Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 126

4. The Affairs of the Demon Realm

1

Brat, the leader of the Wind Valley Elves, requested a meeting with the Fairy Queen Ariete, the Lycanthrope chieftain Amur Khan, and other fairy leaders.

The leaders, who had gathered from their respective territories, were puzzled.

The meeting request was sudden, and besides the mention of an “urgent matter,” no other details were given.

“What could this be about?”

“I’m not sure. I thought the cleanup of the radical hardliners within the fairy race was already finished…”

“Could it be about our brethren still within the Baroque Empire?”

“Perhaps that’s it.”

While everyone speculated, Brat entered the conference room, escorted by elven warriors.

“Thank you all for attending this meeting on short notice. The reason I requested this meeting today is because unusual signs are emerging in the Middle Realm.”

At Brat’s words, Amelia, the leader of the dark elves, spoke with a sullen expression.

“Hmph, when has it ever not been the case? There have always been unusual signs.”

The other leaders nodded in agreement.

Such pronouncements were common even when the Great Sage Erenes was alive, so this was nothing new.

“My dear friend Brat, did you have a bad dream or something?”

Even at the dwarf leader’s mocking words, Brat’s expression remained serious.

“I wish it were just a bad dream. But the signs of chaos are manifesting in reality. The one who carries the blood of the Divine Dragon has appeared, and a vicious plague that was thought to have disappeared long ago has resurfaced.”

Even if they didn’t know about Shaikan, the leaders’ expressions changed when they heard about the spreading plague.

As leaders of their respective clans, they were well-versed in the history and artifacts of the ancient Avalon Empire passed down within their races.

They also knew about the unprecedented disaster, Bers, which had ruined the magic civilization.

They knew their ancestors had created Bers to destroy humanity.

“Could the epidemic in Nemesis recently be Bers?”

“If that’s true, we can’t blindly criticize Rudolph for his cruel actions.”

As Amur and Amelia said, the only way to stop Bers was to block its transmission routes in advance.

With a bitter smile, Brat addressed the assembly.

“The fact that things that should have disappeared are reappearing proves the world is turning upside down. I believe something even worse than Bers may appear in the future.”

“Something worse than Bers?”

At Ariete’s question, Brat took out a letter from his pocket and unfolded it.

“This is from Erewen, the disciple of the Great Sage Erenes. She is currently a court mage in the Kingdom of Symphonia.”

“We’ve heard that news as well.”

Recently, the Kingdom of Symphonia was a major topic among the fairies.

A country that did not discriminate against fairies.

It was said that if one had the ability, they would be granted official positions and titles regardless of whether they were a fairy or a half-blood.

Erewen and the Gram brothers were prime examples of this.

Until now, many rulers coveted and exploited the abilities of fairies, but none had ever granted them high positions and titles, fearing the master-servant relationship might be reversed.

However, King Luke, who had been treating fairies favorably since before the kingdom’s founding, was fearless.

Although some were dissatisfied, they did not strongly object.

They thought it was better than the Kingdom of Lybia, where monsters had become the superiors of humans.

“Yes, what kind of letter did the Great Sage’s successful disciple send? Did she ask us to cooperate more with the hero’s descendant?”

“It’s not that. She said she saw a child with ether.”

“E, ether?!”

The leaders’ expressions changed instantly.

As far as they knew, no one on the continent possessed the power of ether.

Reina, the Pope of the Holy Empire, had obtained that power from the spirit realm, but Erewen was the only fairy who knew that fact.

Fearing the reappearance of people like Nanas, she did not reveal Reina’s secret.

However, she had to inform them about Karen.

Luke was trying to get the fairies’ help in finding the child.

If they were just looking for an ordinary child, the fairies might have been uncooperative, so she deliberately informed Brat of Karen’s secret.

“According to Erewen, that child saved King Luke from a crisis with the power of ether.”

“How could a child wield that primordial power…?”

The power of ether was something even fairies could not use carelessly.

