Chapter 281: To the Empire

“That’s correct,” Anthem replied.

Kary tilted his head at the unexpected name.

“The ones who didn’t even join the war are stepping in now...?” he muttered under his breath.

When it came to the most renowned magical societies on the continent, the Dawn Council, with its Ivory Tower, and the Immortal Council, with Antihum, stood as the undisputed leaders.

The Imperial Court Sorcerer, Kadin Luer, was part of the Ivory Tower and supported by the vast resources of the imperial family, while Antihum, with its expansive independent territory and Grand Library, functioned almost like a city on its own.

In comparison, the Golden Magic Society of the principality had a much weaker presence. Moreover, like the other magical societies, they had shown no interest in worldly affairs, refusing to fight even during the Oracle War.

“They’re the ones who didn’t even lift a finger when the country was at war. Even though it’s customary for magical societies to not get involved in the affairs of the kingdom, they turned a blind eye to the suffering of the people during the civil war. I have no interest in such individuals.”

“You might understand their stance better if you knew the reason behind the founding of the Golden Magic Society,” Anthem suggested.

“The reason for their founding?”

“Yes. They may have established themselves in the principality, but they have no connection to its affairs. They provide magical knowledge to the principality, but they don’t serve it.”

“Hmm...” Karyl regarded Anthem thoughtfully.

“They were originally formed as an expedition to find a mythical spellbook said to have existed in the distant Mythical Era. Over time, they grew into the organization they are today, continuing to exist in the form of a magic society.”

“A spellbook...?”

Anthem nodded.

“Yes. It’s called the Polsetia, a grand grimoire containing what is said to be the Great Magic.”

At that moment, Karyl’s eyebrows twitched.

Great Magic...? That sounds familiar...

As he pondered, he recalled hearing that phrase from Ramine.

It was described as the power that reached the realm where both draconic mana and spirit power could be wielded simultaneously.

Karyl himself could now use both powers.

[You’re different from them,] Ramine interjected, cutting through his thoughts decisively. [That magic can kill even the gods.]

“...”

Karyl spoke to Ramine in his mind.

But didn’t you say that even the one who reached that unique realm didn’t master the Great Magic? If even dragons couldn’t reach it, then maybe touching upon the realm of the 9th Class could provide a clue. Ramine, could this Polsetia grimoire be the spellbook left behind by the one you mentioned?

[Who knows? I can’t say for sure.]

Karyl nodded slowly, processing the information.

“They’re nothing but dreamers chasing after a fantasy. It’s hard to believe anyone among them could rise to the rank of Great Sorcerer,” he responded coldly, masking his interest.

“Still, Darryl Harian is an exceptional individual, recognized as one of the continent’s ten strongest. Regardless of the Golden Magic Society, he’s worth having by your side,” Anthem urged.

Karyl frowned slightly at Anthem’s insistence. “I’ll think about it, but we should at least figure out where the Devil’s Bullet resides. Look into it.”

“Yes, my lord.” Anthem nodded enthusiastically. He had no idea that the moment he mentioned the Great Magic, Karyl had already resolved to meet Darryl Harian, regardless of his recommendation.

“And find someone named Utar. I’ve heard he’s from a long family of blacksmiths from the principality,” Karyl went on, keeping his true intentions hidden.

“Utar... The one from the Bazik family, right? Why would you need him?”

“I need someone to work on infusing flames into elemental stones, and there’s no one better at handling fire than him.”

Utar, the Ember Master—in his previous life, he was the master of the Liberated Flame, the sword now wielded by Randol, and one of the most talented individuals left in the principality.

The man embodied fire itself.

Even though he’s living a different life now, I still remember how many Tarak he burned to ash in the other life. I can’t let him slip away.

Karyl was determined not to let Utar’s talent go to waste, even if it was in a different capacity as a blacksmith.

“I understand. I will make inquiries,” Anthem responded.

