Chapter 335: The Talk with Gordon (3)

“What’s inside... that cave?”

“You’ll have to see for yourself. It’s something I can’t reveal with mere words.”

“And yet you claim you’re here to share a secret,” Karyl said with a cynical grin, still keeping a close watch on Gordon’s reactions.

“Why are you so hung up on this? Is this secret really that crucial to stopping the war?”

“Who knows... It could stop the war, or it might make the flames burn even hotter. But you know as well as I do—once a war has begun, there’s no stopping it halfway, whether it was the right or wrong path. It has to reach its conclusion.”

“So it’s not just about the war, is it? There’s something bigger, beyond the continent itself,” Karyl mused.

“Go and see for yourself,” Gordon said with a calm, indifferent expression. “If your curiosity drives you mad, I won’t stop you. But while you’re gone, the war will move forward. Without you, the strongest warrior, the tide may turn quickly in the empire’s favor."

“So, you’re telling me to finish the war first.”

“Since it’s begun, you have to tie up the loose ends.”

Karyl chuckled. “Don’t worry. The secret of the north? Whatever it is, I’ll deal with it when I face it. And the war with the empire—I’ll finish that, too.”

“I can’t even begin to imagine how your mind works. You truly are an enigma. Well, I hope things turn out as you wish.”

Despite Gordon’s nonchalant attitude, Karyl couldn’t shake off his suspicions.

From what I know of his character, he wouldn’t try to hide this much... It’s almost as if he’s avoiding the truth, like he’s being watched.

But by whom? Who could be powerful enough to force even the mighty Gordon Fabian to act with caution? Only a god would be capable of that.

“...”

The very thought of it unsettled Karyl even more.

It can’t be...

If this was all related to Yula, then the gods wouldn’t want the truth to come out. That would also mean that Gordon Fabian’s previous death might have been part of the gods’ will.

Karyl clenched his fists tightly. Even if that was the case, he didn’t want to believe it. He refused to accept that human lives were mere playthings in the hands of gods.

“You might find this hard to believe, but Karliak, Kuwell, and I... we were close friends,” Gordon revealed.

“...”

The word “friends” left a bitter taste in Karyl’s mouth.

“We first met thirty-five years ago, during a small territorial conflict. The MacGovern family hired the Guidance Mercenary Gang to clear out the northern forest. The mission was to exterminate monsters, but there were immigrants living in those woods.”

“You were doing the same things back then as you are now.”

“Not quite. It wasn’t like what you think. Back then, there was no king involved. The discovery of the immigrants was purely by chance. The young boys and girls, who had never experienced war or hunting before, didn’t care about race or status. They were more curious than anything. Even if the two sides were supposed to be enemies.”

“Cough...!”

Gordon turned his head and spat out a thick glob of blood.

“I didn’t come here to hear your life story. What’s your point?”

“You really are an ungrateful brat. Just bear with me for a moment. After all, I’ve sacrificed my limbs to make this meeting possible.”

“...”

Seeing Karyl fall silent, Gordon smirked.

“Though we walked different paths, we all reached the pinnacle in our own ways. Karliak became the greatest warrior, I led the strongest mercenary gang, and Kuwell became the best knight on the continent.”

Gordon spoke as though this was his one and only chance to tell everything, making every effort not to waste it.

“The Extermination Decree of Heresy was issued, and Kuwell did everything he could to delay his deployment. During that time, he sent a secret message to Karliak, urging him to evacuate the immigrants. But the ever-stubborn Karliak chose to fight as a Great Warrior. Naturally, the Black-Eyed tribe drew the attention of the Blue Knights, so the casualties were minimized—if you can even call it that.

“What a bunch of crap,” Karyl scoffed. “So you all reached your respective pinnacle? You all minimized damage? What did that achieve in the end?”

Karyl stood up, his broken legs now fully healed.

“You were all complacent. If you really wanted to change something, you should’ve striven to surpass your limits. None of you, a Sword Master, the Great Warrior, and even the greatest knight out there, could see what needed to be done.”

“...”

“If you truly wanted peace,” Karyl clenched his once-broken arm, making a fist, “one of you should have aimed to become king.”

Gordon’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at Karyl, now fully recovered.

“Hah... Haha... That never entered our minds. You’re right, Karyl. We weren’t trying to change anything, just soften the blow...” Gordon muttered ruefully.

“And about that secret—if you’re afraid of some absolute power, you’ve already told me enough. Telling me this much took courage.”

“Am I receiving praise from a kid now?”

“Yes, be proud.”

“Hah...” Gordon chuckled softly. “So you really are a 6th Class master. You’re already healed up. All I could do, even with everything I had, was hold you back for a few moments.”

“We’ve talked enough. The war is raging on, and battles are happening everywhere. But to resolve this, I’ll have to step in personally. I didn’t want to fight with unresolved thoughts weighing on me. It may not have been what I expected, but now I can fight freely.”

“You’re still trying to handle everything by yourself?” Gordon called after Karyl as he turned to leave. “War isn’t something you can fight alone. Do you know the biggest reason the Guidance Mercenary Gang has survived this long?”

