Chapter 253: Don't You Think I Know That? (2)
Chapter 253: Don't You Think I Know That? (2)
Patrick let out a short, dry laugh.
The Radiant Dragon Hero, Jincheon.
To be honest, even he found it ridiculous. No matter how much he thought about it, his innate personality was never that of a man who deserved to be called a "Great Hero."
Yet, the reason he had to become one was for the sake of his precious Master and the honor of the Twin Dragon Sect.
While Jincheon the individual could afford to be a scoundrel, the Great Disciple of the Twin Dragon Sect had to be a fair and just Great Hero. By forcing himself to act in a way that didn't suit him, he had eventually become a true hero.
That hadn't changed in this life, even after being reborn.
"I can't just give up without trying. There are quite a few chicks chirping and following my lead, you see."
The people of the Schneider fief.
Tutan and the Orc warriors.
The Elves, whom the World Tree had practically forced into his care.
Though he felt he lacked the caliber of a true lord, there were those who followed him nonetheless. To repay their trust, Patrick could not easily abandon his position.
"And most importantly..."
Patrick glared at the man named Rust, who stood beside Noah.
"Even if I were to bow my head and serve under someone, it wouldn't be that guy."
"..."
"I can't exactly share a table with vermin like that."
The existence of Dark Mages.
And their atrocities.
As long as he knew of them, Patrick would never enter the Overlord’s service.
Noah had expected such an answer.
In the end, was it impossible?
It couldn't be helped. He had done his best. He thought persuasion was possible, but Patrick Schneider’s stubbornness exceeded his expectations.
No, rather than stubbornness...
It’s closer to an obsession.
Patrick knew he wasn't naturally a righteous man, yet he strove to live righteously. He knew he didn't have the temperament of a ruler, yet he forced himself to wear that ill-fitting garment for the sake of those who followed him.
It was profoundly unnatural. It was as if a tiger, capable of reigning supreme and solitary, had chosen to dive into a herd of buffalo to act as their leader, forcing itself to graze on grass.
As if someone had ordered him to do so.
If this wasn't an obsession, what else could it be called?
Regardless, it’s a failure.
Bringing the Double Dragon into their fold was beyond his capabilities. In fact, it was likely beyond anyone's.
Having confirmed this, Noah let out a sigh.
"Before I leave, let me clear up one misunderstanding."
"What misunderstanding?"
Noah spoke with a cold expression.
"I am the one who pulled the strings from the shadows to make my Lord join hands with the Dark Mages."
"..."
"Back when His Highness was a child and knew nothing, I used the Dark Mages' ritual to plant dark magic into his Aura Hall. My Lord did not know it was the work of Dark Mages."
"Hey, you..."
"I am also the one who helped the Dark Mages carry out massacres across the continent to gather mana. We raised knights using the power they collected. Most of those knights have no idea what kind of 'help' they received."
"..."
"To create a pretext for war with the Flame Kingdom, I ordered the assassination of Princess Heminia. That woman had been my Lord's enemy since his days as a prince and was the culprit behind his mother's death, so I ensured her end was particularly miserable."
"..."
"I am the one who manipulated the Dark Mages on the battlefield, trading the lives and blood of the enemy leadership as sacrifices to be offered. My Lord never once gave his permission."
Listening to this, Patrick looked at Noah with chilling eyes.
"So what? Since you did all the dirty work, the Overlord is clean? Is that it?"
"..."
"If what you say is true, maybe it started out that way."
"..."
"But if he knew what kind of person you were and still condoned it, he’s the same in the end."
Noah sighed and continued.
"As I thought, you cannot cast off the shackles of a hero."
"What?"
"Do not force your standards of a hero onto others. To demand an ideal that even a man as strong as you finds burdensome..."
"Is that supposed to be an excuse?"
"Yes."
"..."
"It is merely an excuse. I am not seeking forgiveness; I am simply offering an explanation."
At Noah’s self-deprecating words, Patrick retorted irritably.
"Why bother explaining if you aren't looking for forgiveness?"
"Simply..." Noah hesitated before continuing. "I only hope that your disillusionment and anguish toward my Lord might fade, even if only a little."
"..."
