21st Century Archmage

Chapter 115: Breath Of My Soul

Flap, flap, flap flap flap.

“Huhuhuhu…”

Feeling Bebeto’s powerful wingbeats beneath me, a smile of satisfaction danced on my lips.

Three days at the Temir temple had passed in a flash. During that time, I was able to see exactly how captured wild wyverns were turned into usable ones.

‘They’re not things you can catch every day.’

Wyverns were easy to catch, but difficult to tame. First, the captured wyverns were fully immobilized using stakes driven into the ground. Then, they were fed water. It wasn’t regular water, but water mixed with the blood of shamans.

I was astonished while watching. The shamans cut their wrists over a bucket, letting blood flow for quite a while. All thirty or so of the shamans in the temple worked together to fill a large bucket with blood. Then, water was mixed in, and that bloody water was fed to the wyverns.

‘Not just anyone can become a shaman.’

I discovered another reason why the Temir folk respected the shamans. The shamans’ blood was used in such a fashion, but afterwards, their blood couldn’t be used for at least three months. I didn’t know the details, but the production of the special component in their blood was slowed down after blood-letting. I heard that the shaman blood wasn’t only used for wyverns, but also distributed to tribespeople as a kind of lucky charm. With shaman blood around, monsters and demon beasts dared not intrude. That was only possible because they were not simple shamans, but dragon descendants, an existence feared by monsters, no, by all creatures of the Middle Realm.

Even after thousands of years of genetic dilution, the blood of the dragon still flowed in his descendants. I was certain that other dragons created various life forms within the human world during their times of amusement, but the Temir folk had something distinctly different about them. They had had an inkling of Tarkania, a dragon who had such intense affection for his descendants, that he would use ‘my beloved children’ to refer to them, and had used some kind of secret, unknown method to pass down dragon-like traits.

‘Lass, I’ll put them to good use.’

I turned to look behind Bebeto.

Flap, flap, flap flap flap.

20 wyverns were strung behind Bebeto like a string of sausage links. The wyverns, which were rough, wild monsters just a few days ago, were obediently flying behind Bebeto like gentle lambs. Red shaman marks were drawn on their bodies.

‘It’s really frickin’ intense…’

As I looked at the marks carved on the wyverns’ bodies, I remembered Lokoroïa’s wan face. Using tattooing tools made of mithril, the shamans carved marks on each and every one of the wyverns, utilizing blood drawn from the lass’ wrists.

‘If it were me, there’s absolutely no way I’d be able to do it.’

When no more blood flowed from her wrist, she would drink holy water, take a short break, and then draw more blood—that went on for two days. Shockingly, there was enough blood to mark 20 wyverns in that small body of hers.

‘What if she never grows because of it?’

A certain worry suddenly occurred to me. She wasn’t some kind of blood donation machine, but a girl undergoing her growth spurt, so wasn’t it excessive to draw so much blood? No matter how good the holy water was, there was a limit to everything.

‘There’s no such thing as free.’

Despite her youth, Lokoroïa ruled over the Temir folk. She was selling her blood—if you could call it that—to forge a glorious path for her people.

Guoooooooooooooo!

With 20 wyverns strung on his ankles, Bebeto gave a deafening roar towards the front.

‘My escort’s here.’

We were surrounded wholly by fields of snow, and above the snow, I spotted ten wyverns. It was a wyvern flight from Orakk Castle. It seemed they had gotten word of my arrival from one of the sentry posts we passed.

Swoooooooosh.

After coming within 1 km, the flight smoothly divided into two and waited for me.

Kioooooooooooo!

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Seeing new comrades behind Bebeto, the wyverns let out long cries, I imagine saying something like :

“You suckers are in for it now…”

* * *

“For the time being, keep this under wraps.”

“Understood, my liege.”

Sir Shailt, the knight responsible for the castle guarding Nerman’s northern region, nodded, he was the very picture of a loyal retainer. He gave off a reliable air.

“Soon, I will send you knights with a high likelihood of becoming Skyknights. You take responsibility for them and nurture them accordingly.”

“My liege, would it not be dangerous if the Temir were to attack during their education?”

“Worry not. For the time being, no, perhaps from now on, the Temir folk will not invade the territory.”

“What do you mean by that…”

‘I can’t tell him the details…’

Sir Shailt was definitely aware that I was in recent contact with the Temir folk. However, he was unaware that I had become their Great Guardian Warrior.

