Chapter 210
I came to Mouk with my team members.
As we walked the streets, whenever we saw a monster, the Tuji brothers immediately shot arrows to take them down.
That's how powerful the light arrows they unleashed were. It was because the magic power summoned by the spirit of the bow was combined with the magic power of the two.
"What would you like Donnie to do?"
He smiled.
"I wish to remain as the young master's secretary."
"Do the other members feel the same?"
"We actually talked about it over breakfast. Rather than living a boring life in the palace, it's better to live adventurously with you, young master."
"I feel the same."
It seemed the rest of the team felt the same.
Currently, Donnie is the Sword of Light.
To be honest, he's not really in the position to be anyone's secretary.
I didn't give the members any special government post. Even without a post, as a unit directly under the king, even the Supreme Commander wouldn't be able to intervene. Their salary is higher than most as well.
There's also no point in granting noble titles. When the time for us to retire comes, the titles would only be honorary. Since we've done much in our youth, it's better to live comfortably and in wealth.
We planned to recruit captains for the Royal Guard and knight orders from our family, and pick the rest of the forces from among volunteers. There were plenty of volunteers, given the number of refugees.
From today, the purification operation begins.
If we take down the powerful vampires in Mouk and the coastal cities first, the rest will be handled by the forces.
Thus, the Eastern Army marched to Mouk, and the knights and forces of our family began the campaign to eradicate monsters and vampires. It was the same for Urada.
Eilin, together with Bellen, took Asgard and went to Robe. She said she would meet her father, who had evacuated to Dran, the sacred city, and check on their situation.
"Grill the meat here."
"Yes."
On the main street of Mouk's bustling district, we stacked firewood and lit a fire. Then we placed several huge whole pigs over the flames to roast them. We intended to lure monsters with the smell.
Kraaak—
A monster leaped out from an alley.
Thud—
That monster was also shot by an arrow and collapsed instantly. After a bit, monsters started converging from all around. Soon, a rather anticlimactic battle broke out.
What made the subjugation difficult until now were the vampires. Not only were they hard to catch, but if one was bitten, they'd become a vampire too, complicating matters.
So, during the day, we hunted monsters.
At night, we sprinkled blood on the streets and continued vampire hunts. After Mouk, we headed to the coast.
/ / /
Three weeks passed since I proclaimed the kingdom.
Wagons and carriages loaded with substantial supplies streamed toward the middle of our territory. The mobilized personnel alone numbered ten thousand.
Since all economic activity had ceased, when we announced recruitment for workers, over thirty thousand applied. There were countless people who hadn't earned a single coin in months.
I gazed down from the mountain peak.
I had come up with the two elders from Dran and Johnny.
Urald looked at the land and said,
"This is an excellent spot."
"It is. If there had been a strong nation in the East, anyone would have built a capital here."
It was a region we always passed through heading to Urada's territory. It takes about five days to get here from the stronghold or from Urada. With a paved road and a new carriage, two days suffices.
"You'll be using electric installations, right?"
"I have to."
"You may have requested it, young master, but since there are others watching, wouldn't it be better to maintain formalities?"
"I'm uncomfortable with that. Please treat me as before when it's just us."
The two smiled.
I'll have to get used to it gradually.
I surveyed the terrain again.
It was mostly flatland. The mountain we stood on was northeast of the capital, and to the west ran a large river flowing south. I chose this terrain because of that vast river.
If the enemy comes from the west, they'd have to cross the river—the river itself becomes a defensive wall. Cut the bridge, and they can't cross. We'll place fortresses by the river.
"The royal palace you designed is small—why?"
"I plan to use it as a palace at first, then convert it into the parliament building. Part of it will be used as the speaker's residence. Apart from the palace and annexes, the rest will be built slowly over time."
"Defending it will be difficult."
"We'll simply abandon the palace if needed. If only the palace stands in the open with no city around it, it's merely a fortress. Nation-building doesn't happen overnight."
