An attendant quickly ushered Nick and Devon out of the room.

  Staying behind and listening would have been a much more interesting prospect, but Nick could see that his brother was on his last legs, having faced three cultists at once, and needed to be checked over by a medic.

  Sound cut off from the planning room as the door closed behind them, and he clicked his tongue, annoyed that even that avenue of spying was closed.

  The attendant, a thin man with sallow skin and a serious frown, led them down a corridor, then up the stairs until they reached a busier area, with soldiers moving around, shouting orders, bringing supplies, and escorting injured people from downstairs.

  “Follow me, young lords,” he said firmly, effortlessly weaving through the crowd.

  The soldiers didn’t seem to notice them, despite the blood and dirt Devon was still covered in. Before Nick could ask how common this was, they were led into a side room with several comfortable chairs, an examination table, and medical supplies such as potions, gauze, and inspection tools.

  This must be where the higher-rank knights are visited. I’m not necessarily for such a difference in treatment, but in this case, I believe we deserve it.

  Not that Nick needed it. He’d barely been dirtied by rushing through the city, the temples, and the tunnel, and Alexander had never managed to land a clean hit on him. He did need to rest to fully recover his mana and would have to spend some time reviewing what exactly had happened, but there wasn’t much a healer could do. Still, I’m not going to say no. I’m certainly not an expert, and a lot happened. I know I stressed my [Arcane Circuitry] by channeling the ritual’s power back into the ether, so I should get checked just for that.

  The door shutting behind them once again cut off all sound, making Nick wonder about the insulation quality. While spells had been cast around the planning room, here the effect came purely from solid construction.

  “A healer will be with you shortly. The Duke would like you both to remain inside the castle until he finishes his address to the city, but you are free to move around if you wish.”

  The tone today was noticeably different from what Nick had heard the first time he’d been by. Back then, there was a sense of urgency to act and a dismissal of his importance as nothing more than a lucky apprentice.

  Now, it was clear they saw him as a valuable player, maybe even more than his brother, even though they came together.

  The attendant left them soon after, again promising the healer would come as soon as possible, and the two brothers were alone for the first time in a while.

  “So, him?” Devon grunted, eyeing the closed door with some suspicion.

  “They can’t hear us,” Nick told him, and it wasn’t just because of the insulation, since he’d built a thin bubble of wind around them to keep sounds from escaping.

  Devon relaxed a little and sat down on one of the plush chairs. “What the hell happened?” he asked, running a hand through his sooty hair. “Alexander? That guy who would get his panties in a twist whenever a kid skipped off his lessons?”

  Nick snorted. Admittedly, the vicar back then hadn’t been the most intimidating man. But knowing what he knew, it wasn’t really that surprising he’d join a cult dedicated to eradicating gods.

  So he spent the next while explaining everything that had happened to Devon, who went from flabbergasted to contemplative, back to stunned, and finally to merely disappointed.

  “It still doesn’t fully explain why he turned into a homicidal maniac. He might have his reasons for hating gods, but that doesn’t justify killing hundreds. And I haven’t forgotten the ritual they were about to trigger. If you hadn’t been there, who knows what could have happened?”

  “Yeah,” Nick nodded, “however justified he might think he is, those weren’t the actions of a righteous man. As for the ritual… I can’t be certain because I spent most of the time breaking it down rather than studying it, but I’m pretty sure it was meant to make the land barren for any god.” Though even that is a simplification. This was a much more powerful version than what they used on Eztie’s temple, and not just because of the increased sacrifices.

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  The implications of that lingered in the air as the door opened again, and a young man stepped in, whom Nick immediately recognized by his gaudy jewelry and shiny, perfectly styled short hair.

  “Healer Lorenz?” he asked, and the man blinked, focusing on them rather than whatever thought he might have had.

  “You are… Lord Crowley’s son?” Lorenz asked. Clearly, though he hadn’t seemed very enthusiastic back then, he had paid enough attention to remember him. “The one with the busted channels? What are you doing here?”

  Nick smiled. Healer Lorenz was not very good at bedside manners, but he was a skilled practitioner of the medical arts, and one whose time was quite valuable. The fact that the Duke was bringing in outside experts was a good sign, meaning he wasn’t worried about the cost if it meant getting things back on track.

  “We both are,” he replied, gesturing to his brother. “Got caught up in the attacks, and the Duke found our service good enough to see our needs taken care of.”

  Lorenz hummed, tapping one perfectly manicured finger on his lips. “Well, I can’t say I expected to see you again in this kind of circumstance, after the damage you did to yourself. But I guess everything is possible under heaven’s watch.”

  A snort drew their attention to Devon, who shook his head but couldn’t hide his amusement. “Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just happy it’s him getting that treatment for once.”

