Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: The Complete Empire (1)
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"Your Majesty, are you not suffering from any headaches or stomach pains?"
Silvia asked in a whisper, her voice soft and melodic in that distinctive elven way. She rode right beside Raymond, keeping a close eye on his condition.
"I'm fine."
Raymond nodded in response.
Beyond her spirit arts for scouting and navigation, Silvia—like most elves—had a real talent for herbalism. Thanks to her, Raymond had recovered a great deal from his severe poisoning.
Desia had stepped forward, declaring herself his shield to protect the emperor, even unleashing a mana surge in the process. She still hadn't woken up, but her condition had improved significantly.
With Raymond's help, her mana lord was nearly fully restored, and her internal injuries would likely heal completely before she regained consciousness—as long as she got enough rest once they reached the command post.
"Your Majesty! I can see our army's banners!"
Cassias, who had been leading the way at the front with the Imperial Army, spotted the Philius Empire's flags and hurriedly rode back to the emperor.
Raymond finally let his guard down at the sight of Cassias delivering the good news in an excited voice. Even though the Mountain Duke was dead, crossing the Belphang Duchy to reach the command post hadn't been easy.
"Have we finally reached safety...?"
Raymond murmured weakly to himself. Spotting the Philius Empire's banners was proof they were nearing their allies' camp.
Soon, two thousand troops marched into view under fluttering imperial flags. It was a mixed unit of cavalry and infantry in proper formation. Raymond and his retinue moved under their protection toward the rear command post.
"Count Denitz, report the current situation."
Even fresh from the brink of death, there was no rest for the emperor on the front lines. As soon as Raymond confirmed Desia's recovery and had her moved to the medical tent, he sought out Count Denitz for an update on the Belphang Duchy.
"It's going in our favor. With the Mountain Duke dead, the special forces he personally raised—what we suspect were his private army—have fallen apart."
Count Denitz reported. The special forces he mentioned were the Shadow Special Task Force. Raymond had known they would collapse without the Mountain Duke, which was why he'd accepted the invitation despite the risks.
"And the Belphang territorial army?"
"They're in disarray. Plenty of soldiers are deserting, so they won't hold out much longer."
It was only natural after losing their duke. His family still remained, but without a clear heir, even deciding on a new head would overwhelm them. They had no bandwidth to manage the territorial army.
"The succession dispute is bigger than expected, throwing their command structure into chaos."
Count Denitz added.
The Mountain Duke had assumed he'd built redundancies into his command chain, but reality proved otherwise. Raymond hadn't anticipated the fallout from his death would be this severe either.
"If their command is a mess, let's make it an even bigger mess."
Raymond's eyes gleamed coldly. He raised his hand slightly, and from the shadows emerged Shade, the empire's hidden blade.
"Do you plan to wipe them all out?"
Count Denitz shot a wary glance at the ominous Shade and posed his sharp question. Raymond replied with a calm expression.
"Do you pity them?"
"Of course not. The Mountain Duke and his house tried to take everything from me. They couldn't have schemed something so ruthless without anticipating this kind of backlash."
There was no sympathy there. He'd served the ducal house loyally once, but all the goodwill built up had crumbled the moment the Mountain Duke ordered the purge of the library orphans under Count Denitz's care. He felt nothing for them now.
"Good."
Raymond's voice was ice-cold, devoid of emotion, as if spat out. He turned to Shade, who awaited orders.
"Can you exterminate the Belphang ducal house?"
"The black shadows guarding the central city have withdrawn. If we move in directly, wiping out their bloodline won't be difficult."
"Go. Kill them all. Leave no loose ends."
"All shall be as Your Majesty wills."
Shade melted back into the darkness with his response. With the Shadow Special Task Force disbanded, the Shades stepping in personally meant the Belphang house wouldn't escape annihilation.
"When will the eastern army arrive? Any further reports?"
"They've entered the north. They'll reach the Belphang front within three days."
"Good. Once Marquis Valgatz's eastern army arrives, we advance straight into the Belphang Duchy."
The Belphang forces were crumbling without their duke and with deserters pouring out, but they still maintained some formation. Charging ahead in triumph over killing the duke would just lead to needless casualties—a foolish mistake.
"Until the eastern army gets here, Count Denitz, your role is crucial."
"I'll deliver results that satisfy Your Majesty."
Count Denitz grinned as he replied.
Back when he'd served under the Mountain Duke, he'd spread fabricated tales for agitation ops more than once. Spreading the truth would be child's play for him.
"Then I'll head to Mulah now."
He bowed politely and withdrew. Raymond dragged his weary body to the sofa and collapsed onto it.
He had no idea what the Doomsday Society had done to the Mountain Duke, but the poison that monster left in him was vicious.
Even after taking Silvia's herbal antidote and receiving a divine prayer from the priests upon arriving at camp, his body hadn't fully recovered. A faint ache lingered, but he couldn't show it in front of his subordinates.
How long did he rest? He'd only meant to close his eyes briefly, but he ended up buried in the sofa for over an hour. The emperor's sofa was surprisingly comfortable—almost as good as his bed—granting him deep, restful sleep.
"Your Majesty, Count Potas has arrived."
