EP.182

The capital of Kalion, Ydranhill, is respected more for its emotional significance than for political reasons.

Kalion’s political system is organized as a loose federation that guarantees complete autonomy for each of its island regions. Therefore, one cannot expect a unified administrative power. The affiliated islands were closer to feudal warlords.

Thus, the term capital seems ridiculous. It is merely a nominal island with no administrative institution wielding any influence within the country, except for the Eternal Palace.

In reality, its history does not extend to eternity. If one accounts from the mythological era, it’s about four thousand years. The oldest record from the times when history was kept mentions approximately two thousand five hundred years.

The reason the Eternal Palace is called ‘Eternal’ lies elsewhere. It is due to the inner garden, the most strictly guarded interior.

The inner garden, as it is called, consists of a vast expanse. A magnificent basin fills the center of the island. Rising above it is the forest, Silmerian Well, which is called ‘the Forest of Stars’ in human language.

Each tree in the forest represents ancient ancestors. It is where elves, who have become shrubs over the millennium, take root. All those trees have intertwined and bound beneath the earth over time, so it would not be an exaggeration to regard the forest itself as a single life form.

Therefore, the colloquial name for Silmerian Well is as follows:

World Tree.

Since the time these trees lived and breathed, dating from the era of great ancestors, the passage of time surpasses a millennium. Hence the name Eternal Palace, and every moment deposited in this forest aligns with the world, hence it is referred to as the World Tree.

Thus, Ydranhill is called the capital not for political reasons but for emotional ones.

Because it is a sacred place where all elves’ ancestors rest.

And so, since history began, when the first winter faced by Kalion arrived.

“Um… Senior Ivan…? This seems like a familiar sight…?”

In the landscape of this sacred ground, the Cleanup Unit felt a strong sense of déjà vu.

*

Now, let’s rewind for a moment to when they infiltrated the Eternal Palace.

Scaling the outer wall of the Eternal Palace was not difficult. Following Ivan’s signal, the agents simultaneously threw their grappling hooks.

Clang, thud, the hooks lodged securely into the parapets of the outer wall gallery. It was accomplished without a single miscalculation.

As Ivan clenched his fist in the air, the agents silently ascended the ropes. The sound of their small footfalls was drowned in the storm. Clad in dark clothing, the agents moved like shadows.

“Wow….”

Elpheira, who was carried on Ivan’s back, quietly marveled.

The wind fluttered the coat. The wildly flapping coat stood like a flag. Thirty military standards were arrayed against the Eternal Palace.

After the last member reached the wall, he reached out and shook his hand twice.

Position secured.

Confirmation.

A brief signal passed, and Ivan struck the ground. He did not fix a hook. Instead, he wedged his fingertips into a tiny crack in the outer wall of the palace and began to climb.

“Huh.”

He exhaled deeply, allowing his breath to form a white cloud. His breath trailed behind him like a trace. One long breath formed a deep line as Ivan stepped onto the edge of the gallery.

“Squad 3.”

At Ivan’s gesture, six men raised their heads.

“Keep the retreat secure. Squad 2, take the outer palace and search. Squad 4 will cover 3 o’clock, and Squad 5 will cover 9 o’clock. And Dmitri.”

“Yes, Senior.”

“Follow Squad 1. Support is on the way. Kalion standard time 2100. The operation limit will be set at 360. The retreat assembly point is Kalion Port 1.”

There was no response. Those present were all capable beings.

Trained agents could hear the flutter of a butterfly’s wings even amidst a storm. And all the agents here were trained sufficiently well even by Ivan’s standards.

The agents dispersed silently as soon as Ivan finished speaking.

Elpheira, who was watching the scene with fluttering eyelids, whispered softly.

“Don’t you do that?”

“Um?”

“Give luck. You know, like saluting the agents just before a special operation.”

“A trained agent doesn’t believe in luck.”

If an operation is going to be influenced by luck, it should never have been established in the first place. The objective must be clear, the goal must be simple, and the process must be resolute.

Upon hearing Ivan’s answer, Elpheira exclaimed “Oh!” in admiration and hugged his neck tightly.

“Is the meditation over?”

“I have a rough idea now.”

Elpheira replied as if whispering in his ear and then closed her eyes.

As they approached the Eternal Palace, it felt as though a stone was pressing down on her chest. It was difficult to breathe. Let alone the mana.

The concentration of mana in the atmosphere was already unprecedentedly dense. It felt almost as if she were swimming in water.

However, the mana that she could exert had dwindled to almost nothing. The atmospheric mana was rejecting her, no, rejecting the Elf.

She opened her eyes slightly and scanned the surroundings from Ivan’s back.

The sanctuary built for the history of the Elf was rejecting Elves more intensely than anything else in this world. It was almost to the point of feeling a hatred, an obsessive intensity.

Thus, like a boat with torn sails, she was left clinging to the only warmth in this cold winter.

Ivan’s back was broad, warm, and solid. She buried her face in it with all her might.

*

The road to the temple was empty. Even when she strained her ears, there was no sign of life. This was strange. It was impossible that there wouldn’t be a single attendant in such a vast royal castle.

