episode_0050

Now the earth’s rumbling has ceased, and the dust has settled.

But.

The groans of the injured could be heard incessantly from all around.

Disaster.

The horror that couldn’t be contained in just two short letters filled the devastated fields.

They knew it was due to magic.

But was there such magic?

Seeing it for real, not just hearing tales from distant lands, erased even the sense of reality for a moment.

How many people must have died?

How many were left helpless and powerless?

“Will you pledge loyalty to me now?”

To Bardudan, who had suddenly fallen to his knees.

The voice of the man who caused all this calamity resonated.

“…”

He appeared as if he had been in a different space.

Suddenly appearing, using unknown sorcery to control countless soldiers, and causing such a natural disaster—this man.

Who was this silver-haired man?

One thing was certain.

He was the enemy of the tribe.

If spared.

His tribe would no longer be able to set foot on their homeland, now referred to as the Empire’s land.

A man who must be killed at all costs, by any means necessary.

The man before his eyes was such a presence.

Yet, he was also a fearsome man who might unleash disaster again at any time in any way.

“I will dedicate my life to you.”

That was why he pledged loyalty.

To make him lower his guard and then strike unexpectedly.

But suddenly feeling a strange gaze, he looked up to see something resembling a rooster rapidly pecking its head above the man.

‘What is that…? A demon…?’

Reflecting the moonlight, it seemed icy and glass-like.

Of course, such things were not important now.

Suddenly, the fact that the man’s green sword had disappeared was the only important thing.

If there was a moment that could be called an opportunity, it would be now.

Bardudan picked up the fallen axe from the ground and swung it directly.

Shwack!

He cleaved through the darkness of the night.

It was a very brief moment when sweat rolled down his cheek.

‘It seems inevitable.’

The distance was that close, and the speed was that fast.

The sharp, grayish axe blade yearned for a straight line.

‘Success!’

He was sure of that thought…

But it ended not in a straight line but in a curved one.

Thud!

“Argh!”

As if mocking the halted axe in mid-air, a pointed green sword shone and swiftly pierced his forehead at the shortest distance.

“How, how could this…?”

Thus, Bardudan thought he had died.

But as if dreaming, as if seeing an illusion.

In an instant, his view changed abruptly, and he saw the transparent rooster once again.

Although it seemed impossible for something transparent like the waters of a lake under snow-capped mountains to have eyes, the savage instinct screamed loudly. They had definitely made eye contact.

Strange.

‘Just a moment ago, I felt my forehead pierced…’

But he was still alive, with the fallen axe untouched.

‘What… is this…!’

It felt like time had rewound.

Or perhaps glimpsed into the future for a moment.

Despite feeling like an experience never encountered before in his life, ultimately, strong denial of reality survived, crushing all other possibilities.

‘I must have… hallucinated!’

Bardudan once again grabbed the axe and aimed for the man’s ankle.

‘Ah…!’

But this time, the axe blade that had flown well seemed to be stuck in something invisible, rendering him unable to move an inch as it stopped in mid-air.

Upon closer inspection.

Countless thin threads tightly bound to the axe handle were now wrapped around it.

“W-what is this…?”

Thud! “Argh!”

Once again, he was pierced in the forehead by the silver-haired man.

Regaining his senses, he found himself still facing the rooster.

Barbadun’s face was now filled with terror.

An illusion of returning to the past.

Could he really do such a thing twice?

“……”

Unknowingly, he was still so unbelieving and fearful that he almost swallowed dry saliva.

Barbadun couldn’t just give up on this disastrous man like this.

Pang! “Kkahak!”

Pang! “No, don’t!”

Pang! “Kwack!”

***

Whether it was foolishness, faith, or both.

How many more times would he have to repeat such foolish acts?

The time spirit Aitas was a being that drained mana every time time was reversed.

“Just kill him.”

Perhaps because he had died in over twenty ways already.

Just saying those words made Barbadun tremble as if he were going out naked in the cold.

“I, I will sacrifice my life to you….”

Even as he said those words, he was slowly reaching for an axe.

It seemed hopeless.

Pang! “Kkak!”

In the end, the barbaric king Barbadun met his final death, spewing blood from his forehead.

Honestly, he had thought it might be useful to control the barbarians to prevent future disasters.

But if he couldn’t even acknowledge such an overwhelming power gap, who knew what trouble lay ahead.

So, he thought it best to clean up neatly.

Bang!

Soon after, quietly flowing magma streams behind suddenly erupted fiery boulders into the sky.

Bababang!

Successive bursts of three light masses exploded high in the dark night sky.

According to the agreement with Matopju, the three flames signaled the annihilation of the barbarians.

Hwaak!

I swiftly flew onto the approaching Aquila and set out to find Astia.

Pabababang! Kwaqongkwagwa!

Behind me, a powerful bombardment began, incinerating everything that remained.

It didn’t seem like anyone would survive.

Even if they did, the barbarians would never cross the empire’s borders again.

