#152 Rebellion of the Empire (2)
The city of Tarak in the Kingdom of Tulk was flowing by in its usual hectic bustle today as well.
The number of monsters descending from the northern mountain range had decreased, and with large-scale troops beginning to be stationed around the Steel Citadel, stability was gradually returning, but...
Since the situation had yet to be completely resolved, it was easy to see not only mercenaries but even merchants busily moving about all over the streets.
And naturally, the Hubert Trading Company, which had somehow grown into one of Tarak’s largest merchant companies, was among them.
“...Then see that matter handled that way. And what became of the appraisal results for the gemstones I entrusted to you before?”
In the office of the company head, within the large building occupied by the Hubert Trading Company.
Hubert, who had returned not long ago after a lengthy recuperation, flipped through some documents before casting his gaze toward one of the executives.
“Yes, after requesting appraisals from Tarak’s Precious Metals Guild and three magic towers, all of them reacted intensely, just as you predicted, Chairman.”
There had even been rumors circulating in secret that Hubert had already died, but as if to prove them all baseless, he had begun preparing a new business the moment he returned.
Namely, the distribution of the “Earth-made synthetic gemstones” he had considered before.
One might ask what gemstones had to do with anything when society was in such turmoil, but for those who possessed wealth, goods like these were never bound by timing. ‘If anything, there should be many who want to liquidate other assets and hide them away by converting them into precious metals and gems that are easy to store. In that sense, now is the perfect time to start this business.’ The synthetic gemstones he had brought were not mere imitations that only looked similar on the outside, like cubic zirconia.
They were genuine gemstones, physically, chemically, and optically perfect, made from high-purity substances in a high-temperature, high-pressure laboratory environment.
As such, they were characterized by having fewer inclusions than natural gemstones and being exceedingly clean, and here in Auterica, that was a radical difference to the point of feeling alien.
Enough to plunge the appraisers of the Precious Metals Guild into confusion all at once. ‘The value of luxury goods is determined by how rare they are. They have the weakness of being unusable as magical mediums, but that, too, will become a unique selling point.’ As if to prove it, the mages were also showing great interest in them.
Strictly speaking, to them they were nothing more than pretty stones with no practical use at all, but that was precisely the factor that stimulated their curiosity.
No matter how much they examined them, they were unmistakably gemstones, yet the properties they contained were far too different from anything they had seen until now.
“...So not only the magic towers but also the Precious Metals Guild have actively sounded us out about purchasing them. They did seem somewhat burdened, perhaps because of their rarity.”
In the end, it meant that the first appearance of Earth-made synthetic gemstones had been highly successful.
He had never intended to release too much of the stock to begin with, but since he would be the only one capable of properly supplying these in this world anyway, there was no need to keep them too tightly wrapped up.
“We can also expect a promotional effect through them. Since it is our first transaction, proceed with negotiations on the basis of offering a slight discount.”
This premium product, to be sold in small quantities, would prove quite useful in helping the Hubert Trading Company expand in the future.
After all, rare gemstones were originally ideal for bribes as well. ‘Of course, before that, I’ll need to present some to the House of Count Aonia, the lord of this land.’ Though it was because of Harley, they had given him all sorts of conveniences until now, so shouldn’t he at least show this much sincerity?
Compared to the benefits he would gain from it, the original cost of the gemstones was not all that expensive anyway.
“Ah... and, Marvin?”
“Yes! Chairman. Did you call for me?”
Just before the meeting ended, a bearded man quickly answered Hubert’s low call.
He was the person in charge of expanding the company eastward, a man who had contributed by managing, through all sorts of efforts, to establish even a small amount of trade with the empire beyond the eastern border.
“I have something to say regarding the empire, so wait a moment.”
“The empire... you say? Yes, understood.”
The proper attitude of a merchant was to never miss even the smallest opportunity.
And so, Hubert was diligently fulfilling his duty as a merchant today as well.
***
The long-running continental summit finally came to an end.
Of course, not every discussion had been concluded, and it was only the first gathering that had just ended, but the fact that the various powers, which had only produced discord until now, had united their intentions and reached an agreement was of great significance.
