The Harvester
458. Bell of Disentanglement

“Well, that was fun,” Rakna chortled as he sat in a private room provided by Verre, the company hosting the auction. “My old man would be proud.”

On the opposite side, Fia was staring at the werewolf with pursed lips. His presence and Intent had fully been retracted by this point, so Darius was no longer shaking like a leaf at least. But it did little to help her forget the overwhelming sense of helplessness from earlier.

As for Filiana, she sighed. “To think the one I entrusted my life to is someone like you…”

“Oh, come on. Cheer up a little. I never really had the chance to joke around like this during most of my life,” Rakna uttered with a huff and slung an arm over the sofa. “It feels nice to do it once in a while.”

The Queen didn’t say anything; she recognized the genuineness in his tone.

“Anyway, Bhumi, did your task go well?” The werewolf turned toward his weapon’s Ego.

“Yes. They folded pretty easily. A bit of holy energy and some promises was all it needed.”

Rakna snorted. “I see. You can return then, thanks,” he stated and extended his hand. Bhumi did not hesitate and passed his sword to him under the puzzled eyes of the onlookers.

As soon as it left Bhumi’s hands, his body broke apart and was sucked inside the sword right as it transformed into an awe-inspiring Guandao. Rakna grasped the shaft and casually propped it on his shoulder. 

By that point, Darius had once again begun sweating. Why wouldn’t he? While the two women in the room were shocked at the display, his mind immediately tried to estimate how powerful this ‘werewolf’ was. And none of it made sense.

“Let’s talk business,” Rakna continued unabated. “Today, I’ve given you power.”

“…huh? Me?” Filiana blurted out.

“Yes. Exactly. I just gave you power in the form of ‘me’,” he kidded and she blinked. “The rumors and news will spread fast considering how many wealthy people there were in that auction. Now everyone will know Queen Filiana ‘owns’ an absurdly overpowered monster.”

“You call yourself that…?” Fia mumbled inaudibly.

Filiana frowned. “I see… I suppose that’s not a bad thing. But how am I going to make use of it?”

“It won’t be straightforward, I admit,” Rakna shrugged. “Everything is already set in place for my plan to succeed. Soon, within seven days at the latest, I want you to set up a party.”

“A… party?”

“Yeah. A celebration, rather. For your ‘son’ who is going to become king,” the werewolf clarified and looked at Fia. “Though… this requires you to publicly renounce your succession right.”

“What?!” The princess stood up. “Why should I?! I never agreed to participate in your scheme!”

“Miss--!” Darius tried to hold her back, but the response to her words came far too fast. Before he knew it, Fia’s face had already blanched.

Rakna’s eyes glowed slightly as he locked eyes with her. “Sit.”

Wordlessly, she flopped back on her chair.

“I’m giving you a chance here. Choose; cooperate or be forced to.”

“…how is that a choice…”

“In the former case, you can ask something in return at least,” he huffed. “All you want anyway is to marry that darling of yours, right?”

“…maybe, but I don’t like the way you say it.”

“And you’re a very rebellious princess, but I don’t complain about it,” Rakna blankly said. “There is no reason not to cooperate. As soon as things are over, you can ask whatever you want from your mother; she’ll be able to give it to you.”

“…?” Fia threw an inquisitive glance at her mother who smiled wryly.

“I’ll ask again; will you renounce your right?”

A complicated expression marred Fia for a moment. “Fine…” She groaned. “I’ll do it.”

“Wonderful. With that said, after you do that, we can start inviting guests to the party. That will be your job,” Rakna pointed at Filiana. “As many influential people as possible. Also, don’t forget to send an invitation to the Church without naming anyone.”

Filiana was a bit confused by the specification but nodded anyway. “Understood.”

“Good. Now, a question for you two…” The werewolf smirked. “How well can you act?”

* * *

Six days later, inside the spacious front hall of the castle, Filiana sat on her temporary throne. In an elevated position, she watched as guests walked in from outside one after another. The wards kept calling their names as they arrived.

One common behavior of all these guests, from merchants to dukes, was to immediately gaze at the Queen… and what stood behind her. A lupine creature, standing on both feet and holding a polearm, who was unexpectedly only as tall as a normal human.

“…they are all wary of you,” Filiana commented quietly.

“Well, that was the plan.”

“But it’s not good if they’re scared either!”

He rolled his eyes. “Come on now, I even shrunk myself.”

“And how you even do that is still beyond me,” she grumbled.

“Focus,” Rakna snorted in amusement. After knowing her for about a week, he had become quite familiar with her; to some extent, she reminded him of Nyx. “Please be a good girl for today.” 

