The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 141

141

Raida Aigin, recorded as the emperor who led the last great revival of the mid-Imperial era, officially appears in historical records in Tersia Year 1425, during the ‘Great Migration of the Beastmen’ incident.

At that time, Raida’s insight as the young crown prince of the Empire was praised as a great achievement in historical records, but it was seen as an eccentricity by the people of that era.

Just like now, as Military Affairs Commander Yohan endlessly paces back and forth in front of the soldiers, grumbling.

“I can’t believe it… How can you trust such a black-hearted guy and have a private audience with him? He’s too immature, too immature!”

“I heard that from the age of fourteen, that immature person made all the scholars in the royal court sweat during the royal lectures. Is that true?”

“Quiet, Palace Guard! Theory and practice are different… Ah, how frustrating.”

*Boomer alert*, Leoren shrugged and glanced up at the sun parakeet perched on his bow.

“Hmm, are you Rein Ludwig’s pet bird?”

“Pet, pet, pet.”

“How fascinating. Even his pet bird is a sun parakeet. Does that guy resemble Rin-nim [referring to Rein]? Every time Serwaybon sees that bird, he cries sadly.”

“Genuine, genuine, genuine.”

“Genuine?”

Leoren had no idea, but this was a reunion of the Hero Party members after two hundred years.

As Pipi fluttered its wings, expressing its joy, Serwaybon resonated greatly, scattering the light of the World Tree in all directions.

With that mystical light, the withered weeds around them regained their vitality and bloomed.

“…”

Meanwhile, a cold wind blew through the center of both camps, and Crown Prince Raida’s beautiful blonde hair fluttered.

Raida’s eyes narrowed as he heard all the stories from beyond the Barrier, in the ancient snowfields.

‘Baekdo Lord Shar’kasrani, and the True Dragon died to seal him again…

“And there was behind-the-scenes manipulation until the beastmen became enemies of humanity?”

“Yes, it was all manipulated by someone. As I mentioned, the commander-in-chief was also possessed by a 5-star spirit.”

“To be honest, it’s still hard to believe. But it’s also ambiguous to dismiss it as a simple lie. Do you have any witnesses to prove your actions?”

“Kiran Wolf Blado, a member of the Barrier’s executives, will testify.”

“That’s impossible. He would have already been executed.”

“Pardon?”

I couldn’t understand what the Crown Prince was saying for a moment, so I foolishly asked back.

Execution?

Kiran was executed?

The image of that generous man smiling as he said we would meet again was still vivid in my memory…

“It was about a month ago. A letter came from Duke Duren of the North, seeking permission from our Raida Imperial Family and the Blado baronial family.”

“Did you grant permission… for the execution?”

“If it weren’t for Princess Madelia’s intervention, you would have met the same fate. Communication with traitors cannot exist in the first place.”

Kiran died… Unpleasant sweat trickled down my spine, and my mind went blank.

No, it can’t be.

Get a grip, Rin.

Only by allowing the beastmen to enter the Imperial territory can Kiran’s death be made meaningful.

“I can’t be a witness, but Akilea here has the blood of the great True Dragon flowing through her veins. She is a direct descendant of Alakish, the guardian of Harbadonia.”

“What?”

“I trained her to tuck her tail in when she’s in dragon form, so she’s not showing it now… but if you feel her body temperature, you’ll know I’m not lying.”

Raida carefully reached out to touch Aki’s head, then flinched and pulled back his hand.

Indeed, it was as hot as fire…

One would only have such a body temperature when dying from a fever.

“This, this adorable baby… is the True Dragon, an absolute life form?”

“Yes, as Alakish-nim’s life was coming to an end, she created an avatar to continue her mission, and that is Aki.”

“…!”

“She was a sad person. She lived a lonely life and passed away without seeing her daughter’s face. If you take this child to the Holy See, it might be evidence.”

As Rein gave a bitter smile, Madelia, who had been watching silently, stepped in.

“There is a diary of Emit, passed down as a family treasure in our family. Originally, only the family’s heir is allowed to read it, but I will extract the parts about the beastmen and submit them to the Imperial Council.”

“…!”

