Chapter 113

The end of a failed treason was nothing short of miserable, but if it ended in success, the story that followed became entirely different.

Such was the treason centered around Gion Tindal and the central nobles.

Gion overturned the order built around the imperial line of Aphahiel and brazenly put forth the laughable position of ‘Acting Guardian of Public Order,’ seizing power in an instant.

Thanks to Gion’s swift handling, the Aphahiel Empire recovered from the wound of the recent Blood Calamity with surprising speed, as though nothing terrible had happened.

Of course, not a single noble was unaware that Gion had usurped the throne through treason, but he was well aware that the common people must not be allowed to see it that way.

Thus, the first thing Gion did—after effectively ascending to the emperor’s seat—was to drastically reduce the tax burdens.

“Ultimately, what moves the hearts of the people is whether their livelihood improves or not. Emperor Yulaios had been a wise ruler, so many are still grieving now, but if life becomes easier after the emperor’s death, that grief will not last long.”

Naturally, he had no intention of reducing taxes permanently. From the start, Gion made the duration clear before implementing the tax reduction.

‘If I am careless, people may rebel, saying I gave only to take away again. If that happens, the result will be worse than doing nothing at all.’

With such thorough calculation, Gion’s plan advanced step by steady step.

“Post signs everywhere across the nation, even in the gambling dens of the marketplaces, so there is no place untouched. Make it so that anyone who can read will understand immediately.”

“The nobles will be the first to suffer from this tax reduction. Will they stay quiet? Even now they keep silent, but outside the Central Region there are still many nobles who do not look favorably upon His Majesty.”

“You think they’ll oppose it? I think differently.”

“May I ask why you think so…?”

“On our way here, the key concern was whether anyone would dare raise their forces. But no one did. Nobles with much to lose will silently follow my will to protect what they already hold, and even nobles with relatively little will follow me to at least keep their small handful. Now it is only a matter of time before the Empire falls into my hands.”

“Ah…! I now understand Your Majesty’s great intent.”

“Good, good. Then go and do what you must.”

Gion smirked faintly. The flattery so obvious in his vassal’s eyes, and the scenery spread below from the throne he sat upon—he found it all deeply pleasing.

Soon after, Gion was left alone in the wide Great Hall. He fidgeted with the wanted posters in his hand.

From the Crown Prince to Yuwon.

The posters bore the faces of the five princes of Aphahiel.

“When will I be able to lift this…?”

It was not yet time. Gion waited patiently for the right moment.

‘Soon, a time will come when the people will believe and follow whatever I say. When that time comes….’

Rustle―

Overwhelmed by excitement, Gion curled his fist without realizing it.

The wanted poster in his hand crumpled instantly. Over the creased drawings of the princes, Gion’s monologue continued.

“When that time comes, this ridiculous farce, even the name Aphahiel itself, will end. I will become the emperor of a new empire.”

Abandoned land, cursed soil, home of countless monsters. The Great Jungle.

True to its nicknames, the Great Jungle teemed with countless beasts intertwined together. And into that Great Jungle, Yuwon had entered—his presence already noticed by its inhabitants.

The orcs, who claimed the fertile land of the jungle through fearless bravery and overwhelming numbers, were among them. At the top of their horde sat the chieftain.

A throne made of the bones of former orc chiefs. The creature sat upon it.

Its size made one wonder if it was not an orc but an ogre. Its entire body was adorned with ornaments crafted from the bones and hides of its slain nemeses. Just by looking, one could feel its brutality.

“Kuhoo― Kuuu―”

Sensing the arrogant, tyrannical pressure Yuwon exuded, the orc chieftain Muqiam snorted harshly, burning with combative spirit.

Muqiam was not the type of orc to quietly tolerate a frail human daring to emit an aura comparable to his own.

“Krrk―! Krrruk!”

As though having made up his mind, Muqiam clenched his fist and rose from the bone throne.

Crack―

At some point, an orc skull—torn from an armrest—had ended up in Muqiam’s grasp, and under his crushing strength it turned to powder. The orc chieftain’s fury followed Yuwon.

And it was not only the orcs. Outsiders believed humans could not survive in the Great Jungle, but in truth, some lived there by choice.

They were the shamans. Their origins were human, but after forsaking their humanity to research forbidden magic and bizarre sorceries, they were banished from the world and fled into the jungle.

By actively using forbidden magic and mystical arts, they survived the harsh ecosystem and eventually built a society of their own within this land of beasts. Now, as rightful denizens of the Great Jungle, they too turned their attention toward Yuwon’s presence.

Inside a pitch-dark tent where it was impossible to tell day from night.

Cold air and strange ritual smoke swirled within. At the center of the tent, Shaman Kahaad sat with both eyes closed. Before him, a brazier burned fiercely, and Kahaad rested his left hand upon its flames as though they were not hot at all, his expression serene.

“Kahaad-nim!”

Soon his servant rushed into the tent, breaking his meditation.

“Do not make such a fuss. I already sensed it.”

Unlike his startled servant, Kahaad replied without taking his eyes from the flames. His pale, pupil-less eyes reflected the fire’s glow. Kahaad was blind.

“T-that… it seems a very unusual one has appeared. What should we do?”

“Leave him be. With my own eyes, I have already seen Muqiam move.”

