Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 114

1. Using it in Reverse

1

After ascending to the throne of Symphonia, Luke found himself incredibly busy with state affairs. Even as a lord, he had plenty to do, but managing a country involved far more tasks and concerns than overseeing a single territory.

‘Hah, I wish I could show this reality to the ambitious people who dream of being king.’

Most people imagine a king living luxuriously in a splendid palace, served by beautiful women.

However, the reality was a constant cycle of reviewing documents, making decisions, and racking his brain.

Of course, if Luke wanted, he could indulge in extravagance more than anyone else.

However, to settle a 500-year-old grudge and build a nation that would fulfill his dreams and ideals, he had to avoid unnecessary waste.

Even so, he longed to be free from the piles of documents, at least for a little while.

“Indeed, the republicans are not wrong about the need to distribute power. Considering how much more complex the world has become, politics and administration must also be improved.”

What Luke realized acutely after becoming king was that the current feudal political and administrative structure was not suitable for a society where commerce and industry had developed and knowledge was widely disseminated.

Nevertheless, the reason there was no change was that the ruling class—the king and nobles—had not changed their minds at all.

Their only interest in change was in tax systems that would fill their pockets or military matters that would ensure their safety.

‘The reason the Volga Republic can endure despite being isolated from the other nations on the continent is that their system is more efficient in terms of political administration. Symphonia must change in the same way.’

The problem was that most of the nobles in Symphonia were also reluctant to change.

Those from the Lacan territory were less resistant due to Luke’s influence, but the nobles of the former Milton Kingdom, who were not yet accustomed to him, were reluctant to pass any laws or systems that smacked of republicanism in the noble council.

“I envy Reina. In the Holy Artenia Empire, there is no one who dares to object to her will…”

Of course, there were opponents, but the people and nobles of the Holy Empire believed without a doubt that she was a messenger of God, as she performed miracles.

Because of this, she was able to overcome doubts about her origins and push forward with reform policies.

‘Anyway, I wonder how Reina is doing?’

While contemplating improvements to politics and administration, Luke thought of her and looked at the ring on his finger.

Then, the image of Reina at their wedding came clearly to mind.

At that time, she was more beautiful than ever and had a happy smile on her face.

Recalling that bright smile, Luke’s expression, which had been weary from state affairs, soon brightened.

“Honey, what are you thinking about?”

At the sudden familiar voice, Luke looked up.

Reina, wearing a pearl-decorated crown and a white dress embroidered with gold, stood before him.

“Hehehe. Were you perhaps thinking of me… Ugh!”

Luke, who had jumped up, suddenly grabbed Reina’s neck and lifted her up.

Then, Reina’s figure melted and shrank, turning into a tabby cat wearing clothes.

“Don’t play tricks, Sebastian.”

“I-I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I, in my loyal heart, only wished to soothe Your Majesty’s lonely mood…”

“You just need to do your job well. That’s how you show loyalty to me.”

“Yes, yes. I understand! So please, spare me!”

The demon Sebastian wrung his hands like a fly and teared up.

His appearance was very cute, but it didn’t work on Luke.

Sebastian was officially appointed as the king’s aide when Luke ascended to the throne.

His job was the same as before.

He usually helped Luke with trivial matters, and when urgent matters arose, he used his unique disguise skills to act as the king’s proxy.

However, perhaps because of his position as the king’s closest aide, more people bowed to him than before, which made Sebastian’s nose grow higher.

The prank just now was caused by the aftereffects of his nose growing high, making him bold and losing his fear.

“Anyway, what is it? I told you not to come unless it was important, since I’m busy?”

Luke, who had released Sebastian’s neck, asked.

“Yes, that is…”

“Don’t tell me you came to play a prank?”

When Sebastian hesitated to answer, Luke’s hand flashed with purple sparks as if he were about to unleash lightning magic.

Then, Sebastian answered like lightning.

“The Baroque Empire’s intelligence department has sent some alarming information!”

“From the Baroque intelligence department? What kind of information is it?”

Luke, tilting his head, retracted the purple sparks and asked.

Sebastian inwardly sighed in relief and gave a proper report.

“According to the intelligence department’s familiars, Emperor Rudolf plans to spread a plague-ridden poison throughout the Kingdom of Livia to break the stalemate in the war.”

“Hmph, that cunning bastard. Like father, like son.”

Luke recalled the events of 500 years ago, during Seymon’s time.

