Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 192

4. Supreme Demon (1)

1

Step, step.

A lone figure walked through the secret base beneath Mount Blantes, north of the Livia Kingdom.

It was the Lich King Arsen, traversing the underground plaza where 300 coffins were placed.

His brow was slightly furrowed.

‘Why haven’t I received any reports yet?’

Twenty days ago, Arsen had activated the zombie poison he’d injected into the people of the Livia Kingdom, all at once.

As a result, the undead citizens of Livia had crossed the border, launching a full-scale invasion of neighboring countries.

He had entrusted Jemerton, stationed in the royal castle, with control of the undead army sent to the Symphonia Kingdom, but there had been no contact since they crossed the border.

‘Damn it, if I’d known this would happen, I should have left someone alive to handle communications in the middle…’

Arsen regretted it, but it was too late.

In this vast underground base, he was the only living person, or rather, the only living being.

Hundreds of former elders and their disciples had been dragged in, becoming sacrifices for undead creation.

‘Well, even if I released that many, they must have made a complete mess of things. Especially in Symphonia.’

Common undead like ghouls or zombies have low individual combat power, but they are fearless and don’t die easily.

Moreover, after being bitten, they can turn the bitten person into an undead.

Due to these characteristics, even 10,000 common undead could cause a country to collapse, but a staggering 11 million had been released.

It was enough to completely overwhelm the self-proclaimed allied nations that had gathered to oppose him.

‘No news is good news, so good news will come soon. More importantly, right now…’

Arsen, having crossed the underground plaza, arrived at the entrance of a secret chamber.

Srrr.

As the door to the secret chamber opened, he went inside.

Coffins containing ten high-level undead came into view.

The liquids that had filled the coffins had all disappeared.

“Finally, they are complete!”

Arsen, with a gleam of joy in his eyes, cried out in delight.

As if responding to his voice, the coffin lids opened, and high-level undead emerged.

There was an old man with black hair and brown skin, a middle-aged man with blond hair and a sturdy physique, and a young woman with a slender figure.

Their ages and appearances were different, but they had one thing in common.

Their eyes gleamed with an ominous aura, like the darkness of the abyss.

The male and female undead who approached Arsen knelt down in unison and shouted.

“We greet the Lord of Darkness and the master of all the dead!”

Unlike mid-level and lower-level undead, high-level undead had intelligence and could speak clearly.

On the surface, they were no different from humans.

Heh heh.

Arsen’s mouth stretched into a wide grin as he looked at them.

He could feel a stronger aura than the guardians he had created from the corpses of Rakan and Seymon in the past.

‘Well, they should be strong. Look how much effort I put into creating these guys…’

For the past five hundred years, Arsen had secretly traveled across the Rhodisia Continent and the Southern Continent, collecting the souls and corpses of knights, warriors, and mages considered the best of their time.

He even captured and killed them directly if he thought they were suitable.

He selected only the best souls and corpses to create them.

In fact, they were similar to guardians, but they surpassed them.

These high-level undead were injected with mandragora [a plant with magical properties] and various yin-energy-rich medicinal herbs, as well as the demonic energy flowing from demonic blood.

As if this wasn’t enough, he additionally injected the demonic energy of about a dozen black mages of 7th class or higher from the Veritas Magic Tower who had been killed by Black Bind.

The black mages of 7th class or higher, including two former elders, had contracts with demons from the demon realm, so the purity and amount of their demonic energy were considerable.

‘Heh heh heh, even if they are not as good as me, they will easily surpass the Sword Emperor!’

Arsen, inwardly smiling with satisfaction, gave an order to the high-level undead.

“Everyone, rise. You will become my right arms and rule this world.”

At his command, the high-level undead rose in unison.

Arsen led them out of the secret chamber.

Just in time, the creation of mid-level and low-level undead was also finished, and green lights began to flash from the coffins.

At first, there was only one, but the number soon became dozens, and after a while, there were hundreds.

Whoooong!

As the green light that had filled the underground plaza disappeared, the liquid that had been filling the coffins evaporated. It had all been absorbed by the undead.

Creak! Creak!

