Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 82

7. Gigant Master

1

“What? Is that really true?”

“It’s true! They say his opponent is no ordinary person.”

“Let’s hurry! We can’t miss a spectacle like this!”

“Ugh… I want to go too.”

The Gigantic Duel between Luke and Bellic spread like wildfire through the Rakan Knights and the Unicorn Knights.

Except for those on patrol or on duty, everyone headed to the fallow land on the outskirts of the territory where the duel was to take place.

Since they were both such powerful individuals, holding a Gigantic Duel in the training grounds or the knights’ training field was out of the question.

It would be a huge loss if the surrounding buildings or training facilities were damaged.

However, some had arrived even earlier.

It was Baron Rogers, the commander of the territorial army, the two knight commanders, Philip and Copper, and Hwangbo-sung and Scarlett.

“To think that the Firebolt Bellic would appear.”

“Do you know him?”

At Copper’s question, Rogers nodded.

“He was quite famous among the knights of our generation. There was even a warning to be careful if you encountered the Red Lightning of Volga on the battlefield.”

“I’ve heard about him from my father too. I thought he was dead, but he’s alive.”

When Scarlett chimed in, the eyes of the knights listening to the story widened.

They had heard from a friendly mage that he was an extraordinary powerhouse, but they had no idea he was a famous figure who had dominated an era.

“Sir Hwangbo-sung, who do you think will win?”

At Philip’s question, Hwangbo-sung, who had been watching Luke and Bellic, opened his tightly closed mouth.

“The Lord is strong. But that man is also formidable.”

“Formidable? About how much?”

“That is… I am not confident I can win.”

“Huh?”

Everyone was shocked at Hwangbo-sung’s honest words.

There was no one among the knights of the territory who didn’t know his skills as a Fist Master. They had all sparred with him at least once.

Among them, only Rogers and Scarlett had fought on equal terms with Hwangbo-sung.

Considering that Scarlett was an archer, Rogers was the only one who could face Hwangbo-sung in close combat.

That Hwangbo-sung said he had no chance of winning.

This was the same as saying that there was no one among the knights of the territory who could stand against Bellic.

“He’s that strong… !”

“No, he might be even stronger than we think. Bellic was also famous as a genius rider.”

At Rogers’ words, everyone focused their attention on him again.

“A genius rider?”

“Yes, even when he was an Upper Expert, he fought on par with Sword Masters in Gigant battles.”

“T-That’s impossible…”

“That’s how well he knows how to unleash the full combat power of a Gigant. If there was a title called Gigant Master, it would probably be given to him.”

Whether he knew that people were talking about him or not, Bellic was busy inspecting the Gigant he had received and testing its movements.

“That’s a good Gigant. Did you buy it from the 10 Great Magic Towers?”

“It was made in our territory’s magic tower.”

Luke, who was examining the test machine he was developing next to him, answered proudly.

The Gigant lent to Bellic was the Warrior-class Gigant Stiletto made at the Katarina Magic Tower.

As his skills had accumulated, the core engine output had been upgraded to 1,200 Fight [a unit of power].

With the improvement of major parts such as the mana converter and balance device, the performance had increased, and the movements had become cleaner.

“Made in the territory’s magic tower? Hmm, the parts standards and assembly method are similar to the Veritas Magic Tower, so I thought it was from there…”

At Bellic’s words, Luke and the Iron Mages of the Katarina Magic Tower couldn’t help but be surprised.

The technical foundation of the Katarina Magic Tower was built on the magic books and blueprints that Luke had taken from the Veritas Magic Tower, so it was natural that they looked similar.

The problem was that a knight, not a mage, had figured out that fact.

“You seem to know a lot about Gigants.”

“Hehehe. I was quite something in my prime. It also helped that I rode dozens of Gigants while working as a mercenary or a clan rider during my wandering life.”

‘He seems to have a lot of experience.’

Luke couldn’t just brush off Bellic’s boast.

The way he was taming the Gigant to his control by testing various movements looked quite skillful.

Although it was just basic movements, the Stiletto that Bellic was controlling showed clean and disciplined movements, like a guard of honor at a parade.

‘He’s not going to be easy. I’ll have to defeat him with all my strength.’

