Chapter 653

“The Berengeiria Wall has collapsed!?”

Leopold, who had been checking the condition of his wig five times a day, felt a chill run down his spine and the crown of his head simultaneously at the news brought by the messenger.

For a moment, even his vision blurred.

Whether it was because of the hair follicles that had collectively chosen death just now or the news that the wall, which had stood firm for hundreds of years, had collapsed, he couldn’t tell.

“It’s not completely collapsed, but part of it has been destroyed. They planned to trap and eliminate Or-han, the leader of Ka`har, beneath it.”

Fortunately for Leopold, the collapse of the wall didn’t mean a complete breach. Rather, it was the opposite. Though it was still shocking news.

“Good heavens, Ludwig…”

Leopold sighed. Even if it was to eliminate the enemy leader, to go as far as collapsing the wall was an excessively extreme strategy.

‘Was Or-han really that dangerous? To the point where the Empire had to destroy its own protective wall?’

Moreover, it seemed they had failed to eliminate him.

“To say they planned to eliminate him means they failed. Even after collapsing the wall…”

“Yes. Or-han lost his left arm in battle with Sir Median and fled. According to the Duke of Landenburg’s speculation—”

Leopold listened intently to the messenger’s report, resting his chin on his hand.

The possibility of Ka`har bypassing the wall and targeting the Empire’s mainland, and the expected scale of damage if that happened.

It wasn’t a report that was good for one’s mental health. As usual.

‘So… the ones they tried to stop by collapsing the wall. Even Ha-shal-leur and Ludwig couldn’t guarantee victory in a plain battle against them… and now they’re marching toward the Empire’s mainland.’

Just thinking about it made his hair follicles tingle.

Receiving the worst reports was already a familiar routine for Leopold. Since he ascended the throne, the number of messengers bringing good news could be counted on one hand.

But being familiar with it didn’t lessen the shock or stress.

His hair had already declared a permanent strike, and lately, he had to down recovery potions disguised as stomach medicine three times a day.

“…Alright. I understand. You may leave now.”

“Yes!”

After dismissing the messenger, Leopold pushed the throne in his office aside and walked to the window. He couldn’t bear the suffocating feeling in his chest.

The view of the imperial palace garden from the third-floor window tempted him. If he just jumped out and landed in its embrace, all his worries would vanish.

It was a truly dizzying temptation.

‘Great Emperor Carolus, please watch over your descendant…’

Leopold closed his eyes, let out a deep sigh, and turned away from the window.

He had no intention of giving in to the impulse to free-fall. The struggles he had endured so far and the weight of responsibility on his shoulders held him firmly in place.

Even if he failed, he couldn’t give up.

“Sigh…”

Leopold sat back on the throne and began to read through the piles of documents one by one.

Now was not the time to despair and escape reality. As the Empire’s leader, he had to ponder solutions to the myriad problems thrust upon him.

—

‘The radical elements of the Dragon Kingdom have invaded Alvheim… Thankfully, it’s going according to plan. Some dragonkin attacked the Holy Kingdom’s borders instead of Alvheim, causing some disturbances.’

As Leopold had planned, the dragonkin faction known as the Evil Faction began their invasion by attacking the northern border of Alvheim, burning forests as they advanced.

At least that was good news. With the Dragon Kingdom attacking, even if only partially, the fairies would have to fight on two fronts against the dwarves and dragonkin.

‘If the fairies have any sense, they won’t turn humans into enemies and create a three-front war.’

Leopold was confident of that.

‘Were the dragonkin who attacked the Holy Kingdom all repelled? That’s also fortunate.’

Some of the dragonkin from the Evil Faction had invaded the Holy Kingdom’s borders instead of Alvheim, but they were all wiped out by the Order of Knights led by Golden Seilon.

Since it was the act of a few extremists, it didn’t escalate into a full-scale war between the dragonkin and the Holy Kingdom.

For Leopold, it was a truly satisfying result. Enough to slightly ease the pain in his stomach.

Leopold took a sip from the teacup on his desk and glanced at the next document.

The second document was a response to the asylum offer made to the dwarves.

[We are grateful for the Empire’s goodwill, but the situation in Himell has not reached a level where we need to consider asylum. Therefore, we must respectfully decline.]

Though written in a polite tone, the content of the letter was a firm refusal, typical of the stubborn dwarves.

‘Refusal… Does that mean they still have strength left? Whether it’s bravado or truth, we’ll need to wait and see.’

It was disappointing that the dwarves couldn’t be brought into the Empire, but as long as they could continue the war against the fairies, that alone was satisfying.

In any case, the possibility of the fairies attacking the Empire and the Holy Kingdom had decreased.

‘Still, there’s been some success.’

Leopold’s eyes moved to the bottom of the letter.

A few sentences were added as a postscript. It stated that while the asylum offer had to be declined, the second proposal to expand trade items was being positively considered.

The dwarven council had relaxed export restrictions to foster goodwill with the Empire, so while the sale of firearms was impossible, the sale of non-military machinery was possible to a limited extent.

Though there were conditions like the abolition of tariffs and a ban on disassembly and reverse engineering, that alone was enough to satisfy Leopold.

