EP.463 To Become an Empire (2)
*
The shadows that had infiltrated the kingdom were driven away.
Under the rule of the great queen who defeated evil, the empire enjoyed a time of peace. Just like in fairy tales, it would have been nice if we could put an end to this story there, but… reality is inherently harsh. The story wasn’t over.
In fact, there was even more to be done.
Arcadia, freed from my brother’s beast, was in chaos. The disappearance of the heir to the throne. A king in a coma. The poison scattered by Acrita Clen Arcadia continued to rot this land even after his disappearance. Therefore, I had to excise all of it.
I seized power.
I confined my father and ascended the throne. I purged everyone who stood with my brother, all those who had been his eyes and ears, and those who gnawed away at this land.
At some point, I began to be called the Iron-Blooded. It didn’t matter what I was called. For Arcadia, I devoted my life. I had a duty to do so for the sake of my sister. I firmly believed that the power I possessed, the uniqueness I held, existed for this purpose.
*
Death was approaching.
The human life span was short, and mine was even shorter than that of others. It was only natural. I lived day by day, burning my lifespan and cutting my sleep short. Feeling death drawing near, I looked upon the Arcadia I had built.
Arcadia had developed. It had grown.
It was no longer a weak country that had to bow its head to neighboring nations, nor did it have to suffer the loss of its citizens to the demonic tribes invading human lands. Before I knew it, my nation was called the bulwark of humanity.
Laughter filled the streets.
Disguised, I strolled through the streets and smiled with satisfaction. I could have ended my life there in peace, but I couldn’t do that. Although my eyes beheld peaceful streets, my mind recalled the streets once covered in corpses during the plague.
…Acrita Clen Arcadia had not died.
I had merely driven my brother away; he would someday return to this land. I had to prepare for that day. The people of Arcadia were still not strong enough to withstand that great evil. This country could not yet become independent.
“This is my will. Listen.”
Thus.
“At any era, a child blessed by the stars will appear in Arcadia. Whether they are of royal blood or live rummaging through trash makes no difference. Place that child close to the king.”
I crafted a story.
“That child will have platinum hair and golden eyes. Find that child and bring them into the royal family. This is the will that I leave to you.”
I mimicked my brother’s way.
However, I did not choose to take another’s body as he had. Otherwise, I would have fallen into the same existence as my brother.
Rebirth, that was the answer I chose.
I made a contract with the stars, sacrificing many things that I could enjoy as a human. I forsook peace. I pawned my soul and bargained with the stars. Until when? To the star that questioned me, I answered.
Until the day Arcadia is called an empire.
A great deal of time passed.
I continued living, though I could not count how many lives I had lived. As the price of rebirth, I died young in every life and lived missing most sensations. Still, it didn’t matter.
I was prepared to dedicate everything to stop my bloodline from returning.
It was a matter of facing a madman beyond humanity.
I too had to become a being comparable to him. At every era and moment, I became the entity that Arcadia needed. In most of my lives, I became the ruler of Arcadia, but not all lives were like that.
Sometimes I was a prophet, sometimes the Iron-Blooded Monarch, sometimes a regent, and sometimes…
I became countless beings and roamed the kingdom.
As the years passed, Arcadia grew stronger. Yet, still insufficient. I reached out beyond Arcadia, where I saw hope.
“Welcome to Arcadia, Sir Cardi.”
“I greet the sun of Arcadia.”
There was an elf.
An elf who had reached the realm of the Great Mage, he wished to naturalize in the land of humans. I drew him into Arcadia. He began to cultivate Arcadia, and many mages naturalized around him.
A path was opened. A little further ahead, I advanced.
As things stabilized, naturally, talents flocked.
The wise one, Cardi van Armiel.
The age of mages began around him. Arcadia was now the most powerful nation. Countless talents gathered in Arcadia. And then, on the day I crossed into my next life…
A girl blessed by the God of the Deloheim Church appeared.
A girl who was different from me, yet possessed more blessings than I did. From her, I glimpsed hope. I lured the wise one to her side. Under the wise one’s teachings, I hoped she would grow and become the light of Arcadia.
And then.
“I greet Your Highness the Princess.”
I faced him.
A knight who had come to Arcadia. Looking at the knight brought before me on suspicion of breaking the castle walls, I chuckled. Despite being restrained by the renowned knights of Arcadia, the knight’s face was utterly calm.
As if he could shake off their hands and walk away freely any moment he chose.
It was not arrogance. That knight possessed the ability to do so. It was the ease of the strong. I silently stared at the man.
“Who said you could speak?! Can’t you lower your head this instant?”
“In front of Your Highness the Princess, how dare you…”
Regardless of the knights’ shouts or the noble’s raised voices, the man did not dare lower his head. I found that deeply agreeable. Looking at the young man, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter for the first time in a long while.
“Are you testing me?”
I gestured.
“Let him go.”
“But, Your Highness…”
“I will not say it twice. Let him go. He is someone who could walk away leisurely, leaving you all behind if he desired. So let him go.”
The knights stepped back.
I turned to the young man who was looking at me.
“You could have shaken them off and escaped, yet you deliberately came here. Why?”
“I am searching for a master to whom I can pledge loyalty.”
He said.
“My sword instructor told me there is a way a sword should be wielded, and you are foolish and straightforward, so you will never find your purpose in life.”
“And?”
“Seek a worthy master. That was my instructor’s last will. If I can understand what purpose means under the guidance of a competent, wise, and kind master… I would be able to add the weight of conviction to my sword.”
