Expedition

Could he kill Gram here and now?

Pernok barely suppressed the thought that arose impulsively from his surging power.

‘He truly intends to strike the empire.’

Gram was dreaming an absurd dream matching his greed.

Becoming the new duke of the empire where the world’s strongest Magus held firm.

No matter how much the emperor of the Rakis Empire called Hegemon Emperor was born with a warrior’s temperament that enjoyed fighting, would he spare a Magus who drew his blade against his own nation?

‘There must be other reasons beyond what he told me. A method to persuade even the Hegemon Emperor.’

Rakis Empire’s count-rank and above Magi had their power and influence poorly known to other nations.

Ultimately, if his and Gram’s goals were the same, he judged it better to squeeze him to the limit rather than kill him right now.

When Pernok withdrew his gaze, Gram sent an interested look.

“Something seems to have changed in the meantime.”

“I’ve just become a bit sharper. So what do you want from me in exchange for killing these three?”

“The alliance we promised initially.”

“There must be other reasons?”

Gram let out a sinister laugh.

“Excluding Breia in Rezhen, all the empire’s Magi follow Chris. For me, if I can weaken the 13 Lords by helping the prince, it seems I’ll gain great help when I become duke later.”

“Just being with me becomes profit?”

“Without even going as far as the prince, if I move while joining hands with the association head, I can handle most Magi.”

“Does the empire know I’m allied with Ruin?”

“It was my speculation at most. I merely thought the relationship seemed unusual for client and contractor. But since the report that I went to the association has gone to Chris, he’ll also guess the relationship between the association and the prince.”

“Do these dead ones continuously report to Chris too?”

“They’ll report progress at set intervals. But to Buckingham, not Chris. These four including Buckingham were assigned to handle Illumina.”

“The timing?”

“Normal reports are at weekly intervals. One week from the day you were attacked. If no report goes up, Buckingham will immediately convey this fact to Chris.”

Pernok asked coldly.

“How much time remains for us?”

“One month. The moment we exceed that, I don’t know what Chris will do.”

Striking the 13 Lords meant the reporting system would be disrupted.

Chris, who controlled the 13 Lords with powerful leadership, wouldn’t overlook this collapsed order.

Though he’d been reluctant to step to the forefront, with autonomous action granted to the 13 Lords, he might rise from his seat to eliminate variables.

An S3 Magus.

Pernok couldn’t even guess where the boundary of that power he’d never seen lay.

If he faced Chris right now, all possibilities connected to the worst.

“If Chris intervenes, I’ll probably die.”

“An S2 Magus?”

“Kekeke, that arrogant bastard believes he alone sustains the empire. He judges all who aren’t allies as enemies and acts. It means I’m also proceeding with this work while bearing considerable risk.”

“…”

“One month. The moment a report reaches Chris after a month passes. He might deploy leading the remaining 13 Lords. Then everything ends.”

Within one month, he had to kill Vans and occupy the royal palace.

To Gram honestly asking if such an absurd thing was possible, Pernok responded calmly.

“Though I planned to strike Yuliana first and drive Vans, the order got slightly tangled.”

“Did you have something else in mind?”

“Royals who died unnatural deaths during competition are not few. If I couldn’t obtain justification, I planned to attempt assassination at least, but since Rakis came out this violently, new justification arose.”

“Oh, you’re quite resourceful. Your Highness.”

It wouldn’t be only due to Pernok’s thinking.

Gram grinned while thinking of Pernok’s freely transforming weapons and mysterious powers.

Meaningful glances swept over his body, but it couldn’t be helped.

He couldn’t kill the 13 Lords with Magus Arts alone.

In a situation where he needed to mobilize everything he had for even a surprise attack to succeed, he had no leisure to spare anything.

Just as Gram informed him of the empire’s Magus Arts, Pernok had to endure the situation of his full power being somewhat exposed.

‘Though he doesn’t know I can fight even S2 Magi.’

By consuming three of the 13 Lords, his limits broke.

Even considering the possibility of Gram betraying, he could respond sufficiently.

“Do you know where Vans is?”

“Buckingham is tight-lipped, so I haven’t heard either. But is there really need to worry? With Illumina’s current forces, they can’t block you, me, and the association head.”

“Point breakthrough is a brutish method. Now that we have leisure in forces, there’s no need to fixate on Vans alone.”

“Then?”

Pernok answered calmly.

“Along with Vans, we kill even the 13 Lords dispatched to other nations. Then even if things go wrong and Chris appear, he can’t come straight to Illumina.”

“Oh, you’ll shake all directions?”

“We’re not the only ones short on time. From the moment they failed to kill me, Rakis also became pressed for time. Because justification arose that they tried to assassinate me. There’s an enormous difference between openly striking royals and covertly assassinating them. And Vans crossed this line, whether willingly or unwillingly.”

