Chapter 203 - Chasing Tails (4)
The maids guided Usa into the room where the emperor was. Upon entering with a cane in his hand, Usa got down on one knee with his wobbly legs and showed his respect to Arthus.
“I am Usa of the Sore Empire.”
Arthus replied, “Usa... The two civil servants who oversee everything along with the Taejae in the Sore Empire... They call them ‘ministers,’ am I right?”
“That’s right, Your Majesty.”
"I see. Well, your visit here surprises me. The messenger I sent to the Sore Empire has yet to return... Did you come here yourself to tell me what the Sore Empire thinks about my proposition?”
Arthus got straight to the point because he was curious why Usa had come here. He had sent a messenger to the Sore Empire as well, but nobody except Terion had made it back yet. The fact that Usa came to him before his messenger even returned made Arthus wonder as to what exactly was going on.
At the emperor’s question, Usa replied calmly, “No, Your Majesty. I am here on my own, not on behalf of the Sore Empire, but for Your Majesty, the emperor of the new empire.”
“And the Taejae doesn’t know about this?”
"Indeed, Your Majesty.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Usa claimed that he had come here unbeknownst to the Taejae, the most powerful person in the Sore Empire. Arthus sensed that something was fishy.
Usa’s coming all the way here without his ruler knowing during these times definitely suggested that he wasn’t here with pure intentions. Therefore, Arthus was curious about what Usa had to say.
Arthus’ eyes glinted with curiosity as he said, “Alright, I’ll listen to what you have to say. What brings you all the way here at the cost of deceiving your master?”
At Arthus’ question, Usa took a couple of deep breaths. His hands were still shaky, still not sure whether he should actually go through with this.
After a brief moment, Usa made up his mind. He rethought about the reason he had come all the way here unbeknownst to the Taejae. He knew he was past the point of no return, so he couldn’t dare backtrack. He knew there was no point in crying over spilled milk, so he finally spoke up.
“Your Majesty, before I speak, may I dare to ask you one presumptuous favor?”
"A favor?"
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Asking me a favor after coming here in secrecy... Although your actions seem contradictory, I’m curious about what you have to say. Go ahead.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Usa took another deep breath before continuing.
“I have information that could shake the existence of the current Aenia Empire.”
“Information that’ll shake the existence of the empire?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Interesting. In that case, I assume your favor is that I protect you in the future, correct?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. That is precisely what I ask of you.”
“Right. If you truly possess such information, I will definitely appoint you as one of my people, keeping you by my side for the rest of your life while promising all the wealth and fame you could possibly have. However...”
That moment, Arthus suddenly threw Usa off balance as he stopped listing everything he could have if he really possessed such valuable information. Arthus continued in the same calm tone, but the words coming out of his mouth were completely different.
“If you tell me lies or a bunch of nonsense, you’ll most certainly pay the price for it. I can tell you now that the punishment won’t be light.”
Once Arthus warned him, Usa replied nervously, “O-of course, Your Majesty. Not long ago, a wizard came to the Sore Empire, Your Majesty.”
"A wizard?"
"Yes, Your Majesty.”
Usa’s first words were enough to grab Arthus’ attention as he had already ordered that all wizards within the empire be executed. Despite that, ever since ascending to the throne, Arthus hadn’t executed any wizards yet. In fact, he hadn’t even managed to trace any of them. Therefore, by mentioning a wizard, Usa piqued Arthus’ interest.
“You mean Lore Gillian went to the Sore Empire?” asked Arthus curiously.
“No, Your Majesty.”
"Then who?”
“The one and only disciple of Henry Morris, the late Archmage, came to the Sore Empire.”
“What...?”
Hearing that, Arthus’s eyes widened to the limit, and for a moment, he went completely blank.
‘Did he just say Henry Morris?’
There was no doubt about it. Usa had clearly said that the disciple of Henry Morris had been in the Sore Empire. Even so, Arthus was absolutely dumbfounded upon hearing the name he detested the most from this mysterious person.
Arthus rested his chin on his palm, completely frozen for a few moments. However, it didn’t take him long to return to his senses, shake his head, and ask Usa a follow-up question.
