Chapter 463 |
Zieghart’s external commander, Illiune, furrowed his brow while looking down from the wall.
“I never expected that I would be doing nothing about a scene like this.”
He was watching a march of countless people towards Zieghart.
He would’ve run down and wiped them out if they were attacking with swords, but the march didn’t have the slightest malice or bloodlust.
The quiet determination emerging from them told him that reaching Zieghart was their only objective.
‘Yeah, of course they would. After all, they are the Thespian Emperor’s followers.’
No one among the crown marching towards the house was a White Whale warrior.
They were simply impressed by her action because she was heading to Zieghart on her own to save her subordinates and decided to follow her all the way there.
‘Are their heads for decoration or something?’
Illiune could understand for the first time why pseudo-religions were created and were so popular.
“Tsk.”
He clicked his tongue and looked at the front of the long line of people.
He could see a tall woman who was walking at the forefront, slightly separated from the others. She was the White Whale’s leader, the Thespian Emperor.
‘Amazing. She managed to tame all of those people…’
None of her followers were approaching her. No one did anything violent or shouted, they simply followed from the bottom of their hearts.
“This is so shitty.”
Illiune clenched the hand resting on the castle wall into a fist.
Zieghart’s external commander also had the job of a general who protected the walls and managed the troops.
He wanted to fight rather than watch that happen, and his frustration made him feel like he had indigestion.
“Haa…”
While Illiune was sighing deeply in irritation, the line of followers came to a halt, and the woman called the Thespian Emperor was the only one to approach the gate.
‘What?’
The followers had stopped exactly at the location where he was planning to forbid their entry. He couldn’t understand how they’d stopped at that exact spot.
As a bad feeling ran down his spine, the Thespian Emperor stood in front of the gate. He met her eyes as she looked up.
She had elegant black hair and her eyes were as red as fire. With her snow-white skin added to the mix, he could see that the rumors about her being a peerless beauty weren't exaggerated.
“My name is Ariel from the White Whale.”
The Thespian Emperor introduced herself by name with a polite and disciplined attitude.
“I’d like to meet the head of house concerning a matter about my subordinates.”
She calmly voiced the reason for her visit to Zieghart.
He could feel her huge presence overshadowing him even though she wasn’t using any aura. It went above the castle walls and seemed to reach the sky.
He’d thought that the Five Divine Orders were just shrimps stuck between whales, but he realized that wasn’t actually the case.
Tap tap.
Illiune tapped the castle wall with his finger.
‘This is the most annoying case.’
She would’ve been easy to deal with if she was acting arrogant or just confident, but the Thespian Emperor was polite as well as confident, which made it difficult to provoke her.
He personally wanted to shout at her to go back, but he didn’t have a choice. The head of house had already allowed the Thespian Emperor’s entrance.
“Open the gate!”
Illiune shouted in irritation and Zieghart’s gate slowly started to open.
The Thespian Emperor’s followers swallowed nervously upon hearing the huge resonance shaking heaven and land.
However, her face remained unchanged. She remained so peaceful as she stared at the door that she looked bored.
The Thespian Emperor turned around once Zieghart’s gate was completely open. She politely lowered her head to the people who’d accompanied her all the way there.
“Thank you for seeing me off. I’ll be going on my own from here.”
The Thespian Emperor told them she’d definitely return with her subordinates and slowly closed her eyes before opening them again.
“Whoaaa!”
“We’ll be waiting here! We won’t take a single step!”
“We’ll be praying for your success!”
“Thespian Emperor! Please be careful on your way!”
“I believe you will manage to save your subordinates!”
The people shouted that they wouldn’t move at all from the spot while worshiping the Thespian Emperor.
Their reaction, despite the freezing wind of the north, made them look like they were brainwashed.
‘But that shouldn’t be the case.’
The agents had reported that the Thespian Emperor had never done anything oppressive.
It looked like they were simply bewitched by her determined actions and dazzling appearance.
Illiune shook his head and went down the castle walls.
“I’m happy to make your acquaintance, External Commander Illiune.”
The Thespian Emperor bowed to him as soon as they faced each other.
Illiune felt like he was losing even though she was bowing at her because of the elegance of her voice and gestures.
“Do you know me?”
“There’s no way I wouldn’t know about the guardian lion of Zieghart.”
