Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 179

10. Decapitation Operation

1

After his magical communication with Karen, Luke summoned Baron Hudson, the head of the intelligence department, and instructed him to closely monitor Emperor Rudolph’s movements.

“Rudolph, you say?”

“I’ve heard he’s showing some unusual activity.”

Hudson retreated without complaint.

He assumed that Luke, as always, was using intelligence sources other than Argos, such as the Holy Empire or others.

As Hudson left, Luke next called Belpar, who secretly controlled the intelligence department of the Baroque Empire.

He then ordered his servant demons to closely observe Rudolph and the Baroque Imperial Family.

“I was actually about to report to you about him. It seems that Rudolph, the war maniac, has taken measures that are practically a truce.”

“Is that so?”

“And recently, Rudolph doesn’t seem to trust the Imperial Intelligence Department very much.”

The reason was the intelligence department’s repeated failures.

Of course, those failures were due to the servant demons who had infiltrated and were meddling from the inside.

“There’s talk of him gathering trustworthy individuals, including the Imperial Guard, to create a new intelligence organization. If that happens, the existing intelligence department might be disbanded or forced to operate in the shadows…”

“Well, I might be able to finish things before that happens.”

Belpar’s eyes sparkled at Luke’s words.

“Surely, you’re not going to conquer the Baroque Empire?”

“It’s hard to swallow it whole in one go. But if it’s just cutting off Rudolph’s head, it’s not impossible.”

There are cases where a country doesn’t collapse even if the capital is occupied and the king, his family, and high-ranking nobles are killed.

This is because a collateral relative remains, or a noble who claims to be a loyal subject of the royal family appears and leads a revival.

However, in Luke’s view, there was little chance of the Baroque Empire surviving like that.

The emperor’s direct line was extinct, and over the years, all the influential members of the imperial family had disappeared due to succession disputes.

Moreover, due to the continuous tyranny, there didn’t seem to be many nobles left with any loyalty.

‘In that situation, if Rudolph’s head is cut off, the Baroque Empire will collapse.’

Whether the lords who had been lying low in the provinces declared independence, or surrendered to a powerful nation, the Baroque Empire would disappear into history.

Of course, to do that, Rudolph had to be eliminated.

‘The underground ruins are the same.’

To prevent anyone else from misusing them, the ruins and related records must all disappear.

With that in mind, Luke proceeded with his plans.

A few days later, Luke met with envoys from the Song Empire and Yemaek, who had come from the Southern Continent.

He had heard that they would send a vanguard and personnel to coordinate the practical matters for the Northern Expedition two weeks ago, and they had arrived.

However, Luke’s eyes narrowed slightly when he saw the representatives of the vanguard at the reception hall.

“I am Cho Mimi, the princess of the Song Empire. I have heard much about His Majesty’s fame from my brother.”

“I am Jahye, the princess of Yemaek. I have admired Emperor Luke’s great name from my father, and I volunteered for this vanguard.”

Cho Mimi, wearing the traditional attire of the Song Empire, was a glamorous beauty resembling a rose, while Princess Jahye, the younger sister of Princess Sohye, was not as flashy but evoked the image of a pure wildflower.

It was clear at a glance why the two countries had sent them as representatives.

Luke looked at them with a nonchalant gaze and asked,

“If we are to go on a Northern Expedition, you two will have to follow us to the battlefield… Are you alright with that?”

Then, Cho Mimi and Jahye replied as if they had been waiting for the question.

“Hoho, I have been practicing martial arts since I was young, and I can subdue most generals with my bare hands.”

“I have also learned archery and military strategy from my father and many Jo-ui Seonin [a high-ranking military official in Yemaek], so I am confident that I can fulfill my role as a general.”

‘They even calculated that and sent them?’

Luke had no reason to refuse, and he couldn’t refuse just because the representatives were women, so he eventually agreed.

“Ugh, well, I guess I have no choice. Let’s do our best.”

Although he agreed, he had no intention of being swayed by Jo Won-rak and King Biryu’s intentions.

“I’ve heard that the knights, or rather, the generals who came as the vanguard are very skilled. Would you introduce them?”

At Luke’s words, Cho Mimi and Jahye introduced the generals of their respective countries standing behind them.

