NOVEL ONLINE FREE After Aria secretly established contact with the Suwang Kingdom and dramatically improved relations after much hardship, a sudden urgent report shook the Greysia Empire again amidst the continuous war that had strained the national economy to the breaking point.
“Reporting! The forces of the Progenitor leading the Vampires and the Ains are on the move!”
“Location of observation?”
“They’re spreading their forces widely from the northern Sahelrn Duchy to the eastern Bertica Kingdom and tightening their grip!”
The Emperor of the Greysia Empire, Pelm Greysia, frowned displeasedly at the unwelcome news.
“Then their target is the Luminous Kingdom.”
It wasn’t hard to guess the Emperor’s position from the fact that Progenitor Aria still insisted on using her past title, even after uniting most of the existing Vampire factions and claiming herself as the queen of the newly formed Scarlet United Kingdom.
The Scarlet United Kingdom was not a recognized nation in the international community, but rather a fleeting evil that would shine brightly for a moment before disappearing.
While the relatively weak Armes Kingdom could be dismissed as such, the collapse of the Bertica Kingdom, one of the members of the three-nation alliance, had actualized the possibility of separation between the Luminous Kingdom and the Empire. Still, abandoning the Progenitor was not an option.
Taking into account that the relationship between the Luminous Kingdom and the Empire was never great, they were inevitably forced to cooperate.
Wasn’t the Empire borrowing the Luminous Kingdom’s strength just until recently to fend off the Suwang Kingdom?
In matters that threatened the very livelihood of humans, they had to cooperate unconditionally. That had been the promise between the Luminous Kingdom and the Empire, and it was the secret to humans maintaining their stronghold on the continent until today.
“Contact the Luminous Kingdom and prepare support troops.”
The Emperor issued the order in a tone that clearly expressed his reluctance.
He knew better than anyone that the Empire’s army was in desperate need of reorganization, but the situation with the Luminous Kingdom was no different.
In the Emperor’s judgment, the current forces of the Luminous Kingdom could not guarantee victory against the Progenitor.
If the opponent were not the Progenitor of Vampires, it might have been worth considering the option to sit back and let the Luminous Kingdom cut down the Vampire’s forces, only to swoop in for the tasty bits, but unfortunately, the opponent was an endlessly growing monster.
The Emperor understood that if they missed this opportunity and the Luminous Kingdom fell, the next target would surely be the Empire, and that the Empire could not handle the Vampires alone.
A sovereign must not let personal feelings interfere in great matters.
Unless it was absolutely impossible, given that the Suwang Kingdom had temporarily retreated, there was no way to wholly deny support to the Luminous Kingdom.
“Let us continue to keep an eye on the movements of the Suwang Kingdom, and based on the premise of leaving sufficient troops to guard the eastern Empire, ascertain how many troops can be utilized—”
“Your Majesty, urgent news!!!”
Interrupted while speaking, the Emperor frowned openly.
In front of the Emperor, speaking without permission, especially interrupting while he was speaking, was a disrespectful crime that left no room for excuses, even if it meant losing one’s head on the spot.
However, upon confirming that the one who rushed in was Crown Prince Pavel Greysia, the Emperor fell silent.
“…Crown Prince, report.”
A sense of foreboding hit him.
The Crown Prince had a designated role, and for him to skip formal procedures and barge in meant that something very urgent and important had occurred.
And, as always, when it came to bad premonitions, they were rarely wrong.
“The Suwang has reappeared on the front lines.”
What the Crown Prince brought was the news that the Suwang Kingdom, which had briefly pulled back to observe the situation, was attacking once again.
The timing of the Suwang Kingdom’s movements, as if calculated, made the Emperor clutch his throbbing head.
It was a moment when plans to stop the Luminous Kingdom and the Scarlet United Kingdom before they even began had gone to waste.
*
“You called for me.”
“Oh, Sir Parvian. You’ve come.”
In the Luminous Kingdom’s Palace.
Pope Argo Servinus of the Luminous Church welcomed the Knight, Jeref Parvian, who had arrived at his summons.
“I hear the Vampires are marching towards the Luminous Kingdom.”
“Indeed. They are still moving slowly, but at this pace, I expect we will encounter them in four days.”
