13 (79)

There were six people wearing black robes. Before them, a red orb was burning. Behind them stood all sorts of huge stone statues. The Demon God on the throne that Nestor had served was only one of them. Those gathered here were the apostles of the divided cults.

“Nestor has been defeated.”

“Yes. It was surprising. He died completely.”

“What about the Wandering Guild?”

“They all died.”

“Pontina Louis.”

A long silence flowed through the stone chamber. The woman at the far left opened her mouth.

“We must no longer become connected to Pontina Louis.”

“Why?”

“I will tell you something no one knows. I had a contract with him as well, so I had been keeping it secret. Nestor had learned a secret art. He had nine lives.”

“…..Is that true?”

“Yes. He was always a shady man to begin with. He must have had some plan to overthrow the main cult to some degree as well. Other than that, he was hiding more than just one or two things. In any case, the fact that Nestor died there means he lost all of those lives several times over. As you know… there is no one among us who could easily take even one of his lives.”

“…………..”

“We have lost much. If we lose any more here, we will have to wait another several hundred years to rise again. Now is the time to lie low.”

“Did you see that man’s future?”

“Something is protecting him.”

The stone chamber stirred.

“So I advise waiting. That man will soon change the flow of the world. When the Empire shakes, that will be our chance.”

At the word Empire, the stone chamber stirred once again.

“This is Magimetal Casting.”

Louis handed Euclid a document. The scroll, scribbled on old paper, was thin, but the information written on it was astonishing. Euclid, who received it, was dressed in formal attire with a long conical hat. It was the sort of outfit an imperial royal mage might wear. A brooch symbolizing his school shone on his chest. It was a golden bell. He accepted the paper, read a few sentences, and his eyes widened.

“Th-this… what on earth is this? Where did you obtain it!”

“Is it useful?”

“It is far beyond merely useful! Did you excavate some ruins?”

“Not ruins, but I looted something similar.”

“……?”

“I looted Nestor. He was one of the apostles of the black-magic cult.”

“My goodness. So the rumor that you faced a demon was true.”

Louis nodded.

“So, does it have value?”

“It can be used in far more diverse ways than now.”

Euclid spoke without even looking at Louis because he was hurriedly reading through the scroll. His face was flushed with excitement, his left hand was stroking his beard, and he was continuously letting out exclamations of admiration.

Some more time passed, and when the teacup before him had cooled, Euclid put down the scroll. Cold sweat was flowing down his face.

“Explain it to me.”

“First, if we interpret these runes, it is named Magimetal Casting. It is probably related to the Magitech technology I excavated. The development of its logic is also similar, perhaps because the author was similar. According to this document, it is a technology that can store magic in metal. The raw material is Black Water, and it seems this water can be used to contain anything from simple magic to great magic. It is difficult to imagine how limitless its uses could be. If mages can store large quantities of magic, they can create countless conveniences.”

“I see… Then….”

When Louis drew out his words, Euclid looked up at him. Louis continued his silence for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“That means Fire magic can be put into metal, correct?”

“We will have to experiment, but it is possible. However, what purpose do you intend to use it for?”

“It needs to have enough firepower to break a castle gate.”

“Wait. Are you planning to use it in a siege?”

Louis nodded.

“I will attack Ruderwin soon.”

“……..!!”

“Focus only on Fire magic. The rest can come afterward.”

“U-understood. If we can store Fireball anyway, then other magic should be the same. I will make preparations to create this device.”

“I will support you fully, as I have done until now.”

After Euclid left, the hall became quiet for a while. At that moment, the System left information.

‘It finally applied. That means….’

The severe city unhappiness had been resolved. Once there was food and jobs were created, hope had appeared among the people. Louis opened the map window. What was moving toward the capital was a large quantity of food. Food generated in Pantalist was entering the capital. It was successful. He had prevented the period in which happiness would fall without stopping and drop into an unhappy state.

‘I will receive armies from each house.’

To attack Ruderwin, he needed an even larger-scale army. Unlike when he clashed with Nestor, where he used an irregular strategy, a frontal approach was the key to this war.

Lebledna, the capital. The market with its vast area was especially bustling with people today. Pillars stood here and there throughout the enormous market, and awnings were stretched across them. Behind them, square white buildings lined up endlessly. The narrow roads spread out like an exceedingly complicated maze, and piles of bananas were stacked like mountains on the stalls here. It was not just one or two places. There were other goods as well, but there was not a single shop whose stall did not have bananas.

