Ch.118Opening (1)

“One month and a half until the lunar eclipse.”

The dragon’s face was emblazoned on the flag fluttering in the wind.

The dragon, symbol of both the imperial family and Evangelium.

A fervent heat was rising from the plaza where thousands of knights stood in formation.

In their unwavering posture, the knights’ eyes reflected a cold anger fiercer than anything else.

The Emperor, watching them with satisfaction, opened his mouth.

“We can no longer stand by and watch.”

They had relied on Evan Fried as an individual. They had depended on Theorad, the captain of the Imperial Knights, and the Crown Prince.

However, they could no longer simply watch and expect those three to handle the growing extinction alone.

It had been a full 20 years since the Emperor had appeared at the forefront instead of the Crown Prince,

so the knights, their morale higher than ever, fixed their gaze on the Emperor.

His gold-embroidered cape fluttered. Beneath it, he wore a uniform of intermingled red and white,

more splendid than any other garment. This most magnificent attire reflected the sunlight, scattering brightness in all directions.

The Emperor’s majesty, the most exalted being in the empire and the most dignified under the sun, looked upon his knights.

Thousands of them. He had summoned all the Expert-ranked knights owned by the imperial family, but…

how much help could they really provide? In the end, it would be the Masters who would bring everything to its conclusion.

Nevertheless, it was important for these knights to march forward.

A full-scale war against extinction—the empire, having barely restored its strength after decades, was once again walking a tightrope.

Would they fall and collapse completely, or would they regain their balance and rise again?

Contemplating this question, the Emperor finally gripped the sword at his waist and spoke.

“I will not ask you to sacrifice your lives for the glory of Evangelium. That would be greedy and reckless. Extinction is not an opponent to be fought carelessly. I am the Emperor of this empire, the only one who refers to himself as ‘we,’ but at this moment, I cannot easily ask you to fight for the empire. The black mages are treacherous. They are not beings who fight fair and square like the monsters you usually face, but those who consider human life less valuable than insects.”

The audience fell silent. After the Emperor finished speaking,

in the atmosphere that felt as if cold water had been poured over them, the Emperor smiled wryly and brought his fist to his chest.

“Extinction consists of beings who consider life worthless, who rape and kill your families. Villages will burn, and countless things you hold dear will scatter and crumble like sand. Even if you return with broken bodies, nothing will welcome you—you’ll feel nothing but emptiness. However.”

The Emperor paused and looked up at the sky.

The fluffy clouds that had briefly obscured the sun had disappeared, and the sunlight was shining directly upon him.

“That would only be the case if you were defeated.”

Defeat was something that could always come.

As long as there was competition, it was closer than anything else, and bitter defeat always followed thrilling victory.

Thump—his heart beat. The pulse that made him feel alive in this moment. The Emperor twisted the corner of his mouth.

How absurd it must seem—the Emperor of the empire asking them not to fight for the empire.

But this was merely a means to make everyone desperate.

A method only possible for the most exalted being. Thump—as the Emperor struck his chest with his fist, the knights simultaneously stamped their feet.

Tens, hundreds, thousands of footsteps became one and resounded.

The vibration spread to the sky, causing the slightly trembling clouds to scatter, revealing the completely blue heavens.

“If you have someone to protect, fight for them. If you have no one to protect and only honor remains, fight for that honor. This is different from before. If we lose, it’s over. The empire will be destroyed, everything will collapse, and all that will remain are rivers stained with blood. If we win, all you’ll receive is the honor of being revered by people for the rest of your lives.”

Honor—the knights’ expressions gradually became more serious. There was no turning back. Nowhere to retreat.

It was the desperate cry of the Emperor, and in being entrusted with this mission, the knights felt their hearts racing.

Their rough breathing mixed with exhilaration.

“It’s reckless. And dangerous. No one can guarantee your survival. Some of you will die, and some will be injured. Someone beside you might die. You yourself, standing there right now, might die. Neither the empire nor even I can guarantee your safe return.”

The knights nodded. The black mages were strong.

It was truly rare for an individual Expert to defeat a black mage,

and if it weren’t for Evan Fried, born with dragon blood, many knights would have been sacrificed to deal with the black mages.