***

Arriving where Astia was, six barbarians stood with horses and two rivers each.

“Thank you for your help!”

A man in front of a woman holding her son bowed and wept before Astia.

When Astia saw me descending from Aquila and said something while pointing at me, the man suddenly ran towards me.

***

Time passed, and dawn broke.

Leaning against the railing of the ship returning to the capital, I looked at Matopju kneeling next to the helmsman.

As before, he was receiving a scolding from Duke Felios.

Ardor.

He was quite a capable man.

While he couldn’t stop the earth-shaking vibrations, he effectively blocked the dust and the flashes and thunderous explosions caused by exploding meteorites, preventing any potential problems.

He was a man one could trust without reservation.

Then I…

Before leaving the village of Lavrion, I examined the golden bracelet given to me by the Leketran man.

How did this end up there?

I recognized it at a glance.

The bracelet I put on my left wrist immediately upon receiving it was no ordinary bracelet.

It was the Ego Shield used by the protagonist in the original work.

Called the treasure of treasures, Portis Valum.

The Leketran man…

Mentioned the name of the dwarf artisan ancestor and pleaded for me to accept it as a reward for saving his family.

Since there was no reason not to accept it, I took it without hesitation.

Tock.

I touched the white gem embedded in the center of the slender bracelet.

As I infused mana…

Ching shwing chingchingching!

With a urgent metallic sound, a golden gauntlet appeared on my left hand.

“Dare to awaken me, foolish human. If you cannot endure the trial of Portisbalum, your soul will be absorbed by me!”

The voice that came from the gauntlet was a woman’s trembling voice that somehow seemed very beautiful.

I tilted my head.

A trial.

It was something I had never read in a novel before.

New content always excited the heart, but now was not the time for such things.

I gathered my mana again.

“Hey, hey you!”

“Hey, you have to listen to the end!”

“No, no! Mana, give me my mana…”

The voice that was getting smaller and smaller diminished to the point where it could no longer be heard.

The flying ship was already arriving above the palace.

Standing on the opposite side, I looked at Elaine who was glancing this way.

Under the bright light that shone like daylight, her face was slightly flushed.

Beside her, Astia was poking Elaine’s cheek with her finger.

“Oh, Astia, stop it now…”

“Just wait a moment, Elaine. Your skin is so soft, I can’t help it.”

By now, the two had become quite close.

In truth, I was still conflicted.

My engagement with Elaine.

Would it really be okay like this?

But as I am now, Elaine’s presence was necessary.

Even though I gained power and strength from Wiblea, it didn’t mean I would become the strongest.

Dealing with just the subordinates of Service would not be easy, and if those harboring malice gathered in numbers, I could still be in danger.

Moreover, considering the countless disasters that would come to the empire in the future, I still needed Elaine.

And there was nothing better than having her by my side rather than an engagement.

Looking back at Elaine, our eyes met, and she quickly averted her gaze in surprise.

***

Near the capital.

Service stationed thousands of cavalry near the capital gate.

The rest of the soldiers would arrive tomorrow.

This would gather roughly 20,000 troops right in front of the empire’s capital.

They had enough provisions on their way back.

The soldiers were excited to go home and caused no further problems.

However, Service’s face looking at the dawn seemed full of fatigue.

Of course, it wasn’t just because he couldn’t sleep due to the earthquake last night.

“What if we attack the capital as soon as the remaining soldiers join?”

The emperor’s indifference towards the worsening situation of the empire.

If he used that as an excuse to abdicate, it might not be as legitimate as inheriting the throne after the emperor’s death, but it didn’t seem too bad.

Of course, there would be unpleasant titles like tyrant or usurper attached to him, but the temptation to become emperor immediately was too attractive.

After all, this empire was almost entirely controlled by his step-grandmother and mother.

No matter what mistakes he made, eventually everyone would have to accept the situation.

But thinking about the imminent invasion of the barbarians, he hesitated to act rashly.

He knew well that while they appeared submissive in the front, there were many opportunists lurking behind.

Nobles were such people.

With endless greed like his own, they could easily sacrifice even their lives to climb higher.

When these people got involved, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to secretly gnaw away for their own benefit.

One could easily anticipate various troublesome events happening repeatedly throughout the empire.

“…”

Moreover, what is this ominous feeling that keeps coming after failing to kill the Crown Prince Eos?

“Me, failing against such trash?”

But he couldn’t deny it.

What was ingrained in his heart was undoubtedly a sense of caution.

Wasn’t the Crown Prince just a weakling who could be killed anytime if one desired?

Yet, it was unbearably uncomfortable to feel such unpleasant emotions towards such a person.

In the end, after a brief hesitation, Servis decided to simply follow his mother’s orders.

After entrusting the rear to his subordinate, he rode alone towards the palace and thought to himself.

After sweeping away the barbarians.

To kill the Emperor himself and pin the blame on the Crown Prince.

Then there would be no problem at all.