The Northern Emperor’s Ambition (1)

“No—this is my faith, Sir Azadine. Please do not force me to kill you with my own hands. I do not wish to harm one who still carries my old beliefs….”

“You can’t beat me.”

Azadine said so, and like Sir Sork, he flicked the center of Aurelia Dawn with his index finger.

Brilliant golden flames burst from the ceramite longsword.

But the flame was completely different from before.

It spread from Azadine like the warmth of a gentle spring day, driving back Sir Sork’s chill.

“What?!”

Sir Sork was startled as Azadine drew out power beyond his own. White mana pulsed around Azadine.

“No… this—”

Sir Sork recoiled in shock at the violently surging, holy white mana.

The entire forest awakened with life, and the flames Sir Sork had set with magic began to die out.

“This can’t be.”

Sir Sork’s undead suffered. The wights—even Dilia—furrowed their brows and withdrew to hide in the forest’s shadows.

He had not even cast a spell; merely releasing his power did this much. Selim, deeply moved, shouted.

“Oh my god! It’s a miracle!”

“No, isn’t this a scam? He’s of the Emperor’s bloodline, right? Then….”

Sedrin suspected Azadine was wielding white mana through Yaegas God tribe blood and disguising it as an Order miracle.

“He did use the Heavenly King Scripture’s power before.”

Niselda also affirmed Sedrin’s suspicion.

While Azadine fought in Sork’s manor, Niselda had clearly watched him draw out the latent power of the Heavenly King Scripture within his body.

“Right?”

“But this is different. This isn’t the Heavenly King Scripture’s power—it’s an angel’s power!”

“…….”

And no one understood that better than Sir Sork.

The power pouring out of Azadine was the very miracle the Rescue Knights Order craved—the promised power granted to the guardians of the Three Virtues.

Azadine proved with his own body that even without divine blood, one could wield miracle power.

“The angels’ promise has already been fulfilled. The miracle is already upon this land….”

Azadine leveled Aurelia Dawn at Sork.

“Believe, Sir Sork. Illuminate the road with wisdom, advance with courage, and look down with benevolence. Even if rain clouds hide the sky, the stars still shine where they are—what you once believed and lost is still true all the same.”

“But that is the right of the strong, Sir Azadine.”

“Shall we test it?”

“Of course.”

Then Selim stepped beside Azadine.

“Sir Sork! You truly are blind with eyes open! You can’t recognize a miracle right in front of you!”

“No. That’s not what I mean by testing.”

Sir Sork sheathed his sword and retreated.

“Sir Azadine. You can’t draw out that miracle power whenever you want, can you? If you could, you wouldn’t have been humiliated in my manor.”

“…….”

“Then you should hide that miracle. The Order will never tolerate you. That is what I want to test—can you truly change the Order now?”

“But my lord. When a new Chapter Master arrives at Fireglyph, Sir Azadine will be ousted. With Fireglyph leaderless, now is our chance to fulfill the Fimbulhorde’s long-held wish—”

As Sork tried to withdraw, Dilia panicked and stopped him.

If they missed this moment while Azadine held Fireglyph, the plan to subjugate the Rescue Knights Order with the Fimbulhorde would be delayed far longer.

“No. I will choose to believe you, Sir Azadine. But I warn you—if you fail… you will become like me. Know that your faith was once my faith. Entrusting the Fimbulhorde’s wish to you is not goodwill without cost. If you fail, I will wager everything I have to make you pay that price!”

With those words, Sir Sork mounted his wyvern again.

The Fimbulhorde’s undead army began withdrawing from the Black Soil Forest.

“…….”

Holding his ceramite blade as its flames began to fade, Azadine watched the retreating undead and let out a quiet sigh.

His conflict with Sir Sork ended strangely. Rather than an end, it was better called a reprieve.

“But… impressive.”

Sedrin was strongly impressed by Azadine.

“Originally I said I’d swear loyalty if you freed my kin, so it’s not time yet… but fine, Azadine. Only you can free my kin.”

“That means….”

“H-hey, don’t misunderstand. I’m loyal as your subordinate, not that kind of—do you get it? These days elves don’t eat people, but to us, humans are like livestock. I don’t hunt humans like the elders do, but to an elf, humans are… how should I put it.”

“Hm?”

Azadine did not understand why Sedrin was making such a fuss.

“Good. Sedrin—can you go to the Southeast Rock Wall right away and help Sir Braham? I want you to use your magic to control griffins or hippogriffs and assist with building the bridge.”

“Mm. Fine.”

“Then Selim. Shall we return to Fireglyph?”

As Azadine said that, Sedrin stopped him.

“Wait. That’s it?”

“For now?”

“No—why is Selim staying in Fireglyph to handle duties while I’m….”

“Because if we’re using griffins to build a bridge, we need you—someone who handles animals well?”