But could they flee from this place?

Even if they fled, it was clear no one would mock them as cowards.

Because fighting extinction itself was dangerous enough for the Emperor to declare it so.

But not a single knight moved from their position.

In that plaza, so quiet that they could hear each other’s heartbeats, the knights all kept their eyes wide open until the Emperor spoke again.

Honor, the joy they would experience after victory. Even if there were no rewards, it would be fine.

At this time when the empire, which had ruled the continent for a thousand years, was in danger,

the fact that they could raise this empire with their own strength was making the knights’ hearts race wildly.

The rapidly flowing blood caused excitement. Blood and magic power flowing throughout their bodies.

Seeing the knights’ expressions, the Emperor smiled with satisfaction. Then, wiping away his smile and adopting a more solemn expression, he spoke.

“Will you fight despite all this?”

No one answered, but they had all already made their decision.

Not for the empire, but simply to protect what they had.

The Emperor, having stimulated this primitive human emotion and material desire, smiled a bit more honestly and raised his sword toward the sky.

“Then, march forth.”

The sun hung equally above everyone, and each knight carried a hope in their heart.

Soon, cheers erupted, filling the entire imperial capital of Evangelium.

On a day one month and a half before the lunar eclipse, the full-scale war against extinction began.

#

“It’s war.”

Evan spoke. The war had started much earlier than in the original history,

and since they couldn’t drag it out for long, Evan was also preparing to march.

The first place to strike would naturally be Hatan, and unlike the Roman subjugation, many people would be mobilized.

This time, since he himself was a Master, he thought it would be quite smooth.

But…

“Are you that anxious?”

“…Is it obvious?”

“Yes, very much so.”

Hmm. Irene swallowed and glanced at Evan before finally letting out a deep sigh.

Though she didn’t say it, wasn’t she still anxious?

The Emperor had declared all-out war against extinction solely because his faction supported him.

Evan’s words about wanting to completely end extinction before the child was born, and her own will that eventually nodded in agreement.

And so the all-out war had begun, but she couldn’t help feeling anxious.

What if she also took up a sword and fought?

But to fight like that, her slightly swollen belly was a concern.

“Doesn’t your father say anything these days?”

“How could he? After being scolded so much, he just clicks his tongue whenever he sees me, that’s all.”

“He clicks his tongue? Even after what I said… really.”

At Irene’s words, Evan smiled contentedly.

How uncomfortable had the conversation with the Duke, no, his father-in-law Garoth Yuris been a few days ago?

He had almost fainted during the conversation, and just recalling that memory made his heart race.

Of course, he hadn’t done much wrong.

It was Irene who had said it was a safe day,

it was Irene who had ignored his suggestion to finish with one time,

and it was Irene who had pushed him down on the bed.

It was just that what appeared after all that process was a bit dangerous for him.

Premarital pregnancy, hiding it from his father-in-law, and even twins for the first pregnancy.

If he had been Garoth Yuris, he might have danced with a sword regardless of whether it was his daughter’s lover or not.

Of course, the Duke’s anger didn’t last even a day.

That was because Irene had appeared with a frown, saying it was too noisy, and had scolded the Duke for hours.

“Are you trying to lock me up again, Father?”

The Duke’s expression upon hearing those words.

Recalling the Duke’s face, which had turned pale and then dropped helplessly, Evan smiled bitterly as he looked at Irene.

They were still a father and daughter with a poor relationship. When would they be able to clear all their grudges?

Perhaps they might never resolve it, even after a lifetime.

But when the child is born… wouldn’t he make a good grandfather?

“By the way, what happened with the elves?”

“Ah, the elves.”

Recalling the elves, Irene glanced at Evan’s face and opened her mouth.

Although elves were commonly known as the race of beauty, the male elf she had met was far less handsome than Evan.

Even considering her bias, hadn’t Rofena also said he was less impressive than expected?

What should she do if female elves tried to seduce Evan?

Seeing her worried expression, Evan tilted his head, and Irene smiled slightly before continuing.

