Chapter 183
Yellow. White. Orange.
I stared absently at these stones of the gods, which no longer emitted any light, then put them into my magic bag.
Even if the Grand Duke and Aindel obtained the stone in Aindel, the three stones of the gods each person possessed didn't awaken. All seven needed to be gathered to fully break the seals on the six.
So for now, only the stone of the gods in Aindel could be used for its authority. The Grand Duke would have a hard time acquiring it. Not only did he not know the direction, but he was likely unaware of its very existence.
Should I search for that stone right away?
Or is it better to find it when I actually need it?
To get to the south of Aindel, I would need to travel south through the eastern sea of the new territory. But the distance was quite far, making it a waste of time and effort to go there just for the stone.
It would be better to go when I head to Yan to find the essence of the devil. In fact, it wouldn't matter even if I didn't have the stone of the gods. Just taking my own people would be enough to topple the Grand Duke's forces.
The crown prince's investiture is four years from now.
I had about three years and eight months left.
By now, the Grand Duke would have started his behind-the-scenes maneuvers. He'd have begun preparations to control the goon, and likely be supporting various lines as well.
The Grand Duke had been far too quiet.
Like the calm before a storm.
Viscount Drian and Eilin's father said it would be extremely dangerous if the Grand Duke hid and grew his strength. I shouldn't underestimate his hidden power.
I didn't know what he was concealing, but regardless, I planned to gradually weaken the strength of the Grand Duke's faction while staying within the "line".
If he truly vanished from sight, then there'd be nothing I could do.
I sat at my desk and organized my strategy.
I'd already imagined countless scenarios during training, so all I needed was to consolidate them now. Even the most extreme cases.
/ / /
I arrived at the new territory.
I'd come at Urald's summons, and as I exited the door of light, I found Bellen and Lok waiting for me.
"You're here?"
"Are we together now?"
"Yes."
I already knew Bellen, but Lok too had become extremely powerful. Now teamed with a legendary guardian spirit, and with condensed training using magic coins, he'd grown by leaps and bounds.
"How are the guardian spirits?"
"I realized why legends are called legends. They were reluctant to accept us at first, but after joining us, we became very close. Feels like hanging out with grandfathers."
"What abilities do they have?"
Bellen answered.
"I am storm."
"I am giant."
"Does that mean you summon a giant?"
"No. The giant's fist, the giant's foot, and the giant's spear appear. Shall I show you once?"
"No, you might scare the residents."
Since Bellen had the wind attribute, it seemed her spirit was a wind/storm type. Lok was likely a spirit of the ancient giant. Since both wielded lightning magic power, their force was formidable.
As I walked, I saw all our soldiers wearing Racrom armor, and the archers were equipped with bows from Yan. The new territory now had a barracks, and I saw recruits training as well.
While I had been training, our forces had grown to 300. Even Urada's territory increased to 500, with 30 knights now under our command.
I provided spirit stones to those knights and passed on techniques. More of our knights gained magic power, so I distributed more spirit weapons that they couldn't use before.
"You two are teaching the mages and Elin too, right?"
"Yes. The mages and Elin who were in the stronghold are all here now. We've given them all spirit weapons too."
"Good."
Since Asgard's magic power was that of creation, Bellen and Lok were starting to understand magic as well. Weirdly, behind the temple, the priests were swinging swords.
"The priests are training swordsmanship too?"
"Yes. Russell said the priests could become Holy Knights, so he's teaching them now."
Was Russell planning to use them as buffers? Since priests have holy healing powers, giving them spirit stones and passing on techniques would turn them into buffers.
I entered the factory.
They were making tons of armor and weapons. They were also remaking existing spirit weapons using different materials.
I went into the two master craftsmen's workshop, where Urald and Wundbark were drinking coffee. There was also a very large man with them. Something was piled high on the table.
"What are you making now?"
"You've finally figured it out."
"Figured out what?"
"How are you, Young Master Roger."
