Chapter 237

Yulia was a swordsman who had trained for 13 years with a sword in the capital of the Doroysen Kingdom.

She had learned the swordsmanship of Tour Ryu, one of the most famous martial sects esteemed among the top seven in the kingdom, and had raised the sect’s reputation into the top five.

She had wandered across the kingdom, accompanied only by the wind and clouds, defeating many dojos to build her own fame, and in the process, had learned techniques from four other sects.

Entering a noble family, she also trained over a thousand soldiers, and was invited to participate in a territory war among noble families, breaking seven white battalions in a single day.

Yulia’s fame had reached its peak today.

“I’ve heard your command. It would be reassuring to have the swordsmen of Tour Ryu protect me.”

She had been chosen as a companion to cross the border of Solletarass for the Crown Prince’s meteorite investigation.

“As a swordsman of Doroysen, I gladly accept the Crown Prince’s invitation.”

Doroysen was a nation of swords, possessing the most swordsmen on the continent.

The number of swordsmanship dojos and schools was countless, and it was expected for the youth to learn the sword.

This prowess was also the driving force behind stopping the ruthless bloodthirsty royal family of Solletarass from expanding.

Yulia thought that, no matter how she considered it, this team and its strength couldn’t possibly be for a mere meteorite investigation.

“Sir Macbear!”

“Haha. Duke Irense. It’s been a while.”

“I saw Count Yuka over there; did you greet him?”

There were forty knights in the royal kingdom who lived and died by orders, and 150 swordsmen who roamed the world solo, earning their names without titles, alongside 700 elite sword user-tier soldiers.

Adding in well-trained soldiers and a corps of two thousand, it was evident that this was a vanguard preparing for war against the Instrumentum family.

However, Yulia did not care.

“A fight would be good. I am a swordsman, after all.”

She was a swordsman whose life and death depended on her reputation, and fierce battles always elevated that reputation.

So.

“My lady, someone is descending over there.”

“Three, no. Two! Just two of them.”

Yulia couldn’t help but be curious about the identities of the two coming down now.

“Get out of the way.”

She pushed her way through the excited soldiers to confirm the identities of the two.

Just then, the sun rose high, clearing the morning mist.

As if the stage curtains were drawn back, two figures emerged from the mist.

The man standing in front had white hair and golden eyes, a handsome figure with an arrogant demeanor, and the knight following was clad in heavy special armor that made one question if it could even be called armor.

It looked almost like a very intricately crafted metal golem.

However, the presence of prayer emanating from within that armor was surely extraordinary.

“If a knight of that caliber is being used as a guard… could he be royalty?”

Yulia had also heard about them.

It was said that the bloodthirsty royals of Solletarass had white hair and yellow eyes.

Every historical ruler of Solletarass had been like that.

The first Solletarass, the greatest conqueror of the continent, had been that way, as had the ‘Extermination Lord’ who had driven Doroysen to the brink of destruction 200 years ago, and the ‘Jeilliris’ who had slaughtered hundreds of relatives including the late emperor two years ago.

This cruel Jeilliris was known to have a wicked twin brother.

The vicious Duke who had recently slaughtered all the noble merchants of the Zahan Alliance who had come to collect a legitimate debt.

‘The white hair, yellow eyes, and splendid white uniform seen clearly. Could he be that infamous bandit?’

Yulia was not someone who easily believed rumors.

Having roamed the kingdom, she had encountered plenty of opponents whose skills were either exaggerated or downplayed.

However, she knew that there was no such thing as rumors without reason.

‘If only two have come down this far… That person must be confident or possess assured strength.’

The Duke spoke to the attendant.

“Valenciaunos Solletaraon Solletarass. In the name of the divine and untouchable Jeilliris, I have been appointed as the Empire’s plenipotentiary ambassador. I wish to meet the Crown Prince immediately.”

Yulia maneuvered through the soldiers, heading towards the Crown Prince’s tent.

The Crown Prince she knew would not reject a provocative meeting like this.

* * *

In a tent as grand and splendid as a mansion, those of noble blood and self-proclaimed nobility gathered.

