Chapter 810 - Darkmtl
Switch Mode
You can get fewer ads when you log in and remove all ads by subscribing.

Chapter 810

After finishing the discussion about the funeral procedures, the conversation still didn’t end.

Perhaps because there hadn’t been anyone to talk to openly, they didn’t seem to want to stop chattering about all sorts of trivial matters.

The distribution ratio and significance of the dragon’s remains.

Information that some nobles have been showing suspicious movements lately.

News that Duke Bien, who was appointed as the Chancellor, is working more diligently than expected.

Even stories about the King of Dane, who decided to submit to the Empire’s order, suppressing lords who rebelled against it.

Though there were important pieces of information mixed in, they were ultimately just trivial chatter since they held no significant meaning to me.

The suspicious movements of the nobles? That’s something Leopold will handle… Unless Knut was defeated by the rebels, there’s no need for me to worry since he won.

The distribution ratio of the dragon bones was also appropriate enough that there was no reason to object.

In fact, it was so excessive that I decided to gift 20% of the remains I received to the Mage Tower.

Even Floheta, who was throwing a fit about wanting to duel me, would calm down once she received a pile of dragon remains.

Dragon scales? Maybe. But bones? I could gift those as much as I wanted.

You might say bones are much harder than scales? Sure, the strength-to-weight ratio is impressive… but unfortunately, dragon bones are as massive as they are strong.

In other words, if you carve dragon bones into a size usable by humans, they become extremely light but not particularly strong. At best, they’re slightly better than black iron.

While that still makes them a decent material, they couldn’t replace Jin’s Silver Sword or divine artifacts.

They might be useful for armor… but with the amount I received, I could make fifty sets of armor and still have leftovers. What would I even do with that many?

Unless it’s for masters or stronger, giving armor made of dragon bones to lower-tier combatants would be meaningless.

Giving such armor to ordinary knights would be like putting a pearl necklace on a pig—it would just get looted by enemies.

So, throwing this much to the Mage Tower wouldn’t be a problem.

“If there’s nothing more, I’ll take my leave now. I’ll see you at the funeral.”

“Understood. Go and lighten Eleonora’s burden.”

“I’ll do my best.”

After finishing my audience with Leopold, I headed straight to the Heaven’s Sword Order Mansion. The funeral preparations would take about two days.

Answering Eleonora and Leonor’s various questions would make the time pass quickly.

‘It’ll take a while for the restoration to finish.’

Not wanting to attract attention, I walked leisurely through the night streets of the Imperial Capital with my hood up, glancing at the scars left by Nidhogg.

“Hmm…”

It wasn’t a pleasant sight. The once-glorious capital of the Kal Ros Empire, known as the city where night never fell, was nowhere to be seen.

The magical streetlights that once shone like a galaxy were shattered, leaving only debris. The burned park was now just a pile of blackened dirt, with not a single tree or blade of grass left.

The streets, once bustling with life, were eerily empty, and the rubble of collapsed buildings was everywhere.

The great fire that had swept through the capital had only burned the buildings, so recovery was possible by extinguishing the flames and rebuilding the burned structures… but Nidhogg’s rampage was on a completely different level of destruction.

Areas where the ground had collapsed as it emerged from underground were numerous, and some areas had even melted from the dragon’s breath, altering the terrain itself.

Unlike the great fire, which only burned wooden structures, Nidhogg’s rampage left no building—wooden or stone—standing.

Though restoration work was underway, priority was given to the underground waterways, the Imperial Palace, the cathedral, and the city walls. Ordinary homes hadn’t even begun to be cleared, let alone rebuilt.

‘This is serious.’

It wasn’t as bad as the game’s version of Exra-shapel when Isabella and the Insect-Dragons went berserk, but even this sight was enough to make any Imperial citizen feel gloomy.

‘At this point, it might be better to move the capital.’

Unless it was completely conquered by the enemy, they couldn’t give up on Exra-shapel’s symbolic significance… but really, what’s the point of clinging to a city that’s been completely destroyed?

[Well… it may be a ruin now, but it will regain its former glory someday. That bald man is pouring his heart and soul into it. If it can be restored, this city is perfect as the capital of a great nation. It’s not something we can easily give up on.]

Hersela gave a bitter smile and made an uncharacteristic defense.

