Emperor Of Steel [EN]: Chapter 84

9. Erewine’s Return

Step, step.

In the early morning, before the darkness had fully receded, a figure approached the Lord’s Manor of the Rakan Marquisate.

The figure, clad in the pure white vestments of a priest of the Elkasel Order [a religious order focused on healing and light magic], had their face deeply hidden by a hood.

However, their slender figure made it clear that they were a woman, not a man.

“Haa, I’ve finally arrived.”

A clear, melodious voice escaped the lips of the female priest as she paused to gaze at the Lord’s Manor.

Although somewhat weary from the long journey, she was not so exhausted as to collapse.

Resuming her steps, she approached the main gate of the Lord’s Manor.

There, a gatekeeper came forward, blocking her path and speaking politely.

“May glory be upon the messengers of light who illuminate the darkness! I apologize, but this is the residence of Marquis Rakan, who governs this land, and no one may enter without a prior appointment.”

Even if one was a priest, they could not be allowed in without a prior appointment.

Since the assassination attempt some time ago, entry had become even more strictly controlled.

At the gatekeeper’s words, the female priest pulled back the hood covering her head.

Revealed beneath was a beautiful woman with green hair and a cool demeanor.

However, her appearance was not that of a human.

‘E, an elf!’

The gatekeeper was startled.

But it wasn’t simply the fact that the female priest was an elf that surprised him.

The face of the person was clearly familiar.

“Could you perhaps be, Lady Erewine?”

There were quite a few elves living in the Rakan territory.

The leader of these elves would often visit when summoned by the lord.

So, the gatekeeper had memorized their names and appearances, and Erewine was among them.

“Yes, I am Erewine Lesa. Please inform the Marquis that I have come to see him.”

“But it is too late now…”

The gatekeeper wore a troubled expression. It was the time when the lord would be sound asleep.

“Please hurry. I have something to tell the lord in secret, which is why I came at this time when I wouldn’t be noticed.”

It seemed there was a reason why she couldn’t be ignored.

After hesitating for a moment, the gatekeeper finally notified his superiors that Erewine had arrived.

“What? A visitor at this hour? And they wish to see the lord?”

It is said that as one gets older, they require less sleep in the early morning.

Hans, the butler of the Lord’s Manor and the chief administrator of the Rakan Marquisate, had recently noticed that his early morning sleep was decreasing.

He had intended to take care of some pending work since he was already awake, but he was puzzled by the report from the attendant.

“Did they identify who it was?”

“Yes, it’s an elf named Erewine Lesa.”

“What? Erewine Lesa?!”

Hans knew that name well.

The disciple of the High Elf Erenes, who was deeply involved when Princess Reina went missing in the past, and a 7th Circle Archmage [a very powerful magic user].

He had seen her a few times when she visited the territory.

He had also heard from Hudson, the leader of Argos, that the lord was puzzled because Erewine’s whereabouts were unknown.

“I suppose I should go out and see.”

Hans quickly put on his coat and headed to the entrance of the Lord’s Manor.

Indeed, Erewine was standing there, clad in pure white vestments.

He didn’t know why the mage was dressed as a priest, but he was worried that she might cause trouble for Luke again.

So, he decided to hear her out first, and if it was inappropriate, he would cut her off.

“Butler Hans, it’s been a while.”

Erewine greeted him first, acknowledging him.

“It’s good to see you’re well. But what brings you here at this hour? May I ask why you wish to see the lord?”

Although she looked young, Hans knew that the average age of an elf was over 200 years old, so he couldn’t speak casually to her.

Moreover, Erewine was practically the leader of the elves in the Rakan territory.

“I have something I must tell him.”

“…Are you perhaps trying to involve him in some strange request or incident?”

Erewine sighed deeply at Hans’s disapproving expression.

“I deeply regret what happened with Princess Reina. Our thinking was too short-sighted. But this time, I have not come to harm the lord. I swear it upon the Earth Goddess, Beliz.”

“Hmm…”

At Erewine’s oath, Hans finally relaxed his expression.

Elves were tight-lipped and did not lie as easily as humans.

Moreover, Erewine had sworn upon Beliz.

The Earth Goddess Beliz was the mother who created the elves.

There could be no falsehood in an oath made in her name.

“May I hear what the reason is?”

“That is difficult. It is related to the secrets of our elves…”

‘The secrets of the elves?’

Hans knew that there had been some unrest in the elf village within the territory some time ago.

