“…What does that mean?”
Besk instinctively reached for his waist as he stepped back.
Of course, it felt empty.
As Besk retreated, Leo moved forward and nodded.
“What could it mean?”
“Are you saying you would betray the Empire?”
“Come on, really? Do you think I’m crazy enough to do that?”
Leo exaggeratedly shook his head while chuckling and slouched down on the plush sofa in the lobby.
The spirits began to stir, moving one by one in response to her.
It’s a sight you often see with the Spirit Lord.
“I have received some things from the Spirit Lord. Well, my territory is part of the Empire, so how could I betray it?”
“Then….”
“Just, you know, Tiki Taka?”
Hehe.
“I thought you mentioned the Spirit Lord, so I assumed you might want something like this.”
Wasn’t that it?
“…….”
Leo clutched at his waist, where nothing could still be grasped.
It was quite presumptuous.
But he couldn’t do anything about it.
The Eight Swords each possessed enough power to topple a kingdom, but their strengths weren’t all the same.
Some could barely defeat a single kingdom.
While others had enough power to handle several kingdoms coming at them.
Naturally, the former is Besk. The latter includes the likes of Duke Huangyeol and Magic Lord, the ‘seniors.’
And the one with similar standing and power is precisely the Spirit King’s contractor.
The Spirit Lord, Arne Partia.
‘Not quite a faction, but the Eight Swords are already divided into two groups.’
A subtle line centered around the Magic Lord and Spirit Lord.
And then there’s Duke Huangyeol, who maintains neutrality through his lineage, alongside Saintess Nea of the Empire.
The Eight Swords are essentially the swords of the Huang family and all serve them loyally.
However, this line, which has existed since the concept of the Eight Swords emerged, continues to this day, centuries later.
Duke Huangyeol doesn’t interfere; instead, he tunes these powerful swords as instruments to maintain a balance of power.
‘The Empire has never been divided. The Magic Lord and Spirit Lord appear to be friends on the surface, but they have fought back-to-back for a long time as the Eight Swords.’
But the conquest wars are stories from dozens, if not hundreds, of years ago, and as a much younger Besk, he couldn’t know what had transpired.
What Besk knows is that they are both holed up in their own territories without even looking at each other.
And this subtle ‘line’ seems to be growing increasingly wider as time passes.
‘So then, the Outsider whom the Spirit Lord has shown interest in. Leo.’
That guy suddenly changed his attitude because of…
“What are you thinking so deeply about?”
Out of nowhere!
Leo came right up to Besk, chuckling and shaking his head.
“I’m just joking. You’re taking it seriously.”
“…A joke?”
“I’m saying I’m now part of the Empire. An outsider or an external person. And…”
Pik.
“Not because of the Spirit Lord’s something.”
“…….”
“You’re the same, right, Besk?”
“…Y-yeah.”
“Then there’s no problem. Problem solved!”
Yay! Leo exaggeratedly stretched his short arms up.
Like shaking off, Leo turned around and plopped back down on the sofa.
“Well. I’ll ask Lady Lily about the holy relics. If I can bring them back, I’ll do my best to retrieve them.”
“Really?!”
“Yep. But, I’ll need some sort of compensation… Do you have that ready?”
“Got it. I’ll give you gold coins, weapons, anything.”
‘As long as I can get the holy relics back.’
Right now, I’m not sure if I can even touch Lily or if I can defeat her.
Might as well go with the flow now, and after everything is done, I can get it back.
“But can you really bring them back?”
“Maybe? It’s not like Lady Lily is someone who uses swords. As long as the compensation is enough, it shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
■
“I’ve stripped it.”
“Excuse me?”
[I said I stripped it]
[Strip strip strip]
[Lololololol]
[It’s been “materialized” for a while now]
[The Empire’s holy relic. Replaced with materials]
[Lololol]
[It’s being disassembled]
“R-really…?”
Leo asked with a sense of dread.
He hadn’t fully watched the broadcast while doing the Empire quest, but he knew Lily had met Drak.
But thinking of using the Empire’s ‘holy relic’ as weapon material…
“Yeah.”
No matter how much it’s a weapon from the Twin Moon clan, all holy relics are basically properties of the Empire, of the Emperor.
If you just shred up such an Emperor’s property…
“Th-that’s going to be a huge deal.”
“Isn’t it a bigger deal than me being attacked?”
Lily replied with no reaction.
Following Lily was Hatchling Sre.
Seeing Sre, now too big to hug, Leo gulped.
“Any chance you’d reconsider now…?”
