The Union and the Empire (2)
The entire Barkat Kingdom was thrown into chaos when the Crown Prince appeared covered in wounds.
"The damned Empire seized the manastone mine and ambushed His Highness the Crown Prince!"
The Philerium Mountain Range belonged to no one, yet everyone claimed ownership over it. It was a natural border constantly contested.
For the Empire to suddenly insist it belonged to them was absurd enough—but to injure the Crown Prince?
It was no different from a declaration of war. Or they looked down on the Union that much.
"We cannot let the Empire dogs take the manastone mine!"
Barkat Kingdom immediately dispatched its knight order and mage corps while sending envoys to every nation of the Union.
In an instant, the entire Union began to stir.
Just wait, you mask-wearing imperial bastard…!
I'll tear you apart with my own two hands.
Pablo Barkat, sprinting toward the mine alongside the knights, steeled his resolve.
***
Within the Jespine Empire, a knight of the Blue Griffin Knight Order—Fryan—shouted to his comrade who had slipped into the bushes.
"Hurry up!"
"I'm coming."
The knight jogged over.
"You didn't even take off your helmet to use the toilet?"
"I put it back on."
"Your stomach okay?"
"It's better."
"Huh? Your voice sounds a bit…"
"Hurry! Gather up! We're out of time!"
"Yes, sir!"
Fryan tilted his head in confusion but rushed over. The vanguard—consisting of knights, mages, miners, and mining specialists—had already ended their short break and were ready to move again.
Fryan found his position. The comrade who had suffered stomach trouble stood beside him.
"Don't get relaxed. Don't lose focus. This is Philerium. One more slip-up and you'll be punished."
"Yes, sir!"
Fryan nodded under the deputy commander's sharp gaze. He felt irritated—he was getting scolded because of his partner's mistakes.
The Empire's vanguard began moving again.
Monsters, drawn by the scent of humans, bared greedy fangs.
But the knights and mages in the scouting unit were elite soldiers of the Empire.
Fwsh—
A blade of magical wind sliced through an ogre. A knight's aura ripped out a troll's heart.
Monster corpses piled into small hills, attracting even more beasts.
Still, the scouting party marched on without slowing. Walking a blood-soaked path, they finally reached the cave.
What the… that bastard Pillai—did his skill suddenly improve?
There had been countless battles, and Fryan found himself admiring his comrade's fluid movements.
He dodged a lizardman's thrown spear with ease and beheaded it in a breath. He toyed with a troll before killing it. Even against an ogre, he wasn't pushed back.
But just a little while ago, he was about the same level as me…
He wasn't showing everything, but something about him had become smoother, more refined.
Did he break through somehow?
Strangely, even his aura felt more clean and stable.
It was odd—but Fryan couldn't say it wasn't Pillai. After all, the swordsmanship he used was the Young Dragon Swordsmanship, passed down only to the Empire's highest knight orders—a secret technique that had never once leaked to outsiders.
"What, did you train every night or something?"
"Your skill suddenly shot up, huh?"
Maybe because of that, the other knights were surprised by Pillai's performance but didn't question it further.
No… something's off. It's like he's become a different person…
"A cave!"
"Quiet! Enter slowly! Stay alert!"
All suspicion evaporated under the tension.
The Imperial troops entered the cave and encountered roughly a hundred kobolds clustered in a small cavern.
"Knights to the front!"
"No fire magic!"
The knights formed a shield wall. The kobolds' poisoned darts couldn't pierce the mages' barriers. Their rusty weapons bounced off armor and shields. A one-sided slaughter followed.
"Advance."
Stop and go, stop and go. Every hour, new monsters came pouring out, proving Philerium's reputation well deserved.
Fryan swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth.
Damn it… when does this cave end?
Not even the captain had told them why they had come to this accursed place. The endless fighting was wearing on everyone's nerves.
Watching members of the scouting party die made his lips feel painfully dry.
"Stop."
That was when they discovered a vast cavern filled with glowing violet crystals.
Manastones. Their purity was so high that even at a glance, they were breathtaking.
"…So it was real."
