Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 46

Two Years Later

1

On a hill overlooking the newly constructed city and residential areas, stood a large castle made of black stone. Inside the castle, on the third floor, a young man in his early twenties with long, platinum-blonde hair stood gazing out the window.

With his hands clasped behind his back, the young man, named Luke, surveyed his newly transformed territory below.

‘Time really does fly.’

It felt like only yesterday he was idling in the Imperial Army, yet two years had already passed. Even after the monster wave subsided, Luke had to remain in the Principality of Navarr for a while, diligently hunting monsters.

Although he was somewhat annoyed by Princess Magreta’s infatuation with Sebastian and the Duke’s attempts to bind him to the princess, life in the principality wasn’t unpleasant.

However, the Emperor had no intention of keeping Luke abroad indefinitely, and after six months, he received orders to return home. After that, whenever problems arose at home or abroad, the Emperor would issue deployment orders.

He suppressed a Barbarian tribe that had rebelled in the eastern mountains and was also tasked with eliminating a black magic organization harboring resentment against the world. The problem was that the Emperor and his cronies engaged in despicable schemes, such as blocking and distorting information about the enemies and even leaking information about their own forces to the enemy.

However, Luke was not fooled by these tricks and achieved great feats of arms, as if to spite them. Instead, he used trials and crises as opportunities to train himself and his subordinates. Thanks to this, his swordsmanship, white magic, and black magic skills improved significantly, and his knights, including Philip, as well as Kaper, Alex, Hobart, and Anna, also grew remarkably.

Philip reached the highest level of Expert, while Kaper reached the upper level, and Alex, Hobart, and Anna reached the intermediate level. These knights, who had improved their skills, were discharged from the Imperial Army and became vassals of the Rakan territory, forming close relationships with their families.

Meanwhile, as Luke’s reputation grew with each achievement, many young knights came to him, asking to be taken on as subordinates. Luke selected the most capable and trustworthy among them and assigned them to the territory’s knight order.

‘But still, the greatest achievement is this.’

Luke drew the sword at his waist and infused it with mana. Sss sss! A golden aura began to emanate from the sword. The aura grew to over two meters, then suddenly shrank again. No, it wasn’t shrinking, but rather condensing.

The condensed aura began to take on a clear light and shape, and Luke smiled faintly as he looked at it.

‘Hah, if the Emperor finds out that I’ve created a Gold Aura, he’ll be furious, won’t he?’

Every time he went to the Imperial Palace to receive rewards for his achievements, he could enjoy the Emperor’s twisted face. Luke was eager to gain achievements just to see that face, which was full of annoyance but forced to smile. If that Emperor knew that he had completed the Gold Aura, he would surely make a very different and wonderful(?) expression than before.

“By the way, if you can create a Gold Aura, it means you’ve taken a step into the realm of Sword Master, right?”

Knight Commander Rogers had said that before, and a few days ago, Luke was finally able to create a Gold Aura. Originally, he thought it would take at least five years to create a Gold Aura. However, there is no better training than actual combat, and because he was constantly traversing battlefields, his swordsmanship skills improved faster than expected.

“But where is the latter part of the Gold Sword [a legendary swordsmanship technique] that will lead me to Sword Sage [the highest level of swordsmanship]?”

The Rakan family had suffered a long period of decline and had lost the latter part of the Gold Sword that had been passed down through the family. The first half alone was enough to become a Sword Master, but it was said that the latter half was necessary to become a Sword Sage. But the problem was that no one knew when or how it had disappeared.

Knock knock.

It was when Luke was thinking about the Gold Sword. Hans’ voice was heard from outside the door along with a knock. As soon as Luke returned, he had gone back to being a butler from acting lord and was fulfilling his role.

“Lord, it’s time for the meeting. Shall we go?”

“Alright.”

