Chapter 256

The southern region of Purioaito was also a boundary separating the western and southwestern parts of the Empire.

The towering mountains gradually disappeared one by one, the brown earth transformed from dark brown to ochre, and the scalier creatures began to grow larger than those with fur, while brightly colored feathered birds cried out day and night.

As it was a place where climates clashed, the weather was also unpredictable, but the moisture was abundant.

The land became lower, resulting in a slight increase in pests, but at the same time, the plains expanded.

The white clouds quickly drifted across the high sky, but no sand dust rose.

In this unpredictable yet beautiful and fierce world, foreign substances began to mix in.

Kugugugu!

People stared blankly at the shadow of a ship slicing through the sky.

“What is that?”

“Goodness.”

“The end has come!”

An elderly man from the village calmed the people, saying that there was a mirage in the desert.

“Everyone, stop with the nonsense. I’ve seen something similar many times when I was a merchant in the desert. What’s far off in the sea is reflected in the sky.”

The old man was the wisest person in the village, and the villagers were more afraid of the local tax collector, who was pressing for taxes, and the army of the Land of Lanzo, coming from the west, than the flying ship, quickly forgetting about the airship as they returned to their plows.

However, the old man, who had truly seen a mirage before, understood.

The roar and vividness, the sound shaking as if a thousand birds were flapping their wings, the wind that surged beneath, and the softly glowing purple aura could never be a mirage.

“What on earth is trying to happen?”

The old man gazed south with anxious eyes.

He was not the only one with a similar look.

The scouts from the Land of Lanzo were so shocked that they dropped their telescopes.

“What in the world is that?”

“Can the Empire’s mages move ships with magic?”

“Flying in the sky… Isn’t the sky a space only permitted for celestial beings?”

“We must report this to the general and the council immediately. Magic is an unholy power, and if we confront mages with such power, our Republic’s army will be annihilated.”

“Speaking of unholy power, the appearance of those might be related to the magical realms that opened nearby, don’t you think?”

“Hmph. It’s only a ploy to send troops under the pretext of the magical realms to obstruct our Republic’s advance.”

“…Anyway, let’s hurry back and report. My legs are trembling.”

* * *

I landed Nibelungen on a moderately flat mountainside.

Sererassie had her apprentice mages create red smoke, and two days later, Signain’s supply unit arrived.

“I present my greetings to His Grace, Duke Valencius.”

Leading the supply unit was a knight from the Sky Knights, who had brought dozens of carts.

Avoiding the scattered scouts from the Land of Lanzo, it seemed he was quite skilled to arrive in just two days.

“Potions, reagents, biscuits, flour, salted meat, portable water collection magic tools… we have everything we need.”

“And this is a token of gratitude from His Grace the Duke.”

I was a duke while Signain was a noble.

We were on the same level, but I was a bit higher.

So, it was very clever and proficient of him to maintain a formal tone with “your grace” without using a royal title towards his lord.

“Signain has excellent knights,” I said with a satisfied smile as I opened the crate.

At first glance, it was a bundle of high-mana-absorbent silver wire, a pouch filled with exactly a hundred gold coins, high-quality jewelry that served as luxury items, and various defensive magic tools…

It was enough to sustain dozens of knights and a magical cavalry unit.

In particular, all the magic tools seemed to have been custom-made at the Ivory Tower.

There appeared to be rings of lightning protection and flame resistance, just as I recalled there were people to give them to.

I glanced at Rudi, then pointed to the last crate.

“Is this the one?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

If I hadn’t received this, I might have brought fewer troops.

I had Marcus’s apprentices place the crate in the empty cabin and locked the door tightly, then asked Sererassie to set a magical trap on the lock.

“Sir Valen, what’s that?”

Rudi came over to ask, and I lowered my voice to respond.

“Dragon bones. I asked for a few pieces to remain.”

Rudi’s eyes widened, and I quickly took out a few rings I had gathered earlier from my pocket and slipped them onto him.

One was a gold ring with a red gem attached, and the other was a black ring with a blue gem attached.

