A flowerbed, neatly arranged as if tended by a skilled gardener.
Within it, countless tiny living things wriggled about, busily moving their bodies.
An ecosystem of nature where creatures such as ants, butterflies, ladybugs, and earthworms lived together in harmony—.
In one sense, they could be regarded as nothing more than insignificant little creatures, but the sight of the members of that small world doing their utmost in their respective places to survive was enough to stir a strange emotion.
“…Cute.”
And there was one being who was particularly deeply moved by that scene, to the point that she unknowingly murmured to herself.
It was the silver-haired woman crouching down and gazing silently at the flowerbed—Liesta Saint Hatianus, the Saintess of the Order of the Main God.
“Hmmm~ hmm~♪”
She was not satisfied with simply watching. Humming softly, she bestowed blessings upon each and every one of them.
Several hours had already passed since she had begun doing this, yet not the slightest trace of boredom could be found in her expression.
She merely looked down at the living things in the garden with her pair of golden eyes shining brightly, as though observing an interesting plaything. ‘How admirable.’
What small and lovable creatures they were.
Liesta, who had invested all the free time she had gained after so long into her hobby, wore a faint smile. ‘I’ve been busy in all sorts of ways lately….’
The Order of the Main God had been spending an extremely busy period since the passing of the former pope, Hatianus II.
Externally, it had to continue taking the lead in stabilizing the continent as it had done until now, and internally, it had to concern itself with filling the now-vacant seat of the pope. ‘It should be decided for certain soon.’
At the moment, in the Great Temple of Rosellia, the cardinals—of whom there were only six in the entire order—were gathered together and conducting the conclave, an in-depth meeting to elect the next pope.
If the Saint and Saintess were agents chosen directly by God, then the pope was closer to a representative elected from among the faithful who followed God, making this an indispensable procedure. ‘Whoever it becomes, it shouldn’t take too long. Given the current situation, if even the cardinals leave their posts empty for too long, they won’t be able to respond immediately if some incident breaks out… right?’
While Liesta was savoring the calm air flowing through her little sanctuary.
She suddenly sensed a certain incongruity.
Soon, an unidentified ominousness that stimulated her instincts and intuition, regardless of reason, began to flood into her thoughts. ‘…Ugh, this is, don’t tell me…?’
Having already experienced it before, she was immediately able to grasp the cause.
A revelation descended from the Main God.
It was a phenomenon closer to a sudden realization or awakening.
As she staggered while clutching her head, an uninvited guest happened to fly into the garden from outside.
Flutter—
A crow with black feathers prowled here and there around the flowerbed while she was unable to collect herself.
After seeming to inspect its surroundings for a moment, it soon found the plump insects that had even received the Saintess’s blessing and began rapidly gobbling them down one by one.
Caw— caw—
As though tasting a delicacy, it kept letting out cries of admiration in birdsong.
“Phew….”
Liesta, who had just finished sorting out the revelation and barely regained her senses, looked at the crow and furrowed her brow slightly. Then she wiped the cold sweat on her forehead with a handkerchief and relaxed her expression again.
In truth, it was not all that rare for birds or insects from outside to come in like that.
For ease of management and aesthetics, it would be best to completely isolate the garden from the outside, but then it would be nothing more than a slightly larger model garden.
Was not the law of the strong preying on the weak also a principle of nature arranged by the Main God? ‘In any case….’
After taking a deep breath and regaining her condition, she slowly approached the little intruder.
Caw— cak!
Flutter, flutter—
When the human approached it, the crow flinched and tried to escape, flapping its wings incessantly.
However, it merely repeated a few flaps and, in the end, froze in place until she came right beside it, unable to take flight.
“There, good bird.”
At that, she carefully cupped the now-docile crow in both hands and gently stroked it.
No matter how non-combatant Liesta might be, there was no way a mere tiny creature could endure her level, so it was not strange that such a phenomenon had occurred.
She was, quite literally, a great person who could make even a bird flying in the sky fall with nothing but her will. ‘Outside, huh….’
After stroking the crow a few times, she paused and stared at it once more.
Naturally, she had no intention of doing anything to it.
She had caught it like this merely on a whim because her mind had grown complicated. ‘An invader from an external dimension….’
