Chapter: 181
*
Snow falls from the black sky. Since there was no light source over the sea, the falling snow was not white.
The sailors holding torches, the harbor staff lighting a bonfire in place of the extinguished lighthouse, and the nobles holding lanterns and gazing at the sea all stared blankly at the black snowflakes that obscured their vision.
And beyond that, an aerial battleship descends like snow.
Whoooosh… KWAANG.
KWAANG, KWAJIZJIK…
The sound of the battleship crashing into the surface reverberated through the rough winter wind like a distant echo.
Every time a battleship sank beneath the surface, waves surged. The vessels that had taken refuge in the harbor rocked violently.
Splash, the foam of the wave striking the breakwater splashed onto the cheek of an elf noble.
“The end is approaching,” they lamented, those who once held the most powerful authority within the greatest civilization of this world, gazing at the end of an era.
This was happening simultaneously across the 13 islands of Kalion.
From that day onward, the elves lost air superiority.
However, that would not be the end of Kalion’s losses.
*
“Tsunami!! Port side!!”
“Speak clearly!! The wave height!!”
Amidst the snow flurries, shouts exchanged back and forth. They had been struggling for six hours already. Ivan strained to utilize his mana while gripping the sail tightly.
He saw Rundis rolling around on the deck. She quickly grabbed a rope, threw it, and tied it up. When he turned his gaze, Oswald was flying in the sky.
He had been flung off the deck. Ivan gritted his teeth, holding onto the sail with one hand and reaching out with the other to tie up Oswald.
“Th-Thank you— UWEKK!!”
Oswald began to politely vomit. He decided to overlook it since at least he was being polite. It was to be expected of a mage whose mana had been cut off.
The sailors were scurrying about, battling the waves. Knowing nothing of navigation techniques, Ivan decided to just quietly do his part.
His role was to support the sails in place of magic. Considering the tension on the sail, it was beyond what a human could manage.
“Beacon!! North-northwest!!”
“AAAAAH!!!”
They slid over a wave larger than the ship. Two sailors tumbled down below deck. The one sucked into the night sea would never resurface.
It takes three hours to navigate from the Swordsmanship Faction to Idrenhill by air. By traditional means, it would take about half a day.
However, Ivan was someone who could measure time in seconds, so he could accurately gauge the travel time.
It took four hours.
This meant they arrived three times faster than a typical ocean voyage. It could be said that they had favorable winds. However, it was excessively favorable winds that posed a problem.
Ivan raised his gaze to watch the snowflakes. In the stormy sky, the snow was carried helplessly by the wind.
They were heading towards Idrenhill.
The wind, the snow, the currents.
A storm was gathering.
*
“Prepare to dock!!”
The harbor that came swiftly within the blink of an eye was engulfed in flames.
*
The harbor of Idrenhill, which had returned after three days of sailing, was ablaze. Humans swarmed together, driving away the elves, and they saw the scene of protests beyond the burning barricades.
The elves holding torches looked haggard.
“The Eternal Palace is blockaded, sir!”
Fortunately, the head of the humans occupying the harbor was someone he knew.
“Blockaded…?”
“Yes, of course, it makes sense, doesn’t it? You see, during a national disaster, the frightened authorities usually lock their safes and storages first, and angry workers burn down the main facilities to occupy them—”
The man who incited the working class within the city answered with a grin.
“Is the Queen frightened?”
There was no way.
The current Queen was far too bold to be frightened.
And while this situation was indeed a national disaster…
“Is there anyone who is scared of something they have prepared for?”
“Yes…?”
The moment Ivan responded, Dmitri’s eyes widened sharply.
Surviving the war with the demons, and even surviving as a Cleanup Unit, was an achievement in itself. Especially considering he returned alive after facing the Seven Dragon Lords.
And to return to a homeland that was embroiled in succession disputes was a hellscape. It was a situation where one moment of mistakes could lead to purging at any time. His survival through that process spoke volumes of Dmitri’s capabilities.
Thus, he was able to discern the deep implications in Ivan’s words.
“Whom did you ally with? The demons?”
“Veolgrin.”
“That guy could pull something like this… What’s the reason?”
“We need to find out.”
Ivan scanned his surroundings with tired eyes.
The harbor of Idrenhill was in chaos.
“What’s the damage?”
“We have no casualties among our side.”
The man standing next to Dmitri quietly lowered his head and replied.
Ivan nodded and asked.
“What’s the occupation status?”
“Four harbors, including this one, are perfectly occupied. There’s no other military facility. A defensive line has formed along the road leading to the noble district. Local elf resistance is fierce, and the path to the Eternal Palace is blocked.”
“What about the riots?”
“We initiated them, but it was only a matter of time. Honestly, with piled treasures behind the elves who lost their magic, how could they hold back?”
Most of the laborers were humans, and most humans of this era had direct experiences with war. Those who were healthy enough to engage in frontline labor and those poor enough to live like slaves abroad needed even more.
Most of them would have been conscripts who fought on the front lines. The only system capable of managing such rough manpower was magic.
It was a miracle that elven society could even sustain itself at the point when their magic stopped. With the labor population of the city surpassing the noble population by ten times, treasures accumulated by the elves would be glimmering before their eyes.
