00141 <-- Episode 141 Saparan!? (1) -->
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As soon as he received permission from Seongsihan, Kelteron went into action.
First, after receiving permission from Emperor Ainz I through a political council, an official proposal was sent to the Kingdom of Saparan. It was to revive the friendship between the two countries and to fight together against the outrageous actions of the Kingdom of Lilstein that were disturbing the peace of the continent.
The Kingdom of Saparan accepted the proposal positively.
In fact, the Kingdom of Rattenberg does not treat the Kingdom of Saparan as an enemy. Saparan, having lost its old friend, Zexengard, simply unilaterally ignored Einz I.
However, Safarando knew very well that the rule of Zexengard had been a complete mess. And Ainz I was not just a stranger, but the son of a close friend and at the same time the legitimate successor to the kingdom.
The situation was not one of open hostility, and the two kingdoms had been estranged for some time. In this situation, it was quite natural for Rattenberg to make the first gesture of reconciliation.
In addition, the Kingdom of Rattenberg was currently at odds with the Kingdom of Lillestein through the Second Kagon War. Now that Ainz I had just become the new king and was looking to strengthen his royal authority, friendly relations with the Kingdom of Safaran would be of great importance.
Politically and circumstantially, it was a proposal that was beyond doubt from Safaran’s point of view. As it was a national event, a decision could not be made right away, but it was only a matter of time before a treaty was signed.
So, even before the Kingdom of Saparan’s reply arrived, the Kingdom of Rattenberg had already begun preparing for war.
The main force was, of course, the Knights of Celteron, who had made great contributions during the Second Kagon War. 2,000 elite soldiers were prepared and began training in tandem with the Knights of Celteron.
Shihan and his party also stepped up their efforts.
Zeno was particularly enthusiastic.
“Ouch, this time for sure!”
Standing in the training grounds of the Knights’ Headquarters, Zenon swung his sword fiercely. Sharp slashes rose between the precise trajectories of his sword and tore through the air.
He was demonstrating the Paewanggi that Seong Si-han had taught him with Pederfecht.
‘As expected, it’s amazing.’
Alita, who was training with them, was once again amazed by the sight.
With his outstanding physique, natural senses, and the talents bestowed upon him by the heavens, he never slackens his efforts. On top of that, he is receiving teachings from the savior of the other world, so Zeno’s skills are improving by the day.
Alita suddenly tilted her head instead of being amazed. For some reason, the line Zeno had just shouted didn’t seem to fit the situation.
“… … But what do you mean ‘this time for sure’?”
Zenon took a deep breath and looked embarrassed.
“That’s because I feel like I haven’t been of much help so far.”
“yes?”
Alita was dumbfounded.
Zenon was too strong of a swordsman to make such a complaint. Even if he only had the skills, he was at the level of a master, and thanks to his swordsmanship, he could fight even a beginner at the level of a superhuman in a short fight.
“No, what do you mean Xenon doesn’t help? What the… … .”
How much help has Zeno and his party received so far?
His amazing cooking skills ensured that we always had a pleasant meal.
Thanks to his cleanliness, he never got sick and was able to stay in top condition.
Thanks to his meticulousness in taking care of even the smallest details, I was able to travel all over the continent without any inconvenience… … .
‘Looking back at all of them, it seems like they weren’t really of much help to me as a warrior.’
Zenon slumped his shoulders and muttered to himself with a sigh.
“It’s a shame. Every time there was an important battle, I just collapsed without a fight… … .”
Alita thought seriously about the battle so far.
When we first met, Zenon was hit by Shihan and was pinned to the ground.
When we met again, he seemed to have a good attitude, but he was struck by the devil’s lightning and became electrocuted.
When I fought the Earth Dragon, I was knocked unconscious with one blow to its tail. When I fought Karen, I was knocked unconscious with one blow. This time, with one blow from that Earth-born red knight, I rolled on the ground… … .
‘……oh?’
Come to think of it, it was actually Alita’s magic that really helped in times of crisis!
‘Really? It’s never been of any help, surprisingly?’
Alita, who was about to refute, was speechless. Seeing that, Zenon sighed even more deeply.
“Hoooo… … .”
Still, he was not discouraged.
There were still many opportunities. Sung Si-han’s revenge was only halfway over. If he started doing well from now on, he would be fine.
“I will definitely do my part, at least during Saparan!”