At that time, the Baroque Duke, Rudolf’s ancestor, deliberately spread an epidemic in villages and cities along the way to stop the Demon King’s army.

The epidemic could infect humans and the humanoid race, the elves, and there were quite a few of these two races in the Demon King’s army.

He not only distributed clothes and blankets used by patients as relief supplies in slums but also poured the saliva and pus of patients into wells.

Luke, having obtained information in advance, avoided the plague by withdrawing his forces.

However, hundreds of thousands of innocent people suffered from the epidemic.

The Baroque Duke, who had committed such a terrible crime, shamelessly accused the Demon King Seymon of spreading the epidemic.

“Um, Your Majesty. This isn’t just cunning. It’s madness.”

“Madness?”

“Yes, the name of the plague Rudolf is trying to spread is called Bers, you see.”

“What, what did you say?!”

Luke’s expression instantly turned pale.

Bers.

It was an epidemic that swept through the Rhodisia continent at the end of the ancient magic era.

Named after the first infected person, this disease dealt a fatal blow to the ancient magic civilization, which was losing its spirit power and collapsing.

With no proper cure and no divine power working, this disease, called ‘God’s punishment,’ took the lives of tens of millions of humans and elves.

The contagion was so strong that people at the time fled cities and villages, scattering into mountains, forests, and fields.

Naturally, commerce and industry, as well as agriculture, could not be maintained properly, and even the survivors suffered from starvation for a long time due to food shortages.

As society collapsed, lawlessness and violence were rampant, and many scholars, magicians, and engineers died from disease and starvation, causing knowledge and technology to regress.

‘Rudolf, that bastard, is truly insane!’

Luke had read the records of the ancients related to Bers while investigating ancient ruins.

The disease itself was terrible, but the situation of a civilization collapsing because of it was even more terrifying.

And now he was trying to spread that disease!

Sebastian was not wrong to call it madness.

“Your Majesty seems to know about this disease, but you probably don’t know this. Bers is a disease that also spread in the demon realm.”

“In the demon realm too?”

“Yes, in ancient times, a black magician infected with Bers summoned a demon and asked for treatment. Of course, that demon had no ability to treat it either.”

The problem was that the summoned demon was also infected with Bers by the black magician who summoned him.

The demon returned to the demon realm without knowing this, and as a result, a huge number of cases appeared in the demon realm as well.

“It was so serious at the time that the seven lords of the demon realm, who were usually at each other’s throats, gathered together to discuss countermeasures.”

“Did the demon kings find a cure?”

“No, they had to throw up their hands and ask for help from the divine realm.”

The demon realm and the divine realm were not as hostile to each other as humans were led to believe.

Although they had become corrupted by their desires, the demons were also creations of the chief god Elkasel and the various high gods who followed him.

“The angel who came from the divine realm at that time said that the disease was created in the magic empire of Avalon.”

At that time, as humans rebelled and gradually grew in power, a ‘weapon’ that was being developed to wipe them out was accidentally leaked.

‘Good heavens, it’s like cutting my own foot with my own axe.’

Anyway, the important fact was that some madman had been keeping the plague-ridden poison of Bers, and Rudolf, who had obtained it, was trying to spread it in the Kingdom of Livia.

This fact had to be conveyed to the Kingdom of Livia as soon as possible.

If not, not only the Kingdom of Livia but the entire Rhodisia continent would suffer from the plague.

“We must inform the Kingdom of Livia as soon as possible.”

“Of course. I’ll have to go and tell them myself.”

“Your Majesty, you’ll go yourself?”

“Yes, since we’ve already agreed to have a summit between the two countries, it wouldn’t matter if I went a little earlier.”

With that, Luke gave instructions to Sebastian.

“Tell the familiars to keep an eye on the movements of the Baroque Empire’s army. If the Kingdom of Livia can’t handle it, we’ll have to take care of it.”

“Yes, I understand.”

As Sebastian left, Luke immediately began preparing to depart for the Kingdom of Livia.

Since it was more urgent than planned, his preparations were also faster.

2

Having finished his preparations, Luke headed to the capital city of the Kingdom of Livia, Felipe City, with only a few of his retainers.

Luke was able to bring a few people with him using teleportation and fly magic, so it only took two days for the delegation to arrive.

“W-We greet the King of Symphonia, Your Majesty.”

The chief chamberlain, who had been waiting at the front gate of the palace after receiving the message, was startled when the delegation suddenly dropped from the sky.