“Ah. Right. That’s true. Hmph. Fine. Pretext matters.”

Sedrin nodded as if satisfied by Azadine’s reaction.

“Then what should I do, Sir Azadine?”

The half-vampire Niselda served as the abbess’s right hand at the Chadra convent.

On the Chadra Plateau—an exile land not just for the Order but for the whole world—life given to women was brutally harsh. The convent protected women on the condition they cut ties with the secular world.

Bandits and outlaws who did not recognize the convent’s authority swarmed the area, so the convent needed its own force.

Half-vampire Niselda and the Sisterhood she belonged to were that force and deterrent.

“Is your arm all right?”

“Honestly, I lost too much blood. Of course, I can still kill ordinary humans without trouble.”

“Returning to the convent?”

“In truth, I want to follow you to Fireglyph, Sir Azadine.”

At that, Sedrin was surprised.

“No, don’t tell me—wait. Niselda, what do you mean?”

“Please don’t misunderstand. Sir Azadine, I heard you have a blood mage among your subordinates.”

“Bernard?”

“Yes. If he is Bernard of Banreung, then he is my father.”

“…….”

“Will you permit me to accompany you?”

“You’re welcome to come, Niselda.”

“Thank you, Sir Azadine.”

The half-vampire Niselda decided to travel with Azadine.

It took about a day to rest and recover in the Black Soil Forest—bathing, treating wounds, eating, and sleeping. After restoring himself to peak condition, Azadine returned to Fireglyph on a hippogriff with Sir Selim and Niselda.

When Azadine’s group landed atop Fireglyph’s stables, Survey Team Captain Sir Pavel and Sir Izmilla approached.

“My word… is that a hippogriff, Sir Azadine?”

Sir Pavel looked envious as he watched Azadine arrive on a hippogriff.

“Yes. With Sir Selim’s help… but what is it? You came out to meet us.”

“Ah—the Order’s headquarters appointed a new Chapter Master. The survey team will hand over the acting duties and disband.”

His tug-of-war with Sir Sork had been yesterday, yet a new Chapter Master had already been appointed.

“Already? Who is it?”

“Prince Kalintz. He has already entered Fireglyph Fortress and is receiving the handover.”

“Prince Kalintz….”

Azadine frowned.

The son of the Northern Emperor, Prince Kalintz, had maintained some sort of relationship with the previous Chapter Master, Sir Hexenmaier.

And such a man was becoming the new Chapter Master?

“Was he even a member of the Order?”

“Ah, he was invested recently. Haha—in fact, I was the one who invested him.”

“When?”

“This morning.”

“…….”

A Hospitaller of the Rescue Knights Order became a holy knight the moment they resolved to devote themselves to virtue, even without anyone’s formal investiture.

Azadine himself had been invested by Sir Plank—who, as a Messenger-blooded death knight, was hardly someone he could cite to question others’ qualifications.

Even so, there were limits.

“He became Chapter Master the very day he was invested? Doesn’t anyone object?”

“Of course some do, but we can’t keep running this temporary assignment forever, can we? And Prince Kalintz has the makings of a true hero. You’ll like him once you meet him.”

The survey captain strongly defended Prince Kalintz, perhaps unwilling to lose the honor of being a prominent knight’s investor. He even sweated as he insisted on the prince’s character based on a fleeting impression.

“Sir Azadine. I’m sorry. The Order’s upper ranks fear how quickly you’ve expanded your influence, and they’re trying to neutralize you.”

“Ahem. Sir Izmilla—don’t say that. If you say it like that….”

Sir Pavel frowned, as if it would reveal he had reported Azadine’s growing influence to the higher-ups.

But even if he had not spoken, Azadine had naturally suspected Pavel.

‘Well, reporting to one’s superiors is normal.’

A man of Messenger blood who suddenly became a knight had temporarily seized Fireglyph’s real power, then proceeded to defeat and subdue every notable faction in the Chadra Plateau.

If a commander saw that and did nothing, that would be incompetence and irresponsibility.

‘Still… Sir Pavel is too incompetent, too lacking in ambition. Usually, when someone is given an acting post above their rank, they try to prove themselves and build merit.’

As Azadine thought that—

“Ahem. Hem-hem. Has Sir Azadine arrived?”

Jan, Prince Kalintz’s trusted retainer, approached Azadine in neat attire.

“Your Highness—no, I suppose I should say Sir Kalintz now. Chapter Master Sir Kalintz wishes to see you. He says that as members of the Order we must practice frugality, but even so he cannot ignore praising the predecessors’ efforts… he plans to hold a banquet, and asks that you attend and honor the occasion.”

“A banquet. Understood. Tell him I’ll be there.”

“Yes, Sir Azadine.”

Jan nodded smoothly and withdrew.