Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 72

6. Seizing the Opportunity

1

Shirley, who had fought in the recent civil war of the Holy Artenia Empire as a member of the Flying Dragon unit, was appointed captain of the Iron Guard of the Imperial Palace Guard upon her return home. She believed her appointment to such a key military position would quickly lead to a promotion.

However, life in the Iron Guard was not what she had expected. Despite her outstanding skills as a Spear Master, most of the knights subtly despised and ostracized her for being a half-dwarf.

Initially, she tried to overcome their prejudice, but as the days passed, her patience wore thin.

‘This won’t do! I need to settle things with these guys!’ she thought. Just as she was contemplating this, an incident broke out in the north of the capital.

Suddenly, monsters appeared, setting fire to the streets and indiscriminately massacring the residents. The monsters were so powerful that even the Gigant unit of the Central Army, which had been dispatched, was unable to handle them.

‘This is a perfect opportunity! I’ll use this chance to show off my skills and put them in their place!’ she thought. With this in mind, she stepped forward, but the giant monsters were much stronger than she had anticipated. She was barely able to defeat the cockroach-like creatures.

However, the half-human, half-fish monsters with fin-like protrusions on their heads were opponents that even a Spear Master’s skills could hardly handle.

“Eek! Why are you so strong, you fish monster?” she exclaimed.

“Fish monster? I am Tilapia, the vice-commander of the Kauren Assault Unit!” Tilapia shouted angrily, then mercilessly struck the hero-class Gigant that Shirley was riding with his iron mace.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Shirley blocked the barrage of attacks with her lance. However, the lance could not withstand the fierce attacks of the iron mace and broke, causing her to suffer a direct hit.

Boom!

“Kyaaak!” Shirley screamed and flew backward after being hit directly on the Gigant’s chest armor by the iron mace.

“Hehehe. What a cute scream!” Tilapia strode towards the fallen hero-class Gigant. As Shirley tried to get up, he struck the cockpit area a couple of times. Eventually, Shirley fainted from the repeated impacts, and Tilapia decided to take her soul before completely destroying the Gigant.

“I will make good use of your soul,” he said. Just as Tilapia grinned and focused his magic power on his fingertips, a clear voice was heard from behind.

“Dance, puppet!”

“Cough!” The Gigant, which had been slumped over, suddenly stood up and stabbed the broken lance tip into Tilapia’s heart. Following that, hundreds of large and small purple projectiles flew and pierced Tilapia’s body.

“W-who on earth…?” Tilapia, whose body was in tatters, looked disbelieving. He had confirmed that the girl inside the tin can puppet [referring to the Gigant] had fainted. But how could the tin can puppet move? And what was the dark magic attack that followed?

With difficulty, Tilapia turned his head and saw a platinum-blonde young man standing on a ruined building. It was Luke, the one who had summoned Kauren.

“You guys have gone too far,” Luke said. He had summoned a high-ranking demon to strike a blow against the Veritas Magic Tower and the Emperor. He thought that the demon would be able to destroy the Veritas Magic Tower and inflict heavy losses on the dispatched Central Army. However, he did not expect the demon to summon his subordinate demons and cause such a rampage.

He didn’t care what happened to the nobles and merchants who were clinging to the Emperor, but he felt he had to stop the deaths of his employees and ordinary citizens, so he had been secretly intervening in the battle.

“You are the seeds I sowed. So, I will take you back.” The moment Luke flicked his fingers, black vines shot up from the ground and wrapped around Tilapia’s body. It was Black Bind, a dark magic for absorption.

“Aaaagh! No! Save me!” Tilapia desperately struggled, sensing that the black vines were sucking away his power and magic. However, he was mortally wounded and could not even resist properly, and he died, withered like dried fish.

Whoosh!

Luke completely incinerated Tilapia’s body with fire magic. Fabian and Sebastian, who had been watching the scene from behind, clapped and exclaimed in admiration.

“Amazing! As expected of our Lord!”

“Even mid-level demons are no match for our master now!”

“Hmph. It was just a successful surprise attack using marionette magic and dark bullets,” Luke said. Although he said that, Luke felt that he had become quite strong. He had easily defeated not only Tilapia but also several demons who had strayed from the group and were rampaging alone.

