Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: The Wizard's Intrusion
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"...Wizard?"
Caloa Lotte recalled the Ent wizard Talley.
He wasn't directly connected to Caloa.
Despite Caloa's opposition, the King of Golden Eye had sought out various alchemists, and among them, he found an entity with bizarre powers worthy of being called a wizard.
At the time, Talley wasn't a wizard.
But he possessed knowledge of making gunpowder and cannons.
Some sort of deal was struck. Talley taught the method of producing gunpowder, and in return, the king helped Talley become a wizard.
But for some reason, things went awry, and Talley vanished.
The war began shortly after.
Talley spoke.
"Entering through the bedroom door was rude of me. But no matter how I tried to sneak in, there were people swarming everywhere."
"...Forget that. Why have you come to see me?"
"You have such a deeply troubled look on your face. Shall I lend an ear to your worries?"
Caloa furrowed his brow.
'Even in these chaotic times, all sorts of oddities are clinging to me.'
Caloa said,
"It seems you don't even properly understand where you are or who you're speaking to. You'll hear the details in prison. ...Guards!"
Caloa expected that within seconds, the guards adorned with the crimson phoenix feathers that Golden Eye prided itself on would burst in.
But not even a single footstep sounded from beyond the door.
Instead, heavy footsteps approached—it was Talley.
"...Guards!"
Caloa looked toward the door in panic, but Talley did not stop.
"...Guards?"
Soon, Talley came right up to Caloa and bent down.
Ents were a large race, averaging around 2.2 meters in height.
"No matter how much you call, the guards won't come."
"...You didn't...?"
At those words, Talley straightened up again.
Ents had stiff expressions, but Caloa recognized Talley's smile.
"No, I've caused a misunderstanding. It's just a simple spell. Golden Eye is my homeland, after all. I don't worship the court or the royal family, but I do respect them. The guards simply can't hear your words."
"Just to talk with me?"
"Yes."
Caloa couldn't fathom what this wizard was scheming, but for now, he decided to believe the claim was true.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"What you're troubled over. The problem Golden Eye faces right now."
"It's not something one Ent can resolve."
"What if I could?"
"How?"
Talley said,
"Would you hear me out?"
─┼
The expressions of those leaving the banquet hall in Golden Eye were uniformly grim.
"Refusing help from anyone?"
"It's incomprehensible. Has Prime Minister Caloa Lotte fallen ill like His Majesty?"
"This is Golden Eye's court. Watch your words."
The noble council had dragged on late into the evening in the banquet hall.
With the king not emerging from his chambers, Prime Minister Caloa had summoned all of Golden Eye's nobles under the pretext of deciding the kingdom's future.
But none of the attending nobles saw it that way.
Black Scale or Mankul.
They believed Golden Eye could only survive by aligning with the stronger of the two nations' support factions.
Since Caloa, more than anyone, desired Golden Eye's stability, the nobles assumed he would back one nation or the other, even if it meant sacrificing the rival side.
But nothing of the sort happened.
Caloa rejected aid from Black Scale, Mankul, and even Stone Face.
Yet he didn't assert any alternative opinion, so the nobles viewed it as indecisive wavering in choosing a position.
They expected this situation to persist for a while.
Or that, to end it, more extreme actions might be necessary.
In this council, not only had the nobles split into factions, but envoys from Black Scale and Mankul had also participated.
The Kobold envoy from Mankul clicked his tongue as he exited and spotted the Lizardman envoy from Black Scale, greeting him familiarly.
"Deanin? You've been slighted too. To come all the way from distant Black Scale and leave empty-handed."
During the council, they had raised their voices representing their nations, but now that it was over, that was no longer the case.
The white Lizardman Deanin smiled awkwardly.
"It turned out that way somehow."
"With the whole world in uproar, not just Golden Eye, it's hard to sightsee here and there on the way back."
"There will be a time someday."
"Some friends from foreign lands are meeting up for drinks tonight. What do you say?"
"I have a prior engagement, but if it's okay to be late..."
"We're planning an all-nighter, so no worries."
After briefly setting a time and place, and the Kobold ambassador departing, only Deanin remained.
Deanin wandered Golden Eye's dim corridors and soon arrived at a place where no one came.
From the shadows emerged Talley, the Ent covered in tree bark.
"You're Deanin from Black Scale?"
"My white scales make me easy to spot. It's my charm."
The Ent chuckled at that.
"An amusing Lizardman. ...Anyway, things went as agreed beforehand. Have you confirmed?"
Deanin gazed down at Golden Eye's capital through a corridor window.
Torchlights dotting the streets and candle flames in homes resembled stars in the sky.
Deanin replied,
"Yes. Everything is unfolding as intended."
It was all Yacheon's will.
