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The Center’s Downfall (1)
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The victory ceremony was finally over. The grand banquet and the festival were held consecutively to relieve some of the pain of the people. After the festival ended, the Empire thought that they would move actively to restore their glory from the past. However, it was just their own illusions.
The masters, who had gathered in the Center, returned to their own regions one after the other. With their departure, the elites of their region also began to return to their original operation and mission areas.
“This is… burdensome.”
“I’m sorry.”
Iron bowed his head apologetically when he heard Crimson’s words.
A lot of people had been trying to bribe Iron while some asked him for his help. In fact, all of the commanders of the Empire had asked him for his help and most of the key nobles had sent him bribes to build a connection with him. Even the Imperial Family tried to persuade Iron to stay in the Center and become the Capital Defense Corps’ Commander.
It was only natural that Crimson would feel burdened. Even if he was a commander, such requests were bound to make him feel burdened. The burden of having a new master and a general as a subordinate was no joke.
“I’ll go back to the Northeast first. You should go and help the Central Army. Perhaps, by the time you’re done there, everything will be roughly organized.”
“…Yes.”
“Hoo… I feel quite burdened having such an outstanding subordinate.”
Crimson smiled affectionately as he said so. He had already thought that he would fly out of their arms one day. However, he was still flustered. He did not expect that the day would come this soon.
‘But I still have to send him away.’
With his long experience, he knew that he could no longer hold Iron in the Northeast. That was why he had to prepare to let go of the Empire’s Hero.
“Come back after finishing your work in the Central Army.”
“I’ll come back as soon as possible.”
“Hoho~ I see.”
Crimson then prepared to leave for the Northeast as he said so. And just like that, the Northeasterners left the capital on board the airship bearing the Northeastern Army’s mark.
With most of the masters gone and only the Central Army remaining in the capital, the Central nobles began their work to seize power once again. With the Imperial nobles struggling for power and actively moving to seize the vacant seats in the government, the problems that they had barely sealed erupted once again. Bribes inevitably happened during the process of them taking and expanding their powers. And because of that, the rotten atmosphere that was not yet fully treated had contaminated the waters of the capital once again.
However, it was different from the past. They couldn’t hide these things anymore and the people of the Empire wouldn’t hold their breath and remain quiet.
[ Another round of corruption! Until when?! ]
[ We’re in the middle of a crisis but the Imperial Family is only focused on fighting like mad dogs? ]
[ The Crown Prince that lacked charisma. Will he be able to overcome the current crisis? ]
[ Even the Central Army has thrown away the capital? The honor of the Capital City is now only in the past! ]
Articles like these broke out day after day. These articles highlighted the crisis that the Empire was in and ignited the ire of the people of the Empire. And when the public, who no longer held back, came out to protest once again, the crisis in the government, the Imperial Family and the nobles rapidly emerged.
A hero was needed to calm down even just a bit of this crisis. They had planned to push the hero forward to buy enough time and turn the eyes of the masses away from them but even the hero abandoned the Center.
Everyone was busy trying to recruit Iron but none of them were able to truly recruit him. The new master. The value of this title’s power was extremely strong in the current Empire. In fact, the Imperial power has long collapsed. The Central nobles wanted to create a new central point to overcome this chaotic situation but no one wanted to become the Center’s new central point. The commander of the Central Army abandoned the capital and the other masters did not want to come to the Center either. All that was left was Iron, the new master. However, even he rejected the Center.
Everyone knew that the public opinion of the Northerners and the Northeasterners toward the Center was the worst. The long-standing struggle of the Central nobles for their own interests was the cause for the numerous sacrifices of the Northeastern troops. Iron’s public rejection of the Crown Prince’s proposal was proof of their hate. Even the soldiers of the Northeast did not like to interact with anyone from the Center.
“Did the Center’s downfall finally begin?”
One of the professors sighed as he looked out of the window.
Countless of the Empire’s people stood up the more the Central nobles’ corruption was revealed. In addition, the public that had been discriminated against by the remaining rotten parts of the Center had also participated in these protests.
However, the government, which hadn’t completed their overhaul, remained silent instead of addressing and responding to the people’s protest. They truly couldn’t do anything since their military troops and security corps had died. In other words, it was impossible for them to control the situation properly.
“The Northeast…”
The well-known professor of the Empire turned to look at the map on the wall.
