Chapter 838: Why Not Put Him to Use?

Lord Bormair sat quietly, doing his best to pretend he was just another piece of furniture in the room. Across from him sat the ruler of the Empire, Rosetta Augustus, wearing a calm smile that gave nothing away. He heard her voice: “Is ‘The Wanderer Beyond’ a name he gave himself, or one you assigned to him?

“Besides demonstrating powerful psychic abilities and revealing those ‘fragments of memory,’ does he exhibit any other inhuman traits?

“Have you ever come into direct contact with him?”

Lord Bormair licked his slightly dry lips and answered Rosetta’s questions honestly, though the information he could provide was limited. As a knowledge-seeker who had converted to the cult, his rank among the Sleepless was low. In that strict and secretive order, worldly titles didn’t translate into status. Being a mere “lord” wasn’t enough to elevate him to the middle ranks. His understanding of the Wanderer Beyond was confined to a handful of publicly available intelligence.

In fact, it wasn’t until the evacuation order came down that he even realized the Wanderer Beyond had infiltrated the psychic network.

After Bormair had spilled all the information he had, Rosetta nodded slightly. “Well done, Bormair. You made the right choice.”

Bormair hurriedly bowed his head. “Y-Yes, Your Majesty.”

“But I’m still curious—why did you come forward to betray them?” Rosetta asked casually, as if it were a passing thought. “You clearly knew the risks. Even without considering the cult’s punishment for traitors, you—a noble of Typhon—have fallen into a dark cult. That alone is a grave crime. Yet you chose to confess everything to me. Why?”

Bormair lifted his head, meeting Rosetta’s steady gaze with difficulty. He opened his mouth several times before finally finding the courage to speak. “Your Majesty, I joined the Sleepless only for their hidden knowledge. I never intended to betray you. I know my words carry little weight now, but if I must choose between an unspeakable demon and the Empire, I want to die on Typhon’s side…”

As he spoke, bitterness welled up inside him. Years ago, when he first encountered the Sleepless’ secret knowledge and gained powerful psychic abilities, he never imagined he’d sink so deep into darkness. The Sleepless weren’t the only secret cult in the world—countless shadowy groups preached their eerie, sinister doctrines, claiming pacts with nameless powers. Most were scams preying on the ignorant. He had thought the Sleepless were no different, believing himself clever enough to extract knowledge and power without falling into their fanatical, dark “horrific mythos.” But who could have guessed…

They were serious. And that unspeakable power came for him in an instant.

Windsor Mapel glanced at Lord Bormair with a hint of pity, shaking her head. “Too many people think like you, Lord Bormair. They overestimate their luck and caution, believing knowledge and power are theirs for the taking if they’re careful enough. Almost all of them pay a heavy price.”

Thinking of those cultists who had tried to betray the order before him and died, Bormair shivered. “I understand that now, deeply.”

“Bormair, I will judge your actions fairly—both the crimes you committed after joining the dark cult and the merits you’ve earned now,” Rosetta said. “But before that, I need you to do many things. Perhaps you can make amends.”

“For now, you may rest in the next room. Don’t worry—Miss Windsor Mapel will ensure your safety. As long as you stay within the Obsidian Palace, your life is secure.”

Lord Bormair stood up, overwhelmed with gratitude, and bowed deeply. “Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty.”

After the noble left the audience chamber, only Rosetta and Windsor Mapel remained. The black-haired, black-dressed royal maid had quietly slipped away at some point.

“Your Majesty,” Windsor said, looking at Rosetta, “I’ve already sent messages to the senior magi on duty at the Royal Mage Association, ordering them to immediately relay the intelligence to all communication towers and begin hunting Sleepless cultists at every outpost.”

“Good. Also, contact the regional governor of Orlandel and have him launch an investigation immediately,” Rosetta nodded. “Besides, Bormair’s information is limited, and by now the Sleepless should be evacuating. Most of their bases are likely empty. The key is to intercept those cultists who are still fleeing…”

“Their destination is Cecil,” Windsor said. “The Cecilians must be prepared to receive them. In fact… some may have already crossed the border.”

“Alert the communication towers nearest the border. Have them stop and inspect all people and vehicles entering Cecil, especially along the newest rail lines. Remind them to station powerful magi at checkpoints—Sleepless cultists wield psychic powers. Ordinary guards can be easily deceived and bypassed…”

Rosetta spoke thoughtfully as she arranged a series of border interception measures, then paused briefly.

“Also, we need to draft a proclamation of amnesty…”

Windsor raised an eyebrow. “A proclamation of amnesty?”

Rosetta nodded. “Sleepless cultists who willingly return to normal society and pledge loyalty to the Empire will have their past crimes pardoned by the Augustus family. As long as they abide by the law and cause no further harm, the Royal Mage Association and the Imperial Engineering Guild will consider accepting them.”