The reason why Luke went to the trouble of using an expensive magic stone to use a long-distance teleport gate to bring Bellic here was to show him his wealth and power.

Since he was going to marry Princess Reina anyway, and all the old gods of Volga were working under him, he was thinking of recruiting him as well.

But despite explaining the situation, he was swinging his sword under the guise of a test. This was absolutely unacceptable.

His personality was fiery, and if he was left alone, he would surely keep trying to surpass him or bother him.

‘So I need to break his spirit beforehand!’

The reason he proposed a Gigantic Duel and went to the trouble of lending him a Gigant was to suppress him with force.

‘If he can’t understand by explaining it in words, I have no choice but to teach him directly. And I’ll have him pay for that lesson by serving me for the rest of his life. It’s a gain to have another Sword Master subordinate.’

Luke, who had finished checking the test machine with appropriate tension and anticipation, boarded the Gigant, picked up the greatsword, and strode into the middle of the fallow land with a thud.

Soon after, the Stiletto that Bellic was riding came out and stood opposite him.

As the two machines faced each other in the middle of the fallow land, Luke opened his mouth.

“Sir Bellic, if you defeat me, you will know where Reina is. But if you lose…”

“Hmph, that won’t happen, but if I lose, I will serve you as my lord.”

Bellic’s confident voice echoed through the Stiletto’s transmission tube.

At those words, Luke smirked. He was about to state the conditions anyway, but he had volunteered himself.

“You must keep that statement.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the test machine that Luke was riding disappeared from Bellic’s sight.

“What, was that Blink [a short-distance teleportation spell]?”

Bellic was startled.

He never thought that the imposter would use magic while riding a Gigant.

‘Come to think of it, wasn’t this guy a Rune Knight [a knight who uses magic]?’

Rumor had it that the young lord of Rakan was a Rune Knight with extraordinary skills.

There was also a story that he had shattered a falling meteor in the Holy Empire civil war, which he had participated in while impersonating his son.

‘So the rumors weren’t false.’

While Bellic was hurriedly looking around, the test machine that had appeared from the side swung down its greatsword.

Clang—!

With a loud noise, the tip of the greatsword grazed the armor.

However, it was not Bellic’s Stiletto that was cut, but the test machine that Luke was riding.

If Luke hadn’t stopped his attack midway and retreated, the test machine would have suffered more critical damage.

“Did you see through my movements?”

“Of course, you pretended to use Blink and approached with an Invisibility spell.”

Luke felt a chill down his spine as Bellic accurately guessed it. He didn’t think that he would be able to figure it out to that extent, even though he wasn’t a mage.

“Have you ever fought a Rune Knight?”

“No, I’ve fought a War Mage.”

That War Mage was an elf who had joined the Republican Revolutionary Army.

Her name was Nanas, a Fairy mage, and she was 100 times more dangerous than a clumsy Rune Knight.

“Let me tell you in advance. You can’t defeat me with clumsy tricks or magic.”

“Then I have no choice but to show you that my magic is not clumsy.”

After speaking, the two clashed once again, their greatswords colliding.

The real fight had begun in earnest.

2

Thud! Crash! Bang!

The loud sound of the Gigants’ footsteps and the noise of the greatswords clashing echoed loudly.

Every time the Gigants that Luke and Bellic were riding clashed fiercely, the knights watching from afar flinched.

This was because the intense mana waves caused by the Gigant’s fight were putting pressure on them.

The only ones who could ignore that pressure and watch calmly were Rogers, Philip, and Hwangbo-sung.

Having entered the realm of masters, they were more accurately grasping the flow of this fight than anyone else.

“The Lord’s control skills have really improved a lot.”

“That’s all thanks to me, you know.”

At Rogers’ words, Philip shrugged his shoulders as if it were his own achievement.

Luke was showering Bellic with flashy attacks using magic. At first glance, it seemed like Luke was in an advantageous position, but Rogers’ expression was not good.

“It seems like the Lord’s attacks are not working on Firebolt.”

“He’s really an unbelievable fellow. How can he block and dodge all of that?”

As Scarlett said, Luke’s flashy attacks were almost ineffective.

This was increasingly the case as the attacks continued, and the shocking thing was that Bellic had hardly moved a step from his original position.

With minimal movement and simple actions, he was blocking, dodging, or deflecting all of Luke’s powerful and sharp attacks.

