The Journey to the Imperial Capital
Lemman’s office.
“By now the clan should have already left its original territory, right?”
“Yes. When I arrived, everything was nearly ready. Since we came right before the attack, there was no damage at all, so they are probably heading toward their new territory by now.”
“That’s good news. At least they won’t be threatened anymore. That aside, His Majesty asked me to bring those people to the Imperial Capital.”
“The Emperor?”
“Yes. It seems he judged that, given the recent attack, it would be better to protect them in the Imperial Capital for now.”
“Hmm.”
Lemman continued without pause, trying to persuade Lan.
“Of course, the Imperial Capital was attacked as well. Where else on the continent could they be truly safe? But compared to Seo-Wangdo, the Imperial Capital is certainly better.”
“You’re right. Then I will personally see them off.”
“That would be perfect. By the way, I still have one more thing to tell you two. The Third Seat, Modeus, requested a Promotion Duel against the Second Seat.”
At the mention of the Promotion Duel, the corners of Lan’s and Wolhyang’s eyes darkened.
The Promotion Duel. It was a battle among the Seven Pillars to reassign their ranks.
Most of the Pillars had no interest in rankings. They prioritized the mission of protecting the continent and had never held Promotion Duels. But the Second Seat Wolhyang and the Third Seat Modeus Libel had actively participated in them.
Ever since Wolhyang became Second Seat, she had stopped holding them, so now only Modeus was pushing for it.
Anyway, the content of this requested Promotion Duel was Modeus challenging Wolhyang for the Second Seat position.
The other Pillars had easily accepted defeats or simply skipped the Duels, so no incidents had occurred until now. But since Wolhyang was not the type to avoid them, a fierce clash with Modeus was expected.
“A Promotion Duel requires three observers of the Seven Pillars level, so while escorting them to the Imperial Capital, we can handle the Duel as well.”
“Yes, that would be best.”
“I hope for a good result.”
After finishing his conversation with Lemman, Lan left the office with Wolhyang along the same path they had come.
‘It seems our journey with them will be even longer.’
* * *
Days later.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
As the leading Lan passed through a series of checkpoints, a beautiful and clear bell tone began to ring out.
It was the exact same sound heard the first time entering Seo-Wangdo. What was its name again…? Was it a Bell of Brahma or something?
I had heard that when the Pillars of the continent visited the capitals or major cities of the nations, they summoned the people to pay their respects.
As we approached the final checkpoint some distance away from the bell, the guards rushed out and dropped to one knee before Lan and Wolhyang, shouting.
“We greet the majestic Pillars of the continent!”
“Thank you.”
After lightly bowing to those who came out to greet us, Lan signaled for the passage. The soldiers immediately opened the gates.
The power of the Pillars was truly awe-inspiring.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
Unlike the single bell installed only at the gates of Seo-Wangdo, the Imperial Capital had bells from the checkpoints along the two-day streets.
Truly, it was an enormous scale. One of those bells alone must have cost a fortune.
As the bells rang again and the final checkpoint in the distance came into view, Lan, who had been explaining the Imperial Capital to us while riding at the front, suddenly fell silent.
He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes and brows, as if sensing something amiss.
The reason would be clear to us standing beside him in a moment.
A massive crowd of people densely packed outside the final checkpoint.
Normally, as the last checkpoint, there should be only tight security and no such throngs. But the crowd was there.
Jubern, who had noticed the change in Lan and Wolhyang’s atmosphere, cautiously asked.
“My lord, is there some trouble?”
At Jubern’s question, Lan fixed his gaze straight ahead and answered in a voice that barely escaped.
“No trouble. It’s just that the Emperor is at that checkpoint. Something strange is happening.”
“What? I must have misheard.”
“...”
Lan stared at Jubern, who was stammering, then called his name.
“Jubern.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“You are my right hand and also the leader of these people’s escorts.”
“Yes, I know, my lord.”
“When I am away, you must take my place.”
“...”
“No matter where you go, do not show any weakness in front of anyone.”
“I will remember, my lord.”
After Lan’s advice, Jubern loosened his tension and rode forward with a light heart.
* * *
Hee-hee-hee! Hurrk!
Leading the way, Lan suddenly pulled the reins gently.
The horses that had been trotting stopped before someone. Lan and Wolhyang dismounted, and everyone followed them down from their saddles.
Lan walked straight to the person in front and bowed.
