Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Misunderstanding (2)
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With an utterly innocent expression, Leon pointed at me, and the atmosphere shifted awkwardly.
"Leon. Why are you calling Crown Prince Reinhardt your ancestor? And what exactly happened?"
The 4th Empress asked again.
Calling him brother would be one thing, but ancestor?
In the first place, the 4th Prince and Reinhardt had no connection.
By the time Leon was born, Reinhardt had already secluded himself in the palace.
So there was no reason for them to cross paths, and knowing about Reinhardt's mania, they had deliberately avoided any meetings.
The number of times Leon and Reinhardt had met could be counted on one hand.
"That dragon attacked us."
"Dragon?"
The 4th Empress turned her gaze.
The corpse of the monster, reduced to just a body.
It wasn't the massive form that came to mind with dragons, but one thing was clear: this creature was the culprit behind the incident.
The collapsed palace.
The scattered knight corpses.
It was the scene of a great disaster.
What had happened while the 4th Empress was briefly away.
These weren't all the monsters attacking the capital. Who would have thought they'd breach into the palace itself.
Leon continued.
"If our ancestor hadn't protected us, both I and the Ice Bird would be dead."
It was a heavily abbreviated explanation.
It'still didn't answer why he was calling Reinhardt his ancestor.
But one thing was certain: Reinhardt had saved Leon.
'Reinhardt saved Leon?'
Unlike the other empresses, the 4th Empress harbored no ill will toward Reinhardt.
No interest at all would be more accurate.
She herself was a "rolling stone" from the imperial family's perspective.
So it was even harder to understand.
No matter how insane he was, Reinhardt was the direct bloodline of the imperial family.
In contrast, she and Leon were descendants of Gaf, once called the "Demon King of the North."
They had no interest in each other's survival, yet he suddenly appeared and saved Leon from a monster that neither knights nor mages could handle.
"Thank you, Crown Prince Reinhardt. If I'd lost Leon... just the thought is horrifying."
"Take care of Leon first."
I shrugged as I replied.
My relationship with the 4th Empress was extremely awkward.
Uncomfortable, perhaps.
Even in the past, she was the only one among the four empresses who wasn't hostile toward me.
But she wasn't friendly either.
Utter indifference.
She had never been interested in the crown prince position from the start, so in a way, it was natural.
But she was aligned with Grand Duke Carlos.
If something happened to me, Grand Duke Carlos had his eyes on Leon as my replacement.
Even if she and Leon had no interest in my position, their connection to Grand Duke Carlos made conflict inevitable.
—Why won't the Empire just leave us alone? Is it such a great sin to want to live quietly and peacefully?
Simply for inheriting northern blood, her family had been persecuted by the Empire for so long.
She had been sent here like merchandise to Deus, so her fate was truly tragic.
But like it or not, once in the empire's central politics, peace was impossible.
You couldn't escape even if you failed to adapt.
This was a place you could only leave by dying—and even then, not really.
'Leon's divine power was dangerous.'
Leon was born with divine power. He carried thick blood from Gaf.
In the past, I had no choice but to kill him. Even knowing he and his mother had no interest in my position, the surroundings wouldn't leave them be, so I judged them a threat.
Moreover, Leon's divine power grew stronger with age.
A terrifying strength beyond superhuman. In just two more years, he'd be bending steel and shattering mountains.
Imagining his power as an adult was impossible.
So I killed them. The 4th Empress and Leon.
'Already healed completely.'
Leon looked fine. As if he'd never been hurt, full of energy.
The wound from being kicked by Balmunk had already vanished cleanly.
Physical abilities transcending human limits.
He could pass for the reincarnation of Demon King Gaf.
Ignoring Leon's sparkling eyes fixed on me, I spoke to Arel.
"Arel. Stay behind and handle the cleanup."
"Yes."
Someone needed to explain this situation.
Knights were gathering due to the explosion in the Eternal Palace.
But the situation wasn't fully resolved yet.
'The barrier stone broke in the end.'
The barrier had shattered.
And with it, flying magical beasts were starting to appear one by one in the palace.
Of course, they were being shot down by the magical archers as they appeared, but there was no telling if another dragon pretending to be crazy like Balmunk might charge in.
I'moved to the top of the Imperial Dragon Palace.
Gazing beyond the walls at the capital ablaze with flames, I drew Winter's Bow.
*
1st Prince Raunel headed to the capital's first wall with his knights.
By the time he arrived, massive magical beasts were smashing through the defensive walls and attacking homes.
'Is that the lord-class beast?'
Raunel instantly identified the leader of the beasts.
An orc, but three times larger than a normal one. A massive brute.
Definitely an Orc Lord.
It was probably the one that wiped out Lokari Territory.
Lord-class beasts appearing was rare. But when they did, they expanded their forces quickly enough to destroy nations.
He'd heard lord-class beasts were monsters even Sword Masters struggled against.
This was Raunel's first time seeing one in person.
So Raunel drew his sword.
Killing it would scatter the other beasts, deprived of their focal point.
It was also a chance to earn the title of "Lord Slayer."
'Now's the time.'