“That guy seems to have a grasp of the Lord’s movements.”

“Is that possible, Sir Hwangbo-sung? From his perspective, the Lord is someone he met for the first time today.”

Hwangbo-sung did not answer Copper’s question.

He could understand how Bellic was responding to Luke’s attacks.

However, his language skills were not yet diverse enough to explain it in detail.

Clang!

Luke, who had been launching a series of attacks, was counterattacked by Bellic and pushed back.

As Bellic showed signs of rushing in, taking advantage of the gap that had been created, Luke hurriedly deployed magic to block him.

“Ice Blow!”

About a dozen large chunks of ice were created in front of the test machine and flew towards Bellic’s Stiletto.

Although they were ice fragments, they were reinforced with magic, so their strength was comparable to steel.

“Hmph, you think you can stop me with this?”

Bellic was not flustered and knocked away the ice fragments with his greatsword.

However, the moment he tried to knock down the last ice fragment, it exploded.

Boom!

The shattered ice fragments momentarily blurred Bellic’s vision.

“… !”

While Bellic was startled and clearing away the ice fragments, Luke quickly rushed in with Blink.

“Cyclone Wave!”

The powerful shockwave of magic that was unleashed at close range engulfed the Stiletto.

However, Luke’s face contorted as he watched this.

‘What? He’s being pushed back!’

“Cyclone Wave” is a magic that damages opponents with a powerful shockwave. Objects with large volume and mass, like Gigants [large, humanoid war machines], are particularly vulnerable to shockwave damage.

However, the fact that the Stiletto was pushed back as if a ship was being pushed by a wave meant the shockwave had been largely neutralized.

Indeed, the Stiletto didn’t suffer any significant damage.

“Whew! That was close, very close!” Bellic exclaimed, acting nonchalant.

“How did you know to react like that?” Luke asked. Just before the magic hit, Bellic had intentionally disrupted the Stiletto’s center of gravity, causing it to be pushed back.

“Well, the attack that was coming in that situation was obvious,” Bellic replied.

“Obvious?”

“Either you’d stab with the greatsword or use magic. And whether you cut or pierce, the goal is the same: to inflict damage.”

So, Bellic decided that if he couldn’t avoid it, the best option was to reduce the impact.

That’s why he didn’t try to resist and instead made the Gigant move back.

“If you had zapped me with lightning, I would have been helpless. But in that split-second situation, most people can only make simple and sure choices. Especially those with combat experience.”

“Tch… !” Luke clicked his tongue.

He had thought Bellic would be a formidable opponent.

However, contrary to his nickname of ‘Firebolt’ and his unrestrained personality, Bellic showed a very calm demeanor during combat.

Most surprising of all was the fact that he could read his opponent’s moves in advance.

“And you know, the movements of a Gigant are predictable. Unlike people, who have different body types and muscle densities, everything is standardized to the most efficient specifications for combat. There are only slight differences depending on the thickness of the armor or the output of the core engine.”

Moreover, the areas to strike to disable or destroy it are limited. It’s easy to figure out where the opponent’s attack is aimed.

‘I see. That’s why he was able to counter while minimizing his movements,’ Luke thought.

If you know your opponent well enough to know how they will attack, there’s no need to wildly flail around.

Minimizing movement also reduces the consumption of aura [a form of magical energy], making combat much more relaxed and easier. This allows you to hold your own even against stronger opponents.

‘A skilled knight can easily figure out an opponent’s movements. But Bellic’s senses are far superior to others.’

Considering his keen senses and his calculating, analytical mind, he had the talent of a mage rather than a knight.

If he had chosen the path of magic instead of the sword, he might have become a great mage renowned throughout the continent.

“I admit you’re a skilled rider. But unfortunately, you’ve met the wrong opponent.”

*Kooong!*

Bellic’s Stiletto charged fiercely, thrusting its greatsword.

A very straightforward frontal attack aimed at the core engine.

However, it was a fast and powerful attack comparable to that of an upper-level Sword Master, so he had to choose between defense and evasion.

Luke chose evasion.

Bellic’s greatsword pursued his test machine like a viper as it hurriedly turned to the side.

*Crack!*

In the process, the armor of the test machine was clearly scarred.

