Erwin rushed into Caelus's office, slamming the door open without knocking. The force of the impact echoed through the chamber as he stormed forward and grabbed Caelus by the collar.
"Caelus you bastard! What have you done? Y-You raped Melissa???"
Caelus stared at Erwin intently, his expression calm and unreadable, but there was a faint sharpness in his gaze. Despite the blatant disrespect, he chose to forgive this impudence, at least for now.
"You know me very well Erwin, I'm not a womanizer. This was necessary for my future"
"What do you mean? You fucking monster! Do you know what she did? She was afraid I wouldn't accept her as she became impure and thus… killed herself… without even consulting me"
Melissa had burnt herself to death, which indicated her real killer. It was Caelus's iconic way of getting rid of his enemies after all
"That's quite unfortunate, I didn't expect her to take such a step. Anyways, I don't have any reason to explain myself to you, but still because of your past loyalty, I will"
Caelus adjusted his posture slightly, his tone remaining composed, almost indifferent to the weight of what he was about to say.
"Melissa had a transcendent blood line. You know? Those people who had surpassed mortal limits thousands of years ago? Somehow Melissa was a descendent of one of them, I don't know how she ended up becoming a slave. Probably fate being cruel."
"Do you know what will happen when you have sex with someone having transcendent bloodline? Your powers increase by a lot, the quality of your mana, your strength, your endurance, your speed, and not only you, but your entire future bloodline gets the ability to tame dragons and become extremely talented."
"There are countless advantages of doing this, and so I did."
"Now even if I impregnate another woman, my firstborn will be unique, not only unique he will be a transcendent himself… a transcendent in this era and this continent, can you imagine? He will be the strongest person in the empire, he will carry the Drakenhart name even above than what it is today"
"And you still ask me why I did this? I don't have any regret"
Erwin stood frozen, his grip slowly loosening. His mind struggled to process those words. Of course he knew what kind of person Caelus was. He knew very well that Caelus could do anything, no matter how cruel or unforgivable, if it meant gaining power. He had seen it countless times. He had been part of it. Yet hearing it directed toward someone he loved shattered something inside him.
He still felt betrayed by the one he worshipped as God, the person who gave him everything and subsequently stole everything himself
He had always followed Caelus without question, no matter what he did. Then why was he so shocked now? Perhaps because this time, the pain was his own. There was a saying that one cannot understand another's suffering until they experience it themselves. At this moment, Erwin finally understood what those countless families had felt when Caelus destroyed them.
"I always believed you married Melissa knowing she had a transcendent bloodline and wanted to increase your powers this way."
"I-I'm not like you Caelus"
"You actually are, you're nothing but my shadow"
"I really loved Melissa, since childhood"
"I didn't kill her"
"Yes... you did"
Caelus's patience finally wore thin. He slammed his hand onto the table and stood up abruptly. The air in the room seemed to tighten instantly as his presence turned overwhelming. His eyes, now sharp and cold, locked onto Erwin with a dangerous intensity.
"I want you to think about your next words very carefully Erwin, you wouldn't want to start defying me for a woman, even after all that I gave you"
Erwin understood the meaning behind those words. There was no room for misunderstanding. The only thing Caelus truly feared was revenge. If he sensed even the slightest threat, he would not hesitate to eliminate it, no matter who it was. Even years of loyalty would not save him. This was likely his final chance.
'I was too irrational and impulsive'
"Of course not master, I'm just a sword who doesn't have the right to love or hate"
Caelus placed a hand on his shoulder, his expression easing slightly as if satisfied with the response.
"Good, you're a noble now, marry another noble woman and have a child. You also had sex with Melissa, right? Your son will also be a transcendent, and you can also tame a dragon. I have high hopes so don't disappoint me"
"Yes, master"
That day, Erwin made a decision. Whether it made him a hypocrite or not did not matter anymore. He wanted revenge. Quietly, without drawing attention, he began building an organization. An organization meant for one purpose alone. Revenge against Caelus, the man who had burned countless families into ashes to rise in power.
The Veil Of Ashes.
Not all its members were strong, but they had something in common. Every single one of them belonged to the family of a soldier who had been killed by Caelus. The very same families Caelus had once spared, believing they posed no threat.
Thus, each member had an unwavering loyalty, they didn't want any gains, they only wanted revenge. So no matter how brutally they got tortured, none of them betrayed their organization until death
Over the years, Erwin secretly built a massive army and even tamed a dragon. His preparation was careful, patient, and calculated. He manipulated the same nobles whom Caelus once trusted, he also manipulated the peasants into considering him a messiah who wanted to free them from the tyrant.
He did not hate Arthur. Arthur had nothing to do with this. But Arthur was a transcendent, that too only because of Melissa's bloodline. That alone made him resent Arthur, it also made Arthur dangerous. So Erwin decided that Arthur had to be eliminated before Caelus.
He could have chosen a more logical path which would have guaranteed him victory. He could have married again, had a transcendent child, and raised someone equally strong as Arthur. But he didn't. He remained alone for the rest of his life. Because the life of a slave had taught him one thing above all else. Loyalty.
Even now, that twisted sense of loyalty remained.
He knew what he had become. He knew he was a hypocrite, uniting the same kind of people whose families he himself had once destroyed. He had committed unforgivable crimes and had no justification for them.
But none of that mattered anymore.
He felt empty.
There was only one thing left inside him.
Revenge.
He wanted to drag Caelus down with him, even if it meant going to hell together.
And now, he would stop at nothing.
The very revenge Caelus had feared all his life… would become the reason for his downfall.