A Treacherous Courtier Manages the Empire Well

92 – The Immortal You Requested Has Arrived

Amir was feeling good. He had succeeded in outsmarting the world. He had stabbed a sword into his father, who always looked down on himself compared to Rashd, and had effectively stirred up trouble in the political triangle of Crescent Moon Valley, where one had to be on edge every day to survive amidst power struggles and secret rumors.

Even when setting up a trap, stealing a car discreetly, and escaping unnoticed.

Even when casting a teleportation spell on the car and arriving swiftly in the north at an incredible speed. Even when the dragons appeared, but it was already too late, and he had the Skull Lord in his hands.

He continued to feel good.

From the start, this was his purpose.

When the people of Aylam were murdered, he had the idea to awaken the Skull Lord, and when the Grand Sorcerer was kidnapped, he was certain his plans would be exposed, so he sacrificed all his legions and capital as bait to ensure his own survival. To survive against Aylam, which possessed seven dragons, there was no other way.

The Western Great Plains?

Crescent Moon Valley?

The Karamba Empire?

Who cares about them.

As long as he survived well, that was enough for him.

If he couldn’t have it, he would destroy it, that was his mindset.

According to legend, the Skull Dragon Kayaat was known to be stronger than seven dragons. If only he could get his hands on him.

If he could get his hands on him and his immortal legion.

He believed he could dominate all the humans on the continent.

That’s what he thought.

But…

“Why is this happening! Why!!”

The body of the Skull Dragon Kayaat was crumbling. It wasn’t even a significant battle.

Just a simple exchange of magic with the dragons.

However, compared to the vicious legend, the collapse of the Skull Dragon seemed all too futile.

The seven dragons, after initially being shocked at the sight, quickly understood the situation and began to laugh.

“It seems the expiration date has arrived! hahahahaha!”

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“Expiration date? What are you talking about? What do you mean by that?!”

“Exactly as it sounds, expiration date. Child. The 10th Circle magic has slowly dispersed and weakened over time.”

It had been thousands of years.

Even from a dragon’s perspective, it was by no means a short period.

The 10th Circle magic had gradually dissipated and weakened underground, now barely maintaining the undead legion’s immortality. It was a state of weakness where only the phenomenon could be sustained, unable to fight or do anything significant. The seven dragons murmured in amazement at the sight.

“We are also new to the 10th Circle magic. We couldn’t know precisely how long it would take to vanish. We even thought it might require a time close to eternity. So, we rushed here thinking of Kayat during its heyday, but it was unnecessary, wasn’t it?”

“The timing was off! Child! If you had been resurrected a thousand years earlier, you could have commanded the undead legion of immortality as you wished!”

“No, no!! No!! This can’t happen!! This can’t be! Wake up! Wake up!!!!”

Amir screamed at the crumbling original dragon, commanding it, but the dragon, corroded over thousands of years underground due to the fading immortality of the 10th Circle magic, was too weak to obey its master.

Turning into a fragile snack, the original dragon fell to the ground with Prince Amir.

In its final moments, gently landing on the ground to protect Prince Amir was all the original dragon could do.

Amidst the white bone dust, Prince Amir looked around in bewilderment. War… or rather, embarrassing skull-crushing was happening all around.

“Is this right?”

“Just yesterday, we were writing eulogies and shedding tears like crazy.”

“Is this damn right? It’s too one-sidedly advantageous for us, isn’t it? hahahahaha!!!”

A single undead orc, as it pummeled a soldier, had its arm broken and fell off. There was no need even for machine gun firepower. Just a light touch made the undead soldiers’ bones shatter, rendering them combat ineffective. It felt like watching a corrupt military deal at the Ministry of National Defense.

3000 dragons?

Starting to fall from the sky, most were crashing down to the ground with broken wings.

Not a single normal undead remained.

“It’s over now. Rest in peace. Great Kayat.”

The red dragon chuckled for a while before unleashing a massive shockwave spell across the plains. Nearly 3000 dragons and all the remaining skeletal bones on the ground were obliterated in that single spell.

“No!! No!!!!!!! No!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Amir’s desperate screams echoed, as the reign of the skeletal lords came to an end, leaving only the byproduct of the psychological alliance of Aylam and Karamba.

The war ended so futilely.

Compared to the tension and narrative built up, the conclusion was incredibly anticlimactic, but…

It wasn’t without gains.

“It’s over!! Hail the world!!!!”

