Chapter 294
Chapter 294
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 294
Chapter Title: War Preparations (1)
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A flower bed meticulously tended as if by a skilled gardener.
Countless tiny creatures living within it wriggled about, busily moving their little bodies.
Ants, butterflies, ladybugs, earthworms, and more—all coexisting in nature's ecosystem.
One might dismiss them as insignificant pests, but watching each play their part, striving desperately to survive, stirred a peculiar sense of awe.
"...So cute."
And there was one being deeply moved by the sight, murmuring to herself without realizing it.
A silver-haired woman crouched down, gazing intently at the flower bed—Riesta Saint Hatianus, the Saintess of the Church of the Main God.
"Hmm~ Hm~♪"
Not content with just watching, she hummed a light tune, bestowing blessings on each creature one by one.
Hours had passed like this already, yet there wasn't a trace of boredom on her face.
She simply peered down at the garden's inhabitants with sparkling golden eyes, as if observing a fascinating toy.
'How admirable they are.'
How small and lovable these lives were.
Riesta smiled faintly, pouring all her rare free time into her favorite pastime.
'I've been so busy lately...'
Since Pope Hatianus II's passing, the Church of the Main God had been in turmoil.
Externally, they still led the continent's stabilization efforts as always, while internally, they scrambled to fill the vacant papal seat.
'It should be decided soon enough.'
At the Roselia Cathedral, the church's scant six cardinals were gathered for the Conclave—a deep conclave to elect the next pope.
If saints and saintesses were proxies chosen directly by the gods, the pope was more like a representative elected from the faithful. This was an essential process.
'No matter who it is, it won't take long. With the current tensions, they can't afford to leave the cardinals away too much longer... or risk being unable to respond swiftly to any incidents... right?'
As Riesta savored the serene air of her little sanctuary,
a sudden sense of wrongness washed over her.
Soon, an ominous dread—unrelated to reason, purely instinctual—surged into her mind.
'...Ugh, this... could it be...?'
Having experienced it before, she quickly pinpointed the cause.
A revelation from the Main God.
It was a phenomenon akin to sudden enlightenment or realization, striking without warning.
As she clutched her head and staggered,
an uninvited guest fluttered into the garden from outside.
Flutter—
A black-feathered crow hopped about the flower bed while she was still dazed.
It scanned the surroundings briefly before spotting the plump insects blessed by the saintess herself and began devouring them one after another.
Caw— Caw—
Chirping exclamations as if tasting delicacies.
"Hoo..."
Riesta, having just weathered the revelation and regained her composure, frowned slightly at the crow. She wiped the cold sweat from her brow with a handkerchief and relaxed her expression.
Birds and insects wandering in from outside weren't uncommon.
Sealing the garden completely might aid maintenance and aesthetics, but it would just become a large model garden.
The law of the jungle was part of the natural order ordained by the Main God, after all.
'Still...'
After deep breaths to steady herself, she slowly approached the little intruder.
Caw— Caw!
Flutter—
The crow flinched at the human's approach, flapping desperately to flee.
But it only beat its wings a few times, freezing in place as she reached its side without taking flight.
"There, good birdie."
She gently cupped the now-docile crow in both hands and stroked it softly.
Even as a non-combatant, Riesta's presence was beyond what a mere creature could withstand. This was only natural.
With mere will, she could fell birds from the sky.
'From outside...'
After petting it a few times, she paused and stared at it again.
Of course, she had no intention of harming it.
Capturing it was just a whim amid her cluttered thoughts.
'Invaders from an external dimension...'
The entity the Main God had warned about directly wouldn't be as harmless as this bird.
The Main God had never mentioned the otherworlders who came and went before.
'...Could it be related to the Immortal King again?'
A reasonable guess, but unconfirmed.
Either way, preparation was needed.
Caw— Caw!
Flutter—
Riesta released the bird back into the sky and turned with a hardened expression.
First, she needed to consult the one reliable man she could trust about this revelation: Saint Heinrich.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Little by little, yet steadily without pause.
Time flowed like running water.
Operating multiple bodies simultaneously stretched subjective time longer than for others, and much had happened in that span.
"Long live Crown Princess Riley Carte Azerion!"
"Hohoho! Congratulations, Your Highness. Now it's just a matter of wrapping things up properly."
"My, how radiant you look today, Your Highness. Even the empire's famed flowers wilt in your presence."
First, in the Azerion Empire's capital, Jelon, Riley had finally ascended to the official crown princess position.
She decisively ousted the nearly forgotten Prince Simon and secured recognition as the empire's heir.
'The current emperor doesn't look long for this world either. He might abdicate within a few years.'
From leading a major faction as the fifth princess to now as crown princess, the scope of her authority had leaped dimensions.
