Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 118

5. The Underground Ruins of the Imperial Palace

1

‘This is the underground prison?’

After passing through two more gates and descending further, Luke surveyed his surroundings. He had imagined the underground prison to be dirty and desolate, but the area, lit by magical lights, was brighter and cleaner than he expected. Even the walls were adorned with intricate and beautiful carvings at regular intervals.

‘This looks more like a dungeon from the Magic Civilization era.’

The carvings’ patterns and characters were in the style of the ancient Avalon Empire. Moreover, the carvings depicted not humans but fairies, elves, and dwarves. These figures had vivid expressions and attire, as if they might leap from the walls at any moment.

‘Come to think of it, there was a story about the Imperial Palace. It’s said that before the Kingdom of Livia, the predecessor to the Baroque Empire, fell, there was an old temple here dedicated to the earth goddess, Belise.’

According to rumors Phillip had heard while serving as a Royal Guard, the last princess of the Kingdom of Livia was the high priestess of this temple. The princess wasn’t treated as royalty because she had the blood of a lowly fairy mixed in her veins, but she didn’t cooperate with the usurper, Duke Carno de Baroque, at all.

‘When the Kingdom of Livia fell due to the coup, some Royal Guards fled to this temple with the royal seal. The princess closed all the doors, preventing the rebels from entering.’

Fearing the goddess’s wrath for spilling blood in the sacred temple, Carno de Baroque waited for the princess and the Royal Guards to come out, keeping the temple surrounded. He thought they would soon give up and crawl out because the temple had limited water and food.

‘But a week passed, then a month, and the people holed up in the temple didn’t come out. Puzzled, the Duke broke down the door and entered, but he couldn’t find them. Not even their bodies were left behind.’

Of course, the royal seal wasn’t found either. Duke Baroque raged and tracked down the princess’s party, but he couldn’t find them anywhere on the continent.

‘But the strange events didn’t end there. After that, priests and knights investigating the temple continued to go missing. Even Duke Baroque’s youngest son disappeared after coming to investigate out of curiosity.’

So, unsettling rumors spread among the people. Some said that the goddess Belise, feeling sorry for the princess’s party, had punished the traitors, while others said she had sent the princess’s party far away.

‘Eventually, after the usurper Duke Baroque died, his eldest son, who succeeded to the throne, demolished the temple, which had become the source of rumors. He built a new palace on top of it, which is the current Baroque Imperial Palace.’

‘Hmm, that eldest son wasn’t afraid of the gods, it seems.’

Perhaps he was more afraid of the old forces who followed the last descendant of the Kingdom of Livia rising up than divine punishment. In any case, Luke showed an interesting reaction to Phillip’s story because he knew about Princess Sophia, the protagonist of the story from 500 years ago.

‘Princess Sophia’s mother was an elf brought as a slave. Because of that, she wasn’t treated as royalty and was confined to the temple when she was young…’

During his time as Seymon, the fairies under his command had once suggested siding with Princess Sophia. They reasoned that if they put her, a mixed-blood but still of royal lineage, at the forefront, they could easily conquer the Kingdom of Livia. However, Luke had rejected the offer. He thought that she, as a priestess, would never follow him, a dark magician.

‘Besides, Princess Sophia had a very upright personality. It’s no wonder she didn’t cooperate with the usurper, Carno de Baroque.’

The problem was the truth of that old story. It could be either that the goddess really helped them, or that there was another secret. Luke judged that the latter was more likely. Unless it was a major event like the invasion of the demon realm, the divine realm would never intervene, and there were many traces of the magic era left here.

‘Perhaps 500 years ago, Princess Sophia’s party received help from the ancient mysterious power or magic in the temple’s underground.’

While Luke was thinking this, Phillip, who was looking at the map given to him by Henri, tilted his head and asked, ‘But the underground prison is a place I don’t know about either, so how could your friend Henri make a map of it?’

‘He said he made it with information he got from an old man who used to work as a guard here and then retired.’

The old man didn’t seem to have told Henri about the ancient ruins, or perhaps he didn’t know about them at all. In fact, knowledge of ancient times was mostly known only to scholars, magicians, and some nobles, so it wasn’t strange that a guard wouldn’t know about it.

‘I sense people approaching from the front.’

