Blessed Be

"Blessed be thy who accept the Shadow in all its prominence, blessed be thy who dwell in the dark, blessed be thy who believe in Him." A solemn chant rang out in a grandiose building resembling a Church. 

An elderly man wearing black robes with purple accents knelt in front of a stele depicting an ancient war, a figure holding a large spear, cloaked in black surged from the shadows as his spear pierced through the tides of warriors opposing him.

Behind the elderly man, hundreds of people sat and clasped their hands together, eagerly repeating the chants and praying.

"For it is He who guides his lost lambs, and it is He who grants us the beauty of the night. He who has accepted us Sinners with all our faults, and He who allows us, the pitiful, to remain in his Domain. Praise Erebus in all His Glory."

"Praise Erebus in all His Glory!"

"Praise Erebus in all His Glory!" 

"Praise Erebus in all His Glory!"

Soon, the chants stopped as the candles inside the cathedral were lit up again, by young men dressed similarly to the elderly man kneeling in front. Multiple people went forward as the elderly man stood up expressing their gratitude.

"Thank you, Your Eminence, may Erebus smile upon you." A middle-aged woman said fervently as she bowed slightly and took her leave.

"May his Shadow engulf us all, Praise Erebus." Another man said as he bowed slightly as well. He, however, put a pouch of a few coins on an offering plate before leaving.

Soon, the people all left, leaving the cathedral empty, as the mellow lights from the candles barely chased away the ethereal darkness surrounding this place. 

*Thud* A door closed as a woman hurriedly made her way to the elderly man. 

"Your Eminence… the Omniscient Eye has made its move, the Imperial Heir is in Tower City, it is a matter of days before they arrive here, in the Capital." The woman said anxiously, worried about the matter for some reason.

"That is… a bit awkward… it seems the Imperial Family and the Silver Guards failed at stalling them. Why? Just the Imperial Intelligence shouldn't have defeated a well-trained squad of Silver Guards and a Mutated so quickly- wait, who did the Imperial Coven send?" The elderly man seemed to have come to a realization as he questioned the young woman.

"It was, according to the informants, the 11th Elder, Michelangelo." The young woman said with her head lowered.

"So it's that damn old bastard.. couldn't he have keeled over and died already? He must be accompanying the Prince… but why? The Imperial Coven is neutral…" He pondered over the issue as he rubbed his temples.

However, no matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't figure out anything without further clues.

"No matter, we will simply have to speed up our plans and prepare for the Prince's arrival, we need to thwart all other parties first and make first contact… if only it wasn't for those damn pigs of the Imperial Intelligence." The elderly man spat out in anger.

The young woman bowed immediately, "By your will, Your Eminence!" she hurriedly said as she took off and exited from the same door that she entered. 

After a few moments, the cathedral was engulfed in silence again as only the elderly man remained.

"Hah… I keep making plans, but I wonder if you'll be able to stay alive until then, oh gracious Imperial Prince… let's hope you're not a childish brat." 

The elderly man laughed sinisterly as the light of the candles no longer seemed mellow, but resembled the stifled screams of the bones buried beneath this very cathedral.

———

"Hey, how long do you plan on following us?" Cassius asked impatiently as he gazed at the pickpocket who had guided them to the blacksmith, Anna. 

It had been well over an hour since they left the Eastern area of Tower City which was infested with craftsmen, construction workers, smithies, weapon shops, tool shops, and the like. 

Now, they were heading to the Western area of Tower City, which had all the different places of entertainment, food, and other shops that sold clothes, jewelry, trinkets, and plenty of rare items. 

Right now, the three children's wish was to have lunch at a restaurant. Nessie had forgotten to collect the arrows and quiver from the short man who had sold them the weapons, but John assured her that it would be no problem to collect them together with the estoc.

However, their little trip to a restaurant was made incredibly sour by this pickpocket who kept following them around.

"Please, let me follow you! I don't want to go back to the slums, I won't ask for anything, just let me follow you!" Anna repeatedly pleaded as Cassius furrowed his brows.

"Hey, dummy, can't we just take her with us? It's just one person." Nessie asked as she felt Anna's pain.

Before Cassius could answer, however, John replied in his stead. 

