The Returned Sword King Decided to Become a Tyrant Chapter 187
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The inexplicable sense of discomfort grew stronger as time passed.
“……crow.”
The emperor muttered in the moonlight.
That name that makes my head spin.
Then he realized that he had been lost in thought for hours and let out a small laugh.
“Ha, that’s interesting.”
To begin with, the first prince, Ruinel del Carrot, was simply older and not a threat to him.
There’s no way that a head like that and a puppy-like personality could be a threat.
Thanks to that, he was able to act without hesitation from underwater. However, at some point, the guy started to sharply attack his weaknesses.
“I just thought I had the right head… … .”
That wasn’t it.
What he got was nothing more than what could be described as ‘adequate’.
So the emperor’s gaze gradually deepened.
It’s a crow… … .
Squeak-
Just then the door to the room he was in opened and someone came in.
It was ‘that woman’ who had that charming voice.
“Your Majesty, I have thoroughly investigated the actions of the warlocks.”
“What was the result?”
“Unfortunately, no suspicious circumstances were found.”
The Emperor’s eyebrows twitched so slightly that they were barely visible.
But the black magician, who had not discovered this, continued talking.
“It doesn’t seem like he’s colluding with anyone else… … You know that we warlocks don’t have the luxury of doing that, right?”
“… … .”
“But now you’re telling me to come and investigate the activities of the warlocks. Is there a reason for that?”
At those words, the two people’s eyes met.
“… … !”
And the warlock took a step back.
I realized that the black aura in the Emperor’s eyes was shaking so much that it was clearly visible.
“I think there must have been someone leaking information to the First Prince.”
“What, what does that mean? Are you saying there’s a spy?”
“Otherwise, it makes no sense.”
All the things found in the safe were information that ‘the crow’ had secretly shared with the First Prince.
That was the problem.
From revealing that he was in league with the Warlock to the true nature of the pill.
It was all written there.
This literally means that the ‘crow’ knew things that only an insider would know.
“At first I thought he was a spy sent from another country. But he knows too much to be just gathering information.”
“Surely, the things regarding the pills were something that even the Emperor didn’t know about. But for us, there was no reason… … .”
“Yes.”
The emperor continued speaking, the corners of his lips twisting.
“Because there might be a rat hiding inside.”
“… … .”
Besides that, there was no way to know the detailed information inside the palace.
Otherwise, it makes no sense.
Conversely, if you assume that, all the clues will be solved.
“… …moderate.”
“okay.”
That’s right, there was a movement to stop them.
The emperor slowly crossed his legs and reviewed the situation.
“Any black magician who knows the plan to move Madra?”
“… … As of now, there are about five executives.”
“Then, keep an eye on them all for the time being.”
The easiest way to identify an insider is to use limited information to identify them.
If he knows the inside story like this, he must be one of those executives.
If you knew it, the method was simple.
“We will bring forward the timing of war.”
“… … .”
“Contact Madra and prepare to set out immediately.”
The preparations are still woefully inadequate.
But the warlock nodded reluctantly.
It was strange that the hardliners he led were being suspected, but he couldn’t help it because it was natural to think that way.
But even after making that decision, the emperor could not shake off his sense of discomfort.
‘… …Why?’
A feeling of discomfort that grips your mind even though your actions are not wrong.
Yeah, maybe you could call it a sense of déjà vu.
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‘Allen Esteban.’
Why do I feel the same way when I deal with that guy?
* * *
“What? The Emperor of the Federation Empire gave the order?”
“Yes. Here is a transcript of the communication.”
“Give it to me and let me see.”
The King of Madra read the contents of the incoming communication urgently.
It didn’t take long for the King’s face to distort slightly.
“As soon as the war is ready, send for Esteban… … .”
They also knew the new emperor’s plans, so the war with Esteban was not something new.
But now the problem was that the emperor’s attitude had changed.
“Wasn’t it only a little while after all preparations were made that we decided to go to war? Now, to move as soon as we are ready… .”
“I don’t know. I think something happened that made it necessary to change the plan.”
“Within the Federal Empire?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Madra King stroked his chin and calmly reviewed the situation.
‘It wasn’t a plan that could be changed in an instant.’
The new emperor of the Federal Empire.
Those who knew of the horrors he had unleashed would call him a bloodthirsty emperor, but not the King of Madra, who had witnessed his schemes for many years.
Quite the opposite.
The bloodthirsty appearance was only a very small part of it.
‘He’s a scary guy, but at least he’s not one to act in a predictable way.’
So, the current appearance was strange.
overtly.
And so mismatched.
“… … Okay, I understand for now.”
The king nodded, putting down the paper containing the contents of the communication.