‘When will the restoration even finish?’

[Well… it’s slow as a snail now, but once the world becomes more peaceful, it’ll speed up. There’ll be plenty of manpower to mobilize.]

…She wasn’t wrong.

With time, materials, and manpower all insufficient, progress had been slow so far.

Most of the Imperial Army was too busy preparing for the unusual international situation and the increasing monster appearances to be mobilized for reconstruction.

But once Alvheim and the Dragon Kingdom calm down as Leopold predicted, and the Imperial Army’s forces are replenished, there’ll be more resources. Then, the sluggish restoration work will become much easier.

“Welcome back, Lord Ha-shal-leur. I heard you found the heirloom. Congratulations.”

“Sister!”

Arriving at the mansion after a leisurely walk through the night streets, familiar faces greeted me.

Nigel and Ja-han, standing side by side, bowed their heads slightly in greeting, while Rana, as always, ran over and hugged me.

“Ah, welcome back, Master!”

Hersh, with a demeanor dozens of times more cautious than usual, greeted me respectfully, trembling.

“…Master?”

Wondering why she was being so formal now, Ophelia, who was leisurely smoking a magical cigarette, whispered the reason to me.

Apparently, after hearing about how I annihilated six Fairy Guardians, their respect and fear for me had reached its limit.

“Youuu… finally came baaack…! Erene… Erene, why did you leave her behiiind…!”

As usual, Ferne, completely drunk, staggered over and whined like a child.

After deciphering her slurred words, it seemed she was upset that I had left Ereneisia at Pailoon Castle.

She lamented how nice it would have been if I had brought her to the capital and gifted her to her.

Maybe she wanted to interrogate her.

Well, considering Ferne was also a former Fairy Guardian, it made sense that she would be curious about a centuries-old senior who had become an enemy and was captured.

If Leopold decides not to return Ereneisia to Alvheim, it might not be a bad idea to send a letter to Pailoon Castle and have her brought here.

Though Ferne is now just a drunkard, she did fight at the forefront during Nidhogg’s rampage, even risking losing her power.

As a reward for her devotion, Ereneisia would be fitting.

“Finally, you’re back. Do you know how much I suffered while you were gone?”

“Ah… it does seem that way.”

Leonor sighed with relief, like a group leader looking at a late member, while Freide giggled with a face that clearly said, “You’re in big trouble now.”

And Milia and Damien…

Well, let’s just say some indescribable sounds were coming from somewhere on the second floor.

…Guess they had a lot built up.

After being busy with various tasks, losing track of time, and spending two full days and nights…

Finally, Ludwig’s funeral was held.

“For decades, the shield of the Empire, steadfastly protecting the peace and safety of the east. His Excellency Ludwig Wilhelm von Landenburg, Lord of the Borderlands—”

“May the heavenly gods embrace his soul——”

“Elpinel, who watches over all, may your grace shine upon him. The shield you bestowed has completed its glorious duty and returns to your embrace. May your grace light his path—”

The funeral was solemn to the point of being dull.

With Leopold, Adelaide, Duke Bien, and other Imperial nobles and the Archbishop of the Diocese gathered, a memorial mass was held under Lacey’s direction.

Thanks to Leopold’s consideration, my only role was escorting Ludwig’s coffin to the Exra-shapel Cathedral.

After that, all I did was stare at the coffin in the prayer room, waiting for Lacey’s eulogy to end.

Nigel looked heartbroken, as if he might burst into tears at any moment, but honestly, I was just bored.

Ludwig’s death was certainly tragic… but now, dozens of days later, the emotional turmoil I felt at the time had faded like embers.

Honestly, even the nobles probably just put on solemn expressions, wondering why they were holding a funeral now.

Only Nigel, who was loyal to Ludwig, a few nobles who owed him, and the always-serious priests were likely taking this ceremony seriously.


You can get fewer ads when logging in and remove all ads by subscribing for just $2 per month.
Academy’s Barbarian

Academy’s Barbarian

아카데미에 오랑캐가 입학했다
Score 7
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Released: 2022 Native Language: Korean
I possessed a character from a game I played. And to top it all off, I get to be a female warrior of a barbarian tribe with a bad ending. I have to escape.

Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Options

not work with dark mode
Reset