“Of course. That’s why Olivurn tried to recruit you first. An airship that can nullify all terrain advantages, and the mercenaries themselves, as strong as a knightly order. You can storm castles quickly. If you make it through the canyon... you could deliver a direct blow to Tatur.”

At that, Gordon gave a bitter smile.

“You really think the mercenaries’ strength lies in the airship? If that’s the case, you won’t win this war.”

“I’m talking about variables.”

Gordon’s smile faded.

“The unpredictability created by the airship. There’s no need to get into the strength of you and your mercenaries. But no matter how strong a Sword Master is, you’re right—you can’t change the outcome of a war alone. The same goes for the Guidance Mercenary Gang. Despite their strength, even they can’t fight this war by themselves.”

Karyl then pointed to the sky.

“But when all those factors come together, you can’t limit your perspective to strength. Variables are crucial. A single blade aimed at the rear can be more decisive in a war than a hundred thousand swords at the front.”

“You understand well. For someone so young, you have the eyes of a commander looking over a battlefield. You continue to surprise me.”

“Olivurn’s greatest mistake was showing you to me in the north. He probably wanted me to be wary of you, but it’s had the opposite effect. Now, I’ll destroy the airship.”

Karyl tightened his grip on his sword.

“I wonder how Olivurn’s face will change when the Guidance Mercenary Gang falls.”

“In that sense, it seems his plan succeeded."

“...What?”

“The Guidance Mercenary Gang is just bait.”

Karyl froze. The Vestal Marquisate, the seemingly defenseless Fort Fonein, and even the Guidance Mercenary Gang... Bait after bait in a battle of wits.

Karyl had targeted the Guidance Mercenary Gang first, believing he was cutting the string to that bait, but now Gordon had just revealed that even the string itself was just a decoy.

There’s no way...

Karyl stared at Gordon with a hardened expression.

“Be wary of the cult. Even though we’re enemies now, I’ll warn you—they are the real variable.”

It was just as he had expected.

Although Olivurn was connected to the Wooden Cloud, he couldn’t use their power publicly. However, the Church, which was linked to the Wooden Cloud, could support the empire in the war with overwhelming force.

“They possess powers that aren’t human.”

“Divine Power? Their so-called blessings only offer minor physical enhancements. Magic alone is enough to overcome that.”

“If their power stopped at that, they would’ve already been overshadowed by the Magic Association.”

Gordon left his words hanging.

“Be careful of Olivurn.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be the one to take his life.”

“You still don’t know who’s behind him.”

“No, I know well enough.”

Karyl turned his back, clearly done with this conversation.

“If you’re referring to a certain dragon, I’ll be the one to sever its head too.”

“...”

Gordon stared at Karyl’s retreating figure as though there was still something he needed to say.

“Karyl,” he called out in a low voice. “One last question. Haven’t you ever been curious? About Kuwell and Karliak’s relationship?”

Karyl felt his heart drop for a moment. He had always believed that everything began at the MacGovern family estate, that everything led up to obtaining the dragon’s heart and rewriting history. Perhaps that was why, even after his return, he had never questioned why Kuwell had saved him in the first place.

“You mean the fact that the three of you were friends?”

“No. I mean the reason Kuwell had no choice but to kill Karliak. Even as a knight, he tried to minimize the harm to the immigrants as much as he could during the Decree of Heresy. Even though it wasn’t a perfect solution, as you said.”

Hearing that, glimpses of his memories with Olivurn came back to him—the empire and the immigrants, friends who ended up crossing swords.

“It doesn’t matter what the reason was. The result stays the same.”

Karyl’s blunt reply brought a bitter smile to Gordon’s lips.

“Yes... Next time you and I meet, it won’t be on friendly terms. But if you ever meet him on the battlefield, ask him,” Gordon bit his lip slightly. “Whatever the truth may be... we’ll learn it when the war is over.”

“I hope so,” Karyl muttered, pausing to look back at Gordon. “And also, you’ve got it wrong. I’m not at the 6th Class. I’ve reached the 7th.”

Indeed, no ordinary Sword Master could change the course of a war. But Karyl gripped his sword with newfound resolve.

“I’ll do it.”

***

Boom―!!

With a deafening explosion, the capital’s gates were shattered. In the blink of an eye, the invaders stormed the Sun Hall. Amid the soldiers’ screams, the courtiers stood in bewilderment at the sudden chaos.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

“...Is that a-an... attack?!”

A soldier shouting for help at the door was abruptly cut down, his body dismembered.

“This can’t be!!”

“The 300,000-strong army... they just left!”

“How...?”

The people at the imperial palace watched in disbelief as a young man calmly walked through the ruins of the gate. No one could have imagined the enemy leader simply appearing in the heart of the opposing camp before the great war had even begun.

“Gruuuhh...!!”

A low growl reverberated from the roof of the palace, belonging to a red-scaled wyvern.

“So what?”

Karyl twisted the neck of a fleeing official as he casually entered the Sun Hall.

Crack―

The official slumped to the ground, not even realizing what had killed him.

“Whether it’s 300,000 or a million, my men will never lose to you. But you people...”

Karyl kicked the corpse aside as if it were nothing. He then turned to the terrified courtiers.

“You will all die today.”