Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 93

93

Eron and Palm sat with serious expressions.

They were in the VIP room, a week after the massacre of the delegation.

“Palm, no matter how I think about it… I can’t think of a way to stop this Asgard invasion. Why on earth did my brother make such a foolish choice? If he was sending a delegation, that means he was aware of the situation in the North, right?”

“…I don’t know either.”

Palm was also troubled.

But on the one hand, she thought it was fortunate.

If Ronia were to truly perish, her master, Prince Eron, would be safe.

‘…Even if Prince Eron doesn’t ascend to the throne… if only he can survive….’

“But… the Holy Order is behind Ash. Even Asgard won’t be able to move carelessly.”

Knock, knock.

At that moment, the door opened with a knock.

“Hello? I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

Hans entered.

Eron stared blankly at Hans, then clapped his hands, exclaiming, “Ah!”

“You were the one next to the Constellation of Asgard… right?”

“You don’t have to use honorifics. I’m also a Ronian.”

“Indeed! I thought your face looked familiar; you’re from my homeland!”

As if meeting someone from his hometown, Eron was delighted.

“Why are you here?”

Eron turned his head and looked at Palm.

Palm glared at Hans with wary eyes.

“Pardon?”

“I thought you were demoted and missing. Weren’t you dead?”

“Pardon? Ah… well… that’s…”

Hans scratched his cheek.

“I somehow survived. Then I caught the Constellation’s eye… and I’m staying here.”

“Huh? Palm, do you know this person?”

At Eron’s words, Palm gritted her teeth.

Eron looked back and forth between the two, bewildered.

Palm’s behavior had been strange since earlier.

It was normal to be nervous entering a foreign country, but Palm’s usual self wouldn’t act this way.

It was like looking at a frightened animal.

“Palm, what’s wrong? Why are you so… ?”

Are you scared?

Eron swallowed the rest of his words.

Palm, who was always calm and sly, was acting like this?!

Palm didn’t respond to Eron’s words. She just gritted her teeth and clenched her hands.

“I never expected to see you here.”

Hans scratched his cheek, avoiding Palm’s gaze.

“Could it be that you were building your strength here? To take revenge on Ronia for exiling you? Is that it, Hans…?”

Palm gritted her teeth.

“Count Stinger.”

Eron flinched and looked at Hans.

The Stinger family.

A hero who protected Ronia from countless past wars, and the one who made King Elron known as the Iron-Blooded King.

More than anything, in the East-West War, he was the one Ash was so desperately searching for.

Eron stared at Hans, dumbfounded.

“This person is Ronia’s hero? He looks like a countryside grocery store owner… ?”

“…Aren’t you being too harsh, Your Highness?”

“M, my bad.”

Eron bowed his head and apologized.

“And I have no intention of taking revenge. I’m just following the Constellation’s will.”

It would be a lie to say he had no ill feelings towards Ronia.

But acting on personal feelings was against the duty he should fulfill as a subject.

“…No matter how strong this Asgard is, it won’t be able to face both Ronia and the Holy Order at the same time.”

“Ah, about that….”

Hans wore a troubled expression.

“It seems Loki has taken care of it.”

***

Ash closed his eyes and pressed his forehead.

His head was spinning, and he couldn’t see straight.

He didn’t even have the strength to stand up anymore.

Fear dominated his reason.

“Ronia is going to perish? Huh! Barbarians are telling us that… ?”

“That’s absurd. How dare heretics give such a warning!”

“Before that, is it even a country? Aren’t they just gathering about a thousand people and calling themselves a country?”

Mockery erupted from here and there.

But suddenly, a question arose, and the nobles asked Ash with curious faces.

“Come to think of it, is that why you were recruiting troops?”

“Ah! Could it be that you’re planning to carry on the late king’s will…!”

The failed Northern Conquest in the past.

Could it be that King Ash was going to do it?

That was the question that arose.

They couldn’t understand why Ash was so discouraged, but now was the chance.

“It’s a good opportunity! Let’s show them our strength!”

“That’s right! As for supplies… we can buy them from the Holy Order!”

Ash didn’t react to the sycophants’ words.

He was just sitting under the throne.

‘Is now the time to deal with barbarians? How long has it been since the end of the East-West War, and they’re still talking about war…!’

‘The people are starving, but war? If we conscript again, who will farm? How will Ronia’s economy be sustained?’

‘There are riots breaking out everywhere, but they’re worried about the land in the North….’

Other nobles who were thinking about Ronia tried to silence those sycophants, but they closed their mouths again as they looked at Ash.

They were worried about the safety of this country, but they were just powerless humans in front of Ash.

Ash stared blankly at the ceiling.

‘The Holy Order, they started this. I have no choice but to ask them for help.’

He might not be able to stop the war, but at least he could prevent the destruction of this country.

The suffering caused by war is what the people experience.

As long as the country doesn’t perish, he didn’t care what happened.

Ash immediately summoned Yuma, the Inquisitor and Black Arbiter [an elite enforcer of the Holy Order].

Ash said to him.

“Take responsibility for this and tell the Holy Order to support our Ronia! Whether it’s money, territory, or believers, we’ll give you what you want after the war is over!”

At Ash’s words, Yuma showed a troubled expression for the first time.

Yuma felt the gazes of the surrounding nobles and knelt down and bowed to Ash with respect.

And then, he uttered unexpected words.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness Ash. That’s impossible.”