‘Haah, Great Guardian Warrior…’

I found out why the lass had said ‘dowry.’ According to Kantahar, son of the Aishwen Tribe’s chief, a Great Guardian Warrior had the sacred duty of devoting their body and soul to protect the Great Shaman, both spiritually and physically. In other words, it was the Great Guardian Warrior’s duty to be Lokoroïa’s pimp.

‘I can’t even take it back. Fuck.’

Lokoroïa gave two days of blood to prepare wyverns as dowry. Most damning was that Lokoroïa and I had already exchanged a kiss (in order to save her life), and my handprint was on her pure (naked) body.

‘Que sera sera. It’s not like she’s the first…’

I was past worrying and more in the realm of utter self-despair. Lokoroïa wasn’t the only woman I needed to take responsibility for. That was a problem I really didn’t want to think about until the territory was stable. I decided to quietly bury the issue for the time being.

“You only need to do as ordered.”

“Yes, sir!” shouted Sir Shailt crisply in response.

“Have all the provisions been sent to Haiton Village?”

“Yes, your instructions have been carried out, my liege.”

“Then recall all the soldiers protecting the village. For one week, do not approach Haiton Village, and patrolling the area will not be permitted.”

“Your word is my command, my liege.”

He did not question me. This was a proper knight. If his liege told him to die, he was prepared to do so—that was the definition of a knight, and Shailt fully lived up to that image. He probably had all sorts of thoughts regarding my instructions just now, but he uttered none of those doubts. At first glance, he looked perfectly stalwart.

“Are there any other matters you need to ask of me? If there’s anything you require, simply ask.”

“No, my liege. There are no other supplies we require. The knights, soldiers, and citizens alike are all content.”

I expected as much. Since they were on the front line, the precious weapons produced in the Dwarven Village were distributed first to the knights in Orakk Castle. On top of that, they were sent plenty of wheat and other provisions.

‘I guess it’s time to go back now.’

Because the covert hangars were already full, I couldn’t bring the wyverns there. I decided to leave the 20 wyverns at Orakk Castle as an emergency force. Since it was winter and the movements of merchants and mercenaries were restricted near the northern front line, I could hide the wyverns here in Orakk Castle.

This gift from Lokoroïa would be a secret card hidden from others, an absolutely necessary dagger in Nerman’s bosom.

* * *

* * *

Cla-cla-cla-clang!

Claaang!

As swords full of mana clashed fiercely, blue mana sparks scattered within the dueling hall.

“Hup!”

A grunt rang out as one sword rampaged towards a flustered knight’s chest like a furious beast.

The knight panicked for a moment. With his skills, he could easily block the sword, but he hesitated, worried that swinging his sword to block the brute-force charge might injure his opponent.

Splat!

“Geh!”

However, his brief moment of hesitation resulted in cold steel plunging into his belly.

“Hahahahahahahahahaha!”

As the dueling knight collapsed, bright laughter rang out in the expansive, underground dueling hall.

“Does any other knight wish to fight me?”

Paying no heed to the condition of the knight on the ground, the crazed beast stared at the other knights on standby.

“Hmph! Can you really call yourselves the Imperial Knights protecting the Empire and the Imperial Family? Tsk tsk.”

The Imperial Knights were wearing silver armor engraved with a black wyvern, the symbol of the Bajran Empire. Despite the Crown Prince’s humiliating mockery, not a single one of them stood forward. No matter what anyone said, the man before them their liege, the one they had vowed to devote their lives to. The Imperial Knights were used to these occasional one-sided duels.

“Heal him.”

Poltviran’s sword had plunged deep into the knight’s abdomen, but the Imperial Family had tons of top-grade potion, so such a severe wound could be treated at any time. The waiting servants hurriedly scrambled forward to remove the knight’s armor, feed him holy water, and pour some on his wound. In an instant, a potion easily worth dozens of Gold was used up.

“How irritating…”

After the end of the duel, Poltviran personally removed his gauntlets, frowning. His heart grew hot thinking about his father, the Emperor, who was said to likely not make it through the winter because his illness had taken a serious turn. Poltviran might be the Crown Prince, the first in line to the throne, but a crown prince was not an emperor. Even now, he could do anything he pleased, but his insatiable desire made Poltviran feel rage.

“Your Highness, an excellent product has been prepared for your pleasure.”

Thankfully, Viscount Silveron was always there to scratch Poltviran’s itch. He was no servant, but he subserviently brought Poltviran a towel, working up Poltviran’s other desire.

