Chapter 289: Cale, more than a Dragon (3)

“If you wait a moment, His Majesty will come as soon as the meeting is over.”

Hearing Emperor Alt's faithful servant, Cale settled into his chair.

“This place is better than the last time.”

Besides being guided to the palace where the Emperor resided, the furniture and decoration of the meeting place were considerably more luxurious. This meant they were treating Cale with greater respect. They wouldn’t reveal part of the imperial palace to an enemy.

“Anyway, I arrived early, so he can finish his meeting in peace.”

Cale responded softly to the servant. The servant bowed slightly with a firm expression. It was uncommon for the Emperor’s servant to act this way with anyone other than a foreign king or a high-ranking personage. Moreover, the Emperor's servant was supposed to be beside him. Yet, he was there in front of Cale to guide him. This was significant.

“I will bring some refreshments.”

“Take your time.”

Although the servant seemed to want to say more, seeing that Cale leaned back further in the chair and turned his gaze towards the window, he left the room without saying anything else. Even while opening and closing the door, he kept a close watch on Cale.

He swallowed involuntarily.

“He defeated Cisco... the Dragon, so easily.”

After his first encounter with Cale Henituse and upon his departure, King Dennis of Har Kingdom showed the battle scene through an image storage device. Emperor Alt's faithful servant had seen the entire content.

One of the Ten Dragon Gods. He thought that facing and capturing those beings, even believing the words, the battle process would be quite intense and desperate. But reality was very different from his expectations.

The God of Struggle, Cisco. Among the Ten Dragons, she was considered one of the most powerful, and in terms of pure combat strength, she could be said to be just below the Third Star Dragons. However, she was dominated very easily.

Cale Henituse. She was overwhelmed by his strength and couldn’t do anything.

“It was amazing.”

He couldn't believe a human could become so strong. That fact was hard to believe. But at the same time, his heart beat violently.

“This could be...”

It could be possible to destroy the Dragon Lord and the Purple Blood Family. And, as before the Catastrophe Era, he longed for a world where humans were the center.

“……”

But the servant's gaze soon calmed down quickly.

He closed the door and left.

‘Treat him with courtesy. Give him the best possible treatment.’

He remembered Emperor Alt's order. He had treated Cale Henituse as if he were a Dragon, recognizing his strength and honoring him as a guest. Moreover, he sought to establish a close relationship, even to the point of revealing parts of the imperial palace.

“But treating him like a Dragon is the problem.”

Dragon.

A being that Emperor Alt eventually had to eliminate. In other words, for Emperor Alt, Cale Henituse was also such a being. Though Cale Henituse claimed he would disappear after capturing the Purple Blood Hunters, the Emperor didn’t fully believe it. Because for the Emperor, power and strength were above truth.

“...This is madness.”

Emperor Alt was trying to balance between Cale Henituse and the Dragons. Telling each faction that he would do his best.

“Is it possible?”

Is that possible?

“Envy-”

No.

“No.”

He shook his head. He quickly dismissed the thought that had come to his mind. Although he had much to say, the servant only sighed lightly and continued walking.

Tap, tap.

His thoughts drowned in the sound of his steps.

“...I have always been worried about his envy. But now-”

He seemed to envy Cale Henituse’s power. So, as always, although he bowed, he would be lurking, waiting for his chance.

But-

“It’s too much.”

His Majesty has been number one among humans for quite a while. That’s why he seemed to have lost sense of how much his greed should be.

“Hmm.”

The servant stopped thinking, as he began to feel an inexplicable fear. He simply hurried his pace. He had to report to the Emperor, who had ordered to observe Cale Henituse.

And Cale, looking at the closed door, spoke out loud.

“Shall we talk?”

A small gust appeared in front of Cale.

“...Freedom... Yes!”

Two or three more gusts appeared.

“The gust to the left is the Wind Elemental who has lived the longest in the palace. He has been here since the era of Har Empire!”

Oh.

Cale opened his eyes in surprise. Originally, the place where the current Holy Empire stood was the palace of Har Kingdom when it was an empire. Although now it was a fallen nation pushed to the north, the Empire in the center of Aipotu and Har Kingdom in the north shared a border because the Empire had pushed the Kingdom to the north.

“Hello?”

Cale looked at the gust to the left. If he had lived so long, he must have a lot of information.

The gust trembled slightly. And a voice was heard.

“Harr—”

Hmm?

“Harr—”

“Eh?”

Cale was truly bewildered.

“Harr, harrrr, har! Harrrr!”

“Eh?”

...Does he only know how to say ‘har’?

“Freedom! Let me interpret, Freedom!”

Was interpretation needed?

Cale had much to say, but he restrained himself.

At that moment, the gust to the right of Freedom approached Cale.

“About two hundred years ago, when Har Empire lost the palace. There was an Elementalist in the royal family of that time. This Wind Elemental was the Elemental summoned by that Elementalist, but upon the Elementalist’s death, the contract was broken, and his language cannot be transmitted correctly to you.”

