Chapter 201 – 20. Interlude (1)
The port city of Pamplona, the economic capital of the kingdom of Aragon, this far-western coastline, has hundreds of ships arriving and departing every day. At night, the dazzling night market is held every night, and the city is dazzlingly energetic.
The rulers of the central continent often referred to the lost monarch as a madman, but it was not. Albenis, who prospered in just a few years in a country suffering from the exploitation of the neighboring country Gaul, was the hope and saint of the people of Aragon.
“What a pitiful fate, like this old man.”
In the middle of the sultan’s dragon boat, the luxurious cabin, the old man who was seated on a silk cushion muttered bitterly. She nobly sips her bowl-like pottery pottery and ponders until a woman in a chador knocks on her door.
“Your Majesty, the anchorage of the ship is over. Since this is the first time you’ve stepped on the land of Aragorn, why don’t you call a servant and climb over the parish army?”
“Shazar, it’s not something I don’t know about Sir, but even a widow has legs. I don’t want to be flattered by stepping on the bow at least.”
“If you do, I will colonize the royal scepter.”
The domain of Jisingyo, which serves the Mother Goddess of Earth, therefore considers etiquette to be an iron rule. In particular, there is a rule that a woman of a noble status must not reveal her skin recklessly as she is treated as a prisoner who does not know if her goddess will descend at any time.
Chador, the traditional women’s attire of the Nasrid Sultanate, was a formal attire born in that context.
The skinny woman with dark features was Shazaar, the old chancellor of Sultan Yusuf. A century ago, she was a legend of the continent’s foremost wandering dance troupe, and she was a woman who had even been favored by the King of Gallia.
“The floor is slippery.”
“It’s okay, leave the guards here and follow me.”
“Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”
“I am the heavenly army, and you are ten thousand horses, so what are you afraid of?”
Even now, even when I call myself an old woman, Ilshin’s dignity is as good as the sultan I serve. Not only wisdom to add to the lord, but also military force. Because she, who created the most powerful school of martial arts swords with origins in the Veda of the Near East, was indeed a heroine.
Yusuf, who climbed onto the deck while holding the royal scepter, confidently displayed a dignified figure with a Nogu.
She wore her linen kerchief, and the sea breeze blew her hem, embroidered with silk and gold thread. I took a good look at the troops of the allies lined up on both sides of the pier and took an interest in the young man waiting to greet me at the front.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Antonio Costa, sir, sir.”
“Ah, the eldest son who was said to have inherited Diego’s spearmanship is the same.”
Antonio nodded. He had a face that was young and not even twenty, and he had a solid body that was recognizable even from the top of his uniform. Guns overflowed as if to prove that he was not a person who was mobilized on behalf of his master in this state-level funeral.
“What about Albenis?”
“I’ll be happy.”
The young rookie had a simple personality without any superfluities. This was especially true in the fact that he was not accompanied by an escort, and he never said anything as trivial as a question. The knowledge of how to suppress curiosity like that wasn’t something anyone could find.
Sultan Yusuf of Nasr and Chancellor Shahjar followed Antonio into the carriage.
The road, which is sure to be busy due to the open night market nearby, was controlled in advance, so I drove without hesitation. Soon he stopped in front of the grand Royal Administration building, left the main gate behind, and rubbed his hand against the poor exterior wall. So, with magic, a hidden passage was opened and a staircase leading to the basement was revealed.
“I will take the lead if there is no disrespect.”
“I will.”
Only the entrance was hidden in the secretly revealed corridor, but it was a wonderful place comparable to that of a royal palace. Yusuf, who had passed a couple of landings, was about to face the wide basement. I also witnessed an old man imprisoned by a pillar in the center and a madman sitting at a round table in front of it, smoking a cigarette.
“Your Majesty, the Sultan of Nasr has visited.”
He was a king, with his white hair hanging down randomly. He was a saint who went mad after losing his father’s wife and children. Albenis, who was chewing on a lump of opium in a large bowl with his hands, took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
“Yusuf, you had a lot of trouble leading your old body to a faraway country.”
“Have you still not stopped taking your medicine?”
Her sultan, who quietly glanced at her Shazar, left her behind and moved to her side in her lunatic. The oppressive king, who was shaking his prosthetic arm, sat down on the chair he had personally recommended and looked straight ahead. I glanced at the old man, who was tightly sealed with magic, mystery, and curses even with his chains and shackles.
“Lucien Tarn…”
The old-fashioned sultan spat out in a rare way. The sight of Noya with a benevolent and gentle face distorting his expression like a monster was brutal.
“Do you like Jim’s present?”
Albenis chuckled. The ghostly young man clinked his coca-leaf pipe and pointed at his enemy. He even growled as he looked at the Grand Duke, whose body was intact due to the meticulous torture, but his mind was in tatters.
“I prepared it myself.”
“It’s really amazing, I thought it would take a month even if I couldn’t do it.”
“There was no invincible knight of Lumière this time.”
“It is not good to be too modest. According to the Empress of Rus, your swordsmanship is on a different level.”