Luke had notified them in advance that he would arrive earlier.

However, the chief chamberlain had not expected him to arrive so quickly and with such a small group.

However, as a seasoned official, he quickly recovered his composure and gestured towards the palace.

“Please follow me. I will guide you to our King, Your Majesty.”

Luke’s party followed the chief chamberlain into the palace.

They could often see monsters such as orcs and trolls standing guard alongside human soldiers.

Hwangbo-sung, the commander of Symphonia’s Royal Guard and Luke’s escort this time, exclaimed in admiration at the sight.

“Your Majesty, this Reichart seems to be quite an exceptional individual.”

Both when he lived in the Southern Continent and in the Rhodisia Continent, as far as he knew, monsters were beings that could not coexist with humans.

Monsters had a deep-seated hostility towards humans and elves in their instincts.

Therefore, when monsters encountered humans on the road, they would always attack with murderous intent.

But to suppress such instincts and create a civilized society with humans, Reichart’s abilities were considerable.

“King Reichart is not only skilled at taming monsters, but he is also a powerful individual in terms of personal strength.”

“Strength as well? To what extent?”

“I think he’s at least a Sword Sage [a master swordsman].”

Several years ago, when Reichart, disguised as Shai Khan, caused a monster wave in the Principality of Navarr, Luke had been dispatched as a support force to suppress it.

At that time, he had crossed swords with Reichart himself, and even with the abilities of a Rune Knight [a warrior who uses magic runes], the power of a demon, and black magic, he could not defeat him.

Of course, Reichart could not defeat Luke either, but his combat power when transformed into a dragon was so formidable that it was terrifying even now.

‘How much stronger has he become now?’

He must have become stronger than he was then.

This could be seen from the fact that he had repeatedly repelled the expeditionary force led by Emperor Rudolf, who had risen to the rank of Sword Emperor [the highest rank for a swordsman].

“A Sword Sage? I’d like to fight him once.”

Hwangbo-sung, who would jump out of bed at the prospect of a fight with a strong opponent, wanted to fight Reichart if the opportunity arose.

“Hmph, Count Hwangbo-sung. You wouldn’t last even ten moves with your skills.”

Belpar, who had accompanied Luke as his attendant, interjected.

“Is he that strong?”

“Yes, I had the misfortune of running into him once and almost died.”

Belpar had also fought Reichart before.

To be precise, he had been beaten to a pulp by Reichart, who had been drawn out while he was smashing monsters he had found during his personal training.

And he had sparred with Hwangbo-sung not long ago.

Therefore, he knew the difference in their skills accurately.

In his opinion, Hwangbo-sung could never win against Reichart, even if Reichart did not use the power of the Dragoonian [a dragon-like transformation].

However, his words only fueled Hwangbo-sung’s competitive spirit, which had already begun to ignite.

“Hehehe. If that’s the case, I want to fight him even more!”

When he was in the Southern Continent, he had no idea that there were so many strong people in the Rhodisia Continent.

Although he had been tricked by his half-brother, who wanted to take over the family, he now thought that coming here was a good decision.

‘Oh dear, this unstoppable fist fighter.’

Belpar shook his head as he watched him smiling with his fists clenched, burning with fighting spirit.

As they chatted, they passed through the garden and corridors and arrived at the building where the king’s office was located.

According to the chief chamberlain, Reichart and the main retainers of the Kingdom of Livia were currently gathered in the office, discussing state affairs.

“Since King Luke has come so suddenly, we have not been able to prepare properly. Please understand if there are any shortcomings.”

“Ah, I understand perfectly.”

As Luke nodded, the chief chamberlain announced to the inside of the office.

“Your Majesty, the King of Symphonia has arrived.”

“Bring him in.”

A deep voice was heard from inside, and then the door opened.

Luke walked in confidently.

He looked at Shai Khan, no, Reichart, who was rising from his seat, with a curious expression.

‘Hmm, was the face hidden beneath the mask this handsome? When I saw him before, he seemed like a complete barbarian.’

‘Is that the King of Symphonia? A descendant of the hero Rakan?’

Unlike Luke, who was surprised, Shai Khan was quite astonished.

The rumored extraordinary Duke Luke was none other than the black magician he had fought against in the Principality of Navarr before.

He wondered if it was just a resemblance.

However, the unique aura flowing from his body matched the black magician he had met back then.

