Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 57

1. Reunion After Two Years

1

“Hooray! Long live His Holiness the Pope!”

“Long live His Holiness the Pope!”

The Pope finally emerged from the carriage.

Mixed among the cheering soldiers, Luke edged forward.

Just a little further, and he could finally confirm if Pope Veronica III was truly Reina.

At first, Luke tried to use mana to confirm her identity.

Even non-mages had unique mana fluctuations.

However, ordinary people who hadn’t formed a mana circle had weak mana fluctuations, making them difficult to detect.

Moreover, in a situation like this, with thousands of people cheering, it was like finding a single grain of gold dust in a sand field.

The only way was to get as close as possible.

So, Luke gradually closed the distance, and finally, he could see the Pope being escorted by Marquis Valentino.

However, he had to stop about ten steps away.

The Holy Knights guarding the Pope formed an impenetrable wall.

‘Are these guys the Undying Legion?’

He could feel a strong aura emanating from them.

They were among the top knights Luke had ever seen, but he only felt annoyed.

He wanted to blow them all away if he could, but Luke held back and just stared at the Pope.

‘Damn it…!’

The Pope wore a veil over her white robes, making it difficult to see her face clearly.

The mana fluctuations were still hard to detect due to the chaotic energy from the crowd.

As Luke continued to fret, it happened.

Bang—!

With a sharp noise, a short arrow shot out from the crowd.

The arrow, flying with terrifying speed as if shot from a powerful bow imbued with aura, was surprisingly aimed at the Pope.

Clang!

However, a sharp spark flew in the air, and the arrow was deflected to an unexpected place.

A small, sturdy young man who had deflected the arrow with his sword in front of the Pope roared like thunder.

“Protect His Holiness the Pope!”

As Grand Duke Gregory’s order rang out, the Undying Legion members near the Pope surrounded her instantly. In addition, the Holy Knights scattered nearby revealed their killing intent and searched for the one who had launched the ambush.

“Everyone, stay still and lie down on the ground!”

“Eek! I, I didn’t do it!”

“Don’t move! Anyone acting suspiciously will be considered an assassin!”

At the murderous shouts of the Undying Legion, the soldiers flattened themselves to the ground like frogs.

Luke also lowered his body appropriately. If he acted out of place in this situation, he would either be framed or, even if not, get caught up in a very tiresome situation.

‘Damn it, what’s going on all of a sudden?’

The Konrad Kingdom army, having lost Eisenberg and with the tide of war turning against them, might have attempted an assassination out of desperation.

But why now, at this crucial moment when he was trying to confirm if the Pope was Reina!

‘This is no time to grumble. If they don’t catch the assassin soon….’

The Pope, feeling threatened, might retreat. Even if she didn’t retreat immediately, there was a high chance that she wouldn’t grant an audience for safety reasons.

‘It was a mistake. I was so focused on the expectation of meeting Reina that I neglected to be vigilant of my surroundings….’

Luke retraced the situation from just a moment ago when the assassination attempt occurred.

A sharp bang and an arrow flew.

That meant it wasn’t a sniper attack using a bow.

Logically speaking, in a place so crowded, a desperate cry announcing the assassination would have been heard before the bowstring was even drawn.

‘But it wasn’t a long-range sniper attack either. The sound was heard, which means it was definitely a close distance, and a different weapon other than a bow must have been used.’

He had an idea about that weapon.

It was a hand cannon.

This weapon, called a Hand Cannon or Fire Lance, was a gunpowder weapon that came from the Song Empire in the south [a historical Chinese dynasty].

It was a weapon that fired iron balls or small arrows by putting gunpowder in a metal tube, and even a rookie soldier could kill a knight in armor if they hit properly.

However, it was not commonly used in the Rhodisian continent because it was completely ineffective against the Gigantes, magical war machines with thick armor.

However, some mercenaries carried them for the purpose of sniping enemy commanders or dealing with knights above the expert level.

There were several mercenaries with hand cannons among the new recruits who joined the Red Wolf Mercenary Company, so Luke also knew about it.

“You’re the assassin!”

“Huh? No, I’m not! I’m not!”

“Don’t lie! If not, how can the smell of gunpowder be coming from your body?”

The Holy Knights, who had come to the same conclusion as Luke, were identifying suspects everywhere. Most of them were mercenaries who handled hand cannons or were from the artillery corps.

“Where did you hide your weapon?”

“How could I have it? How could I bring such a thing to a place like this… Keuk!”

