Chapter: 669
Atelius wasn’t wrong in his assessment that Behemoth seemed to be a rather docile creature. As it rose from the ground, breaking the earth beneath it, it merely blinked at us without showing any signs of aggression—even with armed knights and mages approaching.
Or maybe it just thought that tiny humans clustering around it posed no real threat at all.
Either way, the situation was positive. If I had approached to talk and Behemoth had gone berserk, we would’ve been thrown into an epic boss raid right there. Thank goodness there was no pointless clash.
‘It really looks like a cow.’
In the midst of all this, Behemoth’s appearance was surprisingly plain.
Considering it was meant to be a pillar of the Roygas imperial family and a technological marvel of the Trika Empire, I expected it to look a bit more unique. But with all the dirt on it, it felt more like seeing a cow that just rolled in the dung. Imagine bringing in a village cow and scaling it hundreds, even thousands of times larger—voilà, Behemoth!
Of course, while Leviathan was also enormous, it didn’t look too different from an ordinary whale. Didn’t they even set up buildings on Leviathan’s back? I was kind of hoping to see some trees growing on Behemoth’s back too.
– Who are you?
Lost in my little fantasy, I suddenly heard Behemoth lower its gigantic head toward us and speak.
– This is the directly governed territory of the Roygas House, and the place where I sleep. If any unrelated folk approaches recklessly, you’d better believe the Emperor will hear about it, so if you came here by mistake, turn back.
Then it politely issued us an invitation to leave. Instead of showing any mistrust towards strangers, it seemed to be considerate, warning us to quietly retreat before facing the Emperor’s wrath.
That brief conversation, though short, was enough to grasp Behemoth’s character. Unlike Leviathan, full of pride, Behemoth was gentle and reserved.
“I came to talk about you from Leviathan.”
– Hmm?
At my direct approach, Behemoth’s eyes widened even further.
– Has Leviathan already awakened?
“Yes. It has currently moved to the southern sea.”
– …I see. Although your face is new to me, the personnel could have changed while I was sleeping.
Seeing Behemoth nod as if it understood brought a sense of solemnity to me. It wasn’t just that the personnel had changed; the Empire itself had transformed.
Still, I couldn’t bring myself to say, “Your master went on holiday.” Right now, it was more important to soothe the mentally just awoken Behemoth than to spill the harsh truth.
– Then what about Ziz? Have you seen Ziz?
When I shook my head, it seemed Ziz was a name I had never encountered before but deduced that it was the name of a bird.
“I haven’t confirmed that yet.”
– Ziz has a free-spirited personality. It might have awoken before us and could be soaring through the sky, so draw the emblem of the Roygas House in the open plains and wait. That is the signal to call Ziz.
Wow, that sent a shiver down my spine while also providing useful advice.
It was not impossible that Ziz had woken up first before anyone else. Though since I was assuming Leviathan was the first to arise, Ziz could very well be out and about enjoying life.
However, if Behemoth’s words about the signal to summon Ziz were true, there was no need for excessive worry. If Ziz didn’t know about the downfall of the Trika Empire, it would likely respond to the signal. And even if it did know, curiosity about those who used the old signal from Trika’s time would likely lead it to check things out.
– But this is strange.
Just as I was conjuring images of a vast plain fit for a giant bird to land on, Behemoth tilted its head.
– I clearly fell asleep near the Capital. Why is it so desolate here?
With that perplexing question hanging in the air, I heard a knight in the back swallow hard. My original plan was to ease Behemoth into the conversation about chopping it up and then cautiously introduce the truth. No matter how gentle a beast it was, you never knew how a lost masterless creature would react.
Yet, Behemoth had cut straight to the chase, asking about the Capital. That meant I had no choice but to eventually talk about the Trika Empire.
– Did the Capital relocate? No, there isn’t a city that could govern the Empire as smoothly as Kroita.
“That is…”
– Speak quickly. I must go greet the Emperor. I need to tend to the royal livestock and protect the Empire from where I can see the imperial palace.
Watching Behemoth, I let out a small sigh.
Telling it that “your Imperial family has been burned to the ground” took more guts than I had expected.
Behemoth retreated back into the hole it had emerged from, clearly shocked by the revelation that the Trika Empire had been destroyed during its slumber. It seemed the amount of time that had passed was enough for even the country that annihilated the Trika Empire to vanish.
– Am I… the ruler of the land… the thickest shield guarding the Empire and the royal family from outsiders… did I sleep while the Empire crumbled?
Yet the voice that occasionally came from the hole was pitiful enough to evoke a sense of sympathy.
