Chapter 34
Chapter 34
The Iron Emperor — Chapter 34
Silence.
A subtle stillness hung between Go Jin-cheon and Eulji Uru as they sat around Haidia. Jin-cheon, who had been directing an uncomfortable stare at Uru for remaining in his seat even after the meal was finished, turned his head and spoke to Haidia.
"I am Go Jin-cheon. Your name?"
"I am Haidia Baipiumir."
"Why were you held captive there?"
At Jin-cheon's question, Haidia's answer came readily.
Haidia, who belonged to the High Elf tribe, had a mission: to travel among the ordinary Elf tribes and personally extend the god's touch to newly born Elves over a hundred-year cycle.
The god's touch was a type of baptism, a rite through which they received proof of existence. In the course of that duty, she had been captured in Baron Alvin's domain. Of course, under normal circumstances she could have evaded it, but Baron Alvin possessed a rare item: a Mana Restraint. Normally something managed only at the national level, its original purpose was for use when capturing enemy knights or wizards during wartime.
"I see."
"......."
As Jin-cheon and Risel nodded in understanding at Haidia's explanation, an air of jealousy emanated from Uru.
Uru was the only one here who could not communicate. Jin-cheon, having received the Translation Bracelet from Gerard, had no problem understanding the language.
As the conversation continued, Uru's eyes slowly drifted toward the ring on Risel's finger.
"Uh, Master."
"What is it?"
"That ring......."
Risel could not help but flinch at Uru's pitiful voice. There were people for whom pitiful actually suited them. Yet, surprisingly, a helping hand was extended from Jin-cheon.
"That ring is a memento of your master's own teacher. To borrow it for private use—how could that possibly be appropriate!"
"I'm...... sorry."
At Jin-cheon's single remark, Uru transformed into a dog with its tail drooping. The logic was inconsistent coming from Jin-cheon, who frequently borrowed Risel's ring for private use himself, but Uru had no choice but to agree right now.
In the end, Jin-cheon's check appeared to be successful.
"Oh?"
"Hmm!"
But at that moment, Haidia, wearing a serene smile, approached Uru and suddenly pressed her forehead against his, both of her hands cupping the sides of his head.
At her abrupt action, two furrows carved themselves into Jin-cheon's brow, while curiosity flickered in Risel's eyes. Uru's mouth, of course, stretched nearly to his ears.
"Eruil."
HUMMMMM.
As the clear tone resonated, white light flowed from the hands cupping Uru's head.
"Iluen hainen sharoem dielledium."
FLASH!
"Ooooh!"
As a bright light burst forth as if embracing everything in all directions, a gasp of admiration escaped Risel's lips. Once the light faded, Haidia drew her forehead away from Uru's and spoke.
"Haidia Baipiumir of the High Elf tribe greets the descendant of a noble warrior."
"......Huh? I can hear you! I can hear you just fine!"
As Haidia bowed her head and greeted Uru, her words were clearly reaching him as well.
"Risel, what is that?"
"Ah......."
Uru, wearing an artless, innocent expression that was completely at odds with his massive frame—looking as if his mouth might tear at any moment—was making Jin-cheon's mood uncomfortable. Risel, who until that moment had been unable to escape a state of ecstasy, was brought back to reality by the displeased tone of Jin-cheon's voice ringing in his ears. Having regained his composure, he quietly began to explain to Jin-cheon.
"It is a type of Holy Magic."
"Holy Magic?"
"Yes."
"What exactly is that?"
When Jin-cheon wore an expression of incomprehension, Risel smiled awkwardly and explained the relationship between gods and clergy. Then Jin-cheon nodded as if he understood and spoke.
"What connection does that have to this situation? Could it be......."
"It is not an item. It is the Elves' unique Holy Magic, which uses that very Holy Power."
"Hm."
"Given the nature of High Elves, they often travel across the continent. Among their harmonization abilities, the one most commonly known is Language Harmonization. That is exactly what you just saw. It harmonizes the other party's language with their own."
At Risel's explanation, Jin-cheon nodded, and at the same time, Uru was utterly absorbed in conversation with Haidia.
"I can feel the wind. The fierce continental wind that sweeps across the land."
"You mean me?"
