Chapter 52

POV Jircniv

Six luxurious carriages raced over the plains. Not truly luxurious but rather the best we could get our hands on from away from the capital. The damn monster had locked the entire capital inside the birdcage. Fat nobles couldn’t get out no matter what this wished to do.

Restoring order in all the Empire was no small task after what had happened. Despite this, I had managed to smooth talk the people into calming down. I had no idea what we were going into but losing my calm would not do any good.

Now, back to the carriage.

Firstly, the wheels of each carriage were magic items called Comfortable Wheels. In addition, the chassis of the carriages had also been treated by a magic item called Lightweight Cargo.

These unbelievably magnificent carriages commanded an eye-popping price, but just as astonishing were the creatures which pulled them. The eight-legged magical beasts looked like horses and were known as Sleipnirs.

Calculating the precise cost of fielding six of these vehicles was an exercise in foolishness.

These vehicles ― far out of reach of the merely wealthy ― were escorted by a group of riders mounted on powerful horses.

There were over twenty of these riders, each clad in chain shirts, armed with longswords at their waists while carrying crossbows and quivers on their backs.

Yet, a woman rode at the head of all these men.

Alone among all these warriors, she wore a suit of heavy full plate armor. She did not carry a cavalry lance, but a spear like the kind an infantryman would use. Her helmet’s visor was raised, but the right side of her face was covered by some kind of golden cloth, which made her look quite strange.

Although this band of horsemen were the very picture of mercenary warriors, their disciplined movements and their clipped, precise words were nothing like that of a common sellsword. Their eyes were keen, and they maintained a high level of alertness.

Some might have taken their wariness on wide-open plains to be a form of paranoia or cowardice, but in a world where magic was real and monsters roamed everywhere, even being on guard against everything they could see was not enough to guarantee their safety.

There were giant spiders which could survive for months without eating or drinking while lying in wait for their prey, unclean monsters which resembled banks of fogs that slid through the air, venomous lizards with petrifying gazes that one had to flee at all costs if they were encountered on open ground…

They were all on edge because they were wary of monsters with such deadly powers. However, normal mercenaries did not go to such lengths for alertness.

The thing that set them apart from mere mercenaries were the invisible people in the air. They were a band of riders who were keeping pace with the riders on the ground while under the effects of invisibility magic.

There were creatures called hippogriffs in this world. They were born from the mating of a male griffin and a mare, and these magical beasts had the front half of a griffin and the hind quarters of a horse. Perhaps it was because of their mixed blood, but hippogriffs were easier to rear and train than griffins, and they were very popular as flying mounts.

And then, there were the riders of these beasts to consider.

Flying creatures ―even if they were monsters― commanded an extremely high price if they were put on the market. They were not something that simple sellswords could afford.

Indeed, the entire act of being mercenaries was a facade intended to deceive various people.

The true identities of those travelling on the ground were the Emperor’s royal guards, while the ones in the air were equipped with extremely expensive magic items and cloaked themselves in veils of invisibility while shadowing the ground forces; the elites of the Royal Air Guard.

Of course, that meant the owner of the carriages was none other than me, the ruler of the Baharuth Empire, Emperor Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix.

Roune: Your Majesty, Your Majesty, perhaps it is time to wake?

My secretary, Roune, pinched me awake as we were nearing the destination. Coming here in itself was an international crime…an Emperor traveling illegally in another country without any forewarning. Oh, how many times was it that I regretted sending the Workers into the haven?

Roune: Your Majesty, it seems like you had a good rest, but are you still tired?

I was tired. It was many days since I had a good sleep. The nightmares of facing an enemy so capable in both strength and mind frightened me. It frightened me even more than the idea of marrying Princess Renner, the number 1 despised woman for me.

Me: Ah, no, it’s nothing like that. I still need some time to clear my head, I’m feeling better now. Although, I haven’t napped like that for a long time. I think I was a child the last time I did that? After all, there’s a whole mountain of unfinished business back in the capital, and I never had the time to waste on that sort of thing… but now that I’ve begun this journey, I find that I no longer have anything to do. This is the first time I feel like thanking the rulers of the Haven

A complete lie, but one that others desperately needed now. On the inside, I knew I was trembling harder than anyone, but I was their ruler. If I crumbled, so would they. I needed to be strong for them all.

At this moment, a loud knocking came from the carriage door.

This carriage had been designed to defend against divination-type magic, which meant that it was fully enclosed in metal plates and did not even possess windows. Baziwood stood and cracked the door open to peek outside ― or rather, at the person who had knocked on the door.

Although they were surrounded by knights protecting them and he was sure that this person was a friendly, he could not help but remain on guard just in case.

Leinas: Your Majesty, it’s Leinas

Me: Open the door.

The fresh air from the plains flowed in as the door opened fully, blowing through the hair of everyone within. During this season, the air coming in from the outside should have been cold, but the breeze that reached the people inside was comfortably warm. Needless to say, this was the result of magic used on this carriage.