“Don’t make excuses and tell the truth!”

“I, I didn’t do it. I really didn’t!”

Luke frowned as he watched the suspects being beaten by the Holy Knights.

He also thought that the weapon used in the assassination was a hand cannon, but he thought the method was different.

‘The gunshot was heard, but there was no smell of gunpowder or smoke. And considering the subtle reaction of mana….’

Luke hurriedly looked around.

Considering the distance where the gunshot was heard, the assassin was likely closer than he thought.

What if they didn’t retreat and tried another attack?

“Hey, you there! Why are you looking around like that?”

A Holy Knight from the Undying Legion found Luke and approached him.

Luke ignored him and continued to look around, trying to find the assassin.

“I’m asking what you’re doing….”

“Be quiet! You’re distracting me!”

Luke shook off the Holy Knight’s hand that had grabbed his shoulder, found the spot where mana was reacting suspiciously, and quickly leaped forward.

The assassin was still there.

Moreover, they were closer to the Pope than he had thought.

2

“Is there an assassin among these guys?”

Grand Duke Gregory looked at the assassination suspects his subordinates had identified.

They were all trembling with fear, and some were just muttering that they weren’t the ones while crying.

The Grand Duke shook his head at the hopeless sight.

‘They’ve all been barking up the wrong tree.’

He had been escorting various Popes for a long time, so he knew well what kind of being an assassin was.

Basically, they were very cold and calm. And the higher the level of the assassin, the more thorough they were.

Of course, they wouldn’t be caught by a rookie mistake like smelling of gunpowder. And even if they were caught, they would calmly look for a chance to escape.

‘Even if their faces are tearful and look wronged, their body muscles would be ready to explode into action at any time. But there’s no one like that among these guys.’

His subordinates wouldn’t have randomly identified suspects without thinking.

However, in their haste to find the culprit among thousands of soldiers, they had come to a hasty and unreasonable conclusion.

“Release them all. They are not the culprits.”

“Your Grace, then….”

“If I were the assassin, I would take another chance in this chaotic situation.”

‘Is that really so?’

The Holy Knights, who were inwardly doubtful, widened their eyes.

A blond young man in mercenary attire was drawing his sword and rushing towards the Pope from the crowd.

He was quite skilled, and Grand Duke Gregory’s expression hardened.

“It’s an assassin!”

“Quickly, escort His Holiness the Pope to a safe place!”

Some of the Holy Knights around the Pope rushed forward to stop the assassin, while the rest reorganized their formation and tried to evacuate the Pope into the carriage.

However, Veronica III, who should have been hurrying to escape, did not move for some reason.

“What is wrong, Your Holiness?”

‘That person is….’

Veronica, who had removed her veil, looked at the man who was rushing in, having blown away the Holy Knights at the front.

The man, whom the Holy Knights believed to be the assassin, was surprisingly the person she had seen in her dreams countless times.

The person who always looked at her with longing, with eyes full of yearning.

‘Luke de Rakan!’

The moment Luke’s face came clearly into view, Veronica, or rather Reina, clutched her chest.

Her heart was pounding, and her mind went blank.

She staggered for a moment, but soon regained her senses, and with that, the memories she had forgotten returned.

The memories of being a princess of the destroyed Volga Kingdom and the past two years of living as Pope Veronica III of the Holy Empire.

‘Reina! It was Reina after all!’

Luke, seeing the Pope’s face without the veil, was overjoyed.

It wasn’t just that she looked alike.

Seeing the way her emotions surged after their eyes met, it was clear that she recognized him.

But he couldn’t just be happy right now.

The assassin was already right in front of her.

“You fool! How dare you!”

“Kuh!”

As the Holy Knight guarding Reina swung his sword, blood splattered from Luke’s shoulder.

It wasn’t an attack that he couldn’t avoid or block, but he didn’t have time to hesitate to defend right now. Because a black lump of metal had appeared, cutting through the air.

“Where is this guy looking….”

The Holy Knight who was facing Luke was startled.

Surprisingly, a hand cannon had suddenly appeared next to him.

While he hesitated, the assassin who had appeared out of thin air aimed the gun at Reina and whispered.

“Fire Bolt.”

Bang—!

With a loud gunshot, flames burst out from the hole in the barrel.

However, the arrow that should have flown towards Reina ended up going into the sky.

It was because Luke, who had rushed in at the last moment, had knocked the barrel of the gun upwards with his sword.

“Tch, interfering!”

“Trying to escape? No way!”