We weren't going to construct the entire capital all at once. I would build the palace first and leave the rest to time and the people. But everything would be built according to my design.
All designs for that were finished. If people gradually gather and the city takes shape, it will be more sturdy and livable than any other.
"Johnny, start with the major fortresses and roads. If merchants want to settle, help them build shops at low cost. Give some benefits—they came first, after all."
"Yes, sir."
We descended the mountain.
I asked the two elders,
"How did you find out about Yuri's seal?"
"Previously, young master, you brought some books from the Red Dragon's library. Among those, there was a book written by the Red Dragon."
"I see."
"Rungha was deciphering it and stumbled upon a clue. Apparently, the Lord of Fire and the Red Dragon were rivals. The Lord of Fire supposedly lived on Fire Island."
"There was a fire monster there."
Wundbark added,
"Just as the monster was in the dragon's lair, perhaps that place originally belonged to the Lord of Fire."
Urald spoke again.
"Visit just once. If it is truly the Lord of Fire, he may be able to break the dragon's sealing magic placed on Yuri."
The only Fire Island I know of is that one. It's an isolated island with an extremely hard-to-capture monster, which is why it's called Guardian. But maybe it isn't a Guardian after all.
I headed to the carriage where Yuri was sleeping.
Since last year, Yuri has slept on and off whenever. It appears to be a side-effect of the magic that put her to sleep for so long.
"Someone's coming over there."
At Johnny's words, we all looked to the west.
Men were crossing the river's bridge.
They were knights wearing suits of armor.
They shouted something and waved their hands.
From the armor, I recognized who they were. Apparently, they had no idea we'd be here.
I met with those who came looking for me.
Four out of five officers.
"It's been a while, director Roger."
"What happened?"
"We heard about you from Grand Duke Mals."
"I'm glad you all survived."
"Don't even mention it. We never imagined the military would collapse so easily. Except for Lingo, we were all at the capital and evacuated together."
"What about Lingo?"
Brai shook his head.
"We lost contact with him. At the time, he was deputy-commander of the Northern Army, so he probably fled to the northern mountains."
"Did you come with the army during the evacuation?"
"The forces with us, including the four of us, number less than ten thousand. We were stationed east of Tris and the eastern coast, but we're still struggling with food shortages."
"What about your families?"
"I lost my father and older brother, and saved only my mother, but these friends evacuated with their families."
Oren spoke up.
"I was fortunate enough to meet my family during the evacuation. All of us lost our family assets. When we returned later, the vampires had taken everything."
They hadn't retreated because they couldn't defeat the vampires. Too many soldiers were dying, so they withdrew to reduce losses.
Brai, commander of the Capital Defense Force.
Code, imperial Army chief of staff.
Oren, chief prosecutor.
Mango, imperial Knight Order commander.
These were the posts they held till right before.
They were also all nobles.
"What brings you here to find me?"
"Shouldn't we reclaim the capital?"
"I don't intend to."
Code pressed further.
"If we leave it be, the capital will become a land of darkness."
"My only ties to the capital are business-related. I have no intention of getting involved, no matter what happens there."
Grand Duke Mals apparently hadn't mentioned anything else. They were still treating me as director of the intelligence bureau.
"Even if the empire is rebuilt, it won't be my country. If you choose to go to the capital, I won't stop you—but if you become part of our nation's army, I will accept you."
"Our nation?"
"I see."
Finally, they seemed to understand.
Why there were so many workers here.
"So, you mean that... this is the capital of the nation you're building?"
I nodded.
"I hope to have you as our military commanders. But you'll have to abandon all ties to the capital and settle in our country."
The officers were speechless.
They had connections to the capital, but the empire was gone.
Their family assets were lost.
"I'll carry on your noble titles, too. Since your families didn't have separate territories in the capital, it'll be the same here."