Pernok smiled coldly.

“I’ll kill Vans. Until then, you have work to do with my people.”

“I don’t mind being used. Will you promise to give me the credit?”

“I don’t believe in goodwill. I merely pay a price sufficiently fitting for the action.”

“Kekeke, as expected the prince is refreshingly clean. Let’s start quickly. Before Chris moves!”

And the two returned to the marquis territory.

* * *

Buckingham, who’d left the royal palace with Vans to search for tomb clues, frowned after receiving the messenger’s report.

“There was no contact from Count Morpheus?”

“Yes.”

“Hasn’t a week already passed?”

“There wasn’t a single letter at the communication drop point. The count and the other two weren’t visible either.”

“Well now…”

Those three were a combination capable of handling any environment or person they met.

Even if an enraged nation dispatched a large army, they were skilled practitioners who could rather counter back, so he’d never thought of failure.

“However, the marquis territory is intact.”

Morpheus’s group had failed completely.

Far from Pernok, they couldn’t kill even one of his faction and lost contact.

‘Three people’s life and death unclear… I should view them as dead.’

Though his head calculated coldly, his chest grew strangely hot.

His nerves stood on edge.

‘Just how did those three die?’

If they just removed the one S1 Magus Pernok, the rest were at a level easily handled.

Morpheus wouldn’t even let down his guard.

Handling assigned missions cleanly without variables was his strength.

‘Did Pernok have forces attached that we didn’t know about? And Magus-rank at that…’

While driving Tyr and Rezhen, forces to support Pernok didn’t exist in this royal palace.

Moreover, with Owen confining even Duke Flemyr to his domain, there should be no variables.

Nevertheless, to erase him completely, as many as three Magi were deployed.

It was hard to believe Pernok alone shook off all that adversity.

“…Where are the two marquises?”

“After Marquis Gram visited the association, news was cut off. It seems he’s probably keeping his head down while grasping the situation.”

“We should view the association head’s skill as equal to the marquises. Then, what about Marquis Breia?”

“After joining Zayl, news was cut off.”

“Don’t tell me… he’s not ruining things again because he doesn’t like someone, right?”

“I’ll confirm it.”

Buckingham pressed his temple with his index finger while shaking his head.

“No, don’t worry about that side. First report this situation to the duke. Also convey that we’re requesting dispatch of the 13 Lords remaining in the empire.”

“Yes.”

As soon as the messenger disappeared, Buckingham approached Vans.

“Your Highness, my apologies, but I’ll briefly leave and visit the kingdom.”

“The kingdom? Is there some matter?”

“Something urgent to handle arose.”

“Could it be something happened to the 13 Lords heading for Pernok?”

“I plan to confirm that as well.”

Vans nodded.

“I understand. Since the clues are also roughly finishing organization, don’t worry and handle the remaining work.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Buckingham wore a faint smile while turning toward the kingdom.

‘I must somehow buy time until Vans finds the tomb. All variables must disappear.’

With eyes grown cold, Buckingham looked around and rushed toward the marquis territory where Morpheus’s contact was cut off.

* * *

When all guild masters gathered, Pernok also encountered the world’s chaos.

“The Rakis Empire has drawn its blade. The justification is only one—the empire doesn’t tolerate threats.”

When guild masters tilted their heads at the incomprehensible words, Gram wearing a robe added.

“Kekeke, don’t think about the reason. The empire’s approach has always been coercive, and only nations that endured it exist now.”

The guild masters didn’t know who Gram was.

They merely listened quietly because Pernok told them to treat him courteously.

“For Rakis, this war’s meaning is largely twofold. One is the 13 Lords earning merit to maintain their positions or rise higher. And the other is weeding out the weak.”

“The weak?”

When Sallio asked, Gram answered with a smile.

“In a world where not a single war occurred for decades, the 13 Lords maintained those positions for a long time. Though they competed Magi among themselves, with just that they couldn’t confidently handle the world’s variables. So in this war, they’ll reconfirm the 13 Lords’ capabilities too.”

“No, then. You’re saying they killed countless people just to prove strength?”

“Words must be clear. Not people but soldiers.”

Those who understood that subtle difference burst into exclamations.

“Right now, all wars have the 13 Lords and each nation’s soldiers fighting. Does damage go to the people? No. The people only encounter it through rumors.”

“But didn’t they strike the marquis territory!”

“If they erase everything along with the territory, are there witnesses for rumors to spread? Do people remain?”

Sallio became like a mute who ate honey.

“Inducing nation-to-nation disputes, but if they strike civilians, making it so not even traces remain so no one knows who caused such things. The reason for guaranteeing the 13 Lords’ autonomous action lies precisely there.”

“But they can’t maintain this method forever.”

“Kekeke, the dead are silent, and history belongs to victors. Don’t be too attached to reasons or methods. Either way the work occurred, and we must fight, mustn’t we?”