Luke nodded and headed to the lord’s manor on horseback. The area around the lord’s castle had developed tremendously since the first time he had awakened. The castle walls had been doubled, and houses were densely packed along the straight roads. The few shops that had existed had also been transformed into a commercial district with three-story buildings.

As a result, the size of the lord’s castle had quadrupled, and the population had also increased significantly, approaching 100,000. ‘It’s still smaller than Lamer City, but it will surpass it in a few more years.’ The development potential of the lord’s castle was limitless.

As he passed through the inner castle gate, the knight order’s building could be seen on the left. In the knight order’s training ground, which had been expanded last year, over a hundred knights were divided into two sides and engaged in combat that was like a real battle. The side wearing gold armor was the Rakan Knight Order, and the side wearing silver armor was the Unicorn Knight Order.

Immediately after being discharged, Luke had created a new knight order centered around the knights he had recruited from the army, including Kaper. It was called the Unicorn Knight Order, and all of them had mastered the Silver Sword [another swordsmanship technique]. The knight order was led by Kaper, who was the most skilled among them.

Kaper, along with Philip, who had been appointed as the new commander of the Rakan Knight Order, was watching the battle between the two knight orders from the platform and issuing appropriate commands.

“Good, they’re doing well.”

The individual skills of the Rakan Knight Order, who had mastered the Gold Sword, were superior. However, the Unicorn Knight Order was making up for their lack of skill with their rich combat experience and the organizational skills they had acquired in the army. Therefore, the battle between the two knight orders was almost evenly matched.

Of course, if a few skilled individuals such as the commanders or squad leaders joined in, it would be different, but the confrontation, which was only made up of ordinary members, did not seem likely to end easily.

“From now on, the use of aura is permitted!”

At Philip’s shout, the momentum of the knights, who had been fighting purely with their swordsmanship skills while excluding aura, began to change like a storm. Seeing the brilliant auras forming from their swords, Hans opened his mouth from behind with a deeply moved expression.

“At this level, they wouldn’t easily lose even if they fought against the Imperial Guard.”

The Baroque Empire’s Imperial Guard was known to have tremendous power, not only in terms of individual skills but also in the overall strength of the knight order. It was even said to be on par with the Undying Legion of the Holy Artenia Empire, which was considered the strongest on the continent.

Luke chuckled and shook his head.

“It may look that way to you, but in my eyes, the Rakan Knight Order and the Unicorn Knight Order are still not up to the level of the Imperial Guard.”

According to Philip, who was from the Imperial Guard, the Imperial Guard members were divided into three groups according to their skills and positions: the Gold Guard, the Silver Guard, and the Iron Guard. Among them, the main force, the Gold Guard, was said to be made up entirely of Experts of intermediate level or higher.

Since the Rakan Knight Order members had been learning the Silver Sword and Gold Sword since they were young, there were quite a few skilled individuals who were comparable to the Gold Guard. However, the number of knight order members was small, so their power was lacking. And the skills of the Unicorn Knight Order members were inferior to those of the Gold Guard. Only the squad leaders of each squad had reached the intermediate level of Expert, and most of the ordinary members were at the lower level of Expert.

Of course, even at this level, the two knight orders of the territory were among the top in the Empire. ‘But who knows what will happen in the future.’ The Imperial Guard had a high status, but there were many rumors and gossip about them. There were rumors that there was a lot of friction between the three internal units, that the children of prestigious families were faking their skills to get in, and that they were lazy and neglecting their training.

Luke, who often visited the Imperial Palace for rewards for his achievements, had heard rumors about the Imperial Guard and had also observed the actual condition of the knights. Although it was not obvious, there were definitely problems. This could be seen from the fact that Philip had been kicked out.

‘Even so, I can’t just wait for the enemy to destroy themselves. If I don’t develop my own strength, I won’t be able to win the fight.’ With that in mind, Luke stopped for a moment to watch the knights’ training and then resumed his walk towards the lord’s manor.