“Are you mocking me?”
“Wha... N-no, Your Majesty! Would I dare lie to the emperor of Aenia, given my position? Your Majesty! Not only I, but also the Taejae and the left minister have clearly seen and heard the wizard.”
Usa hurriedly defended himself, claiming that he was telling the truth. Even though Arthus didn’t want to believe Usa’s words, he knew he wouldn’t be lying with something like this. If the Taejae and the left minister had seen and heard the wizard as well, there was no need to be suspicious of Usa’s claim.
Even so... The disciple of Henry Morris?
Although he had certainly trained a couple of wizards at the Magical Spire, Henry Morris hadn’t appointed an official disciple to carry on his will, which was why Arthus had stopped purging the people related to Henry Morris the day he died.
‘Suddenly showing up in the Sore Empire after all this time?’
Something wasn’t right.
While preparing for his rebellion and his subsequent ascension to the throne, Arthus had never gotten a single report about someone who was suspected of being the disciple of the late Archmage. Because of that, he had kept in check the wizards of the Magical Spire who had learned under Henry Morris for a long time, even though they hadn’t been his official disciples.
In spite of all that, to hear that Henry Morris’ sole disciple appeared out of nowhere? Arthus thought this was utterly absurd, so he proceeded to interrogate Usa.
“I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Let’s continue this conversation under the assumption that everything you said is indeed true. Then what’s his name?”
“It’s Henry Morris, Your Majesty.”
"Hmm?"
“Rest assured I’m not trying to lie or mock you. He said he had the same name as his master. So, he introduced himself as Henry Morris, and apparently, his magic abilities have already surpassed those of the former master of the Magical Spire, Lore Gillian, by a mile.”
“What do you mean by that? The most powerful wizard on the continent is currently Lore Gillian, an Archmage who has reached the 6th Circle. How could he claim to be more powerful than him?”
“Just as I have mentioned, Your Majesty, he introduced himself as a 7th-Circle Archmage.”
“What nonsense!”
Bang!
That meant that this so-called Henry wizard was the only 7th-Circle Archmage on the continent, which was even more shocking than his being the sole disciple of the late Archmage, Henry Morris.
Usa went on, “That’s not all, Your Majesty. Not only has he gathered all the wizards of the former Magical Spire and become their new leader, but he is also currently seeking out the former allies of the Eurasian Empire, namely the Central Powers, in order to form a new alliance called the Allied Powers to confront you, Your Majesty.”
The more Arthus listened to Usa, the crazier the story seemed to get. This Henry wizard had not only gained incredible power as a 7th-Circle Archmage, but he was also trying to gather allies to form an alliance.
Hearing all of this, Arthus was certain of one thing: this Henry guy was currently preparing to go to war with him.
“I get it now...!”
Thinking about Usa’s words again, Arthus felt like he finally understood why the wizards in the imperial palace had betrayed him. They had someone else to side with. Someone else to look up to.
The supposed sole disciple of Henry Morris had appeared in front of the wizards as a divine being and united the arrogant and self-indulgent bastards as one. No matter how intelligent they thought they were or how arrogant they were, at the end of the day, they were nothing in front of the mythical figure named Henry Morris.
In reality, it didn’t even matter if Henry wasn’t even the actual disciple of the late Archmage. The fact that he had already surpassed Lore Gillian was enough to make the others revere him.
‘If he’s actually his sole disciple... His goal is pretty obvious.’
Henry had instigated the wizards of the Magical Spire to blow up the imperial palace and hang the emperor’s head to enshrine it in the Blessing Hall. On top of that, he had killed the new Ten Swords that Arthus had sent after him.
Henry’s actions were clearly an act of revenge. Even a five-year-old could figure out his intentions.
Arthus mumbled to himself as he chuckled, “This just made things more interesting...”
If Usa hadn’t given him this information, Arthus could’ve been killed without knowing anything. Realizing this, Arthus changed the way he looked at Usa. He looked warmly at him as if he had his eyes on treasure.
Usa looked back at Arthus and felt relieved as he realized that the snitching had worked in his favor.
