Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Into the Chaos
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Peace and growth.
Or war and regression.
A choice between the two.
At first glance, it seemed obvious to choose the former and discard the latter, but the minds of those in power worked differently.
What they feared most was their own power being shaken.
They would rather burn half the world, willingly fight, and choose the path of mutual destruction. That was the nature of the powerful… and it was especially true in Roverland.
The sounds of wailing and pleading were always the same. To some, they were a heart-wrenching pain; to others, merely a bothersome noise.
When Lansen seized control of Ilunael City, thereby grabbing hold of the entrance to every trade route, the lords of Norverge all reacted in much the same way.
The lord of Taros City, west of Kushan, crumpled the paper in his hand and slammed it onto his desk.
*Thud!*
“You expect me to believe this scrap of paper?!”
It was the statement Lansen had issued a short while ago, promising to permit free trade throughout Norverge and not to blockade or weaponize the trade routes.
Of course, in the lawless land of Roverland, no one would believe such words.
What mattered was what Lansen *could* do. Only that possibility.
Lansen could now choke the life out of any city in Norverge whenever he pleased.
That was the truth, and that was the problem.
The lord of Tebea City, which bordered the Empire, had a similar reaction.
“Hah? He claims his desire is the development of all Norverge and the strengthening of mutual solidarity?”
He tore Lansen’s statement to shreds.
“Is he not already acting as if he’s the king of Norverge?”
The lord of Herepol, northwest of Kushan City, too.
In fact, the rulers of most cities north of Lansen’s sphere of influence were all enraged.
“What? An academy? What? Specialization and division of labor between cities?!”
Although Lansen had used the word ‘request,’ they perceived it as ‘interference,’ nothing more than a display of Lansen’s ‘ambition’ to manage all of Norverge himself.
Their feet were now to the fire.
Lansen had taken Ilunael too easily, and even the great Harun had proclaimed Lansen his successor before dying…
“At this rate, we won’t be able to stop Lansen.”
“If Gallan and Lundna fall to him… it will be irreversible.”
“Our own necks are on the line.”
“Send a rider at once!”
The lords, who had failed to cooperate due to their individual greed, now moved as one with a single purpose.
“We are forming an anti-Lansen coalition!”
“Prepare for war!”
Messengers cracked their whips, spreading out across Norverge.
The cities were plunged into sorrow.
“Wh-where are we supposed to get that kind of money now?!”
“Making a fuss again. Men! Go in and clean them out!”
“Wait! Please, wait!”
“You look perfect for a soldier. Come with me!”
“What? What? Wait. Father! Father!”
“My son! No! Take me instead…!”
“Had enough? Or should I just kill you both right here?”
To prepare for war, soldiers went from house to house, collecting additional taxes and enforcing conscription.
The streets swarmed with menacing mercenaries, drawn by the scent of money, and their rampages caused public safety to rapidly deteriorate.
The tears and cries of the citizens seemed to reach the heavens, but the rulers of each city didn't bat an eye.
The citizens wept, resenting their lords.
“Lansen promised to guarantee freedom of trade!”
“Isn’t an academy a good thing?! I want to send my child there!”
“Honestly, if each city developed its own specialty and traded more actively, we’d all be better off, wouldn’t we?!”
Lansen’s statement had circulated among the citizens as well.
But the lords distorted the truth.
“This is all Lansen’s fault!”
“Lansen has blockaded the trade routes!”
“We desire peace, but Lansen is already preparing for a war of conquest!”
The false information spread by the lords flooded every alleyway, gradually solidifying into accepted fact.
Rage and resentment, fueled by tears and sighs, blazed brightly.
All of Norverge simmered, on the verge of eruption.
A week passed. The rulers of twelve cities finally gathered in one place, swiftly formed a league, and issued a joint statement.
***
“Disgusting bastards!”
At the westernmost edge of the Ailun region.
There stood Gallan City, bordering the Empire.
Kashmir Gulak, the lord who had set himself against Lansen and declared an independent path, crumpled the intelligence report in his hand.
Within it were graphic descriptions of the various atrocities committed by the Norverge lords as they prepared for war.