Both countries had selected renowned generals to support their princesses.

The Song Empire sent generals who had honed their skills in the Imperial Guard and the Central Army, led by Zhuge Hui, who had been promoted to Left General.

They were all masters who had reached the peak of their martial arts.

Yemaek was no less impressive than the Song Empire.

Eulji Hwang, the son of Eulji Deokmun, had brought a large number of generals from the Jo-ui Seonin and the Muklin Cavalry [elite cavalry unit of Yemaek].

“Our Song Empire has decided to dispatch 30,000 troops, mainly from the Imperial Guard.”

“Our Yemaek plans to dispatch 10,000 troops, mainly cavalry, including the Muklin Cavalry.”

The number of troops was not large.

And since the Rodisia Continent focuses on Gigant battles rather than cavalry, the allied forces from the Southern Continent would not be at the forefront.

However, as they were elites with outstanding individual skills, they would certainly be of great help in supporting the allied forces or disrupting the enemy.

“Thank you. Please tell the Emperor and the Great King that I will not forget their kindness.”

“Hoh, considering how much Your Majesty has helped my brother and the Song Empire, this is nothing.”

“It is our duty as allies.”

There were two people watching Luke conversing with the princesses of the two countries in a friendly manner from a distance.

They were Erewyn and Zhuge Soha.

“Hmph! Flattery and coquetry, they’re making obvious moves.”

“I know, right? We’ve been working hard for years and have only managed to gain a small share in His Majesty’s heart, but seeing them wag their tails just because they brought some troops is outrageous.”

There is a Yemaek saying, ‘They’re drinking kimchi soup before they even get the rice cake’ [meaning they are counting their chickens before they hatch].

In the eyes of the two, the princesses’ attitude was exactly like that.

“By the way, Princess Reina, or rather, Her Holiness the Pope, hasn’t been visiting much lately.”

At Erewyn’s question, Zhuge Soha shrugged and replied.

“It seems she’s very busy preparing for the Northern Expedition.”

Reina used the long-distance teleport gate to visit the Symphonia Palace whenever she had time and enjoyed secret meetings with Luke.

But recently, her visits had become less frequent.

“Well, the Black Tower and the Katarina Magic Tower are also quite busy.”

Erewyn, the court mage.

And Zhuge Soha, the court alchemist.

They were also lending a hand, but currently, the Black Tower and the Katarina Magic Tower were focusing all their efforts on upgrading the Gigants and producing new ones for the Northern Expedition.

They had equipped the existing Gigants with artificial muscles and improved magic circles, and they were also accelerating the production of new Gigants for the newly formed Blood Hawk Knights.

As a result, working overnight was the norm, and there were many mages and engineers who hadn’t been home for more than a month.

Nevertheless, they solved the shortages by entrusting the production of some parts to small and medium-sized magic towers within the kingdom or by receiving manpower support.

It wasn’t just the magic towers within the kingdom that were busy.

The Central Army and other knight orders had also entered training for the war, repeating mock battles that resembled real combat almost every day.

“Will we have a chance to be with His Majesty when this Northern Expedition is over?”

When Zhuge Soha asked with a worried expression, Erewyn smiled.

“I don’t think it will be easy until we completely deal with the Arsen and Veritas Magic Towers.”

“And then it’s possible?”

“I don’t know. She said that by then, Her Holiness would step down from her position as Pope and return to His Majesty’s side…”

Reina had told them this during the founding ceremony of Symphonia.

She would allow them the chance to be by Luke’s side, to win his heart.

So, while she was away, they had tried their best, but they couldn’t easily penetrate Luke’s heart.

“If it’s Princess Reina’s nature, she won’t kick us out even if she comes back. But I don’t think she’ll stop competitors from appearing.”

The Rakan family had barely managed to continue their lineage.

Knowing this well, Reina wanted Luke’s descendants to flourish.

Therefore, she might condone not only the political marriages coming from the Song Empire and Yemaek but also from other kingdoms or noble families.

“So, we need to try harder.”

“Yes, let’s appeal to His Majesty more.”

The two women, who had been busy keeping each other in check until last year, joined hands and ignited their determination.

2

The day after the envoys from the Southern Continent arrived.

Luke received the awaited reports from Hudson and Belpar.

