Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Red Nightmare
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Time had slipped into evening, and as if on cue, alcohol and food were brought out.
Even at sixteen, she could surely drink. Kids that age often harbored some romantic illusions about booze, so I figured Roca would show some interest. No such luck.
Munch munch.
Chew chew.
Roca only had eyes for the meat dishes laid out by the servants. Pasta made from grains, sweet pastries—especially anything where vegetables made up more than half the ingredients—didn't get so much as a glance.
Come to think of it, alcohol was made from grains or fruit, sometimes honey. No wonder she wasn't interested. There wasn't any booze made from meat, after all.
By now, even I could see she was an extreme picky eater.
She seemed healthy enough without grazing on grass, so there was no forcing her. Best to just let it be. One of the servants hauled over an entire barrel of liquor packed with ice. Probably pulled straight from the warehouse for aging.
"Sitting on the throne means you can't always act as you please."
The man handing me a cup of liquor no longer carried the imposing dignity from before. He just looked like a weary old soul knocking back drinks to endure the grind.
"Sorry about earlier. I called in my benefactor and prattled on about my own troubles instead of expressing my thanks. Better late than never—I'm grateful. Truly. For saving this child and me."
"It was the right thing to do."
"So, a reward is in order, but I've already heard what you're after. Something hidden in the word 'circulation,' right? I don't have the answer."
I lifted my cup and took a sip. I couldn't even taste it properly.
No time to savor how it differed from ordinary wine. My mind was a mess, but my thoughts all led to one place. North Pole it was, then. No avoiding it.
The ancient demon king. How old was he? Impossible to say.
In terms of knowledge alone, sage didn't do him justice. Only he would know the truth of circulation. If even he didn't? No one else came to mind.
Emperor Harma El, maybe? But if Grimudo didn't know, would she?
"I see. Of course..."
"So, other rewards. What would you like?"
"Well..."
I started to say it was just what anyone would do, when I caught sight of Roca.
Her words from earlier echoed in my head. She wanted to get stronger.
"Not me. Help her."
"That chubby-cheeked little eater?"
His Majesty chuckled, and Roca's eyes went wide mid-swallow.
"She wants to grow stronger, but I don't handle mana, so I wouldn't know where to start. If Your Majesty could lend her a hand."
"I've heard my daughter has already become her master. Can't give a disciple of a master another teacher, but I can grant her something useful."
His Majesty raised a hand and summoned the imperial steward. He ordered him to escort Roca.
"Let her take any one item from the imperial treasury."
"Anything at all, sire?"
The steward looked shocked, but His Majesty was resolute.
"Child. Go pick whatever you want. Everything in there will help you—no wrong choices."
"...Thank you."
Roca swallowed her bite and finally bowed properly. She glanced at me, and when I smiled and nodded, she trotted off after the steward.
"If you're heading north to meet Grimudo for answers, don't rush off alone. Wait a bit. I'll send an envoy straight to him. How about joining as part of that group?"
"An envoy?"
It wasn't me who spoke up—it was the princess, who had been silent until then, snapping her head up.
"S-Sending an envoy to Grimudo? That's absurd. The temples would come howling in protest..."
I knew what worried her.
There were two ways to the North Pole from the continent. One: sail the seas, brave the ice floes and monsters of the nearby waters, and dock up north. Insanely dangerous.
Even seasoned explorers often returned with their ships sunk and supplies lost, barely clinging to life. Surviving with your team alone made you a hero.
Sailing there was suicide. The other route? No safer.
"The continent's tallest range, the Kalmir Mountains, blocks the way between the North Pole and the mainland, doesn't it? An envoy couldn't cross those frozen peaks. A master like me, maybe..."
"Exactly. That's the problem. And you just said it yourself—you could."
"Your Majesty's words—surely you don't mean..."
I was stunned. The princess was floored. As I looked to His Majesty, he nodded.
"Not an envoy group. Just an envoy. You alone. Ardein. Why do you think I gave you all those titles and symbols of proxy? You're my envoy of goodwill, representing the imperial house on a visit to the North Pole Citadel."
So the princess would come along too?
But one thing needed saying. Grimudo wasn't someone to take lightly.
"Your Majesty, forgive my boldness, but your authority means nothing to Grimudo. I doubt he'd hesitate to lay a hand on the princess just because she's your daughter."
"I know that much. She's a master now, but against Grimudo? Escaping alive might be impossible."
