episode_0003

“I’m sorry, Lord Randor.”

Inside the magnificent carriage heading down to Count Elond’s estate, Carya apologizes to me with a choked voice.

“If I had been more… more proactive with my opinions, I might still have stayed in the capital.”

“No, Your Highness. Going down to Count Elond’s estate was entirely my choice.”

Upon hearing my words, the princess looks at me with an expression of confusion.

“I will go there to construct a tunnel. It will connect the western and eastern continents by piercing through the Rako Mountain range. With that, we will create a trade route and strengthen the empire.”

“Ah, I see. Elond. That’s truly impressive.”

Until before I possessed her, she had been plotting with an evil laughter, intending to make the empire prosperous overnight. But Princess Carya seemed oblivious to any strangeness, not sensing anything out of the ordinary.

How strong gaslighting and brainwashing must have been.

No matter what I did, she would unquestionably go along with it, wearing a smiling face. It felt so easy to manipulate her, but I couldn’t help feeling sorry for the past Carya who had become so dependent on others.

“Wait and see. I will definitely create a world where everyone is happy. For me. And for you.”

It was a tearful plea, almost like a pathetic show of tears, trying to escape from the wretched ending of being torn apart in the square. But Carya accepted it so romantically.

“Randor… I love you. I love you, Randor.”

She becomes a pool of emotions, sending me a passionate kiss with a tearful face.

And unfortunately, she didn’t stop there.

“Your Highness, wait! Just a moment!”

My plea didn’t reach her.

Fortunately, the luxurious carriage designed for noble use had enough cushioning to withstand even the animalistic sex of two individuals, preventing any embarrassing incidents that could give outsiders a hint of what was happening inside.

During the two weeks heading towards Count Elond’s estate.

I couldn’t do it, but I had to get off the carriage after being bitten more than 20 times and in a state that was almost like a zombie.

One word seemed sufficient to describe Lord Elond’s estate.

Ruins.

Eerie structures that seemed to have been uninhabited for decades remained as skeletal remains, only serving as proof that humans once existed here. In fact, it was a place that could easily be understood why people wouldn’t gather here.

In the distance, rugged peaks of the treacherous Rako Mountains rose high, surrounded by snowstorms and emitting sharp sounds.

It was a threatening tone, as if it were a warning that entering this place would result in death.

A place filled with danger and no apparent benefits. That was the true nature of Lord Elond’s estate.

“We have arrived.”

The generals of the Ironblood Legion reported to us politely, but there was an underlying unease.

It was understandable. After winning the war and finally returning to the capital to rest, they arrived at a place not much different from the Rimnakal Plains in the north, where they had fought the war, without even having a chance to rest, and were told they had to fight monsters. Who would be pleased with that?

Most of the soldiers wore heavily furrowed brows, silently expressing their loyalty towards Caria.

The only beings in the Ironblood Legion who seemed to be in good spirits were those of foreign appearance, clearly distinguished from the other imperial soldiers. They were the northern nomads.

“It’s snow! It’s cold! I can hear the cries of reindeer and the roars of monsters!! Hahaha!! My destroyed homeland comes to mind!”

Some were even kissing the ground with tears streaming down their faces.

The Rimnakal Plains, the stage of the two-year Northern Expedition.

The nomadic people of the north, who had peacefully lived herding sheep and reindeer there, suddenly lost most of their homeland one day due to the explosive emergence of monsters.

They couldn’t live in their devastated homeland anymore, so they hoped to join the Ironblood Legion, which had come to subdue the monsters, in exchange for being able to live in the empire.

They fought monsters on the front lines for two years and established a formidable reputation, earning themselves Imperial citizenship. They were the ones who remained in the Iron Blood Corps, captivated by Karia’s powerful leadership and strength.

In the original work, they were also the ones who tragically met their end, slaughtering the most citizens in the heinous war that took place in the capital.

And they were none other than the key figures in the construction of the Laco Mountain Range tunnel.

On the first day of arrival, I selected the sturdiest buildings among the ruins to set up temporary lodging and immediately called for the leader of the northern nomads.

“I am Tameer Khan. Did you summon me?”

A man with a height of 180cm and piercing eyes looked straight at me and asked. He didn’t look favorably upon me. His loyalty was solely directed towards Karia.

It was a rude gaze, but I had no intention of blaming that gaze.

The northern nomads. If the Eastern Continent is famous for magic and the Western Continent for sorcery, then the nomads of the north, excluding the elves who hide in the World Tree Forest and rarely appear, could be considered the most exceptional elementalists in the world.

Beings specialized in fields slightly different from magic. And those led by the Iron Blood Corps were the best of the best who survived the fierce bloodshed for two years.

“Could you take a look at this map for a moment?”

I took out the precise map of the Laco Mountain Range, one of the various items the Emperor had prepared for me, and handed it to Tameer Khan. I had marked several locations on this map that numerous adventurers risked their lives to complete.

“I’ve marked a total of nine places. To put it bluntly, can we break through these areas and create the tunnel?”