Each sentence felt as if it were soaked in tears and blood, and Kashmir threw the report down in disgust.
“I want to kill them all…”
He was, in fact, a ruler who cared for and loved his people—a rare type in Roverland.
Though he could not forgive Lansen for killing Harun and had thus declared his independence, it wasn't that he desired war.
Indeed, even after declaring his independent path, he had not increased his troops, hired mercenaries, or levied special taxes to build a war chest.
If Lansen were to invade, he simply intended to fight alongside his loyal retainers and die.
He even trusted Lansen’s statement.
He was, deep down, grateful for the generous policy of maintaining the abolition of tariffs within the Ailun region and guaranteeing free trade.
So, when he saw the joint statement issued by the twelve lords of Norverge, he couldn't help but be enraged.
—
[Joint Statement of the Norverge Freedom League]
We convey the unified will of the twelve cities of Norverge to Lansen.
One, Ilunael shall be made a free city, to be managed jointly.
One, to protect the Ailun trade route, the lifeblood of Norverge, allied forces shall be stationed there.
One, Kashu City shall be made a free city, to be managed jointly.
—
‘Are they insane?’
The more he thought about it, the more absurd it was.
He could, by a huge stretch, understand the part about Ilunael.
Ilunael, a metropolis of 2.3 million people, had an economy larger than five ordinary Norverge cities combined.
With that much power, and with control over every trade route passing through Norverge… yes. It could be frightening.
But what in the world was this about ‘stationing allied forces on the Ailun trade route’?
“It seems the pack of wild dogs has grown overconfident now that they’ve gathered.”
They must have thought that with their combined strength, they could finally stick a fork into the Ailun trade route they had always coveted.
Fine. That, too, was understandable.
This was Roverland.
These were the robber lords of Roverland.
He could accept that.
But…
“Madmen. Why Kashu, of all places?”
What justification did they possibly have for declaring Kashu City a free city?
This was nothing more than a mindless declaration of war, devoid of any intention to negotiate.
This was the point where Kashmir’s chest tightened.
“No matter how many of you gather… you have no chance of defeating Lansen…”
Those fools had not seen Lansen on that day.
On that day, Kashmir had been the same. He had acted boldly before Lansen, but once outside, his legs had trembled.
He had nearly collapsed as he walked past the sundered corridors and halls where warriors from all over Ailun had gathered.
They were going to challenge *that* Lansen?
It would end in a sea of blood and corpses, and nothing more.
But the real problem was that the lords of Norverge were unlikely to stop even then.
To shore up the power shaken by their defeat, they would resort to all sorts of desperate measures. They would fight amongst themselves, trying to devour one another, and drag all of Norverge into a hellish mire.
The vision of it was so clear in his mind that Kashmir felt dizzy.
Wouldn’t it be better to simply surrender to Lansen and lend him strength rather than witness such a sight?
The thought even crossed his mind, but…
And yet,
He just couldn't…
He could not forgive him. Lansen.
Harun had been his hero, his benefactor…
To go under the command of his enemy and live cheerfully was far too shameless an act.
Even if it was the wish of the deceased Harun… that alone he could not follow.
And so, he chose to die.
‘With things as they are… Lansen will likely rush to unify Ailun.’
Death would be unavoidable soon enough.
“I am sorry.”
He bowed his head to his loyal retainers.
“I must fight Lansen and die. There is no hope of victory. I have no intention of troubling the citizens by preparing for such a fight. I will simply wait… until Lansen comes for me.”
At that, his warriors struck the pommels of their weapons with their palms and shouted.
“We will gladly die with you!”
What was it about a failure like him that made them willing to offer their lives? Did men like these truly have to die with him?
Kashmir’s resolve wavered for a moment, but he soon hardened his heart once more.
“Thank you.”
After the meeting concluded, he was heading to his chambers with a weary body.
“Father! Father!”
His thirteen-year-old son came running from the direction of the training grounds.
“Father! Look at this! This! This is Sword Aura, right?”
*Vwooom—*
The sword of his son, only thirteen years old, was tinged with a faint red aura.
