Chapter 215

Defense Minister Fyod of the Camilton Empire could not conceal his unease.

‘Can it really be true?’

He had seen it clearly with his own eyes.

The emperor’s personal guard, captured by Seojin. Undoubtedly, they had no face. Only a black void and two red eyes shone out from under the mask.

‘An apostle of Gramaticus… His Majesty? No, that cannot be. If he were such a person, the Empire would never have reached such heights.’

He forced himself to think that it couldn’t be, that it made no sense.

Moreover, there was some rationale to his disbelief, as Grand Emperor Kalus’s actions had always been far from what one would expect of a dark deity’s apostle.

‘There were no missing imperial citizens, nor had he ever attacked other nations. If he had harbored evil intentions, other Marquisries would already be under the Empire’s dominion.’

At least, that was common sense.

The will of a dark deity would inevitably bring about innocent deaths, but the emperor of the Empire did not cause it.

‘What does that mean?’

But then, he was back to square one.

Fyod found it impossible to entertain the thought that the emperor could be an apostle of a dark deity.

But there was evidence he had been directly faced with.

It seemed unlikely that such actions could have been taken without the emperor’s knowledge.

At that moment…

“…Hmm.”

“Is everything okay?”

Seojin entered the room where Fyod was detained. He hastily concealed his expression.

“If not, then good. Anyway, the army says they are looking for you. It must be your doing, right?”

“…”

“I suppose it’ll be tens of thousands. But you don’t think we’ll lose, do you?” Fyod swallowed.

Seojin’s was correct.

Had it been only the adventurers he had first seen, perhaps, but he had seen Admiral Martini’s fleet. If every ship was filled with adventurers? They would easily be in the thousands. And it was hinted that wasn’t the end of it.

“You…”

Fyod moistened his lips, as he turned to face Seojin. His eyes were bloodshot with fatigue.

“If you truly are opposing the apostle of the dark deity, you wouldn’t kill them all.”

“Why did you issue such an order?”

Fyod clenched his teeth, filled with a sense of regret.

But simultaneously, “So it was your scheme after all.”

Fyod also felt a sense of relief.

It was embarrassing, but unavoidable. In this Empire, the emperor was a figure more significant than the welfare of tens of thousands.

“You seem somewhat relieved?”

“Just…”

“No, it’s natural. They are mere citizens of the Empire to you, unknown faces. You would rather hope that what you have believed in for decades isn’t false. Yes, it’s only natural.”

“…”

“So, don’t be ashamed. And don’t worry either. I won’t kill you. We’ll just sacrifice a few of our people and then retreat.”

“…?”

“Adventurers can afford to die. But if your soldiers were to die, their families would suffer. This time, we’ll concede.”

…Hmph.

Fyod tensed his face again. This adventurer’s words must not be the truth.

“There will inevitably be some damage… Anyway, that’s not why I came here.”

Seojin’s expression became serious again.

“We might manage this time, but it won’t continue forever. You know that, right? The number of personnel will increase, and the overall quality will improve. We can’t always afford to back down.”

“The Empire will never compromise.”

“The Empire might not. But that’s why I’m addressing you, as an individual. Adventurers from other countries are lining up to come here. In a few days, we’ll have tens of thousands.”

“I don’t believe it.”

“Of course, you would say that. Well, you can believe it when you see it. Anyway, there will come a time when you’ll need to step in to minimize the damage. If you refuse, then so be it. Convictions must not bend, even in the face of countless deaths.”

Fyod found himself without a response. He understood what the other was implying. But there was a burden. The implication of tens of thousands of deaths was such that he found himself unable to speak.

Especially because it was something within his power to prevent.

“Call me if you change your mind. Just shout into the air, and I’ll come. Oh, and.”

Seojin paused as he was about to turn away.

“Having had adventurers under your command, you know their nature better than anyone, right? Are adventurers beings of loyalty?”

“I am well aware that your kind knows nothing of loyalty.”

“That’s right. They pursue only profit. It’s just the kind of profit that differs. Whether it’s money, honor, pleasure… Anyway.”

After a pause, Seojin continued.

“Tens of thousands of adventurers will gather here. All with a single purpose. What could possibly motivate us to such an extent? To invade the Empire? And what would we gain by doing so?”

“Immense wealth…”

“And various other things, if we were to occupy the Empire. But would that be distributed evenly?”

It wouldn’t. Fyod knew this too. The few at the top would devour the majority, and the rest would bitterly fight over the scraps.

“Would the other adventurers not know this? That they aren’t among that minority.”

“…”

“They would know. Yet, they’ve come here because they’re convinced that they’ll receive a fair share.”

This was also true.

Tens of thousands of adventurers.