She smiled faintly, saying that she was naturally aware of that.
“Hmm, I’m the external commander, Illiune.”
Illiune briefly nodded and raised his hand to point inside the gate.
“Follow me. I’ll guide you to the lord’s manor.”
“Thank you.”
He furrowed his brow while glancing at the Thespian Emperor following him.
‘I can’t let my guard down.’
* * *
* * *
Ariel casually walked through Zieghart’s dignified main street.
The swordsmen lined up at the sides of the street were releasing their frightening pressures. Their individual might entangled with each other to become an army’s pressure to crush her, but she simply smiled at them.
‘It’s exactly what I’ve read.’
She was already aware that countless people would follow her, that the external commander, Illiune, would come out to pick her up—even the threatening pressures of Zieghart’s swordsmen were already known to her.
‘There are no openings to them.’
Ariel slowly looked around. The Zieghart swordsmen were surrounded by frightening auras as their eyes gleamed, as indomitable as boulders. It implied that they’d been properly trained and had enough battle experience. The overall standard was so high.
‘The idiots in the continent don’t even know about this.’
Zieghart had been treated as the weakest among the Six Kings until recently. It was a natural outcome because they hadn’t moved from the north at all, like a boulder stuck on the ground.
However, after Raon Zieghart reset a bunch of records in the continents, and Glenn Zieghart destroyed the Fallen and the White Blood Religion’s leader at the same time, their reputation went back up.
‘We were already aware of that fact.’
The White Whale had designated Zieghart as the most dangerous faction from the very beginning.
They were right, too. The swordsmen around her were powerful enough to be respected in any situation. It was literally a tiger’s den. That was the only way to describe Zieghart.
Huhu.
Ariel faintly curved her lips into a smile.
‘I’ll be able to gain a lot from this.’
It was normally difficult to earn fame no matter how much time and money were spent, but the names of the White Whale and the Thespian Emperor were about to reach a whole different level. Just thinking about it brought a smile to her face.
Since she was already aware of what was going to happen in the future, she wasn’t afraid at all and was just enjoying the situation.
Ariel went next to Illiune while enjoying the swordsmen’s pressures like a breeze.
“There are so many outstanding swordsmen.”
“It’s only natural since we are a house of swordsmen.”
Illiune turned her eyes towards her. He was blatantly showing his displeasure even though she was complimenting them.
“That’s true, but they are even better than the rumors. The continent doesn’t rank Zieghart that high, but the ranking needs to be fixed from the way I see it.”
She smiled faintly and shook her head.
“…….”
Illiune didn’t respond. He wasn’t foolish enough to be happy about a compliment like that, but he was feeling more and more uncomfortable around her.
‘There’s something strange about her.’
Most of the leaders of the large factions weren’t exactly normal, but the Thespian Emperor was even worse.
Even though she was under the frightening pressures and gazes of countless swordsmen in pretty much the enemy camp, she was acting casually like she was at home—she was even smiling.
The strangest part was that whenever he started to go in the wrong direction because he was too focused on her, she fixed it for him. It almost felt like she’d been there many times before.
“Haa…”
Illiune quietly sighed while staring at the main building in the distance.
‘This isn’t going to be easy.’
* * *
Raon closed his eyes while standing in front of a pillar inside the audience chamber.
‘She will be here soon.’
The news about the Thespian Emperor’s arrival at the gate was delivered a moment ago. Her arrival was imminent since External Commander Illiune was guiding her.
‘I can roughly see what kind of person she is, but…’
He could roughly tell how the Thespian Emperor was from the ongoing situation, and the testimonies from the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber, but he still wanted to see him with his own eyes and confirm it.
‘I’m most curious about how she reads heaven's flo—’
“Why is he even here?”
While Raon was putting his thoughts together, he could hear someone complaining from the opposite side of the room. The True Martial Palace master, Balder, was glaring at him with an irritated gaze.
“Only the division leaders and higher are allowed here. Why is he even here despite being a vice division leader?”
He frowned, demanding an explanation.
“Your thoughts are as great as the pillar at my home, True Martial Palace master.”
When Raon was about to respond, Rimmer shook his head.
“What? Pillar?”
“It’s only natural he would be here since he is the one who beat up and captured the White Wolf Saber and the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud. What else? Should he go home now?”
