Chapter 209
Chapter 209
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 209
Chapter Title: Snow on Top of Frost (1)
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The Roselia Grand Temple, situated at the heart of the Holy Land, served as the central hub of the Church of the Main God—the largest religion across Outerica. It boasted a scale incomparable even to the grand temples in other regions.
Not only did it house the Pope, the Saintess, and numerous high-ranking officials, but it also managed politics, administration, and intelligence on a continental level. In that sense, it was only natural.
Moreover, most bases for the Holy Knight Order and the Heresy Inquisitors—dispatched externally—were located here, leaving little else to say.
And on one corner of its vast grounds, there were multiple lodging buildings prepared for visiting dignitaries from outside...
"Hoo—I'm exhausted."
In one of them, the lodging for the Azerion Empire's delegation.
Imperial Princess Riley, having just returned from a meeting, groaned as she collapsed onto the sofa in the office like a ragdoll.
The meeting, which had started around lunchtime, only ended late into the night, leaving her body utterly drained. But today's sudden agenda was such an urgent matter that there was no helping it.
"...Princess Riley? Please mind your dignity. This isn't the Imperial Palace."
"Eh? Come on, it doesn't matter. There's no one here but us anyway. Let's relax since we're already tired, Sister Isea."
Isea frowned at the sight, but Riley paid no heed and sprawled out flat on the sofa.
The Church had provided each meeting participant with an independent lodging building, allowing the delegations to rest more comfortably without prying eyes from other factions.
Moreover, upon arriving, they had immediately dismissed all their attendants.
Thus, only people Riley could relax around remained, so there was no issue at all.
"...Still, with Heron here, showing such a disheveled side is a bit..."
"Hm? You mean me? Come on, Master. Why bring it up now? Until I escaped the Immortal Fortress, we were together constantly, and he's seen everything there is to see—good, bad, and ugly. This is nothing!"
Hesperon, who had trailed after them to the office, quickly jumped in when Isea mentioned him.
He had seemed dazed since earlier for some reason, but it wasn't as if he was completely out of it.
"Oh? And what kind of relationship might that be?"
Of course, Isea's eyes narrowed sharply at his casual remark.
"No... wait, Heron! What do you mean 'ugly'? That wasn't intentional, right? It was just unavoidable due to the harsh environment! ...A-And the situation we were in!"
Riley shot up from her seat, her face flushed as she vented her frustration.
But the brief commotion settled down quickly enough.
They chatted idly for a moment to catch their breath, but the reality looming before them was too pressing to dwell on such trivialities.
"A large-scale assault by the Immortal King's army... What do you think, Sister?"
"...Honestly, things are already precarious as it is. Monsters rampaging everywhere, white giants popping up out of nowhere, and periodic raids from the Immortal army on top of that. If those raids intensify..."
In truth, they had been holding their own reasonably well so far, considering the Immortal King had descended.
The casualties since his appearance were far from light, but aside from the Rohan Principality, no other nations had suffered threats to their very existence.
However, if the large-scale offensives Saint Heinrich warned of began, most countries would face severe difficulties maintaining their current societies.
Some might even collapse entirely like Rohan.
'Of course, excluding Talia Kingdom, where the regime has already completely changed.'
Hesperon, who had been blankly listening to their conversation, nodded quietly.
He had always had a somewhat dim side, but now it was especially pronounced.
This was due to the unprecedented fierce debate unfolding in one corner of his mind.
💬 Mind Hub Conference — Hannibal Strauss Everything's almost ready. When do you think is the most effective time to launch the attack? No objections. — Heinz 2nd I'm against it, but if we must attack, right after the normal conference ends would be best. If it blows up too soon, it messes up the plans we've been preparing. — Heinrich No, we should stop even now. Hans is moving too rashly. We still have plenty of time—there's no need to push this hard! — Hari I'm hungry. Let's eat first! Add 10 servings of meat for tonight's snack! — Hubert Tsk, you're going to push through anyway, right? Then use it to clean up those annoying merchant alliances. That'd be efficient. — Harris Ah... this is annoying... Can't we just drop everything...? — Howard Aw, you frustrating idiot! Are we really doing this? Then at least don't start anything near Tarac! It's a critical moment right now. The thing I've been working on forever is almost done! — Hugo Ugh, this is chaos. Hans, please! — Hesperon — Hesperon Do we really have to...? Sigh, I don't even know anymore. Let's just take it easy, okay? As expected, each one had a distinct personality, showing varied reactions based on their inclinations.
Some had even given up on stopping the rampage and were proposing compromises.
It was the epitome of selfish, egocentric behavior—so quintessentially Han Seonghyeon.
'If my main body were awake, we'd move as one without this hassle... This is tough.'
With his head asleep, forcing his limbs to move felt like staggering just to walk, despite sharing the same goal. Different strides and balances made it a headache.
Thus, he left his timid opinion and turned his gaze back to the women before him.
Though the mental conference had dragged on, its impact on the real world was minimal, so they were still continuing their earlier conversation.
"Still, the Saint said he can foresee the Immortal King's raids. All that's left is for each country to step up. We need to quickly check the forces we can muster to counter them..."