Countless citizens who had been starving were gathering noisily. Women carried baskets on their heads, and men carried loads on their backs. Merchants haggled with them and loaded goods for them. Even so, the supply was ample, and what people paid the merchants in return was only a few copper coins. In effect, they were being provided almost for free. A man was hurriedly eating a banana.

“The taste is a little strange, but it fills the stomach.”

That was exactly it. Louis’s purpose was to let people escape starvation with fruit, not to create an enjoyable diet. In any case, because bananas were being supplied almost for free, the prices of other foods were fluctuating wildly. Staple foods like wheat had stopped rising and were trending downward, while somewhat more luxurious foods were instead increasing in price.

Louis read the paper placed on the table. It was the report on the attack against Ruderwin that Christina had submitted.

‘If we can gain an advantage in destroying castle gates with the Magimetal Sir Euclid is producing, then attacking Ruderwin simultaneously from multiple directions is the best move. Ruderwin has many castles advantageous for defense. If the capital could have been captured, Nestor would have targeted Ruderwin before the Duchy of Eron. Assuming, as Your Highness believes, that Ruderwin’s army has been reduced by Nestor, then the number of cities they can defend will be extremely limited. If we capture several castles at once and cut off their food supplies, they will be driven into a corner in an instant.’

Now that he knew through the System that there was a difference in military strength with Ruderwin, he would not lose even if he started a war recklessly. However, what Louis wanted was efficiency. To obtain Ruderwin while preserving his army as much as possible. That was what Louis was concerned about now. The capital’s starvation had been resolved, but the happiness value had actually decreased somewhat.

‘That must be the limit of bananas’ use. Since they are not wheat, happiness can only continue to fall. It seems food is divided into staple food and non-staple food.’

No matter how abundant the food was, if it was not a staple food, its usefulness could be condensed into two purposes. One was to stop starvation, and the other was military provisions. There was no reason to be picky about food in war, so if there was a surplus, it could be used to replenish military provisions. If it was not that kind of situation, then it would be supplied in order to cities where famine had occurred and the red warning light was on. Once a plan had been established to some degree, Louis signaled to the attendant standing beside him.

The female attendant brought clean paper, a pen, and a suitable inkwell in front of Louis. Louis began writing a letter to Boromir, who was guarding Pantalist. Meanwhile, the attendant moved skillfully and prepared a pigeon to carry the letter. Louis finished writing the letter and stamped it with the royal seal. The pigeon flapped away and flew into the clouds.

At the southern end of the Empire, in a tavern in a fairly large city called Champec, a man had his head buried in a table. He wore shabby linen clothes. Beside the head he had buried, empty liquor bottles were piled high. As if they did not care about him, three or four mercenaries beside him had two women between them and were groping their breasts and thighs. The women were in the middle of acting coquettishly, and behind them stood the owner, frowning as he looked outside, perhaps because the money was not good. Then, in the middle of it, the drunken man suddenly sprang to his feet.

“I’m going to the Duchy of Eron!”

Because his voice was so loud, the mercenaries, who had been so absorbed in the fun of undressing women that they did not notice time passing, stared at the man wide-eyed.

“What the hell?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The Duchy of Eron is where Pontina Louis started a rebellion.”

“Did the king change?”

“Yeah. From what I heard, he’s an incredible strategist. Rumor says he’s a Sword Master.”

“A duke is a Sword Master?”

“Haha… It’s just a rumor, a rumor. And I told you, he’s not a duke anymore. He’s king now. Anyway, has that Ticomb gone mad? Hey. Just because your master died, does that mean the world ended? You got taken in because you lived so naively. If you’re that pissed, earn money yourself and hire a decent assassin.”

“Shut up. I’m going to the Duchy of Eron.”

“……? What about your lover?”

“I’m going to the Duchy of Eron.”

“Why?”

“………I don’t know. But I’m going.”

“You’re finally finding your place in the guild, and you’re throwing that away? And weren’t you engaged too?”

“I’m going.”

“When?”

“Now.”

“You madman.”

The mercenary spun his finger around near his own head. Influenced by Louis’s System, Ticomb was suddenly feeling an overwhelming compulsion that he had to go to the Duchy of Eron. And after immediately leaving the tavern, he did not even properly pack his belongings and boarded a wagon heading toward the Duchy of Eron. Even he himself did not understand his own actions, but once he headed for the Duchy of Eron, his heart was becoming at ease.

Each letter flowed to the respective houses of the Duchy of Eron. House Boarne was no exception. This castle, lined with long ancient walls, had experienced four wars. Traces of those wars were engraved throughout it, giving it an atmosphere like a cutting winter wind at first glance. In the innermost and highest hall, several people had gathered.