Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 56

9. Dreams Come True

1

The subjugation force, having completed its preparations in Eisenberg, began its march toward Elbera.

Having left some troops behind to maintain security in the occupied territories, the total force was reduced to 110,000. However, with reinforcements of Gigants [giant humanoid war machines] and Riders from the Imperial Capital, their combat power was even greater.

“Are you really not considering joining my command?”

“I’ll let you know after the subjugation is complete.”

“Tsk, you could just say yes, why are you hesitating so much?”

Count Marquez, who had approached Luke to propose recruitment, clicked his tongue in displeasure and walked away.

He thought Luke was trying to increase his value by making various nobles anxious. He knew that some famous mercenaries had done that in the past. However, since he was such a desirable asset, he wanted to recruit him quickly before someone else snatched him away.

‘I can’t yield to Bishop Max, no matter what.’

Luke chuckled as he watched Marquez leave, burning with determination. He then turned around.

There, the mercenaries who had recently joined the Red Wolf Mercenary Company were marching, drenched in sweat.

Their number exceeded 3,000, and beside them, the Lakan Knights were constantly nagging.

“Can’t you walk properly!”

“With such weak basic stamina, how can you do your part!”

“We don’t need weaklings! If you don’t have stamina, use your grit! If you don’t have grit, endure with your guts!”

Unlike the Garlic gang, who still grumbled at every opportunity, the newly joined mercenaries were all accepting the training disguised as harassment with serious expressions.

Having witnessed the Red Wolf Mercenary Company’s exploits and their leader’s immense power, they thought there must be a reason for their nagging.

‘If we overcome this, we’ll become strong like them, right?’

‘Okay, I’ll definitely become an Expert too!’

It was more wishful thinking than reality, but Philip and the Lakan Knights never revealed the truth.

On the way to Elbera, the Konrad Kingdom army launched sporadic attacks.

However, whether it was due to the heavy blow from their defeat at Eisenberg or because they were concentrating their forces in Elbera, they were merely probing attacks.

A week later, the subjugation force finally arrived at Elbera, the center of the rebellion and the self-proclaimed capital of the Konrad Kingdom.

Just as they were about to besiege the castle and begin the siege, a messenger arrived from Bless with surprising news. Her Holiness the Pope would be visiting in two days to commend the soldiers of the subjugation force and boost their morale.

“What! Reina, no, Veronica III is coming here?”

“Yes, Commander. The messenger who just arrived said so clearly.”

“Ah!”

Luke’s face brightened at the sudden news.

Wasn’t he fighting tooth and nail in another country’s civil war just to meet her?

Now that he could meet her in two days, his heart began to pound.

“Shall we go out to meet her right away?” Philip asked, gauging the situation. Victor was already preparing to run, grabbing the armor he had already taken off.

However, Luke shook his head.

“No, we might miss each other. We’ll wait here.”

He had waited for over two years, so he could wait a little longer.

At Luke’s words, Victor briefly looked dissatisfied but soon nodded in agreement.

‘Will she even recognize me?’

He had heard that she had lost her memories in the Spirit Realm.

A sense of unease began to creep in, wondering what would happen if they met and she didn’t remember him.

2

A few days before the messenger arrived at the subjugation force.

In the imperial palace of Bless, two voices were echoing.

The voice of a stubborn young woman and the voice of an old man objecting, saying it was absolutely not allowed.

“I will definitely go.”

“It’s a battlefield where anything could happen at any time. If something were to happen to your sacred body, what would become of this nation that only looks to Your Holiness?”

Constantine was about to go crazy because Veronica III had suddenly started insisting on inspecting the front lines since yesterday.

Moreover, she said it wasn’t just for the purpose of comforting the soldiers. Veronica said that if possible, she would meet with Duke Perrier and negotiate to end the war.

She said she could no longer tolerate the people suffering from the war.

‘Damn it, it’s all because of that damned Osram.’

Constantine judged that the guy had put ideas into the innocent Pope’s head, causing their relationship to start going awry.

Recently, Veronica had been showing a proactive attitude, to the point where it could be said that she was changing.

Unlike her obedient past, she was not listening well and was gradually starting to assert her own thoughts.

Moreover, her intellectual level had also increased, and unlike when she was innocently running wild, her tone and actions had become a bit more mature. The puppy-like gentle eyes were gone, replaced by clear eyes filled with conviction.

“It’s dangerous, but the Holy Knights will protect me. And I heard there’s a Warrior of God there. How could I be in danger where there’s a Warrior of God?”

“Th, that is…”

“Besides, the Regent said, didn’t he? That I’m an angel. A messenger of God. If I’m a messenger of God, I think I should definitely meet the Warrior of God.”

“Th, that is true, but…”

Constantine was speechless at the mention of the Warrior of God.

He never imagined that he would be unable to refute her because of the words he had made up.

‘There’s no other way. It seems like she’ll secretly run away even if I don’t allow it…’

The more he suppressed her, the worse their relationship would become.

