episode_0182

Siron, who returned to the expeditionary force, volunteered for the punitive force without anyone telling him to.

It wasn’t because I felt sorry for leaving the place without formal procedures. To begin with, Siron was not the type to care about what others thought, and the engineer unit he belonged to had already completed its mission of expanding the front line early.

What’s more, isn’t that engineering unit made up entirely of prisoners handed over by the foul-tempered emperor?

Therefore, it was not easy to fulfill my role, and since no one in the headquarters expected it, I would be looked upon with generosity even if I did not step forward.

However, Siron also saw this as an opportunity to increase his reputation. Whether he wanted it or not, the expedition showed no signs of ending.

‘Is Hugo’s vacancy that big?’

No matter how outstanding Hugo’s personal military power was, it was strange that an expedition that would have been completed in half a year on average lasted for over a year.

The goal of the expedition is ultimately to hunt down demonic beasts.

Isn’t it a simple task to just dry up the seeds of the demonic beast that crossed the mountain range?

There was no hesitation in executing the plan he came up with.

Another 15 days passed like that.

*

Kugugugung-

A huge tremor shook the mountain range.

The shaking felt like an earthquake, but no one present thought it was an earthquake.

A hazy cloud of snow flew against the empty plains in the background, and not long after, a gust of wind blew.

Sigh-

In that gust of wind, Siron shook off the bodily fluids of the ‘last’ monster.

It wasn’t just brushing it off. He raised his arm high and swung it diagonally so that he could be clearly seen by those watching his performance from afar.

The bodily fluids on the blade were scattered in a semicircle, and the ice particles scattered on the floor visualized a gust of wind that could not have been seen with the naked eye.

It was a blatant display.

“…”

Shiron also blushed profusely because he knew full well that he was being rude.

[The warrior’s facial skin is surprisingly thin. You might get used to it in about a month.]

“…is this effective? I think people will like it even if I just quietly kill the demon beast.”

[Hmm, but the penalty for the hero is more than just cutting down the demon beast and killing it. Isn’t it better to swing a sword coolly and recite heavy lines?]

“…No matter how you look at it, I think it will only look like an adolescent kid holding a knife and setting up the place.”

[no. The warrior just wiping off the blood from his sword was like a depiction of popular knightly literature!]

Latera chattered with excitement. She was one of the reasons why Siron became popular with many people.

[This is an article that people here like to read, but regardless of what the warrior thinks, wouldn’t it be right to do this? As I always say, I think it’s cool!]

“…No matter how much I think about it, I don’t think so.”

After saying that, Siron rubbed his cold eyes on his heated face.

Although he wanted to brush aside what others thought, Siron was a person who had to kill two birds with one stone to be satisfied with his anger.

It was important to finish the expedition quickly, but he wanted to increase his prestige as much as possible.

Increasing prestige involves doing good deeds, but it also increases by increasing the favorability of the named people.

In ‘Reincarnated Swordsman’, it was raised by performing missions provided by NPCs or giving gifts, but now that it has become a reality, its prestige has risen to the point where it is difficult to show one’s face.

Therefore, Siron, who was in no position to judge whether it was hot or cold, had no choice but to follow Latera’s words.

From the discovery of the monster to its subjugation and cleanup, Siron played the role of Latera’s ‘ideal’ hero.

He helped people even when no one asked for help, and he was kind even to people he didn’t like. Even after defeating the demon beast, instead of resting, I stopped by a clinic treating wounded soldiers and squeezed out my divine power.

And today,

The last demon was killed in front of many people.

Malleus and Igor were natural, and most of the people who showed some strength in the expeditionary force watched Siron’s subjugation process.

“Sharpening a sword on a fallen monster. I still have all those romantic friends.”

“He’s a young man who knows something.”

“I’m jealous. I envy you. When I was an apprentice engineer, I couldn’t do it because I was concerned about what my seniors thought.”

“On the day I was caught, I was beaten all night for relaxing my shoulder.”

The men with bushy beards gave Siron a sympathetic look.

