He Became The Most Insane Emperor Of All Time [EN]: Chapter 103

“Woo-ooo-ooo!”

Swish! Thwack! Thunk!

“Kuheok…….”

“It’s over. That’s the last one.”

Blue flames, red fire, and shadows danced wildly as the one-sided battle concluded.

Soon, all the traitorous dark warriors who had been ravaging the village were eliminated.

“Hmm, is that old man over there alright?”

“Y-yes, thank you.”

I immediately released those who had been caught in nets or bound.

Among them was an old warrior, who thanked me, turning his gaze to Ygritte.

“……I don’t know who you are, but are you with the Princess?”

“Old man, there’s no need to call me Princess. Just call me Ygritte.”

“My apologies, Lady Ygritte. But then, these people……?”

In response to the old man’s question, Ygritte glanced at me and the Wizard Lord before saying,

“They’re with me.”

“They look like they’re from the South.”

“They are from the South. I…… brought them.”

It might be a stretch to say she brought us, but neither I nor the Wizard Lord bothered to correct her.

“Then…… could it be that the Empire is sending reinforcements……?”

“……They will. Soon.”

“That’s a relief. The Northern Territory is in desperate need of help right now. Even if it’s from the South.”

“It seems that way.”

It was clear enough just from seeing the village destroyed and people killed or kidnapped.

“Ask those knights for more details. They are the ones who remained loyal.”

“Understood. You all should prepare to evacuate, as it’s dangerous here.”

“Yes, Lady Ygritte.”

Following the old man’s advice, we immediately released the knights of the North who had been bound.

In fact, seeing their large physiques, they didn’t seem much different from the tribesmen. They were just somewhat more civilized.

“Thank you. You were amazing in the fight. Are you from the Empire?”

“Yes, we came from the Imperial Family. I’m Shadow.”

“I’m Ragnar. A knight still loyal to the Archduke.”

“To the Archduke…….”

Hearing that answer reminded me of Ygritte’s earlier words that the loyalists were also divided in half.

“Then, are you loyal to the Empire?”

“……Loyalty to the Archduke is loyalty to the Empire. But…….”

The knight who identified himself as Ragnar sighed deeply and said,

“I can’t deny that there are those who confuse that.”

“Well, I didn’t mean to blame you, so don’t worry about it. More importantly…… where are you planning to go now?”

Where should we go? We, who had suddenly fallen into the Northern Territory, also needed to decide where to go.

It was something I could ask Ygritte, but it seemed better to move with them if possible.

“We plan to go to Volborg. It’s the capital of the North. It hasn’t been taken yet.”

“The fact that loyalists are guarding the capital sounds like the situation isn’t as bad as I thought?”

“That’s…… not necessarily the case. It’s a long story, and it seems we’ll have to talk as we go. Would that be alright?”

Since I had nothing else to do, I nodded, and we began to hear about the situation in the North as we moved.

* * *

Thanks to its harsh environment, the Northern Territory had many natives who called themselves Kalibals.

These were humans who, unusually, still had a weak sense of identity as imperial citizens.

So, even though there were those who had been integrated into the Empire centered around the Northern Archduke, many tribes still remained in their tribal forms.

“And those tribes aren’t very friendly to the loyalists.”

“Are they that hostile?”

“It’s not so much hostility as…… a difference in perspective. Of course, there are those who truly dislike them, but most are wary of losing their traditions as Kalibals.”

The Northern Archduke was aware of their concerns and pursued a moderate assimilation policy, but even so, complete assimilation was still elusive.

“The problem is that the rebels are luring many of them. Even with the support of the demons…….”

“Those guys we saw earlier.”

The Northern Territory was adjacent to the Demon Realm further north.

Perhaps it was more susceptible to influence.

If they weren’t friendly to the Empire, the demons would have had more opportunities to infiltrate than elsewhere.

The demons had been trying to carry out various schemes until recently, and it seemed like it was time to start worrying about what they were up to.

“The Barbarian Lord was at the center of those movements. The Archduke fought a duel to stop him.”

“A duel? I heard he was ambushed?”

He nodded at my question.

“He was ambushed too. It was clearly the Barbarian Lord’s doing, but there was no proof. But the Archduke still faced him in a duel. And…… he fell.”

“But he didn’t die? Even after a duel?”

“The Barbarian Lord didn’t kill him. Hmph, he must have been afraid of being accused of ambushing him before the duel.”

Having understood the general situation from Ragnar’s words, I nodded and turned my gaze.

In the direction of my gaze, I saw a fairly large city.

Having seen Isborg, it felt rustic, but it was strong enough to serve as a capital even in this frozen land.

That was Volborg.

“There are many refugees. Aren’t they letting them into the city?”

Around the city, tribesmen who seemed to have fled were setting up camps.

“For security reasons, they’re only allowed to reside outside. Those who have been identified are allowed to enter.”

Well, if they didn’t have the capacity to provide aid, indiscriminately letting them into the city would also be a problem.

It was a different story from when the Ranger Fortress in the West accepted refugees.

These were tribesmen who still retained their wildness.

“Sir Ragnar! You’re safe! We were worried when we lost contact!”

“Good work, soldier. New refugees have arrived, so check their identities. Ah, these people are traveling with me.”

Thanks to Ragnar, our entry was not restricted and we were allowed to pass.

“Hmm, I don’t see the same magical essence here as in Isborg.”

“The Frost Flame must have gone out as well.”