Besides dragons and legendary heroes of the mythical era, no race could wield the power of ether.

But a human, a young girl, possessed it, so they were surprised.

“Erewen doesn’t know the details either. However, considering that the child’s group was being chased by the Baroque Empire army, the Baroque imperial family might be conducting some operation.”

At Brat’s speculation, the leaders nodded.

The Baroque Empire, and Emperor Rudolph, were certainly capable of secretly doing something.

“Brat’s words make sense. If ether has appeared, it wouldn’t be strange if something worse than Bers were to appear.”

“I agree with Ariete. Was today’s meeting held to find that girl?”

At Amur’s question, Brat shook his head.

“It’s not just that.”

“Is there something else?”

The dark elf leader Amelia looked weary.

Bers and ether were already troublesome, but there was more!

Brat spoke with a regretful expression.

“You know I do business. I even hear news from a distant country… the Song Empire of the Southern Continent.”

“Huh? Why the Southern Continent all of a sudden?”

Everyone was puzzled by the sudden mention of the Southern Continent.

“It’s said that many undead appeared there a few months ago. Judging by their attire and form, they are definitely from the Rhodisia Continent.”

Despite the Zhuge family’s silence, what happened in Ankyung had spread.

Since the attack happened in broad daylight, there were many witnesses, and information leaked during the Zhuge family’s and the Second Prince’s investigation of the undead.

“Undead? Did a black magician from the Rhodisia Continent go south?”

“They are not ordinary undead. They are said to have transformed into giants.”

At Brat’s words, Ariete was startled.

“Transformed? If they can create such a special species, they must be no ordinary black magician.”

“We’ll have to ask the Dark Moon for details, but they are more skilled than we expected.”

No one was foolish enough to not realize what a black magician with such terrifying skills might do by secretly creating undead.

They couldn’t ignore the affairs of the Southern Continent.

They didn’t know when that dark hand might reach the Rhodisia Continent, or even the fairies.

“Brat, what are your plans for the future?”

At Ariete’s question, Brat revealed his opinion.

“First, we need to hear from the Dark Moon and then respond. If we act rashly, we might suffer a setback, and the opponent will only hide deeper in the shadows.”

“Hmm…”

“And we need to find out if there is any connection between these unusual signs.”

To do that, everyone had to join forces.

That was why Brat had requested this meeting.

“This is a headache. Why do these things have to happen when I’m the leader, ugh…”

“Stop grumbling and let’s discuss countermeasures.”

From then on, the fairy leaders exchanged opinions and began to devise countermeasures.

Their eyes, hoping that the world and the future of the fairies would not be shrouded in darkness, shone more seriously than ever before.

2

A month had passed since Luke had returned from the Holy Empire.

He continued to search for Karen’s whereabouts while practicing how to handle the ether within his body.

He focused on minimizing the delay it took to convert ether into other forms of power and enhancing the power of existing magic and swordsmanship.

This was to win the battle against Arsen that would take place in the future.

“Grind! I will definitely turn you into dust.”

The ill-fated relationship with Arsen had continued for 500 years.

The fact that he was alive made Luke’s fighting spirit burn even brighter.

He was bewildered when he awakened as a descendant of the hero Rakan. He couldn’t commit suicide for revenge, and he was frustrated to live as his descendant.

However, unlike the Duke of Baroque or Rakan, Arsen was still alive after all this time.

‘Thank you for giving me the opportunity to settle my grudge, Arsen. I will never betray your consideration!’

Luke’s strengthening of his power was not limited to mastering ether.

To increase his former specialty, the power of the demon race, he took special time to go with Sebastian to a secluded valley west of Brenden.

“Master, what kind of demon will you summon this time?”

Sebastian, with a sycophantic face, rubbed his hands together and asked.

If a lower-ranking demon weaker than himself was summoned, he planned to ask for it as a subordinate instead of killing it.

Although he had human familiars like Henri under his command, the fun of tormenting was best with demons.

