◈ 415. [Side Story] A changing world
While I wasn’t there, the heroes steadily conducted self-exploration of dungeons, so the opponents for this stage had already been identified.
‘Ghost pirate corps.’
A pirate corps made up of ghosts who command all kinds of marine creatures, and the commander of the corps is the ghost slayer captain Bernard Fokker.
The summoned sea monsters are also a headache, but the biggest problem is the ghost fleet they lead.
‘Ghost straggler Captain Bernard Poker has the special skill [Stormy Sea].’
When this skill is activated, heavy rain pours down from the sky, and all of this rain is seawater.
Because it is an ignorant magic that connects the actual sea and sky with a kind of gate.
And if there is even a little bit of seawater on the bottom, the ghost ships belonging to the ghost fleet can advance.
Their main tactic is to spread seawater on any field with a special skill and stir it with a ghost ship.
Protected by evil specters, each of these ghost ships in full condition is more powerful than most warships.
It only has no flight function, but it is almost comparable in power to a non-aircraft class.
‘Besides, the dark event they activated on this boss stage is ‘fast forward’.’
It is a horrible dark event that makes monsters move much faster.
This time, the dark events were collected and activated at once, so the expected speed increase was about twice as large.
‘It’s already a ghost pirate ship with crazy maneuverability, but if you think it runs rampant at twice the usual speed… … .’
Just imagining it is terrifying.
Besides, as soon as they get out of the Black Lake, they will cover a course that would normally take three days to the north in a day and a half.
The movement speed increase is a headache even during battle and a headache even when not in battle.
It may be more difficult to deal with than the ‘proliferation’ dark event that the goblin army received last time.
“but.”
I grinned.
“We are not the kind of people who just sit back and greet each other.”
It is a crossroads that has been enduring for over a year and a half in this game that lasts until the third year.
It means that we are all full of time. This level of adversity can now be easily overcome.
After hearing the specs of the ghost pirates, doubt crossed the faces of the heroes who were looking tense.
I smirked and tapped my wand on the portable blackboard that Ader had brought to me before I knew it.
“If everything goes according to my plan, maybe… This defensive battle may be a very easy battle to eat raw.”
Twist the rules, bypass the rules, jump over the rules –
destroy the rules.
I grinned and explained my ‘plan’ this time. Consternation and amazement passed across everyone’s faces.
Lucas stuttered.
“It’s really such an operation… Will it work?”
“then. It works. certainly.”
742 attacks.
And a year and a half of practice.
Thanks to this experience that I’ve been steadily accumulated over the years, I can now intuit. Whether or not an operation will work in actual combat and an operation that will not work.
And I felt it.
It works. must!
“Of course, I will prepare a plan B just in case… Trust me. This operation is clearly valid.”
I’m a mate! They clapped.
“ruler! Less than a week left until the start of the defense battle. In the remaining time, all workers and surplus troops begin preparations for this operation.”
Looking around the heroes, I let out an ah sound.
“Come to think of it, do you guys like sashimi?”
“yes? How about?”
“okay. As soon as the fish is caught, it is sliced and eaten by dipping it in vinegar or soy sauce… … .”
Crossroads is also inland, and most of them looked puzzled, as if the food culture of sashimi was rare in this neighborhood.
I smiled and winked.
“Okay, I’ll feed you to your heart’s content. Everyone can look forward to it!”
There doesn’t seem to be any grass or soy sauce in this town, though!
***
Construction started the next day.
All the remaining workers in the city, including soldiers and heroes, were mobilized and started construction on the plain in front of the wall as I directed.
“Suddenly, I want to shovel on the ground, but… .”
Evangeline, who was digging the floor with a shovel, smiled and wiped the sweat from her brow.
“Now I feel like the senior has definitely returned!”
Standing next to him and examining the blueprints for the construction site, I turned my eyes to Evangeline.
“okay? At what point?”
“He came up with a strategy that seemed ridiculous at first glance and led everyone without hesitation to execute it… What about this?”
Evangeline shrugged.