Cale’s expression brightened as a gust appeared with which he could maintain a normal conversation among the Elementals who shouted “freedom” and “har.”

“Could you explain then?”

“Sure, Young Master. I’ll do my best to tell you everything.”

Hmm. Cale hesitated for a moment. This one also seemed a bit strange. But he decided to listen.

“When the message from the Three-Star Dragon, Exion, arrived. Emperor Alt, despite his servant's opposition, informed the Three-Star Dragon Exion about the existence of Cale Henituse.”

The voice continued calmly.

“Of course, he did not reveal all the information. He only said that he had enough power to capture two Dragons. Naturally, he also kept the collaboration with Young Master Cale Henituse a secret.”

“I knew it.”

Cale spoke in a relaxed tone.

“Rather, he said he should keep them at bay, stating that since he was in contact with them, he would lure them into a trap.”

Emperor Alt. This guy is really funny.

“His servant said this was a move that rather favored the Dragons. That Cale Henituse was more beneficial than the Dragons. Then, the Emperor said.”

“Freedom, Chaos!”

“Ryan is dead.”

Wow. Cale was surprised.

“How did he know?”

“He said he was observing from outside the desert.”

Ryan’s territory is within the Empire's domains. So, observing from outside the desert, the Emperor could have guessed what happened without anyone telling him.

“Well, we did fight quite a bit.”

With the blue mana, the black liquid, the blue flames, and the reddish lightning, the spectacle was impressive. Surely, they saw the bright lights from afar, outside the desert.

“Then, he ensured our victory in place of Ryan.”

“Additionally, the Emperor knew the Two-Star Dragon was in that place. He said they always watched the island from a base on the nearby coast.”

Wow. Cale was somewhat impressed.

‘He’s quite shrewd.’

Though his greed and envy were excessive. The Emperor planned the fight between Cale, who defeated Ryan, and the Three-Star Dragon, Exion.

“Hoping both would die or at least one would fall, to gain something.”

Because now the Three-Star Dragon was gathering all possible forces. Practically all of Aipotu's military power, except for some Dragons and the Dragon Lord, was concentrated there.

“Still, it’s foolish.”

I said I would leave.

“Furthermore, the Emperor informed the Three-Star Dragon about the Pope’s betrayal.”

Wow!

Cale couldn’t help but laugh.

“No. He has acted with some discernment, I suppose.”

Cale said he would leave after finishing everything. The Emperor didn’t completely believe it. Because he wasn’t that type of person. So, he wanted to balance all forces as much as possible.

But, thinking about it...

Creeeek.

The door opened.

“Even so-”

Cale met Emperor Alt’s gaze.

"Even so, he’s a fool."

Cale smiled and said,

"Don't you think so?"

"What do you mean?"

Cale spoke casually to the Emperor, who pretended to know nothing.

"Ryan is dead. And Epley's Lair is gone. The island has disappeared. Check it. What's left is Exion, and after him, the Dragon Lord who is not here yet."

Cale's eyes settled on Emperor Alt. Though his appearance was more fitting for a general, his insides were as greedy as a traitor.

"Let's not complicate things, shall we?"

Cale had no intention of persuading the Emperor. Today, he had only come to give him a warning and a final chance.

"I know everything you've told Exion."

"......."

Cale shrugged as he looked at the Emperor, who hadn't even been able to enter through the door.

"What's the matter? Are you wondering how I know?"

Cale laughed and pointed around.

Whoosh~

Whoosh~

Whoosh~

Cale, not hiding the wind, spoke.

"The world is on my side now."

The Emperor deserved at least that much.

"No matter what you say or do, it will reach my ears. So, let's not complicate things."

"…It seems the Commander has misunderstood my intentions-"

"Why would I misunderstand anything?"

Cale interrupted his words and asked with genuine curiosity.

"Do I have time to misunderstand your intentions?"

"..."

The Emperor's face twisted. Cale paid no attention to him. Sometimes, people need to be treated differently. Especially someone like Emperor Alt, who responded better to this approach.

"Do you know why I say the world will be back to how it was in a month and that I will leave afterward?"

Cale stood up and walked to the window.

Swish~

Then he closed the curtains to isolate the interior from the outside world. Looking at the Emperor standing by the only exit door, Cale spoke.

"A month. No, there's not even a month left."

Time passed while eliminating Ryan.

"If I don't resolve everything within that time, this world will be destroyed."

"...!"

The Emperor's eyes widened for the first time. It seemed he didn't understand Cale's words at first. The Emperor's servant's face turned pale.

"Does it seem like a lie? The Dragon Lord and the Purple Blood Family plan to leave this world and head to another."

Cale, standing in front of the Emperor, didn't use any aura or power today. He simply looked at the greedy Emperor's face.

"If they continue extracting the Source of the World, what will be left? In the end, that world will die. It's an obvious principle, isn't it?"

The Emperor's lips remained closed.

"Ah."

Instead, the servant behind him let out a sigh with a distressed face.

