Chapter 77
Chapter 77: Hero (5)
"You must have many questions."
The Four Pillars of the Empire.
The Emperor had gathered all four pillars supporting the empire in one place.
He needed to have a deep conversation before them.
'Finally, he's talking about Erik.'
The four dukes gathered before the throne waited for the Emperor's explanation with feelings of relief.
There were more than a few questions, given how unrealistic the recent events had been.
Especially for the Prime Minister, Duke of Fernasia.
'What on earth is His Majesty thinking…….'
It was true that Erik had achieved great deeds, but the rewards the Emperor had given were far too excessive.
'He suddenly gave away land in the capital, granted the Fragment of the Moon, and then drew hundreds of millions of gold from the imperial treasury…….'
The Prime Minister was growing exhausted by the endless succession of meetings without even time to resolve his doubts.
At minimum, things needed to make sense for him to say anything at all.
Not only the Prime Minister, but the other three dukes shared similar thoughts.
"I don't think you will understand. However, at minimum, some comprehension is necessary."
The Emperor began the conversation with the premise that they would not understand.
"—Long ago, in the original texts of the holy scriptures, there are tales of the Three Deities and a hero."
It was a story from ancient times that lacked even records.
"—In the tales of the empire's founder passed down only to the imperial family, a hero appears as well. You must know this well."
The Emperor's words continued smoothly, and his conclusion was that Erik possessed the qualities of a hero.
At this, the Prime Minister held his breath and asked.
"Your Majesty—. Do you truly believe he is a hero?"
The Prime Minister, Duke of Fernasia, posed the question to the Emperor.
It was a statement that was simply unbelievable.
That Erik was a remarkable being and a strong individual who would lead the empire's next generation was certainly undeniable.
However, that very title was utterly incomprehensible to him.
'How can one bestow the title of hero on someone not of the imperial family…….'
Before the Prime Minister's widened eyes, the Emperor stroked his chin and said "Hmm."
The Prime Minister's red beard trembled slightly.
In the end, the Prime Minister could not hold back.
He blurted out as if sighing.
"How could it be—the forgotten name of the First Emperor Your Majesty……. His origin was an orphan from the stateless zone—."
"Origin."
Erik was born as an orphan in a conflict zone.
But then, what was the Emperor before his birth?
The conversation shifted to discussing the empire's foundation.
"You understand well. The Four Pillars of the Empire are, after all, descendants of those who followed that hero and established the empire's framework, are they not?"
The First Emperor was not an emperor from the beginning.
The First Emperor was an orphan born in the depths of the demon realm.
As he grew, he became a warrior.
Soon he was called a hero and reborn as a being that led the light.
That light gathered to form a nation.
As the light spread, it illuminated the continent.
Thus the empire was born.
"Does it seem hard to believe?"
The Emperor asked, looking at each of the faces below the throne one by one.
The Prime Minister, Duke of Fernasia.
Raffin, Duke and Master of the Magic Alliance.
Mastia, Duke and Lord of the Southern Great Granary.
Marok, Duke and Ruler of the East.
'How can he place the empire's founder on the same level as Erik…….'
The Prime Minister lowered his gaze with a face showing incomprehension.
'A reproduction of scripture—.'
It was Raffin, Duke, who was the first to comprehend.
He was in a position to have witnessed the scene he had read about in scripture.
The single strike Erik brought down extended from the earth to the heavens, and it consumed a massive black dragon.
"I understand, Your Majesty."
Duke Raffin had received multiple penalties due to the matter involving Marquis Aaron.
'His Majesty has conviction.'
Command over his faction, ownership of magical tool production factories, and supervisory authority over his domain—all of this was shifting to Erik, a rather excessive punishment.
But if he was a hero, if the Emperor himself acknowledged him as a hero—
It was a story that made perfect sense.
'Still, he left one thing.'
However, the Emperor had not taken away a single authority.
Having reached this point in his thoughts, Duke Raffin bowed to the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, I, Jenedik Raffin, wish to pass my dukedom to my successor and stand at the vanguard of the coming war."
