Episode 109
: Death Test:
The border area between the empire and the revolutionary army.
The harsh dirt wind blowing under the black night sky was pounding the hem of the barracks.
In the middle of the imperial army camp, arranged in an orderly manner according to strict military discipline.
“Hmm….”
Rafisan Elo di Balt.
The 2nd Prince of the Baltic Empire was sitting in his barracks, looking at maps and tactical reports.
As the supreme commander leading the imperial army, he was pondering the future path of advance.
“First of all, it would be advantageous to occupy the high point in the hilly area… and deploy strategic weapons along the northwest ridge.”
It was at that time that someone approached me pretending to be popular.
“hmm?”
Lapishan only then took his eyes off the map and raised his head.
And then he said to the outside of the door.
“The Lord of the Five Colored Spires has come? “Please come in, Sir Siora.”
Then the door to the barracks opened and a beautiful woman with brilliant silver hair appeared.
“I meet you, the 2nd prince.”
She was ‘Roxanne Sciorra.’
He is the owner of the Five-Colored Spire, the highest magic tower of the Baltic Magic Empire, and is considered the highest-ranking wizard after Emperor Bareshan.
Although she was known to be over 100 years old, she still maintained the appearance of a young and beautiful woman.
The owner of the Five-Colored Spire was originally like that.
‘…A being that escapes the judgment of nature and goes back in time.’
She is truly an unpleasant woman.
“I will tell you about the situation of the Soma Tower that has been convened today.”
She reported to Lapishan about the organization of the wizards under her command…
“Well, thank you for your hard work.”
The 2nd Prince, who skillfully hid his emotions, nodded and briefly wrote it down.
And responded.
“Right now, our legion needs more low-level wizards, so please focus on mobilizing them rather than high-level wizards.”
“yes?”
“The strategic effectiveness of ten 6-star wizards is higher than that of one 8-star wizard, so I ask you to focus on forming a small battle group.”
Lapishan was a seasoned warrior befitting his twenty-five years of age.
After graduating from the Boys’ Palace, he hid his identity for nearly 10 years and gained field experience by traveling around the frontier knights’ ranks.
Having experienced several battles with the revolutionary army, I knew their tactical doctrine very well.
“In a situation like this, they will definitely try to provoke a melee. Then, ten 6-star wizards are much more effective than one 8-star wizard.”
“…okay. Well sir.”
Roxanne said with a grin.
“It looks like your Majesty has high expectations for this fight.”
There was a subtle thorn in the old witch’s words.
That is….
‘No matter how well you fight this fight, you won’t be able to take the crown prince’s place, right?’
Inwardly, these thorns were hidden words.
But whether he doesn’t know it or whether he recognizes it and pretends not to notice…
Lapishan’s response was dry.
“There are no expectations in my fight. “There is only life and death.”
“…!”
Roxanne looked at Lapishan with new eyes.
He was truly a pitiful prince.
He was a man of genius talent who had early mastered both Hebraet magic swordsmanship and Frontier Leopard Chandra, the three swordsmanship of the Imperial Knights.
Leopard, a quick swordsman, showed amazing talent to the point where he reached 8 stars.
But unfortunately, this was not the case with magical abilities.
In terms of magic skills, which were considered most important in this magic empire, he was nothing but an expert.
‘Besides, he is only the second prince.’
Of course, he is the second prince, only one year older than the first prince, Lukashan.
But in any case, he was the second prince…
‘It could even be said that his talent was the opposite of the first prince’s, who was skilled in magic and unskilled in swordsmanship.’
He was a traitor who could not become the heir to the magic empire.
Unless the current crown prince, Lukashan, dies prematurely in an unexpected accident…
‘There is no way Lapishan will ascend to the throne.’
That was a cool and accurate judgment.
It was a pity for Roxanne.
‘That’s too bad. Still, compared to that idiot 3rd prince, he is truly a gem.’
It was something to laugh at when thinking about Giloshan, the youngest of the emperor’s three sons.
Until his time in the boy’s palace, he was known to have a talent that surpassed his older brothers.
‘…When I opened the lid, it was trash with no hope for either magic or swordsmanship.’
Naturally, the public’s evaluation turned cold.