Luke, having identified the location of the assassin who had immediately disappeared, swung his sword down fiercely.

Swish!

As soon as the aura flashed, there was a sound as if something was being cut.

The scene in front of him flowed down like water, and the assassin’s figure was revealed as it was.

At the feet of the flustered assassin, something like a transparent piece of cloth was lying on the ground.

‘It was a mage after all. Not just a simple assassin.’

The fact that there was no smell of gunpowder or smoke even though a gunshot was heard meant that magic, not gunpowder, was used.

In fact, the hand cannon the assassin was holding had a structure similar to a staff at the back.

It looked clumsy, but it was a powerful weapon that could deliver a fatal blow even with a single Fire Bolt.

In addition to this weapon, the assassin was wearing a stealth cloak with an invisibility spell, completely concealing their appearance.

The magic used was mostly basic, low-level magic.

However, because it was so simple and ordinary, it was not easy to detect in a place like this where the energy of so many people was mixed together.

Perhaps the assassin had meticulously calculated this point in advance before launching the attack.

“Tch, I failed today, but next time….”

“There is no next time.”

Just as Luke heard an unfamiliar voice, the assassin’s hands, which were about to tear a scroll for escape, were cleanly cut off.

The person who had delivered a swift strike that was so fast that the assassin couldn’t even feel the pain, and that Luke hadn’t even noticed, was Grand Duke Gregory.

Grand Duke Gregory, who had appeared next to the assassin, raised the tip of his sword and drew up a lot of killing intent.

“How dare you target His Holiness the Pope… Forget about dying peacefully.”

The assassin wore a flustered expression at Grand Duke Gregory’s threat. But that was only for a moment, as they wore a bitter smile.

“Certainly, it would be difficult to just die peacefully.”

The assassin crossed their two arms, where their hands had disappeared, over their heart.

Luke, realizing that they were concentrating their magic power into a mana circle, urgently stepped forward and shouted.

“Everyone, get away! It’s a suicide spell!”

The moment a dangerous glint appeared in the assassin’s eyes, Luke rushed towards them without hesitation. Immediately after, a fierce explosion shook the very foundations of the world.

KWA-BOOM!

The violent tremor and the flash of light that soared into the sky were clearly visible not only to the subjugation forces but also to the Konrad Kingdom camp.

Some wore expressions of shock, while others wore knowing smiles.

And the wheel of fate began to turn silently in an unknown direction.

3

“What on earth is going on?”

“Well, that’s far too loud to be a salute.”

Not all of the subjugation forces’ troops had attended the Pope’s welcoming ceremony. There were simply too many of them.

Those who were staying in the barracks some distance from the ceremony site tilted their heads, puzzled by the sudden explosion.

However, as the commanders of each unit called emergency meetings and the knights began to scour the subjugation forces’ camp, they realized that something significant had occurred.

And soon, the truth began to spread through the soldiers who had returned from the welcoming ceremony.

“What?! An assassin dared to target His Holiness the Pope?”

“Shhh! Keep it down! The higher-ups told us to watch what we say.”

The soldiers who learned the truth were in shock.

The same was true for the Red Wolf Mercenary Corps members who were on standby.

“No, who on earth would do such a thing…?”

At Philip’s question, Viktor, who had attended the welcoming ceremony with Luke, frowned.

“Who else could it be? It’s the rebels’ doing.”

“Is that so? I heard that even our leaders received sudden notice of the Pope’s visit. How did the enemy know about it?”

“Well, maybe there was a spy secretly planted in the Imperial Palace.”

At Viktor’s words, Philip tilted his head.

He knew that the rebels were in trouble after losing Eisenburg.

But was it necessary to make such a reckless move so hastily?

In the Holy Empire, the Pope is an absolute figure.

Nevertheless, the forces that had rebelled did not recognize the new Pope. Their reason and justification was that he had not ascended through legitimate procedures.

‘So, they decided to eliminate the Pope through the unjust method of assassination?’

This was not a good move for the rebels.

If they resorted to unjust means to overthrow what they deemed unjust, the justification they put forward would be tarnished.

In severe cases, there was a high probability of incurring strong backlash from the people.

“I wonder if the rebel leaders have any sense… Oh, by the way, did you confirm it?”

As Philip, clicking his tongue, changed the subject, Viktor’s expression changed completely. He immediately realized what Philip was asking.

“Yes, I saw her.”

“Was it really Princess Reina?”

“There’s no mistake.”