The being the Main God himself had personally warned her about just now would certainly not be as easy to deal with as this bird.
Had the Main God not given no separate word even when several people from other worlds had come and gone until now? ‘…Could it be related to the Immortal King this time as well?’
It was a reasonable inference, but even that was not certain.
In any case, what mattered now was that they needed to prepare in advance for that revelation in some way.
Cak— caw!
Flutter—
Liesta released the bird fluttering atop her two hands back high into the sky and turned around with a hardened expression.
To first speak with a reliable man she could immediately consult about the revelation she had just received.
The Saint, Heinrich.
***
Little by little, yet steadily without stopping.
Time flowed like running water.
Perhaps because I had been operating several bodies at the same time, that period felt longer to me than to others, and many things happened during it.
“Long live Her Imperial Highness Crown Princess Riley Karte Ajerion!”
“Hohoho! Congratulations, Your Highness. Now all that remains is to bring things to a proper conclusion.”
“Oh my, how wonderful! You are even more beautiful today, Your Highness. Even the finest flowers of the empire lose their luster before you.”
First of all, in Jeron, the capital of the Ajerion Empire, Riley finally formally ascended to the position of crown princess.
She had succeeded in decisively dragging down Crown Prince Simon, who was now almost forgotten, and being officially recognized as the heir to the empire. ‘The current emperor’s health doesn’t look all that good either, so it seems there may be an abdication ceremony within a few years.’
The authority Riley possessed now as crown princess was on an entirely different level from when she had simply led a large faction as the Fifth Imperial Princess.
As the undisputed current second-in-command and the next ruler, she could now move the empire and imperial family more directly and mobilize their power.
It was proof that the long campaign she had begun over ten years ago, after meeting Lee Se-a, was gradually entering its final stage.
Furthermore, such changes in the continental situation were not limited to within the empire.
In Drakal, the free city of mercenaries located in the southeastern part of the continent…
Bang—!
“I heard there’s a man named Harley here! I’m Stallone of the Blood Mist, and I’ve come to learn a thing or two! Come on, let’s have a proper bout—”
“Huh? What, again?”
“…Huh?”
“Hmph! Well, I don’t know if you’re Blood Mist or Blood Clam. If you’re going to come at me, then hurry up and do it.”
As if an epidemic had spread through the city that would kill anyone who failed to prove they were a real man for even a single second, people kept coming to Harley, not shrinking away from his reputation from the start but instead burning with a competitive spirit.
Even considering that mercenaries were generally rough by nature and were routinely looked down upon if they failed to show off their strength, it was to the point that it felt a little excessive. ‘Of course, I still haven’t seen anyone maintain that attitude consistently after facing this body in person.’
This was Harley’s spirit, which had made even the highest ranks of the Mercenary Guild and masters who had reached the extreme lower their tails the moment they faced him.
So how could some riffraff who had not even reached that level possibly withstand it?
What happened afterward proceeded without a hitch.
As the large man who had confidently kicked open the door lost his focus and his eyes shook in all directions, Harley sauntered over, stood beside him, and casually placed an arm on his shoulder.
The other man was by no means small either, yet standing side by side with Harley, he looked like a middle schooler being extorted by a terrifying older brother.
“Do you want to get beaten until you turn into well-minced meat, or do you want to buy me well-minced meat?”
“…I-I’ll buy it.”
“Good choice! Then guide me to the best place you know! If I don’t like it, I’ll fold you in half, so you’d better choose well! Wahahaha!”
In truth, it really was extortion.
Harley thumped the man on the back and made him lead the way.
Of course, there were some among them whose eyes rolled back, perhaps driven mad by fear, and who charged in recklessly, but after receiving a bit of physical therapy filled with love, those men were soon reborn as civilized people capable of thinking normally.
Naturally, kindhearted and magnanimous Harley took good care of even those sorts, making a place for them to eat together and clear up their misunderstandings.
“Mm! The meat in this town has quite excellent texture too! This is rather unexpected, isn’t it?”
“D-Drakal may be barren land and difficult to farm, but it isn’t bad in other respects. First of all, the fact that it’s a center of trade is significant, and the meat quality of the cliff goats, which could be called this region’s specialty, is superb. …Though the price is a bit steep.”