The elves had not revealed the reason, so he had no idea what it was about, but he wondered if it was related to that.

“Then I suppose there’s nothing to be done. Please follow me, I will guide you.”

“Thank you.”

After their conversation, the two of them stepped into the Lord’s Manor, where the morning mist had not yet cleared.

“You disappear without a word and then show up without a word.”

Luke’s expression was slightly hardened as he looked at Erewine.

He had been woken up from his sleep, and he didn’t have a good feeling about her sudden request for a meeting.

“You’re the one who’s here one moment and gone the next. I even went to Alberville following the inspector of the Holy Empire, but you were already gone.”

“I have a lot of things to do.”

He even wondered if she had come barging in at dawn because she was sulking about missing him.

Anyway, Luke decided to get to the point.

“So, what’s the reason you wanted to see me?”

“The elf representatives of the Volga Republic might target you. I don’t know when or how they will approach you, but you should be careful.”

“They’re targeting me? Why? Weren’t they supposed to cooperate with me according to Erenes’s will?”

Luke asked, as if he couldn’t understand.

Erenes had left a will, telling the elves to cooperate with him.

In fact, many elves had come to the Rakan territory and were cooperating a lot, following that will.

But now, Erewine, Erenes’s own disciple, was warning him to be careful of the elves!

“That’s how it should be, but…”

Erewine frowned slightly.

She told him about the decision made at the elf representatives’ meeting three months ago.

They might use any means necessary to demand that Reina open the gate to the spirit realm again. Upon hearing this, Luke exploded with volcanic rage.

“What the hell! I barely tolerated them using her as they pleased three years ago because of Erenes’s face, and now these bastards are going crazy!”

An immense rage and killing intent erupted from his body, causing Erewine to gasp for breath.

If she hadn’t quickly protected herself with mana, her heart might have stopped on the spot.

‘They dare threaten her to make her do something dangerous again? Never!’

Over 500 years ago, Luke had walked the path of a black mage to avenge Katarina’s death.

And now, the elves were trying to threaten Reina, who was like Katarina’s reincarnation.

And all for the absurd goal of reviving the Magic Empire of Avalon!

‘I can never forgive them!’

Luke grabbed Erewine by the collar and threatened her in a low, murderous voice.

“Tell me the location of their base right now. I will personally visit them and show them what the wrath of the Demon King Seymon is like.”

Erewine’s eyes were filled with bewilderment at Luke’s extreme reaction.

The reason she had come here was to warn him of the danger in advance and prevent a conflict between the two sides.

If Luke or Reina became wary, the elf representatives wouldn’t be able to do anything reckless.

But judging from the current situation, her warning had only fueled Luke’s anger.

No problems had yet occurred with Princess Reina’s safety.

Nevertheless, the fact that Luke was reacting so fiercely showed how special his feelings for her were.

‘Anyway, if Marquis Luke gets involved in this situation, the elf representatives will be doomed.’

He was, after all, the one who had once devastated a third of the continent of Rodisia.

The problem was that the entire elf society was likely to suffer immense damage in the process of eliminating the representatives.

Many elves supported the representatives, and they were likely to be massacred if they acted as a shield.

If the representatives and the elves who followed them were eliminated, would the remaining elves be able to live peacefully?

Absolutely not.

They would outwardly obey Luke, but inwardly, they would surely curse him as the human who had massacred their kin.

Luke’s view of the elves would also change significantly from before.

If that happened, the atmosphere of cooperation between humans and elves that had just begun to be built would completely collapse.

‘I have to stop him somehow!’

Having made up her mind, Erewine quickly said,

“Calm down. They are representatives, but they don’t represent the will of all elves. There are definitely elves who oppose their opinions.”

Erewine was one of them, and so were the elves currently remaining in the Rakan Marquisate.

That was why they had strongly opposed the instructions of the messenger sent by the elf representatives some time ago.

‘So that’s why the elf village was suddenly in an uproar.’

Luke had solved one mystery, but that didn’t mean his anger had subsided.

He growled at Erewine.

“Even so, I cannot tolerate a situation where even a single hair on Reina’s head is harmed.”

“I will persuade the other elves to not follow their instructions. So please, calm your anger.”

No matter how much the representatives were, they did not have absolute power like a king or an absolute monarch within the elf race.

They were merely representatives who had been delegated authority.

The real power lay with the highest leaders or elders of each tribe.

Erewine planned to persuade them to neutralize the power of the elf representatives.

If the majority of elves turned their backs on them, they wouldn’t be able to do anything even if they wanted to.

