The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 262 - Four: Dark Lord

Chapter 262: Chapter Four: Dark Lord

"Dark Lord, I truly cannot comprehend what you are still hesitating or waiting for. Do these shallow and ridiculous things of the secular world truly hold such allure for you? Wealth? Women? Or is it power?" The man hidden in the darkness spoke as if his voice came from deep underground, always tinged with a trace of chill and unpredictability, "You don’t need to deny anything, my spiritual sense has already informed me of everything. There are some things that cannot be feigned nor concealed. Perhaps others cannot be sure, but Xerob is not others—the spiritual intuition from the Dark Sacred Source makes no mistakes, Lord Sir, you are undoubtedly the Dark Lord we have long awaited, this is beyond doubt. Please don’t insult my spiritual perception, and please don’t evade the responsibilities and duties you ought to assume. We, the Great Mysterium Sect, have waited for this day for hundreds of years."

Seeing the other’s adamant and persistent gaze, Komer sighed deeply in his heart. Ever since the Great Mysterium Devotee set foot in Caucasus, his heart had never been at peace. Mere contact had the other party convinced of his identity, and Komer couldn’t fathom how the other had such keen intuition. Could it be that the traces and aura left on him by Kennifer III were truly that evident?

"Xerob, the Great Nether Envoy, first of all, I need to remind you that whether or not I cling to something, that is my own affair. Indeed, I can perform dark magic, just that and nothing more, but it doesn’t mean I must walk the same path as your Great Mysterium Sect. There are plenty of mages who practice the Dark Heavenly Path, does that mean they all are connected to your so-called Dark Inheritance? This is rather preposterous. All those nebulous things you talk about, I can’t understand them and I don’t want to. That’s your own business. The Great Mysterium Sect has its own path, which doesn’t need my guidance. I prefer my current life. Power, women, wealth, I think liking these things is human nature. Severing emotions and nature is not necessarily required to cultivate the Dark Heavenly Path. As long as there is a small flame of clarity in the heart that is not lost, that is enough."

"Xerob greatly regrets hearing what the Dark Lord has said. The pursuit of our Great Mysterium Sect is far from as simple as the Dark Lord imagines. I believe that once the Dark Lord truly integrates yourself into our Great Mysterium Sect, you will discover that everything you’ve experienced before is just a drop in the ocean, so trivial as to be not worth mentioning. This, I firmly believe."

Xerob was not surprised by the other’s adamant attitude. Those who could carry on the glorious mission of the Dark Holy Church were not ordinary people. If one’s convictions could be so easily altered, then one might suspect a problem with their spiritual perception. Originally, the visit was merely a chance to probe the newly developed land of Caucasus, but upon meeting, Xerob had discovered a miracle that could shake the entire church—a descendent of the Holy Teaching awaited for hundreds of years turned out to be a lord of this remote territory. The surprise of that moment nearly drove Xerob to shout for joy, but to confirm his perception and judgment were not mistaken, he still summoned the church’s Great Mage King with a dark spirit message for confirmation. The joint verification finally confirmed the other’s identity.

But evidently, this inheritor of the Dark Holy Church was unaware of his own identity; he merely thought of himself as a dark mage. Xerob did not know through what means the previous Dark Lord of the Holy Teaching transferred his memory and the essence of the sacred source to the other party. The sacred essence the other possessed, originating from Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, could absolutely not be faked or replicated, and anyone from the Dark Lineage, if they truly felt it, could sense it. But the other seemed utterly ignorant of the inheritance and history of the Dark Holy Church, merely showing superficial interest in the magic skills as such, while shying away from the deeper essence of the original lineage, displaying a look of nonsensical talk whenever these matters came up, which greatly depressed Xerob.

However, these minute details did not affect Xerob’s mood. Having finally found the elusive Dark Lord in the vast world filled him with satisfaction, and the various evasive behaviors of the Lord Sir reinforced Xerob’s conviction that the cause of the Dark Holy Church, after hundreds of years of decline, was finally seeing a new beginning. From a wastrel to a territory lord, from a frail youth to a mage with masterful control, in just a year, he had turned Caucasus from barren land into a flourishing territory teeming with life. All this sufficiently demonstrated the extraordinary nature of this young man.

Xerob collected all possible information about this Caucasus Lord, now confirmed as the Dark Lord candidate, through various means. From the information obtained from all quarters, this individual indeed had extraordinary attributes. Aside from his mana inherited from the Dark Lineage, what truly captivated Xerob was his exceptional adaptability and his ability to oversee the big picture. This is exactly what the Great Mysterium Sect needed at the moment. The reason why the Church of Light could suppress their rivals and become the most influential and powerful sect in the Continent was not that the gods they worshiped were deeply loved by the people, nor that their magic power surpassed others, but because they had been blessed with several astute and visionary Popes. Under the painstaking management of several talented Popes, the Church of Light rapidly grew from an ordinary sect into the foremost sect that no one dared provoke, and gradually monopolized the religious faith of the continent’s population. Much of this is owed to the management of those Popes. And for the Great Mysterium Sect to walk towards revival, it must have a trailblazer to usher in the new era. In addition to the necessary Dark Sacred Source and magical talent, what is more important is that the leading Dark Lord must possess exceptionally high leadership skills. And this current Lord Sir seems to meet nearly all the criteria. Isn’t this the gift from Hades, the God of the Underworld, for the revival of the Great Mysterium Sect, to take up the inheritance of the Dark Heavenly Path?"

