Chapter. 14. One Empire, Three Legends (12)
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If what you serve is the god of light, then the emperor is the god of this world. This is a ghostwritten letter from his direct line, the 2nd Prince. Therefore, I command you to humbly accept the words of the one you serve.
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“…Do I even need to read it?”
“Wouldn’t it be good to understand what was said? Let’s see… The Empire has no intention of watching the Light Church own the territory of the Empire. However, by cutting the head of the seditious saint, he became the sun of the Empire. “I have no intention of adding a little honor to it.”
“Even a magician who was born an atheist would not insult a priest to that extent.”
“and. “I think I took everything from the aristocratic way of speaking that says you shouldn’t do things like that.”
While the group was disgusted by the content that seemed dripping with arrogance, the professor continued reading the letter.
“For a group, making enemies is a step backwards, and being hostile to an empire is like sprinting toward the abyss. Although Gwangmyeong inevitably invaded the imperial event, he dared to convey the words of the 2nd Prince, saying that this too was fate and an opportunity for us to get along with each other. “I have no intention of blaming those who sing of happiness while falling into illusions, but the majesty of the empire should be firmly engraved in the minds of those who are mired in illusions.”
“Wow… something like that…”
“If Gwangmyeong wants to expand his power, the best way to do so is to plant roots in the imperial capital rather than a small barbarian border city. If the Children of Light do not reject the warmth of the 2nd Prince, he promised that they would not turn away when he ascends to the throne. The prince has the qualities of a supreme king, so he will be of great help to the church in future events. In particular, he admires the blood saint’s prestige and asks if the embrace of light is not enough to embrace you, why not come over to the embrace of the empire? …. Hehehe, my stomach is so bloated that I can’t read it all. “I think we can just pretend this letter doesn’t exist.”
“I agree. Such an insulting letter to you, who is reputed to be a faithful religious person. You can think of it as a duel rather than a letter. Of course, the name of the Church of Light in the Empire is a bit weak. The religious affiliation is much weaker than in the East, and many older nobles remember the Gwangmyeong Church, which collapsed 70 years ago to the point where they were called ‘holy workers’ and ‘holy mercenaries.’ But that’s… it’s at the level of dismissing all members of the Gwangmyeong Church as paranoid.”
“I don’t care if you believe in some idiotic local god, but in your stupid head is the Empire. Emperor. Put your letters firmly in place. I know you guys are f*cking idiots, so I will abandon you and accept you if you come over to the empire… Wow, you are criticizing the empire for blasphemy, and you are inviting your own excommunication. “This is a master pen that will make even a believer lying in a sick bed stand up and brandish a torch.”
The professor, who quickly burned the letter before the church members outside could see it, tapped his fingers on the desk and spoke.
“It will be one of two things. Not only the 2nd prince, but also the nobles around him are all idiots who don’t know how to speak politically. Otherwise, there is a reason to deliberately provoke the church and at the same time elevate me, the leader of the church, to the finals of the competition.”
“The latter.”
“I guess it’s the latter.”
“There must have been a lot of nobles flocking in to take advantage of the second prince, or rather, the lack of one. “It seems hard to believe that all of them are stupid enough to send letters like this.”
“Gwok. “Even to me, it’s a strange letter.”
The professor agreed with what his colleagues said in unison. There’s no way they’re sending such an idiotic letter while planning a fairly complicated Haunuman absorption policy, which means there’s another reason.
‘Let’s see. A saint who sacrifices his whole body to carry out God’s will. That’s the image I have shown to the outside world right now. The pinnacle of Loharam believers, who are so devout that they border on fanaticism. If he were a saint as he was imaged, he might have rushed to become a marquis as soon as he received this letter. Going on a rampage, threatening to kill everyone.’
[I guess so. Of course, the Holy Knights of Haunuman Parish, who were keeping an eye on my movements, would also flock in. The battle that was not possible in the semi-finals must have been recreated in the Marquis area. In their imagination, that is.]
‘okay. They thought. Then why did you aim for it? Because you want the Marquis of Wildeland to die at the hands of the cult? It doesn’t make sense. Because they want us to be disqualified? Then it doesn’t make sense that the marquis knights abstained.’
widely. widely. widely. widely.
As my worries deepened, my thoughts gradually sank deeper into my consciousness. There is not enough material or information to find out what the enemy is thinking. In that case, what you need to look at first is not your enemy, but your own actions. On our side, what did the Gwangmyeong Church they are targeting do to make such a provocative move?
