< Chapter 100 - The Argon Empire >
Chapter 100 – The Argon Empire
The party that defeated the Red Moon’s Raize River decided to stay at Count Bayer’s house for a while.
It was necessary to get used to the sudden increase in various abilities due to the suddenly increased level, and it also took time to create new equipment with the newly acquired materials.
‘I also have to prepare to go to the empire.’
In any case, there was a big difference between moving around within the Kingdom of Seilun and going abroad.
In particular, since we were going to the Argon Empire, which had been at war several times since the founding of the Kingdom of Cailun, although they were maintaining a relatively good relationship for the time being, various preparations were necessary.
“Okay, I’ll go. It’ll probably take about a week.”
“Okay, leave these kids to me and have a good time.”
Cordelia, who answered like that, held onto Uther tightly for a long time without moving. The reason was that everyone except Uther looked lukewarm, as he was recharging for a week.
Anyway, after leaving Count Bayer of Baylun, Yuder returned to Mount Damos and stayed there for about a week as planned.
“It’s not easy.”
The residence of Count August Bayer, located on the slopes of Mount Damos.
Yuder, who was sitting alone in the training room meditating, sighed and sweated profusely.
The Seventh Gate of the Nine Heavens and the Nine Heavens.
Although more than four months had passed since the opening of Jeyukmun, the road to Chilmun seemed distant.
‘It seems like the foundation itself has been created.’
Since first opening the Jeyukmun Gate in the royal capital, Yuder has been through many things.
After obtaining Sword Origin, the durability of his body had become incomparably stronger than before, and thanks to the continuous battles with powerful enemies and the experience point of the Ancient Black Dragon, his level had increased explosively.
What is needed to open a new door in the nine heavens and nine gates is a huge amount of life energy and a strong body that can withstand the new door.
It was Uder’s judgment that he had both thanks to the explosive level-up mentioned earlier.
But no matter how much I meditated and recited the nine heavenly gates, I could not open the door to the next level like before.
‘Is it as the teacher said?’
From the seventh question onwards, enlightenment is required.
Simply pouring more effort into opening new doors only goes up to the sixth gate.
In fact, in some ways, it was a natural story. In fact, up until now, it was closer to abnormal.
‘Still, it’s been 4 months… no, almost 5 months, so it’s frustrating.’
It was a story that would have made Landius’ blood boil if he had heard it, but it was a story that Yuder couldn’t help.
Up until now, we have been opening new doors at least once every two to three months.
‘Enlightenment.’
A word I’ve only encountered a few times in martial arts novels in my past life.
Even in the practical martial arts that Yuder had learned, it seemed that there was something called enlightenment.
‘No, it’s more like a trick than an enlightenment.’
Whether in his past or present life, Yuder’s battles were always based on calculations.
Predict how the enemy will move and come up with a precise response.
The optimal battle is fought through simulations created from obvious rationality and accumulated experience.
“Ah, I don’t know.”
Uder fell backwards and looked at the ceiling of the training room.
Landius said that he realized the group through continued combat, but what exactly is this group?
‘I don’t know.’
I heard that he doesn’t use his sword and only uses his hands and feet for the sake of enlightenment.
‘I don’t understand.’
What on earth is the connection between such a power show and enlightenment?
In fact, seeing that Landius himself was trying various things to achieve enlightenment, it seemed that enlightenment itself was something extremely ambiguous from the beginning.
“Velencia, is there anything you want to say?”
As soon as Uder asked in his heart, Belencia’s answer came back.
[no.]
“hey?”
[But later generations, there really are none. Originally, there is no correct answer to the group. Just as a thousand flowers each contain a thousand different beauties, each person’s group realization is also different. There is no guarantee that the method I used will work for others, and there is no guarantee that the realization gained through that method will be the same as mine.]
“Can’t we at least use it as a reference?”
[On the other hand, it could be a hindrance. If the enlightenment of later generations is the exact opposite of the enlightenment I gained, and if the form is completely different, my experience could actually be poisonous to later generations.]
Usually, successful old farts are confident in their own methods and tend to say, ‘I am always right. Just do what I say.’ But Belencia was hardly like that.
‘Rather, it feels like a game of neglect.’
The things that Belencia actively spoke about were things about already established technologies.
I’m talking about so-called supernatural combos or powerful one-hit finishing techniques.
“ha.”
What on earth is this enlightenment?
I need to open the seventh gate.
There’s still a long way to go.
‘Now that I think about it······.’
Uther closed his eyes and tried to picture the woman’s face.
It was the face of an elegant woman with long black hair, not Cordelia or Belencia.
A fairy of unknown identity.
A woman who appeared when the Third Gate was opened and taught Yuder various techniques, including the Black Dragon’s energy.
But she hasn’t appeared since the Jeomun incident.
Why is that?
Who was she in the first place?
“There are so many clues. Can you solve them all?”
Yuder, who had been protesting to someone unknown, emptied his mind. There was no answer to worry about right now.
