Chapter 52
“…….”
Thwack!
Creed shoved me harshly by the collar.
I fell backward from the force, but compared to losing an eye, this was nothing.
Claude plopped down on one side of the training grounds.
Fortunately, he seemed to be calming down little by little.
He glared at me with sharp eyes, issuing a warning.
“If you pull any more tricks… I will kill not just you, but everyone in this territory immediately. Remember that.”
“…Understood.”
“So then… show me what this damn contract is all about.”
“Heh heh heh…”
I thought carefully about what would make Claude understand and be most useful.
Putting Claude completely under my command was impossible.
Having a member of the Eternal Knights stationed in my territory was dangerous.
And he, who dreams of restoring the emperor, wouldn’t accept such an offer anyway.
“What I want is simple. Just once. Whenever I call, come and help me. That much should be acceptable, right?”
“…….”
“Then swear it by your name.”
Crunch!
The sound of teeth grinding echoed again.
“I, Claude, swear… that from now on, once Ian Impera calls, I will come and help.”
He spat the words out through gritted teeth in frustration, but a vow is a vow.
“Good.”
I pulled out a magic orb from my coat pocket.
It was a simple communication orb with only a summoning function.
Originally, I had planned to give it to Islin, but given the situation, it had to go to Claude.
“Take it.”
Thunk.
I tossed the orb, and Claude obediently caught it.
I channeled mana into the orb connected to it, and the orb in Claude’s hand sparkled.
“This is how you’ll come when called. Got it?”
“…….”
Claude made a face like he had just chewed something nasty, but didn’t answer.
Still, since he swore by his name, he would come.
He was stubborn like that.
Besides, from his point of view, I’m an odd guy who knows far too much.
No matter how annoying I am, letting me die would be a waste.
“So… are we officially contracted now?”
“…Yes.”
Pranks wouldn’t work anymore.
I didn’t really want to, but I had to explain how to activate the Knights’ relic.
About twenty years ago.
The peaceful continent was swallowed by the bloodstorm of a brutal war.
This war, initiated by the Kazan Empire, killed nearly thirty percent of the continent’s population.
To stop it, countless kingdoms formed an alliance, but they were no match for Kazan.
Even the Franz Kingdom in the north, the core of the alliance, lost the Blue Dragon they worshipped.
Even with the strongest dragon race on their side, they could not stop Kazan.
The entire continent seemed destined to fall under Kazan’s rule…
Then, there was one man.
Oberon Steira.
He stopped it all.
Master of the Steira Tower and the strongest man in the novel’s universe.
The final wall no one had reached for thousands of years.
A genius among geniuses, rank 9.
With his intervention, the Kazan Empire’s unstoppable ambitions crumbled instantly.
Even the Eternal Knights, elite of the elite, were powerless against Oberon.
Thus, the Kazan Empire fell, and Oberon disappeared.
‘What a monstrous guy.’
His intentions remain unknown.
But because of him, the great war ended, and for decades after, no wars erupted among the kingdom alliance.
In their hearts, they silently believed: if war sweeps the continent again, Oberon will appear and stop everything.
Thanks to him, a false peace continues to this day.
“Mi-Master…”
Priana, finally regaining her senses, struggled to stand.
“Am I… dead?”
“No. If this were the afterlife, he wouldn’t be here.”
“Ah…”
Priana sighed as she looked at Claude, still sitting in the corner of the training grounds.
“I still… have a long way to go.”
“Compared to him, yes. But you never know—life might push you past not just the third wall, but even the fourth wall.”
The fourth wall.
That meant rank 7.
Priana stared blankly at my sword.
“…But what exactly happened? Why would the author attack you but say they can’t kill you?”
“Hm…”
I felt it was time to tell Priana the truth. We couldn’t go on deceiving her forever.
“So…”
I explained the whole story to Priana.
Claude wasn’t truly my subordinate; he had only fought in the duel trial as per our agreement.
Priana’s face fell after hearing this.
