He shouted nonchalantly, but his men felt miserable. How can they be relieved that their lord is trapped in an unknown boundary in the land of the Ancient Souls?
“Don’t be anxious. Have I ever let you down? Or have I ever told a lie?”
Everyone shook their heads.
“Then trust and wait. I’ll be right back.”
Only then did the two tower master and their men calm down. Raymond grinned at them and turned away. Then he began to step toward the forgotten tomb.
* * *
‘Long live the Emperor!’
‘We are the vanguard of righteous opposition! We must not back down!’
‘Two empires and five kingdoms are behind us!’
It’s a stairway down to the basement. As he get closer to the tomb, he can hear the cries of the Ancient Souls clearly. These are valiant knights who fought tribal wars in the name of the Empire.
Only to be remembered later, standing in the face of a great temple to leave its name in history.
–Future generations will never forget you!
The future generation have forgotten. He didn’t remember and poured everything into the river of oblivion. And he didn’t even bother to take it back.
The present glory was so radiant that the blood and darkness shed in the past were buried, and only the silent cries of the Ancient Souls were hovering in the black mountain range, which was the front line.
“What a pity.”
He continues to take his steps, listening to shouting, which is close to screaming. The word he had in hid heart popped out.
‘Sir, is there anywhere we can go back to?’
– Yesterday, my 30 colleague who was laughing and talking with me before lost their lives. More will die tomorrow.
– Was this war worth so much?
Raymond thaught so much time has passed. The initial curiosities have disappeared and the atmosphere is bleak.
– Future generations will never forget you.
Someone’s voice again, but there’s no more certainty.
“That’s it?”
The voices stopped. And there was a small altar in front of him.
It’s supposed to be the soul sword. Now Raymond knows what to do.
Originally, Raymond also knows how to make the Soul Sword appear on the altar, a secret that Shuhain, a reclusive warrior, that told it only Richard, his grandson and the main character in “The Fallen Empire.”
“As a noble blood of two empires and five kingdoms, I remember your sacrifice.”
Those who try to pull out the soul sword, remember its weight.
“You will be with me on my path.”
Remember that grudge, he who broaches a vow that has been forgotten for thousands of years.
“I will present the fall of blood in place of the glorious glory before those who drink the sin of oblivion.”
The wind is blowing in. It didn’t blow from the passageway. It’s a wind from a closed wall.
The wind that blends with the dryness and frustration unique to the underground has become a human figure.
The number is seven.
-Pilius’ bloodline.
– Do you remember our sacrifice?
– How can you be the only one here?
Souls in armor rushed in and said.
– Why did future generations forget us?
– Have all the five kingdoms of the Empire forgotten about us?
– Where is the noble lineage of other empires?
Questions were pouring in over and over again.
– Enough, isn’t the noble lineage of the Empire the most honorable of all came to remember us?
The knight, who appeared to be the leader of the pack, said in a despondent voice.
“The other empires were torn into three branches, and the five kingdoms were eaten when Heifel in the north moved south. For now, I’m the only one who remembers the sacrifices of the gods.”
It’s sad but it’s true. These poor creatures should be aware of course.
– Does the Age of Glory End Like This?….
One of the Soul knights in front of Raymond muttered lamentably. Raymond opened his mouth, casting a calm look at him.
“A new era is here.”
‘It’s harsh but it was the truth.’
-You who remembers our sacrifices, why are you here?
One of the soul knights asked a blunt question.
“I have come to give you the glory I promised you, but now I have forgotten, as a gift.”
-The past will repeat itself. I don’t believe it any more.
“If you don’t believe me who remembers your sacrifice, who do you believe in?”
The sharp point shut the soul knights up.
“I’m the only one who will cause glory, I’m sure you all know.”
As expected, they were speechless. Raymond’s words hit the nail on the head, so they know. That it was too far a story from the past to regain tribal war honor.
-What do you want, noble blood?
The soul knight holding the spear asked.
-All we have left is a soul and a grudge.
The way he answered according to the writer’s setting of the novel was like an NPC, and even though it was a serious situation, Raymond had to endure himself from smirking.
“That’s exactly what I want. Your soul and your grudge.”
A sword tempered with thousands of years of grudges with the soul of a mighty knight, Raymond wanted it.
-That’s an interesting answer.
-You look like your predecessor.
-I’m telling you, I don’t know any of the descendants of the Pilius.….
The soul knights sighed and did not look unpleasant.
“True history has begun, and if we are together now, new glory as well as the past will shine on you.”
The prologue of this novel is long overdue. Now that the story is about to begin in earnest, it won’t be difficult to engrave his name on the epilogue if he were to join.
“You will be with my soul, and I cannot betray you, can I?”
Holding a soul sword means holding a thousand knights.
-That’s not a bad suggestion.
-You’re right.
-I’m curious about the Black Mountains and beyond.
The spirits were whispering. There is a pure side to the knights. In fact, it wasn’t to the point of being misled by Raymond’s comments.
They were simply eager to get out of here and curious about outside the Black Mountains.
And most of all, the fact that the Imperial people came here to the Black Mountains and remembered the sacrifices of the tribal war gave some credibility.
– I will follow you, noble blood of the Pilias.
After much consideration and a short discussion, the seven spirit knights representing 1,000 made a decision.
Is this the equivalent of Aura Blade’s Soul Sword?
– One, I don’t trust you completely yet.
-Of course, it’s been thousands of years, but I can’t forget being betrayed.
Although he remembers the sacrifice, he hasn’t cleared the doubts.
“What does that mean?”
But this is a slightly different development from the novel. It’s not even written in the settings.
