Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 148

7. The Aftermath of the Battle

1

A remote, rocky island lay far from the Rodisia continent.

On this island, long forgotten, stood a massive lighthouse.

Its shape and architectural style suggested it had been built during the ancient magic era.

Phat!

Suddenly, a bright light flashed within the lighthouse, which had been untouched by human hands for ages.

However, the light was not a pure, bright color, but a gloomy red.

The red light, which briefly illuminated the lighthouse, moved like a firefly and entered the interior.

Inside, a large room held several stone coffins.

The red light, moving between the coffins as if choosing one, finally settled on the central coffin.

Then, the bizarrely patterned magic circle engraved on the coffin flashed red, and the lid began to slide open.

Drrrrrk!

“Kueeehk!”

The lid opened, and a gaunt, naked man emerged, radiating a cold aura.

However, as the man’s body came into contact with the air, it began to burn away, emitting white smoke, and soon only a gaunt skeleton remained.

The skeleton, emerging from the coffin, frowned fiercely as if filled with deep resentment, and then let out a savage roar.

“Luke. Ugh-! I. will. absolutely. not. let. you. get. away. with. this. Aaaaargh!”

A grating voice, like nails scratching glass, filled the air.

The one who had just risen from the coffin was the Lich Arsen.

Having lost his body, which he had used for the past 500 years, after being defeated by Luke, he had secretly resurrected on this rocky island where he had hidden his life vessel [a container holding a lich’s soul].

He had moved to a new body prepared here in case of an emergency.

Looking around, Arsen gritted his teeth.

“I. will. definitely. chew. your. flesh. and. blood, Luke… Kuehk!”

Arsen staggered and clutched his chest, unable to finish his sentence.

A lich can resurrect at any time as long as their life vessel is safe.

However, this doesn’t mean they are unaffected when their body is destroyed.

Just as the brain feels sensations through nerves spread throughout the body, a lich senses its surroundings and controls its body through an ethereal form separated from the soul stored in the life vessel.

Most attacks cannot destroy or damage that ethereal form.

However, the holy sword Belliont, wielded by Luke, had dealt a tremendous blow to the ethereal form that was controlling his body.

It was like a part of his soul being cut off, a shock equivalent to that for a human.

Still, like a monster who had lived for over 500 years, Arsen quickly regained his senses.

The pain from just now had actually benefited him.

It had calmed his raging anger and allowed him to coldly plan his revenge.

‘This body is a replica of my original body made with dark magic, but I can’t win against him with this.’

Since it was a replicated body, the magic power contained in the black circle of his heart was at the level it was 500 years ago.

That alone was impressive.

However, the amount and quality of magic power were bound to be lower than in the body he had used before.

Of course, with the knowledge he had accumulated over the past 500 years, he would be able to recover his former abilities after some training.

However, considering Luke’s growth rate, it was certain that he would be much stronger when he recovered his original strength.

Moreover, he even had a holy sword, though he didn’t know where he had gotten it.

‘Should I just wait for him to die? No, it will take too long, and I can’t stop the great work I’ve already started.’

The average lifespan of modern Rodisians is about 30 years.

Excluding factors such as infant mortality and wars, which are quite common among the common people, it was about 50 years.

The average lifespan of nobles was about 20-30 years longer than that of commoners, and great mages or Sword Sage-level knights lived much longer than that.

They even became young again through the body change phenomenon [a magical process that extends lifespan and restores youth].

A prime example was Grand Duke Gregory of the Holy Empire.

He was already over 120 years old, but it was estimated that he would live for several more decades.

In Arsen’s view, it seemed impossible that Luke, who had skills superior to Gregory, would die young.

‘What should I do? How can I kill him?’

Arsen paced around the lighthouse, lost in thought for a while.

‘It might be possible if I could take over the body of someone as strong as Luke… but the problem is, is there anyone on the continent as strong as him?’

The first person that came to Arsen’s mind was Emperor Rudolf of the Baroque Empire.

He was publicly known as a Sword Sage [a master swordsman], but Arsen knew that his skills were equivalent to those of the former hero Rakan, a Sword Emperor [an even higher rank of swordsmanship].

His pure knightly skills would be superior to Luke’s.

