Chapter 205 – 20. Interlude (5)
Confined to a chair in the old-fashioned study of Rosengart’s sister, Max von Marx took a closer look and told me everything I knew. Since things have gone to the point, I need the protection of the old Dajeonggong in order to survive.
“As Master Emilien knows, originally, the Duke of Dior was a very poor family and had no real power compared to its name. As a result, in the generation of my master, Alexandre Dior’s father, he was often beaten here and there…”
Union Mayor Wilhelm Kohl, with his arms crossed, was listening to the story with a frown on his face. It was because the plot of the old legend called Millennium Gong was not limited to Gaul. Even if it’s a problem only for that country, it’s enough to listen to it as a politician, but what if it’s a conspiracy to swallow the western part of the continent entirely?
Those who are at the head of the coalition have no choice but to try to dig it out in detail.
“Wandering teacher, would you like to ask for more?”
Wilhelm said while looking at Emilian standing next to him. He nodded.
“Galia was famous for its absolute monarchy just a few generations ago. As an upper-class aristocrat, it was barely enough to save face. In the meantime, a great war broke out in the line of the former king of Dear King.”
“A diplomatic war?”
“Yes.”
The name of a war that occurred simultaneously in the western part of the continent. It was so complicated and large that even Britannia, which fell as an island, and the Nasrid Sultanate located in the corner participated en masse, and the justification for it was religious belief.
“The fight, which took place in the southwest continent as a major battleground, took place when Gallia, the kingdom representing the Celestial Church, boasted that it would take care of the Christians who were persecuted within the continent. In particular, in the case of Hellas, which now adopts Celestialism as the state religion, at the time, they believed in the same main religion as Rus…”
“Right, instead of losing the war and forcibly converting the royal family, they were able to survive. Ironically, the main religion, which was the state religion of that country, had vested interests and was at a numerical disadvantage.”
“Of course, it was not an easy fight. It didn’t take long for what was thought to be a mere conflict between Gaul and Hellas to turn into a religious war. What was particularly decisive was the participation of Imperial Ruth, who was the same main cultist, in the war…”
Ruth’s invasion of Gaul wasn’t a recent thing, but it was around that time that it became particularly intense. Emilian spread out his fingers and continued to speak, carefully counting them one by one.
“If you divide the forces that participated in the war in terms of religion, there are a total of four, do you know?”
“The Celestial Church with Gaul as the center, this will include parts of Britannia, the Principality of Rosengart, and the majority of the city union of Brullin.”
“The main church, centered on Rus, also included parts of Britannia and a minority of the city unions of Brullin, as well as Hellas.”
“The Apostolic Church of Aragon, a teaching assistant with a strong indigenous tendency, also participated. The Nasrid sect, which is conservative and strict and believes in a god opposed to the heavenly gods, was the last to participate. I heard that the reason is that those two religions are often persecuted because they are the religions of wandering tribes or slaves abducted from across the ocean.”
Emilyen nodded, saying she knew exactly. After finishing his explanation, he glanced at Max again and demanded an explanation. Eventually, the old butler, who hesitated with his mouth tightly shut, opened his mouth again.
“The ostensible cause of the religious war was to save persecuted believers. The reason why Gaul invaded Hellas was because of an incident in which the country, which believed in the main religion as the state religion, persecuted and executed the Celestials…”
“What, did your father make that up too?”
“No. At that time, the Millennium Duke had not yet been granted the title of duke. He didn’t even have that kind of influence. However, it is true that the case was fabricated as he predicted. The previous king, who was trying to get the cause of the war, that is, His Majesty Eugene’s father, mobilized Sir Alain Leclerc to plot the work.”
Wilhelm tilted his head for a moment. It was because he couldn’t come up with the name of Alain Leclerc even though he was memorizing lists of nobles in neighboring countries. Emilyen quietly added to him who was puzzled.
“I am the king’s advisor, and by its very nature I am not known outside of it. Besides, if you count back the years, he must have been a young rookie wizard at the time.”
“Is it? The Gallian archmage had such a past…”
“Ah, anyway, that’s how the war started. Gallia invades Hellas, Rus supports Hellas, and the war prolongs, and those who have established the same justification by turning the two powers to both extremes gradually participate one by one…”
Gaul suffered considerable losses as a result of the war. It was able to be reborn as a powerhouse with considerable influence around the continent, but it began to creak internally. And Ruth lost a lot of his influence on the western continent, and a bloody conflict ensued.
Until today’s empress, the swordsman Constantina Ruth, who is called iron-blooded, reigned.
“So? What does that have to do with her father’s resurrection?”
“In fact, the inside story of that war was different.”
“… What do you mean?”
Max glanced cautiously at Emilian. Seeing his frightened figure, the wanderer, immersed in thought, opened his mouth wriggling at the clues that suddenly passed his head.
“Certainly, a religion based on the heavenly father system?”