“Hurrah! Hail Prince Rashid!! Hail the great Emperor Adran of Aylam!!”

“Honor to Aylam!!!!”

People who had thought the world would perish tomorrow were genuinely celebrating today’s victory. Karambans and Aylamans embraced each other. Rashid couldn’t hold back his tears, while Emperor Adran silently hugged each of his soldiers.

Even the humanoids and Karambans embraced each other.

To the Karambans, the Aylamans were precious saviors who had rushed to their aid without sparing their lives, and to the Aylamans, the Karambans were comrades who fought alongside them.

Indeed, it seemed that humanity came together more effectively in times of shared adversity rather than great ideals. Prince Amir, in that sense, had achieved a remarkable diplomatic feat that would be remembered in history.

The perfect psychological union and solidarity between Karamba, Aylam, and the humanoids. How great was that? I had thought it was another pitiful development born out of this worn-out novel, but I was wrong.

Prince Amir was a diplomatic strategist who sacrificed himself to end all conflicts and grievances.

Hail Prince Amir. This damn son of a b*tch.

“Randor!!!!”

As I blankly looked outside the barracks at the people dancing and singing.

Karia rushed towards me and hugged me.

Clad in military attire, despite being surrounded by soldiers of the Ironblood Legion and the Imperial Army, she paid them no heed.

After all, the nature of our relationship was already well known among all Imperial citizens.

She began shedding tears like a storm, and I held her tightly in my arms.

Even as the indomitable Karia wept, no one blamed her.

Even if it wasn’t her, everyone was in tears.

People were crying for various reasons.

“My dear.”

“I’ve been having dreams of you dying every day since all of this started.”

Karia wailed, tears streaming down her face.

“I dream every day of not being able to protect you because of my incompetence!”

I held Karia as she sobbed like a child, running my fingers through her red hair.

“I protected you, didn’t I? In the end? I protected Aylam from the orcs on the Casolea Plain and protected all of humanity from the Skull Legion.”

“But still…….but still……..”

I wiped Karia’s tears away.

The woman I love.

A woman I would gladly dedicate my entire life to loving.

I cupped her cheeks, pulling her towards me and kissed her deeply.

Karia was taken aback.

Perhaps because I had never shown such intense affection before.

But she soon closed her eyes and accepted my kiss.

“I will make you happy. No matter what. I promise.”

I caressed Karia’s cheek.

And solemnly, I shared my vow with her. Karia too nodded in agreement.

“I will make you happy for the rest of my life. Randor. I love you. I love you!!”

She embraced me tightly once again.

The two of us lay on the plains of the Western Great Prairie.

The moist sensation of the grass was felt on the back of my head.

It was an incredibly happy moment.

The grim developments I thought were inevitable once again brushed past me.

A festival ensued.

“Mayuz and meat, bring everything!! There’s no holding back today! Today is the day of celebration!!!!!!!!!!!”

Just moments ago, I had ordered the dragonkin, who were combat operatives, to disarm and fly off to fetch all the drinks and food. By lunchtime, the Lamfang soldiers had departed and returned in the evening with heaps of food. We indulged in their food along with the Western Great Prairie tribes’ offerings, letting loose and starting the festival.

The nomads of Karamba, especially those from the Western Great Prairie, generously shared their livestock and alcohol, and celebrations began in every corner of the prairie. The waterfolk were high-spirited, even organizing friendly soccer matches.

Karia, Adran, Rashid, and I actively participated in the festival, eating, playing, and enjoying ourselves to the fullest.

And so, a wild night passed.

And the next day.

The fully relaxed forces of Karamba and Aylam picked up the discarded armaments scattered on the ground, regained order, and restored discipline.

Of course, even then they did not turn back.

The main quest still to be completed. Perhaps because there was one more crucial content left.

Many people gathered around, creating a circular open space, and some people ended up sitting at the center of that space. We all watched them, sharpening our eyes on them.

“Well then! How should we deal with this damn bastard?”

I couldn’t see my own appearance right now. But if there had been a mirror around to see myself, I could confidently say that a cross-shaped blood vessel mark, something that might only come out in a cartoon, would be prominently visible on my forehead.

Why?

Because every being gathered here had a cross-shaped blood vessel mark on their foreheads.

Especially among them, the apex was the chieftains and sub-chieftains of the Western Great Plains.

Their faces were so flushed it seemed like they might burst.

It was understandable.

Their homelands had turned into battlefields because of that damn bastard Amiir.