Information given by the bishop here. Testimony of a boy priest distributing potion bottles. arena. slave. Different races and beastmen…..
widely.
“Idrasil. “Were you doing that ‘hobby’ thing on the way to the semifinals?”
“yes. “Because I’m not the type of person who particularly enjoys laziness.”
“good. Then, you must have seen the Marquis of Wildeland’s area on your way there. “Which race was the most numerous there?”
“For a human territory, there were far more beastmen and orcs. It is said that most commerce, accounting, and public offices are occupied by goblins and humans, while orcs and beastmen are engaged in relatively demanding occupations such as manual labor. There is a rumor that the reason is that the empire tried to instill a slave mentality in the beast people.”
“That’s not a rumor, it’s a fact. There were many beastmen and orcs in the marquis’ territory… Next. We went up to the marquis side. “Who is the opponent?”
“That one started an hour before your game. “After a fierce match, the wolf-beast brother and sister made it to the finals.”
“So… those two are very popular in Haunuman, right?”
“There are so many. It is a unique case of surviving in the arena for more than a few years, and it is clear from the actions he has shown so far that he is aiming to become the king of the arena. It is said that beastmen who have memories of being oppressed by humans are enthusiastic about the sight of them endlessly aiming upward. This is your third time making it to the finals this year. Oh, there is something special. Only the older of the two siblings, Tushan Dalun, participated in all of this year’s games. “She put up two names and said she’s been playing alone ever since.”
“Yeah… I’m aiming to win the speculative competition all by myself…”
[Marca Dalun: Severely injured.]
The goblin’s information sheet said that his younger brother was seriously injured. Every morning, she saw Borka getting anxious because of her brother’s letters, which were especially irritating every time she sent them. If one of them cannot participate in a fighting competition where their freedom is at stake, and the other cannot stop the other from going alone…
‘The condition appears to be quite serious. In this match, Tushan never cries out for surrender.’
Now that we have gathered the information, let’s think again from the enemy’s perspective. Angered by the A-level provocative letter, the saint attacks the Wildeland territory in the name of God. The believers of the light, who prove that they don’t have the word ‘mad’ in their name for nothing, will go crazy, and unlike the marquis who are protected by two master-level knights and soldiers, the working class, orcs and beastmen, are exposed to the outside world without any protection. There is no choice but to be unfairly swept away and suffer damage.
another one. This time, the most popular beastman gladiator who has no intention of surrendering even if he dies and the saint of the cult meet in the finals, and as a member of the cult who is willing to make some sacrifices if it is God’s will, kills the beastman gladiator who does not surrender until the end and the saint wins.
‘They believe that I came to Haunuman by God’s will to expand their religious affiliation, so this is a possible scenario. If a truly devout saint had received God’s will and came to eat only Haunu, he would have cut down not one but 100 of the beastmen with a knife. All intentions point towards making the beastmen and other races hostile to the church. And the actions of the denomination have recently changed drastically. The Gwangmyeong Church made a sudden U-turn from ostracizing different races to being friendly toward different races. What if the guys who approached me so kindly suddenly go crazy and kill the beastmen and orcs and trample on their idols…’
“It looks like the 2nd prince is closer to people in the underworld than I thought.”
widely.
The professor’s fingers, which had been tapping enough to leave marks on the table, stopped and he concluded.
“What do you mean?”
“That’s right. There is no better place for criminals to live than Haunuman, and it is also a place where you can get fresh drugs delivered the same day. “Of course it’s tied to the underworld.”
“I think we talked about that in the carriage yesterday too….”
“yes. But now that I think about it, there’s no way those who sell drugs won’t sell something else, right? “All kinds of illegal things, for example… slave trading.”
Borka’s face turns into disbelief, surprise, and anger as he continues.
“It’s not just a trade, it’s a slave trader with enough power to kill all the powerful werewolves who have settled down in tribal units in the forest and kidnap their children. The scale would not have been small, but the organization was so secretive and precise that it left no trace. It’s not an easy task among back-alley bastards who enjoy betrayal, right? Even if you are part of an organization with very strict rules.”
By the time the werewolf’s fangs and fur began to grow in anticipation of his next words, the professor had come to a conclusion.