At the words of the agent leading the way, everyone stuck close to the walls or hid behind pillars. Soon after, a middle-aged man wearing black clothes, the symbol of a guard, hummed a tune as he walked towards Luke’s group.

‘A traveler of life—where did you come from, where are you going… Huh!’

Luke suddenly appeared and placed the tip of his sword against the guard’s throat, causing the guard to look terrified. ‘Why, why are you doing this? Who are you people?’

Although Luke was wearing the Royal Guard uniform, the guard didn’t see him as a Royal Guard. The underground prison wasn’t a place where even Royal Guards could enter without permission. Only those who had received a special order from the Emperor were allowed to enter.

‘You don’t need to be curious about who we are. Where is Count Ferrero?’

‘If you, if you let him escape, His Majesty the Emperor will not forgive… Hiiik!’

The guard’s face turned pale as the blade pierced his skin. ‘Are you more afraid of the Emperor who is far away, or me who is right in front of you?’

‘N-n-n-noble sir. Please, just spare my life.’

The guard begged with his hands clasped together. Phillip and the agents of Team 1 looked dumbfounded at his groveling. They had thought that a guard guarding the underground prison of the Imperial Palace would be at least as capable as a Royal Guard, if not more so, or at least that he would be so loyal to the Emperor that they would have to torture him for more than 10 minutes. But the guard was just an ordinary human being with no abilities at all.

‘I’ll spare your life, so lead us to where Count Ferrero is.’

‘Yes, yes! Please follow me.’

Luke kept his sword pointed at the guard’s neck to prevent him from playing any tricks. He had been trapped by fairies before, so he never let his guard down, even with ordinary humans.

2

After walking for a while, they came to two stone doors. The stone doors were covered with metaphysical patterns, numbers, and symbols. The guard approached the left stone door and pressed the patterns and symbols on the door in turn.

Grrr-grrr-grrr!

As the thick stone door opened, the desolate underground prison that everyone imagined appeared before them. Luke’s group didn’t know it, but this underground prison was created by the Baroque Imperial Family by utilizing a part of the ancient Avalon Empire’s dungeon.

‘Count Ferrero is in the third room on the left.’

‘But what is that stone door over there?’

When Luke pointed to the right stone door, the guard looked troubled. ‘I don’t know either. When I was assigned to this job, His Majesty didn’t tell me anything about it.’

The reason the guard was able to work here was because he was a distant relative of the Baroque Imperial Family. He was practically a stranger and had no abilities, but Rudolf considered that an advantage. Those who were good with swords didn’t like such stuffy places, and those who called themselves magicians or scholars were more interested in other things than managing prisons. Moreover, the possibility of an intruder entering the underground prison was extremely low, so there was no need to keep a highly skilled person there. All they needed was a human who could torture prisoners and occasionally give them food.

‘To be honest, I’ve tried to open it because I was curious, but I couldn’t budge it with my strength. Moreover, I feel like I lose my strength when I go near that door…’

‘Loses strength?’

At the guard’s words, Luke recalled the time he had fallen into Nanas’s trap. At that time, when he went to the dark forest where the trap was set, he had difficulty breathing, and the movement of the black circle in his heart had slowed down. The cause was the trap set by Nanas… no, it was because of the place where the trap was located—a vortex of ether that sucked in all power, whether it was aura, mana, or divine power. Could it be that it was beyond that iron door? Was the stone door made to prevent access to it?

While Luke was wondering, Phillip, who had rushed into the underground prison, checked on Count Ferrero’s condition. ‘Vice-Commander! Are you alright?’

At the sound of his old title, Ferrero, who was huddled against one wall, raised his head. ‘Phillip, is that you?’

‘Yes, it’s me. I’ve come to take you away, Vice-Commander.’

Ferrero chuckled at Phillip’s words as he broke down the prison cell door with his aura. ‘What are you talking about? I am your enemy.’

Ferrero had ears, so he knew roughly what had happened to Phillip. He had become a full-fledged Sword Master and the commander of the First Army of the Symphonia Kingdom. When he heard the news, Ferrero was secretly pleased. It seemed that Phillip had met a good lord and spread his wings. He was glad that his eye for talent hadn’t been wrong. It was a pity that they would have to cross swords on the battlefield someday, but he thought that was the fate of a knight. But now Phillip was right in front of him.

