Chapter 134
Chapter 134
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: The Five Electorates
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In the Holy Human Empire, there existed five families that effectively governed each region.
Duren in the north.
Tisria in the east.
Arhun in the south.
Eijin in the west.
Saion in the center.
These were the only families to hold the status of archduke in the empire, and because they possessed both the right to elect the emperor and the eligibility to be elected as such, they were more commonly referred to as the electors.
"Among these electors, the current emperor was chosen from the Eijin archduke house. The western region they govern is a forested zone where half the continent is blanketed in woods."
Delaiten, the foremost magic university.
In order to cultivate true scholars, Delaiten taught not only magic but also liberal arts subjects like history and geography.
"You'd think all that timber would bring in a fortune by selling it off, but thanks to the whims of nature, the reality is quite different."
In one of the university's classrooms, Christa Warden's eyes were blankly fixed on her notebook.
The quill pen seemed busy as it scribbled away, but in truth, it was only drawing meaningless squiggles like earthworms, not taking any actual notes.
As the child of a great magic house, Christa had mastered such knowledge from childhood, so did she have no need to focus on the lecture?
'No, that's not it...'
Gertrude Fenton, who had been glancing sideways at Christa from the next seat, let out a quiet sigh.
Had it already been over a hundred days?
Ever since Rain Ludwig vanished, she seemed to have lost all motivation for everything... Was it because the wall she had resolved to surpass her whole life had suddenly disappeared?
"What exactly is the reason? Hm, will Cadet Christa Warden, who seems distracted elsewhere right now, give us the answer?"
Christa flinched, then rose unsteadily to her feet and opened her mouth.
"It's because cold, dry winds from the northern Eleanor wind belt, hot, humid winds from the southern Crimson Mountains wind belt, and cold, damp winds from the Atlantic wind belt all mix together, resulting in perpetually humid, almost soggy winds blowing through the west year-round."
It was such a flawless answer that one might doubt whether she had simply memorized the textbook verbatim... Even the professor clicked his tongue in admiration.
"Correct. Timber grown in such land naturally suffers in quality, leaving the Eijin family with no choice but to be the poorest elector in the empire."
That was, if geography were the whole story. Instead, the imperial west was closest to Trident Point, the holy land of top-tier adventurers.
"Figure out what that means on your own, then submit a detailed report in report format. This will count toward your performance evaluation grade."
Ignoring the cadets' sighs and grimaces, the elderly professor had an assistant distribute handouts before leaving the classroom.
"Nothing to it. No need for extra studying for you or me, Miss! An S grade is basically guaranteed, right?"
Gertrude tried to lighten the mood with a grin, but Christa only managed a hollow smile in response.
He's gone.
Vanished.
The wall she'd vowed to leap over in her lifetime had crumbled overnight... Was this inescapable emptiness truly born solely from such feelings?
- Aren't you at a level where you can enjoy magic plenty already?
He's digging at me, really digging... Christa gritted her teeth, her trembling hand scribbling on the handout.
Being geographically close to Trident Point meant it was the land where the most top-tier adventurers gathered.
The great western city of [Forest Harbor] had flourished dazzlingly amid such characteristics.
Merchants specializing in acquiring and handling ancient relics and ruins salvaged from Trident Point, entertainers providing adventurers with places to unwind, blacksmiths selling and repairing gear.
Since only top-tier adventurers could enter Trident Point, money from across the empire and people from all walks of life naturally flocked to the city.
For such reasons, the Eijin imperial house boasted wealth envied by no other elector—
Lost in a daze, mechanically moving only her pen, Christa suddenly felt someone grab her wrist. It was Gertrude.
"You already claimed top rank in the midterms three weeks ago. How about paying a condolence visit to the Ludwig house during next week's holiday?"
"What?"
"It seems like you're like this because deep down you can't accept that young master Rain is dead... Pay your respects, strengthen ties with the Ludwig family, and pull yourself together."
Condolence visit?
Condolences...?
Oh right. They said that guy died, not just vanished somewhere...
