A Treacherous Courtier Manages the Empire Well

63 – Darkness Beneath the Lantern

Similarly, dragons would always send envoys to human kingdoms when they grew prosperous, demanding gold and treasures. But this time, the dragons remained silent.

Perhaps they knew something after all.

The current Aylam, torn apart by Randor and the Sultans, was a broken kingdom that didn’t need to be further ravaged.

– From the novel “The Fall of the Aylam Empire” in “The Beginning of the Atrocious War” –

The next day, a goblin with piercing eyes, under mental control, arrived at the southern defense fortress of the Steelblood Legion and delivered a message.

“Mortals. There is a price to pay for growing strong in dragon territory. We desire gold. Offer us all the gold circulating in your kingdom. Only then can you avoid this war.”

The dragons’ demands, relayed through the goblin, were very straightforward.

It was a declaration to devour Aylam entirely.

This fact was immediately reported to the palace, of course.

“Your Majesty. This is a fight we cannot win! We must surrender and comply with their terms!”

“Nonsense! How dare those greedy dragon fiends demand anything!! We must fight, Your Majesty! We must trust the Steelblood Legion, the giants, the newly arrived weapons like machine guns, and the Dragon Cavalry!”

“Don’t speak foolishly! Fight against dragons! Didn’t they say the monsters on the Limnakal Plains are four times the number of the monster horde! Four times!! And can we win against hundreds of their dragon kin and seven ancient dragons? War will tip the fate of the nation!!!”

“Then you suggest handing over the hard-earned empire’s wealth to those reptilian scoundrels!!”

The royal court was in chaos.

The two factions of loyalists, under Adran’s rule, were divided and fighting. The nobles with territories in the provinces believed that if war broke out, their provinces would be wiped out, so under no circumstances should war be waged.

On the other hand, the capital nobles could not bow down to dragons and believed they must persevere through whatever comes.

Adran watched the struggle of his followers with a headache, pressing his temple, while Selene, Karia, Karl Hanssen, and I also silently observed the scene.

The quarrel eventually led to one conclusion.

“Your Majesty! Please make a decision! We must make peace with the dragons!”

“No! Your Majesty! We must fight! We must be brave!”

No matter how much the nobles argued, it was meaningless. The Emperor, who held the real power of the empire, had to make a decision. The Emperor remained silent for a while in response to those words.

“Elond Byungbaek.”

The Emperor called my name.

“What should we do?”

The Emperor asked me, Adran. War or surrender.

I couldn’t answer right away either.

In the original work, dragons were non-existent beings altogether.

Merely mentioned lightly as ancient legends, they were brushed off as beings with only a description of extreme greed and nothing more.

Well, that makes sense.

In the original novel, Aylam was in decline, so there was hardly anything to pique the interest of dragons.

But Aylam now is different. A place rich with gold tempting enough to catch the dragons’ eyes. From the dragons’ perspective, it might have seemed like a golden pig squealing to be caught.

“Can we stop the dragons’ advance with machine guns and the Dragon Knights?”

I don’t know.

Since dragons had never been prominently featured in the original work.

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However, from the mention in the part where they were referred to as ancient legends, as frightful transcendent beings extremely greedy and capable of wielding spell magic freely, it seemed that even with just 300 Imperial Dragon Guards and Dragon Knights, they could never defeat them.

“The possibility of winning through war seems slim.”

Even if they won, it would be Pyrrhic. The empire would weaken due to war, and then the ambitious Sultans, perceiving the public opinion and situation, might rise again.

So what?

It’s just a messy development starting over.

I look at Princess Celené.

“Your Highness.”

“Yes.”

“Is there a way to kill the Ancient Dragon? With the advanced technology of the Magic Towers, wouldn’t it be possible?”

At my words, Celené shook her head.

“Dragon Hearts are very special. After analyzing the hearts of our Imperial Dragons several times, they boast a mana storage and output level far beyond our Magic Towers. Even the unbelievable spell magic is achievable through these colossal structures.”

