Chapter. 14. One Empire, Three Legends (12)
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If what you serve is the God of Light, then the Emperor is the God of this world. This is a ghostwritten letter from the second prince, his heir. Therefore, I command you to humbly accept the words of the person you serve.
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“…Do I even need to read this?”
“Wouldn’t it be a good idea to understand what was said? Let’s see… The Empire has no intention of overlooking the Light Church’s actions of owning the Empire’s territory. However, by cutting off the head of a seditious saint, he became the sun of the Empire. “I have no intention of adding a little honor to it.”
“Even a magician who was born an atheist would not insult a priest to that extent.”
“Wow. I think I took everything from aristocratic speech that says you shouldn’t do things like that.”
While the group was disgusted by the content, which seemed dripping with arrogance, the professor continued reading the letter:
“For a group, making enemies is a step backwards, and being hostile to the empire is like sprinting toward the abyss. Gwangmyeong inevitably takes part in the empire’s events. Although they invaded, I dared to convey the words of the 2nd Prince. He said that this too was fate and that it would be an opportunity for us to keep in step with each other. I have no intention of blaming those who are lost in illusions and singing about happiness, but the majesty of the empire must be firmly engraved in their deluded minds. something to do.”
“Wow… well…”
“If you want Light to expand its power, the way to increase that light is to put down roots in the imperial capital and not in a small barbarian border city. In other words, the descendants of Light will become the 2nd Prince. He promised that if he does not reject your warmth, he will not turn away when he ascends to the throne. Since the prince has the qualities of a king, he will be a great help in future events of the church, and he is especially impressed by the blood saint’s prestige. “If the embrace of light seems insufficient to embrace you, what would it be like to come over to the embrace of the empire?… Hehehe, I’m so upset that I can’t read it all. I guess I can just pretend this letter doesn’t exist.”
“I agree. Such an insulting letter to you, who is reputed to be a faithful religious person. You can see it as a duel rather than a letter. Of course, the name of the Gwangmyeong Church in the empire is a bit weak. Their religious affiliation is much weaker than in the East. There are many older nobles who remember the Gwangmyeong Church, which collapsed 70 years ago to the point where they were called ‘holy workers’ and ‘holy mercenaries.’ But that… is at the level of dismissing all Gwangmyeong Church members as paranoid. .”
“I don’t care if you believe in the idiotic local god, but stick the four letters ‘Emperor-Emperor’ firmly in your stupid head. I know your god is an idiot, so I will throw it away and accept it if you come over to the empire… Wow, blasphemy. “It’s an invitation to excommunicate the empire. It’s a masterstroke that will make even a believer lying in a sick bed stand up and brandish a torch.”
The professor, who quickly burned the letter before the church members outside could see it, tapped his fingers on the desk and said,
“It will be one of the two. Not only the 2nd prince, but also the nobles around him are all idiots and turnip masters, and they will not use political speech to the degree. “He’s an idiot who doesn’t know anything. Either that, or he has a reason to deliberately provoke the church and at the same time elevate me, the leader of the church, to the finals of the competition.”
“The latter.”
“I guess it’s the latter.”
“Even if it was just the second prince, there must have been a lot of nobles who wanted to take advantage of him even more. It seems difficult to believe that all of them are stupid enough to send a letter like this.”
“Gwok. It’s a strange letter even to me.”
The professor also agreed with what his colleagues were saying in unison. There was no way he was planning a very complex Haunuman absorption policy while sending such a stupid letter, so there was another reason. ‘Let’s see. I am
devoting my whole body to carry out God’s will. A saint. That’s the image I have shown to the outside world right now. The pinnacle of Loharam’s followers, from being devout to being bordering on fanaticism. If I were a saint as I thought, I would have rushed to the Marquis as soon as I received this letter. Going on a rampage, threatening to kill everyone. .’
[That’s right. Of course, the Haunuman Parish paladins who were keeping an eye on my movements would also flock in. The battle they couldn’t do in the semi-finals would have been recreated in the marquis’ territory. In their imaginations.]
‘Yes. That’s what they thought. ‘Then why did they aim for that? Because they wanted the Marquis of Wildeland to die at the hands of the cult? That doesn’t make sense. Because they want us to be disqualified? Then it doesn’t make sense that the marquis’ knights abstained.’
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
As my worries deepened, my thoughts gradually sank deeper into my consciousness. There is not enough information to find out what the enemy is thinking. In that case, the first thing to look at is not the enemy, but my actions. On our side. What did the Light Church they are targeting do to show such a provocative movement?