‘I have no intention of betraying the Empire. I don’t know how you got here, but go back.’

‘Then do you have any intention of betraying the Emperor?’

The one who asked that was Luke. ‘You are definitely…!’

Ferrero turned his gaze and his eyes widened. He hadn’t expected the leader of the enemy nation, the very person whom Emperor Rudolf called a traitor, to appear here. Regardless of Pedro’s reaction, Luke continued to speak.

‘You don’t want to abandon the people, even if you don’t care about the Emperor. Is that why you said you wouldn’t betray the Empire?’

Ferrero’s eyes wavered as Luke hit the nail on the head. He already felt that he was too far from Emperor Rudolf to ever return. Nevertheless, the reason he couldn’t easily think of betraying him was because of the people. If he ran away or gave up, there would be no one to protect the powerless people from the tyrant.

‘Well, your decision is important. But how about making a bet with me?’

‘A bet?’

Luke nodded at Ferrero’s question. ‘Didn’t you say you wanted to fight me with swords before? Once you get out of prison and recover to some extent, I’ll grant your wish.’

‘There must be a condition. If I lose, do I have to become your subordinate?’

‘That’s right. But if you win, take my head back to Rudolf. The Emperor will be very pleased and will surely forgive your sins.’

‘Your Majesty!’

Phillip and the agents were startled by Luke’s unexpected proposal. Even if he was a king, there were things he should say and things he shouldn’t. However, Luke raised his hand to them as if to say not to object, and looked at Ferrero and asked, ‘What will you do? Will you accept? Or will you refuse?’

‘Hmph, I accept. I’ve wanted to fight you someday, no matter what.’

Ferrero had desired to test his strength against Luke ever since their first encounter at the Baroque Imperial Palace years ago.

He had sensed a strong presence and composure from Luke, even though he was only a mid-level Expert at the time.

Now, with his swordsmanship greatly improved and his magical abilities as a Rune Knight enhanced, his desire to fight Luke had only intensified.

‘Good thinking.’

*Clang!*

With a slight smile, Luke swung his sword, shattering the magical seal that bound Count Ferrero.

‘Let’s get out of this gloomy place for now. Sir Phillip, please assist Count Ferrero.’

‘I don’t need it. I still have the strength to walk on my own two feet.’

Ferrero declined the offer of help and stood up, though he swayed slightly.

Phillip watched him with a concerned look, but thankfully, Ferrero managed to walk without collapsing.

Just as Luke and his group were exiting the prison, urgent voices and screams erupted from outside the stone door of the underground prison, among the agents guarding the perimeter.

‘W-what are these things?’

‘Monsters! Be careful!’

Luke, sensing an unusual mana [magical energy] surge, rushed out, not just because of the shouts.

*Grrr, grrr!*

*Crack!*

The agents outside the stone door were facing dozens of stone dolls.

The stone dolls, shaped like fairies, elves, and dwarves, were identical to the sculptures they had seen on their way here.

Looking at the empty spaces on the walls, it was clear that these were the very same sculptures.

‘Golems? No, in this case, they’re dungeon guardians.’

Golems were controlled by a mage, but dungeon guardians acted autonomously.

‘But how did they move?’

Dungeon guardians came in various forms.

Some resembled living creatures like monsters or chimeras, while others were made of metal or stone, like animated armor or gargoyles.

They all shared one common trait: they were always charged with mana, allowing them to move at any time.

They would remain in a charged state, activating immediately upon detecting an intruder.

However, Luke hadn’t sensed any mana from the stone dolls earlier.

That’s why he had simply dismissed them as sculptures and passed them by.

‘Did someone secretly inject mana into them? Either way, I have to deal with them.’

These stone dolls, created during the ancient magic civilization to guard magic towers or dungeons, possessed considerable combat power, comparable to Sword Expert-level knights.

Luke, having explored several ancient dungeons during his time as Seymon, was familiar with the combat capabilities and weaknesses of stone dolls.

He immediately advised the bewildered agents.

‘Don’t be surprised! Infuse your swords with aura [a warrior’s life force] and stab their heads or hearts! If you break the magic stone inside, they will stop!’

Luke drew his sword to demonstrate and stabbed a gargoyle.

But an unexpected situation occurred.

With a *clang*, the sword bounced off.

‘What? Why?’