Because he had no power whatsoever and could only carry out the missions given to him.
“In Madura, we will follow His Majesty the Emperor’s instructions. The pretext is to respond to the sale of the wrong magic formula.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“How prepared are you for war?”
“Now all that remains is to supply the supplies needed for the war.”
“I see.”
A wide open map.
The King of Madra felt it with his hand and was convinced.
“… … I can guess that a war might break out. But even if I knew, I wouldn’t be able to stop it easily.”
Because this war was solely for the benefit of the Federal Empire.
“Move as soon as the supplies are ready.”
“I will obey your orders.”
The King’s expression as he repeated this was extremely stiff.
* * *
The news was relayed straight to the royal palace through the old wizard.
“Well, they’ll come in sooner or later.”
George shrugged as if it was no big deal.
They may not know it, but the communications taking place between the two countries were practically being eavesdropped on.
If you think about it that way, it means that even this trick has been seen through.
“Did you have the warlocks gather information in case something like this happens? Are you worried that they might bring forward their expedition?”
“No. This incident was nothing more than a coincidence.”
“Well, I guess so.”
No matter how bright your foresight is, there’s no way you could have predicted the coming of war.
George’s voice, which had been telling such a trivial story, suddenly quietened down.
“It’s starting to get serious now.”
“okay.”
This expedition to Madra will only be a prelude to the war that will follow.
“But Your Majesty, is there any point in them moving like that?”
“What does that mean?”
“Even if we bring forward the timing of the expedition, wouldn’t it be meaningless as a surprise attack given the distance?”
Marquis Vidor said, glancing at a section of the map.
A huge land between Esteban and Madra.
It was the Federal Empire.
“As you can see, even if the Federation Empire allows its troops to pass through, the size and type of the troops will inevitably be detected as they move across this vast land.”
“So, in the end, it means that they are advertising that they are coming to war.”
“Yes. Isn’t this a situation where the declaration of war is being delayed on purpose for the sake of a surprise attack?”
Even if you act so carefully, it’s meaningless if you get caught.
It was obvious that something was strange.
But if you think about it, the answer was already there.
“That would be the case if it were a land route advancing through the Federation Empire.”
“If it’s by land… … No way?!”
“okay.”
My finger traced the lower part of the Federal Empire, a single stream dividing the southern and northern continents.
That’s right, it was the continental sea.
“This waterway from the Continental Sea extends all the way to the southern part of Esteban. If there’s a place they could arrive secretly, it would be here.”
“Ha, but the route from Madra to Esteban is so rugged that it would be difficult to even attempt it with just any ship… … .”
“You can just build a new boat.”
“Making it… … Even if you say it so easily.”
The reefs that dot the southern coast were like natural barricades, except for some routes.
Even from Esteban, didn’t they mainly use the land route to get to the southern continent?
It would not be easy to find a ship strong enough to safely pass through such a place.
Moreover, if it is an amount that can lead troops… … .
“It’s the black iron that the Federation Empire was purchasing in large quantities.”
“Huh!”
“That’s correct.”
The black iron they had been buying before.
That’s what made the ship.
This was a problem that had emerged as a major headache even in the war before the return.
‘The defense line collapsed in an instant as the winds swept in from the east and the south at the same time.’
As troops poured in from the south, where they had trusted in the reefs and had not been on their guard, it was only a matter of time before the southern gates were breached.
That was the biggest trap they had prepared.
“Perhaps the goal of this war is not the destruction of Esteban. It is to devastate the south and inflict as much damage as possible before responding.”
“Huh… … If we attack in units of military force, the pirates stationed in the Southern Strait won’t be able to touch us easily.”
“okay.”
So in Esteban, we respond by reducing the damage… … .
What are you saying now?
I calmed down the corners of my lips that were about to rise slightly and asked the Marquis back.
“What did you just say?”
“Huh? Oh, they said that a military unit would rush in.”
“After that.”
“He said there would be no threat from pirates stationed in the Southern Channel.”
“… … Yeah. I guess so.”
There were pirates all over the archipelago.
But they won’t be reckless in their approach to the army heading towards Esteban.
“But I’m starting to get interested… … .”
“What are you thinking about now?”
“nothing.”
I shrugged my shoulders at George’s nagging and responded nonchalantly.
And Marquis Vidor, who was looking at this, suddenly felt uneasy and opened his eyes wide and asked.
“Seo, are you trying to do something strange… … .”
“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything weird.”
“I guess so?”
Yeah, I won’t do anything weird.
However, a way to stop them without causing any damage and without showing our weapons to the Federation Empire occurred to me.
‘That sounds fun.’
The corners of my mouth began to rise, unable to hold back any longer.
