#189
The Imperial Palace of the Empire (3)
After the Hero Party and Hesperon brought Princess Riley, the fifth princess, to the Imperial Palace.
Though Heinrich had requested to skip the tedious procedures, it didn’t mean that the Empire was lacking in etiquette.
Regardless of the fact that the leader of the party was a saint, treating the saviors of the Empire’s royal family was a matter directly tied to the prestige of the Imperial Court.
Not to mention, considering that the princess was the most promising candidate for the throne and had the implicit support of the current emperor, there was no room for compromise!
Naturally, the treatment they received was bound to be extravagant.
The grand guest quarters were filled with expensive items that looked like they could cover a commoner’s annual living expenses with just one sale.
In the restaurant’s kitchen, royal chefs were on standby 24/7, ready to fulfill any culinary request at any time.
Furthermore, veteran maids were stationed throughout, meticulously checking every corner, as if no inconvenience could be tolerated—moving like ghosts with minimal sound or presence.
‘Impressive. Do royal maids learn stealth techniques? They seem quite skilled; they could serve as guards in emergencies.’
However, unfortunately, they couldn’t stay long in this luxurious accommodation and relax.
Naturally, the Hero Party didn’t have the luxury of wasting time like that.
“Ha ha ha! It really seems huge since it’s the Empire!”
“Oooh— the gold coins are dazzling!”
Of course, the Imperial side didn’t just intend to make up for it with treatment.
They offered more direct and material compensation as well.
They gifted each member tailored high-end equipment and provided a massive fund under the guise of activity expenses.
Although they were also supported by the Holy Church Order, money is always good to have!
“I quite like this too. What do you think, Heren?”
“Wow~ You look even more majestic, big brother! I can feel a wildness that makes it seem like it’s about to bite someone, and it’s quite chilling!”
On top of that, they thoughtfully crafted ‘Beast Head Helmet Cloak’ made from the leather of a top-grade magical beast, ‘Shavel Lion,’ for Harley, which was more of a decorative item to hang on the wall.
It was obviously not an ordinary piece of equipment, touched by the hands of royal artisans.
‘Did they really just make this into magical equipment in such a short time?’
Not just sturdy, but a magical item containing unique abilities.
It enhanced both physical and magical defense and had the excellent effect of instilling ‘awe’ in surrounding opponents.
‘This must be a collaboration between a top-tier leather artisan and an enchantment wizard.’
Harley raised his energy slightly to inspect the interior of the helmet and was impressed.
He could feel the densely packed magic stones and the intricately designed magic circuits inside.
‘Even if they started production the moment they heard about rescuing Riley from the Rohan Principality, they had at most only about five days of leisure. It may have even been shorter. …Could this be the might of the Empire?’
Indeed, it seemed they rushed to make it, as the circuit itself was simple, lacking complex features, but for Harley’s combat style, which prioritized simplicity and stability over intricacy, it was more suitable at that moment.
No matter how one looked at it, it was a delightful item in many ways.
‘…Hmm, as expected.’
For a moment, Harley’s attention was diverted to the dumbfounded Hesperon standing in front of them.
‘Alright, let’s proceed down this path as well.’
It was the moment when Hesperon, who began as a summoning magician, extended his path to becoming a traditional magician, battle magician, and finally an enchantment magician.
Howard, who was busy learning the dwarven secrets while burning branches of the World Tree, would eventually be able to create magical items, but adding enchantments on top of that would surely exponentially increase their effectiveness, wouldn’t it?
‘That’s something even Hans can’t do.’
Of course, Hans could make magical equipment.
The issue was that they weren’t generally accepted items but rather dark and evil cursed items powered by black magic.
‘…That’s unfortunately unavoidable.’
However, there was no need for a single individual to excel at everything.
Each person inherently possesses different talents.
This world is about living together; it’s better for each person to focus on what they do best and cooperate!
‘Using the branches of the World Tree that Harris brought back, Howard can create an item, and with Hans’s advice, Hesperon can engrave enchantments.’
Plus, Hubert would supply the other materials, and Harley would gather monster by-products.
‘If Heinrich adds his holy flames during the production process, we might even create a quasi-holy sword! Conversely, using Hans’s abyss, we might end up forging the worst demon sword.’
Additionally, if they tempered it with Heinz II’s blood, they could create weapons utilizing blood magic.
If everyone joins forces, limitless possibilities unfold!
‘Indeed, living together and collaboration are beautiful things.’
Just as the Hero Party was about to leave the Imperial Palace.
Harley flashed a wicked grin as he raised the corners of his mouth.
Hesperon wore a sheepish smile, and Heinrich had a gentle smile on his face.
And at that moment, coincidentally…
A similar smile lingered on the lips of a few distant figures far away.
*
The organization named the Oath of Reversal was formed by revolutionaries led by the apostle of ‘human god,’ but it didn’t mean that all its members shared the same purpose.
Though he stealthily drew in the leadership through some means and stimulated the desires of others to rally forces in the dark, at its core, it was closer to a coalition gathered based on individual interests.
Thanks to that, it maintained security as a clandestine group, with each member holding autonomy in their own fields allowing for more efficient handling of tasks, yet…
Of course, it wasn’t all advantages.
Whoosh—
In the dark space, violet flames flickered.
And at the same time…
[Show yourself! You bastard revolutionary! You scoundrel!]
A furious shout echoed, resonating all around.
[How noisy…]
[Kee hee! You say that, but it seems like someone got cheated! Kiki kik!]
[Hmph, …speaking of which, he is nowhere to be seen. I suspected that fool fell to the Undead King.]
