SWNOVELXO Chapter 171
“Fight! Never surrender your precious things to the Empire… Ahem. Cough.”
Gruber coughed lightly, as if his throat had slightly cracked.
He was practicing for the encouragement speech he would give tomorrow.
However, it seemed that he had overexerted himself, as his throat felt a bit sore and painful.
At that moment, an Imperial Guard rushed over and handed him honey water.
“You must be careful. Without His Majesty present, there is no one left to lead the Deo Ethnicity but you, Lord Gruber. If you were to vanish, it would truly be the end for the Deo Ethnicity.”
From the perspective of the Imperial Guards, Gruber was the only one who could carry on the wishes of the deceased King.
He had followed Prince Cassius II during his time as the prince and had accomplished various feats.
Afterward, he earned the trust of the King of Dedorant and successfully undertook many missions.
Eventually, he swiftly seized control of the now chaotic Dedorant Command after the King departed.
It felt as if he were witnessing the former days of the King, the moments when he was called Prince Georg Sistania.
When the Deo Ethnicity was at its most glorious. When Dedorant was at its most powerful.
The one who evokes such nostalgia deserves the love of the people of Deo!
All the Imperial Guards thought so and began to treat Gruber as their master.
“Thank you. It seems I may have overdone it a bit.”
“Perhaps you should take a little rest?”
“No. That cannot be. We, the Deo Ethnicity, are a people of struggle. If we don’t fight, we will disappear. Even the Kingdom People and Soldiers are fighting against the Imperial Army at the walls; we cannot crumble like this!”
Ooooh. As expected, he is the one who carries on the wishes of His Majesty. Perhaps our Dedorant may yet rise again.
With such dreams in mind, the surrounding Imperial Guards were teary-eyed.
“We will wait outside. Should anything happen, please call for us at any time.”
The Imperial Guards stepped outside, leaving Gruber alone.
After preparing his speech a little longer, he began to walk somewhere, as if entranced by something.
That place was none other than the Grand Hall. The seat of the King, where only the ruler of this Kingdom may sit.
“…Your Majesty.”
That moment still lingers in his mind. So filled with guilt, regret, and misery. How pitiful it was back then.
How heartbreaking it was to have to take the breath of the one who had raised the glory of the Deo Ethnicity with his own hands.
His chest felt as though it were being torn apart. Yet he never regretted that act.
Yes. Perhaps his King desired it as well.
If it could ignite the flame of struggle using his own life as fuel.
He would have surely smiled and accepted the sword multiple times. Yes, he would have!
“I am an ungrateful servant. Please do not forgive me.”
He knew very well that there would be no response. Yet, he continued to speak.
“However, just as Your Majesty did, I too made a resolution for Dedorant. For the Deo Ethnicity. I believe wholeheartedly that you, of all people, would understand that decision.”
“Dedorant is in crisis. The Deo Ethnicity is on the brink of collapse. The Empire grows increasingly wicked, and fools, swayed by their sweet whispers, are betraying us.”
“Yet we shall never crumble. Not even for the sake of the honorable fallen. And for Your Majesty’s sake. Surrender is a consideration we won’t entertain even for a moment.”
There was no answer. Naturally. His King no longer existed in this world.
The one who committed that act was none other than Gruber himself.
“The wicked Empire and that devil in disguise called the Chief of Staff continue to urge us to surrender and incite betrayal. Just a month ago, they even threatened to burn down the Royal Capital. How foolish they are, aren’t they? How dare they threaten to burn down the Royal Capital of Dedorant!”
“They will not even set foot on the Royal Capital. Even if they try, for every step they take, a thousand of the Imperial Army will perish. By the time the Royal Capital falls, there won’t be a single Imperial soldier left standing.”
“Your Majesty. Please, bear witness to this passion displayed by me and the other loyal subjects. If you do… ”
Gruber’s soliloquy did not last long.
Imperial Guards appeared from somewhere, hastily guiding him away, saying he had to evacuate.
“What is going on?”
“A magic, seemingly of the Empire, has appeared in the sky! You must evacuate immediately!”
“Evacuate? I will stay here! Where does the one leading the Deo Ethnicity flee to?!”
“Then let us not evacuate, but rather move to a safe place for a moment and assess the situation.”
In that sense, the act of fleeing remained unchanged.
But somehow, that shift indelibly marked Gruber’s heart.