The Northern region, specifically the Northeastern region, was most likely going to be the Empire’s core in the future since it had become the safest region in the entire continent. It was for this very reason that the Center tried to raise the Imperial Family once again after it had been dragged to the bottom during the victory ceremony. However, everything was in vain.
“Morons…”
The professor couldn’t help but spit out curses as he lamented over the current situation.
In a situation where the Crown Prince was already certain to become the Emperor, the 4th Prince sat still saying that he couldn’t agree and did not admit to this decision. Meanwhile, the 2nd and 3rd Princes only considered how they could take advantage of the situation while the Empire was still in chaos. They only thought of taking huge interests in return for giving up their claim to the throne. And since the Imperial Family did something like this, the Central nobles and other nobles gathered in the capital also began to move busily to gain benefits for themselves.
For them, the revival of the Empire was something that was already placed in the back burner. Filthy bastards who only moved for their own benefits. These were the current nobles and aristocrats of the Empire.
“Professor!”
A man slammed the door open as he rushed towards the professor.
“Were the rumors true?!”
The professor smiled bitterly after hearing his most cherished assistant’s question.
“Are you really leaving to go to the Northeast?”
The professor remained silent for a long time before answering his assistant reluctantly.
“…That’s right. I believe there’s more I can do there than here.”
“The students need you here, professor!”
“Who knows… I don’t know if they’ll even care if I’m here or not.”
“There are students who only entered the academy because of the professor!”
Just like the assistant had said, there were a few talents who joined the academy after meeting him. Talented people ranging from commoners, to new aristocrats, to nobles, to wealthy merchants. But the professor was already tired. It was difficult for him to remain in this place for them alone after seeing the Center’s hideous pigs who only cared about money and power.
“Hoo… I’m already exhausted. I really want to go and show my strength in a place that I chose even if it was just for the rest of my life.”
The assistant bowed his head and couldn’t speak anymore after hearing the professor’s words. He wanted to follow the professor right away but it was difficult for him because he was still tied to a contract.
“I’ll come after you as soon as my contract ends.”
“…Alright. I’m sorry for going alone first.”
“Please go and settle down in advance.”
The assistant smiled as he told this to the professor.
Commoner scholars were usually tied up by contracts with aristocrats. The aristocrats would support them and pay their academy tuition as they required them to study what they wanted to create or increase the public’s opinion on them. During the period of their contract, they had to act as the aristocrat’s subordinates. And the same was true for the professor’s assistant.
More and more scholars were trying to get out of the Central Academy to head to a new place. However, there were quite a few people who couldn’t leave because they couldn’t escape their contracts. Just like the professor’s assistant. Except for these scholars, all the other scholars from the Center had already scattered to other regions.
Even the clean ones, who remained neutral and maintained the Center’s bureaucratic system, government and institution, were disillusioned and escaped. The only ones who remained were the ones who had been bribed by the nobles and those who tried to climb higher on the lines that they had grasped.
“That’s the worst.”
Central Army Commander Leopold looked at the capital as he said so.
A sand castle that was about to collapse. That was what the current Imperial Family and the Imperial government looked like.
The capital would be in chaos and collapse the moment they left for their new Command. However, it seemed like nothing would change even if he stayed here.
‘I’m already a fangless tiger.’
Although he was a master, there was a limit to what he could do. And in this situation, he could only maintain the status quo. Unlike the other commanders, he failed to protect the Center. In addition, most of his subordinates had died in battle so he did not have the power to take control of the capital.
However, if Iron stayed here, then the story might change. Leopold believed that the capital could return to normal with his extraordinary charisma and ideas that captivated his subordinates. In addition, the title of the Empire’s Hero had the overwhelming power to make the people of the Empire obey most of his orders. In fact, Iron was the only one who had the potential to return the current capital to normal.
The problem was that he had no intention of doing so.
‘Is he going to abandon the Center?’
This thought flashed in Leopold’s head as he looked at Iron.
Unlike the other commanders, who still wanted to maintain the Empire’s shell, Iron looked like he wanted to completely destroy the Imperial Family.
This thought flashed in his head after seeing what Iron had done.
None of the commanders knew that Iron had run hard to make the Northeast completely independent. The public only thought that it was for the Northeast’s reconstruction. However, for those who used their brains a bit, they could see that he did that to reduce the Northeast’s dependence on the Center.