Gram turned his gaze to Pernok.

Pernok nodded and spoke.

“I killed three of the 13 Lords who raided the marquis territory.”

“…!”

“As he says, we can’t avoid it now. But if we fight the empire like this, we’re annihilated.”

At the cold words, the conference room grew as cold as if a blizzard swept through.

“Currently, among places where the 13 Lords were dispatched, we’re the only forces intact. Rezhen has Zayl gaining power again, and Tyr’s border is struggling with Count Vanos’s Magus Arts right now.”

“What happened to the mage who devours Magi?”

When Rio asked, Pernok answered decisively.

“Life and death unknown.”

“Then that monster is dead, Your Highness?”

“We still don’t know. Since there are reports that Count Vanos’s Magus Arts is also losing power, perhaps Jan dealt a fatal wound or he might be recovering in the kingdom.”

“Mm…”

“What we must keep in mind is that half the 13 Lords still remain in Rakis. Moreover, the world’s strongest Magus has his eyes wide open.”

Discord among nations arising from simply deploying Magi.

The moment the empire’s main force was added here, the great powers’ balance would finally break.

“If the empire’s main force led by Duke Chris points its blade at any one place, that place will inevitably collapse. And I think that place is precisely here.”

“…!”

“Though the most 13 Lords were dispatched, three died by my hand.”

“Then…”

Words didn’t come easily for everyone.

They wanted to devise something, but the name Chris alone made their breath choke.

“There’s only one method. Use the chaos Rakis created before Chris comes.”

“…?”

“Taking this indiscriminate war as justification, we’ll seize Illumina’s royal palace within one month.”

The guild masters gaped, but Rio and Ruin silently only nodded.

“That justification that Vans tried to erase the marquis territory is sufficient.”

“But isn’t the current truth investigation team leader the royal Magus commander Owen!”

To Sallio’s fervent speech that it wouldn’t be fair, Pernok answered with a single letter.

“It’s Duke Flemyr’s message. He says he’ll inform me in detail where Vans is heading now.”

“May we take it to mean he’ll be with us?”

When Rio asked carefully, Pernok smiled.

“Though he didn’t say to join hands together, if we plan to head for the royal palace, he said they’d open one path first.”

Pernok spread a map on the table.

When they mixed their advance route with the direction Flemyr would head, a straight course they could break through in two weeks was born.

“Won’t he launch a surprise attack?”

When Gram asked with a smile, Pernok shook his head.

“What a waste to spend time finding that bastard.”

“Then what will you do about Vans?”

“We don’t need to find him. Either way, if I drive in with justification and advance on the royal palace, that bastard will become pressed and return.”

“Then you’ll sweep away Vans along with the royal palace?”

“There I’ll assign you one mission. Kill Owen.”

Gram’s shoulders shook.

He couldn’t hold back laughter.

“Kekekeke, do you still not trust me? Want to keep testing?”

It was an extreme method of binding Gram so he couldn’t think other thoughts while striking Illumina’s Magus and Vans’s patron. But Pernok responded calmly.

“S2 Magi are handled by S2. I just thought simply.”

“Well, fine. Then what about Buckingham?”

“I’ll take him. Including Vans.”

Gram, who’d been pondering something, nodded.

“Looking at it now, you had leisure.”

As those words suggested, Pernok had other schemes.

“To just strike only the front, the rear is weak. So Ruin, handle Breia in Rezhen so supplies flow smoothly.”

“Understood.”

“Rio, deliver supplies to the Tyr border.”

“Will just that be enough?”

“It’s sufficient. Tyr won’t collapse. Infiltrate Tyr using that crisis as opportunity.”

If Gram hadn’t existed, he wouldn’t have even thought of dividing personnel.

But with an S2 Magus’s cooperation and Flemyr’s cooperation added, means to intervene in other nations including Illumina arose.

‘The opportunity the Rakis 13 Lords created.’

The time when the empire’s confidence bred chaos in the world, and everyone would struggle.

Pernok rather thought of the chaos itself as justification to infiltrate all nations.

Not only Illumina.

After taking Illumina, the method to overcome this nation’s special situation was gaining even other nations’ power together.

And right now, the hostility toward Rakis the 13 Lords stirred up was no different from a weapon Pernok would use.

“We’ll consume the royal palace and Vans, and mediate Tyr and Rezhen to buy time until the new dynasty we establish takes root.”

Another reason this work was possible was the Holy Kingdom’s participation in war.

Even Gram didn’t know that variable.

The momentary gap created by the Rakis 13 Lords’ failure.

Pernok was about to draw his sword and break through the instant opportunity.

“We’ll seize everything within one month.”

Before rising to the Netherworld.

As if recalling his old self, who in life symbolized one nation’s military might, he looked at the assembly with burning eyes.

“It’s war.”