‘But that guy only knows swordsmanship.’

Rudolf had not trained in magic or dark magic.

Therefore, even if the lich Arsen were to obtain his body, it would be useless.

He had considered making him a guardian to attack Luke, but he quickly gave up.

He had already seen Hiros, who was made from the body of the hero Rakan, be defeated.

‘It has to be someone as strong as Luke and also excellent in magic, but Rune Knights [knights who use magic] are not that common…’

Arsen’s steps stopped abruptly as he struggled.

As if something had come to mind, he wore a thick smile on his face.

“Yes, there is!”

There was a suitable person.

It was King Shaikhan of the Livia Kingdom.

His real name was Reikart de Baroque, the third son of the former emperor of the Baroque Empire.

In other words, he was Rudolf’s half-brother.

According to Nesta and Albert, he was a draconian [a human with dragon blood] who inherited the blood of the divine dragon Tiamat, and the only being on the continent who could use dragon language magic.

‘All I know about dragon language magic is what is left in ancient records. But I already have the spiritual power of a dragon, so it’s not a power I can’t handle.’

Having judged that, Arsen made up his mind.

He decided to make Shaikhan’s body his own.

‘If I do that, I can bring the Livia Kingdom under my control and use it as a stepping stone to achieve my great work.’

Thinking that, Arsen’s mind became impatient.

He decided to hurry back to Thanatos Island and discuss the matter with Nesta, Albert, and other leaders of the Veritas Magic Tower to proceed with the plan.

“Keh. Keh. Keh! Wait. for. me, Luke. I. will. definitely. go. and. cut. off. your. head!”

Arsen’s laughter, which flowed out of the gloomy lighthouse, spread outside.

His unpleasant laughter, which echoed even amidst the strong wind and waves, reverberated far away.

2

Enbury City, where the fierce battle between Luke and Arsen had taken place.

Knights of the Symphonia Kingdom arrived in this city, more than half of which had been destroyed by the battle between the two superhumans.

They had been delayed due to the undead situation in the south, which had caused confusion when they were about to depart under the command of Commander Rogers. They were now focusing all their efforts on rescuing survivors buried under the rubble and recovering the bodies.

“Hey, move it, move it!”

“Can’t you hear the groans of the people buried under the collapsed buildings!”

“What is Gigant doing! You have to clear that pile of stones!”

At the urging of the commanders, the riders ran around, carrying out rescue operations.

As it went on for more than a day, complaints slowly began to surface.

“Oh, come on! I thought we were coming to fight a bloody battle, but all we’re doing is this manual labor!”

“Well, you’re better off than me. I feel like I’ve become a delivery man. Carry water, carry food… Is this what Gigant riders are supposed to do?”

The knights grumbled, but they did their jobs.

They felt that they had to make up for being late.

“But what about His Majesty?”

“He’s busy treating the injured, comforting the survivors, and receiving various reports.”

Although he had defeated Arsen, Luke had no time to rest.

Fortunately, Grand Duke Gregory had subjugated the undead that had appeared in the south, but the restoration of the damage was entirely his responsibility.

“That damn lich, I’ll tear him to pieces!”

Luke was furious as he looked at the reports of casualties and property damage submitted by the administrators.

In Enbury City alone, 20,000 people had been killed or injured, and more than half of the stationed soldiers had been killed in action.

In addition, the total amount of damage to the destroyed Gigants [large, powerful war machines], city buildings, infrastructure, and civilian property exceeded 15 million pesos.

But this was not the end.

The damage reports from the southern region had not yet been received.

Although the casualties were less than in Enbury, the southern trade would be suspended for some time due to this incident.

As a result, the national treasury would be depleted, and the country’s finances would inevitably become tight.

‘Kueeehk! I swear to God, I will definitely eliminate you, Arsen!’

Luke swore that, but now his priority was to take care of the people.

After staying in Enbury for a week and comforting the citizens, Luke returned to Brenden.

Reading the damage reports from the south sent by Pavel and Marquis Volant, he had to let out another long sigh.

Still, there was something to be comforted by.

“Your Majesty, it is said that fundraising campaigns are actively taking place throughout the kingdom.”

At Sebastian’s report, Luke’s eyes sparkled.

