320. The War of the Puppets (17)
The crows were flaunting under the evening glow. After the battle, this moment when the hot blood of the soldiers cools down is their time. Rene stared blankly at the crows and thought.
The corpse crows must be a symbol of life, not death. They come at the time when the living exhale, having surpassed the fiercest time of death. That is truly enviable.
“What are you thinking about, Your Majesty?”
“Speak freely. Today, the Empire owes you.”
“Haha, who would think we came alone? The Dane Kingdom merely dispatched troops in response to Your Majesty’s request for support, nothing more, nothing less.”
Vicente laughed cheerfully and raised his teacup. His cheeks were still smeared with the dried blood of enemies. Rene looked straight into the eyes of this robust young man and smiled back.
“I have nothing to give you, can we call this a deal?”
“Well, can’t I receive something? Otherwise, our royal family would be in a bit of trouble.”
“You are an honest person.”
“Let’s say we are balancing the world.”
At this bone-dry joke, Rene burst out laughing. It meant that while others are too cunning, at least he would be sincere to balance it out. A witty one, indeed. Rene shook her head.
“Do you not resent me? Other royal families might, but your lineage has a reason to resent the Empire.”
“All those I should resent are dead. In a way, Your Majesty has avenged me.”
“I wish to apologize on behalf of the Empire. For the hardships your late king and you endured due to the former Emperor’s misdeeds.”
“There’s no need. Those who should bear the responsibility are no longer here, and we, present here, should discuss future duties, not past mistakes.”
“You are quite the orator.”
Rene found it hard to believe that the young man before her was the Knight King of the Eastern Kingdom. What she saw now was a simple, straightforward, country knight.
Just a few hours ago, the majestic Knight King, who slaughtered enemies and advanced like a lion, was no longer present.
Rene knew such a person. A cold man who described his anger and emotions as functional. Just recalling that stoic man’s face made her chest ache, and Rene sipped her tea.
“Future duties. Since you are so sincere with me, I will be honest. To what extent can you assist us?”
“What kind of help do you need?”
“At this moment, on the plains, your troops are the only ones who can significantly damage the enemy’s mounted forces. The help we need… Yes, until all who have trampled the Empire’s territory are buried under our land. That would be good.”
“The crows will feast.”
Vicente laughed cheerfully. He slightly bowed his head and spoke slyly.
“What proposal can you make?”
“Is a monarch offering himself as a mercenary?”
“Surely, Your Majesty does not intend to use the Eastern Kingdom’s elite knights without pay?”
“Except for the Emperor’s crown and the Empire’s territory, tell me what you desire. Gold? Privileges?”
The Eastern Kingdom has long been under the Empire’s influence. From administrative networks to trade routes, down to blacksmithing techniques and equestrian studies. The Empire is undeniably the most prosperous nation on the continent, unmatched in its glory.
Strictly speaking, the Eastern Kingdom Alliance’s technology and administrative networks lag behind the Empire by half to a full century. Even if the Alliance’s military might pressure the Empire’s standing army now, the Empire’s true strength lies in ‘long-term warfare,’ making it difficult to rival even militarily.
Thus, this moment of proposing a deal directly to the Emperor is a golden opportunity for Vicente. Among the small kingdoms of the East, who else could negotiate privileges with the Emperor?
“It’s a favor.”
Yet, this pure young man smiled amiably and said he desired a favor. Rene stared blankly at his face for a while.
‘Indeed, if he wanted privileges and gold, he wouldn’t have returned La Merthion to the Empire without conditions…’
Moreover, the current participation in the war posed significant political risks for Vicente. At this moment when the Eastern Kingdoms are finally striving to break free from the Empire’s influence, a military power within the Alliance has unilaterally supported the Empire.
Rene looked at him somewhat coldly. He is a good person, a virtuous man, perhaps even a hero… but he would find it hard to be a good monarch.
“King Vicente of Dane. You have been truthful to me, and I am grateful for your assistance, so I will offer one last piece of advice.”
“I am listening, Your Majesty.”
“If I wished, I could change the name of the Eastern Kingdom Alliance to the Dane Federation. If I wished, the territories of the Phaeirn royal family could become Dane’s, and the small kingdoms around your country could willingly become your marquises.”
Rene spoke coolly. This was not the Emperor’s arrogance but a mere statement of fact. The Empire has long dispatched intelligence personnel to the small kingdoms of the East.
When one state gains power, support another. When the supported state flourishes, begin to destroy it from within. Using sabotage, political schemes, sometimes assassinations, and black propaganda. The Empire did not wish for a powerful nation to emerge across its borders.
In such a reality, the Eastern Kingdom Alliance could only remain a clumsy federation of small kingdoms. Dane also knows this, having recently fallen victim to the Empire’s schemes.
Vicente’s face stiffened. He stared at Rene for a moment, then groaned shortly. He bowed his head, then raised it again.
“Your Majesty said you owe our royal family a debt.”
“That’s right. The Empire has inflicted hard-to-wash wounds on you, and now we have found a way forward thanks to your assistance.”
“But Your Majesty does not know what our royal family gained from that incident.”
“Gained…?”
“Due to the former Emperor’s schemes, my late king perished, my life was threatened, and the foundation of my homeland was shaken.”
“But, Your Majesty. Do you know how I and my subjects managed to overcome that moment?”
Vicente’s eyes seemed to glow. The sunset stretched through the tent window, making his shadow flicker like flames.
“Those were the days when legends descended and myths arose. My subjects and I will never forget that day until our dying breath. The Dane himself rose to bestow his sword upon you, the Kingdom’s Grandmother returned to drive away the wraiths and giants, and a saint took up the sword to dispel the shadows of the royal family—”
Vicente smiled softly but firmly.
