Building A Human Empire By Creating A Clan [EN]: Chapter 150

“Am I late?”

Aleon sat on the throne, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

A servant bowed deeply beside him.

“Yes, Your Excellency. The issue is… the familiars’ control is unstable…”

“I know. There was interference.”

What was the first order he had given upon awakening from his meditation?

It was to command the expeditionary force to retreat immediately.

However, the order hadn’t arrived in time.

“The cause is still undetermined. There are reports that the human’s so-called god is disrupting the flow of magic like a dragon, but it’s uncertain if the impact could reach this far…”

The order was being delivered via familiars.

Because aerial travel was faster than a messenger on horseback.

But strangely, the familiars had reverted to their wild state mid-flight.

The connection between the wizard and the familiar was abruptly severed.

Initially, they’d dismissed it as a fluke, but it wasn’t.

The same incident occurred repeatedly over several days.

By the time they’d barely managed to deliver the instructions, it was too late.

The defeat had been confirmed a day prior.

“How blatant.”

“Blatant, you say?”

Aleon ignored the servant’s question.

Instead, he looked down, examining the weapon in his hand.

It was a Matchlock Musket [an early type of firearm].

“Humans have consolidated their power in just a few years and even created something like this? Impressive. Truly worthy of calling himself an emperor. He conceived an idea that the dwarves couldn’t imagine for millennia.”

Aleon raised the musket to his shoulder.

“It would have been perilous if I had continued my meditation as planned.”

The meditation that should have spanned decades.

He wondered what would have transpired if he had persisted with his meditation.

Granting more time to humans who were making such rapid advancements?

The mere thought caused him to frown again.

“Aiya, have you nothing to say?”

The muzzle was aimed at the elf kneeling beneath the throne, Raeragon.

“…No, I don’t.”

Raeragon barely managed to utter those words, biting his lip.

“You were the one who initially invited that monkey to the Grand Council.”

“Yes, Aleon-nim [a term of respect].”

“Why on earth did you commit such a foolish act?”

Aleon pulled the trigger.

Click.

The musket remained silent, lacking a lit match and gunpowder.

Aleon snorted once and lowered the muzzle.

“You were pushed back by the guards due to your injuries and lost your nerve? Then you should have eliminated him even more decisively. Not invite him to the Grand Council. No! Even if you did invite him to the Grand Council, you should have killed him there.”

“……”

“You shouldn’t have feared losing to a monkey; instead, you should have feared the possibility of a monkey defeating us. You simply provided them with an opportunity.”

Raeragon flushed with shame, burying his head in the ground.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?”

The musket struck the back of Raeragon’s head.

Aleon hurled it at him, his eyes blazing.

Drip…

How forcefully had he thrown it?

Blood trickled from the back of his head onto the floor.

“A, Aleon-nim…”

The servant cautiously began to speak.

However, he flinched and retreated under Aleon’s glare.

“Pathetic.”

Raeragon squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth.

“You are a prince of a nation, lauded as the strongest among the elves, yet only your foolishness has grown.”

Despite gritting his teeth, he had no retort.

Clearly, all of this had transpired due to his own folly.

If he hadn’t been blinded by vanity, endured the initial setback, and fought a decisive battle.

If that had occurred, Edar, that human, would have been finished then and there.

“……”

And the elf seated on the throne was Aleon.

Raeragon wasn’t foolish enough to dare rebel against a being who had lived longer than the history of the elves and was revered as a living god.

Above all, Raeragon knew better than anyone that the rumor of him being the strongest was nonsense from those who didn’t know Aleon’s true nature.

“Get out. I don’t even want to see your face.”

Aleon turned his head and gestured dismissively.

Raeragon rose unsteadily and exited the audience chamber.

And then he encountered the twin elves who were waiting.

“You…”

Arnim and Ras.

The Lord’s direct guards and the two warriors who symbolized the Grand Council’s power.

The two whispered to Raeragon as they passed him.

“Coward.”

“It’s all your fault.”

Ggrrrr…

Raeragon gritted his teeth, suppressing his murderous intent.

Because he could still feel Aleon’s gaze.

It would only be disadvantageous for Raeragon to fight here.

“What are you dawdling about! Come in!”

““Yes!””

The twins tapped Raeragon’s shoulder and entered the audience chamber.

Aleon still frowned, scrutinizing the two.

“The Lord’s guards come to me. You wouldn’t have come just to see my face, would you?”

“Of course not.”

Arnim and Ras loosened the scabbards on their waists. The servant descended the stairs, took the swords from the two, and handed them to Aleon, who stroked the scabbards and slowly drew the swords.

Sreung—

The wind stirred momentarily as the blade left the scabbard.

It was due to the magic power it possessed being released.

Magic power artificially created wind.

Aleon smiled.