Zeno, with determination, became even more enthusiastic about his training. Watching him sweat profusely, Shihan, who was passing by, felt puzzled.
“Xenon, what’s wrong with him today? He seems strangely excited.”
***
After the training, it was time for a break. The Shihan group gathered in the living room and had afternoon tea.
Zenon said as if it was nothing special, setting up a tea table.
“I just prepared it simply.”
Seong Si-han made a tired expression.
“… … Simply? Where is this?”
A three-tiered plate was stacked with sandwiches of chicken, bacon, and various vegetables layered on well-baked bread spread with jam and sauce, scones with rose jam and golden clotted cream, cookies covered in colorful candy, and moist cheesecake.
On another tray, a cute teapot holds a cup of black tea scented with dried flowers from the southern region and warmed milk.
“… … I’m just drinking a cup of tea, why are the preparations so grand?”
Compared to the tired Sung Shi Han, Alita had an expression on her face that said, “Let’s do it.”
“You prepared a lot? It looks delicious.”
Unlike Shihan, who is not accustomed to aristocratic culture, Alita is a royal in name. There is no particular reason to be surprised.
Besides, it’s not hard to find something like this in luxury hotels in Korea. It’s just that Seong Si-han doesn’t usually have interest in this area, so he doesn’t know about it.
Anyway, there was so much delicious food prepared that there was no room for complaint. The group took their time drinking tea and relaxing.
Suddenly Zeno asked Seongsihan.
“So the next target for Shihan is Saparan?”
“Maybe it was Lilstein? It depends. In any case, it’s true that Levina was pushed back in the order.”
Zenon nodded.
“I see. Saparan… … .”
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White Sapharan, one of the Seven Heroes of the Revolution and one of the only two floor masters in current Terranor.
Zeno, Alita, and Dina were all familiar with his story.
In the heroic tales, Safaran is often portrayed as a rather confusing character.
Some people say that Saparan is an extremely rational, humble, and tolerant person.
Some people say he is very aristocratic, arrogant, and selfish.
At times, he understands the hardships of the powerless people better than anyone else, but at other times, he displays an attitude that is just as arrogant as the nobles of Rusclan. He can shed tears over the death of an enemy he doesn’t care about, but he can also laugh heartily at the deaths of countless allies. He has a personality that is difficult to understand in many ways.
“This is the story of Saparan that has been passed down through the world.”
Alita nodded, sipping her tea.
“Of course, we can’t take that at face value.”
These stories are not the result of one person’s ramblings. Like the many great men in biographies, they are stories told, adapted, and added to by many people through many mouths.
“Isn’t it true that only those who are close to a person can know a person’s true character?”
So Alita asked Seong Si-han, who knew Safaran’s true form.
“What kind of person was Safaran?”
Seong Si-han made a trembling expression.
“I’m the guy who was forced to return home after being stabbed in the back by my close friends. Are you asking me about their true identities?”
“Just because you don’t know the other person’s true feelings doesn’t mean you don’t know everything about them, right?”
It wasn’t a question I asked with high expectations for Alita in the first place. Just a realistic character would be enough.
The deadline has come and gone.
“I have a rough idea why the story is told that way.”
He opened his mouth, recalling the past.
“The first time I met Safaran was in the winter of the year 1008 of the Imperial Calendar. It was right after Levina had joined.”
***
This was Seongsihan’s first impression of Saparan.
‘Wow, he’s really handsome for a guy.’
Long, gorgeous honey blonde hair that flows down to her waist, vivid green eyes reminiscent of a lush forest, neat facial features, and even pure, white skin like a child.
Seong Si-han was often told that he was pretty, but compared to Saparan at the time, he was a solid man. To the point where Lil Stein, who was always told that he was like a girl, seemed plain?
It was so bad that even Zexenguard muttered like this.
“Do you pick Magi just by looking at their faces?”
When you put Lilstein and Sapharan side by side, it was easy to imagine such a misunderstanding. Of course, Theorant, who had met many Magians in one way or another, could say for sure.
“No, those two are weird.”
“Wait, Theorant? Why am I being lumped in with the same category?”
“If you look in the mirror, won’t you know the answer? If you don’t want to hear that you’re such a girl, why don’t you shave your head? Lil’ Stein, you don’t really hate hearing that, do you?”
“… … It’s not like cutting your hair short makes you look particularly manly! It’s just that you look a bit more manly with long hair!”
Karen, who was next to Lilstein, nodded in agreement.
