shattered it. What followed after that was nothing less than a one-sided slaughter. His prowess was so terrifying that merely watching it sent shivers down one’s spine. Moreover, the knights under his command could be called invincible without the slightest exaggeration... His identity was none other than Emperor Crosen.
The Icarotte Empire, the strongest nation in Truvenia. Since they were charged with protecting its crown prince, his personal guards could only have been chosen from among the most carefully selected experts.
A guard order composed solely of elites, worthy of rivaling even the Imperial Guard Knights. Yet even those elite personal guards were rendered almost laughably powerless before the explosive offensive of the orc army. Confused and helpless under spearheads thrusting in from every direction, they were annihilated in less than ten minutes.
But the knight order of Emperor Crosen, more than half of whose members were Sword Masters, was different. The moment a flash of sword-light gleamed, an orc was invariably cut to pieces; each and every knight’s martial prowess was exceptional beyond measure. Another difference lay in their attitude toward battle.
They responded with composure no matter the situation. Even if a comrade right beside them fell from his horse, they would fill the gap without the slightest wavering.
With Emperor Crosen as the central axis, the Crosena Knight Order formed a triangular formation, broke through the orcs’ encirclement in a single stroke, then spread wide like the wings of a crane and pushed the orcs back. The vast orc army instantly fell into disorder and began to flee.
“H-Heavens...”
Though he had been saved from a desperate crisis, Rosengart IV was in no state of mind to express gratitude. The orderly movements of the Crosena Knight Order he had witnessed as they broke through the encirclement were so dazzling they could only be described as art. Even he, the crown prince, had been captivated by Emperor Crosen’s majesty.
But after returning to the main camp, that emotion reversed in an instant. Having risked death to charge into the enemy ranks and achieved great results, Emperor Crosen’s name was spoken of among the soldiers as if it were legend. Conversely, Rosengart IV, who had lost every last knight under his command through reckless action, had his prestige utterly shattered.
While receiving treatment in his tent, his ears ached from the praise of Emperor Crosen that came from every direction. Jealousy toward a man whose abilities he could never hope to match naturally began to grow.
In particular, after he happened to hear a rumor circulating among the soldiers—that all the kingdoms of Truvenia should be unified and Emperor Crosen enthroned as their first emperor—he came to regard Emperor Crosen with extreme wariness. This was precisely why he felt antipathy toward the name Crosen.
Of course, the other monarchs were also jealous of him for reasons more or less the same. In this way, the hostility lodged in Rosengart IV’s heart continued to grow.
His aged imperial father passed away before long, and Rosengart at last became emperor of the Icarotte Empire. Once he had gained power, he put into action the plan he had kept in his heart.
Fortunately, the rulers of the other kingdoms also sensed, knowingly or unknowingly, the feelings Rosengart harbored, and so they naturally formed a united front. An anti-Crosen united front.
Those rulers felt a sense of crisis, believing that if they remained still, Crosen would seize their thrones.
It was in the midst of this that Emperor Crosen’s bombshell declaration erupted. The incident in which he publicly denied faith in the chief god Verhazel. Naturally, the rulers, including Emperor Rosengart, had no intention of letting such a fine opportunity slip by. They even sent envoys to the Church of Verhazel, which was agonizing over how to handle the incident, and promised their full support. Even war, if the worst came to pass.
Thus, the situation was finally settled. Under pressure from the church and the monarchs, Emperor Crosen took his followers and crossed the sea to the continent of Arcadia. Though countless people followed him across, the monarchs thought it fortunate that the matter had ended with only that.
Given time, the population would naturally recover. For Emperor Rosengart and the other rulers, merely preserving their positions was enough to satisfy them. Then, amid all this, the second crisis—the War of Darkness—broke out. And there, Rosengart IV had to hear the name Crosen once again. Though he, too, agreed that thanks to him the War of Darkness could be led to victory, the existence known as Crosen was still an exceedingly dangerous figure to him.
Because the monarchs’ thoughts were identical down to the smallest detail, Crosen, in accordance with their intentions, was once again forced to leave this land. Only after the ship carrying him and his new followers vanished beyond the horizon could they finally breathe in relief. But the crisis did not end there, and at a gathering of all the monarchs, that cursed name was mentioned for the third time. For these reasons, the emotions the rulers of the Truvenia continent felt toward the name Crosen were beyond imagination.
