Chapter 250
Chapter 250
Iron Emperor — Chapter 250
It wasn't that Gerard didn't understand Bogo's feelings. But he had no other choice. Gauri's homeland probably hadn't anticipated things reaching this point either.
—Master.
"What!"
—I will go.
"What?"
Pale's voice continued.
—Surely there aren't any ships that travel underwater?
"Pfft!"
Gerard suddenly burst out laughing.
The being he had hated with all his heart for so long had suddenly become the dearest thing in the world to him.
"Kahahaha! Good, Pale! I trust you with this. I'm counting on you!"
—Don't say you're counting on me. You are the master of my soul.
The memory that had been a nightmare two months ago had now transformed into the best possible choice.
"When you come back, we'll go seduce some pretty Sirens together."
—Master, you've promised.
"Heh heh heh."
On the day he had his first real conversation with Gerard, Pale threw himself into the sea.
As he plunged into the water, white foam rose around him. His legs transformed into a great fin, and within moments he was disappearing into the distance.
"Pale, be careful! You're my soul's companion!"
—Thank you.
Once Pale had vanished, Gerard called for Bogo.
"Put the ships on standby—don't have them follow, but arrange the fast cutters in groups of three to form a communication relay so Pale can stay in contact!"
"Yes, sir!"
"What are all you captains doing! This is the Commander-in-Chief's order!"
"Yes, sir!"
The captains echoed the order in booming voices and sprinted toward their ships, following Bogo.
"Damn it."
In this moment Gerard felt like exactly the kind of selfish human he had always despised.
Wasn't it said that humans are fickle creatures?
But by the same token, humans are also creatures capable of remorse. Now, in this moment, Gerard regretted the time he had wasted, and he gazed only in the direction where Pale had disappeared.
"Wizard."
"Yes, Commander-in-Chief Gerard."
"Connect the Magic Communication."
"Understood."
With his gaze still fixed on the sea, Gerard heard the wizard's incantation ring out.
* * *
The Crystal Orb glowed, signaling an incoming communication.
"It's the naval base!"
News coming from the sea at this late hour could only mean an urgent situation. Besides, the wizards had already been on edge and standing by, so as one received the communication, another ran outside.
After receiving the wizards' message, Mong Ryu-hwa broke into a run for the first time in a long while. The guard officer briefly blocked Ryu-hwa as he entered the Yeolje Palace, but realizing it was urgent news, he opened the way.
A short while later, horses galloped out of the Yeolje Palace and sped to the residences of each commander.
The ministers, swiftly assembled in the Imperial Hall, began to hear the message Mong Ryu-hwa had brought, alongside Go Jin-cheon.
"...During the pursuit, the Black Crow and the Red Seagull were completely destroyed, and all one hundred twenty-five crew aboard the two vessels perished. With normal pursuit now impossible, Pale—a close friend of Joui-du Daehyeong Gerard—is personally carrying out an underwater pursuit. This friend called Pale is, I should add, a merman, one of the demi-human races."
"Hoh, a merman, you say..."
Risel exclaimed at the word merman. That was how rare mermen were.
"Does this mean the Holy Empire fleet is now crossing the Central Seas?"
"According to the reports received so far, that is correct."
Hearing Ryu-hwa's answer, Jin-cheon and his officials each sank into thought.
"For now, pinpointing their exact course is impossible. It would be best to contact the Malin and Haian Kingdoms immediately, inform them of the Holy Empire's route, and also contact the Roselin Kingdom to keep assessing whether there is any risk of an overland movement."
Jin-cheon nodded at Yeon Hwi-garam's words.
"Carry that out at once."
With Jin-cheon's authorization, Hwi-garam issued orders to carry it out, and Ryu-hwa along with the wizards dashed out to handle the communications.
* * *
At Peria Port, one of the commercial harbors of the Haian Kingdom, the resident communications wizard woke to a sound tickling his ear.
Once the incantation was complete, the image of a wizard from the Holy Empire materialized.
"Hup!"