“Fundraising campaigns? Who is leading them?”

“It’s the nobles, Your Majesty. They have some ulterior motives, but it’s not at a greatly rebellious level.”

Starting with the nobles, merchants and commoners joined the fundraising campaign to help the people of Enbury and the south.

As the saying goes, ‘many a little makes a mickle,’ the money raised was not small.

“It’s not enough to recover from this situation, but it seems significant that the upper and lower classes have united in the face of a national crisis.”

“That’s right. It’s a good sign.”

Luke smiled contentedly.

Originally, when a national crisis occurs, a series of chaotic events tend to follow.

This is because opposing forces try to seize power by criticizing the royal family or the central political world under the pretext of the crisis, or in the worst case, they start a rebellion.

This could be seen in the Baroque Empire.

Immediately after the appearance of a high-ranking demon in the imperial capital, the Baroque Empire was split into the emperor faction and the noble faction, and a civil war broke out, eventually splitting into three countries.

In addition, they were suffering from invasions by neighboring countries such as the Volga Republic and peasant revolts.

‘Hah. Actually, it’s because of me that Baroque is in that state.’

Luke was the one who brought the high-ranking demon to the imperial capital Nemesis.

However, he did not initiate all of this.

He had only thrown a spark, and as a result of others fanning the flames, it had developed into a huge disaster that burned the entire empire.

‘It can be said that there were that many dissatisfied forces.’

As the emperor’s power weakened, those who had been suppressed, including the noble faction, rose up all at once.

In fact, the Rakan family, which founded the Symphonia Kingdom, was one of those dissatisfied forces.

The Rakan family, which had a bad relationship with the Baroque imperial family, had been patiently waiting for their time for over 500 years.

‘Even if it wasn’t me, they would have definitely raised an army if a disaster had occurred in the empire. Anyway, I’m glad that my country is strong, unlike Baroque.’

The Symphonia Kingdom was a newly established country that had not been around for long.

Therefore, it was not unusual for there to be forces opposing Luke.

In particular, the local lords, who had virtually lost their military power due to the military reform, were dissatisfied in many ways.

Even if there was no rebellion, it would not be unusual for incitement to criticize the king to occur.

However, even after looking through the intelligence organization, there were no signs of such a thing.

‘Even if they are dissatisfied, the nobles know it. They know that their claims cannot be accepted.’

The common people, who were called the grass roots, had no power, but they could not govern without winning their hearts.

This was because the common people were doing all the basic economic activities of plowing the fields, making goods, and trading.

Also, the taxes that operate the kingdom come from their pockets.

If their motivation declines, the country becomes poor, and if they turn their backs, the country collapses.

Therefore, even if they rebel or incite, they needed a justification to win their hearts.

However, it was difficult for the nobles to gain justification in Symphonia now.

This was because the rule and reforms that Luke had carried out so far had prioritized the people.

So, the people believed that the recent unrest was undoubtedly the work of the Baroque Empire or the remnants of the Veritas Magic Tower.

Woo- Woong!

“What is it? Is that Reina?” Luke asked, taking out the communication crystal from his pocket and activating the magical communication from Reina.

– How have you been?

“What’s the matter, Reina? We already spoke last time,” Luke replied. He had contacted Reina immediately after defeating Arsen to prevent her from becoming anxious or acting rashly due to the delayed notification to the Holy Empire.

– Pfft, do I only contact you when something happens? I can contact you if I miss you.

“Well, that’s true, but…” Luke began, a little flustered. Reina, who had been quietly observing him, continued with a worried expression.

– You look very pale. It seems the damage is severe, just as Sir Pavel said.

“It is. But it’s not to the point where the country will collapse,” Luke reassured her, then told her about the fundraising campaign taking place in the kingdom.

“Like the saying, ‘the ground hardens after the rain,’ I believe that if we overcome this disaster well, good things will happen.”

– It will be so. I’ll also lend a hand to make the ground harden faster.

At Reina’s words, Luke waved his hand and said, “There’s no need for that. Isn’t the Holy Empire still recovering from the damage caused by the zombie incident?”