However, Luke had no intention of doing that.

“I’m going to summon at least a high-ranking demon of the Kauren class.”

“K, Kauren class, you say?!”

Sebastian jumped up and hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

“He is one of the 18 generals of the demon king Leviathan, famous even in the demon realm. Although you killed Kauren, Master, that was because he had exhausted a lot of his power at the time, wasn’t it? If you fight him in a healthy state, you can’t guarantee victory.”

“Huhu. That’s exactly what I want.”

The stronger the opponent, the more thrilling the real combat experience would be. And now, having grown significantly stronger than before, absorbing the power of ordinary demons barely made a dent.

“Anyway, be aware and prepare accordingly.”

“Ugh, yes, I understand.”

Luke, having dashed Sebastian’s expectations with a single sentence, headed deep into the valley, to the agreed-upon location. There, two dark mages from the Dark Moon Magic Tower, who had been contacted in advance, were waiting. They were Lav and Fabian, disciples of Meister Johas. Lav had been acquainted with Luke when he was the commander of the Tolud Fortress, and Fabian had met him at the Veritas Magic Tower when Kauren was summoned. Johas had considered this and deliberately sent them.

“Master, you’ve arrived?”

“Yes, is the summoning preparation complete?”

“Yes, we have completed the summoning magic circle using the materials you provided. All that’s left is for you to activate it.”

At Fabian’s reply, Luke nodded and then cut his right palm with his sword. The drops of blood falling from Luke’s hand soaked into the summoning magic circle.

Whoooosh!

With a massive tremor, the magic circle disappeared, and a dark subspace revealed itself.

‘Whew, that’s a relief.’

Lav and Fabian inwardly sighed in relief as the summoning magic circle worked normally. Fabian had drawn a summoning magic circle with Luke before, but he couldn’t guarantee 100 percent success. The summoning magic circle was simple for Luke, but for them, who were only 5th-circle mages, it was a very complex and difficult magic circle. However, the faces of the two dark mages, who had been relieved, soon turned to bewilderment.

‘Huh, what happened?’

‘Why isn’t anything coming out?’

Ten minutes passed, then twenty minutes, since the subspace had opened, but there was no reaction. Sebastian, seeing Lav and Fabian flustered, yelled at them.

“Hey, you guys! Are you sure you did the work properly?”

“W-we definitely made it the same way as last time.”

“Really? Didn’t you use inferior materials on purpose because of your greed for money? Is that why the summoning magic circle is faulty?”

“I swear on the name of mana, I didn’t!”

“That’s right!”

Lav and Fabian quickly shook their heads. The materials used to construct the summoning magic circle, such as top-grade natural mana stones, mandrake roots, and unicorn horns, were all rare and expensive. It was understandable that Sebastian suspected embezzlement, but they had absolutely not committed any corruption. How could they dare to do such a thing in such a place!

“Enough, Sebastian. The summoning magic circle worked normally.”

“Then why…?”

“It means that no demon is responding to my summons.”

Wondering if the sacrifice was insufficient, Luke spilled more blood on the spot where the summoning magic circle had been. The blood imbued with the spiritual power of a great mage, who was beyond the 8th circle and approaching the 9th, was the most coveted sacrifice for demons. Whoooosh! The size of the subspace grew, and the tremors became more intense, but even so, no demon appeared. Unless all the demons had gone mad, something must have happened in the demon realm.

“What’s going on?”

“Could it be that news of Bers being spread in the middle realm has spread…?”

Luke called out to Sebastian, who was whispering with Lav.

“Sebastian!”

“Yes, Your Majesty! What is your command?”

Luke gave an order to Sebastian, who was looking at him with determined eyes, as if he would do anything.

“Go to the demon realm immediately and find out what’s going on.”

“T-to the demon realm, you say? Right now?”

“That’s right.”

