CH 319

Ko Eun-Bi and the Blue Wolf successfully proved their worthiness of having an alliance with them by killing three Transcendentals. However, as a result, she was seriously injured and her condition became so serious that she couldn’t be completely healed even with Bluegon’s Water Qi. 

In the end, Darun took charge of the clan in place of the war chief. Although he himself was missing an arm and could no longer display his former skills as a cavalryman, and despite the difficult situation, he didn’t get frustrated and encouraged the members of his tribe more than ever.

He was indeed showing the appearance of a strong Northern man. The other tribe members also showed that they had inherited the same tough temperament of the North. After a few days, they shook off their sorrow and grief and returned to their normal appearance.

“Thank you.”

Darun looked at his tribe members, who had regained their vigor through force, as he expressed his gratitude to Seon-Hyeok. 

“What will you do now?”

Kim Seon-Hyeok asked instead of replying.

“What can I do? We have to continue on our way.”

Although many warriors had died in the last battle, the Northern cavalry wasn’t weak enough to succumb to monsters. And with Ko Eun-Bi and Voltecino by their side, it wouldn’t be a problem for them to settle either.

But the problem wasn't the monsters.

[We cannot assume that they were all there is.]

Edda told them the Transcendentals they had fought against wouldn’t be all that were seeking to return. If what she said was true and there were Transcendentals who hadn’t shown themselves yet, then Ko Eun-Bi would be in danger.

It would be relatively easier to take the Wolf’s land than to conquer the land of the mighty Dragon.

But unexpectedly, that problem was solved.

“I will stay.”

Han Jin-Hee, Thanatos’ Companion, decided to stay with them and prepare for the Transcendentals’ attack. From her point of view, there was nothing to gain by being at the side of a powerful Dragon. That was why she decided it would be more beneficial if she stay to absorb the energy by killing the Transcendentals who came looking for Voltecino. 

There was no reason for Kim Seon-Hyeok to stop her. Instead, he was in the position where he had to be happy with her decision to stay. Since she had absorbed tremendous amounts of energy in the last battle, she would be able to easily stop any attack from the Transcendentals. 

“Really? That woman will go with us?”

What was surprising was that Darun especially welcomed Han Jin-Hee joining them. When he considered the fact that Darun had lost his arm and warriors to her, his reaction didn’t make sense.

“Hm.”

Darun’s strangely excited appearance caused him to have an unreasonable imagination. Seon-Hyeok managed to get rid of it with much difficulty.

Unless he was insane, there was no way he would have romantic feelings towards a woman who had crippled him.

But contrary to Seon-Hyeok’s expectations, Darun was definitely insane.

“But you’re right? I really do like her.”

When he looked dumbfounded by Darun’s incomprehensible attitude, Darun continued.

“Marriages between enemies aren’t uncommon since we’ve always ran out of food and people.”

When Darun said that even while he had been the war chief, he had often used marriage to mediate wars between small tribes. Kim Seon-Hyeok frowned at those words. 

But that was it. 

Even if Darun was like his brother, it would be too much if Seon-Hyeok tried to interfere in Darun’s personal life or his tribe’s culture.

“Well, I’ll visit when you’re settled.”

Once the nomads’ situation improved to some extent, Kim Seon-Hyeok began preparing to return. 

“I’m sorry I spoke so bluntly and harshly.”

Ko Eun-Bi appeared in front of him, staggering, to suddenly apologize. Nowhere in appearance was the spitefully competitive spirit and narrow-mindedness she had shown in the past. 

In the beginning, he had thought she was a reckless simpleton whose pride was too big compared to her abilities. But then he met other proxies and realized that she wasn’t overly proud at all. At least she took this world seriously and had lived as fiercely and desperately.

It was just that he was a bit stronger. 

Children truly grew up by fighting. 

Truthfully, it hadn’t been a fight. It had been nothing more than a one-sided beating, but Kim Seon-Hyeok interpreted it the way he wanted to and brushed away all his old emotions towards her. 

“I hope the next time we meet, you’ll be able to deal with at least five of them alone.”

“If that’s what you think the alliance deserves.”

Kim Seon-Hyeok responded by waving his hand carelessly before getting on top of Edda.

