The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 184

145. In the Imperial Palace (3)

“What a sight.”

“Did you ever imagine something like this would happen?”

“Absolutely not.”

“I agree. Who would have thought we’d be looking down on the North like this.”

Fierce blizzards.

Conversations continued among a few people beneath the storm-like, frosty winds, in a place where it seemed impossible for anyone to live.

“Anyway, it’s been a while.”

Beykan said, looking at a woman.

“Kayla Chang.”

She seemed unable to adapt to the cold of the North, shivering slightly even while wrapped in a cloak made of Fire Wing feathers, from a monster native to the South.

“Damn it… It’s freaking cold.”

Kayla Chang muttered, tightening her cloak.

As the daughter of the Chang family, one of the Five Great Clans of the South, she had been in charge of mining Blue Lumina ever since she met Karil at the Rock of Depths.

“Kayla, are you having trouble adjusting after living so comfortably at the Rock of Depths?”

Kinu Mukali smirked as he looked at her.

“Comfortably? Who said it was comfortable?”

Even though the Chang family possessed the greatest martial prowess among the Five Great Clans, they were less belligerent compared to other tribes.

“The Rock of Depths is a battlefield.”

Unlike Tulu Chang, the head of the family, Kayla Chang was thirsting for battle more than anyone else, and she was overjoyed to receive the order for the North.

“What do you mean?”

“While mining Blue Lumina, monsters are drawn to the magical power emanating from it. We’re attacked by monsters every day. At first, it was low-level monsters like goblins, but now we’re seeing orcs and trolls.”

Kayla Chang clicked her tongue in displeasure.

Orcs and trolls had similar combat power, but their hunting methods differed.

Trolls, in particular, possessed ridiculous regenerative abilities; a half-hearted attack would only get you killed unless you blew their heads off completely.

“Huh…? Why didn’t you report it?”

“I did. The Master said that even stronger ones would appear in the future and gave us Blue Lumina-enhanced weapons first, unlike you guys.”

“Wow…”

The two men stared at her in disbelief at Kayla’s words.

“It’s just mid-level monsters. What I want to hunt are monsters of S-rank or higher, like you guys.”

She had heard the story of Beykan and Kinu conquering the Minotaur’s Den in Twin Armor and envied them more than anyone else.

She had personal ambitions, but she also felt that only the four tribes of the Great Plains were doing important work in the grand plan of advancing to the center.

‘I’ll show them the power of the Five Great Clans this time,’ she thought.

Kayla received orders to lead the Chang family’s forces and join Karil in the process of transporting 40,000 prisoners.

The Northern Mountains.

Being so close to the imperial capital of the Empire, Kayla couldn’t help but feel thrilled.

“But…”

She muttered in a low voice, barely audible.

To think that the first mission she carried out after arriving in the North was just waiting in such a cold place…

“Disappointed?”

Perhaps reading her thoughts,

Dushalla approached, seemingly glad to see another woman after a long time among the burly men.

“I think differently. I’m sure the Master is thinking quite a bit about the Chang family, seeing that he called you for this kind of work.”

“I know that too.”

Kayla said in a sulky voice at her words.

“I just don’t like that I can’t draw my sword and I’m freezing.”

Unexpectedly, Kayla agreed with Dushalla’s words without arguing.

“…”

A black wave could be seen below the mountain range.

There was no way water could flow in the frozen valley, but the flow of water was moving more fiercely as time passed.

“I would have regretted it for the rest of my life if I hadn’t seen them reveal themselves.”

The black wave was, surprisingly, countless people running through the valley. They were all covering their faces with hooded cloaks.

The Northern Barbarians.

For some reason, all of them, in their small colonies, were moving towards the Empire in the same formation, wearing the same cloak.

‘Was this what the Master was talking about…’ Dushalla wondered.

Dushalla, who arrived last at the Northern Mountains, felt a thrill as she looked at the scene unfolding before her eyes.

-Dushalla, there’s something I asked Hashir to do before you guys headed to the South.

Dushalla nodded at his words.

She remembered that Hashir had arrived in Digon before Karil, at the point when she was waiting for Karil in the territory of the Digon tribe after the Twin Armor mission, which was the first stage of the Southern Expedition, was over.

-Yes, I remember. He went to the North, right? Then, under the Master’s orders, he investigated how many mages were in the Vestal Marquisate in the South.

-That’s right.

-And then, after coming up to Tatur with me, he went straight to the North to transport the prisoners. At first, he disappeared without a word, which gave me a hard time.

Dushalla shrugged slightly.

-He’s such a quiet person, unlike the other big guys.

Karil chuckled at her words.

-When you go to the North, there will be a force waiting for you in addition to the 40,000 prisoners you brought.

-Yes?

-They are the Northern Barbarians that Hashir has gathered. I don’t know how many there will be… And I also ordered Kayla Chang to bring the Southern Savages up to the North.

-Even the Savages?

Dushalla couldn’t easily understand Karil’s words that he would be moving additional troops when it was already difficult with the number of prisoners they were moving now.

Karil’s eyes gleamed.

‘In the original history, the Empire’s Second Edict of Heresy Extermination begins around this time. And at the same time, Olivon, who won the war with the support of the people due to the Emperor’s death, ascends to the throne.’

The first achievement he made after ascending to the throne was to abolish the Edict of Heresy Extermination.

Eliminating racial discrimination that remained on the continent initially faced opposition from the nobles and imperial citizens, but because slaves and servants clearly existed within the Empire, it gradually gained tremendous support over time.

‘That’s why we fought for you with our lives,’ Karil thought, remembering the late King Olivon.

Karil smiled bitterly.