The lids of 300 coffins opened at once, and naked undead rose from within.

Finally, the undead creation they had been waiting for was complete.

“Kuhahahaha! What great timing! Now I don’t have to be afraid of that hateful Luke anymore. No, now he will have to run away from me!”

After being defeated by Luke, he had been anxious, not knowing when he would come looking for him.

However, now the situation had changed.

Arsen, grinding his teeth, made plans for the future.

As if a good idea had come to him, his eyes gleamed wickedly.

“Yes, if I do that, I’ll kill two birds with one stone. Hehehe! Wait for me, Luke. I will give you the most miserable death!”

Arsen, who laughed ominously, disappeared, leading a total of 310 undead.

Boom! Bang! Rumble!

Immediately after they disappeared, the underground base of Mount Blantes was engulfed in a huge explosion and was buried without a trace, along with an earthquake.

2

There are several places in the Rhodisia Continent that are considered forbidden areas.

The Dark Forest, where Luke had fallen into danger in the past, and the Sea of Death, which sailors never go to, are prime examples.

And another is Crete Island.

This rocky island, isolated in the east of the Rhodisia Continent, was covered in thick fog almost all year round, and it was also a forbidden area.

Creak! Creak!

A small rowboat cut through the hazy fog, moving forward.

An old man and a sharp-looking young man in a black uniform were on the rowboat.

The young man’s gaze was fixed on the dark rocky island beyond the fog.

“Is that Crete Island?”

“Yes, sir. It is a forbidden area where divine punishment has been inflicted.”

According to Belpar’s investigation, there was a small country on Crete Island until 300 years ago.

It was called the Kingdom of Crete.

However, the people here worshiped Hades, the god of death.

It wasn’t a problem to believe in Hades, who was only a god in charge of death, not a demon god.

However, the problem was that from the king to the people, they had secretly committed all sorts of unspeakable atrocities, including human sacrifice.

“A slave who was about to be sacrificed barely escaped and revealed this fact. And the Pope of the Holy Empire at the time, who heard this story, was furious and dispatched a subjugation force led by the Immortal Knights…”

“So, did they perish?”

“No, before that, divine punishment fell on Crete. Suddenly, the ground split open, and the sulfurous fumes of hell covered the island, and fire rained down from the sky, turning everything alive into ashes.”

‘That’s not divine punishment, it’s a volcanic eruption.’

It was a natural disaster, but because the timing was so perfect, everyone seemed to believe it was divine punishment.

Anyway, after that, Crete Island became a land of death where humans could not live.

Because it was said to be a cursed island where divine punishment had been inflicted, even pirates didn’t go near it.

‘There are no survivors from the Kingdom of Crete. But why is there a crest of the Cretan royal family on the treasures that the Veritas remnants secretly disposed of?’

This was the reason Belpar was here, even though the Rhodisia Continent was in an uproar due to the undead crisis.

Until a month ago, Belpar had been searching every corner of the Livia Kingdom under orders from Luke to find out where the death knights and liches were created.

Then, he found out that a large amount of supplies were being secretly supplied to the Livia royal family.

What money did the Livia royal family, which should have been suffering from financial difficulties due to Luke’s machinations, have to purchase supplies?

Belpar, suspicious, released his servant demons and soon revealed that Livia’s merchant guilds were distributing large amounts of jewels and gold on the black market.

At first, he thought that the Livia royal family was in a hurry and had confiscated and disposed of the valuables of the nobles and the refugees from Grenada.

However, Belpar, who had obtained and examined the treasures that had appeared on the black market, discovered something strange.

There was a small seal on the processed jewels and gold, and after investigating, it turned out to be the crest of the Cretan royal family, which was now a forbidden area.

‘I heard that no people or goods from Crete Island have ever come to the continent since the divine punishment. But why now, and why are they being released on the black market of the Livia Kingdom?’

Belpar, suspicious, caught and interrogated the people who had come to dispose of the jewels.

However, before they could find out any information, these people bit down on the poison hidden in their teeth and committed suicide.

Belpar, who thought that these treasures were closely related to the Veritas remnants, immediately went to Crete Island, the source of the treasures.