The big figure turned to me.
Hrrr— I'd thought it strange to hear such a noise. His body was made of stone.
"Did you make him a body?"
"I asked him to translate a magic book, and he asked me to make him a body. So I did."
It was the immortal Gadisil mage. The one who was just a head—"Rungha"—was now smiling with the body of a golem. With a stone hand, he pulled off the cloth covering the table.
Newly made books were piled high on the table. Rungha must have translated all of these.
"I heard you lost your memory?"
"The priests healed me."
"The priests?"
Urald spoke, smiling.
"There was something written in Elin's language among the books you brought from the dragon's lair. So we called the Elin."
Wundbark chimed in.
"They translated the book written in Elin's script. Surprisingly, it contained content about seal magic. And as it turned out, the magic on this friend had been a memory seal."
"So your memory came back."
"It did. It was like a serious surgery. Bellen chanted the spell and Priest Roman maintained the healing to balance everything. That's how we broke the seal and purified the darkness."
I looked at Rungha.
He no longer had the power of darkness.
"You translated all these books?"
"I know five languages, and translated them all. During my era, these languages were common, but now few know them."
Urald added,
"Rungha's right. Two were languages used by Gadisil's two tribes. One was from the northern Elin clan. The other two were ancient Amir scripts."
"There wasn't a dragon language?"
"There probably is. He just didn't know it."
I looked back at the books.
"What was in them?"
"I found 30 types of combat magic. Bellen and Lok have learned them, and they're teaching them to the Elin. Besides that, I found the four most valuable types."
"What are those four?"
Urald picked out four books.
I could tell just by looking at the titles.
Shield of Light. Giant Legion.
Magic Array. Magic Bomb.
"What's the Magic Bomb?"
"It's a magic explosive. This one's a Gadisil magic, similar to what the Grand Duke's men used when they visited the stronghold long ago. It can be used in cannons too."
"Amazing."
I flipped open the book.
Isron was the key material for the magic explosion. It was a substance that could only be found in northern Aindel.
It wasn't easy to obtain, but hearing we could get to Aindel, they'd organized it for me. As soon as I get the material, I have a new force.
"What's the Shield of Light?"
"A spell that covers the whole stronghold with a shield. In ancient times, Elin defended their strongholds with the shield of light."
"The size depends on magic power, I guess."
"Exactly. And on how many magic arrays you set up. If you install about 30 defensive arrays, you can cover this entire territory."
"That's possible?"
Wundbark answered.
"If we bring all the magic coins to use as ingredients, it's possible. The book on magic arrays contains all sorts of arrays. Moreover, we even found a unique teleportation spell."
Urald took out a pouch.
Inside were six rings.
"Among the Elin's stones you brought before, there were some whose uses we couldn't figure out. These were stones set in rings, but we couldn't tell what for."
"They're teleportation rings, aren't they?"
Both master craftsmen smiled.
"That's right. These rings come in three pairs. Anyone wearing matching spirit rings can create a door of light and connect with each other. No matter how far, you can travel instantly."
I felt a rush of exhilaration.
Of all the items I'd obtained up to now, this was the most useful. Not only precious but an incredibly convenient magic as well.
"The only thing is, you need powerful lightning magic power to use them. But since you and our members have lightning, you'll have no problem."
"Of course."
It could only be used by those with lightning magic power.
Since there were three pairs, my members and I could take turns using them. I'd planned to give one to Bellen as well.
The teleportation rings also included a magic vault. Now, wherever I went, I could summon my members instantly. With Bellen here, I could also return immediately any time.
"Please prepare a few small magic arrays as well. Even if only my members and I can teleport, that's enough."
"Understood. Aren't you curious about the Giant Legion?"
"Stone giants, right?"
"Yes. Rungha will command them."
I smiled my gratitude.
These were all things I'd uncovered in my two years of training. Had it not been for Rungha, it would've been hard to discover them.