“You will achieve great things. It will be said that you have unraveled the conspiracy surrounding the beastmen with your great insight.”

“If it really was a conspiracy.”

As Raida spoke in a tone that seemed to back down, Rein hurriedly interjected.

“Please leave it to me. I will definitely uncover the truth and reveal it to the world. All the honor will naturally go to Your Highness.”

Raida stroked his chin thoughtfully for a long time, then finally stared straight at Rein with his green eyes.

“Before coming to a conclusion, I want to ask you one serious question. Why are you trying so hard to help the beastmen? Is it compassion? Gratitude? Or a desire for fame? Is there something I don’t know?”

I remembered being asked a similar question by Griffion before. Why do you want to help? At that time, I was overwhelmed with emotion and ended up crying.

“It’s just, I can’t bear to leave them alone.”

Not now.

Don’t rely on emotional fluctuations, and express my feelings honestly and calmly.

“The mastermind tried to use us humans to get rid of the beastmen. To give the beastmen the most miserable end… I just couldn’t turn a blind eye to that.”

“Is it a sense of justice? You might turn the entire Empire against you as a result? Have you not thought about the consequences?”

“It would be a headache in that case, but I wouldn’t regret it. Because I did what I thought was right. I would do the same thing even if time were turned back.”

“!”

“It’s presumptuous, but that’s why I need Your Highness’s help. I can only see darkness right now… but I will definitely uncover the truth. Definitely.”

Crown Prince Raida stared blankly at me, then suddenly the corners of his lips faintly turned up. At first, I thought it was a sneer.

“What I realized while studying imperial studies was that an emperor must care for his subjects with emotion, not with logic or reason.”

“Pardon?”

“There’s no need for a valid reason to help the people. It’s just, that’s what should be done. Rein Ludwig, just like you did this time.”

It was an incomprehensible conversation.

Why is he telling me this story? Then Raida showed a smile for the first time. It was a comfortable smile that revealed all his neat front teeth.

“I’ll trust you. Your golden heart. If you’re right, those beastmen are all people I have to take care of.”

What… I just stared blankly at Raida, and the tension that had been at its peak suddenly dissipated, and I let out a foolish laugh.

It was an incredibly rude act that should not be done in front of the Crown Prince of the Empire, but he did not show any displeasure.

He just waved his hand lightly, telling me not to worry about it.

“But there’s one condition.”

“Please tell me.”

“I will definitely become the Emperor. If what you say is true, the merit of resolving this beastmen situation will be a great help in the next imperial succession. If it’s a lie, everything I’ve built up so far will fall into the abyss.”

“That won’t happen!”

“Okay, then the problem is after I become Emperor. To run the government, I need trustworthy people around me.”

Raida paused for a moment here. Is he telling me to guess what he’s trying to say? No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with a suitable answer.

“If you’re asking me to recommend people, I’m still a student and don’t know the connections well…”

“Are you pretending not to know? You. I’m talking about you, Rein Ludwig.”

“Yes…?”

“I don’t know when it will be, but can you become one of the Emperor’s four stars, the Magic Star, and help me?”

“…!”

“Magicians like the saying ‘high risk, high return,’ right? The reason I’m taking this risk is all to get you.”

I was speechless for a moment.

The Imperial Four Stars appointed by the Emperor receive treatment equivalent to a marquis in the Empire and are positions with absolute power.

Among them, the Magic Star, who is in charge of the ‘Emperor’s Wisdom,’ can command the legislature and judiciary according to the Emperor’s orders and can also participate in the Imperial Council where the elector princes gather.

“Your Highness, that’s too much for me.”

I was so embarrassed that I knelt down on one knee.

I was born an orphan, so I had never even imagined such a position… and it seemed like a position that someone like me couldn’t handle.

Then, playfulness sparkled in Raida Aigin’s clear eyes.

“Of course, it’s too much right now. Because you and I are still young. But what about 10 or 20 years from now? A magician who was on par with the current Magic Star at the age of sixteen?”

“…!”

“I said it was a condition, but it’s actually half a joke. I just wanted you to think about it from now on. I can’t help it if you don’t want to.”

What did Raida just say?

