“Crusaders?!”


  “The crusaders……!”


  The storm that followed was huge. Everyone widened their eyes and formed surprised expressions, and even Roan Lancephil who was always bold and calm, had a light wave of emotions pass his face.

  The weight behind the word, crusaders was that great.

  ‘Might have to fight against the entire continent.’


  The Amaranth Kingdom had just finished a war and was at a newborn state. It was not in a situation that could handle even a small-scale war, let alone a large war against the continent.

  ‘Is the Great Warring Period appearing in a different form?’


  Roan thought back on his previous life.

  When compared, it was indeed around the time for the Great Warring Period to begin. However during the previous life’s Great Warring Period, the church had taken a quiet stance without any action.

  ‘Did the future change……?’


  It wasn’t a surprise.

  Different to before, the Rinse Kingdom had been replaced by the Amaranth Kingdom, founded by none other than himself. It would in fact be strange if the future had not changed.

  But that didn’t mean he could be certain.

  ‘The outside may seem different while it’s the same on the inside.’


  He had already been through lots of such situations.

  “Fu.”


  Roan let out a long breath, signalling the rowdy subjects to close their mouths.

  “There’s no reason for you to rush.”


  A calm voice, and Roan gazed towards Ian Phillips.

  “Isn’t that the case, Ian?”


  Ian slightly smiled in response.

  “Yes. There’s no need to fret this early.”


  As soon as he was over.

  “No need to worry when the crusaders are being gathered?”


  “It would be a problem if the Estia Empire attacked immediately, let alone crusaders of all nations……”


  “Ugh…… Just the thought itself is frightening.”


  “I cannot understand how you could be so relaxed.”


  Words of worries filled every direction. Ian looked directly at their faces before carefully opening his mouth.

  “The church will surely gather the crusaders……”


  Voice full of certainty.

  “But it will take at least one year for the crusaders to gather. Or rather……”


  The smile deepened.

  “We’ll make it like that.”


  Words they hadn’t been expecting came out, and they all tilted their heads in puzzlement. In the end, Austin represented everyone’s wish by asking carefully.

  “What do you mean by that?”


  Instead of answering himself, Ian looked towards Swift. Swift nodded in response and stood up from his seat, and spoke with a calm voice as he faced the officials.

  “We have Mills Voisa and Lukan Diez. We plan to use these two to grab at the church’s feet – especially Mills Voisa will have Estia Empire and the church oppose one another.”


  “Hmm.”


  Gasps could be heard from the sides. Estia Empire and the church in opposition – indeed if it went as planned, the gathering of the crusaders will not be so easy.

  But

  “Will it be that easy?”


  One of the lower-end government officials asked with a worried expression. Swift nodded while keeping his calm expression.

  “Of course, it won’t be easy. No matter how much we try, it won’t be easy to split the Estia Empire and the church. No, to be frank, it will be impossible.”


  “Then how……?”


  They all held curious expressions and tilted their heads.

  Swift continued his words.

  “However, just as the strategist Ian has said, we can delay the gathering of the crusaders by causing a disagreement of ideology between the Estia Empire and the church. At least 1 year, and at the most 2 years – that is the remaining time given to us.”


  He looked straight into the various officials. Roan, who had been staying quiet, followed from behind.

  “My thoughts are the same.”


  He slowly stood up from his seat, and his two eyes reflected light brightly.

  “One more year from now. That is the time given to us, during which we must prepare all we can. All of you must try your hardest from your given positions.”


  A powerful voice.

  “The enemy we must face from now on are……”


  A firm expression and tone.

  “All the nations within the continent.”


  Kung.

  A heavy blow hit the conference room.

  Gulp.

  They gulped.

  But none of them were discouraged or despaired, or rather, they appeared a little excited. Like children given new toys, like teenagers given new challenges, they formed fists and bit down.

  Their eyes overflowed with confidence that believed in their capabilities.

  The great conference finished in that manner.

  As soon as the day broke, Roan announced the truth regarding the death of the church’s messengers without hiding. In addition, he had prepared a pious funeral in the name of Amaranth Kingdom and sent their coffins to the church.

