Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Guardian of Peace
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Deus sat upon his throne, gazing listlessly at the piles of treasures stacked before him.
"Tributes from the Kingdom of Catullu, Your Majesty."
"The Kingdom of Rigel's tribute has also arrived, Your Majesty."
"The Kingdom of Surtman as well..."
Tributes poured in ceaselessly from the surrounding kingdoms.
An era of peace.
These were bribes sent in hopes that the empire's prosperity and the Guardian of Peace would endure.
Even the Kingdom of Surtman, with whom relations had been strained for half a century, now sent gifts. The empire's prestige—nay, Deus's prestige—pierced the heavens.
Ever since he ascended to the throne as emperor, eighty percent of the wars on the continent had ceased.
Was it any wonder they called him the Guardian of Peace?
Yet.
"Clear them away."
Deus found their gifts displeasing.
To be precise, nothing pleased him anymore.
'Don't they hear it? The sound of peace coming to an end.'
The era of peace he had forged was fading.
Those tributes would soon return as swords and spears.
The continent would become a sea of fire, and the name of the Holy King would be reduced to scraps of paper.
Monstrous entities, bloated within the empire, were stretching their limbs.
Surpassing the imperial family's accumulated power, they even meddled in internal affairs.
What difference did this have from a republic?
'If even the northern conquest succeeds, there'll be no pretext to stop them.'
The northern reaches of the continent. A land of ice where blizzards raged year-round.
The nobles had set out on an expedition to conquer that place, which had never once been subdued in history.
It was the only way to sate their war-hungry appetites.
He hoped for failure, but if they succeeded and returned, it would be unstoppable.
Of course, there were ways to exploit the interim void.
Seize the nobles' territories left vacant for the northern campaign, confiscate their wealth.
Whether the northern conquest succeeded or failed, bind and behead them the moment they returned.
It would tarnish the Holy King's name, but it was better than letting the empire fall to them.
However, Deus could make no such choice.
Not as long as Carlos Grand Duke existed.
Known as the Knight King and the Conqueror King, he had conquered every realm of the inscrutable.
The imperial family boasted only five Sword Masters, yet his knight order harbored nearly twenty.
That was the publicly known number; it might well exceed it by far.
At least in terms of skill, no knight could match Croft—but that was a tale from twenty years ago.
'Croft has grown old too.'
Even Sword Masters could not defy the ravages of time.
At his peak, Croft alone could fell three or four average Sword Masters.
But now?
Moreover, though Croft devoted himself to training knights, it was true that the imperial knights lagged in quality behind those of Carlos Grand Duke.
They were the only ones in the empire to have endured countless 'wars.'
Carlos Grand Duke's children possessed genius rivaling the princes.
'Monsters fattened on peace.'
As long as he led them, wars between surrounding nations were inevitable.
To that end, Carlos had elevated the mad Reinhardt to crown prince.
More precisely, he had traded the crown princely investiture for the northern campaign.
The northern conquest—a feat never once achieved in the empire's thousand-year history.
A task no kingdom on the continent had accomplished.
If it failed, or if he perished midway, the empire could remain at peace.
"...What are the princes up to?"
Swoosh.
Five shadows rose before him.
Shadows that guarded the imperial family—unlike the direct guard, they handled thorny matters from the darkness.
"The 1st Prince has claimed the Dawn Sword from the imperial treasury."
"Impressive. I was always worried about his lack of discernment."
Deus nodded.
Only one could enter the imperial treasury.
There, without guidance, one had to select something worthwhile from the vast treasures.
The Dawn Sword was among the finest.
His worries had been unfounded.
"The 2nd Prince has begun mana cultivation with the Wind Jewel. He's been secluded in the cultivation chamber for a full week now."
"Haha! Even that lazybones must have taken a liking to it."
The 2nd Prince found everything bothersome.
He was the type to squander talent for lack of passion.
Yet he had reached the 6th circle at a young age—a genius.
In pure talent alone, he outshone the other princes.
Deus turned to the third shadow.
"And the 3rd Prince?"
"He has awakened. However, he does not seem to be wielding the [Light Seeker]."
"No surprise there. The secrets of the [Light Seeker] have eluded us for a thousand years."
"Yet since awakening, he has grown leaps and bounds. His mana control has improved dramatically; it seems he's reached the 3rd circle."
"A side effect of the rampage?"
"We couldn't pinpoint the exact cause. Apologies."
"No matter."
Deus shook his head.
Rampages were phenomena even mages shook their heads at.
No one possessed full knowledge of them.
Carmen, the 3rd Prince with light affinity. He was a child like light itself. He and Empress Josephine added flavor to this monotonous palace life.
"The 4th Prince has completed his communion with the Ice Bird Egg."
"Only natural, inheriting her blood."
The 4th Empress.
She had entered the palace around the same time as the 3rd Empress, but for the 'blood' she bore.
A being once called the Demon King of the North.
She was a descendant of the Demon King who unified the North.
The strongest blood—that alone justified bringing her into the palace.
The son of the 4th Empress, thick with the Demon King's blood, naturally communed with the Ice Bird.
'I'must make the imperial family stronger still.'
All four princes were geniuses.
They would become the pillars of the empire.
For them, no investment was too great.
"...And the Crown Prince? What of him?"
Deus inquired.
The fifth shadow replied.
"He remains secluded in the palace. It appears he's researching something with Edis, Master of the Tower of Ice. We cannot enter Edis's domain, so details elude us. Apologies."
"An 8th-circle archmage wielding absolute domains. It's natural we can't probe if they're together. Think nothing of it."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"But... it's peculiar."