Not only that, but the aura on the sword had vanished, as if it had been absorbed by the stone doll.

As Luke was dumbfounded, the urgent cries of the agents reached his ears.

‘Your Majesty, swords don’t work on these things!’

‘Not only that, but they’re absorbing our aura!’

It was bad enough that they were deflecting and absorbing attacks, but what was even more absurd was that the stone dolls were using the absorbed aura.

This was evident from the fact that they were emitting the same color aura as the agent who had struck them with his sword.

‘Could it be, magic too?’

Just in case, Luke threw a fire bolt at the stone dolls.

The magical fire arrow, which was flying towards the stone dolls shaped like lycanthropes and dwarves, changed direction mid-flight and flew towards a fairy-shaped stone doll.

And just like the aura, it was absorbed, and then it shot a fire bolt back at Luke.

‘Tch, this brings back unpleasant memories.’

The unpleasant memory of his power being sucked into something.

Luke, reminded of when he had fallen into Nanas’ trap, frowned and dodged the fire bolt.

‘Keeek!’

A guard who was trying to escape, taking advantage of the fact that Luke and his party were focused on the stone dolls, was hit by a fire bolt and died instantly.

But neither Luke nor anyone else paid him any attention.

‘How do I smash these things?’

If he used magic, swordsmanship, or the power of the demons that was stronger than what they could absorb, he might be able to destroy them.

However, if he did that, he would quickly become exhausted.

Moreover, the stone dolls’ attack methods were very tricky and annoying.

The ones shaped like dwarves and lycanthropes swung axes and maces in front, the elf-shaped stone dolls shot stone arrows from the middle, and the fairy-like ones diligently fired fire and ice magic from the rear.

Because they were so well-coordinated, it was difficult for the party, except for Luke and Phillip, to withstand the attacks.

They couldn’t retreat back into the prison either.

The moment they went in there, they would be like rats in a trap.

‘Your Majesty, what should we do?’

‘Your Majesty!’

The stone dolls continued to multiply, and the subordinates fighting them were being injured and falling one by one.

In that situation, everyone looked to Luke.

They expected that their lord, who possessed extraordinary abilities, would overcome this difficulty.

‘I have no choice. I have to push through.’

Thinking so, Luke looked at Phillip and said,

‘It’s a forced breakthrough! Give it your all!’

‘Yes, Your Majesty!’

Luke and Phillip unleashed their impact aura with all their might and attacked the stone dolls in front of them.

Count Ferrero, who was behind them, also realized that the situation was turning unfavorable and borrowed a sword to join the fight.

*Crack!*

*Kwaang!*—!

Luke’s guess was correct. It seemed that there was a limit to the power they could absorb, as the stone dolls hit by the impact aura were destroyed.

‘I’ve cleared a path, so follow me…!’

Luke’s eyes widened as he was about to say ‘follow me.’

The pieces of the stone doll he had just smashed were gathering and regenerating.

‘What the heck!’

Luke, frowning at this unheard-of event, deployed a shield to block the stone arrows and magic attacks flying towards him.

The stone dolls, recognizing him as the most dangerous threat, focused their attacks on him.

While blocking the attacks, Luke gritted his teeth.

‘Damn Avalon bastards. How could they make such annoying things!’

If he wasn’t in such a critical situation, he would have been amazed by the magical abilities of the ancient Avalon fairies who had created such ingenious dungeon guardians.

But he didn’t have time for that now.

It was crucial to get out of this place safely, no matter what.

‘Let’s find a way! There must be a way!’

Luke, not wanting to make this place his grave, desperately racked his brain.

3

‘Heh heh heh. They’re completely stuck, as expected.’

Emperor Rudolf, looking at the magical three-dimensional map in front of him, wore a sinister smile.

In the underground prison area, several red dots were currently blocked from escaping by countless green dots.

As time passed, the red dots were disappearing one by one.

‘Your Majesty, what is this…?’

Voltaire had asked this question for the fifth time.

Rudolf, who had been staring at the magical three-dimensional map without any response, turned his gaze to Voltaire when he saw a somewhat satisfactory result.

‘Hmm? What did you say, Count Voltaire?’

‘I asked what these magical devices are. I had no idea that such things existed in Your Majesty’s office.’

‘Of course. This is a top secret known only to the successive emperors.’