Filiana blankly watched a noble house walk in. “…I want to hit you with my chair.”

“I’ll take that as your way of showing gratitude.”

“…”

“H-His Holiness The Pope, Dominicus!” The welcome rang out and everybody quieted down.

Despite already knowing about it, Filiana couldn’t help but swallow her uneasiness. How had he even convinced the Church’s highest power to attend this gathering?

As she brooded, a middle-aged man, who retained gracefulness from his younger years, stepped into the hall, wearing a magnificent gilded white robe. His blond hair reached his shoulders and contrasted with his green eyes. A gentle smile was plastered on his face.

Next to him, four people followed him. Two of which were fully-armored Paladins, each carrying a specific emblem in their chest plates. The other two were a mere priest and nun, but their aura was everything but banal.

‘…really cautious,’ Rakna narrowed his eyes. The Paladins alone ranked in the highest powers he could sense across this whole country. The Pope himself was overflowing with Holy Power. And the two additional attendants were no slouches. They had come ready for battle if needed.

“Greetings, Your Majesty,” Dominicus walked to Filiana, giving his respects by putting his hand over his heart. Right away, he was giving courtesy despite his social standing being much higher.

He smiled evenly, “I deeply thank you for inviting us to the occasion.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Your Holiness,” she mirrored his disposition. “I hope you will find the evening agreeable.”

“Oh, believe me, I have a feeling I will,” the man’s smile widened. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a few acquaintances to greet before our guest of honor arrives,” he stated and briefly glanced at the werewolf standing guard before turning around.

Once they were far enough, Filiana grimaced. “My stomach is starting to disagree with this…”

“Haha,” Rakna laughed lightly. “Well, swallow it down. I don’t want my main actor to puke in the middle of her performance.”

“Ugh, you are just making it worse…”

* * *

It took an additional thirty minutes for all guests to be accounted for. The last ones to make their entrance were Fia and Arvis, dressed as lavishly as the occasion demanded. The latter shared the same eyes as his half-sister but otherwise had brown hair and more angular facial features.

Many nobles swarmed the two royals, some already trying to curry favor with the man who was essentially guaranteed to become king. However, not all of them went out of their way to do so.

A few dukes and marquises were watching with suspicion in their eyes. They were not fools; the situation was not ordinary. Not only had Arvis’ legitimacy been settled by the direct intervention of the Queen, but his only competition had also stepped down, supporting him instead. 

And now, a celebration had been thrown in his honor… and the Pope had deigned to attend.

All of that had happened in the span of a week. They couldn’t be convinced otherwise; this was a meticulously orchestrated outcome. The question was… what happened now?

For a good hour into the party, they didn’t get their answer. Filiana didn’t say much and chatted with the guests as normal. Rakna only yawned a few times. Though, admittedly, just that simple action had startled people; especially those who had been present at the auction.

Eventually, the werewolf nudged Filiana when he deemed the situation optimal; the most valued guests were all sitting at their table, finishing their meals. In other words, they had lowered their guard, and so had Arvis. This was a free shock factor bonus.

Filiana breathed in and slowly stood up. She grabbed everyone’s attention and schooled her own expression until it was stony. “First of all, I would like to thank every person here for accepting our invitation,” she began neutrally. “But, I shall apologize in advance. The purpose of this event is not as innocuous as I have made it seem.”

Several people couldn’t hide their frown at that and Arvis’ expression shifted slightly.

“Oh?” Dominicus exclaimed before anybody else, a glint in his eyes. “What may it be then?”

“Amongst us today… I have identified a dark mage seeking to betray our nation,” Filiana stated without missing a beat. As expected, the crowd bristled at the accusation. Naturally, she had yet to single out anyone, but for various reasons, many nobles felt insulted.

Perhaps they were guilty of something different and sought to project their indignance as a form of exoneration. Regardless, none got the chance to speak up before Rakna stepped forward and splintered the floor with his polearm.

Immediately, they shut their mouths.

“…Mother,” Arvis eventually raised his voice with a grim face. “Can you guarantee the veracity of such a claim? How did you come across this information?”

“I have no need to explain myself to you,” Filiana replied coldly and gazed at him. “I’ll say it here and now; you are the one I accuse of treason.”

His expression distorted slightly and the people in his direct vicinity stepped back in shock.

“…is this the true meaning of these past few days?” He gritted out. “Did you plan to incriminate me in front of the court?” He narrowed his eyes. “The proof; where is it? I surely hope you did not fabricate a lie to get rid of me.”