Of course, I wasn’t in the mood to see monkeys at the zoo. They just wanted to check how strong Hugo’s nephew, the young man who had been wandering around the mountains for the past fifteen days, was.

In fact, from the beginning of the expedition, the news that Siron was Hugo’s nephew was widely spread. Hugo’s vacancy was large in the previous expedition, and it did not seem easy to fill that vacancy this time as well.

And, Hugo’s nephew, whom he saw with his own eyes, was well liked by the senior officers of the headquarters.

“I didn’t tell you before. I heard that big guys fall down even though they don’t show off their strength?”

Although he was unable to cut the beast in two by stretching out his sword that was dozens of meters long, Siron was able to defeat the beast on his own, which only a skilled knight could do with a lot of heat.

Kick off the ground, jump high, run vertically, and hit dozens of slashes at vital points. Everyone who watched the process exuded admiration because there was no unnecessary detail.

Anyone who has participated in an expedition knows well that the demonic beasts that come across the mountain range are different from the common demonic beasts south of the mountain range.

It is impossible to make even a small wound with a blade that is not even coated with a sword, let alone a sword. It is also true that, unlike its huge body, its movements are quick, so it cannot be easily caught.

Unlike demonic beasts, humans die very easily.

This was the same even when wearing self-defense gear. The larger the size of the magical beast, the greater the shock becomes to the point where it cannot be withstood at some point.

It would be better to learn magic and deploy a protective shield, or to develop visual acuity and agility to avoid attacks.

And other people, regardless of whether the magic beast was quick or not, did not have the talent or guts to approach the vital area as quickly as Siron.

So, in order to play an active role in the expedition, learning strong skills was the most important condition, but as a person who could be said to be an exception appeared, the favorability for Siron only skyrocketed.

I don’t harbor jealousy.

The age difference between the senior leaders and Siron is at least 15 years.

There was no one here who was so energetic as to be petty towards Gigi, who was almost as old as his nephew or son.

So, the long expedition finally came to an end.

*

Lien, the capital of the empire.

The throne room of the imperial palace.

The commander of the expeditionary force, Igor Chiron, returned to the imperial palace with the crown prince without any time to relieve the fatigue of the expedition.

The Emperor closed the thick bundle of paper. It was an expedition report posted by Igor upon his return.

“Igor. Lift your head up.”

“…Yes.”

Igor slowly raised his gaze.

Among the royal knights crowded into view, there was a gaunt-looking emperor.

Seeing the emperor for the first time in a year, his eyes no longer had the aura of death, but he could not see the gun-like look in his eyes from before.

Although I had driven out one son with my own hands, the shock that the other had tried to kill me and usurp the throne had not gone away.

“Igor.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“The general is one of the few people I trust. Do you know that?”

“I am so grateful.”

“So, I don’t want to think that you deliberately delayed the expedition for this long…”

“…”

Words pouring out without even a moment to feel grateful. Igor responded to him with silence. If it had been other subjects, his shoulders would have been shaking unsightly, but Igor had been assisting the emperor for decades.

Igor’s posture was flawless. The emperor liked the immovability and smiled bitterly.

“Dozens of skilled knights were killed, but that was the only visible damage. Since the people gathered by summons were brought back to ancient times, except for three idiots who couldn’t adapt to the cold and fell asleep, you can think that you did your best for the future of the empire.”

“Thank you for looking at me, I don’t know what to do with myself.”

“So, I would rather reward you… But there is no higher official position than commander… It’s a shame.”

Cough-

Cluck- Cluck-

Trembling limbs and dry coughing in succession.

These were all actions that had never been seen in a previous emperor with a gun.

“How did the expeditionary force fare without Hugo?”

“There were quite a few people who couldn’t adapt because the system wasn’t in place yet, but in the end, it seemed like it was only a matter of time. It is believed that the next expedition will be completed sooner than this expedition.”

Igor did not say anything about Siron’s performance at the end of the expedition. Since it was all recorded in the report anyway, it was better not to get caught by mentioning specific people.

