Chapter 49: The Rise and Fall of Kings
The road stretched ahead of us, long and winding through the thick forest, and for once, there weren't any mana-mutated monsters trying to rip my face off. Small blessings. But that didn't mean I was at ease.
The story Ruko had started was digging into my brain like an itch I couldn't scratch. The Rostalio House—extinct. A kingdom still bearing their name, yet they had been completely wiped out? That wasn't normal. If you build a kingdom, you don't just vanish off the face of the earth unless something really bad went down.
And judging by the way Ruko's grip tightened on the reins, it was exactly that.
"It happened about 150 years ago," he began, his voice even but holding that tone people get when they're about to explain some deep shit. "Like I said, the Rostalio Kingdom was founded nearly 300 years ago. Back then, it wasn't a kingdom—it was just a bunch of clans fighting off the Vermilion Empire."
I nodded. Ah, yes. The great and mighty Vermilion Empire. The same empire that had been ruling over most of Artaros for 2,000 years. Their favorite pastime? Expanding. Ruling. Conquering. Basically being a massive pain in the ass to anyone not under their rule.
"The Rostalio Clan was the one that led the charge against the Empire," Ruko continued. "But they weren't alone. They had two powerful allies—Detalia and Okutake. All three clans fought together, driving back the Empire's forces. And when the dust settled, the Rostalio Clan took control of the land. They absorbed the territories of the other two clans, along with some weaker noble houses, and that's how the kingdom we live in today was formed."
I leaned back slightly, considering that. "Wait, wait, wait. So the Detalia and Okutake Clans helped build the kingdom, but instead of being equal rulers, Rostalio just took over?"
Ruko gave a sharp nod. "Exactly. They ruled, while Detalia and Okutake became their 'trusted allies.' In other words, they got a pat on the back and a nice seat at the table, but never the seat."
Huh. Classic power grab. "I'm guessing the Detalia House didn't love that arrangement?"
Ruko smirked slightly. "Not at all. And neither did the people."
Now that got my attention. "The people? As in, the regular people?"
"Yes. The Detalia Clan was loved by the people. Their leader at the time, Lord Orvian Detalia, was practically worshipped. He saved the Emperor himself from a threat that came from Tartaros."
I blinked. "Hold on. Tartaros?"
Ruko nodded.
Okay. So, quick geography lesson. Artaros, Cartaros, and Tartaros were continents. And not the kind you could just hop over to on a weekend trip. We were talking super far apart. Like, if you tried sailing there, you'd die of old age before making it far. And Tartaros? That place was legendary in the worst way.
I frowned. "What kind of threat are we talking about?"
"No one knows the exact details," Ruko admitted. "But whatever it was, it nearly wiped out the Empire. The Emperor at the time only survived because of Lord Orvian. And after that, the Detalia House became even more beloved. More trusted. More respected. More powerful."
I exhaled slowly. "And the Rostalio Clan didn't like that."
Ruko shook his head. "Not one bit."
"Damn. Let me guess. They couldn't just let it go and rule peacefully?"
He let out a dry chuckle. "They tried. For a while. But the resentment festered. The Rostalio King at the time hated how Detalia was more popular than him. So he tried to force them out of the kingdom."
I scoffed. "Yeah, because that always works out well."
"The way he did it was what caused everything to collapse. He tried to use the Empire against them."
I raised an eyebrow. "You mean the same Empire Detalia had saved?"
Ruko nodded. "He spun it as a threat. Claimed Detalia was growing too powerful, that they were a danger to the kingdom and could be a future problem for the Empire itself. He even sent envoys to the Emperor to negotiate their removal."
I let out a low whistle. "What a dumbass move."
"It backfired," Ruko said, smirking. "Because Detalia wasn't alone. The Okutake House and a majority of the other noble clans sided with them. And with that support, a full-scale rebellion broke out."
I leaned forward slightly. Now things were getting interesting. "How bad was it?"
Ruko's expression darkened. "Bad enough that it wiped the Rostalio Clan off the map."
I let that sink in.
A royal house that had ruled for 150 years—completely erased. The kingdom still bore their name, yet not a single trace of them remained.
"And the Empire?" I asked.
"They sent two magic knights to 'observe' the war," Ruko said, voice heavy with sarcasm. "In reality, they supported Detalia from the shadows. After all, they owed them."
I huffed. "So they gave their blessing to the Detalia family once Rostalio was gone?"
"That's right. The Emperor recognized them as the new royal family, and just like that, the kingdom had a new ruling house."
I shook my head. "Damn. That's some next-level betrayal."
Ruko gave a small shrug. "It's just how power works."
I let out a breath, rubbing the back of my neck. "And then fifty years ago, the Emperor at the time went nuts and started waging war?"
"Yes," Ruko said. "His reign was… unpredictable. Wars broke out all across the continent. That's how my mother was taken as a slave and brought here."
I exhaled through my nose, thinking it over. This world didn't fuck around. The Rostalio Kingdom wasn't some peaceful little monarchy with a clean history. It was built on war, betrayal, and shifting alliances. Hell, even the Empire itself wasn't untouchable—something from Tartaros had nearly wiped them out at one point.
And speaking of Tartaros…
I looked at Ruko. "You ever been outside of Artaros?"
He shook his head. "No, but I've met people who have. I know a few things about Cartaros and Tartaros."
I raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
"Cartaros is home to the largest trade empire in the world. The wealthiest noble houses are there, and they deal in everything—magic, alchemy, weapons, information. The Okutake House originally came from there before migrating here."
"And Tartaros?"
Ruko hesitated, then said, "It's not a place you want to go."
I smirked. "Now I want to go."
His tail flicked. "It's called the Land of Eternal Night for a reason. People don't come back from there."
That killed my amusement real fast.
I leaned back, staring at the road ahead. This world was bigger and darker than I had thought. Cartaros with its trade empires, Tartaros with whatever nightmare fuel lurked in its shadows, and Artaros, where war and rebellion had shaped every inch of its land.
And here I was. Just some guy who still had a 20% mission rating, trying to stay alive.
"Ruko," I said after a moment.
"Yeah?"
I glanced at him, then out at the road. "We should probably keep an eye out for any remnants of the Rostalio House."
He looked at me sharply. "You think some of them survived?"
I shrugged. "People don't just disappear completely. If they're still out there… they might have some unfinished business."
Ruko didn't respond immediately. But his ears twitched.
We rode on in silence, the weight of history settling between us.
The silence between us stretched for a few moments as I absorbed everything Ruko had just told me. The downfall of the Rostalio Clan, the rise of the Detalia House, the Empire's quiet hand in the whole affair—it was the kind of history lesson they didn't put in the nice, polished books at the Torak library.
But just as I thought he was finished, Ruko let out a small chuckle. The kind of chuckle that let me know more bullshit was coming.
"Something similar is about to happen again," he said, his voice almost casual.
I frowned. "Oh, let me guess. Okutake House?"
Ruko turned to me with a grin. "You're sharper than you look."
I rolled my eyes. "Gee, thanks."
His grin faded slightly as he continued. "It's not exactly the same as what happened back then, but the roots are similar. And it's the fault of the previous king, really."
I scoffed. "Of course it is. Let me guess, he pissed off the wrong people?"
"You could say that." Ruko adjusted his grip on the reins. "About a few years ago, a pair of Imperial Magic Knights were passing through Rostalio on their way to another kingdom. Officially, they were just envoys, traveling as representatives of the Empire."
I tensed slightly at the mention of the knights. This was the second time I had heard about them now. The first time? When I learned that they had destroyed Fort Defal nearly 50 years ago. A fort. Entirely wiped out. I still had trouble wrapping my head around that.
"And?" I prompted, my curiosity piqued.
Ruko sighed. "The king at the time—paranoid as hell from the war with the Empire that ended ten years ago—decided they were a threat."
I blinked. "A pair of knights?"
He nodded.
"And he thought they were enough of a problem to send an army?"
Another nod.
"How big of an army?"
Ruko's tail flicked, and I could tell he was enjoying the slow realization creeping up my face. "He sent ten thousand soldiers to intercept them."
My jaw almost hit the floor. "Ten. Thousand?"
"Ten thousand," Ruko confirmed, his voice carrying the weight of the sheer stupidity of it all. "And do you want to guess how many of them made it back?"
I exhaled sharply, already knowing the answer was going to piss me off. "…Not many."
Ruko gave a humorless chuckle. "Eight thousand of them died. Over a thousand more suffered injuries so severe their lives would never be the same."
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to process that. "So what, the knights just butchered them? Two people against ten thousand?"
Ruko nodded. "It was only thanks to one man that some of them survived. Erik the Red Giant, an S-Class adventurer. He somehow held the knights off long enough that they got bored and decided to leave."
I stared at him. "Wait. Hold up. They didn't lose? They didn't retreat? They just… got bored?"
Ruko shrugged. "That's what the survivors say. Erik stalled them long enough that they stopped caring and continued on their business."
I let out a slow breath, shaking my head. That was terrifying. Two knights had done that. Two. Not an army. Not an elite squad. Just two people.
And it wasn't even the first time I had heard about them. The Fort Defal incident had been almost 50 years ago. That meant they had been around for a long time.
"I can't even imagine how powerful they must be," I muttered.
Ruko nodded. "That's why the Empire remains the strongest force in the world. Because of the Imperial Magic Knights Order. They may only have just over a hundred members, but they are worth thousands of armies."
I shuddered. Thousands of armies. Not thousands of soldiers—thousands of entire armies. The idea that one organization could be so overwhelmingly powerful made my skin crawl.
And, of course, the brilliant king of Rostalio decided to piss them off.
I let out a slow breath. "And let me guess—the Okutake House was involved in that massacre?"
Ruko's ears twitched. "Deeply involved. Many of their higher-ups were either among the dead or severely injured. It created a lot of resentment toward the royal family."
I shook my head, staring at the path ahead. "So we're looking at another power shift. Another civil war, maybe."
"Maybe," Ruko admitted. "Nothing's happened yet, but things are tense. History has a way of repeating itself."
I sat back, exhaling.
"Yeah, well, if the Okutake House is about to make a move, I want to be very far away when it happens," I muttered.
Ruko smirked. "Same."
A quiet pause stretched between us, the only sounds being the horses and the rustling of the trees around us. But despite my words, I had this sinking feeling in my gut.
I wanted to avoid this shit. I wanted to stay out of the crossfire.
But something told me that wasn't going to happen.
I clenched my fist.
Because as much as I wanted to run, I knew the truth.
At some point—whether I liked it or not—I was going to have to meet the Imperial Magic Knights face to face.