He was planning to track them down from there.

“S-Sir, I can’t go any further! I’ve heard that if we go any further, we’ll lose our sight and hearing and wander in the fog until we die!”

‘Tsk tsk, what a pathetic old man.’

Belpar clicked his tongue as he looked at the old boatman trembling with fear.

‘Well, I should say he’s commendable for coming this far.’

The fear of divine punishment among ordinary people was significant.

They believed that those who had received divine punishment could not enter the resting place created by the gods even after death, so they thought it was best not to go near anything related to divine punishment.

Sailors, who were particularly superstitious due to their profession, were especially so.

“I’ll see you again in this spot in two days.”

Belpar, who took out a gold coin from his pocket and threw it to the boatman, leaped into the air.

Whoosh!

He hid himself in the fog and transformed into a bat, beginning to fly towards Crete Island.

‘Divine punishment? Even if there is such a thing, would a demon like me be afraid? Moreover, I have divine power thanks to my lord!’

Belpar smiled and increased his speed.

After flapping his wings diligently, he arrived at Crete Island after a while.

Crete Island was quite large.

Well, it was natural that it was not small, since a small country had been established there in the past.

‘As expected, it’s just ruins.’

The island was covered with thick volcanic ash in many places.

Most of the buildings, whether cities or villages, were in ruins, and poisonous sulfurous fumes were spewing from the cracked ground.

Moreover, it was hard to find even a single blade of grass, let alone a tree.

‘It’s desolate, but somehow it feels familiar. Is it because it’s so similar to my hometown, the demon realm?’

Belpar tilted his head and flew to the place where the royal palace used to be.

The Cretan royal palace was located on the coast overlooking the sea.

However, due to the effects of divine punishment, there were no intact buildings to be found here either.

‘Huh? What’s that?’

A small island a little away from the royal palace.

On that turtle-shaped island, there were buildings that looked intact. They were a lighthouse and a temple. And because they had been continuously maintained, the buildings were in relatively good condition.

‘Could the remnants of Veritas be here?’

Belpar immediately flew towards the temple. He landed in the front yard and went inside.

‘There are hardly any traces of people.’

As he looked around, he quickly hid himself upon hearing footsteps from inside. Soon after, a person wearing tattered robes appeared.

Belpar was shocked when he saw him.

‘H-He is…!’

Pale skin, a pair of horns on his head, and sharp teeth. He resembled a human, but he was different. He was a demon.

3

The Symphonia Kingdom army, having successfully purified the undead horde, unfortunately had no time to rest.

“Get up! Everyone, wake up!” “Get up quickly, you idiots!”

The knights and soldiers, exhausted from the long battle and travel, were lying down asleep in the fields when officers and commanders came and kicked them awake.

“How can you wake us up when it hasn’t even been 30 minutes?” “Hey, what’s the deal? You said we could rest after the operation was over!”

Complaints erupted from all over. However, it wasn’t that the commanders wanted to wake them up on purpose. It was because orders had come down from headquarters.

“This is not the time to be sleeping leisurely! The operation is not over yet!” “The 2nd and 3rd Regiments are to control the citizens of the Lybia Kingdom, and the 4th to 7th Regiments are to gather with shovels and pickaxes!” “Move quickly, you slugs! His Holiness the Pope has already relieved you of your physical fatigue!”

Physical fatigue was gone, but mental fatigue remained. Most of the soldiers thought so, but headquarters did not consider their circumstances. Right now, taking care of the millions of Lybia Kingdom citizens who had returned from being undead was the priority.

“Where is this place? What? The Symphonia Kingdom, you say?” “C-Can we go home?” “Have you seen my son? He has red hair and a mole under his nose.” “Excuse me, do you have anything to eat?” “And something to drink…”

Millions of people, suddenly turned into refugees, made various demands like a swarm of bees. The Gram brothers, who were commanding the soldiers, frowned at this sight.

“Good heavens! This is the beginning of another war.” “I thought it was over, but it wasn’t!”