“You dodged it, as expected. Did you decide you couldn’t block it?” Bellic taunted.

‘Tch, Blink Dash!’ Luke thought, using a short-range teleportation spell.

No sooner had he shaken off Bellic’s greatsword than Luke switched to offense, swinging his greatsword without giving him a moment to breathe.

He didn’t just use swordsmanship; through the test machine’s left hand, which wasn’t holding the greatsword, he continuously unleashed fireballs, wind cutters, and other magic that were easy to manifest, good for defense, and powerful.

Perhaps it was because of his efforts.

Small and large scars began to appear on Bellic’s Stiletto.

“Impressive. You could be called a Sword-Magic Unity, not just a Sword-Body Unity. But… !” Bellic said, genuinely impressed.

Bellic switched from defense to counterattack.

“That’s not enough to beat me!”

*Jjeo-eong!*

The trajectory of the impact aura that Bellic unleashed cut through the air, and a sharp cracking sound echoed.

At the same time, Luke’s test machine, with its abdominal armor near the core engine sliced horizontally, staggered and stepped back.

As clear sparks flew from the cracked armor, the faces of onlookers like Rogers and Philip turned pale.

“L, Lord!” Philip cried out.

“Stop the duel immediately!” Rogers added.

If the core engine exploded, the lord’s life would be in danger.

Those who were about to step forward stopped in their tracks at Luke’s command, which came through the transmission channel.

“Don’t interfere! It’s not over yet!” Luke commanded.

“B, but…” Rogers stammered.

“The core engine is fine, so don’t worry,” Luke reassured them.

It wasn’t a lie.

However, the balance device near the core engine was damaged, so he couldn’t maintain his balance properly.

Even a slight slack in control would cause it to tilt from side to side.

‘I can’t fight like this,’ Luke thought.

It was difficult even to move. He would collapse under Bellic’s next attack.

‘What should I do? I couldn’t win even when I was in perfect condition.’

He couldn’t accept defeat like this.

It wasn’t because he wouldn’t be able to recruit Bellic, or because he would have to endure his arrogant behavior in the future.

It was just that his stubbornness was boiling over, not wanting to lose.

‘Bellic isn’t a Sword Sage. How can I defeat Rudolph if I can’t even beat someone like him!’

Clenching his teeth, Luke pulled up his magic power and charged the staggering test machine toward the Stiletto.

“Tsk tsk, making a reckless move,” Bellic said, clicking his tongue.

Bellic grinned as he saw Luke charging at him without hesitation.

“But I like it. A man should have that side to him.”

*Sgeogeok!*

As he acknowledged Luke, Bellic mercilessly sliced the test machine with his greatsword.

The test machine, cut diagonally from its left shoulder to its right side, fell forward.

Seeing that, Philip slumped to the ground.

“L, Lord… !” Philip cried out.

“He’s not dead, so don’t worry,” Bellic said, showing his greatsword to everyone as if to prove it.

Even though he had clearly cut through the cockpit, not a single drop of blood was on it.

“He probably escaped with Blink or teleport magic…”

“Why are you looking away when the fight isn’t over yet?” Luke’s voice echoed.

“What!” Bellic exclaimed, his eyes widening.

Luke was floating in the air right in front of him. Moreover, he seemed to be about to unleash a powerful magic, with a clear purple light swirling in both hands.

“Titan Fist!” Luke shouted.

*Crack!*

The magical iron fists created from Luke’s hands blew off the Stiletto’s head and distorted its upper body.

Bellic was very flustered by the sudden impact.

Because the Gigant’s head had been blown off, he couldn’t see anything on the cockpit’s site screen.

He hurriedly opened the hatch to secure his vision and glared at Luke.

“You crazy bastard, attacking a Gigant with your bare hands… !” Bellic yelled.

“Why? Can’t I attack with my bare hands?” Luke retorted.

It was supposed to be a Gigantic Duel, but Luke didn’t give up just because his Gigant was destroyed.

His forte was magic, not swordsmanship or Gigant piloting.

“Hehehe. There’s no reason why not. Fine, come at me!” Bellic challenged.

As Bellic, baited by Luke’s provocation, agreed, Luke immediately deployed a new magic.

“Water Arrow!” Luke shouted.