Is he saying that he will do me a favor without any conditions or benefits? Is he going to take a risk? I don’t know the inner meaning, but it was clear that I had received an enormous favor from the Empire’s second-in-command.

A satisfied smile formed on Madelia’s lips as she watched the scene.

‘A talent in a bag cannot be hidden, you are not the kind of talent that can hide if you want to… the world will somehow find you out.’

Of course, now was not the time to be lost in such thoughts. Madelia said.

“Your Highness, if it’s okay, may I ask how you will persuade His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Of course. According to Rein, the beastmen are all great warriors. They value honor, right?”

“Yes. An average warrior has the skills of a lower Gold rank to an upper Silver rank, and the warlords have the skills of the highest Gold rank. Like Eldevig, who is 5th in the Gold rank adventurers.”

“What if the Imperial Family bestows grace on those powerful warriors and embraces them? The Raida Imperial Family will be able to mobilize elite troops of between one thousand and two thousand people in case of emergency.”

Suddenly, I felt nauseous.

I didn’t feel comfortable seeing the beastmen being treated as mercenaries, and Raida gave a bitter smile as if he had read my disappointing expression.

“It’s only when it’s under my father’s rule. I promise. On the day I inherit the family, the beastmen will be free from all restraints.”

Madelia’s eyes widened.

Amazing. This Crown Prince is also as young as sixteen years old as Rein Ludwig.

There may be opposition from various families in the Empire. But for the Imperial Family, for the head of the Aigin family, there can be no more tempting offer than this.

The five elector prince families who rule each region were all increasing their military power as if in competition.

Historically, the military power of the Duren Archduke family was the strongest, but if Aigin embraces the beastmen, the balance of power will be broken.

“Thank you, thank you so much, Your Highness!”

“It’s too early to thank me. There are still many realistic constraints left. I can’t promise only a rosy future either.”

Raida sighed as if he was also frustrated.

“First of all, how do we cross the strait? Where will we mobilize the ships to move 200,000 people? And we can’t just take the beastmen to the Imperial territory.”

“…!”

“Even if we postpone persuading the Imperial Council, we must first persuade my father and the people of the West. I don’t know what will happen if we just bring them in recklessly.”

That’s certainly true… Damn it, what should I do now, I was suffocating.

The food that Kiran had provided was almost running out (it would cost an astronomical amount to transport food for 200,000 people by sea), and above all, I didn’t want to keep the injured and children in the Land of the Abyss.

Also, according to Eldevig, in this land full of lawless and rogue adventurers and monsters.

Think, don’t stop thinking.

What should I suggest here, how should I solve the situation, think, think, more, more, more, before it’s too late, quickly…

「Kal(Open).

Gurs(Both sides).

Oufari(Water).

Diale(Turbulence).」

It was then that a clear and cold tone, which could not be expressed by anything in this world, was heard. In two lifetimes, I had never heard such a pure sound that made my heart flutter so much.

Everyone looked to the east as if possessed… and soon lost their minds in amazement.

There, the sea, the North Sea, was parting. It was not any poetic expression or metaphor. It was a divine miracle that no magician or private individual on earth could achieve.

“What…?”

“The sea is parting…?”

“What nonsense…?”

And like the sun of dawn clearing away the dawn, there was a light of transcendence on the sea, which was once one but now divided into two.

The light was so blue that it was blinding and so beautiful that it took my breath away, and it was only after a long time that I realized it was a dragon.

Not a True Dragon, not a Wyvern, but a Divine Dragon.

“Aki, look at that…”

It was such a spectacle that I forgot how to think for a moment due to the overwhelming excitement.

Dragons with impeccably white scales and pure white wings, the White Dragon Corps, were crossing the horizon, letting out clear wingbeats, and landing one after another in this timeless swamp.

In front of the three of us, no, four, who were gaping blankly, the source of the clear light personally descended, scattering divine light.

Perhaps the spirits were instinctively moved by the sacred figure with the benevolence, light, and form of God, and when I came to my senses, a handful of dew had formed in my left eye.

No, it wasn’t such a simple emotion… It must have been because one conviction was vividly flashing in my mind.

In the vortex of countless relationships, a long, arduous, enjoyable, and sad journey that seemed to have no end was over.