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Chapter 149

“Uurghhh…”

“Aaghhh…”

Bzzzzzzzzt.

Red vapor the color of blood and the agonized screams of humans were pervading the inside of an underground building.

Whirr, whirr.

In the middle of the exquisitely and sturdily constructed underground building was a large magic array exuding a great deal of yin-attribute mana.

“S-Save me! I beg you, save meee!!!!”

In the center of the magic array laid a single stone bed dyed by the blood of countless victims. Atop that bed a man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties was struggling desperately, mana bracelets on his wrists.

The sound of footsteps could be heard approaching the magic array, which was giving off a gloomy light in the unlit room. The struggling man frantically raised his head and looked at the person approaching. 

“Save me! I am the chief knight of the Empire’s northern 5th Army, Karmanx! Please let me gooo!!!”

For some unknown reason, Karmanx had been sleeping in his bedroom when he was dragged here. He was a successful knight with a fairly promising future in the Laviter Empire, but right now, he was frozen in fear. Karmanx strained his neck to look up, but the man’s face was obscured by a black robe.

“Huhuhu…”

The robed man silenced Karmanx’ shout with a cold laugh.

“W-Who is it! Who do you think you are, to persecute a knight of the empire in such a manner?! If the empire finds out about this, you and your family will all be ripped to pieces!”

Having realized from the robed man’s dark laugh that he wasn’t here to rescue him, the knight Karmanx threatened the man with the empire’s name.

“You’re a noisy one.”

The robed man’s voice was quiet and lacked emotion.

“Why… why are you holding me captive?! Do you have a grudge against me or something?!”

Feeling the man’s invisible bloodthirst, Karmanx resolved himself for death and asked why he was there. Even if he died, he wanted to know why, why someone had kidnapped and wanted to kill a knight of the empire.

“I need your mana.”

“What?!” screamed Karmanx, shocked.

“I need your hot mana… My loyal knight.”

“W-What nonsense are you spouting?! Why would I be your knight!”

Karmanx desperately scanned his opponent.

As he did so, the man slowly lowered the hood concealing his face.

“!!!”

Upon seeing the exposed face, Karmanx’s eyes widened the furthest they’d ever been in his life.

“You will be reborn. Your mana will receive love in my heart for all of eternity, and your flesh will be reborn anew as a knight of death that does not die. Karveshavedian… lohindaimahu…”

“W-Why are you… why… gugh!”

Unable to swear at the person who was about to kill him, the knight Karmanx was polite to the very end, his eyes filled with despair. The magic array activated with the man’s mysterious chant, causing an enormous amount of pressure to assault Karmanx’s body.

Clank, clank. Bam bam bam.

Hundreds of stakes suddenly protruded from the stone bed, plunging themselves mercilessly into Karmanx’s prone body.

Driiip, driiiiiip.

As the body, which had been flattened by pressure, was pierced by stakes, blood quickly flowed down the stakes onto the magic array.

Siiiizzzzzlllllee.

As Karmanx’ blood touched the magic array, it transformed into red fog.

“Huhuhu. Come. Hurry and come to me.”

The man stared at the fog made of blood with a look of rapture. Shockingly, the fog of blood hanging over the magic array was sucked into the man’s nose.

“Kukukuku…”

As the man laughed in delight while inhaling the fog, his eyes slowly began to turn red. 

* * *

‘So this is Haildrian!’

When I thought of Haildrian, I thought of a remote backcountry. Unlike my home continent, Kallian, this remote empire located in the northern continent was in the grips of winter for half the year, so expecting something on the level of Alaska or Norway was only natural for my common sense.

However, it was different from what I had imagined.

‘It’s incomparable to Nerman.’

After flying like the knight had instructed, a castle appeared. Though old, it was a neatly-maintained, enormous castle. When Bebeto and I drew near, around ten white wyverns appeared. After surrounding me, I ended up meeting the castle’s owner, who was surprised when I told him I had come on the summons of the Tsarina. He sent me on my way with wyverns to keep guard. Of course, I was sure he had used a magic communication line to confirm my identity beforehand.

‘Looks like they’re going to give me a proper welcome.’

We hadn’t yet reached the Imperial Palace, but when we reached the vicinity of the capital, around 20 wyverns appeared in the sky, bearing Imperial Skyknights wearing fluttering white cloaks that most likely symbolized the Haildrian Imperial Palace. They fell into position around me and Bebeto, forming a defensive formation. I couldn’t tell whether they were here to welcome me or to keep an eye on me, but in any case, it wasn’t unpleasant. I didn’t expect to be escorted in such grandeur in Haildrian.