"Yes."
Haidia's clear smile put the hearts of all who saw it at ease. But Jin-cheon felt curiosity rise when Haidia spoke as if she knew Uru well. Then Haidia opened her mouth again, this time toward Risel.
"From Risel, I sense the depth of many years and an enlightenment that seems blocked."
"I ask for your guidance."
"One day, you will break through that blocked enlightenment and achieve harmony with the depth of your years. Please, do not be impatient......."
"What are you doing now?"
Feeling as though he were standing alone, Jin-cheon interjected. At that, Risel bowed his head and spoke.
"One of her abilities is seeing a person's essence."
"Hmm."
Interest settled on Jin-cheon's expression.
"What do you sense from me?"
"......."
At Jin-cheon's question, Haidia could not readily answer.
"Ah!"
A short exclamation escaped her. She had attempted to peer into Jin-cheon's inner world, but her Eyes of Truth could neither see nor feel anything, as if they were flailing through empty space.
It was absolute nothingness. This was a first for her. Even the simplest fool had something that could be sensed, but right now, Jin-cheon's inner world held nothing perceptible at all except a trivial thought.
"I cannot tell. All I saw was an empty space."
"......."
"So our general's head is empty, is it!"
In the end, Uru, having dug his own grave, was dragged outside by Jin-cheon. And as Haidia watched their retreating backs, a murmur escaped her lips.
"Nothingness...... or perhaps infinite embrace."
She brought her hands together and closed her eyes as starlight shone down upon her head.
The next day at dawn, after finishing the previous night's rest, their column began to race onward once more.
THUD-THUD-THUD!
"Hm? Scouts, decelerate!"
"Decelerate!"
The soldier riding as a scout swiftly issued the command the moment he glimpsed something in the dim light ahead. Soon, he could identify what it was.
Orcs.
Without delay, the soldier galloped toward the main force and reported to Uru.
"Pig...... I mean, an orc horde ahead!"
"How many are they!"
"Fifty or so!"
"Left detachment, follow me!"
A group of horsemen surged forward without even stopping. The mounted unit, racing out with Uru at its head, soon spotted the cluster of orcs huddled together far ahead. Only then did the orc horde also appear to notice Uru's cavalry, and they began to bustle about in sudden agitation.
"Kwieeeek! Nigan gidaemarude! (Kwieeeek! Human cavalry!)"
As Bukabul's thunderous voice rang out—his build larger than the other orcs—the fifty or so orcs around him gathered with gleaming eyes in perfect unison.
"Mukael! (Let us unite!)"
The invincible anti-cavalry tactics of the now-deceased orc strategist Mukabul were being executed at the fingertips of his son, Bukabul.
"Kwiik, kwiik! Mukael Mukael! (Kwiik, kwiik! Let us unite, let us unite!)"
"Karisuma okumaru aile! (Behold the valiant orcs!)"
In an instant, the orcs coalesced into a single mass, their eyes ablaze with fighting spirit.
Bukabul did not doubt victory for a moment. His father's error had been creating a space the enemy could bypass, and clustering in a place where archers were present. But the path Bukabul had blocked left no room to maneuver; it was sealed off by orcs, and ahead, no archers were visible—only ten or so horsemen charging straight at them.
'Kwiik! I am different from my father!'
Conviction gleamed in Bukabul's eyes.
Meanwhile, Buru, who was charging along, clicked his tongue as a sight he had seen somewhere before came into view.
"Hell, look at this. Do every damn pig in this neighborhood bunch up?"
But Haidia, riding behind Uru, could not help being astonished. Setting aside the main force behind them, the orc formation would be difficult to pierce with just the ten or so horsemen currently charging. And yet, the cavalry kept racing ahead without slowing down, even though they would either have to wait for the main force or fight through a chaotic melee.
"Load the Tonga!"
As Uru's voice rang out, the Ghost Horse Soldiers all released the hands controlling their horses and took up their individual bows. Even with their hands freed, not a single one of them wobbled or appeared in danger.
Haidia was astonished once more by their horsemanship. Even for the Elves, a race of harmony, one could not achieve this degree of unity with a horse when riding, yet these men shifted their postures as comfortably as if they were not on horseback at all. And what was nocked on their small bows was the same small tube she had seen when they had taken out the communications wizard at the fortress.
