In the space where "Elpare" is located, there has never been a distinction between day and night. The master of this demiplane seems to be too lazy to add a little bit of bright color to his residence. Even in the high tower where he lives,
Darkness and gloom are eternal themes. As for the lightning across the sky, apart from proving the weirdness and anomaly of this space, it cannot play any role in relaxing people's mood.
Cullen certainly doesn't care about these minutiae. He and Bayard are more of a relationship of mutual utilization than cooperation - Bayard needs to get close to the existence behind him, and he needs the other person's permission in order to communicate with the "Heaven" he believes in.
Keep in touch.
By the way, being able to use the demiplane to travel anywhere in the El Continent is quite convenient now that the star realm is blocked.
As for the relationship between Bayard and "that Lord" - Cullen can roughly guess a little bit, but it is not worth his care. What he needs now is just the favor of "that Lord" and the power and strength in the world.
Fighting with fame, more nihilistic ideas, or changes beyond the mortal world, the real meaning to him is just a small part that is reflected in the mortal world.
He firmly believes that the "Lord of Heaven" he believes in has the ability to change the world. He is also clear about the position he should occupy in this inevitable change.
The only thing that puzzled him was that "that lord" seemed to always have special care for the girl named Yuffie. At first, Bayard asked him to bring Yuffie to "Elpare".
He then stopped himself from taking any further actions and gave her instructions to allow her to travel freely on the continent. Not long ago, it seemed that He even personally helped the girl solve a problem.
This makes him a little scared. For now, he is the only human being who can directly talk to the "Lord of Heaven". Because of this, he can gain the respect of the other party and gain power and authority that surpasses mortals. "Heaven"
"The Lord" has always been pleasant in his interactions with him, and has never shown any dissatisfaction or anger. This makes him a little proud, thinking that what he has done so far has won the other party's approval.
However, what will happen if "that lord" finds a 'collaborator' who is more valuable than him? And he still has a problem with the other party - in the beginning, it was he who wanted to marry him because of Bayard's request.
'Killed' the girl and her friend once.
Deeply disturbed, Kurun Dahl used the power at his disposal to investigate the girl's identity and background. The result disappointed him: the daughter of a minor nobleman from the Principality of Hulun had almost no education except being admitted to Eagle College.
Something worth paying attention to. Her mother Alicia was once a well-known mercenary, but the mercenary group had long been disbanded. Alicia left home alone a few years ago and her current whereabouts are unknown.
Fortunately, with the power given by the "Lord of Heaven", he can always monitor the other party's every move. In the war some time ago, she did cause a lot of trouble to the empire, but this did not affect the "lord" handed over to her.
His task was actually helpful, and he was happy to see it succeed.
However, just a few days ago, when Cullen completed his communication with the "Lord of Heaven" and returned to the El Continent contentedly with a little more power than before, he suddenly realized that he could no longer sense it.
The whereabouts of that girl seemed as if she had completely disappeared from this world.
The "Lord of Heaven" asked him to pay attention to the other party's whereabouts - therefore, for him, this was a serious dereliction of duty. He informed the other party of the matter with anxiety, but received an unexpected response.
"My lord... they seem to have disappeared from this continent."
"Don't worry." The voice in the void was as kind and calm as ever, "I already understand this matter, and this is also what I expected."
"You mean——"
"With her intelligence, she will definitely be able to find the answer. Her experience will also allow her to choose to stand with me in the not-too-distant future." There was a hint of pity in the voice, "She will definitely make the right decision.
choice, after she knows enough facts."
"Yes, my lord." Cullen replied respectfully, "Then how else can I help you now?"
"Continue to pay attention to Bayard's movements." The voice replied, "Currently, the only unstable factor is him."
The conversation came to an end. As a result, Cullen didn't know whether he should feel relieved or worried. The "Lord of Heaven" did not punish him, but He paid more attention to the girl than he thought. This made him secretly make up his mind.
He must find a way to find out the secret hidden in the girl named Yuffie.
One of the best ways is to ask people who have also paid attention to the other person. Cullen went up the spiral staircase and finally came to the middle of the tower, in front of the space gap where dark purple lightning loomed and split the entire tower.
.
"Bayard." Cullen called in his heart, thinking about what to say later, "The girl named Yuffie... seems to have had an accident."
"Oh?" Bayard's thoughts came into his mind, "What's wrong?"
"She's gone, gone from this world," Cullen replied.
"Oh." The man on the other side of the space didn't seem to care. "She will come back."
"But... Bayard, I mean, what is so special about that girl?"
"Heh." The man chuckled, "She is a variable, that's all. If you have nothing to do, don't bother me."
The thoughts in his mind were interrupted. Cullen glanced at the crack silently, gave up his intention to continue questioning, and turned around to walk towards his residence in the tower.
On the way he met Hughes, an Ite who he had never dealt with well. During the war launched by the empire, this Ite took over the task of guarding the palace, but secretly helped the two girls. He
He was slightly annoyed by this, but could not fall out with the other party - the relationship between Hughes and Bayard, as well as the "Brigade" behind the Yit people, were not something he was willing to face directly.
He tried to talk to the other party and asked about Yuffie, and got the following response——
"She? There's nothing special about her, she's just three times cuter than you... No, it's just three times three times more cute!"
As expected, Yi Te was not a suitable person to chat with. He glanced at the other person coldly, closed his mouth, and passed him by.
Some kind of intuition told Cullen that he was being used as a pawn, but he couldn't tell who was being used or how. This was normal. He told himself that in this world, everyone could be someone else's pawn.
Even if you are an emperor, you are no exception.
He left this oppressive demiplane and appeared in front of the palace gate of Glow City. He nodded to the guard and walked straight in. With his identity and status, even if he met His Majesty temporarily, there was no need to inform him.
"Long time no see, Lord Cullen." Rogman III welcomed him as always, which made him feel better. "I heard that you were communicating with that adult before, and you gained a lot, right?"
There was expectation and greed in the red-haired man's eyes, and Cullen understood that he expected more from him, just like he expected from the "Lord of Heaven".
Cullen stepped forward, knelt down on one knee, and held Rogman III's hand, but secretly felt unworthy of him.
The lord of the empire had courage and desire, but lacked the wisdom and patience to match them. From the beginning, Cullen did not expect him to make outstanding achievements, and the current development only confirmed his speculation.
With the aftermath of the war, the belief in the "Lord of Heaven" has spread throughout the empire, so the outcome of the war itself is naturally irrelevant.
"Lord Cullen." The man on the throne looked at him with burning eyes, as if he wanted to gain his approval, "In your opinion, when will the empire be able to punish those hateful Erna people, Fritz people, and religious people?"
The country retaliates with color?"
"Not yet, Your Majesty." He bowed and replied, hiding the disdain in his eyes, "but there will be a chance soon."
"Really?" As if he had been assured, the man on the throne had fire in his eyes again, "Until then, I will be beholden to you, Lord Cullen."
When Cullen left the palace, there was a look of satisfaction in his eyes. It was not because of the emperor's respect, but because he had confirmed what he wanted to know.
The opportunity will indeed come soon, but it has nothing to do with Rogman III. As a chess piece, the emperor, known as the "brave man", has fulfilled his role on the chessboard, so he naturally loses his value.
In the next chess game, who will be the selected chess piece, and in what capacity should I intervene——
Kurun Dahl turned his thoughts wordlessly and left this prosperous imperial city facing the setting sun.