Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 21

2. Receiving the Enlistment Order

1

The plains north of the Lakan territory. This land, unsuitable for farming due to the lack of rivers or streams, had long been abandoned as wasteland.

Then, four new villages were built on this barren northern plain. They were built to settle the Volga refugees who had recently migrated.

The refugees were grateful for a safe haven, but they were also anxious. The land was so poor that it was difficult to find drinking water, let alone farm.

The young lord had promised to find a water source, but the refugees were uneasy about simply trusting his words and waiting.

“Can he really find it?”

“Wouldn’t it be difficult? If it were easy, this place would have already been developed.”

“Still, he is someone Princess Reina trusts…”

As the refugees harbored both distrust and hope, one day,

Krrrrrr—!

With a ground-shaking roar, a pillar of water shot up. The water gushed out for three days and nights, creating a huge lake in the center of the four villages.

“W-water!”

“A real water source has burst!”

The excited refugees quickly made waterways to draw water to the farmland and villages they were developing.

“But, is this really groundwater?”

“Why?”

“I saw a crucian carp [a type of freshwater fish] flapping around earlier. There’s no way a crucian carp would be living in groundwater.”

“Well, they say there are underground rivers, so maybe he found one of those?”

The refugees couldn’t have imagined that Luke had used golems and monsters to create an underground waterway, drawing this water from a tributary of the Neir River, 20 kilometers away.

Keeping that fact a secret, Luke looked at the vast lake he had created with a satisfied gaze. Then, he praised the leaders of the monsters standing behind him.

“You’ve all done well.”

Kkii! Kki!

Guluk! Guruluk!

The leaders of the goblins, kobolds, and orcs bowed their heads. To them, who had been brainwashed by black magic, Luke was an absolute being. They were overwhelmed with gratitude that he had praised them.

“Go west and grow your tribes until I find you again. Don’t even think about coming near the Lakan territory for a while.”

Luke had no intention of abandoning them. It was just that he had no need for their help for the time being, so he was sending them away temporarily.

The leaders nodded as if they understood and stepped back from Luke. Having completed the major task of building the underground waterway, Luke rode his horse to the lord’s castle.

Thump thump! Clang clang!

“Put the bricks over there.”

“Be careful, be careful!”

A large-scale construction project had been underway in the open space east of the lord’s castle for a month. This facility, being built under the guidance of Mute, the chief mage of the territory, was the magic tower that Luke intended to build in the territory.

In the center, they were building a main building in the shape of a pointed triangular pyramid, and around it, they were building structures to be used as workshops, laboratories, and mages’ residences. For now, it was being built as a medium-sized magic tower, similar to the Hollis Magic Tower, but the site was very large in preparation for it to grow into a massive magic tower that would dominate the continent in the future.

“Have you arrived?”

Mute approached and greeted Luke as he appeared at the construction site. He had been very busy lately with the construction of the magic tower. It wasn’t enough to just build the magic tower. It was more difficult to gather the people and magic books to fill it than the construction itself. So, in between construction, he went around recruiting free mages or mercenary mages who had not settled down, and he looked around the territory to see if there were any children with magical talent. At the same time, he was also diligently buying magic books and magic materials that were circulating in the black market.

For him, Luke had prepared a good gift today.

“Take this.”

Luke handed Mute large boxes.

“Young lord, what is this?”

“Magic books. They will be a great help in building the magic tower.”

Mute, who had glanced at the boxes, looked surprised. The boxes were full of magic books from various fields. Moreover, they were all of the 5th circle or higher [a high level of magic].

“T-this is… what on earth!”

Luke chuckled as Mute gaped, his mouth wide open.

“Why? Is it not enough? Should I give you more?”

“Ah, no. This is enough to attract mages and improve their skills. But where on earth did you get all these magic books?”

Magic books, especially those of the 5th circle or higher, are usually kept secret by magic towers or schools and are never leaked to the outside. But where did the young lord get over a hundred magic books, not just one?

“Hehehe, you’ll get hurt if you know.”

‘Did he perhaps raid one of the 10 great magic towers?’

“And I have one more thing to give you…”

To Mute’s wondering, Luke took out a book and a roll of parchment from his pocket and handed them over.

“What is this now?”