The scouting captain muttered. Fryan realized the manastones were their true objective.
A manastone mine?
Insane.
"Set up camp."
Imperial soldiers moved quickly. They erected tents and strengthened defenses. At that moment—
From the opposite passage, multiple presences approached. A faint killing intent seeped in, and when the newcomers entered the cavern, every Imperial soldier instinctively drew their weapon.
"Southern ant bastards?"
"Imperial dog bastards!"
No way… that guy is…
The furious bull at the front was unmistakably Pablo Barkat—one of the Great Stars and the spiritual pillar of the Southern Union.
Why was he here?
As tension peaked, the scouting captain stepped forward.
"It has been a while, Prince Pablo Barkat."
"Austin Croin?"
Austin, Commander of the Blue Griffin Knight Order, slowly lowered the sword he had raised. At his gesture, Pablo also eased his stance.
"Prince Pablo, what brings you here?"
"That's my line. What are you dogs doing here?"
"Is it strange for the Empire to stand on Imperial territory?"
"Says who that this is the Empire's territory?"
Pablo shouted. The cavern trembled.
"The Philerium Mountain Range is clearly within the territory of the Southern Union. That means this place belongs to the Union."
"Don't spout nonsense. Philerium has belonged to the Empire since long ago, and it always will."
"So you want to fight, is that it?"
"Think carefully. The moment you swing that sword—it's war. Can your Union handle the Empire?"
"The Southern Union exists to handle the Empire, you dog bastard."
"You think a few shabby ants gathered together can withstand the Empire's wrath?"
Austin's confidence made Pablo snort.
"So that's why you bastards ambushed me?"
"Ambush?"
"You deny sending those trash who attacked and mocked me? You say swinging a sword means war? You started the war!"
Pablo's murderous energy flared again.
"No—wait. We never sent anyone."
"Then did I fight a ghost?"
Austin glanced at the scouting officers. But they seemed just as clueless.
"We're the vanguard. We weren't told of any such plan."
"That's true. As far as I know as well."
"Bullshit!"
Pablo growled.
"I'm done letting you Imperial bastards deceive me."
"For what reason would we ambush a prince?"
"Because you want this mine, obviously. I found it first, and you wanted to steal it."
"As expected of an ant—you spew the most fascinating nonsense."
The voice came from behind Austin, among the ranks of the Blue Griffin Knights.
The voice came from behind Austin. From within the formation of the Blue Griffin Knight Order standing at his back.
"Pillai?"
Fryan froze, startled by his comrade's sudden action. Pillai stepped out of formation and strode forward, stopping beside the commander.
"It was I and my comrades, acting under the commander's orders, who discovered this place first. You swung your sword to steal it from us, were defeated, and buried beneath the earth. The only reason you survived was because you were a prince—and because the commander ordered us to avoid an unnecessary clash with the Southern Union."
"You bastard…!"
Pablo's eyes widened. His face was hidden under his helmet, but the eyes visible through the slit—and the voice—were unforgettable.
"And yet after being spared, you show nothing but shameless arrogance."
"Shut your mouth!"
"You shut yours."
The knight drew his sword.
"Commander, as a knight of the Empire, I will teach this ungrateful barbarian the greatness of the Empire!"
"...Wait, hold on. When did I ever tell you—?"
Austin didn't have time to stop him. The knight rushed Pablo.
His blade flared with red aura—the unmistakable manifestation of the Empire's Young Dragon Swordsmanship.
"In the afterlife, reflect on the Empire's greatness as you suffer."
CLAAANG—!
The red flash failed to reach its target. It was blocked, unable to so much as scratch the prince. But that single act was more than enough to ignite the fury of the Barkat Kingdom's soldiers.
"Imperial trash ambushed His Highness!"
"Protect His Highness!"
The swords of Barkat Kingdom soldiers rained down on the knight.
"They're attacking our ally!"
"Show these ant bastards who stands above them!"
Imperial soldiers rushed forward to shield the knight.
The two sides had been rivals since long ago. Once the dam burst, murderous intent to kill each other flooded the entire cavern.
