Chapter 240
Chapter 240
Iron Emperor — Chapter 240
The secret delegation of the Malin Kingdom was in an outright state of emergency.
"Connect me right now, I said!"
[But His Majesty is in a council meeting—how can I possibly—]
Seeing the wizard's troubled expression, Count Solon, burning with anxiety, shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Stop wasting words and connect me! This isn't just the Gauri Kingdom—it's an empire that has made the Haian Kingdom and the Roselin Kingdom its vassal states!"
[What? Count, what in the world do you mean?]
"I mean exactly what I said!"
[W-Wait a moment!]
Grasping the meaning of Count Solon's words, the wizard rushed off in shock.
"Damn it all... What in the world has happened to bring things to this point?"
In his frustration, Count Solon could only pound his own chest in vain.
A moment later, a signal came through the crystal orb.
"Connect it immediately!"
Count Solon urged the wizard in an agitated voice. The wizard, who seemed to feel exactly the same, was already weaving hand seals even before the count finished giving the order.
Hummm.
The crystal orb emitted a resonant hum as an image began to form on its surface.
[Count Solon, what do you mean by that? An empire!]
"Your Majesty, I mean it exactly as I said. Gauri was never a kingdom we could treat as an equal. It seems there were secrets that we—no, that even the empires were unaware of."
[Explain in detail.]
The figure that materialized in the crystal orb was the Malin monarch, King Karien Marlon Fein.
King Fein was just as bewildered.
"King Alsein of Roselin was here as well."
[What! There was no report whatsoever of such a thing! Besides, the war has only just ended—how could he possibly have traveled all the way from Roselin to Gauri? The issue isn't his arrival—we definitely received reports that King Alsein was inspecting the front lines. Even by the shortest estimate, that's a journey of a month and a half to two months. Traveling that distance without a trace or rumor is impossible!]
The Malin Kingdom had poured just as much effort into tracking the course of the war as the empires themselves, so they had naturally been monitoring King Alsein's movements.
"In my judgment, it appears he used teleportation to travel."
[What nonsense are you speaking! Are you saying the Roselin Kingdom has wizards to spare? Or that it possesses an Archwizard!]
Operating a teleportation formation requires five 4th-circle wizards, who must rest for three days after a single casting. To make the journey under those conditions, at least fifty teleports would be necessary—which meant requiring at least fifteen to twenty wizards of the 4th circle or higher. But after the long war, the number of surviving wizards was not that large, and while rounding up 3rd-circle wizards might be one thing, assembling even all available wizards above the 4th circle was dubious at best. In actual warfare, wizards were deployed only a few at a time at major fortresses, so King Fein's assumption was entirely reasonable.
"Your Majesty... it was not Roselin."
[Then you mean the wizards of Gauri and Haian were mobilized as well?]
"Gauri possesses... an Archmage."
[What! Gauri has an Archwizard!]
"Your Majesty! I mean not a 6th-Circle Archwizard, but an Archmage believed to be of the 7th Circle or higher!"
[......]
No answer came from King Fein in the crystal orb. Only his look of pure shock was visible.
"I witnessed it personally. Alone, he transported over twenty people and six wagons on a round trip over a distance that normally takes six or seven days!"
[How can this be.]
Count Solon continued speaking to King Fein, who was still unable to find his voice.
"Furthermore, King Alsein and King Bera Han were addressing the Gauri ruler, His Majesty Yeolje Go Jin-cheon, as brother in an open formal setting."
[Th-That can't be. Does that mean the Haian Kingdom intends to completely slip free of the empires' grasp!]
"It is as good as confirmation of everything that took place in the Haian Kingdom. That Gauri aided the Roselin Kingdom means the intelligence that Gauri had been backing them from the start is true. And the fact that Gauri was behind King Bera Han's sudden reversal and the wholesale purge of the nobles tied to the empires is also correct. Your Majesty, you must make a swift decision!"
[Then the letter...]