But now, due to his intervention, the Emperor was still alive.

And because the Edict of Heresy Extermination itself was not carried out due to Kromen’s death, it resulted in saving more Northern Barbarians than in his previous life.

‘The Northern Barbarians and the Southern Savages. Except for the Digon tribe, they are considered heretics because they have no magical power.’

But he knows.

The reason he wants to make the Savages and Barbarians his forces is because their power is by no means weak.

‘In particular, unlike Digon, which has a huge army, the Northern Barbarians, who are a union of small tribes, are weaker in terms of power than the Empire or the Duchy.’

But the abilities of individuals are different.

The lack of magical power can certainly be a weakness, but excluding that, the physical abilities of the Savages and Barbarians are superior.

‘That means that if that weakness is compensated for, they can become soldiers with greater power than the Imperials.’

Karil found Blue Lumina as the solution.

‘The problem is Hashir. It depends on how many Northerners he can summon. Even if the Wolf Fox tribe follows me, the Northerners won’t easily lend me their strength.’

If necessary…

Karil touched his eyes once.

He was prepared to reveal that he was a Barbarian.

That’s how much he needed the power of the Northern Barbarians.

-If you handle things well… something even more fun than in the South will happen.

Dushalla recalled the conversation she had with Karil before coming to the North.

“If things go well…?”

She murmured quietly, looking at the endless black wave rushing down.

“This is not that level, Master.”

“The Master didn’t come to the Northern Mountains simply to bring prisoners into the Empire.”

“Seriously… I’m going crazy. The work in the South was just the beginning.”

Dushalla twitched her lips as if she was enjoying Beykan’s words.

“It’s a signal.”

Kinu Mukali drew his bow as if he had been waiting, seeing Karil’s flames being shot from the distant Imperial Capital.

Kwaddeudeuk—!! [Sound of bowstring being pulled]

‘The Northern Barbarians are heading towards the Empire…’ Karil thought.

An unprecedented event in history.

‘Master, this isn’t just a fun thing; it’s something that will turn the Empire upside down,’ Dushalla thought, looking at the Empire where Karil would be.

* * *

Buzz- Buzz-

Morning dawned in the Imperial Capital, and the lazy nobles flocked to the Sun Hall as if nothing had happened as soon as dawn broke.

“We will reconvene the trial of Karil McGovern.”

As the doors opened with the declaration of Chancellor Brin Inique, Karil slowly walked into the hall as he had done yesterday.

But the difference from yesterday was that there were two people with black cloaks covering their faces on either side of him.

“Those filthy…”

“Those heretics who deserve to be killed…”

The nobles glared and growled as they looked at the Barbarians.

But no one could openly speak in front of Karil.

No matter what anyone said, he possessed the power of Lamine, the only Flame Tyrant on the continent, and was a Sword Master recognized by Azif.

“…”

Karil glanced at them once and smirked.

“Walk proudly.”

“How can we be afraid when the most fearsome monster among them is by our side?”

Hashir replied quietly.

The other person standing next to him also nodded. It was a Jannabi tribe Barbarian that Hashir had brought.

‘I wonder who he sent… Hashir has prepared thoroughly, but the most important thing in this plan is this person.’

Unfortunately, Karil also did not know who this person who arrived this morning was.

He just thought it was a success to have persuaded the Jannabi tribe and brought them within the time limit.

“If the Barbarians have come to the Empire on their own accord as you said, may I behead them after hearing their testimony and hang them in front of the gates of the Imperial Capital?”

The Emperor spoke to Karil as soon as the three entered. He didn’t seem to think of the Barbarians as the same people from the start, saying he would behead them without changing his expression.

‘Well… he was that kind of person. Tyran Shutean,’ Karil thought.

Karil sighed at his attitude and thought that he would soon repay him for what he had said.

“This is Hashir from my Tatur army.”

He slowly took off his black hood.

The ministers twitched their lips as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have at the sight of his yellowish-purple eyes.

“And this is a Jannabi tribe person who deals with the Unnamed (a clandestine group or organization), who will be a witness to this incident brought by my subordinate.”

Karil emphasized the word ‘person’.

He knew it was a futile act that no one would notice, but he felt mischievous for no reason.

Sreureuk… [Sound of fabric rustling]

As she took off her hood, a rich mane of fiery red hair flowed down.

An enchanting red dot was imprinted like a jewel in her black eyes, the evidence of heresy.

Her figure was clearly revealed over the tight black leather armor.

“Oooo…”

Some nobles let out low exclamations at her appearance, forgetting that this was the Sun Hall where the trial was being held.

Even Tyran Shutean’s eyes wavered at the sight.

‘What you see is all there is…’ Karil thought.

Karil gave them a cold smile as he looked at them. They only seemed to see her figure, not the empty scabbards hanging all over her armor.

Although she had disarmed to enter the Imperial Palace, the Jannabi tribe’s highly poisonous daggers were fatal even if they only grazed her.

The countless scabbards were proof of how skilled she was.

‘Wow… I didn’t expect such a big shot to come.’

Karil nodded to Hashir as he looked at the identity of the Jannabi tribe’s envoy, which he had only now confirmed.

Hashir, whose expression rarely changed, gave a faint smile for the first time, as if he knew what that meant.

The patrol captain of the Jannabi tribe.

Red Mane, Liliana.

Karil had not expected to meet her here.

“…”

Without saying a word, she slowly looked at each of the ministers in the Sun Hall as if she were engraving the enemy she had to kill in her mind.

“Then.”

Karil lightly tapped her on the shoulder as if placing his hand on it and walked forward.

“Please listen carefully to what I am about to say from now on.”

He said quietly.

Now,

All conditions are ready.