The de facto second-in-command and future ruler could now directly wield the empire and imperial family's power.
It was proof that her long journey, begun over a decade ago upon meeting that otherworlder, was nearing its end.
And these shifts in continental politics weren't confined to the empire.
In Drakal, the free city of mercenaries in the southeast...
Boom—!
"I heard there's a guy named Harley here! I'm Stallion of the Blood Mist, come to learn a thing or two! Let's have a proper—"
"Huh? What? Again?"
"...Huh?"
"Tch! I don't care if it's Blood Mist or whatever. If you're gonna charge, do it quick."
Was there a plague that killed you if you didn't prove your manhood for even a second in this city? Challengers flocked to Harley's fame, burning with rivalry rather than awe.
Mercenaries were hot-blooded by nature, and weakness meant disdain—but this was excessive.
'Of course, no one's kept up that attitude face-to-face with me yet.'
Even the guild's top brass and peak experts tucked tail upon meeting him. That was Harley's aura.
Untrained rabble couldn't withstand it.
What followed was straightforward.
As the burly intruder's eyes darted wildly, Harley sauntered over, slung an arm over his shoulder.
The challenger wasn't small, but side-by-side, he looked like a middle-schooler getting shaken down by a scary thug.
"Wanna get tenderized into ground meat, or buy some already tenderized?"
"...I-I'll buy it."
"Wise choice! Lead me to what you think's the best spot. Pick wrong, and I'll fold you in half. Haha!"
It was literally a shakedown, but fair enough.
Harley clapped the man's back, ushering him ahead.
Some, driven mad by fear, charged blindly with blank stares—but a loving dose of physical therapy restored them to civilized thought.
The kind-hearted, magnanimous Harley even treated such souls to meals, clearing up misunderstandings.
"Mmm! This city's meat has prime texture! Quite the surprise."
"D-Drkal's barren for farming, but it's not bad otherwise. As a trade hub, that's huge, and the local cliff goat meat is exquisite... though pricey."
"Just like he says, boss! ...Oops, meat's run out again? Uh, add 10 servings—no, 20... sorry, 30. Ha, haha..."
"Tch, don't break the flow. Reorder fast when it runs low. No street smarts, that one."
His explosive entrance rocked the city from the start.
Sightings and rumors of the legendary Harley spread like wildfire through Drakal society, boosting his fame and influence further.
'Mercs sell force above all. Raw power trumps politics. Kinda like the south.'
Drakal suited Harley, violence incarnate, perfectly.
Beyond here, trends elsewhere unfolded even more favorably than anticipated.
'South's a given. East's expanding bases with Oberfo natives smoothly. West's Talia Kingdom's formalizing ties, extending influence...'
The influence spread from the west naturally involved Hubert Merchant Company, now infiltrating beyond Tulke Kingdom across the region.
Their market dominance owed much to the endless rare metals from the north—coveted by nations fearing the Immortal King's undead horde for military buildup.
'Never mind that the undead are supplying them.'
Trading arms between foes for profit alone.
They called it 'shadow merchant' dealings.
He felt like he'd stepped into a new underworld.
'But.'
Then, amid this smooth sailing, a warning bell rang.
'A second-dimensional invader worth the Main God's warning?'
The revelation Riesta had shared.
'...Only one comes to mind.'
The monster devouring world origins across dimensions.
Bancheon Hoeju.
'It's come here after all.'
Without Riesta, he might've gotten no intel at all.
Caught off-guard, everything could've crumbled.
Only a saintess could interpret it this clearly.
Its dimension-crossing method was unknown, so its current location was a mystery.
Not like his memory-reading and Otherworld Teleportation Circle summoning.
Recalling their Japan clash, it had honed a space-manipulating unique skill to its limit.
'But that's not the point now.'
How it arrived was secondary.
The issue: that monster targeted his carefully prepared stage.
'This land... Outerica.'
Rage boiled within.
He absolutely couldn't allow it.
Outsiders thought the Immortal King's army warred with humanity—but no.
Both sides were his limbs.
Unimaginable to others, but manipulating this world was effortless for him.
His influence touched most who ruled Outerica.
The Immortal King and his undead legions, the vampire coalition under the Vampire King, the Church of the Main God revering Heinrich as saint, Warrior King and Mercenary King Harley with his warriors, High Elf Harris and the Elven Kingdom, the empire's elite via Riley, merchant cartels led by Hubert...
This world was mostly in his grasp.
'Outerica is—'
This place was.
My land.
My domain.
Mine.
A world prepared solely for him, a stage for his dreams, a treasure chest of precious things.
If it dared intrude here anyway,
'You'll fight this entire world.'
Time to prepare for war.