The zombie incident in Sachsen was quelled by the miracle performed by Reina. Although the people who had become zombies returned to human form, many died before they could be saved. In addition, Sachsen, a key transportation hub, was closed for a while, causing significant financial damage, and the people suffered from soaring prices.

“Marquis Leas told me after cleaning up the undead that he raided some temples to secure funds, causing the priests to jump up and down in anger,” Luke said.

– Hahaha. They have no choice but to jump up and down. They saw a miracle where gold sprang up from the feet of God.

The miracle was not performed by Reina. Gold bars, made by melting down gold from temples that had been exploiting believers for a long time, were buried under the statues of gods. The gold bars were not for the sake of God or the believers but were secretly used only for the political purposes of the sect and the private enrichment of the priests.

“Hah. So that’s what happened. But how did you find out that information? Did God tell you in a dream? Or did the Constantine faction that was captured this time confess?” Luke asked.

– A little saint sent by God told me.

“A little saint?”

– It’s a child you know well.

“Ah! You mean the heartless daughter who stayed in the Holy Empire because she liked her mother more,” Luke said, a smile spreading across his face as Karen’s image appeared on the magic crystal. Perhaps it was because Reina had been taking good care of her, but Karen looked cuter and more adorable than when he had seen her before. And she looked as dignified as a princess of a country. No, since she became Luke and Reina’s adopted daughter, should he say she had become a real princess?

Luke was thinking this when Reina, stroking Karen’s head, said, – It’s amazing. I knew she was a child with extraordinary abilities, but how did she know even that…

‘Well, it’s because Karen came from the future,’ Luke thought. Wouldn’t she have seen or heard about it in the future? It was Luke’s guess, and his prediction was roughly correct. In the future that Karen experienced, in order to fight against the Lich King Arsen’s undead army, they had emptied the hidden assets of the famous temples of the Holy Empire. Because regardless of power or political purpose, surviving was more important. However, in a situation where the entire economy of the continent had collapsed, gold was not very valuable. The resistance forces even complained that it would have been better to hide food or weapons instead of yellow lumps of stone.

“Anyway, you’re saying you’ll help your husband with the gold you got for free,” Luke said.

– We’re also in a hurry here, so I can’t provide much support, but I can send about 5 million pesos. And I’ll try to ask other countries to support the Symphonia Kingdom.

‘Hmm, support from other countries…’ Luke thought. He and his vassals had also considered that point. The problem was that there was no such thing as a free lunch in the world, and it was a diplomatic custom that if you received something, you had to give back more later. That’s why Luke was hesitant, but Reina said she would step in. If the Pope of the Holy Artenia Empire stepped in, the burden on the Symphonia Kingdom would be reduced. It wasn’t something that would be a big burden on the Holy Empire either. There would be no king or noble so bold as to make unreasonable demands on the Holy Empire, the most powerful nation on the Rodisia continent. And if they committed such rudeness, the priests and believers of the Elkasel Order in that country would be more outraged than the Holy Empire and rise up. The influence of religion was that great.

“Thank you. I’m benefiting from having such a great wife,” Luke said.

– I’ve benefited greatly from having a great husband, so I have to do this much.

After having a few more conversations with Reina, Luke ended the magical communication. Sebastian, who had been listening quietly by his side, rubbed his palms and flattered him. “As expected of the Queen! Who knew the budget problem would be solved in one go like this!”

“Yes, thanks to her, I can breathe a little easier,” Luke replied. If the Symphonia Kingdom’s budget, the donations collected by the people, and the aid from foreign countries were combined, it would be enough for the restoration costs. Luke was inwardly relieved when…

Knock knock.

A knock was heard from outside the door.

“Who is it?” Luke asked.

A familiar voice was heard in response to Luke’s question. “Your Majesty, it is Hudson, the head of the intelligence department. I have something to report, may I come in?”

“Come in,” Luke replied. As soon as his permission was given, Hudson immediately entered the office.

“Your Majesty, just now, agents abroad have sent information,” Hudson said.

“Is that so? Let’s see,” Luke said, curious about the situation outside. He took the report that Hudson handed him and examined it. The first line was about the political situation of the Baroque Empire.

“Hmm… the peasant rebellion doesn’t seem to be calming down,” Luke observed.

