Chapter 326: The Collapse of Arcadia (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 326: The Collapse of Arcadia (1)
Immediately after delivering his message, the man lost consciousness.
The healer estimated he had suffered from prolonged starvation. His body had completely broken down from the sheer exertion of crossing the Endless Mountains. Fortunately, he had no other serious injuries. After a few days of light meals and rest, he recovered enough strength to walk out of his sickbed on his own.
That very day, an emergency meeting was convened.
With all of Dmitry's leadership present, Roman Dmitry looked down at the man and asked for his purpose.
"Why has a citizen of the Luna Kingdom crossed the Endless Mountains?"
"Before I state my purpose, I would first like to explain the situation in the Luna Kingdom."
The man's name was Caden. He was a knight of the Luna Kingdom. With a face clouded by sorrow, he looked up at Roman Dmitry.
"Three months ago, we lost contact with Her Majesty, Queen Isabelle, who is also our Saintess. In truth, after the total war between Dmitry and Kronos ended, Queen Isabelle never returned to the Luna Kingdom. Instead, she remained on the Salamander Continent to thwart a conspiracy orchestrated by Kronos. I do not know what happened to her. What is certain, however, is that the moment contact with Queen Isabelle was severed, the divine power protecting the Luna Kingdom began to fade."
Beyond the Endless Mountains, Arcadia was frozen in extreme cold. It was a harsh world where living things could barely survive, which was why Isabelle's birth had been hailed as a gift from God.
"Queen Isabelle's divine power was the only force that brought warmth to that frozen world. Without it to ward off the cold, our people have begun freezing to death in droves. Severe food shortages have followed. Lord Roman Dmitry, Arcadia is collapsing as we speak. To protect the homeland of the Luna Kingdom, we must confirm Queen Isabelle's safety and rescue her."
"Are you asking us to find Queen Isabelle for you?"
"Yes. I beg of you."
He bowed his head. His trembling voice spoke volumes of his desperation.
Their opponent was the Kronos Empire. If something had happened to Isabelle, they were undoubtedly the culprits. On the entire Salamander Continent, Roman Dmitry was the only one who wouldn't back down against the Kronos Empire. Yet, even without Caden's plea, Queen Isabelle's situation was worth investigating. Since she was the one who had revealed 'Alexander's true identity' to him, the conspiracy she had sought to stop was highly likely connected to Dmitry's future.
"Very well. I will look into Queen Isabelle's whereabouts."
"Thank you!"
His expression brightened instantly. He shouted with renewed vigor, bowing his head repeatedly.
However, even after Roman Dmitry accepted his request, Caden did not step back. Instead, he showed signs of hesitation.
"Is there something else?"
"Actually..."
He hesitated. He bit his lip, agonizing over whether to speak, but he knew there was no one else capable of resolving this crisis.
"The problems of the Luna Kingdom—no, the entire continent of Arcadia—do not end there. The absence of divine power has affected all of Arcadia, leaving both the Luna Kingdom and the non-human races starving. Because of this, a new crisis arose two months ago. As creatures began dying in droves from hunger and the cold, one of the non-human races broke the peace treaty."
The peace treaty.
The moment that promise of peace among the races was torn to shreds, Arcadia was stained with blood and slaughter.
"The race once known as the wanderers of the Gray Wasteland... the Orcs, have declared war on the other races."
* * *
Ten days ago.
While the Salamander Continent was enjoying peace, the seventh storage of the Luna Kingdom came under enemy attack.
"Hold them back!"
"We cannot lose this place! We must stop them at all costs!"
Up into the heavily snowing sky, swish-swish-swish! Hundreds of arrows were unleashed.
Soldiers clad in thick animal furs fired arrows continuously, their faces twisted in desperate rage. Yet, hope was hard to find in their expressions. The entities charging through the blizzard were riding White Wolves, one of the few creatures capable of surviving the extreme cold.
Grrr! Growl!
Screeech!
The soldiers felt the hair on their bodies stand on end. A man who appeared to be the commander channeled his mana, using an arrow as a medium to trigger an explosion.
Boom!
Rumble!