2

The vassals were already gathered in the lord’s manor’s conference room. They were sitting in their seats, and when Luke entered, they all stood up and bowed their heads.

“Lord, you have arrived!”

“Has it been a month, everyone?”

After exchanging brief greetings with his vassals, he sat down and began the meeting. As the territory developed, Luke felt the need to hold regular meetings. As the territory grew and the vassals were scattered on their missions, it was not easy to gather in one place. So, he held a meeting once a month, and at that meeting, the important policies of the territory were discussed and decided.

As soon as Luke, who had exchanged greetings with his vassals, sat down, the administrative officer spoke first.

“Lord, according to the population survey completed last week, our territory has a total population of 850,000 in 15 cities and 132 villages, including Lamer City. At this level, it can be said that we have reached the level of a marquisate, surpassing a county. Congratulations!”

“Oh! The population has increased quite a bit.”

The larger the population, the greater the productivity, and the greater the productivity, the more taxes can be collected. With the increased taxes, a larger army and territory could be maintained, so the increase in population was indeed something to celebrate.

“Then, how much is the tax revenue for this year?”

Dixson, the bald financial officer, replied.

“Excluding Lamer City, which is entrusted to the Merchant Union, it will be well over 1 million pesos [a unit of currency].”

“Hmm, not bad.”

It was not just not bad. It had become one of the wealthiest territories in the Empire.

“So, how about we directly govern Lamer City now?”

The reason why Lamer City was initially entrusted to the Merchant Union was because the territory’s rapid expansion meant that it lacked the capacity to directly govern the city. However, now that the County of Monarch had been completely integrated, and the administrative and military capabilities had grown significantly, Dixson thought that it would be more beneficial in many ways to govern it directly.

Quite a few vassals nodded in agreement with his idea. However, Luke firmly shook his head.

“There’s no need to kill the goose that lays golden eggs. Let’s just leave it as it is.”

The Merchant Union was thriving with Lamer City as its base. Luke thought that the reason why they were not being pushed back in the competition with other large merchant houses or trading cities and why their trade volume was increasing by two times every year was because the merchants were able to fully demonstrate their abilities in an environment where they were not interfered with by nobles or lords. There was no need to unnecessarily interfere with them and shrink trade.

“But Princess Reina is missing, so there’s no reason to entrust the golden land to the old gods of Volga…”

“Administrative Officer Dixson!”

For the past two years, mentioning Reina’s disappearance had been taboo in the Marquisate of Rakan. Hans quickly cut him off when Dixson brought up the story without any tact. However, since the words had already been spoken, they could not be taken back, and the air in the conference room turned cold.

Seeing everyone, including Dixson, who was sweating profusely, looking at him, Luke, who had been stiff, relaxed his expression and opened his mouth.

“I will find Reina no matter what, so let’s not mention her any further in this meeting.”

“I, I apologize, Lord.”

Having changed the atmosphere in the conference room, Luke turned to Rogers, who had been promoted to commander of the territory’s army in the military reorganization earlier this year, and asked.

“Baron Rogers, how is the troop replenishment going?”

“We have been steadily recruiting from the territory’s people. As a result, the standing operational force is 7,000, and the total force, including the local defense forces, reserves, and security forces, is 30,000.”

In the current war, where Gigants [large, humanoid war machines] determine the outcome of battles, the number of regular soldiers might seem insignificant. However, the role of regular soldiers was crucial for smooth operations in sieges, supply lines, and maintaining order in occupied territories.

“And the number of trainee knights has steadily increased to over 700, with 250 regular knights. This number continues to grow,” Rogers reported, a smile playing on his lips, a sentiment echoed by the other vassals. As the territory expanded, they were focused on increasing their military power as much as possible. They believed they would eventually have to settle old scores with the Imperial Family, making military strength not an option but a necessity.