The single authority remaining to him.
It was command over his magical forces under his rule.
"Ha-ha! Excellent. I shall place my Crown Prince and Duke side by side at the very front."
The Emperor laughed heartily and nodded.
Then he looked at the remaining three dukes.
'So he truly meant for us to become fertilizer for the hero.'
Witnessing Raffin's swift change in stance, the remaining dukes' minds worked quickly.
"—Regarding the Saint Erik, we Four Pillars will unconditionally follow Your Majesty's will."
Agreement was reached in an instant.
The Emperor, with a satisfied expression, issued the order to leave the audience, and the three dukes swiftly departed.
The Prime Minister, left alone, stared fixedly at the Emperor.
"The First Prince has not returned, has he?"
"It would seem so."
"However, was it necessary to give him an object signifying succession rights……?"
"There is no need to worry. That scoundrel Erik has no interest whatsoever in the throne."
"That, that may be easier said—"
"He told me so himself."
After a brief pause, the Emperor looked toward the doors of the audience hall.
To the Emperor, the presence of a massive Paladin was distinctly felt.
He had surely come because he wanted money.
"What on earth did he…"
"He said he desires money and power without responsibility."
The Prime Minister bowed without responding.
Since he too knew Erik well, he could not help but understand.
It might be different with others, but regarding Erik, the Emperor's words seemed right.
"Prime Minister, when a hero is born, he becomes the light that illuminates the world. That light drives away darkness and descends by the name of peace."
The Emperor's gaze was fixed on the distant past.
"But eventually, the name hero is forgotten."
"……."
"After the world becomes one, don't you wonder how the hero will be remembered?"
A hero shining in an age of chaos fades in times of peace.
The Emperor desired peace.
He longed to see how a forgotten hero would be remembered in a tranquil continent.
***
'Being forgotten is truly a sad thing.'
While waiting for the Emperor, Erik felt a bitter sentiment.
[You have acquired Faith.]
[Current GP: 64,125]
The amount of GP being added had decreased overwhelmingly.
Just an hour ago, he had used [Starfall] for the clearing, and tens of thousands of people had witnessed that sight.
Yet it was already decreasing like this.
'It's decreasing faster than with the imperial army in the Labyrinth.'
Humans are said to be creatures of forgetfulness, are they not?
He had heard that this was why humans did not go mad and could continue living.
'Certainly, if my memories of life in the conflict zone had remained so vivid, I too would have gone mad, but…….'
He certainly understood the reasoning.
Yet the decreasing amount of GP left a regret in one corner of Erik's heart.
'So that's why they pray so much……?'
At that moment, a spark lit up in Erik's mind.
The Three Deities of the mortal realm, the roots of three religions.
In this harsh world, there were churches and cathedrals and temples aplenty.
It was similar to Earth's level.
'To avoid being forgotten.'
Now possessing the power of a god, Erik became certain of that reason.
It was obvious.
'Gods gain power from believers, and some of those believers receive a portion of that power'
If one were to translate this into [System] terms, it would function similarly to his [Faith Management] function.
Erik reached such a conclusion.
"Please come in."
Right then, an imperial attendant appeared to guide Erik.
The Emperor had apparently given permission for the audience.
"You've come—."
"I greet Your Majesty."
Erik bowed his head before the great throne, and the Emperor summoned Butler Kim and ordered him to bring hundreds of millions of gold.
Boom!
'What, what—.'
Boom!
Boom!
Imperial Royal Guards began stacking enormous boxes before Erik's eyes.
The scale was enormous.
As the final box was stacked with a Boom!, the Emperor opened his mouth.
"Director Erik, did you say money solves everything?"
Normally, Erik would have broken into a beaming smile, but now his expression was completely blank.
His eyes rounded just like Jang Du-sik's, he merely stared at the enormous boxes before him.
'That's all—.'
The open boxes were filled to the brim with gold coins.
