Chapter 99 : Faith

Chapter 99: Faith

Thank you.

Past the bluish dawn, into the transparent morning filled with birdsong.

After sending Daisy back to her chambers and walking alone through Rundna City, I had such thoughts.

Truly, I felt grateful.

Because great deeds could never be accomplished alone.

It took the efforts of many for a good village to arise, for a good city to be built, for a good nation to exist. Only then could the elders find leisure, and children run about freely.

The senses of a Swordmaster pushed to the extreme. And beyond that, an intuition sharpened to the point of even perceiving thoughts.

Thanks to that, even as I strolled quietly along the boulevard, I could sense everything happening across this city.

It was dawn after returning from my journey through time.

For me, much time had passed, but here in Rundna City, only a single day had gone by since its subjugation.

Most of the citizens and warriors who had eaten and drunk through the night in celebration of victory were fast asleep.

But for those who were still wide awake, it seemed the real beginning started now.

Rivera was such a man.

The Baron of Kushan City. A man of skill enough to rally a rebellion against Count Kxias.

His easygoing friendliness and charm were extraordinary.

‘The mood looks good.’

If I listened carefully, I could hear it; if I closed my eyes, I could feel it.

Rivera was fostering camaraderie.

He had gathered my commanders and the high-ranking warriors of Rundna together in one place, chatting warmly.

His knack for witty conversation brightened the mood, and he took the lead.

‘He really has a talent for that.’

In truth, it was no ordinary feat.

Even among my own commanders, things were still awkward.

It could not be helped. It had only been half a year since I killed Kxias…

The warriors had come from different backgrounds, with different experiences. I had forced them together with nothing more than my strength and money.

That was us already, and now, adding the warriors of Rundna who had only just come under my command… That gathering should have been anything but camaraderie—rather an uncomfortable and strained occasion.

Warriors of Roberland, when put in the same place, were bound to fight over who was greater, you or me.

Yet Rivera managed it.

He mixed in humor to make everyone laugh uproariously, calmed overheated tempers with charisma and reasoned words, and spoke to each one in turn so that no one felt left out. In the end, he made them all feel like comrades. He achieved it all on his own.

In that sense, though not as seasoned as Rivera, Rundna’s young hero, Lete, was also fairly proactive.

Having perhaps grasped Rivera’s intent, the leader of Rundna’s warriors stepped forward, showed him respect, and set aside his own tension and caution, thereby guiding the mood gently.

How could I not be grateful?

If Rivera had not done it, then I would have had to, or else it would have festered and one day become a problem.

‘A comrade who takes care of things on his own… truly the best.’

And it was not only Rivera.

They were all like that.

If I strained my ears, I could even pick out Seah’s voice.

– Yes. Yes. That’s right. As expected, that’s how it turns out.

– Yes, understood. Keep watching the lords of the Free League.

– The key is making sure they don’t misjudge the situation. Hm…

– Really? The Sea King did?

That one, too, was awake and working.

‘She really is something else.’

She had taken a bunch of communication artifacts from me before and, it seemed, had distributed them among her intelligence operatives. Even now, she was gathering information pouring in from everywhere and weaving stratagems out of it.

But what was truly astonishing was—

‘When on earth did she build such an intelligence network?’

An intelligence network could not be made overnight.

Since when? How?

Not long ago, our circumstances had been far from good… What sort of magic had she worked with that small head of her?

She was an incredible source of strength.

I was grateful.

My younger siblings.

I could sense that Mika, whose eyes had changed somewhat since this expedition, was still sweating through her training, and that Daisy, back in her chambers, was drifting into sleep after a long and tiring day.

All of it made me thankful.

Because of them, I could be at ease.

‘Yes. I can trust and entrust it to them.’

If one were to ask ten people, all ten would answer the same way.

That now was the time to huddle down and reinforce internal solidarity.

Once merely the ruler of a single city—Kushan City—in just half a year, I had forged a massive power that encompassed eight cities.

And that in Roberland, the land of outlaws.

How precarious must this seem in the eyes of others?

They would judge it as nothing more than a patchwork, forced together by my strength alone.

