noveldrama
Chapter 184
Chapter 184
It was a morning like any other, but today, the palace was unusually lively.
“Is this for real?!”
“Those heinous bastards!”
“Hah, I can’t even begin to predict what will happen to the Empire.”
“War is inevitable…”
Voices echoed through the palace halls—a punishable offense, no doubt—but for now, it would be overlooked. She was magnanimous, after all.
Besides, it wasn’t just her palace that was in such a clamor, and she wasn’t so narrow-minded as to begrudge others for the same commotion.
“The entire southern kingdom must be in an uproar.”
Not just the south. The west, the east, even the north—they would all be in chaos. The event currently sweeping across the continent was just that shocking.
For three days now, newspapers had focused exclusively on the [incident] in the central continent. To call it pandemonium would not be an exaggeration.
And for good reason.
[Collapse of the Magic Tower!]
[A Decade of Winter Ends as Spring Returns to the Central Continent?]
[Was the Curse of Winter Actually Cast by the Magic Tower, Not the Fairies?!]
The collapse of the Magic Tower and the end of the ten-year winter that had blanketed the central continent—it would be stranger if this didn’t cause an uproar.
With hands as delicate and flawless as white jade, Isis Elaine de Pendragon folded the newspaper and sipped her tea. Recently, she found herself favoring herbal teas over black tea. The refreshing taste eased her fatigue, brought on by sleepless nights.
However—
Clink.
“…Hah, I am still so lacking.”
Isis pressed her fingers to her temple as she noticed the faint tremor in her hand.
To an onlooker, she might have seemed deeply troubled, as if plagued by great worries. The trembling of her fingers might even have been mistaken for fear. But the truth behind her reaction was something entirely different.
“Hah! How could they achieve something so splendid?!”
It was her excitement and thrill she was trying to suppress.
She couldn’t contain herself as she pored over the accomplishments of just two knights.
The truth had come to light.
Not just the past ten years, but the entire 400 years of history had been unveiled…
Some might question how all this could come to light in less than three days. But how could one not believe when they heard:
[We didn’t do this. We never cursed you.]
The fairies’ voices rang clear. Who could doubt their words?
The Spring Spirit—her sacred, divine voice resonated, piercing through the hearts of the people. Those who heard it felt as if they had been blessed by the gods. Strangely, everyone immediately grasped the “truth.”
Was this the power of the fairies?
The crimes committed by the Magic Tower’s mages during the past 400 years, since Turr the Monster had become its master, replayed in the minds of the Empire’s citizens. Enraged, they cried out:
“Such vile creatures!”
People who had once justified the mages as a necessary evil realized they were nothing but grotesque plagues.
“Unbelievable! So the plague 40 years ago was caused by the mages—no, these monstrous beings?!”
As they grasped the truth of the atrocities committed over the past 400 years, their anger boiled over.
“Draw your swords, brothers! We must rid ourselves of these beasts in human form!”
Spring had come, melting the icy grip of winter, but—
—across the Empire, a savage hunt was beginning to drag mages to their bloody demise.
But that wasn’t all. The Imperial Family, complicit in the Magic Tower’s evils, turned a blind eye to their actions and formed a symbiotic relationship with them. Lacking a justifiable pretext until now, the Empire’s warlords and provincial kings declared rebellion against the crown.
War loomed on the horizon, with countless power-hungry individuals vying for the throne.
“All thanks to the fairies, it will be quite the peaceful war.”
Thankfully, no forced conscriptions or plundering of citizens would occur.
The Spring Spirit’s presence in the central continent was clear. If anyone dared to spill innocent blood or exploit the people during this time, they risked incurring her wrath. Thus, this war would be forcibly peaceful, a far cry from the usual horrors of battle.
The war would likely…
“...unfold like a war game. Ha, it’s practically a comedy.”
It might not rival the famed 3650 Days of Debate, the most peaceful war in continental history, but the chances of a bloodless resolution were high.
Given the fairies’ watchful gaze, the conflict might be decided through duels between the greatest warriors of each faction.
As for the Imperial Family—
“They’ll likely be assassinated.”
Normally, assassination was considered taboo in wars involving the Imperial Family, but their sins were too great this time.
Having committed atrocities on par with the Magic Tower, how could any citizen respect or revere them?
By now, the Imperial officials and servants had likely abandoned the royals, seeking their own survival. It wouldn’t take long for the entire royal bloodline to be eradicated.
Even an illustrious family that had ruled the central continent for a millennium could not escape the consequences of betraying their people’s trust. They would be treated as less than beasts.
Such was the fleeting nature of power.
Of course—
Tap.
“This is all just speculation,” Isis chuckled as she set down her teacup.
Her predictions might not come to pass. No matter how clever she was, human greed defied calculation. What would happen in the Empire was something only the gods and the fairies could know.
Still, one thing was certain.
“Pendragon will gain from this.”
The more chaotic the central continent became, the more citizens would abandon the Empire in disappointment. If the southern kingdom could absorb them, it would resolve the South’s pressing population problem in one fell swoop.
Though they had unified the South after defeating Britton, the lack of manpower remained a persistent issue.
“If we can claim even a fraction of the Empire’s overflowing population…”
Of course, welcoming a mass influx of migrants could lead to problems. Yet, for a royal managing a nation, the benefits often outweighed the risks.