Purpose, conviction, principles.
The knight, who spoke only trivialities, grasped the sword sheathed at his waist. The sword that none of the knights could take from him no matter how hard they tried. The moment he gripped the hilt, the knights glared, and clang, they drew their swords, but I lightly waved my hand to stop them.
“While searching for a master, I heard rumors. They say there is a wise princess in a country called Arcadia. It is said she would gather all talented individuals, regardless of status, to eventually become the ruler of that nation.”
The young man set the sword he had been gripping at his waist down at his feet.
“Seeing you in person, it seems the rumors were not false.”
He asked me.
“What will you do?”
I too asked him.
“What is your name?”
“Ganikalt.”
“Very well. One last question.”
I pointed toward the window of the royal castle.
There, the castle wall lay cracked in twain.
“Why on earth did you tear down that wall? If you wished to meet me, there were plenty of ways. Do you understand how important that wall is?”
“I have heard the walls of Arcadia are the bulwark of humanity, protecting us from the lords of the forsaken lands, the demonic tribes. The strongest wall humanity has.”
“You’re well informed. So then, I ask why you would tear asunder such a protective wall.”
Ganikalt tilted his head.
“But wasn’t it the strongest wall?”
“And so?”
“Do I need more reason?”
“Interesting…”
He truly is a madman.
A thoroughly insane individual.
In short, he just wanted to see if he could break the so-called strongest wall in half, and that was all. I chuckled and rubbed my face.
“You broke that wall.”
I stood up.
Standing, I moved towards Ganikalt and stood right before him, who knelt on one knee looking up at me. I grasped the hilt of the sword he had set down on the ground.
“So.”
With the raised hilt, I lightly tapped Ganikalt’s shoulder.
“This time, you shall watch.”
Ganikalt, who had held his head high, silently lowered it slightly. It was the first time anyone had bowed their head in my presence. Seeing that, I thought to myself.
Ah, finally, I’ve come this far.
There is an elf who has reached the realm of the Great Mage. There is a saint, a divine representative born of unprecedented blessings. And here, there is a swordsman with unfathomable skills. Talents had gathered in abundance.
So, I thought.
This life will be my last.
*
The long-standing war against the forsaken land’s owners, the demonic tribes, came to an end. Alongside the many war heroes, I declared the ceasefire.
Everything had come to an end.
The war with the demons, which seemed never-ending, also concluded. No longer did humanity have to face a threat. Arcadia, which had always stood at the forefront of battles, had become a representative nation of humanity.
The war hero, Belial van Dragonik.
The sword saint, Ganikalt van Galatrick.
The great sage, Cardi van Armiel.
The saint, Gleria Bel Armias.
Shining individuals who would guide the next era filled Arcadia. Due to the golden words and golden prohibitions, I could not inform them of the presence of poison… but I continually warned them. There was a long-held poison in the kingdom, and that poison would soon strike Arcadia.
“Esteemed Sir Cardi.”
“Please do not call me that. What is it you wish this time?”
“It’s nothing special. Just that, as I am about to leave this land… please take good care of the next king.”
“You have yet to see any children; why speak of such airy things?”
“Even without children, I still have a brother.”
I shrugged.
Although he is a bit naïve compared to me, my brother too was born from the blood of Arcadia. Since I will die young, my brother would be the one to inherit the throne next.
No, it may no longer be a throne.
Arcadia will become an empire, not a kingdom.
As the coronation ceremony approached, I moved busily. The time to end everything had come. It was the day the coronation ceremony was to be held. Passing through the corridors, I faced my brother.
“Finally fulfilling your dream. Congratulations.”
He, who used to regard me with apprehension.
Despite his apprehension, he smiled brightly and offered his congratulations. Just as I was about to return his smile.
…Dream? Accomplished?
I felt a sense of disquiet.
I had never once told anyone my dream. I widened my eyes. At that moment, the brother standing there smiled.
“To make Arcadia an empire.”
That, he said.
“That was your dream, was it not?”
The person in front of me was not the one I knew.
“I remember you promised in front of me, didn’t you?”
What stood before me wasn’t the naïve blood relative I had come to know after starting this life. This was a being that had hidden for the same duration as me… or perhaps longer. An entity I had been wary of for so long had revealed itself before me.
“You’re finally here, brother.”
“It has been a long time, sister.”
I squinted.
A shadow draped in another’s skin stood there. I lightly snapped my fingers. The sound of the bell echoed through the castle. The footsteps of countless knights resounded, the sound of the footsteps of the head of the Guardian Knight Order reverberated along the castle walls.
“I’ve been waiting.”
I waited for your return.
I had been preparing for this day.
I hadn’t anticipated that today would be the day, but it was rather fortunate. With this opportunity, I would eliminate the poison, and Arcadia would rise to become an empire. I would fulfill my long-held wish.
“Indeed, you have prepared much.”
Amidst the sound of footsteps, he chuckled.
“The things I discarded have been gathered by you, and now you stand against me with brilliant possessions.”
“It won’t be the same as last time.”
“You amaze me that you could prepare so much emulating me. You are the only one who brings me joy. Only, you…”
He covered his face with his palm.
“You copied me.”
He brushed his face and smiled.
“Now it is my turn to imitate you.”
The poison of the kingdom, Acrita Clen Arcadia beckoned.
In that moment, murky water surged from the depths of the earth. Murky water erupted from every crack. Through the rushing muck, my brother cried out.
“Behold what you ruined and what you cast away.”
The murky water overflowed.