"Nessie, His Highness is not bothered by taking on just one person. Rather, it is the sentiment that this action would spread. A slum girl gets taken along by an incredibly rich young master. What do you think would happen when the rest of the slum's dwellers hear of this?" John explained calmly.

"Was I correct in guessing your thoughts, Your Highness?" 

"That was… correct, good job," Cassius said with a soft smile.

John on the other hand smiled with glee like a child that had just been praised. It was a bit eerie seeing him smile like this considering that this man's name was probably fake, his entire identity was shrouded with mystery, and his gaze didn't even falter when killing someone. He even offered for Cassius, a child, to kill the enemy himself. Thus, it made for a strange sight.

Of course, Cassius did not mind. Which person wasn't a little crazy at times? Not to mention that he had come to trust this mysterious man with his life, and the man had sworn loyalty to him. There was no need for further complications such as morality in a relationship of friendship and loyalty between two men

'Sigh, how about I just give her money?' Cassius thought in his mind but dismissed the thought. The harsh world of the slums was tough for even the bravest, hardiest men, let alone a young girl with a lot of money on her. She'd probably either get kidnapped, killed, or robbed. 

"Fine, whatever, you can come. Do you have any belongings?" Cassius finally said. 

"Please just let me come along, I promise I won't stir up trouble- wait, you'll let me come? Thank you! Thank you!" The girl said as tears began dripping down her face.

"John, is it possible to change her appearance somewhat so people don't recognize her or see that she's a slum dweller?" Cassius asked John, mainly because he was worried that if rumors started spreading he'd be swarmed by slum residents trying to come with him and escape their fate.

"Certainly, Your Highness," John said as he flicked his finger.

Suddenly, a single agent came out of the shadows, lifted Anna, and disappeared into the shadows with her. Luckily this was a rather empty street so no one saw.

Under the stunned gazes of the children, the agent came back after 20 minutes with a completely new person in tow. Or rather, a huge makeover for Anna. She was dressed in the same clothes as Baron Nessie and Cassius, and she had been cleaned somehow, her face was sharp and elegant, and her hair which was now free of dirt and grime was as lustrous as the night. Her hat that she used to cover her hair had disappeared, as well. 

"Well, talk about a make-over…" Baron said as he blushed slightly.

Nessie on the other hand was speechless, while Cassius could care less.

He had seen his share of alluring women in his past life, and a 10 or 11-year-old child was not in his interests. 

"Alright, that's enough staring, let's move," Cassius said as he started walking forward while Anna flustered to catch up with him, albeit with a little bit of difficulty as she wasn't used to the elegant dress yet. The agent who had brought her disappeared into Cassius' shadow as the group moved forward hastily, they didn't want to waste any time on the streets.

It wasn't because they were starving.

——- 

"The act of Michelangelo accompanying him doesn't signify all of our wills to be the same!" A middle-aged man barked out as he slammed his palm on the circular marble table that twelve people were sitting upon. 

"And what do you suppose it looks like in the eyes of the other parties?! That we just so happened to send one of the most powerful members of the Coven to guarantee the Prince's security?!" A similarly aged woman screamed out from the other side of the marble table, indignation evident in her voice.

"What are we supposed to do even if we stop escorting the Prince now? Do we just give up halfway?! What happens if the Prince manages to survive the internal strife in the Imperial Family and forms a grudge against us?!" A young man seated near Michelangelo said out loud.

"That's a damn big 'if'!" The middle-aged man who had spoken first said.

"It seems you all are forgetting that it is my action to protect the Prince! I am his vassal, and will continue to be so until he safely reaches the Imperial Capital! That, I have promised, and you all know well that the Sage of Earthen Slaughter keeps his promises." Michelangelo finally spoke out as he displayed a side he had never shown Cassius. Coldness, ruthlessness, and a wild killing intent made the people seated around the table shudder. 

Then, in a gentle manner, an elderly man, even older than Michelangelo, raised his hand and all discussion stopped.

"Enough… all of us are elderly men… are you not ashamed of this display?" The old man said in a raspy voice.

"We apologize, First Elder." The rest all replied in unison.

"No matter what the result is, the fact of the matter is that we, whether directly or indirectly, willingly or unwillingly, have taken a side due to Michelangelo's actions. If we retreat now, and say that we were sorry and that we had not meant to do that, we will avoid a great deal of consequences and bad results…" The old man spoke slowly, but Michelangelo's expression only grew darker. 