A man sat at a lavish rectangular table, gazing toward the entrance of the tent.

He appeared to be in between middle age and old age, tall and sturdy, with a rugged black beard and neatly trimmed black hair.

His calloused hands belonged to a swordsman, and his gleaming eyes were those of a desperate ambitious man.

Philius von Doroysen.

A man who had held the position of Crown Prince for a full 80 years.

“Come in.”

As soon as the words were out, the tent door swung open.

In that moment, the rectangular door was flooded with sunlight, and the two figures entering seemed as if they had jumped out from the light.

Philius noticed that Valenciaunos’s white gloves were empty, but he displayed no expression of doubt on his face. He recognized that Tenitia’s massive mechanical armor was the cursed work of Marcus, but he did not reveal that either.

However, he couldn’t help but frown at the first words from that handsome and arrogant elder brother.

“Welcome the group migration to the Empire in the name of Elder Brother Valenciaunos!”

With a serpent-like whisper, the cunning tongue slipped forth as the yellow eyes gleamed with sadistic laughter.

Philius wanted to slap the pale-cheeked man.

“…Duke. We did not come for migration, but to investigate the meteorite that fell in the border area.”

“This is not the border area, but the territory of the Empire. I would appreciate it if the Crown Prince would speak accurately, even if his lips are twisted.”

At that moment, Yulia sensed that Valenciaunos was insane and subtly placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.

“Maintain your decorum!”

“Duke! What kind of rudeness is this?”

“It cannot be tolerated, even if it is the Empire!”

The Crown Prince’s knights and other swordsmen also frowned, or reached for their sword hilt, while the administrative officers stood frozen in disbelief at what they had just heard.

“Am I hearing this correctly?”

“I do not know either.”

The only ones who maintained their ceremonial smiles were Crown Prince Philius and Elder Brother Valenciaunos.

Of course, neither was genuinely smiling.

‘Stay calm. I expected something to that extent. He is the one who kidnapped the saint on a wyvern. He can do anything.’

Philius knew that Valenciaunos was either a madman or highly likely to employ madman-like strategies.

He strove to avoid being sucked into Valenciaunos’s breath as he spoke.

“As you are aware, the meteorite likely contains something that has crossed over from the realm of the ancients, and this means it could generate vast numbers of infiltrators and anomalies.”

“I see. I was unaware.”

‘What a ridiculous response.’

Every word made his nape tighten, but Philius maintained the Crown Prince’s dignity.

‘Using madman-like strategies means that I cannot be defeated by straightforward methods, or even if defeated, the losses will be substantial. Ultimately, it is a strategy for the weak to harass the strong. I must press in resolutely.’

“According to the Church’s declaration, it is the duty of the worldly nobles to exterminate infiltrators and anomalies, and the lord of Instrumentum neither has the will nor the capability to do so. Therefore, as the nearest sovereign lord, we shall comply with that sacred assignment.”

“Surely not?”

Valenciaunos shook his head firmly.

He straightened his posture, and without hesitation, accepted the tea offered by the Crown Prince’s maid.

The white-haired figure illuminated with a halo turned golden in color, his shadowed face held a precarious yet dangerous beauty, and his lips, moistened by the tea, held a glistening sheen.

The motion of setting down the teacup was graceful.

With just a sip of tea, the atmosphere around that man shifted entirely.

Everyone in the tent focused on his mouth.

* * *

Valenciaunos pointed with his golden eyes to a map hanging on one wall.

“The closest nation is not Doroysen, but Umbroji.”

Umbro was a small country situated between the Empire and Doroysen, established as a sort of buffer zone after the last war.

Its size was roughly equivalent to combining two or three of the Empire’s baronial lands.

Thus, Philius confidently shook his head.

‘It’s as calculated. The justification is already in my hands.’

“As I just said, what matters is the capability to exterminate infiltrators and anomalies. One could hardly expect such abilities from a small nation. Only strong figures like Doroysen’s knights and swordsmen can fulfill the sacred duties bestowed by the Church.”