The common denominator of Cheonshingyo, Jushingyo, Apostolicism, and Jishingyo is that they originally diverged from one religion. It is said that it originated from a certain faith that existed when the beings called gods were still in this world.
“In fact, the truth of the religious war was a power struggle over the relics of an ancient empire. The ruler of Gaul at the time, called the Sun King, challenged the country to get his hands on an artifact that was in Hellas.”
A relic handed down from generation to generation in the Gallic royal family is a voice tool. No matter how far apart it is, it is a god that can communicate with each other without any magical measures, without equipment, and only with beads that can be replicated periodically.
“As you know, with the development of magic and science, the rarity of the sound communication tool was gradually being eliminated. These days, you can see similar benefits through dogs and liaison offices. In addition to that fact, the Sun King, who boasted of a strong national power, showed interest in the artifacts of Hellas…”
“It sounds like a war has broken out. Saying that you will look down on persecuted church members is all a flimsy excuse, or was it a damn justification?”
“The diplomatic war lasted quite a long time. In the process, Master Alexandre’s father also died on the battlefield. There were several times when there was a risk of losing narrowly, but a knight who was said to be a descendant of a high family led an army of 1,000 and defeated 50,000 of the allied forces of Rus and Hellas.”
A record that appears only once in a thousand years. A man who is not lacking enough to succeed the dead duke.
“That is the myth of Alexandre Dior, which even Master Emilien knows.”
“I’ve heard the story, but the only thing I’m curious about is the date of my father’s resurrection.”
“Listen. It is said that Millennium Gong, who raised the name of the famous family, was very sorry to see those who struggled even after winning the war. So, he tried to calm the Sun King several times, but he didn’t get any remedies.”
“So? That’s an indulgence given to someone who killed tens of thousands of people in an experiment on the Necromancer?”
“It has been since then. My master supported His Majesty Eugene de Gallia, who was far from the line of succession to the throne…”
On the continent, there are many rumors about the three Gallic siblings’ struggle for the throne. However, little is known about how his predecessor, Prince Chinae, seized the kingship. Although his brothers and sisters numbered no less than ten.
“The owner found out. As to why the Sun King waged a bloody war. As Gaul became the victor of the diplomatic war, although the royal power weakened and political strife intensified, the Gallic royal family was able to obtain several artifacts. Mayor Wilhelm Kohl probably knows. The relics that had been wandering around Bruhlin and Rosengart had gone missing around that time.”
This time Emilyen looked at Wilhelm. Even before dozens of cities united, they sometimes cooperated and became one. And the legend about the stuff that wandered between various mayors and politicians went around as a record.
“It is true.”
“The lake sword and rock sword that Britannia had, the ring of fire that Brullin had, the flute of eternity that Ruth had, and the rocket of time that Hellas had…”
Max smiled dejectedly and added the name of one more item.
“Even the unknown old book that was sealed in Nasr…”
Needless to say, the identity of the old book would be coveted by those who knew how to handle magical powers. The book containing the mysteries of mythology was full of incantations that were too blasphemous to dare to mention.
“The Sun King dreamed of immortality with those artifacts. However, he did not trust anyone enough to entrust him with deciphering the contents of the old book. Perhaps the one who knew about it first might betray me by using the spell of eternal life. So he shut himself up in his room alone and devoured his studies, while…”
“The ten princes must have been fighting like crazy.”
“Master Alexandre supported His Majesty Eugene, who was the weakest among them. He must have become the current figure that Master Emilien knows in the brutal political struggle where the scheming is rampant. The nine princes seem to have withdrawn quietly externally, but in reality, yes.”
Three princes died after their brains were eaten by cursed worms. Two princes were assassinated after holding precious people hostage and giving up the challenge for the throne. Four princes who resisted to the end, were hypnotized, handed over all their possessions, and committed suicide. So, the last thing left is Dear King.
“In feudal history, meritorious subjects always gain strength. The era of the nobles who had been suppressed for the past years has now opened. The Sun King, who was about to decipher the old book for eternal life, took his own life. The artifact had to be shared between two people. We should have kept our original promise to become eternal beings together and unite this continent as one.”
“However?”
“His Majesty Eugene betrayed me. He took away the rest of the artifacts except for the old books and attempted to thoroughly purify the Millennium Ball.”
Of course, Alexandre Dior wasn’t that kind of a man. Naturally, he survived and the two parted ways.
“In the process, Master Alexandre also confronted various domestic and foreign incidents as an opponent. We have attracted the Northern Margrave, who was incorporated as a province and has a strong local character, the Eastern Duke, who will know the sorrow as a son of a prestigious family like me, and the Southern Grand Duke, who will also show their will to resist the royal family at any time in the form of a self-governing territory.”
Thus, the current faction was born.
“The owner who obtained the old book married Madame Angelique of Aquitaine, a famous mystic of the time, and made her my magic teacher. And after exploring the book together, he found out how to bring the dead back to life…”
“Did you come up with the idea of using the status of his wife, Aquitaine, and that collateral royal family to overturn the whole country?”
