Ascension Of The Northern Emperor (1)

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“So what was the relationship between her and you?”

“She was a monster starved for blood, so every night, she dragged attractive men from various places and made them her playthings to toy with them. Shamefully, I too was abducted in my youth.”

“…….”

“It may sound laughable to hear me say I was handsome, now that my body has been twisted like this. But serving as a partner to vampires is hard labor that ages a person by years at a time. Most cannot endure long and die, but I had to do everything in my power in order not to die.”

Bernard said that, then took off his clothes and revealed his upper body. Countless wounds, traces of those wounds having been treated, and magic circles meant to block curses could be seen.

“I survived only because I won Griselda’s favor, but when I think of those days, the pain is so unbearable that I cannot endure it. That is why I forgot that a daughter had been born between me and her, and that that child too was a suffering soul. At this point, I have nothing I can say.”

“I can understand well enough. I mean it. Niselda is… all right, then?”

After hearing Bernard’s confession, Azadine could understand his pain to some degree.

In name, Bernard was Niselda’s father, so he ought to have been responsible for Niselda’s life, but this had effectively been violence.

Every time he faced the child born that way, Bernard’s pain and trauma revived, and so he had entrusted Niselda to the Benevolence Order.

“I do not know. I still do not have the courage to speak with her. In any case, I am glad that you struck back at Griselda. Could I perhaps see the Eye of Ashajit? I have studied blood magic… It may perhaps be of help.”

“Well, I was going to show it to you anyway.”

Azadine took out the Eye of Ashajit and handed it to Bernard. When Bernard handled blood magic and touched the Eye of Ashajit, sure enough, the Eye of Ashajit began to shed blood.

Bernard concentrated and controlled that blood. The blood flowing from the Eye of Ashajit moved according to Bernard’s will and changed into various forms.

“Astonishing. A blood mage would certainly covet this.”

Bernard stopped the blood from flowing out of the Eye of Ashajit.

“Perhaps this blood could help with a cure for Elemental Wailing? Hmm, I think it would be good to pass it to Giacomo.”

Bernard suspected that Ashajit’s blood might have been used to create Elemental Wailing. Since Griselda was the one who had spread Elemental Wailing, it was easy to think that the Eye of Ashajit she possessed was connected to it in some way.

“For now, I will keep it. Griselda will definitely pursue us for the Eye of Ashajit.”

“It may have been better to hand it over to Sir Sok.”

“True. Hmm?”

Azadine sensed the sound of footsteps approaching his tent. Sir Triodana had come to see Azadine.

“Sir Azadine. Our investigative team, belonging to the Wisdom Order, has at least confirmed your innocence in the case of killing Prince Kalzmati of Banreung.”

“I appreciate that. But surely you aren’t saying you’ll leave these many refugees behind, are you? Sir Triodana. Even now, vampires and cultist mutants are roaming from the direction of the Banreung Kingdom, and we don’t know when they may appear behind us. Ordinary soldiers have limits. We desperately need the help of Celestial knights.”

Azadine noticed why Triodana had come and struck first. Triodana clicked his tongue and said,

“I will return to the Wisdom Order and call for reinforcements. If help from Celestial knights is needed, we may be able to call the Celestial Fire Knights.”

“Hmm?”

Azadine tilted his head after hearing Triodana’s statement.

“If I were among the upper ranks of the Order, I don’t think I would send the Celestial Fire Knights to Sandokar. I would rather abandon Sandokar and retreat to the Order’s territory. More importantly, do you not think the same, Sir Triodana?”

Sandokar Gate was a highly important strategic point in the borderland where Banreung, Arangi, and the Order’s territory intersected, but it was a fortress on flat ground.

Its defensive power inevitably had limits, and if the Celestial Fire Knights were sent here, casualties would be unavoidable.

Ordinary knightly orders were easy to replenish, but what would happen if casualties occurred in Celestial Fire, which was made up entirely of Celestials?

Of course, someone like Triodana was precisely a reserve force meant for such times.

However, Triodana’s affiliation was closer to the Northern Emperor and the Kingdom of Ausander than to the Rescue Knights Order.

Would Triodana, a spy of Ausander, be allowed to be spent at Sandokar? That was Azadine’s question.

“What do you mean, Sir Azadine?”

Triodana reacted irritably.

“Strategically, abandoning Sandokar and returning to the Rescue Knights Order’s territory would be better for defense. The Order’s territory has far rougher terrain than Sandokar, which is flatland, so it is better for defense, and moreover, unless we place some burden on the Kingdom of Arangi, will the Kingdom of Arangi actively cooperate?”

“That is too large a picture for field personnel to judge. For now, I will withdraw to report to the upper ranks. Sir Azadine. Until then, I wish you lasting fortune in war….”

Triodana said that and withdrew, but suddenly stopped the hand with which he had been lifting the tent awning.