In addition, he decided to support the Central Army instead of going straight to the capital during the height of their crisis. He justified it by saying that he wanted to fully save the Central Army and provide significant help to the capital. But was it truly like that?
He was only suspicious about his motives but his suspicions were solidified when he saw him publicly reject the Crown Prince’s proposal.
‘General Iron hates the Imperial Family.’
It was also problematic since many people were starting to think this way.
What would happen once all the masters had left for their own regions and the Empire’s Hero abandoned the capital? The power of the Imperial Family and the Central government would weaken.
As if to prove this, the capital fell into more chaos and confusion the moment the Central Army’s departure approached. This confusion would increase once they confirmed the fact that Iron would leave together with the Central Army.
If he calculated all of this then…
“Scary.”
Leopold unknowingly spoke about his thoughts. He hoped that his thoughts were just wishful thinking. But he was also aware that those hopes were something that could be easily blown away by the wind.
‘Please… I hope that he has even a little bit of loyalty towards the Empire in his heart.’
Contrary to Leopold’s wishes, Iron was smiling as he watched the Central Army and his troops prepare to leave.
Thump!
He looked up at the sky covering the capital city as he listened to his beating heart.
The people who came out to protest everyday.
The foolish Imperial nobles and the Imperial Family who only fought everyday without knowing that they were falling down into the abyss.
“Just wait a bit more.”
Iron mumbled quietly to himself as he listened to his pounding heart.
The witch’s contract.
Because of this, her will kept on rushing and urging him with the thumps of his heart.
Contrary to what others wanted, he wanted to see the Imperial Family fall into the abyss more quickly. However, he still had to remain patient. The moment when the Imperial Family, who bothered him so much in his past life, was dragged down to the floor was not that far away. He only needed to wait patiently for that to happen.
“Just hang in there for a bit.”
He tried to calm down the witch’s will and his thumping heart as he waited for that day to arrive as soon as possible.
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The Center’s Downfall (2)
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In the end, even the Central Army was ready to leave the capital and go to their newly built Central Army Command.
Marquis Oliver van Leopold, the Central Army Commander, stood on the podium as his troops prepared to leave.
“We’re the last ones to leave the capital.”
Marquis Leopold’s tone was heavy as he spoke.
“First, I would like to apologize to the soldiers who had a hard time during this period when we were transferred out of the Capital Defense Corps. As a commander, I deeply regret putting my soldiers in such a state.”
He bowed his head lightly as he spoke.
The master’s apology. The worth of this apology was something that everyone knew. Receiving such an apology made the eyes of the soldiers and the officers of the Central Army turn red.
Unlike the Capital Defense Corps that only gathered the elites, the Central Army was known for being a group of garbage that were involved in all kinds of corruption. In fact, some of them truly participated in corruption but the others did not.
There were those who entered the Central Army and hid their talents just so they could support their families. There were those who were forced to enter the rotten Central Army due to the contracts that they had signed with their patron nobles. There were also those who joined the Central Army because they were tired of poverty. These people had to be called garbage and treated the same as the corrupted ones just because they fell into this garbage dump called the Central Army.
They endured being insulted for days and years on end because they entered the Central Army that had rotted for a long period of time.
“But from now on, everything will be different. They will never call the Central Army as the Empire’s garbage dump. We will become the pillar that supports the Empire.”
The eyes of some of the soldiers and officers changed after hearing Leopold’s words.
The clean and pure soldiers of the Central Army looked at their commander with blazing eyes. Those who were also originally pure and clean but were forced to comply with the corruption because of the harsh reality that they lived in had shining eyes too.
“Look forward to it. Our army will be a gathering of the elites in the future. And you will be the pioneer.”
The soldiers cheered loudly at the end of Leopold’s words.
With the announcement of the Central Army’s new beginning, the troops boarded the airship one after the other.
Some said that he was a defeated general who failed to protect the Center. Some scholars said that he was just a puppet general who stood by while the Central Army fell into depravity. Some soldiers said that he was the weakest commander among the Imperial commanders. However, for the Central Army, Commander Leopold was the best commander. So, when he decided to gather his senses and tried to start anew, his officers and troops also followed him.Even those who fell into corruption for a while had settled down. After their loved ones’ lives were threatened and they had experienced the harsh reality of war, they decided to not live like this anymore. No one knew how long they would last. However, they were sure of one thing. They would not fall and collapse as quickly as they did before if they left the capital.
“That was quite an eloquent speech.”
