Kill the Emperor

Translator: AkazaTL

Pr/Ed: Sol IX

***

Chapter 130 : Spoils

Aargh!

A burning pain felt in the right shoulder.

David eventually ended up letting out a scream.

Slice!

Before that scream could even end, David’s right arm flew through the air just as it was and rolled beside the bodies of the slave traders.

Ugh!

While applying pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding, he could not understand at all why such a thing had happened.

Three days ago.

David had confirmed the heads of the slave traders stuck on cross-shaped poles with their tongues sticking out.

After that, he had immediately launched a pursuit by mobilizing all the slave traders he had brought.

In order to promote the looting business currently being carried out throughout the border region without a hitch in the long term, it was necessary to slaughter the bastards who did such a thing without fear.

When he promised to give a great reward to the one who discovered the culprit's traces first, the slave traders, divided into several teams, rushed into the interior of Veradora.

Of course, David had asked each pursuit team not to attack recklessly even if they found them, but only to send a signal.

Because a pursuit team blinded by merit could attempt an individual attack and end up being defeated one by one.

Since the slave traders mobilized for this operation were veterans with rich experience in this kind of human hunting, no mishap was expected to occur once he had asked them this much.

“Operations Officer, news from Team 7, which was moving in the south-southwest direction, has been cut off!”

However, it did not take a day for it to be revealed that the judgment was wrong.

The ambush of the attacker was so clever that incidents occurred in succession where the pursuit teams, who were advancing while scattered, fell down dead without even being able to contact the main unit.

“……Contact the leaders of each team. We will advance as one, so tell them to join the main unit’s forces.”

Finally, at noon on the third day since the pursuit began.

David issued the order to each pursuit team to join the main unit only after losing nearly half of his total forces.

And around the time he was lost in thought about whether to retreat at this point or continue the pursuit…….

“Operations Officer! It’s an enemy ambush!”

Although he had lost half of his total forces, there were still more than 200 slave traders in the main unit.

So he did not think for a second that the enemy would aim for the main camp.

Naturally, the response could not help but be delayed.

By the time the main unit barely managed to pull their formation together, the situation had already ended.

“Y-You…… what is your identity? Do you know who we are!?”

David asked the identity of the masked attacker, but the attacker only swung his sword instead of answering.

What the two swords targeted was each different.

The left sword flew while aiming for David’s arm, and the right sword for his neck.

A moment later, David’s right arm and the necklace hanging on his neck flew through the air.

Clang!

Unlike the arm that fell to the ground mixed with the corpses of the slave traders, the necklace landed accurately on the attacker’s hand.

Hummmm-

A moment later, the necklace emitted a vivid light and spat out characters into the air.

“H-How!”

David, who watched this sight, let out a shout without realizing it.

For the sake of maintaining security, the field commanders deployed in this operation were using communication devices specially made in the form of necklaces.

A situation where all the instructions from the operation headquarters were delivered through the necklace.

‘Forcing information extraction……? That is definitely something that cannot be done unless one is at the 8th Circle, no, how did he realize that the necklace is a communication device?’

David, faced with a situation he could not understand at all, fell into a panic.

However, the attacker was preoccupied with extracting information without even paying attention to such a David.

‘Gilmore, Kunde. As expected, these fellows were the main culprits. And even the Empire.’

I, Hein Reichart, who confirmed through the forcibly extracted information that my guess was accurate, nodded my head.

‘T-This is trouble. All the various confidential matters shared with the headquarters are recorded in there. If that information is exposed……!’

However, what he truly had to worry about at this moment was not something like information leakage.

“……!”

Only after seeing the sword flashing while scattering a cold light did David realize that fact.

Thud.

The late realization did not prevent David’s head from being separated from his torso.

The attacker, who had obtained all the desired information, moved his steps toward the direction where his companions were waiting.

There was no need to worry about the cleanup.

Because the monsters of Veradora, running wild thanks to the atrocities committed by these fellows who had become corpses, would handle it on their own.

Step, step.

In that way, David, a high-ranking officer belonging to the Special Missions Department of the Esper Kingdom, and his subordinate ‘Special Mission Pioneering Team 3’ met their annihilation in the land of Veradora.

***

“Ha, what a relief. That Para was safely reunited with her family. Perhaps because my mind is at ease, I slept very comfortably last night.”

Three days later.

I and Sherazade sat across from each other in the guest room of the Veradora royal castle while tilting our teacups.

Thanks to the protection of the two of us, Para was able to arrive safely at the Watub encampment that was near Thebaia yesterday.

“Para!”

“Mom! Dad!”

“Yes. My daughter. How much I missed you.”

The mother, who had been bedridden thinking of her missing youngest daughter, and the father, who wanted to leave to find Para immediately if he could but was unable to do so due to his assigned mission, hugged Para while shedding tears.

“……I don’t know how to express gratitude to the saviors of our family……”

The old man with an impressive white beard, who served as the highest-ranking chief of the Watub, repeatedly offered words of gratitude while holding onto my hand.

“If there is anything we can do to help the distinguished guests……”

“Grandfather! I have something to tell you!”

Para, who was held in her mother’s arms, wiped away her welling tears and then spoke quietly while hanging onto her grandfather’s lap.

She told him about my identity and why I had come all the way here.

“The Grand Duke of Zodiac…… speaks of Her Majesty?”

Toward the highest chief, who could not give a guarantee that he would arrange an audience because the timing was what it was,

I put forward the hidden card I had been preparing.

“……!”

What was held in my hand was a piece of World Tree bark that had ‘completely regained its vitality’.

For the highest chief, who had only seen the World Tree losing its vitality and becoming crumbly in recent years, it was something he could not help but be surprised by.

