Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 199

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The Root Path.

A passage on the reverse side of the world that allows movement to any place where there are branches connected to the World Tree’s roots.

A trump card obtained by presenting a solution to the aging, a fatal side effect experienced by the elves due to the Red Star Fever.

I really cherished it.

I cherished it so much that I didn’t even use it when retaking the Northwest or attacking Arya’s capital. To be honest, I was worried that I would cherish it too much and end up not using it at all.

I decided to use it to my heart’s content this time.

“Contact Duke Miloa and tell him to prepare for the use of the Root Path.”

“You’re finally using it! I thought it would become a waste if you kept it for too long.”

How he puts it.

But somehow, it felt familiar. It was like something I heard in my almost forgotten ‘previous life’ or ‘future’…

Well, let’s move on since it’s not important.

“But you’ve been staring intently at the Imperial City since earlier. You’re planning to use the Root Path to surprise the Imperial City, right?”

I nodded to Alfonso’s question.

“Isn’t that a pretty serious matter for the elves? There will definitely be friction with the great powers who will try to use their Root Path by mentioning us later… The elves are famous for not lying, but what if the elves refuse to use the Root Path?”

“What’s with you thinking about all that for once?”

“Haha, I’ve been serving Your Majesty for a long time, so I’ve come to realize the ways of the world.”

“You don’t have to worry. It’s a promise from the Elf Queen.”

“Is the Elf Queen’s promise any different?”

It is different.

The Queen is a gardener who manages the World Tree, which is like a god to the elves. Each of her actions affects the World Tree.

“If she breaks her promise, you can think of it as the World Tree will be in a lot of pain. It’s a long story to explain, so I’ll tell you when you’re free later.”

“Yes. Then I’ll go send a telegram to Duke Miloa.”

I waved my hand to tell him to go quickly.

***

Operation Name: Root.

The outline of the operation is simple.

The elite forces move through the Root Path to the Cursed Forest right under the nose of the Hamel Empire’s Imperial City.

Currently, the main force of the Imperial Army is confronting the Royal Army. The Imperial City is like an empty house compared to normal. The surprise attack would be successful without difficulty.

Then, the operation is successfully completed by entering the Imperial Palace, the Great Celestial Palace, and capturing Charles.

If there’s a variable, it’s Aurelis…

‘Why can’t I still feel his energy?’

The Cursed Forest is adjacent to the river that runs through the Imperial City, where Aurelis’s residence is known to be. But even now, after arriving there through the Root Path, I couldn’t feel his energy.

It’s not that I couldn’t feel it at all.

I could feel traces of it.

It’s like smelling an animal near its nest even when it’s temporarily empty.

‘Is he asleep?’

That’s possible enough.

If Aurelis’s actions to save Charles twisted causality more than I thought, he might have fallen into a deep sleep as a reaction.

“Your Majesty, are you alright? Perhaps you have motion sickness like the soldiers…?”

Adol’s cautious question.

My expression must have looked a little serious. But his expression looked worse worrying about me.

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

I waved my hand, telling him not to worry, and turned my head towards the troops coming out of the Root Path.

Moving through the Root Path felt like riding a small boat in a storm with crashing waves.

As a result, people were throwing up everywhere. Only 5-star knights could barely hold their mouths and suppress their vomit.

I couldn’t bring even half of the planned personnel.

According to the forest keeper of the 7th branch who guided us, the root connected to the Cursed Forest was badly damaged?

So I brought only the most elite that I had carefully selected. All the soldiers are magic awakeners of 3 stars or higher. Considering only the core power, there’s me, Bert, Adol, Vernon, and Berok.

Reina couldn’t join us because she had to defend the front lines with the Hamel Empire.

‘It’s a shame I couldn’t bring a large airship.’

The Root Path was a place where you shouldn’t take your feet off the ground. According to the forest keeper, you could become a lost child in the reverse side of the world if you made a mistake…

For that reason, I had to bring the airship.

How? By hand!

Fortunately, there was Titan, so I could bring a few more medium-sized airships.

Perhaps the people who are put into this operation will remember pulling the airship from the Root Path, which makes them want to vomit, more than attacking the Imperial City after the war.

‘It’s a short distance from here to the Imperial City.’

The full-scale operation was planned to begin after the people who came out of the Root Path calmed down a bit.

I took my eyes off the soldiers who were busy supplying nutrients to the trees while throwing up and looked around the Cursed Forest.

More than half of the trees were rotten old trees, and even the surviving trees were not in good condition.

I could clearly feel that the forest was dying.

The mad emperor who dreamed of immortality burned it down almost 200 years ago, but it’s a bit of a miracle that it’s still not completely dead.

-It’s close to a miracle that the roots connected to this place are still remaining. Perhaps the wishes of our ancestors were waiting for a time like this.

I was reminded of the words of the forest keeper who guided us here.

As he said, is it because the forest is still not dead with the blood of the elves who bled on the swords and spears of the Imperial Army in the past as nourishment?

While thinking about that, I opened the [List of Names] after a long time to examine the high-ranking officials of the Hamel Empire.

‘Huh?’

One name was being erased in real time.

Rhodes Han Hais.

It was the name of the Tower Master. This meant only one thing. He was dead.

‘Why?’

Where could he, who abandoned Cloud with space-time magic on the battlefield and ran away, have died?

Did Charles cut off his head for abandoning Cloud?

If he’s sane, he can’t do that.

***

The Hamel Empire’s Imperial Palace, the Great Celestial Palace.

The Empire’s ministers were in shock at what was happening before their eyes.

The Emperor cut off the Tower Master’s head!

Emperor Charles, who had returned to the Imperial Palace looking like a madman with blood vessels bursting in his red eyes and disheveled hair.

