Episode 434
“…The troops gathered here at Kyle Castle and the troops stationed at each fortress are still not defeated. The imperial army has already crossed the central part of the continent and is heading west.”
“They are also blocking the retreat of the Kingdom’s Allied Forces. It has already been a month under the pretext of clearing the battlefield.”
A corner of Kyle’s inner self.
When a blond-haired middle-aged man in a dark room snapped his fingers, small sparks flew from his fingertips and ignited candles placed throughout the room.
“The intention is as obvious as fire. I don’t know if the Empire is aware of it.”
The black-haired beauty frowned as the room lit up with naturally used flame magic.
“Wasn’t it your father who told you to stay quiet like a dead rat?”
“But there is no need to remain depressed like this. The tower owner’s order has been given, so we should move slowly.”
“…father.”
“hmm?”
“When the day that Topju said comes, will I really be able to see my mother again?”
At those words, the expression of Gerard, a middle-aged man who was smiling, shook.
“…Why are you saying that now? Wasn’t the story already over?”
“It’s just… I suddenly wondered if my mother would like the way we are now that we have lost our royal family.”
Gerard’s complexion hardened as he saw his daughter’s bitter expression.
“Of course. And we will enjoy greater glory under His authority than before. Wasn’t that promised?”
“….”
When Luisa fell silent, his voice got louder.
“Haven’t you also seen the many miracles shown by the tower’s owner? Why do you, who have mastered the tower’s magic, have less faith than me!”
“…Yes, I did.”
But why
do I feel so anxious?
She couldn’t bring herself to spit out the words that were floating in her mind.
‘Top owners are ultimately human too.’
Now McLane’s victory continues.
As the tower owner’s expectations, which he thought were absolute, are being shattered one by one, his once solid faith is also cracking.
“That time is coming soon. We are doing well. So let’s get moving. First, we must earn King Logan’s trust as ordered.”
“…How? King Logan doesn’t trust me, so he refused to participate in the war.”
“It’s because of your magic, and wasn’t this father and Jay active enough during the last war? There is enough foundation to build trust.”
Gerard looked at Jay behind him and shrugged his shoulders, but Luisa was still distracted.
“Even so, I don’t think King Logan will believe us.”
However, despite those pessimistic words, Gerard just smiled.
“You just have to show your sincerity. Now that he’s an Auror Master, things have become easier.”
“yes?”
“Among the legends of Grand Mages and Auror Masters, there is a saying that they can read people’s minds. And the tower owner said that this is true. So all we have to do is show our true feelings.”
It was a story that Luisa also knew. Because of that, he was beginning to think that his identity might have been revealed quickly.
But…
“Ha are we?”
If I did that, wouldn’t my head be cut off right away?
Her retort contained such meaning, but Gerard’s smile only grew deeper.
“Yes. Just be kind and sincere to the other person.”
“That’s easier said than done…”
“This lady has been doing this for 20 years. And in front of the emperor.”
Even Luisa could no longer refute those words.
“Of course, I didn’t expect him to be a great mage.”
Gerard smiles bitterly.
He recalled the image of the emperor he had seen in the last war. As I did so, my fingertips naturally began to tremble.
The force that toyed with the new continent’s best sword, Logan McLane, as it pleased.
It was as if he had been walking an incredibly dangerous tightrope for decades without even realizing it.
“Obviously, before I ascended the throne, I was only at the level of the 3rd circle…”
“…20 years have passed, father.”
“Isn’t it even more surprising that he became a great mage in ‘only’ 20 years?”
Luisa responded to those words with silence. She rose to the level of a mage at a young age with the vision of the tower, and she knew very well how high and thick the walls of a great mage were.
As my father said, if you could become a great mage by investing ‘only’ 20 years, there would be countless magicians who would sell their souls.
“…Please stop. Even if there is a secret in the imperial family, there is nothing we can do about it now.”
“Yes. What I mean is that if you show only your sincerity in front of King Logan that is beneficial to him, it won’t be that difficult to gain his trust. In fact, the problem between us and him is not just the conflict in the kingdom union.”
Instead of saying that not everyone is as good at mind control as you, Luisa gave another excuse.
“I also have my job.”
“That’s right, no one died. In fact, it’s the same in the kingdom union. In the end, it was only the tower that saw blood, not McLane.”
“…I guess so.”
“We are in a situation where we have the same enemy. If we just bury the fights we had in the past, there is no way we can’t become one side.”
In the end, Luisa had no choice but to admit that her father had a point.
“…Then how?”
“Leave it to me.”
Gerard, who showed a confident smile, visited Logan that very day.
* * *
“Let’s strike the empire?”
“If you make good use of this opportunity, I don’t think sinking the empire will be that difficult. Please consider it, Your Majesty.”
“…How should I accept you suddenly coming and saying something like this, Gerard?”
It was a calm expression, but Gerard could read the embarrassment in it. Even if you are a superhuman among superhumans, it is difficult to ignore age.
He swallowed that thought and smiled.
“How am I reading Your Majesty’s mind correctly?”
“…You know that sounds pretty unpleasant, right?”
Gerard could clearly see that the king’s frowning expression was also acting.
‘It’s not difficult to read minds even if you’re not an Auror Master.’
The middle-aged man who, as a member of the Ares Empire’s royal family, had pledged his life to the royal family’s battle of fortune, had now become a snake that could guess a person’s inner thoughts with just a slight change in facial expression.
“It means that I can help you with your Majesty’s great succession. Revenge on the empire is my life’s long-cherished wish.”
