Chapter 301: The Pact of the Rat Path

After those words were spoken, Cooper’s body tensed to the extreme, and the atmosphere in the hall grew heavier.

Cooper glanced sideways at Hode and thought that he might very well die an honorable death here.

He did not know whether that man’s talk of the Hall of Heroes was true.

Yet soon, he realized that it seemed only he was this nervous inside the hall. The others showed no reaction at all, not even the two guards beside King Aureus drew their swords in response to Hode’s rebuttal.

Aureus burst into laughter. The aged sound of his laughter carried such valor that it stirred Cooper’s chest.

When Aureus’s laughter faded, he said, “Yes, this is the North. So whatever I do here is meaningless—at least, meaningless to this land.”

Hode gave no reply.

Aureus’s gaze shifted toward that pile of severed heads.

Hode followed his gaze, and immediately his body shivered slightly. His hand could not help but press against the hand axe at his waist.

He saw the pile of heads begin to twitch. Suddenly, all of their eyes snapped open, eyeballs rolling wildly. Their jaws opened and closed, producing a dense, unnerving crackling sound.

Only then did the guards grip their weapons tightly, their faces tense. The two guards at Aureus’s side stepped forward, swords in hand, staring warily at the heap of heads.

But when Aureus raised his hand in signal, the two guards relaxed slightly and returned to their positions.

Then, the mouths of the severed heads snapped shut at once. Their erratic eyes locked upon Aureus. The last severed head, Atticus’s, as if pulled by some power, floated up onto the pile and faced Aureus directly. Its eyes opened—pools of pitch black.

“Since this is the North, then you must be the King of the North, Aureus Fernando?”

The voice was deep, like that of a middle-aged man. Though framed as a question, his tone carried certainty.

“You pay gold, and the Rat Path provides you intelligence, watching over the movements within your lands. If I recall correctly, for the past two hundred and seventy-two years, we have not once violated the pact signed with your ancestors.”

“But I believe a king cannot be entirely foolish. This action is simply to test the consequences of breaking the pact with the Rat Path. So, I want to know why you summoned me here.”

Aureus looked calmly at the pitch-black eyes of Atticus’s head and said, “You deceived me.”

The middle-aged voice responded, “Deception? Let me see… ah, yes, the matter of the Lords of Annihilation. He truly did not know of them, so he reported to you truthfully. But indeed, his words were wrong. In truth, it was we, the Rat Path, who deceived you. So then—do you wish the Rat Path to compensate you?”

Aureus said, “So you do know of the Lords of Annihilation.”

The voice replied, “Of course we know. We are the Rat Path. We know all that has already happened in this world. Let me tell you truthfully—we possess eyes that can see the past. This is both our apology and our sincerity. You are wise, so we wish to continue cooperating with you.”

Aureus stated directly, “I need to know the origin of the Lords of Annihilation, and their power.”

The voice answered just as directly, “No. I cannot tell you their origin, nor their power. That power is infinite. If I speak their names, they will find me, and I will be erased from this world in an instant by their will. All I can tell you is that each one of them could destroy this world.”

Aureus closed his eyes.

The atmosphere within the hall grew even more oppressive. Hode’s heart sank heavily. After Priest Agamemnon had spoken, he knew the Lords of Annihilation were strong, but he had not imagined that they could easily destroy the world. This was no longer a matter concerning only the North.

Aureus opened his eyes again. “Why have the Lords of Annihilation not appeared before now?”

The voice answered bluntly, “Because a great being did not allow them to appear.”

Aureus asked, “And who is this great being you speak of?”

The reply came, “We cannot speak his name.”

Aureus continued, “Since the Lords of Annihilation can destroy the world, why do you still choose to work with me?”

The voice said, “It is our mission. It is the reason for our existence. It is all we can do—until the world truly ends.”

Aureus pressed further, “Who gave you this mission?”

The reply was, “Unknown.”

Aureus asked, “You claim to have eyes that see the past.”

The voice said, “The past is but a concept. And in this world, there are places where even the concept of the past does not exist.”