If the Kayat hadn’t crumbled into pieces the moment we touched it, being a fossil that had been lying around for thousands of years, everything from livestock to humans would have turned into undead, but there was no room for optimism.

“You shouldn’t kill them.”

As Adran spoke, everyone nodded in agreement.

“Killing them would be too easy.”

“There’s no reason to show such mercy.”

“They need to suffer. Of course, in a painful way.”

In response to everyone’s words, Amiir Prince, who was kneeling at the center, along with his core rebels, were trembling.

Amiir Prince’s head had turned completely white overnight, and his generals who sympathized with the rebellion he brought from the Crescent Triangle, along with other senior commanders and sorcerers, were frantically pleading their case.

“It’s all because of Amiir Prince!!”

“We are not guilty! It’s all Amiir Prince’s doing!”

“We didn’t expect it to turn out this way! Skull Lord! If we knew, we would have stopped it!”

Of course, most of it was nonsense.

As they desperately barked without anyone responding, they began desperately begging the people of the Western Great Plains and Prince Rashid.

Most of the leaders of the rebels were people from the Western Great Plains.

“Please! Uncle! Father! Please help us!”

“Prince Rashid! Please! Please save us! Just spare our lives! Please!! We will be loyal for life!”

It was truly a desperate sh*t-show. But no one responded to their pleas.

“You are not my nephew. Leave.”

“Don’t call me father. What son agrees to a plan to turn father and the entire tribe into skeletons?”

The people of the Western Great Plains growled softly, and Prince Rashid silently spat at them.

For someone of his usually quiet and calm nature to do such a thing showed how infuriated he was.

And slowly.

“Cut off both legs and arms, strip off the skin, then cut the eyes, nose, and tongue, and make them crawl around like livestock for the rest of their lives. With the help of my tribe’s torturers, it is possible.”

“No! That’s not enough! They need to be burned! With the help of the Dragon Lords, they should be burned every day to keep them alive!”

“What about throwing them into the Bug Pit? It’s one of the torture methods in our Aylam……”

Various methods of punishment for Amiir and his gang began to be suggested.

But all those suggestions fell silent when the Green Dragon raised its hand.

“We have the Dragon Heart of Kayat in our hands. Upon investigation………it seems that the immortal magic of the 10 Circles is still there. Well, due to thousands of years passing, it has greatly diminished compared to its prime, and now it’s hard to even call it proper magic. Yet, nonetheless, right?”

The Green Dragon, with a hint of interest, looked at Amiir Prince and his cronies.

“About ten humans or so, I think I can turn them into immortals for the next ten years.”

“Ohhhhh. Immortals?”

“Yeah. By engraving a permanent healing magic circle on their backs, they could become beings who won’t die no matter how harshly they are treated for ten years, recovering instantly in various ways.”

The Green Dragon genuinely smiles.

That smile seemed more terrifying to Amir, the Prince of Amire, than the Grim Reaper.

“P-please… hehehe. hehehe! P-please!!!!!”

With his hair turned white, Amir crawls on his knees, looking at Rashd.

“Brother!!!!! Please!!!!!!!!!! Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

It wasn’t a sound a human would make.

It could be called a beastly sound.

It was closer to the final scream a demon would make. But Rashd didn’t even flinch at his younger brother’s desperate words.

“Excellent suggestion. Let’s make them immortal for ten years to pay for their sins. And all of you. I think all the suggestions you’ve made are good.”

Rashd silently looks down at his brother.

Disgust, anger, hatred.

There wasn’t a single drop of compassion or affection in his gaze.

“Since they won’t die for the next ten years anyway, let’s take the time to try everything.”

“aaahhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Amir bites his own tongue.

Blood gushes out, and he starts smashing his head on the ground as if he were insane.

He must have wanted to die right now, but unfortunately.

“[Heal.]”

There was a dragon who could use healing magic effortlessly like breathing. Amir was neatly healed. And the Green Dragon raised the Prince Amir and his rebel army generals, the execution units and tribal leaders who slaughtered his allies, with magic.

The Green Dragon lifts Kayat’s heart.

“You’ll become immortals for the next ten years! hahahaha! Congratulations! Prince Amir!”

The Green Dragon bursts into merry laughter.

“N-no!! Stop it! Don’t! Stop!!!!!!!!!”

And to all the rebel factions, he cast the 10-circle immortality and permanent healing magic of Kayat.

Death was not a mercy granted to them.