After hearing her explanation, Luke released his grip on her collar and asked.

“Is that possible?”

“Yes, I will make sure it happens.”

“You will make sure? Do you think you can do this alone?”

At Luke’s scoff, she looked him straight in the face and said, emphasizing each word.

“I am a disciple of the Great Sage Erenes.”

Her eyes, shining more seriously than ever, resembled Erenes.

At that sight, Luke, who had calmed his anger for a moment, fell into thought.

‘Now that the civil war has broken out, there’s no telling when our territory will take up arms. But I can’t send my subordinates instead…’

The elf representatives’ actions were unpleasant, but he couldn’t ignore the surrounding situation or the state of the territory.

Judging from Marquis Myers’s attitude, it seemed that if the imperial faction gained the upper hand, they would immediately turn their blades this way.

Although they had signed a non-aggression treaty, they could easily resort to other tricks.

There was more to provocation than just force.

‘If I’m going to prepare for that, it’s not good to make more enemies or create more work.’

Having made that judgment, Luke decided to give Erewine a chance for now.

“Alright, if you can persuade the elves and stop those idiots from doing anything nasty, I’ll stay quiet.”

“Th, thank you! The elves, who value peace and justice, will surely listen to me.”

“It had better be that way. Otherwise, my bloody revenge will be waiting.”

Erewine felt a chill down her spine, realizing that Luke’s ominous voice was not a joke.

She resolved to persuade everyone, by any means necessary.

“By the way, seeing you wearing the vestments of the Elkasel Order, it seems you stopped by Bless.”

“Yes, I thought I should tell Princess Reina about this first.”

“Good thinking. Otherwise, you would have gotten an earful from me.”

Luke, with a wry smile, told Hans, who was waiting outside the reception room, to call Philip.

“Did you call for me, Lord?”

Shortly after, Philip appeared and was surprised to see Erewine standing next to Luke.

“Oh, it’s you?”

“It’s been a while.”

She gave Philip a brief nod, her face returning to its usual expressionless state.

‘Why is she here? Is she trying to pull some trick…?’

Philip knew.

That Princess Reina had gone missing three years ago because of Erewine’s machinations.

However, his suspicious gaze eased as he listened to Luke’s explanation.

“…So, I’m pulling some personnel from the Rakan Knights to escort her.”

“Us?”

Philip asked, looking displeased.

In the current unstable situation, he didn’t see why they should spare the Rakan Knights, a crucial fighting force.

“Wouldn’t it be better to use the Lycanslopes [a race of wolf-like humanoids] or the dwarves, who are also of the same elven race? I heard there are quite a few warriors in our territory’s elven village who oppose their representatives.”

“You don’t need to know the details. Just do as I say.”

Luke had his reasons for insisting on the Rakan Knights.

While it was called an escort, they would also be acting as guards.

And in case of an emergency, he planned to secretly attach a hydra agent, who had become his familiar.

“Ugh, alright. I will organize the escort personnel by the end of the day.”

As Philip left, Luke turned to Erewine.

“When are you planning to leave?”

“I’ll rest for today to recover from my journey and leave at dawn tomorrow.”

“I hope you have success.”

At Luke’s dismissal, Erewine left the reception room with a slightly bitter expression.

Her heart ached at the thought of being disliked by someone she secretly admired.

After finishing his conversation with Erewine, Luke sent a magical communication to Grand Duke Gregory of the Holy Empire.

Even though she had already informed Sir Victor, he was worried about Reina’s safety.

He knew that the elven representatives, obsessed with recreating past glories, were capable of anything.

The Grand Duke, upon receiving Luke’s magical communication, frowned and said:

“What is it that you need? As a mage, you should know better than anyone that long-distance magical communication is vulnerable to eavesdropping.”

Although he had acknowledged that he was in a relationship with Veronica III, only a very few people in the Holy Empire knew about it.

Of course, there were some rumors circulating in the world due to the victory celebration party.

However, the subject of the rumors was not Duke Luke, but Baron Rep, the mercenary king of the Holy Empire.

Therefore, Gregory was worried that their secret might be leaked through long-distance magical communication.

“I have something urgent to tell you.”

“Something to tell? Is it about His Holiness the Pope?”

“Yes, it is.”

Luke told him what he had heard from Erewine.

At that, Grand Duke Gregory jumped up even more than Luke had a moment ago.

“What? Are those elven rabble daring to threaten His Holiness the Pope? I will immediately lead the Undying Legion into the Volga Republic!”

