< Chapter 102 - Encounter #2 >
&
There was a reason why Uther had not seriously considered war with the Empire until the border blockade was issued.
The first reason was that the war itself was something that did not exist in the original work, and the second reason was that the structure of the empire itself made it difficult for a single group to start a war on their own.
“As you know, the power of the Empire is currently divided into three.”
The imperial family and loyal nobles centered around the emperor, who is at the top of the empire.
The ministerial department led by the prime minister and the nobles under his command.
Elves who interfere in all major and minor affairs of the empire with the power of their vast capital.
It wasn’t a very pleasant story for a Royal Knight loyal to the Imperial Family, but Leon, being the realist that he is, was able to properly understand the situation.
“Not long ago, the Prime Minister’s Office virtually rebelled and seized control of the Imperial Palace. His Majesty the Emperor, Her Highness the Empress Dowager, and the Imperial Family are currently detained in the Imperial Palace.”
The story was roughly as I had guessed.
If the Prime Minister had not been able to control the imperial family, they would not have been able to issue orders such as a border closure.
‘It’s a lot different from the original.’
In the original, they were demon followers who couldn’t even completely control the Prime Minister.
No, now that I think about it, maybe there wasn’t any need for that in the original.
The Kingdom of Cailun was destroyed by the events that occurred in the North, Center, and South, and the empire was also collapsing due to the seven great disasters that occurred in succession.
Of course, it was expected that the demon followers who ruined things in the kingdom would become more active in the empire, but it was a bit unexpected that they completely took control of the prime minister.
‘It wasn’t long before the demon followers of the kingdom joined.’
Moreover, the network of the Holy Cross Guardians had been severed.
It was hard to imagine that the Devil’s Eye, whose power had been weakened by the loss of many lower-level and middle-level mines due to the incident in the Wild Lands, had accomplished all of these things on its own.
‘If all the other devil followers have moved······.’
The devil’s hand in the kingdom.
The demon’s eye that has taken root in the empire.
And the mouth of the devil that has already taken control of the East.
The Devil’s Horns and Devil’s Ears were virtually annihilated in the clash with the Holy Cross Guardians, but they still had one or two top-tier mines left, so they couldn’t be completely ignored.
Five demon followers groups located on the continent.
In the worst case scenario, all five groups might be working together to advance the cause of the Empire.
‘No, we have to assume the worst first, so should we see it that way?’
In the original, the five groups were not enemies, but they were not friendly, cooperative relationships either.
Even when you first entered the Wild Lands, one of the reasons you were able to evade the pursuit of the Devil’s Hand’s superior mine, Soluzia, was because you entered the realm of the Devil’s Eye.
That is, just like in the original, there were conflicts and walls between the devil’s followers in reality, but now they have overcome all those walls and become one.
‘And is this because of me and Cordelia?’
A messenger of peace who brought about reconciliation among the devil’s followers.
After erasing the impossible fantasy from his mind, Uder focused on Leon again.
“If things continue this way, Prime Minister… no, that traitor will cause a war between the Empire and the Kingdom. Rescuing His Majesty the Emperor and the royal family is absolutely necessary for the Kingdom as well.”
In the original, Leon was a character far from being a silver-tongued person.
From the beginning, he was a typical swordsman who preferred swords to horses.
And it was the same in reality, and he tried to convince Uther and Cordelia with his own logic, but the story was extremely crude.
‘Anyway, this is a very urgent situation.’
And Leon wasn’t wrong.
If the Emperor and his family could be rescued, it might actually be possible to prevent the war.
‘The Jonver elves wouldn’t have fallen to the demon followers… So if we can recruit two out of the three, we can stop the war?’
It was when Yuder thought about this.
“Can I ask you one thing?”
Cordelia, who had been listening quietly, looked at Leon and asked.
Cordelia usually gave off a slightly sloppy vibe when talking to Uther, but now that the issue was at stake and the person she was talking to was a stranger, she seemed sharp to the point of being sharp.
“Yes, go ahead.”
Cordelia continued speaking as Leon answered with a slightly nervous expression.
“What is that heavenly voice? And why did you two come to us? If you want to rescue the royal family, realistically, wouldn’t it be better to go to the elves rather than us? And… In fact, considering the Royal Knights’ power, I doubt that adding the two of us would make much of a difference.”
Uder was slightly amazed at the reasonable question.
At some point in the kingdom, Cordelia seemed to have shifted the very act of thinking to Uther.
Moreover, there was a part that stood out in terms of content, which was the last part.
Jude and Cordelia’s fame was well known in the kingdom, but what about in the empire?