“Good.”

Simultaneously, a vast magic power surged within Aleon.

A satisfied smile appeared naturally, reaching his eyes.

The two swords were artifacts forged directly by the Lord.

They had the effect of temporarily amplifying the user’s magic power.

“Dara, who betrayed the father who raised me… aren’t you ashamed?”

Arnim flinched, but Ras smiled in the same way.

“Isn’t that the same for Aleon-nim?”

“Hmm.”

Aleon nodded.

“Ten thousand years is enough time to make the distance between each other closer than anything else, and also farther away than anything else.”

As he returned the sword to its scabbard, the magic power was drawn back inside.

Even though it was brief, he had felt a rapid surge in magic power.

Aleon clicked his tongue as if disappointed and grasped the scabbard.

“Arnim, Ras.”

“Yes. Guardian of the World Tree.”

“Go and summon the Grand Council. In my name, Aleon, I order all battles to cease, and each race and nation must send a representative worthy to stand before me.”

“I understand.”

“What if they don’t follow the order?”

“If they don’t follow the order, they will be stripped of their qualifications from the Grand Council.”

Arnim nodded, and Ras faced Aleon.

“What about humans?”

“Monkeys?”

“He obtained the ninth seat through the procedures of the Grand Council.”

“Ha!”

Aleon clapped his knee and tilted his head back.

Hahaha, the sound of laughter echoed in the audience chamber.

“Does it make sense for livestock to sit in a seat for people?”

“……”

“I have never allowed a monkey to have a seat.”

“Does that mean…”

“Don’t call him. Eight seats in the Grand Council are more than enough. Also, this agenda is the extermination of the monkey called human. There is no reason to call him.”

The extermination of humans.

Arnim and Ras swallowed hard at those words.

###

“Lord.”

I slowly opened my eyes.

An old elf stood there, holding a torch.

In the vast cave, there was only one light.

I was about to close my eyes again because they felt heavy looking at the torch,

“Aleon has come. Lord.”

I woke up at that name.

“Aleon.”

“Yes. The traitor Aleon has summoned the Grand Council.”

Traitor.

One emotion stirred from the deeply entrenched fatigue.

It was an emotion called anger.

“Wasn’t that child in meditation?”

“He stopped meditating midway and started his activities. It seems that Edar’s union with the soul of the throne had an effect.”

“In detail.”

“First, he called all the elves and confirmed their oaths of allegiance. Arnim and Ras have also gone over to him. It is safe to say that all the elves belonging to the Grand Council have gone over to him.”

Except for me, he added silently.

“…I see.”

“The reason Aleon summoned the Grand Council is clearly to kill Edar.”

“Edar.”

“Yes. Edar Lundringen, that is. The human who took the name you used when you borrowed my body to act in the very old days.”

I recalled Edar from my hazy memories.

A being that emerged from the race treated as livestock called humans.

I first learned of his existence when I heard that the Grand Council was being manipulated by livestock. And I became interested in the news that his guard had gained an advantage over the elf prince, Raeragon, so I went to find him.

“You looked at him and said to me, ‘He has the same soul vessel as you, so he will soon become a god and become a being like me.’”

“Yes, I did.”

I knew his soul was the same as mine.

And that he possessed a purity that Tiamar did not have.

The soul I had been hoping would exist since that child fell.

That was Edar Lundringen.

“What are you going to do now? There are rumors that Aleon is making the extermination of the human race an agenda in the Grand Council. If that happens, it will be an all-out war. Things are progressing faster than expected.”

“I can’t stop the agenda.”

“I can’t stop it. Everyone except Vlad… no, Tiamar will vote in favor. The dwarves may vote against it because they need humans, but Aleon knows a way to replace humans.”

My mind becomes clearer as we talk.

My physical body is dying, so I’m losing too much energy.

How long will it last if it takes this long just to wake up?

I mustered the remaining energy and stood up.

Drrrrr…

The cave shook as my body stood up, and dust filled the air.

Lundringen coughed and bent over.

He’s old too, so he’s struggling with this dust.

“There are no elves in this world who have lived longer than me. Lord.”

“Isn’t Aleon young?”

“He’s not maintaining his body with his own power, is he?”

No, he’s not using his own power.

How many of those who pride themselves on being strong in this world have stood in that position by fully exerting their own power?

Among nearly a thousand years, the human Edar was the only existence besides me, but he became ambiguous by accepting the soul on the throne.

If he doesn’t fully digest the soul rampaging in his body, he will walk a similar path to Tiamar or Aleon.

“Can he overcome it? Aleon and Tiamar.”

Lundringen seems to have a liking for the human who borrowed his name.

Has he ever shown such favor to anyone lately?

The cave shook again at my low laugh.

“I don’t know.”

I was once praised as omniscient.