“I think we’ll meet soon for negotiations. This time, I’ve only watched from a distance, but as winter deepens, they can’t continue to stay in the forest. I’ll have to handle it myself. With you.”

“Are we going to meet the World Tree?”

At those words, Evan quietly looked at the scenery beyond the window.

A giant tree standing alone beyond the Verdeng Mountains. Eldrasil, called the sapling of the World Tree,

perhaps there he could understand the nature of the memories that had been reviving lately.

If there were negotiations, it would probably be after the subjugation of Hatan…

He wanted to see the World Tree as soon as possible. Evan thought this as he quietly sipped his tea.

“By the way, is there a reason you want to meet the World Tree? Somehow… it seems like you really want to meet the World Tree.”

“Does it seem that way?”

What would she say if he told her that he wasn’t actually Evan Fried,

but Kim Su-hyun, a pianist who had possessed the body of Evan Fried?

Finding it quite amusing even to himself, Evan smiled and spoke.

“I’m just curious. That such a large tree is the sapling of the World Tree, I wonder what it would feel like if the real World Tree had survived until now.”

“You’re like a child.”

“A child too big to be breastfed, I suppose.”

At that, Irene’s face turned bright red, and Evan stared at her with confusion.

As Irene slightly covered her chest area and glanced at him,

Evan put down his teacup and shrugged.

“…I don’t have milk yet.”

“……pfft.”

Evan bit his lip, trying hard to suppress his laughter.

The heat rising from his neck covered his entire face,

and Evan slowly regulated his breathing, running his hands over his face and peeking at Irene’s face through his fingers.

Covering her reddened cheeks with her hands and hanging her head low, the tips of Irene’s ears were bright red.

What kind of thought led to such words… no, what did she mean by such words?

It didn’t take long to realize what it was,

and Evan opened the window to cool his heated cheeks in the breeze.

“Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that. Yes, I didn’t hear anything just now.”

“…Yes. I didn’t say anything either. It was just a joke, I just said it once as a joke.”

As Irene said this, her heart pounded. What kind of thought had led to such words? Such things for Evan to-

As the ensuing fantasy reached its peak, Irene, her face now completely red, jumped up from her seat and gulped down cold water.

The heat in the room, which didn’t disappear even with fanning, was enough to remind one of midsummer.

Was it because of the pregnancy? Irene bit her lip at the fantasies that kept popping into her head.

It wasn’t that she was bad, it was just that she had become strange because of the pregnancy.

Trying to correct her thoughts, Irene plopped back down in her seat and looked at Evan.

Would he think she was strange?

But Evan tried to understand Irene, recalling what he had read in books.

Early pregnancy, it was quite possible. It was surprising, but he could understand…

“Haah.”

Evan looked at Irene. Was it because of what she had said earlier?

The purple negligee, through which her skin was clearly visible, seemed particularly eye-catching.

The white skin trailing down her neck, and the collarbone slightly revealed beneath the clothes.

He swallowed for a moment, then burst into laughter when he noticed that Irene’s gaze, which was glancing at him, was also on his upper body.

“Where are you looking?”

“Ah, I wasn’t looking.”

“…You look like you’re having a hard time holding back.”

At those words, Irene’s shoulders flinched. Stroking her belly as it tightened, she glanced at Evan and blushed slightly. What did “having a hard time holding back” mean?

Before she could realize it, Evan rose from his seat and claimed her lips.

“It’s still daytime, mmph.”

Wiping away the white thread falling between their lips, Evan quietly laughed and whispered in Irene’s ear.

Tickling her chin with his finger and unbuttoning his shirt one by one, Irene’s Adam’s apple moved with a gulp.

“…So, do you dislike it?”

Despite flinching at the informal speech he wouldn’t normally use, Irene blankly met Evan’s gaze.

The green eyes that seemed to draw people in, the chest visible through the unbuttoned shirt.

Standing up with staggering legs, Irene slowly opened her mouth.

“Shall we… go to bed early?”

The curtain covering the window closed, and the door locked with a thud.

There was no answer, no signal. In the middle of winter, with the sun still shining brightly in broad daylight.

Click-

With the sound of the light turning off, Irene’s room was plunged into darkness.