Sebastian’s face turned pale at Luke’s resolute expression. Even though he had come to the middle realm and was reigning as a terrifying (?) demon who controlled the darkness and commanded familiars, he was still just a low-ranking demon with no combat power in the demon realm. Moreover, what if the fact that he had helped Luke summon and defeat demons was known in the demon realm? He might end up in a state worse than death, suffering eternally.

“B-Belphar is also there, or you could send those dark mages, so why me…?”

“Belphar went to Nemesis to summon familiars, and you know that ordinary humans can’t withstand the harsh environment of the demon realm, right?”

Luke gave a sharp glare, as if he wouldn’t let him off if he didn’t enter the subspace immediately. In the end, Sebastian had to tearfully jump into the subspace leading to the demon realm.

3

The demon realm is very barren compared to the middle realm where humans and elves live. Sulfur smoke floated like clouds in the red sky, and mercury and pitch flowed on the dry land. Naturally, trees and plants did not grow well, and even those that did were either full of poison or had evolved to eat monsters like Venus flytraps. Despite this harsh environment, many demons and monsters lived in the demon realm. This was because there were rare areas that were favorable for survival, like oases in the desert. In such places, demon cities and villages were invariably established, and the powerful demon kings held sway. Karinsha was one such village, part of the territory of the demon king Lucifer, one of the seven rulers of the demon realm.

Demon King Lucifer. He was a descendant of Heyrel, who was once the leader of the angels. Heyrel was a fallen angel who had been seduced by the demon god during the Divine-Demonic War and had opposed the gods. He was the ancestor of all the fallen angels currently in the demon realm. Lucifer, who inherited Heyrel’s direct lineage, possessed powers comparable to the archangel of the divine realm and commanded numerous fallen angels and humanoid demons. About 500 fallen angels and humanoid demons lived in Karinsha, located on the border. Because there was a habitat for groups of demonic beasts nearby and many edible plants, it was a land that the Vampire King Leviathan was constantly eyeing.

Sebastian, who arrived there through the subspace, sighed with a tearful face.

“Sigh, Your Majesty is too much.”

As a demon with almost no power other than stealth and poison skills, Sebastian was not at all happy with this mission.

“When I get back, I should go on an external assignment like that bat guy. If I stay by His Majesty’s side, I have to do all sorts of dangerous things…”

“Hey, you cat over there!”

Startled by the harsh voice coming from behind, Sebastian slowly turned his head. A burly fallen angel with black feathered wings, carrying an axe on one shoulder, beckoned with his finger as if telling him to come closer. Judging by his attire, he seemed to be a guard of the village. ‘It’ll be hard to run away.’ The speed of fallen angels is among the highest of the demons. They also have the ability to teleport, so if he tried to run away carelessly, he could be killed instantly. So, Sebastian immediately ran over and bowed, trying not to provoke the other party.

“What is it, sir?”

“I haven’t seen you before. Where did you come from? Are you perhaps a spy of the Vampire King?”

As the fallen angel glared at him suspiciously, Sebastian shook his hand as if it were absurd.

“Oh, come on, sir. Would a spy just walk around like this? I’m just a servant who came on an errand under my master’s orders.”

“Hmm…!”

The fallen angel had the ability to read minds. Of course, he couldn’t grasp everything, but he could tell whether someone was lying or telling the truth. That’s why Sebastian didn’t lie. It was true that he had come on an errand under his master’s orders. Moreover, it was common for demons to use low-ranking demons like Sebastian as slaves.

“It seems to be true. Don’t do anything unnecessary. I’ll eat you right away!”

“Yes, I will keep that in mind!”

Sebastian, bowing and scraping, retreated from the guard captain and stopped in front of the village square bulletin board.

‘Huh?’

Like in the middle realm, the village bulletin board was used to post orders and proclamations from the king or lord. Sebastian’s eyes widened as he looked at one of the official documents posted on the board. ‘Could it be that this is why the demons weren’t summoned?’ Feeling the need to confirm further, Sebastian left the village and secretly crossed the border. Then, he headed towards the Vampire King’s village. If what he had seen was true, his master would be in quite a predicament.