They would say that if I stepped away, it would collapse like a sandcastle.

So, they would insist, I should crouch low for a few years.

I thought so too.

Yet I did not feel that it was absolutely necessary for reinforcing that inner bond.

‘It’s solid. At the very least, the pillars and beams are firmly set.’

Though the walls and roof still remained to be built, the frame was already complete.

Of the Seven Champions of the Storm, the three survivors had utterly submitted before my strength and under Haarun’s last will.

Kashimir Gulak, ruler of Gellan City, had firmly made up his mind.

And so had Lete of Rundna City.

Kashu and Kinalo too had come to acknowledge my rule as rightful.

My cities had already blended into one. Now, what remained was simply the process of solidifying them.

And I had capable siblings and vassals who could carry out that process fully in my stead.

So there was no need to worry.

Thanks to them, I had gained the leisure to turn my gaze outward.

‘The urgent problem now is Norberju itself.’

Two great crises loomed over Norberju.

The first was that the Emperor of the Empire seemed intent on creating an artificial monster wave.

The second was that, in the midst of such turmoil, Norberju’s lords, who had lost all sense, had formed some strange league to oppose me.

Of course, I was not afraid of fighting.

The real problem was that, should they misjudge, it would be innocent people who suffered.

Countless families would be torn apart, children would wail.

That was a sight I had no desire to witness.

So I made my decision.

“Seah.”

I called to Seah through the bracelet-shaped communication artifact.

– Oppa? You’re back?

“Yes. Could you call Rivera and Lete to my office? You too, Seah. Let’s meet there later.”

– All right.

Not questioning the reason behind a small request— Sometimes in such little things, one felt our closeness and trust.

It was, indeed, a pleasing thing.

*         *         *

A short while later, in the office.

Seah wore an indifferent expression, Rivera seemed relaxed, while Lete looked a little tense.

I first turned to Seah and asked,

“Seah. I assume the Free League is in an uproar?”

Seah gave a small nod.

“Yes. Because we unified Ailun so quickly. They seem to feel an immense sense of crisis. Anger, panic, frustration.”

Naturally.

Not only in economic strength or military power.

Now, even in population, we had surpassed them.

By easily taking Rundna with its 1.5 million people, and Gellan with its 1.2 million, the balance had shifted completely.

“But there won’t be many willing to accept that they’ve already lost, right?”

“This continent is full of idiots.”

I agreed.

“So they’ll be gathering again soon?”

“Seems likely.”

“Do you know where they’ll meet?”

Seah looked at me quietly before replying.

“Same place as before. Herepol City.”

“Right next to Kushan, huh?”

“Mm. Perhaps they think, if they gather, we might march on them. So they’re choosing a place convenient for a response.”

Do they really believe that gathering nearby counts as a response?

Do they truly think they can fight me?

Honestly. Why was it that the Norberju lords always thought only of war first?

They seemed utterly incapable of imagining that there might be a way to unite without fighting.

“Oppa, you don’t mean…”

Seah narrowed her eyes, as if she had sensed something.

She must have thought I was about to smash everything again.

People kept calling me a Conqueror, so maybe they truly believed I was one.

“I’ll be away for a while. Half a month to a month.”

“What? Now?”

Rivera was startled.

It was natural to be surprised.

I had only just unified Ailun.

If I left my seat at such a time, it would feel unsettling.

But this was something I absolutely had to do.

“Seah. I leave the economy and internal affairs to you. Rivera, you’ll handle training together with Knight Burson. I ask only one thing: unite all of them—not just Ailun, but also Kushan, Kinalo, and Kashu—into one.”

It was a reckless request.

To ask them to fuse eight cities into one, when each was self-willed, with different cultures and different circumstances—while I absented myself.

Naturally, I had braced myself for objections…

“All right. Hm, actually, it might be even better this way. That’s a Conqueror’s move. A true Conqueror doesn’t need to show himself for his presence to remain.”

Seah’s response was unexpected.

I didn’t like how she kept emphasizing “Conqueror”…

But I hadn’t thought she would accept it without even questioning my purpose.