As the troubled black shapes began to reveal themselves, one by one, they grumbled.
However, undeterred by their comments, a towering shadow simply scanned the surroundings in fury.
All that could be seen were the shadows dancing here and there, swaying with the flickering violet flames from the furnace.
And that figure… Balteon, responsible for the southern region of the Ion Continent for the Oath of Reversal and a mighty warrior of the Calcos Tribal Alliance, was fuming and turned his gaze to the others.
[Ugh— hey, you there! If you know anything about that guy, spill it now! How dare he stab me in the back and run away! I will tear him apart!]
At his words, the other three shadows exchanged glances.
Given the circumstances, it seemed like the revolutionary had pulled a fast one on the simpleton barbarian and then vanished.
Naturally, they were similarly in the dark, but while two remained quiet and observed the situation, one couldn’t hold back a mocking laughter.
[Puhihit! So that stiff human did that, huh? I wanted to torment him first, but I got sniped!]
[What?!]
[Ka-kakaka— Look at that reaction, how can I hold back? Huh? Is he angry?]
[…I’ll pluck your tongue out first!]
[Hah, if you make it to the Enamel Continent, let’s see you try! Though I don’t know if you’ll be able to with your current situation!]
With the two of them starting another ruckus, the meeting room grew noisy once more.
However, unlike usual, it didn’t settle down easily; instead, the uproar intensified, perhaps due to the absence of the one who usually mediated disputes and led the atmosphere.
Noticing that the noise showed no signs of abating, eventually, one shadow, watching in silence, reluctantly spoke up in a dignified tone.
[Hoo— don’t you all know it’s futile to keep this up? Let’s just state our businesses and wrap this up quickly. By the way, is this all we’ve got? I thought the numbers were dwindling, but it’s reached this point.]
As he finished speaking, he clicked his tongue lightly, shaking his head.
One was an emotional and rough-tongued barbarian, another a frenzied clown who couldn’t resist nagging others, and lastly, a mute statue who hadn’t spoken a word since the noise began.
It was clear now that only one decent person remained in this lineup.
‘Looks like the Oath of Reversal is coming to an end. What a pity. Wait, is that why the revolutionary has gone into hiding?’
Still, when they were actively working together, they managed to obtain quite a few tangible benefits.
It was indeed a regrettable situation.
After a short while.
[So what exactly happened with the backstabbing?]
They all calmed down and listened to Balteon explain the situation, allowing them to understand why he was acting that way.
The revolutionary who visited the south approached with the intent of helping but snatched away the cherished ‘Seed of Madness’ while Balteon was off guard, disappearing in the process.
Of course, it couldn’t be said to be entirely Balteon’s fault, as the organization’s support had been critical in extracting it from the abyss.
However, the completion and success of that plan were firmly under his supervision, meaning the immediate priority had been agreed upon to belong to him…
[But that bastard disregarded that and took the madness, causing the entire plan to fall apart! Originally, we should have finished all tasks before the Secondary Continent Meeting!]
It was now impossible to meet the deadline.
[Hmm— you mean he started chaos while ignoring an already agreed-upon plan? That means…]
[Puhihit, it seems he judged that it wasn’t important anymore! Considering the recent times, how could the number of disrupted operations be just one or two?]
[…Has he already sensed something and switched to an independent route…?]
The atmosphere among them tensed slightly.
With a defector already present, they all sensed that this gathering was coming to an end.
Moreover, considering that this being was the creator and effective leader of their organization, what more could be said?
However, that’s not to say it was entirely dismissed…
[Hmph, so? You aren’t thinking of tossing away all those prior preparations and hiding again, are you~?]
[That’s nonsense! I can’t back down now that we’ve begun this!]
[Although we’ve faced some failures… it’s undeniable that the entire continent is in chaos right now, which is the perfect opportunity…!]
Objectively speaking, this was undoubtedly the best time to strike.
[Then we have no choice; all that’s left for ‘us’ to do is one thing. We have to go for it this way.]
With lower organizations and even executives disappearing one by one, their power had shrunk to less than half.
Moreover, considering the current state of affairs, if they remained idle, there was no telling when the rest would collapse.
[Kiki kik~ Good, good! Just as the Continental Alliance and others are about to create a gap in the Enamel’s power, let’s give them a real shock!]
[The south is a given! Although some obstacles arose, information control is perfect, so it should be an issue that can be resolved given time.]
[The east… does have some concerns, but it shouldn’t be a major problem… We’ve been preparing for this for a while now…!]
In fact, there wasn’t much in the way of a plan.
Unlike before, where they meticulously calculated the best efficiency and side effects in their strategies,
They would simply release all their preemptive preparations at once.
‘The problem was that the variables they predicted and the operations they executed were all shattered to pieces. In a misguided effort to minimize losses on this side, they ended up overturning the entire game. They should have done this earlier.’
Once the responses from the three of them concluded, the last of them, maintaining a dignified tone, added:
[The central region… if the Empire can deal with the returned fifth princess, it will lose its focal point and fall into chaos. However, the issue is that we are unprepared here…]
After all, the prince and princess were kidnapped by the Undead King, and the unexpected return of the princess alone was an unimaginable development.
It was natural not to have prepared separate means.
[Still, let’s aim to wrap this up as quickly as possible right after the Secondary Continental Summit ends. …It’s a pity; if Liris were still here, it would have been much easier.]
Thanks to the overwhelming presence of the Undead King bearing most of the blame, the Oath of Reversal had remained relatively obscure compared to its past incidents.
Their last struggle had now entered a countdown.
