Chapter 554 – 45. Dezak Empire – The Rapidly Changing Situation (1)
[Dezak Empire – A rapidly changing situation]
“Ha. Do you know what you did?”
“How can you not know?”
“You caused such a major accident. Thanks to you, there was an uproar above, Excellency General.”
Haha. Still, it looks like he hasn’t been cut from the general position yet.”
A confident smile that shows no regrets.
While working for the Imperial Intelligence Department, for the first time in his life, he regretted that he was in charge of the military.
High Warlord Escalor Destrop.
The head of the military and the strongest force in the empire.
He is known as a man who is mad, arrogant, and difficult to control, but he knew it.
How shrewd and calculating she is.
So, even though he was in charge of the military, he didn’t have as much trouble as other colleagues thought.
Although there are occasional nuisances, this is something that can be reasonably resolved with the authority of the military and intelligence departments.
But no matter what, this incident crossed the line too far.
“Why on earth are you arguing with Eleniak, huh? Why are you fighting a dragon!”
It attacked the green dragon Eleniak.
Excluding the new Demon King whose identity is unclear, he is the strongest being on the continent in name and reality.
At the same time, she is the actual head of the country of different races called the United Republic.
Since the so-called general of the empire attacked him, the accident was no ordinary accident.
It is also the time when a meeting between the heads of state and representatives of each country is just around the corner to fight against the darkness in the devil king, demons, and the goddess’s oracle. It is not just at the advanced level, some have already arrived at the system, while others have slowly departed and are just about to gather.
If something happened in that situation, the meeting could have been broken if we made a mistake.
“Ouch. It’s a shame that Eleniak gave in for a small fee, otherwise…”
Of course, there was a small price to pay, both from the imperial family and the dragon.
An amount equivalent to a year’s worth of income for a decent baronial estate.
It didn’t even go smoothly.
“That’s right, I also endured it enough.”
“Yes, yes? No, what… Ha.”
“How can I hold back when there is the only dragon on the continent right in front of me?”
“…”
“I’m proud of myself for just holding back on this feeling for so long.”
The words of a very proud general.
The man was at a loss for words as he looked at her without any reflection.
A person like this is one of the most powerful people in the empire.
Perhaps that is why he matches well with His Majesty, the ambitious Emperor.
It may be the responsibility of others to clean up after that.
“Your Excellency. Anyway…”
“…”
The man from the intelligence department kept talking more and more, but Escalor didn’t care.
In any case, just an official from the Ministry of Intelligence cannot influence her.
Even if he is one of the highest-ranking deputy directors in the intelligence department.
Except for the emperor, she was the one who ignored even the words of the first prince.
So there is no way this incident will cause the general any harm.
That’s right too.
‘It’s something our great, great emperor ordered.’
A smile appears on your lips.
She really hates the emperor, but this is what she likes.
‘It’s true that I felt strangely itchy.’
What is the reason?
From the moment Escalor first saw Eleniak, he felt strange.
Her heart was pounding and it felt like something was rising inside her.
It was a different feeling from the fighting spirit she usually felt when meeting a strong person.
How hard was it for me to resist wanting to swing my fist at her right now?
But just then a special message came from the emperor.
It was something she wanted to do, but you can’t tell how embarrassed she was when she first heard that.
“Ha, guess the dragon’s power…?”
I’ll take care of the cleanup for you, so you can test how strong the green dragon is.
This decision was made because we all know how great dragons are, but no one knows how powerful they are.
That might be because it is a long-lived species with a lifespan of hundreds of years, but none of the humans have ever seen a dragon fight.
Eleniak is the only known dragon and has not been at the forefront for over a hundred years.
He didn’t show his power even during the war with the demons, so the closest record is from almost 200 years ago.
That’s why the emperor used Daejanggun, the faction he trusted the most.
Will Escalor be able to overcome the Green Dragon, the biggest obstacle to continental unification?
If that doesn’t work, you’ll have to use other means even if it means incurring some damage.
The result was this.
‘It was pretty worth it.’
The general looked down at his fist and thought.
There are only a few times when I compete with a dragon because people around me quickly interfere.
Moreover, there were emperors and other high-ranking nobles around, so it was difficult to draw on all of their power.
However, the first attack was enough for the dragon.
After that, everything was blocked.
‘Still, it’s important that it works. It will be difficult to return to dragon form, but if you don’t overdo it and give it a chance…’
Escalor grinned as he imagined the future to come in just a few months.
His fists are already itching.
Actually, I want to fight Eleniak who has turned into a dragon.
However, if you fight a dragon that is not in human form, even if you win or lose, the damage is too great.
The emperor is not stupid and there is no way he would allow that.
“Your Excellency. Are you listening to me?”
The intelligence department cautiously asked as it was obvious that the general was thinking about something else.