The next day. Sebastian, who had safely returned through the lower-ranking demon summoning magic circle that Luke had opened for his return, told Luke an astonishing story.

“What? There were official documents posted all over the demon realm?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It said that even if there was a summoning by a dark mage in the middle realm, they should never respond.”

The situation that Sebastian had learned was as follows. In recent years, the demons summoned to the middle realm had all gone missing, and even Kauren, one of the 18 generals of the Vampire King, who was notorious in the demon realm, had disappeared, causing an uproar in the demon realm. The Vampire King Leviathan was the most affected, but the other demon kings couldn’t just be happy about it. They didn’t know when their precious subordinates might disappear. The loss of power could provide an excuse for war to other forces that were constantly eyeing their territory. Therefore, the seven rulers of the demon realm issued a proclamation to their subjects not to respond to summons for 100 years.

“Actually, this happened five hundred years ago as well, and at that time, the rulers of the demon realm also issued a proclamation not to respond to the summons of dark mages.”

“Huh…!”

Luke looked dumbfounded at Sebastian’s words.

“Certainly, even back then, after reaching the 9th Circle of Black Magic, demon summoning wasn’t very fruitful.”

Occasionally, only small fry were caught, so by the time Rakan invaded, he had almost stopped summoning demons.

He had thought that the pool of demons he could summon with his blood had dried up, but it turned out there was such a reason!

“So, does that mean we can’t summon demons anymore?”

“Not necessarily, Your Majesty. I’ve spread a little rumor for Your Majesty’s sake.”

“A rumor?”

At Luke’s question, Sebastian grinned wickedly and replied.

“Yes, I said the truth behind the demon disappearance incident is different.”

The rumor Sebastian spread was this:

Leviathan, who was secretly making contracts with black mages and trying to advance into the middle realm, was lying to deceive the other demon kings.

Of course, Leviathan would surely jump up and down if he heard this rumor, but what could he do?

By then, he would be in the middle realm.

“Hmm, do you think it will be effective?”

“Of course! I’ve confirmed that the old demons are grumbling, ‘These days, the demon kings and young demons keep shouting about conquering the middle realm every day, but they’re not putting in enough effort!’ and are inciting the young ones.”

Pfft.

A smile appeared on Luke’s lips.

“You did well, even though I didn’t ask you to. I’ll give you a reward for that.”

It was unknown how effective the rumor Sebastian spread would be in the demon realm.

However, Luke judged that the possibility of success was high.

Among the demons, there were quite a few who were curious and lived with a sense of self-importance.

“Heh, a reward, you say?”

“Yes, I’ll enhance your demonic energy.”

The source of a demon’s power was demonic energy.

Luke approached Sebastian and tapped his finger near the demon’s heart.

At that moment, a considerable amount of ether flowed from Luke’s body into Sebastian’s.

The ether that flowed in soon turned into demonic energy and began to mix with the existing demonic energy located in Sebastian’s heart.

Bzzzz!

Sebastian’s eyes flickered as his body trembled.

Then, at some point, the trembling stopped, and he knelt before Luke and shouted.

“I am eternally grateful, Your Majesty! I will be Your Majesty’s loyal subordinate for life!”

Recently, while handling ether, Luke had newly awakened one ability.

It was the ability to transform ether into various forms and give it to others.

Of course, the amount he could give was still small, and even that was all demonic energy, but it was definitely an ability that would help strengthen the power of those around him.

“Anyway, this hunt is as good as over, so we should go back.”

It would take some time for the demons to be lured by the rumor Sebastian spread. Luke returned to the royal palace without any regrets.

4

“Your Majesty, did your trip go well?”

At Prime Minister Hans’ question, Luke shook his head and said.

“No, it was so-so. More importantly, has there been any information about Karen’s whereabouts?”

“I just heard from Information Minister Hudson that she doesn’t seem to be in the Symphonia Kingdom.”

