Chapter 182. The Observer (5)
My dream of winning the war, rebuilding the city, and even unifying the continent using the perpetual motion of the improved 'Version-2 Soul Core' crumbled as quickly as a sandcastle on the beach.
Well, to put it simply, there was no such thing as perpetual motion.
I was a fool to believe in it.
Even if this was a world where magic and miracles were rampant.
“...So that's what it was.”
“That is correct.”
To summarize the long explanation from Hebrun and the Duke, it was as follows.
The Vampire Archduchy had beco a land stained with negative thoughts due to long wars and the influence of necromancy.
It was literally in a state like a reservoir where negative thoughts had accumulated.
The influence of such negative thoughts caused abandoned corpses to beco undead on their own, people and animals to fall ill, and plants to beco poisonous.
Hebrun's application of Tribus' Soul Core manufacturing technique, the secret art of 'Sorrow Crystallization,' was a way of drawing water from that reservoir of negative thoughts.
According to the Duke's explanation, it was a kind of shortcut that skimd off a portion of the negative thoughts seeped into the ground and crystallized it.
Since it used the negative thoughts that were seeped everywhere, it was possible to create Soul Cores without other raw materials like mana stones or living sacrifices.
Since it was literally a shortcut, any mid-tier necromancer could learn it.
“Even in a land deeply saturated with negative thoughts, repeated crystallization would eventually lead to depletion. I apologize for not eting your expectations.”
“No, there's nothing to be sorry for. About that depletion, you said.”
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Does that an the land can beco habitable for plants, animals, or people again?”
“I haven't tested it, but… wouldn't that likely be the case?”
Bingo.
I nodded my head.
As they say, every cloud has a silver lining.
It was unexpected good news following disappointnt.
My purpose in visiting the Archduchy was not only to scout the battle between the two empires but also to make a proposal to the Duke.
That proposal was 'annexation.'
For the Vampire Archduchy.
No, for the Zarhill Archduchy to once again beco one with the Empire.
If the land contaminated with negative thoughts could be purified, people would be able to live in the Archduchy again.
Of course, there was a crucial prerequisite.
The opinion of the parties involved.
“Back to the Empire… you an?”
“Huh? You want to rge now?”
It wasn't strange that the Duke and Hebrun, the two vampires, looked bewildered.
Over three hundred years had already passed since they beca a separate nation.
Reconnecting a relationship between people is like plucking stars from the sky.
How much more so for nations that have been divided for not just decades, but centuries.
And it wasn't as if they parted on good terms.
“I know about your unjust treatnt and the false accusations.”
Years ago, the Princess of Blood had told .
That necromancy was not originally heresy, and Duke Zarhill was also a loyalist to the Emperor.
She said the Duke was made a scapegoat due to the political situation in the Empire.
That claim could be cross-verified with confidential materials from the imperial family.
It was a common and tragic dynastic drama.
The early death of the previous emperor, the unstable succession of the five-year-old prince, the unsettling movents of so nobles, and the selection of a scapegoat and a witch hunt to prevent internal division.
The Imperial Church branded Duke Yulister von Zarhill a heretic.
The imperial family offered a huge bounty and supplies, declaring a massive subjugation campaign.
With the ergence of an external enemy, internal division temporarily ceased.
The ti bought was enough for the young emperor to grow and gain control over the nobles.
However, the adult emperor must have realized.
Whose blood was necessary to maintain the imperial authority.
“In the imperial family's confidential records, which I looked into through the Emperor, there was a diary written in a lanting tone by the young emperor of that ti after he had grown up.”
“...Is that so?”
“He wrote about how he frad a man who could have been a hero of the Empire as a heretic for a handful of power. How he drove a loyal subject to be a traitor to silence the real traitors.”
“……”
“Please. Join forces with the Empire.”
That's right.
Honestly, it was more of a plea than a proposal.
Because the Vampire Archduchy was the one that had been unilaterally beaten down.
Three hundred years had turned everyone involved in this matter into skeletons in their graves, but the Vampire Duke and the Princess of Blood, who chose eternal life, were still alive.
Preserving the mories of that ti, living for centuries amidst the consequences of that ti.
Nevertheless, I had no choice but to ask.
“Our enemy is not an easy opponent. Even I cannot guarantee victory. Why do you think I'm dragging in all these pawns, from the Emperor and Viscount Ash to the elves and dwarves?”
I spoke with sincerity.
I try to understand the enemy through the testimony of dwarf refugees, various ancient records, and even nightmares, but the situation is still not easy.
It's difficult to even gauge the chances of victory, let alone find a weakness.
“If possible, we must mobilize all our forces. Only then can we even dare to try.”
“……”
“I will do my best to clear your nas, though it may not be possible to do so completely.”
I don't know if my sincerity got through.
But the eyes that had been colored with bewildernt soon changed to resignation, or sothing similar.
“We have no grudges. They're all dead anyway, aren't they?”
“Yeah. Dad and I have forgotten all about it. No, I should say we've given up. But there's a practical problem, right? What about the Iron-Blooded Emperor? And the Imperial Church?”
I don't know if they've truly forgotten.
But what's important is the fact that they said so.
I've crossed the biggest mountain.
The consent of the parties involved.
“Emperor Ricardo will welco you. The Imperial Church will have to be dealt with gradually. Well, you will still be serving .”
“If you put it that way…”
“We can't beco one from the start. Let's begin with an alliance to fight against a powerful enemy. Soday, the Empire will welco you as heroes again.”
The Duke nodded his head.
Of course, obstacles remain.
Even if I command it in the Emperor's na, the Imperial Church will vehently oppose it.
