And they did listen.
Sure, Alphonse and his father kept glaring at him with suspicion while Frea’s gaze repeatedly wandered from Belzemine to him during his entire speech, but they didn’t interrupt besides asking pointed questions. It was clear they only gave him the benefit of the doubt because he had freed their elven martyr and because Alcyone spoke up on his behalf. His intel about Verney and the Maiden was met with disbelief, but to his surprise, Frea seemed rather disquieted to learn that Chrom Cruak was part of the Cobweb.
Eventually, she was convinced enough to ask him and Alphonse to use Prayers while she used analysis spells to compare them. Whatever she learned brought a frown to her face.
“It’s that bad?” Alcyone asked her.
“I’m not sure what to think,” Frea admitted with a grim scowl. “The Prayers appear identical at first glance, but the power that answers the Overlord’s own is actually miasma which has been converted to mana after the fact. Worse, one out of five of Alphonse’s Prayers follow a similar pattern.”
This rattled his father to his core. “You say a malevolent impostor answers some of the Light Megalith Prayers?”
“Yes, as impossible as it sounds.” Frea’s scowl only deepened. “This should be impossible, since faith serves as a bridge… unless the impostor and the Light Megalith are two parts of the same whole.”
“This is ridiculous,” Alphonse argued, his finger pointed at Simon. “Even if Prayers are compromised, how can you confirm you’re not the one corrupting the Light Megalith as the Overlord?”
“How could I corrupt a giant holy manalith half a world away?” Simon inquired. “Nay, why would I do it and then inform you?”
“I can confirm it in a roundabout way,” Voltobauta suggested. “Give me a few days to find the right names, and I’ll work my way up the ghosts of vestals that have tended to the Light Megalith since its creation. I called Pharis on once already, so it shouldn’t be—”
“What?” That drew Simon’s full attention. “You called the prophetess?”
“Of course I did. What kind of Necromancer would I be if I didn’t try to call on dead historical figures now and then?” Voltobauta shrugged his shoulders. “To be honest with you, I was very disappointed. Her words matched official accounts of her life pretty well. Same angelic vision, same Judge preaching, same horrible murder at Mardok’s hands, and so on…”
Simon sensed his chance. “Could you summon her and ask for a detailed description of the angel she met and its words? It may be very important.”
“Sure, why not.”
“You don’t put in this much effort whenever I ask for your help in finding old ruins,” Alcyone complained.
“Of course I will not help you rob the dead, but the idea of uncovering an anti-vampire religion’s dirty little secrets appeals to me.”
Ser Richard crossed his arms with a frown forming on his face. “I cannot believe Count Verney would debase himself to join thieves and criminals. He was a good man, a compassionate man.”
“The Verney I met among the Weavers is neither of those things,” Voltobauta replied. “I was honestly wondering if he was human at all. Him being a demon-possessed corpse would explain why my Class’ Perks struggle to identify his nature.”
“It’s not just him,” Frea said. “Chrom Cruak—the real Chrom Cruak—was a true monster and one of the most dangerous foes of the elven people. His return to the living world cannot mean anything good.”
“So?” Simon inquired. “You’re in?”
Richard of Lore shook his head, much to Simon’s disappointment. “These are all troubling developments, Ser Simon, but the issue remains. Whether you are telling us the truth or not, you are the Overlord, and the White Unicorn’s rules explicitly prohibit us from being your friend in any way.”
“We’re not friends,” Simon replied bluntly. “We’re temporary allies of convenience at best, and that’s still pushing it.”
“Agreed,” Alphonse said sternly. “Though we will verify your claims, I still do not trust them.”
Frea nodded. “I must inform the Oracle and con—”
“No!” Belzemine said immediately, startling her friend. “I… she would demand His Majesty’s execution immediately, and I… cannot allow this.”
“But, Bel…”
“I’ll have to put my veto on informing our faulty seer as well, Frea,” Alcyone said, hands on her waist. “If half of what we’ve learned today is true, then either the Oracle is unreliable at best, or actively keeping vital information from us at worst. I want to confirm our intel by our own means before we tell her anything.”
Frea’s eyes widened in horror. “You want me to withhold such critical intelligence from the Oracle?”
“Why not? She’s hiding things from us all the time, so why should we have any qualms about doing the same? That’ll teach her a lesson about trust. Besides, I didn’t swear any oath to serve her when I joined the White Unicorn.”
Alphonse frowned and glanced at Ser Richard. “What do you think, Father?”
Ser Richard considered the matter a moment before answering. “Arresting Count Verney for his crimes is an internal matter to the Kingdom of Lore and the White Unicorn movement. The Oracle’s guidance would be welcomed, but not strictly necessary.”
