Chapter 233

-*Piririririk. Boom!*

Fireworks exploded into the sky—well, technically, they were magical fireworks. A simple yet dazzling festival magic, adapted from a signaling spell.

Fernandez stood by the wooden palisade, watching the fireworks. The banquet was more exhausting than fighting. The stars of this party were Kirhas, Duke Erbe, and himself. Their achievements in the recent battle were too significant to ignore.

So, he stepped out to gaze at the night sky and ended up watching the fireworks. The colorful explosions spread wide across the heavens, drowning out the stars with their brilliance.

-“What a waste…”

Most mages fall in love with the night sky in some way. The flow of mana between the stars, the halo of light reflected by the moon—deep night is a mage’s time.

But the Empire’s mages were setting off fireworks in that very night sky. Faijashi grumbled, clearly displeased.

‘That’s a kind of alarm system.’

-“Which makes it a waste.”

‘Not all mages can observe the flow of mana with their eyes, you know.’

The fireworks served as both a report to the command, signaling that the area was fully under their magical control, and a warning system to deter enemy magical forces. It wasn’t just about celebration.

There were multiple effects. They also reassured the frontline commanders, who were wary of sudden enemy magical attacks during the banquet.

Fernandez quietly closed his eyes and sipped champagne. A gentle breeze blew—a warm spring wind. As he focused on his hearing, countless sounds reached him.

The noise of the laughing and chattering banquet, the sound of fireworks, the rustling of grass under the wind, and then… to more secretive places.

* * *

-“First, we must kill that guy, Fernin.”

-“He’s just a nimble, sharp kid. It’s more logical to target Duke Erbe first, no?”

-“Duke Erbe first? He’s the one who achieved the most in the last three battles. This isn’t something we can just sweep under the rug. Too many people saw it.”

In the command tent, a few knights and nobles who had slipped away from the banquet gathered. They wore dark expressions, stroking their chins or holding their foreheads.

The plan had gone awry. The Emperor’s intention was to use the Empire’s mighty legions to swallow the Great Wilderness and, once the war was over, seize Ribue by force. The justification was already prepared—evidence that Duke Erbe had colluded with demons or their minions.

The problem was Duke Erbe’s achievements were too glorious. If they openly opposed him and moved to take Ribue, the Emperor and the court nobles would face political backlash for attacking a hero.

The Elector Dukes wanted Duke Erbe’s downfall, but they didn’t want the Emperor to gain too much power. With the Emperor personally sending legions, the Electors’ eyes would inevitably focus on Ribue.

In this situation, the Emperor needed a perfect justification. But due to the incompetence of the Imperial Central Army and Duke Erbe’s valor, cracks were forming in the Emperor’s reasoning.

-“The Chieftain’s concubine almost single-handedly turned the tide of the war.”

-“Are you suggesting we fight the entire Beastman Tribe? Have you seen how fiercely the Hearttaker Chieftain fights? The Emperor never ordered us to antagonize all Beastmen.”

-“Is that beast the only Chieftain?”

Bernard, the Knight Commander of Levans, smirked. The other nobles began murmuring at his words.

-“The rival Chieftain, Cherad Blondtail? That beast is on a losing streak, isn’t he? I heard most of his followers have already turned their backs on him or are preparing to.”

-“Yet he still commands nearly half the forces of the Hearttaker. Plus, he’s allied with the Lavirata Dynasty. The tide of war can turn in an instant, no?”

-“So, kill the Hearttaker and ally with Cherad? Wasn’t the Emperor’s intention to subjugate this wilderness by defeating Lavirata?”

-“Think of it as symbiosis.”

Bernard smiled slyly. Even though they’re losing now, the number of Beastman tribes following the rival Chieftain isn’t small. Cherad Blondtail nearly conquered the wasteland with Lavirata.

In their eyes, Cherad and his legion aren’t incompetent. Only a capable leader could conquer such a vast wilderness. It’s just that the Imperial Army was stronger.