Hundreds and thousands of water droplets formed around Luke.

The water droplets, shaped like arrows, poured down on the Stiletto like a shower.

However, Bellic was not at all shaken.

“You think you can defeat me, riding a Gigant, with such cheap magic?” Bellic scoffed.

“Water Arrow” is a 2nd-circle attack magic [a basic level of magic].

The power and number of spells increase depending on the mage’s skill, but it was a low-level magic, so it clearly had its limits.

*Poong! Pang! Pang! Papapapapang!*

The countless rain of arrows made of water droplets relentlessly pounded the Stiletto that Bellic was riding.

“Hmph, no matter how many times you shoot that kind of magic… wait!” Bellic said, his face, which had been dodging casually and sneering at Luke with a triumphant expression, contorted. The Stiletto’s movements had suddenly become sluggish and stiff.

“Could it be! It wasn’t Water Arrow?” Bellic exclaimed.

“Hehehe. I transformed it into Acid Shower while it was flying,” Luke revealed.

The magical arrows, imbued with strong acidity, corroded the Gigant.

Moreover, Luke had concentrated most of his attacks on the Stiletto’s joints.

*Kkigigik- Kkiik!*

The Stiletto couldn’t move properly, as if it had suffered a stroke.

Taking advantage of the gap, Luke unleashed Titan Fist once again.

*Bbeong! Kwajijik!*

The Stiletto, having received a powerful impact, had its knee joints broken and fell flat on the ground.

“He won!” a knight shouted.

“As expected of the Lord!” another added.

The knights burst into cheers as the Stiletto fell.

But the cheers didn’t last long. Bellic popped out of the Stiletto’s cockpit.

He jumped into the sky, glaring at Luke, and unwound his leather belt, swinging it at Luke.

Then, the belt stretched out in a straight line and flew as if it would split Luke’s body in two.

‘Impact aura on the belt!’ Luke realized.

Luke, who never expected him to load impact aura onto his belt instead of a sword, hurriedly deployed a shield magic.

*Jjeo-eong!*

The shield blocked the belt.

However, Bellic’s attack was so strong that he was sent crashing to the ground.

“Tch, you’re doing all sorts of things!” Luke exclaimed.

“That’s what I should be saying!” Bellic retorted.

Bellic brought down his belt-sword on Luke to deliver the final blow.

Luke didn’t dodge and instead deployed multiple layers of shield magic to receive Bellic’s blow.

*Crack! Crackle!*

Bellic shattered all the shields that blocked his path and thrust the belt at Luke’s head.

But he couldn’t go any further.

The moment the last shield was shattered, Luke drew his sword and pointed it at Bellic’s neck.

“Tch! To counterattack from there,” Bellic said, impressed.

“Because I knew I couldn’t defeat you by dodging,” Luke replied.

Luke and Bellic glared at each other for a long moment.

Any slight movement from either of them could mean death for the other, or perhaps for both.

“Tch, you’re a tough one to deal with,” Bellic finally said.

He was the first to lower his sword, looking like he couldn’t believe he hadn’t won.

“You’re quite impressive. Good lineage, skilled, decent status and wealth. And above all, you’ve got guts.”

“What are you getting at?” Luke asked, lowering his sword as Bellic grinned.

“I’ll acknowledge you as my son.”

“What?”

“I’m saying I’ll adopt you. How about it? Isn’t that great?”

‘This crazy bastard!’ Luke thought, nearly raising his sword again.

Though he looked like a young man in his twenties, he was, in fact, a middle-aged wizard. Moreover, he had lived in an era over 500 years ago. And now, this ridiculously young guy was claiming to be his father!

“I refuse.”

“Why? When you were impersonating me so well?”

“I had no choice due to the circumstances back then.”

Bellic looked disappointed at Luke’s cold reply.

“Ah, that’s a shame. It breaks my heart to think that the Warrior of God, Baron Leff, will be known as a fraud.”

‘This guy!’ Luke thought, his hand tightening on his sword at Bellic’s subtle threat to spread rumors if he didn’t accept the adoption.

Then, the knights who had been watching rushed to stop Luke.

“Lord, just give in.”

“What are you talking about, Philip? Are you saying I should accept that guy as my father?”

