Chapter 53

It has been four months since the assassination of the Fourth Prince Medline.

In just four months, the Eldorado Kingdom has become 70% controlled by the revolutionary army. Now, only the capital Dren, the cities directly under the royal family, and the western cities close to the Great Empire remain. The suppression army formed to counter the revolutionary army disintegrated after the assassination of the Fourth Prince. The revolution was now imminent.

"Your Majesty, now is the time to mobilize the entire army to eliminate the foolish rebels! With the addition of our country's magic knights and the army borrowed from the Great Empire, it will be a simple task."

"Hmm..."

In the conference room of the royal castle, the noble in charge of military affairs was speaking loudly. To be precise, his role was not just military affairs but maintaining the security of the entire kingdom, though it was temporarily referred to as military affairs. The revolutionary army was no longer a terrorist organization but a legitimate anti-government force. In other words, the Eldorado Kingdom was in a state of civil war. Maintaining security was no longer a leisurely matter.

"Marquis Amber, I understand your point. However, to counter the revolutionary army, we must now use our utmost strength. Even if we suppress them, nothing will remain of this country."

King Yanbar Kiel Rihart responded calmly. He could not be called a wise king, but he possessed the qualities of a king. He had the capacity to think calmly about any situation. However, he rarely used this ability in his daily life, only becoming king-like when cornered, which is why he could not be called wise.

"That's why we must borrow the power of the Great Empire."

"Will they lend us their power? They have always said they would not interfere in our civil war."

"That's because we asked for their help unconditionally. We must also make compromises."

The Eldorado Kingdom is a vassal state of the Great Empire, which has the duty to protect its vassal states. However, the Great Empire deliberately refrained from lending its full support until the civil war grew larger. It was more beneficial for the Great Empire to wait until the revolutionary army became a true threat before helping, rather than assisting when the revolutionary army was still small. In other words, the Great Empire would not lend its power until the capital of the Eldorado Kingdom was under attack. They also aimed to gather the revolutionary army for a decisive battle to crush them all at once, as it would be troublesome if they scattered and regrouped.

"Your Majesty, please make a decision. We will abandon the remaining eastern cities and engage in a decisive battle in the capital. This will create a reason for the Great Empire to provide support."

"Hmm... Hmm..."

King Yanbar was in a dilemma. Although he had already lost many cities to the revolutionary army, he could not bear to intentionally abandon them. However, he also understood that there was no other way. Marquis Amber pressed on.

"I have already spoken to the Shadow Legion stationed at the base. They have promised to fulfill their duty as soldiers of the Great Empire to protect the vassal state if the capital is in danger."

He was quick to act, which is why Marquis Amber held an important position. However, the king could only grunt in response.

"Your Majesty, please make a decision!"

"...Understood. Withdraw the guards from the eastern cities and prepare the nobles for evacuation. Marquis Amber, maintain close contact with the base and report a more detailed plan. The meeting is adjourned."

"Hai!"

The one-sided presentation by Marquis Amber, disguised as a meeting, came to an end. The policy of the Eldorado Kingdom was decided. King Yanbar had lost most of his children, leaving only the First Prince Lotus and the Third Prince Reinwald, who had become the leader of the revolutionary army. The issue of succession was also a concern. The citizens of the capital were growing anxious about the rumors of the revolutionary army, and more families were fleeing at night. The problems were mounting, and the king's work was never done. King Yanbar took a moment to rest before the next meeting.

◆◆◆

Shu and Iris were drinking tea in a room at a high-end inn. Warm sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a faint shadow in the room.

"These sweets were bought on the main street of the first district! It's a popular store."

"Really? They use honey instead of sugar?"

"Can you tell? Yes, that's the secret to their popularity."

Honey made from tree sap is a luxury item, similar to maple syrup. Since there are no maple trees in this country, it is simply called honey, but it is a rare and expensive delicacy. Of course, Shu and Iris were wealthy enough to afford it.

"By the way, what about this tea?"

"Yes, I added honey to the tea leaves you said you liked!"

"I see. It's delicious."

Shu took another sip.

The smooth sweetness and refreshing aroma calmed his mind.

At that moment, the shadow in the room stirred.

"It seems we have received a message."

As Shu murmured, a black snake emerged from the shadow, slithering onto the table and dropping a letter. Shu picked it up and opened it. The black snake was a shadow spirit. Shu, being a type of spirit himself, could create lower spirits using his magic. He often used spirits to receive requests, as it was less troublesome and reduced the risk of being exposed. As an assassin, it was essential to keep his identity secret.

"..."

"What is it, Shu?"

"It's a request from the revolutionary army. They want me to assassinate Krueger Pierre, the S-rank magic knight of the Great Empire's Shadow Legion, to help them capture the capital."