The thousands of nomads who had come to see him off bowed their heads. This polite manner was rather difficult to see from the Northern people who were by nature rough and coarse in manner. 

“Then, goodbye until we meet again.”

After saying his farewell, Kim Seon-Hyeok and Edda flew upward with all their might.

***

Kim Seon-Hyeok only learned of the disturbances that occurred in the capital when he stopped by the fortress on the border.

“There was a group that attacked the capital, sir!”

“Which crazy bastards dared to do so!”

Glaring fiercely, the War Dragon’s fighting spirit began to flow off him without him realizing it. Overwhelmed by the strong momentum, the commander hunched his shoulder and lowered his head as if he had been the group that attacked the Imperial Capital.

“Explain!”

“Unfortunately, there were some who hid in Her Imperial Majesty’s residence. It’s said that their actions were so secretive that even the knights of the Imperial Guards didn’t notice them, sir.”

Kim Seon-Hyeok knew better than anyone else how tightly-guarded the Imperial Palace was. The shield made of defensive magic had been placed by mages of the highest caliber and the knights with their intense sense of duty would never be gullible. 

Even if the superhumans came in droves, it would be impossible for them to cross their lookout. 

“Just who the hell are they?”

“It was two men and one woman, sir.”

Surprisingly, there were only three perpetrators who invaded the very center of the Empire. What the most powerful knights and mages couldn’t do before, just three people had done. 

Kim Seon-Hyeok knew very well which beings held such power. 

“It must’ve been a two-prong attack!”

The Transcendentals.

It was clear that the Transcendentals had attacked the Imperial Capital while he was away.

Knowing who the assailants were, he quickly got up. He planned on heading to the Imperial Capital immediately.

“Please, sir. Stop and listen to me first.”

“There’s no time for that.”

He felt anxious and desperate as he remembered Ophelia and Victorius, who he had left behind in the Imperial Capital. He was about to become angry with the commander who was stopping him.

“All those who attacked the Imperial Capital were foiled, sir.”

Perhaps he realized that he couldn’t stop the Indomitable Grand Duke because the commander told him the result of the attack at once.

“Huh?”

Kim Seon-Hyeok had been assuming that the ones who attacked the capital were Transcendentals, so when he heard that, he felt like he had been blindsided. 

“Weren’t they together with any strange-looking monsters or something never seen before with the attackers?”

He began to think that perhaps, it had been normal superhumans and not Transcendentals. But the commander seemed surprised by his question.

“It’s said that the men brought with them a monster that was a mix of a deer and a bird, as well as, a giant eagle. The woman had a skeletal mage that seemed to be made out of gold, sir.”

Based on the commander’s explanation, it was clear that the assailants were the Transcendentals and their Companions. However, the capital had managed to get rid of them. Kim Seon-Hyeok couldn’t help but be confused. 

When he saw that, the commander continued his explanation.

“It’s said that many of the knights from the Imperial Guards were killed while protecting the Imperial Palace and that there was significant damage to the mages. Even Marquis Reinhardt and the commander of the Imperial Mage Corps had to come forward. However, it wasn’t enough to stop the attackers.”

Up to this point, it proceeded normally. Even if Marquis Reinhardt and the Imperial Capital’s defense forces were strong, it would have been impossible to stop them when it wasn’t one, but three Transcendentals. 

“Then, the Sword Star, Duke Roachim came forward.”

“Ah…”

Marek had left the capital for a while because he wanted to wander around the world, but it seemed like he had returned to the capital at the perfect time. If it was Marek, then he certainly could have held the proxies back for a while. 

But that wouldn’t have been enough. Although Marek was strong, the proxies were much stronger than he was. 

“Duke Roachim was with Countess Mangsk, sir.”

“Julian!”

Kim Seon-Hyeok involuntarily clenched his fists at the girl’s name. Through a curious irony of fate, Julian had awakened as the Dragon Slayer and was now Marek’s successor, the Adjuster of the East.

“Surprisingly, Countess Mangsk stood alone against those that even Marquis Reinhardt and Duke Roachim couldn’t stop.”

Since it had been a long time since she inherited her power as an Adjuster, the Julian of the present day must have acquired the same level of strength Marek had during his heyday. The level 99 Adjuster would surely be a burdensome opponent for the foolish Transcendentals. 