Information given by the bishop here. Testimony of the boy priest who was distributing potion bottles. Arena. Slaves. Different races and beasts….
Tak.
“Idrasil. Could it be? “Were you doing that ‘hobby’ thing on the way to the semifinals?”
“Yes. Because I’m not the type of person who particularly enjoys laziness.”
“Okay. Then, you must have seen the Marquis of Vilderland’s territory on your way there. Which race was the most numerous there?”
“Compared to the human realm, there were far more beastmen and orcs. Most of the commercial and accounting positions were held by goblins and humans, while the orcish beastmen were said to be engaged in relatively demanding occupations such as manual labor. That’s why the empire gave them slaves to the beastmen. There is a rumor that it was induced to instill grit.”
“That’s not a rumor, it’s a fact. There were a lot of beastman Orcs in the Marquis’ territory… Next. We moved up to the Marquis’ side. Who came up against us?”
“That started an hour before the professor’s game. After a fierce match, the wolf-beast brother and sister made it to the finals.”
“So… those two are very popular in Haunuman?”
“There are so many. It is an unusual case of surviving in the arena for more than a few years, and its actions so far clearly show that it is aiming to become the king of the arena. It is said that beastmen who have memories of being oppressed by humans are enthusiastic about the sight of them endlessly aiming for the top. “This is our third time advancing to the finals. Ah, here’s something special. This year, only Tushan Dalun, the older of the two siblings, participated in all of the matches. They put his name as two and said that he has been competing alone so far.”
“Yes… He is aiming to win the fighting competition all by himself…”
[Marca Dalun: Received a serious injury.]
The goblin’s information sheet said that his younger brother was seriously injured. He seemed to make a fuss every time he sent a letter. I also saw Borka’s anxiety every morning after receiving a letter from his brother. If one of them can’t participate in a fighting competition where their freedom is at stake and can’t stop the other who wants to go out alone… ‘It looks like
the situation is quite serious. This time.’ In a match, Tushan never shouts surrender.’
Now that the information has been gathered, let’s think again from the enemy’s perspective. The saint, enraged by the A-level provocation letter, storms the Wildeland territory in the name of God. Proving that ‘mad’ is not in the name for nothing, the believers of the light go crazy. And unlike the Marquis who are protected by two master-level knights and soldiers, the working-class Orcs and Beastmen who are exposed to the outside world without any protection are bound to be unfairly swept away and suffer damage.
Another thing. This time, Popularity, who has no intention of shouting surrender even if he dies. The ultimate beastman gladiator and the saint of the church meet in the finals, and as a member of the cult willing to make some sacrifices if it is God’s will, kills the beastman gladiator who does not surrender until the end and the saint wins
. It is a possible scenario since they believe that they came to expand the church. If a truly devout saint had received God’s will and came to eat only Haunu, he would have cut down not just one but 100 of the beast people with a sword. All intentions are aimed at making the other species of beast people hostile to the church. Yes. And the actions of the church have recently changed drastically. The Church of Gwangmyeong has made a sharp U-turn from ostracizing different races to being friendly toward different races. What if the guys who had been approaching them so warmly suddenly go crazy, beat up beastmen and orcs, and trample on their idols….’
“It looks like the 2nd prince is closer to people in the underworld than I thought.”
The professor’s fingers, which had been tapping so hard to leave marks on the table, stopped and he concluded,
“
What do you mean?”
“That’s right. There’s no place better for criminals to live than Haunuman, and it’s also a place where you can get fresh drugs delivered the same day. Of course, it’s tied to the underworld.”
“I think we talked about that in the carriage yesterday too…”
“That’s right. But now that I think about it, there’s no way those people selling drugs wouldn’t sell something else, right? All kinds of illegal things, for example… slave trading.”
At the next words, Borka’s face turns into disbelief, shock, and anger.
“It’s not just a sale, it’s a slave trader with enough force to kill all the powerful werewolves who have settled in tribes in the forest and kidnap their children. That’s how big it is. “It may not be small, but the organization is so secretive and precise that it leaves no trace. It’s not an easy task among back-alley guys who make betrayal their thing, right? Even if you’re part of an organization with very strict rules.”
By the time the werewolf’s fangs and fur began to grow in anticipation of what he was going to say next, the professor concluded,
“It’s not that the 2nd prince brought in the underworld, but the 2nd prince is the underworld itself. He could be at least a leader or a head. Selling drug slaves is not an option. If you get the right supplier, it is a transaction of unimaginable amounts of money. There are many things that cannot be done with just money, but money that makes silver coins look like a pile of metal makes almost nothing impossible in the world. The second prince lacks political ability, but instead “He was building and maintaining his power with an absurd amount of money.”