Moments of crisis, after all, served as a stage to test a ruler’s caliber.
If she could resolve any arising issues and provide satisfaction to her people, it would—
“Solidify my position.”
Her path as a monarch. An achievement truly her own, beyond the shadow of the War God.
If even the elder nobles, who still longed for the War God, recognized her achievements, it would be the ultimate triumph.
“Hah, I still have so far to go. Nothing is set in stone, yet here I am savoring sweet fantasies…”
Isis admitted to herself that she was exhilarated.
But the undeniable fact that she was drawing closer to the throne made her heart race.
At the same time, the knights responsible for creating this situation—no, her sworn brother—were utterly adorable.
“It’s fascinating. He doesn’t care a whit about politics, yet he managed to create the best possible outcome.”
How could she let him go?
Isis laughed, thinking of her impudent sworn brother, who had yet to visit the palace after returning from the Empire. Though it was disrespectful, she found everything delightful today.
“If he were in front of me, I might embrace him fiercely.”
Even though she had never once been known to express affection so freely, today, she wanted to shower her sworn brother with all the love in her heart.
But at that moment—
“When everything goes smoothly, that’s precisely when you must heighten your vigilance, Princess.”
“……”
“It’s understandable to be in a good mood, Princess, but do be careful,” Albert said with a chuckle.
“…Albert.”
A butler spoke, delivering a caution that poured cold water over the atmosphere.
When had he even arrived at that spot?
“If you’re here, announce yourself, Albert.”
“Haha, it’s a habit, I’m afraid.”
“Hah, such an irreverent butler you are.”
Though he was her servant, he was one of the few people she couldn’t bend to her will.
Her elevated spirits sank just by looking at him.
“When one grows old like I have, one starts worrying about everything. I hope you understand, Princess.”
“Is there anything you’re actually afraid of?”
“Of course. I’m just a frail human, after all.”
“…That’s the worst joke I’ve heard. Don’t bother making jokes elsewhere; you’re no good at it.”
“Haha.”
That ever-present smile of his irked her. It always seemed like he was teasing her.
Being around him made her feel perpetually immature, and Isis could only glare at him with a brusque expression.
Honestly.
‘What a mischievous old man.’
She furrowed her brows.
“Haha, please don’t glare at me like that. It’s not as grand as what Sir Ihan achieved, but I’ve brought you good news.”
“…Good news, you say?”
“See for yourself.”
“……”
Rustle.
Accepting the documents Albert handed over, Isis slowly began reading the first page.
“…Oh.”
Her interest was piqued, and her reading speed gradually increased.
Soon, she was flipping through the pages at a rate of one per second. Though it might have seemed like she was skimming, Isis had an extraordinary gift. Since the age of three, no matter how thick or dense a book was, she could commit its contents to memory with just a glance.
This time was no different.
Merely glancing at a page was enough for her to memorize it entirely. Within three minutes, she had internalized the contents of over 300 pages.
“……”
As she organized and processed the information, her expression grew colder.
“…You’ve brought me a truly troublesome gift, Albert.”
Her gaze was icy enough to freeze someone solid.
“Haha, well? Does it please you?”
“Please me? Hardly.”
She had been blissfully lost in her pleasant daydreams mere moments ago, but reading Albert’s report was giving her a headache.
The document detailed the heretical Fourth Apostle found in an underground lair, Sultan Salah, and the mages they had recently captured.
Albert had interrogated them thoroughly, extracting every piece of information. As Isis read the report, her complexion paled.
Her naturally fair skin now appeared so bloodless that she looked like an unwell patient.
It wasn’t fear.
The contents were simply so draining to read that they sapped her energy.
Once again, it bore repeating—Isis was a genius.
She had been called such since childhood and had lived up to the title. With even fragmented information, she could deduce a great deal.
And now, with a wealth of data at her fingertips, Isis deduced where the fanatics plotting against Pendragon had built their nests.
…Which was precisely why her head hurt.
One of the places these cuckoos had laid their eggs was—
“…Damnable ‘temple.’ Of all the places to hide, why there…”
It was a powder keg that shouldn’t be touched.
Isis suspected she would face yet another sleepless night and found herself longing to see her sworn brother.
Her adorable sworn brother.
Boom!
Boom, boom!
“…Instructor, Kunta is begging you—please don’t stray from the path of humanity.”
“What nonsense are you spouting? I’m just doing some construction.”
“…This isn’t what normal construction looks like.”
“?”
“…I give up. There’s no reasoning with this.”
Kunta shook his head, muttering that not even barbarians would resort to such extremes, while Ihan simply shrugged.
All he was doing was—
“I’m just digging a tunnel, aren’t I?”
Digging a tunnel. Why should such a simple task garner this kind of reaction?
“……”
Kunta, however, found Ihan’s response even more outrageous.
After all, what kind of person—
“Digs a tunnel with their bare hands…?”
Who wouldn’t be startled at the sight of someone excavating a tunnel without any tools?
Despite Kunta’s incredulity, Ihan remained nonchalant.
“Using a shovel or pickaxe would take longer than just doing it with my hands.”
“……”
“See? I’ve already cleared 500 meters.”
“……”
…That wasn’t the point. Was it?