“Gasp! M-Muqiam, you mean?”

“Yes. That creature would never sit idle when a new foe appears bearing such an aura.”

“Then this new aura’s owner will… die soon.”

“That is not certain.”

At Kahaad’s unexpected answer, the servant’s eyes widened.

“A-are you saying Muqiam could lose? That monster?”

“Couldn’t say for sure. However, it seems this new adversary won’t be killed by Muqiam as easily as you think.”

“Then… I sense a faint trace of human energy from this new foe—could it be one of the beastkin or dragonkin said to have gone extinct long ago? It makes no sense for such savage energy, strong enough to put monsters to shame, to mix with the scent of a human.”

“Well. Perhaps it’s a Raven.”

“R–Raven…!”

Finding his servant’s startled reaction amusing, Kahaad gave a low chuckle before explaining further.

“Hehe, no. No, it’s not a Raven. Whether it’s a Raven, a dragonkin, or a beastkin, it’ll make for an intriguing subject of study. Or who knows—if it’s a human… that’s what excites me most. A mere human would be the most interesting of all.”

“Ha… if a human truly emits such energy…”

“Yes, isn’t it delightful just to imagine? For now, watch and wait to see how those stinking orcs and those detestable serpents respond. If they sensed this energy, they won’t sit still. Especially the serpents… something’s odd. The serpent that’s been silent since losing its mother is about to stir.”

“Yes, understood. I’ll go take a look.”

“Good, do so.”

“Yes, sir!”

Soon, the servant withdrew from Kahaad’s tent. Alone once more in the sunless darkness, Kahaad quietly closed his eyes and raised his left hand above the brazier.

Flash―!

Without any protection, Kahaad’s bare palm split open as it was thrust into the flames. From that fissure, a bloodshot crimson eye snapped open—a grotesque eye, larger and redder than any ordinary one.

The fire guided the way, and the blood-red eye reflected what Kahaad wished to see.

“Amusing. Truly amusing…!”

The man standing at the pinnacle of forbidden magic and sorcery—“Rok Kahaad.” His gaze now fixed upon the stranger who had newly arrived in the Great Jungle—Yuwon.

As the orcs and shamans turned their eyes toward Yuwon, so too did the natives of the highlands—those who had lived in the jungle long before monsters fled there—sense his presence and hold a council.

“Such ferocity… a great battle will soon erupt. Ensure our warriors lack nothing in preparation.”

“Yes, sir!”

“But do not act rashly. We need only protect our own. Take special care not to get entangled with the monsters.”

“Yes, I’ll remember!”

At the same time, the serpents—who had stealthily expanded their domain throughout the jungle—could not be left out.

At Yuwon’s arrival, a massive shadow appeared by the deepest rivers of the jungle. So vast it could be mistaken for a dragon’s shadow rather than a serpent’s, it slowly rose closer to the water’s surface.

Ssshhk―

Soon, its head quietly emerged from the surface. Its long, slit pupils rolled toward Yuwon’s direction. So silent was its movement that not even a ripple disturbed the water as its enormous body glided.

As it moved, other serpents—appearing out of nowhere—began to follow beside it. Those loyal to Yuwon, and those who were not.

For now, the ones Yuwon needed to be most wary of were the serpents who did not follow him.

And they were not the only ones.

The Great Jungle teemed with beasts who formed no tribes or packs yet survived in this harsh ecosystem through sheer strength alone.

They too turned their focus to Yuwon.

The arrival of a power strong enough to form a new force!

All eyes in the Great Jungle converged upon Yuwon.

“Ugh, why are my ears so itchy? Damn it, which bastard’s badmouthing me so I can dunk him in filth and fry him alive?”

Perhaps his ears were itching too much, for Bernid scratched at them irritably while cursing.

No doubt the sweltering heat of the jungle added to his foul mood.

A harsh environment that made one angry simply by walking through it. Even so, Yuwon silently followed the path led by Hastings.

‘Badmouthing, huh… well, someone might be.’

It wasn’t just Bernid whose ears were itching. In fact, Yuwon felt it all over his body rather than in his ears.

With every living being in the jungle seemingly focused on him alone, he felt a crawling, tingling sensation, as if hives were breaking out across his skin.

‘But why can’t the others feel it? It’s so blatant…’

Yuwon instinctively realized that he alone could sense this strange energy, and kept it to himself.

No—rather than hiding it, he was waiting to see when his companions would finally notice it too.

Yet even after waiting, neither Terrien, Hastings, nor Bernid seemed to perceive anything unusual.

‘…They’re close. I should tell them now.’

Yuwon wanted to understand why only he could sense it, and when his companions might as well—but he could delay no longer.

Giving up on waiting, he decided to alert his group. He suddenly stopped and spoke.

“Prepare yourselves.”

“…?”

“Pardon? What did you say, Your Highness?”

“Hm? Why stop? Are we there?”

Schrng―

Yuwon drew Rohan’s twin daggers, which he had carefully kept in his gear.

“Ready for battle. You’d best brace yourselves this time… this one’s a true enemy.”

An overwhelming presence. A raw, savage pressure unlike anything they had ever faced before was bearing down upon Yuwon and his companions.

From the river came the serpents, and from the land—the orcs.

They had come for Yuwon.

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