Mute’s face was filled with shock as he examined the book and scroll he had received with a puzzled expression. He was surprised when he saw the magic books earlier, but this time he was even more shocked.

“You know you can’t tell anyone where it came from, right? You’re the only one who can secretly look at it and learn it.”

The book contained the essence of magical engineering, of a considerable level, with annotations, though it was not known which magic tower it was from. The parchment scroll was a blueprint for a strange, but incredibly powerful Gigant [a large, humanoid war machine], and the name ‘Atlas’ was written at the beginning. This was a treasure that could never be found on the black market.

‘D-did he really raid a magic tower?’

Mute, who was lost in a delusion close to the truth, quickly came to his senses and bowed his head several times to Luke, who had given him the precious gifts.

“Thank you, young lord. I will definitely build a magic tower that will make a name for itself on the continent.”

“Okay, but have you decided on a name for the magic tower?”

Mute gave an awkward smile at Luke’s words.

“That’s… I haven’t found a suitable name yet. If I were to name it after the territory, our founder is not someone who is suitable for magic, so it’s a bit…”

“Hmm, no, that won’t do. Absolutely not.”

Luke had come to know that Lakan also valued people, but he still harbored resentment towards him. So, he had no intention of naming the ambitious magic tower after him.

‘But if I were to name it the Darkness Magic Tower or the Seimon Magic Tower, there would be an uproar… Right, I should use that name!’

Luke, who had come up with an alternative, looked at Mute and said,

“How about the Katarina Magic Tower?”

“Katarina? Are you talking about Saint Katarina?”

“Yeah, well, something like that.”

In fact, it was not the saint, but he had suggested it because he wanted to leave the name of his past lover, who had the same name, in this way.

“It’s not bad. There are some mages who revere Katarina as the guardian saint of technology and knowledge.”

“Then let’s make it the Katarina Magic Tower.”

Having decided on the name of the magic tower, Luke turned around with a pleasant smile.

‘I’m really looking forward to two years from now.’

This was all he could do for the magic tower. The rest depended on what Mute and his mages would do.

‘That being said, I never thought that a magic tower would be built on the site of the former Cerberus Knights.’

The Cerberus Knights were formed by knights who had pledged their allegiance to the past Luke, Seimon. Enraged by a world ruled by beast-like beings, they took up their swords to change the world. Their combat power was second only to the golem army, and their will was so strong that not a single one of them surrendered or fled even after Seimon’s death.

Luke, having learned of their heroic end through historical records, secretly visited the place where the Cerberus Knights had fought to the end, paid his respects, and poured out wine.

‘Anyway, since it’s the place where the Cerberus Knights’ headquarters were, the mages’ achievements will be faster. This is a mana field next to the Giant Castle.’

A mana field, the junction where mana streams converge. Because it was a place with a high concentration of mana, mages or knights who trained there could show remarkably rapid growth and amazing achievements. The land with the highest mana concentration in the Lakan territory was the Demon King’s Castle, or rather, the Giant Castle. That was why Luke had used it as his base and the headquarters of the Darkness Magic Tower in the past, and made golems there.

‘Some of my vassals were aware of this fact. They were pretending not to know, but they knew.’

Despite being a small territory, the Lakan County had a high level of knights. They had produced several Sword Masters, and they had 10 Expert-level knights, while other territories had only three or four. Luke had once subtly asked Rogers if this was perhaps due to the influence of the mana field.

“The knights’ high skill is due to the excellent swordsmanship left by the founder. A mana field? That’s nonsense.”

“Is that so? Then why do you train regularly at the Demon King’s Castle every year?”

“That’s to commemorate the founder’s achievements…”

Rogers was flustered and mumbled vaguely. Somehow, Hans and Mute, among others, were the same. When Luke asked where would be a good place for the magic tower, they all recommended the place where the Cerberus Knights used to be. If they had not been uncomfortable with the fact that it was the Demon King’s headquarters, they might have suggested building the magic tower in the Demon King’s Castle.

‘From their point of view, it would have been better to pretend not to know. If this fact were known to the outside world, the Lakan territory would have disappeared in an instant.’

