Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 113

9. The Darkness Rises Again

1

The Sea of the Dead lies between the Rhodisia and Southern continents. At the heart of this sea, shrouded in an eerie fog, are seven islands known as the Hell Archipelago. On Thanatos Island, the largest of these, a group of mages had gathered.

They were the remnants of the Veritas Magic Tower, which had been destroyed on the continent. Having secretly researched black magic, they had fallen due to an unexpected disaster—the summoning of a high-ranking demon. Now, under the shadow of their founder, Arsen, they awaited the day of their revival.

A massive pyramid stood on the northern side of Thanatos Island. The leaders of the Veritas Magic Tower were gathered in a secret chamber within the pyramid, receiving reports and conducting a meeting.

“What is the current state of affairs in the Rhodisia continent?” Nesta, the former Master of the Veritas Magic Tower, asked, and Albert, the current Master, immediately responded.

“The Baroque Empire is completely fractured, Father. Emperor Rudolf is continuously attacking the Kingdom of Livia, established by Prince Reichart, but he has not achieved any significant gains.”

“What about the south? I heard that Myers is dead?”

“According to our spies, he was defeated in the war against the Marquisate of Rakan and committed suicide. There are also rumors that he was murdered… In any case, Luke de Rakan has taken over the Kingdom of Milton and renamed it the Kingdom of Symphonia.”

“Hmm… Is it going to be a three-way battle?”

“Yes, both Reichart, the Dragoonian, and Luke, who is of the blood of the hero Rakan, are not ordinary men.”

Albert and the elders of the Veritas Magic Tower judged that Rudolf’s current abilities made it difficult for him to defeat either of them. In terms of sheer power, Rudolf was arguably the strongest on the continent. However, war is not something that can be won with individual strength alone. It was necessary to calmly devise strategies and meticulously plan tactics, but Rudolf was currently lacking in such abilities.

“Could the annihilation of his family be the cause?”

“That’s part of it, but according to our spies, the Baroque Empire’s intelligence department is acting strangely.”

“The Imperial Intelligence Department is acting strangely?” At Nesta’s question, Albert continued in more detail.

“We haven’t found anything concrete yet, but it seems there have been changes in the reporting process within the Imperial Intelligence Department.” Previously, all information was directly delivered to Count Voltaire, the Emperor’s right-hand man, but that was no longer the case. The speed of information delivery had slowed, and the volume had decreased significantly compared to the past.

“At first, we thought it was because Voltaire, who was in charge of the intelligence department, was temporarily absent during the subjugation of the Western Aristocratic faction, but since it hasn’t changed, it seems there’s a problem.”

“Hmm, then either Rudolf is keeping Voltaire in check, or both Rudolf and Voltaire have become blind.” It was still just speculation, but Nesta had a feeling that a third party might have taken control of the Baroque Empire’s intelligence department.

‘If that is related to the division of the empire….’ Nesta, lost in thought for a moment, shook his head. He did not intend to make hasty assumptions or conclusions about this. Acting in an uncertain situation could lead to enormous losses.

“Anyway, let’s leave the Baroque Empire aside. What about the Holy Empire?” Nesta shifted the topic to the Holy Empire. The Holy Artenia Empire was the biggest obstacle to creating their world.

“I heard that Veronica III has firmly grasped power, is that correct?” At Nesta’s question, Elder Belmond rose and answered.

“That is correct. The Undying Legion, led by Grand Duke Gregory, is actively supporting her, and she is also receiving enthusiastic love from the people, so it seems unlikely that the empire will easily fracture.” Currently, there was no force within the Holy Empire that could challenge Veronica III. The opposition, consisting of the Constantine faction and a few archbishops and great lords, had launched political attacks based on various rumors, but they were only met with counterattacks. Therefore, Belmond believed that unless something major happened, it would be difficult for the opposition to seize power.