Shaykan, you son of a bitch. A wicked bastard who turned the people into zombies. A crazy bastard who deserves to be torn to pieces. The Symphonia Kingdom army, as well as the Lybian people who had heard about the situation, cursed their king with all sorts of insults.

Of course, this incident was not Shaykan’s fault, but rather the fault of Arsen, who had taken over Shaykan’s body. However, there was no way that ordinary soldiers or citizens would know that.

While everyone was moving busily, Luke listened to the reports pouring in and issued appropriate measures and orders.

“Your Majesty, drinking water is the most urgent!” “Tell the military mages to dig wells.” “Food and firewood are also insufficient.” “Have the food brought from the reserves in the nearby territories, and have the able-bodied men among the refugees harvest the grains and fruits in the fields. And have the Gigant Riders go to the nearby forest to gather firewood.”

At the same time, he ordered the administrative soldiers to investigate the refugees’ identities for more efficient management, and the engineers to build temporary camps. Seeing the Symphonia Kingdom army running around and sweating profusely, the refugees looked at them with admiration.

“They say that Luke, the King of Symphonia, is a wise ruler, and it’s not an empty word.” “Our king was busy starting wars and turned all his people into undead.” “Should we naturalize to Symphonia this time?” “Why? Lybia will soon become Symphonia’s territory anyway.”

Regardless of the refugees’ reactions, Luke focused solely on relief efforts. Of course, he did not intend to be tied down to this for long. Since the undead horde had not been completely eliminated, he planned to go and rescue the allied nations once things were somewhat settled.

– Your Majesty, a large fleet carrying reinforcements and supplies from the Southern Continent will arrive soon.

“Really? That’s a welcome development.” Luke was delighted by the magical communication from Prime Minister Hans. According to him, the Song Empire had dispatched 100,000 troops and Yemaek 50,000 troops to help in this war.

Both countries had sent reinforcements and military supplies, even though it had not been long since they had recovered from the previous wars, because they wanted to establish a strong relationship with Luke. Because there was a high possibility that he would become the ruler of the Rodisia Continent in the future.

– Meanwhile, they have sent young talents with the expeditionary force. They have requested permission to study at the Royal Academy or other academies.

“Hmm, it seems they aim to acquire new cultures and technologies.” Marquis Albain, who had run a prestigious academy in the Baroque Empire in the past, was serving as the dean of the Royal Academy in Lamer City and the Minister of Education of the Symphonia Kingdom. He was a highly reformist educator, so he continued the education policies that Luke had been implementing. Thanks to this, Luke, who was busy with national affairs and war matters, did not have to spend his energy on education policies.

“Discuss that with the Minister of Education and handle it.” – Yes, I will.

Just as Luke was taking a breather after finishing his magical communication with Hans, another magical communication came in. But this time it was from Hudson, the head of the intelligence department. Judging by his grim face, it seemed to be serious news.

– Your Majesty, bad news has arrived. “Is it related to the undead horde?” – Yes, the Volga Republic is in danger.

Hudson then told him the details of the war situation. Luke’s expression hardened severely as he listened to the story. The Ankara River, which the Volga Republic had designated as their final defense line, had been breached. The undead that had crossed the Ankara River were spreading around, attacking cities and villages indiscriminately.

The Republic army, hastily gathered from all over the country, was conducting defensive and extermination battles, but the damage was increasing exponentially. The situation was so serious that not long after finishing the magical communication with Hudson, President Vladimir contacted him directly.

– King Luke, please save the people of our republic! As soon as the magical communication was connected, the president pleaded for help to save the republic. Luke nodded, seeing how desperate he looked.

“I will go there immediately. But did you definitely receive the design for the super-large amplification magic circle and relay tower that our court mage sent you some time ago?” – We received it. The master of the Republic’s magic tower is leading the search for a suitable location, and they are in the process of installing the magic circle and building the relay tower.

“That’s a relief.” Immediately after completing the development of the super-large amplification magic circle and relay tower, Luke had the related designs sent to the allied nations. To reduce the damage caused by the undead, it was necessary to save as much time as possible. If each country prepared the magic circle and relay tower in advance, all Reina had to do was unleash her spirit power as soon as she arrived.

