Chapter 45: The Stone Muse (5)

Simon tried out the Templar Class the moment Lauriane gave him its Crestone.

Simon felt uneasy the moment he put the outfit on. The enmity between the Paladin and the Overlord had apparently partly transferred to the former’s Vassal in spite of its lack of sentience. Putting on the Templar armor felt like putting on a mantle of needles. It itched all over as the mana coalesced into a gilded plate armor bearing the emblem of the sun on its chest.

It closely resembled the Paladin one, even including a pavise shield and sword, but heavier, bulkier, and thicker. Its cylindrical helmet had a slit for a visor, and a crimson cloak fluttering from his shoulders. In short, where the Paladin had been surprisingly fast and agile, this Class was definitely designed for slow, steady defense and intimidating strength.

Quite like the Overlord, ironically enough.

You have unlocked the Templar Class.

Templar: A holy warrior versed in both swordcraft and scriptures, dedicated to serving a divine will and wiping out the Dark.

Strength B, Vitality A, Agility D, Perception C, Magic C, Intelligence D, Charisma B, Luck C.

Innate Perk: Darksense (Passive): You gain a sixth sense to detect the presence of the Dark–like miasma, Dungeons, or demons–nearby.

Innate Perk: Smite Evil (Passive): When using weapons in which you have a proficiency, your attacks against creatures of the Dark, like Undead and Demons, always gain a Slayer Effect (x3 Supereffective Damage).

Level 1 Perk: Melee Master 1 (passive): Can wield all melee weapons with medium proficiency (x1.5 damage).

So that’s how Alphonse sensed my presence in Rosanne, Simon thought as he read over the Perks. Thankfully, it seemed to have weaknesses, or else Mastemo’s bodyguards would have immediately noticed the aura of malice around Simon back in Frightwall. I guess being in a wellspring of the Dark shrouds their sight. It must have been like looking through black smoke.

“I must say it looks good on you,” Lauriane complimented him. “How does it feel?”

Horrible. The Overlord in him was urging him to tear the armor apart and paint it black. “I feel… stronger all around.”

“That would be the stat boost. It always does something when you put on a Class for the first time.” Lauriane watched on as Simon cancelled the Class outfit. “I do think a more academically minded Class would suit you better.”

“Like a dark wizard Class?” Simon mused as a question suddenly crossed his mind. “Come to think of it, why did nobody else try to make an original Dark-aligned Class? Surely the Overlord can’t be the only one, and they wouldn’t be limited by the lack of blueprints.”

“We’ve tried, but encountered two insurmountable issues.” Lauriane gazed at the Templar Crestone in her brother’s hand. “First of all, the lack of a prototype. We can create Vassal Classes because we can base our designs on the original Noble Crestones, but only elven archmages know how to create those in the first place, and none of them have managed to shape a new one in many centuries. No new archetype has yet to emerge, though that will probably change one day.”

“And the second issue?”

“The lack of a proper conduit makes it impractical,” Lauriane replied. “Creating a new theoretical Dark-aligned Crestone would require a miasma crystal, and those are extremely rare. They only coalesce in Dungeons or from the corpses of extremely dangerous entities like archdemons, liches, or ancient vampires… and even then I have yet to see any with the degree of purity required to carve a Crestone out of them.”

“How did Mardok create the Overlord Class then?”

Lauriane smiled at him. “That’s the mystery since the Overlord Class doesn’t even have a Crestone as far as we can tell. I suspect he found a way to turn the Crimson Throne into an alternate conduit between the Overlord archetype and its user, but this still doesn’t explain how or why it doesn’t require physical contact.”

Interesting. All Zodiac Fiends appeared to be sealed in potent miasma crystals. Could Mardok have created the Overlord Crestone from his own Serpent-Bearer crystal? But if he did, it would have surely been found by now.

“What about the Crimson Throne?” Simon asked. “Maybe it contains a miasma Crestone.”

“Father ordered us to dissect it a few years back, but we failed to open it up,” Lauriane admitted. “The Crimson Throne is both immune to divination and completely indestructible as far as we can tell. It is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. I don’t think even Father fully understood how it worked.”

Simon had the feeling Balzam Magnos had spent many reigns trying to figure that out, only to run out of time. All paths to the Crimson Throne’s secrets led back to Elios Magnos, and convincing the lich to cooperate would be a difficult proposition.

“I have arranged for carriages to transport you to the town of Whispermire and a shipment of manaliths for Firewand’s use, as you asked,” Lauriane said. “It is where Lorimor was arrested, if I recall.”

“Yes indeed, and his wife and child still live there.” Simon doubted they would be happy to see him again, but they should provide key intel. “I figured it would be a good place to start the investigation, especially since it’s right next to the Darkwood.”

“A wise and sensible approach.” Lauriane stared at him fondly. “You have grown into a fine and mature young man, Simon. I keep forgetting that sometimes.”