“We also conduct frequent training to boost the soldiers’ unity and loyalty to the territory, so I believe we will see good results soon.” Since there were far more immigrants from other regions than the original inhabitants of the territory, Rogers was doubly focused on training the territorial army. He believed that if they worked hard together, they would develop camaraderie and their loyalty to the territory would increase.

“Is the Gigant force sufficient?” Luke inquired.

“Currently, combining the Rakan Knights and the Unicorn Knights, we have 30 Knight-class and 100 Warrior-class Gigants. We have 40 more, but they are old and are either kept in reserve or used for civil engineering support.” After saying that, Rogers turned his gaze to Mute and continued, “This is all thanks to the efforts of the Katarina Magic Tower and Meister Mute, who are accelerating Gigant production.”

Mute waved his hand dismissively at Rogers’ praise. “Efforts? I simply did what the Lord ordered.”

At his words, Luke spoke up, “There’s no need to be modest. There isn’t anyone here who doesn’t know of your and the mages’ contributions.” The fact that the number of Gigants in the Rakan March had more than doubled in two years was thanks to the Katarina Magic Tower, which had been dedicated to Gigant production day and night. Except for the Knight-class and some Warrior-class Gigants brought from outside, most were Stilettos produced by the Katarina Magic Tower. Moreover, with the recent expansion of facilities and increased production capacity, they were attempting to sell Stilettos to friendly territories. If successful, it would contribute to the territory’s income.

“But are you going to keep the Jason Territory as it is?” one of the vassals asked, a curious expression on his face. The Jason Territory was land granted by the Emperor when Luke became a Marquis two years ago, and it had not been managed at all since then. Even though it was a remote border territory, it was clearly a fief of the Rakan family, yet not even an administrator had been sent, let alone an investigation team. They thought that the Lord would say something about it when he returned from his military service, but Luke had not mentioned it yet.

“Even if it’s said to be useless, it might be like our territory was before, not properly investigated. So…”

“That land is utterly useless. If we bother to investigate, we’ll only make people suffer and waste money,” Luke stated, wanting to dissuade them from taking an interest in the Jason Territory, where he had hidden the Dark Moon’s black mages. “And even if a gold mine is discovered, can we manage it properly from afar? The lords around it will try to take it somehow. Perhaps the Emperor gave it to us hoping we would get caught up in such a dispute.”

“But…”

“If you’re so regretful, I’ll send you or your son as a proxy lord. Would you like that?”

“Ah, no. I will follow the Lord’s will,” the vassal quickly surrendered, shutting his mouth. The other vassals also lost interest in the Jason Territory. Having settled the issue of the Jason Territory for the time being, Luke changed the subject.

“By the way, what is the situation in the magic world? Is there any sign of improvement?” Since the Veritas Magic Tower was also his enemy, Luke was trying to keep track of them as well as the trends in the magic world. Mute responded with a worried look. “The level of conflict is increasing. The Veritas Magic Tower’s hidden power is considerable, so the Magic Federation is still in the lead, but the power of the reformist magic towers is also not small, so it seems like it will be a tight fight for a while.”

Two years ago, after some magic towers left the Magic Federation, calling themselves reformists, there had been constant conflict and clashes between the two sides. At first, it was just simple slander or academic and business rivalry. However, after one of the Veritas Magic Tower’s branches was burned down in an attack by the Fiore Magic Tower, violence began to be used. Assassinating opposing mages or destroying businesses was commonplace. Large-scale battles between magic towers were also taking place, as if they were fighting territorial wars. Not only were war mages from the magic towers mobilized in these battles, but also mercenaries, and even riders borrowed from friendly nobles, engaging in Gigant battles.

“The nobles and leaders of each country, who had initially been bystanders, are now rushing to mediate, but both sides are threatening not to sell Gigants or artifacts to lords and countries that support the opposing faction.”

“Good grief, are they planning to split not only the magic world but the entire continent in two?”

“Well, thanks to that, we’ve also benefited.”