Including Ivan, the agents moved their steps while keeping an eye on different directions.

In the dark night, the castle without a light restricted their vision.

The stormy sky, with hail pounding against the windows and walls, restricted their hearing.

The flow of dense mana also limited their magical perception.

Ivan suddenly felt that this situation was somewhat familiar and furrowed his brow. It felt like he was entering the heart of a demonic territory.

Meanwhile, an agent scouting ahead raised a fist and drew a gun.

He extended two fingers and drew a horizontal line. [Movement detected].

Ivan nodded and quickly gestured. Following his signals, the agents spread out.

“Commander, I think we should check something.”

The agent exploring ahead returned with a serious face. Ivan nodded briefly and followed him into the darkened corridor.

Soon, a writhing silhouette came into his view. His grip tightened on the gun.

The agent beside him shone a light. The military magic lantern illuminated the front. And,

“Ugh—.”

Elpheira, who was on Ivan’s back, hurriedly turned her head and covered her mouth. Fortunately, she didn’t throw up.

Ivan fixed his gaze on the writhing thing on the floor.

There was a corpse. Judging by its attire, it was an attendant, and the race was Elf. Female. Height: 168 cm.

Ivan quietly pulled a dagger from his cloak. He used it to pierce through the writhing things and simply examined the body of the corpse.

Judging by the rigor mortis, the estimated time of death was around 3 hours ago. The cause of death—

“Drowned.”

Water filled her lungs.

“Isn’t this a deep-sea leech?”

“That’s right.”

“Why is that…?”

The black creatures devouring the corpse were deep-sea leeches. They were nearly the size of forearms, squirming in unison as they voraciously chewed on the body.

One of the leeches turned its head toward Ivan’s foot. Ivan quickly drove his dagger down into the creature’s head and got up from his spot.

At the same time, all the leeches turned their heads towards Ivan in unison.

“Who is controlling them…?”

“I can’t be sure, but this isn’t exactly a good environment for magic to be used.”

The concentration of mana in the air had exceeded a suitable level. The saturation of mana meant that the use of magic was limited as a result.

Ivan wasn’t adept at magic. However, he was used to understanding it within a tactical context.

A wizard could be seen as a kind of internal combustion engine. It was a delicate machinery that needed the appropriate fuel to operate. Wizards capture the mana in the atmosphere and manipulate it within their bodies to obtain their output.

So, in this environment, it wouldn’t really be a problem unique to elves. Human wizards would also be unable to control their magic in such conditions. It was dense enough that even a small spark could easily lead to an explosion of fireballs.

Amid all this, casting a complex summoning spell to command magical beasts—especially stealthily beyond Ivan and his agents’ perception… well, that would be similar to surfing on a tsunami.

If balance were to falter even once, they would be plunged straight into the deep sea.

Ivan quickly organized the leeches looking at him and turned his body. Following his gestures, the agents trailed behind him.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes… ugh…”

“There’s no need to force yourself to use magic.”

Ivan comforted Elpheira, who was panting and clinging tightly to his back. Her usefulness lay more in interpretation than in magic.

In a situation where magic-related disasters were unfolding, they just needed someone knowledgeable about magic. That was why he had brought Elpheira along to explore the ruins of Krasilov.

However, Elpheira shook her head slightly.

“Don’t say that. I am Grykencos.”

“Excellent.”

With that, Ivan moved forward with satisfaction.

*

As they approached the inner chamber, more and more corpses came into view. The size and number of leeches covering the corpses increased.

Elpheira was now almost choking him with how tightly she was clinging, sniffling.

Ivan looked at Dmitri amidst the storm raging solely from the mana, without any wind.

“Sir.”

Dmitri was also anxiously looking at Ivan, tightening his fluttering coat.

“This… is a sight we’re somewhat familiar with, isn’t it…?”

The door leading to the rear was encased in ice. The entire corridor felt like it was inside a freezer. The corpses were frozen, arms outstretched towards the rear.

There was a crunching noise as the leeches were gnawing at the iced corpses. It was audible from all directions.

Between the frozen corpses, the agents glanced at Ivan with anxious eyes. Ivan met their gaze and nodded.

“Yes.”

The oversaturated mana blocked the magic of everyone except for those he allowed.

The twisted weather, regardless of seasons and climates, caused disasters merely from the mana itself.

“It’s like the warlord of the Seven Dragon Lords.”

“Are they even leeches of gods?”

“We’ll have to find out.”

Ivan tightened his grip around the axe. The tendons in his arm twitched like snakes, and then a flash burst forth as the axe grazed the frozen door.

Boom—. A shockwave echoed down the corridor as if an earthquake had occurred. Frozen corpses shattered like statues, and leeches rolled across the floor.

Brushing off ice shards, Ivan raised his axe once more.

Boom—.

*

“Look over there—!!”

At Rundis’s shout, Oswald coughed and looked up. They had barely escaped the Ydranhill sea area.

The giant waves that had been crashing powerfully against the ship calmed down in an instant. Although they were still in a storm with snow swirling around, the state of the sea was much more bearable than before.