Before Filiana could open her mouth, her current ‘personal bodyguard’ grunted loudly, as if he was offended on her behalf. Rakna twirled Sonata until the blade faced down and walked down the stairs of the throne.

“My lady doesn’t need to answer you. She gave the ‘proof’ you seek to me,” he stated and purple flames swirled around his hand to summon a fist-sized object; a black and golden bell. “This is a relic she put under my care.”

As he said that, thankfully, he had attracted everyone’s attention, otherwise, some people would have noticed the blank look Filiana shot him. ‘Who put what under whose care? I have never seen that thing in my life, you crazy pooch,’ she griped inwardly; her daughter would be proud.

“This is the Bell of Disentanglement,” Rakna explained loudly and opened his palm. The object immediately began to float, and simultaneously expanded to be bigger than his torso. 

This was the item he had received from one of his most recent Random Boxes. To be exact, it was from the Treasure Box. ‘Treasure’ was a special class of Item in the System. They did not possess particularly strong defensive or offensive effects and were usually far from flexible in their use.

They shared more similarities with Utility Items than anything else. Their characteristics were in fact always singular; they simply had one fixed purpose. No variation in its method of use.

“This bell has a simple effect. As I ring it, anything within the range of its sound will temporarily have its spiritual energies ‘disentangled’. When it comes to living creatures, it is enhanced when they can hear it.”

Arvis stiffened.

“How about I give you a demonstration?” Rakna grinned and waved his hand. The bell swayed to his movement and then rang sharply. It was neither loud nor quiet; it made the hall vibrate but it was nowhere near enough for anybody in it to feel uncomfortable.

As the sound coursed through the guests, their mana, internal force, soul, and mind underwent a strange transformation. They didn’t go out of control; they became distinct. They didn’t divide from one another, but instead of peacefully swirling in the same pot, they had turned into a very meticulous puzzle. 

And because of it, they spilled out from their owner’s bodies because they ‘lacked the space’ to remain unseen. Most nobles in the room had normal showings; a balance of mana, ki, and mental energy. Unless you were strong enough, soul power wouldn’t appear.

Dominicus and his paladins displayed that with five energies; soul power and holy power being their two additional constituents.

In comparison, Rakna himself also fell under its effect and everyone held their breath. It wasn’t just three; there were eleven disentangled energies vying for space inside his body. 

Aside from his boundless mana and mental energy; purple, teal, red, black, golden, silver, white, violet, and something invisible that seemed to encompass them in unworldly harmony. And that was not all of it; there was one last piece in the center that despite being disentangled by the bell had remained attached to every other, constantly feeding on them.

It was like a colorful lotus. To make things worse, even the weapon in his hands was displaying a similar spectacle with a few variations.

That magnificent sight was eye-catching for sure, but not enough to hide the reason why the bell had been rung in the first place. There, Arvis stood with his energies bared to the world; nothing could hide them as the bell made sure to disentangle even spells meant to do so.

His mana was blatantly corrupted and thick like mud. His soul power was also strong, abnormal considering he wasn’t known to be a particularly powerful spellblade.

The bell’s effect lasted barely a few seconds and everyone promptly returned to normal. Rakna smirked as he sucked it back into his soul. “Well then,” he pointed his weapon at Arvis. “I believe everyone here was able to recognize the nature of your mana.”

Evidently, his words were right as everyone took their distance from the prince. The paladins at the pope’s side even advanced to defend against him, summoning their shields.

“And if that is not enough…” Rakna cracked the floor tiles with Sonata’s shaft again, sending out a wave of undetectable coercion. “Answerme.” The Guandao’s blade gleamed. “Are you a dark mage, yes or not?”

“Ye--!” Arvis covered his mouth with his hand, his eyes wide open in mortification.

“My Sonata is capable of forcing the truth out of those I question,” Rakna explained calmly and incidentally made a few people in the room squirm, terrified by the potential of that ability. “But since you could have argued it to be hypnosis of some kind, I didn’t prioritize it.”

“…”

Arvis didn’t make a sound afterward. He only glared at the werewolf, immobile.

“As you can see,” Filiana closed her eyes. “This is the purpose of this evening. Everyone, I would like to apologize again for making you a witness to this without prior caution. Shall you need any further proof, may I be so bold as to request His Holiness’ aid?” She looked at Dominicus.

The pope narrowed his eyes with a thin smile on his face. “Certainly… I could cast the Lord’s will onto His Highness and reveal any trace of dark magic. However, that relic you provided already allowed me to confirm its existence. I say, this is all the proof needed.”

Veins began to protrude in the prince’s neck as he listened quietly.