"That is truly all."
Noah’s face looked sincere. Patrick let out a long sigh as he watched him.
"Fine, I get it. Now get lost."
Noah bowed his head toward Patrick.
"I will leave you with one final notice."
His tone had returned to being formal. He was drawing a line from this point forward.
Patrick frowned. "I told you to go. If you don't want to die, leave while I'm being nice—"
"Within the next two months, we will annex the Decatur Kingdom and the Caesar Kingdom."
"...?!"
Patrick’s expression turned grave. Regardless, Noah finished what he had to say.
"The international situation will become somewhat chaotic, but we ask that the Atronia Kingdom, to which the Double Dragon belongs, remains neutral."
"You bastard... Do you even hear yourself?!"
"Then, farewell."
"Hey!"
Patrick shouted, but Noah’s goodbye was final.
The moment he finished speaking, the man named Rust’s robe billowed out, enveloping both himself and Noah before they vanished, as if sinking into the floor.
Left alone on the spire, Patrick sighed.
"That crazy bastard..."
Patrick looked up at the sky through the small window of the spire.
"Master, I don't know if I'm doing this right."
*
Noah reappeared several kilometers away from Ratenov. His companion was waiting for him there.
"Good work, Marquis Gregory."
"I didn't expect Sir Carvan to come meet me personally."
Matthias Carvan. The Overlord’s closest confidant, a powerhouse who had gained fame in the war under the moniker "Black Knight." He had come to meet Noah himself.
He turned to Rust, who stood beside Noah.
"I will take over the escort from here. You may go."
"My, you're looking for extra work. It would be faster and more comfortable to travel through us."
"I dislike repeating myself."
When Matthias moved his hand toward his sword, Rust shrugged and promptly vanished.
Once they were alone, Matthias spoke.
"Did you succeed?"
"I failed."
"Even you couldn't do it."
Matthias sighed. Noah gave a thin smile.
"Still, there were gains. Just learning what kind of man the Double Dragon is was a significant harvest."
"..."
"And I planted a seed of anguish in his mind. If all goes well, it might serve as insurance in the future."
"Will that really work?"
"He is strong, but he has a fragile side. Like a child who has lost the parents he relied on."
"..."
"At the very least, we won't lose anything."
Matthias nodded. If Noah said so, it wasn't just empty talk. The man he knew as Noah Gregory was someone who, even if dropped into hell, wouldn't climb back up until he had gained something from the experience.
"Let us hurry. There is much to do upon our return."
"Indeed."
The two men mounted their horses and galloped toward the north.
*
After sending Noah Gregory away, Patrick sat across a table from another man. It was for the post-war settlement negotiations.
Normally, the person sitting across from him should have been King Darius, but...
"Let's get started, old man."
"...Whew."
The man sitting across from Patrick was Duke Krupa. King Darius had not appeared for the meeting. He had delegated full authority to Duke Krupa while he focused on recovering from his injuries.
"Maybe I should've hit him a little softer."
"I don't suppose it's occurred to you that the very idea of assaulting a king is wrong?"
"Nope."
"..."
"It's not like it's my first time hitting a king, anyway."
What a lunatic.
Duke Krupa let out a sigh. But it was the truth. Although it had been a private duel, it was already widely known that Patrick had fought the Overlord, Sierion. The Overlord himself had admitted his defeat.
The negotiation partner before him was a being whose martial prowess and unpredictability defied common sense. Reminding himself of that, Duke Krupa organized his thoughts and spoke.
"Let us begin the negotiations. First, state your country's demands."
"Officially acknowledge that the cause of this war lies with the Harbor Kingdom's royal family. Pay a fair amount of reparations. And recognize the legitimate migration of the Dwarves."
At Patrick’s blunt demands, Duke Krupa replied, "Those are rather one-sided demands."
"Because we won."
"Keep in mind that our Harbor Kingdom still has 70,000 elite troops and four 7-Star Knights intact."
"Ah, about that. I actually wanted to ask you something, old man."
"..."
"Those four 7-Star Knights you're talking about?"
"What... surely not?"
A clear sense of foreboding appeared on Duke Krupa’s face. Patrick spoke as if he were truly sorry.