Through revelation, the existence of the three wizards had been revealed to Kyle Rak Orzan, and Yacheon had ordered him to aid them.
At first, the revelation priests were greatly confused.
They saw it as contradictory to command Kyle, king of Black Scale and representative of the devout faithful, to help unbeliever wizards.
But Kyle acted as if he knew from the start how things would unfold.
'It would have been hard for pro-Black Scale forces to gain dominance in Golden Eye anyway.'
No matter how staunch Black Scale was or how many consecutive victories they had in battle, Golden Eye's resentment toward them couldn't be erased. After all, it was Yacheon's apostle Rakrak who had killed Ambon.
Setting aside that resentment, there were more practical issues.
'Golden Eye is... too far from Black Scale.'
Even if Black Scale wanted to help Golden Eye, they couldn't move faster than attacks from Stone Face and Mankul.
All Black Scale could do was retaliate.
And retaliation offers no comfort.
'Thus, Golden Eye would naturally lean toward pro-Mankul forces, but...'
As expected, Golden Eye's Prime Minister Caloa Lotte seemed persuaded by the wizard Talley.
'That settles it.'
Above all, Talley's words carried weight because he backed them with astonishing ability—magic itself.
To win the war, Golden Eye didn't need to become Black Scale's.
It just needed to not become the enemy's.
Talley said,
"Hm, then I can trust everything you've told me."
"Yes. Black Scale won't move without special cooperation henceforth. Golden Eye's pro-Black Scale faction will all align as well."
Talley nodded as if that was sufficient.
As Talley turned to melt back into the shadows, Deanin spoke up.
"Wait."
"What is it?"
Talley turned.
"Not sure if it'll help, but the Mankul envoy seems to be holding a gathering tonight. He lured me out somehow, so it might be useful intel. I got the time and place."
Talley paused briefly before replying.
"Intriguing. Where are they meeting?"
─┼
"It's strange."
Wisdom muttered.
AR1026 had died, and four months had passed.
The events in between couldn't be called smooth sailing, but in Wisdom's view, they weren't disadvantageous either.
Honestly, losing AR1026 was a major blow, but in the broader context, he judged that the war was slowly but steadily tilting in their favor.
'Dan-yeom and Golden Eye have both begun walking independent paths, relying on no other nations.'
In Dan-yeom's case, the country had shattered.
Rebel forces led by various minority races had risen, each claiming their own independent states.
This was good for the Wisdom-Jangwan-Krampus alliance.
They answered to no one, belonging to no faction.
The pity was that Dan-yeom's mainland had also escaped Krampus's control.
'Wizard Yan.'
Wizards were tricky entities for players to handle in many ways, and this one was under Dan-yeom's protection.
Thus, what Krampus could manipulate were only the devout believers who still trusted him—a small but steadily gathered number. Fortunately, with Wisdom's territory as a base, they had succeeded in forming an independent state.
'And Golden Eye...'
Golden Eye had also slipped from player control.
After AR1026's death, there had been anticipation over which side Golden Eye would ally with, but like Dan-yeom, it had joined hands with a wizard and declared neutrality.
It was regrettable not to utilize Golden Eye's land and remaining forces, but honestly, Wisdom saw this as a positive outcome too.
'As long as Black Scale can't use them.'
Of course, Wisdom knew all this played into Seong-un's hands.
Though Black Scale was a powerhouse, for player Krampus to actively sabotage both Dan-yeom and distant Golden Eye while seizing them was practically unfeasible.
Attempting it would expose vulnerabilities, giving Wisdom attack opportunities.
'So, no one gets them. I get that. I approve. But...'
Wisdom wondered if Seong-un had made a mistake.
Not seizing them was one thing; influencing them was another.
Wisdom had used the alliance's power to completely blockade trade with Black Scale, the enemy, for both nations.
And those two countries had no choice but to comply.
'Krampus can still exert influence in Dan-yeom. Just unleashing one creation would leave Dan-yeom helpless without the wizard, and that wizard won't want Black Scale's help if possible.'
Golden Eye's situation was no different.
'Golden Eye is close. Even if Black Scale wants to help, the distance prevents it.'
And this trade blockade could decisively sway the war's course.
'The war's greatest weapon is cannons. That is, black powder.'
Black powder required three ingredients.
One was sulfur, another charcoal.
Charcoal was easy to obtain, and sulfur was mined in Black Scale's lands.
But the final ingredient, potassium nitrate—saltpeter—was not.
'Pure potassium nitrate must be derived from saltpeter deposits. Black Scale has no such lands. And production takes time. We overwhelmingly lead in powder output.'
Yet, strangely, Wisdom couldn't shake his unease.
'Why hasn't Black Scale made any demands?'