69. The war begins again (3)
The new man who joined was just as tall as the man before.
It had well-developed muscles and a fearsome weapon on its back.
It was a bastard sword, a large sword that had to be handled with both hands.
As soon as he appeared, some people started whispering.
This is Acoma, the capital of Verde. It was
also a city close to Seonghwangcheong
.
Therefore, many people recognized his identity.
“Zodiac Knight Oridon!”
“It’s Scorpius Paladin!”
The Baron lowered his head in surprise. However, Scorpius Paladin Oridon did not even give him a glance.
I walked up to the man holding the green onion stalks and put his arm around his shoulder.
“This guy is still the same.”
“I’m bored. “Anyway, with the royal budget, I can purchase as many ingredients as I want, so I
’m going to try cooking dishes that I normally find difficult to practice.”
He was none other than Zeke.
I went out to buy groceries with Lakhe, and when people were noisily gathered, I joined in, wondering if there was something interesting to see.
Oridon said, looking back at the Baron.
“If you’re thinking of picking a fight with Gukseo’s brother, you’d better stop. No, is this one more scary than that? The Ender.”
“The end of the Horsetail Woods War!” The Baron shouted this with a devastated face. The onlookers also looked at the man again with
surprised expressions .
Zeke scratched his cheek again, grabbed Lakke’s sleeve, and left the crowd with Oridon.
Zeke opened his mouth as he walked down the path leading to the castle.
“We didn’t meet by chance, right?”
“When I went to the castle, I heard they went to see the market.”
“If that’s the case…
“Don’t refuse. “Is it because you’re upset that you’re not a Leo?”
“Because it’s not.”
“Of course, I know you’re not that kind of guy, but…
“I’m a guest of the Verde royal family right now. You know. “I know that taking care of my younger siblings suits me best.”
“That guy earlier is a ridiculous instigator, but one thing is true. “I think war will break out soon.”
Zeke frowned.
“You mean the demon world?”
“Ugh”
o“.
“Regin… “Recently
, intelligence is coming in that demons in the demon world are starving due to lack of food .
One or two may be misinformation, but the eyes of the magician who infiltrated the demon world also send pictures of withered crops on the frontier.”
Zeke already knew this.
The demons were having trouble adapting to the sun-drenched land.
There were even despairing predictions going around that if Deus had not provided alternative farmland, half of the demons could have starved to death within a year.
“The reason the Demon World signed a non-aggression pact is
not because their aggressive nature has diminished, but because the food problem is so serious. If that’s all it is, it would actually be better to wait a little longer… but according to the rumors, it looks like they’ve found farmland that can replace the demon world.”
“It’s a rumor….”
“They say it’s a rumor, but it’s closer to intelligence. There are demons that have been captured. “I decided to hand over information in exchange for my life in the future war.”
“There’s everything. “I never thought there would be a demon that communicates with humans!”
“War is always like that. Even if it was against demons .
In any case, once crops are harvested in earnest on that farmland, the food problem will be solved to some extent, and we will forever lose the opportunity for an easy victory.”
“Is that the argument of the prehistoricists?”
“Ascalon’s argument.”
“ah!”
“Because our Askaron is always in charge of the vanguard troops advancing to the Demon World. how is it? “Do you feel like participating now?”
“I like peace.”
“If it was a joke, it was pretty funny.”
“Ha, I hope it’s a joke.”
“Why do you, who are more of a warrior than anyone else, say such a weak thing? Of course, it is true that Seonghwangcheong’s treatment over the past 10 years has been too severe. “But please don’t hold a grudge too deeply.”
“It’s not because of that. It’s just… I like a bigger world than that.”
“A bigger world?”
“Mr. Oridon. The original name of this world is Earth. The Earth has enough space to fit dozens or hundreds of continents. “If we pioneer there
, there is no need to fight in this small space.”
Oridon frowned.
“Are you serious about that?”
” yes?”
“The ones down there are demons. “It is an enemy that must be annihilated.”
Zeke closed his mouth on his words.
Oridon tapped Zeke on the shoulder.
“It looks like what happened to your mind after being locked up in Neuekahn for so long. Zeke This is the human world. Come back to the way you used
to be. Let’s become the Zodiac Knight and defeat the demons together. Anyway, I’m here to tell you that story, so please answer me as soon as possible. Cadenza is also waiting with his eyes closed.”
Zeke just glossed over his words with laughter.
Returning to the castle, Zeke summoned Regin aside.
It was to discuss the matter of the demon world. After talking with Oridon, Zeke looked at Regin.
Regin let out a short snort and was lost in thought.
Although Zeke was 10 years older, Regin had a better political sense.
This was because he had been raised by Cadenza and Oridon since the age of five and was familiar with central politics.
“Seeing the warlike faction gaining power so quickly, the Holy Emperor must have made a move.”
“Is that so?”
“That means Mr. Cadenza is planning to do it. “He is the leader of Ascaron, the core of the warring
faction.”
“Why suddenly…
“First of all, not suddenly. It was none other than Ascaron who planned the expedition to the Demon World that started last year. Askaron is a sword, not a shield. Ascaron’s reason and goal is to attack the demon world while the warrior defends the continent of Jose against the demon king.”
“I knew the general idea, but wasn’t that too belligerent?”