The people who had opposed his actions instead grew brighter. That did not last long, however.

"But… damn it all, when have we, the Coven been forced to retreat? When have we been forced to lower our heads and regret our actions? Never. And I refuse to have us become the laughing-stock of the Empire under my rule… *cough*" The old man stopped speaking as he coughed slightly.

"Ha.. the Coven will… support the Imperial Prince in all its capacity… make sure he knows that, Michelangelo, now go. Go and stay with him… only the Gods know what they have planned. Curse this damn Empire... curse its Emperor..." The old man said tiredly.

The rest of the elders only listened on with solemn expressions. They knew well the pains and struggles of the First Elder and the Coven. 

-------

Cassius and the group entered the fancy restaurant with John in tow as they looked at the exquisite furniture and masterful work that decorated the interior. It was certainly both high quality and expensive. Would Cassius normally enter such a restaurant? No, of course not, it would be too much of a waste of money for just food. But this was money coming from Mike's pockets, or rather the Coven's.. and if the Coven ran such a city like Tower City, surely they could afford Cassius' spending.

Nevertheless, the people here ate with etiquette and elegance, something the group of four children and an adult, creepy man with a half-mask could care less about at the moment. As soon as the numerous plates of food arrived, they all dug in like ravenous beasts. 

Cassius, while being the Imperial Prince, had yet to receive any actual lessons about noble etiquette, how to socialize among nobles, how to properly handle himself in public, etc. 

Baron and Nessie, who were respectively a future member of his guard and his maid, did not plan to receive etiquette training anyway, so they cared even less.

Anna, the girl they had taken with them, had no idea what etiquette even was, and normally assumed this was normal.

John, on the other hand, was someone who had faced the battlefield countless times and had had to deal with starvation, bizarre diets consisting of bugs, eating while on the run, and more. So, naturally, his instincts kicked in whenever he ate and compared to the children, he finished his food in just a minute. 

Being an intelligence agent meant every minute was priceless, and John wasted none of it. 

"So... erm, how should I call you?" Anna asked Cassius and the rest, her mouth still full of food.

Cassius finished chewing before finally replying. "You may refer to me as Your Imperial Highness Cassius, or Your Highness, whichever you like better." He said plainly as he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. 

"I'm Baron, you can call me Baron or big bro," Baron said after he chugged down something that resembled beer but had no alcohol and was sweet. Maple Brew, they called it.

"And I'm Nessie, you can just call me Ness," Nessie said as she smiled softly. In Cassius' eyes, she seemed rather excited at the prospect of having another girl in their group. After all, she had been the only girl in the group for the entire journey, and for most of the three children's friendship in the mines. 

"John," John said simply as he rested in his chair. 

"Ah.. okay, but.. sorry for asking, what exactly are you the Highness of, Your Highness?" Anna asked innocently, she knew that people referred to those of very high standing by names like 'Your Highness' or 'Your Eminence', but she didn't know who Cassius was at all.

"Well, you'll learn eventually once we reach the capital... before you is Cassius Tenebris von Nightstar, Imperial Prince of the Black Empire, soon-to-be Crown Prince of the Black Empire, sole Imperial Heir of the Nightstar Imperial Family, and future Emperor of the Black Empire," John said as he described the very lengthy official title that Cassius had, despite it being mostly just repetitions of the same thing in Cassius' eyes. 

'Guess the nobles like their titles long and majestic...' Cassius said in his mind as she widened his eyes at John's words.

"T-the Imperial Prince?" An audible gulp could be heard before Anna calmed down and shot another question.

"Why didn't His Highness Cassius introduce himself instead of you?" Anna asked John. 

"It is inappropriate for Nobles and Imperials to declare their titles and standings to those of lower standing. That is why their most loyal vassals stay by their side at all times, I am His Highness' loyal vassal." John explained calmly.

"Why is it inappropriate for Nobles to introduce themselves by their initiative?" Anna asked with gleaming eyes.

"That's because Nobles have something called the Noble Etiquette that-" John was cut off as Anna asked again, "What's Noble Etiquette? Is it a trinket?" 

"Noble Etiquette is a very important set of rules that Nobles must abide by to..." 

Anna was very talkative.