‘Hmm, where on earth did Ambassador Nanda take her…’

Luke had requested help from the information organizations of Argos and the Baroque Empire, as well as the elves, to find Karen.

However, there was no word of anyone seeing Karen anywhere.

‘Could she have been taken to the Southern Continent?’

With Nanda’s abilities, it was entirely possible.

Last time, when he returned from the Southern Continent, he had arrived at Rakan’s territory in the blink of an eye with his help.

‘I should tell the Kirillov Trading Company to inquire about it since they’ve started trading in the south. It would also be good to ask for help from the Zhuge Family.’

Luke, having decided to expand the search area to the Southern Continent, convened a grand council meeting.

The main topic of today’s grand council meeting was military reform.

Marquis Rogers, the commander-in-chief of the Royal Army, first reported on the matter.

“The organization and reinforcement of the 1st Army stationed in the capital and central part of the kingdom, and the 2nd Army in the west centered on Rakan’s territory, are proceeding without any problems. The naval training of the 5th Army in the south is also going smoothly.”

After being attacked by the Grenada Navy, Luke and the Symphonia military put a lot of effort into training the navy.

They trained officers and sailors through advisors invited from the Holy Empire and the Kingdom of Castia, and built warships based on the shipbuilding technology they received from Count Salazar of Grenada.

This process required a huge amount of funds.

Fortunately, not only the Kirillov Trading Company but also other trading companies that had accumulated wealth through foreign trade voluntarily stepped forward to donate to the military, so they did not experience any major difficulties.

The merchants judged that the Symphonia Navy needed to be strong to protect their businesses and assets.

“The problem is the 3rd Army in the north and the 4th Army in the east. Among them, the 4th Army is particularly serious. The local lords and knights are making all sorts of excuses and resisting the military reform.”

“They would. They’ll think we’re taking away their rice bowls.”

The core of the military reform that Luke was currently carrying out was the strengthening of the regular army.

Currently, except for the Volga Republic, most countries on the Rhodisia Continent were composed of a central army and a local army.

The central army, which could be called the regular army, was purely the king’s army, but the local army was made up of 80 to 90 percent of the troops supported by the territories in the area.

As a result, when civil wars broke out, like in the Baroque Empire or the Holy Artenia Empire, the local armies often turned into rebels following their lords.

Moreover, unlike the central army, there were significant differences in the training and tactics among the soldiers of the local armies, and the standards and types of weapons were also different, which inevitably led to chaotic logistics.

Even in the case of the main weapon, the Gigant [a type of large, humanoid war machine], unlike the central army, which was unified with one or two models, the local armies had purchased them separately by the lords, so the manufacturing magic towers and models varied widely.

As a result, when war broke out, they often wasted time on supply and repair issues.

The reason why the Volga Republic was able to stand against the relatively superior national power of the Baroque Empire was precisely because it did not have these problems.

“Can we carry out a war smoothly with such an inefficient army? It may be difficult right now, but we must reform the military in the future!”

Luke, who had been calling for military reform since before the founding of the nation, first emphasized uniformity, focusing on the Gigant units.

He bought Warrior-class or higher Gigants from the lords, redeployed similar models together, and changed the affiliation of the riders and troops from the territories to the direct control of the king.

He had turned most of the local armies into regular armies, except for the troops in charge of public order.

Naturally, the local lords jumped up and down in opposition to this military reform.

The nobles who were from the Rakan family’s vassals or had joined his ranks early were relatively better, but the backlash from the old Milton nobles who had surrendered or submitted before and after the founding of Symphonia was considerable.

If they had not been defeated in the war and had considerable power, they would have been a serious headache for Luke.

Perhaps a rebellion or civil war could have broken out.

However, since a significant portion of the Gigant force was already in Luke’s hands, they could not easily resist.