He had locked himself in the training room as soon as he arrived at the palace, but he reappeared after three days and summoned high-ranking officials.

Everyone thought he had recovered from the shock of the first defeat against the Lionel Kingdom.

-Cloud is dead?

After hearing about the death of Chancellor Cloud, Charles asked the Tower Master for details.

-I see.

Charles seemed to agree with the Tower Master’s words that it was difficult to escape with Cloud. Everyone was secretly relieved.

Swish─

The Tower Master’s head fell off.

‘He’s, he’s crazy!’

He must have been crazy.

It was understandable that he cherished Cloud, but it was the common thought of those present that the Tower Master had not committed a crime that would warrant such immediate execution.

No one could open their mouths.

They were people who had risen to the ranks of high-ranking officials in the Empire’s political arena.

A warning was ringing loudly in their heads that if they said the wrong thing now, their heads would be cut off like the Tower Master’s.

“I’m hungry.”

Charles muttered quietly, looking at the Tower Master’s head, which seemed to be asking why he had to die.

“Hey, bring food right now!!”

A quick-witted chief attendant hurriedly ordered the food to be brought.

While the attendants went to get the food, Charles closed his eyes and meditated. The time until the attendants brought the food felt like an eternity to the Empire’s nobles.

“I, I brought the food!”

Charles, who opened his eyes, said after seeing the steaming meat.

“Bring it undercooked.”

After a while, the attendant brought undercooked meat.

“Undercooked.”

This time, meat that was only cooked on the outside came out.

“More!”

Only when meat that was dripping with blood and close to raw arrived did Charles take his hand. He tore at it ravenously and laughed grotesquely.

The high-ranking officials, who were doing their best to manage their expressions and keep their seats, wanted to get out of there right away.

As Charles’s meal was coming to an end, their wishes were fulfilled in a direction they had never imagined.

Kwaaaang!! Kwaaaang!!

Aeaeaeang-

Aeaeaeang─

The sound of shelling and the emergency alarm signaling a state of war, which should never be heard in the Imperial City, rang loudly.

“The, the Lionel Kingdom army! The Lionel Kingdom army has appeared!!”

For the first time since the founding of the Empire, a foreign army had set foot in the Imperial City, which had never been attacked.

***

The thunder fired by the five Titans pierced a large wall in the outer castle of the Imperial City.

“Disengage thunder and advance!”

At my command, the Titans entered the Imperial City first.

“Let’s go capture the Emperor!”

“For the Lionel Kingdom!”

“For His Majesty the King!”

The knights and soldiers followed behind.

“Enter the Great Celestial Palace immediately!”

“Don’t waste time on unnecessary things!”

As we ran like that, the Empire’s airships rose from the Great Celestial Palace. Although most of the main airships were out on the battlefield, there were quite a few.

No problem.

Considering that, I brought plenty of airships with difficulty. We had to make sure not to miss the high-ranking nobles or royals who were escaping by airship after using the Root Path to surprise the Imperial City.

In particular, missing Charles would be a disaster.

If I understood his personality correctly, he would rather fight me and die than run away, but you never know.

“Don’t let a single one escape!”

Our airships formed an anti-air net.

Now, all that was left was to leave the sky to them and sprint towards the Great Celestial Palace.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Kwajik! Kwajik! Kwang!

With Michael, whom I was riding, at the lead, the Titans sprinted, destroying all obstacles in their path.

The speed at which a Titan with a knight on board sprints is enough to easily catch up with a train. We quickly reached the Great Celestial Palace.

The main gate, engraved with various magic circles, was tightly closed.

I raised Michael’s sword.

Evan-style Lionel Imperial Swordsmanship, First Form: Heaven Breaker.

Whoong- Kwaaaang!!!

Seeing the main gate of the Great Celestial Palace, which was shattered into pieces by the form I had created with the determination to destroy the Hamel Empire, sent a shiver down my spine.

I wanted to enjoy that pleasure a little more, but now was not the time.

“Stop them! You must stop them!”

“C, Commander! How can we stop something like that!”

“Shut up and stop them!!”

The knights guarding the Great Celestial Palace rushed out to block us.

“Hahaha! I’ll take care of this! Go quickly.”

Bert’s hearty voice.

I left the handling of the knights who had rushed to the main gate to him and ran to the center of the Great Celestial Palace.

Charles was there.

He was waiting for me with his beloved sword drooping and his eyes bloodshot with burst blood vessels.

As soon as I saw him, I understood why Aurelis’s traces had disappeared. When Barisada descended on my body, Etrim must have felt exactly like this when he saw me.

‘No. It’s a little different.’

It seemed more appropriate to say that Charles was consumed by Aurelis’s power.

“I’ve been waiting. Evan Lionel.”

Charles grinned.

Veins began to stand out on his body.

Crack, crack.

With the unpleasant sound of muscles tearing, his flesh swelled up. Golden dragon scales sprouted from his skin.

The bone protruding from his arm stuck to his beloved sword, creating a huge and grotesque spear.

Draconia.

That’s what the existence imagined by storytellers, a hybrid of dragon and human, would look like.

Charles raised the corners of his mouth pleasantly.

The temperature around him became as cold as frost due to the ferocious energy he exuded. My back was soaked with cold sweat from the tension I felt after a long time.

“Th, that’s…”

“Y, Your Majesty! We will fight him first!”

The knights overcame their instinctive fear and grabbed their weapons.

I slowly opened my mouth.

“Adol, Vernon, Berok. Lead your troops and stop the Empire’s nobles from escaping.”

Telling them to fight Charles was the same as telling them to die. Only I could face Charles, only I could.