Chapter 290

Chapter 290 - Downfall (3)

As soon as the messenger entered the place where the Imperial faction nobles had gathered, he felt heavy pressure.

"What is the reply from the Legion?"

"It's the same. They say the conditions are not met because both military rations and horse feed are lacking, and the Allied fOrces are blocking the path. They think they can only join us after late spring at least..."

"Nonsense! It's obvious to anyone that they're walking on eggshells around the capital! I suppose they plan to run like dogs and wag their tails once a new king is elected?"

The noble taking out his temper on the innocent messenger was Bogus, the Emperor's godson.

Unfortunately, the Emperor's wives had consecutive stillbirths, and even when he lost a wife to dystocia and took a new one, nothing changed. Given this situation, ambitious individuals emerged among the nobles sent as godsons to the Emperor according to custom.

-The next throne is mine!

Those intending to inherit Gaius's power. Among them, Bogus was the eldest son of a great house with branch family blood flowing in his veins. With this, it was plausible for him to aim for the position of the next Emperor.

"You are not a mere messenger, but an envoy of His Majesty the Emperor. As one who conveys the imperial decree..."

Valter, the Deputy Director of Internal Affairs, stepped forward, unable to watch the meaningless lecture any longer.

"Good work. You may withdraw."

"Yes."

The messenger fled as if his life was saved.

"What are you doing! I haven't finished speaking yet."

"He is a messenger who crosses Roman sleeping less than 6 hours a day. He is a friend who has a lot of work to do in the future, so if you need to vent your anger, do it to me."

As the deputy director of the department overseeing diplomatic affairs, Valter had faced all sorts of monstrosities. Bogus was nothing.

"Watch your mouth. Even if you are the Deputy Director of Internal Affairs, I too am His Majesty the Emperor's First Godson."

"I am being careful. And I am no longer the Deputy Director of Internal Affairs."

"What does that mean?"

"The Director of Internal Affairs, who joined hands with the rebel fOrces in the capital, dismissed me. Enraged by this, His Majesty the Emperor dismissed that Director and seated me in that position."

Valter shrugged his shoulders.

"Whichever side I follow, I am not a deputy director."

Valter spoke comfortably as if he had laid something down. Bogus, who was politically obtuse despite his military talent, was at a loss for words on how to react in this situation. So he got angry.

"Whichever side you follow? Of course, as a loyal subject of His Majesty, you should follow His Majesty's standard!"

"Is that not why we are togAAether here now?"

"Do you have no intention of proactively doing anything?!"

"There is nothing we can take the lead on right now. We must rally the loyal subjects following His Majesty as much as possible and use that as a basis to bring the enemies to the negotiation table."

After the defeat at the Rein River, the Imperial faction fOrces retreated to the direct territory in the central region. Since then, Valter mobilized all envoys to instigate the nobles' revenge theories.

-Now we must unite, if only to survive. The Allied nobles will try to somehow relieve the damage and grudges suffered from the civil war. Do not believe that they will distinguish between the families that earnestly cooperated with His Majesty and those that only showed perfunctory sincerity. The Allied fOrces will view everyone equally as collaborators.

Furthermore, Valter disclosed some of the letters exchanged among the Allied nobles. He had particularly selected the letters full of anger and spite among those intercepted by spies.

This worked quite well, minimizing the defection of the Imperial faction nobles. Those who retreated from the battle at the Rein River were also joining little by little. Since the central region was the home ground of the Imperial faction, it was also advantageous for supply and terrain comprehension.

Now was the time to mobilize all of this to make the enemies tired and hungry. There was no answer if they tried to fight in head-on clashes like before.

"Anyway, you live your whole life just rummaging through documents, so you speak of peace at the slightest disadvantage."

Bogus, who had been being sarcastic, realized something.

"Lord Valter. Do I smell alcohol on you right now?"

"Yes. I had a drink."

"No, what kind of... right before a military council..."

At that moment, it became noisy outside, and the conversation was cut off.

"His Majesty the Emperor enters!"