Thus, the representatives of each nation began returning one by one through the gate of the Great Temple.
However, among them were some who received an unexpected restraint from the Church...
None other than the delegation led by Simon Carte Azerion, crown prince of the Azerion Empire.
“What is the meaning of this? Are you telling us not to return to the empire right now?”
“Ah, that is not what I mean. I am merely warning you that it may be dangerous if you return now.”
“Hah— The place we are headed is Jeron, the capital of the Azerion Empire. That means you are saying Jeron is dangerous. Just what is your basis for saying such a thing?”
A nobleman who had come along as the crown prince’s aide pressed the bishop of the Great Temple, who had stopped them in their tracks.
Unable to treat the other party carelessly due to who he was, the bishop only glanced at the crown prince, who was watching them from behind with an displeased look, and licked his lips.
“Mm, it was something the Saint said himself. I do not know the exact details, but he said that something unusual seemed likely to happen in Jeron.”
“Pardon? So, after hearing the words of a single person, you are telling us to...”
“He is not a single person, but the Saint. Moreover, one who has directly received a revelation from the Lord God.”
At the words the aide had blurted out in disbelief, the bishop’s voice, which had been gentle and persuasive throughout, turned slightly sharp.
It seemed the words he had uttered thoughtlessly had rubbed him the wrong way.
“Ahem... No, what I meant was, if you are not forcing us, then we will simply be on our way...”
Just then, as the aide cleared his throat lightly at the reaction that exceeded his expectations and was about to speak again.
“I appreciate your concern, but.”
The crown prince, who had been quietly watching from behind, cut him off in a cold voice.
“I am the crown prince of the empire, and the capital, Jeron, is like my own home. Even if a problem arises, I can deal with it sufficiently, and if some calamity truly does occur, then it is only proper that I personally handle it on the spot. I do not believe this is a matter for the Church to interfere in, do you?”
Crown Prince Simon did not like this situation itself.
Especially since he had recently received reports that the Church’s interference with the forces dispatched to the duchy had grown more severe, what they were doing now also looked like some sort of political maneuver to him.
Of course, given the name value of the Church and the Saint, that warning would not be entirely empty words.
They must have sensed something, which was why they were saying this.
However, if he listened to them, stopped in his tracks, and hid somewhere safe, that would become an even bigger problem. ‘This is different from leaving my seat to attend the summit. One wrong move, and I could give Riley an opening.’ In addition, as a man with strong pride in his own country, he had confidence in the capital’s defenses.
The empire had taken the recent attack on the Great Temple as an object lesson, and from that time until now had devoted all its strength to fortifying the imperial palace with ironclad defenses.
No matter how powerful the Church was, the Azerion Empire was, in both name and reality, the greatest superpower in the world.
The territory it actually ruled, its resources, and its population were on a completely different level from the Church’s, and the defenses of the capital where that national power was concentrated were truly no different from an impregnable fortress. ‘Yes, even if the opponent is the Immortal King. Unless that bastard brings his entire undying army with him, a small number like when he attacked the Great Temple won’t even stand a chance.’ Crown Prince Simon sincerely thought so, but...
Since the most important thing of all was his own safety, he did not completely ignore the Church’s warning either.
In preparation for any contingency, he requested greater-than-usual security from his own country, pressured the capital defense force, and even arranged additional escort troops.
Only after about a day had passed and all preparations were complete did he cross the gate and move to the Great Temple in Jeron.
...Though all those efforts, too,
Were already in someone’s palm.
***
[Oho— Indeed, it is worthy of being called the capital of the empire.]
Above the sea of clouds spread out densely beneath his feet.
Hans, his entire body cloaked in darkness, was looking down at the ground with deep eyes that seemed to swallow even light.
The defenses of Jeron, the capital of the empire, as seen through the “Eye of the Abyss,” were certainly far from ordinary.