Following Rundis’s gesture, Oswald turned his head.

“What is that—??!”

At his low groan, everyone in the party turned around. Soon, they could see the same scene.

Far in the distance along the path they had passed, there was Ydranhill, beneath the faintly blinking lighthouse of the harbor—

“The waves… are frozen?”

The enormous tsunami that seemed ready to smash the harbor was frozen still as if it were a still life.

Lucia shook her head and narrowed her eyes. The vampire had keen night vision. In this darkness, it was no trouble to grasp objects by small lights.

She stared blankly at the frozen tide, letting out a small moan.

“The sea has frozen…”

In an instant.

“The entire Ydranhill sea area. Oh, no—.”

She quickly ascended the watchtower. After slipping several times on the snow-covered tower, she managed to get into a position like a performer.

With a half-praying heart, she gazed at Ydranhill. Below there, she focused on the dimly glowing seawater.

The direction of the waves has a bias.

The sea is gathering. Centered on Ydranhill. Like a whirlpool.

It almost seemed to be part of a gigantic magic circle. Frozen in a radial range centered around Ydranhill. The lumpy waves stopped, creating a bizarre shape in the blue.

“Let’s get out quickly. Hurry!!”

“But, what about the elder—!”

“Are you out of your mind?! What are we supposed to do by ourselves!! Don’t you remember what the Sir said last?!”

Gather the troops of the Privy Council and surround Ydranhill.

Recalling those words, Rundis’s expression hardened.

“Everyone, move quickly!! Evelyn!!”

“Yes, yes?!”

“You need to report this to Lord Rustpitz properly! How long will it take?!”

“If we head to the sea, it’ll take about half a day… That much!”

Half a day.

If they gathered the troops and moved again, it would take at least two more days. Watching the giant glaciers expanding moment by moment even now, Lucia bit her lip.

Hoping that the city center of Ydranhill, within those frozen tides, would still be in a habitable state.

*

“Already a betrayal. How quick.”

Veolgrin smiled bitterly.

“Did you really think I would trust you, Veolgrin Grykencos?”

Betrayal is a term that would typically be used within a trusted relationship. Their relationship should have been more economic than that. They had joined hands based on utility, not faith.

The tips of Veolgrin’s fingers were freezing. The powerful mana of Milestone was converging into a single point.

“Thanks to you. Half of the Privy Council was deceived by your reputation, and the grand plan to utilize Milestone would not have succeeded without you.”

“….”

“Your mistake was merely underestimating how much more vile your race could be. My condolences.”

Veolgrin was covered in frost, still wearing a smiling face. In front of him, who had stiffened without a response, Alexander burst into laughter.

“Such a shabby end for the most powerful wizard of this era, ha ha!!”

Veolgrin was far too powerful. So powerful that even his own kin had to be cautious around him.

He deceived the Privy Councillors at the behest of the Queen. He secretly contacted each one to add more subordinates to Milestone.

When all the councillors began to find Milestone useful, Alexander had merely lent a hand.

If Veolgrin harbored other intentions, he could demand accountability for the sin of owning Milestone, and Veolgrin was someone who could easily purge them, like cutting off tails.

If permitted, he would personally put a leash on Veolgrin.

All Milestones were used differently in each of the various schools. They made unreserved use of the technologies accrued over thousands of years, testing the limits of their race’s potential.

Thus, the ideas gathered were twelve.

Methods for commanding other races, including magical beasts.

Methods for generating divine power by compressing souls.

Methods for manipulating time against opponents by forcefully accelerating their nerves.

Methods for reducing mana through the destruction of elemental winds.

Methods for performing memory manipulation and mental domination on a racial level.

… And.

“The winter we have postponed for millennia.”

The raging storm gradually grew colder. The breath rolled across the deck, freezing in place.

“The souls of a race that withstood a millennium and became one.”

All these converged into a single point. The fifth god descends upon the earth. Not an incomplete god who is sealed and scattered, but a true god created wholly from the ground up in the essence of concepts.

With this, the pendulum tips. The balance breaks. The most powerful force of the United Kingdom collapses.

“It’s your merit, Veolgrin. So, watch closely.”

Forever confined in the frozen depths. Witness the end of your race with your own two eyes.

Alexander kicked Veolgrin, trapped in ice, sending him down. The ice pillar quickly sank beneath the surface.

With a frozen smile, quietly.

*

-Click.

As a hand moved the Queen in the darkness.

-Click.

Veolgrin moved the knight without hesitation.

*

The Author’s Note (Author’s Afterword)

The accidental mistake of the god who created the race, the essence of evolution that has continued for thousands of years, the greatest product created by the fate of this world.

The most powerful and the greatest entity of an entire race.

In wartime, humans referred to them as the “Seven Dragon Lords.”

Those who obtained the name of god in the body of a mortal.

Concepts that manifested in the world. Representatives of each race that make up the demon races.

If considered among humans, perhaps equivalent to a hero. No, that’s not right. Even that hero was not the most powerful individual among humans.

They became beings who could represent their entire race by themselves, literally becoming the “God of the Race.”