Chapter 178: My Goal is the Pioneering of the Great Forest (3)
Chapter 178: My Goal is the Pioneering of the Great Forest (3)
Pioneering the Great Forest.
Upon hearing those words, the Seven Sages reacted with sheer disbelief.
Did this brat even understand the weight of what he was saying?
"A preposterous daydream."
"Pioneering the Great Forest, of all things..."
"Even for one so young, this is far too reckless."
"He says such things because he does not know. He simply does not know..."
The Seven Sages shook their heads in unison, dismissing the idea.
They were individuals who had accumulated vast amounts of knowledge, enough to earn the title of Sages. Because of that, they knew better than anyone else on the continent why the Great Forest remained unpioneered, and why every nation used the Eastern Four Kingdoms as a sacrificial shield.
They knew everything.
One of the Seven Sages spoke to Patrick with a complicated expression.
"Double Dragon."
"Speak."
"How much do you actually know about the Great Forest?"
"My hometown is located on the outskirts of the Great Forest. I know as much as there is to know."
"No, you don't."
"..."
"I guarantee it. You have no idea what truly lies within the Great Forest. At most, you've only dealt with the monsters that wandered out to the fringes. That is the only reason you can utter such nonsense as 'subjugating' the Great Forest."
"Does that mean the Seven Sages know more about the Great Forest than I do?"
"Indeed."
"..."
"I assure you. If you knew even half of the truth about the Great Forest that I know, you would never speak such drivel about pioneering it."
"It cannot be done. It is absolutely impossible."
"Sigh..."
The Seven Sages sighed and shook their heads, looking at Patrick with pity.
Then, one of them spoke again.
"Surely you are familiar with the history of the Roman Empire?"
"Well, of course..."
*
The Roman Empire.
It was a superpower that had dominated the continent a thousand years ago. It had unified every nation and race, bringing powerful knights and great mages together under the Emperor's name. Even now, it was regarded as the strongest nation in continental history.
It was perhaps inevitable that the Emperor of such an empire would mobilize a massive subjugation force to conquer the Great Forest.
Of course, it was not easy. The expeditionary force, despite being prepared for every contingency, suffered a crushing defeat.
But the Emperor did not give up. He continued to raise armies and challenge the Great Forest as if it were his life's ultimate mission.
The Roman Empire challenged the Great Forest repeatedly, reaching as far as the 12th Expeditionary Force. However...
The result was a harrowing failure.
Ninety percent of the expeditionary force never returned alive. The human cost alone exceeded five million. Even the strongest knights and mages of the era left their bones to rot in the Great Forest.
It was a loss so immense that even the superpower that was the Roman Empire began to falter.
Eventually, as the national power waned, the Emperor lost his authority. Despite this, he issued a decree to organize a 13th Expeditionary Force, which resulted in simultaneous rebellions across the empire.
In the end, the Roman Empire, which had once unified the entire continent, shattered into pieces, and the continent returned to an era of war.
Since then, a common realization took root in the minds of humanity.
The Great Forest.
It was a wall of despair and lamentation that humanity could never cross. Any fool who dared to challenge that wall would surely pay a devastating price.
*
Patrick shrugged and spoke.
"The Knight Department may have few liberal arts classes, but even I learned the history of the Roman Empire. It's common knowledge."
"Indeed. And you still intend to try, knowing that?"
"I do."
"How foolish."
The Seven Sages were negative toward Patrick's plan. As they thought, he didn't know. He only said this because he was ignorant. It was likely difficult to grasp the true nature of the Great Forest through a mere surface-level history lesson.
To the ears of the Seven Sages, who knew so much more, Patrick's words sounded like nothing more than a child's hollow delusion. But then...
"So, you're backing out?"
His tone turned sharp. The polite demeanor Patrick had maintained until now vanished instantly.
At that sight, anger flared in the eyes of the Seven Sages.
"Watch your tongue, Double Dragon. Do you think we are under some obligation to help you?"
Facing the wrath of the Seven Sages, Patrick let out a short laugh. Then, he spoke in a somewhat distant voice.
"When I was a child..."
"..."
"The people of my territory were killed by monster raids almost every month."
The Schneider fief. A weak and impoverished rural territory that struggled desperately to survive against the Great Forest. Patrick was born there.
"When I was young, I thought the whole world was like that. I thought this world was a dangerous and harsh place where everyone had to fight tooth and nail just to survive each day."
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Listen until I'm finished."
Patrick stared intently at the Sage who had snapped at him and continued.
"But as I grew older and looked at the wider world, I realized the truth."
"..."