Apparently, they had only been thinking about reclaiming the empire. But with no money and a food shortage, it would be impossible to defend the capital if they retook it. People would only die.
"With the empire gone, various independent factions will declare their own countries. They're just not strong enough to move yet. But we have the capabilities."
I looked them in the eyes and continued.
"The vampire faction will surely establish itself in the capital. Therefore, your only choices are to join our military or the forces of other factions. Take your time and decide. That's all."
I promptly returned to my carriage.
"Please, wait a moment."
The four officers stood on the bare ground, having a serious conversation. Behind them, many workers were already putting up tents for lodging.
It seemed they also hoped to receive food when they came to ask for reinforcements. Since they received no reply even after sending word to Mouk, they came to meet me in person.
After a long discussion—
They all came to me.
"We've made our decision. We don't even know the name of this country, but we'll become its citizens and its soldiers."
"You've made a wise choice."
"Director... are you the king?"
"That's right."
They all knelt on one knee.
As if that's what they'd always done when meeting their king.
"We pay our respects to our king."
All four expressed their loyalty in unison.
I helped them to their feet.
"For now, please defend your current positions from monsters and vampires. If there are any refugees wishing to become citizens, you may send them here. We will employ them."
"There are quite a lot."
"How many?"
"All together, more than two hundred thousand."
"Probably a similar number elsewhere?"
"Yes. In the central interior, the coast, and the eastern coast, there are many refugees. Most of those we're protecting are people who came down from the capital."
All together, it was likely over a million.
No wonder food was in short supply.
Farming had come to a halt.
We were comparatively well-supplied. The Urada territory had reclaimed much land with underground waterworks, and we had large reserves of crops in preparation for the crisis.
"We'll accept refugees in phases. The conditions will be the same as yours. Once someone becomes our citizen, they can't naturalize into any new nation that forms in the capital."
"We'll relay the message."
"Send two thousand first. We'll employ them for construction and farming, and once buildings go up, they can return to their original trades. They can even get loans to open shops."
"There are quite a few with some assets."
"Tell the refugees with a bit of money we can immediately build shops and houses for them."
The officers bowed politely.
I didn't think we'd ever be short of people.
We were now the nation following the empire.
/ / /
From the construction site, I immediately traveled to Devil Island. Passing through the door of light opened by Bellen. Eilin also came along. Both had been in Robe for the past three weeks.
"How was Robe?"
"Those who evacuated to the sacred city were fine, but the city itself was in bad shape. Still, the kingdom didn't completely collapse."
"That's a relief."
"Yes."
The place the team and I arrived at was halfway up the mountain, where the source of magic power lay. Below us we could see a sideways-lying mountain. A rift in space-time had occurred there.
The team members who'd gone up first were filling magic bags to the brim with the magic source. Then, they spread magic pattern stones and beads all over the area to store the magical energy.
Due to some sort of rift, this area was thick with magical energy, so just leaving pattern stones and beads here would fill them up. This was a device created by the grand duke's family.
Everyone entered the volcano.
This was where I had previously obtained the power of rage. Molten lava flowed, and the Guardian of Flame was here.
I predicted the grand duke's side wouldn't move for a while, so I planned to take care of some remaining matters while I had a window of opportunity. Conveniently, we were heading in the same direction.
The team members and Eilin now had at least the magic power of the Sword of Light. What remained was mastery and enlightenment of the highest swordsmanship. That Fire Guardian, which once seemed so hard to capture, was easy now.
Kraaaa—
As we entered the lava cave, countless flame monsters poured out just like before.
"Wow! Fire!"
Yuri dashed forward.
Then, seeing Yuri, the monsters scattered in panic and ran back into the holes they'd come from.
"There's something bigger!"
Kwooooo—
A gigantic Flame Guardian let out a shriek.
Yuri immediately dashed toward the guardian.
We all ran as well.
Could that guardian be the Lord of Fire?
Will Yuri's seal be lifted?