Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: 41. Lost One, But One Remains (2)
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Among the empire's nobles I had butchered up until now, there had even been grand lords. But the Ibsaint Marquis House was a true high noble, a cut above even those grand lords.
The security was tight.
Even without Jin Katrin warning me of the magical presences she sensed, I was already on high alert myself.
A single failure could drag the entire kingdom into war.
Everyone had begged me to reconsider.
But I refused.
Had I never seen the empire, I might not have known. But now that I had laid eyes on it, I understood.
From the moment I awoke in the kingdom up until recently, I hadn't truly felt the weight of the 400 years I'd spent asleep.
A fallen lion of a kingdom.
Knight orders that no longer upheld martial virtue.
Those were the only changes.
The world I'd seen was no different from 400 years ago, aside from those minor differences.
But how wrong that assumption had been— I realized it only after stepping beyond the kingdom's borders.
Unlike the kingdom, where time seemed to have frozen for 400 years, the empire had prospered astonishingly.
The empire overflowed with things the kingdom lacked entirely. Tools and inventions that hadn't existed 400 years ago were enjoyed to the fullest by the empire's nobles.
I had been ignorant. The kingdom had been ignorant.
We hadn't grasped how much the world had advanced, nor realized how backward the kingdom had become.
What the kingdom needed to overcome wasn't just a gap in military might.
The level of the nations themselves was different.
In terms of martial virtue, the empire was mythic,
while the kingdom was a pathetic existence that hadn't even reached mediocrity.
In terms of knighthood, the empire was Sword Masters,
and the kingdom mere sword beginners fresh off gripping a hilt.
As nobles, the empire were kings of their own realm,
while the kingdom couldn't even compare to a rural village chief on the outskirts.
A fight between lion and rabbit.
A clash between adult and child.
That was the essence of the battles I, and the kingdom, would face ahead.
Nearly impossible.
To raise even the slightest chance of success, I needed to sow chaos in the empire—make them distrust each other until they turned spear and sword on one another.
Of course, even that wouldn't be easy.
As long as the descendants of Foresight and Hindsight held firm, any ordinary disturbance would be swiftly quelled.
But fortunately, these weren't ordinary times.
An age of chaos was dawning.
The greenskin tribe's berserk warlord had already risen in the north,
the elf tribe's greedy demon swordsman roamed the world beyond the forests.
The dwarf tribe's elders set out in search of new forges.
Beings other than humans, long buried in oblivion, were emerging one by one into the world.
I was no different.
I, who had slumbered deeply for 400 years, oblivious to my comrades' descendants falling into ruin, had awoken precisely in this era to walk the world as a human.
I wasn't foolish enough to believe all these events were confined to a mere corner of the northern continent, within my line of sight.
The appearance before me of the Sword Lord's descendants, who had forgotten their very roots, and the Spear Lord's descendants, who had bided their time in hiding—none of it was coincidence.
I was an observer who had witnessed countless wars and chaotic ages,
and thus more sensitive to omens than anyone.
Something was stirring in places humans could not perceive.
I didn't know what it was.
My powers as an observer were sealed, and I was merely human now.
But even so, I had my experiences from past chaotic eras and the faint insights that remained.
I could say with certainty: whatever was coming would be neither trivial nor beneficial to humanity.
At the very least, a colossal event that would engulf the entire continent.
I intended to ride that impending wave properly.
Chaos was opportunity, after all.
The head of Marquis Ibsaint would be the herald of the turmoil the empire would soon face.
I proceeded with utmost caution, biding my time.
And after a full month of watching for the perfect moment, I finally severed the heads of the marquis and his entire clan.
"When we get back, I'll make sure to tell Your Highness to choose his friends more carefully."
Jin Katrin's face was pale as she gazed at the burning marquis's castle.
She looked drained from facing off against the marquis house's fairly high-ranking mages.
But her expression was one of satisfaction.
"Now the surrounding nobles will fight tooth and nail to devour the marquisate."
Just as Jin Katrin said.
With all the direct heirs possessing succession rights dead, any house with even a tenuous connection would swarm in.
I wanted to stick around and watch the brutal infighting, but regrettably, we'd already delayed too long.
It was truly time to head back.
"Let's go."
At my words, Jin Katrin raised her hand.
The wyverns took to the skies in unison.
The sky knights dropped our party off at the border between the empire and kingdom before vanishing. No farewells were exchanged.
We'd meet them in the capital anyway.
My delegation and I headed north slowly.
In the process, we encountered the empire's border guards several times.
Among them was Senior Knight Drgol de d'Bish of the 112th Knight Order, who had previously tried to humiliate me only to suffer disgrace himself.
"Hah."
The foul-tempered empire senior knight's eyes bulged upon spotting me.
His face was as if he'd seen a ghost.