"...Riley, are you sure you'll be okay without me? What if something dangerous happens while I'm gone?"
"I'll be fine. Honestly, I'm more worried about you, Sister Isea. Once I return, I'll hole up in the palace under protection—what could go wrong?"
Her succession to the throne was already in the final stages.
Her political rivals were falling one by one, and the neutral faction led by Marquis Lawrence, the head of the palace mage tower, had already pledged support.
At least within the palace, her safety was assured.
"And with Heron here, we can manage somehow if needed, right? He says instant teleportation is still impossible due to overexertion back then... but he's the one who escaped the Immortal King's clutches!"
"Eh? Ahaha... That's a lot of pressure."
Hesperon gave an awkward laugh as Riley glanced at him and continued.
Isea followed her gaze, sighed deeply, and shook her head.
"Haa—There's still so much to teach Heron. How long ago was it that I thought operating as a Resolve Agent wasn't that dangerous, and now this happens back-to-back..."
From the white giants to Immortal army season two.
And it was obvious such crises would persist until they properly defeated the Immortal King.
"...Things won't get even worse here, will they?"
Isea's words slipped out with a wry chuckle.
Spoken out of unfounded worry, yet astonishingly, they pierced a truth of the world.
That 'surely not' can kill you.
Three days passed like that.
Finally, the final day of the second Continental Summit drew near.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The World Tree soared toward the heavens.
This massive tree, a symbol of elven faith, was so enormous that it was visible at a glance from anywhere on the Enamel Continent.
Given its transcendent presence in reality, it naturally inspired awe in other races as well.
The heterogenous races of Enamel had long rejected no one's faith and maintained regular exchanges, keeping distances between them minimal.
Unlike the Ion Continent dominated by humans, this was a paradise where various races formed their own nations and societies.
However, not all races were welcome here—
Among those most rejected was the vampire.
Due to their alien ecology of preying on others' blood, they were shunned not just by humans but by most intelligent beings.
Thus, most vampires had chosen to remain on the Ion Continent during the great migration.
Since they had to hide and parasitize anyway, humans made far more appealing prey than heterogenous races.
And the race rejected as much as vampires was...
The lycanthrope, so-called werewolves.
"Kihihihit~! It's showtime, pups! Kick!"
On a night with a full moon.
As a frivolous man's voice echoed across a hilly area where the World Tree loomed large in the distance, savage beastly howls followed.
Grrr—
Grrraaah! Kyang—!
Blood-red eyes began glowing one by one around him amid the chilling cries of feral beasts.
"Alright~ Shall we start the circus? Grrrrr—!"
His high-pitched voice thickened as he spoke, ending in a beastly growl.
They resembled beastmen at a glance but differed fundamentally.
Lycanthropes grew potential by devouring prey hearts, innately wielding black magic... beings more akin to monsters than half.
This ferocity targeted not just monsters but other intelligent hearts, making them unwelcome everywhere.
If Hans hadn't found the 'Complete Evolution Creature Project' in the Geunchon Society on Earth, Hari might have ended up like them.
"Kyahahaha—! Let's go rip open the bellies of those peace-fattened pigs!"
Led by the grotesque laughter of the frontmost monster,
Countless black shadows crossed the Enamel Continent's mountains under cover of darkness.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Eastern Ion Continent, Jephia Republic.
"Is everything... prepared...?"
"Yes, my Lord. We can begin anytime upon your command."
In a vast cavern shrouded in darkness, a cracked old man's voice and a seductive woman's exchanged words slowly.
"To think... you aligned it perfectly with the timing..."
"This was possible only because of you, my Lord. It would have been impossible for anyone else..."
The woman's silhouette prostrated before the diminutive old man's shadow, expressing reverence.
"You know... the situation...?"
"Yes, Yuphersh and Brocoslak have allied to swallow lower clans. I didn't expect them to go that far, but they will regret it."
She answered confidently to the old man's sluggish question.
And rightly so—they had invested truly long... exceedingly long years into this.
Even allying with vermin like the Oath of Reverse Heaven for it.
"I don't know what foolish gambit led them to forcibly merge so many bloodlines into one—that's absurd. A vampire clan union hybrid? As if they think I'm the Vampire King or something."
The woman sneered mockingly.
The diminutive elder silently gazed down at her sharp derision before slowly speaking.
"Then... begin immediately..."
"As you command."
With those words,
The legendary Obaypo Clan, dormant in the eastern continent for ages, began to stir.
And the suspicious movements didn't end there.
"Move faster, you idiots!"
"Gah! Y-Yes, Great Chieftain!"
"Tch, if not for that revolutionary bastard, we could've wrapped this up quicker!"
Not just in the southern tribal alliances,
"Preparations?"
"We've done as ordered, Your Excellency. But Duke, is it really okay to proceed like this...?"
"Hoho, it's all for our empire. We need to buy time until His Highness the Crown Prince returns. Surely you don't think that lowly bloodline suits the throne?"
"N-No, of course not!"
Even to the capital Jelon of the Azerion Empire.
In Outerica, already braced for turmoil, seeds of chaos long postponed began sprouting all at once from every direction.