The old sultan and the young king talked as if they were attending a leisurely discussion. It was a pretty boring reaction for a nemesis who wouldn’t be happy even if he was torn to shreds. He had no choice but to do that, because Lucien, Grand Duke of Tarn, was nothing more than a killifish.
It was a story when compared to the true beast.
It is difficult to say that he is the true mastermind, even though he may be charged with collusion with an accomplice. He died at the hands of his children and left for a world where he could never retaliate. Just a short time ago, Albenis knew that.
“Didn’t they say that in just three days, they made their southern land a mess?”
“It took more time to advance and retreat.”
“Tsk tsk, are there not that many talents in Danggeum’s Gallia?”
“This is the karma of keeping loyal subjects in check and purging them.”
Yusuf held a sneer. The king, who was hallucinating while chewing another handful of opium lumps, showed more direct emotions than the sultan. He glared at the Grand Duke with his bloodshot eyes, then fiercely threw a question.
“Isn’t that right, Tarn?”
“… Twi.”
Lucien spat bloody spit on the floor. He glared at him with narrow eyes, showing an unbending spirit. After all, it wasn’t because he had obtained the position of Grand Duke in vain. The man who reached his current position after a lot of bone training was not to be underestimated.
“Kuh-kuh-kuh, personally, I’m also grateful to you. The fact that he remained as an opponent worthy of revenge.”
“If it was a will to be broken by torture, I wouldn’t have started.”
“Oh, of course you would. That’s right, you must have a corner to believe in. Isn’t that why the four masters, rationalized in the name of comrades, are counting down the days when they will be resurrected? Literally.”
Clumsy! Albenis, who had suddenly hit the table with his fist, stood up like a madman. He stomped his feet on his round table, which had been split in half, indignantly.
“But my Mercedes is not coming back!”
“Of course, so will your father and his own children.”
Haha, no way!”
Great! Enraged, he held the red flash in both hands. His mana, which shook fearfully and ferociously, had faded, so he acted as if he would catch and kill Lucien at any moment.
“Albenis, calm down.”
“Yusuf of Nasr, do not doubt my coolness!”
The lunatic, who quickly changed his expression like an actor on a stage, smirked. He sobbed and laughed and sobbed again as if he couldn’t handle the ups and downs of his emotions. Finally, he glanced awkwardly at the broken table and sat back down.
“If this body was buried in the sorrow of loss, the continent would have already been in a war!”
“… Okay.”
“Jim was like that. He only thought that putting an end to revenge was the greatest destiny given to his miserable life. But the bad karma of you haters has been added. I would have thought he would have slaughtered tens of millions and turned the world upside down with his army of blood.”
Albenis, panting with difficulty, fell forward. He pricked his hand on a splintered tree, but dug through to find his opium nuggets and pipe. He broke out in a cold sweat and suffered as if he couldn’t live without the hallucinations it gave him even for a moment.
“Ah, Mercedes! Mercedes!”
With his bloody hands, he chewed and swallowed the chunk of opium covered in wood chips. Even then, she shed bloody tears while looking into the sky to see if something hadn’t disappeared. He cried out in desperation and lamentation.
“You must have died, because I couldn’t protect you… !”
Yusuf, who watched him with pitying eyes, raised her hand behind her. He called Antonio and Shazar, who were waiting at a distance, and ordered them to support the young man who was overwhelmed by reality. Man-sin-chang, who had been watching this with a smile, continued his conversation with Lucien Tarn.
“Gallia Grand Duke, you will no longer be afraid of death, right?”
“I hope you know.”
“Yes, what would be terrible for you who colluded with the devil…”
The sultan closed his eyes and stroked his long, thick beard. When the pain of chamcheok shuddered, the rage that had been sent away rose in the youthful spirit. It was a law that you should never be swayed by such feelings against a prisoner who shouldn’t be killed.
“It is said that Al Venice became addicted to drugs after seeing visions of his wife.”
An elderly man spoke calmly to someone a little younger than me.
“One day, her wife suddenly appeared and she kept talking to her about why she didn’t protect herself. At first, it was only when he was killed, but he gradually turned into a monster. It is said that he was afraid of it and escaped with the hallucinations given by the drug. Not to appease your sorrow, but to keep you sane.”
“You seem to be on good terms with the lunatic, Yusuf?”
“You need to listen. Hear and confirm that our raising armies are not based on simple vengeance. Neither positive nor negative means anything, but that’s how it is. A formal act like a declaration of war… !”
The monarch of the Nasrid Sultanate is male infertile. It’s been that way ever since a swordsman who appeared like a comet a long time ago stabbed me with a cursed sword. When Yusuf, who had been near death for months, woke up again, his body was in pieces.
Still, the sultan, who loved the people, prioritized rectifying the ruined national fortune rather than taking care of himself. In return, the monarch, who was able to enjoy many colors, missed the time of treatment and became a eunuch. Not only did he not leave behind any descendants, but he also had to endure the occasional mockery of him.
However, it was good nonetheless.