A massive explosion erupted! The arrow, swirling with Aura, pierced straight through a White Wolf.
Thud!
Yelp!
It was sent flying.
As the White Wolf collapsed to the ground with a death rattle, the burly monster riding it tumbled down as well. That was the end of the monster's life. The arrow hadn't hit him directly, but the beasts charging from behind didn't care in the slightest for their fallen comrade. They trampled him. Even as blood splattered and flesh tore in an instant, the monsters focused solely on their singular goal of charging forward.
Finally, they reached the castle gate.
"Chwiik! Follow me!"
The monster at the very front led the charge. Though bipedal like a human, he belonged to a race with rough skin and a pig-like appearance. It was an Orc, the very race Caden had mentioned.
Without slowing his charge, he raised a massive axe that was as large as his own body.
Then, rumble, he flared his Aura.
Exploding his violently boiling Aura all at once, he swung the weapon directly at the massive castle gate blocking his path.
Crash!
Rumble!
The castle gate shattered.
Even though it had been protected by multiple layers of magic, it could not withstand the Orc's powerful strike. This was why the defenders had looked so despairing from the very beginning. The Orc leading the charge was no ordinary monster; he was the Orc Lord who led the Orcs of the Gray Wasteland, and the name Graxar struck absolute despair into the hearts of humans.
The path was open. Stepping inside, Graxar let out a savage roar and swung his axe.
"Chwiik! Kill them all!"
Squish!
"Argh!"
It was the beginning of a massacre. The commander and other Aura-wielding swordsmen attacked Graxar, but his overwhelming might slaughtered them as easily as if they were straw dolls. He killed, killed, and killed again. The bodies of the enemies blocking his path were torn to shreds. While snow fell heavily from the sky, hot steam rose from the fresh blood pooling on the ground.
Before long, the seventh storage fell.
Graxar forced the captives to their knees and issued orders to the Orcs arriving one after another.
"Chwiik! Secure all the food in the storage, including the 'humans' we will use as provisions."
"Chwiik! Understood."
At the mention of being "provisions," the people of the Luna Kingdom turned pale with horror.
They prayed. They begged to be saved from these atrocious monsters.
But...
"Ahhh!"
"Aaargh!"
At the screams echoing from afar, the people shut their eyes tight and covered their ears.
They would no longer... be able to live as humans.
* * *
Caden's words left the room in stunned silence. At the mention of the Orcs declaring war, Viscount Conrad, who had been quietly observing the situation, asked,
"I heard that Arcadia is a land of harmony where different races coexist. Yet, you speak of war. Are there no binding constraints in the peace treaty between the races?"
"...Yes. The peace treaty was merely a token of trust. It was not a pact made to mediate existing conflicts; rather, from the very beginning, the races of Arcadia simply did not harm one another."
His voice trembled. With a devastated expression, he continued.
"The discord began when a new Orc Lord ascended. The Orc named Graxar is highly bellicose and was always dissatisfied with Arcadia's environment. When Queen Isabelle went missing and the situation deteriorated, he immediately attacked the neighboring races. And before long, he began invading the territory of the Luna Kingdom."
The collapse of Arcadia.
Harmony was shattered. The land once covered in pristine white snow was now stained with blood, and the people feared imminent death far more than starvation.
"Graxar's goal is to turn all races other than Orcs into 'provisions,' and he is trying to seize all the storages Queen Isabelle established in case of emergencies. Lord Roman Dmitry, if things continue like this, Arcadia will have no choice but to fall. Please save us. Save the Luna Kingdom."
It was a tragic tale. The reality of humans being reduced to livestock was nothing short of despairing.
However, Roman Dmitry's response was cold.
"Helping the Luna Kingdom is no simple matter. We would have to cross the Endless Mountains, endure the freezing cold, and bear the massive risks that Dmitry would face as a result. Why should we take such risks for the Luna Kingdom, a nation we have never even interacted with?"
This was an entirely different matter from simply searching for Queen Isabelle. Because the risks involved were immense, Roman Dmitry looked at Caden with an indifferent expression.
Caden's face fell in despair. He understood. He fully recognized the truth in Roman Dmitry's words, but his desperation was what had driven him to cross the Endless Mountains in the first place.