“…”

“Didn’t we inform the Empire? We sent several envoys. However, at that time, the Empire was in great disarray due to the capital being half-destroyed and the emperor missing. We were treated like beat dogs and dismissed; there was no one to stop someone from issuing notes in the name of the emperor.”

Valenciaunos’s eyes narrowed.

Everything centered around him.

Philius smiled broadly as he concluded his statement with authority.

“We can fulfill and are willing to fulfill the responsibilities and rights of the strong. If, after sufficient investigation, no meteorite is found, we will, of course, return.”

It was a victorious smile.

However, Valenciaunos’s twisted reasoning was only just beginning.

His serpent-like tongue moved once more.

“I’ve heard your noble, esteemed, and righteous intentions well. I’m glad I came here.”

Now it was Philius’s turn to narrow his eyes.

Yulia too felt tension rising and looked at his mouth.

‘What is he planning to say now?’

Valenciaunos tilted his cup once more.

“Well, now let me get to the point. I came here to prevent a war.”

“A war?”

Philius furrowed his brow, while Tenitia suppressed her urge to argue about what that even meant, as Valenciaunos continued calmly.

“The master of Instrumentum, the Ironblood Party leader Marcus, has recently been granted the right to expand his territory in exchange for sharing the technology of mechanical armor with the royal family. I believe you can see what this platinum knight is wearing?”

Yulia regarded Tenitia’s massive mechanical armor.

‘Enormous legs, an elevated field of vision, a great sword, a skeletal structure resembling human bones, with the boundary between “wear” and “ride.”’

It was undoubtedly Marcus’s invention.

Marcus had been relentlessly raiding the borders of Umbro and Doroysen with his mechanical knights, much to the chagrin of Doroysen’s knights and swordsmen.

“If you stay here, it would certainly give that madman a fine justification for war. He will come soaring on his airship, and Doroysen will once again have to face that bizarre technology.”

Philius shrugged.

Despite his calm demeanor, complex calculations raced through his mind.

‘I don’t know if Marcus will actually return. But he’s already lost his territory. Even if he does take up a commander position, he cannot employ the same mad strategies as before.’

“…We are a nation of swords. We do not fear battles.”

“It would be wise to fear the Emperor. He wants to focus on fighting the infiltrators, and he does not enjoy hearing sounds that disturb his nerves.”

‘That’s it.’

Philius thought that Valenciaunos had finally revealed his true cards.

More daring than expected, but ultimately just a young fool.

“In the end, your last card is to threaten us using the name of your twin sister?”

“What if I did?”

“Do not even think about walking out of here.”

“I had no intention of doing so from the start.”

However, Valenciaunos’s demeanor did not seem like that of someone who had laid his cards on the table.

“Threatening, huh? Yes, it’s a threat. But it’s not empty, is it? Can you be sure you can handle my threat when it becomes reality?”

He raised his lips into a chilling smile and cast a gaze that seemed to pity them.

Philius felt no further need to hold back.

“Bow down.”

* * *

As soon as Philius’s command fell, Yulia drew her sword.

Tenitia embraced Valenciaunos’s waist and leaped out of the tent.

“Do you think you can escape?”

Yulia aimed her sword at both Tenitia and Valenciaunos as she stepped out of the tent.

Thunder crashed!

At that moment, a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, hitting Tenitia and Valenciaunos.

Flash!

It was an unexpected lightning bolt on the clear autumn sky.

“Cough!”

In the place where the flash had vanished, nothing remained.

“What?”

Yulia was momentarily taken aback.

“The lightning went over there.”

Only upon seeing the soldier’s finger pointing toward the mountains did she grasp the situation.

‘A mage. A top-tier mage capable of flying without a broom or carpet. They must have been observing this area to confirm whether a meteorite really has fallen. It was a diversion. I was completely caught off guard. That bandit Elder Brother was just blabbering as it came out of his mouth.’

It wasn’t only Yulia who realized this.

Philius shouted in anger.

“Bring him to me at once!”

‘It cannot end like this.’

With a desperate urgency now gripping him.