335. Aftermath (1)
335. Aftermath (1)
- 1 -
It was an autumn morning when cold dew settled on the ground.
It was the second day since the Driaz Duchy in northeastern Jenota had surrendered to Leoper.
The grand council chamber of the Kingdom of Kakia was filled with suffocating tension.
"Thirty thousand Jenotan troops annihilated in a single day...! And by Leoper's knight order, a mere ten thousand? How in the world is such a thing possible?"
Chancellor Mikhail flung the documents down onto the table, raising his voice.
The terror and unease plain on his wrinkled face were unlike anything he had ever experienced.
Crown Prince Alexander nodded, his expression grim.
"According to intelligence, that woman, the 'Steel Wings,' personally stood at the vanguard. Ten thousand against thirty thousand... it defies common sense. Even more concerning is that behind her army, troops from Haisen and Kija moved together."
However, the two nations had not played a truly decisive role in this war.
"They merely watched from behind when the real battle broke out, didn't they? The actual fighting was all done by Leoper's ten thousand."
"They blocked the retreating Jenotan army's rear and maintained the encirclement. They restricted escape routes and expanded the results. That means that army was deployed from the start as a contingency—they were confident with just those ten thousand."
This suggested their alliance was preparing for a larger expansion beyond a simple border dispute.
Everyone in this council understood that.
Silence settled over the room. Someone's breathing was loud and ragged.
"Is Jenota continuing its resistance?"
Nicholas II asked calmly, though his face was clearly tinged with worry.
"The Duke of Driaz surrendered. The Cheoks border march, which Leoper had effectively occupied from the beginning, has now been formally ceded to them, and the duchy itself has been seized."
"What fools they are...! This is what comes of maintaining a clumsy regency alliance instead of a proper monarchy."
Commander of the General Knights Pyotr cursed and disparaged them, but his own face brimmed with tension he could not conceal.
In any case, all of this had happened because Elena's monster-human allied force had defeated a Jenotan army three times its size.
"Could this expansion affect us as well?"
The Crown Prince spoke in a low voice.
"If the Grakheisen Alliance advances northward, our borders could also be at risk."
"We must keep a close watch on Countess Philia Elskopf."
The chancellor added cautiously.
"Intelligence suggests that she, known as the real power in Haisen, is manipulating every nation."
Nicholas II stroked his chin.
"Is there more information on that woman?"
The chancellor shook his head.
"Little is known. Though she has not been a Haisen noble for long, she is said to hold the real power in the royal palace. How this woman, said to be of Rugnisah Kingdom origin, managed to win over Queen Yurena, and what her aim is—all of it remains a mystery."
"The Haisen Kingdom itself has changed. They have been corrupted!"
The Crown Prince continued.
"Since the new queen ascended, that country has been accepting even monsters as citizens. And this woman Philia is said to command monsters as her own subordinates."
Silence once again dominated the council chamber.
What exactly did they want? And what were they truly capable of?
They were busy reading each other's expressions, agonizing over how to respond to the crisis before them.
Haisen and the Grakheisen Alliance were nations that had long stood in opposition to them as well.
Even if they had been somewhat more conciliatory than the other southern nations, they themselves knew the difference was not that great.
It was merely a difference of who was more cunning, who was more brutal.
Meanwhile, at that same moment.
"Foolish nonsense!!"
Hundreds of kilometers away, in the Norn Empire, similar chaos was unfolding.
"This is a report penned by madmen!"
In the conference room of the Imperial Palace, Emperor Maximilian doubted his own eyes as he read and reread the battlefield report.
Clutching the document as if he might tear it apart at any moment, the emperor's face contorted as he shouted.
"No matter how powerful Leoper's army is, to sweep away a force three times its size in a single day? That cannot be! It is impossible!"
The Chief Chamberlain, standing beside him, bowed politely.
"However, all intelligence sources convey the same story, Your Majesty."
"I know that, Chief Chamberlain!!"
The emperor, who had exploded in rage, examined the documents once more.
He glared at every letter as if he meant to chew and swallow them, then crumpled the paper with a harsh sound.
Other than stating that Elena Leoper's power surpassed that of a human, there was nothing else of note in the contents.