The mere fact that Lore’s greatest knight was considering acting behind the Oracle’s back confirmed to Simon that Justine’s and Alcyone’s suspicions about Illusea’s guidance might be more common than Simon expected. While they didn’t seem to consider the possibility that she considered them expendable, the Oracle’s leadership seemed far from unquestioned. Ser Richard clearly hadn’t taken well the possibility that a demon now empowered his son’s Prayers.
And Frea is a friend to Belzemine first, and an Oracle loyalist second, Simon thought as he observed the hesitation written all over the elf’s face. And while Alphonse was hotheaded, Simon’s experience with him in Cocagne showed he could reassess his beliefs given time. An alliance might actually work.
“The way I see it, let’s deal with Verney first to confirm what’s going on,” Alcyone suggested. “He’s a criminal mastermind for certain, and from what I gather, we’ll just have to take a look at his chest to confirm whether he’s a demon host or not.”
“Allying with the Overlord to arrest a Lorean Count, even one guilty of being part of the Cobweb, would be tantamount to treason should the word get out,” Ser Richard argued. “We can manage without him.”
“No, we’ll need him to destroy the Attic and ensure Verney can’t escape. Not to mention we’ll need all the muscle we can get should the likes of that mummy or the Rogue interfere with our operation.”
“Mmm…” Ser Richard glanced at his elven ally. “What are your thoughts on the matter, Lady Frea?”
“I trust this new Overlord only as far as I can throw him.” Frea glanced at Belzemine. “However… he has done what none of his predecessors did and freed my friend from centuries of servitude, who now vouches for him. I think that counts for something.”
Alphonse frowned. “Would you trust him?”
“No… but I will give him a chance to prove us wrong.” Frea glared at Simon. “Should you prove false, I will personally execute you.”
“Do your best,” Simon replied. The threat sounded partly hollow, considering he had already bashed in her skull in a previous reign, but she did pulverize half his Dungeon and a whole cult in the process. He had better not underestimate her. “Either way, I have a proposal for you, Alphonse.”
The Paladin squinted at him in suspicion. “What kind?”
“I will summon my dracozombie mount and let you kill it after you join Alcyone’s Party. Between that, an exp boosting Performance from Eole, and your Heroic Destiny blessing—” He drew a few worried glances about knowing this critical information, “—providing you with a boost proportional to our sizable difference in level, it should considerably narrow the gap between us and make you tough enough to at least contribute against Verney.”
His proposal took Alphonse aback. “You… you would help a Paladin level-up? Why?”
“I told you, I want to save the world as much as you do.” Simon couldn’t help but add. “Plus, you can’t actually do anything to me right now.”
Alphonse’s jaw tightened. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Well…” Simon cleared his throat. How to put it as delicately as possible? “I don’t want to sound arrogant or offensive—”
“But you do,” Voltobauta mused.
“—but I could kill you whenever I want.” That was just the plain truth. “It’ll be months or years before you can catch up to me, even with an exp boost. You’re weak, Alphonse.”
Alphonse now saw red, his hand gripping his sword’s handle. “You would insult me so?!”
“No, I’m stating a fact. You’re what, level thirty right now? Thirty-five at best?” Poor Alphonse’s scowl only deepened, confirming Simon’s guess. They were too early into this reign for Heroic Destiny to have helped that much. “I would have to tone down the power of my spells just so I don’t kill you by accident in the crossfire should we fight side-by-side.”
And he would get a fair share of experience from it, but best keep that secret from poor Alphonse. Still, the Paladin wasn’t deluded enough to ask for a lesson in humility. Watching the kind of Prayers Simon could call upon had already showcased the difference in power between them.
“Your arrogance will be your downfall, Overlord,” Frea warned him. “As it was for all of your predecessors.”
“He’s not wrong though,” Alcyone admitted, much to Alphonse’s annoyance. “You’re no match for Verney as you are, Al. Volto could raise undead training dumm–”
“I won’t,” Voltobauta cut in immediately. “That would be posthumous abuse.”
“But they’re already dead, they don’t care!”
“Yes, they do. Haven’t you heard the proverb, don’t beat a dead horse? At least let your victims rest, you bloodthirsty woman.”
“Ugh, you’re both impossible.” Alcyone shrugged and focused back on Alphonse. “Al, you’re going to join my Party, and you’re going to kill that dragon.”
“I don’t take pity handouts from the Overlord,” Alphonse complained. “There has to be another way.”
“My Freedom Bird is a no whining zone, Al.” Alcyone put her hands on her waist. “We’re on a timer when it comes to certain demonic seals, and it's the Paladin’s duty to save the world from their kind. You can spit on handouts when you’re strong enough to do without them.”