If they were aiming for the throne, they would have increased their power even if it was unreasonable. As the power increased, maintenance costs also increased endlessly, and suddenly the slave trade, which was the most successful, was put under control. The Gwangmyeong Church, which had oppressed other races and turned a blind eye to the slave trade, is now turning a blind eye. They are turning red and arresting slave traders.
Immediately, all the lines of slave traders coming from the East are cut off, and the power held together by money is in danger of disintegrating.
“So, Haunuman, the mecca of this race, sent an image of light into the abyss . “That’s what I was trying to do. Look at me. They say things have changed in words, but the reality is still the same. Moreover, if you try to exercise your rights as a winner, you’ll be even more opposed to it, wondering if you’re also taking this city away.”
“But… But then what about Haunuman? In the end, the 2nd prince’s faction, Wildeland, didn’t win?”
“That’s why it was written in advance in the letter. They see the territory of the empire as being coveted by the church. It is an intrusion of religion into the political realm. Perhaps, if the winning saint had claimed the right to rule as they imagined, the entire 2nd Prince’s forces would have opposed the violation of the church’s rights. He must have complained about this. Since he can’t give up the Light Church of the entire empire just because of this one thing, the Marquis of Wildeland, who gave up his rights and stood up to the oppressive church, slowly gained influence along with his reputation. Well, it’s a good plan. He won several competitions. “It allows Haunuman to lean on that side much more naturally and gently than just trying to do it.”
“It was a meaningless plan in the end.”
“That’s right. I guess that’s because I didn’t know that he was a daily laborer without a shred of divine power.”
Just looking at that provocative letter right now doesn’t make me angry, but rather, ‘I’m trying my best.’ I can only express this sentiment, right? If even one member of the church had seen that letter, things would have started to go as the 2nd Prince expected, but it means that they sent it to the saint to aim for the most dramatic effect and then ruined it from the start.
“Probably . “If we receive the letter and there is no movement on our part, the 2nd prince with the child will make the first move. In that case, they may actually use somewhat drastic and rough measures, so we will have to go and greet them in person.”
“Hmm… Are you giving up on the finals? You say you achieved your goal for the wandering tribes, but…” “
Of course you should go there too. Surprisingly, an application came in from the other side as well. Hey Borka. “The other one is yours.”
The professor picked up the dirty page of the letter he had received from the goblin and handed it to Borka.
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If you are a fighter, let us fight at the top with all our might. Since I am the better of the two, I am the only one on our side. I will step forward. A true warrior would not add shame to an honorable position.
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Unlike the letter from the Marquis of Wildeland, which was full of all kinds of tricks and implied meanings, this dirty provocation was so clumsy that it was obvious. Piece of paper:
“This is a ridiculously simple provocation. Borka’s daughter seems very sick. I have to win even if I die, but 2-1 seems like it would be difficult, so I guess I used my brain. How can I fool you? Who wants to go out? What am I? The arena side is also good. Of course, we don’t know how the Marquis Prince will turn out, so someone who is smart, good at improvising, and strong enough to take on two master-level knights at the same time will have to go… I have no intention of underestimating your abilities, right?”
“….Please do me a favor. “I will go to the arena, so please take charge of what happens outside.”
Borka swept down the letter containing his son’s clumsy efforts with his eyes and put it in his arms.
‘Noon tomorrow. Noon tomorrow. 21 hours from now. ‘At noon.’
Borka’s heart sank as he remembered the children from a long time ago, and the voices of the group talking in low voices gradually faded away from his ears.
The final goal of life. Both the children and the object of revenge are in this city. The slowly sinking heart of the werewolf gradually became colder and sharper.
The bumps of the gladiator’s helmet left a mark on his mind like ripples.
Every time I felt like my suppressed emotions were about to burst out, I calmed my mind by looking at the shadowy world in the cool helmet.
I came out into the world and started tolerating the unbearable.
I ended up compromising on something that shouldn’t have been compromised.
He even abandoned his identity as a human beast to survive.
Didn’t you say that the moment when you threw away everything and ran is now less than a day away?
Borka pressed all his feelings into his heart at the feeling of scratching the cool metal.
Considering what I had endured over the past 15 years, counting the 21 hours with my eyes open was nothing.
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