Chapter 152: The Greedy Collector (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 152: The Greedy Collector (4)
The atmosphere turned icy.
A blatant rejection.
Faced with such an aggressive response, Mackin spoke, his expression murderous.
"Am I to take those words as a declaration of hostility?"
The Cairo Kingdom.
In the end, it was nothing more than a weak nation.
Within its borders, the four factions fought tooth and nail as if their petty struggle was the center of the universe, but by continental standards, Cairo was nothing. The same went for Roman Dmitry. He was highly evaluated because he had defeated Butler in his mid-twenties, not because he was actually strong enough to overwhelm the continent's true powerhouses.
Therefore, Roman's answer was crucial.
The Valhalla Empire possessed the power to crush someone like him like an ant.
"Let me be clear. From the moment you threatened me, I lost any intention of speaking politely to you."
His voice was firm.
Roman looked straight at Mackin. Even though the man exuded a murderous aura, Roman's gaze didn't waver in the slightest.
"The Valhalla Empire. I am well aware of your strength. However, even with a blade pressed against my throat, I have absolutely no intention of being forced to swear allegiance to anyone. You ask if you should take this as hostility? Do as you please. Whether you instigate the Central Government to attack Dmitry or summon Valhalla's great warriors to assassinate me—no threat will ever force an answer from me."
Valhalla.
They were strong.
However, Roman knew their limitations.
'The Cairo Kingdom is prey that the Kronos Empire has spent years grooming. If Valhalla tries to attack Cairo, the Kronos Empire will not stand idly by. Ultimately, the conflict in Cairo must be settled by internal forces. And the power Dmitry possesses now cannot be overcome solely through pressure from the Central Government.'
The Dmitry Alliance.
Its significance was not so simple.
When the Central Government sought to punish a territory, they typically borrowed the strength of neighboring estates. But now, the forces of the Northeast region had all sworn to follow Dmitry. Even if Count Denver, a dog of the Valhalla Empire, raised his voice and demanded Dmitry's punishment, the Central Government wouldn't dare wage war.
With threats looming just outside their borders—especially the Kronos Empire—a civil war would inevitably plunge Cairo into the abyss.
And the fall of Cairo meant the rise of the Kronos Empire.
It was the ultimate leverage. Roman knew that by forming the Dmitry Alliance, he had seized this perfect position.
'The Valhalla Empire has no way to attack me directly. Their only option is to mobilize Valhalla's experts to assassinate me, but such threats won't work.'
During his days as Baek Joong-hyuk, he had faced countless assassination attempts. No matter what method they used, Roman was confident he wouldn't so much as blink.
Roman spoke.
"If you do not intend to make an enemy of me, there is only one choice Valhalla can make: wait. I, Roman Dmitry, have no desire to become a mere parasite living off someone else's power. The moment I make my choice, that faction will surely rise to the pinnacle of Cairo, and the world will call the Dmitry family the kingmaker. That is what I desire."
He had offered a compromise: shut your mouth and wait for my decision.
Even in the face of the Valhalla Empire's threats, Roman pushed back harder.
The world did not yet know of the alliance between Dmitry and Valentino. However, even with the power he had currently revealed, he possessed sufficient strength to stand boldly against the Valhalla Empire.
"...You handle matters quite boldly."
Mackin's expression stiffened.
He was deeply offended. Roman's attitude had crossed the line, but he couldn't attack him because of it.
The war with Hector.
The integration of the Northeast region.
Due to this series of events, Dmitry had become a bomb that could not be touched recklessly.
'I will take a step back for now. But if he maintains this arrogant attitude, we will have to make a decision.'
Mackin spoke.
"If you keep your neck stiff, it is bound to break sooner or later. Keep my words in mind, Roman Dmitry. The reason we are stepping back is not because you are strong. It is because even if we give you plenty of time, you will never pose a threat to the Valhalla Empire. The continent is vast. Remember that Butler, whom you struggled to defeat, is a nobody in the Valhalla Empire. I advise you to make a prudent choice. Because if we are forced to make ours... we will show you just how meaningless this sandcastle you've built truly is."