Gaius had arrived. The nobles all stood up and paid their respects. Despite being cornered, the aura the Emperor exuded was intimidating. Furthermore, there was one strange thing.

'He can walk already?'

'The blood he shed while escaping alone would surely have been more than enough to fill a bucket.'

The nobles couldn't believe their eyes as the Emperor, who had been brought on horseback as if dead, was walking perfectly fine. The arrow avoided the artery but tore through the nerve. The attending physician had even assured them that he wouldn't be able to walk without crutches in the future.

"Are you feeling well, Your Majesty?"

"I am healthier than ever. Since God does not wish for me to be defeated, I can rise again and again."

In a normal situation, they would have praised the monarch's devotion, but only a heavy silence descended.

The suspicious mages and relics the Emperor gathered from everywhere. The bizarre rituals performed by the summoners. Because there was no one who didn't know about them. Although no one dared to ask if it was sinister worship.

"Send letters to the capital."

At the Emperor's words, the clerk immediately prepared to write.

"The master of Roman has been and will be only one, in the past and in the future. If you admit your sins even now and open the capital, I will overlook everything."

Considering the Emperor's personality, it was an exceptionally merciful measure. However, there was no way the other side would believe it. Having raised a rebellion, the nobles in the capital had to conditionally enthrone a new king and see it through to the end.

"Send one to General Magnus as well. Tell him I commend his excellent judgment in giving his subordinates a rest. However, since the situation is urgent, tell him to join us now. The Shadow Legion is an army that serves the King, not the capital. In this world, the direct descendant of Aureus shall be only me."

It meant he would turn a blind eye to the hesitant attitude shown so far as affection for his subordinates. This was a moderate and decent proposal.

"Emphasize that this is the last leniency I will show in this civil war. Those who do not accept this are all my enemies."

"Your Majesty the Emperor. I dare say that the stage where knights fight with swords has passed. Now is the time for diplomats to fight with pens and mouths."

Ignoring his pounding heart, Valter offered a direct counsel.

"Are you telling me to sign a peace treaty?"

"That is correct."

"An Emperor is an entity that forgives enemies, not an entity that negotiates with enemies."

"Those enemies are too numerous. It is said that the holy knights departed from the Papal State citing the stabilization of the people's livelihood. The South is now irrecoverable."

That meant those who joined aiming for the fruits of the Southern territories were falling away.

"The two replies that will return to Your Majesty will only be full of insolent criticism or cowardly excuses. This can be expected by everyone in Roman. That will draw even more traitors to the central region."

'Keep your mouth shut, Lord Valter. Please.'

The nobles who held favorable feelings toward Valter prayed desperately. His diplomatic ability, loyalty, and mediation skills were like a lantern brightening the mood of the dying central nobles.

The Emperor was listening calmly, but everyone could imagine the future of Valter swinging from the gallows.

"The most courageous among my subjects was not a knight, but a bureaucrat?"

However, the Emperor did not fall into a rage. Rather, he had an expression as if he was enjoying it. The nobles could not understand why the Emperor was overflowing with such confidence even in this situation.

"There is nothing to worry about. As I said, because God loves me. We will surely win."

"Your Majesty. God sends nothing but love to our world. However, we are in the midst of a war, and what is needed in a war are an army and rations. We cannot kill traitors with love."

"Valter. You may be an expert in diplomacy, but it seems you don't know much about faith. There are not only arrogant gods in the world who only receive and do not give."

"...Pardon?"

Valter was flustered by the statement that could be considered blasphemous. The moment the smiling Emperor was about to say something more, a messenger entered.

"Urgent news! The rebel fOrces have resumed their invasion!"

"Those bastards finally!"

"How long has it been since they fought that massive battle for them to cross the Rein River already?"

The nobles panicked. Even if they achieved a great victory, there were many postwar matters to handle, and they needed more time to establish a supply system. Deploying an army across the river already would result in a significant number of stragglers.

However, only those who newly joined the Imperial army or were absent from the Rein River battle on other missions thought this way. Or those who were terribly clueless.

