Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 165

165

The Audience Chamber of Valhalla Palace.

Kankun and Kudan stood to Loki’s left and right on the throne, while Aum and Shaman organized documents below the platform.

“Um… Lord Loki?”

Kankun cautiously spoke to Loki, watching his mood.

She carefully held out an object in her hands.

It was food wrapped in cloth.

Loki, propping his chin up, scanned through the documents with his other hand. Then, he uttered a word to Kankun, who had spoken to him.

“No.”

“Yes? Ah, I haven’t said anything yet…”

Even so, Kankun subtly placed the food on the armrest of the throne.

“You’re probably going to ask if I have any intention of helping Jörmungandr. And you’re offering me food you picked up somewhere as a bribe.”

“…….”

Kankun was sweating bullets.

As if caught red-handed, she fidgeted with her fingers behind her back, her eyes darting around.

Loki loved delicious food.

Kankun was thinking of somehow swaying him with sweet treats.

“Ha… haha….”

It was a truly simple method.

But…

“What’s inside?”

Unexpectedly, such a simple method worked.

Kankun’s eyes sparkled as she saw an opportunity and unwrapped the cloth.

What appeared was a glossy black confection.

“Huh?”

Loki’s eyes widened.

“Cocoroll Candy! It’s a specialty of the Kartal Kingdom.”

“…The scent is pleasant.”

“The taste is sweet and delicious too!”

Loki reached out, picked up a candy, and brought it to his helmet.

The helmet rippled and then opened. A beast’s mouth protruded and swallowed the confection.

“Ooh!”

As Loki exclaimed in admiration, Kankun smiled.

“H-How is it? Isn’t it really delicious??”

Kankun herself was fascinated after tasting this candy for the first time, indulging in it several times a day.

However, acquiring this candy required considerable effort.

The confection itself was rare, and this Cocoroll Candy was a high-end luxury item distributed only to royalty.

Above all, the Kartal Kingdom had refused trade with the Norse people due to their discriminatory policies, making acquisition nearly impossible.

If it weren’t for Jörmungandr, she wouldn’t have been able to obtain it.

“Chocolate!”

“Yes?”

“Huh! Even though the taste is unique and different, it’s definitely chocolate. To think it would exist in this world.”

Did the bribe work?

Loki glanced at Kankun.

“What did you want to say to me?”

“Ah! It’s just… I was wondering if we could save Lord Jörmungandr’s grandchild….”

“As I said, we need a price.”

“Ah! I heard there’s information that Asgard needs!”

“Information?”

“Information about the location of the Black Arbiters in the Kartal Kingdom and about the Holy Emperor Pharis! His grandchild has that information!”

“Hmm….”

That was tempting information.

But its reliability was questionable.

After all, the Kartal Kingdom’s capital had fallen.

In that situation, the current young king of Kartal sent a letter to Jörmungandr, and that letter contained information about the whereabouts of the Holy Emperor Pharis?

It was hard to trust in many ways.

Perhaps they had fabricated the information out of desperation.

“Insufficient.”

“I-Is that so?”

“Even if that information is accurate, we can’t mobilize the army.”

The Kartal Kingdom was located around the Holy Church.

It was surrounded by mountains and had to be bypassed, so it was impossible.

In the end, they had to open a path with the cooperation of the neighboring countries of the Kartal Kingdom, but it would take a considerable amount of time to obtain military passage rights from them.

Of course, they could ignore their opinions and move the army, but that would cause meaningless friction.

Dispatching troops to the Kartal Kingdom while risking friction with other countries was not cost-effective.

“S-So, I came up with something!”

“What is it?”

Oh, did this simpleton come up with another plan?

As Loki looked at Kankun, she clenched her fists confidently and said.

“We can move mercenaries!”

If it was a small number of mercenaries, there would be no restrictions on crossing other countries.

“…That would be difficult too.”

Loki was respecting the free will of the Norse mercenaries.

If they were forcibly mobilized, they would be no different from Asgard’s regular army.

As much as the discriminatory treatment of Kartal was severe, it could be said that Norse mercenaries would rarely be hired by them.

“I-! I’ll go as a mercenary! As a mercenary, I’ll also check if the information about the Holy Emperor Pharis is accurate.”

“…….”

Kankun thumped her chest.

“…Then, can I go too? Kankun alone is a bit uneasy….”

Kudan, who had been listening to the story opposite Kankun, spoke up.

Kudan cared deeply for Kankun.

Although Kankun had monstrous strength, he was always anxious whenever she left Asgard.

That’s why he transformed into Kankun and stepped forward himself during the Sea Constellation incident.

“Hmm….”

Loki looked at the cloth left over after eating the candy.

His mouth was bored and he wanted to taste it again.

“Do you want to go?”

Loki looked at Aum, who had spoken to him.

Aum, who was organizing documents below the platform, said.

“Then, go and come back. In the meantime, I will obtain permission for military passage from Kartal’s neighboring countries. If that doesn’t work, I’ll use tricks or put pressure on them.”

“Is it okay for me to leave my seat?”

“Actually… it’ll be difficult….”

Aum smacked his lips as he looked at the mountain of documents.

“Even if the Constellation isn’t here, a foundation has been laid to some extent to keep things running. Besides, this Kartal Kingdom incident is also presumed to involve the intervention of other Constellations….”

The only ones who can deal with Constellations are other Constellations.

No matter how strong Kudan and Kankun are, it would be impossible for them to deal with Constellations.

“There is no one but the Constellation to step forward. And….”

Aum looked at Kankun and Kudan alternately and sighed.

“I don’t think those two will receive proper diplomatic compensation if they go.”