Who knew just how many resources and manpower they had poured into it, but the central area where the imperial palace stood was densely covered in all manner of techniques, and the barriers spreading out from there in every direction like a spiderweb were also at a level that could by no means be ignored. ‘Their detection ability around the capital is beyond what I expected, too. If I get even a little closer from here, I’ll be found out in no time no matter how much I conceal my aura, won’t I?’ He could somehow evade the Saintess’s detection, which covered the entire continent, but there was no immediate way to deal with something like the barrier spread over that city, which concentrated its surveillance on a fixed range.
The aura possessed by the Immortal King itself was so ferocious that hiding it any further was simply impossible. ‘It’s on a completely different level from Tobea, which was only a satellite city. Maybe that’s why they put even more effort into defending the capital. Well, it’s only natural, considering a nearby city was cleaned out not long ago.’ In addition, the warning delivered in the name of the Church through Heinrich must have played a part as well.
In a sense, one could say he had tied his own hands, but Hans no longer cared about that. ‘In any case, I’ve also prepared far more than usual on my side.’ Since this event was a fairly important scenario, he had invested without hesitation even the things he had gathered until now.
When it came to leaving a powerful impression, the larger the scale, the more effective it would be. ‘It’s about time.’ Timing was likewise an extremely important factor, but even that was not a great problem for him.
And at last. ‘Shall we begin?’ Hans, who had been floating above the clouds, dropped like a meteor.
Beeeep! Beeeep—!
Clang clang clang clang—!
At the same time, loud alarms rang out from the city, but he paid them no heed and accelerated even faster.
Wooooong!
An enormous energy instantly enveloped the entire city and surged around it.
In the blink of an eye, it activated countless spells, and the clusters of light that spread as if in a chain reaction beautifully dyed the city.
Kwaaaang—!
Immediately after, Hans’s body collided head-on with the barrier surrounding the capital. [Kheheheh— It seems you put in quite a bit of care, but a barrier of this level is nowhere near enough to stop this body.]
He lightly tore through the barrier that was throwing off sparks, stepped inside, and looked around.
Beeeep—! Beeeep!
The first thing he saw was the enormous imperial palace at the city center, which had already become an impregnable fortress through the densely activated spells.
Magic, sorcery, alchemy, and all sorts of supernatural powers were gathered together in one place, creating a synergy—
It was no different from a crystallization of mystery representing the dimension of Auterica. ‘Just how much money did they pour into this...? Now that I’m seeing it properly activated, it’s even more spectacular than I thought. Even for Hans, breaking through that would take quite some time.’ His objective had never been to strike the imperial palace directly in the first place, but...
After coming all the way to the capital and seeing that, wouldn’t it be rude to just pass it by? ‘It’s only proper to at least offer a greeting.’ That way, they could at least feel that the money they spent had been worthwhile!
Thus, with a warm consideration no one would ever recognize held in his heart, Hans opened his mouth softly. [Now, come forth. Entracio, Heratos.]
At the same time, the darkness covering his body writhed and instantly began devouring the surroundings...
And from within it, two massive shadows tore through space and burst out. [Kwoooooo—!] [Kyaaaaa—!]
Two bone dragons roared, whipping up fierce winds.
But they were only the beginning. [Then Olivia, I shall entrust you with commanding the others.] [Leave it to me, my king... This humble one shall do her utmost to carry out Your Majesty’s command...]
The officers of the undying army began appearing one by one around him...
Kuuung—!
“Aaaaagh!”
Boom—!
“Hurry, get away!”
All over the city, black smoke rose along with explosions.
The slaves... no, the extras who had infiltrated in advance had begun acting simultaneously at the signal of Hans’s intrusion. ‘They’ve started over there, too. As expected of the capital, there are far more places to clean out than in Tobea. Well, once the job is done, they’ll have to survive on their own.’ Of course, even if they did survive, all that awaited them was the future of being deployed to the next site, but if they were lucky, wasn’t it possible they might survive until the very end?
Hope was originally like that. [Kuhuhu— Ahh, how delightful! This is the prelude to destruction! Mortals, remember my name! I am the Immortal King, Hannibal Strauss! Khahahaha—!]
And with that self-promotion timed to perfection,
The Immortal King finally launched a direct invasion of Jeron, the capital of the empire.