However, even after absorbing their magic power, his dark magic did not reach the 8th circle stage. ‘Do I need more magic power?’ he wondered. He wanted to capture and absorb all the demons that were rampaging right now. However, with the Central Army and the Imperial Guard having been dispatched, he knew that he would be noticed if he stood out too much.

‘I have to get rid of that high-ranking demon, no matter what…’ Luke watched the scene of the high-ranking demon named Kauren fighting. He had annihilated the Veritas Magic Tower defense force in an instant, and he wondered if there was anyone in the capital with the ability to stop such a ruthless being.

“Master, you were here!” While Luke was lost in thought, Belpar, in the form of a bat, flew over.

“Did you see it?” Luke asked.

“Yes. Kauren is currently fighting Emperor Rudolf,” Belpar replied.

“Emperor Rudolf?” Luke’s eyes flashed with interest.

“He was dispatched with the Imperial Guard a little while ago and started fighting the demons, and the giant golden Gigant is the Emperor’s personal unit. I heard it’s a super-hero class,” Belpar explained.

‘Emperor Rudolf might be able to stand against him,’ Luke thought. Emperor Rudolf was a figure who stood shoulder to shoulder with Grand Duke Gregory of the Holy Empire as one of the strongest on the continent. If such a person was riding an extraordinary Gigant, he might be having a close fight with Kauren.

‘I want to see it,’ Luke thought. He wanted to see his enemy’s skills, so he gave orders to Fabian and his subordinate demons.

“You guys get out of the capital first. I will finish my remaining business and return.”

“Be careful, Lord,” Fabian said.

“Please be safe,” Sebastian added. Luke, who had deployed fly magic, flew in the direction Belpar had come from.

2

Above the ruined streets, a golden giant and a monster were rampaging fiercely. Every time they stepped, the ground shook, and dust and debris flew up, and the gale created by the swords and axes shattered everything around them.

Whoosh-! Clang!

A golden gale that seemed to tear through space fell. The hyper aura, which seemed to cut through everything, collided with black lightning and shattered.

“Kuh!” Rudolf grunted.

“He’s not an easy opponent!” Kauren exclaimed. Rudolf and Kauren, who had clashed fiercely, stepped back.

The Imperial Guard, who had been subduing demons nearby, witnessed the scene and rushed over.

“Your Majesty! We will join the fight!” they shouted.

“Quiet! Step back if you don’t want to die!” Rudolf drove them away. They would be more of a hindrance than a help, and the Sword Emperor’s pride would not allow it.

‘It’s been a long time since I’ve fought like this for so long,’ Rudolf thought. Although he had refused the help of his subordinates, Rudolf’s condition was not good. He had suffered considerable internal injuries from the fierce back-and-forth fighting. The Kaiser [referring to the Emperor’s Gigant] was originally difficult to control and consumed a lot of aura, and Kauren was not an easy opponent, so he had no choice but to allow several minor attacks.

‘What’s more troublesome is the magic power that he’s scattering everywhere,’ Rudolf thought. Kauren, as a high-ranking demon, was scattering an enormous amount of magic power. The power of exorcism possessed by the Gold Sword was eliminating the permeating magic power, but the shock caused by the process was being transferred directly to Rudolf. Just like when antibodies cause a high fever in the body when killing a disease, his physical condition was no different from that of a patient.

Of course, Kauren was also experiencing this phenomenon. Like Rudolf, it was the first time he had fought an enemy with a power that was the opposite of his own. The power of exorcism imbued in the Gold Aura was constantly trying to scatter his magic power.

‘Damn it, it’s much harder than I expected. I need to finish this quickly!’ Kauren thought.

‘If I can land just one decisive blow…!’ Rudolf thought. Magic power surged chaotically from Kauren’s battle axe, and golden aura raged fiercely from the Kaiser’s greatsword. Both sides, who had been clashing fiercely until just now, held their breath and watched each other.

It was as quiet as if the screen had been paused, but a chaotic battle was unfolding in their minds.

‘If I aim for the flank… no, I’m more likely to be hit,’ Rudolf thought.

‘If I push him from the front and then quickly go behind… no, if a counterattack comes, I won’t be able to do anything!’ Kauren thought. Since they had already grasped each other’s skills well enough, neither side could act rashly.

It was at that moment, when they were anxiously looking for an opening.

Bang!

“No!” Rudolf exclaimed.