“It was an excellent source of magical power and magic; it’s a pity it was lost.”

“You only think about things like that.”

“Isn’t that why I’m the Wizard Lord? More importantly, shouldn’t we contact the Western Territory?”

“We should. We’ll need to send a messenger…….”

After entering the city, as I had that conversation with Elroyd, he puffed out his chest and continued,

“Hmph, leave that to me. Using magic, I can contact my subordinates at the Magic Tower.”

“From this far away?”

Without a phone?

But with magic, perhaps nothing is impossible?

“Of course. It requires a bit of preparation, but it’s not difficult. So, should we request support from the Western Knights as well?”

“We should. Ah, while you’re at it, I’d like you to contact the Imperial Family as well.”

“Well, we can do that too.”

Reinforcements would have to be drawn from the Western and Central Territories, but I didn’t plan to rush them.

When going on an expedition to such a frozen land, it seemed better to tell them to come after preparing thoroughly.

In the meantime, I would do what I could here.

“More importantly…… I should go see the Archduke’s condition. Are you ready, Ygritte?”

“……Of course.”

I was planning to start by seeing the Archduke first.

* * *

“Welcome. I am grateful that you have come so far to see my father.”

The one who greeted us at the Archduke’s castle was the Archduke’s son.

He looked to be about 20 years old, similar to my age, but unlike the martial Archduke, he was a scholarly man.

“Not to be rude, but…… you don’t look like your father.”

“Ahaha…… You’re just as Sir Shadow said. I am not a warrior or a knight. I am also a follower of the Prosperity Church…….”

“Prosperity Church?”

“Those who believe in the goddess Prospera.”

One of the Empire’s five guardian deities, who oversees civilization, wisdom, and strategy.

I had seen Sara receive her blessing before, which helped her with navigation.

Most of her followers were in the South and Central regions, where commerce and academia were developed, so it was rare in the Northern Territory.

“That’s right. But it’s also the blessing that the North needs most.”

“Ah, I think I understand. Swords and valor alone can defeat enemies, but they can’t govern a country.”

“That’s right. It’s truly a grateful thing that a foreigner recognizes that.”

The Archduke’s son then sighed.

“But my father’s vassals don’t think so…….”

“Is there a problem?”

“The heir to the North must be strong, so I am not suitable. I also think that’s not wrong, but my father…….”

It seemed that the Archduke was planning to push his son as the heir despite such opposition.

Perhaps the Archduke also thought that what the North needed was more of the benefits of civilization.

“The heir doesn’t necessarily have to be me…….”

The Archduke’s son said, glancing at Ygritte.

Ygritte knew that his gaze was directed at her, but she remained with a stiff expression.

Seeing that, I could see the subtle position of the two.

“More importantly, I want to see the Archduke.”

“Ah, I apologize. I’ve been too talkative. This way.”

Soon, we were able to head to the place where the Archduke was lying.

The Archduke was well cared for, but he was unable to wake up with a slightly pale complexion.

It was as if he had been cursed or poisoned.

“He has been unable to wake up due to a curse he received when he was ambushed.”

“Hmm.”

Hearing the word curse, I reached out and unleashed divine power.

“What…….”

“Let him continue, Kress.”

Gathering Haeju’s divine power, I added a bit of purifying flame and Frost Flame.

Then, the curse that had taken hold of the Archduke was temporarily lifted, and the Archduke’s complexion improved.

But soon, the dark energy spread again.

[This curse cannot be lifted unless the person who cast the curse is eliminated.]

“This isn’t enough to lift the curse. We have to kill the one who cast the curse.”

“……So, we have to kill the Barbarian Lord after all.”

I nodded in agreement.

In any case, to quell the rebellion in the Northern Territory and completely end the civil war, the rebels must be wiped out.

It would be a good thing if killing the Barbarian Lord aligned with the interests of the loyalists.

“……The problem is that it’s not the case right now.”

“I heard the Archduke’s subordinates are loyal; are they hesitant to save the Archduke?”

“No, that’s not it. But…… it would be better to see it for yourself.”

The Archduke’s son said, then took me to the conference room.

There, the Archduke’s subordinates were arguing.

“Don’t you realize that now is the only chance for us to become independent?”

“The Archduke never intended to secede from the Empire.”

“That’s because the Archduke is deeply loyal! But he can’t make decisions right now, so we’re trying to help him make a decision!”

“It’s disloyal to try to interpret the lord’s will arbitrarily!”

“Hmph! Do you like being under the Empire’s thumb so much? To those who have always looked down on us?”

Although they were loyalists, more than half of them were divided into separatists.

Now I knew well enough why the situation in the North was bad.

“Didn’t you hear that the Empire has decided to send reinforcements? We can just save the Archduke with them!”

“Don’t you realize that they’re not coming to help us, but to oppress us again!”

“Then what are we supposed to do?”

As the Imperial loyalist asked, the separatist raised his voice again and answered.

“Let’s join hands with the rebels! And win our independence!”

“C-crazy! You want to join hands with the demons?”

“Hmph! Why not? We-”

Bang!

Those who had been speaking stopped when they heard the sound of the table being slammed.

It was the sound of me slamming my sword down.

“You’re speaking so eloquently about betraying your own people, selling out your country, and abandoning your humanity.”

“What, you bastard! Is that Southerner insulting me!”

“Does it sound like an insult?”

Clang-

“Then apply for a duel, you cowardly bastards who are worse than insects.”

As always, I decided to solve the problem by cutting it down with one stroke.