*!!*
The stage of a low-level Expert.
Kashmir’s eyes trembled violently.
His proud son.
Perhaps the greatest genius in the history of House Gulak.
And to such a son…
He felt so terribly sorry.
“I’m sorry, my son… I’m so sorry… This father of yours is so pathetic… to you…”
Kashmir finally broke down, embracing his young son and sobbing.
“Dad? Are you okay? You’re not sick, are you?”
The boy dropped his usual formal speech and hugged him back, worried. Seeing this, Kashmir’s heart broke all over again.
***
Children must learn.
This was my philosophy, and establishing an academy was a long-held dream of mine.
I had just imagined it.
After all, what Sea’s Three-Pronged Strategy required were the Ailun and Shamalun regions.
The entirety of Norverge? It wasn't necessary.
So I had simply imagined it.
A future where all of Norverge formed a mutually beneficial relationship.
Where the talented individuals from each city gathered at the academy in Ilunael to develop their skills, and where each city specialized in its own products to become wealthier…
A future where professionally trained warriors brought stability to this lawless land.
A future where this land became stronger, possessing its own industrial capabilities, rather than just surviving on transit trade and tariffs.
That’s all I had imagined.
‘Of course, I knew it would turn out this way.’
Damn robber lords.
Still, I had wanted to hold on to hope…
Because,
‘If possible… I wanted to create more scenes like that.’
The scene unfolding before my eyes now was one that brought a contented smile to my face just by looking at it.
Ilunael, the largest city in Norverge.
In the central plaza, surrounded by tall buildings of five to seven stories, children had gathered for a lesson.
“Ahem! Knight Riri! Can you call yourself a knight, swinging your sword like that?!”
“Ugh…! I’ll try again!”
Mika’s face was beaming as she taught the little children swordsmanship.
“You shouldn’t use your fingers when you count. It’s faster to calculate in your head. You need to train now to get used to it.”
Sea was expressionless, but she meticulously taught them arithmetic.
The citizens of Ilunael stood around the plaza, watching the scene.
“It looks like he’s really going to build an academy.”
“You mean like the one in the Empire?”
“He’s different, isn’t he… Better than Lord Harun, don’t you think?”
“I agree… For starters, the taxes are lower.”
Yes. Conversations like this.
Peace like this.
This was what I wanted.
‘But if you refuse it, then there’s nothing to be done.’
The urgent situation in Norverge was such that I couldn't even savor this brief moment of peace.
Even now, Kalserik and Rivera were beside me, pouring out their concerns about the latest developments.
“Boss. We must hurry and unify Ailun. Of course, we’d win even if we fought now, but it would be much easier if we gathered Ailun’s strength as one, wouldn’t it?”
“That is correct, my lord. We must subjugate Gallan and Lundna at once. Lundna, especially, is essential to avoid a two-front war.”
Right.
Gallan and Lundna, and especially Lundna, must be annexed, is that it?
“I know. It’s not like I didn’t see this coming.”
It was a development I had already anticipated when discussing the strategy with Sea.
The plan of inspiration.
I had offered the carrot first.
But since Gallan and Lundna merely held the carrot in their mouths and remained silent, it was now time to wield the sword.
I had already thought of a method.
*Vwooom—*
Suddenly, the Book of Fate in my hand vibrated.
I opened it…
‘It’s increased again.’
Twisted worldlines.
The red dots, which hadn’t appeared since Balseon dealt with them, had been popping up here and there lately.
‘The number of monsters that defy common sense is growing…’
It was a worrying situation, but for now, it was actually helpful to me.
“Alright. I’ve made up my mind.”
“Huh? Boss, what did you say?”
“I’ll be back in a bit.”
“My lord!? Where are you going all of a sudden…”
I glanced at Kalserik and Rivera, then turned my back.
“Gallan City! Prepare for an expedition by the time I return. I hear there’s been an unusual number of monsters lately, right? We’re going on a monster hunt.”
“Ah, yes, my lord. But why Gallan…!”
To Rivera, who was urgently following and asking, I gave a short answer.
“A conversation.”
It was time, once again,
for a heart-to-heart talk.
**