NOVPUB#123
It was a bizarre sight.
No, beyond bizarre – it was an absurd sight.
‘What the hell is this?’
Let’s slowly examine the scene unfolding before my eyes.
First, where I’m standing, the completely destroyed Imperial Palace.
From what I can see, I seem to be alone, and there’s a massive hole in the sky.
Through that hole, the sky shows… Wait, is that even the sky?
No?
Why can I see planets? And what’s with that galaxy?
Don’t tell me this is space?
[Kyaaaaaah—!]
While I was pondering this, a piercing scream came from the side.
A monster screaming as it was being hit by an orange beam to its forehead.
Looking at its face closely, it was Arachne.
The monster queen that Irene had driven to the brink of death.
But what’s with that appearance?
Why is she so huge?
And where did she sell her original body to end up looking like some squid?
No, that’s not the issue.
The important thing is the figure shooting that orange beam at monster queen Arachne’s head is…
‘Irene?’
It wouldn’t be strange if brain fluid started leaking from my ears right about now.
Wait, is that even really Irene?
I could somehow understand the tentacles, monster creation, and opening rifts, but a beam? And wings on her back?
And why is her body glowing orange?
[You…! How dare you–!]
Boom—!
Before I could even fully grasp the situation, Arachne exploded before finishing her last words.
[……]
And then, Irene, having disposed of her longtime enemy, slowly turned her gaze toward me.
Her orange glowing body and equally luminescent wings.
Just as I was thinking what an uninspired design this was, Irene wore an uncharacteristically grave expression.
[Go… Eugene… Quickly……]
With those words, everything in my vision was dyed in a blinding light.
“…Ah, wait. Don’t tell me?”
The moment I realized where I’d seen this scene before.
“……Ah.”
I was able to raise my body from the bed in the Korhonen mansion’s private room.
This is driving me crazy.
What kind of ridiculous dream was that?
“Oh, Eugene! You’re awake!”
While I was trying to piece together my melting brain, Irene, who had been sitting beside the bed the whole time, leaned in with a bright smile.
Ah, thank God.
Face, hair, clothes all normal, and no wings.
Fanta Girl Irene – that’s a sight I never want to recall again.
“You were muttering some weird things in your sleep. What did you dream about?”
“No, nothing.”
I wonder how Irene would react if I told her ‘I dreamed you became a Fanta Girl and flew around.’
Ah, no good. My carefully pieced-together brain feels like it’s melting again.
While I was thinking this, another woman’s voice came from behind Irene.
“You’re awake. I’m glad you’re safe.”
I looked toward the voice.
A rugged-looking automaton was looking at my face through its optical lens.
“…Isn’t this usually when you come to wake me up in person?”
“From how you’re talking, it seems you’re feeling fine.”
Father is in the same condition as you, so he’s too busy with the margrave duties to even catch a breath.
As I listened to Reina’s voice muttering that, I slowly got up.
My head spun when I first stepped on the ground, but when I circulated my magic circuit, the pain soon subsided.
“Are you sure you should be getting up? You seem to have overexerted yourself.”
“I’m fine. Overexertion is part of the job.”
Checking the calendar and date, I had been asleep for about three days.
Not having responded to the Special Magic Unit’s regular reports for three days, headquarters must be in an uproar by now.
I need to deal with the backlog first.
While I was prioritizing the pending tasks, putting on the uniform that Irene had scurried over to hand me.
“Thank you.”
At the voice coming from the automaton, I silently looked in that direction.
A voice tinged with moisture that couldn’t be hidden even by the speaker embedded in the doll.
‘Was this why she sent the automaton?’
Not just because she was busy, but because she didn’t want to show herself crying.
While I was making that assumption, Reina’s voice continued to flow from the automaton.
“I knew everything… what Father was thinking when he entered the rift, what he was planning to do…”
The Margrave had planned to destroy the rift created in the north and perish along with it.
“And you rescued Father… brought him back from beyond the rift.”
“I didn’t particularly do it for you or His Lordship.”
I immediately cut off her words.
“If His Lordship had died in the rift, the Korhonen imprint that you’re supposed to inherit would have been lost as well.”
“……”
“The North is a land beyond the reach of central power. Leaving a weakened Korhonen unattended would be no different than handing the North over to the magic nobles who hold the local power.”
From the perspective of the Imperial faction, which lacks support from local lords, the backing of Margraves like Korhonen and Gloucester was absolutely necessary.
That’s why I came to the North, and helped the Margrave even to the point of blocking the coup.
I did it because it was necessary, not something to be thanked for.
Hearing my words, Reina spoke with a voice mixed with a sigh.
“You’re more modest than I thought, Your Excellency.”
“I am quite humble. And…”
It would be disappointing if you just ended with thanks.
As I shrugged while saying that, a chuckling sound came from beyond the doll.
‘This is much better than crying while saying thank you.’
