30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?! novel Chapter 259

It hardly needed saying, but Pendragon was currently in a state of war.

The repeated terrorist attacks by the heretics had been devastating.

The damage they inflicted on Pendragon was catastrophic—most recently, the collapse of the Great Cathedral and the destruction of half of House Offen’s estate.

The scale of their threat had finally sent chills down the spines of the ruling elite.

But the most laughable part of all this was—

No one knew exactly who these heretics were.

Their organizational structure, their numbers, their leaders, and the true mastermind behind them—

Everything was a mystery.

The only thing they knew for certain was that the heretics originated from the Blood Crusaders, a long-defeated army crushed by the God of War.

However, the current iteration was completely different from its predecessor.

Their scale, composition, and methods bore no resemblance to the past, rendering any old intelligence utterly useless.

Even when the apostates within the Great Cathedral—who had maintained hidden ties with the Blood Crusaders—were discovered, they were nothing more than expendable pawns who were swiftly discarded and burned alive by their own organization.

With that, any remaining sources of information were seemingly lost.

But then—

“You’ve probably already guessed this, but the Blood Crusaders are structured in a cell-based system. Most members don’t even know their own direct superiors. There are even merchants and nobles unknowingly assisting them.”

There was a saying—even when the sky collapses, there’s always a way out.

The discarded leaders of the Blood Crusaders—abandoned by their own people—started spilling everything they knew.

And some of it was invaluable information.

“So if you think you can capture one of their cell members and squeeze out useful intel, you’re dreaming. They don’t know anything worth knowing.”

“Don’t worry. We already wasted manpower and money confirming that firsthand.”

“...Y-you already tried, huh?”

“If you’re curious about what happened to those cells, I can share the details.”

“...I’ll pass. I’d rather not make an angry beehive even angrier.”

“Wise choice.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

The woman—Dyna, once known as one of the Seven Apostles—shrugged.

However, her expression was grim.

Because as she spoke—

The person sitting across from her was terrifying her to her very core.

And sure enough—

“But no organization survives purely on a cell-based structure. There has to be a leadership hierarchy. Who are the ones at the top?”

“...I was about to get to that.”

Dyna, overwhelmed by his calm yet chilling gaze, hesitated for a moment before finally moving a piece on the chessboard in front of her.

She pushed forward three knights.

Click.

“[Brass Knights]. They handle the organization's military force. They were the ones who spearheaded the research into ‘Demonic Beasts.’ From what I’ve heard, their greatest achievement is the creation of ‘Half-Demons.’ They have a leader called ‘Commander,’ and beneath him, a group of elite knights called the Brass Order. Their whereabouts? No idea. Don’t even bother asking why—I don’t know because we don’t trust each other. At any moment, one group could betray another, so locations are always kept secret.”

Click.

“[Torn Wings]. The brains of the organization. They’re the ones who issue commands and devise strategies. This faction is made up of sorcerers and black mages who have forged contracts with the demons of hell. The summoning of the Demon King and the Hellspawn creatures the other day? That was their doing. They have a lot of members with strange abilities. Also, they’re even more secretive than the Brass Knights. Apparently, they use some kind of mystical magic to share their thoughts with each other. Because of this, they’re scattered throughout various cells, lurking in the shadows, orchestrating schemes.”

Click.

“[Black Apostles]. The intelligence unit. They handle infiltration, assassination, and espionage against enemy nations. Once known as the ‘Black Moon’ assassins, but in truth, they were a front for human experimentation—an illegal facility dedicated to creating warriors for the Blood Crusaders. Unlike the Brass Knights, they focused on physically modifying humans. However, their cover was blown before they could fully operate, and most of their warriors scattered. Even so, their remaining members continue to operate under the Apostles.”

Huff.

Dyna let out a long sigh after finishing her explanation.

She had betrayed her former comrades, and now, after revealing everything, she felt... strangely relieved.

“...As you can see, it’s a dysfunctional mess of an organization. Only the leaders of each faction know who the real mastermind is. They’re all constantly at odds with each other. It’s only their individual power and authority that keeps the whole thing from crumbling.”

She wasn’t wrong.

By all logic—

A group like this should have collapsed a long time ago.

Its continued survival was nothing short of a miracle.

“...But why were you in such a mess of an organization? From what I’ve heard, you weren’t poisoned, blackmailed, or a fanatic.”

“......”

For the first time, Dyna was at a loss for words.

She remained silent for a long while—

But the man sitting across from her waited patiently, sipping his tea.

And when he finally placed his cup back down—

“...There are five main reasons. The pay was good. They provided a lifetime of wealth for those with families. They offered extensive support. They taught those who wanted power how to grow stronger—even through inhumane methods. And finally—there were no consequences for betrayal.”

“......”

The one who had answered wasn’t Dyna.

It was Yan, the former Eleventh Apostle and a master of sorcery.

Unlike Dyna, who had complicated emotions about her past, Yan was detached and pragmatic.

And upon hearing his words—

“...This is absurd. This doesn’t sound like a cult. It sounds like a well-run corporation.”

“It is a corporation. Even if ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) you die, they take care of your family. That’s why people stay loyal.”

“...Even after all the inhumane experiments and atrocities?”

“Well, let me turn that question back on you—didn’t the Great Cathedral, Pendragon, the Empire, and the Magic Tower commit inhumane acts themselves?”

“......”

It was a fair point.

The Blood Crusaders’ experiments were undeniably horrific.

But unfortunately—

He wasn’t the right person to judge them.

The Great Cathedral had conducted witch hunts and massacred innocent civilians under the guise of purging heresy.

The Empire and the Magic Tower had spent centuries manipulating and enslaving their own people.

“...That said, their ‘employee benefits’ only applied to official members. Criminals and apostates were just disposable pawns. They weren’t even as valuable as this chess piece.”

“......”

“...Did you know? The Half-Demon Project and the Mystic Extraction Project weren’t started by our organization. It was actually the Great Cathedral and the Magic Tower. They worked together, abducting slaves and orphans for their experiments. Of course, we eventually got our hands on those research documents too, which makes us no better.”

“...So the world was full of beasts wearing human skin. No, monsters walking among us, huh? Ha....”

For the first time, she let out a bitter laugh.

But it wasn’t amusement—

It was a hollow chuckle of disbelief.

Because the more she listened, the more sickening the truth became.

She—

Isis—shook her head.

“...Well, it doesn’t matter anymore. The beasts are already dead.”

The Great Cathedral had fallen.

The underground laboratories had been destroyed.

As for the Magic Tower...

‘I heard the entire mage race is on the verge of extinction.’

Day by day, Imperial mages were dying off—as if paying the price for centuries of sins.

And soon enough—

The Empire itself would collapse.

In the Empire, mages were being expelled from their homelands—or worse, sold into slavery.

At this rate, for at least several decades, mages wouldn't even be able to set foot in the Empire.

‘So, the Empire is collapsing after all...’

Ever since two knights had torn down the Magic Tower, the entire Imperial territory had been thrown into chaos.

Warlords and vassal kings, once held in check by the Empire’s central authority, had finally risen in rebellion.

It was almost laughable.