Ascension from Dual Professions

Chapter 259: Chapter 246: Betrayal, Pawn, Puppet

Heta County City, Red Crying Castle.

This once-magnificent and splendid fortress had now been reduced to a dilapidated land where shadows drifted.

This was inevitable.

After all, since the explosion three days ago, Nerva Heta had not been seen.

The Knights under his command had taken control of the castle, dismissed all the servants, and announced that the Count had been attacked by an assassin. He was currently recuperating and would not be seeing any guests.

This move led to widespread speculation that Nerva was dead. People suspected his Knights were merely trying to maintain the rebel force’s existence to avoid the Empire’s judgment, stubbornly resisting to the very end.

But they were all wrong.

Nerva was not dead. In fact, one could say he was doing quite well—aside from a small change...

"My lord, why resist this Power?"

The Heta family’s "loyal" advisor, Nasir, now stood silently in his usual spot, looking with a sigh at his master upon the ruined throne.

The Nerva Heta of the past had inherited his parents’ excellent bloodline. While not exceptionally handsome, he had possessed a dignified and commanding presence.

But now, his body was horribly swollen and his face was covered in lumps, to the point where he barely resembled a "human" anymore.

If not for the tattered remnants of his magnificent robes clinging to him, no one would have been able to connect this constantly twitching, disgusting lump of flesh with the ambitious Count Heta.

And Nasir continued to persuade him, trying to make Nerva, in his current state, abandon all resistance.

"You know as well as I do that if it weren’t for that drop of blood, you wouldn’t be alive right now. You would have died in the explosion that day."

"As long as you accept it, you will still be the head of the Heta family, Count Heta."

At this mention, the lump of flesh on the throne writhed as if stimulated, letting out a muffled roar.

"Hngh... Trai... Traitor!"

"Traitor?"

Nasir shook his head in disagreement.

"I never swore allegiance to the Heta family in the first place, so how could I have betrayed you?"

"You should have known this ten years ago when you worked with us to kill your brother."

"Ugh—ah! I... did... not!!"

Nerva struggled to roar in fury, but his voice lacked any conviction.

Nasir paid his rebuttal no mind, simply bowing on his own accord.

"In that case, this subordinate will take his leave."

"Oh, right. Before I go, I must remind you—the Governor has always had limited patience."

He paused, then added meaningfully.

"Regarding that matter, I hope you make a decision before the allied forces of those enraged nobles breach this castle."

"Otherwise, your child will have to carry the Heta name and continue this fight against the Empire."

The writhing lump of flesh froze for a moment, followed by an even more furious roar.

"Bas... tard... How dare you! How dare you!?"

However, the one who could hear this roar had already departed. His rage, no matter how great, was in vain.

Beneath the grand dome, within the dilapidated hall, only Nerva’s muffled, resentful muttering remained.

"Traitors... I will never... let you... get your way..."

...

Nasir stopped before a heavy ebony door.

This was the study of Red Crying Castle, once a symbol of the Heta family’s power and wisdom, but now it was in a state of utter ruin.

The tapestries on either side of the corridor were torn and covered in a thick layer of dust. Debris piled up in unswept corners. Only the Heta family crest on the door—a crimson vulture with wings spread to strike—still shone brightly.

Nasir stood before the door, took a deep breath, and suppressed the faint chill in his chest.

As a senior Mage, there were few things in this world he feared. But the being behind this door was one of the few he truly had to revere.

He raised his hand and rapped his knuckles on the cold wooden door three times.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

The sound was exceptionally clear in the silent corridor.

He held his breath and waited, the very air seeming to stagnate.

A moment later, a voice came from within the door.

"Come in."

The voice was leisurely and languid, with a faint, low echo.

Having received his command, Nasir stepped forward and gently pushed open the heavy wooden door.

The study’s interior was in bizarre contrast to the ruin outside.

Outside the massive arched window was the lead-gray winter sky of Heta County City. Cold daylight shone sparingly into the room, but the interior was bathed in a different kind of light. Several strangely shaped oil lamps burned quietly, their warm orange glow both illuminating the space and dispelling the chill, creating an atmosphere of coexisting tranquility and warmth.

In the center of the room, a tall, graceful figure stood with her back to the door, facing the window.

She wore a well-tailored, deep purple velvet gown that traced her exquisite curves. Her thick, black, wavy hair cascaded like a waterfall to her waist, shimmering with a dark luster in the warm light.

Nasir recognized her. It was Carina, his colleague, a shrewd and capable woman who had been instrumental in controlling Red Crying Castle.

But now, beneath that beautiful facade, the soul was no longer the original "Carina’s," but an extension of the will of that unfathomable Governor.

Nasir closed the door behind him, walked to within a few steps of the figure by the window, and bowed.

"Your Excellency, this subordinate has returned."

He kept his body bowed and his eyes lowered, his gaze fixed on the mirror-like dark floor to avoid looking directly at her back.

Then, the figure by the window slowly turned around.

The profile she revealed was so elegant it was nearly perfect, with fair, smooth skin and a straight nose.

However, when her face turned fully toward him, her eyes—which should have been brown—possessed an inhuman quality.

The depths of her pupils were like frosted glass, hollow and profound, reflecting a cold, inorganic luster like that of a glass bead. They did not look like they belonged to a living person at all.

When that emotionless gaze fell upon Nasir, he could feel the skin all over his body involuntarily tighten.

"Is that pathetic pawn still struggling in vain?"

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Nasir struggled to keep his voice steady.

"Count Nerva... he seems to be completely resistant to the ’gift’ and still refuses to reveal the location of the secret."

"Hmph... No matter..."

A soft, cold laugh escaped Carina’s lips.

"When he enjoyed the wealth and Power we brought him, he never once questioned the cost. Greed blinded him into thinking he was the player, but he never realized he was just a pawn on the board from the very beginning—a pawn destined to be sacrificed. And in the end, a pawn can never defy its own path."

"Give him a little more time. Let the venom of fear completely paralyze what little pathetic reason he has left."

"He will embrace that Power on his own accord, and we will get what we want. When this final act concludes, when the flames of Red Crying Castle rise, that will be the prelude to our true legion... stepping foot upon this frozen soil."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Nasir nodded slightly, his gaze still lowered—he could feel that the stare of those inhuman eyes had not left him.

’Her Excellency may have more instructions.’

And indeed, just as he expected, after a brief silence, "Carina’s" voice sounded again.

"That Jon who has repeatedly ruined our plans... what has he been up to now?"