'Is it that again after all?'

'Damn it.'

The nobles who knew something, including Valter, lowered their eyes with heavy faces.

"Well, um..."

The messenger was terrified at the situation of having to say something he shouldn't even mention.

"M-Many peasants have discovered a massive lightning bolt striking the Fog Plain."

As the name suggests, it is a plain covered in fog all year round. Because the Goblins who settled there utilized the fog so cunningly, merchant companies also avoided passing through this place.

Thanks to this, despite being a strategic point connecting to various places geographically, it was also a wasteful land without a single village.

"They say a massive castle appeared, visible even through the thick fog..."

"The Fog Plain is absolutely not a land that can be used as a base. That thief, intoxicated by arrogance, walked into a death trap himself."

The Emperor spoke in a tone dripping with resentment and mockery. He too had suffered a loss of face shortly after ascending the throne when he failed to subjugate the Fog Plain to build his achievements.

Because when the army invaded, the Goblins would simply hide and then repeatedly strike and run in the fog day and night.

-My ankle! My ankle!

-How do these bastards know our location?!

Goblins, who dig tunnels and use them as hideouts, have a developed sense of smell. Unlike humans who are neutralized when their vision is blocked, they can know the enemy's location just by smell. In particular, the humid air due to the fog transmitted the scent of intruders even more effectively.

"Your Majesty. Well, for some reason, the fog is disappearing rapidly."

"..."

The Emperor's expression was so frightening that the messenger buried his face in the ground. The nobles likewise did not dare to look up.

* * *

Eugene, standing on the rooftop of the Moving Castle, looked down at the wide plain. It was a fog thicker than he had heard. However, because it was a world without pollution, it gave a refreshing feeling rather than an unpleasant one.

"It feels like it's rinsing my lungs."

This might be a sentiment possible only because he was safe from the monsters down there.

"Your Excellency's soldiers weren't just boasting heavily. Since they said they had been to the end of the world across the ocean, I just laughed it off."

"With this castle, we really could go anywhere."

The Allied nobles who came up to the rooftop togAAether looked around with wide eyes. Really, when the castle gates closed and opened, a new world had unfolded!

"I passed through this place when I was young. It wasn't a place where the fog flowed this violently."

An old noble observed the plain while stroking the Wall of Immortality. White waves undulated so clearly that the movement was evident. As if the fog was being drawn in by an invisible fOrce.

"Where do you think all the water for the hot springs you enjoyed here comes from? We can't possibly draw it all up bucket by bucket."

The nobles nodded like children listening to an old tale from their grandmother.

"This castle can absorb water in various forms. WhAAether it's rainwater, fog, or a river. Soon, all that fog will disappear too."

"I apologize for doubting the Count's words during the previous meeting. I never thought even the Fog Plain would be neutralized like this."

Duke Leray spoke with a relieved face.

Before departure, a fierce meeting went back and forth over where to land the Moving Castle in the central region. Although Eugene, the lord of the castle, had the final say, the nobles caused an uproar, each recommending the place they considered the best spot.

However, even though the debate was fierce, there were no emotional conflicts. Since it was such an advantageous situation, the conflicts were resolved on their own under the premise of 'what's good is good'.

-I have made a judgment after fully considering your opinions and the war situation. The Moving Castle will settle in the Fog Plain to end the civil war.

-...

-...

However, when Eugene declared this place, opposition in the form of silence poured out. The one who requested reconsideration as the representative was Duke Leray.

-Count. Please reconsider the location of the castle. Although the Fog Plain is a strategic point, there is a reason it is treated as a wasteland.

-If we can erase all that fog, what is there to worry about?

-No matter how much it's a magic castle, the opponent is nature, that's why I'm saying this. Historically, there has never been a monarch who fought against the providence of nature and won.

-That is correct.

Eugene smiled broadly.

-I too have no intention of fighting against the providence of nature. But if it's a natural phenomenon, it's worth competing against. Those two are strictly different.

The result of fOrcing the descent like that.