‘The buildings don’t look much different.’

Because this was a cold region, the bricks were thick and the houses were low, but otherwise, the architectural designs weren’t much different from Kallian.

‘That must be the Imperial Palace.’

After flying wordlessly for a while under the escort of the Haildrian Imperial Skyknights, a massive walled city standing out clearly in the plains appeared. 

‘Wow!’

As we came closer, I couldn’t help but exclaim. The scale of the castle was no inferior to that of the Bajran Imperial Palace. Thousands of buildings lay within the protection of the endless castle walls. In the middle of the high and low buildings, there appeared what seemed to be the inner castle, possessing walls easily 10 meters higher than the outer walls.

That was the residence of the Tsarina of Haildrian. The Skyknights guiding the way from the side directed me to the direction of the inner castle.

‘There are people, horses, and buildings too. Yep, this is a place habited by humans as well.’

It was separated from our continent, so Haildrian came to be treated like a myth. Yet upon seeing it with my own eyes, I realized it wasn’t much different from Nerman. Even though Haildrian had apparently lacked proper contact with Kallian for hundreds of years, the civilization was similar. They might not have officially opened their doors to outsiders, but it was clear that culture from the Kallian Continent was influencing them.

‘Hm?’

Maybe because I had received the invitation of the Tsarina ruling Haildrian, but I was given a free pass right into the inner castle. As we flew, a certain scene entered my eyes.

‘W-Whoaah! What’s that?!’

It was definitely still a cold time of the year, somewhere between winter and spring. But not here. The inner castle occupied an enormous stretch of land, and on it, flowers were blooming, fruits hung on the trees, and everyone coming and going was dressed lightly.

‘Magic!’

It was magic. When I looked closer, I could see a faint mana barrier, like the one that I felt whenever I went to the Elven Village. It seemed they were controlling the weather with temperature control magic.

‘They’ve got magic crystals rotting away, I see.’

I was speechless. This show of utter wealth had me, someone who crawled all this way out of desperate need to beg for magic crystals, completely browbeaten. Casting temperature control magic over the entirety of such a huge space went past magical ability—it meant that an enormous quantity of magic crystals was being consumed. The Bajran Empire had a flower garden year-round as well, but this was on a completely different level, like the difference between a neighborhood kiosk and a megamall. I stared at the Haildrian inner castle with envy as we moved to a place that looked like the Imperial Covert.

‘Even if they gave me only half of what it takes to power this place, Nerman wouldn’t have to fret about magic crystals for my entire life.’

The price for meddling with nature with human strength was the consumption of a metric ton of magic crystals, and that was all money.

Flap flap, flap flap flap flap.

The Imperial Skyknights in the front landed first, and Bebeto landed behind them.

‘So this is the covert for the exclusive use of imperial royalty.’

I was dumbfounded. Bajran’s Imperial Covert was also made out of marble-like stones that cost a fortune, but this took it to another level. Every door of the wyvern hangars was gilded in gold, and I could feel mana from the inside of the hangars. It was obvious that they had used magic crystals and magic to create an optimal environment that even a noble would be hard-pressed to find a complaint.

‘Aw fuck, this guy’s gonna get spoiled.’

If the smart Bebeto took a shine to this kingly treatment, it would be a pain in the ass.

Clank clank clank clank.

Once Bebeto landed, a regiment of a hundred knights suddenly appeared, wearing the white cloaks of the Haildrian imperial family. They had been lined up in rows of ten, waiting for me.

‘Is this a welcoming ceremony, or an arrest?’

The faces of the Imperial Knights betrayed no emotion. Around ten wyverns continued to circle around my head as if unable to trust me, and I felt the sharp mana of alert knights all over the covert. It felt like a small-time school bully visiting the headquarters of a real gangster. On the outside, I was emanating an aura of composure, but on the inside, I couldn’t help but be tense. I still didn’t know the exact reason why the Tsarina had summoned me.

“Welcome, Count Kyre.”

When I jumped off Bebeto’s back, an Imperial Knight who looked to be in his early 30s greeted me, precisely calling out my name.

“The Imperial Palace is a delight for the eyes,” I said, unable to think of anything else to say.

“Please follow us,” said the Imperial Knight stiffly.

“Let’s do that then.”

I replied to him confidently, taking my helmet off and hanging it on Bebeto.

Zing.

In that instant, I felt gazes with mixed emotions from all around me.

‘Something’s going on.’

That something had to do with my appearance, not me. I could sense that the Imperial Knights who had surely received a proper education were filled with fear or apprehension as they looked at me.