Four ships of the Holy Empire, arriving without any warning, were leisurely entering the waters off the Haian Kingdom.
"Welcome to the Haian Kingdom. I am Baron Berman, the harbor master."
"Ah, a pleasure. I am Duke Schung of the Holy Empire."
"D-Duke Schung, Your Grace!"
Baron Berman was stunned by the identity of the man who had appeared before him. Duke Schung, second only to the emperor himself in the Holy Empire, had come to a Haian Kingdom port late at night with a mere four ships as his escort.
"Escort Duke Schung to the lord's manor at once!"
No matter how much King Bera Han tried to reform things, deeply ingrained habits could not be eliminated overnight.
Baron Berman had Duke Schung guided to his residence, then dashed over to the communications wizard.
"Have you contacted the capital!"
"Yes, sir, the moment they arrived I sent word immediately."
"Connect them again!"
Despite having already sent word, Baron Berman was ordering another connection, his voice rough with urgency. The communications wizard looked back at him with uncomprehending eyes.
"Pardon?"
"You fool! Duke Schung himself has just arrived on that ship!"
"I'll connect them at once!"
Eyes wide with shock, the wizard swiftly began forming the hand seals to connect. And in his heart, he prayed fervently that war—only war—would not break out.
Duke Schung's purpose was not revealed until the following morning.
A secret envoy to Gauri.
A figure as important as Duke Schung was coming to Gauri as an envoy. It could hardly be an ordinary visit.
Hadn't the great fleet—the one that had seized the entire continent's attention—just left port, with no one knowing which nation it was going to war with?
Even in ordinary times, Duke Schung had never once been dispatched abroad. From that alone, they judged that he must be carrying something of pivotal importance to the war.
And at the center of it all was Gauri.
* * *
With changes unfolding day after day, Gauri's ministers were practically living in the Imperial Hall. Eulji Buru and Uru had readied the troops to deploy at a moment's notice, and Go Jin-cheon and all the other ministers now entered the Imperial Hall already wearing their armor.
"What do we know of this Duke Schung?"
"He is the Holy Emperor's closest confidant. He has, as I understand it, shown his face at formal functions only a handful of times. But his position carries enormous weight."
Gowin answered Jin-cheon's question point by point.
"Battles of wits really aren't my taste."
Jin-cheon let out a sigh.
"A secret envoy..."
"No idea what in the world his aim is, Your Majesty."
Eulji Buru tilted his head. The expressions of the other officials, high and low, were no different.
Only Yeon Hwi-garam remained silent with an expressionless face, and it was clear he was thinking something over.
After watching him for a moment, Jin-cheon stamped his foot loudly.
Thoom!
"..."
The commotion inside the Imperial Hall subsided.
"We'll know when we meet him."
"..."
Jin-cheon was right.
Whether Duke Schung's visit would prove to be a curse or a blessing—that could only be known by meeting him.
Jin-cheon did not send Risel to receive Duke Schung. Risel was a secret weapon to be concealed as much as possible.
Seven days passed, and Duke Schung's delegation arrived at Gaemun Mountain Fortress.
"A most unusual structure."
"The fortress gate isn't visible from the front..."
"It looks even more difficult to assault than the stories claimed. And to take this fortress, there is no approach, as far as I can see, other than this road. I can see why North Roselin's great army was defeated here."
The nobles accompanying Duke Schung each voiced their admiration as they studied Gaemun Mountain Fortress.
Clop clop clop.
Around the stone wall shielding the fortress gate, five riders wheeled out and came galloping over. They had already been notified and were prepared.
"Welcome to the territory of Great Gauri. I am Hailon, Daehyeong and lord of Gaemun Mountain Fortress."
"A pleasure. I am Duke Schung of the Holy Empire. Seeing Gaemun Mountain Fortress, which I had only heard so much about, with my own eyes—it truly is impressive. Are you, by chance, the general who repelled the great army of North Roselin?"
Duke Schung had been surveying the fortress with admiration when he asked the question as though the thought had just struck him. Hailon smiled awkwardly.