"The peak of White Horn Mountain is visible over there! The fog is really lifting!"

As what Eugene guaranteed came true, the nobles shouted exclamations of relief and joy.

"Allied comrades. I didn't choose this place without certainty. I calculated the area of the Fog Plain and the size of the Moving Castle, and came because I thought we could sufficiently devour it all."

"Devouring fog... an old man like me can't keep up. It is a mystery too great for a stiffened brain to handle."

As if he had enjoyed a good spectacle in the remainder of his life, satisfaction filled the old noble's face.

"We still need more time, so please get enough rest in the meantime."

Eugene pointed below the castle with his thumb. Hundreds of waves made of fog were constantly rushing towards the Moving Castle.

That magnificent sight was also different from the real sea that could be seen in southern Roman.

"Over there! Look over there!"

Everyone's gaze gathered at the spot a knight pointed to. Something in the shape of a woman could be seen among the waves of fog.

"A mermaid? Isn't that a mermaid?"

"That's something you see in the sea! Are there mermaids that fly in the sky?"

"But the lower half is exactly like a mermaid."

Eugene immediately recognized its true identity.

"It's a spirit. It's not strange for such an entity to dwell in a place where this much fog constantly lingers."

"A spirit!"

"Then shouldn't we save it?"

At the words of a young knight ignorant of the ways of the world, those with a lot of experience looked at him pathetically.

"Wh-Why are you all looking at me with those eyes?"

"You seem to have harbored a good impression of spirits from hearing fairy tales. If you want to live long as a knight, discard that thought right now."

"A spirit roaming around on its own without a mage or summoner is very dangerous. It's a predator starved for flesh and blood. More than one or two people have died sudden, violent deaths enchanted by its beautiful figure."

The mermaid-like spirit swam desperately. It resisted so as not to be dragged into the magic castle, but it was futile. It was too weak a struggle to escape the predation that absorbed both moisture and mystery.

"Your Excellency the Count. Shall we evacuate the nobles?"

Unarmed knights looked alternately at the spirit and the nobles with worried faces.

"It's fine. It's fine. Rather, it's a good entertainment ahead of the Gaius subjugation."

The distance between the spirit and the castle was now 20m.

[Please save me. Please save me.]

The voice begging for the final mercy was sorrowful. A beautiful voice that seemed to resonate directly in the soul rather than the eardrums.

"Do not be mesmerized. Do you see the pink lump floating around the head and neck area?"

Eugene put his arm around the young knight who had initially suggested saving it and pointed at the spirit.

"Yes. Your Excellency. I can see it clearly."

The knight, stiffened like a stone out of awe, answered vigorously.

"It's probably the vocal cords of a woman eaten by that spirit. The voice must also belong to the victim. It's the reason man-eating spirits prefer women and children. The flesh is tender, but it's also useful as bait for the next hunt."

The young knight just made an appalled face at the cold truth.

[Kyaaaaa-]

The moment it touched the castle wall, the water spirit screamed with a face distorted like an evil demon. But that didn't last even a few seconds. It was torn as if ground in a grinder and absorbed into the Moving Castle.

"Come on now, those who are old, let's go inside. If you stay any longer, you'll catch a cold."

"Hahaha. You're right. I want to quickly warm up my body in the sauna. The winter fog is harmful to this old body."

Eugene led several nobles down.

"Please go ahead."

"I will watch a little longer before going."

However, there were also many who remained, absorbed in the spectacle that they wouldn't see twice in their lifetime. Mostly, they were young nobles and mercenary captains.

* * *

The Imperial army wasn't the only one conducting intelligence warfare. The Allied Noble fOrces also released numerous spies and didn't hesitate to carry out operations to spread rumors disadvantageous to the Emperor.

The rebel fOrces occupying the capital naturally cooperated enthusiastically. They handed over all the classified information they knew without holding anything back.

"The capital nobles have cited the charge of pagan worship as one of the grounds for deposing Gaius. They say they have already submitted petitions to 10 religious orders, including the Papal State."

"Is there evidence? Even so, pagan worship..."