"Is the 112th Knight Order still itching for revenge?"
The imperial senior knight shook his head in denial but still tried to detain our party somehow.
From the fortress, he pleaded with us to stay, showering us with enticements.
Of course, I ignored him completely.
When his persuasions fell flat, Drgol began tailing us from a distance. Midway, riders came and went, so he'd likely sent a messenger to the fortress.
"Better hurry before it gets annoying."
Having already left my mark, I had no reservations left.
I urged the exhausted delegation onward straight into kingdom territory.
Thus trailed, we pressed north for a good while until we finally reached the border line visible in the distance.
Dududududu.
Almost simultaneously, the ground-shaking thunder of hooves erupted from behind. Accompanied by rising dust clouds, of course.
From the direction of the empire's fortress.
Drgol, who had been following, stealthily closed the gap.
I glanced back at them and quietly instructed the delegation.
"Prepare."
Arwen silently hoisted her father onto her shoulder, and Kals piggybacked Nicollo.
"Run!"
No sooner had the order been given than the party bolted for the border.
"Your Highness! Where are you going?!"
The panicked Drgol spurred his horse to block us, but he couldn't instantly catch our mana-fueled sprint.
"The slowest one runs all the way to the capital!"
At my words, the Iron Lions ramped up their speed.
Kals, carrying Nicollo, protested that there was no such thing, but when Arwen, shouldering her father, boldly surged ahead, he promptly shut up.
Even as we raced across the border, Drgol's pursuit continued, and the imperial forces steadily narrowed the gap.
"Your Highness! Wait just a moment! The commander has urgent words for you!"
"Later!"
Drgol shouted desperately, but I had no intention of brawling pointlessly with the border guards.
That was my stance; Drgol and the guards doggedly pursued.
But they soon had no choice but to abandon the chase.
"Your Highness! It's the Southern Legion knights!"
The kingdom's Southern Legion had spotted the dust from the south of the border and appeared on the line.
"Great response time!"
The Southern Legion forces arriving swiftly before us shouted our way.
"State your affiliation and identity!"
Only then, hearing their sharp tone, did I realize our party's state.
Faces grimy from inadequate washing while rampaging through imperial lands, clothes torn and battered from repeated battles, the kingdom's lion emblem obscured by dirt.
Our hair disheveled from the mad dash, plus carrying an old man and a guy on our backs.
It was no wonder they didn't recognize us or found us deeply suspicious.
The Iron Lions, belatedly aware of their appearance, awkwardly rubbed the centers of their breastplates.
"Oh!"
As the dust-caked emblems emerged, the Southern Legion knights gasped.
"N-No way..."
At that moment, Shiorin slid down from her daughter's shoulder, her face flushed bright red, and cried out.
That the kingdom's delegation had finally completed its mission and returned.
"The Southern Legion greets the First Prince, Your Highness!"
The legion's knights and cavalry dismounted en masse, kneeling before me. I smiled and accepted their salutes.
Then, I glanced back.
The imperial border guards were watching this way.
I waved cheerfully at them.
The imperial brass watching from afar twisted their faces at my farewell gesture.
I waved even more enthusiastically, regardless.
Thanks for the grand send-off.
"We're relieved you've returned safely."
Coincidentally, the Southern Legion knights were the same ones who had seen us off when I left the kingdom.
They rejoiced over our delegation's safe return several times. Their heartfelt anticipation of our homecoming was palpable.
And I wasn't the only one who sensed it—the Iron Lions chatted amiably with the legion knights, looking quite friendly.
The Southern Legion was thrilled about the Iron Lions defeating imperial knights.
"Now they won't dare look down on kingdom knights anymore."
They shared how they'd been ignored by imperial knights at the border, treating the Iron Lions like benefactors.
"But who among you defeated the imperial paladin...?"
One Southern Legion knight asked with an excited face.
The Iron Lions' reactions varied wildly.
Some eyed Arwen, others Gawayne and his comrades.
And some looked at me.
Perplexed by the scattered responses, the legion knights looked baffled.
I chuckled and pointed toward Arwen and Gawayne's group.
"Ooh!"
"To think the kingdom has birthed such young Sword Learners!"
Arwen looked embarrassed at the knights' reactions, while Gawayne and his crew turned away entirely.
They heaped praise on the new Sword Learners nonstop until we reached the fortress.
"You've earned your accolades. Bask in them."
I laughed heartily at the troubled bunch, telling them to enjoy it.
"We've arrived!"
Only upon reaching the fortress could the new Sword Learners escape the awkward spotlight.
"The heavens have blessed us. Surely the kingdom's guardian spirits watched over you."
The Southern Legion commander, confirming our safety, was overcome with emotion.
He condemned the empire's atrocities and praised our unyielding group repeatedly. The legion knights echoed him.
