CH 193

61 Signs of Instability (3)

Everyone’s expressions hardened after hearing Iron’s words.

“Just like you heard, the God’s Orb is already reaching its limits.”

The God’s Orb that they tried so hard to protect was already broken. Due to this, an abundance of problems emerged on the continent.

“The Central Government announced that the end is coming near. Because of this… I think it’s time to put an end to this slow fight.”

The time has come for them to destroy the monster alliance headed by the imoogi and manticore. They have to at least take control of the Southeast to be able to do anything before the end comes.Truth to be told, Iron wanted to give them a little more time. However, the end is coming near. They did not have the time to rest with how much work they have piled up.

“When will we be moving?” Ariel asked as everyone turned to look at Iron.

“The day when that will be completed.”

“Aren’t we going to give a test flight?” Cardro said worriedly after hearing Iron’s words.

“We’re going to do a short test flight.”

Everyone looked worried at his words. Iron’s face has lost its composure. Instead, it was replaced with urgency. In fact, since the day that the imoogi and manticore were driven out, the growth of the Mobile Field Army has been explosive. On the other hand, the number of monsters spawning was almost equal to the number of deaths in their ranks, so the overall level has not been significantly alarming.

Over time, the rapid reproduction and growth of the monsters would prove to be dangerous. But thankfully,  the difference between the Mobile Field Army and other forces has been gradually increasing, perhaps because they continued to fight which effectively decreased their numbers.The growth of the imoogi and the manticore were considered to be variables, but the officers thought that they could achieve a perfect victory as long as they found the right time. But Iron did not seem to have any intention of dragging it until then. Iron, the person who always prioritized minimizing the damage to their troops, was feeling this urgent? It only meant that something serious had happened.

“Is there any sort of problem?” Ariel asked as Iron threw the note he had to the commanding officers. Ariel, who was the closest to him, snatched it and stood up. She said, “D…ragon?”

“What?”

Everyone was astonished at Ariel’s words.

“A dragon has appeared in the Gray Mountains.”

Everyone was shocked at Iron’s remarks. It was not too far from the Southeast. It was within the territory of the Southern Confederation, but if the Southeastern Region was stable, then the Mobile Field Army still wouldn’t be at ease.

“The fact that the dragon has awakened means other creatures are bound to appear again.”

“Well…”

“The creatures that will appear in the future are likely to be more dangerous than the monster that have formed an alliance with the giant worms. We need to get rid of the threats in the Southeast to get the time that we will need to calmly prepare for them.”

The only reason why Iron was in a hurry was because of one thing.To effectively respond to future threats, they needed the time to calmly strengthen their forces. The soldiers were getting stronger at every fight even now. But it would be difficult for the entire army to grow once their supplies were consumed and casualties began to increase. The time to fully grow without losing manpower or supplies. This was what they needed.

The dragon had already appeared, even the frost giants had appeared in the North. They still couldn’t determine how many more ancient species would appear. Therefore, it was necessary for them to clear the Southeast and expand the Mobile Field Army’s influence as soon as possible.

“The end is already predestined. So we must take the next step.”

Everyone nodded heavily at Iron’s words.

“Everyone must first return to the Command.”

“If we do that then, the monsters will know that we are preparing to attack them. Isn’t it better if we break their forces by launching a surprise attack?”

Iron shook his head at Saeriden’s suggestion.

“That would be ideal, but I have to go somewhere for a moment.”

Everyone’s eyes widened at Iron’s reply. Their eyes were filled with the question, ‘Are you going somewhere else at this time?’. No matter how strong and advanced their Mobile Field Army had become, it would still be dangerous if their commander was not around as long as the imoogi and manticore were around. As their anxiety began to be more evident in their eyes, Iron had to tell them where he would go. He said, “I think I should go to the Imperial Palace. I won’t be long. I just want the troops to gather at Command just in case.”

“What do you mean… to the Imperial Palace?”

A surprised look was plastered on Ariel’s face. Iron was the one who refused to go even though the central government had invited him multiple times. She couldn’t help but wonder what made him suddenly want to go visit the Imperial Palace.

“I think I should come and see His Highness, the Crown Prince.”