“In the meantime, will this really work? It’s not once or twice that I’ve wanted to. All of them gave effective hits to the monsters. That’s why everyone believes and follows that this project will work meaningfully.”
“… .”
At the fast-paced construction site, people dig through the ground and sweat without a shadow of a doubt.
All of them believe in me.
Then you will have to repay the result. Defeating the monsters with style… … .
After confirming that the construction site was starting to work properly, I moved to the city center. There was something to see at the top of Wintersilver.
“Ah, Your Highness.”
The serenade was waiting because I had put a message in advance.
Perhaps because of yesterday’s incident, as soon as our eyes met, Serenade’s cheeks blushed and averted our gaze.
Because of her shy twisting body, I was embarrassed for no reason. Umm… … .
However, the visit this time was not for personal reasons, but for a public purpose as the lord of Crossroads.
So I deliberately opened my mouth in a businesslike tone.
“serenade. As I said before… … I want to see the state of emptiness.”
“Oh yes! Please come this way.”
The serenade that suddenly came to my senses guided me. I walked after her.
“During the six months Your Highness was away, the non-empty ship ‘Geronimo’ was repaired and upgraded under the leadership of Blacksmith Kelly Bay.”
The lot owned by the Winter Silver Merchant Merchant had several warehouses lined up that I hadn’t seen in months, and Serenade brought me to the biggest one.
Kugung-
The door of the warehouse opened, revealing the vicious figure of the flying giant waiting inside. I involuntarily held my breath.
A crude thruster that looks like a blast furnace attached to it. Two propellers attached to the head and tail. An anachronistic, heinous and thick design.
The unique simple and ignorant appearance remained the same, but several layers of sturdy outer armor were attached, and at the same time, several types of protruding weapons were added.
“I added armor and armament, but especially the engine was overhauled… The current output is 1.5 times what it used to be.”
“1.5 times?”
“Because Master Kelly Bey worked very hard. He said that he couldn’t complete this emptiness… … .”
The airship’s hatch opened slowly as we approached.
Cheek-!
Inside the airship, there was a female swordsman wearing a maid uniform whom she hadn’t seen in a long time. She bowed politely to me.
The serenade smiled brightly as she stretched out her arms into the open nostril.
“How would you like to test drive?”
By doing so.
tu tu tu tu… … !
As we sat down, the airship took off with a heavy mechanical sound.
A huge lump of iron seemed to float up, and before I knew it, it raised its altitude and soared into the sky at once.
“We were barely familiar with the control system, but Kelly Bay gave us a new tutorial… I can move more efficiently.”
Listening to the serenade’s explanation, I looked out the window.
Crossroads viewed from the sky had a different feel.
I silently observed the appearance of the city that I had not been able to look at in the meantime, and the emptiness, not too fast and not too high, slowly circled over the city.
“The city itself has changed a lot in the half year since I was gone.”
I spat out after looking at the crossroads for a while.
There may be things that look different from the view from the sky, but there are many buildings that did not exist half a year ago.
Among them, I saw a building that was being built especially tall. I reached out.
“Is that building under construction… .”
“yes. It is a hotel.”
Serenade smiled.
“It’s the exact place Your Highness asked us to build.”
“Wow, you’ve gone up a lot since then.”
“Here at Crossroads, you’ve been researching building methods through magic.”
I did leave the Defense Tower Scroll to the Alchemy Workshop. I guess that’s the story of technology.
“In addition to that, we are building very quickly by applying various technologies. It may be completed sooner than expected.”
The hotel construction was a plan that had been pursued since not long after taking office, and only now, a year and a half later, tangible results were about to be revealed.
In the year and a half since I took office, the city has changed tremendously. I don’t know how to say this myself, but I think there is a side that has developed beyond recognition.
“… .”
And again after a year and a half.
At the end of the third year, when all these battles are over. how much will it change
I was silently looking down at the city and thinking, but the serenade cautiously came up with a word.
“majesty. The reason you came today… … .”
“hmm.”
I put my thoughts aside and faced the serenade.
“First of all, I’m going to use this airship in the next battle soon.”
