Chapter 247

Chapter 247

The northern front gained momentum with the emperor’s involvement. The emperor’s guards also joined the northern imperial army. The most powerful army in the civilized world was now in the north.0

‘His Majesty came with a clear intent. He has decided to put an end to the northern front first.’0

Alfnan lowered his helmet visor and mounted his horse. The Sun Warriors who followed him began to gather one by one.0

The Sun Warriors had always been the emperor’s loyal right-hand men. Since all members of the Sun Warriors were either barbarians or mixed blood, they had no ties to the civilized world. This made them a force free from political conflicts or power struggles of the empire.0

‘The independence of the north shook the hearts of the Sun Warriors.’0

Most of the Sun Warriors were of northern origin. Even those who had always remained unmoved by the bribes of the nobles decided to take action for the freedom of their people.0

‘This is all the result of the growth of the influence of Solarism in the north....’0

The original purpose of the formation of the Sun Warriors was to strengthen the emperor’s power internally, but the more publicly known purpose was the conversion of barbarians. Naturally, protecting the converted kin was also a part of the Sun Warriors' mission.0

‘In hindsight, it was only a matter of time before a division like this happened. Recruiting members based on their faith was the mistake.’0

Only the Sun Warriors who were loyal to their secular desires remained with the empire. They knew that joining the northern rebels would only bring hardship.0

“I... will rise to even greater heights, no matter what,” Alfnan muttered.0

He had dedicated his entire life to becoming the commander of the Sun Warriors. The core of power was within his reach. The power and authority that rivaled even the great nobles had almost been his before it slipped away right as he was about to grasp it.0

‘It’s not too late yet. His Majesty has given me another chance.’0

Alfnan looked at the rebels’ fortress. It was incredibly strong, built with the empire's fortification techniques.0

‘A fortress built to keep out the northerners has now become their shield.’0

Alfnan took a deep breath and pulled the reins. He stood at the forefront with the Sun Warriors under his command. The Sun Warriors had been reduced to about a hundred men due to betrayal and casualties.0

Buuuuup!0

The trumpeter blew with all his might, swelling his chest and cheeks.0

“Chaaaaarge!”0

The Sun Warriors’ standard-bearer raised the flag high. At the signal, the Sun Warriors charged valiantly.0

“The gate is open! They are coming out to intercept us!”0

Armed rebels poured out from the gate.0

Alfnan raised his head, awaiting orders.0

‘We charge.’0

The main force's standard-bearer waved the charging flag. Alfnan led the Sun Warriors and soldiers to clash with the rebels’ formation.0

“Ugh, ughhh!”0

The armies collided. Metal clashed and flesh was crushed. Blood soaked the ground.0

“Stand up! Advance! We will clear the way!”0

Alfnan swung his sword wide. The battlefield, tangled with people, was no different from hell. Death relentlessly claimed lives.0

Alfnan’s unit desperately retaliated against the northerners.0

“Ooooooh!”0

Even in the empire, the Sun Warriors were considered to be an elite force. Even the northern warriors retreated in the face of the might of the Sun Warriors.0

Creak, creak.0

The sound of wheels turning came from the rear.0

“Clear the way! It’s the Fire of the Empire!”0

Soldiers shouted loudly from behind. The imperial army parted, allowing a cart with a steel cannon to be set up before the northern warriors.1

Bubble, bubble.0

Something was boiling.1

Fwooooosh!0

A rough flame shot out from the steel cannon on the cart.0

“A-aaargh!”0

Northern warriors caught in the flames screamed. The fire that had been sprayed along with a black liquid did not extinguish easily. Even when cloaks were beaten on it and the warriors rolled on the ground, the flames persistently burned until there was simply no more left to burn.0

Yanchinus propped his chin and looked at the fortress.0

‘It’s pathetic that we’re stuck because of a fortress we built ourselves.’0

They should have been more vigilant toward the northerners.0

‘I thought Solarism’s growing influence would make it easier for them to assimilate into the empire.... Who could have guessed it would become a pretext for claiming an independent kingdom?’0

Yanchinus had attempted to draw even the barbarians into the empire. He aggressively implemented the barbarian inclusion policy and spread Solarism among them. However, despite his efforts, the northerners had rebelled.0