Grand Duke Gregory was more than capable of doing so.

However, the problem was that there were many things to consider before the Holy Empire could go to war with the Volga Republic, such as the steppe tribes in between and the long supply lines.

“I don’t care if you occupy the Volga Republic or tear the elves apart, but there is one thing you must keep in mind.”

“What is it?”

“If even a single hair on Reina’s head is harmed, I will not forgive the Holy Empire either.”

A terrifying light emanated from Luke’s eyes as he spoke.

From his aura, Gregory realized that Luke had not been fighting at full strength when they had fought before.

“Hmph, that will never happen. I will protect His Holiness the Pope with my life.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

If Grand Duke Gregory was watching over her with fire in his eyes, the elves would not be able to harm Reina no matter how hard they tried.

Luke had deliberately made the magical communication with this in mind.

“By the way, I heard that the Baroque Empire is in turmoil due to a civil war. Is the Rakan March okay? His Holiness the Pope said he would provide support if needed.”

At Grand Duke Gregory’s words, Luke shook his head.

“We have enough strength here. Instead, please support the Alberville Territory. And I would like you to cause some trouble on the eastern border.”

“Hmm, trouble on the border…”

Gregory was also a seasoned veteran of the military.

So, he immediately understood what Luke was trying to do.

“Are you planning to tie down the Baroque Eastern Army and make things difficult for Emperor Rudolf? But it’s not worth moving the army just to start a border dispute. We’ll have to take over a few territories.”

“Do as you please. But refrain from excessive expansion.”

As far as Luke knew, the Holy Empire had not yet fully recovered from the aftermath of the civil war.

If they were to start a large-scale war in this situation, the people would suffer, and resentment towards Reina would grow.

If that happened, the opposition, such as Constantine and Marquez, who had been lying low, would rise up.

Luke did not want such a situation to occur.

“We’ll take care of it on our end, so don’t worry. Anyway, if you need help later, feel free to ask anytime. We’ll send reinforcements even if we have to use a long-distance teleport gate.”

“Yes, I will if the situation calls for it.”

With those words, Luke ended the magical communication and reviewed the reports submitted by Argos until sunrise.

‘I can’t believe the elves would stab us in the back like this.’

Luke was inwardly worried that this incident might hinder his future actions regarding the civil war.

The civil war in the Baroque Empire began to escalate.

The noble faction, defeated in the first battle on the Rourde Plains, raised a large army in the west and south.

With the Western Army of Duke Butler and the Southern Army of Duke Myers as the main forces, the nearby noble factions gathered, forming a force that could not be ignored.

In response, Emperor Rudolf summoned the Eastern Army and personally led the Central Army to confront Duke Butler.

It was expected that a full-scale battle would soon break out, but surprisingly, no battle occurred.

The sudden torrential downpour created mud in various parts of the battlefield, restricting the movement of the Gigants [large, humanoid war machines].

In the end, both sides had no choice but to rest at a certain distance, and only skirmishes between reconnaissance units and guerrilla units were fiercely fought.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

Today, too, rain poured down from the sky.

It was as if the gods did not want the war between the two factions.

Boom!

A thunderous noise echoed from the large, ornate tent in the center of the imperial faction’s camp.

Following that, Emperor Rudolf’s angry roar erupted.

“What! The Eastern Army only sent half of its forces?”

At Rudolf’s question, Baron Maguel, who had become the new chamberlain in place of Count Voltaire, trembled as he answered.

“Y-yes, they said that they couldn’t bring all their forces because the Holy Empire suddenly crossed the border.”

After the bloodbath in the Imperial Council, Count Voltaire had fallen.

He was purged for failing to properly prevent the noble faction’s offensive in advance.

As a result, Baron Maguel became the new chamberlain, but he was more anxious about when he would incur the emperor’s wrath and lose his head than happy about his promotion.

“The Holy Empire invaded the eastern border? Are they taking revenge?”

“I-I believe so.”

The fact that Emperor Rudolf had secretly supported Duke Perriad, who had rebelled, was revealed to the entire continent through the hearing.

Of course, the Holy Artenia Empire would have also learned about it.

Perhaps they had seized the opportunity to raise an army when a civil war broke out in the Baroque Empire.

‘Ugh, if this happens, my plan to overwhelm the noble faction and crush them at once will be disrupted from the start!’

Rudolf had planned to concentrate the imperial faction’s forces in one place and crush the noble faction’s rebels at once.