Constantine decided that it would be better to grant her wish and use this to strengthen his political position.

“Alright. I will allow you to inspect the front lines.”

Veronica’s face brightened at Constantine’s agreement. She jumped up from her seat and hugged Constantine tightly after a long time.

“Thank you, Grandpa.”

“Well, it’s nothing… Please stop. Grand Duke Gregory will scold you if he sees this.”

After the meeting, Constantine left the audience hall, saying he had to prepare for the front line inspection.

Even after Constantine left, Veronica couldn’t sit still. Her heart kept pounding, and only one person’s image was in her mind.

‘Now I can meet you.’

There was another reason why Veronica suddenly insisted on comforting the soldiers on the front lines.

The Warrior of God, Leif.

When he saved Eisenberg from destruction, she had lost consciousness while conducting mass in the cathedral.

At that time, Veronica had a dream.

A dream where she saw the platinum-blonde man she had seen in her dreams before, the one she remembered as Luke de Lakan, riding a giant steel giant and destroying a star falling from the sky.

What surprised her was after she regained consciousness.

Through the conversations of the maids, she heard the story that a mercenary commander named Leif had flown up on a Gigant and stopped the meteor strike.

What on earth was going on?

Luke and Leif, could there be some connection between them?

Veronica couldn’t sleep because of her many thoughts.

When she barely managed to fall asleep, she would see herself in the garden of the black castle, smiling happily in Luke’s arms.

‘Could it be that the Warrior of God is Luke? Considering they are both Rune Knights [knights who use magical runes]…’

More importantly, what was her relationship with Luke de Lakan?

Considering what she experienced in her dreams, it seemed like they were very close and special.

Her heart reacted before her head, making her think that even more.

‘I have to meet him. Otherwise, I can’t solve this question.’

That’s why she insisted on going to inspect the front lines.

However, it wasn’t a lie that she would encourage the soldiers who were fighting hard and hold talks with the rebels. She sincerely intended to do so.

Because that’s what a messenger of God would do.

– Well done. Now it seems you are ready to meet me.

Another self said happily.

Veronica, who was suppressing her pounding heart with both hands, had a smile of anticipation and hope on her lips.

That evening, Grand Duke Gregory, who rarely requested an audience, came to see Veronica III.

“I greet Your Holiness.”

The Grand Duke paid his respects to her with the utmost courtesy.

Veronica felt inwardly uncomfortable with his disciplined and serious demeanor, which was on a different level from Archbishop Constantine.

‘This person seems like he would do anything for me and the empire.’

Gregory was always polite to her, but Veronica couldn’t let her guard down.

The madness she saw in Gregory’s eyes.

It was as hard as steel and as cold as a blade, and it seemed like it would draw blood if she made even the slightest mistake.

That’s why she tried not to encounter him except for official events, but today he had directly requested an audience, so she couldn’t refuse to meet him.

Still, she was a little scared to meet him alone, so she called Constantine.

“I heard you are going to inspect the front lines.”

“Ah, yes. I thought it might be of some help to the soldiers and knights who are risking their lives…”

She became cautious, wondering if he had come to oppose her, and trailed off.

However, contrary to her worries, Grand Duke Gregory nodded with a faint smile.

“If Your Holiness personally comforts them, the morale of the soldiers will greatly increase.”

“Is that so? Thank you for seeing it positively.”

Her face brightened. At that moment, the Grand Duke set a condition.

“Please take the entire Undying Legion with you.”

“Pardon?”

“If you take the Undying Legion and me, I think we can rest assured.”

The Undying Legion is the strongest force in the Holy Empire. One of their entire corps has the power to match the entire guard knight order of a decent kingdom.

As such, if the Undying Legion followed, they could be trusted and reassured.

However, she didn’t expect Grand Duke Gregory to follow as well.

“Your Excellency, the Grand Duke, you’re going too?”

“Yes, I would like to get some fresh air outside the Imperial Capital on this occasion.”

It seemed like it would be very uncomfortable if he followed.

So Veronica looked at Constantine, who was standing next to her.

It was a signal for him to step in and stop him, but Constantine shook his head with a troubled expression.

Gregory usually stayed in the Imperial Army Headquarters, seemingly present but not, but once he decided to do something, no one except the Pope could stop him.

Veronica, inwardly looking like she was about to cry, reluctantly nodded.

“Huu, okay. I’ll do that.”

“Then I will prepare for an outing after a long time.”

With those words, Grand Duke Gregory left the audience hall, and Veronica and Constantine sighed at the same time.

3

The subjugation force, having just arrived at Elbera and preparing for the siege, retreated five kilometers back.

They set up camp in a nearby village and prepared to welcome the Pope.

“No, why are they suddenly coming for an inspection when the subjugation isn’t even over?”

The commander of the 1st Army tilted his head, not understanding the sudden inspection.

“Isn’t it because they felt sorry for the soldiers risking their lives on the front lines and the people suffering because of the war? I heard they are also thinking of trying to appease the rebels.”