‘The empire’s territory has become too vast compared to its core to manage. If we’re going to extend our power to the west and the eastern continent, we need to organize ourselves internally, first. I’ll start with the Langkegart Kingdom, which has practically collapsed. They should be made part of the empire....’0

Yanchinus felt the need to reorganize the empire before facing a new world.0

“A kingdom of northerners? Hah, nonsense.”0

Yanchinus laughed aloud. Just as he was confident of victory, a scout came running, knelt, and reported.0

“Your Majesty! An army is advancing from the west.”0

Yanchinus frowned and looked at the horizon. The smoke was thick. It meant a large force had arrived there.0

“Whose banner?”0

“It is the banner of Gray Wolf! It’s the army of the Caselmaroni Kingdom!”0

Caselmaroni was an inland mountainous kingdom located in the northwest.0

‘I thought I had Caselmaroni in the palm of my hands through Count Whelan.’0

Yanchinus furrowed his brows.0

‘I’ll have to execute Count Whelan when I’m back in the empire. He sure talks a lot, but he is useless.’0

There was no way Caselmaroni had brought a whole army to support the empire. No matter how close a kingdom was to the empire, it seldom helped in its conquest activities. Diplomatic closeness aside, the empire was fundamentally an invader, and the kingdoms were technically under subjugation.0

“A messenger from Caselmaroni has arrived.”0

“Haha, let’s hear what grand plan they have for coming here!”0

Yanchinus swallowed his anger and laughed. He stood up to greet the messenger.0

“It is an honor to come before the ruler of the world.”0

The messenger, wearing light armor, bowed as he fluttered his cloak. He handed over a letter bearing the King of Caselmaroni’s will.0

“As sons of Lou, Caselmaroni supports the Solarists of the north?”0

Yanchinus skimmed through the content and scoffed. The King of Caselmaroni supported the formation of the northern kingdom. The logic was that since the northerners also believed in Solarism, they had the appropriate legitimacy.0

The logic itself wasn’t wrong. Even the Sun priests in the north had turned their backs on the empire for the same reason. The northerners who had thrown Ulgaro aside had the right to establish a kingdom under the Sun.0

‘Support, my ass.... They’re using this as an excuse to break away from the empire. It’s a bold gamble. Maybe there was a real Caselmaroni spy in the capital that wasn’t Count Whelan. Perhaps Count Whelan was just bait to make me believe I had successfully won over their spy.’0

The political arena was a tangled web of lies. The more of a cold-blooded snake one was, the more likely they would survive. Regardless, Count Whelan’s life was as good as over.0

‘The worst-case scenario is that Caselmaroni finds out I let Varca of Porcana get away. They might expect Porcana to rise if they do. Perhaps they’ve already discussed it.’0

If Porcana rebelled, it would be a significant problem for Yanchinus. The resources that had been poured into Porcana for the exploration of the eastern continent were substantial. That was why he had kept Varca in the capital. Out of all kingdoms, Porcana was one that had to be kept in check no matter what.0

‘Varca escaped using Count Whelan’s daughter. Count Whelan is causing me all sorts of problems. Giving him a quick death won’t suffice.’0

Yanchinus’ lengthy thoughts didn’t actually take much time. It was merely a momentary pause.0

“Are you seriously challenging the imperial army? Did your king really send a letter like this?”0

The messenger flinched at Yanchinus’ low voice. Being a messenger was one of the most dangerous positions. Especially those delivering bad news often met unpleasant ends.0

“Your Majesty.”0

A knight approached Yanchinus and whispered.0

“Reinforcements are arriving for the northern rebels, and the one commanding them is the boy king Bilker of the rumors. I think it would be wise to regroup before we fight them.”0

Yanchinus did not let his emotions dictate his command. He ordered a retreat.0

‘Caselmaroni won’t want a direct confrontation here either. If they did, they wouldn’t have sent a messenger.’0

Both sides likely wanted to reorganize their forces and fight in their best conditions.0

‘It seems the war in the north is going to drag longer.’0

Yanchinus smiled bitterly. He began preparing a letter to send to Carnius.