– But there are some parts of the magic formulas that we can’t understand… “That’s probably the part where the Southern Continent’s Taoist techniques were applied. I and my party will go over there and complete that part.” – Please hurry.

Frankly, this was not the first request for help. The day before, it had come from the Navarr Principality as well. Henry III had made a fuss as if he was about to go bankrupt, but Luke did not believe him. If the Navarr Principality was really in danger, the intelligence officers dispatched there would have contacted him first.

‘It’s right to save the most urgent country first. But it’s strange that there’s no contact from Castia.’ According to the intelligence department, the Castia Kingdom army was relatively successful in blocking the 2 million undead horde that had invaded the Baroque Empire. Perhaps that was why there was no contact.

Anyway, after finishing his conversation with Vladimir, Luke went to find Reina. She had been resting continuously after being treated by Luke and Karen for exhaustion from using her spirit power at full strength. She seemed fine on the outside, but she had not fully recovered yet. The amount of ether she possessed was less than usual.

“I don’t want to ask you to do anything unreasonable, but the situation has become urgent. I think we need to go to the Republic quickly.” “I’m fine. Let’s go quickly.” Luke looked at Reina with pity as she got up from her seat and prepared to leave. If she overdid it again, something irreversible might happen. However, he could not leave the Volga Republic to be occupied by the undead. If the Republic collapsed, more than 30 million people would become zombies. Then the countries around the Republic would surely face a disaster.

‘Karen and I can support Reina. Then nothing will happen!’ Luke shook his head to shake off the ominous thoughts. While he was thinking, Reina finished her preparations. Luke quickly moved to the nearest long-distance teleport gate. Following the two of them were not only the Undying Legion but also the mages, including Karen. And the black mages of the Black Tower, led by Yohas, also joined them.

4

“Kueeeek!” “Hold on! Hold on with all your might!”

The city of Bransk, located a day’s journey east of the Ankara River. This city, the fifth largest in the Volga Republic, had prospered due to the high-quality silver mines in the surrounding mountains. But the wealthy city was now under attack by the undead horde.

The Republic’s regular army and the militia, made up of able-bodied men from the civilian population, were setting up barricades in various places and blocking the undead. “Your Excellency, the Constantine Legion can’t hold out any longer. They say they will retreat to 5th Street!”

Duke Kutuzov, who was directing the street fighting from the temporary headquarters, waved his hand at the messenger’s report. “No! Tell them to hold their current position at all costs.” “But the Constantine Legion is short on troops right now…” “Engineers and mages are carrying out special missions on 5th Street. In addition, there are also citizens who have not been able to evacuate. That area must not be caught up in the battle!”

In the first place, as the Volga Republic designated the Ankara River as the final defense line, many refugees had flocked to the city of Bransk. Because it was a wealthy city, it had a lot of stockpiled supplies. But the Ankara River had been breached, and the citizens and refugees of Bransk had to face the undead horde before they could even evacuate.

The Republic army fought with all their might, but the casualties kept mounting.

“Then we must send in the reserve Gigantes [large, humanoid war machines] to support them!”

“That’s also impossible. The reserve Gigantes are planned to be used as a stepping stone for the counterattack.”

The messenger sighed at Duke Kutuzov’s stubborn decision.

‘What on earth is the Commander thinking? If we don’t act now, there won’t even be a chance for a counterattack!’

Is he planning to save the Gigantes to make soup later?

As the messenger grumbled and retreated, a mage in charge of communications with each unit reported.

“A horde of over 10,000 undead has entered from the west!”

At that report, the commanders in the temporary headquarters spoke up.

“Damn it, did the scattered ones gather again?”

“They probably did. Bransk has the largest population in this area.”

The commanders had dark circles under their eyes from fighting for over two weeks.

As they were grumbling, another urgent report came in.

“Gigantes from the Special Forces have blocked all the roads leading into the city!”

“What? What insane thing are they doing… !”

“The citizens haven’t even evacuated yet!”

Enraged by the absurd situation, the commanders’ faces turned pale as they realized what it meant.