Even within the kingdom, there were all sorts of rumors going around, such as exaggerated rumors and royal propaganda, so it was unlikely that the empire would trust it to that extent.
‘Furthermore, the rumors were exaggerated from the beginning compared to reality.’
You’re already seeing something that’s already been reduced to a smaller size, so why did you ask for help from Uther and Cordelia?
Of course, it is possible that they had already asked the elves for assistance.
You may want to increase your power by adding even a little help.
But when Leon first saw them, he started talking about a heavenly voice and how only Uther and Cordelia could help them.
‘Anyway, we can learn quite a bit by answering Cordelia’s questions.’
So instead of interfering, Uder mentally pressed the like button and waited for Leon’s answer.
“That······.”
Leon, whose words had been trailing off, looked back at Sarah, and although her expression was unreadable due to her helmet, Sarah, who was clearly nervous judging by her hunched shoulders, nodded helplessly.
“Well, I guess there’s nothing I can do. If we’re going to act together anyway, then it’s something everyone needs to know.”
Leon, who had said that, shrugged his shoulders a little, which was not befitting of his size, and then opened his mouth again to speak.
“The voice from heaven is… the voice from heaven that Her Highness the Empress Dowager hears. You could call it a revelation. The last letter from Her Highness the Empress Dowager that was delivered a few days ago contained a story about you all.”
Looking at his face, it seemed like he was speaking seriously.
So Uther and Cordelia looked at each other and exchanged message magic.
[Yuder, that heavenly voice. Isn’t it literally a heavenly voice?]
[Are you talking about heaven?]
[Oh, that could be true.]
Keep it simple, without overthinking it.
First of all, in Hero Chronicles 2, the heavens did not intervene in the human world at all until the Great Summoning occurred.
But now the heavens are involved?
[We can’t completely rule out the possibility that it’s hell.]
The devil disguises himself as an angel to tempt the faithful.
It was a story that could very well have happened.
[But if they’re really on the demon side, and if they can make contact with us like this, wouldn’t they just send a bunch of high-level minions to assassinate us instead of sending Leonne? Oh, this isn’t assassination, is it? Anyway, if it’s heaven… wouldn’t they be able to know to some extent when we’ll meet Kaplan? Th, th… I don’t remember the name, but there’s an angel with the power of foresight.]
Cordelia was unusually logical and sharp today.
That’s why Yuder was moved at first.
[Yes, our Cordelia is a girl who can do it if she tries. She will think for herself from now on, okay?]
[Hey, do you usually think about it yourself? Do you think it’s possible in any case?]
[Well, I’m not entirely sure.]
With things going this way, there was room for a third force to exist besides heaven and hell.
Of course, the possibility of that happening was slim.
“Can I continue talking?”
“Yes, please.”
Leon paused for a moment as Uther and Cordelia exchanged glances, then continued his story.
“I’m ashamed to say that the Royal Knights are currently unable to function properly. Most of our forces, including our leader, the absolute knight Galahad, are tied up… In reality, only a few people, including Sarah and myself, are able to function.”
“Your feet were tied… Were you poisoned or attacked or something?”
“There are cases like that. But in your case, Galahad… you were sealed during closed training.”
What does this mean?
When Uther and Cordelia blinked as if they didn’t quite understand, Leon explained further.
“You were practicing in the closed training hall… but the Ministry of the Interior sealed the training hall itself.”
That is, it meant that he was locked up alive.
[···The royal family is the royal family, but shouldn’t we also rescue Galahad?]
[···maybe?]
As Uther and Cordelia exchanged message magic, feeling somehow pitiful, Leon spoke again in an earnest tone.
“The Prime Minister will soon be moving His Majesty the Emperor and the Imperial Family to another location. And perhaps… that will be our last chance to save the Imperial Family. Please help us.”
Leon and Sarah bowed their heads at the same time.
Judging from what I saw, it seemed like they came here with the mindset of grabbing at straws.
[What should I do?]
[What should I do?]
In fact, the answer was already decided from the beginning.
“Okay, but from now on, I’ll be listening to your story with my group. Is that okay?”
“Yes? Oh, yes. Of course. I will do that.”
Leon answered with a smile. For once, it was a positive answer from Yuder.
And about 5 minutes.
Lucas, Kaisa, Kirara, and Kaplan, who were in the reception room on the first floor, came up to the second floor.
But it was right after that.
“Uh, uh… Kirara will wait outside.”
Kirara, sensing that the atmosphere in the room was not good, said this and tried to sneak away.
Because Kirara was not a big-time traitor, but a petty traitor.