‘So, the rumor that Luke de Rakan had learned black magic wasn’t just a rumor? Well, what does it matter? As long as he’s useful.’

If it could check the Baroque Empire, he was willing to join hands even with a demon, not just a black magician.

Having made that judgment, Reichart greeted Luke with a welcoming expression.

“Welcome, King Luke.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty.”

The two exchanged brief greetings and sat down to exchange pleasantries. The retainers who had followed Luke stood in the empty seats.

“I heard from Count Felipe that His Holiness the Pope personally officiated your coronation? I am truly envious.”

“I have a personal relationship with the Holy Empire. By the way, on my way here, I saw the Kingdom of Livia, and it seemed that monsters and humans were living in harmony. It was truly amazing and impressive.”

After some pleasantries, Shai Khan proposed an economic cooperation and mutual defense treaty between the two countries.

“Did you say a mutual defense treaty?”

“Yes. It’s a treaty where, if either country is invaded while fighting against the Baroque Empire, the other will automatically join the war and provide support. What do you think?”

It was a bit less than a full offensive and defensive alliance treaty, but it wasn’t a bad condition.

After all, both countries had risen to overthrow the Baroque Empire.

Moreover, after the Baroque Imperial Family was eliminated, there was no need to remain allied.

And the aforementioned economic cooperation also suited the interests of both countries.

There was much to exchange between the Kingdom of Symphonia, where plains occupied more than half of the land, and the Kingdom of Livia, which had many high and rugged mountains, making it advantageous for mining.

“Then, let’s make all trade between the two countries duty-free.”

At Luke’s suggestion, Reichart asked with a puzzled look.

“Duty-free, you say?”

“Yes. Shouldn’t we avoid burdening allies who have a common enemy in the Baroque Empire?”

Shai Khan, who had been lost in thought for a moment at his suggestion, readily nodded.

“Good. As they say, strike while the iron is hot, let’s draw up the treaty right away.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

The two kings, having reached an agreement, immediately proceeded with the documentation process.

The wording and detailed clauses to be included in the document were decided by the scribes of both sides.

After reviewing the two treaties that had been drawn up, Luke and Shai Khan signed and stamped the documents and exchanged them.

“With this, we are allies. Tonight, we will hold a party to celebrate this, so King Luke, please grace us with your presence.”

“Understood. Before that, I would like to have a more personal conversation with Your Majesty.”

“Hahaha. Let’s do that. That’s what I wanted as well.”

Shai Khan and Luke rose from their seats and headed to the reception room.

Upon entering the reception room, the two dismissed their attendants.

Once they were alone, Luke immediately cast a Silent magic spell over the entire reception room.

Having taken those measures, he spoke to Shai Khan in a more unrestrained tone than before.

“Now, we can talk a bit more comfortably.”

“Hehehe. It must have been very uncomfortable. Living with a secret that you can’t carelessly reveal to others.”

“That’s right. Unlike someone who was born with a special lineage.”

Shai Khan retorted at Luke’s light sarcasm, which was full of envy.

“What are you talking about! You too were born with a lineage that anyone would envy, the hero Rakan. However, seeing that you possess the power wielded by your ancestor’s nemesis, it seems there is some reason.”

“That’s right. There’s a very big reason. One that’s more bizarre than you can imagine.”

His soul had been switched with another person.

It was an act that reversed the providence of God and destroyed common sense, so Luke had no intention of revealing that fact to others.

Shai Khan, not particularly interested, moved on without further questioning.

“You don’t have to worry about secrets. It wouldn’t benefit me to put you in a difficult position.”

‘Hmm, does that mean he would put me in a difficult position if it benefited him?’

Luke couldn’t be sure of Shai Khan’s true intentions with the current conversation.

However, he was certain that Shai Khan would keep the secret until the Baroque Empire fell.

Because that was beneficial to him and the Kingdom of Livia.

“But what brought you here so urgently? I know that the situation in the Kingdom of Symphonia isn’t that dire?”

The Baroque Empire was constantly attacking the borders of the Kingdom of Livia, but it was maintaining a hands-off approach towards Symphonia.

The Baroque Empire was not in a good enough situation to wage two wars at the same time, and they considered Shai Khan, who had the bloodline of the Baroque Imperial Family, to be more dangerous than Luke.

“Of course, my country isn’t in danger. But your country, no, this entire Rhodisia continent could fall into the abyss of destruction.”