‘This is my chance!’ Kauren thought. A magic bullet that suddenly flew in landed in front of the Kaiser’s feet. The moment Rudolf flinched and took a half step back, Kauren took advantage of the gap and rushed in like the wind.

“Damn it!” Rudolf cursed.

“My victory, human!” Kauren shouted. The Imperial Guard knights, who were shocked, tried to help, but Kauren was already right in front of Rudolf. Just as Kauren, who had gained the upper hand, was about to deliver a fatal blow, another magic bullet flew in and struck the back of his head.

“Cough!” Kauren coughed.

“Die, demon!” Rudolf shouted. As Kauren’s posture faltered, Rudolf quickly thrust his greatsword.

Stab-!

Just as the Kaiser’s greatsword pierced Kauren’s chest, Kauren’s battle axe drew a sharp curve and cut through the Kaiser’s chest armor and abdomen. A mutual loss. The worst-case scenario had occurred.

“T-this!” Kauren exclaimed.

“Damn it, if only some bastard hadn’t interfered…!” Rudolf cursed. Black blood gushed from Kauren’s mouth. Rudolf, whose Gigant was only damaged, was in better condition, but the situation was by no means good. This was because one of the core engines had been damaged by Kauren’s attack just now and was about to explode. To make matters worse, the cockpit was damaged while the chest armor was cracking, and the emergency escape teleportation magic circle did not work.

Rudolf, forgetting even his dignity, hurriedly jumped out of the Gigant.

KABOOOOOOOOOM!

The explosion of the super-hero class Gigant was truly enormous. It was as if the sun had flashed on the ground, and flames like a volcano soared into the sky. The storm, like a tidal wave, swept not only through the northern streets but also through the inner walls of Nemesis and the Imperial Palace.

After the Kaiser exploded, the Imperial Guard knights, who had been blown away by the storm, got off their Gigants and searched for the Emperor.

“Your Majesty!” “Your Majesty, where are you!” The heat from the explosion was so intense that the ground had solidified like glass. It seemed impossible for anyone, even a superhuman, to have survived. However, Rudolf was the Sword Emperor, the strongest knight on the continent.

“Ugh, damn it…” Seeing him rise from the ruins, the Imperial Guard knights rushed towards him, their faces lighting up with relief. However, the Emperor’s appearance was far from good. His once lion-like red hair was completely burned off, leaving him bald, and half of his face and body were melted from severe burns. But these external injuries were nothing. He had pushed his Gold Aura [a powerful energy field] to its limit to withstand the explosion, resulting in severe internal injuries. Rudolf, who had barely managed to stand, staggered, and one of the Imperial Guard knights quickly supported him.

“Y-Your Majesty!”

“Kuh… I am fine.” Rudolf shook off the knight’s hand and looked around. He wanted to see if Kauren was dead, but he also wanted to know who had fired the magic bullet earlier. ‘Even though I was focused on the fight, for someone to approach without me or a high-ranking demon noticing, they must be no ordinary person.’ Perhaps they fired the magic bullet hoping the two of us would kill each other. ‘No, that was almost certainly the case.’ ‘Just who is it!’ Rudolf was glaring around when suddenly—Thud! A massive figure fell from the sky. It was Kauren, who had been caught in the explosion of the Kaiser earlier. The demon stood up, using his broken battle axe as a cane. His condition was not good. His body was covered in hundreds of large and small fragments, and he was bleeding profusely with dark blue blood.

“Tch, I’m a mess.” As Kauren spoke, the Imperial Guard knights drew their swords, protecting the Emperor. However, Kauren did not attack. There were far more Gigants [giant, humanoid war machines] of the Imperial Guard around than demons.

“I’d like to finish this here, but… I’ll retreat for today. Let’s have a fair fight next time.”

“Fair? You demons are hilarious.” Whether Rudolf scoffed or not, Kauren gathered his remaining magic and turned to flee.

“Catch him!”

“We can’t let him get away!” The Imperial Guard knights and Gigants chased after Kauren. Rudolf, who was too injured to chase after him, could only watch Kauren disappear, clenching his teeth.