So, the lords disassembled the Gigants and hid them secretly, or they misrepresented their output and registered them to prevent their incorporation, or they made excuses such as healthy riders or knights being sick or an epidemic spreading in their territories, and they were uncooperative in incorporating their troops.

“We have punished some lords as an example, but it is difficult to do it with coercive measures alone.”

“So, didn’t we decide to pay the lords generous compensation for the Gigants?”

At Luke’s words, Rogers nodded but wore a skeptical expression.

“Of course, but the compensation is paid in installments over 10 years, and most lords have a strong conservative tendency that values military power over wealth, so it is not easy to quell their resistance.”

Unlike the central bureaucratic nobles, the local lords often believed that power came from military force.

That thought was not wrong at all.

In fact, this was why Luke was trying to weaken the private military forces of the nobles.

“Then we need to make them think differently.”

“Will you send inspectors to the lands of the resisting lords? If we catch their corruption or impose heavy taxes, they will surely back down.”

At Hans’s suggestion, Luke smiled faintly and said.

“That’s a good method too. But I think we need to make them feel it more intensely.”

“By ‘feel it,’ you mean…?”

“I’m planning to hold a large-scale military parade in Brenden Central Square to celebrate the New Year soon. I’m going to invite the disobedient lords and make them realize how futile it is to cling to a broken sword hilt.”

The ministers, understanding Luke’s intention, nodded.

Military parades, along with hunting competitions and martial arts tournaments, were used as major events to showcase the military power of a country or territory.

Through the parade of excellent weapons and well-trained soldiers, they raised the loyalty and pride of the nobles and people internally, and externally, they kept other countries in check so that they would not dare to provoke them.

“A military parade… It seems like it will cost a lot to entertain the lords and foreign envoys.”

When Finance Minister Bentley mentioned the cost with a worried expression, Luke nodded as if he had expected it.

“As you said. But it will be worth the investment. Moreover, due to the recent attack on the royal palace, there are those at home and abroad who view this country with unease or look down on it. We must eliminate such views.”

When Luke mentioned the Hiros incident, Bentley, as well as several ministers who had opposing opinions, changed their minds.

The royal palace was not only the residence of the king but also the face of a country.

Such a place was violated by a man who claimed to be a descendant of a hero, and the king was almost killed.

As a result, while there was public opinion that was angry at the culprit, there were also those who were uneasy about or looked down on the Symphonia royal family.

“I want to achieve three goals through the New Year’s military parade. One is to show our powerful military force and subdue the lords, the second is to end internal and external unrest, and the last is to conduct a final power check in preparation for the war with the Baroque Empire.”

Upon hearing Luke’s third goal, the expressions of the vassal officials, including Hans and Rogers, changed.

Certainly, although they had founded the nation, they had been busy solidifying their foundation, so they had not yet taken any significant action against the Baroque Empire.

“By final power check, do you mean you will go to war with the Baroque Empire next year?”

“Even if it’s not a full-scale war, I think it’s necessary to poke them once. That way, wouldn’t Rudolf, who is distracted by the Kingdom of Livia, be flustered?”

Already, due to the war with the Kingdom of Livia and the defenses against the Volga Republic and the Holy Empire, the national power of the Baroque Empire had weakened considerably.

They had a long-standing foundation, so they would not fall easily, but if the ax of Symphonia joined in, the situation would change.

“There’s no need to work hard to chop down a tree with an ax. Even if we just make a few scratches, there are many lumberjacks who will chop down the tree for us.”

Of course, he intended to be the one to take Rudolf’s head in the end.

“I understand what you mean. I will make the final preparations as you have said, Your Majesty.”

At Marquis Rogers’ words, Luke nodded with a satisfied look.

‘Not only Rudolf, but I also find it difficult to fight more than two enemies at the same time. So, I must deal with one of them first.’

According to Hwangbo Seong, who had memories of the future, Arsen would lead an undead army and invade, taking advantage of the chaos caused by the war on the continent.

So, Luke decided to deal with Rudolf first before fighting Arsen.