“Even though Emperor Rudolf is personally leading the charge to defeat the rebels in various regions, it is not stopping. Rather, even after being defeated, they are regrouping and maintaining their power,” Hudson added.

“It seems like there’s external support as well?” Luke asked.

“Yes, the Kingdom of Lybia and the Republic of Volga, which are attacking the Baroque Empire, are openly supporting them. There is also information that the leaders of the two countries will meet soon,” Hudson replied.

“Did you find out the reason?” Luke asked.

“Not yet…” Hudson said, bowing his head with a very apologetic expression.

Luke chuckled. “Anyway, it’s interesting. A snake and a raccoon are meeting.” Shaykan is with the rough monsters, but he is as dark inside as his half-brother Rudolf. Volga’s President Vladimir Lecov was also a formidable figure, so he was curious about what the two would talk about and what kind of schemes they would discuss.

“And the political situation of the Song Empire…” Luke said, reading further. The report also contained the political situation of the Song Empire.

“Yes, the conflict between the princes is spreading throughout the Southern Continent. This is not good for our country, which profits from southern trade,” Hudson said.

“Tsk, I knew this would happen, so I sent the fairies… Am I a step late?” Luke muttered. The second prince, Jo Won-gyun, had almost taken control of the Song Empire. It is said that he is leading the national affairs in place of the emperor, who has become a vegetable due to a sudden illness. However, the third prince, Jo Won-rak, had not completely collapsed. He had fled to the neighboring country of Yemaek to avoid Jo Won-gyun’s forces, and because of this, there were signs of war breaking out between Song and Yemaek.

‘There’s no quiet place anywhere,’ Luke thought. After putting out the urgent fires in the Holy Empire and the Symphonia Kingdom, now the neighbors were noisy. However, this was not the time to just sigh. He had to come up with a plan to prevent future disasters. So, Luke diligently racked his brain.

3

The Song Empire, which claims to be the ruler of the Southern Continent, had been shrouded in deep darkness for several months. There were two main reasons for this. The first concern was that the emperor had collapsed due to an unknown illness. Not only the royal physician, but also the most skilled doctors from all over the country, and even magicians from the northern continent and Taoist hermits from the Jianghu [a term referring to the martial arts world] were called in to examine him, but they could not find the cause, let alone a cure. Even though they gathered high monks from the country and held a Dharma assembly with the feeling of grasping at straws, it had no effect.

“What on earth is going on?” one official asked.

“Huu, I think it’s the Crown Prince’s fault. How much mental energy has His Majesty consumed because of the Crown Prince all this time?” another replied.

“Indeed, even the Empress has aged rapidly due to worry…” a third added. While the officials outside the palace were sighing deeply, the emperor, who had become a vegetable, was barely clinging to life while lying in bed all day. The second concern of the Song Imperial Family was Crown Prince Jo Won-gi. Originally an opium addict, he went to the Shaolin Temple, the headquarters of the Sejon Sect, to treat his opium addiction. However, less than a month after returning, he started using opium again. No matter how much the Empress scolded and begged, it was useless. Then the blame fell on the Crown Princess. The Crown Princess, who was scolded by the Empress for not properly assisting her husband, committed suicide by hanging herself in the pavilion in the back garden. She had also worked tirelessly to cure Jo Won-gi’s opium addiction, so many people felt sorry for her. In the end, the emperor completely gave up on the Crown Prince and then fell ill and collapsed. Due to these two concerns, the Taehwa Palace (太華宮) [The main palace of the Song Empire] had a dark and gloomy atmosphere all day long.

The Crown Prince’s Palace (殿) in the east of Taehwa Palace. In that place, which had lost its former atmosphere and where even the people who were still working were just watching and waiting, a hoarse shout erupted. “You, you bastards! How, how dare you not listen to my orders! I, I am the Crown Prince! The next supreme ruler of this Song Empire! Hurry up and bring me opium!” Jo Won-gi, whose hair was thinning due to severe opium addiction and whose face was yellow, shouted while trembling. However, the eunuchs and palace maids working in the Crown Prince’s Palace ignored him and did not even try to make eye contact with him. This was because if they were caught giving opium to Jo Won-gi, they would be torn apart.