The only ones not caught up in this battle, now called the Magic Tower War, were the magic towers belonging to the state and the private magic towers established by noble families. So, mages who didn’t want to get caught up in the fighting came to the Katarina Magic Tower, and the Stiletto was able to take advantage of the niche market created by the conflict.

“Of course, there are also difficulties. We still rely on imports for some important parts that our magic tower cannot produce, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain them.” They were working hard to develop important parts themselves, but the Stiletto could not yet be said to be 100% made by the Katarina Magic Tower. If important parts became difficult to obtain, Gigant production would inevitably decrease, which would affect the territory’s power. Mute and Rogers were worried about this, but Luke did not take it seriously. He could get enough parts for Warrior-class Gigants from the Dark Moon. Of course, they could not be obtained openly. They had to be brought in secretly through a laundering process.

“I’ll look into that issue as well. I know a few magic towers from my time in the military.” Mute looked worried at Luke’s words. “Won’t you get caught up in the Magic Tower War?”

“It’s okay. As far as I know, they’re neutral.” Just as Luke said that, Hans opened his mouth as if something had suddenly occurred to him. “Oh, by the way, I heard a strange rumor related to that Magic Tower War.”

“A strange rumor?”

“A knight who was said to be traveling the continent for training came by and said that he saw a mercenary with great skill on the Magic Federation side. He apparently cut down over a dozen war mages with a single blow.”

“Is that strange?” If someone was skilled in swordsmanship, they could do that much. If that person was not a mercenary but a top-class knight sent by a noble with ties to the Magic Federation, it would be even more understandable. Hans shook his head at Luke’s question and continued, “That’s not the strange part… they say that mercenary looked a lot like the founder.”

“Are you talking about the hero Rakan… sir?” Luke asked, his voice tinged with surprise.

“Yes, and whether it’s true or not, they also said they saw that mercenary create a golden dragon with aura…” A golden dragon. That was one of the techniques Rakan often used, known to be achievable by mastering the Gold Sword to its extreme. Anyway, the vassals were greatly agitated by the mention of the Gold Sword, and Luke’s expression also changed. Resembled the founder, and used the founder’s swordsmanship. What could this mean? It meant that another descendant of Rakan remained. And… ‘Could that mercenary have the latter part of the Gold Sword that was said to be lost?’ Luke was not the only one who thought so. Rogers jumped up from his seat and said with a serious expression, “Lord, I think we need to find out more about that mercenary.”

“I think so too. I’ll tell Argos separately.” After that, Luke discussed a few more agenda items and matters to be dealt with, and then ended the regular meeting.

3

After the regular meeting, Luke entered his office in the Lord’s manor. Hudson, the head of Argos [the territory’s intelligence organization], was already waiting inside. “I greet the Lord,” Hudson said.

“That’s enough, more importantly…” Luke, who barely acknowledged the greeting, asked about Reina’s whereabouts. He had given instructions about it. At his question, Hudson opened his mouth with a troubled expression. “We sent informants to several countries, but we could not find the Princess’s whereabouts.”

“I see,” Luke said, looking disappointed. Even after two years, when the dark elves could not find Reina’s whereabouts, Luke moved Argos, the territory’s intelligence organization. However, he did not have high expectations. Since Argos did not yet have an intelligence network across the entire continent, it was just a feeling of wanting to grasp at any straw. Seeing the disappointment on Luke’s face, Hudson quickly added, “Recently, we have been collecting information coming from the southern continent separately. The Princess said she returned to the middle realm, but there is no guarantee that she is on our continent.”

“That’s right. Whether you use the information guild or bribe the intelligence agencies of other countries, find her whereabouts by any means necessary. I will support you no matter how much money it costs.”

“Understood, Lord.”

“Oh, and there is one person I need you to look into on the Magic Federation side…” Luke told Hudson the story he had heard from Hans, and ordered him to find out more about the mercenary. “Do you think he is a descendant of the founder Rakan?”