Moreover, platinum coins made by mixing silver.
"—It is ten billion gold."
Huh.
Erik's eyes just blinked.
'What?'
How much did he say……?
Not one billion, but ten billion.
In won, that was a sum reaching one trillion.
All of this?
"Gold is what a great emperor can most easily give."
The Emperor spat out a single phrase, casually, toward Erik like that.
Despite the tone being matter-of-fact, tremendous pride was felt.
Only then did Erik gather his wits and bow to the Emperor.
"I am deeply moved by Your Majesty's grace as vast as the great sea."
A fresh smile played at the corners of his mouth.
Looking down at the bowing Erik, the Emperor asked.
"Director Erik, did you say meetings were troublesome?"
Certainly, Erik had said that.
But now that he had received ten billion gold, his heart had changed.
"If you wish it, I am ready at any time."
"That's enough."
The Emperor waved his hand with a rather displeased expression.
"The next agenda is the Continental Unification War."
Instead, he informed him of what the upcoming meeting would discuss.
"Thanks to you, the empire's nobility have truly become one, so I am at ease."
It was about the Possessors.
The hidden Possessors had all been found by Erik—the empire's nobility were now entirely imperial.
And among them, Raffin's faction had all agreed to cast their votes in support of the Emperor's faction according to Erik's will, so the war had become a foregone conclusion.
'Things will become busy from now on.'
In other words, the Emperor's words meant that the meetings that would now take place would focus on "war preparations" rather than "for or against war."
"The Labyrinth has given us a reprieve of sixty days. The empire plans to prepare for the continental war."
As he had expected, the Emperor said that during the sixty-day grace period, he would prepare for war.
"Director Erik, what do you intend to accomplish during that period?"
The Emperor was curious about what Erik, who had said he would not participate in the war, planned to do.
Erik spoke.
"I intend to go to the demon realm and find the headquarters of the Black Mage Group."
His eyes gleamed with a golden light.
The Emperor smiled with satisfaction.
'I wondered why he was clinging to the Astia Religious Order…….'
The Emperor had felt a question about why the Saint, who denied God, would insist on clinging to the Order.
But with the mention of finding the Black Mage Group, he immediately understood.
'A holy war.'
The Emperor conquers the continent where humans live.
Erik destroys the demon realm where humans cannot live.
Roughly, that was the idea.
***
Having secured ten billion gold, Erik walked toward the church in great strides.
He had expanded his slots with the acquired GP and planned to place Janson in the added slot.
'Ammunition is sufficient.'
Truly, hundreds of millions in gold.
There would be no problem with Janson becoming a believer either.
He also had the intention to purchase plenty of [Skills] if he had leftover money.
With such good things ahead of him, Erik's face was deeply furrowed.
'That bastard Kang Pung-ho.'
Erik could hear the voices of his believers.
The ability he had not confirmed accurately before due to Janson's interference—he now clearly identified its source.
'It wasn't the priest but a Possessor who was the main one.'
Even before, he felt that Kang Pung-ho's voice, mixed with nasal tones and flirtation, was particularly loud, and now he knew the reason.
"Older sister! Surely, surely you'll protect me, right?"
"Of course! Jina, don't worry and just show them the designs!"
At the sight of Kang Pung-ho spouting unnecessary Earth knowledge, anger naturally boiled up in Erik.
Thus, as he passed through District 1, he used Miracle of Teleportation.
Flash!
Erik's body disappeared in a flash of light.
"I'm Kang Ji-na. I'm a Possessor who was granted amnesty thanks to Erik this time! I can draw clothing similar to Earth's garments quite accurately."
"P-pleased to meet you."
"I'm Seri. I'm a first-generation resident of our orphanage, and you could say I'm someone similar to Erik's older sister."
Keeeee!
A clear golden cross-shaped form bloomed behind Kang Pung-ho's back.
Ruelle stopped speaking.
'Ugh…….'
Kang Pung-ho saw her reflection in Ruelle's cyan-blue eyes.