“If you give me materials of the same level? But I wonder if that even matters.”
If there were still metamorphs of equal level, I would have created them myself.
Why would I give a new metamorph just to get an already disassembled one?
That’s a ridiculous assumption.
[Ah, haha, no way]
[Hahaha, not a chance!]
[Not happening, LOL]
[Poor Leo getting stuck in the middle]
[I’m totally hyped for the masterpiece! LOL]
[But whose side is Leo on?]
“Would it be a problem for Lord Leo if I don’t get it back?”
“That’s not the case. I’m just a little worried about Lady Lily.”
Hmm.
“The Empire surprisingly doesn’t prefer war. Of course, it’s not something I can say considering it has waged conquest wars for centuries, but it’s true.”
The Empire’s goal is to be the strongest nation in the world and the pinnacle of all living beings, including humanity.
That’s why the Empire, having already achieved that goal, doesn’t seek to be the ruler of all worlds.
“The reason it’s not too proactive in war and has retreated to a certain extent is to avoid unnecessary losses.”
The Empire’s manpower, resources, and territory.
If all these yield more than the investment, they would wage war without hesitation, but if the gains are similar or even less, they stop.
The numerous kingdoms that have survived so far are proof of this.
“But if the Empire suffers unilateral losses, then the story changes.”
The Empire must be an omnipotent entity.
Unless the damages are caused by the Empire’s intentions, losses due to variables like this are seen as beyond the Empire’s control.
They’ll eliminate variables using asymmetric forces like the Eight Swords.
“That’s too weak to be an asymmetric force.”
“Whether it’s Myeongwol Gong or not, the Eight Swords are beyond imagination!”
“I get it.”
I chuckled and patted Leo on the head.
Sure, Myeongwol Gong would probably rank among the weaker of the Eight Swords.
I don’t know how strong the other Eight Swords are, but I have already seen the golden power that penetrated the ‘gap’ with the Saintess.
Even I can’t be certain of that power now.
Yet, the reason I take action is that I have confidence.
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle everything myself.”
“…….”
“And I’m quite used to it.”
“What?”
Facing unimaginable enemies is as common for me as the rising moon.
“…I don’t know what that means, but I can’t help you. I could even become your enemy…”
“Then I’ll treat you seriously.”
“Oh.”
“Or would you like to join my side?”
“That’s a bit… I’ve already received quite a bit…”
I asked cautiously, but Leo awkwardly shook his head with a smile.
I asked, but Leo awkwardly smiled and shook his head.
Still too much for now, huh?
■
Three more days had passed since then.
During the three days I spent crafting weapons, the World Boss’s health dropped from 78% to 70%.
It was an achievement that Leo and the imperial army worked hard to accomplish.
Although the number seems small compared to the name value of the ‘Empire’, an 8% decrease was still quite a significant achievement.
Additionally, rumors spread widely that the Twin Moons, one of the Eight Swords, had been ambushed by Sre and lost a sacred artifact.
I didn’t particularly intend for it to spread, but once the broadcast was turned on, it was bound to happen.
The kingdoms rejoiced, and the Empire felt uncomfortable, but since all the justification lay with the Twin Moons, they didn’t approach me particularly.
Especially, it’s said the Twin Moons returned summoned by the Empire…
Well, I guess they’re managing fine on their own, right?
“Take it.”
And then I received the completed Eighth Masterpiece from Drak.
A long weapon wrapped in white cloth.
The unique sensation of Metamor was clearly felt through the fabric.
“Surprisingly, it was completed quickly. Usually, it takes about two weeks to a month.”
“Considering the materials, it’s not surprising. You knew the properties of the materials well, didn’t you?”
“That’s true.”
Metamor is a substance that has the characteristic of ‘self’ disassembling and reassembling its structure.
As long as a skilled craftsman provides some basic design, Metamor can mostly create itself.
“First, the basic form is a spear. It can later be transformed into a hammer, but don’t try it here…”
“Can’t do it?”
“Nope.”
“Why?”
“Because my workshop is precious.”
I was about to try transforming it right away.
Feeling a bit disappointed, I unraveled the cloth.
The white cloth fell away, revealing a shimmering white spear that filled my hands.
The sharp spear tip and the soft gray hue characteristic of Metamor shone through the connecting part.
It was definitely well made.
“O…”
“No matter how hard I think about it, that’s the only name that comes to mind. You might dislike it though.”
“?”
Name?
I looked back at the spear tip and noticed a message blocking my view.
A weapon containing the will and personality of its suitable owner.
[The White Guardian seeks salvation.]
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