“……!”

Kankun and Kudan flinched.

As people who only knew how to fight, they couldn’t deny it.

“Um… then, in that case.”

At that time, Shaman cautiously raised his hand and said.

“Can I… go with the Constellation too?”

***

The Kartal Kingdom was destroyed.

Johan, the young king of Kartal, who was now 12 years old, climbed the muddy mountain path due to the rainy season.

He sighed, his whole body covered in mud.

Behind him were exhausted soldiers and refugees following along.

“Prince, it would be better to ride a horse….”

“It’s okay.”

Johan refused the soldiers’ help.

He knew very well.

He was just an ordinary child in fancy clothes.

It would be more efficient for the soldiers to use the warhorses than for him.

Therefore, instead of increasing the escorts, he instructed the soldiers to escort the refugees and increase the perimeter security.

“Hoo….”

A long line of refugees.

The line was so long that it stretched down the mountain and the end was not visible.

‘The scale has become too large.’

The line, which had been hundreds, now numbered in the thousands.

Was it because of that?

Those who heard the rumors wanted to join this line.

Thanks to that, the risk became even higher.

‘If the rumors have spread to the point where even wandering refugees have heard them….’

The invading Belette Kingdom army must have also obtained this information.

It wouldn’t be strange if they were attacked at any moment.

‘If we can just get to Kant Fortress, which is a border area….’

Kanta Fortress was a fortress adjacent to another kingdom.

If they could reach that place, they would be able to accommodate the refugees, including himself.

Of course, it was questionable whether other countries would accept it.

“Ouch!”

At that time, a child fell in front of Johan.

The child looked ahead, but no one helped the child.

Everyone just glanced at him indifferently. They didn’t slow down.

It was hard enough to take care of themselves.

The child’s eyes welled up with tears.

But he didn’t cry.

If he cried, the adults would use violence.

It was natural.

Because the sound of crying might be heard by the enemy.

Therefore, everyone was just walking as quietly as possible.

There was someone who reached out to such a child.

“Are you okay?”

It was Johan.

The child looked at Johan’s hand and his eyes widened.

Johan’s whole body was covered in mud from the long evacuation.

But even so, the child did not readily take his hand because of the clothes that proved his noble status and the soldiers standing behind him.

Johan made a bitter expression and grabbed the child’s hand and pulled him up.

Johan took out a confection from his arms and held it out.

It was Cocoroll Candy, a Kartal specialty and a high-end luxury item.

“Here, eat it. You need to eat to gain strength.”

“B-But….”

The child was looking around.

The sweet smell that stimulated his nose made him instinctively know how expensive the candy was.

The orphaned child knew very well how scary a favor without a price was.

Therefore, he refused Johan’s favor.

“I-I’m okay!”

The child passed Johan by.

Johan looked at the child’s back with a bitter expression.

And the moment he tried to put the Cocoroll Candy he was holding in his mouth-.

Thud-!

An arrow was lodged in the back of the fleeing child.

Johan was stunned.

“Enemy attack!”

The soldiers quickly raised their shields and aimed their spears, guarding the forest.

Numerous arrows flew from the forest.

The arrows pierced the soldiers and refugees.

Johan could see it.

The sight of those he had tried so hard to save dying and disappearing….

“……!”

The arrow barrage stopped.

The Kartal Kingdom soldiers quickly gathered around Johan and raised their shields.

It was to protect the young king.

Red flames were seen on the hill of bushes.

“No way…!”

Johan looked up at the hill.

Large balls made of straw were burning and rolling down.

“D-Dodge!”

“Aaaaaaack!”

The burning straw balls covered the refugees.

People engulfed in flames screamed and fell.

“E-Everyone, run away quickly!”

Johan shouted.

Because he had figured out what they were trying to do.

The straw balls rolled down, blocking the front of the line.

They also fell behind, blocking the escape route.

“Haha! Easier than I thought?”

Belette soldiers walked out from the left and right, between the bushes on the road.

‘We’re surrounded!’

Johan gritted his teeth.

The Belette soldiers confronted the Kartal soldiers.

The Kartal soldiers who had taken refuge were exhausted from not eating or drinking properly for days.

On the other hand, the Belette soldiers, who knew this path, had replenished their strength to attack the approaching refugees.

Both in terms of numbers and quality, the Belette soldiers were superior.

“What? The scale of the refugees is no joke? At least over a thousand! Haha, that’s why we caught their tail though…. They managed to smuggle them out so well!”

The Belette soldiers licked their lips as they looked at the refugees stretching down the mountain.

At the same time, they looked at the boy being protected by the soldiers.

“…Judging by his appearance and the soldiers. You.”

The Belette soldiers curled up the corners of their mouths.

“Are you the king of Kartal?”

Johan, who was among the soldiers, gritted his teeth.

There was no sign of respect for royalty.

That’s how arrogant the Belette Kingdom army was.

No, those in front of him couldn’t even be called the regular army of the Belette Kingdom.

The variety of costumes suggested that mercenaries were also involved.

“…….”

Did they take the silence as affirmation?

The Belette soldiers all drew their longswords.

“Kill all but those who can be used as slaves.”

It was when the Belette soldiers were gradually approaching the refugees.

The bushes shook.

And a group of people on horseback jumped out from the opposite side.

“……!”

The Belette and Kartal soldiers paused.

A giant horse with eight legs and a man with black and white hair riding on it.

Behind him, a female warrior with blue hair riding a horse and a man with a bear-like physique,

And an old man with white hair and white eyes who seemed blind, holding a cane.

The Belette soldiers froze as they looked at the woman and the bear-like man among them.

“Norse?”