Episode 118
He and his men worked together to collect survivors, while also asking for help from the Haryan Order to treat the wounded.
Gaius’s choice led to the worst outcome he had ever hoped for.
-They are cursed. If left alive, their curse will spread throughout Zenon.
The priests of Haryan began a purge, that is, they burned down the entire Jade Barondom.
It was a terrible thing, but it was also a common practice. When an epidemic broke out in a rural village, the priests chose to burn the people alive instead of treating them one by one.
That day, Jade Barony was erased from Zenon’s map. As compensation for this incident, he received ownership of the iron mine from the crown, but Hebron and Jade Barony were hundreds of kilometers apart, so he could not manage the mine.
‘I must sell the mining rights to Count Marcia.’
Count Marcia was a nobleman who was considered to be a royalist. He was a loyalist to Zeno, so there would be no complaints about my decision at the royal court.
Gaius’s face darkened. He was too generous to his people, which was unusual for a king.
“It is not your fault, Your Majesty. It is Barzai’s fault.”
“Yes, that’s right. It couldn’t be helped. How could a human defeat a god?”
Gaius walked on, dejected. I followed him silently, and when we reached the terrace, I spoke softly.
“… …Barzai has lost his power.”
Gaius looked back at me. His face did not seem to readily understand what I was saying. Then, a line of doubt was engraved on his forehead. Gaius asked me with his eyes, and I looked up at the rising moon and said.
“It may not be extinct, but it won’t be able to go anywhere and act as a god. At least not for several centuries.”
“What, what does that mean?”
We moved to a quiet place. It was rare to find a place in the castle that was out of Zeno’s sight, but at least we could avoid the nobles who attended the party.
I told Gaius about the circumstances surrounding the destruction of Barzai’s Divine. It was a secret that I had not reported to the king.
“Why didn’t you report it? If what you say were true, the king would have given me the royal treasure.”
After finishing the work, I returned Stormtail to the royal family. It was an item that had been used excessively and could not be used until maintenance was completed.
“Because humans cannot defeat God.”
“ah……!”
I was the only human who had broken God. I was the Pope of Brecha, but people considered me the Count of Hebron before I was the Pope. My status was good news, but it was difficult for me to go beyond the category of a human. It could easily clash with the power of the king.
“It was thanks to Brecha’s power. Without him, this would not have been possible.”
Gaius nodded as if he understood.
Brecha’s help was not great. It was something I wouldn’t have been able to do without the Samryunan, but it was something I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish if I wasn’t the one with the Samryunan.
“Pope Haryan has dispatched the Knights Templar and the Inquisitors. They will attack the remnants of Barzai and Armos.”
Gaius looked up at the moon with a bitter expression. Most of the remnants were innocent civilians.
If he didn’t care, he would feel better, but Gaius moved his men to take the people away. He took action in advance to prevent any innocent victims from being created.
The number of people who were saved in this way was about 100. It was expected that the number of victims in this incident would reach several hundred, so Gaius could be considered to have done a good job of preventing it.
The people whom Gaius had evacuated flowed into Hebron through the upper Serpens. Hebron’s territory had expanded explosively, so it was not noticeable even if it accepted a large number of immigrants.
“While Zeno’s forces are in Kyle, there is no group that can cause chaos. Zeno will be at peace.”
It was essential to strengthen the internal structure before going to war. With that work largely completed, the Zenon royal family was able to dispatch troops to the Kingdom of Kyle.
The Kingdom of Kyle, which lost its sword master Calix due to the monster attack, was left uninhabited. In a situation where the true blood vampires had taken over the royal palace, the lords of the Kingdom of Kyle, led by several great nobles, banded together to resist.
‘The Kingdom of Kyle is over. Zenon and Behol will divide the Kingdom of Kyle. If there were three kingdoms, there would be balance, but if there were two kingdoms, there would be a competition.’
It was obvious that a bigger war would break out after that. But that was something to worry about after dealing with the monsters that had appeared in the Kingdom of Kyle.
A true-blooded vampire killed Calix, the sword master of the Kingdom of Kyle.
Calix was a knight who stood shoulder to shoulder with the Duke of Breio. Even he was helpless in this situation, so sending the Duke of Breio was a difficult task.
Even before the king’s command was given, Duke Breyot moved first. He went to see the king and requested that Kyle advance. He was the first to strike.
‘As expected, Brayo. You made a condition that the king could not refuse. In return, you gained justification.’
It could have easily been seen as if the Duke of Braio was being kicked out. It was a decision made at a time when rumors were circulating among the nobles that Braio’s wings had been clipped.
Braio was appointed commander-in-chief of the Kyle Expedition, and was given real authority to command the 100,000-strong army gathered from all over Zenon. He was also able to utilize the ‘Eye of Zenon’ dispatched to the Kingdom of Kyle.
‘That must mean he’s confident. Duke Breyo is a swordsman after all.’
Duke Breyot was the greatest knight I ever knew. No matter how dirty I tried, I could never surpass him, so I couldn’t even imagine him being defeated by a vampire.