But what could I do? There was no way to resurrect a nation that fell a millennium ago. So the best I could do was pacify Behemoth by saying that the present Empire had destroyed the same foe that wiped out Trika.
– Bury me again…
“No, after waking up, why wish to sleep again?”
– I no longer have a reason to live… I will die and visit the Emperor to apologize…
I had to exert all my effort to calm Behemoth, who wanted to close its eyes again the moment it opened them.
Even mentioning the Osiden family didn’t help. It was only crying tears while desperately searching for the Emperor. I had never seen loyalty like this.
“So for now, I’m covering Behemoth in dirt and coordinating with the local officials to control access. Fortunately, we’re far enough from Kroita that it shouldn’t impact their tourism industry.”
“Is that so?”
The Emperor nodded with a wry smile upon hearing my report.
“A loyal beast indeed. Having fallen asleep by the will of the Empire, it doesn’t need to feel any guilt.”
The Emperor’s words were correct. If Behemoth had been wandering aimlessly and the Empire had fallen apart, it would have had every reason to lament. But it was the Empire that put Behemoth to sleep, and they had made no attempt to awaken it until the very end.
Thus, this wasn’t Behemoth’s fault. To put it bluntly, it was the self-inflicted wounds of the Trika Empire.
“Anyway, was it impossible to recruit it like Leviathan?”
“No. Even mentioning the Osiden family garnered little interest. It seems Behemoth wasn’t connected to its creation like Leviathan was…”
“That makes sense. After all, Behemoth was always meant to be the guardian of the Capital and the royal family. It would indeed be troublesome if another noble family could meddle with such a creature.”
I nodded as I understood the reasoning that had led to this situation.
That makes sense. A neighborhood dog could roam around the community and be greeted by everyone, but a guard dog of my home wouldn’t take kindly to anyone else’s touch. The neighbor might even barge in, thinking it’s all good since the dog greeted them warmly.
“For now, let it be. Grief will settle down given enough time. It’s right to give it some time to gather its thoughts.”
“I will do that.”
“And let us also release some cattle or sheep nearby. If it had the role of taking care of livestock, it might recover its spirit faster if there’s work around.”
“Ah, yes.”
That was an approach I hadn’t considered before—it was now mentally noted.
Although they weren’t technically from the Roygas family, livestock was livestock. If some little creatures roamed around, Behemoth might just find its motivation again.
“…Thankfully, the former two have accepted the fall of Trika, but I wonder about the third.”
In agreement with the Emperor’s musing, I fell silent.
While Leviathan of the sea and Behemoth of the land were both present in accessible spots with relatively calm demeanors, Ziz was up in the sky. A space not yet conquered by humans, fluttering around freely, and emblematic of Behemoth as “free-spirited.” There was a high likelihood it would be quite the tricky conversationalist. In the worst-case scenario, it might even challenge Kefellofen because it wouldn’t recognize any empire other than Trika as legitimate.
“Minister.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“If we assume Ziz is also the size of a mountain, it wouldn’t have anywhere to land other than the northern region, right?”
“Indeed. Most of the former Trika Empire’s territory has been developed, leaving no place for it to land.”
At my confirmation, the Emperor sighed softly.
It was a mixed sigh of relief that we could prepare a landing spot while also feeling irritation that we needed to bring a giant bird into the Empire’s territory.
The northern region was overflowing with land. Especially in the royal family’s directly governed territory in the far north, it was practically empty land, so that would be just right to draw the emblem of the Roygas clan and wait.
Of course, there was no guarantee that something created during the Trika Empire would act outside of its established territory. Who knew if Ziz had even awoken or was still sleeping?
Regardless, we were merely going to a vacant plot to draw some emblems. I thought it was a gamble with nothing to lose, and so I moved—
– Kuuuuurgh…
‘What the?’
Suddenly, I stumbled upon a giant eagle sprawled across the grasslands.
– Kuuuuurgh…
And it was snoring loudly.
What’s with that dude? Is it still sleeping? Nah, it can’t be sleeping like that in such a public space! If something like that had been napping for 2,000 years, the nomads would surely have noticed.
So if that’s the case, it must’ve woken recently and enjoyed a jaunt through the skies before landing here for a delightful nap…
‘Is it really sleeping after a 2,000-year slumber?’
How astonishing! Given how the others sought out the Roygas family as soon as they awoke, this was definitely noteworthy behavior.
– Kugh, kumph… kghuuuu…
Just then, in a daze, while I stared at Ziz, the loud snoring bird suddenly flapped its wings, rising to a sitting position.
Then, it glanced left, then right, and finally locked eyes with me.
– What’re you staring at? First time seeing a bird?
Well, that’s one sassy bird I’ve stumbled upon.
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