“In that situation, the Pope made a surprise visit to Symphonia and personally officiated Luke de Rakan’s coronation. There are many stories about this.” Belmond did not believe that a personal union between Symphonia and the Holy Empire, as some had suggested, was possible. However, he judged that Symphonia could rely on the traditional power of the Holy Empire to confront the Baroque Empire, and the Holy Empire could borrow the military strength of Symphonia, which had defeated the Milton Kingdom army and the Grenada navy in a pincer operation.

“It seems that the Rhodisia continent will revolve around Symphonia and the Holy Empire from now on.”

“Tsk, it’s a shame. We should have intervened in the last civil war and drained the Holy Empire’s strength.” At Nesta’s words, Belmond nodded in agreement.

“Indeed.” In fact, the Veritas Magic Tower had planned to release black mages and undead into the Holy Empire during the civil war to incite chaos. No matter who won, the Holy Empire, with its land ravaged and wounded, would be weakened. This would ensure that the great work of their founder, Arsen, would not be hindered in the future. They had been waiting for the right moment to secretly infiltrate black mages, but the civil war ended. The civil war ended so quickly that the leaders of the Veritas Magic Tower were left empty-handed. And their regret was short-lived. The tower was destroyed by a high-ranking demon that was summoned unexpectedly.

“By the way, when will our founder, who went to the Southern Continent, return, Father?” At Albert’s question, Nesta tilted his head with a troubled expression.

“I’m not sure. He should be back by now, but I haven’t heard from him, and I’m worried if something happened.” Arsen had gone to the Southern Continent first with the completed undead to test the death knights and liches. It was also a good opportunity since the Hwangbo family there had requested help. However, contact with Arsen had been lost since then. Whether the test was successful or not, it was past the time he should have returned.

“Could something have happened to our founder?”

“Surely not, there is no one in the current middle realm who can defeat our founder.” He was a being who freely used the powerful white and black magic of the 9th circle. Moreover, he was a lich who would not die as long as his life vessel was safe. Could there really be anyone who could defeat him? Even if the dragons, once called the strongest creatures in ancient times, were to return, it would not be easy.

“That’s true, but…” Albert nodded, but he felt uneasy inside. He had learned the hard way that things in the world do not always go as planned when the Veritas Magic Tower was destroyed. As his father said, there might be no one who could defeat the founder. But there might be hidden masters or transcendent beings in the Southern Continent that they did not know about.

“Anyway, we can’t just wait for our founder to return.”

“Indeed, to help our founder’s great work, we need to establish a solid base on the continent.” Nesta nodded at Belmond’s opinion and gave instructions to Albert, looking at him.

“I heard that the magical community is trying to revive itself, taking advantage of the war between the Baroque Empire and the Kingdom of Livia. Take some useful fellows and go establish a base. But you must refrain from rash actions.”

“Understood, Father.” As Albert and the elders, including Belmond, withdrew, Nesta also left the secret chamber to examine the undead. He did not know when Arsen would return, but it was necessary to be fully prepared.

2

A few days later, Arsen returned to Thanatos Island. Upon hearing that he had returned, Nesta, overjoyed, rushed out to greet him without even putting on his shoes properly.

“Have you returned, Founder?”

“Yes.” The black mages, including Nesta, tilted their heads at Arsen’s uncharacteristic, curt response. Nesta cautiously spoke to Arsen.

“We were wondering what had happened since we hadn’t heard from you. We were worried that something might have happened…”

“Kek, tired… I’ll… tell… you… later.” As Arsen avoided giving a direct answer, Nesta became even more curious. However, the founder seemed to be in a very bad mood, so he waited until he was called separately.

The next day, Arsen called for Nesta.

“The… test… of… the… undead… was… a… success. But… I… lost… everything… I… took.”

“Yes? What on earth happened?” Nesta was so shocked that he jumped up from his seat. The undead that Arsen had taken were powerful enough to easily wipe out a country. Arsen explained to him what had happened at the Zhuge family.

“Hmm… Marquis Luke went to the Southern Continent. And he even learned black magic?”

