novelraw Chapter 181 : Chapter 181
Chapter 181 : Chapter 181
Chapter 181
“Simon.”
Someone called him.
It was a fond voice.
“Do you wish to become the new emperor of the Empire?”
Where he turned his head, there was a woman with platinum blonde hair.
As her blurry face became clear, a smile graced Simon's lips.
“You're smiling like that again.”
Even her chiding voice felt affectionate.
“I have no interest in being an emperor.”
Like a child speaking of a long-hidden dream, his voice was filled with innocence.
It was a voice too unfamiliar to be called his own.
It seemed not to be the case for the woman.
She tilted her head and asked.
“Then?”
“All a knight wants is to walk their own path of the sword. In that process, they experience their limits and overcome walls.”
“You are a knight through and through.”
“Even though we have fallen, we are not called a Sword Family for nothing.”
“Not all knights of a Sword Family are like you.”
Approaching, she swept back Simon’s silver hair.
Simon's strong eyes were revealed.
“What about you?”
Simon asked, meeting her eyes.
“What did you want to be? It seemed you didn't much like the title of Saintess.”
“I wanted to be the ordinary wife of an ordinary man.”
“……?”
“There were times I thought it wasn't a grand dream.”
If she had been born ordinary, it surely would have come to pass.
“What a shame.”
“They call such things fate.”
“Is that so.”
He did not like clichéd words.
If he had to choose, ‘transcendence’ would be more to his taste than ‘fate’.
“Simon Eurasia, you too were born with a fate befitting your own talents.”
“Didn't I tell you I'm an atheist?”
The sword, mana, and his family.
Nothing else existed in his mind.
But he also knew that simply ignoring her words was not the best course of action.
Tatia de Veritas.
She was a being chosen by the God of ‘Truth’ and born with eyes that see ‘the Truth’.
Her words about seeing fate were likely not a complete lie.
Whether he could bring down the Empire, whether he could reach the end of the path of the sword he so craved.
‘There’s no need to ask such questions.’
She never voiced specific prophecies.
It was unfair.
He thought of her so much.
“You do not let me into your life.”
“I am sorry for placing such a harsh burden on you.”
She closed her mouth and offered an apologetic smile.
“Is our time up?”
The Saintess of Truth nodded.
8-star.
A realm where one could even interfere with the flow of time.
And yet.
“To think only such a brief meeting is permitted.”
Simon smiled self-deprecatingly.
“Please take good care of Killian.”
“……”
Simon answered with silence.
He knew she always disappeared after saying these words.
“When we next meet, I will have become a 9-star.”
With a final look at Tatia’s fading face, Simon opened his eyes.
A stone wall came into view.
“……”
It seemed he had dozed off for a moment while resting after returning from battle.
“It was a dream, after all.”
It was just a replay of a conversation from sometime in the past.
What had he been expecting?
Simon pushed away the bitter feeling and acknowledged reality.
Despite having two Sword Masters in Eurasia—an 8-star Master and an 8-star Intermediate—they could not overwhelm the battlefield.
‘The one step I failed to take is regrettable.’
If he had achieved the 9-star, the war would not have become so fierce.
Cornelia had sent two superhumans and an elite magic order as support, and allied nations and families had sent three more superhumans.
Nevertheless, the reason the tide of war did not easily balance out was due to the overwhelming difference in troop numbers.
The battle was taking place at a castle located on the outskirts of Eurasia's territory.
Utilizing the advantage of defense, the Eurasian army had set several traps and fought a few pitched battles before the enemies arrived.
It had been over two months since the war began.
Under the command of an Arch Mage, countless spells rained down daily, and knights scattered their sword energy, cutting down those who scaled the walls.
However, the aura emitted by the 8-star knight in the enemy's possession was offset by Simon's presence alone, and the 8-star mage's formulas were being cut down by Escar himself.
Cornelia's two superhumans had already sacrificed two Arch Mages and one Sword Master to the battlefield with their secret magic.
The siege weapons, personally installed by the dwarves of the Arden Mountains, were also doing their part.
By now, they too must have realized.
That the resilience of Eurasia, which had laid its foundation in the barren eastern frontier, was different from what they had thought.
Looking only at the immediate results, the situation was gratifying.
But the reality was not so good.
‘At this rate, the southern wall, which Benzen Fiorellan is in charge of, will fall first.’
He, the Arch Mage of the Fiorellan Kingdom, was an outstanding mage who had mastered the 7-star.
The problem was that the other side had three superhumans participating in the battle, targeting him.
At least ten or more 7-star level individuals were scattered across the battlefield, moving to capture the castle.
They were responding appropriately with Cornelia's detection magic, but there was a limit to what a single Arch Mage could do.
Eurasia, too, had not played all its cards.
There were knights from families in the eastern frontier who had not yet been summoned.
And the other superhuman in Eurasia’s possession had not yet joined the battlefield.
Killian Eurasia.
The child born between Tatia de Veritas and Simon.
‘Is that child still not here yet?’
It had been quite some time since he had left for Elvenheim, yet there was still no news.
There was a time when Simon, too, had treated that child as if he did not exist.
But now, he had become one of the first people who came to mind in difficult situations.
According to Escar's report, he seemed to have formed a friendly relationship with the Pope and the Saintess as well.
“Please take good care of Killian.”
He couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh as he mulled over her words.
“Isn’t that better than me, who had a falling out with that fellow Claudio?”
He still couldn't receive the Pope's help, but it was unlikely he would side with the Empire as before.
“That is, if his vaunted Foresight is working properly.”
Just then.
“Your Majesty!”