The 'heretic' label that people have attached for hundreds of years won't be easily changed either.
This is not a matter to be discussed right now.
For now, reconnaissance cos first.
While we were exchanging proposals for annexation, the Duke's hand seals were completed.
It's about to start.
The vampires standing at the key points of the magic circle began to chant in unison.
And.
Kwoong-!
On the altar piled high with Soul Cores.
A pulse that seed to make the heart throb began to resonate repeatedly.
***
Post-traumatic stress disorder.
It is a sticky scar that commonly remains in people who have passed through the mont of death.
Even I, with my steel-like ntality, am no exception.
Although I don't have after-effects like seizures, panic, or confusion, so scenes where I was on the verge of death remain clearly in my mind like a stamp on paper.
The day I woke up in Wolfskrig is one of them.
The execution ground, the soldiers, the blood-stained axe, the rolling head, the priest reciting prayers.
And the massive fireball that engulfed it all.
Kwoong-!
The reason I recall that day's mory is probably because that fireball, [Infernal teor], was also created in this way.
The altar emits a heavy echo.
Each ti, the red magic circle shone fiercely.
The tallic scent of blood wafted from sowhere.
‘[Blood Sacrifice].’
Along with [Bloodline], it is one of the trademark traits of the Vampire Archduchy.
My first day at Burken Fortress must have been like this.
There would have been a dozen vampire necromancers, a magic circle, and an altar emitting a heavy echo.
The only difference is the sacrifice placed on the altar.
Back then, it would have been the corpses of dying people, but now it's naturally harvested Soul Cores.
Ah, there's one more thing.
That day, they created a fireball in the sky to break down the castle walls.
Today is different.
Kwoong-!
Right after a particularly loud echo, the Duke cast a spell.
[[Warrior's Insight] is deployed.]
[You have acquired a skill.]
[Gaze of the Dead (Level 3)]
A re level 3 skill.
It is a simple spell that directly shares the vision of the targeted undead.
However,
Kwoong-!
As long as it is aided by the altar, necromancy transcends its limits.
Here, limits refer not only to the caster's rank but to all aspects, including distance, power, and duration.
Kwoong-!
With the final echo, a red shimr covered the altar.
Like a fla burning a sacrifice, the red energy greedily began to devour the Soul Cores.
At the sa ti, the skeleton vultures that had been sitting inside the magic circle took flight in unison.
No, should I say they were launched rather than taking flight?
Hundreds of skeleton vultures soared into the distant sky like arrows leaving a bow.
Swaaaaaaah-!
The skeleton vultures disappeared from sight in an instant.
They had flown over the high mountain range.
The Vampire Duke, his red face gleaming, said.
“You should start seeing it soon.”
Indeed, before long, sothing began to form in my mind.
Hazy, afterimage-like images.
They soon split into dozens of fragnts, each beginning to show a different scene.
“……”
It was the vision of the skeleton vultures.
I wonder if this is what it feels like to have the caras of dozens of drones shoved into your brain.
I've never operated a high-altitude drone, but the vision of the skeleton vultures flying in formation at a dizzying height felt roughly similar.
Looking closely, they weren't flying with their wings, but by expelling a special stream of mana as if jetting it out.
I didn't ask, but the Vampire Duke provided an explanation on his own.
“As you said before, refined Soul Cores are more efficient as a sacrifice than humans. Not only the control distance, but also the flight ti, altitude, thrust, vision, and reaction speed could all be enhanced.”
“I see.”
Not that I really understood how it was done.
I copied the [Gaze of the Dead] spell, not the [Blood Sacrifice] trait.
Anyway, the skeleton vultures, equipped with a necromancy version of a jet engine, quickly passed between the snow-capped mountain peaks and entered the wasteland.
In the distance, two groups were visible.
The armies of both sides, confronting each other across the ocher-colored earth.
“There they are. Do you see them?”
I nodded my head.
The Eastern Empire and the Lur Legion.
At a rough glance, both sides seed to have over a hundred thousand troops.
I asked the Duke to fly a few more skeleton vultures higher.
Taking advantage of the wide field of view from high altitude, I properly estimated the number of troops in the two armies.
“...There are many.”
I need to correct my earlier prediction.
It's not a hundred thousand.
Combined, the two armies seem to number around 500,000.
People often say 100,000 is nothing because history books ntion armies of a million as if it were a common thing, but if you actually see an army of 100,000 before your eyes, your knees will buckle.
To begin with, the Roman Empire at its peak had between 300,000 and 500,000 soldiers.
And that force wasn't spread across the entire empire or a wide front, but was confronting each other in one spot in the wasteland.
Even watching with hundreds of high-altitude drones, there was too much information to process.
Of course, I had a asure for such situations.
When the emblems on the flags ca into view, I deployed the trait.
[[Genius that Overlooks the Battlefield] is deployed.]
It was one of the few traits I obtained by killing the emperor and succeeding his position.
Different from [Battlefield-Overlooking Gaze], it was a cheat-like trait that gathered all sorts of battlefield information obtained through various routes and visualized it as an image in my head.
The visions of hundreds of skeleton vultures mixed together, creating a kind of 3D model of the entire battlefield in my mind.
By the ti I adapted to the trait, a change occurred in the two opposing camps.
The Eastern Empire sent a detachnt of about a hundred n to the Lur Legion.
With the enhanced vision of the skeleton vultures, I examined its composition.
Cavalry wearing Eastern-style scale armor.
And a person wearing a black robe, escorted by the cavalry.
“Your Majesty, could that be the… you ntioned?”
“That's right.”
An envoy.
The one who destroyed the Dwarf Holds and the Elf Paradise.
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