Voltaire felt a chill run down his spine at Rudolf’s words.

He had suspected it, but it was indeed a top secret.

Voltaire became anxious, wondering if he would be killed without a trace for seeing something he shouldn’t have.

He had already fallen out of favor with the emperor once before.

‘You must know the legend passed down in the Imperial Palace, right? The story of the last princess of the old Livia Kingdom who disappeared with the imperial seal.’

‘Yes, I thought it was a story made up by the historians of the past…?’

‘That’s how it was known. But it was real. The story of the goddess Beliz hiding the princess, or the founding emperor’s meritorious subjects being dragged to hell, is all lies.’

Emperor Rudolf, rising from his seat, looked at the portrait of the first emperor hanging on one side of the office and continued to speak.

‘Long ago, during the magic civilization era, there was a magic tower here that conducted unique magic research. It was a place that researched areas that were considered impossible even in that era when magic was dazzlingly developed.’

‘If it was an impossible area…?’

‘Time and space.’

At the emperor’s words, Voltaire shook his head as if it was absurd.

He didn’t know much about magic, but he knew well enough that the two things the emperor had just mentioned belonged to the realm of the gods.

At Voltaire’s reaction, Rudolf smiled thinly as if he had expected it and continued to speak.

‘You wouldn’t believe it. But they achieved some success with space. Although rare, things like ‘subspace items’ that can hold numerous items were created.’

Subspace items created in the ancient magic era occasionally appeared in the world through ancient ruins.

Luke’s subspace bracelet was one of them.

‘Even if we accept space, isn’t time impossible? Traveling to the past or future is something that is only mentioned in novels that commoners read.’

Rudolf shook his head at Voltaire’s rebuttal.

‘If they achieved success with space, how can you say that time is impossible?’

‘Does he really think it’s possible?’

Regardless of Voltaire’s inner bewilderment, Rudolf continued to speak.

‘Anyway, the ancient fairy magicians who succeeded in creating space continued their research on time. And they came to the conclusion that an enormous amount of magic power, equal to the power of a god, was needed to manipulate time.’

It is impossible for a human to have magic power equal to the power of a god. Their body would not be able to withstand it.

So, the ancient mages sought to draw power from nature.

Searching for places where they could obtain large amounts of mana from nature, like mana fields, they finally found the perfect spot.

‘Is that place this imperial palace?’

‘Yes, the place where the underground prison is located draws in not only mana and aura but all the power that exists in the world. Even people who stay near it for too long have their life force sucked out and wither away.’

‘So that’s why they built a prison there?’

While Voltaire was sweating, Rudolf continued to speak.

‘Even after the magic civilization fell and the magic towers disappeared, the strange phenomenon of that place did not vanish. So, ignorant later generations sealed it off and built a temple on top, hoping the ominous phenomenon would disappear.’

Of course, that didn’t make the phenomenon disappear.

It was just that after the temple was built, traffic decreased, reducing the damage, and they believed the curse had disappeared.

‘I’ve digressed a bit. Anyway, the ancient fairy mages continued their research based on the enormous power gathered in that place. They also studied the flow of that power and created experimental weapons.’

Those experimental weapons are currently driving back the intruders.

Of course, it was Rudolf who awakened them.

The ancient magical artifacts obtained by the second emperor during the construction of the imperial palace not only allowed mana to be injected into the weapons in the underground dungeon to make them move but also allowed him to grasp the terrain and structures around the imperial palace at a glance.

‘But it was only at an experimental level. It could only be used inside the ruins. The ruins remaining underground are the same. They can’t be moved outside, and there’s no way to control the devices inside the ruins.’

In fact, the disappearance incidents that occurred in the past were accidents that happened because they couldn’t control the devices in the ruins during excavation.

‘Then what about now?’

‘We’re still researching at the Imperial Magic Tower… but we haven’t found a way to control them yet.’

Actually, they had found a clue.

It was possible to use aether, the source of all power, including mana, aura, and divine power, and what was used when the world was created.

The problem was that professional research on aether had not been conducted.

Marquis Kepler, the Meister [Master] of the Imperial Magic Tower, reported that it would take quite a bit of time to achieve results in this area.

‘If a way to control the ruins appears during my lifetime, it might be possible to reverse everything that has happened so far. Just like the ancient fairies tried to reverse their mistakes.’

