The Rune of Elements was a fragment imbued with the authority to harness the most primal and intuitive of powers.
In particular, it allowed for the effortless manipulation of elements such as flames and lightning, making it quite suitable for combat in that regard.
Though it might seem to merely handle elements, it was also possible to combine various elements to create new effects, and depending on the combination method, it could even unleash forces on the level of natural disasters.
It differed in nature from the runes that dealt with fundamental principles like time and space, but in terms of versatility, it was even more useful in some aspects.
Above all, since it directly manipulated elements, it was also the most visually stunning.
“The problem is that we don’t know its location…”
The Rune of Elements had never had its precise location revealed in the story.
To begin with, the concept of runes itself appeared only sporadically in the original work, so there wasn’t much information about them.
They had to rely on fragmented pieces of information that occasionally appeared in the plot to find the runes, and among them, the location of the Rune of Elements was especially vague.
In the original story, all that was mentioned was that it was buried somewhere within the Third Lord’s Domain.
“Since the Third Lord’s Domain is so vast…”
The continent of this world was shaped like a pair of wings extending from the Center Empire in the middle, forming the Eastern and Western continents.
The Third Lord’s Domain, ruled by the Third Lord Kwon Seong Kallen, was located in the Western continent and had a peculiar feature that set it apart from the other lord domains.
The Third Lord’s Domain uniquely housed several non-human races coexisting together, and they had formed their own independent cultures in their respective regions.
In the mountainous areas resided the Ashrat, known as the giant race, in the plains lived the Narin Tribe with their sharp horns and blue hair, and in the volcanic regions lived the Orc Tribe that specialized in sorcery and battle across generations.
Although these three races had their own zones of autonomy, they were all under the rule of the Third Lord Kwon Seong Kallen.
This inefficient structure where three small nations existed under a single state had surprisingly continued for hundreds of years.
It was only possible due to the overwhelming presence of the Third Lord.
The situation where three strongly united races were gathered together could be seen as a precarious balance that could break at any moment with just the slightest provocation.
“However, that balance is probably going to break soon.”
The world’s genre leaning towards dark fantasy was not only influenced by Kalmas but also significantly due to the division between various factions on the continent.
Among them, the first event that would trigger the Great Schism was a racial war caused by the sudden rebellion of the Orc Tribe.
This was an important turning point that began with the division of the three races under the Third Lord’s Domain.
From my memory, the Third Lord dies before the racial war begins.
At the hands of the Orc Grand Shaman Kalakh, completely corrupted by the second Seed of Doom.
Honestly, whether he lives or dies isn’t something I should be overly concerned about.
Even though we’re both Lords, I don’t have any special ties to him, and we’ve only exchanged a few words during casual encounters.
Until now, I hadn’t given much thought to this turning point.
But I can’t shake off this uneasy feeling.
The reason is simple: I’m worried that the empty Third Lord’s Domain might be dumped on me again as it was last time, once he’s gone.
“Could it?”
…It wasn’t an impossible scenario.
In fact, given that the old man, the Emperor, always manages things as smoothly as water flows, it was quite plausible.
Moreover, it would be more convenient for Silvia if a figure like Kwon Seong was alive to make her work easier.
So, keeping him alive and leaving the workload to Silvia while leisurely searching for the Rune by traveling around the Third Lord’s Domain would be more convenient in many ways.
After finishing that thought, I stood up and called the head butler Siron to my room.
“Siron.”
“Yes, Sixth Lord.”
“In a few days, I’m planning to head to the Third Lord’s Domain, so please prepare accordingly.”
“I’ll handle it immediately.”
A few days later.
“We’ve arrived.”
At Siron’s words, I looked out the window to see a massive fortress wall coming into view.
The Sixth Lord’s Domain.
“The Sixth Lord’s Domain,” Silvia murmured softly.
Seeing the places from the game in reality seemed to give her a renewed sense of sentiment, her voice slightly subdued.
She had perfectly processed all the documents I had entrusted to her well within the set time.