“Kek, it… was… truly… unexpected. More… than… anything… else… the… strange… thing… is… that… his… black… magic… was… almost… identical… to… what… I… use.”

“Then he might have also obtained Seimon’s Eugene [a powerful magical artifact].”

“Yes… since… Seimon’s… Demon… Castle… is… in… his… territory… it’s… highly… likely.” In fact, they had long suspected that Seimon’s black magic grimoire might still be in the Demon Castle. That was why they had tried to seize the Demon Castle using Derin, the branch manager of the Alon Merchant Guild, in the past. Of course, at that time, they considered securing the mana field in the Demon Castle more important than the Eugene, which they were not even sure existed.

“Anyway… Luke… destroyed… the… undead… but… he… was… not… my… match. The… problem… was… Nanda.”

“Nanda, you say?” Nesta tilted his head, hearing the name for the first time.

“A… monk… of… the… Arahan… Order… he… was… someone… I… could… not… measure.” The moment Nanda grabbed his hand, he was instantly transported from the Southern Continent to the Arctic Ocean. Nesta was astonished by the explanation.

“What? That’s something that is absolutely impossible with magic or black magic?” No matter how long-distance teleportation magic was, it was impossible to cross an ocean and a continent. If that were possible, trade between the two continents would have been active long ago.

“That’s… right. So… perhaps… that’s… why… at… first… I… was… filled… with… rage… but… when… I… calmed… down… I… felt… a… chill.” He had been thrown to an incredibly distant place with just a single touch. That meant he could do even more than that. Nanda had made excuses, saying that he hated killing and that he did not have the power to defeat him, but Arsen could not believe his words. That was why he could not immediately retaliate.

“In… the… past… I… thought… that… the… six… supernatural… powers… that… the… Arahan… Order… spoke… of… were… nonsense… to… gather… followers… or… the… divine… power… of… some… priests. But… after… experiencing… it… myself… my… thoughts… changed.”

“Is it truly the power of a god?”

“Kek… perhaps… that… might… be… the… case. I… went… to… Bharat… where… the… Arahan… Order… was… founded… to… investigate.” That was why his return to Thanatos Island was delayed. However, Arsen did not obtain much satisfactory information from Bharat. The teachings and enlightenment of the Arahan Order were too vague and abstract. They claimed that all things were empty and illusory, that the Buddha existed in people’s hearts, and even that one could become a god if they achieved enlightenment, yet they also made the contradictory claim that one should not be attached to enlightenment and liberation.

“In… the… end… I… thought… this. Just… as… I… transcended… death… through… black… magic… it… is… not… strange… that… there… is… someone… with… the… power… of… a… god.” Even though he acknowledged it, Arsen’s mind was not at ease. He had learned that there was someone in this world who could hinder him, an enemy who could threaten him. Nesta, who had swallowed hard after hearing Arsen’s explanation, said,

“Then we must find a way to defeat that enemy.”

“Of… course. But… before… that… we… need… to… deal… with… those… who… might… hinder… our… great… work.” Arsen’s eyes flashed fiercely as he continued.

“So… first… we… will… deal… with… the… fool… Rakan’s… descendants.”

“Are you talking about Luke de Rakan? He is now the king of a nation. And his relationship with the Holy Empire is strong, so if we rashly provoke him…” Nesta tried to dissuade him, but Arsen did not change his mind.

“That’s… why… we… must… eliminate… him… even… more. A… weed… that… we… looked… down… upon… has… become… a… thorny… vine. We… must… pull… it… out… by… the… roots… before… it… forms… a… forest.” Arsen was not stubbornly insisting without a plan. He had already thought about how to pull out the roots. He had a very good card in his possession.

“Kek… kek… kek… I… can’t… wait. What… kind… of… expressions… will… the… fool… hero… and… his… vassals… make?” The card he held was a guardian created using the body of the hero Rakan. What would happen if that guardian appeared before those who worshiped Rakan? Perhaps a huge shock and chaos would engulf the Kingdom of Symphonia.