“…What?”

“Something has happened in the homeland. An evil cult has risen and is disrupting the situation.”

“Wh, what are you talking about? A, a cult! ?”

“To stop it, we Black Arbiters will also be returning to the homeland.”

“What are you talking about!?”

Ash shouted, and the nobles flinched.

It was because they never expected King Ash to scold the leader of the Black Arbiters, who had received the Holy Baptism of the Holy Emperor of the Holy Order.

This was the same as opposing the will of the Holy Emperor.

Yuma was also surprised, but he couldn’t rebuke Ash in this place.

“It’s as I said. To suppress the cult in the homeland, the Holy Order’s forces gathered in Ronia will also be returning.”

Ash’s eyes widened.

Wait, they’re starting something and then leaving!?

It was truly absurd for Ash.

“W, wait a minute…!”

“Then… we’ll be on our way.”

Yuma left, and the Holy Order’s forces stationed in Ronia also prepared to move.

“Find out what’s going on in the Holy Order…!”

At Ash’s words, the Ronia royal family’s intelligence network moved, and he received unexpected news.

That was….

“Civil war?”

The Holy Order was split into two, and a civil war had broken out.

***

Loki was walking down the street with Aum.

Aum showed a surprised expression.

He held a well-cut piece of paper in his hand.

[Civil War in the Holy Order: Who is the true believer of the Constellation of Azelan, and who is a cultist!?

…The White Arbiters of the Holy Order have gathered around the Pope and declared war on the Black Arbiters. The exact cause is unknown, but there are concerns among believers that this may lead to an unprecedented division in the history of the Holy Order…]

Aum wasn’t the only one holding it.

The citizens on the street were holding papers and skimming through the contents.

This would be a shocking sight if seen in a foreign kingdom.

It was because secrets that should only be monopolized by the royal family were being shared by the citizens.

Aum questioned whether this information sharing through newspapers would lead to good results.

Sharing information with citizens could lead to a better quality of life, but it also had the side effect of creating anxiety and fear among the citizens.

He had once told Loki about these concerns.

-Anxiety and fear? For you Nordics?

All he got in return was ridicule, and Aum rubbed his forehead and understood Loki’s words.

“…How did you do it?”

Clearly, the Holy Order had split after he ordered Ruran to do something.

With this, the Holy Order would not be able to interfere in the Ronia war.

The timing was too perfect.

It could only be seen as Loki having done something.

“I just sent a letter from a certain monk. However, I thought there would only be a power struggle at best. I didn’t expect it to have this much impact.”

“What was the content?”

Loki handed Aum a copy made by Ruran.

The first part was just a greeting from Alex the monk to the Pope.

And then his life.

He had set up an orphanage, but his loved ones had died from the plague Worm Fest [a devastating magical plague].

And that Worm Fest was….

“…The Holy Order, a weapon created by the Holy Emperor?”

It was a weapon created by the Holy Order.

“Isn’t the timing perfect? Just as the Holy Order’s influence was disappearing, a plague broke out, and the only solution to defeat the plague was only possessed by the Holy Order.”

“…….”

“Moreover, the destruction of the Hannes Empire was also related to the Holy Order. It’s truly strange. The plague spread to suit the Holy Order’s taste.”

The continent, and Ronia, the Hannes Empire.

The plague spread to suit the situation that was favorable to the Holy Order.

And also, when the Ronia delegation visited Asgard, one of the delegates was carrying a disease with Worm Fest.

“I heard that the Pope was trying to announce the Worm Fest-related research. On the contrary, the Holy Emperor was stopping it.”

The Pope did not exercise politics or power and tended to think of the believers.

On the other hand, the Holy Emperor interfered in even the smallest parts of foreign countries in political matters and focused only on wielding power to increase the influence of the Holy Order.

For that reason, the gap between the two was quite deep, and this letter from Alex the monk was enough to be the fuse for the civil war.

“The Holy Emperor said that the Pope was crazy and tried to suppress him, but it doesn’t seem easy.”

“…I see. With this, we can prepare for war with ease. When are you planning to start the invasion of Ronia?”

“Well, I’ll have to announce it soon.”

Loki stopped talking and stopped walking, looking ahead.

Aum also stopped asking questions and raised his head.

“Oh!”

Loki’s burning eyes widened, and he clapped his hands as if satisfied.

Clap…! Clap…!

“Excellent!”

Before his eyes, a huge fortress like a palace was nearing the end of construction.

Dwarves and Asgardian human artisans, who could be called his disciples, were putting their heart and soul into finishing the final work.

And Shaman and Ruran, who were in charge of making this building, approached Loki.

“Do you like it?”

Shaman and Ruran had satisfied expressions.

“I once saw human educational facilities. But they weren’t practical. They were just plausible appearances.”

That was Ruran’s words.

“There are still not enough educators, but we plan to select and train talents as much as possible. Kudan, Cancun, and Aum will be in charge of the military aspects, Ruran will be in charge of casting and alchemy, and I will be in charge of magic-related fields… In addition, we plan to search for and invite experts from the continent.”

Shaman explained about the building that was being completed before his eyes.

“The educational facility that Loki desires: The Hall of Warriors.”

Shaman bowed his head, and a smile appeared on Loki’s lips.

With this, the cultivation and discovery of talents lacking in the North-.

“It’s Valhalla Academy.”

Speed has picked up.