After a moment, Arthus looked away and started thinking. Since this informant had given him such invaluable information, it was now up to him to take care of it and use it to his advantage.
After pondering on what to do, Arthus said, “Did you say your name is Usa?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I will grant you the rank of marquis in the Aenia Empire and grant you territory befitting to that rank.”
“...!”
A marquis!
He would become one of the most powerful people in the empire, just behind a duke. In some ways, he would be in a higher position than the kings of the nations allied with the Aenia Empire. Hearing what he had achieved by giving Arthus information, Usa gulped as he thought about what else he could get.
“But...”
“Yes. Yes...?”
“I shall offer you everything I have mentioned after we wipe out all the insects that are disturbing the continent.”
“Wait, wait...!”
“Don’t you worry, I always keep my word no matter what.”
For a moment, Usa looked back and realized how naive he had been to think that everything would just smoothly align for him. He couldn’t help being disappointed at Arthus’ condition that he would get all those rewards only after everything was settled. After all, the one who was desperate was always on the receiving side, not on the giving side.
Noticing how Usa had visibly lost his enthusiasm, Arthus smiled and said, “Usa.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Even though I said that I would make you a marquis after everything is over, I will treat you as a marquis starting now.”
“Your Majesty, I am most grateful for your kindness.”
“Good, of course you should feel that way. So now that you are a proud marquis of the Aenia Empire, are you ready to serve the empire for the rest of your life?”
“Of course, Your Majesty! I will dedicate my whole life to the empire and contribute to its development. Just give me orders, Your Majesty.”
“That’s what I like to hear. I like that attitude of yours. I really need great people like you right now. With that being said, I want you to go back to your homeland, the Sore Empire, right now.”
“Yes! Yes...? What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?”
“As I said. Since you left the Sore Empire without letting the Taejae know, it’s not officially a crime, is it? All you did was sneak out, am I wrong?”
“Well, yes, Your Majesty... That is true...”
“Then you don’t have any reason not to go back. I’ll specifically give you my imperial teleportation scroll so that you can return to the Sore Empire right now. And after that... You know what to do, right? Or do I have to tell you word for word?”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
Arthus thought it would be crazy not to use someone as clever and as useful as Usa in the war. He planned to use Usa as a spy. He would be a very efficient spy indeed.
“This is a secret mission, one that nobody else can know about. Your responsibility will be huge. As you said, the fate of our empire will depend on your loyalty and patriotism.”
Listening to Arthus, Usa realized that he was promised not only wealth and fame, but also the weight he had to carry on his shoulders until everything was over. Moreover, since he had already leaked valuable information to Arthus, he was basically on the edge of a cliff at this point.
‘So this is what I get...?’
Although Usa didn’t reveal how he was feeling, his face turned dark. Of course, he wasn’t stupid enough to think that Arthus would just protect him for free. It was just that in the current circumstances, Usa knew that he would be Arthus’ most efficient pawn.
Despite all that, the reason Usa had cast away his loyalty for the Sore Empire and sided with Arthus was simple. He knew that even if the continent's sole 7th-Circle Archmage and his five allies came together, opposing Arthus, who had already taken over more than half of the continent, would be impossible.
‘I don’t need to be a dead lion. I’ll survive until the end, even as a dog.’
Usa knew that those who survived to write history were the ones truly victorious, and that was why he would do his best to somehow survive all of this, even if that meant being a pitiful dog.
‘Sigh... If only Chungang was still alive right now...’
The death of the previous Taejae, Chungang, had also played a part in Usa’s betrayal. He had used to look up to Chungang, considering him his spiritual support. However, given that both of his sons had died, Hongwol, who was clueless about politics and power, had become the Taejae because of her lineage.
Thus, even if the 7th-Circle Archmage proposed an alliance, Usa could only see a bleak future for the Sore Empire.
After calming down, Usa bowed with his forehead on the floor and said, “Thank you for taking care of a low-class individual like me. I will dedicate the rest of my life to repaying Your Majesty’s favor.”
"Good. Then let’s talk in more detail from now on.”
Arthus’ face lit up with a satisfied smile. At this moment, the cornerstone that Henry had been meticulously building started to crack.
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