Dragging out the civil war would only benefit those watching from the sidelines.

But that plan was going wrong from the start.

“How many of the invading Holy Empire forces are there?”

“The number of enemy Gigants identified so far is over a hundred, and the number of troops is in the tens of thousands. The problem is the person leading the vanguard…”

“Is it Grand Duke Gregory?”

“No, it’s Bellic the Firebolt.”

“What!”

The vanguard of the Holy Empire forces that had crossed the eastern border was currently led by Luke’s Alberville Territory army.

Bellic, true to his nickname of Firebolt, had restored the territory army as soon as he returned to Alberville and doubled its strength with the support of Grand Duke Gregory.

With that force, he had launched a surprise invasion of eastern Baroque Empire.

Of course, Rudolf had no way of knowing this.

“Bellic was alive? And why is he in the Holy Empire?”

“I heard that his son, Rep, received a title for his achievements during the Holy Empire’s civil war. Perhaps he called his father out of retirement…”

“Ugh, of all people!”

There were Sword Masters in the Eastern Army, but they were not at the level to face a figure like Bellic.

Moreover, Bellic was a master of Gigant combat.

As far as Rudolf knew, the only knights who could face him in Gigant combat were himself and Grand Duke Gregory of the Holy Empire.

“There’s no choice. Tell them to use scorched-earth tactics or whatever, but avoid a full-scale war with the Holy Empire. The Southern Army can be tasked with keeping the Central Army Commander, Count Ferrero, in check. In the meantime, I will lead the reinforcements from the Eastern Army and the Imperial Knights to crush the Western Army.”

“I know that the Imperial Knights are strong, but can you really crush the Western Army with just that force?”

Baron Maguel asked with a worried expression.

The current strength of the Eastern Army’s reinforcements was only half of what it should have been, and the Western Army had been joined by the private soldiers of the Butler family and a large number of noble faction troops.

Victory was not guaranteed in terms of strength, and even if they did win, massive damage was expected.

However, Rudolf was not just trying to disperse his forces out of a hasty desire to end the civil war quickly.

Although he had been blinded by the deaths of his children, he was a more level-headed man than anyone else.

“Of course, I can win. Don’t worry, I won’t foolishly insist on a head-on confrontation.”

“D-do you have a secret plan?”

“Hehehe. You’ll find out when the time comes.”

Rudolf had a sinister smile on his face.

He had already set up a certain scheme to destroy the noble faction.

Now was the time to activate it.

“By the way, I heard some strange rumors going around lately.”

“Strange rumors?”

At the emperor’s words, Baron Maguel looked puzzled.

“Yes, I heard from the Imperial Guard knights who came from the capital yesterday that the lord of Rakan is actually a black mage and is secretly working with a group of black mages.”

Recently, strange rumors had been spreading in the capital and some other areas.

It was about Duke Luke, the descendant of the hero Rakan, who had recently gained fame as a rune knight of outstanding skill.

The problem was that the content of the rumors was somewhat absurd.

“I’ve heard those rumors too, but it seemed like nonsense spread by someone who holds a grudge against Duke Luke to slander him.”

The content was quite a sight to behold.

“The descendant of the hero, who became a cripple due to a Gigant accident, discovered the legacy of the Demon King hidden somewhere while he was in despair, and learned black magic with it!”

“Based on that power, he won the territory war, and later met black mages who used the mark of the black moon and conspired with them to swallow the Baroque Empire!”

It was roughly like this.

Since it was a rumor at the level of a fantasy novel that briefly broke people’s monotonous daily lives, Baron Maguel did not believe it.

‘They should make sense. How can the descendant of a hero dabble in black magic? And even if he did, would the vassals or priests in his territory not know about it?’

If Duke Luke had learned black magic, his vassals would have been the first to rise up.

But the fact that the Rakan family was quiet showed that it was definitely not the case.

“Right? But it’s quite interesting.”

The main enemy in this civil war was the noble faction.

But the Rakan family was also not on the same side as the imperial family.

Therefore, Rudolf planned to get rid of the Rakan family after wiping out the noble faction.

‘I’ll take this opportunity to get rid of all the obstacles in my path!’

The intelligence department had reported that Luke was suffering from a serious illness and was barely clinging to life.

But that didn’t mean he was going to leave him alone.

“Tell the intelligence department to spread the rumors even more.”

“Yes?”

When Baron Maguel looked at him with a bewildered expression, Rudolf said with a burst of anger.