“Tch, she won’t bite her tongue like that other bitch a few days ago?”

At Viscount Silveron’s quiet words, Poltiviran clicked his tongue as his eyes glowed with rage.

“There is no worry of that with this product. A product fresh from Haldrian, completely untouched by men.”

“Hooh, a cold Haldrian bitch, huh.”

“Yes, Your Highness. A high-quality Haldrian product with a cold exterior but hot interior.”

“Go ahead and prepare it then.”

“It is already waiting in your bedroom, Your Highness. Because it has consumed Alpo’s Aphrodisiac, you need only embrace it.”

Poltviran’s face brightened in no time at Viscount Silveron’s words, which slid sweetly into his ear like the devil’s whispering.

“As I thought, no one’s as good as you.”

“I am deeply flattered, Your Highness.”

Sharing evil words between themselves, hot desire bloomed throughout the imperial underground training hall, where bloodthirst had whirled not long ago.

In the heart of the Bajran Empire, the Bajran Imperial Palace, the seeds of the empire’s destruction were sprouting rapidly.

* * *

“Uaghh! That bastard, I’ll—!”

In the Imperial Palace of the Laviter Empire, a certain man was gnashing his teeth with his eyes closed.

“Your Highness, please endure a little longer. Soon, the order to dispatch troops will be given.”

“A little longer, a little longer! Just how long must I endure! My heart is on the verge of burning black with rage! That bastard, I must rip that unforgivable bastard’s skin from his body with my own two hands!”

Uncontrollable bloodthirst exploded from 2nd Prince Alskane. He eagerly watched over the subjugation army of the Havis Kingdom, but he was told of a humiliating defeat. A territory with only as much power as a mere county of the Laviter Empire managed to destroy the Havis Kingdom’s nobles’ army, which was dispatched on the secret orders of the empire. To make things worse, Nerman won a perfect landslide victory.

“Winter must first pass. Also, the bastard is a count of the Bajran Empire. We cannot recklessly act against him. Your Highness, if you wait just a little longer, I, your humble servant, will personally take care of everything.”

These days, Duke Yanovis was residing far from his territory, choosing to stay near the capital. He soothed his grandson’s rage.

‘Because of that bastard, Alskane is becoming a fool.’

2nd Prince Alskane’s soul was consumed by his first-ever fear of death. Driven by uncontrollable rage, he was becoming more and more violent, something the Crown Prince’s faction rejoiced over.

‘He must be taken care of. In any case, no, using this opportunity, we can occupy the Havis Kingdom and handle Nerman.”

It was necessary to expand the empire’s territory. The empire had not engaged in conquest for the last few decades, resulting in the constant, unmanageable growth of the nobles’ numbers. As such, there was useless discord between the nobles. The accumulated strength of the empire, that should be expressed towards other nations, was turning inwards with ugly squabbles as the situation had grown to the breaking point. Even without the 2nd Prince’s incident, a war was absolutely necessary.

They had plenty of pretext as well. The Havis nobles seeking asylum in Laviter were urgently requesting the empire to recover their honor, and the Nerman Lord fearlessly dared to display such obvious evidence of his crimes against the empire, the Gold Wyverns. These two reasons gave the Havis Kingdom plenty of grounds to attack Nerman.

However, the winter season was a problem. War was not like taking candy from a baby, but a serious business requiring attention to the soldiers, arms, army provisions, strategies and tactics, as well as the authorization of the Emperor and high-ranking nobles.

‘We’ll start by raising a border controversy with the Havis Kingdom using the Roen Principality. The two nations have had many border issues in the past.’

The Havis Kingdom could not be left as is. Most of the recently outed nobles were people who had sworn loyalty to the Laviter Empire. If the Bajran Empire supporters were to increase their influence after the disappearance of Laviter’s supporters, things would become complicated.

‘Thankfully, the Bajran Emperor is sick, so this is the time to strike.’

If they wanted to, Laviter could subjugate a small country like Havis in a single week. However, the issue was the Bajran Empire, which shared a border with Havis. The Havis Kingdom acted as a buffer between the two empires, with Laviter and Bajran eyeing each other warily. Both empires wanted to swallow up the weak Havis Kingdom, but the country was an important location that could bring about war between the two empires.

“I get it. I’ll wait until the spring. If you cannot deal with it when springtime comes… I will personally ask my Imperial Father to dispatch troops!”