“Hmm, whatever it is, it seems like a bit of an exaggeration?”

“Well, will you still think it’s an exaggeration after hearing what I have to say?”

Luke told him about the conspiracy that Rudolf was plotting, which he had heard from Sebastian.

At first, Shai Khan was indifferent, but after hearing the specific plans and evidence, his face completely changed.

“That bastard is doing such a thing…!”

“As I said earlier, it’s not just the Kingdom of Livia that’s in danger. For the sake of the future of the continent, we must stop it. You and I must join forces.”

At Luke’s words, Shai Khan nodded.

His eyes had become much more serious than before.

“We are investigating their execution plan, so we will inform you soon. So, you should also prepare to respond.”

“Understood. Thank you for the important information.”

After finishing his conversation with Shai Khan, Luke released the Silent magic.

Although he had finished all his business here, Luke had no intention of returning right away.

He planned to stay at the palace for two or three days to observe the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Livia and enjoy the banquet prepared by Shai Khan.

3

After holding a banquet to celebrate Luke’s visit, Shai Khan secretly summoned Duke Butler and other key figures of the kingdom late at night.

“Why are you calling us at this late hour?”

“I don’t know, the Baroque Empire’s offensive has also slowed down, so what’s going on…?”

The core nobles, who had gathered with puzzled expressions, were shocked to hear the surprising information from Shai Khan.

“A plan to spread an epidemic in our kingdom, you say?”

“Rudolf, that bastard! Such a despicable act…!”

They were engulfed in shock and soon burst into anger.

Among them, the emotions of military figures, including Duke Butler, were the most intense.

This was something that no knight should ever do.

“Everyone, calm down. The Bers disease hasn’t spread yet. If we block the spread in advance, we can overcome the crisis.”

The current meeting was also held to respond to the Baroque Empire’s despicable scheme.

In response, the nobles came up with various countermeasures.

“We need to strengthen surveillance at the border areas. Or, perhaps we should just seal them off completely?”

“If we show that we’ve noticed, the enemy will change their plans. Rather than moving rashly, it’s important to gather more information through spies.”

“Don’t worry about that. The Kingdom of Symphonia has promised to provide information.”

While everyone was offering various opinions and plans, there was one person who remained silent.

It was Magreta, the representative of 15 territories and the current Master of Ceremonies of the Royal Court.

Holding both affection and resentment for Luke, as well as an ambition that was no less, she had actively devoted herself to the Kingdom of Livia and obtained the position of Master of Ceremonies.

But it just so happened that she was assigned the task of hosting him, who had visited as the monarch of a newly formed nation.

She had vowed to make Luke kneel at her feet someday, but reality was different from her thoughts.

As the Master of Ceremonies, she had to bow before him.

What was even more infuriating was the fact that Luke was not paying attention to her. When they had reunited, he had only greeted her casually.

‘Tch, I was planning to raise the Kingdom of Livia and make it swallow the Rakan Territory, no, the Kingdom of Symphonia, but the two of them formed an alliance….’

How did things turn out like this?

She resented King Myers of Milton, who had been defeated so foolishly, and she was so disappointed in the Kingdom of Grenada, which had been defeated so miserably by the Rakan Territory, which had a weak navy.

‘If those guys had done their jobs properly, Luke wouldn’t have been able to establish a country, let alone be so successful, and he wouldn’t have received Reichart’s attention!’

As she was biting her thumbnail in frustration, Shai Khan spoke to her.

“Master of Ceremonies, what have you been thinking about since earlier?”

“Ah, that is….”

“This matter may not be related to your duties, but if you have any good ideas, don’t hesitate to speak up.”

The main duty of the Master of Ceremonies was to direct royal events or host foreign envoys.

Nevertheless, Shai Khan asked Magreta for her opinion because she possessed useful abilities.

She had lured lords to join the Kingdom of Livia, and she was skilled in magic that could charm and manipulate people using the secrets of the Arachne Magic Tower.

In fact, the position of Master of Ceremonies was also given to her with the intention of fully utilizing such abilities.

Therefore, Shai Khan judged that her abilities could be useful in extracting information from the Baroque Empire or in bewitching and manipulating those involved in this matter.

Magreta, who had been suddenly pointed out, desperately racked her brain.

Then, she came up with a pretty good idea.

“Your Majesty, if we could intercept the epidemic that the Baroque Empire is trying to spread, what would you do?”