"Your Majesty."
Foreign Minister Andolph bowed his head and spoke.
"What matters is that the allied Orbis Duchy is threatening our empire, and Hilsa is also deploying troops along our border. You must make a decision."
The emperor stroked his beard and gazed out the window.
The plans they had drawn up to check the central alliance's rapid growth were turning to foam.
"Leoper will not stop. This time it was Jenota, but next it could be Arilit..."
"Your Majesty!"
Just as he was muttering to himself, a messenger rushed in breathlessly and delivered another piece of news.
"Word has come from Ellieniesi. There was a minor clash at the Haisen border yesterday, and several hundred Ellieniesi troops are said to have retreated in a horrifying state. It is that woman, Your Majesty! The White Witch!"
The emperor felt the nape of his neck stiffen at the exploits of the 'White Witch'—Shue, whose name he could not possibly have known.
He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.
A sense of helplessness, that there was no way to intervene. With each passing day, the news that came was only ominous.
The ink smell of the documents the messenger had brought still lingered at the tip of his nose.
Along with it, the sense of crisis, as if the stench of blood clung to them.
"Can no one stop them..."
Deep wrinkles carved themselves into the emperor's face, as though he had aged ten years in an instant.
- 2 -
The clear laughter of children drifted in through the window.
They would be the children of the royal collateral line whom Yurena had permitted to live in the royal palace.
To be precise, they were a kind of hostage, given high-level education in exchange for loyalty—but a benefit was a benefit nonetheless.
I set down the documents for a moment and gazed out at the blue sky.
It was an exceptionally clear autumn day.
'Things are proceeding as planned.'
Around now in the west, Adelaide and Elena would be continuing their political wrangling with Jenotan diplomats to incorporate the Driaz Duchy into Leoper.
Of course, they would manage it well, and they would secure at least half or more of the territory.
Tok-tok.
As I was lost in these thoughts, the sound of a knock came.
It was the visit of someone who had been awaiting my summons.
"Come in."
The door opened, revealing the bowed heads of a lady-in-waiting and Guildmaster Hallai.
Hallai carried himself in a manner distinctly different from when I had last seen him.
His face seemed somewhat younger than before. No, rather than younger... it was brimming with vitality.
"It has been a while, Hallai."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Hallai bowed his head respectfully.
What was different from before was that now, his eyes and body no longer trembled with fear when he looked at me.
In the place where fear had been, blind faith and... 'loyalty' had taken its place.
"Have a seat."
Once he was seated, I deliberately wore a kindly smile.
Like a benevolent monarch.
"Your daughter's name was Jeina, was it not? How is the child doing?"
His expression, stiff with tension, melted away in an instant.
The warmth of a father welled up in his eyes. It was the reaction I had wanted.
"She has improved to an unbelievable degree. She is now able to walk around the neighborhood, and as of yesterday, she even began exercising. It is a miracle, Your Excellency!"
"That is a relief."
"The mage teaching the child says that her talent is truly exceptional. Truly..."
Hallai paused for a moment and wiped at his eyes, overcome with emotion.
"This is all thanks to Your Excellency. Teacher Grace, whom Your Excellency sent, completely changed my daughter's condition. The child who lay bedridden for ten years... Jeina has come back to life...!"
He suddenly sprang to his feet, knelt on the spot, and bent at the waist, reverently pressing his head to the floor.
"The words 'thank you' are insufficient. No words could ever be, Your Excellency. I, Hallai Bernov, for the grace of saving my daughter who is more precious than my own life... I shall repay it even if I must give my body. Though my life is a paltry one..."
Raising his head, he spoke to me with burning eyes.
His gaze was firm, without the slightest waver.
"I have seen Your Excellency's power. I have seen Your Excellency's wisdom. And I have seen the mercy Your Excellency bestowed upon Jeina. Now my loyalty is directed solely toward Your Excellency! My life, my sword, everything I have is Yours. Please, accept them."
"Well now, that is a welcome sentiment, but..."
At his heartfelt words, I smiled slightly and answered.
"It would be best to set that heart aside for now. The reward I have given you is not worth that much."
"Pardon?"
Disappointment flickered in Hallai's eyes.