“Regarding this, I have something to tell Her Majesty of your country.”

“This! I will soon speak of this to Her Majesty, so could you please wait for just a little while?”

The next morning.

I and Sherazade were invited to the guest room of the royal castle to have an audience with Queen Simeon.

“It is an important meeting. Please make sure not to make any mistakes.”

“Yes, yes. Don’t worry. But you see, Master.”

Sherazade, who was munching on an eclair topped with plenty of whipped cream, suddenly spoke while staring intently at me.

“Have I ever caused an accident during that time?”

“……No. There has been no such time.”

“Then why are you having such worries?”

“Well…… why would that be?”

When I thought about it carefully, until now, Sherazade had been helpful if anything, and had never made a mistake even once.

However, it was true that strangely, when I looked at Sherazade, I felt like I was looking at a child let out near the water.

Is it because the appearance she usually shows is so innocent?

“Her Majesty has finished her preparations. I shall guide you.”

While I was lost in thought for a moment, a servant in neat attire approached and guided the two of us to the Queen’s quarters.

“Your Majesty, the Grand Duke of Reichart has arrived.”

“Bring him in.”

What was heard from inside the door was a clear and clean voice that did not match her age at all.

“Please enter.”

After taking a deep breath once, I stepped inside the blue-lit door.

“The Grand Duke must have gone through much trouble to come such a long way.”

“I, Hein Reichart of Zodiac, pay a visit to ‘The Mother of the Greenest Forest’. I am merely grateful that you have readily allocated your precious time despite me requesting it so suddenly.”

Simeon was a small-statured Avian old woman with hair as white as snow and feathers slightly whiter than that.

The wrinkles filling the corners of her eyes could momentarily make her look like merely a weak old woman.

However, I knew all too well that inside those layered folds, experience and wisdom far surpassing those of ordinary people were accumulated.

“Not at all. I heard the Grand Duke bestowed a great favor upon a child of the Watub. If the situation were not this complicated, I would have prepared a place to commend the Grand Duke’s favor. I only hope you understand that I could not do so.”

Even though she was superior in age, rank, and even the size of the land, Simeon did not use informal speech with me.

By this fact alone, one could guess what her character was like.

“Who is that lovely lady next to the Grand Duke?”

“It is Lady Sherazade, who is helping me.”

“I pay a visit to The Mother of the Greenest Forest. It is only overwhelming that you have allowed such a precious meeting.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you. Such a gallant young man and a lovely lady. Just looking at you seems to make me feel better.”

Around the time Simeon showed a warm smile once again,

The middle-aged knight standing next to her set down a plate containing the piece of World Tree bark I had delivered.

“Grand Duke, as I just mentioned, the situation of this country is not very good right now. Seeing you bring this, it seems the Grand Duke also knows the reason why this country is experiencing confusion.”

“That is so, Your Majesty.”

“If it is not an intrusion, could we hear an explanation regarding the process of how the Grand Duke learned of this news?”

“Of course. Actually, lately, my home country and Wind Tail have ended up in an uncomfortable relationship for several reasons. And Wind Tail is in a situation where they are like one body with the Esper Kingdom. The Esper Kingdom has pulled tricks several times to shake Zodiac, and I naturally became interested in the trends of Wind Tail and Esper.”

I explained the circumstances of how I sensed the anomaly that occurred in the World Tree by mixing half-truths and truths that I did not bother to reveal.

“……Through such a process, I learned the circumstances and purpose of how the Special Missions Department of the Esper Kingdom obtained the special solution. Shall I say I was lucky in a way? Since the members I had placed in hiding were able to witness that sight at just that time.”

“The fact that the Grand Duke was able to realize their plot would not be simple luck, but because of the Grand Duke’s foresight.”

“Thank you for saying so, Your Majesty. However, my regret is that I have not been able to secure firm physical evidence that the Esper Kingdom is behind the plot. Since unfortunately, all I can tell Your Majesty is circumstantial evidence.”

Of course, I could not know to what extent Simeon would trust my words.

However, she would not be able to completely ignore his words.

Unless she was a fool, she wouldn't be able to think that the provocations from Esper, which had been gradually crossing the line recently, and the tragedy that occurred in the World Tree were completely unrelated.

‘She must have been suspicious from the start. If they didn't have the certainty that Veradora couldn't turn its forces outward, those Esper bastards wouldn't have been able to commit atrocities to this extent.’

And another reason Simeon had no choice but to lend an ear to my words.

The piece of the completely revived World Tree bark was precisely that.

Since I had shown a clue that could save the sick World Tree, Simeon, whether she liked it or not, needed to grasp my inner thoughts.

I directly met Simeon’s gaze that was fixed on me.

‘Simeon is merely thoughtful and gentle; she is by no means a pushover. Once she gains the certainty that the main culprit who polluted the World Tree is Esper, she will definitely take direct action after calming the confusion.’

When and how much information I know will I give to Simeon.

How will I time the complete healing of the World Tree.

Depending on this, the flow of the southeastern part of the continent will completely change.

‘If Veradora operates its full power in a normal state, Esper is no match for it. Even so, Veradora won’t try to destroy Esper altogether. It will probably end with recovering their wounded pride.’

This meeting was a very important place to open the floodgates of a rapidly changing flow.

There was something I absolutely had to obtain by taking advantage of this intense flow.

‘The most important thing is Veradora’s trust. I must gain enough trust to be able to form an absolute alliance regardless of the difference in national power between Zodiac and Veradora. And.’

Wind Tail’s assets, commercial network, experience, even the territory that fellow Kunde occupies and sits on.

‘I will make all of this mine.’