Each strong enough to be admitted into the Empire on their own merits.

If there was an entity capable of offering a fair reward to all of them…

“…Luna desires it. That’s all I have to say. I won’t come again unless you call. Take your time to think. There’s still time.”

Fyod’s mouth slightly opened, then closed.

He struggled to maintain his expression. Seojin turned away, seemingly indifferent.

Only when left alone did Fyod finally exhale the breath he had been holding.

‘…Luna.’

He began to think about it, then ceased to think further, lest his loyalty be shaken..

* * *

Alio’s villa, where the players had been staying until recently, became a ruin. The imperial forces searched every nook and cranny of the villa, without finding any clues, ultimately leading them to move on to the Cursed Land.

This time, they couldn’t proceed as swiftly as they had with the villa. High priests were deployed to methodically lift the curse, necessitating a much slower advance. It was during this cautious progress that the enemy appeared.

“You shall not return whole!”

The adventurers had arrived.

At least hundreds, possibly even more.

The commanding general was well aware of the adventurers’ strength. He had meticulously prepared strategies to combat them, and so was confident in a decisive victory before even engaging in battle. However, the outcome defied his expectations.

“Agh! They’re too strong!”

“Take this, my final blow… Aaagh!”

“Save me! Take me with you… Urk!”

The adventurers were far too frail. They fell to the swords of mere foot soldiers and were quickly overwhelmed by even the slightest magical attack.

‘Were they always this weak?’

The situation was a stark departure from what he knew.

Yet, the commander convinced himself,

‘The adventurers under His Majesty’s patronage were exceptionally strong!’

Implying that while the Empire’s adventurers excelled, others were of little consequence.

The central army pursued the fleeing enemies and decisively cut off their escape routes. They would return within a week. To reclaim the defense minister and eliminate the threat to the Empire, they had to uproot the problem within that time frame.

But the adventurers weren’t merely victims.

“Urgent report! Some forces are breaking away from their base…”

“Riots have been spotted! In the southern part of the empire…”

Rapid dispatches reached the commander’s ears one after another. It seemed the adventurers had changed their strategy, dispersing their forces.

‘This is troublesome.’

A direct confrontation would be manageable, but if they resorted to guerrilla tactics, the current forces wouldn’t suffice.

Moreover, the Defense Minister’s position was vacant during this critical situation.

“What’s the size of the enemy?”

“Confirmed to be over 5,000.”

“Request reinforcements. We must eradicate them swiftly.”

The royal command supported the commander’s request. Additional troops arrived, and he deployed them where they were needed most.

Victory reports came from all directions. Now, the Empire held an overwhelming advantage. At least, that was what General McCartney believed.

“They’re deliberately thinning their ranks, sacrificing their own. They have enough people to afford it. The Empire stands no chance against them, no matter what.”

Vegetable Wholesaler Raul evaluated the war thus.

“I find it hard to agree.”

“If that’s how you feel, it means you lack the vision to see the flow of events. If this person had wished, you would already be dead. Right, Kartna?”

“Yes, of course. If I had intended, everyone here would have been dead tonight.”

Kartna spoke nonchalantly, and Raul, smiling again, met the noble’s gaze.

“Do you also find this hard to agree with?”

“Regrettably, no.”

Marquis Wellos was a man with striking thick eyebrows.

A robust impression, fitting for a general who commands battlefields.

However, the problem was that he was tightly bound in ropes, liable to lose his life at any moment .

“You do not believe we are the only ones moving beneath the surface.”

“That, too, is regrettable.”

“Indeed. A most regrettable situation. For you, that is. By now, Marquis Middleline is likely in a similar predicament.”

“What does the Empire want?”

“We desire nothing. We are merely acting for the sake of this continent. Right, Kartna?”

“Yes.”

Kartna brought forward a person tied up like a sack of goods, a red lion mask affixed to their face.

“Isn’t this mask familiar?”

“The emperor’s… personal guard.”

“We’ve secured them. The rest have been purified.”

“Purified, you say?”

“Different from the term used for killing people, right? I know. That’s why I’m dragging around this troublesome baggage.”

“Troublesome baggage…”

“Seeing is more effective than hearing it described hundreds of times. An eternal truth, isn’t it?”

Marquis Wellos had no choice but to agree, despite disliking the situation.

But when Raul removed the red mask, Marquis Wellos could only groan.

“There’s also this saying. Sometimes, it’s better not to know.”

“Once you know, it’s hard to extricate yourself. Quite fitting for this situation.”

“Regrettably so.”

“Have you confirmed? What remains is proof…”

“Do you have a means?”

Pleased with the question, Raul nodded eagerly.

“These beings do not speak the language of humans.”