His splendid clothing and noble bearing suggested he was the Emperor of the Empire.
“We meet again, Your Majesty.”
“Nice to see you again. Second Seat, you too. How is the Promotion Duel preparation going?”
“There’s nothing much to prepare.”
Except for Lan and a few others, Wolhyang, who was usually blunt with everyone, answered the Emperor’s question briefly.
“Oh, Wolhyang! You’ve become even more beautiful since I last saw you. How have you been?”
“Yes. And how about Natalie, the Fourth Seat?”
During the few exchanges of greetings, Lan and the Emperor’s eyes met for a moment as the Emperor glanced back at them.
The Emperor’s eyes sparkled for an instant, then he walked past Lan and approached us.
“I heard you endured a terrible ordeal, but I’m glad you’re all right. Ah, I’m not a suspicious person—I’m the Emperor who rules the Empire. After hearing about this incident, I decided to bring you all here to the Imperial Capital.”
One would expect a stern, elderly ruler for an Emperor, but instead he was a young man radiating a familiar and friendly aura.
“Keeping guests waiting outside is impolite. First, the long journey must have tired you, so let me escort you to the palace.”
With a light gesture from the Emperor, the final checkpoint for the Imperial Capital slowly began to open.
Through the opening gap, an endless black stone wall surrounding the Imperial Capital came into view.
Right after the war against the Yokai ended.
Most of the heroes who had fought at the front scattered or retired to the rear.
With the leaders who had guided humanity from the front gone, the remaining people naturally fell into anxiety.
One of the heroes who had stayed to stabilize the chaotic situation proposed founding a nation.
And the capital of that nation, which continued to this day, is the current Imperial Capital.
Since the war, the Imperial Capital had stood alongside the continent and its history. It was the heart of the continent and the pride of its people.
The mountain range rising high to the northeast of the Imperial Capital pierced through the clouds and seemed ready to tear the sky itself.
Its grandeur resembled the tail of a dragon, adding majesty to the capital.
In the early days of the founding, the Imperial Capital built a massive defensive wall against possible Yokai invasions.
With repeated maintenance and expansion, the wall had become an impregnable fortress.
Its circumference stretched about a hundred li, and its height was at least tens of zhang.
We, who had been amazed by Seo-Wangdo’s scale earlier, were once again overwhelmed by the abnormal size of the Imperial Capital’s wall.
Jubern, who had been born and raised in Seo-Wangdo his entire life, unconsciously swallowed hard.
“This… was truly built by humans.”
The river flowing through the Imperial Capital and the endless fertile, vast land made the capital even more prosperous.
Although Lemman’s Seo-Wangdo was undoubtedly a great city on the continent, compared to the Imperial Capital it was at least two steps behind.
Wurrr-ggg-grr!
A soldier who spotted the Emperor’s flag from afar touched something. The iron gates slowly scraped the ground with a rough noise as they slid open.
Inside the revealed landscape was even more magnificent.
Point of Entry to the Realm of the Heart.
If there was a wealthy class anywhere, there must be a poor class too. Yet the Imperial Capital seemed to defy this common sense.
Towering buildings of bizarre and elegant design lined the streets, unlike Seo-Wangdo’s. Not a single thatched-roof house existed.
Gold-plated houses adorned with precious metals stood scattered here and there, while artificial ponds and pavilions dotted the landscape. The songs and laughter of men and women playing in those places never ceased.
All roads were neatly organized like a checkerboard, and the canals running parallel through them had no trace of ice even in winter.
Some of the tall buildings were connected by bridges, allowing passage between them—a strangely unfamiliar sight.
From the gates to the palace where the Emperor resided, the grand avenue of enormous width was wide enough for dozens of carriages to pass side by side, perfectly ordered and maintained.
Those of us, including the first people to set foot in the Imperial Capital, stared with wide eyes and kept turning our heads in amazement at its splendor.
At the end of the avenue, the palace itself blocked the way. Since its height did not fall short of the wall, the palace’s scale was also immense.
Even after passing through the palace gates, we had to travel for quite some time. The luxury of the Imperial Palace inside was beyond comparison with the outside.
Finally, inside the palace, guided by the Emperor’s polite request, we were led to the Honored Hall where the guests would stay, accompanied by Jubern and the warriors.
Lan exchanged a few words with the Emperor and then set off with him toward some destination, while Wolhyang trailed closely behind Lan.