Behind her back appeared a miracle.
And through it, emerged a massive Paladin.
It was Erik.
Flinch!
Kang Pung-ho's shoulders trembled.
Her sharply trimmed short hair swayed.
The enormous presence felt behind her back.
Kang Pung-ho swallowed her saliva.
"It seems you were having an interesting conversation in my absence."
And the voice that reached her ears.
Kang Pung-ho surveyed Erik through Ruelle's pupils.
He was standing right behind her—.
'Please…….'
Kang Pung-ho looked pleadingly at Ruelle.
Fortunately, she kept her promise.
"Erik. You're not subtly threatening Jina right now, are you?"
"……Ah, not Jina, but Pung-ho. Ahem. No, that is not my intention."
Under Ruelle's sharp gaze, Erik backed down.
'Even after she converted for me…….'
When Ruelle had even apostatized for him, he could not create trouble over a mere Possessor issue.
With the relationship with the Astia Religious Order still unresolved, Ruelle and her church occupied a very important position in Erik's circumstances.
"—Phew."
Erik set aside his complicated sentiments and approached Ruelle.
Kang Pung-ho watched Erik pass by her with bated breath, but he didn't even glance at her.
Instead, he addressed Seri, the first-generation resident of the orphanage who stood beside Ruelle.
"Seri, it's been a long time. Ah, I should say Older Sister Seri, shouldn't I?"
Seri Bland, the head of 'Erwell,' a company dealing in imperial luxuries and luxury goods, flinched in surprise and waved her hands at Erik.
"……P-please. Don't call me older sister."
During their orphan days in the conflict zone, Seri had called Erik a crazy brat.
"Crazy brat, don't keep trying to climb up just because you're cute, and call me older sister!"
She had said so while claiming her mental age was over thirty—.
"Are you finding it burdensome now, sir?"
Seeing Erik grow 10 centimeters every month from around age ten, Seri thought his words were not empty boasting.
Moreover, Erik had pushed her relentlessly, making her do mindless labor, and had her create luxury goods.
He had her work until she succeeded.
'And he was terribly harsh about it.'
When she reached the age of independence, Erik had her adopted into a noble family and had her build a luxury brand.
Several years had passed since her liberation like that.
'How did it come to this…….'
Due to the catastrophe called the Great Cataclysm Patch, she had once again received Erik's summons.
"Well, there's nothing particularly that I need to ask of Older Sister—."
Erik's gaze as he stared at her.
'What does he want……?'
From her life in the conflict zone to her time living in the imperial capital, District 4.
The memories carved into Seri's bones clearly grasped Erik's intentions.
'Could it be that he's telling me not to make this?'
Her eyes went to the bundle of papers Ruelle had just handed her.
Erik had roughly drawn a picture on the dirt ground and said to implement it.
'Yet something so intricate.'
In contrast, the papers she had just received contained very detailed and intricate drawings.
However, she soon turned her gaze and nodded to Erik.
After that, Erik gazed at Ruelle's neck—and turned his gaze back to Seri, showing a long stare.
Only then did Seri nod and give her answer.
"I'll just focus on doing what I've been doing."
A brief exchange of glances brought old memories flooding back to Erik.
'Are we family of sorts?'
Being able to understand each other's intentions just by exchanging looks felt quite pleasant.
One hundred steps of perception.
That was what Erik was like.
'Something suspicious…….'
It was a somewhat suspicious conversation, but Ruelle did not grasp the truth behind it.
With a listless expression, Ruelle asked Erik.
"So Erik, what brings you here?"
"I came to meet Janson."
"That……. Janson? Janson is with Marco, so suddenly?"
Marco, Director of Imperial Daily News.
He too was one of Erik's fellow orphans.
"It's fortunate, as I have something I need to have him do as well."
Saying so, Erik leaned his face toward Ruelle's ear.
Ruelle was startled and held her breath at the suddenly shortened distance.
Then Erik whispered.
"Would you not like to see a Possessor become a believer?"