"I have many shortcomings. It was only with the aid of my fellow commanders that we were able to hold them off."
"I wouldn't claim to be a good judge of character, but if Gauri has men of talent like you, General, then it must be as impregnable as an iron fortress."
"Haha, please, come inside."
As he guided Duke Schung in, Hailon sank into his own thoughts.
'What a peculiar old man. So desperate to flatter a perfectly ordinary person.'
Had Hailon been the sort of man swayed by status and authority, Duke Schung's empty flattery might have softened him somewhat. But Hailon was a man who always believed himself insufficient for his present position.
In truth, his martial strength was not markedly superior to that of his fellow commanders either. His real ability lay in the trust he inspired and his leadership. Whatever else he lacked, couldn't he simply draw on those around him?
In any case, Hailon heard Duke Schung's smooth talk in one ear and let it flow straight out the other.
After spending a day at Gaemun Mountain Fortress, Duke Schung's party departed for the capital, with a handful of riders Hailon assigned to them as guides.
They traveled, stopping at small villages and towns along the way. And all the while, behind his genial smile, Duke Schung was scrutinizing everything, dissecting it piece by piece.
What he concluded was that Gauri was far more robust than he had imagined.
If the Holy Empire fueled its soldiers' morale with blood and plunder, Gauri's soldiers drew theirs from something entirely different.
After traveling another week, the first thing to catch Duke Schung's party's attention was the sheer enormity of a tower.
"What is that structure?"
When he asked upon seeing Risel's Magic Tower, the cavalryman leading them bowed his head and answered.
"It is the place where the Jecheon Ritual is performed."
"The Jecheon Ritual? What do you mean by that?"
"It is a place where rites are offered to Heaven."
Duke Schung nodded. In fact, it was a Magic Tower, but it was also being built for the Jecheon Ritual, so the statement was not at all incorrect.
However, the fact that it was Risel's Magic Tower was something there was no need to volunteer to members of the Holy Empire. The Holy Empire and others no doubt possessed some degree of intelligence on the matter, but there was no need to volunteer that information.
"I am Panteon, who has escorted Duke Schung of the Holy Empire from Gaemun Mountain Fortress!"
"Oh, Panteon! It's been a while!"
"Hey!"
An acquaintance must have been manning the city gate—they exchanged warm greetings, completed the brief formalities, and passed inside.
"Sir!"
"Well done. You've worked hard."
Panteon, who had led the cavalry troop serving as Duke Schung's guides, saluted Ryu-hwa. Ryu-hwa commended him, then stepped up before Duke Schung, gave a slight bow, and expressed his welcome.
"Welcome to Gauri. I am Daesaja Mong Ryu-hwa."
"Duke Schung."
"This way, please. His Majesty the Yeolje awaits you at the Yeolje Palace."
Following Ryu-hwa's guidance into the Yeolje Palace, Duke Schung was quite astonished by the houses built in a style he had never seen before. Moreover, seeing the water and drainage infrastructure—fully developed in a way the Holy Empire lacked—he felt even more keenly that this was not a party to be taken lightly.
Entering the palace, Duke Schung walked down a long corridor and came to stand before a massive door.
"His Grace Duke Schung of the Holy Empire has arrived."
Creeeak.
The door opened with a heavy sound, and the scene inside the Imperial Hall met his eyes.
'Hup.'
Sensing an uncanny power emanating from within, Duke Schung walked slowly inside. He could tell that the man seated highest directly ahead, staring straight through him, was none other than the Yeolje—Go Jin-cheon.
"I am Duke Schung of the Holy Empire, and I am honored to be granted an audience with His Majesty the Yeolje."
Duke Schung offered a respectful bow, and as he straightened, Jin-cheon's voice came.
"Sit there."
The answer was excessively short, but within those words Duke Schung had the momentary impression that he was seeing another version of his own emperor, Millior.
"I am honored."
Having stood guard at the emperor's side for so many years, Duke Schung knew it well. That overwhelming aura of sovereignty radiating from Go Jin-cheon...