As Emperor Rosengart fell silent, lost in thought, Sergei stepped forward in his stead. He felt the need to somehow bring the situation under control.
“Of course, I acknowledge Emperor Crosen’s achievements. However, he is now old. In other words, he can no longer display the same majesty he once did.”
“Of course, with the passage of time, he must have lost strength as well. But think of the knight order he raised. In both the First Racial War and the Second War of Darkness, the Crosena Knight Order was absolutely unrivaled. Even if one searched the entire Truvenia continent with eyes wide open, no knight order possessing power equal to theirs could be found. This is precisely why we must request aid from the continent of Arcadia. Only after having them recover the Oath Stone, and only by gathering the strength of the two continents into one, can this crisis be overcome.”
The hall sank into silence once more. Of course, the monarchs were not unaware that this method was the most reasonable. However, fearing the waves Crosen would once again cause in this land, they hesitated to make a decision. Naturally, pride also played a part in the reason for their hesitation.
After maintaining his silence for some time, Rosengart IV finally opened his mouth.
“There will be no request for aid.”
“......”
“I mean that we of Truvenia, the main line, have no need to request help from some collateral branch like Arcadia. Let us discuss that matter again if the situation grows urgent. For now, it is time to gather the armies of all kingdoms into one and repel the enemy’s invasion.”
Having finished speaking, Rosengart IV turned away from Shrekheimer and looked around at the monarchs.
“Now, let us show those creatures the strength of our armies. Even without the support of the likes of Arcadia, our soldiers are sufficiently strong. Even without the Oath Stone, we can win.”
“Indeed.”
“I agree with His Majesty’s opinion.”
The monarchs, who had tacitly shared Emperor Rosengart’s view, all spoke in agreement at once.
Without the slightest hesitation, they resolved to conduct the war independently, without requesting aid from Arcadia. As if mocking the stunned Shrekheimer.
“And what happened then?”
With a sorrowful expression, Shrekheimer stared directly into Dokgo Seong’s face.
“The result was a disastrous defeat that occurred almost simultaneously on every front. In particular, in the great battle fought on the Tranbor Plain, we suffered the tremendous loss of no fewer than one hundred thousand men. As a result, more than half of the Truvenia continent fell into their hands. Half of the monarchs who participated in that meeting lost their lives in that battle.”
‘An inevitable result.’
Dokgo Seong shook his head with a bitter smile. Had he not already experienced firsthand just how empty power was? To preserve their precious power, they had driven as many as one hundred thousand lives into the pit of death...
To Dokgo Seong, the actions of the monarchs were simply absurd.
“In the end, the meeting had no choice but to be held again. This time, even the monarchs could no longer oppose requesting aid from Arcadia. The decision was made, and a delegation was formed. But to state the conclusion first, the request for aid was not made. No, it could not even be made.”
“.........”
“The sea route between the two continents had already been completely blockaded. The silver dragon Cranus is the absolute ruler who governs water. Because of his magic, the two continents were so thoroughly isolated that even spatial teleportation could not take place between them. It was because the monarchs’ decision had come far too late. We became unable to contact the continent of Arcadia by any means whatsoever.”
Shrekheimer’s voice was clearly tinged with resentment toward the monarchs, who had been too late in judging the situation. In the end, the monarchs gathered once more to hold a final meeting to preserve the fate of humanity.
The faces of the monarchs seated in the vast hall were stiff without exception. It was partly due to the truly absurd and devastating defeat they had suffered, but most of them were also seriously agonizing over whether their decision had been wrong. If they had allied with Arcadia, it was certain they would not have suffered such an absurd defeat. But no matter how swift regret may be, it always comes too late. Now, they had to take responsibility not only for their own power, but also for the fate of their people, who stood at the brink.
Unlike the faces of the monarchs, which were filled with grief beyond measure, Rosengart IV’s face showed no expression at all. If anything, it was the face of a man who did not regret his decision in the slightest. At one corner of the round table, Shrekheimer’s familiar face could be seen as well.