The mana field, which was said to be blessed by mana, was also called ‘cursed land’ or ‘blood-soaked land’. This was because there had been fierce battles between forces to seize the mana field since the past. That had not changed much even after the development of magical engineering. No, it had become even worse in order to obtain better knights and mages.

‘It’s something that must be kept secret until I fight against the Empire. But there’s no need to just leave it as it is because I’m scared.’

That was why he was building the magic tower like this, and at the Giant Castle, the Lakan Knights and the mercenaries of the Kirilov Trading Company, composed of Volga refugees, were undergoing military training. ‘If things continue like this, even if I’m away, I’ll be able to build up enough power to fight the Empire.’

Having made that judgment, Luke now rode his horse to the Rocky Mountains, where the mines were located. He had no time to rest, as he had to lay the foundation of the territory as much as possible before he left.

2

Kiiing—! Kiiing!

The wasteland near the lord’s castle. A white-painted steel giant, about 7 meters tall, was swinging a training greatsword. Philip, who was watching the scene nearby, would relentlessly scold the giant whenever its movements were even slightly off.

“That’s wrong! Your balance is off! You need to pay more attention to your balance! Your legs are stiff, so use your joints to move more smoothly and naturally!”

“Ugh!”

The person moving the white training Gigant while listening to the scolding was Luke. Gigants were the main players in modern warfare. Therefore, even in the midst of his busy schedule of laying the foundation of the territory, Luke was taking two hours a day to learn how to control them. He needed to learn how to control them so that he could ride and fight in them himself, and so that he could know how to improve them when he made Gigants in the future.

‘This is harder than I thought.’

At first, he thought it wouldn’t be too difficult. The prototype of the Gigant was the golem that he was good at handling, and he was skilled in marionette magic. And unlike the basic movements of operating levers and pedals with both hands and feet, detailed control through mana was important when making complex movements. For Luke, who was a mage, handling mana was as easy as eating cold soup. But controlling the Gigant was more difficult than expected.

It was easy to perform simple movements like a golem, but it was not easy to perform the movements required for swordsmanship—movements that closely mimicked the human body.

Even using marionette magic secretly from Philip didn’t change that.

“Hey, that’s not it! You can’t just try to force it! You need to adjust your balance properly and move your arm as if bouncing it to generate more efficient and powerful force!”

“Balance, balance is the most important thing.”

Luke continued his training while listening to Philip’s nagging.

After a while, he finished his training and got out of the Gigant.

He was drenched in sweat, as if he had gone through a grueling ordeal.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Damn it, I didn’t know it would be this difficult…”

“Still, you’re doing really well for a beginner.”

The knights who rode the Gigant for the first time often fell and stumbled.

This was because the Gigant didn’t feel like their own body; it felt like they were controlling a puppet with their hands while riding a long rocking horse.

So, instead of walking proudly while riding the Gigant, they often crawled around.

These novice riders were called ‘Babies’ because they had to learn to walk all over again.

However, Luke wasn’t called a Baby, even though it was his first time controlling it.

He moved the Gigant well, as if he were a natural rider, and was able to move on to the intermediate course in five days.

The reason Philip was nagging was because Luke was doing so well.

Moreover, he had to serve in the military soon, so Philip couldn’t help but pay close attention to him.

“Let’s take a break and then do some precision adjustment training.”

“You mean picking up a wine glass with the Gigant’s hand? The servants were crying because there were no wine glasses left in the manor…”

“Then, the young lord should try not to break them when picking them up.”

“Tch, that’s easier said than done.”

“Shall I show you then?”

“No, let’s just skip it.”

It was during this conversation between lord and vassal that a knight came galloping on horseback from the other side, delivering urgent news.

“An envoy from the Emperor is coming?”

“Yes, he just crossed the territory border.”

“Then we must prepare quickly.”

It was a pity that the training was interrupted, but Luke, who couldn’t neglect political affairs, hurriedly returned to the manor.

Half a day after Luke returned,

The Emperor’s envoy arrived at the Lakan manor.

His face, which had become plump from the good treatment he had received, was full of arrogance.

He saw Luke, who had come out to greet him with his vassals, and shouted loudly.

“Luke de Lakan, the young lord of the Lakan barony, receive the Emperor’s decree!”

Luke and his vassals frowned at the envoy’s shout.

In the past, there was no custom of bowing down to a letter sent by the king, no matter how low the vassal was.