Four days. That is not a long time when preparing for invasion.
Although he had just returned from a dispatch to the Empire, he had the duty to lead the defense as the strongest knight of the age.
He probably had been called here the moment he returned for this reason.
Jeref was waiting for the order to deploy from the Pope.
However, the Pope’s order was vastly different from what Jeref had anticipated.
“Sir Parvian, you are not to head to the front line yet.”
“…What?”
Caught completely off guard by the unexpected order, Jeref forgot to maintain decorum and asked back.
It was hard to imagine someone as unyielding as him showing signs of confusion.
It was an order that made no sense, given that the Luminous Kingdom was on the brink of being invaded by Vampires.
“We received communication from the Greysia Empire. Due to the Suwang Kingdom resuming their invasion, support is not possible. The Church must withstand the foreign invasion on its own.”
“Excuse my boldness, but why then am I not being ordered to deploy?”
Currently, the situation in the Luminous Kingdom was far from favorable.
It would not be an exaggeration to say they had never been in a more unstable state since their founding except in the early days right after establishing their base.
Meanwhile, the forces of the Vampires backed by the fourth Progenitor, who claimed to be a queen, were on the verge of a second golden age in history.
Whether there had been a secret pact between the Scarlet United Kingdom and the Suwang Kingdom was uncertain, but if they could not expect support from the Empire, it was clear that victory was not assured, as Jeref himself understood.
“Why is that?”
This made it even harder for him to understand.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the Pope, who had always proven results. It was just unimaginable why he, the Church’s greatest force, had to withdraw in the face of the unprecedented crisis which the Luminous Kingdom was facing now.
“I do not doubt your power and faith, but even if you go now, you cannot win. This is a result I arrived at after countless calculations.”
“But we can’t give up without even fighting—”
“Stay calm, Sir. I never said to give up.”
The Pope, who had been looking out the window, turned around.
His voice and gaze remained calm and unwavering.
With a composure that was highly rational yet displayed no signs of panic, Jeref felt compelled to hold his tongue.
“I cannot explain everything now, but there is a secret passed down only to the popes in the Luminous Kingdom.”
Pope Argo Servinus lowered his voice solemnly.
Of course, this was news Jeref had heard for the first time. No matter how strong his powers, his status was merely that of a knight, not a pope.
Countless questions swirled in his mind at the reception of such novel information.
Could he even be privy to secrets only known to popes? Was it okay since he hadn’t heard the details yet?
“No, more importantly…”
Did that secret possibly contain a clue to resolve the current situation?
If so, he could understand the Pope’s calm demeanor.
However, Jeref could not imagine anything monumental enough to turn the situation around and could not fathom why such a panacea was mentioned now, when the two kingdoms were on the brink of collapse, rather than when the three-nation alliance was intact.
“It would be hard to believe easily. But I assure you that you can turn the tide of war by using this. Normally I shouldn’t even tell you, but I felt the situation warranted it. And this is something you are best suited to handle. Therefore, rather than standing on the front line, I hope you will assist me while the other knights engage in the defense.”
Pope Argo Servinus nodded as if he understood everything.
Jeref realized he would not be able to get detailed information even if he asked about that secret any further.
He could only speculate that it might be something like a holy artifact shaped like a weapon, as the Pope seemed to be assigning him a task without further elaboration.
“Is this something I absolutely have to do?”
“According to what has been passed down, I believe so. It wouldn’t be impossible to entrust it to someone else, but I see no better candidate than you.”
“If I don’t go to the front lines and follow orders, can we assure a definite victory?”
“I swear by Lord Luminous that the Church will not fall. I cannot promise that there will be no sacrifices, but in the end, those blessed by Lord Luminous will emerge victorious.”
A solemn vow invoking the name of the God of Light, Luminous, held in the highest regard by the Church.
Especially when the Pope himself spoke such a vow, it held profound meaning.
Though some doubts lingered, the achievements of Argo Servinus dispelled Jeref’s concerns.
“I… shall follow your command.”
“Good. Then be on your way.”
The Pope had rarely been wrong.
He had always been dedicated to the Church and the Luminous Kingdom, and surely, this time would be no different.