Sitting in the corner and glaring at Emperor Rosengart, Shrekheimer wore a sneer that was difficult to describe. It was a sneer directed at an incompetent ruler who had driven the lives of one hundred thousand soldiers into the pit of death merely to protect his own pride. But Rosengart IV received Shrekheimer’s gaze expressionlessly. As if to break through that awkward atmosphere, Sergei’s clear voice rang throughout the hall.
“Then, we shall begin the meeting.”
As though he had something he was expecting, his tone was exceedingly bright. Folding up the chart he had spread out, he looked around at the faces of the monarchs.
“All of Your Majesties are already well aware of the state of the war, so I will not explain it further. And regrettably, our attempt to request aid from the continent of Arcadia has also ended in failure. However, one fact has come to light that may be called a blessing amid misfortune.”
Perhaps intrigued by those lingering words, the gazes of the monarchs all focused on Sergei at once. Sergei swallowed once, then began his explanation.
“As you know, the continent of Arcadia and our continent of Truvenia have been isolated to a degree that may be called nearly perfect. By the silver dragon Cranus’s hand, enormous whirlpools have been placed throughout the sea so that even the largest ships cannot pass, and due to a wide-range magical distortion field, spatial teleportation is also impossible. We have, in effect, been cut off. However, that is not the only place from which we can seek help.”
“But the only continents here where people live are Truvenia and Arcadia, are they not?”
“According to what is known, yes. However, it is not as though there are no other places where people live. For example, one might mention other dimensions. People live there as well, without fail.”
A light of expectation began to appear on the monarchs’ faces. Sensing those gazes, Sergei continued speaking.
“Emperor Crosen, from whom we originally intended to seek help, is a person from another dimension. I trust Your Majesties know well that he is not a person of this world. And according to the testimony of those who met him, he said he was not the strongest person on the continent where he lived. This is a fact revealed directly from his own mouth.”
“T-Then...”
As if they had realized what Sergei intended to say, the monarchs’ eyes narrowed. Sergei nodded as though to say they were correct.
“That is right. The contingency plan we have devised is to locate the dimension where he lived. And by whatever means necessary, we must invite the strongest expert from that place. If that plan succeeds, we may perhaps be able to overcome this crisis. Judging by Emperor Crosen’s skill, if that person is the strongest where he lived, then he must possess swordsmanship so powerful it is difficult even to imagine. Our hope is to have him infiltrate deep into the orcs’ main camp and retrieve the Oath Stone. If we succeed, the morale of our soldiers will surely soar beyond measure. If that happens, overcoming this crisis will not be entirely impossible.”
“B-But dimensional travel is not something accomplished so easily, and there has never been a single successful case of it until now, has there?”
At the utterly absurd proposal, the ruler of Terbia raised an objection. Sergei responded with a faint smile.
“Have you perhaps heard the name Acrofont?”
Several of the monarchs nodded as if they knew it. That was because he had been the former court mage of the Icarotte Empire.
Acrofont von Nesvald. A true master of spatial teleportation magic, and a man who had long served as the chief mage of the Icarotte Empire. Yet one day, he had suddenly and mysteriously vanished, arousing the curiosity of the world and becoming a figure shrouded in mystery. In particular, he was a great mage who had reached the 8th Circle, a level attained by only a handful in all of Truvenia. But no one knew why Sergei had suddenly brought up Acrofont out of nowhere.
“His disappearance remained a mystery for a long time. Not even his body was ever found. However, by chance, we were able to discover a dungeon located beneath his laboratory. And there, we found important materials that may break through this situation.”
“W-What were they?”
“They were books written by Acrofont, containing extensive research results on dimensional travel. According to them, it was revealed that Acrofont’s disappearance was caused by Acrofont himself. He had traveled to another dimension through dimensional travel.”
“Then you mean dimensional travel succeeded?”
The listening monarchs were each struck speechless. That was how unprecedented it was to hear that dimensional travel had succeeded.
Dimensional travel. A magic more advanced than spatial teleportation, allowing one to cross the third dimension; it was said that by using it, one could freely travel to and from the fourth dimension. However, dimensional travel was a magic of such high difficulty and complexity that it was all but impossible. There had never once been a precedent of dimensional travel being accomplished until now.