“Hmm. That’s right. This isn’t fleeing; it’s merely moving to a safe location to assess the situation.”
“Exactly so. Now, let’s—”
At that moment, a massive magic circle began to inscribe itself above the Royal Palace of Dedorant.
All of Gruber’s Imperial Guards, who were on the move, stopped in their tracks in shock.
“What is that…?”
“My word. Can such a large magic even exist?”
It was hard to deny, but one must acknowledge it. The Empire was indeed ridiculous.
Could such a magical level exist? How much money must have been spent on such a feat!
—Piiing!
At that moment, a beam of light descended from the center of the magic circle, down to the ground.
Such radiant brilliance that Gruber thought for a split second:
Could it be that His Majesty has finally come to save Dedorant with light?
—…!!!
Of course, such delusions did not last long.
As the pure white light blinded his view, everything was swallowed by its brilliance in that moment.
Everyone present screamed in the face of an unprecedented heat.
“Uaaagh!!”
The ceiling collapsed, windows shattered, and cracks began to form in the columns, causing them to crumble.
The Royal Palace of Dedorant, with its proud history, turned to rubble in mere seconds.
Those in the Command would either perish, if lucky, or meet a fate of becoming a well-prepared piece of meat.
“Ugh! Cough!”
And Gruber, incredibly enough, survived. Yes, he was alive… for the time being.
“Cough! Urgh!”
But if one were to ask whether death had bypassed him, they would all say no.
His limbs were already crushed under debris, leaving him unrecognizable.
All his senses were scrambled, and his mouth felt as if it were melting, gasping for air became a challenge.
“I want to live. It hurts. Why did this happen? These thoughts spiraled endlessly.
Why? I fought so hard for the glory of the Deo Ethnicity! Why did it come to this!?
It’s unfair. It’s unjust! God has ultimately abandoned the Deo Ethnicity! Ah! How I resent it…
—Kraack!!
A fragment of the palace fell upon Gruber, completely cutting off his breath.
That sight looked as if it were telling him: I can no longer listen to your nonsense.
*
Meanwhile, at the Imperial Palace, the Emperor silently bore witness to the scene unfolding before him.
“….”
“….”
“….”
“[—Kugugugu…!]”
The vast Royal Capital was completely obliterated by just one beam of light.
It was like a massive wave washing away everything from behind a sandcastle.
Even from this distance, one could see how devastating it was through a mere teleportation magic.
What must be the atmosphere on-site? What must have happened to those struck by that attack?
“[Forgive me, Your Majesty. Due to the magical aftereffects, we cannot transmit any further.]”
The voice of the field commander snapped the Emperor and those with him back to reality.
“…Good work. The Chief of Staff will handle the following matters.”
“[We shall pass that along to the Chief of Staff.]”
As the magical communication ended, the ministers finally exhaled in relief.
They had somewhat anticipated the tremendous power, having heard of it beforehand.
But they never expected it to be this horrific!
It wasn’t just a few buildings. It wasn’t even the scale of a small castle.
The palace had completely collapsed, vanishing without a trace, and over half of the Royal Capital was destroyed.
In terms of area, more than half of the territory was literally swept away.
“…It seems there are no survivors among the Dedorant Command.”
The Emperor’s words prompted the Crown Princess and the ministers to nod in agreement.
It was a given. If someone survived that, how could they still be considered human?
Even if the gods had helped them survive, they would likely be in a state worse than death.
To be honest, how many had perished among the Command, he didn’t care.
The reason they remained silent was simple. They were worried about those beyond the Command.
Even though they had issued warnings and provided a month of grace, still.
Many Soldiers and Kingdom People must have been caught in that chaos.
No matter how loyal they were to the Command of Dedorant. Even if they were drenched in madness.
That complete obliteration, akin to divine judgment, weighed heavily on his heart.
As an Empire citizen, he ought to feel relieved, but as a human, he felt an unavoidable discomfort.
“Listen well.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Seemingly aware of their feelings, the Emperor continued in a solemn tone.
“Let none of you here feel pity for them, nor bear a sense of guilt. Do not label yourselves as sinners of history, nor should you feel embarrassed.”
“We will heed your words, Your Majesty.”
“And.”
This was the most critical part. For the future, the credit belongs to the youth, and the failures belong to the old.
“The Manhattan Project was carried out in my name. During the process, there were no suggestions or influences from anyone. Remember that, and record it as such.”