‘There are mages here too.’

Thanks to my two-tone swirl mana, my sensitivity to mana had increased. From the mana I was picking up around me, I could also sense the presence of mages.

‘Isn’t this overdoing it a bit?’

This level of attention wasn’t cordial, but all too generous. I’d made my name in Nerman, but I’d never spread my notoriety in Haildrian. Moreover, I came here because the Tsarina wanted to see me, not because I wanted to start something here. However, the energy I could feel in the air was clearly telling me that I was being treated as a very dangerous person.

‘Eh, whatever. Whether you wanna boil me or steam me, have it your way.’

I was no All Might or anything; I had no confidence that I could win without Bebeto in a fight against the Haildrian Imperial Family. I simply relaxed and leisurely followed the knights.

‘Huhuhu.’

As soon as we went from the covert into the inner castle proper, my eyes were graced with the sight of beautiful palace maids.

That was the best kind of flower garden one could have.

* * *

* * *

“Many thanks for coming to Our birthday celebration.”

The Grand Ballroom of the Bajran Imperial Palace.

Here, the magnificent birthday party of the newly crowned Emperor Poltviran was taking place. Most of the gifts piled up high around Poltviran’s vicinity were rare, valuable treasures, ranging from an item engraved with high level magic, a sword encrusted with a gem the size of a duck egg, precious demon beast hides, and various jewels and ornaments. Knowing the Emperor’s temperamental and petty nature, each kingdom had paid particular attention to the selection of the gifts, which had grown even greater in scale with the bribes of the nobles.

After concluding the celebration ceremony, Poltviran stood from his seat on the stage with an arrogant smile. Normally, on such an occasion, even an emperor would not be excessively pretentious in their speech, in consideration for the face of ambassadors and royalty from various countries who had come for their birthday. Every emperor in all of history had spoken with a certain level of respect, but Poltviran was different. He spoke with an air of utter superiority, as if everyone before him were slaves or commoners.

“On such a happy occasion like today, We shall grace you with one command,” started Poltviran without preamble.

Rustling filled the hall as all of the ambassadors and nobles lowered their heads.

“I am sure you have already heard, but the Lord of Nerman, Kyre, has raised the flag of treason against us and the Empire. Not only did he dare to wheedle Our younger siblings, the Prince and Princess, into inciting disorder, but he also defied imperial mandates multiple times. Even with our merciful heart, his misdeeds have gone past the limits of tolerance, so we were forced to make a decision.”

The Emperor’s words didn’t suit a birthday party in the least—he was bringing up Nerman in a place of celebratory and enjoyable food and drink. All those gathered in the hall were able to confirm once again that Emperor Poltviran did not live by a standard common sense.

“Ambassadors of the Kuvilan, Kerpe, and Andain Kingdoms, as well as the Gaetz Principality, receive Our command.”  

The ambassadors of the named kingdoms stiffened. Unlike the Gaetz Principality, which was subordinate to Bajran, the kingdoms were allies with the empire. However, the Emperor was currently telling them to receive a command, as if they were imperial nobles. The ambassadors hesitated for a moment.

“I humbly await thy imperial mandate.”

“I await thy command.”

They unanimously lowered their heads in acquiescence. They did so because it was possible their kingdoms could collapse the next day if they pointlessly offended that vicious emperor.

“For the last several decades, your kingdoms have lived safely with your royal authority intact through the kindness of Our Empire. The time to repay that kindness has come. Not by offering shoddy items like this, but by becoming the Empire’s soldiers as Bajran’s advance force! That is what We want from your kingdoms. We want you to stand at the vanguard in the Nerman subjugation war.”

Thuuud.

In the quiet ballroom, you could almost hear the sound of the ambassadors’ hearts dropping. What the Emperor had just said meant that the independent military rights of the kingdoms were to be forfeited to the empire. If they refused him, it would be equivalent to defying the order of the Emperor of Bajran.

The faces of the ambassadors paled. One wrong word, and their countries would become enemies with the empire and have to war with them, but if they acquiesced, then they would become no different from a principality subordinate to the empire.

“One fortnight from now. I hope you will give us a definite answer by then. We’re sure you are all well aware that we are not very merciful. Kukuku.”

Poltviran exuded an aura of arrogance that “violent” could not begin to describe. The ballroom instantly descended into chilly silence. After the end of their territorial wars, the kingdoms and Bajran had been peaceful for hundreds of years, but a few words from this crazy emperor pushed them onto thin ice. No matter how cutthroat the world might be, this was still absurd.

The Emperor of Bajran had given a command without good justification. Now, only the decision of the kingdoms was left. 