If you raise your abilities to the point of being ignorant, you may be able to open the Seven Gates by force. You may even be able to awaken with a “bang!” in a fight against a strong enemy.
Don’t you often see scenes like that in movies or novels?
But that was just then.
[It is a really bad habit to rely on things like a dramatic moment of awakening or something that can only be found in heroic novels. The world can’t possibly go that smoothly, right? Even if such an awakening is possible, it doesn’t always happen. If you rely on something that doesn’t work out, you can end up going down the drain.]
Why does Belencia look like an old fart today when we’re talking about something so obvious?
Of course, there would be plenty of people who would welcome such a pretty old fart with open arms.
‘I’m tired, huh?’
Yuder, whose stream of consciousness had been flowing randomly, shook his head lightly and stood up from his seat.
“Anyway, Velencia, we’ll end our training here today.”
Now it’s time to slowly return to Baylun.
After leaving the training room, Yuder watched the sun setting beyond the western mountains and washed his body.
It was almost night, but Yuder was determined to set out because it was night.
“Are you going?”
As I was standing in the garden looking at the moon, Maia came up to me and said.
After becoming a maid, she started wearing glasses for some reason, and as always, she was calm and elegant.
Maia Tantalot
To Yuder, she is like an older sister, another family member he has seen since childhood.
Perhaps the only person who knows Uther best, aside from Cordelia.
So she had already had some idea.
Why did Cordelia stay in Byrun, and what does Uther plan to do from now on?
That’s why Yuder spoke without hiding anything.
“I’m going to the empire.”
Maia’s expression wavered slightly at Uther’s words.
Since he had already traveled all over the Kingdom of Cailun, he had a vague idea that the next destination would be a foreign country, but when the name of the empire was actually mentioned, his breath caught in his throat.
But Maia soon regained her composure. No, it was a bit far from composure.
“master.”
“Yeah, Maya.”
Maia pursed her lips as Yuder answered. She took a step forward and raised her head to look at Yuder.
I quietly looked at Yuder’s face, which I had to look up at unlike before.
Just a year and a few months.
But really, a lot has changed.
I wasn’t talking about things like the title of Count or the qualifications of a Ten Swordsman.
“Sometimes I miss you.”
The Uder of the past.
The young master, who was weak, always relied on Maia.
The days of the past when we spent most of our days together.
“But I still think it’s much better now.”
Yuder has grown so much that I have to look up at him like this.
The current Yuder has become so strong that he is unrecognizable.
Hero of the kingdom. Protector of the royal family. Ancient dragon slayer.
I found myself laughing.
Even though he was so close, Yuder felt so far away.
‘My own little master.’
I laughed again at my own thoughts. I unconsciously covered my moist eyes with a bright smile that I never usually made and said.
“Have a safe trip and stay healthy.”
Why is this smile being drawn now?
Why do I feel such sad feelings?
Uder faced Maia. They smiled at each other, feeling a strange sense of discomfort.
He hugged her lightly as if responding to Maia’s smile, which he had only seen a few times but which strangely remained deep in his heart.
“Oh, my lord?”
“I’ll be back.”
Maia bit her lip slightly at Uther’s words. She closed her eyes as she hugged Uther’s back, who had grown so big that he could fit her in his arms for the first time in years.
“Have a nice trip.”
“Okay, Maya. I’ll be back.”
Uther patted Maia on the back, called out Phantom Steed, and climbed onto its back. He looked at Maia once more.
Maia, with her hair down and tears streaming down her face, smiles brightly.
She said it was fortunate and shared her last warmth.
It was a fantasy. It was just an illusion.
Maia, with her long blue hair flowing down her shoulders and a shawl draped over her shoulders, was smiling brightly as she looked this way. Instead of shedding tears, she waved her hand and saw me off.
“You have to come back safely, okay?”
“Of course. I’ll bring you a present when I come. Maya, stay healthy. Okay?”
Maia smiled again at the returned greeting.
Maia smiling so much was unfamiliar to Yuder, but he thought it was very nice to see.
“I’ll be back.”
Uther spoke consciously once more and flew into the night sky, driving the Phantom Steed.
Instead of Maia smiling while shedding tears, I looked north, remembering the brightly smiling Maia I had just met.
&
“I got stronger.”
The next morning.
Lucas, who met Uder in the training room after arriving at dawn, spoke with a confident face.
[I’ve gotten really strong.]
Uther nodded at Cordelia’s further explanation.
Because I have already heard Belencia’s evaluation.
[The prayer itself is different from before. It seems like I’ve gotten a lot stronger after the last fight.]
The result of explosive level up.
The humans of Pleiades were able to level up, although they did not have the level up effect like Uder or Cordelia.
In other words, leveling up itself felt like a law of the world that everyone in the Pleiades enjoyed, rather than a cheat just for Uther and Cordelia.
‘Of course, it has already been proven that Nana Cordelia is much more efficient.’
The level up effect is only for Uther and Cordelia.
Lucas and Kaisha did not see the pure white ring of light even when Yuder leveled up right before their eyes.
