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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?”
When Lenly was blankly staring up at the moon, someone approached and talked to him.
It was Bekelt.
Lenly flinched without even realizing it when he recalled Bekelt’s face that was revealed when Dane attacked. There was nothing above Bekelt’s nose besides unidentified tentacles that were wriggling around.
“It seems like there is something bothering you.”
“...Thank you for letting me stay in your Citadel. But it isn’t something that I can tell you about,” Lenly answered.
“It must be related to His Majesty Gerard, am I right?”
Lenly flinched and looked at Bekelt with a perplexed expression.
Bekelt just smiled.
“How can I not know that? Earlier… His Majesty Gerard may have seemed far from the image of an ideal emperor. No wonder everyone was so frustrated.”
“Don’t you also feel frustrated, Sir Bekelt? His Majesty Gerard’s appearance, his words, his actions, then the greetings from the Thornbush Priest Organization, and even the story of reviving Qzatquizail! It all sounds absurd!”
Being a member of Aruntal, Lenly already knew about Qzatquizail. For this very reason, Lenly couldn’t help but speak out his frustrations. All the stories about Qzatquizail that he had heard from Dane made him feel hopeless.
But Bekelt’s answer was something completely unexpected to Lenly.
“Of course, I’m not positive about it either.”
“Then…”
“Unlike you, I’ve seen the world beyond the Crack with my own eyes. This parasite on my head is the reward I got by overcoming the crisis of death,” Bekelt said as he tapped on his helmet. “Among them, Qzatquizail is definitely the worst. Five of the nine heads on the dragon are asleep, including the one that wears the Crown. Waking up Qzatquizail means to increase the possibility of awakening the other heads as well. You wouldn’t even know how many eyes are watching this situation right now.”
“Then we must be even more…”
“But in other words, it is also an opportunity for us to escape the threat of the nine-headed dragon forever.”
Lenly looked at Bekelt with eyes filled with suspicion, but Bekelt continued to speak in a calm manner, "Some people say that civilizations are things that thrive only for a brief period of time while the nine-headed dragon is asleep. Who knows how many civilizations have existed before this one? I heard that the nine-headed dragon’s hibernation this time around has been particularly long. That’s probably because Mananen McLeir stole the Crown. Thanks to him, many civilizations and powerful beings could buy time and build up their strength.”
Lenly remained silent.
“Mananen McLier did not create the emperor to save humanity, you know. He created the emperor to keep the Crown sealed. The emperor is nothing more than a bowl to hold the Crown. Yet, Dane seemed to have thought otherwise.”
“If so, shouldn’t we work even harder to keep it apart from the Crack?”
“Maybe. But all that would do is to slow down the awakening of the nine-headed dragon. It’s still going to happen one day—it is inevitable.”
At that moment, Bekelt reached out for the sky, moving his arm in a strange motion.
“A dragon can only be countered using the strength of another dragon. It is said that no one has ever had a chance to fight against the nine-headed dragon. But things are different now. If His Majesty Gerard manages to take control of Qzatquizail, the Crowned head of the dragon, we can finally escape the fear of the dragon.”
“We thought the world would end because we couldn’t even stop Qzatquizail, which is only one of the heads!” Lenly shouted.
Bekelt stared at Lenly in silence.
“Now you want to deal with the other eight heads as well? Are you out of your mind? I would have put aside my anxiety if His Majesty Gerard had proved his behavior and mindset to be proper and stable. But…!”
The sound of Lenly gritting his teeth rang out in the hallway. He glared at Bekelt and tightly clenched his fist as he continued speaking.
“His Majesty is acting like he is the master of humanity rather than its guardian and savior. Although I am loyal to His Majesty, I am neither his dog nor a slave. So tell me, is my anxiety baseless?”
“It is hard to see people when you stand too high,” Bekelt said and patted Lenly on the shoulder as he walked past Lenly. “Especially when you already have a great example to compare yourself to.”
Lenly quickly noticed who Bekelt was referring to.
‘He is talking about Juan.’
Lenly couldn’t help but admit that he had been comparing Gerard to Juan unconsciously. In fact, from the very beginning, Juan was the most ideal emperor to Lenly. The only reason Lenly betrayed Juan was that he refused to rule the empire eternally. To put it bluntly, to Lenly, Gerard was nothing more than an eternal substitute for Juan.
“To be honest, I think it is rather fortunate that His Majesty Gerard isn’t acknowledging us,” Bekelt said.
“I’m sorry?”
“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.
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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.”