* * *
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
The Eijin imperial house's main castle, [Wooden Cross].
As the emperor discussed the empire's future with his ministers in the imperial council, a young bureaucrat came rushing in desperately.
"What is it?"
Holding back the guards who had hands on their sword hilts, the emperor asked, and the bureaucrat bowed once before urgently presenting a scroll.
"A rebellion has broken out at the barrier, and beastkin have crossed it!"
The previously relaxed court officials erupted into murmurs of shock and bewilderment. Someone asked,
"Is that true? How on earth? The scale?"
"It's said to number around two hundred thousand."
"Impossible."
"They're currently crossing Trident Point, so in a month or two, they could reach the imperial west."
As the bureaucrat explained the situation to the ministers, the Eijin emperor, personally reading a scroll from the backbone of the [Serin Great Wall], spoke up.
"High treason. Minister of War, summon the imperial army immediately."
The emperor was the supreme commander of the elite standing army known as the imperial army.
Formed by collecting military funds from all families to maintain the empire's unified order, the imperial army's scale and prestige far surpassed the private forces of other houses.
No ordinary house guard could stand against it.
"As you command, Your Majesty. To whom shall we entrust command of the army?"
The emperor stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, then his cold eyes turned to the jade throne below the imperial seat.
Where Raida Eijin sat—sixteen years old this year, crown prince of the Eijin house and the empire.
Though the court had suddenly plunged into chaos, the crown prince's expression remained as calm as a summer lake.
"I intend to entrust resolution of this matter to the crown prince. What say you, my subjects?"
It was a chance for a westerner like him to showcase his acknowledged talents to the world.
Repelling a beastkin invasion—if handled well, the Eijin imperial house could retain the throne without issue.
Once the ministers' praises for the emperor's wisdom subsided, he added,
"However, concerned for the prince's safety, I shall assign a Star as his guard force."
The ministers fell silent in a mix of bewilderment and awe.
There was only one group that could be meant by "Star"—the four warriors whose brilliant reputations shone like stars across the empire.
And the only one who could freely summon and command them was the emperor. Even their official title proclaimed it: Imperial Four Martial Stars.
"Your Majesty's will is wise, but might it not overshadow His Highness the Crown Prince's glory by being too conspicuous?"
"Hmm..."
"Thus, summon the Bow Star and Magic Star. As archers and mages, they can provide perfect support from behind without eclipsing His Highness's light."
Bow Star and Magic Star... Emperor Gregon Eijin finally nodded in satisfaction.
"Chief Secretary, dispatch my edict at once to Magic Star Seigan Wolf Blado and Bow Star Leoren."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Crown Prince, lead the imperial army across the sea and annihilate those cursed beasts before they set foot on my land. Can you do it?"
More mature since serving as an examiner for Delaiten's finals, Crown Prince Raida bowed in courtly fashion with resolute, shining eyes.
"Entrust it to me, sire."
* * *
"The adventure parties currently based at Trident Point are the seven guilds known as the Seven Armaments."
Eldvihi held up two fingers, adding that the most concerning was the Mobidic party led by the third-ranked platinum-grade adventurer.
"Mobidic?"
The name made his eyebrows twitch involuntarily.
Where had I heard that before?
He had little interest in adventurers, so an adventure party's name wouldn't stick in his memory unless it was something major.
Wait.
Mobidic, Mobidic?
- The Mobidic party has specifically requested us. They're ranked third among parties, you know.
Faces flashed in his mind: Bart, with a fiercer look than most monsters but kind enough to remind him of Rista, and Lem, brimming with playful smiles.
Were those guys still alive?
Still with them?
It'd be nice to meet them this time... Just thinking it brought a smile to his lips.
"You don't know Mobidic? The invincible party led by Blake Blackheart! The current emperor wanted to name him Sword Star, but he refused! Said he preferred freedom."
"Oh ho..."
"Hard to say how these guys who even rejected the emperor will react to this crisis. High chance they're still deep inside."
"What's the other one?"
