Chapter 35
The Arken Empire
There was nothing humanity could not conquer.
With that slogan as its creed, the Arken Empire had enjoyed an age of prosperity ever since Godwin’s death.
Its first emperor, Geoffrey Arken, had been a great hero, a tactician, and a statesman.
He declared that he would establish the foundations of an empire that would not collapse even after centuries had passed.
That declaration was still proving true to this day.
Godfrey Arken, the current emperor of the Arken Empire, was the most incompetent and avaricious ruler imaginable.
His greedy and capricious policies would have ruined any ordinary kingdom within three years, yet he had continued them for a full forty.
He still remained in power, and the Empire still stood firm.
One could almost believe that the emperor’s authority truly descended from the heavens.
But an emperor’s authority comes from his storehouses.
The treasures accumulated by previous emperors and the sacred relics they had collected were what sustained the Empire.
To be granted access to those storehouses meant receiving a share of that authority.
There was not a single noble who did not understand this.
Blinded by gold, they submit to gold.
The more incompetent the emperor became, the more they flattered him.
The farther he strayed down the wrong path, the more enthusiastically they praised him.
The Empire’s decay would only accelerate.
The foundations of the thousand-year empire laid by the first emperor would crumble, hastening its downfall.
“So, which storehouse are you planning to rob?”
Zed asked in disbelief.
“The sealed repository.”
“The sealed repository…”
If the imperial treasury stored priceless treasures and relics imbued with sacred power, the sealed repository contained the exact opposite.
It held evil objects that could never be revealed to the public.
Within it were magical texts left behind by demons, along with books and magical tools developed by their worshippers.
Zed’s expression soured even further.
Robbing the imperial treasury was already like walking willingly into the jaws of death.
Targeting the sealed repository was like adding a blazing furnace beneath those jaws.
“Just in case, may I ask what exactly you are planning to steal?”
There was no reason not to tell him.
“One of the Great Demon grimoires. It is called Barbatos’s Shadow Arts.”
Barbatos, one of the Seven Great Demons of Hell, was known as the Demon of Shadows and Schemes.
“Barbatos…”
Zed muttered the name with a grave expression, then raised his head.
“…Who is that?”
“You do not know?”
“Those damned followers of Amon mention various demons from time to time, but Barbatos… I have never even heard that name.”
Although Barbatos was counted among the Seven Great Demons of Hell, he was the least influential and rarely spoken of.
“It is only natural that you do not know him. Unlike the other demons, he does not gather worshippers.”
It was not so much that he was too insignificant to be mentioned.
Rather, his obscurity was intentional.
Barbatos was a demon who preferred to operate in secret.
He understood that remaining little known made it easier to use his powers, so he demanded neither elaborate initiation rites nor enormous sacrifices.
His conditions are extraordinarily demanding instead.
Among all magic left behind by the Great Demons, the conditions required to manipulate shadows were the most difficult.
Even Shadow Hand, the lowest-tier spell Ferda had used, could not be handled properly by an average mage.
As a result, there were almost no worshippers of Barbatos, and few people sought his grimoire.
Which is precisely why it can serve as a hidden weapon.
Because the magic was so obscure, opponents would have no way to prepare countermeasures against it.
For mages, battles of calculation were won by catching the enemy off guard.
“Suppose we do steal these Shadow Arts…”
Zed finally voiced the unease circling through his mind.
“How are we supposed to reach the repository?”
Ferda crossed his legs.
“You tell me. How would you reach it, if you were in my position?”
“Are you dumping the problem on me?”
“It is your field.”
“I am not some petty thief. The only thing I have ever stolen is a woman’s heart.”
“Enough nonsense. Tell me.”
“Hmm…”
Zed rested a hand against his chin and let out a slow breath.
After remaining silent for roughly five minutes, he finally spoke.
“Plenty of people have tried to rob the imperial storehouses before. Even the group said to have come the closest to succeeding needed ten people.”
“And?”
“From what I can tell, we would need at least twenty people and about a year of preparation. Are you planning to hire twenty thieves?”
“No.”
Twenty people and an entire year.
He did not have that kind of time.
“Then how long do we have?”
“We begin immediately.”
Zed fell silent, momentarily at a loss for words.
Asking whether Ferda had forgotten everything he had just said seemed like a waste of breath, so he let it pass.
“To act immediately and leave no loose ends… you are saying I must rob the place alone, are you not?”
“That is correct.”
“How am I supposed to succeed where ten people failed?”
Ferda looked at him and answered with complete seriousness.
“You can do it.”
Zed felt as though the sheer absurdity of the statement might kill him.
Ferda, however, found Zed’s reaction equally absurd.
He is exaggerating.
Zed Swallow.
At present, he was little more than a womanizing rake who spent his time pestering women.
Yet he possessed the talent of a legendary thief.
Among his future achievements was infiltrating the imperial treasury, a place no one else had ever breached.
And he did it without a plan.
Officially, he had broken in three times.
According to Zed himself, however, he had already visited the place twelve times.
That meant he knew the weaknesses in its surveillance system and understood how to exploit them.
Of course, that all happens in the future.
It was unreasonable to expect the skills of a legendary thief from him immediately.