Battle erupted. War ignited.
And when it ended—on the mound of corpses, screams, blood, and rage—the ones left standing were the Imperial forces.
The Barkat forces had been assembled in haste. The Empire had arrived fully prepared. In truth, the outcome had been decided the moment the two sides met.
Though Pablo's ferocity inflicted heavy casualties on the Empire, the collapse of the Southern Union troops came far faster.
"Just you wait, you dog bastards!"
Grinding his teeth, Pablo gathered his surviving soldiers and retreated.
"Damn it…"
Austin pressed a hand to his forehead.
Even if the Imperial army had won, the sudden battle had inflicted no small amount of damage.
And this conflict was not something that could simply be brushed aside.
A manastone mine was at stake.
A Union prince was involved, and soldiers from both sides had died.
No one would be surprised if a full-scale war erupted. In fact, with things having escalated this far, the Union would never back down.
"...That knight."
Austin's teeth clenched.
"Who the hell was he?"
"We don't know. It was a voice we've never heard before."
"He used Imperial swordsmanship and stood within the Blue Griffin formation—how can you not know him?!"
"Pillai, sir! It was Pillai!"
Fryan shouted.
"Pillai?"
But his aura felt nothing like Pillai's…
It was hot and pure—like a blazing flame.
Austin was the commander of the Blue Griffin Order. He knew his knights well, and the aura he knew from Pillai had never been so clean.
…No way.
A chill crawled up his spine.
It felt like a thorn had lodged in his throat.
"Bring him to me!"
But—
"He's gone!"
"Pillai is missing!"
"No body, either!"
"...!"
The faces of the scouts turned deathly pale.
****
"I think Demon King-nim is better at acting than I am."
"Don't spout nonsense."
Honestly, my heart had been pounding. I had no talent for acting and kept my mouth shut as much as possible.
There were a few moments when I almost got caught, but luck saved me every time.
And in the end, the objective was achieved.
Now they can't avoid going to war.
A manastone mine alone was enough to spark war, but the armies had also clashed head-on.
What country would simply let that go?
The Empire might try.
After all, the vein of manastones was currently in their possession, and they had won the battle. They would want to quietly smooth things over if possible.
But Barkat and the Southern Union?
Would they let the enemy Empire peacefully take the manastone vein they believed was on their territory?
And after suffering heavy losses from what they believed was the Empire's first strike?
This wouldn't end like past border skirmishes.
"It's fortunate you know the Young Dragon Swordsmanship."
"That's not me, that was Kaede-nim. I only memorized the motions."
Kaede had trained in several Imperial sword styles, and Ernan had watched most of it out of boredom.
Watching someone else train was rude, but Kaede didn't care. In return, she told him she would summon him if she ever formed a contract with a new high-rank spirit.
That didn't mean Ernan had mastered Young Dragon Swordsmanship. He only imitated the form—an empty shell without substance.
An empty sword style was unstable, and could injure the user if mishandled—but that didn't matter. It was only for show, and no one would figure out the inner workings unless they literally looked inside his aura.
"I'm more surprised you picked it up so naturally after seeing it only a few times, Demon King-nim."
"Well, I am the Demon King. I wasn't called the greatest prodigy of my era for nothing."
"Greatest prodigy? They called you that?"
…He said something unnecessary.
"Forget it."
"'Greatest prodigy'…?"
"Do you want to die?"
"If I die, Elena will be sad."
"And?"
"Kaede-nim would be sad too."
"You became that close already?"
"Of course. We're both one of the Four Heavenly Kings: the Dark Spirit Sorcerer and the Dark Knight."
"Kaede thinks so too?"
"...Should I summon Nairuniel-nim for you?"
"And listen to her nonsense? No thanks."
"Nairuniel-nim likes you, Demon King-nim."
"She likes her own delusions, that's what."
"She's kind of like a hungry wolf."
"That's an insult to wolves."
Maybe a hell hound that hadn't eaten in a year.
Berze scoffed.
Ernan simply smiled instead of repeating Nairuniel's buzzing voice echoing in his head.
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