It was enough not to treat the envoy poorly, and the relationship between lord and vassal was limited to a contractual relationship where superiors and subordinates fulfilled their responsibilities and duties.

However, as they interacted with the Southern Continent, the culture changed.

As the custom of the Southern Continent, where the Emperor was revered not as a mere ruler but as the Son of Heaven—that is, the son of God—spread, the ‘Divine Right of Kings’ emerged in the Rodisia Continent.

As a result, changes occurred in the relationship between lord and vassal, and everything related to the Emperor was treated as sacred.

Therefore, Luke and his vassals had no choice but to bow their heads in front of the ‘damn Emperor’s words’ that the envoy was holding.

‘Okay, I’ll bow down for now. But when I gain power, I’ll make you bow down to the bones I’ve gnawed on.’

Unaware of Luke’s thoughts, the envoy read the contents of the letter with a haughty air.

“Luke de Lakan, listen. You are a descendant of the great warrior Lakan, and despite your poor military strength…”

The content wasn’t much different from what Marquis Myers’ subordinate had told him before.

It was a formal congratulation for winning the territory war, and it stated that Luke would be officially appointed as the Baron of Lakan and recognized as the lord of the barony. He was also asked to come to the capital.

And then came the part about conscription.

“Unfortunately, I am surrounded by troublesome neighbors. The despicable republicans of Volga and the arrogant Holy Artenia Empire are causing trouble every day, so I hope that you, who are wise, will help me and this empire.”

‘Hmph, what a fuss.’

Luke snorted inwardly.

He was busy developing his territory and preparing for a fight with Count Monarch, but he wasn’t so naive as to be unaware of the situation on the continent.

Although there was a conflict between the Emperor’s faction and the aristocratic faction, the Baroque Empire was currently the strongest country on the continent.

The reason why the Volga Republic was causing disputes at the border wasn’t for a full-scale invasion, but to preemptively thwart the Empire’s intention to invade.

Isn’t it said that the best defense is offense?

And the border dispute with the Artenia Empire was like a battle of pride between the two empires.

Since they were both called empires, there was no room for compromise, and because of that, many minor incidents escalated into war.

Of course, there was no reason to be sarcastic in front of the envoy, so Luke ended it by simply receiving the letter.

“It’s already been quite a while. Hurry to the capital, meet His Majesty, and apologize for being late.”

‘You crazy bastard! You were lazing around and came late, so why are you putting the blame on me?’

In his heart, he wanted to beat the fat envoy to within an inch of his life and throw him into a pigsty.

However, he decided to let it go because he had gained time to reorganize his territory thanks to the time the guy had wasted.

But even though his business was over, the pig-like envoy didn’t leave and instead dug into Luke’s heart.

“But for a descendant of a warrior, you have no manners in treating a guest.”

“……?”

“Other lords would give everything they could to the envoy who had traveled a long way, but is there no such sincerity here?”

The vassals frowned at the envoy’s words, which were openly demanding bribes and entertainment.

What had the Empire and the Emperor done for the Lakan family?

They had usurped the country, thrown the loyal subjects into the borderlands, and now they were trying to cut off even their bloodline, and yet they were talking about hospitality!

Unlike the frowning vassals, Luke thought for a moment and then left the spot.

After a while, he came back with a high-quality ebony box and handed it to the envoy.

“The territory’s finances have become poor due to the territory war, so this is all I have to offer to the envoy.”

“What is this?”

Inside the box was a small glass bottle containing black powder.

“It’s a weight loss medicine.”

“A weight loss medicine?”

“According to a recently published medical book, more than half of the high-ranking nobles are suffering from obesity and diabetes. Shouldn’t the envoy live a long life and become popular with the noble ladies? This medicine also has a definite effect on virility…”

The envoy was as greedy as he looked.

He was as greedy to live long as he was to eat, and he was also very lustful.

Therefore, he couldn’t help but be tempted by the words that it was a medicine that could protect his health and make him popular with women.

“Is, is the effect certain?”

“Of course. A doctor named Sebastian has verified the effect through several clinical trials.”

Luke didn’t say that the clinical trials were conducted against Count Monarch’s army during the territory war.