Now grasping the gravity of the situation, King Fein stumbled over his words. Only now did he realize that, before sending the letter, he had assumed Gauri would be desperate and vulnerable and, as a precaution, written the secret message from a position of superiority.
"Within the Gauri Empire, there already appear to be nobles advocating for an attack on our kingdom. In fact, they may have already finished preparations before my arrival. The way several generals are speaking of the troops they've assembled is... troubling."
[What are we to do!]
"For now, I believe at least the Crown Prince must come here. With the kings of two nations already present—even if Your Majesty, given your advanced age, cannot attend—the Crown Prince must come and pay his respects."
[Are you saying we, too, must abandon the Federal Empire entirely?]
"That... I will abide by Your Majesty's wise judgment. However, the time granted to us is only today. The time I managed to obtain—from a situation where we were nearly expelled without any opportunity at all—is just this single day. Please, Your Majesty, convene with the nobles at once and devise a plan to overcome this crisis."
[I... will contact you soon.]
The communication ended with the king's dispirited voice.
"Huu."
Count Solon let out a sigh as though he had aged ten years in an instant.
* * *
The next morning, Go Jin-cheon, Bera Han, and King Alsein were once again seated together, displaying their continued "fraternal affection" for all to see.
"I, Heil Solon, pay my respects to Your Majesty."
Despite Count Solon's markedly changed demeanor from the day before, Jin-cheon maintained a brusque expression.
"So."
"Pardon?"
"The result."
His words were crushingly brief. Jin-cheon's manner of speaking was naturally curt, but Count Solon, who had no way of knowing that, interpreted it as a sign that he was furious.
"His Majesty King Karien Marlon Fein of our kingdom, in order to apologize for our error, has said that he will urgently dispatch Crown Prince Karien Marlon Ssen."
"Is that all?"
"Th-That is..."
At Jin-cheon's completely expressionless response, Count Solon's mind began racing.
"A crown prince comes instead of a king..."
"I suspect it is because King Fein of Malin is advanced in age."
When King Bera Han subtly interjected, Jin-cheon nodded as though that might indeed be the case.
"In any case, it will take considerable time to reach here... That is truly regrettable. I have long wished to meet Crown Prince Ssen, as I heard he is close to my age. I was also told he is skilled with the sword and has a bold, frank character."
"Oh, if that is what my younger brother wishes..."
As Jin-cheon's words trailed off, Risel stepped forward of his own accord. No further words were necessary at this point.
"If Your Majesty permits, I shall go personally to escort Crown Prince Ssen here."
"Hm. Very well. See that it is done. Count Solon."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
At Jin-cheon's summons, Count Solon answered swiftly.
"Contact the Malin Kingdom and inform them that I will send someone to fetch him directly."
"I am overcome with gratitude for Your Majesty's benevolence."
With that, Count Solon hurriedly withdrew from the Imperial Hall, his thoughts churning. An Archmage was a figure whom even empires would seek to acquire by granting the rank of king—not merely duke. That such a person would volunteer unbidden confirmed in his mind what he could no longer deny: Gauri possessed something that surpassed even the empires.
* * *
WHIRRR!
Mana resonated, scattering brilliant light that coalesced into human shapes.
The considerable distance required one day each way—two days in total—but for Risel, even that was possible.
Today, as always, Gye Ung-sam had come out to receive them. He lowered his head to the party of Crown Prince Ssen of the Marlon Kingdom, which materialized before his eyes, and offered a formal welcome.
"I am Gye Ung-sam, bearing the rank of Joui-du Daehyeong. I welcome Your Highness Crown Prince Ssen and your party."
"I-I am pleased to meet you."
Crown Prince Karien Marlon Ssen returned Ung-sam's greeting, still unable to conceal his disbelief. Yet unlike Count Solon, his conduct remained composed.
'Not shouting, at least.'
Ung-sam gave a slight bow and began escorting them inside.
"Crown Prince Karien Marlon Ssen and his retinue enter!"
