Chapter 210 Fall of the Empire (1)
The Harmel Empire completely controls the eastern part of the second continent of Arcadia.
Recently, strange ruptures have begun to be heard in the capital of this mighty empire, which boasts a mighty influence even in neighboring kingdoms.
Quaang.
“What are you doing now! Duke of Diern!”
Duke Myers, the current Chancellor of the Empire and an ardent supporter of this prince, Viennes. He vigorously protested with a flushed face at the sudden arrival of the Duke of Diern.
“Your Majesty didn’t say that your condition was worsening and that you absolutely needed to rest! Still, to bring Prince Il and entice His Majesty with sweet words. What the hell are you doing behind the scenes!”
Duke Myers, who was handling most of the state affairs on behalf of the emperor, who was bedridden due to his recent worsening illness. He didn’t like the Duke of Diern, who bypassed him and came to meet the emperor himself, or Prince Dmitri Il, Prince Vines’s only competitor.
However, the Duke of Diern’s attitude towards him was full of composure.
“You seem too excited, Duke Myers. Prince Il had an urgent matter to report to His Majesty, so he hastily visited to discuss it. If you were offended, I apologize.”
The Duke of Diern apologized differently than usual and came out with a low profile. At his questionable attitude, Duke Myers momentarily calmed down his excitement and asked him with a calm look.
“Anything I want to report…? What is it?”
“I don’t think that’s what I’m talking about.”
“what….?”
Duke Myers, in the position of Chancellor in charge of all internal affairs of this empire. He was furious at the Duke of Diern’s attitude as if he was hiding something important because the Empire’s affairs were his own. But before he could even open his mouth, the chief chamberlain who assisted the emperor opened the door and showed his face.
“I…”
“What’s going on?”
The chamberlain, noticing that the atmosphere was not very good, mumbled. When Duke Myers urged him in a tone mixed with annoyance at his attitude, the chamberlain looked at him cautiously and said,
“His Majesty the Emperor has summoned all nobles above the count.”
“what….?”
draft call.
Aristocrats spread across the vast territory of the Harmel Empire. Since summoning them to one place was something that would only happen unless it was a very serious matter, Duke Myers’ eyes widened as if they would pop out at the emperor’s decision to suddenly summon all the nobles above the count.
“What do you mean…? What is a convocation order? On what agenda?”
Duke Myers asks what the reason is. But the head chamberlain shook his head as if he didn’t know.
“You didn’t say that. This is an edict written by His Majesty the Emperor himself. Check it out.”
A summoning order written on an antique scroll. He read it over and over again, unable to believe it, but he had no choice but to admit it when he saw the emperor’s seal clearly stamped on it. I don’t know what’s going on, but the fact that the Emperor is deeply interested in the things Prince Dmitry and the Duke of Diern are doing.
‘How on earth is this going?’
Duke Myers has a lot of thoughts. However, he soon opened the door and saw the person stepping out, and hurriedly lowered his head.
“Prince Dmitry, greetings after a long time.”
Prince Dmitry of the Harmel Empire. Watching him leave the emperor’s residence with a bright expression on his face as if he was in a good mood, Duke Myers tried his best to dig up information somehow.
“His Majesty the Emperor summoned the main nobles.”
“It’s because I don’t have a lot of free time. He said he regretted not being able to bring them all.”
Dmitri licked his lips as if he was deeply regretful. Looking at him, Duke Myers asked again.
“Can you tell me what agenda they are convening?”
The emperor who entrusted all state affairs to himself. Of course, in the case of major issues, he personally looked at them, but most of them were entrusted to Duke Myers, so it was not common for him to handle matters independently in this way without discussing with himself, so Duke Myers’ expression was extremely serious. And at his question, Dmitri smiled like he was having fun and honestly told the truth.
“Recently, I got a lot of dragon bones.”
“yes….? what does that mean? A dragonborn?”
Duke Myers with a confused face as if asking what he was talking about out of the blue. But Dmitri gave no explanation. He smiled contentedly, as if enjoying his reaction, unable to hide his embarrassment.
“The details will be discussed at the government meeting. The fewer people you know, the better the story, Duke Myers.”
Prince Dmitry Il and the Duke of Diern leave the imperial family and go somewhere after casting ‘Don’t let me know’. Seeing the two of them, Duke Myers was moved to tears, but he had no choice but to step back.
“First of all… I need to meet Prince Viness.”
Duke Myers hurries to the palace where Prince Binness is staying. Thus, a fierce and bloody invisible battle began in the luxurious imperial palace, the heart of the Harmel Empire. The fierce political battle between Prince Dmitri, who suddenly aims for the throne of the emperor and prepares for a fatal blow, and Prince Vines, who tries to protect the throne of the emperor who will return to him in preparation for his counterattack.
* * *
State Council of the Harmel Empire.
The high-ranking nobles who gathered at this meeting, which was held unusually quickly after His Majesty’s Majesty’s summons, talked to each other without knowing why.
“Why is His Majesty the Emperor giving the ending so short? At least ten days should be enough, but three days? It was difficult with a wagon, so I ended up using the magic tower.”
“That’s right. What’s so urgent that you summoned it so quickly?”
Those who rushed to the capital by paying high prices and even using the warp gate of the mage tower. However, since no one was informed of the agenda or schedule of the meeting, the noise in the meeting room only grew louder and louder.
“His Majesty the Emperor is coming!”