I had instructed Silvia to intentionally botch the documents as a challenge to the Emperor and the Grand Lord who had dumped the responsibilities onto me, but when I inquired about it, she had smiled confidently and said to trust her, leaving me to admire her quietly.
As I watched her, Arkhan sitting across from me chuckled and spoke.
“Surprising, Sixth Lord – suddenly deciding to visit the Third Lord’s Domain. And bringing along some unknown kid for the first time, too.”
“You’re the surprising one. Aren’t you busy with the issues of the Lord’s Council? Why follow us all the way here?”
“You never know. The fiery Sixth Lord might lose control and try to k*ll the Third Lord in a fit of rage.”
“…”
d*mn, now that you mention it, I’ve got nothing to say to that.
In lieu of a response, I just looked out the window, watching the scenery until we arrived.
As the carriage passed through the gate, various races caught my eye.
The Ashrat with their massive rock-like skin and the Narin Tribe with their prominent horns on their foreheads were freely trading.
The oddity was that the orcs were nowhere to be seen.
Only Arkhan, unaware of the original information, tilted his head in puzzlement while Silvia, remembering the impending racial war, took a deep breath to steady herself.
“Welcome to the Third Lord’s Domain. Grand Lord and Sixth Lord.”
The person who greeted us at the gate was the Third Lord’s butler.
The Narin, polite as ever, greeted us and started leading the way.
We followed her into the Third Lord’s office.
Sitting at the desk in the office was the Third Lord Kalen, who greeted me and Arkhan with his characteristic hearty voice.
After a casual round of greetings, he explained the current situation of the Third Lord’s Domain.
“The Orc Grand Shaman Kalakh assassinated the leader of the Atlashi.”
The situation was exactly as I expected.
The starting point of the racial war was already unfolding.
“And, he declared a Laghnashit.”
Laghnashit was a type of duel ceremony passed down only in the Third Lord’s Domain.
Only representatives of the forces within the territory could participate, and naturally, the Third Lord representing the castle was no exception.
The duel was a fight to the d*ath, with all external intervention strictly prohibited.
Silvia massaged her temples, looking annoyed.
After all, the Third Lord was set to accept this duel and, though the exact process is unknown, he dies after an intense battle.
Following that, a one-sided massacre by the Orcs begins, turning the Third Lord’s Domain into chaos, and the House of Lords will suffer an enormous loss.
Hence, I must inform them of the future.
The original story’s future.
The ruin awaiting the Third Lord’s Domain.
But if I step forward, I might draw too much attention.
After all, I’ve already had enough trouble with all sorts of misunderstandings and misconceptions.
If it escalates further here, it will be problematic.
So, I pushed Silvia to the front.
“The woman’s name is Silvia. She possesses an extraordinary ability to see the future.”
As Silvia widened her eyes at my sudden action, Arkhan’s golden Insight Eye flickered knowingly, her lips curling faintly in interest.
Now understanding the situation, Silvia composed herself.
The stage was already set. She opened her mouth to persuade the Third Lord.
“I can see the future.”
Kwon Seong’s gaze was fixed on her.
But Silvia was not done.
The Third Lord will lose the duel.
He will d*e, and in its aftermath, the racial war will break out.
His subordinates, having lost their leader, will ultimately be hanged, with their heads displayed at the gates, and the other races are also fated to suffer a terrible massacre.
“This is the future of the Third Lord’s Domain that I have seen.”
“…”
Silvia’s shocking words made the atmosphere grow icy.
Thankfully, because I’d managed to redirect all attention to her, there was little for me to do.
Kallen clicked his tongue in a clearly displeased manner, saying,
“That’s an exaggeration.”
Well, I expected a reaction like this.
But Arkhan, who had been quietly observing Silvia, asked a few more questions.
“Your proof?”
“It’s the future I’ve truly seen.”
“…Is there a possibility your vision could be incorrect?”
“It’s none.”
“Meaning it’s an inevitable future?”
“Yes.”