“Leveling up too fast doesn’t give one time to get accustomed to their Perks and full power,” Ser Richard argued, albeit hesitantly. “But I suppose exceptional situations call for exceptional measures.”
Alphonse looked ready to protest, but seeing the lack of support helped him swallow his pride. “Fine,” he told Simon, “but you may regret this.”
“That, my friend, is entirely up to you.”
—--------------------
After the meeting, Simon summoned his dracozombie onto the deck and allowed Alphonse to slay it while Eole sang as promised. This apparently shot him all the way over level 50, which should let him hold his own.
The group split up afterwards. Ser Richard and Alphonse decided to train the latter in his new Perks, while Voltobauta interrogated ghosts to learn more about the Light Megalith’s history. Frea of course asked to talk with Belzemine in private, but the latter refused; perhaps out of fear that she might be forcefully teleported back to Illusea, or more likely because she didn’t feel ready to face her old friend again on her own. Although Frea appeared wounded by her refusal, she seemed to understand the issue and agreed to give her some space.
Meanwhile, Simon and Alcyone discussed different methods to potentially strengthen Alphonse even further. Though he knew the Paladin would never agree to it, he suggested equipping him with gear of his own devising or making use of the Overlord’s own Party System.
“Wait, wait, wait, is that why House Magnos is so strong?” Alcyone complained once she learned of this feature. “Because your Overlord dad stole my patented Adventurer Perk and made a Party out of his kids?”
“No.” Though Simon was convinced his father had optimized his children’s Class builds over the reigns. “Come to think of it, I wonder if our Perks could overlap…”
“Let’s check.”
Unfortunately, it quickly became clear that a person couldn’t join two Parties at once after some experiments on one of Simon’s goats. Neither could she recruit him.
She could add me to her Party back when I hadn’t upgraded my Perk, Simon thought with some disappointment. Strengthening it had induced a conflict. We won’t be able to stack all those sweet exp boosts anytime soon. A shame.
“Seems the System doesn’t support two-timing,” Alcyone mused after their failed test. “Can you summon other monsters to serve as training dummies besides your dragon? Like demons?”
Her suggestion amused Simon. “Is the Adventurer encouraging the Overlord to open the gates of Hell?”
“I mean, if we kill a demon to gain experience, the end result will be one dead fiend and stronger heroes. Sounds like a net win for the universe.”
Were all Adventurers so practical? “I could technically do it, or create a training Dungeon given enough time, but I haven’t delved into diabolism deep enough to summon anything more than relatively minor fiends, and Demonbinding costs a hefty amount of miasma to cast. My dracozombie mount is my only renewable experience resource.”
“Fair enough.” Alcyone stroked her chin. “I think we could still give Alphonse one or two more levels if we play our cards right. He should gain some pretty nifty auras, buffs, or defensive abilities to help us with.”
“He can play support while we form the frontline.” Imperial intelligence had pegged Ser Richard of Lore as a level 70 Paladin, and while the information was clearly inaccurate, Simon guessed the assessment wasn’t that far off from what he heard; he simply had levels in a Paladin Vassal Class rather than the real deal. Frea was likely around that range, maybe pushing level 75 since she could trade spells with Belzemine. “He can help me and Voltobauta destroy the Attic while the rest of you draw Verney’s attention. He’s looking for the Zodiac Fiend crystals, so mentioning you’ve found Nodens will immediately pique his interest.”
“My, aren’t you devious.” Alcyone smiled at him. “You’re sure you weren’t born to become the Rogue?”
“I think I like to dirty my hands in combat too much for that.” Though he wouldn’t mind claiming the Crestone from Silk’s bloody hands again. “Shall we proceed that way, then?”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” Alcyone patted him on the shoulder. “Oh, and don’t take Alphonse’s abrasiveness the wrong way. He’s a good and open-minded lad at heart.”
“I know,” Simon replied. He knew Alphonse had spent years being trained under the belief that Simon had murdered his master and that it was his destiny to destroy the Overlord. The mere fact that he agreed to cooperate with what should have been his mortal enemy for a time was already an extraordinary proof of tolerance. “But be warned that I will not hesitate to defend myself should he or Frea try anything.”
“I won’t vouch for Frea, but Alphonse is more the kind to challenge you to a duel than stab you in the back. Same as his father.”
Except Ser Richard did stab me in the back once. Simon guessed losing his son in Magvolia had caused the old knight to abandon some of his scruples. “I’m told you’re familiar with them?”
“Alphonse is like the little brother I never had. His father and mine became close friends during the White Unicorn Wars, so I used to drop by his family’s place every so often.”