As Kauren fled, the surviving demons quickly followed him. Only seven of the summoned assault force had survived. Even they were in terrible condition after being attacked by the Imperial Guard knights at the end. ‘Damn it, I didn’t know the human army had become this strong!’ Just a few hundred years ago, humans were weaklings who couldn’t even think of fighting demons without the help of the divine realm. So, it was nothing for a low-ranking demon to wipe out a human army. But now, things were different. It was because of the tin dolls that humans rode and controlled. According to Kauren’s direct experience, two or three tin dolls controlled by fairly strong humans were enough to take on a low-ranking demon. ‘Even without the divine realm interfering, conquering the middle realm might be difficult now.’ Anyway, this was a disaster. He had been appointed as the commander of the middle realm invasion and had come with great fanfare, but instead of catching the demon slayer, he was being chased away by the human army! ‘I can’t go back to the demon realm like this. I have to eliminate the source of this!’ He had killed the demon slayer’s allies and turned their lair into a wasteland. But he couldn’t return without eliminating the source. ‘To do that, I need to recover first….’ Looking around, Kauren descended into a nearby valley. After confirming that all his surviving subordinates had followed him, he grabbed the neck of the closest one.

“Kehek! What are you doing, General!”

“I have no particular feelings for you. But you will have to become nourishment for my recovery!” There was a saying in the middle realm, ‘Even a rotten dragon is still a dragon.’ It was better to absorb a demon, who had stronger power and vitality, even if they were severely injured, than to absorb weak humans like flies. He could just summon his subordinates again from the demon realm after he recovered from his injuries.

“The rest of you will also become nourishment for my recovery!”

“Hiiik! The General has gone mad!”

“Everyone, run!” The remaining demons scrambled to escape. But they couldn’t get far with their injured bodies and were caught one by one and absorbed by Kauren.

“Tch, I haven’t even recovered half of my original power! Oh well. Shall I go hunt some humans?” If he was lucky, he might encounter Sword Masters or Expert-level humans and absorb their power. With that hope, Kauren was about to move when something suddenly flew from the sky and struck his chest. Whoosh- Bang!

“Kuaaak!” Kauren, suddenly hit, was slammed into the ground by the tremendous force.

“Kuh! Wh-who is it?”

“The one who interfered with your fight earlier.” At the mocking reply, Kauren glared up. A Gigant slowly descended from the sky. On the Gigant’s shoulder stood Luke, still wearing the Veritas Magic Tower robe.

“Y-you are definitely…” Kauren’s eyes widened as he recognized him.

“And I’m also the one who summoned you. How was Rudolf’s skill when you fought him directly? I’d appreciate it if you could tell me in detail so I can refer to it when I deal with him next time.”

‘This damn bastard used me? How dare he, one of the 18 generals!’ Kauren’s face flushed with anger as he realized he had been manipulated.

“You rat! I won’t let you escape this time!”

“Well, can you do that in your current condition? Eek!” Luke, who had been mocking Kauren, quickly teleported into the cockpit. He had seen Kauren suddenly stand up and unleash magic from his entire body. Although his body was not in its usual condition due to injuries, he was not an opponent he could face barehanded. Kauren, who had created black lightning with the magic emanating from his entire body, struck the Warrior-class Gigant Achilles that Luke was riding. Bang! It was powerful enough to shatter the Gigant and turn the opponent into black charcoal. However, the black lightning fell on a sharp rock that had just risen, not on the Achilles that Luke was riding.

“A lightning rod? It’s a mistake if you think you can keep blocking my attacks with that!” Kauren emitted even denser magic and struck with much more powerful black lightning. Bang! Bang! Bang! Explosions rang out in succession, and dust filled the air. ‘Hehehe. At least half of it must be destroyed by now, right?’ The dust cleared. But the Achilles was standing there unscathed.

“I-I can’t believe it!” Kauren couldn’t help but be shocked. No matter how hard the rock was, it couldn’t withstand lightning made of magic. However, there was another reason why his attack didn’t work.

“Hehehe. Didn’t I tell you? I’m going to take your abilities and magic.” Luke hadn’t just blocked the black lightning with Stone Edge magic. He had laid down Black Bind [a spell that restricts movement and absorbs magic] under the summoned rock and absorbed all the magic that Kauren had unleashed. Of course, if he had just absorbed it, he would have been electrocuted by the black lightning of a high-ranking demon, but he used the Achilles’ core engine as a medium to convert the black lightning back into magic. As a result, Kauren had ended up offering his own power to Luke.