Arkhan continued to scan her with a keen look.
Once her observations seemed complete, Arkhan finally murmured,
“…Is it true?”
“Huh?”
“Everything this young girl just said, it’s all true.”
“…”
The Grand Lord’s confident statement made Kallen frown.
He couldn’t possibly believe that he, a mighty Third Lord, would lose to the chieftain of some Orcs.
“Difficult to believe tale.”
The Third Lord remained resolute in his denial.
Thus, it was my turn to speak.
“Kwon Seong, surely you’re aware that the Grand Lord has the eye to discern the truth?”
“…Yes.”
“You’ve witnessed it several times, have you not? That no one, not even the so-called Lord of Magic, the Dragon, can deceive the two eyes of the Grand Lord that see the very essence of beings.”
“…”
“Therefore, what Silvia has said is the truth. The talk of seeing the future, the talk of your d*ath—both are true. The Grand Lord’s two eyes have verified it personally, leaving no room for doubt. After all, isn’t it known that the ability to see the future appears generation after generation?”
The Grand Lord’s Insight Eyes were absolute.
All the Lords were aware of this fact, making the Grand Lord’s words a definitive guideline that they had to adhere to.
Hence, he had no choice but to believe.
No matter how absurd the prophecy seemed.
“So what’s your point?”
“The Laghnashit is merely a relic of the past; there is no obligation to accept it.”
“…”
“Then?”
“Ignore it. You gain nothing by accepting the duel. Just pretend you didn’t hear and refocus your energies on restructuring the territory.”
“Isn’t that considered excessive interference?”
“I understand. But it would be inconvenient for us too if you d*e, so it’d be nice if you considered this intervention fair.”
An eerie silence enveloped the room.
The office was now filled only with the icy air.
“… It’s not an entirely wrong argument.”
There was no real necessity to accept the duel.
The outdated ceremony of dueling for pride could easily be overruled with the authority of a Lord.
However…
“Even so, I can’t agree.”
The Third Lord remained adamant.
It wasn’t just a matter of not trusting Silvia’s words.
It was more that he genuinely could not consent.
“The Grand Lord’s Insight Eyes, and the tales of a human girl seeing the future, these are all things known only to us.”
True.
The sole reason we could accept all this was because he was aware of the Grand Lord’s Insight Eyes.
“No one else would believe it.”
“…”
“This is a legitimate Laghnashit, and there’s no ground to refuse. As the absolute ruler of the Third Lord’s Domain, the regulations I’ve set are also absolute.”
“…”
“The citizens want to see their Lord step into battle to prove his strength, and the retainers expect the Lord to set a proper example by stepping forward. In this situation, if the Lord refuses out of mere fear of d*ath, citing authority to justify it, that would be both a huge blunder and a betrayal of trust. It would be sheer cowardice, wouldn’t it?”
I was dumbfounded.
I couldn’t hold back and said to him,
“It’s not just you who will d*e. The moment you fall, those who trust and follow you will also lose their lives.”
“That too is something that can’t be helped.”
…What?
“I am a Lord who governs a territory.”
“How does that matter?”
“For a Lord, honor isn’t just an illusion wrapped in ideals.”
“…Honor?”
Kallen smirked slightly and scoffed.
“The system of the Third Lord’s Domain, maintained for hundreds of years, has been upheld not by mere force but by mutual trust.”
“…”
“It’s a law I myself created, a system I myself established, and a promise I myself made. If I, as the Lord, break these things, wouldn’t that be the collapse of the very foundation of the Third Lord’s Domain?”
“If everyone dies, what meaning does it all have?”
“Maintaining honor itself has meaning.”
“Is it truly reasonable?”
“It is.”
…I had completely forgotten.
Even though this world falls under the genre of fantasy, its core was deeply rooted in the knightly and honor-bound world of medieval times.
“So, you’re saying you’re just going to march off to d*e?”
“I am not marching off to d*e. I am going to maintain my honor.”
“…”
…Should I just knock him out?