  The people of Castle Mediasis remained calmer than expected. It was because a large portion of the citizens had viewed the fire on the messengers’ mansion with their eyes and their heavy trust towards Roan.

  They trusted the announcement from the palace.

  It was the same for the citizens within the east and the north sides of Castle Mediasis. Plus, the Castle Mill in Rinse Special District where Katy Rinse was in charge of, had been somewhat confused, but had ultimately believed in the Amaranth Kingdom and supported them.

  However, a part of the south and the west district of the Amaranth Kingdom had intense dissent towards it. That was due to these areas having higher trust in the Devesis Church than other districts.

  Rather than the cardinal from the church dying, they focused more on the fact that the church did not support Roan or the Amaranth Kingdom. Some devout believers even raised strong protests saying they could not accept Roan and the kingdom.

  The still-hiding leftover army of the previous Rinse Kingdom used this situation to their favour and gathered together.

  Roan was about to immediately send a subjugation army but Ian, Swift and others carefully held him back.

  “It is already too late to receive support from the church.”


  It was impossible to receive the pope’s permission for coronation like other kingdoms and empires. Or rather, now that the temples had been closed with priests leaving the country, it made no sense to have the Devesis Church as the national religion.

  “Instead, it will be better to acknowledge the freedom of religion to the citizens.”


  Swift nodded his head in agreement to Ian’s words.

  “The people who wish to believe in the Devesis Church can continue, and the devout believers who need priests should be allowed to migrate to other countries.”


  Ian continued from there.

  “It’s allowing the citizens to choose.”


  His two eyes shone bright.

  “Is it the Amaranth Kingdom, or the Devesis Church……”


  In response, Roan nodded without speaking a word. It was impossible to forcibly carry devout believers with him, and the ones that were currently forcing the south side into confusion were those devout believers of Devesis Church.

  That day, a royal order was announced.

  It had stated that the Devesis Church had lost the position of national religion of the Amaranth Kingdom. But that didn’t stop people from believing in it – the ones who wished to, could continue like before and believe in Devesis Church.

  But it was made clear that they could no longer receive support from the church.

  The citizens were befuddled.

  They had already guessed that the relationship between the Amaranth Kingdom and the church wasn’t good from the messengers’ deaths. However, they hadn’t expected such a firm and clear decision to be made.

  There were many confusions throughout.

  The one that stepped out during this time was the previous Black Rinse, currently the Black Amaranth. The Black Amaranth that had originally been a revolution army formed during the war for coronation, was a group of citizens.

  They told their friends and family of the honesty of Amaranth Kingdom and Roan – who they had fought for with their lives on the line.

  At the same time, they reminded about the Devesis Church’s non-actions during the terrible war as well as them favouring the rich and disdaining the poor.

  Black Amaranth’s honesty – no, Roan’s honesty had reached them, as the confusion quickly died down. Most citizens decided to follow the Amaranth Kingdom instead of Devesis Church.

  Of course, there were people that didn’t.

  People within the west and the south, especially the south, wanted to follow Devesis Church. For them, religion was a part of their life – in fact, it equaled their lives.

  They desired to leave the country.

  Here, Roan made a grandiose decision. He chose to give funding as support to the ones who wished to migrate out of the country. It wasn’t a large amount, but him taking care of people that disliked and wanted to leave the country greatly appealed to the citizens and it highlighted how their decision was a correct one.

  Besides, people weren’t just leaving.

  There were those who looked for the Amaranth Kingdom in hope of freedom and happiness. Elves that had hid themselves for the past 500 years moved from the southern forests of the continent to a part of the Grain Mountain Range next to the kingdom. At the same time, the believers of several religions that had been persecuted in other countries and wanderers who had suffered from nobles and royal families’ tyranny all started to cross the borders of Amaranth.

  Roan used the information gathered by Argens, Tenebra, Evishun and others as the basis in deciding whether the people had troublesome backgrounds or not, before allowing the non-problematic ones in without any conditions.

  Thanks to that, the Amaranth Kingdom was like a new-born child, a boy who just started running around, and a youthful young man, as it overflowed with energy.