“I’m ashamed.”
Iron greeted Leopold with a smile as he descended the podium. Then, they both boarded the airship together.
“By the way, if you and your troops leave together with us all at once… the capital will fall into even more confusion.”
“…There’s no helping it.”
Iron smiled bitterly as he answered Leopold’s words.
There were obviously innocent ones among the people of the capital. There were some who were resentful when the support supplies that were supposed to be sent to the Northeast had fallen into corruption and there were also some who protested when the Empire fell into a crisis because of the complacent attitude and political plays that the Central government had. But even if they existed, the Center was too rotten for him to remain in this place.
‘It’s better to throw them away and start anew.’
There was no longer room for rehabilitation and purification for the Center and the capital that had become rotten for a long period of time. It would be better for the Empire to abandon this place and start anew someplace else.
With the crisis still ongoing, it could have been better for them to enter a military-centered political system rather than maintain the rotten Center.
“Let’s go. You’ll be busy in the future… Shouldn’t we go a bit earlier and take some rest?”
Iron remained silent for a while after hearing Leopold’s words. Then, he opened his mouth.
“I have something to say to you.”
Commander Leopold looked at him curiously when Iron spoke with a serious look on his face.
“Is there a problem?”
“That’s not it… I don’t think it’s good to do some work for free…”
“Ahem! I also want to give you something in return but our situation is not that good right now.”
Leopold coughed loudly upon hearing Iron’s words.
It was difficult to expect support from them since the Central Army had been thoroughly destroyed by the Death Corps together with the capital. He did not have the abilities to support Iron’s troops since it was already difficult for him to cover themselves alone. In fact, there truly was nothing that he could do for Iron since he was sure that they would have to spend a lot of difficult days in the future. That was also the reason why he couldn’t ask for help like the other commanders. He could only grumble and ask if he could take care of his troops training for a while.
“I’m not asking for troops or resources.”
“Then, what do you want?”
Iron quickly approached Leopold as he spoke quietly.
“I want you to look at my swordsmanship.”
“…You?”
Leopold tilted his head after hearing Iron’s words.
Since Iron had reached the 6th Stage it just went to show that he had already established his own path. At this stage, useless advice would only make him wander away from his path. He knew that Iron knew this well. However, he couldn’t understand why he was asking for advice from him. In addition, there were many other people that could give him advice and look at his swordsmanship. From the Northeastern Commander to Lion Family Head Lioner, the line of people that could look over his progress was overflowing.
“It’s kind of weird for me to say this myself but… I’m the weakest among the Imperial masters.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Hmm… If you say so, then I will help you. But I still believe that there’s not much I can do to help you with your swordsmanship.”
Is there anything that I can do to help someone’s swordsmanship who is walking the path of steel?
Leopold Family’s swordsmanship was close to the basics but it was not as good as Iron’s swordsmanship. Their swordsmanship had been developed through the years so it was completely different from Iron’s swordsmanship, which was extremely close to the basics.
“I’d like to ask you about ‘aura’.”
Leopold’s eyes widened.
“Aura?”
“Yes.”
Leopold carefully asked after hearing Iron’s affirmative.
“By any chance, you…?”
“Ah! I haven’t reached the wall yet.”
Iron immediately shook his head when Leopold inquired if he had already taken a step towards the master level.
“Uhmm… You can’t really reach that stage this fast, right?”
Leopold burst out in awkward laughter saying that he was just imagining too much.
How long was it when he reached the 6th Stage, how can he reach the master level already?
Iron had reached the 6th Stage so fast that he was considered to be the youngest person to have ever reached this stage. And if he reached the master level this fast Leopold would definitely feel that the world was unfair.
He was only barely able to reach the wall of the master level during his 40s. But he could not cross the wall until he was almost 50. No matter how much of a genius Iron was, it would probably be over the line if he crossed the master’s level now.
“Just like you know, it wouldn’t matter that much even if I tell you about aura.”
He had already studied the master’s aura for a long time. However, it did not mean much unless he had reached the wall. It wouldn’t be helpful even if scholars talked about it for days and wrote hundreds of papers about it.
Even if one knew it in their heads, they could only create aura after experiencing and training their mana thoroughly. In fact, most of the people who reached the wall were usually frustrated and had always turned towards the papers about aura. However, in the end, only a few of them broke through the wall. In other words, the master level was a stage that could not be achieved just by knowing about it.