The Special Forces were the President’s personal guard.

The massacre that had occurred in the Baroque Empire’s capital, Nemesis, came to their minds.

When the deadly plague, Bers, suddenly spread, Emperor Rudolf sent the Central Army and the Imperial Knights to deal with it, rounding up not only the infected but also innocent civilians and burning them to death.

“Could it be that the President is planning to destroy the entire city…?”

“It’s possible. Bransk is where the most undead have gathered right now.”

“Even if we’re expendable, it’s absurd to throw innocent civilians into the fire!”

Just as the commanders were furious, misunderstanding that the President was trying to eliminate the zombies by sacrificing Bransk, Duke Kutuzov, who had been silent until now, suddenly stood up and burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! Is it finally starting?”

The commanders thought that the commander was laughing because he was dumbfounded.

However, they had no intention of giving up and dying like this.

“Your Excellency, how can you laugh at a time like this!”

“We must contact the President immediately… !”

Kutuzov waved his hand, stopping their protests.

“There’s no need. We’ve done all we can.”

“Your Excellency!”

“Why are you saying that! Even if we soldiers are expendable, we must save the civilians!”

The youngest commander, who was from Bransk and had family and relatives living there, raised his voice in anger.

Kutuzov handed him a message that Duke Dimitri had sent a few days ago.

“What is this…?”

“Operation ‘Hammer of God’. It’s an operation to use Bransk as an anvil to purify the undead army all at once.”

Neither President Vladimir nor Duke Dimitri, the current head of the military, had any intention of doing what Rudolf had done.

They had simply focused on the terrain of Bransk, which was surrounded by mountains.

They decided to install the super-large amplification magic circle that Luke had told them about and lure the undead there.

“The reason I ordered the Constantine Legion to hold their position a little while ago was because they were installing the super-large amplification magic circle on 5th Street.”

“Then the Special Forces blocking the roads…”

“It means they’ve lured all the undead scattered in the surrounding areas.”

“Why didn’t you tell us about this operation beforehand?”

One of the commanders asked with a resentful look, and Duke Kutuzov calmly replied.

“The situation was so urgent that we needed to make you fight desperately. If we gave you any leeway, you would have retreated.”

Live if you want to die, die if you want to live.

Kutuzov had seen such a phrase in a military strategy book from the Southern Continent.

Ignoring the commanders’ gazes, he unfolded a map with specific coordinates marked on it and continued.

“To make the Hammer of God fall, we need to finish the final preparations. Quickly move the reserve Gigantes to the areas marked here. And tell the Riders [elite warriors who pilot Gigantes] who arrive at the coordinates to accelerate their core engines to the maximum the moment the signal is given.”

This was why Kutuzov had been saving the Gigantes, even while facing criticism.

The Volga Republic lacked Hero-class Gigantes or Sword Master-class Riders to replace the top-grade magic stones [power sources for magical devices].

So, they had linked several Gigantes together in parallel.

Of course, this was not his idea, but an idea from Luke’s group who had come to the Volga Republic.

Anyway, as a bright hope appeared in the bleak situation, the soldiers moved quickly and accurately.

“Hurry! Move the Gigantes quickly!”

“Connect the core engine with this cable!”

When all the instructed work was finished, the headquarters launched a signal flare.

The first person to see the signal flare was Reina, who was riding in a hot air balloon above the city.

“The signal is up!”

“Then let’s start right away.”

Luke and Karen, who were also in the hot air balloon, grabbed her hands.

This was to reduce the burden on Reina and to prevent any possible accidents.

The three of them, holding hands, began to manifest ether into spirit power.

As spirit power flowed from their bodies, the super-large amplification magic circle reacted and emitted a brilliant light.

Whoooosh—!

The giant double rainbow and the brilliant blizzard of light that had unfolded in the Minos Basin covered the city in a bright light.

The soldiers and citizens of Bransk, who were wide-eyed at the magnificent sight, were left speechless by what happened next.

“Th-the undead are turning back into humans!”

“Oh, what a miracle… !”

The light of the miracle purified about 3 million undead who had been lured to Bransk and its vicinity.