Viktor nodded with a confident expression. There was a faint dewiness in his eyes, which were filled with determination.

Although he had not been able to approach Reina as closely as Luke, he could clearly tell it was her.

He had served Reina for many years, so he could recognize her even from her minor habits or gait.

“The Princess was also quite shaken when she saw the Lord.”

“I see. But where is the Lord? Is he perhaps having a private meeting with the Princess?”

“The Lord is…”

Viktor, who had difficulty speaking, sighed deeply.

“What’s wrong?”

“Please tell us!”

Philip and the Rakan Knights pressed Viktor.

Viktor reopened his mouth, which he had heavily closed.

“The Lord disappeared with the explosion. And not only that, but Princess Reina too…”

The knights’ faces hardened at Viktor’s words, which he had uttered with difficulty.

‘I can’t believe they went missing when I couldn’t see them!’

Even Philip, who had a sly and calm personality, turned ashen.

Nothing could be seen.

This deep darkness was the first since he had died at the hands of the Sword Emperor Rakan and fallen into purgatory.

‘Could it be… did I die again?’

The assassin had used suicide magic to turn their mana circle into a mana bomb of tremendous power.

Suicide magic is a spell that can only be used once in a lifetime.

This is because it explodes not only the caster’s mana but also their potential and remaining life force into destructive power.

So, even if a mage of that circle were to use it, it could not be ignored, and Luke had recognized that the assassin’s magic skill was at the 7th circle, and they were a well-trained war mage.

As a war mage specializing in attack magic, the suicide magic was very powerful.

Luke was prepared to die.

Because there was not enough time to react, he tried to offset the power of the self-destruct magic by deploying shield magic in succession.

However, what he saw was the sight of the ferocious light of destruction tearing apart the shields he had deployed.

‘So easily… no?!’

Luke, who was frustrated, opened his eyes wide at the warmth he felt in his right hand. And he could clearly see the figure of a woman wearing a pure white robe.

“Reina?”

At Luke’s question, Reina, who was holding his hand, nodded.

Unable to easily open her mouth due to the overwhelming emotions, she had tears welling up in her eyes, and then she buried her face in his chest and burst into tears.

She could no longer hold back the emotions she had been suppressing.

“Luke… is it really you, Luke? Am I not dreaming?”

“Why? Do you still not believe it?”

Luke, holding Reina’s hand tightly, hugged her tightly and patted her for a long time.

The reunion they had been so eagerly anticipating had finally come to pass.

Reunited with the lover they had dreamed of, they felt each other’s warmth for a long time, calming the pain of loss they had felt during that time.

4

Some time later, Reina, who had calmed down to some extent, bowed her head to Luke and apologized.

“I’m sorry. You almost got into danger again because of me.”

“Sorry? Hmph, did you think you could end it with just that?”

Luke turned his head away, pretending to be angry. No, he was actually a little angry.

“Did you not trust me that much? So you did as that sly high elf old man told you to do? What if something really bad had happened?”

“I just wanted you to be safe…”

Reina couldn’t continue her words. It was because Luke had hugged her tightly once again.

“Don’t ever do that again. I don’t want to lose you again!”

To Luke, Reina was a special woman.

She not only deeply understood his past life, which others criticized, but also empathized with his feelings.

That was why he had come to regard her as the reincarnation of his old lover, Katarina.

“But, what on earth happened? The nobles of the Holy Empire think of you as an angel sent by God?”

“Ah, that? Well, that’s…”

Reina began to tell the story, starting from the time she went to the spirit realm through the ritual performed at the World Tree, to meeting Sylphid, the Wind Spirit King, and receiving Aether from him.

“Aether, which was a unified force in the beginning, had tremendous spiritual power. It was a power that no mere human should handle carelessly. So, Lord Sylphid gave me all the information about all things in the universe that had existed since the creation of the world.”

The information allowed her to handle Aether correctly, but at the time, it was nothing short of poison for Reina.

This was because a vast amount of information that she could not handle in a short period of time had flooded in.

“As Aether went out of control, severe changes occurred in my body. The same was true for my mental realm, so I thought I would die or go crazy if things continued like that. So, the method I chose was to seal my reason, ego, and memories.”

Sealing oneself.

It would have been impossible under normal circumstances, but it was possible for Reina, who had gained the power of Aether, which transformed her body and mind.

“But this was actually close to an adventure. It was because I was not yet at the stage where I could fully handle the power of Aether.”

“That’s…”

Luke couldn’t help but be horrified.