  Nick rolled his eyes and was about to let the healer do his job when a ripple passed through the ether. His head snapped toward its origin, but he calmed down as he recognized the signature behind it.

  Devon noticed his reaction and was on his feet instantly, sword half unsheathed, but he stopped when Nick raised his head. “He’s about to speak,” he said, earning confused looks, only for them to understand what he meant a moment later.

  “People of Alluria,” the Duke’s voice thundered through the castle, resonating into the city via the powerful wards that enclosed it. Not through the air, like normal speech, but through mana, as directed by the wards, ensuring it reached every corner.

  Everyone, from the poorest fisherman to the mightiest knight, stopped what they were doing and listened.

  “Today, our beloved city has suffered a deliberate and brutal attack at the hands of a shadowy cult. Their goal was clear: to sow chaos, all in an effort to access the local temples and commit heinous crimes therein. They cared nothing about the pain, death, and suffering they caused to our sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters, our fathers and mothers, and our elders. Their only aim was cruel violence, and they would have trampled over all of us to achieve it.”

  The somber tone gave the speech a unique gravitas, amplified by the ripples it created in the ether.

  That might just be his charisma at work. I’ve never seen a high noble wield it to full power, but it’s definitely just as intimidating as having the strength to crush mountains.

  It was being used for good now, but it was easy to see how such power could be used for evil. If he wanted to, the Duke could have just as easily whipped the city into a frenzy instead of grief and reflection.

  “Our soldiers were the first in the line of fire. They threw themselves at the enemy, stopping many of their malicious schemes. It is thanks to their efforts over the past weeks that the damage was so limited, and thanks to their bravery that today I speak to you only of grief, not of despair.” His tone took a slight tilt at the end, enough to push back some of the gloom that had been gathering over the city since the first attack.

  Fascinating. He’s not using spiritual magic at all, yet he’s still able to manipulate emotions on an incredible scale. No doubt, being a Duke comes with some great perks, especially at Prestige, but this is the work of a true master. It’s not just brute force. He’s effectively accelerating the elaboration of their emotions for almost every citizen at once!

  Emotional manipulation on that scale was honestly terrifying, but at the same time, Nick knew the Duke was doing it for a good reason. If he let chaos take over, the city would suffer far more than from the attacks themselves.

  “Not only our soldiers, but many others came to defend our fair city. Nobles and citizens alike, people stood shoulder to shoulder to face the enemy! Mages of the Tower protected schools from explosions that would have razed them to the ground. Bakers and adventurers fought against the flood of monsters emerging from the sewers and pushed them back. Noble knights defeated several frenzied groups, while ordinary soldiers protected critical infrastructure, preventing the enemy from achieving their goals. Together, the city was saved!”

  The mood had lifted somewhat. It wasn't quite jubilant, as the same sense of grief still lingered in the Duke’s voice, but there was a distinct note of hope and pride.

  Nick noticed both his brother and the healer straighten up, instinctively puffing out their chests.

  “Our enemies failed! They inflicted pain, took many from us, but they failed! And I promise you this, as both the Duke of Alluria and Anton, son of Yulberta and Valton. We will make them pay. They will be hunted to the end of the continent, and nowhere will be safe from them! Alluria will not bend. It will not break! And our enemies will fear us, now and forever more!

  A roar echoed through the streets, audible even inside the castle, and was quickly echoed by the soldiers in the med bay outside, loud enough to shake the stones. The people shouted their emotions, filled with indescribable relief, joy, and anger at everything that had happened.

  The feeling of being watched disappeared, and Nick knew the Duke had severed his connection to the wards, but the noise didn’t, and Nick doubted it would go away anytime soon.

  No, Alluria had woken, and it wouldn't rest until it had taken its revenge.

  “Let’s get back to the examination, shall we?” he asked, prompting Lorenz to do his job.

  Returning to the Tower, they had to wait several more hours. After they were seen to by the healer, cleaned up, and released, Xander pulled them aside and had them debriefed by the same knight who had greeted them before the auction.

  Several noblemen, whom the duke had assigned to secure the city, had also occasionally joined in during the recounting. It was only after the third time Nick was asked to go over the details of the fight, and the questions grew increasingly specific about his abilities and what he had done to break the ritual, that the Grandmaster intervened and freed him from their grip.

  Nick was convinced that, judging by the frowns around the room, they would have detained him for days if they believed they could wring more information from him. However, he had already shared all he could without revealing his true nature, and any further pressure would have seen him out of the window before they could even blink.

  Xander then had a carriage called despite his protests that he could make his way back to the Tower on his own.

  “It’s not about your ability to get there. You provided a service to the city today, one that far exceeds what you did before, Nicholas. There are procedures that must be followed. A message was sent ahead to Archmage Tholm to inform him of your contribution, and sending you back to him without an escort would be seen as dismissing your importance today. Bear with it.”