Not anymore. Now I am weak and dying.

Magic power is draining away every moment, and death is approaching.

Because of that, my memory is hazy and my reasoning is also uncertain.

“Aleon, Tiamar, both of them are Edar’s enemies. And both of them woke up earlier than we thought. Edar will not be able to handle them easily.”

“However, Tiamar was fond of him and reached out to him, and he even united with the soul of the throne. Wouldn’t it be easy if he only had to deal with Aleon?”

“No.”

If Aleon was alone, that would be the case.

The problem is that he is not alone.

“Have you forgotten why Aleon is meditating?”

“…It is to absorb the power of the old gods.”

Old god.

The title of god is not appropriate.

They rarely claimed to be gods themselves.

Also, few people believed in them and followed them.

The beings who ruled the world before I conquered it.

“Even though you and your siblings drove them out, there are those among them whom you failed to kill.”

Just like I couldn’t kill Tiamar.

Among the old gods, those who were not killed were sealed like that child, and those who confessed their sins and asked for forgiveness among them were punished to serve other races.

Akakosk, who corrupted Tiamar, was the latter.

“Tiamar is a dragon, so he is not ruled. That’s why he ate the being who corrupted me and became a new being. But Aleon is just an elf. He lacks a lot to become an existence equal to me.”

Aleon has certainly lived a long time.

There is very little difference from the years Lundringen has lived.

However, time did not make him stronger, but it did not change his essence.

Because he did not have the same soul as me.

He is just an elf who has lived a long time.

“But he wants to be your successor.”

That’s why he’s obsessed with the power of the old gods.

“But you didn’t choose him as your successor.”

“Aleon is different from me.”

“Yes. He probably knows it too. So, if he can’t become a god himself, he must have had the intention of swallowing the being who was called a god and becoming a god.”

“That’s a foolish thing to do.”

Only the scale is different, Aleon is the same as Vlad.

Just like Vlad tried to expand his soul vessel by collecting souls.

Aleon longed to become a god by swallowing the old gods.

“Unlike Vlad, Aleon will not have his body taken away. However, by accepting an existence larger than himself, he will lose himself. As time goes by, Aleon will become something that is neither an old god nor Aleon.”

Like Tiamar who ate Akakosk.

And this is why I distrusted Aleon.

He is already too far from me because of his greed.

“Do you think Edar Lundringen will be different?”

“He is different. Even if he has the soul of the old god, even if he has the soul of the throne, he will only become a little turbid. Because his essence is greater than anything he swallowed. He will be able to control and endure it.”

“So you think of him as your successor.”

“Inheriting me is not done by my will. It is to be won.”

“But don’t you secretly wish for it?”

I faced Lundringen.

He lifted his head and smiled at me.

Because it was a body that had been one with me for too long.

He knew my inner thoughts too well.

“Yes.”

“He doesn’t want to leave any race other than humans.”

“Are you dissatisfied?”

“No.”

Lundringen answered without any emotion.

He doesn’t care if humans, who are just livestock, stand above.

He has become my body for a long time and has been assimilated into me.

His identity is closer to Ailettrione than Lundringen.

“You gave me a chance by borrowing my body. You spread civilization to the barbarians who could not even handle fire properly. But what kind of 모습 [Korean word for appearance] do they show you now?”

“……”

“All races except humans have rejected your words and started walking the path of corruption, so if left as it is, they will return to the 모습 before you ruled. It is better to perish than to become like that.”

Aleon, Tiamar.

Traitors influenced by the old gods.

Because the two giants have started their activities.

The influence of the old gods will spread throughout the world.

“Will you attend the Grand Council?”

Just because the Grand Council has opened does not mean I have to attend.

Like when Edar, that human, first came to the Grand Council.

My attendance was up to me.

“I have to.”

“Don’t go.”

How many times has Lundringen spoken to me so firmly?

I was silent and asked him the reason with my eyes.

“Aleon will know everything you have done. Would he leave you alone? He will insult and disparage you, do you have to see that?”

“There is no other way.”

“It’s better to leave the Grand Council—“

“How?”

He closed his mouth.

There is no way to leave the Grand Council.

It’s just communicating with the outside through thoughts.

The main body cannot leave the cave.

Because this place is a prison.

“What was the reason why I hid Tiamar’s soul here instead of outside? This place is my prison, a haven to wait for death. This was decided from the moment I became a mortal.”

“……”

Lundringen sighed softly and took a step back.

I connected my consciousness with Lundringen. The gaze that had been looking down as a dragon changed to a gaze that looked up as an elf.

“It’s a little better.”

“Because I didn’t cut out my heart.”

As I muttered to myself, Lundringen inside me answered.

“Hide my heart well. There will definitely come a time when it will be useful.”

I left the cave where the main body sleeps and headed to the meeting hall.