The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 135: Chapter 135: The Eclipse Organization

By the time the knights arrived, there was nothing left to fight.

The northern road was covered in broken trees and deep marks left by weapons that no ordinary soldier could hope to wield. The western fortress had suffered even worse damage, with entire sections of its outer walls reduced to rubble. The eastern forest was littered with fallen branches and enormous cuts carved into the earth, while the southern region looked as though something far more violent than a simple battle had taken place there.

Yet there were no corrupted creatures.

Not a single one.

The knights searched the surrounding areas, expecting to find survivors, stragglers, or perhaps another wave waiting to attack.

They found nothing.

Only silence.

One of the knights slowly lowered his sword.

"Where are they?"

Nobody answered.

Another knight dismounted and crouched beside the remains of a corrupted creature. The body had already begun to crumble into black particles, leaving almost nothing behind that could be examined.

"Was there a battle here?"

The knight beside him looked toward the ruined forest.

"Obviously."

"Then where are the people who fought it?"

Again, there was no answer.

That became the strangest part of the entire incident.

The kingdom had mobilized knights to several regions after reports of corrupted creatures spreading across the outskirts, yet when they finally reached the battlefields, the fighting had already ended.

They had arrived too late to see anything.

No soldiers.

No adventurers.

No witnesses who could explain what happened.

Not even a clear description of the people responsible.

Only the aftermath remained.

For the next several days, investigations were carried out across the affected regions.

The knights questioned villagers.

They searched the forests.

They inspected the ruined fortresses and examined the remains of the corrupted creatures.

Every report eventually led to the same conclusion.

Someone had eliminated them.

Not the kingdom’s army.

Not the adventurers.

Someone else.

And after comparing the traces left behind in each region, the investigators finally reached a name that had appeared more and more frequently in whispers over the past few months.

The Eclipse Organization.

There was no official record of their existence.

No headquarters.

No known leader.

No known members.

Yet somehow, wherever they appeared, the results were always the same.

Enemies disappeared.

Corruption was erased.

And the people who had caused it were left with nothing but questions.

The kingdom had discovered their name.

But that did not mean the kingdom knew anything about them.

For the overwhelming majority of people, the Eclipse Organization remained nothing more than another rumor whispered between soldiers, merchants, and adventurers.

Some believed they were an ancient order.

Others claimed they were a group of powerful mages.

There were even people who insisted that the organization was nothing more than a story created by frightened villagers.

Nobody knew the truth.

And that was exactly how it should remain.

Because while the kingdom was busy wondering who the Eclipse Organization was—

I was lying on my bed.

"I don’t want to get up."

I stared at the ceiling.

The room was quiet.

Peaceful.

Comfortable.

After everything that had happened over the past few weeks, returning to my completely ordinary life felt strangely refreshing.

There had been a lot going on.

The corrupted creatures had appeared in greater numbers than expected.

The laboratories had begun moving their operations.

The Unmade had appeared.

My subordinates had undergone another significant increase in strength.

And, most importantly, I had absorbed the power left behind by that thing.

I raised one hand and stared at it.

There was something different inside me now.

The power had settled completely.

There was no instability, no resistance, and no sign that the authority I had taken from the Unmade would reject me.

It had simply become another part of me.

Several days passed.

The kingdom slowly returned to normal.

The damaged roads were repaired.

The surviving villages received supplies.

The knights continued investigating.

And rumors continued spreading.

Nobody knew exactly who had saved them.

Nobody knew how many members the Eclipse Organization possessed.

Nobody knew where they came from.

And nobody knew what they wanted.

That was fine with me.

The less attention we received, the better.

The Ten Reapers had returned to their respective positions.

Nao and Vanessa had already resumed their duties in the north.

Neil, Vorlan, and Ken had returned from the western region.

Shiyen, Eclyra, and Saora had disappeared back into the eastern territories.

Hidan, Lexie, and Zyra had likewise returned to the south.

Their strength had already reached a level comparable to what the Seven Crowns had possessed before their latest evolution.

That alone was absurd.

The fact that they had managed to handle such enormous numbers of corrupted creatures without suffering serious injuries was proof enough.

And yet, despite all of that...

There was another problem.

I was sitting at my desk, staring at the report in front of me.

