Chapter 217
“You can’t beat me to death this time, hah! No way!” Cain stood with his hands on his hips, oozing pride.
“...” Joshua didn’t know what to say as he stared at Cain.
“For once, I agree with him,” Icarus muttered.
Cain wasn’t the only one. Akshuller, Icarus, and the remaining Wilhelm Knights agreed as well. Iceline clenched her tiny fists without saying anything. At the sight, Akshuller didn’t have to say anything.
“...If Marquis Crombell hears that I’ve been spotted in Tripia, he might think differently of me,” said Joshua.
Cain snorted. “He already knows of your power, he would be a crazy lunatic if he….”
“Wait a minute. I’m asking just in case…” Cain started. “Are you going to ditch us again?”
“Stop being stubborn. You know that she needs help, right? You and Icarus can help her.”
“Of course, we can help her,” Cain exclaimed. “However, you’re my master, not Lady Charles! My master is the most important person here, not the 5 Dukes or a beautiful woman, damn it!”
Cain then pointedly turned his head away from Joshua with a huff, his face red with annoyance.
“Cain…” Icarus sighed.
Akshuller stepped forward and suggested. “Can’t we put these personal matters aside for a while?”
Joshua recalled the demeanor of a particular blind lady and shook his head. “I can't put things off any longer.”
“I’m sure you know what you will have to face, right?” asked Akshuller.
Flinch.
Cain shivered.
“It’s markedly different from the enemies you have faced so far. We’re talking about a creature that can crush the Imperial Palace with a single move or mow down hundreds of men with just a word,” Akshuler cautioned. “It sounds like a story straight out of a myth or legend, but it’s true. No matter how strong you are… you’re still human in my eyes. You will be in danger.”
At Akshuller’s words, Cain gnashed his teeth.
Akshuller then continued, “I will have to go with you if you must go.”
“...!” Joshua’s eyes widened slightly.
“S-Sir?” Iceline was so surprised that she couldn’t stop herself from speaking out loud.
“He’s the successor that I managed to find. I can’t just lose him like this!”
“It’s a dragon, not a dog, you know?!” Cain howled. “A village has already been wiped off the map! The commonfolk have been evacuated, and they still can’t return because that damned lizard keeps on flying around at least once every three days, terrorizing the countryside!”
“Perhaps it’s a warning…” Iceline’s eyes flickered thoughtfully beneath the hood of her robe as she said, “Dragons rarely never show themselves. As the guardians of middle-earth, their appearance can throw off the balance of the world…”
”They’ve only shown themselves twice in almost a thousand years—once when the Demon King came into this world and when humans threatened their safety.”
“So… most likely, this will end with a warning about infringing on their territory. That’s probably why it razed an abandoned village, so…” Iceline made a sidelong glance at Joshua. “Now that I think about it, I think it’s better to wait for a little longer before moving.”
Honestly, if someone here wanted to go to Tripia, then it would be Iceline. After all, Tripia was Iceline’s hometown. However, their opinions didn’t change Joshua’s thoughts.
“Well, if things are going according to my predictions, then…” Joshua slowly opened his eyes. “I don’t think it’s just a warning, bur rather the silence before the storm.”
The room stilled. Joshua’s eyes glistened.
From what he had seen in Count Rebrecca’s castle in both lives, he could easily deduce why a dragon was acting like that.
***
Deep within the Imperial Palace of Avalon, Emperor Marcus’ voice could be heard.
“Jacken.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Now is the time.”
“...!” Jacken’s eyes widened for a moment and nodded in understanding.
Emperor Marcus let out a chuckle and continued, “It would be a lie to say that I didn’t expect it, but the discovery of that treasure has set us ahead by much further than I thought.”
”Joshua Sanders of Reinhardt has become one of the Twelve Superhumans!” By Jacken’s standards, Emperor Marcus was practically jumping for joy as he issued his orders. “Gather the nobles here and bring Joshua Sanders to the Imperial Palace as soon as possible.”
“As you will, Your Majesty, but…”
“Despite the fact that Aden is an obstacle in my plan, I had an agreement with him and now that the conditions have been fulfilled, I would have to reward his son regardless. But well… it might not be a reward in his eyes.”