The meeting hall became quiet only after the loud cry of the chief chamberlain rang out. At that time, everyone’s thoughts become complicated as they see the emaciated emperor slowly entering the conference room. The emperor slowly sat down in the seat of honor in the center of the conference hall, looked around at everyone, and spoke in a weak voice.
“Despite the tight schedule, everyone attended.”
He murmured as if he would be afraid of the aftermath if he had not attended. The atmosphere in the meeting room became much colder than before at his murmur, which was severely ill and weakened for a long time due to death.
“Dmitry.”
“Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor.”
The emperor looked around the nobles in the conference hall and called for Prince Dmitry Il. He looked at Dmitri, who was bowing his head towards him, and said meaningfully:
“This is all I can do. After that, everything depends on your ability.”
“I am satisfied with making this moment possible.”
At Dmitri’s words, the emperor looked at him with a strange gaze and then declared to everyone.
“Today’s meeting was held at the request of Prince Dmitry Il. Listen to what he has to say and choose the direction that benefits the empire according to your beliefs and thoughts.”
“…?”
“…?”
Aristocrats who have question marks on their faces at the words of the emperor who cannot understand them. However, at the emperor’s last words, they were all shocked.
“According to the results of this meeting and subsequent achievements, I will determine the emperor who will rule the empire after me.”
“omg!”
“What do you mean by that?”
decision of the next emperor.
The emperor who had never officially talked about his successor between Prince Il and Prince Lee. When the emperor first brought up the story of the next successor, which he had never mentioned even at the moment when his illness was getting worse and his death was near, the meeting hall became noisy as if a bomb had dropped.
“All quiet!”
bang.
The emperor put everyone’s mouths to rest with a single roar and shotgun. He said, looking at his second son, who was sitting with a stiff face.
“Viennes.”
“Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor.”
“Did you say you disagreed with your brother when I asked you the other day?”
“That’s right.”
Vines, who found out how he knew Prince Dmitri’s ulterior motive just before the meeting was held, came to him and tried to stop the meeting somehow. Recalling the conversation at that time, the emperor said.
“Then, convince everyone in charge of the empire here. It’s not that I’m coveting this position of emperor and sabotaging your brother, but that Dmitri’s plan will actually do more harm than good to the empire.”
“That… I understand.”
Vines tried to protest the emperor’s words with an unfair expression on his face. However, he lowered his head when he saw Duke Myers shaking his head and sending a silent signal right next to the emperor. And with Vines’ agreement, the emperor turned to Dmitri and said:
“Then begin.”
“All right.”
Dmitry got up from his seat when the emperor gave permission. As he gestured toward the other side, the huge door to the conference hall opened and several people began to enter.
“What is this…?”
“What is that…?”
Suddenly, the knights dragging a large cart and carrying something huge to the conference hall. The nobles, who looked at them with curious eyes, soon saw the gigantic gray thing and shouted in horror.
“That, that… is that…?”
“That shape is… a dragon?”
A huge size that looks like a two-story house.
Eyes that were open and teeth that were sharper than saw blades attached to the mouth.
Just looking at it, it’s an overwhelmingly formidable appearance. Sensing the powerful energy of red mana emanating from within, the nobles of the wizard and knight families stood up without realizing it and shouted.
“Dragonbone!”
“I can’t believe it… such a gigantic size! Where the hell did you get this…!”
“I can’t believe it…”
“Oh…! Oh God!”
The meeting hall was shocked in an instant. There were even people who forgot their status as nobles and came down in a hurry to play with Kervenian’s skull.
“Haa… If you make a staff with this…!”
“It’s a really huge amount. How much does it weigh?”
“If this is enough, I can use it for a little magic experiment…?”
Nobles from wizarding families who show frightening obsession. Even ordinary administrative aristocrats stared at the skull with greedy faces as they contemplated the economic and political gains that this staggering amount of dragonbones would bring.
“Now that you’ve looked through everything, please return to your seat.”
Prince Dmitry waited for the nobles to look at the Dragonborn for a long time. The nobles, who finally regained their senses at his words, went back to their seats with embarrassed faces and cleared their throats. And they all looked at him with curious faces.
About the identity of this dragonborn. And about the real reason for convening this meeting.
And Dmitry looked at the nobles who were listening to him seriously for the first time in his life and said with a strange smile.
“You may be curious, but I got this dragon bone by chance through a group of adventurers. As for the circumstances…”
Dmitry briefly talked about the deal with GM. The nobles who heard his story all exclaimed in admiration.
“This enormous item was simply handed over with immunity and right of delivery…?”
“haha….. No matter how stolen it may be, this is as good as free…”
“Prince Dmitri seems to have excellent skills.”
Although he did it himself, the Duke of Diern credited Dmitri for his work and quickly changed his bully-like image into a resourceful one. He secretly laughed at the aristocratic mood changing favorably.
‘Now I have a chance…..’
Prince Dmitry Il, who had been distant from the position of emperor. But this time, the Duke of Diern was going to take full initiative. While fulfilling a long-cherished dream and long-held dream that the Empire had tried before but failed repeatedly.
“Therefore, I ask everyone gathered here. Let’s use this dragon bone to achieve a long-cherished wish that we have not been able to do so far.”
“If it’s a long-cherished wish…?”
“Now what is that…?”
The aristocrats questioned with a curious expression. Looking at them like that, Dmitri smiled broadly and said.
“Continent conquest.”
Dmitry created a mess by dropping a rice cake like a nuclear bomb called continental conquest into the conference hall.
That’s how they started a fierce argument with no concessions. People don’t even think they’ve seen dragons, but with that, they’re going to conquer the continent or not.