“And lastly, inform Wingel Hart that the Frost Plateau will be designated as a golem development area. You know the reason better than anyone.”

“Yes, of course.”

Anthem, having seen the numerous golem parts stored in the Rothschild family’s warehouse on the Frost Plateau, nodded without hesitation.

“I’ll also share with you the location of the Gnome Kingdom. This information is highly confidential, so keep it a secret from everyone else here for the time being. It’s not far from the Frost Plateau, so ensure that any newly completed golems are prioritized for deployment there through the gnomes and Wingel Hart.”

“What? Not to the borders?” Anthem asked, surprised.

“Correct. There’s no need to focus on the borders for now. There’s no immediate threat of war, and before we ignite any sparks with the empire, there are other matters that need to be addressed. In the meantime, your task is to prepare the golems. We won’t have much time.”

“I’ll expedite the process,” Anthem replied, showing a sense of eagerness rather than apprehension at the growing workload.

The consolidation of the principality had finally provided him with the environment to fully carry out his duties as a strategist. He was delighted at the prospect of being able to implement all the plans and strategies he had always wanted to try out.

“We need to be well-prepared to properly greet a certain someone who will eventually come looking for that place.”

Karyl smiled ambiguously.

“...?”

Anthem didn’t fully understand the meaning behind Karyl's final words, but seeing his mysterious smile, he assumed that something significant was being planned.

“I’ve also informed Karl Mack about the remaining logistical needs. He’ll be in charge of transporting the key supplies.”

So far, Suan had handled crossing the strait, but Karyl was already thinking of assigning him a new mission once he returned to Tatur.

Israphil should have completed his investigation of the Blood Cave. While we need to uncover more clues about the Wooden Cloud, finding the King of Martial Arts in Tramel is also a priority.

The Five Great Sword Masters of the continent—though Karyl had never met the Spear King in person, he had managed to establish a connection with him through Ganeth. Now, only Valvont, the King of Martial Arts, remained.

Karyl believed that Suan Hazer’s enhanced abilities would be crucial in coaxing the reclusive Martial Arts King back into the world.

He’ll be pleased.

He chuckled, recalling Suan’s face before parting ways in Tatur.

“Ghrrr...”

Karyl patted the head of his wyvern before turning to Anthem.

“The rest is in your hands.”

Whoosh—!

Anthem remained kneeling for quite some time, watching Karyl soar to the sky, seeing him off with a deep sense of respect.

***

“Master!!”

“Welcome back.”

The people of Tatur, who had been informed of Karyl’s arrival by Miliana, greeted him warmly as he descended from the massive wyvern.

“Is this the wyvern?”

“Wow... So there are more of these in the principality?”

Some couldn’t take their eyes off the wyvern he had ridden in on, while others focused on the news he brought.

“As you instructed, the supplies needed by the principality have been prepared. They’ll be sent as soon as Karl Mack arrives. I’ve also organized the documents on your desk.”

Dushala glanced at Suan and Kamma, who were gawking at the wyvern, before turning back to Karyl.

“Good. I’ll check them right away. What about the mana mine?”

“We’re extracting small amounts of heptagonal stones from the site where they were buried. Additionally, the dwarves have discovered locations they suspect might contain octagonal stones, and they’re investigating those areas.”

“Excellent.”

Compared to his previous life, this was an incredible result. Back then, even intermediate elemental stones were hard to come by due to the war between the Three Kingdoms of Istria, let alone octagonal stones.

“Thanks to the dwarves, mining is possible, but we couldn’t process them... It’s fortunate that Calypson took on that role. Who would have thought we’d end up working with the Gnome Kingdom? It’s unbelievable.”

Karyl nodded in agreement with Dushala's comment.

“Send all the collected heptagonal stones to them. We can’t craft them ourselves anyway. Also, prioritize finding any fire element octagonal stones, especially the Scarlet Stones.”

“Understood.”