"They've all sought asylum in the Empire and the Holy Kingdom."
"..."
"Why'd they do that? Do you happen to know why?"
"Those sons of bitches..."
A lamentable sigh escaped Duke Krupa’s lips.
*
The Harbor Kingdom was a nation founded by the Mercenary King.
This meant that from the very beginning, most of the leadership were former mercenaries. Consequently, even after becoming nobles, they took their subordinates under their wings as vassals. This naturally led to the formation of factions, and the founding contributors became military warlords.
In the beginning, it wasn't a problem. No matter how much power they gathered, the Mercenary King was a transcendent powerhouse who had reached the 8-Star Realm. Furthermore, the warlords themselves felt a strong sense of loyalty and duty toward him. Thus, there was no issue with them occupying the upper echelons of the state.
However, as time passed, serious problems began to arise in this structure. The descendants of the Mercenary King possessed neither the strength nor the charisma of the first king. Moreover, the thick bond of loyalty between sovereign and subject eroded over the years, and the royal authority began to weaken as subordinates with strong military power vied for dominance.
The Harbor Kingdom became the nation with the weakest royal authority among the three central kingdoms—at least, until a man named Duke Krupa rose to prominence.
"I... I spent my entire youth trying to keep those bastards in check and weaken their power. Do you have any idea how hard that was?"
"Ah, I see. You must've suffered a lot. Here, have another drink."
"Gulp... It's bitter. The alcohol is bitter, my life is bitter, everything is bitter!"
"That's life, I guess. Have another... Huh? Hey! What are you doing? We're out of booze. Bring more!"
"Yes, Young Master."
Since when had it been? At the table where post-war negotiations should have been taking place, Patrick and Duke Krupa had started a drinking bout.
Since when did it turn into this?
More importantly, is this okay?
Weren't they in the middle of important negotiations?
The onlookers were simply dumbfounded by the scene. It had started with Duke Krupa hurling colorful insults at the 7-Star Knights who had fled abroad, and Patrick had joined in, and then...
"Gulp... Those bastards, I knew they'd stab me in the back. Dammit, but did they have to do it now? Those disrespectful shits... Gulp!"
"Tsk, tsk. I understand. Getting stabbed in the back feels like shit."
"You know it well, then. Have you been stabbed before?"
"Plenty of times (in my past life)."
"Drink. Drink up!"
"Let's do that. What's life anyway? Just drink."
And so it went.
While their drunken behavior might have looked unseemly, Duke Krupa’s political prowess was actually quite remarkable. Having earned the trust of the weakened King Darius, he had used clever schemes to play the warlords against each other, weakening their solidarity and subtly strengthening the central government's power.
The process had been like slowly boiling a frog in lukewarm water; by the time the warlords realized what was happening, the water was already bubbling. The central government had monopolized various military supplies—food, weapons, uniforms, and so on—necessary to maintain military force.
No matter how great a knight who had reached the 7-Star Realm was, they couldn't raise an army without money. And no matter how great an individual's realm was, a noble with weak military power was merely an excellent knight, not a warlord who could threaten the throne.
Duke Krupa was the man who had achieved that. By assisting King Darius, he had strengthened the royal authority of the Harbor Kingdom and established a powerful centralized system.
"But it all went to ruin because of you! What are you going to do about it?"
"...Ah, my bad."
"Dammit, if I'd known this would happen, I should've just lifted the siege on the Iron Mountains and concentrated all our military power on you!"
"Then all the 7-Star Knights in this country would be dead by now."
"Exactly!"
Ah, so it's better to destroy them than let someone else have them? This old man is quite terrifying.
Patrick filled Duke Krupa’s empty glass and asked, "So, what are you going to do now? I know you fought well, but in the end, it looks like you're completely ruined."
"Gulp..."
Duke Krupa drained his glass in one go, then looked at Patrick.
"What about His Majesty?"
"That old man?"
"Are you going to kill him?"
"Can I?"
At Patrick’s words, Duke Krupa let out a deep sigh. King Darius was not a particularly competent king. In fact, all this trouble had started because he failed to raise his children properly. However...
"Without him, I wouldn't be the man I am today."