A rather influential duke groaned from the back. He was one of the wiser nobles and had kept his distance from the start. “This is much messier than I anticipated,” he grumbled to himself and he wasn’t the only one chattering in the hall.

“…‘Mother’,” Arvis finally spoke up after a moment, shutting them up. His voice was serene, but there was a scathing bite in his tone. “What if your accusations ring true? Do you believe it to be judicious to invite so many here, where I could easily cause harm? Especially His Holiness?”

Filiana gazed back at him with detached eyes. “Do not misunderstand. How powerful you may be is irrelevant; you will not be capable of anything today.”

“Is that so…?” He whispered and without delay, dark mana rolled out of his body in waves. It was instantly that both private and royal guards moved to protect the guests from its effects, pushing them back to safety.

The compromised prince’s body began to expand, his skin darkening. His pupils flashed red and the sword at his waist broke its sheath as it expanded into a monstrous-looking armament. His hair lengthened and the clothes on his upper body were shredded by his own energy, revealing an impressive musculature.

‘Hm… interesting,’ Rakna thought as he watched. At that moment, a furtive aspect of his Nephilim abilities had already been triggered. The World Is My Cradle; with one peek, he learned how to become a ‘Dark Mage’.

It didn’t appear on his status; it was merely knowledge. As Bhumi had said, it was similar to the reverse flow of Demonic Qi which he had seen first-hand in Tarnished Death. But comparing the latter to this… was frankly beyond insulting to the Fiend.

“So, this is the end of my path, is it?” Arvis uttered, his voice sounding double. He gripped his weapon and swung at the ground, pulverizing it. “Butit is too late. You may expose me, but it does not change the fate of this country,” he stated with an unexpectedly calm voice.

He pointed his palm at the crowd and began to charge an orb of dark magic. His current power was enough to rank him a place among this world’s mightiest.

Screams of terror echoed in the hall as children and women were made to flee. But, in contrast to most of them, many guests didn’t do more than step away; for they had noticed something.

“May you perish in--!” Arvis swallowed the rest of his words when, in a blink, his arm vanished; orb included. A flash of violet had disintegrated his limb before he could react.

The dark mage snapped toward the source, spotting the werewolf pointing his Guandao’s blade at where his arm used to be. His eyes widened in shock; he naturally knew of this ‘wolf’. He knew that every rumor in the last few days depicted it as a serious powerhouse.

But when Arvis had seen it standing behind Filiana, he was confused. He could not sense a trace of what could possibly make it so threatening. Even now, as he stared at the strange violet light, he felt nothing. Yet… he shivered.

“I have warned you,” Filiana spoke up with a sigh. “You will not be able to do anything.”

As those words reached his ears, he already could not afford to focus on them. A grinning beast surrounded by a strange violet ‘blur’ appeared in front of him and swung his weapon at him.

He instinctively raised his sword in defense, but as he heard and felt the clash, a ripple coursed through his hand, almost making him lose grip. But most egregiously, he lost his breath, his torso slashed by something he couldn’t understand.

He blinked and the werewolf’s glaive was already pulled back, as if it had never been swung.

“You fool,” Rakna said mockingly. “Who would try to parry a ghost?”

“…!”

Arvis couldn’t even try to fathom those words before a violet blur resembling a sweeping brush stroke headed straight for his neck. In a cold sweat, he focused on the most crucial information; blocking is impossible.

He leaned backward as fast as he could, in time to see the oscillating blade pass above him. And without wasting time, he jumped away and thrust his sword into the floor, cartwheeling himself back on his feet.

He gritted his teeth. “If you think this will be over so easily…” He snarled and a lump of flesh sprouted from his mangled shoulder to form a new arm. “Then—!" 

“Then what?”

“Kgh…!” Arvis choked on his words; nobody was in front of him. He hurriedly turned around and staggered backward. Rakna was there, blatantly showing his back, his Guandao horizontally laid on his shoulders with both arms slung over the shaft.

‘This beast…’ The dark mage clenched his fist until it bled. ‘He could have killed me just now.’

“You’re having some fascinating realizations, I’m sure,” the werewolf uttered, striding back and forth as if he were taking a casual stroll. He smiled and used one of his tails to flip Sonata off his shoulders and back into his hand. “Don’t let it demoralize you. I still need a dummy, after all.”

‘…he’s toying with me,’ Arvis thought soberly and his veins bulged further. “Fine… If that is what you want… you will not be disappointed!” He yelled and multi-layered magic circles encased his sword, raising the density of his mana and pressuring the surroundings like gravity.

“Hah,” Rakna whirled Sonata, tracing a circle of violet light in the air. “Come at me then.”