"Big game, huh?"

"The reward is quite substantial."

Shu said, and the black snake, a shadow spirit, spat out a bag filled with gold coins. According to the letter, it contained 500 gold coins.

"Will you accept it?"

"Yes, I plan to visit the capital of the Great Empire eventually. I want to earn some imperial gold coins beforehand. Besides, using a shadow spirit allows me to store items, so having more is not a problem."

"Convenient, isn't it?"

Earning money as the assassin "Death" was good, but managing the money was a challenge. Unlike paper money, gold coins were bulky and heavy, making them inconvenient to carry. To solve this, Shu developed a new magic, "Familiar Summoning." After much effort, he could now easily create low to mid-level monsters.

"Then, please deliver this note to the Black Cat tavern."

Shu entrusted a memo with his acceptance and signature to the shadow spirit. The black snake spirit jumped off the table and disappeared into the shadow, using a shadow-based movement technique. While it could not teleport instantly, it could move straight through shadows, ignoring obstacles. This made it useful for communication within the same city, though not for long distances.

"The S-rank magic knight of the Great Empire, huh? Will you use death magic again?"

"Considering the trouble, I might use the 'Gluttonous Black Crystal' to wipe out the entire base. The Shadow Legion is part of the Great Empire, so they should have many magic knights with high magic power, making them perfect for absorption."

"Are you going to use that again?"

"It's the easiest way... but there are issues."

"What issues?"

Iris tilted her head. Using the 'Gluttonous Black Crystal' seemed like a perfect plan, but there was one critical flaw.

"The Dark Lord Arklight will be exposed as 'Death.'"

"Oh, right."

"I don't mind if a few people know, but I don't want it to be widely publicized. Plus, if the Great Empire uses this as an excuse to launch a campaign against the Dark Lord, it would be troublesome."

"The destruction of the capital of the Ramza Kingdom is already known. It will definitely be exposed."

"You think so too, right?"

The 'Gluttonous Black Crystal,' which destroyed the Ramza Kingdom in one strike, was already well-known. While the general public might not know, the authorities of various countries were certainly aware, including the emperor of the Subarokia Great Empire. The magic that could erase a ten-kilometer radius left no survivors. However, some people in distant cities witnessed the event, and comparing the remains of the Ramza Kingdom's capital would immediately reveal that Shu used the 'Gluttonous Black Crystal.' It was inevitable that people would connect 'Death' Shu with the Dark Lord Arklight.

"We need to think of another way to destroy the Shadow Legion."

"Should we create a new divine spell?"

"Divine spells aren't that easy to create."

"Ouch!"

Shu slapped Iris with a hand strike. She glared at him with teary eyes, but Shu continued drinking his tea, unfazed. Iris's glare was cute and not at all intimidating.

"Ugh... So, how will you defeat them?"

"Using magic is an option, but it consumes magic power, which takes time to recover, making it inefficient."

"True, that makes sense."

As a monster, Shu lost his strength when he consumed magic power. He could recover it by killing and absorbing life force, using death magic, or eating, but there was no concept of natural recovery. Only awakened magic knights could naturally recover magic power. If Shu used a large-scale magic, he would lose a significant amount of power, though as a catastrophic-level monster and primordial spirit, he had enough magic power to use a forbidden-level magic without much issue.

"That's why you'll do it this time, Iris."

"Huh?"

"I want you to use the ninth-tier wind magic, 'Heartless Void,' to destroy the Shadow Legion."

"Wait, I can't use tactical-level magic yet!"

"You know the incantation, right? I'll support you."

Iris made a face, but it wasn't because she didn't want to fight or kill. She was simply unsure if she could use ninth-tier magic. Tactical-level magic, which could kill over a hundred people or cause significant damage to a city, was extremely difficult to cast alone. Given Iris's magic power, she could certainly cast it, but her skill was not yet sufficient.

"Can I really do it?"

"No problem. I supported you when you used the eighth-tier 'Great Discharge,' remember?"

"Ugh, I know, but..."

There was a significant difference in difficulty between extreme magic and tactical magic. Eighth-tier extreme magic was within reach with effort, while tactical magic required genius and hard work. Strategic magic was even more challenging, achievable only by geniuses after decades of effort. Without analyzing magic arrays like Shu, the difficulty of large-scale magic increased exponentially. If one fully understood the meaning of magic arrays, they could use any magic with magic power and knowledge alone, but humans had not yet delved that deep into the mysteries of magic.

(Maybe it's time to teach Iris theoretical physics... But I should start with mathematics. Understanding physics without calculus is difficult.)

The time of revolution was drawing near.