Because he had a country he cherished more than anything else and a daughter he got with his heart.
“The memory of betrayal will never be forgotten. The old man always remembers the day when he took the man he believed to be his close friend into the palace and went out to inspect the city, mobilizing mercenaries and massacring my daughter. In that sense, I also sympathize with that friend’s difficulties.”
The Grand Duchy of Tarn, a noble family in southern Gaul, was the biggest customer in the Sultanate of Nasrid. And it was from the day Warda al-Shazzar Aquitaine was assassinated that the friendly Sai turned into enemies.
It was from the time when the owner who had provided his lavish hospitality lost his precious daughter to the guest.
“Hehe, there were times like that.”
After a long period of time, the grand duke, who was able to pay off the karma of the day, boldly provoked the sultan. He boldly stabbed his stomach with his three-inch tongue as if he were going to kill me.
“The only one who killed your daughter was a mercenary who came from nowhere. He cut his throat with a single knife and shoved his stuff down his throat. It was so funny that I sometimes think about it.”
“Don’t try to die so blatantly. When the time comes, I will send you everything on my own.”
“I was just expressing my impressions.”
His suffocating breath covered the hall. But it was not Yusuf. After supporting Albenis, it was Chancellor Shazar who returned to his master’s side. With her eyes exposed through her chador like her lion, she managed to swallow her anger at the sultan’s restraint, who silently reached out her hand.
“We will use you as bait to draw out Gallia’s Dark Ball. In this way, I will crush the wicked conspiracy and continue the era of man. I have no intention of going back to the days when magic was nothing more than a petty human prank. I mean, I won’t be a burden to the Mother Earth again.”
“You also investigated the theft there. Unfortunately, the old sultan will not be able to do it.”
“Isn’t that why you said us?”
“Hehe, isn’t that a crazy idiot?”
Yusuf firmly shook his head. By then, Al Venice, who had regained his hallucinations and his wife had disappeared, swept his face, took a deep breath, and returned to his seat. As if he had never done that before, he picked out a chair for him with a stern look, and sat down and brainwashed himself.
“It is true that Jim is crazy.”
“It’s true that the old man is old.”
“But when did we say we were alone?”
“It’s too soon to conclude.”
Again and again, Lucien twitched his eyebrows. It was because someone was walking in the hallway of the secret passage far away. Although hidden in the shadows, it was clear that he was a person with a strong energy comparable to the sultan and the madman.
“That woman… !”
“Long time no see, Lucien.”
Standing tall in the dark, a woman caressed the air from a place hundreds of steps away. She drew the string of her shapeless bow and fired a blast of compressed air, which she hit silently. Tied to her post, she crushes the Archduke’s knee, and she grins.
“Keah haaaaagh!”
“I’m sorry you left me out.”
“Hellas, to Helene… !”
The best of the three kingdoms gathered in Pamplona, Aragon. There must be such an opportunity for those who are not one, but two, to step on a foreign land without hesitation. The three monarchs spoke one after another as if the time had finally come.
“I knew it from the moment I saw the man happily wielding a cursed sword at me. I was convinced again when the illegitimate knight forced the old lady to return. That demon should never come back to this world.”
It was the old sultan who put the first button on.
“People call me old man, blood sultan, justice and faith, and old eunuch. But Nobu is just a body that has supported his whole life to Jishin. So he must listen. This is the mandate of al-Malik an Rashid Yusuf al-Qassim ibn Nasr.”
The father who lost her foster daughter remained calm despite the pain of treachery and betrayal. She is ashamed of her past days, when she swore to protect her real mother, Prime Minister Shazar, in the name of her sultan, and overcame the days when she couldn’t lift her head, she is finally starting to do what she constantly wanted to pay back. Was
“Do not regard it as nothing more than the revenge of Warda al-Shajar Aquitaine, Mercedes Aquitaine, and finally, my beloved half-sister Sophie.”
Like the queen who received the next word.
“Even if Alexandre Dior returns alive, I have no intention of worshiping him.”
Also, like the king here, who was reborn as a madman after killing his bright and sociable past self.
“Do you understand, Lucien Tarn?”
So, Albenis, who represented the three last, brushed his white hair and brainwashed the old grand duke with melancholy eyes.
“This is the Grand Alliance.”
The kingdom of Aragon, which worshiped the Apostolic Church, took the lead. To prove that he was qualified, he made a secret pact with Rus and invaded Gaul at the same time. With the support of the central government, the South, which was supposed to be stronger than ever, was destroyed, and the enemy of enemies, the enemy of power, was captured alive and even coloneled.
“Dark Ball, to prevent the heir of the dead father’s evil karma from reviving him.”
The Sultanate of Nasrid, an imperialist state, has since welcomed the alliance with open arms. The Kingdom of Hellas, a country with the first tenets of the Catholic Church, chose to join with enthusiastic support.
“So, poor wicked man, be sure to write it down.”
By suturing all conflicts and uniting as one.
“The abominable millennium, Alexandre Dior’s program will never succeed!”
I want to stop a certain power who tries to defy even death.
