Chapter. 15. Can someone who has seen the end of the world plant an apple tree? (3)
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Fortunately… I don’t know if it’s right to say it.
Quite a few people noticed the ‘pause’, but thanks to Duke Glenn, I was able to explain what happened. It also came with a pretty good guarantee, the power of Duke Glenn.
The people gathered were taken aback by the sight of the Duke of Glenn, who suddenly roared and then stumbled as if he had been struck by lightning, but this was somewhat alleviated when Emperor Gainax calmed him down.
If there was a slight problem. I guess you could say it was a way to calm the commotion.
“Did you really have to do that? When hiding it wasn’t enough, you called me out there….”
“Aren’t you the one who ruined my coronation? What should have been the most majestic coronation of the emperor is causing a commotion that would only occur in a local bar. “Let’s just say I got paid for it.”
Immediately after the Duke of Glenn left his parents’ home, he asked, ‘World Tree? Saint? ‘Do you ask me a favor?’ While people were murmuring in the same voice, Gainax once again opened his mouth to the audience in a dignified voice.
‘When the first emperor petitioned to become master of the empire. It’s time to swear in front of Lionel before it’s still called the Lion Sword! There were three witnesses who stood as witnesses to the oath! One of them was Agtak, a close friend of the great troll shaman! One was his companion, a renowned noblewoman, Anastasia Agdan! finally! The forest elf elder was the witness of the oath and the contract that bound fate and fate! I swear once again at the heart of this country that will escape the fate of the dead and be reborn as the Empire of the Old Tree! ‘Call three witnesses as on that day!’
Although it was somewhat impromptu, his words, which described the moment when the history of the empire began at the center of the empire, had a power other than simple persuasion.
Notum, who was the first to respond to the cry, got up and looked like a person possessed by a ghost, or indeed lost his mind, possessed by the ghost of his ancestor, and with his red eyes shining, he stepped forward and took the position of the shaman.
Unable to withstand the quiet support and strange pressure in their eyes from people who knew the situation, Lucilla clenched her teeth and carefully moved forward to fill the lady’s place.
Lastly, it was announced that I had been called to the World Tree right away, and people’s eyes were focused on me, who had a blue symbol symbolizing the World Tree on my side, which was still leaking blood.
therefore. It meant that I, who had been stamped by the World Tree, should take the place of the elf elder who had taken the oath 500 years ago.
“Fortunately, we followed our wishes and it was resolved well. thanks. As a new royal dynasty, it is important to show a different side from the past, but it is also important to prove legitimacy by inheriting the old things. The reason why the Empire’s contract magic is effective through three qualified witnesses is because it is connected to the Empire’s old lore. There is no place in the empire that does not bear traces of the old empire in all its laws and customs. Even though that power is gone. No, since it has disappeared, isn’t my situation now that I have to pay even more attention to what remains, even if only in that form? “Thank you for your help, saint.”
“Actually, I didn’t really go to the front to help… If I hadn’t gone forward at that time, that person over there would have just clicked his sword so scary that I would have run away.”
What can I do? Right now, Master of Master Swordsman Dyke Schwartz was fiddling with the handle of his sword without even blinking and glaring at me while saying something like, ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve been shaken like this at this age…’ As a prosecutor is a being who isolates himself from the world and completes his personal microcosm, he must have been very intrigued by me who ‘completely disappeared’ from the world, even if only for a moment. So much so that I want to pick up a knife right now. Notum, who was possessed
by
the ghost of the great sorcerer Agtak, had once stood as a witness in the past and was willing to take that position again this time.
His face turned bright red and he glanced at Gainax and said, ‘What are you doing all of a sudden!’ Lucilla secretly whispers the same thing.
Even I ran forward as if running away, covering my side where the blood was leaking out.
A witness from roughly 500 years ago. The three of us, who replaced the shaman lady and the elf representative, stepped forward. The coronation ceremony ended successfully with Gainax recreating the moment from 500 years ago.
People cheer everyone. The knights of the Sword Family who arrived late were moved by the recreated legend of the founding of the country. Seeing the smoke rising from the capital, nearby lords visited the capital one after another to see the devastation, face the new owner of the empire, and swear loyalty.
Workers to rebuild the capital arrive, hammers and carts. Until the sound of metal nails hitting fills my ears.
When I was driving through the capital city, which was stained with witches and curses, time passed slowly as if it had stopped, and the comfortable time passed by as quickly as snow melting in spring.