“And how’s the supply of adamantite to Antihum?”

“The ongoing development of the mana mine has led to an increase in discarded building stones, so we’re able to supply them without any issues. If we come across any heptagonal building stones, they are sent directly to Nain Darhon, the head of the Immortal Council.”

True to her reputation as the administrator of Tatur and her experience running the black market, Dushala had perfectly executed the plans Karyl had envisioned, even without his explicit instructions.

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

“I’m glad I kept you alive,” Karyl remarked with a smirk.

Dushala chuckled at his comment.

“And what about the empire?”

“There’s been no significant movement. The mourning period announced after the Third Prince’s funeral just ended recently.”

“Hmm...” Karyl nodded thoughtfully.

So keeping the emperor’s life as collateral had some effect. They can’t just blatantly start a war. For now, the most they can do is engage in covert operations.

Thanks to Randol, he already knew what the emperor was plotting in the south. The only surprising thing was that during his months in the principality, the emperor hadn’t applied any significant pressure on the MacGovern family.

If the emperor had been desperate to lure Karyl to Heim, he would have used the family to send word to him somehow.

There’s no way they’ve found the antidote...

After all, the emperor hadn’t found it in his past life and had eventually succumbed to his fate. Although Karyl couldn’t shake the lingering sense of unease, he decided to turn his attention elsewhere for now.

“And Israphil has something urgent to report. It seems to be about the investigation of the dungeons.”

“Hmm. Where is he now?”

“He was investigating the dungeons until just recently, but he’s waiting in your office now. Shall we head up?”

Karyl nodded and followed Dushala to the office.

***

“You’re here,” Israphil said, standing up and bowing respectfully as Karyl entered.

“It’s been a while. It seems you’ve made some progress in your mana abilities,” Karyl observed, immediately noticing the changes in Israphil.

Israphil also felt a shift in Karyl.

He truly exudes the dignity of a king now

.

After experiencing the civil war in the principality, Karyl might have grown in another sense as well. Israphil instinctively realized that the relationship of respect between them had fundamentally changed.

The gap in power and status no longer felt unnatural but instead seemed entirely fitting.

“All thanks to the Grandmaster,” Israphil responded.

“The Grandmaster?" Karyl inquired.

“Me, of course. How have you been? I’ve heard about your successes.”

Karyl smiled warmly as he turned his gaze toward Allen’s dark figure, standing behind Israphil.

“It seems you’ve taken on a new disciple in my absence. How is he? Useful?”

“Quite useful, but when it comes to fun, he doesn’t compare to you. He’s far too obedient,” Allen replied, a hint of amusement in his tone.

“Heh... I hear you have a report for me?”

“Yes, regarding the Blood Cave,” Israphil said. “It seems certain that something is being cultivated inside. However, when I tried to interrogate some of those entering and leaving, I found that they were all mute and deaf. They couldn’t even see properly in there, likely due to some form of magic. They only did as they were instructed without question.”

“Hmm...”

“I thought about trying to infiltrate the cave, but since you only ordered me to investigate, I just confirmed the likely spots and left it at that."

Karyl nodded in approval.

“You did well. Those people aren’t ones to be approached recklessly.”

“But... while keeping watch, I saw someone unexpected inside.”

“Who was it?”

“The Second Prince,” Israphil said cautiously, his expression tense. He expected a strong reaction from Karyl, but surprisingly, his expression remained calm.

“Well, that’s not surprising,” Karyl replied nonchalantly.

“...Sorry?” Israphil was taken aback by Karyl’s indifference.

“Were there any other notable figures?”

“Not really...”

Israphil kept watching Karyl, puzzled by his demeanor.

“Just wait a little longer. The Black-Eyed tribe will bring us something useful. We can delve into the Blood Cave investigation after that,” Karyl explained, his tone sharpening as he looked at Israphil.

“And then, we’ll deal with him,” he added, his words laced with a clear threat.