I Killed The Main Characters

Chapter 123: Cardinal Albrecht [3]

It's strange, really—this wasn't how things were meant to play out.

But fate and plans are rarely as rigid as I once thought.

If anything, the game's plot had splintered from the moment I found myself here.

So, the Archbishop's death?

It wasn't just part of my plan to survive.

It was necessary.

He was a loose thread tied to a more sinister design, one that required his life to be cut short.

In the game, specifically the [IX Act], the Archbishop was a looming figure, a pawn within the intricate political chess game of the Western Continent.

His name was Cardinal Albrecht of the Church of the Divine Technique, a branching institution of the Saint Eldred Cathedral with immense power in Ravenwood and the Empire.

Though devout and reputed to be a guiding force for the faith, Albrecht had quietly instigated one of the continent's greatest conflicts.

[The Western Civil War]

Two factions emerged from that war.

On one side stood Albrecht and his loyalists, a network of followers within the church, and a surprising backing from the Imperial family itself.

Specifically, he held the support of Leopold, the Empire's third son.

That prince was a character hardly explored in the main game, but his allegiance with Albrecht became a turning point for those willing to peel back the layers of the storyline.

Together, they forged an alliance that set their faction firmly against the opposition—House Bluerose.

House Bluerose was powerful, influential, and adored by the people, branded as the champions of justice by the public.

The Bluerose family, led by the stern yet seemingly righteous Duke Sebastian Bluerose, swayed the populace to their side with promises of equality, justice, and freedom from the church's influence over the Empire.

They painted Albrecht as the very embodiment of corruption, claiming he was using the church's influence to manipulate politics and expand his grip over the continent.

To the uninitiated, Bluerose looked like the faction fighting for the people.

Amy's family, the Bluerose lineage, bore that image of nobility with pride.

But only those who played deeply, invested hours in exploring hidden lore, realized the truth.

Bluerose had their own ambitions.

They weren't motivated by any pure sense of justice.

The Bluerose family sought to weaken the church's influence, yes, but it wasn't out of concern for the people's freedom.

They wanted autonomy from the Empire, intending to establish a political entity that could rule separately from both church and crown.

It was a calculated attempt to seize control over resources and power, all while cloaked in a guise of nobility and valor.

And, of course, they aimed to crush any potential interference.

The Bluerose faction would do whatever it took to secure a hold on their lands, even if it meant manipulating their own people's faith and patriotism.

Then there was Draven—a man who began as a faithful retainer for the Bluerose family, someone who pledged loyalty with the fervor of a zealot.

In another life, he might have stood alongside them in their ambition.

However, after internal conflicts within House Bluerose, Draven was cast out, discarded as a pawn they no longer needed.

He returned to the Church of the Divine Technique, his trust in Bluerose obliterated, carrying with him a hunger for revenge.

Through ruthless cunning and brutal tactics, Draven rose within the church's ranks, eventually claiming a position of authority after Cardinal Albrecht's assassination.

A murder he later confessed with a proud, unrepentant smile.

Draven's hatred for House Bluerose became a driving force, shaping his rule within the church.

He took control of Albrecht's faction and molded it in his own image, a twisted reflection of the loyalty he'd once pledged.

The Church of the Divine Technique under Draven became an engine of retribution, using its influence to quietly destabilize Bluerose holdings and allies.

In the game, his actions were seen as villainous, an act of open rebellion against the so-called "righteous" faction and the "Blessed Children of this Era."

But by that point, there were no "good" sides left to cheer for—only two factions tearing each other apart for dominance.

Leopold, too, played a hand in the church's machinations.

Though Albrecht had been the face of the church faction, it was Leopold who operated as the unseen rot, pulling strings from the shadows.

His motivations remained obscure to most, but his influence, his desire to see the Empire's influence spread further West, revealed his intentions to those who looked closer.

Leopold wanted control, plain and simple.

Whether it was under the guise of faith or with the blade of an Imperial sword, he aimed to shape the Empire's future by any means necessary.

Which would later make him the final boss in the later Hidden Acts.

And now, with Albrecht gone by my hand, I'd assumed his place, taking with me the ring that had once graced his hand.

This wasn't an ordinary ring.

Known as the Hexglyph Seal, it granted its wearer access to potent illusionary magic.

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The subtlety of this magic was what made it powerful—an undetectable aura of distortion that clouded the minds of those nearby, implanting visions and shaping their perception.

It was no wonder Albrecht held so much sway.

He was as much a master manipulator of the senses as he was of faith, and I was going to put his tricks to good use.

I'd spent countless hours in Ravenwood's library before my expulsion, pouring over every tome, every fragment that detailed the mechanics of illusion magic.

Ravenwood's library was home to countless secrets, including some that even the church couldn't contain.

Albrecht's use of this ring wasn't merely casting illusions.

It was a nuanced, complex interplay of magical fields that could warp a person's reality.

It required careful manipulation, an understanding of the human psyche, to exploit the gaps in someone's perception.

Now, with the ring snug on my thumb, I could feel its power pulsing, a dark purple smoke that seeped from my body, curling and twisting in the air around me.

I focused, letting it blanket my body, casting a haze over my form that made me appear both familiar and foreign.

Albrecht had used this smoke to manipulate those close to him, pushing their minds to the brink, and now I would wield it with the same lethal precision.

---

Sneaking back into the academy would be a delicate task, yet the timing couldn't have been more perfect.

The Second Act was underway, the academy in a frenzy, students distracted by the events unraveling within Ravenwood's walls.

The ring's magic cloaked me, corrupting the perception of any nearby mages and bending reality to my advantage.

It worked not as an invisible cloak but as an illusion that implanted a false sense of security and control into the minds of those around me.

Amy was my first target—a necessary step in purging the academy of any threats to my plans.

Using the ring's power, I cast a purple haze that snaked around her, a cloud so faint she wouldn't recognize its influence until it was too late.

As the fog settled around her, her defenses slackened, her body responding as if manipulated from the inside.

The ring worked swiftly, the smoke seeped into her mind, twisting her thoughts, her perception, clouding any sense of self-preservation.

And just like that, the storyline had diverged yet again.

But I couldn't care less.

Everything was already going haywire anyways.

So I needed to do what I came here to.