“It’s only polite to return what I received, right?” Hundreds of purple magic bullets were created around the Achilles that Luke was riding, and then they poured down on Kauren. It was the enhanced form of the dark magic Dark Bullet, Thousand Bullet. Perhaps because the magic was amplified while riding the Gigant, the size was comparable to a cannonball.

“Kuaak! Keoeok!” The heavy magic bullets, which cut through the air sharply, pounded Kauren’s body. Because his body was not fully recovered and he had absorbed a large amount of magic, Kauren could not properly block or dodge them. Nevertheless, the pride of being a high-ranking demon and a general of the demon realm made him take a step towards the Achilles.

“You! I will kill you with my own hands!” Ignoring the flying magic bullets, Kauren charged like a bull and threw an iron fist at the Achilles. But Luke used Blink [a short-range teleportation spell], and his fist missed, hitting empty air. Instead, he was attacked from behind.

“Sonic Wave!”

“Ugh!” Kauren’s body tumbled forward from the powerful sonic shock amplified by the core engine.

“Th-that’s a demon’s ability…”

“Hehehe. I can make the abilities of the demons I absorb my own.” Luke used a demon’s ability again on Kauren, who was hurriedly getting up. Pshhhhhh-! A sound like air escaping was heard, and then a thick, dark purple mist that had appeared around the Achilles covered Kauren. As soon as he touched the mist, Kauren’s fur and skin began to melt. ‘This is the Naga’s specialty, Poison Smog! Can he use not only the abilities of low-ranking demons but also mid-ranking demons?’ As if to confirm that fact, blue snakes appeared through the mist and wrapped around Kauren. The translucent snakes made of water extracted moisture from Kauren’s body and grew larger and larger.

“Damn it, Water Control!” Kauren hurriedly tore apart the water snakes and charged through the poison mist towards the Achilles. Again, Luke easily avoided Kauren’s attack. But as if he had anticipated the dodge, Kauren turned his head in the direction Luke had Blinked and unleashed a lightning breath from his mouth. Kwaaang!

“Kuh!” Luke hurriedly blocked the attack with shield magic, but he was still hit and retreated the Achilles. Kauren, as if not to let him get away, continued to unleash lightning breath and pursued him.

“Fire Explosion!”

“Hah! That won’t even hurt!” Luke continued to keep his distance and unleash magic, while Kauren relentlessly chased after him, spewing breath.

“As expected of a black magician, you fight so cowardly! Don’t think you can keep cornering me with such tricks!” Kauren exploded all the magic in his body at once. Kwarururung! With the sound of thunder, the valley collapsed. The ground cracked as if an earthquake had occurred, and the ground sank in places. At the same time, a gale blew, and large and small rocks floated up and flew towards the Achilles. Luke blocked or dodged the flying rocks while constantly moving and trying to pinpoint Kauren’s position, who was relentlessly looking for an opening.

However, in his focus, he made a critical error. The ground beneath him suddenly gave way, causing Achilles to stumble and fall.

Seeing this, Kauren charged forward like a bolt of lightning.

“Die, you black magician!”

Crack—!

As the two figures collided, Achilles’ left arm was completely severed.

“Kuhahaha! How does my attack taste…!?”

Kauren’s face, previously beaming with triumph, hardened.

He looked down in disbelief.

His body had been split in two at the waist!

“Wh-Why?”

“If you thought of me as just a black magician, you were sorely mistaken.”

Luke grinned, revealing a greatsword shimmering with a golden aura.

Maintaining his distance, using only magic or demonic abilities, and even feigning a slip-up, was all a ploy to lower Kauren’s guard.

Even if Kauren was injured, killing a high-ranking demon would require him to risk considerable losses.

“Kuhhh! This can’t be! This can’t… !”

“Become nourishment for my growth, willingly.”

Luke unleashed Black Bind on Kauren’s severed body. Vines erupted from the ground, ensnaring him.

“N-No! I can’t die here—!”

With a scream, Kauren turned into a withered husk and vanished.

Thus, the battle concluded with Kauren’s defeat, and all the demons summoned to the middle realm disappeared.

4

Luke absorbed all of Kauren’s magical power.

Kauren had suffered severe injuries from his fight with Emperor Rudolf and had exhausted a considerable amount of magic in the subsequent battles.

Nevertheless, a high-ranking demon, especially one who was a general in the demon realm, was exceptional, and Luke obtained a significant amount of magical power.