“...”
Jacken could never figure out what went through the minds of these people. They were always aiming blades at each other’s backs, but then they said that they had some sort of promise between them.
At last, Jacken couldn’t contain his curiosity anymore.
“Your Majesty, it is presumptuous, but… I would like to ask you something.”
Emperor Marcus nodded lightly. At the sight, Jacken lowered his head.
“Duke Pontier and Count Rebrecca are the coffers and brains of Duke Agnus. I’m curious about his thoughts since he didn’t really react much after you cut off his limbs. Especially Count Cox ron Bagen—isn’t he quite special?”
He really wanted to ask about Emperor Marcus’ promise to Duke Agnus, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to ask about it.
“Money is not the problem. Our progress is thanks to an unexpected boon. I made a deal with the life of his son as collateral.”
“...!” Jacken's eyes widened.
“He isn’t really the type to care about threats against his life, but it seems that his bottom line is his son. It was a pretty major issue.”
“No way…” The cogs in Jacken’s mind started spinning as he struggled to comprehend the implications. Jacken’s eyes lit up when he recalled a recent event. More accurately, it happened yesterday. Yesterday, Joshua’s acquisition of Reinhardt as its monarch was finally announced to the world.
Of course, the world already knew about how Joshua became the Champion of the Reinhardt Masters’ Battle, but an official announcement was a big deal. In addition, the Wilhelm Knights serving Reinhardt decided to serve Joshua as well.
Therefore, Reinhardt’s status as a neutral location as well as the symbol of peace would definitely change. After all, Joshua was a nobleman of Avalon, so the nations considered Reinhardt to be a part of Avalon now.
They were all thinking that Avalon had to have swallowed Reinhardt already, but Reinhardt’s official announcement about the issue eased their worries, albeit the effect wasn’t really that pronounced.
“Taking Reinhardt isn’t really such a bad idea,” Emperor Marcus said, “However, I didn’t expect that Joshua Sanders would be one step ahead of us and ruin the plan before it even got rolling.”
Emperor Marcus seemed bored as he leaned in his soft chair.
“The Wilhelm Knights are only here to keep me, their monarch, safe…”
”I, Joshua Sanders, swear before all the people of the entire continent that the Wilhelm Knights have no ties to the Avalon Empire. Otherwise, I shall never set foot in the lands of Avalon again.”
The way Emperor Marcus recited Joshua’s announcement ad verbatim was pretty impressive.
“He’s such a dense jerk. However, I really didn’t think that those cowards would believe such nonsense, but…” His smile widened. “When the word spread about how he had taken the Mercenary King’s head, things changed dramatically.”
The oath of a newly ordained Master did not carry nearly the same weight as that of a new member of the Twelve Superhumans.
“I wanted to kill him for the nerve of rejecting the name of Avalon. But… Aden, for once, showed some emotions to me.”
“What does that mean, Your Majesty?”
“He begged me not to harm his son. And I…” Emperor Marcus clenched his fists. He looked like he could barely contain his excitement as he said, “I told Aden that he would have to take the lead if a Continental War broke out.”
“His Grace Agnus agreed?” Jacken muttered in shock and disbelief.
“Can you believe it? He gladly accepted that kind of half-assed offer. Someone like Aden actually have people he cares for!” Emperor Marcus stood up. He stared at Jacken and yelled, “For the union of Igrant! The Star of Avalon will lead the way! Duke Aden von Agnus will lead the way!”
***
There was a small figure kneeling in front of a crumbling hut in a small, remote town in Tripia. The small figure seemed like they were scribbling something on the floor.
At the sight of the small figure, Joshua slowly opened his mouth and said, “So you’re here.”
Despite that, the small figure continued acting like they were busy scribbling something on the floor. He remained kneeling on the ground with his head leaning forward without saying anything.
“You really know how to act like you don’t care about people you haven’t met before. I don’t even know what to say. Are you really going to keep this up, Ash?”
The figure stopped.
“...”
At last, the small figure whom Joshua called ‘Ash’ finally stood up.
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