Surprisingly, His Majesty accepted it without argument.
Most continentals underestimated Grimudo to some degree. No one met him face-to-face, so no one witnessed his power firsthand. He became just some legend or ghost story.
But not His Majesty. He seemed to grasp it somewhat—enough to admit Grimudo's strength dwarfed the imperial house, the empire itself.
"So I can't force this. Ardein. Would you go as my envoy to the North Pole Citadel with this saint here?"
"Well..."
"If you can't, I'll send someone else. But as a father, I have to ask. Child, do you still want this throne?"
The princess fidgeted, mumbling softly.
"Not really. It's just..."
"Just?"
"I won't let Edmund take it. You told me to forgive him, Father, but I can't."
"Understood. Then think it over. No rush for an answer—take your time."
His Majesty gestured.
"Now, off to bed with you. The saint and I have more to discuss."
"C-Can I stay?"
"It's nothing major. But it is important. Something you shouldn't hear. Go rest. It's late, child."
The princess reluctantly bowed to us and left. His Majesty watched her go, then turned to me abruptly.
"So, priest."
Casual as could be, but no way this was casual.
"What do you think of my daughter?"
*****
Southwest continent. Kalderan Mountains.
"Tch, talk about rotten luck today."
Herb gatherer Eida stretched her hunched back and gazed at the sky. Pushing through grass and trees for herbs was tough, and the pay was lousy. Rich folks went to temples for healing, not herbs, so gatherers like her were always strapped.
Even selling what she found left scraps. And competition was fierce.
Anyone common-born considered it as a side gig. No village idiot couldn't tell herbs from poison.
"Sell this haul, and I'll scrape a few coins."
Citadel Kingdom had become Citadel Republic, electing doges by vote. But to rural folk like Eida? Someone else's problem.
Literally. Voting meant paying hefty poll taxes. Money solved everything here. Center of continental shipping. Classic Citadel Republic.
King or doge—who cared? Faces she'd never see in a lifetime.
"Eh, at least the weather's nice today."
Doge or king, clouds ruled overhead now. Sun peeked through, blazing, but clouds tempered it nicely.
"Not as scorching as midday..."
Seeking shade from the sun, she squinted at the sky. Something off. The sun was behind clouds.
Clear as noon without a cloud in sight? But sun half-hidden? No way the light was this bright—common sense, even for a herb gatherer.
"Th-Th-Th-The sun—two suns!"
Where was this light from? Scanning the sky, she spotted another sun, plain as day, lighting the world.
Unveiled by clouds, it scorched the earth. Trembling, Eida peeked at the first one. Please be a mistake.
But there, amid heavy clouds, it gleamed alone. Dimmer than the real sun, but a sun. A sky sun!
Gurgle?
Or the eye of something absurdly huge. It blinked shut in the clouds.
When it reopened, two suns stared at Eida. Wind cleared the clouds, revealing it fully: a blazing bird hovering, surveying the world with its pair of sun-like eyes.
"M-Mon-Mons..."
World's big, but how many things that size?
Citadel citizen Eida knew. Not the name, but what to call something like that.
"Monster! Monster! Grimudo's monster!"
Their doge had borrowed one, flipped the nation with its power.
No hiding that. Kill every witness to that giant? Secrets didn't stick anyway. Public knowledge now.
Why was one here?
If he could ask coldly, he wouldn't be a herb gatherer. Eida bolted in terror. Sobbing, tears streaming!
Praying to gods she ignored: Nemi, Elisica, Hila, Aldehir, Oberta... Spouting names for any salvation, she ran mindless.
The monster king ignored the snot-nosed runner. Not here to eat trash.
Kreeek!
It cried once, then descended. Ground neared: 500 meters. 150. 100... Plants ignited suddenly. Wildfire spread. Ground baked dry from heat, hot winds whipped everywhere.
Finally, zero meters.
Earth rippled like waves. Dust soared to the heavens.
Everything standing shattered under shock. Soil and rock churned, demolishing all. Desperate Eida vanished under a dirt pile tens of meters wide. Just landing caused this carnage.
The immortal monster bird, Phoenix, didn't come to torment humans. Nor on Grimudo's orders.
It just needed something below the mountains. No malice, yet disaster. And this was just the start.
Monsters were too vast for the world's terrain.
Valles City, Citadel Republic's capital, noticed within a minute. The overture to the red nightmare reached the city.
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