"The only ones shedding blood against the monsters of the Great Forest are the weak of our Eastern Four Kingdoms."
"..."
"Those who hold real power merely enjoy peace and abundance at the cost of the blood we spill."
One of the Seven Sages shouted in indignation.
"Are you saying that is our fault?"
"Well, geographically, we are the ones settled next to the Great Forest, so I'm not blaming you for that."
"..."
"However, there is one strange thing."
Patrick's gaze grew fierce. He looked into the eyes hidden deep within the Sages' robes, one by one.
"As you say, the Great Forest is so dangerous it's almost untouchable, and the military strength of the Eastern Four Kingdoms is the weakest on the continent..."
"..."
"Then why haven't we fallen yet?"
A somber expression clouded the Sages' faces. Patrick was pointing out the ugly truth of the continent that they had tried so hard to ignore.
*
It was certainly strange.
The Great Forest was not just a remote area with many monsters. Occasionally, preposterous monsters emerged from within it and threw the world into chaos. The King Ogre Patrick had defeated as a child was one such example.
Manticores, Fenrirs, Goblin Lords, and more...
Like a pot of soup boiling over, the Great Forest periodically spat out absurd monsters into the world. And every time, the Eastern Four Kingdoms, which shared its borders, had to declare a national emergency and gather all their strength to fight back.
Just to survive.
This had continued for hundreds of years. If evaluated purely on military strength, the Eastern Four Kingdoms should have fallen long ago.
Yet, the Eastern Four Kingdoms still existed.
Atronia, Decatur, Yuzef, and Flame. While other nations on the continent rose and fell, these four nations managed to maintain themselves for centuries.
The reason was that every time they were on the brink of collapse, the rest of the continent supported them. They ensured the nations never truly disappeared.
At first glance, it seemed like an act of grace. But those who knew the truth understood how ugly the reality was.
The high-ranking officials of the continent. The scholars who studied history. And the Seven Sages of the Tower of Truth.
They knew. Even though they knew the meaning of this ugly truth, they lived with their eyes closed, intentionally looking away.
Total sacrificial lambs. That was the value of the Eastern Four Kingdoms' existence to the rest of the continent.
Continental support always arrived only when the Eastern Four Kingdoms were on the verge of ruin. Before that, no matter how much they pleaded for help, they were ignored under various pretexts. And when it seemed they would truly fall, the continent provided the bare minimum of support to keep them breathing, maintaining the form of a nation.
This cycle had repeated for a thousand years, dating back to before the current framework of the Eastern Four Kingdoms was even established.
Since the fall of the Roman Empire, every nation on the continent had thoroughly exploited the Eastern Four Kingdoms.
A shield to block the Great Forest. No, a buffer zone to keep themselves at a distance from the danger that was the Great Forest.
They ignored how much blood the people of the Eastern Four Kingdoms shed in the process. As long as they ignored that sacrifice, the rest of the people on the continent could keep the threat of the Great Forest at bay and enjoy development and prosperity in safety.
Sacrificial lambs driven to the edge to protect the continent. That was the reason the Eastern Four Kingdoms still existed today.
*
Patrick's gaze bit into the Seven Sages fiercely.
I know exactly what you've been doing all this time, and now you're trying to wash your hands of it because it's someone else's problem? Is that the choice of those called the Three Great Powers? Is that what those with power do?
The Seven Sages could not bring themselves to meet Patrick's sharp gaze.
It was a thousand years' worth of blood money. No one had ever rebuked them like this before, but now that they were faced with it, they didn't have the face to deny it.
Seeing the Sages avert their eyes, Patrick let out a small sigh.
Come to think of it, the Jianghu was much the same.
The Shaolin, the pillar of the Murim. The Namgung Clan, the greatest family under heaven. The Wudang and Mount Hua sects, vying for the title of the greatest Taoist sect. These were the traditional powerhouses, the strongest within the Orthodox Faction.
They were all situated in the safest places. From Henan, where the Shaolin resided, to Anhui, Hubei, and Shaanxi...
Because they were located in the safest and most prosperous parts of the Central Plains, they could keep their strength intact without great risk. Even when blood was shed, they intervened late, spilling the least amount of blood while fully enjoying the fame.
The Tang Clan of Sichuan or the Emei Sect, who fought fiercely against the Unorthodox Faction, were not so lucky. The Kunlun Sect, which had to block the Demonic Cult at the front lines every time they acted out. The Murong Clan, which always had to fight on the front lines against the northern tribes.
The ones who fought most desperately and shed the most blood were always someone else.
And it was the same here.
At first, Patrick didn't know. But as he studied at the academy and gradually came to understand the world, the truth became visible.