If you hear something too important, it will be more difficult to move. If you betray later, you will be pursued more fiercely.
Of course, Kirara had no intention of betraying him at the moment due to his wealth and Cordelia’s affection, but there was nothing he could do about the habits he had built up throughout his life.
“No, Kirara, let’s listen together. Kirara is part of our group, so she should listen together. This is a story that concerns all of us. Come here and sit down.”
As Cordelia patted the seat next to her and said that, Kirara seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then quickly ran over and sat down next to Cordelia. Looking at her face, it looked like she would shed tears of emotion if you poked her.
Our group.
Our Kirara.
“Hehe, hehehe.”
Kirara, who was laughing without realizing it and wagging her tail, leaned against Cordelia, and Cordelia wrapped her arms around Kirara’s shoulders.
‘What would happen if he found out that Cordelia was an angel?’
From then on, won’t you just worship Cordelia?
As Kaisa thought about that and smiled, Uther looked at Kirara and Cordelia with very warm eyes.
‘It’s warm.’
It was Uther who stopped counting when Cordelia hugged someone.
The biggest reason was that I had more free time thanks to my relationship with Cordelia progressing a lot.
Anyway, once everyone was seated, Leon quickly repeated what he had already said, and Lucas and Kaisa’s eyes turned sharp as they realized the seriousness of the situation.
“So, according to what you said, we have to rescue the royal family members with just the people here?”
“There are still Royal Knights left. Excluding the two of us, there are only five of them······.”
It was better than nothing, but it was too little.
But Caesar frowned and tapped his thigh with his fingertips.
“A small group of elite soldiers might be better than a rabble. Especially in a battle that requires hit-and-run tactics like this. How are the enemy’s defenses? How are their escort troops?”
At Caesar’s question, Sarah suddenly started fidgeting with her fingers, and Leon’s already dark face darkened even more.
“That is… to be honest, it is not easy.”
“No one thinks that saving the royal family will be easy. What are the defense forces like?”
When Caesar urged him again, Leon swallowed dry saliva and opened his mouth to speak.
“The number of soldiers is not that large. It seems that about two platoons will be mobilized.”
Considering the organization of the empire, it was only about 60 people, but it was understandable that Leon said it wasn’t that many.
In the Pleiades, where superhumans exist, the power of a properly trained knight surpasses that of dozens of ordinary soldiers.
Even Leon, who was right in front of me, could easily destroy a platoon by himself.
“The problem is the knights. There will probably be about twenty Imperial Knights, the vile traitors who have joined the High Council. There will also probably be at least three, and up to five, royal magicians.”
But the real problem was what happened next.
“And······ It looks like Jay Kyung will come out.”
There was despair in Leon’s voice.
Sarah also bowed her head in pain.
Jay Karoniak.
One of the twelve Sword Masters that the Empire is proud of.
A master of swordsmanship who can counter the Ten Swordsmen of the Kingdom!
“Are you saying that Jay Kyung is guarding it?”
Kaplan said in surprise, and Kirara’s eyes also widened.
It had to be that way.
Because it was Jay Kyung.
Because I was a sword master!
How can you break through the escort force that includes the Sword Master!
Kaplan sighed, and Kirara hugged Cordelia’s waist tightly, trembling with fear. Leon and Sarah lowered their heads and sighed deeply.
So Cordelia asked in a slightly trembling voice.
“Uh… and?”
“yes?”
“Is that all?”
“Huh? Uh… Is this all?”
When Leon answered with a slightly dumbfounded expression without realizing it, Cordelia looked back at Uther with her brows furrowed.
[Hey, Yuder.]
[Oh, Cordelia.]
[I’m asking just to confirm, if you’re an Imperial Sword Master, you’re at the level of a Ten Swordsman, right?]
[Oh, right. Ten Swordsman level. Roughly Sebastian level?]
Ten Swordsman.
Now, the Ten Swordsman.
Lucas laughed awkwardly, and Kaisha smiled coolly.
“Hey, guys?”
Kaplan said with a puzzled look on his face.
Leon did the same.
Because I couldn’t understand the reactions of those from the kingdom.
He’s the Sword Master! He’s guarding it, actually!
‘Ah, this is power inflation.’
As Cordelia smiled and thought about that, Yuder looked at Leon. He answered in a clear tone.
“Let’s push ahead.”
Operation to rescue the royal family.
We’ll take care of it.
It’s nothing more than a ten-sword sword.
Smiles spread across the faces of those born and raised in the kingdom.
&
< Chapter 102 - Encounter #2 > End