It was both a warning and an appeasement.
Leaving behind a chilling aftertaste, Mackin rose from his seat.
* * *
Starting with the Valhalla Empire, contact came pouring in from Cairo's four factions.
Aware of the Dmitry Alliance's existence, they all urged him to make an immediate decision.
Some tried conciliation, while others resorted to threats.
As Cairo's power struggle grew increasingly extreme, Roman Dmitry maintained his firm stance.
"There are matters I must settle in Dmitry first. In exactly one year, after wrapping up internal affairs, I plan to travel to the capital and challenge the Public Ranking Match. Once everything is settled, I will clearly state my position."
One year.
It was not welcome news.
Expecting an immediate decision, all four factions felt betrayed by Roman's sudden delay.
The leader of the Noble Faction, Marquis Benedict, felt the same.
He didn't like Roman's unilateral notification, but just like Valhalla, there was nothing he could do about it.
"...Do you intend to just leave Dmitry alone?" his subordinate asked.
Marquis Benedict didn't lift his eyes from his documents.
"We have no choice but to wait," he said. "It might have been different right after the war with Hector, but the moment Roman Dmitry returned home, he took the unprecedented step of seizing control of the Northeast region. A truly clever fellow. From the moment the Northeast Association surrendered, the Dmitry family became an existence the Central Government could no longer touch. To be precise, rather than risking the collapse of the balance of power by provoking them, leaving them alone is the only way to maintain the current system."
"Still, it is too dangerous. If we give Dmitry time, they will expand their power rapidly."
"I know."
Thud.
He closed the documents.
Marquis Benedict finally looked at his subordinate. As the leader of the Noble Faction, he had not risen to his current position by mere luck.
"Face reality. If we cannot gain a clear advantage by making an enemy of Dmitry, it is better to pin our hopes on a positive possibility. The empire's lackeys will surely have no choice but to express hostility toward Roman Dmitry's actions. Unlike them, we will support Roman Dmitry to the end and show him utmost favor. We must make him trust me personally. Even if it ends in Dmitry's betrayal, Roman Dmitry is a prize worth risking that much sacrifice for."
The hero of Cairo.
He was a highly coveted prize.
Benedict wanted him by any means necessary, and Roman's bold moves only fueled his desire.
"If Roman Dmitry chooses me, I will not make an issue of whatever happened in the past. However..."
He trailed off.
A blind courtship.
Just as intense as his passion was, the price of betrayal would be absolute.
"If he chooses another path instead of me, he will surely pay the price."
Exactly one year.
That was the absolute deadline.
* * *
At that moment, Roman was reading a letter in his study.
[Brother, I never once thought academy life could be enjoyable. But after meeting you, my life has completely changed. The kids who used to fear the Castro family have started approaching me as friends, and because I've been diligently practicing the techniques you taught me, my swordsmanship is improving rapidly. Just the other day, the swordsmanship professor even praised me, saying I might be a genius. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. As your younger brother, I've done nothing for you, yet you've given me so much. Though there is nothing I can do for you right now, I swear I will spend my life repaying the kindness you've shown me.]
It was from Lauren Dmitry.
Reading the heartfelt letter, Roman let out a small laugh.
'To exist as brothers. It's not bad.'
This life was different from his past.
He had no reason, nor any intention, to wage a fratricidal war against his own kin.
The simple act of exchanging warm sentiments just because they were brothers gave a special meaning to Roman's new life.
'For the next year, I must become even stronger.'
Roman's fence.
Many people had stepped inside its boundaries.
He was no longer alone, and defeat was completely unacceptable.
'Exploiting the power structure has reached its limit. The Royal Faction, the Noble Faction, the Kronos Empire Faction, and the Valhalla Empire Faction. The four forces dividing the Cairo Kingdom will no longer wait for me. Therefore, this final year—if I do not make good use of this time, I will inevitably lose something in the coming war against them.'