Flames erupted across Raunel's body.
Kieeeaak!
A massive phoenix silhouette rose above him, screeching.
A phenomenon that appeared upon mastering his cultivation technique.
After his body was taken by the lich, Raunel could draw out his potential to its limits. This phenomenon proved that his northern memories weren't mere "dreams" or "illusions."
'Beyond Sword Master.'
He wouldn't repeat the same mistake.
He would surpass the Sword Master wall and climb even higher to perfection.
Raunel charged at the Orc Lord with the phoenix.
"Strong... I see... human."
The Orc Lord swung its axe, as thick as its torso, with a grin.
Kuwaaaaaang!
A strike powerful enough to demolish a mansion in one blow.
And surprisingly fast for such a huge monster.
Raunel seized an opening and slashed the Orc Lord's side.
'Its hide...!'
He thought he'd cut it, but not even a shallow wound appeared.
Incredible defense. Now he understood why knights and mages were struggling.
But no matter the defense, Raunel was in his descent state. Igniting his potential, his raw power surpassed even Sword Masters.
Kieeeaak!
The phoenix screamed and writhed.
Raunel gritted his teeth.
His mana wasn't obeying him.
The phoenix wasn't following his will.
The power had increased, but without control, it was meaningless.
"What... is this? A joke?"
The Orc Lord snorted as if tickled.
Its felt power was superior to other humans, but when swords clashed, it was worse than an average knight.
"Disappointing."
The Orc Lord clicked its tongue and swung its axe.
The battle afterward was utterly one-sided.
'Why...!'
Raunel, getting relentlessly pummeled, couldn't comprehend his state.
Power overflowed, but he couldn't wield it.
It had been like this since waking in the palace. Mana acting independently. He'd thought combat would change it, but nothing did.
Of course, he had a guess.
Fear of the lich...
Probably that.
Raunel was still trapped in the north.
His body was here, but his mind lingered in the lich's prison.
He hadn't shaken off that nightmare and helplessness.
"Now, die."
The Orc Lord raised its axe.
That instant.
Puuung!
The Orc Lord exploded.
Suddenly, without any warning.
"What... is this?"
The Orc Lord looked down at its chest.
Confirming the massive hole in its chest, it wore an incredulous expression.
Thud!
It collapsed, shaking the ground.
Raunel was just as dumbfounded.
No arrow had flown. It just exploded suddenly, piercing the Orc Lord's chest.
Thick skin resistant to most magic.
Pierced so cleanly.
But scanning around, checking directions, nothing was visible.
"Look! Prince Raunel has felled the Orc Lord!"
"Long live Prince Raunel!"
"Drive out the beasts!"
Deprived of their leader, the beasts panicked and fled.
But not a single one escaped alive.
As the situation resolved in an instant, knights and soldiers praised Raunel for slaying the Orc Lord.
"Lord Slayer!"
"Lord Slayer!!"
It was a misunderstanding.
They were completely mistaken.
"...I didn't kill it."
Raunel told the truth, but the crowd interpreted it differently.
"So humble too!"
"As expected of Prince Raunel!"
"Worthy of being called the empire's hope!"
*
"...Is this corpse really a 'dragon'?"
Everyone fell silent at Emperor Deus's question.
It was a fact already confirmed multiple times.
The sole survivor, Leon, had called it a dragon.
Not the massive quadruped from myths or legends, but definitely a form unlike any seen before.
Especially the scales.
Hard enough to truly call them dragon scales.
But more important than the dragon's corpse was its intent.
The dragon had incited beasts to attack the capital and invaded the palace to destroy the barrier stone.
"Speak your honest thoughts."
As Deus asked, the observing ministers and commanders spoke up.
"Isn't it too small for a dragon?"
"And Crown Prince Reinhardt hunting a dragon... ahem!"
"More like a sign of a large-scale invasion?"
The prevailing opinion was that it didn't look like a dragon.
But it was certainly the perpetrator.
And Reinhardt had dealt with it, that much was true.
Deus rubbed his forehead.
The imperial capital had been attacked.
Beasts targeted the imperial family and shattered the barrier stone.
It'screamed intent.
'Someone manipulating the beasts from behind?'
A thousand-year empire.
The enemy was bold enough to attack the continent's hegemon.
With the barrier stone broken, a real invasion might come.
Palace security needed strengthening.
Even the Holy King Deus couldn't overlook this.
"We will investigate this thoroughly. And if anyone is even slightly involved in this raid, we will root them out and destroy them completely."
"Then who will you entrust the investigation to, Your Majesty?"
All eyes turned to the emperor.
Something that should never happen had occurred.
If connected, even exterminating three clans wouldn't suffice; the implications were massive.
But the emperor couldn't investigate personally.
He needed someone to do it in his stead.
Someone with resolve to dig into the heart under the emperor's full support and punish all involved severely.
The investigator would gain considerable power.
"Summon Raunel and Kazan."
His two most trusted sons.
He called the names he could fully empower.
Then, as if changing his mind, Deus added,
"And... bring Reinhardt as well."
Misunderstanding (2) End