Serenade nodded with a bright face.
“Please feel free to do so. It’s a non-empty ship that was repaired in the first place to help Your Highness. We will wait in perfect condition.”
“Thank you so much Serenade. and… .”
I brought up the next topic carefully.
“I want to know a little bit about the news from the ecliptic side.”
Serenade’s face hardened slightly at my question.
The Winter Silver Merchant is headquartered in New Terra, the ecliptic.
Although Sangsanju is located in the remote southern part of this place, its roots are still in the ecliptic.
Also, at my request, the Winter Silver Merchants are focusing their efforts on information trading.
The war between the 1st and 2nd princes on the side of the ecliptic – there is no way that there is no information about the decisive battle for the throne.
Serenade lowered her eyes for a moment to organize her thoughts, then slowly opened her mouth.
“You must have already heard that the war between the two princes ended with His Highness Fernandez’s victory.”
I nodded. Serenade continued.
“During the war, we continued to communicate with the inner part of the ecliptic. Alberto, who is currently an advisor to our corps, sent me letters periodically.”
The image of Alberto, the aged chamberlain, with a handsome beard flashed through his mind.
After retiring from the position of Chief Chamberlain, Alberto entered the top ranks of Winter Silver on my recommendation.
And even in an emergency situation during the war, it remained within the ecliptic.
“however… Rather, it is a situation where all contact has been lost since the end of the war. Unless there was a major accident, the regular report that was always sent has also been cut off.”
“… .”
“There is no information, so it is too soon to conclude, but something in the ecliptic… … It is certain that something big is happening.”
After hesitating for a moment, the serenade added.
“And I have something to apologize for. majesty.”
“huh?”
“… It’s about the case of the first princess and her three sons, whom Her Highness entrusted me with protection for.”
The wife and three children of 1st Prince Lark.
My sister-in-law and nieces and nephews, whom I managed to escape from Fernandez’s clutches and escaped here. What happened to them in the half year I was gone?
I watched Serenade with surprised eyes. Serenade kept her mouth shut and bowed her head to me.
“After the news of the defeat of His Highness, Prince Lark… … The princess and her three sons have left this place. It was only a few days ago.”
“… !”
“I tried to dissuade her somehow, but she shuddered and left, saying, ‘How can I stay still as a princess in front of Ji-abi’s misfortune?’ I can’t… … I couldn’t stop it.”
I wiped my face with my hand.
This is the part I hadn’t even thought about.
‘I was trying to keep it safe from Fernandez’s witchcraft while also keeping it as a deterrent to prevent Lark from treating this place carelessly.’
As rumors of Lark’s defeat and death flowed in, the whole family seemed to be unable to stay still.
The 3rd prince who invited them here – even I was missing. I didn’t even feel the need to stay here.
‘If I hadn’t gone missing and had stayed here, I could have caught you…’ … .’
But that’s already past.
Lark’s wife and children escaped my hands. Then, he walked into the ecliptic on his own, where the raging waves were raging.
May Larc be alive and well. And may he safely join his wife and children.
I will have no choice but to pray from afar.
I gently stroked the shoulder of the self-reproaching serenade.
“Don’t beat yourself up, Serenade. There was nothing you could do about it. It is already in the past.”
“… There is a message left by the queen.”
Serenade carefully raised her silver eyes and looked at me.
“These are the words Your Highness asked me to convey to you when you return.”
“What?”
“If His Highness Lark really died. and… If he and his three sons also suffer.”
I kept my mouth shut.
“Please stop Highness Fernandez.”
“… .”
“Now the only person in this world who can do that is His Highness Ash. After saying that, he left.”
I clicked my tongue and looked out the window.
Not the city this time, but the outside.
The south and where the monster army is about to attack.
To the far north where you don’t know when bad news will fly in. Alternately.
“I will do that anyway.”
I muttered as I glared at the horizon with my eyes wide open.
“… Because I decided to protect this world.”
***
Five days later.
New intelligence comes in from the north.
The news of Lark’s execution and… …
It was news that his wife and three children had also been captured and massacred.