He bolted up from the sofa, gulped down some cold water to clear his head, straightened his uniform, and settled into a stiff chair—just as a Royal Guard's voice came from outside.
"Let him in."
Raymond gave calm permission, and the tent flap opened. In strode the head of Central Intelligence in his red uniform, sporting a finely groomed mustache. He'd been in the capital on business when Raymond summoned him north.
"Your Majesty, are you all right?"
Count Potas asked cautiously. Few knew of the poisoning, but the empire's spymaster wouldn't be among them.
"Much better."
"Thank goodness, Your Majesty."
Raymond chuckled at Count Potas's exaggerated sigh of relief. It reminded him of Azure Tower Lord Risefield.
"Aren't you overreacting a bit?"
"Overreacting? Your Majesty is the future of the Philius Empire. I don't think it's excessive."
Count Potas's claim that Raymond was the empire's future wasn't hyperbole.
The Black Mountains and Monster Forest blocked foreign invasions, but the declining Philius Empire held its territory thanks to the Colossal Divine Soldiers—ancient weapons only wielded by the imperial bloodline.
If the last surviving imperial, Raymond, died, no one could operate those behemoths that had guarded the vast empire. Would the Haipel Empire and Three Kingdoms Alliance sit idle?
They'd send armies to nibble away at Philius lands, even after losses crossing the forests and mountains without Colossal Divine Soldiers to stop them.
"Just thinking about it is horrifying."
Count Potas shook his head gravely, imagining the worst.
"That won't happen."
Raymond spoke with firm confidence. Having read Empire of the Departed, he knew the characters' pitiful ends. He didn't want to die like that. He just wanted to live out his allotted lifespan.
'Even that might be a luxury in this insane world.'
He shook his head with a bitter smile.
His gaze shifted to Count Potas. He'd recalled why he'd summoned the man back from the capital.
"Count Potas."
"Yes, Your Majesty. What are your orders?"
"Have you ever seen this before?"
He pulled something from his pocket and held it out. It was a small pendant recovered from a low-ranking Doomsday Society officer killed by a Royal Guard during the battle.
Count Potas took it and examined it closely. Though the empire waned, he led its vast intelligence network.
His confidence in answering lasted only a moment.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. It's unfamiliar, and I have no information on it."
Not the answer he'd hoped for, but not unexpected, so no great disappointment.
The Doomsday Society was an "unfinished" element—by the original Empire of the Departed plot, they wouldn't have appeared even in the latest chapters. Of course Count Potas didn't know them.
"May I ask what it is?"
"It's what the Mountain Duke's backers had in common—and the ones who attacked me leaving the central city."
Count Potas's expression shifted at Raymond's words.
"Central Intelligence will gather every scrap of intel we can."
"Good. Start immediately."
"As Your Majesty commands."
Count Potas withdrew.
After a brief rest, Raymond stepped out of the tent. He headed toward the medical unit where Desia rested.
The waiting Royal Guards fell in behind him instantly. Some pressed close, while others kept a discreet distance.
Gestain, ever his shadow, was focusing on training to stabilize his surging energy after reaching Sword Saint realm.
"To Lady Desia's location, Your Majesty?"
Count Alphonse of the Royal Guard approached and asked. Raymond nodded instead of answering.
"I received the medical tent's position from the officer earlier. Right this way."
Efficient as always. Raymond nodded again and hurried after the leading Count Alphonse.
They soon reached the medical unit. Patrol guards and bustling healers froze at the emperor's arrival.
Raymond waved them off lightly—back to your duties, don't mind me. Thankfully, they got the message and resumed work.
"This way, Your Majesty."
Confirming the unit back in motion, Count Alphonse led on. He stopped before a tent twice the usual size.
"Here?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Count Alphonse bowed. Unlike other areas, guards stood watch here: the Imperial Guard knights under Gestain's direct command, all former Frost Shield Knight Order members from Raymond's days as 5th Prince.
"Your Majesty..."
They bowed at his approach.
"Good work."
Raymond encouraged them and entered. Beside the still-unconscious Desia sat the Azure Tower Lord, looking weary.
Deep in thought, he looked up at the footsteps and smiled faintly upon seeing the emperor.
"Here to check on Lady Desia?"
"No point denying it."
Raymond pulled up a chair. Risefield, who'd stood briefly, sat back down.
"How's her condition?"
Her mana lord was restored, the rampaging mana from the surge calmed. Internal injuries mostly healed, yet she hadn't woken.
"Much improved."
"Why hasn't she come around yet?"
"Hard to say for sure, but it might relate to the high mage realm."
"Explain."
Raymond urged. Risefield gathered his thoughts and spoke.
"Everyone faces walls. To reach the lofty heights we call 'high' mage, you must overcome them."
Raymond knew this much.
"Lady Desia forcibly broke through hers with the mana surge—briefly. Without intervention, she'd have died, but Your Majesty was there. Her mana lord is restored, but she still holds the knowledge of how to surpass that wall."
The Azure Tower Lord spoke with meaningful intent.
"If she wakes now, Lady Desia is no longer just a top-grade mage."
It meant the birth of a new high mage in that exalted realm.