“Recently, Emperor Rudolph has been entrusting state affairs to Count Voltaire. He is using the excuse of training externally, but in reality, he frequently visits the ruins in the basement of the Imperial Palace, which are managed by the Imperial Magic Tower.”

Luke’s eyes turned serious upon receiving the report.

“Since when has the Imperial Magic Tower been managing those ruins?”

“Since Your Majesty rescued Count Ferrero. For a while, excavation equipment was brought in, but in the last few months, many researchers and magical supplies have been brought in.”

“Magical supplies… Have you identified what they are specifically?”

“Mana stones. They are bringing them in large quantities, regardless of quality.”

“Hmm, then those ruins aren’t just being excavated.”

The fact that many researchers and supplies had been delivered in the past few months meant that they had already finished excavation or restoration and had begun full-scale investigation and research.

‘Why are they bringing in large quantities of mana stones? Those ruins should be powered by aether…’

Could they have devised a way to replace aether? Or have they found a way to convert the mana of mana stones into aether?

‘It seems it’s better to hurry.’

Luke decided to destroy the ruins before the Baroque Empire could use them.

He then made a suitable excuse to the leaders of the countries that had formed a temporary alliance and requested troops.

– Rudolph is making a dangerous weapon?

“It’s as dangerous as the undead.”

– Is it that serious? What is it?

Charles of the Irea Kingdom looked suspicious.

He was secretly suspecting that Luke was trying to use his country’s troops for a war of conquest under the guise of a black magician or Rudolph.

“I don’t know if you know about Bers [a deadly plague].”

Luke mentioned the plague that had once pushed Nemesis to the brink of destruction.

At first, he was going to explain about Bers.

However, seeing the expressions of the other leaders reflected in the crystal ball, including Charles, he realized that there was no need.

They all seemed to have that level of knowledge.

– That, that’s the terrifying epidemic that completely destroyed ancient civilizations, isn’t it? It also terrorized the capital of the Baroque Empire a few years ago.

– Are you saying they made it into a weapon?

– I’ve heard stories of them using catapults to throw the corpses of plague victims to capture castles…

The leaders, who had been in shock for a while, immediately agreed to dispatch troops.

If a mad emperor made Bers into a weapon, they didn’t know what he might do.

Having successfully led the dispatch of troops, Luke summoned Marquis Rogers and gave him an order.

“Marquis! I will entrust you with full authority for this decapitation operation. Occupy Nemesis, the capital of the Baroque Empire!”

“Yes, sir! You can trust me!”

Marquis Rogers, having received full authority from Luke, hurried to Sherwood Castle, a strategic point on the northern border.

Soon after, the troops of each country, transported through the long-distance teleport gate, gathered at Sherwood Castle and began their march north.

The total force was 200,000 troops and 700 Gigants.

In fact, if the six countries joined forces, they could mobilize far more troops than this.

However, due to the hasty departure, the number of troops was limited.

The leaders of the allied countries were also concerned about this.

But Luke was not worried.

“The goal of this operation is only Nemesis, the capital of the Baroque Empire. We plan to move north as quickly as possible and deal with Rudolph and the research facility he manages.”

Other areas could be occupied later with newly mobilized troops.

Of course, they weren’t just marching north without any countermeasures.

The Holy Empire and the Volga Republic had hastily mobilized separate units to disrupt the northern and eastern borders of the Baroque Empire.

“Then, shall I make a move too?”

Luke was planning to act separately.

Even if the army advanced as quickly as possible, it would take at least a month to occupy Nemesis.

In the meantime, there was no guarantee that Rudolph wouldn’t activate the ancient ruins, so he was planning to go and destroy them secretly.

Of course, he wasn’t going alone.

He decided to go with Hwangbo Sung, the Imperial Knights, and specially selected troops.

However, there was someone who noticed his movements.

‘I can’t leave it all to Dad!’

Thinking this, Karen had been hiding near the Symphonia Palace for days, waiting for Luke to move.

And when Luke set off with a small number of troops, she immediately followed him.

As Elkasel had said, she believed that she had to finish this matter.

Reina, who was busy with the dispatch of troops, and Luke, who was only thinking about destroying the ruins quickly, did not notice Karen’s movements.

(To be continued in Steel Emperor Volume 20)

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