"Seriously?"

I rubbed my forehead.

"Is there no end to this?"

Another report.

Another strange incident.

Another possible threat.

The details were incomplete.

The people investigating it had only found scattered evidence in several remote regions, far from the central territories of the kingdom.

There were traces of unusual activity.

Strange movements.

Groups operating far beyond the reach of the kingdom’s regular forces.

And something else.

Something that didn’t fit with the corrupted creatures we had already encountered.

The information was insufficient to draw a conclusion.

So we didn’t.

For now, it was only a possibility.

A suspicion.

Nothing more.

I closed the report.

"Keep watching them."

That was all I needed to say.

The Order would investigate.

If it turned out to be nothing, then we would have wasted some time.

If it wasn’t...

Well.

I’d deal with it when the time came.

I leaned back in my chair and looked toward the window.

The sun was beginning to disappear beyond the horizon.

The kingdom looked peaceful.

People were returning to their ordinary lives.

Merchants were reopening their shops.

Children were playing in the streets.

Soldiers were repairing the roads.

Nobody knew how close they had come to disaster.

Nobody knew that an organization had quietly moved across the kingdom and erased the threat before the majority of its people even realized it existed.

And almost nobody knew that the Eclipse Organization was watching from the shadows.

That was perfect.

I smiled faintly.

"Things are finally getting interesting."

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

"Hey, Ares."

I glanced to the side.

Rhal was leaning toward my desk, his expression unusually excited.

"Hm? What is it? Another rumor?"

"Of course there is," he said, almost proudly. "But the more I hear about this one, the more amazing it gets."

I raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"The Eclipse."

He lowered his voice slightly, as though even saying the name too loudly might somehow summon them.

"The rumors say they’re a group of young fighters, but nobody knows exactly how strong they are. Some people are saying they’re strong enough to wipe out entire groups of corrupted creatures on their own."

He grinned.

"Isn’t that amazing? I wish I could become that strong too."

"Aren’t we young too?" I said. "You make yourself sound like an old man complaining about his back."

"Old man? You really know how to ruin someone’s mood."

"I’m joking."

I leaned back in my chair.

"So, what else?"

Rhal’s excitement faded slightly.

"That’s the strange part. Nobody knows where they came from."

He glanced around the classroom before continuing.

"The kingdom has been investigating them for moths, but they haven’t found anything. It’s almost like they appeared out of nowhere."

I rested my chin against my hand.

"Sounds troublesome."

"Yeah. But honestly, I don’t understand the royal family."

Rhal’s expression became more serious.

"If the Eclipse hadn’t shown up, things would probably have been much worse. Those corrupted creatures were spreading across several regions, the laboratories the bandits and the other evil organization. There would’ve been even more casualties, and a lot of people probably would’ve died."

He frowned.

"And yet, they’re still treating the Eclipse like some suspicious organization."

I glanced at him.

"Even though they’re helping people without asking for anything in return?"

"Exactly."

Rhal nodded.

"That’s what I don’t understand. They show up, deal with the problem, save people, and disappear without demanding money or recognition. What kind of organization does that?"

Well, at least Rhal understands that much.

I almost smiled.

"Yeah."

"Maybe they’re just jealous because they don’t possess that kind of power."

"Maybe. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised."

I turned toward him.

"Hey. Don’t say things like that here."

"Hm? Why not? I’m only stating the facts."

"That’s not what I mean."

I lowered my voice.

"You should be careful. If someone hears you talking like that, you could get yourself executed."

Rhal’s expression immediately changed.

He looked around the classroom.

"...Ah."

He swallowed.

"Yeah, you’re right."

For a moment, he remained completely serious.

Then he laughed awkwardly.

"Ahahaha... I’d rather not get executed just because I praised some mysterious organization."

Sigh.

I turned back toward the front of the classroom.

The teacher still hadn’t arrived.

Around us, the other students continued talking about the same rumors.

The Eclipse.

The mysterious organization that had appeared out of nowhere.

The group whose strength nobody could measure.

The people who fought from the shadows and disappeared before anyone could learn their names.

I quietly rested my cheek against my hand.

They really do talk too much.

Still...

I suppose it’s nice to hear that people are alive because of us.

Even if they have absolutely no idea who they’re thanking.

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