Rudolf’s eyes showed a desolate emotion as he said that.

The images of the princes and princesses he had killed with his own hands came to mind.

‘If I could turn back time, I might be able to prevent that tragedy. No, I will definitely stop it!’

The elders and high-ranking mages of the Imperial Magic Tower, who were in charge of this research, feared that they would be punished by the gods for meddling in the divine realm.

But Rudolf was not afraid of divine punishment.

He already considered himself abandoned by both gods and demons.

‘Anyway, dealing with the intruders is the most important thing right now.’

Voltaire said, pointing to the magical holographic map.

The red dots that were collapsing were breaking through the green dots and heading towards the entrance. The closer they got to the entrance, the more the green dots decreased.

‘There are troops waiting outside the entrance, but at this rate, they might escape.’

‘That won’t happen. They’ll turn to ash.’

Rudolf smiled meaningfully and placed his hand on the crystal ornament again.

As he controlled the ornament as he had heard from the previous emperor, the green dots began to flicker.

‘It’s a shame, but if it’s to eliminate those who are skilled and bold enough to come to rescue Ferrero, it’s not a bad deal.’

Voltaire didn’t know what the emperor had done.

However, judging from his bitter smile, it seemed that the intruders’ fate would end underground.

‘I can do it. I can escape!’

Luke and his group, who were continuing their forced breakthrough through the encirclement of the stone dolls, were puzzled when the stone dolls suddenly stopped attacking and retreated all at once.

‘Your Majesty, why are those things suddenly doing that?’

‘It seems like their appearance is gradually turning red?’

Even without Phillip and his subordinates’ words, Luke had anticipated that something unusual was about to happen.

He could sense the mana inside the magic stones of the stone dolls going berserk.

There was only one thing that could happen in this case.

‘Everyone, get down!’

KWA-AA-AAANG!

No sooner had Luke finished speaking than the stone dolls exploded all at once.

A tremendous flash and blast of fire filled the passage, engulfing Luke and his group.

4

The Royal Magic Tower of Artenia.

A very special guest visited this place today, which is considered the best magic tower on the continent, not just within the Holy Empire.

It was Veronica III, the Pope of the Holy Artenia Empire.

Upon hearing of the Pope’s visit, the high-ranking officials of the magic tower, including Meister Marquis Reas, hurriedly came out to greet her.

It wasn’t that the Pope hadn’t visited before, but it was unprecedented for her to come without prior notice.

Reas, who had respectfully greeted the Pope as she got out of the carriage, spoke with a bewildered expression.

‘Your, Your Holiness. What brings you here so suddenly…?’

‘I just wanted to stop by while I was inspecting the vicinity. But I’m worried that I might be disturbing your research.’

‘Disturbing? Not at all.’

In fact, Marquis Reas was initially displeased with Veronica III.

Regardless of whether she was an angel or not, he thought she was a puppet of the corrupt and tyrannical Constantine faction.

So, he had expressed his dissatisfaction with this when he met Grand Duke Gregory in the past and had subtly encouraged a rebellion.

However, after the civil war, the Pope changed as if she had become a different person.

She boldly ousted the Constantine faction and promoted various talented individuals to implement reform policies, thus revitalizing the Holy Empire.

Because of these actions, Marquis Reas had a new perspective on the Pope.

‘In the end, the Grand Duke was right.’

The Pope, or rather, Reina, spoke to him as he was smiling awkwardly.

‘I’d like to look around inside, would that be alright?’

‘Of course. I will guide you.’

Before the tour, Reina changed into a magic tower robe. She didn’t want to surprise or inconvenience the mages and staff working on the front lines.

Moreover, since she had minimized the number of attendants, the general mages and staff of the magic tower didn’t even know that the Pope had visited.

The Royal Magic Tower of the Holy Empire was quite large, with a long history.

It consisted of dozens of stone buildings, various workshops, and warehouses, and there were many important and interesting places to see.

In the Gigant Assembly Workshop, Reas proudly showed off the pure white Gigant [a large humanoid war machine], saying,

‘This is the Hero-class Gigant Veda that our magic tower is producing. It’s already strong enough, but we plan to further improve its performance by incorporating the new Gigant technology and information from the Baroque Empire that the intelligence department recently obtained.’