The same was true for the Five-Colored Spire.
It was for this very reason that Roxanne sent Tyrvaen to the 3rd prince.
‘Thanks to you, I got rid of this thorn in my eyes for good reason.’
Tirvaen Sui is a promising witch who has passed down poisoning magic and ancestral memories from generation to generation.
So, if he grew a little, he could aim for the status of the next steeple owner.
The current emperor and senior magicians outside the palace would naturally want to place a young, inexperienced witch on the spire and control and wield it as they please.
That was the path destined for Tyrvaen, and the future that Roxanne could vaguely see in her ‘eyes of foresight’.
Roxanne intended to change that prophecy.
‘I can’t easily hand over the position of Steeple Lord to that young thing.’
prophecy?
It’s by no means perfect.
Every time the elements of the present that make up the future were changed, the scenery seen by Roxanne also changed little by little.
And when Tirvaen was sent to the 3rd prince Gilroshan.
Roxanne could clearly confirm that the spire would not be lost to Tyrvaen.
It was a very natural thing.
‘How could a witch who had to keep up with the troublesome prince be the owner of the spire?’
From 7 stars to 8 stars.
From 8 stars to 9 stars.
It’s a situation where you have to jump over two huge walls.
However, out of nowhere, he went over to the revolutionary army and was active, citing the wrong reasons.
‘…I ate it.’
Of course, as a fellow witch, I felt sorry, but it was something that could not be helped.
Because everyone has their own destiny.
The 2nd Prince Lapishan was brought out to this harsh field under orders from the fearsome emperor and is leading the army.
On the contrary, 1st Prince Lukashan is steadily solidifying his position as crown prince in Kertion.
‘And even that ridiculous Third Prince Gilroshan…’
Everyone has their own path.
A path that no one else can change.
…A promised thorny path that only you can change.
It was then.
“Gilroshan is not a bastard.”
“yes?”
“My little brother. “I said that, contrary to what is believed, he is not a fool.”
Suddenly, Prince Lapishan opened his mouth.
When I raised my head, I saw red eyes that looked exactly like the emperor’s, looking at Roxanne as if they were going to pierce through her.
“…This old man doesn’t know what you mean.”
The old witch felt like her true intentions had been discovered, so she just played it off.
“Lord Siora, this is a story from about 7 or 8 years ago…”
Lapishan leaned back in his chair and began to tell an old story.
When that short and bold story is over.
Roxanne’s eyes were sparkling with curiosity.
“Hmm, then that means the rumor is true.”
“rumor? “Was there a rumor?”
“yes. There was a rumor that His Majesty hated the 3rd Prince and used ancient magic to ban him and block his magical powers. Of course, it didn’t last that long…”
“That’s half true. But it’s also a story that one person knows and the other doesn’t.”
“To wizards, it was just a rumor.”
“why? “Because you couldn’t imagine that such magic existed?”
“Yes, it was thought to be a strange rumor made up by magnates that the 3rd prince, who was brilliant during his time in the Boy’s Palace, had become a completely different person.”
“That is not a story of luxury, but rather a story left by courtiers who overheard what happened that day before they died. “I remember at that time, His Majesty, pointing out several people who were considered rats in the palace and beheading them.”
“…!”
Rafishan ended the story like that.
The 2nd prince was holding his forehead with a very tired expression.
“So what I’m saying is don’t let down your guard against the guy you’re about to face. Do you understand?”
“I understand, sir.”
“…Stop leaving.”
“Rest in peace.”
That’s how their conversation ended.
* * *
“Gui Gilroshan! The ancient gods have appeared!”
“Sweet!”
Hael, who was holding Piyong, who was about to level up, had her mouth wide open.
It was as he said.
Light-darkness, cannibalism, and arching.
They appeared before me, oozing mysterious divine power.
Thanks to this, system messages were being output one after another.
[Encountered the ‘Patron Saint of Light and Darkness’!]
[Encountered the ‘Patron Saint of Dogs and Wolves’!] [Encountered the
‘Patron Saint of Bows and Wheels’!]
[Dungeon Goal: ‘Encountered one or more patron saints’ ‘Encounter’ achieved!]
…Thanks to you, the dungeon goal was achieved.