“He’s old enough to be your father, isn’t he? And he was also the vice-commander of the Volga Kingdom’s Royal Knights, so he’s not unqualified.”

“That’s right. Besides, it’s common to have an experienced old knight as a patron.”

Copper agreed with Philip.

The custom of adopting a close friend’s son or sending a son to a famous knight as a squire had existed for a long time. In times of frequent wars, it was important to build connections in this way. This was true even for high-ranking nobles.

In the past, when the mercenary king Gilford was at the height of his fame, the great nobles of each country competed to have him as their adoptive father or brother. This custom had now become established as the patronage system, and the knights were trying to make Bellic Luke’s patron.

Realizing that things couldn’t continue like this, Luke signaled Rogers to try and persuade them. But Rogers was currently calculating how much the territory’s military power would increase if the powerhouse Bellic was recruited.

The other knights were the same. They were all fascinated by Bellic’s amazing skills and were only thinking about how to coax him into teaching them a thing or two.

“Sir Hwangbo? Do you think this is appropriate? Is it right to barge into someone else’s territory and claim to be their father?”

“……”

It was said that the Southern Continent, where the study of Neo-Confucianism [a philosophical and ethical system] flourished, valued etiquette and morality. So Luke thought that Hwangbo would give everyone a stern lecture.

“Lord, there are times when the small must be sacrificed for the great. If you abandon your small pride, you can gain a great talent.”

“Even you are going to be like this!”

Hwangbo had fought against many knights since coming to the Rodisia Continent. But Bellic was the first person he had seen who was so strong that he didn’t seem to have a chance of winning, except against Luke. When you fight against a strong person, there is much to learn, and your skills improve accordingly. Therefore, there was no reason to oppose Bellic’s recruitment.

“Lord! You can’t miss such a good opportunity!”

“Don’t regret it later and grab him!”

“If you don’t accept him, we’ll start a strike from today!”

The knights were shouting, but Luke, with a deeply furrowed brow, didn’t answer. He also wanted to recruit Bellic, but he didn’t want to bring him in like this.

Unfortunately, reality was not on Luke’s side.

“Hahaha! Son, why don’t you stop being stubborn?”

“Who decided I was your son!”

“You decided it yourself. I’m going to do as you wish, so what’s your problem?”

‘Ugh, damn it!’ Luke thought, his fist trembling at Bellic’s shameless retort.

He wanted to blast him away with black magic, but reason held him back. In the end, Bellic became a member of the Rakan March.

4

That night, a small party was held in the Rakan territory to welcome Bellic. Not only the old retainers of Volga but also the existing vassals of the Rakan March were subtly welcoming his recruitment.

Although Luke did not neglect his duties as lord, he sometimes acted independently, such as going to the Holy Empire to find the long-distance teleport gate or Princess Reina. Therefore, Hans and the vassals hoped that Bellic would guide the young lord well.

“What is this?” Luke asked Bellic, who was resting in a guest room of the lord’s manor after the party. Luke handed him a piece of paper. The ink was not yet dry, as if it had just been written.

“As you can see, it’s an appointment letter to give you the position of commander of the Red Wolf Knights.”

“Yes, I see that, but why do I have to go back to that backwater territory?” Bellic asked.

He had heard various stories about the Rakan March at the party earlier: that it had been rapidly growing under the leadership of the young lord, achieving remarkable expansion and development, and that Lamer City, which had now grown into the best trading city in the southern part of the Baroque Empire, was under Luke’s control. So, he had decided to properly take advantage of the fraud who claimed to be his son and spend a comfortable retirement in Lamer, where Piotr II had spent his last years. But this unfilial guy was telling him to go to Albertville and become the commander of the knights.

“I heard you crushed the Red Wolf Knights. And you also half-destroyed all the Gigants [giant magical constructs] in Albertville.”

“So? Are you saying I should be compensated for beating up those weaklings?” Bellic asked.

Luke smiled thinly at Bellic, who was openly showing his reluctance.

“Of course, you should be compensated. Not by me, but by Reina.”

“What? Why is Princess Reina involved here?” Bellic frowned for a moment, then decided to properly hear about Reina’s whereabouts.

“I wanted to hear more about Princess Reina anyway, so this is good. Where is the princess now?”

“She is in the Holy Palace of the Holy Empire.”