Following the attendant's announcement, Jin-cheon watched intently as Crown Prince Ssen and his party of ten or so people entered the Imperial Hall.
"Hmm."
As King Alsein had said, he appeared to be in his late twenties. His shoulders were broad, and he possessed a solid-looking physique that stood around 175 centimeters tall.
His gait was steady, and his face—lightly sun-tanned to match his brown hair—seemed to mark him as a man of action.
His features were angular, giving him a more forceful impression compared to the somewhat rounder-faced Alsein. But there was a man beside him who drew even more attention.
A middle-aged man stood in neatly fitted armor, exuding a powerful aura that was palpable even without conscious effort.
'On par with Gerard?'
Jin-cheon's curiosity was piqued. This was the first powerful warrior he had encountered on this continent other than Gerard.
"I, Karien Marlon Ssen, First Crown Prince of the Marlon Kingdom, offer my respects to Your Majesty, Sovereign of All Heavens."
Unlike Count Solon's delegation, Crown Prince Ssen executed his formal greeting flawlessly and remained bowing.
"Raise your head."
At Jin-cheon's command, Crown Prince Ssen slowly straightened. Apart from a trace of tension, his expression was relatively calm.
"For now, I welcome you."
"It is an honor."
Despite Jin-cheon's barbed words, Crown Prince Ssen inclined his head slightly without breaking decorum.
"Good. A crown prince of a nation should at least be that composed."
Somewhat satisfied by this display, Jin-cheon nodded. At this praise-that-wasn't-praise, Count Solon, standing behind Crown Prince Ssen, let out a sigh of relief.
"I bear a new letter from His Majesty the King of Malin."
As the crown prince calmly produced the letter, a royal guard approached, received it, and respectfully handed it to Jin-cheon. Jin-cheon unfolded the letter, glanced at it once, then passed it directly to Princess Yunias.
As Yunias slowly read it aloud, Jin-cheon closed his eyes and listened in silence.
"That concludes the contents, Your Majesty."
"Hmm."
When Princess Yunias rolled the letter back up and handed it over, Jin-cheon opened his eyes. He took one end of the scroll in one hand and tapped it lightly against the flat palm of the other.
"In the end..."
Jin-cheon slowly spoke.
"There is nothing of substance here."
The letter's contents were exactly as he described. It certainly contained many other passages, but for Jin-cheon, it had been reduced to a single line.
At his reaction, Count Solon could not relax his tension, and Crown Prince Ssen bit his lip briefly before looking at Jin-cheon and speaking.
"In truth, as you may have gathered from our previous letter, our kingdom still knows very little about the Gauri Empire. Indeed, not just our Malin Kingdom, but even the empires are likely ignorant. Had any nation known, none would have made the same foolish blunder as North Roselin."
"Is that so?"
It was a deft opening that subtly elevated Gauri.
"Thus, even with the single day's grace Your Majesty provided, our kingdom has not yet been able to reach a clear decision. I humbly beseech Your Majesty to consider our kingdom's difficult position."
"Consider it?"
"Yes. For our Malin Kingdom, whatever path we choose, it is a decision upon which our nation's fate hangs. Reaching a verdict on so weighty a matter in a single day was exceedingly difficult. I beg your understanding."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Only the sound of the scroll tapping against Jin-cheon's palm echoed through the silent Imperial Hall.
"Three days."
"Pardon?"
Crown Prince Ssen asked in reply to the curt response.
"I will grant you three more days. During that time, look around thoroughly and make your decision. Ryu-hwa."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"You will serve as their guide for the duration."
"I shall carry out Your Majesty's will."
As Mong Ryu-hwa answered with a bow, Jin-cheon nodded slightly before leisurely exiting the Imperial Hall once more.
"Please follow me."
"Very well."
Crown Prince Ssen's party fell in behind Ryu-hwa.
'So I've bought us only three more days.'
Though Crown Prince Ssen appeared composed, inwardly his mind was in utter turmoil. Jin-cheon's command—to decide his nation's fate within three days—was nothing short of cruel.