Three days after the coronation. Now, everyone in the group, including me, has fully recovered. The work in the capital was over, so it was time to leave.
“food.”
“I took care of it.”
“Apo.”
“Gainax took care of it. “It’s good enough that I just pick it up and eat it all.”
“Not Gainax, but the Emperor! “I know very well that Your Majesty treats the warrior without hesitation, but since it is the early stages of your reign, it is not good to call Your Majesty the Emperor carelessly in the ears of others.”
“Then you followed around, saying ‘Gainax~ Gainax~’.”
“that! “That…!”
“You know, you know. “Lucilla Aedran is the Emperor’s lover, the ‘woman from Teldrat’ who guided his destiny, and among the three people who proved His Majesty’s accession to the throne, she was placed in the position that a noble lady’s companion should occupy.”
Lucilla blushed at the professor’s sly words, but she no longer denied it or made a motion to stop her from saying such things. For the past three days, Lucilla has been busier with Gainax than with our group. Within three days, a letter came to me from the Aedran family. There were a lot of complicated modifiers, but to sum it up, ‘I have received favor that cannot be converted into money, and I am counting it from the moment I heard the news.’ degree. I could see in the letter that I really liked the man of the house. Well, the daughter who left home became the empress of the empire. It wasn’t because he was bought and killed by a snatcher, but because he was in a position as solid as a rock that nothing about his legitimacy or achievements can fall from. For this, we need to hang a placard on the gate of the estate and slaughter a cow.
[Hehehehe. ‘axis! Capturing the supreme ruler of the empire, our daughter who ran away from home!’ Is it worth it?]
‘It’s not a joke. Even if they don’t do it like a local country party, the Aedran family is probably boasting about it by sending out letters like spam emails under the pretext of spreading the news of the marriage to the social world. He must have relayed the news to everyone he could, from the high-ranking nobles of Teldrat to the abandoned collateral nobles living in the woods. Oh my, how can I do this! While he couldn’t even care about his daughter, he made the new emperor of the empire his son-in-law? Now, my family is a maternal relative of the empire – I’m jealous – my daughter is at home messing around with her hair – it’s full of stuff like this.’
hmm. I should also stop by Teldrat on my way to Roderick. When a blind date goes so well, it’s polite to reward someone with a crooked upper leg. A return gift from a family called gold that never dries. I’m looking forward to it.
“Don’t block the road there, get out of the way, get out of the way- Ugh! Seo saint! Oh my, I’m sorry about this! “I didn’t even know it was a saint because the material was blocking my view…”
The voice of a worker pushing a cart full of wood broke me out of my thoughts. Winter is over and the sky is clear and clear, as if it had never been as scary as Armageddon.
The sound of people building a new home is everywhere, as if people who lost their homes and families are standing up once again.
“…Everyone is returning to their original places.”
“Yes.”
“Now we have to go back to our place.”
Lucilla, who was looking at the list of items to be loaded on the cart, flinched for a moment at my words, but then nodded.
The nobles of the capital who were shocked but survived moved to the imperial castle, a tent built on the site of the castle, to be the place where the emperor and the future direction of the empire were decided.
The people of the city are going to where their masters are or where they have work to do in the capital being rebuilt for them.
The Emperor’s Companion… Among the candidates, Lucilla, who boasts an unwavering approval rating, is ranked first and goes to the Emperor’s side.
Shake!
“Aldrich. Can I really just take that with me? “If you have something to eat, at least bring some drinking water with you.”
“no. How much food can I carry for my old body? “It takes more effort to carry it than it takes to eat it.”
Aldrich, who loses his evil spirit and escapes the path of a warlock, prepares for a new life as a true soul mage, to a place where another soul awaits.
“Then… I loaded all the luggage. “It’s really time to go.”
And the Saint and his party, who have a lot of work to do for the world that is still under threat of destruction, are in another danger. To a place where evil lurks.
A cart loaded with a mountain of luggage and the professor’s party. Lucilla, who was looking at Aldrich in shabby robes with a small baggage, looked at their luggage list as if hanging on, and then opened her mouth.
“But is it really okay for you to go without making any special request to Your Majesty? The purpose of coming here is clearly to ingratiate myself with a high-ranking person in the empire and to request support for Roderick’s front line…” “
If that’s the case, I’ve already gotten it in abundance, so I’m leaving without saying anything. Let’s wait and see. “Lucilla, you sit in front of the imperial accounting ledger and chew on my name, because your face is clear.”
