he's been making his presence felt for generations in the series. Still, I'd rather see a face I didn't recognize than see him.

"It is an honor to meet you, Lord Rain."

He was a handsome man with long blond hair wearing a gold monocle.

A chain dangled from the bottom of his monocle, and his otherwise impeccable suit was dotted with golden ornaments.

At the same time, the abundance of gold is just enough to give the impression of being a little too much, giving a dignified hint that he hasn't forgotten the aesthetics of exquisite restraint.

In the pouring rain, a servant stands beside the man, holding an umbrella for him. It's not a person. It is an automaton, a human-shaped mechanical device that moves by itself.

"Venerable leader of our Black Snake."

"...Golden Lord."

"Ah, I never thought you would call me by that name, I am truly flattered."

I briefly called him by his given name.

The man is called Golden Lord Robert, or "Marquis." It's number three in the organization's hierarchy, right after me and Aria but behind his smile of skillful politeness, I sensed a resentment he could never hide.

─That man was once the number one in the organization.

Furthermore, under his leadership, the organization had a completely different name and face: The Golden Dragon Society.

A secret society with religious, political and economic goals that like its name networks and connect with powerful people across the continent.

Its goals could not have been clearer or more obvious: world domination.

To put it bluntly, they were villains in their own right, an evil organization and a dark force to be reckoned with.

Then, out of nowhere, Rain Gray and Aria appeared and took over the entire organization.

With that, the golden dragon lost its luster and fell apart, becoming a black snake.

The Black Snake then absorbed the information and networks that the Golden Dragon Society had built and transformed into the elite few it is today, and the only one who survived to protect the organization's past glory and wealth was—Golden Lord Robert.

This is the story of the founding of the Black Snake as told in the previous installments of Heroic Age.

Furthermore, why Rain Gray spared him instead of killing him, and how he was not only spared but granted a position as the third in line, is beyond me.

"Lately, I seem to be hearing more and more of your stories, Lord Rain."

Golden Dragon smiled, his voice a pleasant, dignified, handsome man's voice. Very easygoing.

"As I recall, the Black Snake, led by Lord Rain, was an organization that made secrecy a virtue."

"...."

"By any chance, has there been a change of heart without my knowledge?"

He doesn't even use the organization's title.

"Robert."

It was then that Aria spoke up, interrupting my silence.

"As a dear comrade of the Snake, and as your superior in the hierarchy, may I offer you a piece of advice?"

"Oh, I would love to hear it."

She said in a voice that had none of her usual coldness or aloofness, but rather was gentler and softer than ever.

"Please do not try to understand the leader or his will. Do you understand?"

Only then did I realize that this was the maximum amount of patience that Aria showed in front of me, and that it was an optical illusion in which the person turned around so much that it turned 360 degrees and ended up looking normal.

"My dear Miss Aria of the Black Sword, I'm afraid I don't understand anything."

Robert the Golden Lord replied with a smirk.

"That's because I'm a fool."

A fool.

"I am, you are, we are all fools, unable to do anything for ourselves."

"...."

"We're all just fools, unable to do anything without Lord Rain will, and yet Miss Aria is so wary of us, as if we 'think and move on our own'."

Aria did not reply but Robert continued, unperturbed.

"As if you were trying to read meaning into every word of a fool's ramblings."

"Now, you're going to tell me that...."

"That's enough."

I listened to their conversation in silence, then spoke up. Aria bowed her head and withdrew wordlessly while Robert smiled and bowed as well.

Alice, meanwhile, stood behind me, silently listening to their conversation. Uncharacteristically – with eyes as black and unfocused as ever.

"You brought me all the way here for some useless bullshit?"

I asked, turning away from them.

"Please forgive me, Lord Rain but if you want to meet the child I want to introduce to 'Black Snake' we will have to walk to the mansion."

I nodded in silence, not bothering to reply. Then, with a polite bow, Golden Lord Robert turned to the automatons at his side and said.

"Please, serve him very politely."

His voice was as calm and gentle as ever.

"They are guests who cannot even be compared with the insignificant lives of people like you."

"I understand."

At those words, several automatons approached us and offered their services. I shook my head wordlessly and waved them away. Aria and Alice were no exception.

At the same time, a carriage pulled up in front of us. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary carriage pulled by ordinary horses, except that the horses pulling the carriage were not ordinary.

It was a symbol of the technological prowess of the Duchy of Germania, a country notorious for its tactics and military dictatorship.

Moreover, it is the embodiment of the zeitgeist of the continental powers, not just of one duchy, but of the continental powers themselves.

The horse is not a living animal, but a mechanical device made up of tin foil and steel parts. Instead of snorting, they exhaled steam.

Driven by two steam horses, was a Mercedes automobile.