Everyone tilted their heads in confusion at his reply. They knew full well how much Iron hated the Crown Prince. And it wasn’t just the Crown Prince. What Iron had for the Imperial Family and the Central Nobles was something that was beyond hate; it was safe to say that it was disgust. They found it strange that Iron would willingly go to see the Crown Prince himself.

“I don’t think I’ll have any time to see him if not now… I think we should meet at least once.”

At Iron’s explanation, everyone lowered their heads. In the Mobile Field Army, Iron’s words were the law. There was no one that could stop him from going. Knowing that their commander had a reason for this, they silently left the office and prepared to move to return.

Once the war begins in earnest, they would definitely become busy. Even if they managed to stabilize the Southeastern Region, they still had to immediately move to contain the Gray Mountains and expand their army.

But before that! Iron has to meet the Crown Prince now and ask him. He has two questions to ask.

One, when will the God’s Orb break?

Two, what were the secrets of the Imperial Family?

If the Imperial Family always personally checked the God’s Orb’s situation every day, then they could roughly estimate when it would break. As for the second one, he didn’t really have much expectations. However, it wouldn’t hurt to ask, because as the time of the end approaches, there might be a possibility that the Crown Prince would speak. In fact, for Iron, hearing the answer to the first question was already considered a success. This knowledge would help them in their preparations, as long as they could give him an estimated time.

‘I’ll have to see for myself whether the Crown Prince has really changed.’

An arrogant Crown Prince that cannot support his arrogance with his abilities. He was someone that did not possess any courage to challenge anything, so he hid his ugly self under the mask of the Imperial Family. Iron wondered what made the Crown Prince make that decision.

To be honest, he was curious about the God’s Orb and the Imperial Family’s secrets, but what he was most curious about was the Crown Prince’s change as a person. The Crown Prince had done nothing but sh*t in his past life.Which was why he was very curious as to why the Crown Prince’s made the right decision compared to the other members of the Imperial Family.

Iron contacted the Imperial Palace via a communication officer, the officer then responded back with a trembling voice. 

– Is this Commander Iron Carter?

“Yes, I’d like to visit His Highness. When will be the perfect time?” Iron politely asked the communication officer. The officer paused for a moment before hurriedly answering.

– His Highness said that you can see him right away.

“If that’s the case, then I will depart in an hour.”

– Th… that’s so soon… I understand.

The officer soon cut off the communication with a trembling voice, bewildered when Iron replied that he would depart after an hour.

As the news spread out that Iron was going to the Center, reporters began to flock to the Capital’s Warp Gate. The Crown Prince personally ordered his men to open a warp gate that would directly lead to the Imperial Palace. A group of lights covered Iron’s body the moment he stepped on the warp gate, he closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he was greeted with the view of the Imperial Palace. The once demolished Imperial Palace  was already restored, there were lavish buildings and even a well-maintained garden.

“I greet His Highness”

“It has been a while.”

When Iron noticed the Crown Prince personally waited for him, he courteously greeted him. The Crown Prince quickly approached Iron and led him inside the palace. It was as if he was saying that such a greeting from him was unnecessary.

‘He has changed.’

Iron could see that the pretentious actions of the Crown Prince had disappeared. Iron watched the now changed Crown Prince in interest as they walked to the palace. In just a blink of an eye, refreshments and light desserts were already served in front of them.

“Your Highness, the Minister of Finance is here to see you urgently.”

“I have an important guest right now, tell him to come back later.”

“It’s regarding the issue with the support supplies for the North.”

“This…”

The Crown Prince hurriedly rose from his seat. He looked like he had forgotten about it.

“Can you wait for me for a moment? I need to attend to this immediately.”

“Take your time, I can wait for a few hours.”

“I won’t be long,” The Crown Prince said as he hurried outside and disappeared.

Iron looked curiously at the door where he had disappeared off to when the old chamberlain next to him smiled and said, “He has changed, hasn’t he?”

“…Yes. What made him change?”

Iron couldn’t help himself and gave in to his curiosity and asked, but the chamberlain just smiled and shut his mouth. It was forbidden to disclose any personal information of the Imperial Family to outsiders. The Crown Prince trusted the chamberlain the most, not the Central Nobles, so it was impossible for him to have a loose mouth.

