Chapter 27 - Everyone Is a Catalyst for War
Yapheon.
A sister nation to Holy Kratia and located east of another sister nation, Marpein.
"Do you think Maial alone will be enough?"
In the King's office, Uthor, the King of Yapheon, asked his subordinates.
"Even if he became a Guardian Knight late, Maial is a strong knight."
"He'll be more than capable of capturing Yuru once her strength is drained."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty."
The subordinates unanimously predicted Maial, the Guardian Knight's, victory.
'I don't think we'll lose.'
Maial was born in Yapheon and was the youngest Guardian Knight, excelling in handling rune magic weapons more than anyone else.
'But what is this unpleasant feeling?'
Uthor looked down at the note clenched in his hand.
A note sent by someone.
It contained information, almost like an accusation, revealing Yuru's whereabouts after she had caused chaos in Marpein and abducted Neville.
'Who on earth...'
Just in case, Uthor, who had moved near the border with Marpein, received the note and verified its authenticity.
He sent soldiers, and indeed, Yuru was there.
'Isn't the timing exquisite?'
Based on the flares the soldiers shot, Yuru was present, but Neville was not.
'Did someone spirit Neville away and leave only Yuru?'
Who on earth?
"By the way, it's a big problem."
One of the subordinates spoke.
"It says that His Highness the Crown Prince of Kratia is not with Yuru."
It was an important point.
The question of whether someone who sent the note tried to use them to deal with Yuru had to be temporarily set aside.
For now, they had to solve the problem at hand.
"This note."
Uthor fluttered the note in his hand.
"The one who sent this note might have taken the Crown Prince."
"Then..."
"But the carrier pigeon that delivered this note burned itself to ashes, making tracking magic impossible."
It was clear that they had taken precautions in advance, perhaps to prevent them from using rune magic to trace the carrier pigeon's path back.
"So, we'll focus only on Yuru. If necessary, we'll kill her."
"But Your Majesty, if we're to find His Highness Neville, shouldn't we keep Yuru alive..."
CRACK!
It was then.
The desk directly in front of Uthor split in two from his slammed fist.
"Didn't you hear what that woman did to Marpein?"
Rage filled his eyes.
"If we let her live, she'll find a way to turn our Yapheon into a wasteland. We must execute her here."
He twisted his previously contorted lips upwards for a moment.
"And anyway, our job isn't to find His Highness Neville. That's Marpein's job, since they caused the incident."
His subordinates swallowed dryly at his words.
'If they can't find His Highness the Crown Prince, Marpein will be blamed as the cause.'
'Is he trying to distance Kratia and Marpein's relationship?'
'But wishing for the downfall of sister nations...'
A flurry of thoughts and concerns swept through them.
Unfortunately, Uthor, the King of Yapheon, was honest with his emotions and had a personality that disliked complicated matters.
"Anyway, whenever I speak, you all make faces like things are getting complicated."
Uthor furrowed his brows.
"I kept some of those guys from Kratia who just scribble with quill pens as subordinates because they told me to, but they're all just petty."
The subordinates looked flustered at his blunt words, but Uthor ignored them and shouted.
"Gagaro!"
Thump!
A hulking man immediately opened the door and entered.
Wearing a bear's hide and wielding twin axes that were no different from bludgeons, he was Gagaro, the Imperial Knights Commander, a close aide to Uthor.
"You called, Your Majesty."
Seeing him glance around with murderous eyes, as if only blood and slaughter were everything in the world he lived in, the subordinates awkwardly turned their heads away.
The only one looking directly at him was Uthor, who was of the same kind.
"Gagaro, something has come up that I need you to do."
"Just command me."
Gagaro thumped his chest, as if saying he would obey without complaint, no matter what was ordered.
"This Gagaro will fight and fight until my axe handles are ground down and only my bare fists remain."
Uthor let out a hearty laugh, seeing Gagaro grind his teeth as if gnawing on a piece of meat.
"Hahahaha! Yes, that's the kind of spirit that makes me want to give orders!"
Uthor said with a satisfied expression.
"Gagaro, the Imperial Knights of Iser who were dispatched to Kratia will soon return to their home country."
On the surface, it was presented as Kratia returning its full power for Iser's Holy War.
"Annihilate that knight order."
The order Uthor gave to Gagaro, who was waiting for what would follow, was an explosive statement that would shock everyone.
"Yo-Your Majesty?"
Starting with the subordinate who spoke with a question mark, the subordinates who doubted what they had heard shouted one by one before Gagaro could even react.
"Attack the Imperial Knights of Iser?!"
"You can't do that!"
"Iser is a nation belonging to the same Alliance!"
Though not a sister nation of Holy Kratia, Iser was a nation that had a foothold in the Holy State Alliance, participating even in emergency meetings.
Although not official, it was a kind of allied nation, practically a member of the Alliance.
"Your Majesty! Attacking Iser will surely displease the Emperor of Kratia..."
THWACK!
It was then.
The head of a subordinate who was loudly advising Uthor suddenly split open.
It was an axe.
Blood flowed from where a single axe was embedded, as if splitting firewood.