“In fact, we can use it even more proactively. By emphasizing that you’re not here, we can prevent the other lords from acting rashly. They’ll want to know where you are and what you’re doing before they dare to move.”

Instead of doubting me, she was actively devising countermeasures.

Even Rivera, who had first shown surprise, followed suit.

“Ah…! Giants always walk with great strides…!”

Quoting a line that sounded as though he’d learned it from Burson, he looked at me with eyes sparkling.

“Leave it to us. We’ll take care of all the small matters. My Lord, you only need to look far ahead and walk with your own stride!”

…Was this really happening?

I was the one left flustered.

To be honest, what I meant was that I was going to dump all the difficult work on them and slip away for a while… And yet, they were embracing it with such fervor?

Though I was taken aback,

‘…Not bad.’

I even felt a strange, moving warmth in my chest.

I gazed quietly at Rivera and Seah, then shifted my attention to Lete.

“Lete. You’ll go back to training from the very beginning with Rundna’s warriors. For the time being, you must obey Rivera absolutely. Respect him and follow his lead.”

I needed Lete’s cooperation.

No matter how great Rivera’s gift for camaraderie, the training of our regular army was so rigorous that dissatisfaction was bound to arise.

If Lete did not take the lead, no small number of problems would surface.

Lete’s eyes, like fallen leaves, stared straight at me.

He slowly bowed his head, then unfastened his sword and respectfully offered it to Rivera.

“As my Lord commands. From this moment, I will absolutely obey Sir Rivera’s orders.”

This was the kind of man Lete was.

When I had asked for help before, he had shown his sincerity by bringing me the head of an enemy.

Now, he showed it by unfastening his own sword.

A man who proved himself not with words but with deeds.

Because of that, I too could make up my mind.

“Take this.”

“This is…?”

“Once you draw it, speak the word <Ea>. That is the spell.”

Willingly, I entrusted one of the three Holy Swords to Lete.

‘Rundna will be protected by Lete.’

The monster wave would soon arrive.

By then, I would not have the resources to station a Swordmaster in Rundna.

So I chose to entrust this city’s defense to the warrior who loved it most.

Here, where the Sacred Relic resided, the Holy Sword could be wielded. And with it, even Lete—a Peak Expert—would be able to exert Swordmaster-level power.

“Ea.”

Kwaouuuu—

At Lete’s invocation, a radiant holy light surged around the Holy Sword.

Feeling that overwhelming power and the eruption of aura, Lete’s eyes widened in astonishment.

A moment later, after savoring its might, he sheathed the Holy Sword and bowed his head to me.

His voice quivered as he spoke.

“Now I am afraid instead… that I might not live up to your trust…”

After a moment’s hesitation, his expression hardened with resolve, and he vowed,

“I will simply give my life. I am certain that following you is the way to protect Rundna, and the path for all to find happiness.”

That upright voice…

I rather liked it.

Good. Then, lastly—

“Seah.”

“Mm?”

“Tell Uncle Burson to gather all the siblings, Rivera, and even Kalserik, and put them through training together.”

“Training? All of a sudden? What kind of training?”

What kind indeed.

“Medicine ingestion training. Everyone needs to build up their bodies, so tell him to work them hard.”

“Medicine? That one?”

Seah’s eyes went round.

Yes. That one. Dracium.

“But weren’t there only seven? Not enough for all of us to take…”

Seah remembered that there had been exactly seven Hearts of the Monstrous Anomalies.

But,

“They’ve increased.”

And increased a great deal.

Enough for all of us to take them and still have plenty left over.

Because during this time journey, I had hunted an outrageous number of Monstrous Anomalies.

The heavenly elixir, Dracium.

Like an oyster forming a pearl, it was the very essence of nature, condensed by the earth over ten thousand years.

And now, it overflowed.

Even though problems piled up everywhere, I could not stop the quiet smile from creeping over my face.

If even half the records about Dracium were true, then Varen and Katrina were all but guaranteed to become Swordmasters. And surely, it would have no small effect on me as well.

My mouth was already watering.