“That’s certainly true. If Lil Stein cut her hair short, she would only look like a pretty girl, so she would be looked down on… … .”
“Ugh, is that what you’re saying now, Karen?”
Unlike Lilstein, Safaran seemed to like his appearance. No matter what Sihan and his friends did, he just smiled and didn’t seem offended.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, the six leaders of the renowned resistance. I am Safaran, leading the Wings of Liberty.”
Safaran Fel Krungalt.
He was the leader of the resistance forces fighting against the Lusclan Empire in northwestern Terranor. He was also a powerful Magian who had already reached the 7th floor of the Ivory Tower at the age of mid-twenties.
And surprisingly, Sapharan, unlike the others, was not of ordinary origin. Krungalt was a noble family with a long history even in the Rusclan Empire.
“Because the legacy is so deep, it has already fallen into ruin long ago. It is not even a noble position.”
At this time, all five friends, including Seong Si-han, had joined hands. Although they were still called a resistance group rather than a revolutionary army, their power had already grown considerably and they were showing visible results.
So, in the beginning, Saparan joined them as a subordinate organization of six people, not on equal footing.
But he soon rose to prominence. Like Levina, he quickly proved his worth and stood shoulder to shoulder with the other six.
“That’s how big Saparan’s role was.”
Before he joined, Sung Shi Han and his other friends were traitors to the Empire. The Resistance grew to the point where it could be called an army, and it became strong enough to cause real damage to the Empire, but it was basically unable to move beyond its position as a resistance.
It was entirely thanks to Saparan that these people came to occupy the position of revolutionary heroes, equal adversaries of the empire rather than traitors.
“Safaran had good political sense. Even though he was a fallen man, he was from a noble family, so he was able to connect well with other anti-imperial figures.”
Unlike Lilstein, who only knew magic, Sapharan was also well-versed in administration and politics. He was particularly good at dealing with people, and it was Sapharan who rapidly absorbed the various resistance forces scattered throughout Terranor.
“I was practically in charge of the household affairs of the revolutionary army.”
The problem was that, because he was of noble birth, he inevitably had an arrogant side.
“Because his attitude changed depending on the opponent, there was quite a bit of talk even within the revolutionary army.”
But if he were simply an arrogant noble, the evaluations wouldn’t be so conflicting. They’d just say he was an arrogant person.
Saparan during the revolutionary war was clearly extremely arrogant, but at the same time he also had an extremely humble side.
“Perhaps that is why there are conflicting evaluations being made now.”
Sihan smiled vainly as he recalled the old days.
“Did you really treat people only by looking at their abilities?”
Age, status, lineage, family origin.
Saparan did not care about such ‘external matters’ at all. Only the individual’s wisdom, knowledge, and strength were the criteria for judging a person’s worth.
That is why, despite being of noble birth, he joined the revolutionary army.
‘This world where the incompetent bastards of the Rusclan Empire rule over the people is wrong! The one who is truly qualified to rule over the people should become the ruler!’
This was his theory, and that is why even Sung Si-han questioned it at the time.
‘So what are the criteria for that qualification? And who sets those criteria?’
Even if it is only a superficial explanation, it is something that anyone who has learned the concept of democracy in modern Earth should question.
Saparan answered confidently, pointing to other revolutionary leaders including Seong Si-han.
‘You guys are more than qualified.’
‘You guys… … Are you including yourself in that, Safaran, perhaps?’
‘What can I do? It’s true.’
Even though it was a sarcastic remark, Saparan shamelessly accepted it without paying any attention.
‘It’s sad, you can’t show humility without telling lies. Isn’t this the fate of a successful person?’
Seong Si-han shrugged as he explained his conversation with Saparan.
“Well, was this kind of person?”
Alita, who was listening, stuck out her tongue.
“Wow, that’s unlucky… … .”
“It is a natural law of the world that a successful person is said to be unlucky,” said Saparan.
No matter how noble a person was or how good their bloodline was, if the other person was incompetent, they were treated worse than a passing dog.
No matter how humble someone’s origins were, if they showed any talent, they were respected and given high marks.
It was Saparan’s personality to treat his opponents only based on their abilities, to a terrifying degree.
If you only look at it this far, it seems like human relationships aren’t very good… … .
“Surprisingly, I had quite a wide network of connections.”
For Saparan, the ‘abilities’ of an individual that are worthy of recognition include tolerance and sociality.