Whether they submitted or struggled, it would be a bitter decision for survival.

* * *

Crunch munch.

‘Ohh! Tastes frickin’ amazing.’

After arriving in the inner castle with the knights, I was led into some building while under the piercing gazes of the maids. It was a nice-looking stone palace with three stories, clearly a building used to house guests. I was allotted a room around three times the size of my office back at home, and was served a feast on a table that could seat 10 in the adjoining room.

‘It’s not even beef, so how can it be this tender?’

The thick steak on the big mithril plate in front of me wasn’t beef, but had a tender mouthfeel and a delicious sauce with a honey fragrance that invited me to eagerly dig in.

Gulp, gulp.

“Kyaa!”

I interspersed bites of the meat with a glass of fragrant wine. It wasn’t a dry red, but like a sweet seasonal ice wine. The refreshing flavor washed out the oiliness in my mouth and stimulated my appetite anew.

‘That’s right, since I came all this way, you’ve got to do at least this much.’

I hadn’t been able to meet the Tsarina yet, but I was satisfied with their treatment. The bed next door was big enough to fit five men, and its soft, white sheets were tempting me to come sleep on it right away. The high-class landscape paintings hanging in the bedroom and dining room gave off a luxurious atmosphere, giving me a sense of mental satisfaction.

‘It’s even better than the Bajran Imperial Palace.’

I had the chance to use the facilities of Bajran’s Imperial Palace as well, thanks to the former Princess of Bajran, Igis. If Bajran’s Imperial Palace was a five-star hotel, this place was a hotel among hotels that could easily be given seven stars.

‘What happened to Chrisia? She didn’t arrive yet?’

While eating, I worried about Chrisia’s wellbeing. If she had arrived at the Imperial Palace earlier than I did, she would have definitely come looking for me. However, the sun was going down and there was still no news, and I couldn’t go out freely because of the Imperial Knights I could feel standing watch outside my door.

‘There’s no way she died, right?’

We were, in a way, friends, so I was pretty worried about her.

Knock knock.

“Who is it?”

After serving the meal, the maids had disappeared out the side door of the dining room. I heard knocks coming from outside, but seeing as no one came in, it didn’t seem like the knocker was from the adjoining kitchen.

‘Who is it?’

It wasn’t my house, but this was a space I was occupying. I wiped my mouth with the white fabric napkin and moved to the bedroom to meet whoever was visiting me. 

“May I ask who you are?” I asked once more.

‘What’s going on this time?’ I thought as no reply came to my second query.

Clunk.

Irritated, I roughly grasped the handle and swung open the door. “You should say who—ah!”

I was about to file a complaint, but then I suddenly saw who it was.

‘T-Tiavel!’

The beautiful woman with snow-white hair and slightly slanted eyes standing right in front of my room after knocking was Tiavel. The next tsarina who would lead the Haildrian Empire was wearing a lavish red dress that contrasted starkly with her white hair.

“Impudence! Show the Princess your due respect!”

Despite the fact that I was a noble and had received an invitation to come here, the Imperial Knights went red with anger as they reprimanded me, apparently dissatisfied by the way I was spacing out in front of the princess who was next in line for the throne.

“Haha. We meet again.”

“Gasp!”

“Y-Youuu!!”

I wasn’t one to bow and scrape. Tiavel hadn’t formally revealed her name and position to me. There was no need for me to scramble to bow and wag my tail like Fido. However, that made the knights as red-hot as lava, so furious they might request a duel at any moment.

“It has… been a while.”

‘Hm? What happened to you, Lil’ Miss Haughty?’

In Nerman, Tiavel had exuded an unapproachable haughtiness. She had seemed like a woman made entirely of ice, one who wouldn’t bleed a single drop if pierced with a needle, but here, in the Haildrian Empire, she was blushing at my greeting.

‘Uuu…’

She was pretty damn cute. Her white hair, white lashes, and cold blue eyes the color of an icy lake was a feast for the eyes.

“…..”

The expressions of the knights changed as well. The knights stared at Tiavel and me in utter shock, as if they’d never heard such words from Tiavel before.

‘You poor sods, it’s impossible for you guys even if you were to live two lives.’

To be honest, when I first met Tiavel, she looked so emotionless that I even wondered whether she had ever smiled in her life. Haughtiness and dignity was wrapped tightly around her like an impenetrable aura. If not for my stupid joke about the hunter, Tiavel’s laugh back then and her appearance now wouldn’t have been possible. And judging from the knights’ reactions, I could tell that Tiavel had never shown such shyness with anyone other than me before.

