Chapter 244 – Emperor’s Direct Lead (1)

Chapter 244 – Emperor’s Direct Lead (1)

Juan felt a sharp shock as he climbed down the mountain.

A powerful and sharp force covered the entire empire for a very short moment and disappeared in just an instant. This force was quite similar to that of Telgramm’s, but the difference was that it was much more sophisticated and sharpened.

Juan could feel countless people dying. However, only one person had really died.

“Dane...”

From the moment that tremendous force burst out from the center of the Crack, Juan knew that it would be difficult for Dane to survive. In fact, he had known that to be the case from the moment Dane had decided to go and persuade Gerard.

Gerard had already become an existence who couldn’t be persuaded or stopped.

Perhaps Dane’s fate was set in stone ever since Gerard was created.

At the same time, Juan had lost all his respect for Dane ever since that moment.

For this very reason, all Juan felt after Dane’s death was that Gerard had become aware of his own power much faster than expected.

Gerard had grown so powerful that even the attack that Dane staked his life on couldn’t harm him.

‘Perhaps that’s only natural. Gerard is another me, after all.’

Juan had already felt that Gerard was very similar to himself as he watched Gerard grow up over time. If there was any difference between the two, then it was that Gerard was a little more honest with his needs.

He had wanted to get married, have a child, had someone he loved, showed sympathy to the others, tried to save them, and then finally became greedy. As a result, he ended up being arrogant enough to think that only he could be the one to save humans.

Juan had no doubt that he, too, would have ended up exactly like Gerard if he had been a little more honest about his own strength and abilities.

All of those emotions were a trap to make him trip, and this was the reason Juan had been wary of Gerard. Juan knew that his wary feelings toward Gerard came from his subconscious mind.

‘Gerard might have implicitly felt it, too.’

Juan thought that it might have been the subtle sense of distance between them and the hidden doubts that he held about Gerard that made Gerard desire to be acknowledged.

He couldn't help but reflect on such possibilities.

Juan whispered as he glared at the distorted entrance of the Crack.

‘But Gerard, nothing will change even if you and I both regret what we’ve done.’

“It seems like we are destined to have ever-lasting regrets.”

Juan once again began to move in silence.

The great plan that Dane had created had collapsed completely now. And it was Juan’s job to prevent the collapsed ruins of this plan from doing even more damage.

The opponent was an absolute being, but fortunately, Juan was used to fighting against the absolute—especially if he knew the opponent very well.

It was time for Juan to come up with a new plan.

***

The moon was shining brightly in the night sky.

However, the bright moon soon turned into a distorted red color when the strange purple air leaking from the Crack started spreading.

The night breeze was lukewarm.

Amidst this awkward silence where not even a single insect was making any noise, only the pounding heartbeat of the creatures from a different world could be heard under the wall.

Lenly felt like his ears were about to burst; the stuffy silence made him feel even more suffocated than he already was. He came out into the hallway and began to wander around.

“What worries are keeping you up so late at night?”

“The Thornbush Priest Organization is trash that is not even worth mentioning, and we, the Order of Lindwurm, have long since been encroached upon by the poison of the Crack. Meanwhile, Aruntal is a little better than the rest of us, but you’re all just a bunch of puny traitors gathered by Dane. Don’t be offended by my words. That’s all I can say when I compare you to the real Aruntal from the past. They really were legends. After all, they were the warriors and saviors even in the days without His Majesty.”

“...I understand.”

“Anyway, we are an unwelcome group no matter where we go. Maybe that’s why His Majesty Gerard feels unpleasant about us. But his values haven’t changed at all. He will save humanity from the threat of the Crack, protect humanity from evil, and expand our world into a bigger world.”

“Save, protect, and expand...” Lenly muttered to himself.

“Maybe a true emperor doesn’t really need a subordinate he cares about. I think that might be better. A strong superhuman who rules all of humanity fairly may be more suitable for the position of the true ruler of the world.”

Lenly felt uncomfortable upon hearing Bekelt’s words. What Bekelt said was certainly the virtue of the proper monarch. However, he couldn’t help but feel that something was out of place.

‘Juan, am I feeling this way because of you?’

Lenly did not answer Bekelt. Meanwhile, Bekelt just patted Lenly on the shoulder.

“It’s okay to keep contemplating about it. Those who don’t agonize are not subordinates; they are just a sword to be used by His Majesty and have no will. But I hope that you won’t do anything to cause a nuisance for His Majesty Gerard. Those who rebel under His Majesty Gerard won’t be safe. I rather like you, unlike others from Aruntal.”

Then Bekelt suddenly asked as if he had remembered something.

“Come to think of it, few of the members of Aruntal are nowhere to be seen. Where did they go?”

“...Some of the members of Aruntal felt skeptical, just like me. Some of them left, while Imil Ilde decided to get out of here to help His Majesty Gerard from somewhere else. He said that this was not the battlefield for him.”

“Well, Imil Ilde did look just like a normal human being. I can’t believe an ordinary person managed to join Aruntal. But it’s no surprise—after all, even Harmon tried to join Aruntal at one point.”

Lenly looked surprised upon hearing the unexpected name that came out of Bekelt’s mouth.

“Harmon? You mean Harmon Helwin? The former Grand Duke?”

“So you know of him. Yes. I’ve seen records saying that he was interested in joining Aruntal before it fell under Dane’s command. In the end, not joining them only ended up saving his life, since Aruntal was completely wiped out. But he must have known some truths about the emperor.”

***

“Kill them all!”

The Northern Army rushed in all at once upon hearing Nienna’s fierce roar.

The monsters of the Crack that had been wandering on the hill were ruthlessly killed by the warriors’ sudden attacks—it only took an instant. But Nienna knew that this was only temporary. The creatures of the Crack could live in an even more terrible and cruel environment.

Their counterattack was quick.

“Ahhhhh!”

Nienna turned her head as soon as she heard a scream.

One of the monsters with tentacles soaring out of its back was shaking its body after skewering several warriors with its tentacles. The monster itself was crouching with its head down, almost like a frightened puppy and did not look threatening at all, but the tentacles on its back were not so harmless.

The tentacles inflated and contracted in unison like hedgehogs while stacking the countless corpses around them.

Nienna didn’t hesitate to leap straight toward the monster. At that moment, the monster suddenly jumped and ran away toward another place. The figure of the monster running away resembled that of a flea.

Nienna clicked her tongue as she thought that the monsters had pretty good senses. However, even a monster like that was only a prey for others in the world of the Crack.

When Nienna was about to follow the monster that ran away, something white suddenly passed by the monster. The monster immediately collapsed on the ground while spraying bodily fluids all over the place.

Only then did Nienna find Anya standing on top of the hill.

A group of legendary knights and the Undead summoned by Anya quickly swept through the monsters of the Crack that were about to start a counterattack. Anya had appeared at the perfect timing.

After making eye contact with Anya to show her appreciation, Nienna went out looking for other monsters. There were still many monsters that she had to kill.

After the battle was over, Anya approached Nienna.

“Is it normal to have this many monsters in the North? If so, I have to say that my respect for the northerners has increased,” Anya asked.

“It used to be like this a long time ago. It was a time when monsters piled up one after another because they had not yet been suppressed properly. However, this is the first time since my rule that it has become this bad.”