“If the professor says that… I really need to prepare myself. Then the elf. “You’re leaving the spirit balloon here, but you’re not going to the elf forest anymore?”
“Ah, that. that’s right. I don’t think I need it anymore. Take it as a souvenir. “It may be a little shabby, but since it was made by Wuthering Heights wizards, it won’t be enough to offend the future empress.”
Although he didn’t talk much with the emperor, he definitely received what he needed.
‘The empire has awakened from its long sleep and will now begin to be active. Even though the capital was in ruins, in the end, no damage was done to other territories except the capital.’
‘The lords who discovered traces of Mutation Blood in their territory will strengthen their defenses and stock up on military supplies. I will officially announce that the Empire is under attack by a third force.’
Proclamation of a new emperor. The Empire is under attack and the target has been clearly identified.
‘We can send enough troops, but it will be difficult to support the truly powerful knights. It’s as if there is no guard knights right now, and most of the noble knights who had come to the capital to protect the head of the family and family were dead and injured. As the imperial power is not yet stable, we cannot provide enough knights to strengthen the center of the empire.’
‘…Then it might be a bit of a pain. Knights may respect me for having a private meeting and a drink with the emperor, but for noblemen’s soldiers, the order of their master, who gives them green bonuses, is the top priority. If the nobles tell us to move passively to save troops, we might have a hard time using them on the front line…’
‘That’s a completely unnecessary worry.’
‘yes?’
‘Didn’t you, saint, proudly list your name as one of the three people who prove the emperor’s throne?’
‘That’s because the situation is like that… it just happened that way.’
‘You may not realize it yet, but it is my greatest favor and reward.’
‘….ah! Somehow, the way other nobles who don’t have any faith at all have changed their views!’
‘Is there no need to explain? also. If you weren’t a member of the church, I would have wanted to keep you next to me.’
The greatest favor and reward the emperor spoke of. Being listed as one of the three that proves one’s status as emperor.
Somehow I got this reputation by being pushed around. When I think about it, the more I chew, the better it becomes.
“why?”
“look. It is true that the empire needs to show a new appearance as it proclaims a new dynasty, but just as important is the symbol of maintaining the legitimacy of the past. This is true for nobles, but especially knights. Among the single-minded knights, there are people who break their oath of loyalty if those aspects are not met.”
“Yes.”
“Even the empire is like that. The history of the empire itself is that it was a country that controlled the entire empire. From the laws of the empire to customs and culture to the songs sung by neighborhood children, there is no place that is not steeped in the history of the empire. Do you remember the enchanted contract we destroyed in Haunuman? A restriction that a contract can be canceled or changed only if three high-ranking imperial nobles or someone with equivalent qualifications agree.”
“Oh, that’s it. I remember. That’s… huh? Three people? contract?”
“Hehehehe. Can’t you feel it? The origin of contract magic lies in the oath of the first emperor and the three witnesses. For your information, the emperor flatly refused, saying that he would not become emperor because he could not face death once he became emperor, but the four people gathered there voted to elect the first emperor, and the emperor grumbled and swore an oath with them before the sword.”
The point is that even if the power to control the empire disappeared, its history and lore were already deeply rooted in the people of the empire. In such a situation, the new emperor announced that the succession had been achieved by reviving the traditions of the first empire.
“Orthodoxy. One of the people who proved it was me. Even if a few decades pass by and the next great prince takes over, or a coup d’état takes place, overthrows the Gainax dynasty, and becomes the new emperor. You and I, Notum, must prove our legitimacy to win the loyalty of the knights. This means that we have to invite three people as witnesses, or at least call people with the same conditions as us and make them stand as three witnesses and swear an oath.”
The elf elders served as witnesses to the first emperor, and for the next 500 years, the elf forest was recognized by the empire as their territory, and they were even given the authority to kill those who entered. because? Immediately, an elf elder jumps out and says, ‘As a witness to the first emperor, I declare that the new emperor… is not fit for the position of emperor!’ If you say one word, the battle for the throne that you barely won could be turned upside down. The orthodox badass knights said, ‘That guy can’t do it! The witnesses of history say so!’ while doing.
In the end, this means that from now on, emperors will see me for generations or have good relationships with people who have authority equivalent to me.
As for me, as the only saint and warrior of light, I was officially declared to be the representative of light, I am a hero who saved the empire, and although it is unexpected, I am a legend who was even stamped as a ‘good guy’ by the World Tree, the sacred tree of the elves, who is believed to have existed since the beginning of time. I mean, he’s a legend.