“Oswald.”
“Yes, Ivan.”
“Leave with Evelyn. We need to contact the chief of the council and find a way to calm the situation.”
The problems in Idrenhill could be resolved. With the thirty or so agents present at this moment, it was more than sufficient.
They simply needed to occupy key facilities and incite humans. The inflamed humans would naturally wish to join a ‘human group with power.’
“We need to gather as many council members as possible to encircle this city.”
“…Here?”
“The Queen can’t have given complete authority to Veolgrin.”
If the Queen was in her right mind, she would have surely prepared a means to control Veolgrin. Stopping the Milestone would be a great endeavor tied to the fate of their species.
Thus, they needed to occupy Idrenhill now and restrain the Queen. The fact that the Queen had sealed the Eternal Palace hinted at this.
If the one responsible for this situation was the Queen and Veolgrin, then there should be a way for the Queen to restore it. At least a solution.
What was she hoping for by closing the doors and staging a protest? They would need to find out.
“Rundis. Lucia. You two are our only strength at this moment.”
“Those elf ears never fail,” Rundis said with a grin.
Although it was an unimaginable catastrophe, Ivan had no choice but to acknowledge his party’s composition as a failure. Since most of the party had captured elves, there was a severe lack of response for a terror targeting elves.
But together, Lucia and Rundis could manage this. There was no explicit enemy in this disaster scenario, so there was no room for direct disputes for the party to get involved.
Rundis was a sapper who had fully absorbed Dwarven engineering techniques. At a time when magic had vanished, she would be the most competent.
And Lucia was an immediate combat asset that could take Ivan’s place under any circumstances. While her direct combat ability might be somewhat lacking, the two of them could fulfill the scouting role entirely together.
“When the council is convened and the response starts, gather information. There is a high possibility of a traitor within the council.”
It was clear that this incident was a collaboration between Veolgrin and the Queen. Still, there remained something undiscovered—a piece of information that had yet to confirm.
Alexander.
That was the reason Ivan originally headed towards Kalion. Intelligence indicated that someone within the council was allied with Alexander.
Even now, Alexander still existed in this country. What he hoped for in this situation, and what actions he would attempt, were still unconfirmed.
“Yes, sir. I’ll be back shortly!”
“Sir, please wait just a moment!”
The party immediately led the sailors and departed. After a simple loading of supplies, the ship set out towards the black night sea.
Ivan glanced back at Lucia, who was waving her hands from the rear, before turning his head away.
“Dmitri.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Could interrogating a foreign queen result in diplomatic problems?”
“And if it does?”
“What was the last operation you were involved in?”
“Northeast, at the Great Rift with Olegha.”
“Survivors?”
“Five, including me, made it out alive.”
Ivan turned his gaze. He could see the men surrounding him.
He knew all the men here—their names, lives, hobbies, and even the smallest of traits.
They were the ones sent to assassinate the Seven Dragon Lords and returned after burying over 90% of their comrades in the field.
“Sir, I’ve received a message from His Highness.”
If there’s something that must be done, then do not consider the future.
“The current personnel were personally prepared by His Highness.”
All the survivors of the Cleanup Unit had been gathered and sent. It was a judgment made by Elizaveta, the former commander of the Cleanup Unit.
This meant that they could even aim for the King of the Seven Dragon Lords. In this era, it was the sharpest and most secret weapon held by Krasilov.
The armies of all civilizations take their symbol as a shield. This implies they were created for the purpose of protecting their nations and peoples.
However, the Cleanup Unit has only ever taken one phrase as its symbol since its founding. The dagger gripped in reverse. It signifies that they were solely a force for offense.
“I’ll issue the orders.”
“Yes, Commander.”
The last high-ranking officer of the Cleanup Unit opened his mouth.
“The ultimate goal is the normalization of Kalion. The immediate task is the occupation of the Eternal Palace. The next tasks are the capture and interrogation of the Queen, as well as assessing the situation. The alternative task, in case of failure, is to secure information after joining forces with the troops of the council that are expected to arrive later.”
Ivan continued speaking while making eye contact with each person.
“The grand strategy is active intervention during the restructuring of Kalion. The minimum requirement is the securement of Krasilov’s harbor. The maximum requirement is the acquisition of original technology for aerial battleships.”
And.
“I’ll secure Alexander’s whereabouts.”
“May I ask a question, sir?”
“Go ahead.”
“Can we engage emotions in this?”
The fact that everyone here was a survivor of the Cleanup Unit implies that they had all buried their comrades in front of the Seven Dragon Lords and crawled back to life.
By the order of a madman.
The reason the Cleanup Unit was formed under Elizaveta’s initiative with the Counterintelligence Command was only one. The sole reason why agents betrayed their country and entrusted themselves to state power again was one and only.
Revenge.
With Dmitri’s question, the thirty-odd agents simultaneously turned their gazes to Ivan.
“We can’t simply leave limbs intact, can we?”
“Revenge is meaningless.”
Ivan quietly held Dmitri’s gaze and wrapped up the discussion.
“Therefore, it would be suitable to dedicate a flower to our brothers who died without meaning.”