At the words of a certain noble, everyone made uncomfortable expressions.

Even if he was a detested Emperor, he was still the figurehead of Roman. While the signboard of a tyrant was shameful, going down in history as a pagan worshipper was a disgrace to all Roman nobles.

"You all know that Gaius had consecutive stillbirths."

"The seed is rotten, so it's a natural outcome!"

At first, they wondered if it was the wives' problem, but even with a second and third wife, the stillbirths continued. Then it was obvious who the cause was.

"They say the cause of those stillbirths is linked to pagan worship. That the babies the wives gave birth to all had bizarre forms..."

"Stop! Stop it! Even if he's a wicked tyrant, this is too harsh a slander."

At the reaction as if they had heard a dirty story, the noble who brought up the story continued as if wronged.

"But the circumstantial evidence fits. Not a single midwife or maid who delivered the babies survived. Because no one who was invited was ever seen again. They were disposed of to destroy evidence."

"Is that true?"

"Yes! Furthermore, according to the law of Roman, when a member of the royal family dies, they must be enshrined in the royal crypt. But Gaius stubbornly cremated the babies."

"That is certainly true. I remember the ministers' opposition was tremendous because it was unprecedented."

An old noble nodded while stroking his beard. Because he himself was also one who had submitted an opposing memorial.

"Above all, this is an accusation for a heresy trial. If it turns out to be a false accusation, the one who led it will go to the stake. The noble who led this must also have certainty to have done such a thing."

After hearing the story up to this point, it was difficult to refute anymore. The rebel fOrces in the capital were also in a situation where they had risked everything to stage the uprising.

A few more days passed after that, and land finally began to be seen.

* * *

"Kee-?"

"Kihee-?"

Goblins marveled while touching the ancient castle. Because it was a sensation they felt for the first time as beings who had lived only seeing fog and dirt.

Distracted by the sightseeing, the Goblins missed the very faint piercing sound approaching.

Thump!

Thwack!

That's why they were startled when boulders fell right beside and behind them.

"⬛⬛⬛?"

Ugly faces looking up at the sky. Boulders that easily weighed 10kg poured down on them.

Crack!

A Goblin whose forehead caved in and eyeballs popped out collapsed.

Crunch!

Snap!

With exciting sound effects echoing everywhere, the Goblins' heads were smashed.

"⬛⬛!"

"⬛⬛⬛⬛!"

Goblins freaked out and covered their heads, but nothing changed. Corpses with heads smashed along with their fragile hands and wrists sprawled everywhere.

"Oh my, we missed quite a lot, didn't we?"

"They're small, so they're harder to hit than I thought. Still, I think we caught almost 20."

"Did everyone hear the sound of skulls crushing? This tactile feedback is amazing."

Allied mercenaries grinned looking at the frantically fleeing Goblins. A short distance away, Allied knights smacked their lips.

'Damn it. Should I have just joined?'

They hadn't joined to maintain their dignity, but seeing it now, it looked too fun.

"This here is just a taste. Once, we landed the castle beyond the Shield Mountains of Gord."

"You mean that monster lair?"

"Yeah. I can't even remember how many monster heads I smashed there. When you kill one, others flock to eat its corpse, so the prey never stopped coming."

Regardless of mercenaries or knights, their eyes sparkled while exclaiming "Ooh! Ooh!".

"Once the fog clears a little more, we will open the castle gates. After that, we will begin a massive monster subjugation, so everyone prepare yourselves."

"Yes! Your Excellency!"

First, they had to clear this area for the Allied fOrces to operate smoothly with the Moving Castle as their base.

-Send letters to the nearby free cities and lords. That we will subjugate the monsters of the Fog Plain in the name of the Allied fOrces.

Furthermore, they could also draw cooperation from the free cities and provincial lords who had suffered inconvenience and loss from having to detour around this wasteland.

Once the castle leaves, the fog will return, but just sweeping away the monsters would be a huge help. If they just clear out the colonies, it will become possible to pass through this place with sufficient guards afterwards.