Before the Imperial legions arrived at Ribue, the Hearttaker’s forces were suffering sporadic defeats and retreats. The Hearttaker’s troops weren’t a ragtag bunch, which made Cherad’s ability to defeat them in every battle all the more impressive.

-“From this moment on, we will lose every battle. In a way that minimizes damage to our main force.”

-“How far do you plan to retreat?”

-“To Ribue.”

Ribue was the capital of the Western Imperial Territory. Pulling the frontline back to Ribue meant abandoning all other small and medium-sized cities outside it.

But in the process, Duke Erbe and the Beastman Nobility would suffer irreparable damage. If the Imperial main force became less aggressive, the pressure on them at the frontline would inevitably increase.

-“By allying with the rival Chieftain, we cut off Ribue’s strongest ally and completely crush Duke Erbe’s power! Hahaha!”

-“A brilliant plan, brilliant!”

-“Haha, truly befitting the Knight Commander of Levans! I can’t help but admire it!”

The nobles burst into laughter at Bernard’s words. Though things were diverging from the Emperor’s intentions, the war was still ongoing, and they were merely reinforcements requested by Duke Erbe, not the main force.

After all, Duke Erbe’s legion was in a more pitiful state than they had anticipated. Most of his vassal nobles had already deserted, and Ribue’s forces were nothing to write home about.

-“Shouldn’t we first seek the Emperor’s approval for this?”

-“…This is a secret. I trust you’ll keep it quiet.”

-“What else is left? Speak!”

-“Ironside is within the legion.”

The nobles’ expressions froze. Ironside. Officially an intelligence agency, but in reality…








Most of their roles were skewed more towards assassinations and political maneuvers rather than espionage.

There wasn’t a single person among them with the composure to laugh while hearing stories of the Emperor distrusting them, holding a leash, or pressing a dagger to their throats.

“Don’t freeze up like that. I didn’t know either until the very moment we set out. What do you think Iron Side’s reason was for revealing themselves and contacting us?”

“Does His Majesty wish for you to assassinate the Duke directly?”

“No. His Majesty wishes to hear our plans directly. Right by our side! The humiliation and retreat we’re facing now mean nothing. Once His Majesty grasps the full picture, he will reward us accordingly!”

At Bernard’s words, the nobles’ expressions brightened. Even if they had heard that the Emperor’s assassin was nearby, watching them from somewhere. As long as they were useful, the Emperor wouldn’t dispose of them, and the merits to be distributed among the high nobles would be accurately rewarded.

The sound of fireworks echoed from beyond the tent. Bernard clapped once to draw attention and said, “Alright, everyone, let’s go. If we leave the banquet hall empty for too long, suspicions will deepen, won’t they? Hahaha!”

* * *

“We’ve been away for too long, Baron.”

Fernandez opened his eyes and smiled. In the dark night, in a deserted alley, the black halo faded. With Diemonica’s magically enhanced hearing, it wasn’t difficult to trap the entire tent under his information network.

He had already done it a year ago, even amidst the crowds of the Federation of Beastmen Nobles. Fernandez tapped the glowing bronze throne and stood up.

Between the tents, the joyous songs of drunken revelers celebrating victory never ceased. Thanks to the Empire’s abundant supplies, Ribue and the Beastmen Nobles happily raised their glasses.

They had earned the recent victories. They deserved to enjoy themselves. Fernandez watched a Beastman Warrior chugging a bottle and roaring with laughter.

‘At least the Empire’s Administrative Office is somewhat helpful.’

-That supply line will fall into enemy hands after the war ends.

‘What are you talking about? It’ll fall into our hands intact after the war.’

The Empire’s supply network, maintained through vast amounts of gold from the central region, secures resources from nearby territories. This means that while the Empire maintains the supply line, the local economy near Ribue will thrive.