“That ties into the second reason… It’s because of my brother.”
” me?”
“yes.”
“I am…
“Because I am the one who can wield the tip of Ascaron’s sword. “It was originally my role, but since I became the head of state, it got a little twisted.”
“Isn’t it difficult to use King Verde’s husband as a vanguard?”
“Yes. Of course, I have no intention of turning down that role, but it would be burdensome for Mr. Cadenza.”
“I guess so.”
“What do you plan to do? If I refuse , people will start talking about
me being in touch with the demon world again …
Zeke crossed his arms.
To be honest, I had no regrets about being kicked out of humanity now.
He knows that all his friends will follow him and that this world is infinitely wide.
But I couldn’t leave Regin alone.
He took the knight’s oath.
I swore that I would kill the person who killed Queen April’s father.
The problem is that the opponent is Deus.
It was not an opponent worth fighting and defeating.
Regin’s oath was synonymous with suicide, and I followed him here to try to prevent it somehow.
If you want to continue to be by Regin’s side, you have to adjust to human rules appropriately.
“No, but you actually have no intention of going to war.”
“As an individual, but as a state official, I cannot ignore the king’s intentions. Honestly, if you are confident that you can win, it is better to widen the front line to some extent. “We will be able to occupy an advantageous bridgehead in future relations with the demons
.”
“It’s Migo. “The other person is.”
“The opponent is the Demon Realm. “It doesn’t matter whether the king is beautiful or not.”
“This is why those who are nobles…
“I became a grand duke, so my brother is also a nobleman.”
“Anyway, I am against war, but it is difficult to say that unconditionally due to the circumstances.”
“yes. “Because politics is not something you can pursue alone.”
“Then let’s hit the player.”
“Which player?”
“The era of great exploration.”
“The Great Exploration… era?”
“let’s go. Beyond the distant mountains. We will increase the territory of the Jose Continent ten times its current size. “So that we don’t have time to start a war while pioneering that place.”
“If it’s 10 times the land…
“How about it? Are you fine?”
“That should be enough to persuade the nobles.”
“Let’s push in here if we can. “The war with the demons… it’s better to stop now.”
Regin looked at Zeke and sighed.
“Brother, are you still taking Deus’ side?”
“This is a story that puts my relationship with him aside. Besides, Deus-sama is from the demon race, but he has nothing to do with the current demon world.”
“I just can’t understand that mentality. Demons are demons. They exist to kill humanity. “Mi Go is a lovely nephew, but I don’t think that means he can become friends with demons.”
“I thought that too until recently. No matter what your relationship with Deus is,
demons cannot forgive you. You may not be there, but when the human army invaded the demon world, I was the one who stopped Deus from attacking them. “If I hadn’t stepped forward, Ascaron would have been annihilated that day, and the entire continent of Jose would not have been safe.”
It was a calm story, but it sent shivers down Regin’s spine.
My older brother, Zeke, never lied. As long as he said he would have been wiped out, there was no room for other interpretations.
“Regin humans
are beings that can change. And that’s the best advantage. It can change, you, me and all of us. I have to do that again. “Maybe we don’t have that much time.”
“What time do you mean?”
“The world will change at a much faster pace than before. The Joseon Continent can no longer protect our humanity. “We have to protect ourselves.”
“That’s why I want to fight.”
“The enemy is not a demon.”
“Then
“I don’t know yet. Deus-sama
seems to have a vague sense of the real enemy, but he hasn’t said anything yet.”
“I can’t understand anything that’s being said.”
“We must evolve.”
“It seems like you are obsessed with some kind of heretical religion.”
“Someday you will understand. So, let’s go see the world together.”
Regin nodded.
“It’s better for me than risking my life fighting with Migo.”
Zeke was unusually active in matters of war.
Of course, towards avoidance.
Queen April accepted her husband Regin’s request. In fact, from her perspective, it would have been easier to send her husband on an expedition rather than to the battlefield.
It was decided to select an army of 3,000 men led by the Knights of the Yellow Dragon and explore new lands.
3,000 people was a really small number. 2,000 were slave soldiers for supply, and
the number of knights and their servants was only 1,000.
Because the majority of the nobles still supported the southern expedition, it was difficult to invest large resources into the exploration that the government arbitrarily decided to do.
Regin’s army departed, and his brother and his vassals also left the castle.
Following the Tigris High Pass, they crossed the Jose Spine Mountains and made their final supply in the Kingdom of Isolta.
Zeke spoke to Katran, a young warrior who followed him.
“You seem happy.”
“Because my hometown is not far.”
“It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?”
“yes. “I haven’t been home much since I turned 15.”
“Are you going to stop by?”
“no. “I’m not a child.”
Katran puffed out her chest and laughed.
And then he turned his eyes far north.
“This place was originally the sea, right?”
“yes. “Because the coastline of the Jose Continent is behind it.”
The land that used to be sandy and muddy
changed into a completely different landscape in just a few months.
The grass grew at a fast pace. Even though it was a field full of salt, it didn’t seem to matter.
Bugs and small animals settled in the fields where sand and short grass were mixed.
Now the sea of the Jose Continent has become a huge grassland.
Although it was still too salty for farming, the land was slowly but surely becoming more fertile with each rain.
