Building A Human Empire By Creating A Clan [EN]: Chapter 173

With the creation of subordinates, the construction of the Human Empire, Chapter 175 (175/185)

I opened my eyes in the Imperial Palace office. There was no need to remain on the battlefield after the fight was over. I severed all the connections to the various places and let out a short sigh.

“…”

A teacup sat alone on the desk. It must have been left by Kisler, who was here just a moment ago. I took a sip of the cold tea and then rose from my seat.

Thump—

A loud noise came from outside the window.

It was nothing special, just noise from a factory in the city center. Subordinates remained in the place of the departed citizens, continuing their work. Tall chimneys rose here and there, ceaselessly spewing black smoke.

Thump— Thump—

The steam engine became the empire’s main source of power. The machines created by Pasimea and her laboratory spread widely throughout the empire, replacing manual labor.

To run the steam engines, coal was mined, and to increase the stability and speed of coal supply, railways were laid. Like dozens of spiders clinging to build a single web, the lines were increasing.

‘From the Middle Ages to the Early Modern and Modern times in an instant.’

It was a far cry from when I first took office in Olympus, when the only machines in the village were watermills.

“It’s all your father’s achievements.”

Rachel said as she entered the office with Griff.

“You’re talking nonsense again.”

I chuckled, and she shook her head.

“I’m just stating the facts. Look, how much time has passed since Father came to this land? It’s only been a little over ten years. Back then, what was the population of this Olympus?”

It was about a hundred people.

And they were about to be hunted by Raeragon.

“Now, the population of Olympus exceeds 600,000.”

They say even mountains and rivers change in ten years, but this was beyond that level. To make an analogy, it was like a tribe in the African outback achieving modernization.

“Is it just Olympus? How has the Oroko Great Plains changed?”

“Yes, it’s a great growth.”

When I responded indifferently, she puffed out her cheeks.

“Father, you need to acknowledge your achievements more. Who else could have led humanity this far? Only Father could have done it.”

“Rachel, I’m getting calluses on my ears. Stop it.”

Griff exaggeratedly dug at his ears. Rachel frowned slightly at his attitude, but she didn’t say anything more and closed her mouth.

“What’s the point of saying that to our Emperor? The answer is always the same, isn’t it? ‘Well, how is this all my doing? It’s thanks to you all. Could we have come this far if you were just obedient and hardworking slaves?'”

He imitated my tone solemnly.

“Well, he’s not wrong.”

The reason I value subordinates highly is not only for their strength or loyalty, but also for their wisdom.

Imagine a group of scientists thrown into the outback. If there is no internal or external strife and there are sufficient resources, how far would they build civilization, and how quickly would they build it?

Subordinates were exactly that kind of existence.

“Pasimea and the researchers she leads are definitely amazing. But…”

Griff took out a cigarette from his pocket.

“But, who gave us direction? Even if you have power, the results vary depending on how you use it. What if someone like Duke Thurdret or Alleon had obtained Edar’s abilities?”

“It would have been terrible.”

I took the cigarette and put it in my mouth. It was the first cigarette I had smoked in a long time. As my soul’s magic grew, there was no need to endure with nicotine. I naturally let go of it.

I took a deep breath and exhaled a long stream of smoke.

“Good.”

“An elf made it. You can’t get it anymore.”

There’s no other way since the producer is in that state.

“There’s a reason why a god is called a god. If it’s just having abilities, why would a demon be a demon? Edar has achieved achievements worthy of his abilities, so he is revered.”

“Yes. That’s what I wanted to say—”

“Rachel, I told you to shut up.”

Griff used magic to shut Rachel’s mouth.

“Edar is excellent in that regard.”

“…”

“Don’t be so embarrassed by praise. You know we’re not the type to flatter, except for that psycho over there.”

I chuckled and nodded.

“Yes, that’s right.”

When I opened the window, acrid smoke entered the office. Griff created wind to blow the smoke away, but the city’s skyline was filled with factory smoke.

The city was not only filled with smoke but also had a bleak appearance. It was a city built solely for production efficiency. Following Skadi’s suggestion, facilities such as theaters and parks were added belatedly, but that was it.

“Let’s decorate it when the work is done.”

“Or! We can move the capital to Kiruna.”

“Kiruna.”