“Then…”

“There is no way to kill a dragon. According to the investigation, our Imperial Dragons are of a Wyrm class. They are like infants less than a hundred years old. Even with all the Dragon Knights rushing in, they might not be able to capture one Wyrm-class Imperial Dragon, let alone an Ancient Dragon…”

Celené’s words trailed off. I closed my eyes tightly.

It was the same old hustle and bustle that started again at that statement.

“Look at that! What war! We must act now! This is almost like a natural disaster!”

“Your Majesty! We must send an envoy soon!”

“This is a fight we cannot win! Your Majesty!”

The public opinion was completely leaning towards survival, changing. The Emperor stared at me quietly.

It was the expression of someone who wanted to grasp at straws.

If Aylam submitted to the dragons, what would become of it?

It would be stripped of astronomical riches, and the empire would gradually decline. Would the Sultan come to devour the country? The dragons wouldn’t care much. Aylam would either fall or not.

Once a new country emerged to offer gold, that would be the end of it.

The sight of it.

“Your Majesty.”

Even if I die and rise again, I can never see it.

“I will handle this once.”

The commotion that was swirling at my words subsides.

Everyone is looking at me.

Even the Emperor is gazing at me.

Yes.

What about Randor?

Those faces that believe the legendary Randor, who revived the empire, might have a solution.

Despite feeling a burden as heavy as if my insides were turning upside down due to that expectation, I forced a smile.

“I will not let the dragons destroy the empire. And! I will not let us be dragged into a war where we might or might not win against the dragons! Your Majesty! Please give me time! If you grant me just one week, I will try to solve this!”

At my words, hope is reflected in everyone’s faces.

Only four.

Among those who often gathered – Karia, Selene, Adran, and Karl Hansen – realized that I was pushing too hard.

“Very well. Elond Changebaek. I will grant you a week. Bring forth a solution within that time.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

Applause erupts.

I smile awkwardly, waving my hand as I listen to the applause.

‘To think of a way to stop the dragons… I must be crazy.’

I shed tears internally.

From that day on, I was entrenched in the royal palace.

“Bring me all the data and information about the dragons!”

I needed to know my adversary.

I forwent food and drink, burying myself in books, reading and rereading research and information on dragons.

I delved into history books, unearthed folk legends about dragons to learn about their existence.

I even checked the research conducted at the Matop on the Guardian Dragon and called people from various fields to hear different stories.

Thus, five days passed in a whirlwind, and I found myself staring blankly at the ceiling amidst a pile of books.

“We cannot win.”

At the end of five days of hardship, the first fact I confirmed was this.

Ancient dragons were unbeatable by human abilities.

If only we could knock a dragon down with one swift strike of a sword like in a martial arts novel and bring them as harem members, how convenient would that be! But reality did not bend to my will. Enchantment magic. Transcendental amounts of mana. Just thinking about it was annoying, and their skin and bones were as tough as it gets.

It was obvious that machine guns wouldn’t work, and even developing nuclear weapons to detonate might barely hint at the possibility of killing a dragon in this world where mana and magic existed. The creatures known as dragons were beings so formidable that even the thought of them shrugging off nuclear blasts was terrifying.

“And these creatures are very greedy.”

And the second fact.

Their obsession with gold and treasures was terrifying. Throughout recorded history, countless dragons had persistently sought out humans, tearing them apart for gold coins to the extent that many dragons had come and gone without getting tired of it.

The creatures’ obsession with gold and treasures was so intense that it was hard to understand why they would hound humans for gold coins when they could survive without them. And at this point, I could grasp a small clue.

I delved into history and folk legends, discovering an interesting fact.

“And a very long time ago, there was a human who killed this monster.”

The folk legend of a hero chosen by the gods who slew an evil dragon with a holy sword was easily found.

And after combining all these facts, the final conclusion I reached after pondering for five days was this.

“Could it be that dragons’ obsession with gold coins and treasures is not to weaken human society? Is it to prevent the emergence of another hero and holy sword?”

In the myth, it is said that a hero had to offer many treasures, as well as the sweat and tears of humans, to move the gods and receive the holy sword. The answer was in the well-known folklore. That night, I hurried to the Emperor’s residence.

After gathering Karia, Karl Hanson, Selene, and Adran, I handed them a fairy tale book.

