< Chapter 110 - Proclamation #3 >
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Uther and Cordelia requested an audience with the Emperor and Empress Dowager the next morning.
Strictly speaking, the two of them were not even citizens of the Empire, let alone vassals of the Emperor, so there was no reason to ask the Emperor’s permission to come and go, but that was why they had to tell the Emperor directly.
‘As expected, the eyes aren’t very good.’
Following the Prime Minister, even some of the elves betrayed him.
It was extremely difficult to trust the nobles of the enemy kingdom of Cailun, even though they could not trust those who were on the same side.
Moreover, he was not just a nobleman.
It was only natural to be extremely wary of the Grand Sword Master and the Great Wizard – or Grand Wizard, as the Empire called him.
‘Where are you going?’
‘Could it be that they’re trying to do something behind the scenes?’
‘It’s only two people, but if they’re the Grand Sword Master and the Grand Wizard······.’
‘The cooperation we have had so far may have been a scheme to betray us on a greater scale. We must not let our guard down.’
The gazes were so fierce that I felt like I could hear the voices in their hearts.
The most sinister of them all was the Marquis of Buckingham, who seemed ready to shout that both Uther and Cordelia should be taken into custody at any moment.
But no one dared open their mouths.
Even the Marquis of Buckingham only glared at him fiercely and did not utter a single word of disapproval.
‘Because I’m the Grand Sword Master and the Grand Wizard.’
Those who don’t know what they’ll do if they get caught.
Moreover, there was currently no clear Grand Sword Master in the Emperor’s camp.
The absolute knight Galahad was captured in enemy territory, and Elune had never left the Shadow Forest, the land of the elves, in her life.
In the case of the swordsman, it was impossible to even know where he was, and if it was a civil war rather than a war with a foreign country, it was questionable whether he would take the emperor’s side.
‘The last Grand Sword Master of the Empire, Crassus, is on the side of the Chancellor.’
That is, there was not a single person in the Emperor’s barracks who could subdue Yuder one-on-one.
Adding to this is Cordelia, the Grand Wizard?
There was no need to worry any more.
It was reckless to even start a fight.
‘They are allies for now. There is no need to turn them into enemies for no reason.’
The Marquis of Buckingham was a man who had long guarded and cultivated a barren yet vast estate.
Although he was naturally irritable, he also had great patience, and he had accumulated too much experience to mess things up due to emotional judgment.
‘It’s not the enemy. It’s true that we need to control it, but it’s not the time yet.’
A monster who was on par with Grand Sword Master Elune before he even turned twenty.
But even so, he was an individual.
If the Sword Masters loyal to the Emperor gathered in one place and a sufficient number of magicians were gathered, it would be possible to respond somehow.
So I’ll just endure it for now.
Don’t turn someone who might be a loyal ally into an enemy due to groundless suspicion.
‘I will turn a blind eye to some misdeeds.’
A human being from a kingdom that is not even an empire wants to go somewhere else instead of serving the emperor.
Moreover, these were not peacetime times.
The civil war was on the verge of a backlash – no, in fact, it was almost as if the civil war had already begun.
It was an outrageous act, and it was normal to want to stop it, but the Marquis of Buckingham decided to take a step back.
As Yuder expected.
‘As expected of the Marquess of Buckingham.’
Even the mid-level mines were profiled by Yuder.
The Marquis of Buckingham was a fairly important figure in the Empire, so I was already familiar with his personality and behavior patterns.
He had no hair but a full beard. He was a seasoned veteran, and he was not a fool who would get caught up in trivial matters and make mistakes in his speech.
‘And if the Marquess of Buckingham permits······.’
Yuder looked back at the Empress Dowager.
As expected, the reactions came back this time too.
The Empress Dowager exchanged glances with the Marquis of Buckingham and whispered something softly in the Emperor’s ear. The Emperor nodded with an uneasy expression and then said.
“Okay, I’ll allow it. But you have to come back quickly. Do you understand?”
“I will do so.”
“Thank you for your permission.”
As Uther and Cordelia each responded with a bow, the Empress Dowager’s expression brightened slightly.
It was a bit sad that I had to rely on foreigners like Uder and Cordelia, but they were two people who were incredibly reliable when I thought of them as allies.
“If your business is finished, then leave.”
At the Marquis of Buckingham’s words, the Emperor pursed his lips and looked at Judas and Cordelia, who bowed respectfully to the Emperor once more before leaving the room.
And twenty minutes or so.