“I don’t remember it well but… I felt a strange sensation before.”
“A strange sensation?”
“Yes. It was during the time when I was stopping the Death Lord’s blood storm. All of my force had been compressed…”
Iron recalled the time he fought the Death Lord. He explained the sensation that he felt back then. He felt the strange sensation when he had compressed all of his remaining strength into his sword. He did not know if it was just another innate ability or it was another attribute of steel. So he wanted to find out about it.
“Uhm…”
Leopold rubbed his chin in thought after hearing his words.
“Anything else?”
“I will tell you the details once we arrive at Command.”
Iron looked around and said these words when Leopold urged him to explain more. Only then did Leopold see the people glancing at the two of them.
“Alright. I believe… I can help you with this much.”
Iron was delighted with his words.
He was frustrated after being stuck at this point so he felt happy that someone was able to help him. Even his face brightened at the thought of receiving this help.
While Leopold and Iron were talking about a lot of things on board the airship, both of their remaining troops had also boarded the airship. Plenty of their troops had already gone to the newly built Central Army Command in advance that was why only a small number of airships flew over the capital this time.
The people of the capital lamented when they saw the airships flying over their heads. They felt sorry that even the two masters and their troops, the capital’s last hope, had left.
“Will the days of hell begin from now on?”
The academy professor, who decided to leave for the Northeast, looked at the airships that were leaving. The final force that could stop the Empire’s capital from falling into chaos finally left today. It did not matter to him who left or who would leave soon, but the people that were left behind would experience hell every day.
The number of people leaving the capital has increased significantly. It seemed like they had realized that there would be no future in the capital. The people of the Empire moved to different places day after day.
The capital city, a city that boasted the largest population, faced a shrinking population due to the large number of migrating people.
“Someday… I hope this place revives once again…”
The professor sincerely hoped that the capital, the city that shared the longest history with the Empire, would revive once again as he looked at the sky.
However, contrary to his wishes, the capital’s situation worsened by the day after Leopold and Iron’s departure.
Violent protests continued day after day in the capital the moment the Central Army left. The nobles were hastily cutting their tails off and passing on the blame while the Central officials were forced to do hurried administration due to the lack of personnel. The ministers, who promised that they would hire more personnel, were all distracted as they played politics. They only focused on trying to gain more power and walking on this tight rope. The chaos and confusion in the capital did not matter to them at all.
There was even the 4th Prince who still kept on biting and holding on to the Emperor’s seat until the very end and the 1st Prince who couldn’t stop him properly. On the side were the 2nd and 3rd Princes, who watched the scene in interest, knowing that they did not have any chance at all.
As they bit and fought each other in politics, the anger of the public grew even greater. The situation in the capital grew worse by the day. And the Empire’s high Central government was gradually running straight towards its collapse.
“Morons!”
“Let’s gather the masters and form a military government!”
“Kill all the nobles!”
People spat and cursed.
“I heard that the East is doing well these days?”
“Shall we go to the North?”
“Tch! The South also needs to recover quickly but… my maternal family is killing me these days.”
The Central nobles focused on the news from the other regions and turned a blind eye to the Center that’s gradually falling down into the abyss.
In that situation, the Central officials also began to let go. After all, the situation did not improve despite them trying their hardest. It did not matter if they tried hard. Everything was meaningless unless the Imperial Family and the ministers sitting at the top were sorted out.
But the Imperial Family and the nobles that they followed were just busy fighting against each other. They all devoted themselves in their political battles to gain a handful of the power that was left.
In fact, all of them were aware that these political battles were no longer meaningful. The Center has already virtually fallen down the abyss. And the era of the Central aristocrats was already coming to an end… However, they knew that they would at least be able to live with the sweet fruit of victory, even if it was just during their generation, as long as they won this battle.
Even though they knew that it would take a long time for them to stand up and organize the situation in the capital, they still had to fight and gain that handful of power. They weren’t masters. They only relied on their connections and their past glories instead of their abilities so this handful of power was the only way for them to survive.
That was why they still gathered in the Imperial Palace and engaged in their faction fights while the Imperial public gathered in the square to protest. The officials sat on the sidelines and the intellectuals began to leave for other regions.
That was how the capital of the Empire, a place with glorious history, met its downfall amidst the chaos and confusion.
A long time later, the scholars said this…
This was the worst era in the history of the Empire.