Kiruna, the central city of the Thurdret Dukedom. But now it has become the central city of the Public Church. It started when it was used as a base while hunting the Wolf Church after conquering Germania.

Rachel was in charge of the Wolf Church subjugation, and the fact that it was where Edar was born coincided, transforming it into the center of the Public Church along with reconstruction.

“Isn’t that your capital?”

“Capital? The Public Church is an organization under the Empire.”

“They collect taxes separately with the Thirteenth Article or whatever, have a military organization, and exercise laws independent of the Imperial Administration, and you’re saying it’s an organization under the Empire?”

“…Misunderstanding.”

“I heard that every minute after passing through the main gate, you’re approached by evangelists.”

Rachel kept clearing her throat and avoiding eye contact.

“That’s… not the case. Rather, it’s the opposite of here. It’s always lively, the sky is clear, it’s warm even in winter, and all the buildings are pure white. It’s the city of light.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Griff snorted.

“Don’t listen to this person, and have a serious conversation with Skadi sometime. Skadi and Calliope don’t show it, but they don’t really like this scenery.”

“Okay.”

I also hate this scenery. I had no choice but to make it like this. The situation humanity was in was so bad that it suppressed luxuries like beauty.

“When the task given to me is resolved.”

When that time comes, it would be good to take some weight off my shoulders.

Drrrrrr…

But it won’t be easy to reach that time.

“The evacuation is complete. Only brothers and sisters are here.”

I nodded.

Far away, a beast was flying in from the southwest sky. Winged beasts were approaching in groups, and the magic they emitted caused the wind to rise and the ground to shake.

It was such a powerful magic that even I got goosebumps. The one leading the beast herd was more powerful than the magic emitted by Lord’s corpse.

It couldn’t be helped. She was alive, and she was Lord’s only flesh and blood. She was a parricide who betrayed her father and made him a mortal, but she herself maintained an immortal life.

Thump—

That’s not the sound of an engine.

The dragon placed its two feet on the southern wall of Olympus.

Pathetic…

As its claws dug into the wall, the wall cracked and collapsed. I should be glad it didn’t collapse completely. The impact of her sitting down was enough to collapse several buildings.

“Tiamar.”

I took the cigarette out of my mouth and spat out her name with the smoke.

– Edar Lundringen.

She also called my name and turned her eyes to me.

– What did you do to me?

I hate myself

– Tell me.

Tiamar’s thoughts echoed.

– What did you do to my fragment?

I put the cigarette back in my mouth and looked at the sky. Dragons were flying in the sky outside the city. The subspecies created by Tiamar were in groups, numbering in the dozens.

Dozens seems like a small number. It would seem so because a force of hundreds of thousands had just fought. But it’s different if each one is a subspecies of Tiamar.

Tiamar is a dragon. What would a dragon’s subspecies be?

“Became human.”

– What?

“I could make her human, and she wanted to be human, that’s all.”

My gaze and hers intertwined in the air. Her eyes were black circular pupils.

“And now she has red eyes, unlike you.”

– Nonsense. That child is me. I don’t want to be human.

“Do you really think so?”

– Of course—

“Just because the beginning is the same doesn’t mean the end is the same. Even if she originated from you, she can want something different from you. Because she has free will.”

– That’s what it means to be human?

She seemed unable to understand. That’s because Tiamar is a dragon. A race that even the old gods consider perfect. What would she want to become human?

– That child is a fragment. Fragments must be fitted together. Like a puzzle, an unfitted fragment is just an incomplete existence. There’s no way that child doesn’t know that, so she wanted to remain incomplete?

“Yes.”

– Lie.

“It’s the truth. I asked, and she wanted it.”

– That can’t be.

The words ‘and shouldn’t be’ were missing.

– Bring that child here. I need to see her myself.

“What if I refuse?”

Tiamar released magic instead of answering. As the magic mixed with anger flowed, heat haze rose around her and soon covered the entire city.

Drrrrrr…

Earthquakes occurred, and buildings collapsed throughout the city. The sky repeatedly cleared and became gloomy, and thunder and strong winds raged. If any humans other than subordinates remained in the city center, they would have suffered considerable damage.

Tiamar’s subspecies also screamed and flew. They circled around the Imperial Palace, threatening to attack at any moment.