At Marquis Valentino’s words, the 1st Army commander, who had spoken first, flared up.

“Negotiating in a war we’ve already won? And who knows what the rebels will do if they find out, what are the Regent and the others thinking by allowing this…”

“Ahem, according to what I just found out, the Undying Legion is escorting His Holiness the Pope. And since Grand Duke Gregory is also with them, who would dare to touch them?”

If Bishop Max’s words were true, no one would harm the Pope.

Because Grand Duke Gregory, the best knight on the continent, and the Undying Legion, who could easily crush the guard knight order of a decent kingdom, were with her.

Rather, the rebels would be worried that the Undying Legion or Grand Duke Gregory might participate in the battle.

“That’s a relief then. But why is Grand Duke Gregory, who usually stays in the Imperial Capital, coming?”

“Isn’t it because he’s worried about the safety of His Holiness the Pope?”

“But that should be enough with just the Undying Legion.”

“Anyway, we can’t know by just talking like this, so let’s do what we can first.”

After the meeting, the leaders set up an ironclad defense, fearing that the enemy might find out and launch an ambush.

They also built up the defensive walls of the camp and prepared to welcome the Pope.

Thud thud thud!

Two days later, a golden carriage with the wooden cross flag symbolizing the Holy Artenia Empire and the Elcasel Order approached the subjugation force’s camp.

This carriage was heavily guarded by hundreds of Holy Knights, who were none other than the pride of the Empire, the Undying Legion.

“Oh! They’ve finally arrived!”

“Long live His Holiness the Pope!”

Amidst the murmuring of the soldiers, cheers erupted from all over.

Amidst their enthusiastic cheers, the carriage entered the camp and stopped, scattering white dust.

Then, Marquis Valentino and the other leaders of the Imperial Army approached the carriage and paid their respects with the utmost courtesy.

Luke’s heart pounded fiercely as he watched this scene from afar. His heart was about to burst from the unstoppable pounding.

‘It’s finally her! She’s here in front of me!’

He wanted to run and throw open the carriage door right away. But if he did that, there would be chaos.

He clenched his fists tightly and calmed his excitement.

‘Let’s hold on a little longer. Just a little longer!’

It was enough to cause an accident after confirming that she was Reina.

It was when Luke was fighting his inner conflict. Marquis Valentino, who had approached the carriage, gave his greetings.

“Your Holiness, we are all deeply moved by your profound grace in coming to this distant and dangerous place.”

The person inside the carriage lightly raised their hand in response.

And after a while, the carriage door opened, and leather shoes covered by the hem of a white robe appeared outside the carriage.

At the thought of seeing the Pope soon, the soldiers cheered loudly and shouted “Long live” once again.

4

“What? The Imperial Capital Bless is empty?”

In the Langhel region, located in the western part of the Holy Artenia Empire.

Marquis Suleiman, who had raised the banner of rebellion there, jumped up from his seat at his vassal’s report.

“It’s not completely empty, but Grand Duke Gregory and the Undying Legion have gone to Elbera with the puppet Pope.”

“Oh, what an opportunity!”

He already knew that Archbishop Constantine had raised a large army to suppress the rebel forces.

At first, Suleiman was worried that the army might be heading towards them.

Some vassals even suggested that they should just negotiate a surrender with Archbishop Constantine.

But luckily, the subjugation force headed to Duke Perrier’s territory in the Konrad region, not Langhel.

Just as he was sighing in relief, another stroke of luck came his way.

The Undying Legion and Grand Duke Gregory, who had been firmly guarding Bless, or rather, whose presence alone had made them unable to even think of touching it, had left their posts.

They had gone to escort the puppet Pope, and the Central Army remaining in the Imperial Capital was nothing compared to them.

‘As expected, God has not abandoned me!’

The Marquis immediately shouted to his vassals.

“Dispatch the army immediately! The target is the Imperial Capital Bless! We will seize it before Grand Duke Gregory and the Undying Legion arrive!”

Once he seized Bless, the possibility of him gaining power was high.

The Imperial Capital Bless was highly symbolic, with numerous grand temples and sanctuaries of each faction, and many high-ranking priests and nobles also resided there.

At Marquis Suleiman’s command, his vassals moved busily to prepare for the departure. The army had already been mobilized, so they could depart immediately.

“But how did you find out this valuable information?”

Suleiman asked his vassal, suddenly feeling curious.

Then, the vassal in charge of information proudly puffed out his chest and answered.

“The owner of a merchant guild, with whom I have had a friendly relationship since before, secretly informed me.”

“Merchants are fast with information, so that’s possible. What’s the name of that merchant guild owner?”

“It’s Lazuli.”

“Lazuli? I’ll have to reward him handsomely when I meet him later. Hahaha!”

The Marquis burst into hearty laughter, pleased. The vassal also looked happy at seeing his lord’s laughter after a long time.

That day, 50,000 troops from the Langhel region began their march towards Bless.

(To be continued in Steel Emperor Vol. 7)

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