“However… It is fine to tell the Commander,” the Chamberlain said, thinking for a moment before opening his mouth again and saying solemnly,

“His Highness has changed ever since he experienced that nightmare.”

“What do you mean by… nightmare?” Iron asked, tilting his head in confusion.

The chamberlain nodded his head softly in response and said,“He seemed to have really died and came back to life in the beginning. After that, he kept on having nightmares night after night.  The more frequent it happened, the more blurry his eyes were. He had completely changed into a different person for a while now.”

Iron remained confused at  the chamberlain’s words.

‘Can nightmares change a person?’

Could nightmares break a person’s soul? Could they blur one’s vision after experiencing them? To be honest, it did not make sense.

“If there is something you would like to ask, you can personally ask His Highness. I’m sure he will answer if the one asking is the Commander.”

“He will answer… if it’s me?”

“Yes. His Highness will do so… It’s because he sees you, the Commander,  as the Empire’s one and only hope.”

The chamberlain’s remarks brought more questions to Iron’s confused head. But the chamberlain stopped talking and just smiled widely. It seemed like he did not want to say any more. The chamberlain’s words kept on ringing in Iron’s head. But just when his curiosity had reached its peak, the Crown Prince opened the door and came back.

“Pardon me for being late,” The Crown Prince said, asking the chamberlain to bring them more tea. Silence slowly engulfed the room with the absence of the chamberlain. But surprisingly enough, the person that broke the silence was not Iron but the Crown Prince.

“I have heard that there is something you wanted to ask me…”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“This must be about the God’s Orb, right? You’re probably here to ask when it will break and when the end will start??”

Iron quietly lowered his head instead of answering the Crown Prince’s question.

“I don’t know exactly when. But one thing is certain, even if we tried everything that we can to hold on to the orb, we will only have about a year left.”

“A year…”

“In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if it breaks right at this very moment… But it seems like the Lord gave us some time to make our final preparations.”

Iron tilted his head at the Crown Prince’s confident remarks. He had also seen the video before and seen the cracks littering the God’s Orb.

The reason why Iron had come over all the way was to hear about the predicted time of the God’s Orb’s collapse directly from the Imperial Family. After all, they were the ones that had been managing it for a long time. However, it was still a bit unexpected that the Crown Prince gave him an almost certain answer.

“You’re probably wondering why I’m so certain, right?”

Iron looked directly at the Crown Prince’s eyes after hearing his question. Just like what the chamberlain had said, his eyes were covered with some sort of fog. The dumb gaze that he had from the past was no longer in sight.

“I actually wanted to invite you over to the Imperial Palace. I wanted to tell you more about what I know… You, coming here… perhaps this is God’s plan…”The Crown Prince said as he looked at Iron.

The Crown Prince went silent for a while before speaking softly again. He said, “I had a glimpse of the future.”

Iron’s eyes widened at the Crown Prince’s confession.

“What sort of things are you saying right now…”

“Foresight. Perhaps the dreams I had were foresight.”

“What do you mean… foresight?”

“Literally foresight.” The Crown Prince said as he let out a long breath. He finally told the truth that he never wanted to admit.

“…The Empire will be destroyed.”

Iron remained silent at the Crown Prince’s words.

“As long as we and the other Commanders remain strong, then the Empire will survive.”

“No, the Empire is already doomed. It will meet its end the moment the God’s Orb breaks.”

The Crown Prince was resolute, shaking his head and disagreeing with Iron’s words. Iron then looked at him with a firm expression on his face.

“Since it had come to this, I no longer have any regrets about the Empire. However… I do hope that mankind will survive.”

The Crown Prince’s smile was self-deprecating. He couldn’t help but smile wryly at his inability to do anything, despite knowing what  the future held for them. Then, he said, as if he had not forgotten his role, “Perhaps, my role is to inform you about the fragments that I have seen in my dreams.”

The Crown Prince’s face was calm as he told Iron in detail what he had experienced in his dream.

***

Translator’s Notes: Hi, Luka’s here! I will be the new translator for The Duke’s Eldest Son Escaped to the Military. TDESETTM’s release will only be 1 chapter per week. Fret not, this is only temporary to ensure consistent releases and until I stockpile a loooot of buffer chapters. I hope for your continuous support and will be with me until the end of Iron’s heroic adventure.