“Ugh… you, you guys are really…!” Where did he get the strength? Jo Won-gi knocked over the side table where a vase was placed and ran towards the palace maids. “Kyaaak!” The startled palace maids screamed and scattered in all directions. However, one palace maid, who was slow, could not escape and was caught by Jo Won-gi. “Heeik! P, please save me, Crown Prince!” The terrified palace maid trembled and rubbed her hands together. Jo Won-gi looked at the palace maid with his blurry eyes and grinned. “Wh, who said I was going to kill you? If, if you give me opium, I’ll let you go.”

“I, I don’t have it. I don’t have it,” the palace maid stammered.

“What? You don’t have it? You don’t have it? Kuaaaak!” In disappointment, Jo Won-gi began to have a seizure. He grabbed the palace maid’s small, white neck and began to strangle her. “Kkeueueuk! S, save…” The palace maid struggled and looked at her colleagues. However, the eunuchs and palace maids were only stomping their feet behind the pillars of the palace, and no one thought of stepping forward. Even if it was rotten, it was still a prince, and even though the emperor had given up on him, he was still a prince. If they were to stop him and Jo Won-gi got even a small scratch, they would be executed.

That would also mean his entire family would be wiped out, not just him.

“Krrr…!”

Just as the palace maid’s body went limp from suffocation, surprisingly, someone stepped forward to stop Jo Won-gi.

“Your Highness, please stop and let go.”

The one who dared to touch the Crown Prince’s body was the Second Prince, Jo Won-gyun.

A large build with a square jaw.

Resembling his maternal uncle, Hwangbo Gwang, with the imposing figure of a tiger-boned warrior, Jo Won-gyun wore a meaningful smile.

“Gyu… Gyun, is that you?”

Jo Won-gi turned his head to look at his half-brother, who was holding his shoulder.

Jo Won-gyun nodded with a pitiful expression.

“Do you recognize me, little brother? How could the Crown Prince, who was so bright in his youth, have become so broken… It’s truly heartbreaking.”

“I… I’m not broken. I’m just… my body is sick, and I was just looking for some medicine!”

At Jo Won-gi’s protest, the eunuchs and palace maids sighed.

Who considers opium to be medicine?

Well, it could be medicine if prescribed correctly, but for Jo Won-gi, opium was poison.

Jo Won-gyun clicked his tongue at his half-brother’s pathetic words.

He finally withdrew his hand after seeing the palace maid, who had died with her tongue lolling out.

There was no reason to stop him anymore.

“How pitiful… Clean her up immediately.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

At Jo Won-gyun’s command, the eunuchs and palace maids of the Crown Prince’s residence moved swiftly.

They didn’t even bother to look at Jo Won-gi.

That was because Jo Won-gyun had risen to become the real power in the royal family.

He had received the support of most of the ministers even before the Emperor collapsed, and after the Emperor fell, he was practically acting as regent.

The third prince, Jo Won-rak, who was a strong rival, was accused of treason for contacting Jianghu [Martial World] people and the pointy-eared goblins of the north and fled abroad.

The remaining princes were either too young or lacked the power to check Jo Won-gyun.

As the eunuchs carried the dead palace maid out, only the two brothers remained in the room.

Then, Jo Won-gyun quickly revealed his true colors.

Where had the brotherly affection from before gone? He looked at his half-brother, who was trembling from withdrawal symptoms, as if he were a bug.

No, it didn’t stop there.

He began to stomp on him with boots made of precious sable fur, which was only found in the Northern Sea.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thwack!

“Kuhak! Ugh! Gyu… Gyun! Why… why are you doing this? Don’t do this! Please, spare me!”

Even an opium addict knew the value of life?

Jo Won-gi grabbed Jo Won-gyun’s leg and begged for mercy.

After thoroughly trampling on his half-brother, Jo Won-gyun smiled maliciously and said,

“The Crown Prince position is too good for trash like you. I’ll drag you down from that position soon, so just live quietly and smoke opium like you do now. Don’t cause any unnecessary trouble.”

“Ugh…”

In fact, Jo Won-gyun wanted to kill Jo Won-gi right away.

However, with the Emperor in a vegetative state due to an unknown illness, if the Crown Prince were to suddenly die, it would damage his own morality as the successor.