The rider keeping pace with the carriage was the woman who had been at the head of the formation.

Leinas: Forgive me, Your Majesty. There’s―

It was hard to make out her words over the rushing of the wind between them.

Me: That’s no way to talk. Come in, don’t stand on ceremony.

Leinas: Understood. Then, permit me this intrusion.

In truth, I felt sorry for her. She was strong…stronger than almost anybody I had ever met but she had that curse on her. A curse that nobody in the Empire or beyond, even Fluder, was not able to lift.

Because of it, she was betrayed by her family and left out on her own. I brought her and made her my knight, in which she graciously took the chance but…I was still unable to give her what she needed most…a way to lift the curse. Despite this, she was a mercenary to the bone. I knew she did not trust me or love me as I did for her service. He heart too broken for it to be cured with a lent hand alone. I knew she would betray me the moment she found someone to lift her curse.

Perhaps…no. Even if it is desperation, I must never deal with the Gods or Devils. Who knows that they want and what they will do.

Leinas: The people we sent ahead have sent a [Message] to us.

One of the defenses offered by this carriage was interference against divination-type magic cast from the outside. Although it prevented the enemy from finding them with spells, it also blocked spells like [Message], so it was her duty to receive [Messages] on my behalf.

Leinas: The outrider element has reached the The Grand Haven of Vanir. There appears to be an impressive temple at that location, and after they informed the waiting maids of Your Majesty’s time of arrival, the maids replied that there would be a welcome waiting for Your Majesty.

“Maids? I thought it was a temple… but maids? Maids… I honestly expected priests or nuns that would worship them here.

“Regretfully, the [Message] did not contain any further details, Your Majesty.”

Me: …I can’t figure it out at all. The forest is not a human realm, so there’s no history on it either….… well, I’d like to hope that the maids won’t be monsters like the ones that came to the capital. Tell our people to be careful.

Roune: It is as Your Majesty says. Judging by the strength of those emissaries, we are most likely heading into a completely unknown situation. We would be best served by caution. In addition, I hope Your Majesty will swiftly come to my side should anything unexpected come to pass.

Me: By which you mean we will teleport away in case of an emergency?

Fluder’s slight smile was not reassuring.

Fluder: If that comes to pass, then we will fight a delaying action. No matter how many enemies come at us, we will fight. But Jircniv boy, remember their strength. I do not have confidence if I can hold them at all if their ambassador can cripple my movements with just his thoughts.

I guess I should have expected that answer. After all, they did say it was the home of the gods, did they not?

After about another hour, the carriage slowly reduced its speed, until it finally came to a halt. However, I still could not disembark immediately. It was troublesome, but I had to be ready for battle.

Normally, I would have been prepared by my personal maids, such as the maids in the other carriages. However, I did not have the luxury of waiting for those carriages to arrive. After all, we had come to apologize, and keeping the wronged party waiting too long was a foolish move.

After I had adjusted my clothes and fastened my cape over them. This was an extremely valuable item made from a magical beast’s skin and further treated with magic. With it on, not even the coldest temperatures outside would inconvenience me…or so I hoped.

I looked myself over one more time, to make sure that my appearance would not shame me or the Empire.

After this, he would be fighting a war of words with the rulers of this Haven. In other words, the clothing was like a warrior’s battle dress. The consequences of even the slightest crease would not be limited to simple embarrassment. Although it would be good if my opponents were not observant enough to pick those flaws out, I did not want to be underestimated because I looked shabby.

Baziwood: Then, I shall disembark first, Your Majesty.

Me: Please do.

After that short answer, Baziwood opened the carriage’s door.

It was a stately, proper exit that befitted the carriage which bore the highest authority in the Baharuth Empire. Just in case, Roune interposed himself between the myself and the outside as the door opened, serving as a shield for me.

We could see what lay outside, beyond Baziwood.

The first thing that came into view was the grass of the plains. After that were the royal guards, lined up to face each other. Beyond them lay a hill that swelled up from the plains, and finally…a Grand Temple.

A temple so large and grand that it dwarfed any in both the Empire and the Theocracy. It alone was almost the size of the Imperial Palace, but much more extravagant. Crystals shone from the sides as a harmony of White, Black and Gold weaved up the walls. A massive symbol of a Scale was put between the massive double gates, symbolizing what I can only guess to be the ‘Gates of Justice’.

Before it all was a very tall man, quite like Doflamingo, and perhaps the most beautiful females I had ever seen in maid/priest clothing. A slight fusion of both but it perfectly fit their location.

Then the man stepped forward and introduced himself.

Sengoku: Greetings and welcome, Your Imperial Majesty Emperor Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix. My name is Sengoku and I am tasked with welcoming you. Behind me are the maids of the Haven. Though our time together may be short, I hope we will get along. It is my honor of welcoming you to the Grand Haven of Vanir

As his eyes twinkled, but I felt a shiver down my spine as I realized the double meaning. It was obvious I was walking into a trap after all.