“Thanks to that, my black magic has reached the 8th circle.”

Woo-oong—!

Luke felt the black circle pulsating in his heart and smiled contentedly.

He raised his hand high and then swung it down.

Kwarururung!

A fierce purple lightning erupted, sweeping through the surroundings like a storm.

“Is this Kauren’s ability, Thunder Bringer? It’s truly remarkable.”

Thunder Bringer.

It was the ability to create lightning with magical power.

It was faster, more powerful, and more effective than creating lightning with ordinary magic or black magic. It was enough to easily turn most enemies to ashes.

“It was chaotic, but I gained a lot in many ways.”

He had destroyed the Veritas Magic Tower, which was his initial goal, and inflicted heavy losses on the Emperor’s army, the Central Army, and the Imperial Knights.

He had also killed a high-ranking demon and absorbed its magical power, raising his black circle by one level.

But above all, the greatest gain was that he had witnessed Emperor Rudolf’s power firsthand.

Luke recalled the Emperor’s appearance during his fight with Kauren.

He had displayed a hyper aura that was clearly at the Sword Emperor level, amplified by the Gigant Kaiser’s [a powerful, large-scale combat machine] monstrous core engine output.

“The same as the past Rakan… or perhaps even more.”

His skills were beyond what was known to the world.

Perhaps he had been concealing his true abilities.

If that were all, Luke’s face wouldn’t have hardened so much. He had expected the Emperor to be strong.

The problem was that the swordsmanship the Emperor used while fighting Kauren was Gold Sword.

“Why does the Emperor know Gold Sword? Gold Sword was only passed down to the heads of the Rakan family and the commanders of the Knights.”

It wasn’t just a matter of having stolen and learned it.

Unlike Grand Duke Gregory, who had developed his own swordsmanship after seeing Gold Sword only once, the Emperor’s Gold Sword seemed more perfect than even Luke’s or Rogers’.

“Then… does the Emperor possess the latter part of Gold Sword? When did he steal it?”

Although he didn’t know the exact time, it must have been taken during the chaotic period when the Rakan family was repeatedly falling into ruin.

“Poor Rakan. Even after death, he’s been picked clean to the bone.”

Luke sighed deeply with pity.

In the past, he had felt intense anger towards the foolish hero who had blocked his path, but now he just felt sorry for him.

“Anyway, the important thing is that I need to get that latter part to complete Gold Sword. But I can’t think of a good way to obtain it…”

After pondering for a while, Luke decided to postpone completing Gold Sword for now.

“Swordsmanship is important, but my foundation is as a magician, a black magician at that. It’s better to focus more on magic than on swordsmanship, which has a slim chance of being completed right now.”

Having decided that, Luke resolved to return to his territory.

However, as he was about to activate teleportation magic, he canceled it halfway through, as if something had occurred to him.

“Since I’ve already come this far, shall I inflict a bit more damage?”

Luke took out a transparent crystal from the subspace of his bracelet.

He decided to use the video stored in it to deliver a final blow to the Veritas Magic Tower.

“Hehehe. I’m very curious to see the expressions on their faces when they see this.”

Luke, wearing a smile more wicked than any demon, disappeared from the spot.

5

“We’ve finally arrived.”

Scarlett and her retainers, who had arrived at the Rakan Marquisate’s manor, looked on with deep emotion.

Having left their hometown of Alberville, they had crossed the western border and entered the Baroque Empire.

There was a reason why they had chosen the land route instead of the faster sea route. To use the sea route, they would have had to cross the Holy Empire.

Since their identities could be revealed in the process, they had deliberately chosen a method that was time-consuming and arduous.

The Rakan Marquisate, which they had finally reached after much hardship, was, in a word, amazing.

They had heard rumors that ‘Rakan’s descendant had greatly developed the declining territory,’ and had thought it would be just a little developed, but the Rakan Marquisate they actually saw was dazzling.

The port was bustling with merchant ships coming and going, and the city, where commerce and industry had developed, was full of life. The fields were a golden sea of ripe grain.

Despite such prosperity and wealth, the manor, the center of the marquisate, was far from being grand or luxurious.

The simple, old-fashioned mansion, neatly decorated, showed what the Rakan Marquis family’s traditions were like.

“Truly worthy of a hero’s descendant!”

“What brings you here?”