“I see…”
“And one more thing.”
“…More?”
“He’s a member of the Eternal Knights.”
“…What?”
Priana’s eyes widened as she looked at Claude.
Claude glanced at us briefly, then looked away, clearly uninterested.
“Th-The Eternal Knights…!”
“Yes. That’s why he’s so strong.”
Hearing me, Claude interrupted:
“Don’t call me a friend.”
“Then… should I say bastard?”
“…….”
“In any case, it’s settled.”
I shrugged.
My promise to Priana was now over.
She had held off Baron Vener’s soldiers for me, and I had arranged the duel with Claude as promised.
“Arranged… though it doesn’t feel like much.”
“Our promise is over. Do as you wish now. Quit being my guard, or follow Claude into the Eternal Knights. With a sword rank of 5, you’d be a useful addition.”
“T-That’s…”
“Or you could go to the kingdom alliance and tell the truth. That I was secretly cooperating with the Eternal Knights. I was dead anyway, just a bit later than expected.”
“…I have one question.”
“What is it?”
“Master… are you dreaming of restoring the emperor?”
Priana asked seriously.
Such a topic was frightening to anyone on the continent, so it couldn’t be dismissed lightly.
“No. Honestly, I’m closer to indifferent. I only made the contract with Claude out of necessity.”
“I see.”
“All done?”
“…Yes.”
“Then do as you wish.”
I turned my back on Priana, feigning indifference, though inside I fidgeted nervously.
‘What if she rats me out? Then I’m dead for sure.’
I hoped Priana wasn’t that cruel and walked slowly.
“…No.”
“Hm?”
“I’ll continue to follow you, Master.”
I quietly cheered inside.
“…Good. If that’s what you want, then so be it.”
‘Phew! Saved!’
I didn’t know why, but fortunately, she chose to stay.
“Are we done talking?”
“Yes.”
“Then tell me how to activate the Knights’ relic.”
“That is…”
It was time to keep my promise.
Whatever events this might trigger, living now was what mattered.
Just as I opened my mouth, Priana interjected:
“Master, may I ask what the Knights’ relic is?”
She might not know. Few even knew of its existence.
“…You sure about this?”
I asked Claude. He glanced at Priana and then shut his mouth. Presumably, it was fine.
“You know what the Eternal Knights are, right?”
“Yes. Those insanely strong knights who followed the Kazan Emperor?”
“Exactly. Even this guy here is just average among them.”
Claude didn’t protest, because I was right.
The Eternal Knights were all rank 6 or above.
The Kazan Emperor knew a unique way to raise ranks outside conventional means.
That’s how the Eternal Knights could surpass even the kingdom alliance in power.
‘Claude raised his rank alone.’
Even with such power, the empire fell.
So where did the Eternal Knights go?
Some say Oberon wiped them all out, but that’s not true.
Perhaps he was tired of killing so many during the war.
Instead, he devised a unique magic:
Creation (造化).
A terrifying spell that could instantly turn a target into stone and return it to nature.
With it, the Eternal Knights were petrified in an instant.
That is the Knights’ relic.
The only knight of the Eternal Knights asleep in the Selibert Forest remains.
The rest? I don’t know either.
In the novel, only one knight’s exact location is described—in Selibert Forest.
But one thing is certain:
If the knight in Selibert Forest awakens, the balance of power tilts greatly toward the emperor’s remnants.
‘…No choice.’
A promise is a promise.
If I don’t tell now, things will get worse.
And honestly…
‘Even if I tell, they can’t activate it yet.’
“The relic the guy’s friends are desperately searching for is the Eternal Knights’ relic.”
“Knights’ relic?”
“I won’t go into details—you wouldn’t understand. It’s incredibly dangerous, which is why it’s sealed. And now you want me to tell you how to unseal it.”
“I-Is it really okay to tell us?”
“Well… telling you won’t kill you instantly. But if I didn’t, it would.”
“….”
Priana pondered seriously.