For now, he was merely an irritating philanderer, far removed from a true thief.
Ferda had taken all of that into account when devising his plan.
“There is no need to worry. I will prepare the stage.”
“You will, Regent?”
Ferda nodded, then pointed toward his own eyes with his index and middle fingers.
“All you need are two functioning eyes. Everything else is secondary. Do you understand?”
“…That somehow makes me even more nervous.”
Zed felt even less reassured after hearing that.
In his experience, requests to prepare only the simplest tools invariably demanded the greatest skill.
Can I really trust this man?
He had joined Ferda because he had been promised assistance in debuting among high society.
Yet the standards demanded of him seemed to rise with every passing day.
“You look deeply troubled.”
“Of course I do. It is my life on the line.”
Zed answered irritably.
Thinking too deeply was clearly beginning to give him a headache.
After prolonged deliberation, one inevitably makes the worst move.
If Zed refused, Ferda would have no choice but to abandon Barbatos’s Shadow Arts.
Otherwise, the plan would become significantly more complicated.
It seems I must play that card.
Ferda decided to make the choice easier for him.
“The sealed repository contains shameful secrets the Empire wishes to conceal.”
“Does it?”
Despite his answer, Zed’s expression clearly asked why Ferda was telling him this.
“Among them, there should also be information concerning the Red-Eyed Tribe.”
The anxious, groaning Zed vanished instantly.
His eyes sharpened.
“Are you certain?”
“I have no intention whatsoever of breaking our agreement.”
Zed had joined under the condition that he would leave if Ferda ever attempted to exclude him or merely exploit him.
There was no need for further deliberation.
His answer was concise.
“Fine. Let us do it.”
Everything proceeded exactly as Ferda had anticipated.
Before putting the plan into motion, Ferda visited Count Consilus.
“I greet the Regent. I heard that you have business in the Empire.”
“That is correct.”
“May I ask what brings you there?”
“I was actually planning to ask you that. I have no proper reason to go, yet I must go nonetheless.”
“Ah, I understand the situation.”
Consilus stroked his beard before answering.
“Would it not be appropriate to mention the vacancy left by Thessalos Wolcher? You could say that a new suitable candidate is required…”
“Ah, I have already given that matter some thought. There is a suitable candidate, but he has yet to appear.”
“If you give the order, I shall begin searching for him.”
He could have described the man’s characteristics, but he did not want to go that far in searching for him.
If word spread that Ferda was looking for him and caused the man to hide, that would only make matters more troublesome.
So Ferda kept his explanation brief.
“There will be a man who makes your breath catch the moment you see him.”
“Someone who makes my breath catch… Could you be more specific?”
“There is no need. You will feel it yourself the moment you see him. Give that knight the position.”
“Understood. I shall proceed according to the Regent’s wishes.”
Their attempt to gather wandering knights had failed, but they were still recruiting guardians for the territory.
Ferda decided to trust that the man would eventually take an interest and come on his own.
Consilus began considering another possibility.
“Would it not be wise to make an inquiry regarding the Grand Council?”
“The Grand Council?”
“Yes. Every king and noble of ducal rank or higher in Cerdes is qualified to attend, but you will need someone there to verify your identity. You could visit the Emperor or one of his blood relatives and declare your intention to participate.”
The Emperor and the imperial princes.
Ferda disliked every one of them, but he would frequently encounter them from now on.
“Very well. I shall use that as my reason for going. What is the current political situation in the Empire?”
“It is an utter disaster.”
Consilus shook his head.
“Three factions have formed and are currently competing for power.”
“Who stands at the center of those three factions?”
“The Emperor, the First Prince, and the Second Prince.”
“You are saying the Emperor is fighting his own sons?”
Consilus nodded.
“I know it sounds absurd, but yes. At one point, the First and Second Princes worked politically to remove the Emperor from power.”
“But they failed.”
“Yes. The Emperor may be incompetent, but when it comes to protecting his own authority, he is ruthless. He incited conflict between the First and Second Princes over the question of succession and used it to defuse their alliance.”
He had created new enemies by presenting them with a new future rather than an existing foe.
So long as they continued fighting among themselves, their power would gradually weaken and lose sight of its original purpose.
Even a rotten fish still has some flesh left on it…
There was a reason he had clung to power for so long.
“So, on the surface, it is a three-way struggle.”
“On the surface…”
Consilus wondered why Ferda had emphasized those words but did not press him.
After thinking about the three figures, Ferda asked,
“If you had to choose among them, whom would you support?”
“If it were me, I believe the Second Prince would be the best choice.”
“Why?”
“The Second Prince has always placed great importance on national defense. He has personally traveled to many regions, defeated monsters, and expanded the Empire’s territory. He also shows great interest in monster subjugation, so in that regard, he is said to be comparable to the first emperor.”
It was just as Consilus said.
The Second Prince’s core supporters were the military factions the First Prince had failed to recruit.
He intended to compensate for his weaker political base with heroic achievements.
“Of course, I cannot say that he is unquestionably the right answer. Had he truly cared about national defense, he would have extended a hand toward the Far East.”
“Indeed.”