Aureus fell silent again.

Suddenly, Hode asked, “Then… can we fight against the Lords of Annihilation?”

The voice ignored Hode, staring only at Aureus.

Aureus glanced at Hode, pondered briefly, and asked, “Does power exist in this world that can oppose the Lords?”

The reply was short. “Yes.”

Aureus asked, “Where is it? How can I obtain it?”

The voice answered, “Unknown.”

Aureus asked, “In the place where the past does not exist?”

Again, the voice answered, “Unknown.”

Hode asked, “If it is unknown, then how do you know power exists that can oppose the Lords?”

The voice ignored Hode once more.

Aureus’s eyes narrowed slightly as he asked suddenly, “Is it in Greenwood?”

The voice replied, “Unknown.”

Aureus’s body relaxed slightly as he leaned back into his chair.

The voice asked, “Are you satisfied with our sincerity?”

Aureus said, “I want the history you know.”

The voice answered, “Your wealth is insufficient. And for the questions I just answered truthfully, you already owe us eighty thousand gold coins.”

Aureus’s eyes twitched slightly. “I will use the nobles of my lands to pay the debt.”

The voice said, “The Rat Path accepts only gold. To us, anything else is meaningless.”

Aureus closed his eyes. “No money.”

The voice declared, “Then the Rat Path shall curse you. Your descendants will be unable to bear children.”

Hode’s body trembled. He looked at Aureus—he bore Aureus’s bloodline as well, and was also his descendant.

Aureus said, “Agreed.”

Hode’s pupils shook violently.

The voice asked, “Then do you still wish to cooperate with us?”

Aureus said, “A pleasure to work with you.”

The other party no longer replied. Instead, the pitch-black eyes suddenly widened, and in that instant, Hode felt as though something within his body had been taken away.

Thinking of their earlier exchange, Hode could not help but speak out: “My surname is Hoover, not Fernando!”

Yet the other ignored him, and all the eyes upon the heap of heads shut at once.

Aureus offered a word of comfort: “That sensation is unpleasant, but you can still enjoy pleasure. You simply cannot sire children anymore, nothing more than that. I do not care, and neither should you.”

Hode longed to curse out loud. He belonged to the Hoover Family, yet now he had lost even the right to carry on its bloodline. His only hope lay in his elder brother Beo, whom nearly all in the North believed already dead.

He and Beo did not share the same mother.

But when he saw the silent guards clearing away the pile of heads, he chose to hold his tongue.

These were men who had not stirred even upon hearing words of the world’s destruction just now. That alone was proof enough of the terrifying strength of Frozen Furnace Castle.

He could clearly feel the pressure radiating from Cooper’s body.

Aureus rose to his feet and said, “Since the matter of rebellion has already been settled, my guests, you have not yet eaten breakfast. The steward will arrange it for you. I believe you will enjoy the meat of snow deer.”

Hode hesitated for a moment before saying, “Thank you for your hospitality.”

After hearing what that fellow from the Rat Path had said, he felt it best to remain here for now. However…

He could not help but ask, “This news… does it not need to be kept secret?”

Aureus replied, “There is no need. Or rather, in ignorance of the truth, if you were to hear such a rumor, would you believe it?”

Hode fell silent. Who would truly believe something like the destruction of the world? At least, without knowledge, such a matter felt far too distant.

Aureus continued, “Besides, you have been to Greenwood. You should know that when it comes to rumors, people believe only what they wish to believe. I imagine that if this news spreads, what they will focus on instead is that the bloodline of the Supreme King has been cursed with infertility.”

Hode felt as though struck by an axe.

He and Cooper went to eat the breakfast prepared by the steward of the castle, while Aureus descended underground.

“Castag, examine the curse upon me. Can it be removed?” Aureus asked directly.

“A curse?” Castag’s voice sounded. Soon it found the newly bound curse. “Infertility?”

“What did you provoke, to be cursed directly upon your bloodline?” Castag asked.

Aureus asked, “Can you remove it?”

Castag replied with haughty pride, “Of course not.”

Aureus fell into silence.