Even though I thought to myself, ‘How did this title end up on one person?’ To the extent that I can do this, there will be no one in the future with authority equivalent to mine. So, what I’m saying is that after I die, my descendant, or someone I recognize, will take over the authority of witness.
Ultimately, this means that the Park Gyo-su family has no choice but to be very close to the emperor from generation to generation.
This means that nobles would be very upset if such a person were in front of them.
Since the nobles would say, ‘Take care of that person, no matter what!’, it meant that the countless elite soldiers that the imperial nobles would send to Roderick under the emperor’s orders would listen very carefully to my words.
Lucilla, who was packing the cart for our group and Aldrich’s belongings in front of the newly built warehouse, stared intently at each of us preparing our way.
“and….!”
“What do you think, don’t you think this is what you get?”
“Hmm… How many reinforcements will Gainax send?”
“As much as possible under the Emperor’s command. The fewer noble soldiers there are, the stronger the imperial authority becomes. It would be better for the Empire if Roderick’s side fights and the sparks do not spread to the Empire. They say they are sending all available troops to Roderick, leaving only the standing troops in each territory. The official title is ‘An attack to punish the mutes who invaded the empire.’ This is not a support for Rodrik, but an attack by the Empire itself. “The commander…”
“No way…”
As Lucilla looked at him with a sour expression, the professor opened his mouth with a grin.
“Unfortunately, I heard that the Margrave will be held by someone with deep knowledge of military operations. I couldn’t even get there. Of course, there is no doubt that he will review very positively the opinion of the saint, who is known to be very intelligent, has seen Ilshin’s military power, and is known to be close to the emperor as a witness to the coronation ceremony.”
“Wow, you thief.”
“I’m sorry, but no one can be a thief in front of that guy at Gainax. Look in the mirror, Lucilla.”
“How many times are you saying, “Your Majesty the Emperor!” Ugh… I understand. As expected, I didn’t have to worry because he was a warrior. So what happened to the elf? “Your reinforcements were the original reason why the hero set out, right?”
“That was handled more cleanly than your Majesty the Emperor.”
The professor looked down at the bandage on his waist, which was still slightly bleeding due to the regenerative power not working.
The seal of the World Tree was visible slightly protruding from the neat bandage.
According to Duke Schwarz, who was able to observe what happened in frozen time, perhaps because of his level of achievement, a pure-blooded elf from the Elven Forest stabbed me in the side with a branch of the World Tree and then I disappeared.
‘It stabbed me so deep it felt like it was going to kill me. I couldn’t see it closely, but I could see him being slightly agitated after stabbing me, probably because he was embarrassed.’
Probably didn’t intend to kill him. Since I showed off my toughness during the battle of the capital, I guess they thought I was that strong and pushed with all their might to get at the end. My glass body, which was in a non-combat state, accepted the sharp branches of the World Tree like pudding.
‘By the way, it is said that pure-blooded elves are the limbs of administrators… So where did that elf named Tyrea go? There’s something I’d like to talk about.’
‘Well… I see that my breathing has calmed down, so I guess I’ve recovered my stamina. After that, if you spar one more time, I’ll teach you.’
Just like that.
‘….no, I do not want. I said no. Put down your sword! Swordsmith! Duke Schwarz! Just sleep for a moment-‘Seugeeo
-eook-!
“eww!”
….A bad memory came to mind. The old man had good eyesight, so he must have seen my battle from afar. He knew that I could recover from most wounds and was really excited.
Anyway, I had to play with my sword-crazed grandfather with all my might, but thanks to him, I was able to understand why I had a World Tree tattoo on my side.
This is why I said there was no need to go to the elven forest.
“I am now a human being recognized by the World Tree. The elf has no choice but to unconditionally agree with my direction of action. Deny it? Then it would be like admitting that the World Tree has a sprained eye. “The elves are now in a position where they have to rush out when I say, ‘Please help me!’”
Although it was very different from the world tree I had imagined, she was definitely the mother tree, the origin of the elves. I met Daebang there before I even went to the Elven Forest, so there was no need to go to that distant and complicated Elven Forest.
“hmm. One of the original goals, which was to ‘reflect on the discriminatory actions of the Church of Light and prove it by reconciling with the elves who were the most sold as slaves among the different races,’ was forced to be passed over. Well, when we fight back to back on the battlefield, we end up hating each other and make up. And if harps are born indiscriminately, the discord between races will naturally subside.”
In the end, it was all accomplished. Imperial support too. Even support from elves. My personal growth too.