Rudi closed his eyes for a moment, perhaps trying to sense the mana from the rings, then opened them again with a wry smile.

“I now have six magic rings in my hands. It feels like I’m carrying gold equal to my body weight.”

“Right? The ones you already had provided magic enhancement through silver mana, shielding, and physical reinforcement using the life pattern, and wind blessing methods.”

“The red gem is flame resistance, right? What about the black ring?”

“Lightning protection. It ensures that when attacked by electrical strikes, the electricity flows over the skin without penetrating into the body.”

Rudi looked like he wanted to say a lot, then shook his head and smiled gently.

“I’ll use them well, Sir Valen.”

“Good. Finally, you’re saying what I wanted to hear.”

Just then, Sererassie approached me and pointed to the north.

I hadn’t expected her to cast a spell on the lock so quickly.

“Did you already put the dragon bones in?”

“Who do you think I am? With a single wave of my staff, that’s all it takes. But look over there.”

I bit my lip as I felt the otherworldly mana creeping over my skin.

“I was unsure on the way here, but it really is a magical realm. Signain is going to have a hard time. An invasion from both the enemy country and the otherworld at the same time.”

“They don’t seem to be very mysterious beings. They are likely closer to monsters than foreign substances, but their physical destructive power will be stronger.”

“We need to send a few scouts. We must be careful not to clash with the Republic’s forces on the way to and fro.”

“Handle that in your own way.”

Once Sererassie finished speaking, she returned to her cabin.

She displayed signs of fatigue from the long flight, so I didn’t detain her.

Her vacant spot was immediately filled by Lady Trentia.

She looked down at me from within heavy mechanical armor, her expression not particularly bright.

“Your Grace.”

“Lady, your expression is dark. Is there something you’re worried about? Feel free to speak.”

“There are two things.”

“Go on.”

“Actually… I’ve been pondering whether it’s appropriate to kneel and align my eye level with you.”

I struggled not to burst into laughter.

“Wearing mechanical armor seems different from riding a horse before your lord. Just stand comfortably.”

“Thank you. And the second is-.”

“The second is?”

“Why did you light the signal fire instead of sending scouts? The knights of the Sky Knights have estimated that over a hundred thousand troops will come over the border. By now, they should know where we are.”

A hundred thousand was more than the grand army that Cariosa had brought.

Of course, one couldn’t compare the thoroughly elite troops that Cariosa brought with the shabby soldiers from the Republic, but the number itself held a degree of quality just by being a number.

No matter how strong I had become, when a hundred thousand troops surged forth, I would eventually run out of mana.

Still, my position was kindly signalled.

“Right. I indicated for them to come. They are just about to arrive.”

I believed it was because of the nature of the Republic, which allowed for various opinions and factions to coexist easily.

Lady Trentia squinted as she spotted the riders approaching from afar.

“White flag?”

They carried both the tri-colored national flag and the white flag.

I murmured with composure.

“Let’s prepare to welcome our guests.”

* * *

I did everything possible to take the unidentified messenger by surprise.

I had Marcus intentionally launch Nibelungen into the air to land again, and I had Lady Trentia and the mechanical knights run drills around the encampment, and I commanded the captain of the magical cavalry to demonstrate synchronized movements and new weapons.

Then, after Sererassie and Lady Trentia, along with a slightly disheveled Rudi, and Marcus, who was visibly displaying his prosthetic limbs, my mechanical arm, and my mechanical eye, were all squeezed into the tent behind me like a screen.

“Your Grace, isn’t this a bit too theatrical?”

“Brother, this is kinda tacky, isn’t it?”

“Sir Valen, it might come off more as a threat than a formality.”

“Your Grace Duke Valencius, there are concerns about technology leaks.”

I ignored all their objections and adjusted the brightness of the glowing circuit crystals affixed to the ceiling of the tent.

It naturally needed to be somewhat dim for the atmosphere to be effective.

“Everyone, keep your mouth shut. The other side represents a hundred thousand troops. We must act as if they pose no threat at all.”