And he didn’t say that the medicine he was giving now was dozens of times more effective than the medicine he used on the soldiers back then.

He also didn’t say that it was actually a medicine made by a demon, not a human.

“Let me tell you in advance, the effect of the medicine is quite good, so you should never take too much. Even good medicine can become poison if taken in excess.”

“Huhu, I understand. I will not forget your kind consideration and will convey it to His Majesty the Emperor.”

Although he didn’t receive any special treatment, the envoy was satisfied with obtaining the miracle drug(?) and left the Lakan territory.

When the grumbling envoy received the medicine Luke had given him and suddenly left, everyone couldn’t help but be puzzled.

“Young lord. That medicine just now…”

“Forget about it. I got it from a guy I know. More importantly, a troublesome guest is gone, so let’s get to work.”

Luke, thinking about the series of worries the envoy would have to go through, chuckled and headed to his office.

3

Three days after the envoy left,

Luke, having finished preparing to leave for the capital, shook hands with each of the people who had come to see him off in front of the carriage.

“Butler Hans, I appoint you as the acting lord, so please take good care of the territory while I’m gone.”

“Please don’t worry and have a safe trip, young lord.”

Hans’ eyes were red.

He had raised and cared for Luke in place of the previous lord and his wife.

His heart was about to burst at the thought of sending him, who was like a son to him, to the capital and to the battlefield.

“Wouldn’t it be better to take more guards?”

Rogers asked worriedly as he shook hands with Luke.

Because Philip was the only guard Luke was taking.

Luke shook his head at Rogers’ concern.

“We need even one more knight to manage the expanded territory. I can protect myself well enough, so don’t worry about it.”

In his heart, he wanted to leave Philip behind as well.

However, it was obvious that his vassals would strongly oppose it, so he took Philip with him as a formality.

Anyway, after saying goodbye to his vassals, the last person left was Princess Reina.

“I’ll be back.”

“……”

Reina only moved her lips at Luke’s greeting, but she couldn’t say anything properly.

She had already heard the story that Luke would be conscripted at the victory banquet.

However, she didn’t show it and focused on her work.

She had noticed that Luke had made up his mind to leave, so she didn’t want to disturb his mood.

She judged that doing the work that Luke had entrusted and instructed her to do here would make him feel more comfortable.

However, when Luke was about to leave, she was filled with regret, sadness, and sorrow.

“Young lord, to be honest, I wish you wouldn’t leave.”

“Reina…”

“Thanks to you, young lord, I was able to get a new opportunity, a new life. But if something bad happens to you after you leave…”

Reina’s words stopped in the middle.

Because she was pulled into his arms by Luke’s hand.

Luke gently patted her, who was teary-eyed.

“You are a clever woman. And I know that you are a person with a stronger heart than anyone else.”

“Young lord…”

“I will trust only you until the day I return. You also trust me and wait for me.”

Luke entrusted all the work related to the Kirilov Trading Company, the mine, and the fortress to Reina.

Because she, who understood his past, was more trustworthy than his vassals.

Reina, seeing Luke’s eyes full of trust, stopped crying and took out a small ornament from her sleeve.

It was a necklace with a small metal case, and inside the metal case was a strand of silver hair that seemed to belong to Reina.

“What is this?”

“It’s a custom of my country. The women of Volga used to make such amulets for their lovers who were going on a long journey. It is said that a person’s will or wish resides in their hair.”

Reina handed the amulet to Luke.

The moment he received the amulet, Luke felt an unknown strong force permeating him.

It was neither mana, nor aura, nor divine power.

The power he had felt from Reina before was a huge will that could not be described—the vitality of the vast nature.

He had not yet figured out why this strange power was sometimes detected from Reina.

‘I must return to find out.’

Luke smiled faintly, put Reina’s amulet around his neck, kissed her hand, and got into the carriage.

After saying their last goodbyes, the carriage rumbled and began to head towards the capital.

“Lord, have a safe trip!”

“You must come back safely!”

Luke waved his hand until he could no longer see his vassals and Reina.

And when the friendly people disappeared from his sight, he looked north, where the carriage was heading.

The Baroque Imperial Family and the Veritas Magic Tower.

His eyes, heading towards the land where his enemies had settled, were shining more fiercely than ever before.