However, unlike the time in the Minos Basin, there was no phenomenon of plants growing and bearing fruit. This was because Luke and Karen had properly controlled their spirit power.

“Ah, Your Holiness!”

“I heard she was originally a princess of our country?”

“She is truly an angel sent by God!”

As Reina descended into the city after completing the purification, the citizens cheered and welcomed her.

The commanders of the Volga Republic army paid their respects to Reina according to the old Volga royal etiquette.

In particular, the attitude of the old generals, including Commander Kutuzov, was so respectful that it seemed almost solemn.

“Please raise your heads.”

“No, we are not worthy to look upon you.”

Although it was for the sake of the people, she was the princess of the royal family they had ousted.

They were ashamed and sorry that they had received grace instead of revenge from her, who had suffered all kinds of hardships and humiliations in a foreign land.

Reina reached out and raised them up.

“I don’t know much about the past. But seeing you all fighting so hard for the people, I think I know what you were fighting for.”

“Your Highness…”

“I hope that your hearts will not change in the future.”

At Reina’s words, thick tears flowed from the eyes of Kutuzov and the old generals.

Luke was watching the scene with a pleased expression when Erewin approached him and whispered something in his ear. Luke’s expression hardened.

“…Is that true?”

“It’s unbelievable, but it is.”

Luke moved to a secluded place and took out a magic communication device to send a message to King James II of Castia.

– Hello, King Luke. How is the situation in Volga?

James II, who appeared on the other side of the communication device, smiled slyly and asked how he was doing.

“What on earth did you do?”

Luke, instead of returning the greeting, abruptly asked in a harsh tone.

James II’s expression changed at his tone.

After a moment of silence, he opened his mouth with an incomprehensible expression.

– I don’t know why you’re so angry.

“Because I didn’t send you the super-large amplification magic circle to use it like that!”

The reason Luke was angry was because Castia had used the super-large amplification magic circle for a completely different purpose.

They had built the magic circle as Luke had instructed, but instead of waiting for Reina, they had activated a firestorm magic on their own.

The vast Noirvan Forest became excellent firewood, and as a result, they were able to completely annihilate 2 million undead.

“Do you even know what you’ve done? Two million people who could have returned to being human are dead! If you had made an effort to save even some of them, I wouldn’t be this upset!”

James II’s voice also rose, as if he was offended by Luke’s words.

– Then what do you want me to do? The front line is about to be breached, and the undead are about to run rampant everywhere. Should I have waited leisurely for Your Holiness?

“Don’t make excuses! Even the Duchy of Navarre, which is much weaker than you, was holding out well.”

Although Henry III was whining, the Navarre army was still holding out.

But the Kingdom of Castia, which was much stronger, had committed such an atrocity!

“I know why you did it. You probably calculated it. Whether you could feed the 2 million you revived, whether it would benefit or harm your country.”

– I won’t deny it. As a king, I couldn’t do anything that would harm Castia’s national interest. The amount of resources we’ve already spent on the war is enormous.

James II made excuses, but Luke couldn’t understand at all.

This war was not waged to gain profit, but to save the Middle Realm from Arsen’s clutches.

But to burn 2 million undead to death just because it cost some money!

Luke said with a fierce look.

“The price for what you did because it wouldn’t benefit you will surely come back to you someday. And it will be very miserable.”

– Hmph, thanks for the advice. But it’s a pity that it doesn’t resonate with me.

James II, speaking sarcastically, unilaterally cut off the magic communication.

“You bastard!”

Luke was so angry that he threw the magic crystal ball to the ground.

He had known from the time he tried to flirt with Reina, but he really didn’t want to associate with him unless he was part of the Continental Alliance.

As Luke was fuming alone, Karen came and asked.

“Dad, President Vladimir is hosting a banquet in the capital to express his gratitude. Are you going?”

“No, going to the Duchy of Navarre comes first.”

They had not yet suppressed all the undead armies. It was not too late to enjoy the banquet later.

“Right? Then I’ll tell Mom that.”

Karen nodded and ran to where Reina was.

Luke sighed and soon followed his daughter.