‘I see.’

Reina smiled after hearing Reas’s story.

The new Gigant of the Baroque Empire that he mentioned was the Veritas Magic Tower’s Atlas.

Luke, who had been constantly trying to keep the Baroque Empire in check, had given Reina a copy of the Atlas blueprints after their wedding.

Of course, it would seem a bit strange if she said she had obtained it through the Pope’s miracle, so he had instructed the intelligence department to secretly deliver it to the Artenia Royal Magic Tower.

Marquis Reas was boasting without knowing that.

‘Gigants are good, but I’d like to see the research of the medical mages. I heard that a terrible epidemic has recently occurred in the Baroque Empire.’

‘Ah, I’ve heard about it too. I heard that something terrible happened.’

The disease was bad, but the response was even more brutal.

They gathered tens of thousands of patients and suspected infected people in one place and burned them to death, and the people of the imperial capital who protested against this were branded as rebels and were indiscriminately arrested or executed.

In the end, they stopped the spread of the disease with terrifying infectious power, but the public sentiment in the imperial capital became very turbulent.

‘There’s no guarantee that such a thing won’t happen in our country. History shows that various epidemics have occurred regularly, taking many lives.’

‘Of course, but Your Holiness is in this country, isn’t she?’

Perhaps the person with the best healing ability in the middle world is the Pope. She had already performed miracles several times in the square in front of the Holy Palace, healing many patients with incurable diseases.

‘It’s true that I have a special ability. But there are many people who are sick and dying in places where my eyes cannot reach and my hands cannot touch. They would need medicine and doctors who can treat them by their side more than a distant miracle.’

‘I see. I was short-sighted.’

Marquis Reas nodded at Reina’s words.

The reason why the Pope is currently receiving enthusiastic support from the people is not because she is displaying miraculous spiritual powers.

The main reason was that she had revised the tax policy through reforms, stabilized prices, reduced the burden on the people, and improved their quality of life.

‘So, even though strange rumors came out and the opposition criticized her, her position didn’t waver.’

The story that the Pope was a princess of the destroyed Volga Kingdom was now quite widespread.

However, there were more people who didn’t believe the rumors than those who did.

Moreover, even those who believed the rumors thought that the main god had selected Princess Reina, who had been doing good deeds since before, as an angel, or that the Constantine faction had tried to seize power by making the princess a puppet pope and had been backstabbed.

While Marquis Reas was thinking about a series of things, Reina continued to speak.

‘Besides, I heard that there are quite a few refugees coming to our country due to the civil war in the Baroque Empire. The sanitation conditions in the refugee camps where they are staying are poor…!’

‘Your Holiness?’

Reina, who had stopped speaking midway, turned pale.

Not only that, but her unfocused pupils widened, and her whole body trembled like an aspen.

‘Your Holiness! Are you alright?!’

Reas hurriedly supported her as she was about to fall. The holy knights who had been quietly following also approached in surprise.

Fortunately, Reina quickly regained consciousness, but the blood did not easily return to her pale face.

‘What did I just see?’

It wasn’t something she saw with her eyes, but suddenly a scene flashed in her mind.

A field with a thick, murky fog.

There were countless people collapsed as if a war had broken out.

Beyond the corpses, Luke stood, horribly mutilated.

On the opposite side of him, who was barely supporting his collapsing body with a broken sword, stood a cold-looking knight emanating a gray aura from his whole body.

The knight, who looked very similar to Luke, was holding a golden sword with an ominous aura.

The knight raised the golden sword high above his head and struck down at Luke.

‘Ah, no!’

Reina hurriedly tried to shout at Luke to run away.

But her lips didn’t move at all. It was as if her body was being controlled by someone.

FLASH!

The scene that flashed in her mind ended with a white light flying in at the last moment.

‘Was it a precognitive dream? Did something happen to him?’

Her heart, which was pounding from the ominous vision, did not calm down easily.

Cold sweat continued to flow down her forehead.

So, Reina tried to make a magical communication with the crystal ball that was directly connected to Luke, which she always carried with her.

But for some reason, it didn’t connect at all.

With an uneasy heart, she caressed the gold ring that Luke had given her and offered a sincere prayer.

‘Great Lord Elkasel, Mother of the Earth, Beliz! Please protect him.’