“We saw justice arrive that day. We gained the power to speak the truth. A belief beyond courage and conviction. We inherited the faith of our mythical ancestors. So, I dare say to Your Majesty of the Empire.”
Rene, of course, knew about the commotion that had occurred in the distant east. But knowing about it and hearing the firsthand account of someone who experienced it were two different things. At this moment, Vicente spoke with the upright gaze of a knight from a fairy tale.
“Even if someone calls us foolish, we are knights who have vowed to follow that trivial value most nobly. The Dane’s Round Table sought justice, and I have marched here not as Knight Vicente, but as the Dane’s justice. So, consider this as balancing the world’s scales.”
He did not define those who scheme or plot as evil. Rather, he affirmed their actions and declared that he would balance the world’s scales. If someone piled malice on one side of the scale, he would stand on the opposite side.
Fools. Fools. Perfect idiots to be used. Rene sighed deeply and shook her head.
“I don’t dislike fools like you, King Vicente. I apologize. I have insulted your intentions.”
“You flatter me, Your Majesty.”
“But let me give you another piece of advice… It’s not good to show such a side to a woman who belongs to another.”
“Haha, Your Majesty. I have a son.”
“Why is it that every man around me is so eager to announce he has a son…?”
Rene chuckled and extended her hand. Vicente firmly grasped it, shaking it with a grip stronger than any contract with a thousand clauses. In that moment, an agreement was forged between the two sovereigns to face a common enemy forever.
“So, what do you plan to do now?”
“Recapture Bülrang and reissue the summons for the Electors. If we reclaim Bülrang’s territory, the Electors will no longer be able to stand idly by.”
The Empire’s conscription centers will start operating normally again. Rene estimated it would take about a month. With the enemy’s vanguard now crushed, they needed to seize the initiative before the follow-up forces scattered across the Empire.
“First, we must reach out to the Federation of Nobles. They have been our longest-standing adversaries. But for today…”
Rene stood up and left the tent. In the western Palatinate, where the battle had ended, campfires were beginning to light up one by one. The soldiers, before mourning the dead, were celebrating the day they had survived.
“Let’s hold a feast for the living.”
* * *
“Hey.”
A whisper was heard.
“Hey, wake up.”
Did I doze off? Fernandez rubbed his eyes and looked up. In his blurred vision, an old man was staring at him.
In the vast plains, hidden under Lavirata’s blessing. He had been raising the dead and forcing battles for days and nights.
One by one, he had to synchronize with each wraith, controlling them all individually. The fatigue from those days of battle was equivalent to that of twenty-seven thousand people.
Such a level of great magic doesn’t just tire the mind and body. It comes with the excruciating pain of slowly burning away one’s flesh. Yet, Fernandez showed no sign of fatigue as he gripped the sword hilt.
The faintly visible old man seemed to tilt his head in confusion.
“Don’t you recognize me?”
“If you come closer, I’ll cut you down.”
“That’s not like you. Threatening? Faijashi Wildcast. You used to enjoy preemptive strikes over warnings.”
Finally, the old man’s voice registered in Fernandez’s dazed mind. It was a familiar voice. Fernandez finally released the sword hilt.
“Orcis. What brings you here?”
He didn’t ask how he had found him. The era’s greatest independent intelligence entity couldn’t fail to find someone he sought.
In response to his question, Orcis smiled faintly and spread his fingers.
“How many?”
“That wasn’t my question.”
“Tell me. It’s important.”
“…One.”
“Your condition is worse than I thought. Let me take a look.”
Orcis approached without hesitation, grabbing Fernandez’s arm and slowly examining his body. Soon, he let out a deep sigh.
“You’ve been acting like someone desperate to die, Faijashi. Your muscles and bones are damaged, and your entire spirit is shaken. No matter how much divine power you possess, you haven’t fully stepped onto the staircase of immortality.”
“I have no intention of becoming a god.”
“You haven’t missed your chance yet. If you rest, your lifespan… Hmm. No, you could preserve your remaining life. Three years… maybe longer if you live well.”
“Did you come here just to check on me?”
“That was part of it. Do you remember when I told you that the world’s destruction remains unchanged?”
Fernandez nodded silently. Orcis sat down beside him and continued.
“Unfortunately, that future hasn’t changed. But… something strange appeared.”
“Something strange?”
“It’s overlapping, Faijashi. Destruction and hope. Sometimes, fate cleverly twists life and death to deceive us. The world’s destruction, that colossal event, is also entangled in such threads.”
Fernandez closed his eyes and pondered his words. Destruction and hope intertwined?
“Is hope at the end of destruction, or destruction at the end of hope? I can’t tell which comes first. That’s my limit. But Faijashi… no, Fernandez Sernerd. One thing is certain—”
Orcis grabbed his arm and said.
“Your life is caught up in that fate. So, don’t die. The moment that might be the world’s end is not far off.”
“Did you cross such a distance just to cheer me on, Orcis?”
“Haha, cold as ever. As if.”
-Whirr!
A hot energy began to swirl from the arm Orcis was holding. Fernandez instinctively tried to pull away but stopped, realizing there was no hostility.
His shattered spirit, the cracks between the fragments, began to be filled with warmth like spiderwebs.
“Orcis…”
“This should suffice as first aid. If you remain immortal and the world ends, it’s all for naught. Consider this as me betting my entire fortune on you.”
Orcis laughed heartily and stood up. Fernandez didn’t stop him, quietly nodding as he left.
Chapter 322
![[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/TS-Obsessed-Gamer-The-Ultimate-Return2.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return")