"Th-This..."
The horrified subordinates looked at their colleague, who had just been struck by Gagaro's axe and died screaming.
The victim's eyes lost focus, and he soon collapsed to the floor.
"Wh-What are you doing!"
The subordinates, consumed by terror at the tragedy unfolding before their eyes, shouted.
"Right now, in front of His Majesty, what..."
Those who instinctively tried to fight off the sudden fear by invoking Uthor's authority flinched.
Because,
"Well done."
Uthor's finger was pointing at the one whose head had just split open.
As if he had singled him out and Gagaro had swung his axe.
"He was unbearably noisy."
While the subordinates were speechless, Uthor lowered his hand, and Gagaro stepped on the victim and pulled out his axe.
"If you wish, I will swing it ten times, even a hundred times."
"Yes, good."
In the presence of subordinates completely gripped by fear, unable to offer any more advice, Uthor continued speaking to Gagaro.
"As I said, annihilate Iser's Imperial Knights. I'll designate a suitable location for you."
"Yes, understood."
No questions, no rebuttals, just the law of the jungle, where the weak bow to the strong.
This was the order Uthor sought to maintain in his country.
'We're tired of the Alliance calling us barbarians and not even giving us proper land.'
Since Yuru had conveniently thrown Marpein into chaos and diverted attention, Uthor decided to target Iser's land.
'Anyway, we can just frame Iser as traitors.'
He had no intention of making Kratia an enemy.
He simply intended to strike Iser first and brand them as an enemy nation.
'If we recognize them first and subjugate Iser, Kratia will also acknowledge it.'
Even if they were considered barbaric, Yapheon was a sister nation of Kratia.
If they swallowed Iser and immediately prostrated themselves, Kratia wouldn't interfere with their rule over that land.
They might try to take some benefits, but that was fine.
"Go, Gagaro."
Uthor instructed him.
"While you're gone, I'll take care of Yuru myself."
"I obey your command."
Gagaro crossed his twin axes and bowed before turning and walking out.
Watching him, Uthor murmured.
"Hehehe, let's see how long that woman of Iser can last."
♧
"A holy artifact?"
Beatrice made a question mark shape when she heard Clay's words.
"If it's Yapheon's holy artifact..."
"The Primordial Prayer."
Yapheon possessed a prayer given by Laztel, the God of Light worshipped by the Holy State Alliance, when he was merely a shimmering, primordial being.
"To be precise, the first edition."
Anyone could memorize and recite the prayer, but only the possessor of the first edition, which had been touched by Laztel when he became a complete god, could use it to enhance various equipment.
Beatrice tilted her head, looking at Clay who mentioned its contents.
"You mean that rune engraving tool. If it's about enchanting equipment, our Demon King's Army can do that too."
"I'm not trying to get it to enhance equipment."
Even if it was a prayer, it was an incomplete result left by Laztel when he was a primordial being.
The first edition being a holy artifact yet being recognized as a 'rune engraving tool' related to 'rune magic' was not without reason.
A holy artifact that could not fully represent a complete god had no choice but to be treated like a tool, no different from a hammer and anvil, rather than an object of worship.
"That's an item that can weaken Yapheon."
However, to Yapheon, who had little faith to begin with, only submitting to Kratia through the law of the jungle, the Primordial Prayer by no means signified incompleteness.
Rather, that very primordial form was the primordial power itself that Yapheon sought.
They fully embraced that holy artifact as their own.
"Kratia doesn't want to acknowledge holy artifacts that represent flaws of a god, but such holy artifacts often have fewer restrictions. For example,"
Generally, holy artifacts only have one-way effects, but those in their primordial form were different.
"Yapheon's holy artifact can also withdraw rune magic."
In other words, it meant they could instantly snatch away what Yapheon was using as its most powerful weapon.
"What?"
Beatrice's eyes widened in surprise.
"Is that true?"
"Yes."
During his time as a Hero, Clay had memorized all their weaknesses to protect humanity.
"It's quite ironic that I'm now using something I thought the Demon King's Army might notice and target."
Many people knew that Clay was aware of such facts, but it was obvious they wouldn't consider it important now.
Because Clay was dead.
It was only natural that a dead person knowing secrets would be useless.
However, if there was one misjudgment they were making, it was simply the fact that Clay had been resurrected and returned.
"But is that something we can get our hands on?"
Beatrice asked curiously.
"The Primordial Prayer is always carried by Uthor, the King of Yapheon. To be precise, he keeps it in the place he trusts most."
"The place he trusts most?"
"The Axe of the Moon."
Clay said quietly.
"His axe, I mean."
"His axe? But it was clearly stated to be the first edition..."
"The contents don't necessarily have to be written on paper."
Clay looked at a sighing Beatrice.
"His axe is the Primordial Prayer itself."
『Proxy of Pitch-Black!』
It was then.
A Gargoyle burst into the room where the two of them were.
『Something urgent has happened that requires immediate attention!』
The Gargoyle shouted at Beatrice, who furrowed her brow and tilted her head slightly.
『Nael is coming this way right now!』
That beastkin, a member of the Hero's party.