—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The imperial capital, Olympus.
A place that can be said to be the undisputed political, cultural, and military heart of the empire, with a huge population of 500,000.
And at this moment.
Inside this huge city, there was a group of people carefully moving around wearing robes.
“We’re here. We’re safe here for now.”
“Hoo…”
A large bridge located in the center of the city.
Immediately after arriving under it, Hector, who had led the group to this point, sat down, and the others… to be exact, the other demons also sat down for a while to rest.
Some of them began to doze off due to the effects of the relentless forced march in deep tension for a long time.
And some of them maintained their vigilance around them without relaxing their tension even in this situation.
And, among the demons who were taking a breath like that, Samuel, the leader of the group, asked Hector in his unique, dry voice.
“It’s amazing, but I’ve been feeling it all the way here, but how do you know about places like this?”
A place that is not easily seen by people because it is located under a large bridge, and at the same time, a place where many people are passing by right above their heads, so it is inevitably vulnerable to defense.
Looking around at this place, which can be said to be optimized for hiding, Samuel asked. In response, Hector tore off the jerky he had brought as food and said in a quiet voice.
“I know these kinds of places well because I spent my childhood in the back alleys. If I stole bread and hid here, no one could find me.”
“Hmm… I see. If there was a place like this, I would have used it too. It would be perfect for stealing an apple from a fruit store and hiding…”
Samuel spoke in a tone that felt a bit sympathetic to Hector’s words.
In response to her words, Hector asked her with a slightly surprised expression.
“Does that mean… you were originally from a commoner background too?”
“To be exact, I’m from a fallen noble family, but since I’ve lived no differently from a commoner, there’s not much difference.”
“I see… Well, if you don’t have power backing you up, there’s not much difference between a noble and a commoner anyway.”
“In the end, you have to eat when you’re hungry. And you have to sleep when you’re tired.”
Like that, feeling a sense of commonality in a strange part, the two quietly began to continue their own stories.
“A bit further up from here, there’s a massive port. If you wandered around the area, you could sometimes find
decent fish without too much trouble.”
“Fish… you seem to have been eating some pretty precious things. There was no port in the village I lived in, so
it was like picking stars in the sky to get seafood.”
“Don’t say that. It’s only for a day or two, but living by eating only half-rotten sardines every day is a terrible
memory even now.”
As Hector recalled the memories of the past, which were still not very pleasant to him, Samuel was listening to the
surprisingly interesting stories.
The two were able to find peace of mind for a while, with a big task ahead of them.
“You’re surprisingly easy to talk to. If there’s a chance later, let’s talk again.”
“I will. If there’s a chance… definitely.”
Seeing Samuel slowly getting up from his seat after finishing those words, Hector showed a smile that seemed to be visible.
Like that, the two finished their time of being immersed in the emotions of the past and began to show a serious expression again.
The demons successfully infiltrated the imperial capital.
Now that the sun was slowly setting, they had to start the mission that had been given to them.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The imperial palace located in the center of Olympus.
There, a group of vassals were respectfully kneeling down as they looked at the person in front of them.
A person who exudes unique dignity and authority while sitting on the throne.
A face with red scars, and a look that shows belligerence at a glance.
Kratos III, the emperor of the Falcon Empire
The ruler who governs this land, and the symbol of absolute power and authority that reigns over this vast and
powerful empire…
At this moment, he was slightly frowning as he looked at the vassals who were noisily talking in front of him.
“The elves’ resistance is more difficult than expected.”
“The 3rd Legion attempted to advance recklessly and suffered enormous damage.”
“We win every battle in the plains, but we always fail in the forests. At this rate, it’s impossible to advance any
further.”
“Hmm…”
The war with the elves was going on with more difficulty than imagined.
In response, the vassals of the empire were raising voices of deep concern.
The war with the elves, which broke out immediately after the alliance war, which had consumed a considerable amount of power, was placing a considerable burden on the national power of the Falcon Empire, which was running at its peak.