Something.
He couldn't define exactly what it would be.
It could be his family, his subordinates, or perhaps his very life as Roman Dmitry.
Whichever it was, he refused to accept it.
Living this new life, Roman desired many things.
Just like in his past life, he wished to rise to the absolute pinnacle.
But this time, he wished to lose nothing along the way.
Unlike his past self, Roman Dmitry—having already lived once as Baek Joong-hyuk—possessed the power to be greedy.
'Once the war begins in earnest, there will be no time for personal growth.'
The middle stages of the Heavenly Demon Sword Technique.
That alone was not enough.
Although it was a power capable of overwhelming Butler, Roman wished to be truly absolute.
One year.
It was a time for growth.
He would push himself even harder, but there was one more thing he needed to prepare for the future.
'Edwin Hector. I do not know when I will encounter a mage like him again. To perfectly respond to whatever variables may arise, I must thoroughly understand mages over the course of this year. Even if a mage superior to Edwin Hector appears, I will cut them down and achieve my goal.'
In the days when he had nothing to lose, Baek Joong-hyuk had struggled desperately just to survive.
And now, possessing so much to lose, Roman Dmitry burned with a determination stronger than ever before.
* * *
Three months passed.
Among the thirteen magic towers on the continent, the Phoenix Magic Tower, widely evaluated as the weakest, suffered from a fundamental, plaguing issue.
"Sigh."
Felix, the successor of Phoenix, let out a deep sigh.
A few days ago, a magic conference had taken place.
Hosted by the Sky Magic Tower—renowned as the greatest magic tower—it was a gathering where representatives from each tower demonstrated their latest achievements. The problem arose when it was Phoenix's turn. Felix, who had remarkably reached the 5th Circle in his thirties, demonstrated powerful magic, but the gazes of the watching mages were ice-cold.
Felix's magic was common.
They were widely known spells, completely lacking the unique identity of the Phoenix Magic Tower.
"It seems the rumor is true. The Phoenix Magic Tower really did lose the grimoire passed down through their generations."
Three years ago, Felix's master—the Master of the Phoenix Magic Tower—went missing.
Because of this, Felix had unexpectedly taken over as the acting tower master. The problem was that he had never inherited the grimoire containing Phoenix's secret technique, Burning, completely stripping the tower of its core identity. Even before this incident, Phoenix's power had been waning. Now, its decline was rapid, with mages abandoning the tower every single day.
The world of mages was cold-blooded.
Since the Sky Magic Tower was known to possess all the magic in the world, there was no reason for anyone to remain in Phoenix when it lacked even a single secret technique.
"...At this rate, ruin will come in the blink of an eye."
He felt completely helpless.
The future was bleak.
Usually, magic towers received national sponsorship and leased land. However, the Frank Kingdom—where they were currently located—had been utterly passive in its support ever since the tower master's disappearance. It was an absurd shift in attitude. When Phoenix first arrived, the kingdom acted as if they would sell their souls to accommodate them, but now they treated the tower's very existence like a nuisance.
The magic tower and the kingdom.
It was supposed to be a mutually beneficial relationship. The tower was provided with a place to operate, and the kingdom could borrow the tower's strength in times of emergency.
As his worries deepened day by day, Felix received a letter.
[...The condition is simple. If you become my sparring partner for the next six months, I will pay you a reward of 1,000 gold per month.]
It was an unusual proposal.
A whopping 1,000 gold just for being a sparring partner.
His eyes widened.
The tower's financial situation was already dire; he absolutely could not refuse such an offer.
The Frank Kingdom was located in the southwestern part of the continent.
It was quite a distance from where the letter had been sent, but he was in no position to be picky.
'The very edge of the Northeast. It really is far.'
That very day, Felix packed his bags.
His destination was Dmitry of the Cairo Kingdom.