episode_0109

What was once a distant event now buried in the dust of history seemed to the king of ghosts as if it had happened only moments ago.

The scene was so vivid that it felt like it was happening right now, and the emotions it brought on never seemed to die down.

“Seeds of the abominable empire…”

The King of the Ghosts was once the king of men. He was the king of a small country too small to be called a nation, but he sought peace by paying tribute to the empire every year.

Although he had to pay a considerable amount of tribute, his people did not complain at all. The king took the lead in practicing frugality, and the people also admired such a king.

Whenever the demons appeared, he always took the lead in subduing them, and he went out alone with a bow to fight in the wars waged by the empire, and earned merits by receiving a reduction in tribute.

He was a great warrior and a virtuous king.

He considered himself a miserable man. He said that his lifelong wish was not the revival of the nation, but only peace and security. He was a virtuous king and the best warrior, but he was weak in calculations. He did not know how great his wish was.

“What did you just say?”

“It will be as you have heard, Your Majesty.”

And so, the Marquis of Nevermore, who was good at math, arrived as an envoy to the dark king.

“The empire is going to go to war, so give us food for military rations?”

“Is it really necessary to ask you that when you are not hard of hearing?”

“… Foolish. Isn’t this an amount that can be easily given away? If we give away this amount of food, most of the people will starve. Do you think it’s possible for this small country to give away this amount?”

The king could sense that this was a check on the part of the Empire. It was a dirty trick used by the Empire that was afraid of its own power.

He said that he was afraid of starting a war, so he tried to cut off his hands and feet by any means necessary. If he had no manners, he wouldn’t be able to start a war.

I had no intention of starting a war, but I couldn’t stand by and watch the people fall victim to such shallow tricks.

“Go back and tell His Majesty the Emperor. I kneel down for the people. I have no interest in the territory of the Empire, so stop this kind of trickery.”

“… Didn’t you think that His Majesty might become angry when he heard that?”

“Then that must mean his vessel is like that. I will say it again, I only care about the country. I am not a dog loyal to the empire. I have no interest in foolish acts like war.”

But such a statement by the king was tantamount to criticizing the emperor for being foolish in trying to expand his territory through war.

The Nevermore of that time laughed rudely, spat on the palace, and then left the palace to deliver the king’s reply to the emperor, in a form several times more malicious and arrogant than the original.

Naturally, the emperor was furious and gave orders to execute that band of wicked traitors.

The Duke of Argos of that time advised that it would be natural for any king to refuse, and that it would be unreasonable to start a war with a tributary state at this time.

However, Count Berger of that time said that since other tributary states were also following his lead and keeping an eye on him, it was necessary to properly discipline them and set an example.

The narrow-minded and narrow-minded emperor of the time accepted the opinion of Count Bergé, and thus the war broke out.

However, the shallow calculations of those who used quills or rolling pens could not surpass the level of absolute power.

Each arrow flew through the hearts of countless soldiers and horses, and returned to the king’s hand without being consumed.

It was quite a headache for the Empire to be able to outwit the Imperial Army with just one bow and arrow. The advance was blocked because they couldn’t get through even one person.

It would have been easy if the Duke of Argos had stepped forward, but he was too upright and firmly stated that he had no spear to wield for such an unjust war.

Then Count Berger, who had come up with a good plan, asked the Duke of Argos to send him some soldiers.

“Are you planning to go out on your own? Even if you gather elite soldiers, you’ll still die?”

“… We don’t need elite soldiers. Just put old armor on the young boys who take care of the knights’ armor and horses. ”

“You’re just talking nonsense in English.”

“You will soon see that it does not require great force to subdue humans.”

The next day, at dawn, Count Bergé stood before the walls of the kingdom with his young boys.

The king, who had rushed to the castle walls to raise a banner when he heard that the enemies had arrived, was so surprised that he ended up shooting at the wrong spot.

“What the heck! Bringing such young soldiers to this battlefield!”

“King! I am Io, the name of Berger of the insignificant empire! Today, I have come to beg for peace!”

“Don’t make me laugh! Are you talking about peace while trying to trample this land with your horse’s hooves and military boots?”

“The Empire’s situation is not good! That’s why His Majesty the Emperor requested food! You can tell just by looking at these children who were brought to this battlefield!”

“… Tell me.”

Count Berger, who had originally been tricked by the boys he had brought in to act as servants to the knights, began to hide his devilish smile and flicker his snake-like tongue.

“His Majesty is angry! But His Majesty is not so foolish as to do useless things! What His Majesty truly fears is your power!”

“… What do you want to say?”

“If you just give me your neck, I will end this war!!!”

It was nonsense that shouldn’t be worth a penny.

However, the king was conflicted when he saw the young faces of the young soldiers.

He could have just ignored it and protested, but he started to be played with by that wicked snake’s tongue.

“……. What can I believe in about you that makes me do that?”

I couldn’t bring myself to kill those young soldiers.

“I promise to put all my honor on the line and end the war!”

“…”

“Remember! No matter how strong you are, you are still an individual! If the Emperor sends more soldiers, how long will the people beyond this old wall endure?”

The empire at that time could not afford to send more soldiers, but there was no need to reveal that fact.

No matter how strong he was, he figured there would be a limit to how much he could withstand with just one arrow.

If that’s true, if that’s true, I even began to think that it might be beneficial if I could solve it with just my own neck.

And then, Berger White, who had seen through the king’s heart, tore at his heart once more with the tongue of his wicked serpent.