“Of course, we should eliminate it.”

When Shai Khan said that as if it were obvious, Magreta smiled brightly.

Her radiant smile was sinister, like a beautiful flower full of thorns and poison.

“Don’t you think it’s a waste to just eliminate it?”

“A waste? Surely, you don’t mean….”

“Yes, I think we can use it to attack the Baroque Empire in reverse.”

Magreta’s suggestion immediately caused an uproar in the hall.

Some officials thought it was worth trying, but many others opposed it, saying that it was too dangerous and not something that should be done morally.

“Everyone, be quiet!”

At Shai Khan’s shout, the commotion quickly subsided.

Everyone kept their mouths shut and waited to see what decision the king would make.

“Princess Magreta, I have heard that the disease is highly contagious and that there is no cure. Will it not harm our kingdom?”

“I am afraid, but does Your Majesty believe King Luke’s words as they are?”

When Magreta asked back, Shai Khan could not easily answer.

Although he had decided to form an alliance with Luke for the time being, he was unsure whether he could believe all of his words.

That could be seen from the fact that he had secretly learned Seimon’s black magic without the world knowing.

“You can’t know what’s in a person’s heart. But he was worried about the future of the continent, and for that reason, he informed me of the danger and asked for cooperation. Would he deceive me?”

“Isn’t it possible that he intends to use Your Majesty and our Kingdom of Livia? While we and the Baroque Empire are fighting, wouldn’t he try to secretly intercept the poison containing the Bers disease?”

‘Hmm, there’s definitely a possibility of that.’

At Magreta’s words, Shai Khan inwardly nodded.

Bers, which had been rampant at the end of the ancient magic civilization.

The highly contagious disease could be a great weapon if it was spread in an enemy country.

And the Kingdom of Livia was still in constant conflict with the Baroque Empire.

If the epidemic operation failed, Rudolf would surely think it was the work of the Kingdom of Livia and plot even more vicious acts.

“And although the ancient magic civilization was great, it doesn’t surpass the current civilization in all aspects. In the case of medicine and pharmacy, they have developed further based on the transmitted ancient knowledge.”

Magreta, the successor of the Arachne Magic Tower, belonged to the medical mage category according to the classification of mages.

Of course, she was specialized in wicked magic that stole potions or other people’s mana, but she had much higher levels of medical and pharmaceutical knowledge than ordinary people.

“Does that mean that Bers won’t be that much of a problem?”

“Yes, and even if things get out of hand, I believe that Your Majesty’s great divine dragon power will be able to eliminate any disease.”

“Hmm….”

At Magreta’s words, Shai Khan was lost in thought for a moment.

‘We can’t keep fighting forever. Even if we win against the Baroque Empire, it’s all for naught if our national power is depleted.’

Shai Khan had mobilized monsters to raise the national power of the Kingdom of Livia to an amazing level in a short period of time.

However, it was still not at the level to compete with the Baroque Empire.

That was why he had been consistently using defensive tactics whenever the enemy attacked.

In his heart, he wanted to lead the army and march to Nemesis right away, but with the current national power of the Kingdom of Livia, it was a reckless act.

‘If the war continues, there won’t be time to increase the power of the Dragonian [a person with dragon blood]. If we’re not careful, we won’t be able to conquer the continent, let alone avenge our enemies.’

As he felt such impatience, Magreta’s suggestion was quite appealing.

Moreover, if he could treat the imperial army and people infected with the epidemic with the power of the divine dragon, he thought it would be easy to take control of the Baroque Empire.

Of course, these thoughts were based on the premise that he could treat Bers with the power of the divine dragon, but Shai Khan vaguely judged that it was possible.

The power that the divine dragon Tiamat had passed down to him was what had pushed him, who was destined to die in the wilderness, to this point.

That was why Shai Khan believed in the power of the divine dragon. He believed that it would never betray his expectations and wishes.

“Good. Let’s do as you suggested.”

“Your Majesty, no!”

When Shai Khan accepted Magreta’s suggestion, Butler and Count Felipe, who had been opposing it, tried to dissuade him.

“I know what you are worried about. But this is a good opportunity to defeat the Baroque Empire. If we don’t act recklessly or clumsily, I believe it will be of great benefit to us.”

The king’s decision was not reversed.

While some nobles felt uneasy and worried, Shai Khan secretly began to implement a plan to use the Baroque Empire’s operation in reverse.