“Your Majesty,” Windsor couldn’t help but say, “are you really going to pardon the Sleepless so easily? To grant amnesty on such a large scale to a dark cult and even admit them into the Mage and Engineering guilds… that might…”

“Why do you think they’re fleeing westward, and why has the Cecil Empire chosen to accept them?” Rosetta interrupted. “Miss Mapel, why does Gawain Cecil want the Sleepless?”

Windsor had been instinctively confused and resistant to Rosetta’s startling orders, but now, with the hint, a thoughtful expression crossed her face as the pieces began to fall into place. “Gawain Cecil is a ruler—at least for now. He wouldn’t accept the Sleepless just because they’re his ‘followers,’ unless it benefits his rule…”

“The psychic network… incredible technology, isn’t it?” Rosetta said lightly. “Remember those rune combinations we found in the ‘arcane network terminal’?”

Windsor’s brow furrowed deeper.

“The Sleepless aren’t just a dark cult—they have advanced technology. Perhaps from the start, Gawain Cecil saw this and reached out to them,” Rosetta continued. “What pains me most is that the Sleepless were right under my nose, but I was a step behind. Our rigid thinking and outdated views caused us to miss this treasure. But fortunately, we still have a chance to make amends.”

“Miss Mapel, find a more effective way to sever the psychic network. Discover a method to completely remove the Sleepless’ mental marks. Then announce that the Empire can save those who’ve strayed—those who were merely deceived and cursed by the dark cult, unable to free themselves. We can lift their curses. This will minimize resistance to ‘dark cultists’ and attract many Sleepless unwilling to flee to Cecil.”

“Trust me, there are plenty like that. Lord Bormair is a prime example. Most Sleepless are Typhonians. Besides the Wanderer Beyond’s orders and threats, a big reason they flee to Cecil is because their dark cult status makes it impossible to survive in Typhon. Now, if we offer them a place to stand and help them break free from the Wanderer’s control, many will choose to stay.”

Windsor opened her mouth, still hesitant, but before she could speak, Rosetta went on.

“Miss Mapel, knowledge itself is innocent—or even if some consider certain knowledge ‘original sin,’ for the Empire’s sake, we must master it. Because Cecil is right next door, and their ruler… has already advanced far ahead in many fields.”

“If we don’t seize these things, others will. Cecil won’t yield to us in this.”

Windsor slowly nodded—she was convinced.

“Your Majesty, I have one concern,” she said. “If we publicize this, the Sleepless’ leadership might respond violently. They’re clearly loyal to the Wanderer Beyond. For their master’s sake, might they kill all ‘traitors’ who refuse to evacuate or defect? As a dark cult… they’re capable of such acts.”

“But they can’t,” Rosetta shook her head. “If they still controlled every cultist’s mind, Lord Bormair wouldn’t have made it to the Obsidian Palace. According to his intelligence, the cult suffered a severe blow in this incident. The psychic network is in a terrible state, which is why so many informants have successfully contacted outsiders. We just need to seize this gap. Before the Sleepless rebuild their network, we must ‘isolate’ as many cultists willing to pledge loyalty to the Empire as possible. That will achieve our goal.”

“I understand, Your Majesty. I’ll arrange this immediately. With Lord Bormair’s information and today’s successful ‘disruption,’ I believe I can find a more thorough solution to the ‘curse.’ Even if not immediately, I’ll lead the senior magi to act and retain as many Sleepless as possible.”

Rosetta nodded slightly, then added, “Also, we can’t wait passively for defectors. Many cultists might miss the chance out of fear or suspicion—that’s why I kept Lord Bormair here. Based on his list, have your secret magi proactively contact and control those who haven’t fled yet, then spread out to control all cultists in Aldernan.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After making all these arrangements, Rosetta exhaled deeply. Then he stood and slowly paced to the crystal window.

Outside was the inner courtyard of the Obsidian Palace. Carefully placed lights dispelled the gloom, and a magical barrier kept the courtyard warm as spring. Lush plants thrived wildly within.

They had flourished all winter. Now, as spring approached and the barrier prepared to close, the garden’s flowers and greenery would seamlessly enter their next blooming season—human will standing against nature, just so.

Rosetta knew that the mages of the Imperial Crafting Association were working on ways to reduce the cost of magical barriers like these. A few insightful scholars believed such advancements could boost crop yields and help maintain a steady supply of fruits and vegetables through the harsh winter months. This line of research had already been ongoing for several years.

If successful, its impact might rival that of the widely adopted “Dust of Abundance” technology.

Not too far away, in Cecil, there were surely clever minds keeping an eye on similar fields, conducting comparable research.

Though they had started many years later than Typhon, their progress in numerous areas had been remarkably swift.

This was largely thanks to the ruler of Cecil—whether the being inside that shell was an “Outsider” or some kind of sacred spirit—who had spared no effort in gathering talent. Even now, skilled individuals from Typhon were beginning to flow toward Cecil.

A sense of urgency stirred within Rosetta, yet it brought a faint smile to his lips.

This vivid, “alive” feeling was truly a pleasure.

(End of chapter)