“I promise to stake the prestige and future of my empire! If you can just take your hand off my neck, or rather my bow! I will never invade this country again!”

“…….”

The king’s daughter, his advisers, and the people all dismissed it as nonsense not worth hearing.

But as much as he loved them, the king’s worries deepened.

If I could save those precious people with just one hand, wouldn’t that be the best ending?

He ended up harboring complacent thoughts, thinking that not only the Count of the Empire, but also the prestige and future of the Empire had been put on the line, but who would risk all of that to commit fraud?

He eventually opened the gate and went out to stamp his seal on the peace agreement document.

Then he put down both hands that had been holding the bow and drawing the string. Even though his hands were cut off, he tried to turn back without even blinking.

“Wouldn’t it be disappointing if things continued like this, Your Majesty?”

“…. What does that mean?”

Then, a large number of imperial troops surrounded the king, and although he resisted desperately, he was eventually captured.

“What is this! Didn’t you promise me! If you give me your hand, I will end the war!”

He was naive. That was his greatest flaw and failure as a king.

Count Bergé replied, laughing at him as he was chained like cattle.

“Foolish ruler. I will teach you my last lesson.”

The count trampled on the king’s head and ridiculed his foolishness.

“A promise is originally made in a relationship of equals. The right to hold someone accountable comes from power.”

The king foolishly struck it down himself.

“…. And, Your Majesty, I have a game prepared for you.”

The Count had the King hung on the walls of the Imperial Castle, and had special devices placed on his eyeballs to prevent him from closing his eyes.

Thus, the festival that became the origin of the Imperial Hunting Festival took place.

The places that the king had cherished were stained with blood. The merciless soldiers of the empire killed unarmed civilians, murdered children in a lunatic manner, and raped pregnant women and nuns.

The streets of the kingdom were filled with blood up to their ankles.

The king screamed. He begged for them to stop until his throat was torn. His own misjudgment had brought about this hell. His foolishness in sympathizing with his enemies had brought about this tragedy.

The king felt like he was going crazy. No, he ended up going crazy. He chastised himself for being so foolish as to have trusted that empire.

And the most heartbreaking moment was when even the young boys the king had pitied were laughing as they stabbed the people of the kingdom to death.

When he saw that they would stab a girl who was more foolish than he was and take her head for money, the king concluded that the empire was an evil that should not exist.

“Emperor of the Empire!!! Your foolish descendants will touch what should not be touched and bring destruction to the Empire!!!!!!”

“Abominable Nevermore! Your wicked descendants will eventually die by the hands of the one they loved!!!!!!”

“Berjee, you are worse than a beast! No human with the surname of Berjee will live in comfort and will die in pain!!!!”

“Cowardly Argos who turns away! Your descendants will always wish for what cannot be achieved!!!”

“Disgusting people of the Empire! Your descendants will be swept away by disaster in the future and die like pigs!!!!!!!”

He cursed the Empire. The sight of him cursing until his throat was hoarse was so horrifying that even the knights of the Empire felt fear.

Yet Count Bergé did not care one bit whether he cursed or not.

Instead, he ordered that he be buried alive with the mutilated corpses of his people. He did not feel any guilt about the promises he had made or the massacres he had committed.

So the king was buried alive with his dismembered people.

Even though he had lost his hand, the knights of the Empire still feared him and used magic to seal the place where his body was buried so that he could not escape.

But before they left, the Duke of Argos sneaked up and cast a healing spell over the pit.

A high-level sorcery intended to restore a missing body part ended up creating a monster, contrary to its original purpose.

The mutilated corpses of the people and the body of the king who lost both hands began to merge into one, and the delusion and resentment also began to merge into one.

“King. Some may call you foolish, but I will not. How can you say that believing is wrong? So… you are right and we are wrong.”

And the Duke of Argos at that time knew better than anyone how that magic would work.

“Whenever this sealing spell is broken, destroy the empire. Break this disgusting legacy of history. This weak spearman is nothing more than a bystander who can’t even do that. I have nothing to say even if I’m cursed.”

After he bowed down to the king and paid homage to him, he returned to the empire. And he never once visited the palace again until the day he died.

Later, the Demon King came to the ruins of the fallen kingdom, destroyed the magic circle, and showed the light to the king who was burning with age-old anger.

Even though it happened hundreds of years ago, the king did not forget. The king did not die. The king’s anger did not go away.

He was the king of the ghosts who were out to steal the future of the empire that Bergé had promised.

The Demon King approached the King of the Ghosts and smiled brightly and extended his hand.

The King of Ghosts can sense that this man is strong and that he is madder than he is.

“All the suffering you have experienced is the Empire’s fault.”

It was the truth without a single inch of error.

“Wouldn’t we together destroy those abominable beings?”

He was a light that should not be caught.

But the King of Ghosts took his hand.

Because the Empire was a darkness that should not exist.

“Oh wicked empire! You band of thieves who are no different from the devil! Come! Take my arrows!!!”

The king had the bones of his subjects stored in his body forged into the shape of arrows, pulled them out, and hung them on a string.

So that they could relieve the resentment of the people. So that their hands could pierce the hearts of the imperial people. So that they could achieve revenge, they pulled the strings.

“Imperial lightning! Imperial foresight! Show me your special skills! Repeat the history you have committed! Me! This country! Kill me again! This time, I will fight as hard as I can!!!”

The suffering of his country was his suffering.

The anger he wielded was the anger of his country.

The country was him and he was the country.

“If you can’t do that!!! You will lose the future of the empire you promised that day!!!!!!”

And now the king had the power and the right to destroy the empire.