“He was such a famous person, there is a possibility that he left another descendant. That’s why I’m telling you to find out for sure.” No sooner had Hudson, who had received the new orders, politely greeted him and left, than Erewin entered the office. Luke’s expression turned cold when he saw her face. “Why did you come? I told you not to come until you found Reina’s whereabouts.”

“You’re being too harsh,” Erewin replied.

“Who made me be harsh?” Luke glared sharply at Erewin, who was talking back. She, along with Erenes, who had died two years ago, was the culprit who caused Reina to go missing. “I know the mistakes that I and our fairies made. I hope you know that we are doing our best to follow and help you.” After Erenes’ death, according to his will, the fairies helped Luke and contributed to the development of the Rakan territory. The fairies helped with the development of Gigants at the Katarina Magic Tower, the beastmen helped strengthen the territory’s military power as mercenaries, and the elves, who were quick and had good ears, gathered information from various places or identified suspicious individuals. Among them, the greatest contributors were the dwarves, the Red Hammer tribe led by Kurkan. Returning to the mines that their ancestors had operated during Seymon’s time, they diligently mined gold, silver, and other minerals, contributing to the finances of the Rakan territory. In addition, some went to workshops in the city or the Katarina Magic Tower to lead the production of weapons and Gigant parts, and they established a smelter in the territory to produce high-quality steel. Some territories in the Empire were using dwarves as slaves to produce weapons and steel, but they could not match the quality of the products from the Rakan March. There was a significant difference between things made by force and things made voluntarily. Anyway, thanks to that, the Rakan March was able to establish itself as the wealthiest territory in the southern part of the Empire in a short period of two years. It had grown so unexpectedly fast that even the surrounding rival territories and the Imperial Family could not put up any significant checks.

“I know. If that weren’t the case, I would have turned the fairies upside down several times.”

“So, should I be thanking you?”

Luke frowned slightly at Erewen’s sarcasm and replied, “Still, I’m ensuring your rights are protected, aren’t I? Not as slaves, but as equal residents.”

“Well, I appreciate that, and the fact that you’ve made an effort to change how the humans here perceive the fairies.”

Luke had been merciless in punishing those who tried to oppress the fairies in his territory.

He justified his actions by stating that persecuting a powerless race went against the fair and just will of the progenitor [referring to a deity or creator figure].

Most people accepted it when he invoked Rakan’s name, but some of his vassals grumbled, bringing up the fairies’ past alliance with the Demon King.

Of course, these dissenting voices weren’t loud.

They were the ones who knew better than anyone how much the territory had developed and prospered since the fairies arrived.

“But what exactly brings you here? It doesn’t seem like you came just to remind me of your contributions.”

“You told us not to come until we found out about Princess Reina’s whereabouts.”

At Erewen’s words, Luke jumped up from his seat.

Come to think of it, Erewen hadn’t visited him once in the past two years. He didn’t know if it was because she was busy or if she couldn’t handle Luke’s anger, but she had always sent another elf to deliver messages if she had anything to say.

Therefore, there was only one reason for her to come in person.

“Is it… is it certain?” His voice trembled slightly.

“I don’t risk my neck on uncertain things. But this fresh information I just received is worth the risk.”

With that, Erewen took out a portrait from the subspace of her ring [a magical storage space].

“This is… !”

A woman wearing a crown and a splendid robe embroidered with gold thread.

Her face was exactly like Reina’s.

As a surprised Luke struggled to calm his pounding heart, Erewen’s voice reached his ears.

“Veronica III. The new Pope of the Holy Artenia Empire.”

“What?”

“She was enthroned two years ago, but this is the first time she’s appeared in public because of the internal affairs of the Holy Empire.”

Even without this, there had been a lot of talk about the Holy Artenia Empire’s actions over the past two years.

Despite the death of the former Pope, they hadn’t held a conclave [a meeting of cardinals to elect a new pope], and Archbishop Constantine, one of the leading candidates for Pope, had ruled the Holy Empire as regent.