And much of that praise was directed at me.
Superb leadership, unbowed by imperial might—such spirit was remarkable.
For me, it was an utterly unfamiliar situation.
After endless abuse back home, suddenly receiving such praise felt uncomfortable, even prickly.
"You've achieved merit, so praise follows naturally. Just enjoy it."
Arwen said to me, throwing back my earlier words verbatim.
"Ugh."
I groaned theatrically and quietly surveyed the group.
Though their appearances were ragged, their eyes burned brightly.
Arwen, who had become a Quad Chain knight through her duel with the paladin, went without saying. The other Iron Lions had grown too from this imperial excursion.
Gawayne and his comrades were the same.
The Ekion triplets were diligently assimilating the marks left on their bodies. As a result, when clashing with the imperial knights, they'd somewhat overcome their chain weaknesses and performed admirably.
No doubt those three had gained the most in short order.
Adelia hadn't stood out, but she seemed to have her own realizations.
In truth, she hadn't shone much on this trip.
Partly because she was a [War Maniac] and [Slaughterer] who couldn't stop once a fight began, and partly because she wasn't mentally prepared to swing her sword at people.
Still, it wasn't without gains.
Born with her ancestor's prodigious talent, she'd absorbed much from observing the spars and battles. Her deepened gaze was proof.
I was certain a mere trigger would propel her to Sword Master ranks soon enough. That would mitigate her innate flaws to some degree.
Of course, it'd still leave her a madwoman clinging to bare scraps of reason at best.
The commander didn't detain us long, courteously granting rest to those returned from the jaws of death.
The group accepted without protest.
Thus, the current scene unfolded.
A drinking party had broken out.
Officially, our delegation had fled the capital after the duel, hounded all the way, barely surviving to limp home. Even in a kingdom fortress, blabbing about our imperial rampage would be idiotic.
So everyone drank in silence.
"Pffft."
Occasional silly giggles escaped someone, but overall, it was a quiet tipping of cups.
As the mood loosened with drink, Erhim Kiringger egged me on.
"Your Highness. Say a few words."
I declined repeatedly, but with everyone clutching cups and waiting, I couldn't refuse forever.
"Everyone, you did well."
The Iron Lions stared blankly at my words. Then, after a beat, they jeered that was it?
They'd expected a grand toast, it seemed.
After jeering awhile, they started pouring for each other.
By then, the Iron Lions' sealed lips had unlocked.
Even amid the laughter and chatter, they avoided mentioning the return journey.
I watched them unwind the tension and revel in survival's joy.
It warmed my heart.
No deaths—that felt prouder than any hollow victory or gains.
Clink.
Someone snatched my cup. Arwen.
"Overdrinking isn't good for a knight."
I grabbed the bottle instead, replying indifferently.
"Tell that to those guys over there, not me."
Clink.
While I smart-mouthed, someone else took the bottle.
"You've been drinking more lately."
Kals. He counted the empties with his eyes, nagging away.
The two ganged up relentlessly; I surrendered, hands up.
Adelia placed warm tea before me.
Perfectly coordinated, huh.
As I grumbled, the door suddenly burst open.
"Huh?"
A man appeared beyond the open door.
Though he looked like a beggar among beggars, recognizing him was easy.
"Yorden?"
Ballerhard Rangers 17th Squad, squad leader Yorden.
Panting as he approached, he gave a perfunctory nod and bellowed.
"I wandered months searching for Your Highness!"
As we blinked in confusion, he snatched a bottle from Kals and downed it in one go.
Then he poured out how much he'd suffered finding me.
His tone brimmed with complaint, lips pursed, but beneath it lay relief and camaraderie.
The alcohol stirred something in my chest.
I pulled the ranger—who'd plunged into peril for me without hesitation—into a tight embrace.
"Ugh. Stinks."
But the nose-assaulting stench made me shove him away quickly.
"Wash up first. What's the rush..."
"This isn't the time to sit around!"
Yorden shouted abruptly.
"The empire is preparing for war!"
His face held not a trace of jest.
The buzz vanished in a flash. I shot up, demanding details from Yorden.
"I learned while scouring the empire for Your Highness."
He explained at length why he'd returned midway, despite vowing not to until finding me. Sudden spikes in army movements and drills, massive supply convoys sighted.
All signs of war.
I rubbed my dry face. My stiffened muscles felt terribly awkward.
"Supply destinations?"
"Confirmed!"
Yorden straightened, pulling a map from his bosom and spreading it on the table.
I scanned the rangers' map.
A straight line marked eastward to the empire's border.
At the long line's end lay the empire's east, far south of the kingdom's southern border—a frontier with some minor kingdom. I groaned.
「Dotrin」
The three letters on the map stabbed painfully into my eyes.