“Hmm…”
As the banquet grew livelier, Bertelgia’s mood only worsened. It was becoming increasingly clear to her that Sungchul was deliberately avoiding her.
“What’s on your mind, Living Book?” Marakia approached Bertelgia with so nuts in hand.
“No, it’s just I’m annoyed with how he’s behaving.” Bertelgia pointed with the corner of her book at Sungchul, who was mingling with people and enjoying his drinks from afar. “We should be heading to the Colossus to complete the Creationist quest as fast as possible, but he’s just wasting and passing his ti over there.”
“Creationist? What’s that?” Marakia, who was second to none when it ca to greed, suddenly opened his eyes wide with interest.
“It’s the highest form of the alchemist class,” Bertelgia responded succinctly.
“Ah, is that so?” Marakia’s interest cooled off imdiately.
“What? What’s up with your reaction?”
“What reaction? I didn’t show any reaction, Living book.”
“Ah? Is that so.”
“Moreover, alchemy, you say? Not exactly the class befitting a king. In our Avian Kingdom, alchemy is a class bestowed upon Nahak of lower caste,” he said with a tone full of arrogance.
Marakia squinted his eyes as if vividly reliving the glorious past.
In response, Bertelgia retaliated with a short, hefty strike. “That’s why your country fell to ruin.”
“Piigiiit?”
“Countries that disrespect technology and crafting are dood to fail. Without exception.”
“Piii… you dare, you living book…!” Marakia’s beak trembled violently.
“Ah, I don’t have ti to play with you. Besides, when are you planning to return to your oh-so-great kingdom? You’ve already got your Final Elixir. The cave elves might still be tornting your kin in secret, you know.”
“Mm. I’ll have to go back at so point.” Marakia, who had flared up in anger quickly, now looked lancholic once he was reminded of the fate of his compatriots.
“But right now, the entrance to my kingdom is within the barbarians’ occupied area. Recklessly moving in and out of the kingdom would only hasten its extinction if the barbarians notice our movents.”
“Hmm, I guess that’s true.” Bertelgia turned around, sighing deeply.
Marakia pecked at nuts with his beak, then resud staring at Bertelgia. “Is there sothing on your mind?”
“Just wondering if there’s a good way to enforce a promise.” Bertelgia was looking at Sungchul.
“A way to enforce a promise?”
“Yes. There are people who are terribly bad at keeping promises.”
“Like a debtor who doesn’t pay back money, then/”
“Yes, exactly that! I’m not sure if it’s the right expression, though!”
“How about taking collateral then?” Marakia pecked at another nut with his beak as he spoke.
“Collateral?”
“If you hold sothing valuable to the other party as collateral, they have to keep their promise, whether they like it or not. It’s a classic thod of enforcing promises that has been handed down from ancient tis.”
“Hmm, collateral.” Initially, Bertelgia was indifferent, but then a brilliant idea flashed in her mind like lightning.
“That’s it!” Bertelgia stared at the diamond brooch inside Sungchul’s coat, which occasionally let out a bizarre glow.
I can use that as collateral!
Bertelgia knew how much Sungchul cherished his brooch.
No matter how bad things got, even during the most arduous parts of their journey, he would carefully polish the brooch with a soft cloth and anoint it with oils to enhance its shine at least twice a day.
She knew that the brooch already carried value far surpassing that of any ordinary object. If she could just obtain it, Bertelgia knew that it would be trivial for her to get what she wanted.
In a warm and friendly atmosphere, Bertelgia approached Sungchul, who was tilting his glass.
“Hey. You!”
“Hmm? Bertelgia. What is it?” Sungchul asked, pretending to be surprised.
Ugh, I already know he noticed approaching. He’s so bad at acting!
While Bertelgia was fuming internally, Sungchul continued to speak. “Our next destination is decided, Bertelgia. We’re going to La Grange.”
“La Grange? The capital of the empire? Why are we going there now?”
In response to Bertelgia’s question, Sungchul pointed to Paparupa sitting next to him at the table. “He says the situation in La Grange is worsening day by day. Isn’t that right, Mr. High Class Chef?”
Sungchul emphasized the word “high class chef” with a strong accent.
Already once defeated, Paparupa nodded with a resigned or compliant attitude and replied, “You can’t even imagine. La Grange has beco a hub of heresy. Blasphemous statues of Lesser Gods have been erected on every street, and bizarre rituals are conducted daily at the Floating Palace. After the Horsan and the Mura Sects abandoned their headquarters, many nobles and upper-class families have left the city. Thanks to them, the higher districts, above the fourth, are filled with empty hos.”