Somehow, a feeling of pride came nudging into my heart. It was a kind of happiness only a man would understand.

“Please come inside.”

“Yes…”

At my invitation, Tiavel entered the room with a nod. Behind her, nearly Master-level Imperial Knights moved to follow her inside.

“Sir knights, please wait outside,” I said. I wasn’t one to usher them in.

“What?!”

Their expressions became stricken with bewilderment. I, a mere guest, was blocking them without knowing my place. I could only guess how dumbfounded they must feel.

“Wait outside.”

“As you command!”

Tiavel uttered a quiet sentence, and the knights lowered their heads as they backed out.

‘Their loyalty is no joke.’

I could draw a clear conclusion from observing them. Simply from the way they acted towards Tiavel, I could feel their sincerity towards Tiavel and the imperial family.

Creak, thud.

The door closed.

The moment the door closed, Tiavel flinched almost imperceptibly. I could guess it was her first time being in a closed room with an adult man like this.

‘Well then, miss. Let’s talk a little, shall we?’

As I looked at Tiavel’s slender figure standing in front of me, my mind turned quickly. Magic crystals were absolutely necessary for Nerman’s development. In order to acquire them, I had to steal the heart of the woman in front of me, the next tsarina of Haildrian.

I’d already been labeled by everyone as a scoundrel anyway, so I just wanted to have my cake and eat it too. Even if that fellow called a ‘conscience’ complained, it couldn’t be helped anymore.

I, Kang Hyuk, am a playboy.

I liked myself just the way I was.

* * *

“I wanted to see you.”

“G-Geh!”

I had already known she was a woman with a unique personality, but I hadn’t known that such passion had been hiding behind that haughty exterior.

Tea that was giving off a sweet fragrance had been set up for us within the room. When the Princess appeared, the maids came in without a sound and laid out the tea. And then, the silent girl in front of me who had been fidgeting with the teacup with her slender hand suddenly said she had wanted to see me.

‘Aghh, this is really driving me nuts.’

I needed to curry Tiavel’s favor, but I hadn’t expected this to happen. Including today, she had seen me exactly twice. I didn’t want to misinterpret her words, but how could I possibly misread the way she blushed as her eyes sparkled? 

However, I couldn’t feel at ease. What she said was a corny phrase that might appear in a third-rate romantic comedy. It was said that first impressions were important, but hearing her made me think that Tiavel and I weren’t well-acquainted to be speaking like that to each other.

‘This kind of feeling must be a first for her.’

On the other hand, I could understand her. From the looks of it, no one in Haildrian could dare to look at her straight, and the majesty and authority of royalty was ingrained in her every cell. So it was no surprise that when her mind was slightly off-kilter from a change in her surroundings when she visited Nerman, the way I had light-heartedly exchanged jokes with her had left a deep impression on her. That’s how I had been when I saw Yerin at school, too.

“It is an honor.”

Of course, I didn’t dislike it. Even I could no longer deal with my complicated fate with women. I ended up having a ‘let’s see how this goes’ sort of mindset.

“I apologize. You must be busy, but I have made you come so far.”

Naturally, it wasn’t as if her personality, developed over many years, would just fly away. It seemed as though she was trying to speak as smoothly as she could manage, but her words were still somewhat rigid. 

But that just made her cuter. Tiavel was trying her best to match me. That intent of hers was more than enough reward for this trip.

“Haha. It’s nothing. I wanted to meet Her Majesty the Tsarina who is aiding Nerman in any case. And my wish to see Tiavel-nim again is also being granted, is it not?”

When had she ever heard such words spoken to her before? Tiavel seemed to melt at my slightly honeyed words, delighted without knowing she was caught in a web.

‘Won’t I really get hit by a bolt from the heavens at this rate?’

I was hard at work corrupting pure souls out here, but it wasn’t as if I had no fear of the gods.

“Did Imperial Mother perhaps say something weird—”

“Your Highness, Her Majesty has ordered that you enter the palace with Count Kyre.”

Tiavel’s words were cut off by the noisy shout of the knight outside. This tsarina, she really didn’t know how to read the mood.

‘Is it time to meet the real tiger?’

The Tsarina had summoned me here using Tiavel as an excuse, but I had the faint feeling that Tiavel wasn’t the only reason. There was no way the tsarina of a nation would have called me here just because her daughter wanted to see me.

‘I guess we’ll find out.’

Even as I smiled at Tiavel, my mind settled down with crystal-clear composure.

I had accepted the Tsarina’s request and came all this way for my goal, a goal that I had to achieve no matter what for Nerman’s sake and my own.