“Because His Majesty Eugene was a promiscuous person. From the time she was pushed out of the ranks early on, to the point where it was worthwhile to live like a idiot, taking care of this woman and that woman. I guess that’s why the owner thought it would be nice to use it.”
“It was a beautiful shot in the back of the head.”
“People say that Dear King, His Majesty is an incompetent person who only reveals her sex. But he is the one Master Alexandre is most wary of. Not only because he stole the relics, but because he failed to purify me and was a great man who could not be easily caught off guard even in an atmosphere where he had no choice but to make him a public servant…”
Emilian and Wilhelm tilted their heads at the same time. Even if the reason for stealing the relic was unknown, it was because it was not enough to be called a nemesis of an unprecedented duke plotting resurrection with just that.
But Marx asked him to think about it and glared at him. He reminded them that no one else in the world could have such crazy utilitarian thoughts.
“When did the House of Dior marry Angelique Aquitaine, and the House Tarn marry Blanche Aquitaine?”
“At least it was before Arsene was born, so it must have been decades.”
“How many women do you think there were in Aquitaine at that time?”
The heads of the wanderer and the union mayor spun. Then, engulfed in a shudder, they glanced at each other and asked back.
“The probability that Angelique Aquitaine and Blanche Aquitaine are the first daughters of Eugène de Gallia, considering their age… ?”
“Then there must have been very few women in Aquitaine at the time. It must have been rare from the beginning.”
The original conspiracy belonged to the Millennial Duke and the Grand Duke. King Dear, who saw through the plan using collateral blood, sowed more seeds, coveting female sex. As if the number had increased by this much, could the legitimacy of your wives threaten my royal authority?
“I’m going crazy.”
So, Alexandre responded. He gave Aquitaine to the northern Marquis family and the eastern ducal family, and killed the others one by one. That’s how he broke the king’s momentum and hinted at it.
If you don’t want to see anything worse here, give me the artifact.
“Eugène de Gaul, among the artifacts stolen by the dear king, only two are known. Feeling pity for his daughters who were about to be assassinated unjustly, he paid for the lake sword and rock sword as a request fee to James, the Lion King of Britannia, who was the strong man of the continent at the time, to steal some women and let them live.”
“I wonder if Monica, who was my secretary and lover, was among them.”
“Mister Emilien, you already know, right? It means that preparations for the master’s resurrection have already been completed. A vast amount of magic power. It’s enough to get it by killing thousands of rotting slaves. But not just changing his resurrected body into an eternal life. That is only possible with artifacts.”
She repeated to Emilian that Max giggled.
“A ring of immortality that keeps those who wear it from growing old! The flute of eternity, which is said to prolong life when you hear the song you sing! A pendant of time that can even stop time!”
“Yes, these are the names of the artifacts I was looking for. I couldn’t find it even after searching all over Gaul, so I thought it must have been stolen somewhere else. In the first place, it would take a wizard, alchemist, or mystic of my level to hide the magical power of an object of that size from being detected.”
It wasn’t West. Although he confirmed that there were lake swords and rock swords in the island nation of Britannia, they were relics unrelated to his father’s resurrection. Through the Sultanate of Nasrid and the Kingdom of Aragon, through Gaul, and again eastward.
The wanderer did not wander. He always had a clear goal. He wanted to stop his father from becoming everyone’s god, so he did.
“Don’t do this. Do you know how terrifying the Master is? He knows how He entangled the Darkness Ball. You know that even his death was for the purpose of getting rid of his consort, the madam, the only mystic with knowledge of the old books!”
“Everyone knows. Mom wasn’t stupid. So, with the forbidden magic that linked life with his father, he tried without permission to break the cooperative relationship they had with each other. But do you know what the nobleman did? He thoroughly prepared for the resurrection of himself and his subordinates, and then led his son to poison his wife and himself.”
“If you know that, why do you go against your master’s will? There was a time when I too was afraid of everything and thought of running away. Then I got scolded! When I’m faithful like this, I’m promised that I’ll be resurrected even if I die, and I’ve even been promoted to a nobleman’s title that I never dreamed of!”
Emilian smiled and tapped Wilhelm on the shoulder. Since I will hand him over, he meant to mobilize him to solve the curse of Monica Aquitaine. The original pact was that he would hand over the new recruit in exchange for not killing his old butler, the necromancer.
“Young master!”
“Max, I am a human too. There is selfishness and greed. If you ask me if I have no desire to seize wealth and fame, no. If you ask me if I’m not afraid of death, no. If you ask me, aren’t you curious about the truth of the world, I’m curious.”
“But why!”
“Eternal life for what?”
“Yes… ?”
“I don’t believe in an afterlife. I think the resurrection of my father is just another existence that has transferred my memories intact. But even so, if you die and meet my goddamn father there, be sure to pass it on.”
The wanderer, who had adjusted his cloak, turned around and spit out.
“No one will touch my family.”