Of course, there was no support from the knight, and the elves who rushed out would be frowned upon and make it clear that they had no choice but to come.
Anyway, I achieved everything I set out to do much earlier than I had planned.
Because work is over and I have enough rest. I have to go now.
“Can’t we just wait a little longer? I worked so hard on my body. If you finished it earlier than scheduled, you could give it a little rest…”
“Ugh, absolutely not possible. Gregory: I’ll jump out quickly before that bastard notices. “If you stick with him, he will recite scriptures and hymns all the way to Roderick.”
Lucilla was about to say something, but remembered Gregory’s actions over the past three days and agreed. Strangely, the blood that flowed from the side because the wound did not heal is called ‘holy blood’, and every handful of soil where the blood fell, even a flagstone, is dug up and placed in a blessed box. The professor said he didn’t know how to pray, so he followed him wherever he went and even climbed up outside his second-floor bedroom to recite prayers endlessly.
Now that he had gone to collect the blood that the professor had spilled so much on purpose, the professor had no intention of leaving the capital.
“Then Lucilla, do well with Gainax. “If there are any bastards in my social circle who are acting like bullies, I will contact my mother’s family and suppress them with money.”
“Hero…”
“Aldrich… stay healthy. Don’t go somewhere dangerous. “The next time we see each other, we should make sure we don’t end up in front of each other’s graves.”
“You say such unlucky things so peacefully. I’ll live longer than you, who are throwing yourself away looking for limbs, so leave those worries to your other friends. I say I’m going my own way, but the friends who will remain by your side are… If there’s no God you believe in, I’ll go find it. “I guess I can do that much to the extent that I have affection for it.”
“Thank you, Aldrich. It is very comforting to know that they will come to you when you die. So, you are now liberated, right?”
“Cluck, click, click. then! “Now I’m free from a life of worrying about what kind of accident that guy got into!”
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.
.
.
.
A light compliment. A light greeting. A few silly jokes.
That was the last greeting of the group as they went their separate ways.
Because I already put so much heart into it. Because I said goodbye with such sincerity that I don’t have the gratitude I could express back then.
The old soul mage carrying the burden turned to somewhere where the abandoned soul was.
The imperial hostess, who had been standing at the main gate of the city and seeing them off, turned her back to where her spouse was, following the imperial guard knights who had come to pick her up.
“…Should I have loaded more luggage?”
“Isn’t it still too much for the four of us to eat?”
“I just… think it’s a bit light.”
Unlike when they came, the cart with three fewer people in it was the wind wizard’s vehicle waiting for them outside the capital.
“Thanks for the ride, Astrad. And… Lightning Grandpa?”
“Oooh…. It’s Galud, you bastard.”
“I’m on my way back anyway. The other teachers at the home will also be happy to see you.”
“Hmm… Hey Astrad. Would you like to join the recently rising party ‘Professor, Warrior, Saint, and World Tree Official’ party? There was a vacancy, so there were a lot of seats left. “It’s enough for you- wow!”
– Boom!
“Go Galud! What if I really push you away!”
“Oooh…. He’s a strong guy, so he’ll run and chase after me. How dare we, Astrad…”
At the end of such a long journey in the empire. After finishing their individual stories, the group turned toward the beginning of a new story.
….of course.
“Oooooh, my waist. The old man really pushed it out of there. Still, someone who is somewhat like your benefactor…”
Tiring-!
[Player ‘professor’ is outside the observation range of the Crossroads of History.]
[Normalizes some restricted systems. Connections to the outside world are allowed.]
[Caution: If information restrictions are violated, the amnestic process will resume.]
[If you want to prevent infringement on player rights, obtain qualifications.]
“…. This is so fucking bad. .”
With endless text rising above the reconnected chat window and private message box.
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– Heungan Mandu: Uh.
– Heungan Dumplings: Uh oh oh! come! Hey, you’re here! Shiba, this bastard is here! Me message! I’m going to send all your private messages, so just stay there!!
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.
.
.
[Player ‘Jokass’ has entered the chat room.]
– Jokass: anjrkdjEjgrpehls
– Jokass: Oh! What happened! Where are you! Hey Professor Park! What were you doing! There’s nothing said in the dome and Dana is keeping her mouth shut! We really thought you were behind! Heungan Dumplings, this guy is stuck in the mountains somewhere and has nothing to do, so now he’s become useful! Just wait, I’ll go and call Roe Deer and the kids…!
==========
“….How else can I explain this?”
A new story was beginning for the professor as well.
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