We’ll be in frequent contact regarding northern development projects, so there’s nothing to gain from this kind of awkwardness.
While thinking that, I turned my gaze to the mansion window.
The Korhonen domain was in the midst of restoration work.
Among them, the most noteworthy was the northern Great Wall, where numerous people were swarming.
“Good! Slowly-! Slowly-!”
“Bring more lubricant here! The drive parts are completely stuck, probably from decades without maintenance!”
“We pull on three. Got it?! Now, one two…!”
Kururururu-!
Along with the technicians’ commands, the sound of numerous mechanical devices greatly shook the domain.
Along with the majestic mechanical sound, the Great Wall was slowly splitting apart to the sides.
The firmly closed northern gateway was gradually opening.
And what was being salvaged beyond the opened Great Wall, toward the sea…
“…A ship?”
A massive steel ship spewing exhaust with thunderous engine sounds.
Numerous people on the deck.
Among those people, a woman in a wheelchair was waving her hand toward me.
“I was wondering where you were controlling the doll from, so you were there?”
“It’s the Korhonen family’s icebreaker, the ‘Marianne’. We’re moving it to dry dock after it being abandoned for decades.”
The moment she confirmed the rift had disappeared, Reina said she had made plans to resume Arctic Ocean exploration first.
“The disappearance of the rift means the threat of monsters spread throughout the Arctic Ocean is gone.”
“Then we need to prepare to deal with the remaining monsters along the coast and purify the pollution.”
The disappearance of the rift didn’t simply mean the monster threat was gone.
It meant the Arctic Ocean, which had been considered monster territory, was now open, and all the resources existing there could be developed.
“The massive fishing grounds formed under the glacier will become a new foundation of life for the domain’s people, and the drilling equipment we used for rift entry can now serve its original purpose.”
Drilling equipment.
Hearing those words, I immediately recalled the world map of [Revolution Empire].
“Right. The Arctic oil fields…!”
The continent’s largest oil deposit that couldn’t be accessed due to monsters.
Upon that thought, I understood why the magic nobles had plotted the coup.
A treasure trove that produced iron ore, and now oil too?
They thought it was just a snow-covered frontier, but the moment the monsters were dealt with, it turned into a gold mine?
‘No wonder the magic nobles couldn’t leave the North alone.’
Even I would want to bring in the Special Magic Unit right away and swallow it whole.
“I can see exactly what you’re thinking. Such a dark-hearted fellow.”
Meanwhile, with a low voice, the Margrave slowly walked out.
“Father!”
“Continue what you were doing, Reina. I’m fine.”
Unlike before when he relied on a cane, he was walking slowly but under his own power.
Seeing that, I smiled slightly and said.
“You seem much better than when you were in the rift.”
“As well I should be. The disease’s progression has stopped now that the rift’s waves are gone.”
Saying that, the Margrave slightly showed the jaw area under his mask.
Skin covered in burst marks here and there.
Though it was a hideous sight, the pus and inflammation seen when we first met were gone.
“The doctor says it won’t get any worse from here, at least. One less worry in my twilight years.”
The Margrave, who said that with a hollow laugh, gestured toward Reina’s automaton.
The moment she nodded, Reina’s automaton stopped operating.
After confirming this, the Margrave slowly approached and sat down across from me.
“I’ll also express my gratitude, Eugene. To survive that rift and see this northern land again. It’s all thanks to you.”
“Please stop there. This is awkward.”
How can father and daughter start with the exact same words?
While I was thinking that, the Margrave, seated in the chair, continued speaking.
“You’ve accomplished more than what His Majesty assigned you to do, and proved your qualification to be the Empire’s master. Korhonen will support you as the Empire’s next leader.”
“And in return, when I take control of the Empire in the future, I must guarantee the rights of the Korhonen autonomous territory, correct?”
At face value, it’s maintaining the status quo.
But if you dig deeper, it becomes a bit more complicated.
‘Guaranteeing’ autonomy.
In other words, if forces threatening the Korhonen autonomous territory emerge, the Empire would stand on Korhonen’s side and prevent it.
You could say we’ve become a sort of community of fate.
Of course, this is all assuming the plan succeeds.
“Now that we’ve confirmed the original terms of the deal, there’s one thing left.”
Saying that, the Margrave slowly removed his mask and placed it on the table.
“A not particularly pleasant… story from the old days.”
A face grotesquely distorted by decay and old age.
However, the two blue eyes looking at me held a brilliance and dignity that even other knights would find hard to imitate.
“Franz, Gloucester, Korhonen. How three families’ foolish youth who resolved to change the Empire tried to end the ‘Age of Heroes’……”
“……”
“And how we failed after all that struggle.”
The Margrave’s blue eyes met mine.
Nostalgia, regret, remorse.
Those eyes, mixed with all sorts of emotions, must have contained even more than I imagined.