“Kekekekek!” Arsen’s triumphant laughter filled the secret chamber.

3

These days, Emperor Rudolf was unable to easily calm his rising anger. The reason was the sluggish conquest of the Kingdom of Livia. According to his plan, he should have already crushed the Kingdom of Livia and advanced to the Kingdom of Symphonia, established by the impudent rebels in the south. But the reality was that he could not even deal with the Kingdom of Livia!

Bang!

“How long are you going to dawdle with the rebels in the west? Have the knights and mages of Baroque become so incompetent?” At Rudolf’s outburst, slamming his fist on the table, his close aides, including Count Voltaire and Count Ferrero, who were gathered in the Emperor’s office, all lowered their heads.

“We are sorry, Your Majesty!”

“Please punish us!”

“Enough with the apologies! I don’t need your apologies, just do something!” Despite his repeated outbursts, his aides remained heavily silent. Then, an elderly mage sitting in a corner spoke up.

“Your Majesty, how about this?”

“What is it?”

“Among the ancient relics that Your Majesty gave us before, there was one peculiar item.” The elderly mage was Marquis Kepler, the Master of the Imperial Magic Tower. He had been pushed out of the center of power because the development of the Emperor’s personal Gigant [a type of magical construct] was delayed, but he had recently been re-appointed. This was because Rudolf had killed all the black mages he had secretly cultivated in the imperial family after the failed demon summoning. Having swept away his useful subordinates, he considered Kepler as an alternative. Rudolf had given him some of the items and research materials that the black mages had, disguised as ancient relics, and ordered him to continue researching them.

“Among the ancient relics that Your Majesty gave us, there was a tightly sealed reagent. I have been researching that reagent, and I have discovered something very surprising.” The item they had thought was a reagent turned out to be a poison containing the disease of ‘Vers,’ which had swept through the Rhodisia continent at the end of the ancient magic era. According to the ancient records that remained, this disease was so virulent and contagious that it reduced the continent’s population by a third.

“The great mages and fairies of that time tried to treat it, but no potion could cure this disease. Not even divine power.”

“So what’s the conclusion?” At Rudolf’s question, Kepler said with a sinister smile.

“We should spread the poison containing this disease in the enemy’s castles and fortresses. Then the enemies will lose the will to fight and collapse.”

“That’s not acceptable!” Count Ferrero, the commander of the Central Army, opposed after hearing Marquis Kepler’s explanation.

“Spreading a disease that cannot be cured is too dangerous! We could end up killing not only the enemy soldiers but also the common people. And if it were to spread to our side…” If that happened, a terrible disaster would begin. But Emperor Rudolf’s thoughts were different. He said with a nonchalant expression.

“What does it matter if some commoners die? They are just the lackeys of the rebels who betrayed me anyway.”

“But they were originally Your Majesty’s people. And they did not join the rebellion willingly.”

“Then will you subjugate the Kingdom of Livia?” At Rudolf’s cold words, Count Ferrero shut his mouth. There were several reasons why the Kingdom of Livia had not been conquered so far, but the most important reason was that the monsters had joined, and the Kingdom of Livia’s power had grown to the point where the Baroque Empire could not ignore it. In particular, Reichart, known as the Dragoonian, and the large monsters that followed him were so powerful that they could not be defeated unless Rudolf and the Imperial Guard intervened directly.

“Does anyone else object? No, if you object any further, I will have you expelled.” At Rudolf’s threat, everyone had no choice but to remain silent. Being expelled was not just seen as being kicked out of the office. They could lose their titles and positions, and in severe cases, their lives could be in danger.

‘Even so, this is madness!’ Count Ferrero’s eyes, lowered, were filled with discontent, but Rudolf ignored it. He did not foresee what kind of disaster his stubbornness would bring later.

(To be continued in Iron Emperor Volume 13)

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