"You've worked hard."
"Not at all."
I held out my hand, and Rungha grasped it with his stone hand. To think Rungha, who was once only a head, would end up helping us like this—I felt sorry for how long he'd been neglected.
/ / /
At my house, I called Ross and Russell. Donnie and the Berserkers as well, to share strategies and information in case something happened.
Up until now, it had been a time of growth.
I could say I'd only been "collecting" while building strength. It wasn't intentional, but I was lucky it turned out that way.
From now on, it was the time for war.
I was as prepared as I could be. I shouldn't act rashly, but I also couldn't wait any longer. There was no knowing when the enemy would attack.
"Are you sure about Priest Roman?"
"We'll have to check. I can only know if I go to the royal palace."
"If it's revealed the crown prince is a fake, the Grand Duke might do something drastic. He won't step down easily."
"It's the same even if we start around the time of the prince's investiture. By then the Grand Duke will have seized nearly all power, making things tougher than now."
The war could start sooner.
But just defending our stronghold and the east with our current strength would be enough. We had the Eastern Army too.
"What about preparations against the imperial army?"
Russell responded.
"The Imperial Army won't be able to cross the central mountains. To come to the east, they'd need to mobilize the navy, but for now that's not easy, though later it might be."
"Russell the commander is right. The Grand Duke needs total control of the imperial army to capture the capital and send troops east. He can't easily move his goon forces elsewhere."
Everyone nodded.
I asked Ross.
"How's the Far East Fleet?"
"We have five warships armed with cannons. In wartime, we can convert the merchant guild's trading ships into warships. All told, we could mobilize nearly 50."
"Have more cannons made."
"Already in the works."
The Far East Fleet belonged to the Eastern Army. The fleet admiral was Baron Ud'l, the previous owner of my house.
Ross asked me in turn.
"What's the status of the navy?"
"Currently, the Central Fleet is on our side, and the Eastern Fleet is neutral. If our Far East and Central Fleets pressure them, the Eastern Fleet will likely join us."
"The Western Fleet is definitely for the Grand Duke, right?"
"Yeah. It's the biggest, but the Krapos pirates will be there to block them. Krapos and the Western Fleet have a history of frequent clashes, so that'll keep them busy."
The Eastern Fleet would be blocked by the Far East Fleet's cannons, so I wasn't worried. Instead, there was a chance our Central Fleet could flip sides if their admiral changed.
The key was Trisda. It was within our sphere of influence but had little garrison. If it fell, both Urada and the eastern coast would be exposed. For us, it was the ultimate strategic stronghold.
"elder brother Ross, if things go that far, join the Eastern Army. Lead it with Lord Urke. Commander Russell, please take command of the central passage."
"Understood."
"And Trisda?"
"I plan to set up a magic array in Trisda. If the special forces or knight order can teleport there and hold the enemy, my Berserkers and I can reinforce and retreat quickly as needed."
Looking around at everyone, I continued.
"As you all know, all this presumes we'll lose in the capital. The goon leans a bit more in our favor. The problem is the Grand Duke's hidden strength."
Everyone nodded.
"So, the chance of their advancing all the way east is low. But the Grand Duke might send his best here. We can't ignore the north either. He could send troops that way."
"Through the northern coast?"
"Yeah. The Grand Duke must be aware of the continent's layout. I don't know if what happens in the capital will really escalate, but if actual war breaks out..."
I looked at Ross and Russell again.
"Stop all business and evacuate our people first. Move the funds as well. As long as we don't lose people or money, we can restart business any time."
"We mustn't miss the right moment."
"Exactly. If you see signs, act quickly. If you hesitate over the loss, you'll lose even more. I'll be watching out too, but just in case, I had to say it."
"Understood."
"That's all."
Everyone stood up.
Would the Grand Duke make his move this time?
In the end, it all depended on our response.
Two weeks later.
I would go to the capital.
I would reveal that the crown prince is an impostor.