Paparupa was one of the upper-class residents who had escaped the increasingly strange atmosphere of La Grange.
According to him, a perpetual dark storm cloud had been swirling ominously in the skies above La Grange for so ti now.
“Well, that’s how it is. Sarasa and that other woman also told us that sothing trendous is about to happen in La Grange.” Sungchul calmly replied to Paparupa’s words.
“Hmm.” It made sense. Bertelgia couldn’t find a flaw in this argunt. Ryze Hirr, Sarasa Xero. These two won, who had no commonality other than having personally known Sungchul, both warned of a dangerous event taking place in La Grange, after all.
It was likely no laughing matter what was going on there. Although the severity wouldn’t be known until they went to go check for themselves, there was definitely a potential for whatever was happening there to escalate uncontrollably if left unchecked and grow to rival or surpass the current calamities that was unfolding.
But Bertelgia couldn’t back down here.
She had her duty as the guide of the Creationist Class to carry out. But we only need one day. There’s only two more Colossi until the trials are over. If we head to La Grange, we don’t know when we’ll return here.
Thinking this, Bertelgia spoke to Sungchul in an off-beat, gruff tone. “So, when are we going to the Colossus?”
“That… That is…” Sungchul avoided Bertelgia’s gaze.
At that mont, his deanor was not unlike Marakia’s when evading a subject.
“When the ti cos,” Sungchul replied awkwardly.
“When the ti cos?” Bertelgia leaned in close to Sungchul. “Hmm. Are you sure you’re not hiding sothing?”
“What? What is there for to hide from you?”
“Then why not just go to the Colossus? With your current alchemy skills, it wouldn’t even take half a day.”
“That’s… Bertelgia… There’s a certain order to things in the world. The Colossus can be visited any ti after the world has found stability.”
“Why can’t it be today?” Bertelgia asked sternly.
Sungchul felt the ti had co. Bertelgia would not back down easily. Indeed, there was no reason to refuse her demands.
Unless he told her the truth.
However, that truth had to be sealed. Until everything stabilized, that is.
A deep shadow fell over Sungchul’s face.
Bertelgia instantly noticed that Sungchul was experiencing an imnse internal conflict.
Why is he like this? Could there be a reason I’m unaware of?
Bertelgia was not only quick-witted but also deeply understanding. She decided that pressing Sungchul any further would not be wise.
“Okay, fine. We can go next ti.” Bertelgia moved back.
The shadow that had been cast over Sungchul’s face completely disappeared.
“Really, Bertelgia?” He had never imagined that she would back down so easily.
“But there’s a condition.”
“A condition?” Sungchul’s eyes sparkled.
“Do you rember a promise you made to ?”
“A promise?”
“To grant one wish.”
Sungchul’s expression changed again. He had completely forgotten.
“I only said that to remind you that that promise exists. The condition I want to propose is sothing different.”
Bertelgia burrowed into Sungchul’s embrace and then spread the lapel of his coat. This caused the Diamond Broach hidden within to be exposed, sending glamourous light to spread out in all directions.
“Uwah!”
No one reacted to the light save Paparupa, who alone shielded his eyes in response to the brooch.
Bertelgia delicately scratched the edge of the book covers against the physical manifestation of Sungchul’s pride itself, the brooch, and spoke again.
“I want collateral. Just in case you break your promise.”
“Co… Collateral?”
“Yes, collateral.”
Bertelgia’s firm deanor caused Sungchul to feel a cold sweat run down his spine as he bowed his head and stared at his brooch.
“You don’t an to tell to put up my treasured brooch as collateral, do you?”
“That’s exactly what I an. I want the brooch as collateral.”
Sungchul’s eyes greatly trembled.
“What’s wrong? I’ve generously agreed to compromise. Shouldn’t you man up too? Aren’t you the guy who threw away even Fal Garaz without hesitation? Why are you being so petty over the brooch?”
“Be… Bertelgia. This… this brooch… How should I say… it’s sohow different from Fal Garaz.” Sungchul’s hands began to tremble.
Beside him, Dragoman tipped his glass and murmured, “Even the mighty Destroyer has a natural predator above him.”
At this mont, there was no trace of the man who had stood fearlessly against the Barbarians and the Lesser God.
Finally, Bertelgia relented a second ti.