The current emperor of the Laviter Empire, Hadveria von Laviter the 3rd, was a tricky emperor to figure out. He called himself a tyrant and other rulers sagacious monarchs. It was rumored that he was the only ruler among all the nations of the continent to have reached Blade Master level.

“Your wish is my command, Your Highness.”

The preparations were already in motion. The moment spring arrived and the snow melted, the Laviter Empire would shake the world with a mighty roar.

And they would do it flashily, with the strongest and most courageous wyverns of the continent, Gold Wyverns.

* * *

‘Being at home is the best.’

I received maximum worship and treatment at the Temir temple, but I liked my home, the plain old covert, best. In no time at all, Bebeto and I arrived at the skies above Denfors. A light shower of snow was falling over the city.

“Hohohohoho.”

“Hahahahaha!”

‘Ah? What’s that?’

We were happily approaching the covert when I saw a bustling scene at a certain location outside the city. People were normally reluctant to go out in the cold weather, but a crowd of nearly ten thousand people were gathered there, most of them being children and their parents. The crowd produced joyful laughter so loud I could hear it all the way from the sky.

‘Aramis…’

I saw her immediately. A goddess-like existence was standing under the guard of paladins wrapped in white cloaks. She was putting food into their bowls.

‘It really did become a sledding hill.’

I created the thing, but back then, I had no idea that it would be so popular. In the past, the children and citizens were unable to play during the winter due to monster invasion, the cold, and hunger, but this winter, they were playing joyfully on the sledding hill I created. Looking at the merry sight made me feel satisfied, their joy lifting my spirits as well.

“It’s the Lord!”

“Waaaaaaaa! The Lord has come!!!!”

Someone spotted me in the sky, and their shout was followed by the resounding cheers of the citizens.

Guoooooooooooooooo!

Bebeto bellowed in my stead, announcing his existence with grandeur. And then, without getting any orders from me, he began to land close to Aramis.

The knights and hundreds of soldiers who had been protecting the playing children formed ranks instantaneously to greet me.

I felt Bebeto’s heavy body landing with a thump.

“All haaaaail!”

As we did so, the soldiers fired off an energetic military salute.

“Greetings to the Lord!”

The citizens also came forward, kneeling in the cold snow. No one ordered them to do so, but the people and soldiers treated me with devotion, a sight that made me feel a bit embarrassed, but happy.

Unclasping my safety ring, I jumped down light on my feet, landing next to Aramis.

“Welcome back,” said Aramis, giving me a bright smile. Her brown eyes were laden with intense happiness.

“Everyone, rise.”

There was no need for them to stay kneeling, so I ordered the people to rise before turning to Aramis. If I could, I would have liked to pick her up in a warm bear hug, but there were too many people watching.

“What is going on here, Lady Aramis?”

Aramis held a very unique position in the city, so I used honorifics with her. She commanded nearly the same amount of respect and love in the territory as me.

“Without your permission, I asked Sir Derval if I could distribute food here. I apologize.”

What was there to be sorry for? ‘If it’s for you, a little food is nothing.’

Aramis wasn’t the only one participating in the food drive. Hundreds of female residents were preparing a mountain of food, like a huge, open-air restaurant. Although the food only consisted of hot soup and bread, the appetizing aroma in the air reflected the great care put into the food.

“May I have some as well?”

“Hoho. Of course.”

Aramis was in charge of the soup. The sight of her in a white apron was absolutely adorable.

“The Lord is eating the same food as us…”

“I am so grateful for him.”

When they grew hungry while sledding, the people would come here to resolve their hunger. They were driven to tears upon seeing me wanting to eat the same food as them.

‘This is nothing. Cough cough.’

In Korea, I was merely an ordinary kid from an upper-class family. I remembered something someone had once said—even a millionaire eats three meals a day and goes to the toilet to poo, just like any other person.

“Here is your meal.”

After pouring a ladle of hot soup into a wooden bowl, Aramis passed it over to me with a smile.

“Are you free tonight? It has been a while, how would you like a night flight…”

“Yes…”

Glancing at the paladins who stepped far out of the way upon my appearance, I sent Aramis a secret phrase privy only to us. The cute Aramis reddened with a blush as she nodded.

‘Huhu. This is what I live for, seriously.’

I felt all my accumulated stress flying away.

The Saintess of Neran, Aramis… She was the breath of my soul, an existence I could not live without.