If they could just obtain the power source the dwarves called an “engine,” the development of the airships, which had been stalled due to power issues, would gain momentum.

‘Floheta will be pleased. She said the power issue would be a relief.’

Floheta, the Tower Master, had been struggling with the development of a power source to keep the massive airships afloat, so she would undoubtedly welcome this news.

The researchers at the Mage Tower, who had been dedicated to developing power sources using mana stones, might scream in despair at their efforts becoming meaningless…

‘But there’s no need to worry about the plight of mere researchers.’

Just as professors are indifferent to the cries of graduate students, Leopold had no interest in the screams of ordinary researchers. Floheta likely felt the same.

After stamping the letter with the Emperor’s seal, Leopold moved it to the corner of the desk and immediately picked up the next document.

While the previous two documents dealt with external affairs, the following ones mostly reported on internal events and issues within the Empire.

Reflecting the Empire’s shaky state amidst the war, there was no good news to be found.

Leopold quickly skimmed through the documents, jotting down alternatives, stamping them, and sorting them into piles.

—

[High-level monsters, two Undead Knights, have appeared. Barony of Doren annihilated.]

‘…Request cooperation from the Diocese and dispatch the 4th Order of Knights. If there’s no heir to the barony, its assets will be reclaimed by the national treasury.’

Monsters wouldn’t care for gold and jewels, so the baron’s accumulated wealth would remain intact.

After purging the monsters and cleansing the barony, reclaiming the wealth would more than cover the knights’ expedition costs.

[The Imperial Army’s projected expenditures for this year have increased by 68% compared to last year.]

‘The budget issue… I’ll have Duke Bien take the position of Chancellor to handle it. He’s ambitious for power but not the type to embezzle from the national treasury.’

Duke Bien, though power-hungry, took pride in his duties as a high-ranking noble and carried them out thoroughly. There was no better candidate for Chancellor.

If the budget ran short, he’d even dip into his personal funds to make up the difference.

[80 Dragon-Slaying Crossbows installed on the walls of Exra-shapel. Effectiveness verification needed.]

‘Effectiveness verification…? How?’

The Dragon-Slaying Crossbows were massive ballistae created on Ha-shal-leur’s advice to prepare for the appearance of dragons over Exra-shapel.

Their purpose was to pierce dragon scales or at least tear their wings to bring them down, but whether they could actually take down a dragon… that couldn’t be verified unless a dragon flew over Exra-shapel.

‘In terms of power and accuracy, we could test the crossbows by mounting them on carriages and using them in monster hunts… but whether they can bring down a dragon won’t be known until one appears.’

Leopold could only hope that the opportunity to verify the crossbows’ effectiveness never came.

It was better for the expensive weapons to be considered useless decorations than for a dragon to fly over Exra-shapel and burn the capital.

[Flying monsters, about seventy spider-birds, have occupied the Berond Forest. Sir Damien and Sir Milia have subjugated them. Area purification needed.]

‘…They took down seventy spider-birds by themselves? Truly, like master, like subordinates. Despite their young age, they’re remarkably capable… Jin made a good choice in granting them the Greatsword.’

Damien and Milia were staying in the capital, filling in for Ha-shal-leur by hunting monsters that appeared near the capital.

Milia’s performance, in particular, was dazzling.

A master archer the likes of which the Empire had never seen before. She was practically a walking siege weapon.

Even the Order of Knights, which had looked down on archery as a soldier’s role, was considering training specialized archer knights.

‘I should consider establishing an archery department at the Academy. Now, where was the next document… Ah, this one.’

[Karmaine Forest purification complete. Excavation team begins investigation of ruins.]

The Karmaine Ruins. The site where the monster known as the Knight of Ruins had emerged, and the dungeon that had been buried again after its appearance.

‘Ha-shal-leur’s fire magic was said to have come from those ruins. The power the Knight of Ruins wielded as well.’

The ruins that granted magical power to Ha-shal-leur, who had no talent for magic.

Since the Dane warriors were also believed to use similar magic, it was worth investigating with significant manpower.

If they could uncover a way to grant magical power to non-mages, they could solve the Empire’s military power shortage in one fell swoop.

[Illegal erotic books featuring Marquis Median discovered. All involved arrested. The Diocese requests custody of the criminals.]

Leopold doubted his eyes and read the report again.

‘Erotic books? About her? They must be insane. What kind of fools would do something so reckless…’

Leopold shook his head and signed the Diocese’s request.

If the criminals were handed over to the Church, they would die after the inquisitors’ “purification ritual.” But even if they weren’t handed over, their fate wouldn’t be much different.

Leopold intended to execute them himself.

It was wiser to kill them before Ha-shal-leur found out and went on a rampage upon hearing that erotic books about her had been made.

—

And so, Leopold spent the entire day holed up in his office, reading through piles of documents and drafting responses. From sunrise to sunset.

It was no different from his usual routine.

His hair, too, fell out just as it always did.

Lack of sleep, overwork, excessive stress, and overconsumption of recovery potions.

It was an environment where hair follicles couldn’t survive even if they wanted to.