  And finally, on a clear day with warm spring wind breezing around, a public announcement on renewed compensation system, regulations and military restructure had begun at Castle Mediasis.

  Austin stood on one side of the stage as he bellowed.

  “From now, we shall have new compensation systems.”


  ***

  The silver moonlight shone on top of the rough ocean waves.

  “A magnificent scenery no matter the time.”


  A young man gazed at the night ocean as he leaned on the windowsill. He had a superb appearance as well as a strange aura being emanated from his body.

  “This Teloi Island is sure beautiful for a land for exiles……”


  A bitter smile hung on his lips.

  Teloi Island.

  It was an island located on the Norton Seas, on the north of Persion Kingdom. The kingdom would send the treacherous criminals with heavy crimes onto this small, isolated island.

  Recently, it was also a place where the first prince, Reitas Persion, who had failed in assassinating Manus Persion had been sent on exile.

  The youth with superb looks and aura, he was Reitas himself. He had a hut as his house as he lived through his exile.

  His life as an exile was really hopeless and cruel. The hut placed next to the cliff by the ocean would have drops of water leaking inside when it rained – an old shabby shack.

  But he couldn’t repair it either, as the Persion Kingdom’s soldier who guarded the way into the cliff as well as the one and only port didn’t allow it.

  When it rained, he would be soaked, and when it snowed, he would be covered – a repetition of such was his life. But Reitas didn’t make a single complaint. Instead, he appeared to have become fond of the beautiful terrain of Teloi Island.

  “Even then, I still get nostalgic of the Capital Castle of Altus sometimes.”


  A laughter left via the window. His two eyes were still glued to the rough waves of the Norton Seas, with the smile still hanging on his face.

  And yet, his atmosphere had changed. He naturally crossed his arms before giving out a small sigh.

  “A guest after so long, I don’t even know how to react.”


  It wasn’t clear who he was talking to. Within the shabby hut, there was only Reitas present, no, that was how it appeared.

  Suddenly.

  “Your mana should’ve been sealed but your senses are still as sharp as blades.”


  A low, heavy voice echoed from the shadows. Reitas lightly replied with his eyes still gazing outside.

  “Might’ve lost his claws, but a tiger is still a tiger.”


  “Really? You’re still a tiger? In my eyes, I think there’s only a cat though?”


  The low voice became clearer, and at the same time, a man appeared from a corner of the cabin with a black robe covering his face. It was hard to tell his identity.

  Only now, did Reitas turn his head to stare at the black-robed man.

  “Afraid to show his identity in front of a cat, does that mean you’re a little rat?”


  They were slow but sharp words. But the black-robed man replied in a calm voice as if he didn’t care at all.

  “If thou art still a tiger……”


  His fingers pointed outside, more specifically, to the south.

  “Do you have the confidence to run wild once again?”


  Reitas made a smile in response.

  “That, you can check later with your own eyes. But more importantly……”


  His eyes sunk deeply.

  “Do you have the confidence to take me outside the cage?”


  Power was etched into his voice. The black-robed man who had been staring quietly at Reitas slowly pulled his robe down.

  Shrk.

  The hood was pulled back as the man’s appearance was laid bare, and Reitas’ eyes trembled slightly.

  “You weren’t human, huh.”


  It was something he hadn’t expected. The man in black robes replied with an apathetic expression.

  “We shall take you across to the other side of the ocean.”


  As soon as his words had finished, a group of men in black robes appeared from behind him. Reitas made a strange smile as he looked at them.

  “If it’s you, perhaps it’ll be possible.”


  A surprisingly calm voice. He stared directly at the man in black robes standing before him with eyes filled with curiosity. Silence had filled the room.

  “Ah!”


  Reitas soon waved his hand.

  “Let me apologise if it made you displeased. It’s my first time seeing so even now, I’m finding it hard to believe.”


  The smile on his lips deepened further.

  “To think there are dark elves in front of me……”


  Men in black robes.

  Their identity was the ones who had hid themselves behind the dark shadows a long time ago, the dark elves.

  End.