Moreover, the most troublesome figure, the Red Dragon King Lee Yung-mu, remained in the military.

So, he was planning to go through the proper procedures to legally remove Jo Won-gi.

“Tsk!”

He spat on Jo Won-gi’s trembling face and left the Crown Prince’s residence.

Then, he headed to the Emperor’s office, the Pyeonjeon [Emperor’s main office].

4

Upon arriving at the Pyeonjeon, Jo Won-gyun received a welcome report from a eunuch.

“The Prime Minister is here.”

“My uncle?”

Jo Won-gyun, delighted, rushed inside, and a man sitting below the throne stood up to greet him.

It was his maternal uncle, Hwangbo Gwang.

“Where have you been, Your Highness?”

Hwangbo Gwang had recently risen to the position of Prime Minister, a position second only to the Emperor.

He had already brainwashed or subdued most of the ministers, so no one opposed his appointment as Prime Minister.

At Hwangbo Gwang’s question, Jo Won-gyun frowned and said,

“I just went to see an opium addict for a while.”

“Is that so? What was your impression of seeing living trash?”

“Heh heh heh. He’s trash that I created, but he’s become too rotten.”

In fact, it was Jo Won-gyun who made Jo Won-gi return to opium.

After receiving treatment from Nanda Daesa and returning in large quantities, Jo Won-gi did not try to touch opium.

The Emperor had also issued a severe warning, and he also wanted to show the wicked monk who urged him to give up the throne that he had reformed.

However, Jo Won-gyun secretly colluded with palace maids and eunuchs to put opium in the food and alcohol that Jo Won-gi consumed, making him addicted again.

As a result, the Crown Prince, unable to overcome the withdrawal symptoms, was completely ruined.

“Now he’s even openly committing murder. I think it’s time to remove him from the Crown Prince position.”

Although they had seized control of the royal family and the court, there were still many officials and scholars in the Song Empire who were loyal to the Emperor.

They were mostly local officials and powerful clans, and although they were weak individually, they had the potential to become a troublesome force if they gathered.

So, they were trying to act as if they were following the proper procedures.

“By the way, how did things go in Yemaek?”

Hwangbo Gwang had recently visited the neighboring country of Yemaek as an envoy.

It was to request the extradition of the Third Prince, Jo Won-rak, who had defected there.

However….

“King Biryu of Yemaek flatly refused.”

“Hmph, as expected, but that barbarian is too arrogant.”

“That’s right. We must raise troops and punish their arrogance.”

Although Hwangbo Gwang went as an envoy, the two did not think that Yemaek would hand over Jo Won-rak.

Although they had exchanges, Yemaek’s relationship with the Song Empire was not good.

They had often fought wars, and they had never returned those who had committed crimes and fled, like the former Muyoung Shintu or the current Jo Won-rak.

At least, the current Emperor tried to improve relations by betrothing the Third Prince to a princess of Yemaek.

That had become a setback for Jo Won-gyun’s faction.

Jo Won-rak had fled to his in-laws’ country.

Even though they knew they would be rejected, Hwangbo Gwang went as an envoy to create a justification for war.

“Before invading Yemaek, we must first deal with the military. Lee Yung-mu will not obey our orders so easily.”

At Hwangbo Gwang’s words, Jo Won-gyun nodded and said,

“Don’t worry about that. More importantly, how are the Jiangshi [Chinese hopping vampires] that we made to use as the vanguard? Are they useful?”

After seeing the undead created by Arsen, Hwangbo Gwang collaborated with Guigokja to secretly capture Jianghu vagrants and turn them into Jiangshi.

Undead and Jiangshi.

Both were made from dead bodies, but there was a big difference in the magic and techniques used to create them.

Moreover, the creation time of Jiangshi was much shorter.

“We tested them against the Namgung Clan, and they were inferior to the undead.”

According to his subordinates, the undead warrior called Death Knight had demonstrated the power of a top-tier expert.

In comparison, the Jiangshi were at best first-rate experts.

Although that was still impressive, it was disappointing to see the comparison.

“So, we are asking Guigokja to improve them, but it seems that results will not come out soon.”

“Tsk, it can’t be helped. Please make a lot of them instead.”