“…What is this?”

“This is the solution to the current situation, Your Majesty.”

“Isn’t this a fairy tale? Why this?”

“Take a look at this ancient legend of a hero.”

I read them the end of the fairy tale book.

“The hero who vanquished the evil dragon created a large and dangerous maze and hid the holy sword in the middle of it. To prevent the evil humans from obtaining the holy sword or another evil dragon from destroying it. Only a truly good and righteous person can overcome the trials of the maze and take the holy sword. The end of the story.”

“Isn’t this just a well-known fairy tale? Why this?”

“The only weapon that dragons fear is the holy sword. It is the only weapon that has a record of killing their believed-to-be immortal tribe. The reason they only took gold coins and treasures and spared humans is probably because of that.”

“Because of the holy sword and hero?”

“Yes. If a full-scale war broke out, another hero would appear to reclaim the holy sword and they feared being killed! So, they focused on weakening human society. They concentrated on taking gold coins and money to destabilize society and weaken the country.”

“Is it really because of that?”

When Selene expressed disbelief, I nodded confidently.

“According to the fairy tale, the hero received the holy sword after offering many treasures, as well as the sweat and tears of humans. Dragons must have focused on the treasures here. Since humanity hasn’t found the originally received holy sword, they probably took the treasures to prevent receiving another holy sword. Anyway, the conclusion is this.”

Although my words were long, the story was simple in the end.

“We need to get hold of the holy sword. That’s what they fear the most. With that, we can threaten the dragons and get them to the negotiating table.”

Karl Hanson questioned my words.

“Then where is this so-called maze?”

“We’ll have to start looking for it now.”

“Do you know how long it will take?”

“I don’t know. Nothing is certain. All we have is a faint hope. Karl Hanson.”

I looked around at everyone slowly.

“But this is perhaps the only way the empire can survive. Having all the empire’s wealth taken by the dragons, engaging in a fight that cannot be won, it’s no different from the empire’s destruction.”

No matter how worn out, we had to avoid a disaster by any means necessary. We had to catch even the smallest straw, and this was the straw I had come up with.

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

Then, the Emperor stood up from his seat.

“I will order to release the people to find the maze.”

He smiled at me.

“Byungbaek’s words are right. Both are paths to destruction. If there is even a slim hope, it is right to grasp that hope.”

“Matop will cooperate as well. We’ll help in any way we can.”

Selene also nodded. Karia came up to me in silence and tightly held my hand.

“You’ve done well, Randor. Now, rest a bit. We will try to find the maze. You’ve done your best.”

At those words, my tension eased, and I could only stagger for a moment.

“Randor!”

Karia quickly supported me, and I leaned on her, letting out a long sigh.

“Thank you, everyone. Let’s… Let’s definitely… Let’s save the empire.”

We didn’t know how long it would take to find the maze.

But we will definitely find it.

And we will definitely survive.

At that moment when we clench our fists with firm determination.

“Your Majesty.”

“Aren’t you the Captain of the Imperial Guard? What’s the matter at this hour?”

The Captain of the Imperial Guard, responsible for the Emperor’s protection, came knocking. After pondering for a while, he soon revealed the reason for his visit.

“A map merchant by the name of Kaldoran, who is working in the capital, has come to see Your Majesty.”

“A map merchant looking for me?”

“Yes. He says that from generation to generation, his family has been searching for the hidden labyrinth of the Holy Sword.”

“So?”

“I find it hard to believe… but he claims to know the location of the hidden labyrinth of the Holy Sword. Upon hearing rumors of dragons invading recently, he insists on seeing Your Majesty, stubbornly persisting all morning.”

The Captain of the Guard quietly rests his hand on his sword.

“Shall I make a scene and throw him out?”

The Emperor and I exchange glances simultaneously.

“Bring him in. We must hear what he has to say.”

We brought the map merchant named Kaldoran into the palace.

And as soon as he saw the Emperor and us, without any formalities or niceties, he blurted out his conclusion.

“Your Majesty! There is a labyrinth beneath the palace! A labyrinth hidden beneath the palace!”