I stopped him with a gesture as he moved to open his mouth to speak.
"First, make up for the time you could not spend with Jeina. Yes... you will need time to confirm your sincerity once more, I suppose. If you feel the same a month from now, you may come find me again then."
"Your Excellency...!"
His eyes and body began to tremble again.
Not with fear, but with deep emotion.
That expression was the complete opposite of the one he had shown not long ago, at the meeting where I had gathered the adventurer guildmasters.
The moment when he had dimly sensed my 'identity' and been utterly terrified, petrified with fear.
Finding a certain amusement in that sight, I raised the corners of my lips.
It felt as though I had found a pearl in the darkness.
"My words are not mere courtesy. Withdraw and spend more time with your daughter. The time you will spend working with me from now on is time to which you may never return. Regretting it later will do you no good."
Speaking thus, I examined his body.
More precisely, the mana fluctuations occurring in his right chest.
The power I had granted him was an experiment in settling a dungeon core into a human body.
I had repeated preliminary experiments on monsters and the core refinement process countless times, but applying it directly to a human was a first.
Hallai was my first masterpiece, and...
Uung...
...the result was a success.
What was beating in his right chest now was a second heart functioning alongside his original heart: a mana core.
He had become capable of accumulating and operating mana on a dimension entirely different from ordinary mages or knights.
A new method to reward the loyal and strengthen my forces.
Hallai was the first example, and his loyalty was the compensation.
'Though there is a small "side effect."'
It would only manifest in truly decisive crises, so that side effect might even save his life at least once.
Even if small, it was a gain rather than a loss.
There was no need to tell him now. Knowing would only add to his worries.
"Thanks to what you have done, the alliance is already winning, so you need only enjoy the life given to you as compensation. Greater tasks... will not be too late to undertake when the time comes."
Hiding that thought, I smiled with satisfaction.
- 3 -
A few days after that.
On the rooftop of the inner fortress of Kaitna, a port city newly incorporated into Leoper's territory, I stood face-to-face with Salvia Wepar.
"It is good."
"It is a barren place, however..."
"From now on, it will be barren no longer. Salvia."
As she said, this was a barren port city, but to me, it was an exceptionally useful place.
The fact that I stood here, at the southwesternmost tip of the Driaz Duchy, meant that Elena and Adelaide had succeeded in their negotiations with Jenota without yielding an inch.
They had secured a non-aggression pact for the next five years and obtained trade relations with Jenota.
The other side might have breathed a sigh of relief, but for us, who needed to stabilize Leoper and expand in other directions, these were the best possible terms.
"Starting today, you are to cultivate your power here. Salvia."
"...So my lord indeed dominates even humans."
In her eyes, clear alarm and doubt mingled.
It was a natural reaction.
To her, who had lived as a demon from birth, humans were not objects of rule but of expulsion—or merely prey.
"Starting today, you are also the lord of this place."
I nodded and gave instructions.
"Treat the humans here equally with the monsters under your command. But you must not follow the policies you observed when you belonged to Dantalion. Regarding those standards, consult with Elena, the younger sister of Adelaide, the explicit ruler of this land. She understands my will."
"...Yes. As my lord wishes. I understand."
Though doubt might linger in her eyes, she bowed her head for now.
Whether she would do well going forward was something I could judge as I watched from here on.
I kept her at my side and gazed down at the narrow strait of this place.
The expansion on land was only the beginning.
There were two things I desired from her.
"This place is suited for you to secretly raise marine monsters. The gorge below is deeper than it looks, you see. It is an environment well-suited for cultivating your power."
"Yes. I have already confirmed it."
Wepar answered politely, but her eyes remained full of doubt.
It did not matter if she did not understand. I simply needed her to follow.
I stared out at the distant horizon—more precisely, imagining those who lurked beneath it—and continued slowly.
"While raising your monsters here, seek out the true power sleeping in the depths of the sea. The great monsters."
The hidden lords who truly ruled this vast ocean, beings who had lived for at least several centuries.
That is to say, lord-class monsters whose cores would have to be offered up as food for my subordinates, as sacrifices to amplify my power.
Their power would become the sacrifice to advance me to the next stage I had planned.
A stage that would completely overturn this world... toward my completion.