If she had been deleted instead of sealed, Reina would have become an idiot forever or would not have realized who she was.

“Anyway, the seal was successful, and a new ego, as clean as a blank sheet of paper, was able to appear in my body. And after returning to this world, I was able to gradually handle the power of Aether, like a child learning to walk.”

The commotion of bringing life to the statues in the Holy Palace or flying with wings of light was also part of her practice in handling power.

After hearing the series of stories, Luke let out a sigh of relief.

He thought it was a great relief that Reina had not gone wrong along the way.

“It’s easy to learn anything when you’re in a blank state. But you could have gone down the wrong path. It’s fortunate that it was the Imperial Capital of the Holy Empire, but what if you had fallen into a den of evil like the Veritas Magic Tower?”

If that had happened, Reina would have been reduced to a test subject or corrupted by villains and become an evil black magician.

“Besides, the idea of sealing your ego itself was dangerous. You don’t know if you could have reversed it later.”

“Of course, but… I left some clues that could be the key.”

“Clues?”

“Yes. There were many, but the most certain one was you.”

Although it was sealed, Reina’s will was embedded in Aether. The reason why Veronica III had many dreams related to Luke was because of that.

“Maybe the reason I came to the Holy Empire was also because of that will. I wanted to be someone who could help you, someone who could be a pillar of support.”

“So, Aether opened the way in response to that will?”

“Yes, it was Aether that saved you and others from the explosion just now.”

At Reina’s words, Luke once again recalled the situation just before.

The suicide magic that the assassin had completed was so powerful that it had neutralized his hastily deployed defensive magic.

If it had exploded properly, it would have annihilated not only himself and Reina but also the soldiers around them.

But he was alive and well. And so was Reina.

Surely, the paladins of the Immortal Order and the soldiers who had come to the welcoming ceremony were all alive.

“The power of Aether is amazing.”

“But this is only a very trivial and insignificant level. The true power of Aether is so vast and magnificent that it cannot be described in words.”

At Reina’s explanation, Luke nodded.

He had already refined and absorbed magic power close to Aether, and he had also learned about the true power of Aether by studying numerous ancient documents in the past.

When the main god Elkasel created this world, Aether was abundant in the world.

In other words, Aether was the root of everything, the seed of creation.

‘It’s as terrifying as it is amazing.’

Any power comes with responsibility.

The reason why the Wind Spirit King Sylphid gave information about Aether may have been because he felt a heavy responsibility and wanted it to be used correctly.

Even a small knife can be used as a tool for cooking and carving, but it can also be a weapon to harm people, depending on the situation.

“Your expression is dark.”

“That’s because I’m worried that you have such tremendous power.”

“Why? Are you afraid of becoming a henpecked husband?”

At Reina’s playful retort, Luke chuckled. Then, he showed a serious look.

“Anyway, are you really okay? Isn’t your original ego clashing with Veronica III’s ego?”

“You don’t have to worry about that. The seal was broken the moment I saw you directly, and the egos have completely merged into one.”

“That’s a relief, but…”

When Luke still looked worried, Reina made a pouty face.

“What is it? Am I that unreliable?”

“I’m just worried.”

“It’s okay. I’m not the weak me of the past. I can protect myself.”

Having said that, Reina lightly waved her hand.

DRRRRR!

The surrounding rocks stirred and stuck together, taking the form of a golem. The trees also approached Reina, swinging their roots like legs and their branches like arms.

Not only that.

Even the wind blowing in the forest swirled around her like a bodyguard.

‘Amazing. Is this the power of Aether?’

Luke was amazed at the army of trees, rocks, and wind that had been built in an instant.

If he were to implement this with ordinary magic or black magic, he would have been busy calculating the amount of magic power required for activation and the related formulas.

To do it so simply with a wave of her hand was nothing short of a miracle.

“That’s really amazing.”

“Right? It’s not for nothing that I became the Pope of the Holy Artenia Empire, which rivals the Baroque Empire.”

‘It seems that the egos have indeed merged.’

When Reina showed a slightly childish side, Luke thought that Veronica III’s personality was having some influence on her character.

Well, it wasn’t that severe, and it didn’t seem to be a big problem since it was a word to reassure him.

“I know well the power you have. But the situation in the Holy Empire is not good right now, and there are people waiting for you…!”

Luke, who was about to say let’s go back together, suddenly turned around and hid Reina behind his back.

He could feel a presence behind him.

And it was a very strong one.