Beyond peculiar—suspicious, even.
Since that recent event, he had sensed the Crown Prince was not himself.
'Has the madness subsided?'
The innate madness.
Reinhardt, who writhed claiming worms infested his mind.
He wouldn't lie about having tried to cure it.
Despite exhausting every method, the madness persisted.
So he had given up, and Carlos Grand Duke had seized the opportunity.
"How fares the management of the Special Prison?"
"He hasn't visited at all."
Not even once.
He ignored it entirely...
'Of course.'
Unfounded hopes.
Entrusting him with the Special Prison was a test.
If he managed those troublesome inmates, it would lend credence to the madness having eased.
Conversely, if it flared and sparked a massacre, no matter.
Just treat him as the usual mad Crown Prince.
'Even if he regains his sanity, what does it matter to me?'
An inept Crown Prince would become the nobles' puppet.
Abolishing him would only prompt reaches for the other princes.
Better that the nobles' eyes remained on the Crown Prince.
Mad as he was.
With no expectations upon him.
Even mediocre competence or recovered sanity would change nothing.
No doubt the Tower of Ice Master was just sniffing around for scraps.
Blind to how foolish and laughable it was.
It was then.
KABOOM!
A thunderous roar shook the heavens.
Something had intruded and detonated within the palace.
"The palace barrier has been breached, Your Majesty."
"You must evacuate."
The shadows moved in perfect unison.
Yet it was impossible.
The palace barriers were wrought by all Tower Masters combined.
To shatter them and assault the empire's heart?
Deus rose, face twisted in fury.
'The audacity.'
The audacity, here in the symbol of peace.
Under his own piercing gaze!
He moved to confirm the attacker himself.
And beheld it at the palace center.
"A sword?"
A sword embedded in a boulder.
The boulder had plummeted intact, sword plunged in its midst.
Even more curious.
"...A spirit?"
A hazy, smoke-like presence encircled the sword.
A spirit—one of the 7 Great Mysteries—stood there, arms crossed.
***
Spirit Caliburn.
That was the name the spirit proclaimed upon emerging after I unbound my right arm with 6th-grade admin authority.
—Was it you who awakened me, Caliburn, human?
Astonishingly, it possessed self-awareness.
Not merely a weapon, then.
Caliburn clicked his tongue at me.
—Unbelievable. I, hailed alongside the King of Light as a great spirit, awakened by a human like you?
"Problem?"
—Human, you look too weak. The older human beside you seems far stronger.
His gaze screamed disbelief that I had awakened him.
Fair enough, with an 8th-circle archmage right there; by comparison, he wasn't wrong.
"...You truly succeeded in summoning the spirit."
"Thanks to you."
One of the 7 Great Mysteries awakened.
Edis trembled in awe.
But it would have been impossible without him.
An 8th-circle archmage's rampaging nanomachine wasn't easily acquired.
The spirit manifested as a sword in a boulder.
That sword must be Caliburn's true form.
And only those he acknowledged could draw it, it seemed.
"Hm. Won't budge."
"Allow me."
Edis stepped forward.
But brute force failed to draw it.
Nor mana infusion or spells.
"No luck for me either."
Edis spoke with faint regret.
A sword even an 8th-circle archmage couldn't draw.
—Humans. I, Caliburn, heed no one I have not acknowledged. And no human in this world merits my recognition now.
"No way around it?"
—None. Give up.
Not addressing Caliburn.
Zero, perceiving my words, responded.
[This A.I. is operating via anomalous programming. It can be removed at current admin level. Proceed with removal?]
Anomalous A.I.
Artificial intelligence—crafted intellect. Zero itself was intellect forged by human hands.
And Caliburn operated anomalously.
"Better to remove it."
—Absurd. Who removes whom?
If it wouldn't listen, removal it was.
Zero, grasping my intent, initiated at once.
[Launching removal program.]
[0.1%]
—...?
Caliburn's cheeky tone faltered instantly.
He sensed something amiss.
[0.2%]
—W-wait.
Alarm crept into Caliburn's voice.
[0.3%]
—Grrgh?!
Unbearable agony joined in.
[0.4%]
—What is this? How can you erase my soul in the immutable realm?
Inconceivable.
For a mere human to strike at a spirit's core soul in the immutable realm?
Not even transcendents could manage it.
Let alone such a frail human.
Spirit weapons' activation words were utterable only by the qualified.
Yet the mana I exuded was laughably feeble. The adjacent human awakening him seemed more plausible.
[0.5%]
—O-on second thought, you seem qualified to wield me.
The problem: lingering meant total erasure.
He felt the iron will piercing the immutable realm to delete him.
Incomprehensible, yet Caliburn surrendered.
But I wouldn't simply oblige.
"Seem qualified?"
—...Since you awakened me, you undoubtedly are.
"Now we understand each other."
[Halting removal program.]
As deletion paused, Caliburn's eyes darted wildly.
Even tinged with fear.
Ignoring it, I gripped the sword again.
Shing. It'slid free effortlessly.
A spirit weapon. The 7 Great Mysteries reclaimed after a millennium!
No great thrill, but a clever idea struck.
'This'll do.'
Perfect for stirring the palace.
Malfiel crossed my mind.
An obnoxious sort, but his 'showmanship' was unparalleled.
No one matched him in spectacle.
Thus, masses followed and revered him as hero.
'No reason I can't.'
Spirit of the 7 Great Mysteries.
Emerging with the sword from the boulder.
Quite the spectacle.
Flesh would fill out on its own.
Humans loved imagination and tales.
—My, could you be the Spirit King?
[7 Great Mysteries] End