“Thank goodness.”

The emperor massaged the area of his neck with a trembling hand. To be honest, this expedition was so long that I thought it would spell doom for the empire.

I became more confident when I saw Hugo who visited the imperial palace not long ago.

An old friend who cannot be seen as strong as before. This is because it was ridiculous to expect him to perform in the past.

“What was Siron Prien like?”

“It was great. He truly had the same grandeur as Hugo.”

“Isn’t force no less powerful than Hugo in his youth?”

“It didn’t reach that point. However, with a little more polish, it is expected that it will have similar inaction…”

” was done. I got it.”

The emperor cut off Igor’s horse.

“Is there a need to keep saying that he is worse than Hugo?”

“It wasn’t bad. However, there is something that takes a little bit…”

“What is that?”

“It did not emit strong energy to cut down the magical beast.”

“…Then isn’t it even greater? Didn’t you deal with the demonic beasts without strength?”

The Emperor, who did not understand Igor’s assessment, coughed dryly again.

“…The problem is that it is a visible flaw. Hugo is a perfect driver with no visible flaws. If you have character, you have character. If you are powerless, you are powerless. Because nothing was left out, I think many people were able to follow with envy.”

“In the end, Siron Prien cannot be a perfect replacement for Hugo Prien… This is what I mean.”

“That’s right.”

Igor answered with strength in his voice. An expedition is a task that must not be accomplished alone, but must be accomplished with a large number of people. Although he was quiet in front of the emperor, Siron, whom Igor had seen, had been in conflict with young knights, including Eugen, from the beginning of the expedition.

It was a problem that stemmed not only from Siron’s age, but also from his personality and many other factors. Because Hugo was such a perfect drone in the first place, the last expedition was able to proceed without a hitch.

Compared to Hugo, Siron was too humane.

Although he had the courage to be called a hero, he was honest and angry like an ordinary person.

Igor commented that Siron is exactly the type of person you would see in a young man of that age.

So, even a single noticeable flaw will cause a lot of friction in the future. Igor reported his thoughts to the emperor.

“…I see.”

After hearing Igor’s words, the emperor thought deeply for a moment and then made a shocking statement.

“I plan to just do Zen and step down.”

“…”

Then, not only Igor but also the royal knights who were quietly listening to the story lost their expressions.

The emperor took their reaction indifferent and continued speaking.

“My son. I wanted to pass on a strong and wealthy empire to Victor, but it seems that my virtue is not enough and heaven’s will is not in line with mine.”

“You lack virtue. Don’t say things like that. Your Majesty.”

Although Igor could not help but be embarrassed, he bowed his head to the floor of the throne room. There were no other ministers gathered in the throne room right now. This place was prepared after hours to see only Igor.

‘You say so lightly that you will be elected…’

Igor did not understand the emperor. But unfortunately, the emperor was always an incomprehensible figure.

Even when he was praised as a saint who created the most prosperous empire, he was someone who was not understood, and even now, as a lonely old man who lost his two sons, he was still someone who is not understood.

“I’ve lived my whole life as I wanted. If there was something he liked, he took it, and if he found it offensive, he killed it. But even then, the sky was always on my side.”

It was a moment. The reason why there was a gun in the emperor’s eyes.

“In that way, the empire only became richer and stronger. But I guess not now. I am a person who only knows how to act the way I want. But since things are going this way, I have to step down from the throne. Is there anything else?”

“Your Majesty?”

The emperor stood up from the throne.

“It would have been okay if it had happened once or twice, but as it kept happening again and again, I felt like holding on to it any longer was just an old man’s fault.”

The emperor passed Igor and went to the end of the door. The knights of the royal guard belatedly followed behind the emperor.

“I wasn’t a beautiful person… but the human mind doesn’t want to be an ugly person. Let’s end the story here.”

The emperor opened the throne room door with his own hand and moved to the villa where his son was staying.

The emperor massaged his throbbing neck again.

‘…I have a sore throat.’

Franz felt like the coronet on his head was heavy today.