Escar entered.
Seeing his stiff expression, it didn't seem to be good news.
“The connection with the capital, Brussels, the eastern frontier, and the Pantera Temple has been severed.”
“An attack?”
“The exact cause has not been identified, but… it seems there is a problem with the Warp stones and Gates.”
Eurasia’s Warp stones and Gates had been repaired by the temple to increase their stability.
‘The Holy Nation has no reason to tighten the leash on us now.’
Pope Claudio de Cronis knew how to separate public and private matters.
He was not the type of person to do something like this over a personal grudge.
“Then the problem most likely lies with something controlled by the Holy Nation.”
Escar added that he suspected as much.
Whatever the reason, this meant Eurasia's supply line was now disrupted.
The timing was exquisite.
There were no coincidences in war.
The enemy would not miss such an opportunity.
“It seems we won’t be sleeping tonight.”
“I will order the knights to heighten their guard.”
“I will join you.”
Simon, who stood up with his sword in hand, climbed the castle wall.
As if sensing the calm before the storm, the round moon was exceptionally bright.
***
“It’s clear.”
Killian muttered.
He was looking up at the sky, feeling the wind from the balcony of the Silvana Temple’s guest room.
It had been a week since he started staying at the temple, waiting for the Warp stones to be activated.
It was a situation where he had no time to waste, but since the magic stones and Warp Gates were not functioning, there was nothing he could do.
With Eurasia’s war situation worsening, he could only try to suppress his impatience.
‘I need to get to the battlefield quickly…….’
To think he had finally achieved the 8-star, yet didn't even have a chance to swing his sword.
What an absurd situation.
Just then, he felt a familiar energy.
A flow similar to Violet Mana.
Killian furrowed his brow and looked down.
He saw Orchid Owl striding into the temple.
With a few steps, she reached where Killian was and gave a slight smile.
“You must have been bored waiting~”
“The Warp stones should be unusable, though?”
“I arrived at a nearby village before the Warp stones stopped functioning.”
Killian, who had secretly hoped they had started working again, clicked his tongue.
“My lovely disciple doesn’t look very happy to see me, does he?”
Orchid Owl covered her mouth and looked at him.
Her eyes sparkled challengingly.
“Seeing as you’ve come all this way, you must have something important to say, right?”
“Hmph~ Getting straight to the point. I’m hurt.”
Contrary to her words, Orchid Owl took out a piece of paper from her bosom.
“The information you requested about the Emperor.”
“……!!”
As Killian tried to grab the paper, she swiftly moved her body away.
“Not for free. You promised to help me handle Violet Mana.”
“Information first.”
“Teaching first~”
“……”
“……”
After a moment of staring at each other, Killian stepped back from the balcony.
“Fine.”
Even if he knew the information about the Emperor, he couldn't move right away anyway.
“Handling Violet Mana won’t be that easy.”
“That's why I found a good teacher, isn't it?”
Orchid Owl grinned and nodded.
And so, a brief period of teaching continued while they stayed at the temple.
Teaching how to use Violet Mana was harder than expected.
“Grr……”
Orchid Owl gritted her teeth and focused her mana.
Sssss.
What emanated from her body was still a color closer to orchid than violet.
‘Her attunement is slower than I thought.’
Separate from her strong desire for Violet Mana, the mental imprinting of being from a collateral branch was acting like a shackle.
“Ugh… ugh……”
Saliva that dripped from between her teeth wet the floor.
“Th… thi……”
Violet Mana was different from the mana she had previously mastered.
It was not easy to control, and it seemed to have a will of its own, trying to go against her will.
She tried to control the Violet Mana while sweating, but she failed repeatedly.
“That’s enough for today.”
Srrrr.
Killian calmed the Violet Mana that was manifesting through the pendant.
Orchid Owl gave him a look as if to ask why.
“Any more and you’ll fall into a reflux.”
“I was just starting to get the feel of it.”
“Look in a mirror before you say that. Some powers become more distant the more you strongly desire them.”
[Grrr~]
Hazard, who was watching with his belly on the floor, let out a sound as if in agreement.
“This son of a bitch dog is at it again~”
[Grrr! Grrr!]
Hazard growled as if he was displeased.
“Shall I poke a hole in your neck?”
[Grrrrrr.]
“I think I need a little health boost.”
[Grrr!]
A battle of wills between the Night Walker and a dragon hiding its identity.
It was a sight that had become familiar over the past few days.
“That’s enough, both of you.”
“Hmph. Let’s see you when the master isn’t around.”
Orchid Owl waved her hand as if annoyed.
And so, another two days passed.
During that time, Orchid Owl slowly began to get a feel for the color change to Violet Mana.
“Aah~”
“Don’t lie down in my room making strange noises.”
Just as Orchid Owl, drenched in sweat, had collapsed on the floor and was groaning.
“Killian Eurasia.”
Pale came to find them.
His gaze briefly turned to Orchid Owl, writhing on the floor.
“The Warp stones have started working.”
He delivered the news he had been waiting for.
There was no reason to delay any longer.
“Let’s go, Hazard.”
Killian, who had hastily finished his preparations, stood before the Warp stone with Pale.
Orchid Owl also followed and stood beside him.
“The vacation is over. Leave the information in the Annihilation Squad Leader’s Office.”
“I’m not trying to interfere.”
She raised both hands and gave a sly grin.
[Grrr. Grrr.]
“Quiet, you damn dog.”
[Grrrr.]
“The coordinates have been entered. I will now transport you.”
As they stepped onto the Warp stone in time with Pale’s signal, a bright light enveloped them.