“That’s exactly right, brother! …But the meat’s run out again? Th-then, for now, I’ll order ten more servings… no, twenty… I’m sorry, I’ll order thirty servings. Ha, haha….”
“Tsk, you’re breaking the flow. If it looks like the meat’s about to run out, you should order more on your own right away. You’ve got no sense at all, my friend.”
A shocking course of action that made the entire city stir the moment he arrived.
On top of that, eyewitness accounts and rumors of the famous Harley, whom people had only heard about, spread rapidly through Drakal society, resulting in raising his recognition and influence even further. ‘In the end, mercenaries are people who sell force, one way or another. Overwhelming strength takes priority over complicated politics. In that respect, it’s similar to the south.’
In the end, Drakal, too, could be said to be a place perfectly suited to Harley, whose very existence could be called the incarnation of violence.
Moreover, not only here, but the situation unfolding in other regions was developing far more favorably for our side than I had initially expected. ‘The south goes without saying, and the expansion of the eastern base centered around those from Obaipo is proceeding smoothly. Also, the Kingdom of Talia in the west has formally established diplomatic relations with the neighboring kingdoms and entered the stage of expanding its influence….’
It was only natural that the Hubert Company, which had begun eroding not only the Kingdom of Tulk but the entire west, became deeply involved in the work of expanding influence that began there.
The greatest force behind the Hubert Company’s market erosion was the rare metals being endlessly delivered from the north, and the various nations, out of fear of the immortal army, were excellent customers who competitively purchased such materials that could help strengthen their military forces. ‘Though in truth, the ones supplying those goods are the immortal army itself.’
A situation in which military supplies were traded between both camps, regardless of friend or foe, solely for profit.
Was this what they called a “merchant of darkness”?
Somehow, I felt as though I had stepped into a new world. ‘However.’
Not long ago, amid this smooth situation, one piece of news had come that dampened the mood. ‘An extradimensional invader, to the point that the Main God would issue a warning?’
It was the revelation from the Main God that I had heard about from Saintess Liesta. ‘…As expected, there’s only one guy who comes to mind.’
A monster that crossed countless dimensions and devoured the roots of worlds.
The Master of the Beoncheon Society. ‘So he’s come here after all.’
If not for Liesta, I probably would not have obtained even this much information.
Far from having time to prepare, I might have been bewildered by the sudden situation and collapsed.
It was only because she was someone on the level of a Saintess that she could interpret a revelation to this extent.
Since I did not know the mechanism by which he crossed dimensions, I had no way of knowing where he was or what he was doing right now.
However, it was likely not the same method as mine, where I read the memories of someone from the target origin and crossed over through “Otherworld Transfer Formation Summoning.”
Considering the abilities he had shown when we clashed in Japan, I suspected he had honed a unique skill dealing with space to the extreme and found a way. ‘But that’s not what matters right now.’
Yes, at this point, “how” was a secondary issue.
What mattered immediately was that the place that monster had set his sights on and was trying to barge into happened to be the stage I had painstakingly set up. ‘This land… Outerica.’
My insides boiled.
As expected, that was something I absolutely could not tolerate.
Outside, it was known that the Immortal King’s army and humanity were at war with each other, but that was not true.
Because both sides were no different from my own hands and feet.
It was something others could not even imagine, but to me, manipulating the flow of this world was easier than anything else.
Because most of those who ruled Outerica were influenced by me.
The Immortal King and the immortal army under his command, the Vampire Alliance led by the Vampire King, the Order of the Main God that worshiped Heinrich as the Saint, Harley the Fighting King and Mercenary King and countless warriors, Harris the High Elf and the Elven Kingdom, the empire’s elite soldiers whom I could move through Riley, the merchant cartel represented by Hubert, and so on….
Most of this world was already in the palm of my hand. ‘Outerica is—’
This place.
Is my land.
My territory. ‘It is mine.’
It was a world prepared solely for me, a stage where I could freely unfold my dreams, and a treasure chest where I had gathered precious things.
And yet, if he insisted on crawling into this place. ‘You will have to fight this entire world.’
It was time to prepare for war.