In any case, the Raizegang raid was definitely effective.
I didn’t go to the temple to measure it exactly, but the level of both Lucas and Caesar increased by several dozens.
I don’t know for sure, but if you level up that much, your physical abilities and magical power would have more than doubled.
“I feel like I’ve fully adapted now.”
“Hehehe, me too.”
Kaisa smiled, leaning on Lucas’ shoulder as if hanging on to him, as if they had become closer over the past week.
‘Because Caesar has good level-up efficiency.’
Even though she only leveled up by 1, her physical abilities grew at a higher rate than other playable characters.
Looking at her bright smile and young confidence, it seemed like her physical abilities had really grown explosively.
“Brother. We’ve gotten stronger too. We can handle Phoenix better now.”
As the Red Wind, who was burning with a sense of rivalry with Lucas, spoke with shining eyes, the Sun Song behind him also nodded with his chest puffed out.
[I’ve become really strong. I’m still immature, but I can even combine spirits.]
Uther let out a small sigh of admiration at Cordelia’s message.
The spirit fusion was Red Wind’s ultimate skill. Even though it was immature, it was possible, so perhaps among the four people in front of him, Red Wind was the strongest.
‘Okay, okay. This is where the trickery pays off.’
And what should I say?
Should I say that it feels like the sense of guilt that had been lingering in a corner of my heart has been relieved?
It was Uther and Cordelia who unintentionally(?) took away the various opportunities that Lucas, Kaisa, and Red Wind should have obtained.
“That’s really cool. I brought a gift for all of you who worked hard.”
At Uder’s words, the group’s eyes began to shine again.
Since receiving the dragon equipment, Yuder has been like Santa Claus to the group, visiting several times a year.
“First of all, Caesar, it’s a sacred chain.”
“Yay!”
It was a chain made by melting down the Solari Order’s iron chain that had been sealing the limbs of the Raize River and then adding various materials.
Not only was it resized to be easier for Caesar to use, but Cassius’ special magic was also added to it, making it boast absolute strength.
“Hehe, this is exciting.”
Yuder flinched at the sight of his favorite beast girl twirling the chain, but decided to let it go since it was his family’s beast.
“The rest of you······.”
Lucas was given the Demonbane scabbard, Red Wind was given a magic amplifier made from the soul of Raizegang, and Sun Song was given a spear made from the horn of Raizegang.
As we handed them out one by one, Cordelia came up to me and started pulling at my sleeves.
“Me? Huh? Me?”
Don’t you have any for me?
Yuder, who smiled at the demanding expression, took out the last item from the space expansion pouch.
“Okay, the newly upgraded detonator and the new bomb.”
These items were made using the blood of Raizegang and Malekith, and their power was far different from that of regular detonators or bombs.
“Wow.”
Cordelia, with the happiest expression on her face, hugged the detonator and the new bomb tightly like a teddy bear and started jumping around in place.
And at that sight, Caesar spoke in a very small voice.
“I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but don’t you think they’re a bit crazy?”
A fiancé who gives his fiancée a bomb as a gift, or a fiancée who receives it and is truly happy about it.
Lucas had a lot to say, but he tried to keep his mouth shut because gossiping was against the code of chivalry.
In fact, I wondered if I had the right to say the same thing to Caesar, who I loved even after receiving the chains.
“Anyway, brother, are we going to our empire now?”
When Red Wind asked in his still short common language, Yuder nodded. However, only an hour or so later, the group that had just finished breakfast received unexpected news.
“Contact with the branches on the Imperial side has been cut off.”
Kamael’s voice flowed out from the crow that had flown in urgently.
Imperial branches of the Order of the Holy Cross.
Uther and Cordelia looked at each other.
I had expected that the demon followers who had ruined things in the Kingdom of Cailun would unite in the Empire and do something bigger, but I never thought that they would attack the Guardians of the Holy Cross like they did now.
“The exact condition is unknown. However, it does not seem to have been suddenly destroyed. Rather, it is presumed that the communications network itself was tampered with.”
The Holy Cross Guardians were able to communicate with each other at extremely high speeds, even over long distances, through the legacy of Archangel Gabriel, who had descended with the Solari in the past.
To be exact, the magic signal was transmitted through relay stations located throughout the continent, and if there was a problem with the relay stations on the Empire’s side, contact could have been cut off as it is now.
But that was just then.
Just as Yuder was about to ask a few more questions, the door opened wide and Dahlia appeared.
“Miss! This is a big problem!”
What on earth is going on this time?
Could it be that something happened to Count Chase or Adelia?
Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. But it wasn’t entirely fortunate.
“The Empire has declared the armistice null and void! All borders are sealed!”
Even the crows of Kamael opened their eyes wide in surprise at Dahlia’s scream. Uther and Cordelia looked at each other once more.
The Empire’s breach of the armistice and blockade of its borders.
What this could lead to is an all-out war with the Empire.
In the original story where the kingdom collapsed, it was an unprecedented situation that could not have been established in the first place.
&
< Chapter 100 - The Argon Empire > End