“Ah, not at all.”
“…”
He just sighed at Escalor’s behavior, which seemed to have no intention of hiding his disregard for him.
“Whew. I can’t help it. I’ll give you only advice here.”
“Not nagging?”
“How can I nag you when I know it won’t work?”
“Wow. It’s been a few years, and now you know me well.”
“Ha, that’s right.”
The man from the intelligence department grumbled and packed his luggage.
This is a secret prison underground in the imperial castle.
It is said that Escalor was punished greatly and was imprisoned in a dungeon, but in reality, he is located right next door.
Secret prisons with only private cells are used by only a small number of people, including the intelligence department, but they are sometimes used to imprison high-ranking figures. In short, this incident may not have been impulsive, but may just be a part of a larger plan.
He was racking his brain and didn’t want to put any more effort into this.
“Ah, there you are.”
“Yes?”
“Before I go, I want to ask you one question. It looks like a new person has moved into the next room.”
“…How on earth did you know that?”
The general asked the question as if it was nothing special, but he got goosebumps all over his body.
The distance between private rooms is a whopping 50cm.
Its thickness is not simply made of stone, but is also mixed with various metals, including iron.
It is impossible to know the situation elsewhere unless someone tells you.
But who is the woman in front of me?
It was a monster-like being that was said to have been able to fight and win against the Demon King if the timing was right.
And his thoughts were as expected.
“That’s because the room next door is noisy sometimes. Please torture me in moderation.”
“…Well, let me tell you.”
Hearing that makes you wonder if it’s actually human.
The man gave a two-tempo, slow answer and then hurriedly moved his mouth to hide his emotions.
“He is an elder of the Magic Tower. No, he is now a former member. Unlike your Excellency, he will soon be punished for his sins and be dragged to the execution ground.”
“Hmm? Elder of the Magic Tower?”
The general showed unusual interest.
In fact, the elder of the Magic Tower is a position equivalent to that of a count.
It is not a place where one deserves to be put in a place like this and be tortured.
Moreover, there have been no special incidents related to the Magic Tower recently.
‘Ah. No. ‘No.’
“Indeed. Then it must be the 7th elder. The cause is the disappearance of the magic tower owner some time ago.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The man regretted his habit of talking carelessly when he was nervous.
How can you put this together in just two words?
It was a moment to prove that General Escalor was not only superior in military strength.
“I don’t know the details, but it is said that the 7th elder actually had a demon and a string. He could be said to be the real culprit.”
“The real culprit. The real culprit… Haha, I guess so.”
It sounded funny to her.
When the magic tower owner came back, the whole story was revealed and it seemed like things were quickly resolved.
There are a few suspicious corners, such as the source of the poison, but other than that, most of the case was quickly revealed.
But suddenly one of the elders was a traitor who joined hands with his demons.
It was clear that the emperor had proposed a deal to the magic tower lord using Adolf’s disciple as bait.
Evidence has emerged that the grandfather of Adolf, the culprit who caused the disappearance, may be the leader of the demons.
If the emperor had his way, he could tie up not only Adolf but also Adele and the Ulrich family.
That is, even Natalie, the current magic tower owner.
‘The Seven Elders are people the emperor dislikes. ‘He frequently contradicted the imperial family’s opinions and was a pacifist.’
But what can you do?
In a way, this is also the 7th Elder’s own karma.
You shouldn’t just say the right things alone.
In order to carry out your opinion, you need the strength to back it up.
Just like the emperor.
“Ah.”
As I listened to the story of the Magic Tower, a face suddenly crossed Escalor’s head.
“Now that I think about it, there is a boy who went missing along with the magic tower lord.”
“That’s right. It’s vague to say he’s a boy, but he’s a knight of the Hero party. He’s a mixed race demon.”
“Hmm. His name was probably Valdes.”
“Uh, huh? How did you know?”
He was truly surprised this time too.
The general, who had little interest in others unless he was strong, could remember their names.
That doesn’t mean a knight named Valdez became a master.
After thinking deeply, he belatedly came up with an answer.
“…It happened not long ago. Your Excellency had an accident where he threw his fists. The opponent was probably Valdez. Were you that impressed?”
“I see. At the time, I did it almost impulsively. I’m not sure about it now.”
“Huh, you could tolerate seeing the dragon, but you couldn’t resist dealing with him. I guess he was in a bad mood that day.”
As a man, I thought it was just a day when the general was particularly moody.
But that wasn’t the Escalor I heard.
“…Right.”
Even at the time, he wondered why he did what he did.
But when I heard this, I felt strange.
The dragon also held back several times, but he couldn’t hold back his fighting spirit and threw his fists.
‘He happened to be ordered to abstain for a while. Hmm, maybe I should visit sometime.’
Two days later, General Escalor visited Valdes.