"Platinum rank eight, the Ku-Ville party led by Lorenz Balschwitz. No need to worry about them."
"Ku-Ville? The elves' party, right?! But why?"
Eldvihi pointed at the Frisbia ID tag in Kasena's possession, as if her question was absurd.
"Who would dare draw a blade against a princess?"
"Princess?"
He could only blink alongside Kasena.
Princess?
That Frisbia?
The massive Kindelrants Island rising from the Atlantic in the continent's west was divided and ruled by the three elven kingdoms. The world called them the Three Kingdoms.
"I can't say details, but anyway, Lorenz is no concern. He wouldn't heed humans to begin with."
"But it's surprising. I thought all the famous adventurers would be here."
"That's old news. Now they're off exploring the Antarctic 'Flowing Desert' or the far east 'Steel Continent,' scattered everywhere."
Next mentioned was the Crimson Sun party. Kasena's eyes sparkled brighter than ever.
"Crimson Sun! Gold-grade party ranked fourth! They have such a tragic origin behind the name!"
"What's the origin?"
"In their early days as rookies, their leader died protecting the members, and every member carries a flower that bloomed on his grave!"
Kasena explained excitedly, waving her hands wildly, and Rain, who had nodded along with interest, suddenly pointed beyond her shoulder.
"Like that?"
In that instant, an inexplicable tension seized Kasena's entire body.
Before she could turn, a beam of scorching wind whipped toward her eyes, exploding in a blinding white flash.
An ear-shattering boom, and from the billowing smoke, someone emerged.
"Mmm~ What a fine sound. Flesh exploding. And fragrant. The smell of searing meat."
A man with his face powdered stark white lowered his harp and made an exaggerated, theatrical bow.
"Hey, you idiot, what if you burn it like that? How are we supposed to collect the bounty from the imperial house?"
"They've got ID tags. That's enough."
"How do you prove these guys are rebels with that!"
The man and woman who appeared behind gripped a curved sword and spear respectively, and all three had a poignant red flower pinned to their collars.
Crimson Sun.
But they weren't alone—two more appeared from the opposite side. They had quietly encircled their target from the moment they spotted it, striking at the opening.
"Dooms."
A burly man with a massive iron mace on his back said so. He could say nothing but his name, Dooms.
"Don't let your guard down. There was one in mechanical armor or something. This can't be all."
All bore red and white petals on their collars, and the golden adventurer ID tags jingling at their waists marked them as gold-grade.
Ranked fourth among gold-grade parties.
A party teeming with upper-rankers from the true elites of gold-grade adventurers.
"Attacking first like this means you're the bad guys, right?"
"Bad, bad, bad."
At that voice, the smoke was sucked into a rift as if space itself had split.
It wasn't a rift.
Just a pair of eyes.
A silver-white flower gracefully blooming with seven petals atop a blazing red circle... Bell Quirius.
"What...?! "
"Not a scratch...?!"
Under an incomprehensible, absolute pressure as if the air itself were crushed, the Crimson Sun members stepped back, unaware even of the cold sweat beading on their foreheads.
They had no way of knowing a boy's soul bore the lingering echo of an absolute lifeform, a true dragon...
Then, someone with a modicum of magical insight whispered cautiously.
"Isn't that... a Ludwig bloodline limit?"
"No way? What Ludwig would come to this land?"
"But look! That black hair and red eyes... Just like Skalji, that old man."
As the Crimson Sun members whispered in confusion, Kasena, who had retreated behind Rain, surveyed the situation.
'Five in total...'
Each gripped their own weapon... Numbers, appearances, arms—all exactly as in the books.
Blue Cloud, Fren.
Bard, Billid.
Gold-grade ranks three and fourteen respectively, plus Dooms, Morunac, and the sole woman Skael... The real Crimson Sun.
The famous adventurers from the books surrounded them, ready for battle, and Rain raised a single finger at them.
"Seven seconds."
"?"
"The time it took that junk pile Aki to start bawling after I forcibly ripped her off my body. I'll finish all five within that."