Rimmer clicked his tongue at his foolishness.
“Ugh…”
Balder looked extremely annoyed, but he couldn’t refute it and simply frowned.
“Ah, by the way, the pillar at my home is as small as my finger because I broke it when I was drunk. That’s exactly how intelligent you are, don’t you think?”
Rimmer giggled while pointing at his pinky finger.
“You bastard… Kuh.”
Balder was about to walk towards Rimmer while glaring at him but stopped himself because Glenn was above, on the platform.
Raon nodded while looking at Rimmer’s lips, which were curving into a smile.
‘This is it. This is the perfect example of immature behavior.’
Raon had never seen anyone as good as Rimmer at making fun of people. He just needed to be half as good as him to successfully screw with her plans.
Raon ignored the extremely angry Balder and examined the other palace masters.
The Wise Martial Palace master, Denier, was smiling as gently as always, but he had a sharp atmosphere around him. He also seemed displeased by the situation made by the Thespian Emperor.
“……”
Karoon wasn’t saying anything and didn’t pay any attention to him either. However, Raon could feel a sense of malice even worse than bloodlust from his disinterested attitude.
Raon smiled faintly while warming up his fingers.
‘There are lots of enemies too.’
There were enemies inside the house in addition to Derus Robert and the four factions of the Five Demons. His new life couldn’t exactly be called an easy one when he thought about it.
‘And one more will be added toda—’
As he was thinking that he was about to make another enemy, External Commander Illiune’s voice could be heard from outside the audience chamber.
“It’s the external commander. I’ve brought the guests.”
Glenn slowly opened his eyes. He allowed the Thespian Emperor’s entrance with an emotionless voice.
“Enter.”
The audience chamber’s doors parted at his order. The vibration felt like the entire lord’s manor was shaking, and the tall woman standing in front of the door made her entrance. Her confident and relaxed footsteps looked like she was entering her home.
Raon swallowed nervously and raised his gaze.
‘Is she the Thespian Emperor?’
Her short hair barely reached her neck and was as dark as the moonless night sky. Her slightly raised eyes were as red as blood, and her lips—full of vitality—were as clear as the morning dew.
She was an outstanding beauty in the human realm, but her appearance wasn’t the most attractive part about her. Her presence… She had a presence that still maintained its light in the midst of so many powerful warriors inside the audience chamber, and that fact was extremely surprising.
It seemed that almost no one would be able to suppress her presence except for Glenn.
The others’ eyes also widened in surprise because of her pressure.
‘She’s a monster indeed.’
A faint smile appeared on Raon’s face as he watched the Thespian Emperor walking towards the center.
‘…That’s why I have more chances of screwing with her now.’
* * *
Ariel’s fingers trembled as she walked toward the center of the audience chamber.
‘This really is no joke.’
Glenn Zieghart. He was the man called the Destructive King of the North, or the Northern Conqueror, and his presence was even more tremendous than his name.
He was overwhelming enough to make her shudder. The rumors about him driving the White Blood Religion’s leader and the Fallen away must’ve been true, as the heavy pressure crushing her body made her heart clench even though he was simply sitting there.
‘He’s even more powerful than my predictions, but it doesn’t change anything.’
She smiled even though her heartbeat was getting faster.
‘Because the outcome is already decided.’
Ariel maintained her composure and walked up to the platform before bowing to him.
“Greetings to the Conqueror of the North, I’m Ariel from the White Whale.”
She went down on one knee and lowered herself to show the utmost courtesy.
“You may stand.”
Glenn’s voice from above was extremely dry.
“Thank you.”
She stood up and met Glenn’s eyes. Her eyes were even colder than his voice. The dignity of a conqueror looking down on the world could be seen.
“I apologize for the delay.”
Ariel bowed once again with Glenn’s pressure bringing a smile to her face.
“It took me a while because the journey was longer and more difficult than I’d thought.”
“What kind of dogshit are you spouting?”
Just as Ariel was about to proceed to the main topic after a small greeting, she heard a clear, silvery voice coming from behind her.
“You are the one who decided to walk all the way here. How can it even take longer than you thought?”
“…”
Ariel did her best to maintain her composure and turned around.
“Huh? Did you hear me?”
The young man with blond hair and red eyes scratching his head was handsome enough to be called a devil’s charm.
“Why could she hear me?”
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