“It’s not that the 2nd prince brought in the underworld, but the 2nd prince is the underworld itself. At least the leadership, or maybe even a head. Selling drugs and slaves is a transaction that involves unimaginable sums of money if you get the right supplier. There are many things that just money can’t do, but having enough money to make a silver coin look like a pile of metal makes almost nothing in the world impossible. “The 2nd prince lacked political ability, but instead built and maintained his power with an absurd amount of money.”
If he was aiming for the throne, he would have increased his power even if it was unreasonable. As the power increased, maintenance costs also increased endlessly, and suddenly the slave trade, which was the most successful, was put on hold. The Gwangmyeong Church, which has oppressed different races and turned a blind eye to the slave trade, is now opening its eyes and arresting slave traders.
Immediately, all lines of slave traders coming from the East were cut off, and the power that was connected by money was in danger of disintegrating.
“That’s why Haunuman, the mecca of this race, tried to send an image of light to the abyss. Look at me. They say things have changed in words, but the reality is still the same. Moreover, if you try to exercise the winner’s rights, you will be even more opposed to it, wondering if you are also taking this city away.”
“B-But then what about Haunuman? In the end, the 2nd prince’s faction, Vildeland, didn’t win?”
“So you wrote it in the letter in advance. The territory of the empire is seen as something the church covets. It is an intrusion of religion into the political realm. Perhaps, if the winning saint had claimed the right to rule as they had imagined, the entire 2nd Prince faction would have complained about the violation of the church’s rights. Because of this one thing, the entire Empire’s Church of Light cannot be abandoned, so its rights are lost, and the Marquis of Wildeland, who stood up to the oppressive Church, slowly gains influence along with his reputation. Well, that’s a good plan. “It’s much more natural and gentle than winning multiple competitions and getting caught, and it allows Haunuman to lean on you.”
“In the end, it was a meaningless plan.”
“That’s right. “I guess that’s because I didn’t know that he was a daily laborer without a shred of divine power.”
Just looking at that provocative letter right now doesn’t make me angry, but rather, ‘I’m trying my best.’ I only have a few impressions, right? If even one member of the church had seen that letter, it would have started to go as the 2nd Prince had expected, but it means that they sent it to the saint to aim for the most dramatic effect and then ruined it from the start.
“Perhaps, if there is no movement on our part even after receiving the letter, the second prince with the child on board will make the first move. “At that time, they may actually use somewhat drastic and rough measures, so you should go and greet them in person.”
“Hmm… Are you giving up on the finals? “I say you have achieved your goal for the wandering tribes…”
“Of course we have to go there too. To my surprise, an application came in from the other side. Hey Borka, the other one is yours.”
The professor picked up the dirty page of the letter he had received from the goblin and handed it to Borka.
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If you are a fighter, if you are a warrior, let’s fight at the top with all our might. Since I am the better of the two, I will step forward alone. A true warrior would not add shame to an honorable position.
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Unlike the letter from the Marquis of Wildeland, which was filled with all kinds of tricks and implied meanings, this was a dirty piece of paper containing a provocation so clumsy that it was obvious.
“It’s a ridiculously simple provocation. Borka, your daughter seems very sick. I have to win even if I die, but 2-1 seems like it would be difficult, so I guess I used my brain. How about fooling me? Who wants to go out? What am I? The arena side is also good. Of course, we don’t know how the marquis and prince will turn out, so someone who is smart, good at improvising, and strong enough to take on two master-level knights at the same time should go… I have no intention of underestimating your abilities, right?”
“….Please do me a favor. “I will go to the arena, so please take charge of what happens outside.”
Borka swept down the letter containing his son’s clumsy efforts with his eyes and put it in his arms.
‘Noon tomorrow. Noon tomorrow. 21 hours from now. ‘At noon.’
Borka’s heart sank as he remembered the children from a long time ago, and the voices of the group talking in low voices gradually faded away from his ears.
The final goal of life. Both the children and the object of revenge are in this city. The slowly sinking heart of the werewolf gradually became colder and sharper.
The bumps of the gladiator’s helmet left a mark on his mind like ripples.
Every time I felt like my suppressed emotions were about to burst out, I calmed my mind by looking at the shadowy world in the cool helmet.
I came out into the world and started tolerating the unbearable.
I ended up compromising on something that shouldn’t have been compromised.
They even abandoned their human and beastly identities to survive.
Didn’t you say that the moment when you threw away everything and ran is now less than a day away?
Borka pressed all his feelings into his heart at the feeling of scratching the cool metal.
Considering what I had endured for the past 15 years, counting the 21 hours with my eyes open was nothing.
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fantasy,