– Obey!

– Do not anger your mother!

The subspecies were called wyverns. They were a race born from eggs that Tiamar laid while disguised as a seal. Dragons are not hermaphroditic, so they could not hatch originally, but Horvid and the administrator, who coveted her power, intervened.

They may have dreamed of becoming dragon knights in fairy tales, but the result was miserable. The wyverns only obeyed Tiamar’s orders, so the administrator was reduced to a slave who gave them food.

“Don’t do pointless things.”

I stomped on the finished cigarette and scanned the wyvern herd. Then, sunlight poured through the dark clouds. The light burned the backs of the wyverns and melted their scales.

With a sizzling sound and steam rising, the wyverns screamed in pain and tried to rush at me, but when their mother did not allow it, they retreated to avoid the light.

“You have been watching me for a long time. Then you should know well that threats are futile to me, that I was waiting because I knew you would come.”

– You stole my thing.

“Well, she says she hates you.”

– You must have made her that way. With your glib tongue.

Tiamar glared at me.

– It’s no use hiding it. That child is me. Eventually, she will come to where she needs to be. Because she is my soul and not your possession. Even if she is contained in an inferior body like a human, she will inevitably be drawn to me.

“Hmm. An inferior being.”

I stood still and thought for a moment, then chuckled.

– Why are you laughing?

“No, it’s definitely different.”

Tiamar asked the reason with her eyes.

‘I didn’t know because I had never had a conversation with Tiamar before, but her thinking is quite different.’

The Tiamars I’ve talked to so far are only three: Tiamar who took Vlad’s body, Tiamar who became human and a subordinate, and the main body in front of me. That’s all.

Among these, even if Tiamar who was possessed by Vlad was altered by the strong influence of the old god Akakosk, what is the reason why the personalities of the other two are different?

‘Inferior, she didn’t say such a thing.’

Could it be because of the influence of the old gods? The energy that the Tiamar in front of me is emitting is similar to theirs. She is not a slave of the old gods, but she was corrupted by their tricks, so she must have been deeply influenced.

‘That child was pure.’

I recalled Alleon’s last words.

Wouldn’t Tiamar, who became human, be close to the purity he spoke of? Even though her words were rough, she didn’t ridicule other races as inferior, and she even chose to become human. It was so different from the attitude the main body is showing now.

‘Maybe one of the reasons why Lord took out her soul was not just to divide Tiamar and weaken her, but there may be other reasons.’

Was it to protect the purity that remained in the betrayed her? It was just a guess. The existence who knows the answer has disappeared, so it’s a problem that can never be solved.

“So what are you going to do? Do you want me to make a decision now?”

When I didn’t answer the question and asked back, Tiamar withdrew her magic and answered.

– I won’t yield now.

“Now.”

– As you said, I have been watching you for a long time.

From the moment Lord called me and handed over Tiamar’s soul fragment, she must have been watching me. If you count the time, it wasn’t much different from Calliope, the first subordinate I created.

– This situation is going as you wanted. So you waited for me defenselessly with only a few dolls.

Sssssss…

While listening to her words, I emitted magic and repaired the city. The buildings that had collapsed due to Tiamar’s magic returned to their pre-collapse state as if time was going back.

– I can’t give up on you. You are the only means to kill those guys, so I can’t give up. So even if you steal the fragment and provoke me, I will endure it. As you wanted.

The remaining old gods are beings that even Lord could not kill. Tiamar can’t do anything about them either. Unless she compromises and ends with sealing the old gods, she will definitely need me.

– This is the only time I will be played by your intentions.

She said firmly.

– Don’t think that you have become the same being as them because you ate their souls. You are different from us. You are not originally a being rooted in our world. That’s why you may be able to kill us, but if you lose your body, will your soul remain in our world?

###

A strong wind blew across the Pantonia Plains. It was because the magic had disappeared as Emperor Edar, who had been dwelling in Tiamar’s body, left. As the barrier called Emperor disappeared, the magic of the old gods swept through the plains, causing abnormal weather.

Whirr—

Tiamar swept up her hair fluttering in the wind and turned her back. She, who had become human, looked south. It was the direction where the Empire’s capital, Olympus, was located, and it was also the direction where Edar was staying.