After exchanging greetings with Lucas and his group who were waiting outside, Uther and Cordelia each mounted their horses.
Uther is alone, Cordelia is with Kirara.
[Didn’t the Emperor look a little depressed?]
[Because it seemed like he was quite attached to us.]
If you think about it, it was natural.
From the young emperor’s point of view, Jude and Cordelia were his benefactors who had saved him several times.
[And because our beast is so cute? Children tend to like pretty people.]
[Well, well… our scammer is also handsome.]
When Cordelia answered with a giggle, Uther tilted his head slightly and asked with a sly face.
[Is he only handsome on the face?]
[uh?]
[Is he only handsome?]
At Uther’s question, Cordelia laughed in disbelief, but soon answered excitedly.
[I don’t know because I haven’t seen any other places yet.]
[Hmm, that’s true.]
Cordelia’s cheeks turned red as Uther smiled.
I had a feeling that if I continued the conversation any further, I would end up falling into a pit of shame again.
“Anyway, let’s go.”
When I deliberately raised my voice, Yuder accepted my words right away instead of dragging them out any longer.
[Okay, let’s go. Since we’re going, let’s have fun.]
The reason I responded with a message was because of Kirara.
Since he was a child who grew up eating only the most important things, he could have been intimidated by even such words.
‘Honestly, I just want to go alone with Cordelia.’
I want to ride along with you and stay with you forever.
It was already decided.
Instead of grumbling for no reason, Uder laughed heartily, and Cordelia, satisfied with that sight, hugged Kirara’s waist and said.
“Then let’s go, Kirara.”
“Yes, master!”
“Okay, okay. Let’s go!”
“Let’s go!”
As Kirara blushed and shouted, Cordelia laughed heartily and started her horse.
‘Yeah, because what’s good is good.’
It was a foregone conclusion that a civil war that would determine the fate of the empire and the world was about to begin, but I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.
“let’s go.”
Yuder, who had been speaking quietly for no reason, spurred his horse on.
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Not long after Uther and Cordelia’s party left, the Emperor and the Marquis of Buckingham also prepared to move again.
The destination is Grandfen, a large city in the most fertile lands of the Margraviate of Buckingham and a gathering place for vassals from all over.
The Emperor’s procession grew significantly after the Marquess of Buckingham joined, and the escort alone numbered several hundred men.
As a result, Lucas, Kaisa, and Scarlett’s positions within the line became ambiguous.
They are not royal knights like Leon and Sarah, nor are they absolute powerhouses like Uther and Cordelia that you wouldn’t dare do anything to.
A foreigner in an ambiguous position.
But Lucas didn’t really care about the eyes of those around him.
Uder and Cordelia took elixirs made from various medicinal herbs obtained from the Breeze Fairies every day and focused solely on training during their time on the move.
‘Getting stronger.’
The effectiveness of the elixir made by Uder was certain.
After the fight with the Demon Prince, his energy grew so rapidly that it was difficult to control, so I thought there would be no growth for a while, but I was wrong.
Uder created various types of elixirs to prevent his hair from weakening, and thanks to them, Lucas could feel his body and soul growing every day.
And this wasn’t just Lucas’s story.
Kaisa and Scarlett also grew up.
The two of them became stronger and more beautiful day by day.
‘Oh, isn’t it a bit beautiful?’
But that doesn’t mean it was wrong.
As a result of absorbing the good energy of the elixir, Kaisago Scarlett’s skin and hair have become much better than before.
Moreover, as improvements in physical constitution and shape were also being made, as Lucas said, she was becoming stronger and more beautiful.
And this story could apply to Lucas as well.
Three people who become a little stronger and more beautiful every day than yesterday.
In fact, this was the result of Uther and Cordelia’s choice and focus.
‘I’m sorry Leon and Sarah, but I don’t have the time or resources to raise them now.’
As playable characters, Leon and Sarah were talented enough to have no shortage of talent, but they met too late.
That’s why instead of raising the level of all five people by 5 each, Uther and Cordelia chose to focus and raise the level of three people by 10 and leave two people alone.
And this time, Yuder was right.
The three people were showing growth beyond expectations.
Lucas, who works tirelessly with a desire to improve himself instead of being jealous of others or harboring twisted thoughts.
Kaisa and Scarlett have had a strange rivalry with each other since they first met in the South.
The personalities of the three people and the still somewhat subtle love triangle intertwined, creating a synergy effect that was greater than expected.
And one more thing.