Because of this, some speculated that Archbishop Constantine had seized power in a coup but had not been recognized by the cardinals.

Constantine vehemently denied this, but the fact that the new Pope’s face had not been seen by the world for the past two years only amplified the suspicions.

Eventually, as time passed, the Pope’s authority plummeted, and clerics and nobles in various regions openly engaged in corruption.

The people, struggling under this, either sought new saviors or revolted to survive.

Some ambitious nobles even encouraged this from behind the scenes.

“I think Archbishop Constantine must have thought he couldn’t hold out any longer, so he put the new Pope in the public eye.”

“You said she was enthroned two years ago?”

“Yes, no one knows about the new Pope’s background. According to the Volga intelligence department, she didn’t even have a name, so they named her after an old saint.”

Luke’s face was filled with joy as he clenched his fists.

He didn’t know for sure yet whether the new Pope of the Holy Empire was really Reina, or just someone who looked like her.

But considering that there had been no information about her whereabouts for the past two years, this was truly great news.

“I think she is Princess Reina. But I’m concerned about why there’s been no contact for the past two years.”

“There might be some circumstances. Maybe that Constantine guy blocked it.”

Luke paced back and forth. His reason was telling him to calm down, but his heart was so excited that he couldn’t stay still.

He hadn’t felt this way even once in the past two years.

“I need to call the vassals and the old men of Volga right away.”

“I’ve already contacted them. They’re probably almost here by now.”

“Is that so?”

He felt sorry for calling another meeting so soon after the last one, but this was not the time to worry about trivial matters.

Thinking that he should go to the meeting room in advance, Luke was about to leave his office when he suddenly stopped.

“Oh, I almost forgot to say this.”

“What is it?”

Luke turned around and smiled at Erewen, who was tilting her head.

“Thank you for bringing me good news.”

Erewen, whose face had unknowingly turned slightly red at his words, quickly turned her gaze away with a cold look.

“Hmph! There’s no need to thank me. We’ve just repaid the debt we owed you with this.”

“I see.”

As Luke, looking awkward, left the office, Erewen muttered to herself.

“Still, I’m glad you’re not disappointed.”

A faint smile appeared on her usually cold face.

For a moment, a hint of bitterness lingered in that warm smile before disappearing.

4

“We must go and bring the Princess back immediately!” The old men of Volga, who had arrived at the lord’s manor, raised their voices as soon as the emergency meeting began.

In particular, Victor, who had not been able to sleep since the princess went missing, pounded his chest and pointed at himself.

“I will go and bring the Princess back. So please send this old man, Lord!”

Victor was determined to leave, even if it meant abandoning his current duties, if Luke did not allow it.

Of course, Luke, who knew his desperate heart well, had no intention of refusing his request.

“Calm down, Sir Victor. Of course, we have to bring Reina back, but we need to think before we act.”

“No, what is there to think about! I’m just saying this old man will go!”

Luke soothed the agitated Victor and said, “The current situation in the Holy Empire is not good. And Reina, despite returning from the Spirit Realm, has not contacted us for the past two years.”

“Are you saying there might be some difficult circumstances?” At Pavel’s question, who was calmer than Victor, Luke nodded.

“Yes. And even if we go, it’s questionable whether the Holy Empire will willingly hand over Reina.”

“Hmm, this old man agrees with that.” As a former official of a nation, Pavel had an exceptional sense for assessing political situations.

“If the information sent by the dark elves is correct, the current power holder in the Holy Empire is Archbishop Constantine. But the fact that he has remained as regent without becoming Pope even after seizing power means there must be a reason.”

Luke nodded at Pavel’s words.

“Even a puppet doesn’t get put on the throne without a reason.”

Even if a puppet ruler had no real power, the power holders had reasons for putting them forward.

It was what they called justification, and it was often due to lineage or the will of the previous ruler.