I groomed my uniform collar even more meticulously, adorned myself with the heavy gold decorations I didn’t usually wear, and styled my hair four times over thirty minutes.

Let them leave trembling.

As I resolved that, I coolly commanded, “Let them in.”

And when the silhouette that entered by pushing aside the tent flap, shattered that resolution in an instant.

“I bring greetings from Eric Jan Benedict, a representative of the Land of Lanzo’s Republic to His Grace, Duke Valencius of the Solletarass Empire.”

It was just past evening, and since the entrance of the tent faced west, the red sunset served as a backdrop for him.

He had slightly long blond hair that fell over his forehead, which seemed to glow red in the sunset light, signifying his passion for the nation and its people, unlike most who came as the title of “councilman.”

In contrast, his deep blue eyes, shrouded by backlight, seemed to grasp reality and were clear, indicating a refusal to compromise with that reality.

His pleasant demeanor and handsome features, along with his immaculate skin, reminded me more of a young prince from some kingdom than a councilman of the Republic.

Following the slender line of his neck down, I spotted a heavy gold badge.

Even entering the notorious Duke Valencius’s encampment, he was clad in a suit and coat.

It was clear he was not here to fight with a sword.

“Councilman, what noble lineage does the Benedict name belong to? It’s a name I’ve never heard before.”

Although I asked to gain the upper hand, I already knew Eric Jan.

Before my reincarnation, when I met him, he wasn’t a prince of a fallen kingdom or a councilman from a fallen country; he was just someone of no standing. However, he had rallied many survivors from the collapsed Republic under the banner of the traitorous prince, Justianus.

He was a politician who genuinely cared for his people, and he was the one who made me realize the difference between subjects and citizens.

He replied with a tone that was almost unabashedly clear and composed.

“Your Grace may feel somewhat perplexed, but our Republic has no noble class. The Benedict family is simply those who serve the people.”

I felt like a demon standing before a saint as I pressed him.

“How could those who are not nobility govern… This truly is a brazen country. So, what business do you have here?”

Eric drew in a short breath.

“Please keep General Brnoa from getting involved.”

“!”

This was a completely unexpected statement.

Lady Trentia and Sererassie furrowed their brows, and Marcus wore a twisted smile as if he found it interesting.

I hoped my facial expression remained composed.

“Isn’t the Republic wishing for war?”

Eric answered firmly.

“The Republic does not support opportunistic, imperialistic expansionist policies. However, the current actions of General Brnoa and the hawkish faction of the council are exceedingly strange.”

I hadn’t anticipated him to be so forthright.

“I think it’s nonsensical to spill innocent blood by waging faux wars against Doroysen for centuries, all for the sake of approval ratings. Now that the insane antics against Doroysen are ending, they’ve turned their gaze to the Empire.”

He possessed a form of nobility distinct from Seberik.

“I don’t want to admit it, but Solletarass is a powerful nation beyond comparison with Lanzo. I am a republican, but I also understand reality. A war with the Empire would only bring about the Republic’s demise.”

He dreamt of ideals but kept his feet grounded in reality.

“I cannot idly stand by while other politicians lead the country to ruin for the sake of their popularity or at the behest of someone else. There hasn’t been a declaration of war yet, so I ask you to allow a retreat.”

He showed no fear in making his request.

I sensed a peculiar tremor in my voice.

Everything seemed to be unfolding favorably.

“What if I were to prevent him?”

Eric lowered his head to me.

Deeply and respectfully.

“…If the esteemed Duke would come to our encampment and enlighten General Brnoa of reality, I would be very grateful.”

If I were to interpret “esteemed,” it would mean “notorious.”

Asking for enlightenment didn’t require further interpretation.

In short, he was requesting that I subtly threaten the general, hoping the frightened general would retreat back to his homeland.

“…”

Separately from the threat, if I met him along with Sererassie, I might sense the corruption within the Republic’s military and assess how many infiltrators there were.

It seemed too clumsy to be a trap trying to draw me in, too awkward for a genuine wish for peace, alluring enough to draw away, yet unsettling to accept.

I took a deep breath and said, “I may need time to think.”