“You haven’t asked why I even know this.”
“Well, Master… you know a lot, don’t you?”
“Hmm. True enough.”
I shrugged.
I felt Priana genuinely following me now.
“Enough chit-chat.”
Claude seemed annoyed.
“Fine, fine. I’ll tell you.”
I began drawing on the ground with the Dragon Fang Sword.
“See these three? These are needed to activate the relic.”
“…….”
Claude frowned as he stared at the drawings.
“…What’s that?”
“First, this one.”
The first drawing was the number ‘9’.
“Magic rank 9 is needed.”
“…Are you kidding me?”
“Impossible unless Oberon appears? Then the mana equivalent to rank 9 will suffice. And…”
Next was a pretty heart shape.
“You can’t store that much mana just anywhere. You need a container. A dragon’s heart would probably work.”
“Hmm…”
“And most importantly, the last one.”
The last drawing was a human face.
“This is…”
I hesitated. Should I really say it?
“Tell me quickly!”
“I’m curious too.”
Indeed. Alone, it would be nearly impossible to gather all three in the current state.
And there was one way I could rely on.
“This requires the bloodline of the Kazan Emperor.”
“B-Bloodline of the Kazan Emperor? Weren’t they all killed?”
“No. Some remain. Right?”
Claude remained silent at my question.
Priana was shocked.
“R-Really? Some of the Kazan Emperor’s bloodline remains?”
Unlike Priana, Claude only stayed silent, though he seemed surprised again.
Then he looked at me and spoke.
“…You really know everything.”
“Indeed.”
I shrugged and smiled.
The Kazan Emperor’s family, all nine clans, were exterminated.
Even remote illegitimate children with any blood were hunted down and executed.
But according to the novel… one person remained.
The Kazan Emperor’s son.
Lacresia Kazan.
He is still alive.
‘But it’s still strange. Why did Oberon, after wiping out Kazan, require the emperor’s blood to activate the Eternal Knights?’
I had wondered this while reading the novel but could not answer it.
The novel only said the sealed knight revived under the emperor’s command, a convenient explanation.
“Alright. I understand for now.”
“Try your best. Who knows? Heaven might help you find the crown prince.”
“…….”
“What do you mean? Didn’t you just say he’s alive?”
“They don’t know where he is. Only that he is alive.”
This was the main reason for revealing the unsealing method.
They hadn’t found the crown prince yet.
“…Hmph.”
Claude snorted and stood.
Luckily, the urge to kill me earlier had vanished.
“Satisfied? Enough for you?”
“…Shut up, annoying brat.”
He shot me a glance and turned away.
“Keep your promise. If you lose the orb, come get it again. Got it?”
“…Tch!”
Claude spat and left abruptly.
Though annoying, he wasn’t a bad guy.
He could have tortured me for information, but didn’t.
‘Threatening to gouge my eyes was just a joke.’
After Claude left, Priana slumped, exhausted.
“Huff… what a mess…”
“Thanks to you, I survived.”
“No… I did nothing. I gave my all and still ended up so powerless.”
“Well, it’s better than last time, right?”
“Is it… really?”
“Yes. Keep improving. Eventually, you’ll surpass the third wall, then the fourth.”
“Hm… If anyone else said that, I’d laugh… But coming from you, Master, I feel like I can do it.”
“Heh. Right.”
Meeting Claude earlier than expected was surprising, but good.
Better to get hit first than to worry constantly.
‘That Claude… he’ll come again.’
Too much involvement with the emperor’s remnants isn’t good.
But given Claude’s nature, he wouldn’t interfere unnecessarily.
He’d only come if an unsolvable problem arose.
‘I’ll do whatever it takes to protect the territory.’
Having lived outside the novel’s world, I didn’t care whether it was the kingdom alliance or emperor restorers.
I just needed it to benefit me.
Honestly, seeing Aaron Gold’s actions, I had no affection for the kingdom alliance.
They ruled over a false peace.