“So, which is it in the case of the Holy Artenia Empire? As far as I know, Popes don’t marry. Isn’t that right, Priest Maron?” At Luke’s question, Maron, the chief priest of the Rakan territory, silently nodded. But he couldn’t help but think to himself.

‘There have often been Popes who had lovers even if they didn’t have wives.’

But telling such a story would only expose the church’s flaws, so he kept his mouth shut.

Meanwhile, Luke’s story continued.

“If they don’t marry, they won’t have successors, so it can’t be a lineage issue. Moreover, the Pope of the Holy Empire is elected by conclave.”

“Then is it because of the will of the previous Pope?” At a vassal’s question, he shrugged.

“I don’t know the details, but anyway, it seems to be related to the internal situation of the Holy Empire. The important thing is that it might be difficult to bring Reina back.”

With that, Luke revealed to everyone what he had been thinking before the meeting started.

It was somewhat shocking.

“To be honest, I don’t care if she doesn’t come back. I’m just satisfied if she’s safe and we can meet anytime.”

“Lord…”

“In a way, Reina might be a suitable person to be the Pope of the Holy Empire. She has always tried to follow the will of God and cared for the powerless. But…” Luke changed his words halfway and stood up. And with intense eyes, he looked at his vassals and revealed his intentions.

“If it was not her will to stay there, I will definitely bring her back. Especially if she is being oppressed, I will not stand for it.”

The old men of Volga were moved by his words, but the other vassals, especially Priest Maron, looked rather serious.

“I understand your intentions, Lord. But if we are not careful, it could lead to a conflict with the Elkasel Order and the Holy Empire.”

The Elkasel Order has more than half of the continent’s population as followers. There are even followers of the Elkasel Order in the Rakan territory.

And the Holy Empire is a traditional powerhouse that surpasses even the Baroque Empire.

But Luke did not back down from his claim.

“If anyone tries to stop me from bringing her back, I will fight them, even if they are gods.”

Rogers clapped at Luke’s spirited statement. Philip inwardly clicked his tongue, thinking that he was indeed the successor of the Demon King.

“A-Are you really going to fight?” At Maron’s question, whose face had changed, Luke chuckled.

“I’m not saying I’ll fight unconditionally. And if they are real gods, I don’t think they would side with the Holy Empire, which has been corrupt for so long.”

“Anyway, from what you’re saying, it seems you’re planning to go and bring the Princess back yourself.” At Hans’s words, Luke nodded. Then Dickson opened his mouth, looking troubled.

“I understand your intentions, Lord. But according to the Imperial law, nobles are not allowed to go abroad without permission. If the Emperor finds out that you went to the Holy Empire, he will surely…”

“That’s why I have to go secretly, disguising my identity. I’ve already thought about the preparations for that, so there’s no need to worry.”

At those words, the vassals tilted their heads, wondering how he was going to prepare. Only Philip was smiling faintly, as if he knew.

“Still, it’s dangerous for just you and Sir Victor to go. Please take enough escort forces with you. That would be more advantageous for disguising yourselves as a mercenary group.”

At Rogers’s words, Luke nodded.

Mercenary groups, who traveled from country to country and participated in wars, found it easy to obtain entry and exit permits. Moreover, considering the current unstable situation in the Holy Artenia Empire due to the rebellion, there was no better disguise.

“I was thinking of organizing the escort force around the Rakan Knights. What does the commander think?”

“Please do so. They are all highly skilled, so they will surely be able to protect you, Lord.”

Of course, that wasn’t the reason why Luke was planning to take the Rakan Knights with him.

If the opportunity arose, he wanted to give them, who had little practical experience, plenty of experience.

Several days later, at dawn.

Luke quietly left the lord’s castle with 30 knights under his command.

His destination was Bless, the capital of the Holy Artenia Empire, where Reina was.

The sun, rising and illuminating the eastern sky, brightly lit the path ahead for Luke and his knights.