“The Holy Palace?” Bellic looked dumbfounded. He had escorted Erewin there last time, but he never imagined that Princess Reina would be there!

“No, why is she there? The Holy Palace is only accessible to high-ranking priests and holy knights of the Holy Empire.”

“Hehehe. Do you know Veronica III?”

“The Pope with miraculous spiritual powers? Well, there are rumors that she is an angel sent by the main god, or a princess from some country…” Bellic, who had spoken up to that point, grabbed Luke’s shoulder with wide eyes.

“N-no way!”

“That’s right. Veronica III is Reina.”

Bellic, who had been looking blank for a moment at Luke’s words, suddenly burst into loud laughter. He was so happy that he even got up from his seat and jumped up and down.

“Hahaha! Uahahahaha! Princess Reina has become the Pope of the Holy Empire!”

“It hasn’t been announced to the outside yet. It’s being kept secret considering the internal situation of the Holy Empire.”

“Ha… So that’s why you stopped Pavel from saying what he was about to say. But how did she become the Pope?” At Bellic’s question, Luke explained in detail what had happened since Reina disappeared.

Bellic, who had been listening to Luke’s story with serious eyes, looked solemn.

“I see. She took on the heavy burden of Pope for you, who is trying to overthrow the Baroque Empire.”

“It’s also for the people of the Holy Empire. But my territory, and ‘Reina’s territory,’ Albertville, has been devastated by some wonderful person this time.”

When Luke emphasized the words ‘Reina’s territory,’ Bellic quickly looked flustered.

“That’s, well… I didn’t want to cause that much trouble…”

“Of course, you didn’t have any bad intentions. But what was the result? What if some foolish people attack, taking advantage of the fact that the Gigant forces are destroyed and the lord’s castle is in ruins?”

“But the civil war is over, isn’t it?”

“Recently, local forces organized a resistance and attacked the territory. There’s no guarantee that such a thing won’t happen again.”

Luke didn’t mention that those local forces were now in the Rakan territory, working diligently. There was no point in saying it in this situation. Luke continued to speak.

“Reina is now trying to stabilize the Holy Empire. But there are also forces that oppose her.”

The Constantine faction, which had been ousted by the reforms, was a prime example. They were now cowering in fear of Grand Duke Gregory, but they would soon raise the banner of rebellion if given the chance.

“To regain power, they will try to turn even the smallest conflict into a big fire. You were even the vice-commander of the Royal Knights, so I believe you know what I’m worried about.”

“Alright. I’ll do it. I just need to whip those weaklings into shape and restore the territory’s military power to its original state, right?”

“No, you need to increase it at least twice as much. I’ll provide the funds and supplies, so please hurry.”

There was a reason why Luke was trying to increase the military power of the Albertville territory. It was to hold back the Eastern Army of the Baroque Empire. The Eastern Army, along with the Northern Army, was a border army controlled by the Emperor’s faction, and would be the main force supporting the Emperor’s power along with the Central Army in this civil war.

‘But that will become difficult if an external invasion occurs,’ Luke thought. He was planning to use the Albertville territory’s army to shake the eastern part of the Baroque Empire if the Emperor’s faction gained an advantage in the civil war. By holding back the Eastern Army and reducing the Emperor’s faction’s power, he might even be able to seize the territories in the eastern part of the Baroque Empire.

“Oh, man… I came to beat up a fraud, but now I’m going to be shackled,” Bellic grumbled with a sigh, receiving the appointment letter for the commander of the Red Wolf Knights that Luke was handing him.

He carelessly stuffed the appointment letter into his pocket and got up from his seat.

“Are you leaving already?”

“You told me to hurry, didn’t you? Can I use the long-distance teleport gate?”

“There are spare magic stones.”

Luke immediately prepared to send Bellic. It was a waste of magic stones to send Bellic alone, so he also provided some military funds, Gigant repair parts, and even a few Iron Mages [mages specializing in metal magic] to help the Albertville territory’s army.

Just before leaving, Bellic turned around and said to Luke, “Remember this. I’m working for Princess Reina, not for you.”

“Whatever,” Luke replied with a chuckle. Bellic glared at him with a displeased look before stepping into the subspace. The commotion of the fake father and fake son, which had briefly stirred up the Rakan territory, ended like that.