She sighed and spun around once, then spoke in a sowhat deflated tone.
“If you can’t hand over the brooch, try offering sothing else.”
In response, Sungchul pulled out Krumbui from the soul storage. “How about this?”
“Never!”
Imdiately rejected, Krumbui had no chance to speak before it was shoved back into the soul storage once again.
Next, Sungchul brought out sothing Bertelgia might like, a ring called the Fog Guide.
“How about this?”
“Hmm.” This ti, Bertelgia seed to be sowhat contemplative, unlike with Krumbui.
After all, traveling through the dreams of others was a hobby she enjoyed.
However, Bertelgia was not satisfied with just that.
“This is good, but I think that would be better.”
“That?”
“The key of the vault keeper of Troia.”
“That key?”
It was a mythic item obtained after defeating Horneko. It possessed an uncanny ability to open the Soul Storage of others without their permission.
“If you break your promise, I’ll clean out your entire vault. But still, you’d prefer that over the brooch, right?”
“Hmm.” Sungchul seed to be in a bit of a conflict as well. However, he was neither a thief nor a slave to material desires like Marakia. For him, having just Fal Garaz alone was enough.
“Alright. Let’s do that.” Sungchul took out an old, rugged key from the storeroom and handed it to Bertelgia.
Bertelgia opened her book, seemingly swallowed the key, and then closed it.
“Good. Collateral received!”
With that, the imdiate crisis was averted.
For now, Bertelgia would not pressure him to undertake the potentially fatal quest of the Creationist class.
It was the best outco considering the situation.
Now Sungchul would be able to devote himself wholeheartedly to the resolution of the Calamities with much less worry in his heart.
The wind blew from the south the day after the banquet, and unexpected guests ca to visit Sungchul.
They were envoys sent from the Horsan and Mura Sects.
Guided by Tigon Bosborot, they stood before Sungchul and delivered shocking news.
“We announce the excommunication of Emperor William Quinton Marlboro of the Human Empire by both major orders. And at the sa ti, we hereby cancel the excommunication previously placed on Sungchul Kim, the forr Imperial Commander in Chief and current chairman of the World Parliant.”
Their declaration succinctly revealed the current state of the world’s affairs.
Sungchul, having drawn even the dwarf kingdom into his fold, now firmly stood as the de facto leader of the newly established World Parliant, completely replacing the old World Parliant.
In contrast, Emperor William of the Human Empire, having lost all alliances and even glory, was now isolated in a narrow city.
The control over the affairs of the world, once monopolized by the Human Empire, was now firmly in the hands of Sungchul.
The voluntary defection of the two major religious orders to Sungchul’s side was rely an incidental result of the already existing state of world affairs.
Amidst blessings, Sungchul shook off an ancient curse and led the elite forces of the new World Parliant in a surprise attack against the northern barbarians.
The result was a resounding success.
The barbarians, who had completely had their guard down, could not mount a proper resistance against the surprise attack led from the vanguard by Sungchul and crumbled.
The barbarians’ standard, adorned with eyeballs, was snapped, and their leader’s head was crushed by Sungchul’s hamr.
With a single surprise offensive, Sungchul had managed to annihilate the forces threatening not only the dwarf kingdom but also the Elven Confederation of Kingdoms.
But the afterglow of victory was brief, as one of the liberated prisoners brought troubling news. “The main body of the army has long since began their southern advance.”
It had been a considerable ti since the Barbarians revealed themselves in this land.
Though they remained a terrible enemy to behold, thanks to the sacrifices and ceaseless efforts of spies and scouts, the depth of information known about these barbarians was incomparably improved compared to before.
It was already known that there were two major barbarian tribes that had invaded the land. And the spies had successfully discovered the nas of these tribes.
The tribe that used an eyeball as its symbol was called Kersh.
The tribe that used intestines as its symbol was called Amandash.
The two tribes each took up camp north of the dwarven and elven borders and had been laying siege independently of each other.
Sungchul monitored the movents of the barbarians closely.
Their tribes, each stationed strategically toward the elven-dwarven kingdoms and the northern reaches of the continent, had waged their individual campaigns with relentless aggression.
However, recent intelligence indicated a significant shift in the barbarians’ tactics.
The two divided tribes had rged into one.
Once stagnant, they now ford a massive, united force, resuming their advance with unstoppable montum.
Their target was the heart of the continent.
The Human Empire.
The land where the last crown remained.
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