"Celestial Maiden, make sure you hold on tight now!"
'What is a Celestial Maiden?'
Haidia, having silently heeded Uru's words, watched their actions despite her curiosity. When they reached roughly 200 mir from the orc horde and Uru drew his bowstring, the ten or so mounted soldiers all drew their strings simultaneously.
THUD-THUD-THUD!
"Good."
A faint smile tugged at Uru's lips as he watched the steadily approaching orc horde. In that instant, Uru's Pyeonjeon arrow sliced through the air.
FWIP!
Twang-twang-twang!
As the bowstrings snapped forward, the Baby Arrows melted into the air. Watching the spectacle, Haidia's eyes widened in surprise before she tilted her head quizzically.
'I did not even sense the fragrance of a spirit.......'
The reason Elven arrows were so precise was that they rode the wind. Because their affinity with nature was strong, nature's will guided their arrows. Yet the humans she was observing used archery unlike that of the Elves, firing arrows freely even from galloping horses. Moreover, their arrows were even faster than those of the Elves. It was not simply that they were fast—they were invisible to the eye.
"Kkueeek!"
Swoop-pop!
"Kkueeeek!"
Bukabul's eyes widened. His mistake had been failing to imagine that there could be humans who could shoot arrows while riding at a gallop. As his orcs collapsed in an instant as though skewered by the ten or so arrows, he looked up at the sky.
'Father, your unworthy son Bukabul comes to you.'
"Charge!"
Uru's voice thundered out.
With that thought as his last, the charging cavalry plunged in, and the line that descended from Mukabul and Bukabul was severed for good by Uru.
Meanwhile, Gerard, who had been riding hard, lost his words the moment the clash of the cavalry that had raced ahead entered his vision. He could not contain his amazement at the sight of them galloping with hands freed while clad in heavy armor and leisurely loosing arrows. Mounted archers were surprising enough, but that heavy cavalry was performing that role—it left his jaw hanging open.
Clatter.
"Ack, ptui-ptui-ptui!"
Gerard closed his mouth only after a mouthful of dust flew into it, and he realized once again how foolish his escape attempt had been.
'All one hundred and fifty of them here are like that, and what's more, all of them are at least Sword Owner level!'
Even an imperial knight order would not be on this level. Those who held swords were divided into: the novice Sword Walker, the Sword Runner denoting one who was skilled, the knight-class Sword User capable of wielding Aura, and the Sword Owner—the master of the sword, the stage just before a Master who could form a sword shape from Aura. And across the continent, those known as Sword Masters numbered only around fifteen. That meant Sword Owners were correspondingly rare, yet to Gerard's eyes, nearly all of them seemed to be Owner-level.
'This is insane. Even if you gathered every Owner-level on the continent, you might barely reach two hundred.......'
What brought Gerard, who had been so lost in thought even while riding that he could not pull himself out of it, back to reality was the impact he felt against his stomach.
"Kue-ek!"
Distracted by his thoughts, Gerard had slammed into the back of the wagon at his charging speed.
"Grk, what the—why did you suddenly sto...."
Gerard, who had begun to speak, found himself unable to continue. The stone wall encircling one side of the lakeshore—though it appeared recently built—made it clear this place was no hastily thrown-together outpost. As the enormous gate opened, the column began to enter.
"Hmm, is this the main base?"
He could not understand the voices shouting here and there, but he could roughly guess.
"Open the gate! The Daesaja has returned!"
"Oooopen!"
"Damn, I need to know what they're shouting."
Gerard's grumbling leaked out. His bracelet still remained on Jin-cheon's wrist, showing no sign of returning. But Gerard had no choice but to stop his grumbling. As the gate opened and they entered, the soldiers lined up on both sides caught his eye. And then Gerard's pupils, completely unbidden, began to steadily dilate.
"No way......."
A murmur leaked from Gerard's lips. Figures in attire similar to those he had thought were knights up to this point—hundreds more—were lined up in formation.
"That's...... impossible."
A deflated voice burst from Gerard. If all of them were knight-class, as he suspected, it only confirmed that his probability of escape was a figure of zero percent.