At the question from the knight guarding the main gate of the manor, Scarlett’s group, who had been standing there blankly like country bumpkins on their first visit to the city, snapped back to their senses.

“We’ve come to see the lord, introduced by an acquaintance.”

Bant stepped forward in place of Scarlett and handed over a letter of recommendation.

The knight, after examining the letter of recommendation, hurriedly sent a message into the manor.

Shortly after, Hans, the butler, came running out to greet the group.

“Welcome. I’ve already heard about you from the lord.”

“It seems that Baron Leff contacted the lord.”

“Haha. That is… you’ll find out when you meet him.”

Hans, who had already heard the situation from Luke, thought it would be less fun if he told them in advance.

“The lord is currently out on business. Please rest and wait.”

Thanks to Hans’ consideration, Scarlett’s group enjoyed good food for the first time in a long while and rested in comfortable accommodations.

And three days later, they were able to have an audience with the lord who had returned.

“It’s good to meet you. I am Luke de Rakan, the Marquis of Rakan.”

“Y-You are… !”

Scarlett and her retainers couldn’t help but be surprised.

The face of Lord Luke was identical to that of Baron Leff, the new lord of Alberville.

“Could it be, are you twins with Baron Leff?”

“No,” Luke shook his head at Scarlett’s question.

“Then, are you half-brothers who look exactly alike?”

“That’s not it either.”

“Then perhaps…”

After thinking for a while, Scarlett came up with a seemingly plausible guess.

She jumped up from her seat and shouted.

“Doppelganger! Which one of you is the demon?”

“Is this woman an idiot?”

Luke frowned, utterly dumbfounded.

Bant and Scarlett’s retainers already had expressions that suggested they had a rough idea of the truth, but Scarlett was the only one spouting nonsense.

“Well, she must be an idiot, since she did such a reckless thing without thinking.”

Even those who graduated at the top of the academy often show strange behavior when they are trapped in their own world with their own stubbornness.

In Luke’s eyes, Scarlett seemed to be one of those types.

“But because of that, she becomes focused on the fields she’s interested in and often achieves remarkable results.”

Perhaps that kind of personality was also a factor in her receiving the archery secrets from Erenes.

Anyway, Luke decided to reveal his identity to this foolish young lady.

“I am Baron Leff and also Marquis Luke. I participated in the Holy Empire’s civil war while hiding my identity for certain reasons.”

Only then did she realize the truth, her face slightly flushed as she sat back down.

“Y-You should have told me sooner. But I heard that the Rakan family has been on bad terms with the Baroque Imperial family for generations. Did you receive the territory of the Holy Empire while hiding your identity with the intention of betraying them?”

“Let’s just say that’s roughly correct.”

Luke, who had thought she wasn’t completely foolish, was asked by Scarlett, who tilted her head.

“Why are you telling us such an important secret? What if we run to the Emperor and tell him?”

“I’m not worried about that at all.”

“Really? Does that mean you trust us that much?”

“It’s true that I have expectations. I hope you won’t disappoint me.”

Luke smiled thinly.

At that cold smile, Scarlett’s group felt a chill run down their spines.

It was as if he was warning them not to betray his expectations.

“He’s not worried about betrayal? In the end, that means we’re in his hands.”

Bant could roughly guess Luke’s true intentions.

He must have revealed his secret because he was confident that he could deal with them if they betrayed him.

“It’s five years from now.”

“Yes? What do you mean by five years?”

“If you faithfully carry out my orders for five years, I will return the Alberville territory to you.”

Scarlett’s group was startled by Luke’s proposal.

“I-Is that really true?”

“Of course. I promise in the name of someone I hold dear.”

Luke had nothing to lose.

Five years was enough time to make them his subordinates.

He could then entrust Alberville to them, just as he would bestow a territory to a vassal.

“Okay. I’ll do anything, just give me the orders!”

“Hehehe. I’ll give you work soon, so don’t be too impatient.”

Luke got up from his seat and turned his gaze to the right wall.

There hung a map of the Baroque Empire.

The territories of the Emperor faction, the noble faction, and the neutral faction were painted in different colors.

In addition, the approximate number of troops, the number of Gigants, and the financial situation were also marked.

“You’ll be very busy from now on. There will be quite a commotion.”

Luke smiled meaningfully.

Scarlett, not knowing why he was smirking, could only look puzzled.