While the people of his hometown struggled desperately just to survive, there were others who enjoyed peace and prosperity at the cost of that blood. He saw the filthy truth of the world.
I suppose this is why people say you need an education.
Patrick smiled bitterly.
It was likely from that moment that Patrick truly made up his mind to pioneer the Great Forest.
And now.
Patrick had come to the Tower of Truth to negotiate with the Seven Sages on equal footing. Just as he had planned from the moment he left the academy.
Defeating other 7-Star knights under the guise of knight training and making a name for himself was merely a bargaining chip to raise his standing for this very moment. Although there were unexpected troubles along the way, the result was exactly as planned.
Patrick was now standing tall, facing the Seven Sages.
Patrick spoke to them.
"Let me tell you in advance: even if the Tower of Truth does not help, I will definitely pioneer the Great Forest. I will liberate our descendants from the cursed fate of having to trade blood and death for their lives."
"..."
"And in that process, I will filter them out. Those who stood with us, and those who did not."
"..."
"You can look forward to seeing how that difference manifests in the future."
The Seven Sages fell into a long silence at Patrick's words. Then, one of them spoke.
"Double Dragon."
He spoke to Patrick as if it were a difficult admission.
"I acknowledge that the Eastern Four Kingdoms have shed much blood for humanity. I will not deny that the peace and prosperity we enjoy are built upon their sacrifice."
His tone had changed. Though still formal, it was no longer the condescending speech used for an inferior.
Patrick watched the Sage intently, as if telling him to continue.
The Sage let out a small sigh and said, "But even so, for your answer to be the pioneering of the Great Forest? It is far too reckless. It is an impossible task."
"So we're back to that again?"
"It is the most important fact."
"..."
"Challenging something that has not even a sliver of possibility is not courage. It is merely foolhardiness."
Unless they moved past the premise that pioneering the Great Forest was impossible, they would not join Patrick.
Is it not going to work?
Patrick sensed that his attempt to bring the Tower of Truth to his side was heading toward failure. But then...
The one speaking to Patrick added one more thing.
"So, would you care to prove it?"
At the question that held a thread of possibility, Patrick's eyes sparkled.
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. Show us the possibility."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"If there is a possibility, we will seriously consider an alliance with you. We will even promise full cooperation. However, if you fail, you must give up. And..."
"And?"
"At that time, I expect you to pay the price of your life obediently. In the manner we desire."
"The manner you desire..."
He was speaking in circles, but it meant that if Patrick failed, they would use him as a research subject however they pleased.
Patrick grinned and said, "I like that a hundred times better than circling around a logic with no answer."
"Is that so?"
"What is the method?"
The one who had brought it up spoke.
"We have a legacy of the Roman Empire within our tower."
"Wait... surely?"
"Now see here, Second Sage!"
"Have you lost your mind?"
The other Sages were shocked by the Second Sage's words. It was the first time during this meeting that a disagreement had broken out among them.
The Second Sage smiled and said, "Is it not the most accurate method?"
"It's the most insane method."
"Do you intend to turn the Double Dragon into a cripple?"
"Think again."
Despite the protests of the other Sages, the Second Sage maintained a faint smile.
"If there is a more accurate way to prove this, please tell me."
"..."
"..."
Everyone fell silent. Amidst the heavy atmosphere, Patrick spoke.
"First, explain it to me. What are you trying to make me do?"
"Well, among the ancient artifacts kept in our Tower of Truth, there is a legacy of the Roman Empire."
"What is it?"
"A recording device. One more accurate and detailed than anything else in this world."
"Hmm..."
"That artifact contains information classified as top secret, gathered by the Roman Empire in the past to conquer the Great Forest."
"Such a thing exists?"
"It does. It is the record of the Roman Empire's 10th Expeditionary Force. Specifically, the record of the Apostles."
"Apostles?"
It was a word he had never heard before. To the questioning Patrick, the Second Sage replied.
"The rulers who reign over the Great Forest. The Apostles of Kalaron, the God of Destruction. They are the primary reason the mighty Roman Empire failed in its subjugation of the Great Forest."
"Oho..."
This was something he definitely wanted to check. Regardless of the alliance negotiations. To win, was it not essential to know one's enemy as well as oneself?
Seeing Patrick's interested expression, the Second Sage spoke.
"Try to survive a fight with one of those Apostles."
"...Fight one?"
"Indeed."
"Is that possible? You said it was a recording device."
"It wouldn't be an artifact of the Roman Empire era for nothing. I will explain the details as you see it for yourself."
"..."
"Follow me."