This fit the information Simon had on her. Truthfully, he only knew what imperial intelligence had gathered on them. Alcyone was a member of the powerful Lorean House Hyades, and had been infamous for running off and wandering around long before she gained the Adventurer Crestone while on some kind of treasure hunt.
Meanwhile, Ser Richard wasn’t nobleborn and instead received a knight’s title for his extraordinary bravery during the wars against Endymion. It was expected that his son, who had shown enough aptitude while young to squire for the then-current Paladin, would be the first of the family to marry into the nobility proper.
“I guessed it was your idea to have Ser Richard pretend to be the actual Paladin rather than his son to prevent his assassination?” Simon asked Alcyone. It would fit her personality to come up with such trickery.
“Yup, though that clearly wasn’t enough. I should put him through an even more aggressive training regimen once we’re done with Verney. If you’ve learned the truth, then no doubt your siblings will catch wind of it in time.” Alcyone straightened up once she saw Voltobauta walking up to them alongside Belzemine and Frea. “So?”
“So I worked my way up to the Light Megalith’s oldest vestal, long before Pharis, but all she knew was that the Megalith was a gift her community received from the Noble Heroes,” Voltobauta admitted. “They promised her that the Goddess could hear any Prayer through it.”
Simon raised an eyebrow. “Not the Light itself?”
“That belief spread with Pharis and the Church of the Light,” Frea said. “The very first Megaliths were gifts from the Mana Goddess meant to stabilize the elements of magic. All of them were fashioned from her roots and grew with the people’s faith.”
“The vestal’s ghost had no idea whether a demon was sealed within it, but she told me a very interesting tidbit.” Voltobauta smirked from ear to ear. “Does the name ‘Shura, the White Tiger’ mean anything to you?”
Simon nodded. He had learned about him from Vayan. “He’s one of the Five Sovereigns, greatest among the eidolons.”
“He’s pretty famous in Lore even to this day, though his cult has long died out there,” Alcyone said. “I’ve heard tales where he appears to challenge young Paladins or heroes to test their valor.”
“He used to do more than that,” Voltobauta said. “The Light Megalith’s protection was actually entrusted to him and his followers back when the Church of the Light didn’t exist.”
“No way…” Alcyone’s head perked up with interest. “First time I’ve heard of this!”
“Same,” Simon admitted, his heart growing heavy with suspicion. “You think he might know about the Light Megalith’s true nature?”
“I have no clue, but if you are all set on finding out what’s really going on… I think it would be worthwhile to catch the tiger in his den.” Voltobauta shrugged his shoulders. “Either way, I figured I would call up Pharis next and that you might be interested in being there.”
Simon nodded, at which point the Necromancer summoned Pharis’ shade. She looked exactly like the apparition Helel manifested in Agares; the same spitting image of Anna, same smile, same aura of light, bright even in death from her three eyes.
“I am Pharis, Judge and speaker of the Light,” she said with a gentle voice Simon could finally understand. “What is it that you seek?”
Simon proceeded to interrogate her on her life, but quickly realized that it matched the official story beat for beat; that she was a young farmer’s daughter born with miraculous Visionary powers and who received a vision of an angel when she touched the Light Megalith. This then inspired her to go on a quest to spread the Church of the Light, which ended in her cruel demise.
“Mardok resented our faith, for we gave hope to those he sought to destroy,” Pharis’ ghost said, her voice breaking. “The Overlord tortured me for seven days and nights to break my resolve, burning my flesh and tormenting my mind. He failed, for the righteous do not yield to malice and falsehood. When the demon realized my resistance only emboldened the faithful rather than shatter their spirits, he had me entombed in his walls deep beneath the earth where he thought the Light could not reach. In that, he was mistaken again. I died happy, for I had foreseen our god would call me again to destroy the Overlord.”
Which was technically true, Simon thought as he saw Voltobauta pulling out a small notebook and pen.
“That angel you saw…” asked the pirate king. “Can you describe it?”
“She is the Light incarnate, the Exalted One, and has a voice none could deny,” Pharis said, her eyes alight with zeal. “With six wings gleaming with power, and two more on the sides of her fair face…”
A chill traveled down Simon’s spine as Voltobauta began to sketch the angel, but he already pictured it well-enough from Pharis’ words alone; a creature of immense beauty, with a mighty crystal for a heart and a single commandment for those who would listen.
“The Mana Mother is sublime and honored, but she too yields to the Highest of Radiances, the one true deity whose peaceful dominion would bless Brimir once all of its children have seen the Light.”
Pharis smiled as she repeated her master’s lies.
“The Light Wills it.”
A/N: next chap, Verney ;)