“I had a good sister to show me the way.” Simon clutched the Templar Crestone. “Thank you, Lauriane. Your help means the world to me.”

“I wish I could have helped more. The situation between Euphemia and Louis has us on edge.” Lauriane’s smile faded away. “Do not hesitate to retreat here or to call on us for reinforcements if you find anything too dangerous in the Darkwood. My door will always be open to you.”

And Simon loved her for that.

After they departed the facility the group took the train to an army relay station and then boarded the carriages taking them to Whispermire. Simon ended up sharing one with Cassandra and Belzemine, which suited him just fine. He wanted to clarify a few things with the former before they reached their destination.

“My apologies for what happened at the Goetia Research Center,” Simon told her. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you. It was a spur-of-the-moment improvisation.”

“Was His Majesty actually courting me?” Cassandra’s head perked up with curiosity. “I have never been courted by living people before, so I cannot tell.”

Why did she have to specify ‘living’ people of all things? “I was simply improvising to keep my sister off our backs.”

“Oh, so that wasn’t serious.”

Simon couldn’t exactly tell whether she was offended or relieved. The girl was so calm and unexpressive that he could hardly get a read on her. “For what it is worth, I do find you charming and attractive,” he replied, trying to make sure she wouldn’t be offended. “I am sincerely sorry for the deception. We’ll have to keep it up should Lauriane visit us, but I’ll make it up to you and Duchar for the inconvenience.”

“My father does not care about such things.” Cassandra studied Simon for a moment before asking, “Does Your Majesty want to have sex with me then?”

She said that so calmly, so casually, that it took Simon a moment to register her words. “What?”

“I asked if Your Majesty wants to have sex with me,” Cassandra replied flatly, completely ignoring the fact that Belzemine was sharing a ride with them.

“What, like right now?!” Simon blinked in shock. Is she serious?

“Yes.” Now she sounded almost confused. “Is that not how courtship works?”

Simon suddenly realized that having a back-alley necromancer like Duchar for a father might not have been all that good for socialization. “There are a few intermediate steps before that one, like dates and kisses.” Or a drunken game with Anna. “Sex is usually how courtship ends.”

“Yes, that would make sense.” Cassandra nodded in understanding. “Must we go through those steps for your sister’s sake?”

“You don’t sound as opposed to the idea as I would have expected you to,” Simon noted, slightly taken aback by her reaction.

“I am Your Majesty’s servant and I find you pleasing to look at too,” Cassandra replied with a shrug. “I wouldn’t mind you courting me.”

Truly? Simon guessed that she probably didn’t have many opportunities for dating in Beleth, considering her secretive nature, interests, and family. He might have indeed been the first living person to make a pass at her, however unwittingly.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Simon wondered how to deal with Cassandra. He did find her attractive, and she seemed mature enough, but he never dealt with her for long beyond spellcasting sessions. He knew precious little about her. Maybe he could be pleasantly surprised…

No, I’ve no time for romance, Simon told himself. He still wasn’t over Anna or the loss of Eole’s friendship, and the idea of getting overly attached to someone else only for the end of a reign to cut it short was gnawing at him. I should focus on leveling-up and the Zodiac Fiends rather than women.

“I have too much on my plate for courtship at the moment,” Simon said evasively, “But I wouldn’t mind getting to know you better, Cassandra.”

“If Your Majesty wishes it.” A small smile formed on Cassandra’s lips. “It will be nice having a living friend.”

Belzemine, who had remained dutifully silent so far, began to shift uncomfortably in her seat. Simon felt at ease all of a sudden, nay, at home. He could sense a presence calling out to him in the distance, so faintly he barely noticed.

He opened the carriage window and got his first look at the Darkwood.

It could have been mistaken for a vast and dense rainforest at first glance, filled with black alders, hornbeams, and birches… if not for the fact that they were all black, gnarly, and twisted with little to no leaves on their branches. Mushrooms and purple moss covered the ground like a purulent infestation, while a thorny undergrowth and foliage formed a near-impenetrable barrier. A mist of purple miasma visible to the naked eye hovered over the woods, so thick one couldn’t see farther than a few feet deep, and yet Simon spotted shadowy forms moving inside.

Two features immediately caught his eye. The first was the rotten husk of an alder manatree, dark, hunched over, and leafless. It loomed over the entire region like a mountain while shrouded in a veil of miasma oozing from its bark. The second feature was the great stone spires rising hundreds of meters over the forest floor all across the landscape like a great beast’s fangs. It didn’t take long for Simon to realize they were fossilized roots from the dead manatree.

“What a ghastly sight…” Simon commented. “Is this what happens when a dryad perishes, Agnes?”

“No, Your Majesty,” Belzemine replied, a hint of sorrow breaking through her cold exterior. “Naught but stone, dust, and fossilized crystals remain in the wake of a manatree’s death. This is not death, this is…” Her tongue clicked in her mouth. “Corruption.”

Corruption? Wait, was she implying that the manatree was still alive?