Raymond calmly asked the question, hiding his embarrassment.
– I will be with you, but I will limit the output of the soul sword.
He didn’t expect it, but it’s not the worst. Raymond nodded silently and the soul knight opened his mouth again to continue his explanation.
– Don’t worry too much, you can expect output as much as Manasword.
Manasword can meet the minimum eligibility to receive the Sword and Magic Blessings. It was a relief.
It seems like a cliche of a common novel that needs to be recognized by souls to produce Aura-blade-level output, but he was willing to endure that much.
Raymond didn’t want to be in the extreme of Aura Blade.
The Soul Sword was just an interim process to receive the “Sword and Magic Blessings” that made Richard the main character overpowered.
– Are you ready to be together?
Slowly nodding, the soul knights receded to both sides. The road to the central altar opened.
Raymond slowly stepped toward the altar. The spirit knights bowed their heads as Raymond passed by and disappeared into the darkness.
When he finally arrived at the altar, he was left alone in a large community.
As Ilhe saw in the novel, when he reached over the altar, the white energy united and became a sword.
“Soul Sword.”
It, which has been tempered by thousands of years of resentment based on the “soul” of 1,000 knights at the forefront of the tribal war, has a sharp blade that can cut anything.
“Is this the Soul Sword?”
He took a swing as a test. The output seems sufficient, but the problem is the sword art. He had never learned about the sword, so even if he got the Mana sword, he wouldn’t be able to use it right now.
However, swordsmanship is not really a problem, he can learn from Gestein. Didbhe really need to find someone else when he have an excellent high-ranking driver around him?
Raymond calmly graced his soul sword and left the forgotten tomb.
“The Lord’s Grudge, I will remember.”
After that, he walked along the dark aisle again. How long did he walk? As he came out of the tomb, the opaque boundaries slowly receded as if the fog had lifted.
“Prince!”
Gesteine, the captain of the Secret Squad, was the first to run. The two tower master and Desia also came close to Raymond by a narrow margin.
“Are you all right?”
The red tower master, Berenus Kyle, asked a question. Lisefielf had many question to him, but he tried to keep his mouth shut.
“Tell the soldiers that the fog will clear soon, so hurry up and get ready to move.”
Raymond looked at Cron a little further away and said.
The young nobleman looked disbelief at first, but in time the fog really began to clear, the doubt turned into joy.
“The Fifth Prince has opened the way!”
The commander of the Imperial Army shouted at this time. The soldiers cheered.
* * *
A month has passed since the news that Raymobd, the Fifth Prince, entered the Black Mountains spread to Imperial City.
In the meantime, the Emperor and the imperial family have not stayed still. It was not impossible to send a large search force, but it was not impossible to send a small number of imperial knights.
Shortly after hearing the news, the emperor sent talented imperial knights to Marquis of Crier, and ordered the border forces to support three special forces. The dispatched royal knights were divided into three groups and entered the Black Mountains with special forces to search for the Fifth Prince.
“Sir Felton, we’re on our way to our destination.”
The Royal Knight informed his fellow knight, Felton, who shook off his sleepiness and raised his head.
Despite the cold wind in the north, it was hard to resist falling asleep due to the fatigue accumulated while patrolling the black mountain range and reducing sleep.
“Are you sure the messenger was talking about a temporary base?”
“I’m sure, sir Felton.”
To Felton’s question, the fellow knight answered with a strong conviction. But his mind was hardly at rest.
It was two weeks ago that Cron, the eldest son of Marquis Crayer, sent a message.
Two weeks in the Black Mountains was enough time for a man to lose his life.
So Felton was even more afraid. An ominous thought lingered in his head that the body of the Fifth Prince might be waiting once they arrived.
“You’d better speed up a little.”
Fellow knights also nodded and sympathized with Felton.
Special forces speeded up their march, and soon they were able to reach the vicinity of the makeshift base where Cron’s infantry was stationed.
The flag of the Fifth Prince was placed in the central tower of the temporary base. Felton was relieved to see it. If the Fifth Crown Prince had been killed, he could not have kept his flag hanging from the tower.
“Are you sir Felton? Can you send me an order through the messenger?”
At the request of an infantry officer, Felton sent an order through a messenger.
The confirmation process did not take long. It was not long before the door opened and Felton was able to enter the stronghold with his soldiers.
“Where is the Fifth Prince?”
Felton found the Fifth Prince first as soon as he entered the stronghold. The reason why he came to this barren and dangerous black mountain range was because of the Fifth prince, so it was a natural response.
“He’s in the training camp.”
An officer belonging to the Imperial Army rushed to report.
Felton ordered the soldiers to rest and then asked for guidance.
The two moved first, followed by some imperial knights sent by the Emperor.
“Argh!”
As soon as he entered a vacant lot, which is being used as a temporary training camp, he saw a burly man rolling on the hard frozen floor with a sharp scream.
“The Fifth Prince!”
The dust subsided and his face was exposed. Felton cried out in surprise. Dressed in a light leather armor covered in dirt, he was none other than the Fifth Prince, Raymond.
Felton had seen the face of the Fifth Prince who ran before anyone else because he was guarding the Emperor at the banquet hall, the center of the misery.
The man who fell before his eyes now lost more weight and became stronger than Felton’s memory, but the Fifth Prince face was clear.
“Ugh………… if it were a dark sword, my arm would have blown away.”
With a brief complaint arose the Fifth Prince, Raymond. He skimmed the dirt off the leather armor and turned toward Felton.
“I’ve never seen you before.”
Raymond took the soul sword and he was not been told that imperial knights were leading troops as he was engaged in sword training with Gesteine to deal with it effectively.
***