Although the Dark Lord is currently reluctant to accept this reality, Xerob is not worried. With hundreds of years gone by, he has plenty of patience and will eventually make the other party gradually accept this unavoidable truth.

"Is that so? Perhaps my experience is not yet sufficient for me to grasp such profound truths. You have your convictions, and I have my pursuits; let’s agree to keep them separate, shall we?" Flashing a toothy smile, Komer suggested.

"Dark Lord, we do not force anyone to accept anything, but we do have a duty to make all people aware of the many unknowns in this world, and the right to interpret the mysteries of the world cannot be monopolized by any one religion or sect. The Great Mysterium Sect simply wishes to handle this matter better. Well, now that the Dark Lord has yet to understand all this, Xerob will not overly insist. I believe there will come a day when the Dark Lord will understand all that we have done." Xerob understood the principle of ’more haste, less speed’, and sometimes yielding is actually advancing; he was very clear on this, "Then let’s change the topic, shall we? Since the Church of Light can preach and teach in Caucasus, I presume the Lord would not reject the Great Mysterium Sect from afar. Why, then, can the Lord not tolerate the Great Mysterium Sect holding sermons here?"

"Xerob, the Great Dark Envoy, you seem to have forgotten something. I have said before that the Caucasus belongs to the Kingdom of Nicosia, and anything that violates the laws and prohibitions of the kingdom will not be permitted. While the Great Mysterium Sect may openly preach in the southern Continent, this is still the territory of the Kingdom of Nicosia, and it remains within the forbidden category. I can only apologize. As for the rationality and legality of the teachings of the Great Mysterium Sect that you mentioned, I think these need to be proven over time and practice. Even I, as the Lord, do not understand your sect; how can I go against the kingdom’s bans and allow you to preach here?" Komer steered the conversation towards the intention he had for inviting the other party today, both overtly and covertly.

"This question is simple. Everything about the Great Mysterium Sect is open to the Dark Lord; there is no need for any deception. Whatever the Dark Lord needs to understand, Xerob can tell without reservation. Xerob also hopes that, if the Dark Lord has the time, Xerob may accompany you to the South to see the true essence of our sect. The Church of Light is but a sect that claims to be the first major church in the continent by leveraging their foundation established within the mortal society of the North, but in the South, it is our fertile ground for preaching. I believe, after you understand the true mysteries and the goals our Great Mysterium Sect pursues, you will understand the secrets to our enduring fame and why different races of humans look up to us with devotion and faith," he said with a light smile. The gaze of the Dark Envoy from the Great Mysterium Sect, hidden in the shadows, suddenly brightened, and even the heavy underlying darkness seemed to fade away, becoming exceptionally captivating.

"Very good, I am eager to see this as well. I am not a narrow-minded religious zealot, but neither do I oppose the spread of religion. The people have the freedom of faith, of course. A faith that can bring peace to people’s spirits, that promotes good and suppresses evil, and that benefits society, should naturally obtain understanding and support from the secular powers," said Komer, hinting at something more, which the worldly man in black also understood immediately.

"Dark Lord, if there is anything you need our Great Mysterium Sect to do, please just ask. Whatever the Church of Light can do, our Great Mysterium Sect can do as well. What they cannot do, our Great Mysterium Sect can also achieve. So many prejudices have been misled by the Church of Light, as if they are the only righteous choice to enlighten the public, while our Great Mysterium Sect is seen as an evil ghost lurking in the dark. I would like to ask these laypeople where they see the holiness of the Church of Light and from where they have witnessed the evil of our Great Mysterium Sect?" Xerob’s words were still as calm as ever, like a casual chat beside the hearth in winter.

"Envoy Sir, the reputation of the Church of Light has been established gradually over hundreds of years through countless acts of punishing evil and promoting goodness since they drove back the invasion of Magical Beasts that nearly destroyed humanity. Such accumulation of prestige cannot be achieved overnight. If the Great Mysterium Sect wants to truly establish itself on the continent, merely developing in the extraordinary realms of the South is not enough. Only by facing difficulties can the people see your discipline and actions in everyday life, see what you worship and what you despise. You must prove the true righteousness of your belief through the actions of each devotee of the Great Mysterium Sect, instead of attaining your goals through slander and vitriol," Komer suggested, with a faint smile and a calm demeanor.

"Hmm, the Dark Lord’s words are indeed reasonable. However, does the Dark Lord now see any opportunity to prove the tenets of our Great Mysterium Sect?" Xerob secretly chuckled. These petty tricks were far too clumsy for someone like him. It was obvious that the other party needed his help but did not want to entangle his requests with what he had proposed, hence the elaborate detour using a seemingly forced rationale to enlighten him. However, Xerob did not intend to expose the other party. Good feelings and trust required more interactions to gradually build up. To get the other party to accept this fact, the Great Mysterium Sect still had a long way to go, especially with someone like this, who had always lived under the luminous shadow of the Church of Light as one of the Aristocratic children.