"I understand. It is indeed a massive risk for Dmitry. But I must point out that Graxar's existence will eventually threaten Dmitry as well. Graxar's methods are not a fundamental solution. Once the Orcs devour all the other races they have turned into provisions and the food in the storages runs dry, they will have no choice but to look beyond the Endless Mountains. Therefore, please use us. While the military power of the Luna Kingdom is still intact, utilize us to control this future threat."
And there was a decisive reason why he had specifically sought out Dmitry.
"When Queen Isabelle decided to remain on the Salamander Continent, she told us this: 'If anything happens to me or if Arcadia collapses, seek out Lord Roman Dmitry and swear your allegiance to him.' Please accept us. If you save the Luna Kingdom, we will become the gatekeepers guarding the lands beyond the Endless Mountains and dedicate ourselves to Dmitry forever."
He fell to his knees.
Bowing his head, he spoke with heartfelt sincerity.
An oath of allegiance from the Luna Kingdom. Faced with Caden's intense resolve, even Dmitry's leadership needed a moment to organize their thoughts.
* * *
After Caden was temporarily dismissed, Dmitry held a private council.
Several figures, including Viscount Lawrence, viewed Caden's proposal favorably.
"The Luna Kingdom's argument has merit. Once Graxar conquers the lands of Arcadia, he will inevitably have to cross the Endless Mountains to solve his food problem. The issue is timing. While peace is currently maintained due to the ceasefire negotiations with the Kronos Empire, if Kronos reveals their ambition for continental conquest at the exact same time Graxar crosses the Endless Mountains, the situation will become highly problematic."
"Indeed. I believe it would be better to deal with Graxar and eliminate the risk beforehand."
The faction in favor of intervention wanted to prepare for any contingency.
In the worst-case scenario, they might find themselves facing both Kronos and the Orcs simultaneously.
If they dealt with Graxar beforehand and established the Luna Kingdom as a gatekeeper, they could certainly prevent that worst-case scenario from happening.
However, not everyone agreed.
Like oil and water, the opposing faction led by Viscount Conrad voiced a vastly different opinion.
"My thoughts differ. I agree that the Orcs beyond the Endless Mountains are dangerous. However, it is no easy feat for a large army to cross the Endless Mountains. Even if they do cross, we can simply utilize our geographical advantage to block the enemy with minimal casualties. But what happens if we cross the Endless Mountains to subjugate them? Aside from the sheer risk of crossing the mountains, we would have to fight monsters in a land where the ground is frozen year-round—a land they call home. Our chances of winning are slim. Even if we win, our losses will be devastating."
"This is a very simple matter. The Luna Kingdom has no connection to Dmitry. I see no reason for us to sacrifice our own for them."
A heated debate ensued, with voices rising on both sides.
Both factions had valid points. However, if Roman Dmitry had to choose one, Viscount Conrad's opinion carried more weight.
Beyond the Endless Mountains lay enemy territory. There was no need to take massive risks without sufficient preparation simply out of fear of a worst-case scenario.
The Luna Kingdom was merely a foreign nation. Their bond was not deep enough to warrant waging a war while enduring the harsh, freezing environment of Arcadia.
Furthermore...
The Valhalla Empire could erupt at any moment. For now, it is best to wait and see.
The timing was poor. Yet, as he listened to Caden's proposal, Roman Dmitry felt a strange sense of familiarity. In truth, the primary reason to turn away the Luna Kingdom was the severe disadvantage of the "cold wave." If Dmitry's soldiers, unaccustomed to extreme cold, recklessly set foot in Arcadia, they might suffer devastating losses instead of achieving victory.
The cold wave.
That term was familiar.
During his past life as Baek Joong-hyuk, there had been a faction that hindered his conquest of Murim just as much as the Righteous Faction Murim.
They were neither the Evil Faction Murim nor the Blood Cultists.
Though their forces were not as massive as those two factions, a single strength made their existence incredibly troublesome.
A land where snow fell year-round.
A faction that utilized the extreme cold as their greatest weapon.
They were none other than the North Sea Ice Palace.