Twitch

For a moment, her pupils trembled slightly. It was because she felt the wave of magic that Edar had felt when he confronted Karkas a little while ago again. She sighed softly because she knew the identity of the wave and looked to the side.

“Aren’t you worried?”

Calliope was sitting on a stump. She ignored her without raising her head, placing her removed armor on her lap and applying oil to it.

“…”

Tiamar frowned for a moment and looked at the other subordinates.

Pasimea was organizing the spoils piled up in one place. Skadi was looking at the operation map with Gerhard, and Mersephone had returned to being a child and was walking around in the arms of a nun.

They were too quiet. They didn’t say a word and only occasionally showed gestures, not making any noise. Tiamar watched the scene blankly.

“Don’t speak.”

Calliope said as if muttering.

“What?”

“Act like a subordinate.”

Like a subordinate?

Tiamar blinked and realized.

It meant to read her thoughts.

“Subordinates don’t need to speak. It’s inefficient.”

Thoughts contain emotions and memories that sound cannot convey, and the transmission speed is instantaneous. If you can exchange thoughts, there is no need to move your mouth to make a sound.

“Ah, I don’t want to.”

However, Tiamar didn’t feel like reading thoughts.

It was because it was difficult to control thoughts.

——?

———. ——.

——! ——.

When she accepted the thoughts she had been blocking, a tidal wave crashed in. Since the number of subordinates in the plains reached ten thousand, ten thousand people’s thoughts poured in at the same time.

“Ugh.”

Tiamar groaned briefly and pressed her temples.

It was a tidal wave of information that couldn’t be compared to the noise of a marketplace. The noise you hear with your ears only hurts your ears, and you can raise your voice. But thoughts, as I said, convey all kinds of information besides sound.

And imagine that the number reaches ten thousand.

“You have to get used to it.”

Calliope said when she unconsciously tried to block her thoughts again.

“It’s not easy.”

“You still have to get used to it.”

She took a long sigh and calmed her mind. It wasn’t that she was encountering thoughts for the first time, but she was just overwhelmed by too much information, so she quickly regained stability.

As she had time, she calmly read the inner thoughts of the sitting subordinates. Contrary to what she had expected, the emotions that were felt were severely fluctuating, unlike her hair color, which she had expected to be calm.

“You’re also very worried inside.”

“…”

“How can you focus on your work while you’re so worried?”

“Because I have to.”

Calliope continued to apply oil and answered.

“Worrying doesn’t solve anything.”

“That’s… true.”

“Edar has decided to stay in Olympus. So I’ll just wait. Just as Edar trusts me, I trust Edar too.”

That’s what a subordinate is, she continued. And she let out a small breath. It was because she had spoken too long, unlike her personality.

“If you’re a subordinate, you have to get used to it.”

“Subordinate…”

Tiamar twisted the hair behind her ear with her finger.

“Honestly, it doesn’t feel real.”

“…”

“It’s been a long time since I had a body after being separated from the main body, so the five senses are fresh, but I don’t feel anything more than that. If I had to say, my vision has narrowed a bit? I guess my old body was huge.”

“Yeah.”

“What exactly is a subordinate? How is it different from a human?”

Calliope didn’t answer.

“Well, you wouldn’t know since you’ve never not been a subordinate.”

“Yeah.”

The conversation was cut off. Tiamar opened her mouth to say something, but she didn’t have anything to say, so she closed it again. An awkward silence hung in the air, and the wind grew stronger.

“What are you going to do from now on?”

And Calliope said as she was about to move her seat.

“From now on?”

“Edar is meeting another you to protect you. And the other you is looking for you. Which one will you choose?”

Calliope stopped her hand and raised her head. Her deep blue eyes met deep orange eyes. They were the same two people, except for the color.

Tiamar knew why she resembled Calliope. She was the first subordinate. And she was also a subordinate who was always by Edar’s side, so if she were to become a subordinate, she wanted to be like her.

“I’ve already chosen.”

“…”

“I’m not going back. Now, the Evil Dragon Tiamar is not me. It’s not a place to return to either. Now I am the human Tiamar. I have no intention of reversing my decision.”

“Why?”

Tiamar smiled as she read the curiosity in her thoughts.

“I hate myself.”

So she followed her father, Lord, she answered.

Another race has come to an end.