“It’s all thanks to you. It shouldn’t have ended at just the rank of Count… … . Tsk tsk!”
“No. It’s the same as a sharp point getting hit by a stone. I’m already overflowing with envy just from taking over the iron mines of Baron Jade. This is enough for now. I’ll go to Kyle and get the rest of the compensation.”
“Make sure to keep a record of your achievements. I will try my best.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Although Hebron’s territory had greatly expanded, I was not satisfied with this. I intended to request a fief from the royal family as a reward for this expedition.
The Count of Slane.
The Srein Counts had long since lost their power. The Zailson Counts could have swallowed Srein at any time if they wanted to, but they could not move rashly. It was because of the royal command to refrain from civil war.
‘After welcoming Zailson as your vassal, you swallow Srein. After that, you will compete with Count Thalia.’
It was something that had to be accomplished before the branded monsters resurfaced.
Gaius seemed genuinely sorry, whether he knew what I was thinking or not.
“If there were three or four more loyal subjects like you. No, if there were just one more, Zeno’s future would be much brighter… … .”
I imagined a world where there were three more people like me. I used my hallucinatory powers to imagine a virtual world and vividly pictured it.
‘… … There is no such thing as a return to the original state.’
I was not a loyal subject. I only thought about trampling on those who were around me, and I was full of thoughts about feeding them and teaching them to use them for the rest of their lives. I could not tolerate another me. He had to come under me or compete with me.
‘Gaius, you are truly an extraordinary person.’
Gaius was a zealot who acted for Zeno’s people. He was disappointed in himself for not being able to save his people, and he cursed those who sent them to their deaths.
‘Your power is woefully inadequate to achieve that ambition.’
Gaius could not even reverse the decision of the Haryan Church. If he had wanted to save all the hundreds of people who were entangled with Barzai, Gaius would have had to give up his position as special inspector.
“Please continue to look after Zeno’s people.”
Gaius sighed. His expression was clearly tired. He also realized that his life was coming to an end.
If a generational change were to occur, Gaius, who was just beginning to gain fame, would be locked up in the palace and live quietly.
Zeno’s people are not my concern. I only care about my own people. If I tried to exert more power than that, I might fall out of favor with the king.
“Your Majesty, how can you say such a thing? I am not Your Majesty.”
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“Even if you are of noble blood, you are only human.”
“That is a dangerous statement.”
I looked back at Gaius, wondering if he was drunk. Gaius’ face was pale from the chilly night air.
There was no smell of alcohol.
‘Are you drunk on moonlight?’
The moon was shining brightly enough to make me think that it could be possible.
I tapped my ear with one hand.
It meant that he would pretend not to hear what Gaius said.
Gaius turned to me. He lifted the top of his jacket, which was embroidered with gold thread, and took out a small book from his inside pocket and showed it to me.
My eyes shook when I saw that. I felt dizzy. I wondered if I had been affected by hallucinations, so I looked around with my magic eyes. Eventually, I even opened my three-wheeled eye.
There were no eyes watching us.
Gaius and I just stared at each other.
Gaius held in his arms the cursed book that had brought about the downfall of the Duke of Sardia. It was a forbidden book that had to be burned without a single copy remaining.
At first I was surprised that the royal inspector general, who was supposed to be on the front lines ferreting out rebels, had not destroyed the book The Republic but had kept it.
He soon made up his mind. Gaius was one of the few powerful men who could openly look at the book.
I could guess Gaius’s intentions, even bringing up
“What do you want from me?”
“I don’t think this is true. Rapid changes tend to cause wars and result in numerous casualties. Also, man-made systems can never be perfect. That’s just how humans are. So, if there is any good idea, we should accept it and continue to examine it.”
I think I lost my mind for a moment and stared at Gaius.
A while ago, I had similar thoughts to Gaius. It was a truth I had barely reached when I opened the Sanryunan. But Gaius brought up that story so casually.
Gaius wasn’t particularly smart. He was more intuitive than logical. He was the kind of person who would arrive at far-off conclusions without thinking things through, like me.
I completely agreed with Gaius. But the timing was not right. No, at least while we were alive and breathing, we should not have brought up the subject of ‘republicanism’.
“If even one sentence in that book leaks out, we’ll all die.”
“At that time, I will die first.”
“Are you telling me to follow you and die?”
“I’m sorry.”
Gaius smiled faintly. He didn’t say no. He was truly a foolish lord.
“I have one last question for you.”
Gaius looked back at me weakly and nodded.
He smiled faintly. His face was aloof.
Gaius was silent for a while.
All I could do was nod my head once more.
‘Is that… your decision?’
My mind is in a state of confusion.
I never expected that Gaius’s mind would change.
I had imagined it just in case, but I thought it would be a fight I had no chance of winning.
‘Your Majesty Gaius de Zenon.’
I thought of Gaius sitting on the throne. He was the most benevolent king, a monarch who cared for the well-being of his people before the nobles. I was proud of him. I wanted to boast that I helped him sit on that throne.