“Yes. That is how it appears on the surface.”
Having heard Consilus’s opinion, Ferda nodded as though he had reached a decision.
“Then let us write three letters—one to the Emperor, one to the First Prince, and one to the Second Prince.”
“Shall I assist you?”
The Empire still believed Count Consilus held greater influence than the Regent.
Ferda shook his head.
“That will not be necessary. Send them in the name of Valdrova’s Regent.”
“If that is your wish…”
Ferda’s reason for sending three letters was simple.
He wanted to learn their intentions.
The thirsty man dug the well, and the desperate man was the first to reach out.
Ferda wanted to see which of the three would extend a hand toward him.
Count Consilus had once stepped aside for the same reason.
“I have a separate request for you, Count Consilus.”
“Simply name it.”
“Do we have any unidentified corpses?”
A body whose name and origin were unknown.
“An unidentified corpse…”
The timing was fortunate.
“Yes. I believe one was recently discovered near the territory.”
“Excellent. Have it burned at the stake.”
“Burned… at the stake?”
Consilus blinked.
Ferda had not said cremated.
He had specifically said burned at the stake.
Unable to keep the question to himself, Consilus asked,
“I ask only to be certain… This is for the sake of the Far East, is it not?”
“Of course. At the very least, it is not being done for my personal desires.”
“Then I understand.”
“Burn him as though he were the most accursed bastard imaginable. That will be enough.”
“Good heavens. The gods will be angered.”
Consilus fiddled with the necklace around his neck.
It was an amulet carried by followers of Alte, the Empire’s state religion.
“Who in this world has lived without committing a single sin?”
“That is true.”
Desecrating the body of someone who might have been innocent made Consilus uncomfortable, but he did not object.
Whatever Ferda intended, Consilus needed to trust him if he wished for the Far Eastern territory to prosper.
***
After sending the three letters to the Empire, Ferda boarded a carriage.
Naturally, there was no possibility of receiving an immediate reply.
Ferda had never expected one.
That was the entire point of sending the letters.
What matters is how they react to one-sided communication.
Zed accompanied him, along with Arwon, a knight under Count Consilus, and the soldiers under Arwon’s command.
After traveling for an entire week, they finally saw an enormous wall standing across the plains.
The Arken Empire.
The sight of the imperial lands, where lush vegetation blended with carefully cultivated fields, stirred the heart.
Zed looked out the window and smiled with excitement.
“The Empire is magnificent every time I see it. The journey is always worth it.”
“I see.”
Every noble and commoner dreamed of the imperial capital.
House Rosnova had also longed to join the central nobility.
Ferda himself had never felt any need for it.
Why would anyone willingly enter that place?
Beyond those walls lay a den of monsters wearing human skin—the true beginning of hell.
At last, they reached the magnificent gates.
Ferda informed the sentry of his identity.
“Please wait a moment.”
The sentry entered the guardhouse to verify it.
Yet even after several minutes, no order came allowing them to pass.
“This does not seem like a very promising start.”
Zed made the ominous observation, but Ferda disagreed.
“This is a favorable sign.”
“A favorable sign?”
“If they are making a noble wait, there must be a reason worthy of doing so.”
A short while later, an elegant white carriage stopped inside the gate.
The fact that Ferda was being asked to change carriages meant he was being taken to the imperial palace.
In other words, someone had responded to his letter.
The knight at the head of the escort placed a hand over his chest and bowed respectfully.
“Welcome to the Empire, Regent! I am Marco, commander of the Fifth Order of Imperial Knights.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“This way, please!”
Guided by Marco, Ferda transferred to the new carriage.
Zed attempted to follow him, but Marco blocked his path.
“My apologies, but who are you?”
“An employee.”
Marco’s expression instantly turned cold.
“An employee may not board this carriage. Only those who have received an invitation may enter the imperial palace.”
“Oh. Is that so?”
“Step aside. This carriage is bound for the palace.”
Zed withdrew from the carriage with an awkward expression.
Thus, Ferda alone traveled toward the imperial palace.
How absurdly luxurious.
Perhaps this was what people meant by showing off wrinkles in front of a silkworm.
Ferda’s own carriage had been lavishly decorated, yet the comfort of an imperial carriage existed on an entirely different level.
He turned his gaze toward the scenery beyond the window.
As expected of the Empire’s main avenue, the streets were immaculate and filled with smiling people.
It appeared full of hope, befitting the place every noble dreamed of reaching.
There was a reason nobles who entered the capital were said to fall ill the moment they left it.
Where happiness existed, an equal measure of misery always followed.
And that misery was now targeting Ferda.
His sharp perception caught sight of an unusual gaze.
A man concealed in an alley kept glancing toward the carriage.
He is targeting this carriage.
The soldiers guarding the surroundings had not noticed him.
There would be no chance of suppressing him before he acted.
I could still stop him before the attack.
No one could protect Ferda except Ferda himself.
He reflexively formed a sphere of mana.
Since there was no knowing what the man might attempt, Ferda quietly prepared to counterattack.
As the carriage drew closer, the man sprang from the alley and blocked its path.
Neigh!
The horses reared in alarm and came to a sudden stop.