“…Since what happened the other day, Gerard has surprised me several times. To the point where I can’t even guess his motive.”
Red eyes that seem to want to see one’s inner thoughts.
Gerard looked straight into those red eyes and revealed his true feelings without hesitation.
“Of course. As I am the secretary of the empire’s leadership, I will tell you in person. It happened around the time when the current emperor, Caisus, became the crown prince…”
The words that started like that eventually led to the matter of his traitorous wife. He showed his long-held anger toward the imperial family in front of the king of a foreign country.
“…It’s been such a disgusting life. That’s why I held the hand of the Kassel Matapju. And this time seems to me to be a golden opportunity to make that dream come true, Your Majesty.”
There was no need to put any effort into acting. Just by bringing up old things that had piled up and made my heart rot and crumble, my anger toward the imperial family surged up to the sky again.
The ‘heartfelt’ appeal was followed by an honest rebuttal from the king.
“…Hmm, it’s unfortunate and surprising. I understand the story. But I don’t think Gerard can help you much enough to talk about conquest right now?”
And that alone made Gerard’s fists clench.
I do not deny the theory of imperial conquest.
Also, the red eyes looking at him had a light of trust that was not visible before the conversation.
It meant that he believed everything he said. It seemed like proof that the Tower’s legend about the Auror Master was never wrong.
‘It may still be insignificant.’
The primary goal seemed to have been achieved simply by affirming a story that would have been dangerous if leaked.
Now then…
“Of course, you wouldn’t be satisfied with me standing at the forefront of the army despite my incompetence. So I thought about whether there was anything I could do to help in some other way. Then my daughter gave me a clue.”
“Hoo? Are you Princess Luisa?”
“Now that child is also a princess… Well, let me just get to the point. Wouldn’t it be better to mobilize the kingdom’s allied forces as well? However, it looks like you will have a hard time persuading her, so we will greatly shorten the process.”
“hmm?”
“I will brainwash some of the leaders of the Allied Forces and make them do as Your Majesty wants. Wouldn’t that be helpful enough?”
Gerard said his plan with a confident smile, and Logan also smiled back.
“I refuse.”
Gerard froze for a moment with a smiling face.
Then, with difficulty, he spoke again.
“…Hahaha. Ah, of course Your Majesty must have had a plan. But wouldn’t it take quite some time? If we borrow the power of the tower, we can drastically shorten that time. We’ll make sure it won’t be noticeable to the outside world. I swear. .”
His slightly faster speech clearly reflected his urgent feelings.
But despite this, Logan’s expression did not change.
“It is better not to create an excuse in the first place. And we have enough means to persuade the kingdom alliance. However, if you want revenge on the empire, I also have something to ask of you, Gerard.”
The moment Gerard heard those words, he felt an ominous feeling.
I didn’t want to hear any more, but it was difficult to back out like this.
“…Please speak.”
“I would like to meet Matapju Kassel. Can you contact me?”
…shit.
Gerard’s confident expression crumpled for the first time.
* * *
– …I can’t give you a sure answer, but I’ll try my best.
Logan chuckled as he remembered Gerard, who returned with a stern expression.
In fact, there was no need to refuse the offer of help at this time.
Although they say they are chasing the Kassel Magic Tower in the Holy Kingdom, they are not people who can be caught easily. And the empire can no longer afford to care about them.
‘In other words, if you want to get their help, now is the right time. But…’
Is there really a need to do that?
No matter how discreetly you help, you still have to take risks.
‘You might find yourself vulnerable to those guys for no reason.’
Logut moved his force with a cruel smile.
Ugh.
Unlike a while ago, I didn’t feel any pain during the force core that made my heart beat. The realization gained from seeing Viktor’s stigmatization significantly increased the speed of Force Core’s recovery.
Not only that, but I was able to figure out the direction of the level next to Auror Master, which I only vaguely felt, so the common sense that progress becomes slower the higher you reach the level has been completely shattered for a long time.
But nevertheless.
‘There is no guarantee that you can defeat the Emperor or the Cassel Tower Master until you really reach that level.’
So it was necessary to make sure.
When we still have a common enemy.
When the Kassel Matapju thinks he is not the enemy, there is a need to meet him in person and give him an estimate.
And if the estimate is lighter than expected….
‘You can slit your head on the spot.’
Logan rolled the increasingly darker golden aura in his hands and smiled cruelly.
The Kassel Magic Tower may be able to cooperate with him in the face of a common enemy, but he had no intention of leaving them alone.
‘If you can use it, use it. But…’
It’s just an enemy that must be dealt with someday.
Even if it is not a memory of his past life, and even if it is not at the request of the Sword God, the memory of his ancestor Gibrik Cassel’s attempt to steal his soul is still vivid.
I also remember the atrocities they committed against Tria during the Kingdom Alliance War.
If the emperor and the empire were enemies that had to be defeated for the sake of the future, the Kassel Tower was no different from a pest that could be killed by stepping on every foot in sight.
It’s just a matter of time.
And now….
‘Will they really respond?’
Will we be able to meet another great mage, the snake that swallowed the truth that was only rumored? How strong will he really be?
Logan closed his eyes for a moment, suppressing his pounding heart out of curiosity.
I didn’t know how they would come out, but first I had to deal with the most important thing at hand.
Prepare to march towards the empire.
‘Has the imperial army arrived in the west by now?’
Logan took a deep breath and shouted outside the office.
“Tell Sir Damian to come!”