These nine points were locations in the rugged Laco Mountain Range where it was relatively possible to open a tunnel. Areas were marked on the map that, although frozen solid, could be easily melted away, such as the red soil that could be excavated once thawed, or regions where simply clearing a few rocks would create a passage.

Tamir Khan placed his hands on the map and closed his eyes quietly. It was an unexpected action, but I simply let him be. Tamir Khan was known as the strongest Earth Spirit Mage.

Asking the Earth Spirit to observe the newly marked area on the map and report back was a piece of cake for him. After a moment, he opened his eyes.

“Amazing. All nine locations are indeed easily penetrable. How did you come to know their exact positions?”

How did I know? When the Western Continent broke through and invaded the Eastern Continent, they created these passages. After Lendor conquered Karia and shortly after, the Emperor fell, a tragic event occurred. The despicable war was postponed due to unfortunate circumstances. The Western Continent’s army pierced through the tunnels in the Rako Mountains. Sultan Saladin, consumed by conquest, successfully occupied most of the western regions of the Alilam Empire through the passage in the Rako Mountains.

The original protagonist, Prince Adran of the Golden Empire, requested the Ironblood Legion, the empire’s strongest force, to step forward and suppress the situation. However, Randor, who deemed it unnecessary to do any favors for the empire when the emperor had already fallen, rejected the proposal. Eventually, Prince Adran and Duke Fellings gathered their forces and set off to save the empire, albeit reluctantly.

They won the war, but the forces of Duke Fellings and Prince Adran suffered significant losses and were weakened. Moreover, with the war breaking out once again in a famine-stricken land, the desperate commoners started a rebellion, which eventually escalated into a despicable war.

“The nine tunnels that Sultan Saladin pierced through to invade the Eastern Continent at that time. If we connect those tunnels, a passage that spans from the Western to the Eastern Continent will be completed.”

Since the novel emphasized this part and provided detailed descriptions of the locations, I was able to easily locate and mark the positions of the nine places on the precise map of the Rako Mountains.

“Can we construct tunnels and create roads there?”

“It’s easy.”

Tamer Khan confidently laughs as if it’s not difficult at all. I knew very well that it wasn’t just empty talk. The construction abilities of the elementalists were something else. They were on a different level.

During the brutal war, the beings known as the Golden Adran showcased their base’s capabilities by rebuilding a section of the fortress wall in less than an hour after it was destroyed.

“Now, let’s think about it. There are three reasons why tunnel construction in the Laco Mountains is challenging: the difficulty of transporting large equipment to this treacherous region, the severe cold, and the rampaging monsters.”

However, if the elementalists were to work on it, those three disadvantages would practically disappear. They could simply manipulate the elements and reshape the terrain, eliminating the need for heavy machinery.

Cold? These guys come from the Rimnakal Plains in the north, where the cold is even more extreme. Monsters? With the firepower of the Ironblood Legion currently present here, they could annihilate all the monsters in the Laco Mountains three times over and still have remaining forces. With them, creating a passage wouldn’t require much effort.

“Alright. Then go and create tunnels in these nine locations. How long will it take?”

“If we didn’t know the locations of these nine places, it would have taken nearly half a year to find easily penetrable spots. But well, since we know all the locations, the task becomes quite simple. We can easily finish it within three months.”

“When you dig the tunnels, make them wide enough for ten carriages to pass through simultaneously.”

Tamer Khan blinks at my words.

“Of course, if you wish, we can do that. But why do you need such a large passage?”

At his question, I smile mischievously and rise from my seat.

Karia, who was inside the temporary lodging, and the generals under her command, as well as Tamer Khan, pay attention to my dramatic action.

“If the Western and Eastern continents want to engage in trade, they have no choice but to use the sea route. As you know, it takes about a month by ship. And crossing the sea, the goods get damaged due to the intense humidity. It’s a well-known fact for anyone who has studied even a little.”

“Is that so?”

The generals of the empire and Karia, all educated nobles, nodded at my words, but Tamir Khan, who had lived in the northern Rimnakal Plain, was illiterate. He seemed intrigued by what I said and nodded his head.

“Yes, the goods do get damaged. Various spices, silk, perfumes, and more are found in the Western continent but not in the Eastern continent. However, less than 10% of all those goods can be transported through the sea. Most of the goods from the Western continent rot on the ships unable to withstand the moisture.”

“I see.”

I showed them a detailed map of the Laco Mountain Range.

I connected the nine tunnels I marked on the map.

“If my calculations are correct, the total length of this trade route is about 13 km. If we travel by carriage, it would take between 30 minutes to an hour to go back and forth. Instead of spending a month on the sea route, this trade route allows us to transport everything in just 30 minutes if we move quickly. Moreover, since this trade route passes through cold mountainous areas, there is no humidity, and the goods won’t spoil. Which route do you think the merchants will choose?”

“…Wait a moment. Then?”

Tamir Khan’s eyes widened as he finally understood my words. I smiled and nodded.

Then, looking at everyone, I summarized the goal of my Imperial Revival Project No. 1 in one sentence.

“If we can open up this trade route, most of the goods from the Western continent will be sold to the East through this route. The profits generated in the process will surpass imagination.”