“Hmm, you are the owner of that lineage and a dimensional shifter?”
First of all, this beautiful boy with blonde hair is definitely a ‘dog’.
‘Judging by the fact that it has ears on top of its head, it is definitely not a human.’
And ‘Gungryunseong’.
“Nice to meet you, human prince. “And it’s nice to see a child of our people too.”
“Oh yes! “Hello…”
She was an elf with an aura similar to Hael.
However, while Hael was a white elf with skin so white that she looked pale, Gung Ryun-seong was a gold elf with a subtle golden color.
‘…an elf known to exist only in mythology.’
They appeared with light and darkness and were truly mysterious and beautiful beings like a fantasy.
But I sighed towards them.
I was reminded of what happened in the last dungeon, ‘Tomb Ruins of the Ancient Kingdom’.
Even back then, the light and darkness appeared out of nowhere, shocked me, and changed the dungeon procedures arbitrarily.
But again this time?
I just hated having plans messed up like this.
“Why are you upset? Representative?”
“Are you asking because you don’t know that? Man, why are you here? “It should be inside the dungeon over there!”
“why me?”
“Why why why! Because it’s a dungeon!”
“No, this sacred place is ours, and as long as you, our representative, are here, we can exist anywhere. “That’s what a Dungeon Master is.”
“So, why does the Master show up and change the rules of the dungeon?”
“I watched you hunting earlier for a while, but honestly, it was boring. When will we break away from that trivial level?”
“…Now you’re hitting me with facts. “Cowardly.”
“Well, do you want to compete with propaganda and fabrications? “I’m sorry, but you won’t be able to beat me in that department.”
“Eh?”
“Because I am the guardian of light and darkness, the builder of order that sets the rules of the world, and I am as good at lying as you are. Hehehe….”
No, that’s not it.
‘How does this guy know the Earth’s buzzwords?’
no way!
‘Do you want to look into my head?’
It was when I was crumpling my face in such a suspicious mood.
“Yes, we have rescued the remains of that star. “It’s very special.”
“…!”
As my inventory opened at will, the ‘star fragments’ I had were sucked into the hands of light and dark.
[The quest goal ‘Perform the burnt offering ritual’ is changed to ‘Perform the responsibilities as a representative.’] [The
quest goal has been achieved.]
Wow, you even take care of the quest progress now?
Thanks to this, I was grateful that I was able to avoid performing cumbersome rituals, but…
“What is my experience level in light and dark?”
“Experience?”
“What are the hidden items in the dungeon?”
I had been excitedly running all the way here with the intention of collecting an S-class item called ‘Blood Demon Earring’ at the end of this dungeon.
But here, the dungeon suddenly ended, so I couldn’t help but feel aggrieved.
Right then.
Myeong-Am-seong lifted up a pair of earrings and laughed.
“Aha, you mean this artifact? “You’re whining about something that doesn’t matter.”
“what? What a whining! “What does this man think of people?”
“Now take it.”
“…!”
This time a pair of earrings flew into my inventory.
[‘Blood Demon Earrings’ have been obtained.]
“Thank you for taking care of that! “What I really need!”
“Aha, I’ll save that experience later as well. “Then is it okay?”
“….”
Brightness smiled at me, who was at a loss for words.
“Hehehe, even though you’re grumbling with words, your face looks so much better. “You are the type that is very easy to understand.”
“Hmm.”
“As our representative, you do not need to overcome this dungeon. “A master never quarrels with his servants.”
Those words of light and darkness meant that I, like these patron saints, had ownership of the dungeon.
The hunting messages had stopped, as if guardian stars had appeared for Kals and Tirbaen as well.
‘Is this a stronger qualification than I thought to be a representative of the Guardian Castle?’
There were almost no titles that could exercise dominance over an entire dungeon in this way.
Maybe these are even greater deities than I thought.
Then the brightness and darkness asked me.
“Sir, there must be more important business than that, right?”
I nodded at those words.
The real reason I came here was something else.
“First of all, please update ‘Ancient Guardian’s Protection’ for clarity.”
And…
“I have a question for you, so I’d like to meet Changgeomseong. Is that possible?”
“A question?”
“There are side effects to swordsmanship, and I’m looking for a way to overcome them.”
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