Castag added, “If it were but an ordinary curse of infertility, I could indeed dispel it. But the being who placed this curse is too powerful. From my perception alone, it is strength surpassing that of gods.”

Aureus asked, “On the same level as the Lords of Annihilation?”

Castag answered, “Who knows? Beneath the gods, one may still toy with power. But above the gods, one erases power altogether. For example, a low god cannot crush an entire marquisate with a single blow. Yet even if I reached the point where I could shatter the whole North with one punch, before a god I would have no power to resist. Even the lowest of gods could strip me of the very concept of having fists.”

Aureus asked, “So only a being stronger than the one who set this curse could undo it?”

“Of course,” Castag said. “But whether or not this curse is lifted hardly matters. With a body like yours, do you still wish to climb atop women?”

Aureus said, “I still have descendants.”

Castag burst into laughter. “Hahaha! Descendants? The world is on the brink of ruin! Seeking a quick and easy death is the only thing that matters now. Bearing children to pass on bloodlines has no meaning anymore.”

Aureus replied, “Perhaps there is still a chance.”

Castag asked, “What chance?”

Aureus said, “The chance to save this world.”

Castag’s baby-like voice carried mockery as he said, “Even if you could be like your ancestor and drive off a Lord of Annihilation with lies, do not forget—besides that Lord, there are still the Progenitor Gods.”

Aureus said, “Even so, we should not just sit here and wait for death.”

Castag’s mocking laughter grew louder. “Gahaha! True, one should not wait for death. But one can always kill oneself. You do not know it—when those gods slay you, the torment is far worse than any pain of the flesh.”

Aureus asked, “Have you been slain by gods before?”

Castag cursed, “How could that be! If I had, would I still be here? Fool!”

Aureus said, “Then how do you know being killed by gods is worse than pain of the flesh?”

Castag answered, “Because my memory tells me so.”

Aureus asked, “And what exactly does your memory tell you?”

Castag began, “That every drop of your flesh, every fragment of your will shall…”

Halfway through, he suddenly stopped, then let out a sharp laugh. “You are trying to trick me into revealing the knowledge within my memories again, are you? I will not be deceived a second time.”

Aureus sighed. “With death looming, must such knowledge still be guarded so jealously?”

Castag snapped in anger, “If it were anyone else, I would hand it over freely. But not you—not any of the Fernandos!”

Aureus spoke softly, “Do you know how this curse came to me?”

Castag, still furious, replied, “I have no interest. With the nature of your Fernando line, you were bound to provoke unknown existences sooner or later. In fact, I almost wish you had received such a curse even earlier.”

Aureus said evenly, “The curse came from the Rat Path. And from them, I learned of a place that holds power capable of opposing the Lords.”

Castag’s furious voice abruptly ceased. Then, in a baby’s voice filled with fawning flattery, he said, “You are right, Aureus. We should not simply lie here awaiting death. You are indeed the most outstanding of the Fernando line, possessing the wisdom of the Woodlands and the strength of the North. You have learned of a place where the power to oppose the Lords exists! Tell me quickly, and with my twenty thousand years of experience and inherited knowledge, I shall help you verify whether such a power truly lies there.”

Aureus said, “That power is in Greenwood.”

Castag froze. “In Greenwood—the land of those cowards?”

Aureus said, “Yes. That weak land of Greenwood.”

Castag made no reply.

Aureus said, “Just as you said, I am already old. Perhaps I should perish together with the North. So I will not leave. But we have lived alongside one another for many years, and I cannot bear to let you die here. You are a Phantasm, not of the North, but tricked here by an ancestor. Now, you are free. Go to Greenwood. There lies power to oppose the Lords. You may survive there.”

Castag hesitated.

Aureus raised his hand toward the bone stake embedded in Castag’s body.

Slowly, the bone stake trembled. The blue magic beneath Castag’s form spread, covering the bone, and with the aid of some force, it was gradually drawn out.

When it was finally pulled free, they saw it for what it was—a bone from some giant beast, its other end shaved to a sharp point like a nail.

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