"The Dragon Lord, the Purple Blood Family, and the other Dragons only plan to leave this world when that happens."

Ah.

Cale shrugged as if he had just remembered something.

"And the Pope too. You know? The Pope and the Bishops are the ones who want to destroy this world."

Haha-

Cale let out a brief laugh.

"Why does no one have any attachment to this world?"

But that laugh quickly disappeared.

"Aren't you the one who has the most attachment to this world?"

He no longer used the word "Emperor" or any form of respect.

"I think the one most attached to this world is the Emperor, that is, you."

Cale continued speaking with a calm face.

"I told King Dennis to convince the other Kingdoms."

- Human, can you say that?

What's wrong with that?

This type of Emperor doesn't pose a great threat, no matter what he does. It's the same reason Cale was calm in front of the Pope.

He told the God of Death:

< You said the God of Balance was busy, right? Then, let's call more people from Central Plains here. We're outnumbered. >

< You have to help me at least with that, right? In return, I'll give you some information about the God of Chaos. >

The God of Death responded with a single-line message:

< Wait a bit. >

It was a sign of acceptance. With the support of the Heavenly Demon and the Martial Artists of Murim, there was nothing to fear.

Especially since he had heard that the Tang Family of Sichuan was furious after losing their home because of the Dragon Lord. Those crazy ones with poisons and hidden weapons would cause total chaos here. Cale preferred the chaos created by his allies.

"Until now, His Majesty the Emperor has thought in terms of power and dreamed of the world before the Catastrophe Era. But you must change your way of thinking."

Tap, tap.

Cale patted the emperor’s shoulder and whispered.

"If you want to live."

The Emperor turned his head.

His eyes met Cale's.

Cale smiled.

"What's the matter? Do you want to die?"

The Emperor had barely spoken a word since meeting Cale. And he really didn't have much to say at that moment. His face grew paler, just like his servant's. Because he didn't feel any falsehood in Cale's words. Cale spoke softly to him.

"If you want to die, join the Dragon Lord. You'll be used as a chess piece and disappear along with the world."

Then he made a suggestion.

"Or, on the contrary, try to become a hero like the greatest Sword Master of Aipotu."

"!"

When the Emperor's eyes widened, they reflected Cale's smiling image. The man in front of him, paler than the last time he saw him, spoke calmly, like a demonic whisper.

"Death or Heroism. Either option is interesting."

Cale shrugged and left the room, passing by the Emperor and his servant. But the Emperor couldn't stop him. He only watched his back until he disappeared from sight, then spoke to his servant.

"...See him out."

"Yes, yes!"

The servant hurried to follow the path where Cale had disappeared, while the Emperor murmured.

"...I can't allow the disappearance. Never."

A strange light shone in the Emperor's eyes. It wasn't a sense of duty or purpose but rather greed.

"Shall we go?"

Cale, sitting in the carriage, nodded at Beacrox's question from the driver's seat.

"Yes."

The carriage started moving, and Cale spoke to Raon.

"Send a message to King Dennis."

"What message?"

"What the Emperor did. So, King Dennis can use it."

The corners of Cale's lips rose. Looking towards the Emperor's palace, he murmured.

"A hero, what nonsense."

Cale knew exactly how the Emperor would act, driven by greed and the desire for power and glory. And he also knew that King Dennis would use that to gain allies.

Aipotu.

The matters of this land should be resolved by its inhabitants, so with this information, they would know what to do. Cale leaned back in the carriage seat and murmured.

"Will Clopeh be a suitable opponent for Choi Han?"

- Human, aren't you curious? I'm curious too!

Cale was curious about the battle between Clopeh and Choi Han.

***

As a result, he was able to see Clopeh, looking perfectly healthy and in good spirits, without a scratch.

Clopeh knelt before him.

"Cale-nim. As your guardian knight, I will dedicate everything to protect that position."

Ah.

That was what he had planned, but, ah.

Ah, why is he so-

"Annoying."

Cale murmured unintentionally. He realized it and, forcing a smile, felt irritated by Clopeh's obvious adoration.

"Take this."

Cale quickly pulled out a wooden sword wrapped in a cloth enchanted by Eruhaben and handed it to Clopeh.

Clopeh unwrapped the sword and took it. Now, he just needed to sprinkle a bit of his blood on the sword for it to recognize him as its owner.

"!"

Clopeh's eyes widened.

Uuuuung-

At that moment, a message from the God of Death arrived. But Cale didn't have time to read it because he heard Clopeh's furious voice.

"How dare a Dragon compare to Cale-nim?"

The sword trembled violently, as if it wanted to escape Clopeh's hands. Seeing this, Clopeh smiled.

"You won't escape."

Clopeh's eyes, looking at the sword with a soft voice, were-

- Human, Human! Clopeh has gone even crazier!

Yes.

‘He's a bit scary!’

‘...Yes, he's a bit scary.’

Cale, Raon, and Choi Han all took a step back, distancing themselves from Clopeh.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]