The fact that national power was depleted was similar for them, but nevertheless, the difference in the burden of invasion and defense could not help but be quite large.
Currently, a total of 70,000 imperial troops have been deployed to the Elf Church.
Maintaining the supply line and sending reinforcements to support them was not an easy task, and at the same time,
the terrain and geography were extremely advantageous to them.
Fortunately, the empire’s powerful national power and overflowing talented people were somehow overcoming these difficulties, but even that was only maintaining the status quo for now.
As the overall situation was not going well like that. As he looked at the vassals who were expressing concern, the
emperor…
Kratos III, who has the nickname of the Iron Monarch. He said in a voice filled with coldness.
“So, what is it that you want to say after all? Are you saying that we should do nothing and negotiate with those
elves?”
“Ah… no. That’s not it, but…”
“We just mean that the situation is not good, so we should take a break and discuss strategies…”
“Strategies? So, have there been any useful strategies that you have come up with so far? Every time you say
something, it’s just that the situation is difficult or that the enemies’ resistance is not easy!”
“Th.. that is…”
The vassals could no longer say anything to the emperor’s cold rebuke.
At that time…
“Your Majesty.”
In the silence that swept by for a moment, suddenly a voice began to be heard.
However, this was not a sound coming from among the many vassals in front of the emperor.
The place where the voice was heard was right next to the emperor.
One of the three knights of the empire, who was in charge of his escort.
It was from Achilles’ mouth.
“If it’s not rude, Your Majesty… may I tell you the strategy that I have?”
“Hoo… do you have a way? Tell me.”
The emperor, who had been feeling frustrated among the vassals who had only been showing incompetent attitudes, began to feel a little refreshed.
Looking at him, Achilles began to tell the ‘strategy’ he had in a calm voice.
“After all, the current difficult situation is because the terrain of the Elf Church is a hindrance. If we can
solve this, it will not be difficult to win.”
“That’s right, but are you saying that there is a way to do something about the terrain?”
“Yes, I do, Your Majesty. Actually, I’ve been preparing for this kind of thing for a long time…”
As he told the strategy he had prepared, Achilles began to show a cruel smile on his lips for a moment.
At that time…
Kwa gwangg!!!!!!
“Huh?”
“Wh… what is it?”
The next moment, a loud explosion suddenly began to be heard.
In response, those in the castle began to be seized with bewilderment.
“What the hell is going on? Where did the explosion come from?”
“Yo.. Your Majesty, look over there! Look over there!”
At the words of a soldier, the emperor and the vassals began to look out the window.
It was black smoke rising from not far from the center of the imperial capital.
And, a bright red flame flickering in between.
“Isn’t that the magic workshop?”
“It seems so. Did some magic experiment fail again?”
“I don’t think it’s that level. At that scale… something big must have happened.”
Explosions at magic workshops that had often happened in the past.
However, the scene they were seeing at this moment was quite different from those.
Not a simple accident…
If you only look at the appearance, it looks like someone deliberately caused the explosion.
In response, the emperor urgently ordered to find out the situation, and at the same time, the soldiers who
received the order hurriedly tried to leave the palace.
At that time…
“Your Majesty!”
“Huh? You are…”
“Great Priest Aileen. How did you get here…”
Aileen, who came in as if crossing paths with the soldier who was leaving the palace.
People wondered at the fact that she, who should have been in Thebes, had appeared here, but ignoring their gazes, Aileen went straight across the center of the palace to the emperor.
And…
“Your Majesty. I, Great Priest Aileen, have come to inform you urgently.”
“What’s going on?”
An unexpected person appeared at the same time as an unexpected situation occurred.
Bowing his head to the emperor, who was wondering about this,
Aileen began to open her mouth in a calm voice.
The story of the wicked conspiracy of the Magic Kingdom that she had experienced before coming here.
Lol my prediction was reversed. Now every atk the demons does will become the work of the magic kingdom.