Ribue is a forward base. Although the Duke lamented this fact, it was inevitable. Ribue is essentially a mechanical device that thrives on war and the blood of soldiers.

While it may not expect the vigorous growth seen during the 50-year war, it won’t take long to restore past glory.

Once this is resolved, it’s better to eliminate the unstable elements first. Fernandez smiled as he wandered between alleys and tents.

Soon, a figure came into view. It was Baron Bernard. Unaware of Fernandez’s presence, he was fiddling with some trinket.

“Is that the Emperor’s message magic?”

“…!! Who’s there?”

“The person you wanted to kill.”

Fernandez revealed himself from the alley and approached. Bernard, initially startled, soon hardened his expression and glared at him.

“Fernin… I’ve heard you have a good sense. Haha, I didn’t know your sense for finding corpses was this sharp.”

“Not Iron Side… Hah, so the Emperor suspected Iron Side too?”

It’s almost paranoid suspicion. Iron Side is ruled by the Emperor’s own son, and the Emperor himself commands the loyalty of countless knights in the Empire’s central command. The Emperor is a lifelong position, and considering that external enemies could never destroy the Empire within a single generation, his thoroughness borders on madness.

He’s desperate to pass the throne to his children, yet wary of power concentrating in their hands? This isn’t the thinking of a sane person.

The position of Emperor can only be seized by those capable of extremely refined political maneuvering among the Electors. It’s nearly impossible for someone foolish or insane to ascend to the throne.

Therefore, his actions must have their own logic. What could it be… Fernandez scratched his chin in thought.

‘The Emperor is a lifelong position, the Empire is solid, and the Emperor himself wants to permanently transfer power to his family…’

-Yet he’s wary of his own children’s power…

‘This guy’s a vampire.’

-Or at least a long-lived being. A very heretical long-lived being.

‘He might be capable of generational succession like King Guimerin.’

-Whatever he is, he’s worse than a sewer rat.

All humans are mortal. Human lifespan barely exceeds eighty years. But if the Emperor lives beyond that, he’ll inevitably draw suspicion from other Electors and the Church.

However, if the Imperial power is attributed to the Emperor’s family, and the Emperor himself has a means to conceal his immortality, then seizing the impossible power of an eternal king isn’t just a dream.

‘And the Iron Side that raided Ribue were vampires too.’

-This is getting interesting.

Fernandez gripped his sword hilt and growled as he took a step closer to Bernard. Right in front of the longsword’s edge, he smiled and said, “Which bloodline has the Emperor allied with?”

“…What?”

“Goldenberg is subservient to the Sultan, so it’s not them. Franzrit has been wiped out. There aren’t many left. I’m curious.”

“You bastard… Who are you?”

Bernard struggled to suppress his shock. Where did the information leak? The spy within the tent could be inferred from his words. But the Emperor’s true nature was the greatest secret, and Bernard had never disclosed it to anyone since arriving in Ribue.

Even with deduction, such information would be necessary. All this man had seen was Bernard’s secret letter to the Emperor. In that short time, it wasn’t a question that could be asked with such limited information.

He must be killed. Bernard’s expression hardened. A sharp killing intent reached Fernandez’s eyes.

“Where did you send it? Kirzat? Apotazar? Shield?”

“I’m the one asking questions here. Don’t you understand your position?”

“The one who doesn’t understand his position is you, brat. I’m the commander of the Levans Knights, and the years I’ve spent on the battlefield exceed your age!”

“That’s impossible.”

Fernandez glanced at Bernard’s face and body and smirked. At most, he was in his late forties. As a well-trained knight, it’s an age where skill has peaked. It’s an age where strength may wane, but technique and experience have accumulated, making him a capable cavalry officer.

However, even if he had spent every moment since he first held a sword on the battlefield, it couldn’t exceed Faijashi’s age.

“Well, I’ll give you a chance to prove it.”

Fernandez smiled as he placed his hand on the sword hilt. If you prove useful, I won’t kill you.