“By the way, Sir Azadine. Who knighted you?”

“Sir Plank.”

Azadine answered Triodana’s question honestly. He had noticed that Triodana already knew and was asking anyway, so there was no need to hide it. Since both of them already knew everything, there was no reason to lower his own stature for no purpose.

“There is a prophecy that the last person Sir Plank knights will become the flower of chivalry. Did you know that?”

“That is the first I have heard of it. Does that count even after death? Even after becoming a Death Knight?”

Azadine answered while feigning ignorance. At least, Sir Plank had not told Azadine about that prophecy.

Of course, that did not mean Azadine did not know about it. After becoming a member of the Rescue Knights Order, he had occasionally heard that story from those who recognized Aurelia Dawn.

“But the flower of chivalry, huh. That is a strange phrase. If someone were truly an exemplar of chivalry, would they not wish for justice and courage, wisdom and mercy, to fill the whole world, rather than becoming a special being alone? Rather than monopolizing some grand-sounding glory as the sole flower of chivalry or whatever.”

“Hmm.”

Triodana felt shame and anger at Azadine’s words.

Prophecies did not matter. What mattered was filling this world with virtue. Rather than hearing the shameful words that one alone was the flower of chivalry, it was fine if justice and virtue flowed like water throughout the world and oneself was buried beneath it.

Azadine’s words could sound that noble. However, from the perspective of the faction of the Northern Emperor Cohen, who had killed his teacher out of obsession with such a prophecy, this was sarcasm directed at him and an insult.

‘This lowborn bastard dares insult Father? Why did Sir Plank choose someone like this….’

Triodana was enraged by Azadine’s statement, but for now, leaving this place was the urgent priority.

“Then may fortune in war remain with you, Sir Azadine. I will certainly convey your innocence to the higher-ups.”

“Mm. May you be safe as well.”

Azadine halfheartedly wished Triodana safety.

Sir Gareth, the Tercio commander of the Courage Order, remained in Sandokar with his troops, cooperating in the repair and defense of the gate while investigating the circumstances by which Azadine had come to take control of the County of Sandokar.

Originally, Sir Gareth and his subordinate forces were also supposed to advance together into the Banreung Kingdom and rescue the merchant caravan that had sent a request for aid, but the Tercio troops led by Sir Gareth were a mixed unit of humans and dwarves, and had the weakness of slow marching speed.

Since Azadine’s warlord faction had already requisitioned all the carriages and carts, they could neither advance from Sandokar nor retreat, and had to remain here.

From the perspective of Azadine’s faction, since the Tercio soldiers using gunpowder weapons were guarding the fortress walls, it could not have been more reassuring.

In addition, the blunderbusses and cannons Azadine had confiscated from Chashan’s subordinates had also been deployed here, so Sandokar Gate’s defensive strength could be called considerable.

“Well now, it seems we have ended up guarding another man’s fortress for free.”

Sir Gareth inwardly marveled as he ended up taking charge of the defense of the County of Sandokar. To Azadine, he must have been an inconvenient existence who was neither clearly an enemy nor an ally.

Yet Azadine had even requisitioned Sir Gareth and used him as part of Sandokar’s defense force.

The problem was that the world was growing increasingly ominous.

Standing on the wall of Sandokar Gate fortress, Gareth felt the cold wind. A cold wind that did not seem like summer wind made his beard tremble.

“Sir Gareth. It seems more refugees have come.”

The dwarf holy knight who served as Gareth’s aide pointed with his staff toward the road before the gate.

Refugees carrying all sorts of belongings were gathering in droves along the road.

“What of Count Ivchek?”

“He is opening the gate and accepting the refugees as well.”

As if Ivchek and Azadine had already discussed it, they accepted all the refugees.

The half-elf Rijen and the dwarf Kallan, Azadine’s infantry commanders, approached the refugees accepted in this way and selected soldiers from among them.

Rather than simply giving relief to the refugees indiscriminately, they selected those who could be used as soldiers, trained them, and paid them wages, thereby taking measures so that each could support his own family.

“Hmm. So he increases his troops in this way. It seems we may have awakened a sleeping dragon for no reason. We did something unnecessary.”

After examining the situation in Sandokar, Sir Gareth became convinced that the inquisition against Azadine had been a mistake.

The refugees all spoke of the fall of the Banreung Kingdom, vampires, and mutants.

It had been proven that Azadine had not gone mad and executed the prince of Banreung, but that the prince really had been a vampire.

Of course, the Rescue Knights Order’s inquisition was closer to a ceremony for harassing and cutting off someone the organization disliked than a true judgment of right and wrong.

On top of that, the man was already disliked because he came from the Messenger Clan, and he had smeared mud on the Order’s face and even caused a political disturbance by killing the prince of Banreung.