But Kim Seon-Hyeok still had questions. No matter how strong a level 99 Adjuster was, she couldn’t have been enough to defeat three Transcendentals and their proxies alone. 

“It seems like the Countess Mangsk, the knights of the Imperial Guard, and the mages of the Imperia Mage Corps were managed to drive the enemies out of the Imperial Palace by working together, sir.”

The Transcendentals and proxies most likely felt like a cat bitten by a cornered mouse.

As if they were playing a game, the proxies had grown and developed as they dealt with only easy prey, so it must have been strange and unfamiliar to encounter the knights and mages of the Imperial Capital who weren’t afraid of death.

And that would have ultimately determined their fate. 

“And the Imperial superhumans attacked the assailants once they were driven out of the Imperial Palace. The knights of the Imperial Guard, the knights of the Central Knights, and the mages of the Mage Corp - more than a thousand knights and mages aggressively attacked them.”

Even as he continued to talk, the commander’s face began to turn red as if he was intoxicated by the Imperial power. The power of 1,500 superhumans mobilized by the Empire was more than powerful to cause the commander to be overcome with excitement. 

But that wasn’t all. A bit later, 1,000 foreigners and 100 Qeishas joined the battle.

Kim Seon-Hyeok began laughing without realizing it. While he was familiar with the kind of strength an Imperial foreigner had, even he thought it was too much when he heard that nearly 3,000 superhumans had gathered in one place. 

Besides, those 3,000 superhumans weren’t any ordinary superhumans.

They weren’t regular superhumans. They were those who had been reborn as a true superhuman with a steel backbone through countless crises and been through war after war against powerful enemies like the Demon Lord and the Central Kingdom Alliance. 

“It is said that Marquis Reinhardt, Duke Roachim, and Countess Mangsk each took one and beheaded them, sir.”

In the end, the proxies and their Companions fell to their knees in front of such a powerful force. It was as if an unexpected disaster had passed through them without their realization.

“And the damages?”

“The Imperial Guards and mages who responded first were killed, sir. However, it is said that after Duke Roachim and Countess Mangsk arrived, not many people were seriously injured or killed.”

The more he heard, the more surprising it was. Even if the proxies and Transcendentals weren’t whole, it was truly remarkable that they had been defeated with only the Empire’s manpower. 

Although he had played a role in the country’s revival, the Empire’s true strength was enough for him to get goosebumps.

“But more importantly, there is a message from the Imperial Palace to you, Grand Duke.”

Kim Seon-Heyok’s expression was complicated as he felt admiration for the Empire while at the same time, heartfelt emotions for the victims. He replied immediately to the commander’s words.

“She must’ve been so busy, and yet, she still thought about me. That’s the Empress for you.”

At those words, the commander looked guilty. 

“No, that’s not it, sir. It’s just that the time for you to have returned passed, but you hadn’t, and strange things were happening across the border. I couldn’t help but worry, sir.”

That was natural. There was no way that the Imperial Army, which would have been closely monitoring the situation beyond the border, wouldn’t have noticed the incident. 

“I thought that you might need help, so I made a report to Her Imperial Majesty with the intent to dispatch troops. But instead of giving permission, Her Imperial Majesty left a message for you, Grand Duke.”

Seeing how the commander was wary and hesitant, unable to finish his words, he had a feeling he knew what Ophelia had to say.

“Return immediately. No excuses or circumstances will be tolerated, so report directly from the Imperial Capital.”

Kim Seon-Hyeok’s shoulders drooped when he heard the message that somehow seemed to have a sharp tone to it. 

He had achieved another victory by annihilating all the proxies and Transcendentals he had been wary about. But for some reason, he felt like a loser rather than a winner right now.

“I’ll be leaving now.”

Half-heartedly accepting the commander’s farewell, Kim Seon-Hyeok hurriedly headed towards the Imperial Palace as if he was past curfew. 

While it was like a usual flight with Edda, his mouth dried as he felt as if he was in a taxi where surcharge would be added to his total while he was touching his thin wallet. 

[I cannot understand you.]

As if Edda was completely dissatisfied that he couldn’t keep still for even a moment, her voice hinted that she found him pitiful.

“Married men are like this…”

Edda let out a dissatisfied sigh at the terrible excuse.