No, in fact, I considered this to be a more outstanding ability than magic.
‘Wouldn’t it be a greater magic to make someone pledge their loyalty to you by risking their life with just a flick of your tongue, rather than being able to shoot fire and lightning with your tongue? That’s a feat that’s impossible even with mental magic.’
So Saparan played a central role in attracting anti-imperial nobles and leaders of other resistance forces to the revolutionary army. He was the person who contributed the most to the growth of the revolutionary army’s power.
“In short, are you the type who is arrogant and proud, but who only gives your heart to those you recognize?”
Thanks to this, despite his aristocratic appearance, Saparan didn’t have much friction with his friends. He often fought with his rival, Lilstein, but other than that, they got along well.
I also occasionally shared my innermost feelings with Seong Si-han.
***
It was a time of rest after a fierce battle with the empire.
Saparan, who was curious about the relationship between Seong Si-han and Lilstein, asked about the two, and Si-han sincerely told him about his past.
Saparan nodded after hearing the whole story.
“I see, Shihan. Was that your first time meeting Lilstein?”
“Yes, to me, he is more than a friend. He is like a brother, although we are not related by blood. If there had been no Lil Stein, I would not be where I am today.”
Shihan said with sparkling eyes. His expression was filled with deep trust in Lilstein.
“That’s a really heartwarming story, but… … .”
On the other hand, Saparan looked doubtful.
“Aren’t you trusting Lilstein too much?”
Saparan, who sees Lilstein as a rival, sees him much more objectively than Seong Si-han.
“That guy is the type that seeks power. He feels strongly that he is weak, so he will do anything to become stronger.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I’m that type.”
Saparan smiled bitterly, pointing at himself.
“We are of the same kind. To most Magians, knowledge and wisdom are power and authority. So, we all have similar tendencies.”
“But you don’t break your duty, do you?”
“There is clearly a minimum standard that one must uphold as a human being.”
Now they are fighting against the Rusclan Empire, which does not even uphold the ‘lowest good’. That is why they can feel the ‘duty of humanity’ even more keenly.
“But you never know what will happen in this world.”
Saparan continued speaking in a cool tone.
“Human greed is endless, and the more you pursue power, the more power you desire. In the end, you might cross the line without even knowing it. They say that one of the most difficult things in the world is to look straight at yourself.”
Shihan blinked. It was a bit difficult for him, still a teenage boy.
After racking my brain, I finally found something to say.
“Come to think of it, there is a similar saying on Earth. Know thyself.”
“A truly wise man speaks the truth in any world.”
Saparan nodded and made a serious expression.
“But it’s okay.”
And then his expression softened.
“If Nana Lilstein crosses the line… … .”
He looked at the time limit and smiled softly. There was definitely trust in that smile.
“Then you guys will stop us.”
A naive but righteous saint.
Theorant, a man of old-fashioned and unwavering character.
Karen Inasius, who cannot abandon her duty no matter what happens.
Even though she has a bit of a cunning side, Levina is someone who absolutely protects her own people.
Zexengard is simple-minded and stupid, but that makes him even more unable to tolerate the injustice before his eyes.
“With you guys, we can pursue power with peace of mind.”
***
Sihan suddenly sighed as he recalled a conversation from over ten years ago.
“Yeah, we talked about that too.”
That sigh contained deep regret and laughter.
“I didn’t know that all the friends who were supposed to stop me would turn out to be the same guys… … .”
***
As he continued to prepare for battle, Sung Shihan waited for news. As soon as he heard a reply from the Kingdom of Sapharan, the Knights of Celteron and numerous soldiers would march across the border.
And finally the news came.
But the news was not what he expected.
“Excuse me, Sihan… … .”
Seongshihan looked puzzled at the pale expression on Kelteron’s face. Unlike usual, Kelteron was stiff to an excessive degree.
“What’s going on, Kelteron? Has the Kingdom of Safaran rejected your offer?”
“That’s not it.”
Kelteron shook his head and took a moment to consider his words. He seemed to be struggling to figure out how to bring this up.
Only after a long time did he get to the point.
“The war is over.”
“what?!”
The deadline was a surprise.
“The Kingdom of Safaran has already been defeated by Lilstein? But it can’t be that weak, right?”
But the report that followed was even more shocking.
“and…….”
Kelteron continued speaking cautiously, as if he himself could not believe it.
“… …White Sapharan has died.”