“Heh heh heh. We are still working hard to produce Jiangshi, so you don’t have to worry.”

If the quality is low, they can make up for it with quantity.

The Song Empire had always boasted the largest population in the Southern Continent.

They even used human wave tactics as the main strategy of their army.

There were just as many martial artists to turn into Jiangshi.

Hwangbo Gwang was not only capturing vagrants but also those from sects and green forest gangs who opposed him and turning them into Jiangshi.

‘Arsen said he made 700 undead? Then I’ll make 1,000… no, 10,000.’

With that quantity, he would conquer not only the Southern Continent but also the Northern Continent!

As Hwangbo Gwang was thinking this, Jo Won-gyun frowned slightly and asked,

“But uncle, can we really trust them?”

Them, that Jo Won-gyun was referring to, were Arsen and the black mages of the Veritas Magic Tower.

Although they were able to seize control of the Jianghu martial world and the Song royal family with their support, he was honestly uneasy.

He was afraid that they would just use them and then abandon them.

To such Jo Won-gyun, Hwangbo Gwang put his finger to his lips and said,

“Shh! They might be eavesdropping on our conversation right now.”

Currently, several black mages were secretly supporting them in the imperial palace.

Considering their mysterious magic, he thought they could easily eavesdrop on the conversation in this Pyeonjeon.

Hwangbo Gwang secretly took out a small magical artifact from his pocket and injected his inner energy into it.

Whoooom!

Then, a faint light emanated from the artifact and covered the Pyeonjeon.

“This artifact was given to me by Guigokja, and it has the effect of blocking the surrounding energy that the northerners call mana. Now we can talk without worry.”

Jo Won-gyun, looking relieved at Hwangbo Gwang’s words, asked again,

“Can we really trust Arsen?”

“Of course, we can’t trust him.”

Hwangbo Gwang said firmly.

Power is something that even parents and children do not share.

There was no way they would give the Song Empire to them for no reason.

“Then what will you do in the future?”

At Jo Won-gyun’s question, Hwangbo Gwang paused for a moment before opening his mouth.

“For now, we must pretend to follow their words and build our strength. We must seize not only the power of the Central Plains martial world but also the power of the Song Empire and neighboring kingdoms. Only then can we face that monster.”

Hwangbo Gwang knew how strong Arsen was.

To face such a monster, it would not be enough to have one or two absolute beings or the power of one or two countries.

He thought that even if the Sword Immortal Yeon Garam, who was considered the greatest expert in Jianghu history, came back to life, he would not be able to win.

‘But what if Hee-chang were to be reborn?’

Hee-chang, the divine being.

He was the founder of the legendary Zhou Dynasty, a hero who destroyed the powerful goblin nation of Yin and liberated humans.

It was said that he did not die but ascended to immortality, and he was revered by the people as ‘Gwangbeop Cheonjon’ [The Heavenly Venerable of Universal Law].

To bring him back to life?

Of course, it was not about bringing the real Hee-chang back to life.

It was about raising a divine being with the same abilities as Hee-chang.

‘Heh heh heh. I’ve already started research related to that.’

Immediately after becoming Prime Minister, Hwangbo Gwang had investigated the imperial palace reports with Jo Won-gyun’s permission.

The imperial palace reports contained ancient legacies owned by the successive dynasties that had ruled this land.

Among them was a book that was said to have compiled the records left by Hee-chang during his lifetime.

The book, called ‘Gwangbeop Sillok’ [Records of the Universal Law], was written in the ancient goblin language, so no one could interpret it.

However, as exchanges with the northerners became more active, they discovered that the letters in the book were similar to the letters of the magic empire Avalon, which had ruled the ancient Northern Continent.

Currently, scholars and mages from the north, whom Hwangbo Gwang had secretly brought in, were interpreting the Gwangbeop Sillok.

If they could interpret the records, they would be able to find the legendary treasure that Hee-chang had left behind.

‘Honestly, I don’t know how long it will take to find the treasure and obtain the divine artifacts and secret techniques within. But we must prepare for the future.’

The future, the future where he would become the master of the world.

Although it was still far away, Hwangbo Gwang smiled deeply as he thought of that sweet future.