There was a variable that Yuder had not even anticipated.
‘What is this feeling?’
A sense of discomfort that began at some point.
Every time I swung my sword, I experienced a familiar yet unfamiliar sensation as I grew stronger.
It feels like I’m passing through a place I’ve been to a long time ago.
There was bound to be a huge gap between wandering aimlessly through the vast ocean and following the milestones.
Moving forward.
I take steps toward that distant horizon.
A road I’ve already walked once.
That’s why I know the way.
The three people’s skills began to grow explosively.
And at the same time, the feelings of the three people also grew stronger.
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It’s been three days since we parted ways with the Emperor and his entourage.
Uther and Cordelia were finally able to reach the Zainan Canyon.
Even though the Marquisate of Buckingham was a vast and expansive territory, the Jainan Gorge was one of the most remote and remote areas within it.
“It’s like Amazon.”
Cordelia nodded at Uther’s words.
Although Buckingham’s Marquessland, located in the north, was generally colder than Taryeong, Jainan Gorge was an exception.
This place, where abnormal climate prevails, is a place where tropical rainforests and dry canyons coexist.
To be exact, it was a dry valley surrounded by vast tropical rainforests, but in any case, it was a land that was hot and humid, then hot and dry, and in a word, dirty to live in.
“Now all I have to do is go to the desert. Right?”
“That’s right.”
As I traveled around the continent, I encountered all kinds of terrain.
Uder narrowed his eyes at the bushes that seemed to be full of bugs and snakes.
Although Yuder had traveled to all sorts of places in his previous life, strangely enough, he had never been to a tropical rainforest like this.
‘Anyway, Jainan Canyon.’
In Heroes Chronicles 2, it wasn’t that important of a place.
It was nothing more or less than a hunting ground for level-up grinding that gave off an exotic feel.
Rather than the Jainan Canyon, the nearby Catan Mountains were much more important, as it was the land where one of the seven major disasters that were the main enemies of the latter half of Heroes Chronicle 2 appeared.
‘I might have to stop by for a bit after finishing my business in the valley.’
The Catan Mountain disaster occurred at least a few months later, but it was already well outside the original’s scope.
If we were lucky, it might be possible to repel the disaster before it became a full-blown disaster, as was the case in the Wild Lands or the Forest of Eternity.
“Anyway, let’s hurry.”
“huh!”
“yes!”
Following Cordelia, Kirara answered beautifully, and the group headed towards the rainforest.
And a few hours.
As the sun began to set, Uther and Cordelia began preparing to camp, and Kirara sneaked out of the campsite, saying she wanted to talk to the animals around her.
‘Yeah, good job. People need to be aware of things.’
As I moved away from Cordelia, I began to hear voices in my head.
‘If you keep insisting on doing something good, you’ll definitely get annoyed. You’ve already experienced it many times, right?’
Instead of denying it, Kirara quickened her pace.
It was a voice I had started hearing since I escaped from the Red Gate last time.
No, I doubted whether it was even a voice in the first place.
Could it be that Kirara’s own thoughts are just hallucinations, or that she is having these thoughts out of fear of being abandoned?
‘It was a mistake to follow you, but it’s okay. Cordelia is weak-hearted. Just pretend to be pitiful in front of her. You’ve done it many times before, right?’
Betray, betray, and betray again.
I imagined Cordelia turning around in relief and having a knife stuck in her back. It was a sight I didn’t even want to imagine, but it was strangely realistic.
Kirara sat down and caught her breath.
I beat my own head to drive out the bad thoughts.
I won’t betray you. This time it’ll be different. It’s not about money. I won’t betray you. I can’t betray you. I don’t want to betray you anymore.
Kirara, who had shed tears without realizing it, sniffled several times before standing up. She held tightly to the handkerchief Cordelia had given her and walked away.
‘It will help.’
This time, for sure.
This time, definitely.
It wasn’t just to create some time for just the two of us.
I really wanted to listen to what the animals had to say.
What kind of animal would be suitable?
Which animal would you like to hear a story from?
Kirara looked around and took a step forward. Cordelia had warned her not to go too far because it might be dangerous, but before she knew it, she was quite far from the campsite as she listened to the stories of the small animals.
[Right there.]
At the words of the large snake, which was looking for an opportunity to catch this one, Kirara grabbed the dagger as if it was trying to catch him and looked away.
The sight beyond the bushes took my breath away.
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< Chapter 110 - Proclamation #3 > End
