Chapter 187
【 The Power of Other Races 】
About thirty minutes earlier.
Inside the Imperial Palace.
“Your Majesty, the method to annul this treaty is very simple. You only need to place your hand on this document and declare that you wish to nullify it.”
“…That’s all? For a treaty that binds the other races so completely, the annulment method seems too simple.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It can be ended very easily.”
The document containing the treaty between the Empire and the other races.
Kara, who had just brought it, continued her explanation.
“The moment this treaty is broken, all protective barriers installed within the Protected Zones for Other Races will disappear. At the same time, the restrictions placed upon them — the magic that causes instant death when they leave the protected zones — will vanish as well.”
“Then… does that mean we’ll lose all means to control them?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Once this treaty is annulled, the other races will regain their freedom for the first time in centuries.”
After hearing Kara’s entire explanation, Nazar still wore a face full of hesitation.
He silently pondered for a while before glancing around.
Kafka and Lisa, the mother and daughter from House Balmuth, had already gone out earlier to suppress the rebel forces.
Meanwhile, Andrew stood nearby, contacting his family members and giving them instructions.
“You’ve found the location of the large-scale magic circles, right? Three spots around the outskirts of Lysquare? Got it. Share that with the others and set up as many traps as possible along the main routes. And… hmm? Wait. I’ll call you back in a bit.”
Sensing Nazar’s gaze, Andrew ended his communication and turned toward him.
“Hey, what’s wrong? Something bothering you?”
“…I still can’t make a decision.”
Nazar sighed and looked down at the document before him.
“My ancestors didn’t lock away the other races for no reason. They went as far as waging war for it.”
“You’re not wrong. According to history, the other races were unruly, savage, and selfish beings. They constantly harmed humans across the continent, until the Emperor of that time finally drew his sword and started a war.”
“So… would it really be right for me to release those very races with my own hands?”
Nazar turned to Kara again.
“Kara, set aside your personal opinions and answer my question as objectively as possible. Are the other races still powerful even now?”
“…Yes, they are. According to my research, their strength hasn’t changed much since the great war centuries ago.”
“Then… if they wished, could they overthrow the Empire?”
“That would be difficult. No matter how powerful the other races are, their numbers are far too few to challenge the Empire itself. In the last war, they were ultimately defeated because they couldn’t overcome that numerical disadvantage. However…”
“You’re trying to say that re-subduing them would cause heavy losses to the Empire as well… aren’t you?”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
After a brief hesitation, Kara spoke again with a determined look.
“However, Your Majesty. I have recently met the other races in person. I can swear on my life — they harbor no hostility toward the Empire or humankind. They truly accepted Gideon as their leader… and if they were to ever stand against someone, it would not be humans, but that Evil Dragon.”
“But the problem is, we can’t guarantee what will happen after the Evil Dragon is defeated… Huuu.”
Nazar nodded with a resolute expression.
“Then we’ll do this. The annulment of the treaty will be our last resort. When we’ve exhausted every possible means, only then will we seek the help of the other races.”
“Hmmm. But, brother. According to what we heard earlier, the other races follow Gideon as their leader, right? Then if Gideon dies before that, wouldn’t we lose the chance to borrow their strength?”
“…That’s true. Now that you mention it… how is Gideon doing? The Dragon took him to Benetic Stadium, didn’t it?”
“He was holding out fine so far… huh? Wait a second.”
Andrew checked his Crystal Sphere with a startled look.
“I just got a message from the student I told to keep reporting on the Benetic Stadium… They said Gideon and the Dragon suddenly disappeared.”
“What do you mean? Did that Dragon use a Teleportation Spell or something?”
“I’m not sure. According to the report, Gideon and the Dragon stood still for about ten seconds, then vanished.”
“It doesn’t seem to be a Teleportation-type spell.”
Kara cautiously interjected into their conversation.
“I just sensed a magical reaction — it wasn’t teleportation… it was faintly of the subspace type.”
“Subspace? Then… the Dragon dragged Gideon into its own dimension?”
“That’s the most likely possibility.”
“Hmmm. Kara, I’m not very familiar with magic, but usually dragging someone into your own space means… it’s an environment more advantageous for you to fight in, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct. It seems Suiroti has decided to finish Gideon for sure.”
At Kara’s answer, Andrew frowned, troubled.
“Is there any way to destroy a Dragon’s subspace?”
“That won’t be easy. Even tracking and undoing a normal subspace is difficult — for a Dragon’s, it’s near impossible.”
“Haah… He’s not the type to die easily, but if, by any chance, Gideon dies…”
“Professor! Professor Kara!”
Layla, who had been quietly observing the situation, jumped forward as soon as she heard about Gideon.
“M-Maybe… the other races! If they step in, could they save Gideon?”
“That… I can’t say for certain. But with the mysterious powers possessed by the Elves and Fairies… they might be able to do something that humans cannot.”
“So there’s at least a chance, right?”
After hearing Kara’s answer, I immediately approached my father.
“Dad! Please, break this treaty right now.”
“…My daughter. No matter what…”
“I don’t care about anything else, but I can’t let Gideon die. If he dies, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life—no, I will regret it. And I… I might never be able to face Lisa again.”
As I pressed him hard, Nazar looked slightly flustered.
But regardless, I continued speaking.
“Dad, please. I don’t want to watch my friend die. So please, I’m begging you.”
“……”
“If you’re worried that your name might be remembered poorly in history, then just say I did it. Let my name be remembered. So please, just this once, listen to my request, Dad. Please.”
***
“How could this happen…? According to His prediction, that Emperor wasn’t supposed to free the other races.”
“Looks like your god was wrong.”
“T-That’s impossible! Lord Bedir personally calculates everything hundreds of times to foresee the future. His predictions have never been wrong.”
“Oh, really? Well, you might be right—this current Emperor of the Empire didn’t seem too eager to let us intervene. But I checked into it a bit, and it seems the Emperor’s daughter was the one who strongly insisted on releasing us.”
“…Daughter?”
Suiroti tilted his head slightly.
At that, Veron, sitting on my shoulder, let out a small chuckle.
“Guess you hadn’t heard. Seems Lord Bedir’s calculations didn’t account for the Princess’s interference.”
“……”
“If I were to give you some advice, believe in prophecies made by someone trustworthy. Not a god who calculates the future, but someone like Sakiel—who can actually see it.”
After saying that, Veron turned his head toward me.
“You’ve been through quite a lot, Gideon.”
“Well… yeah, I had to move around a bit.”
I glanced down at my body with a faint smile.
My clothes were torn here and there, and numerous wounds covered me.
But since none were fatal, I was still in fairly good shape.
“You should rest for a bit now. I’ll take it from here.”
“I can still fight. And… Veron.”
“Yeah?”
“Naiad—my mother—she left me a memory. I finally saw it.”
At my words, Veron fell silent for a moment.
Then, with a bittersweet smile, he spoke.
“So you finally saw it. I was wondering when you’d be able to. By the way… did I appear in that memory?”
“You appeared often. And I saw Mother calling you… her greatest friend.”
“…She was my greatest friend too. If only we could’ve spent more time together… But that black lizard made sure such a happy future would never come.”
Veron sighed softly and rose to his feet.
Then he pointed at Suiroti and spoke.
“Evil Dragon Suiroti. Countless beings of other races, including myself, bear a deep grudge against you. So today, you’ll taste that resentment—our vengeance—until the very end. Understood?”
“What a talkative little fairy. You may handle mysterious powers well, as befits the King of Fairies, but what can you possibly do alone?”
“Didn’t you hear what I just said? This isn’t my vengeance alone. This is… our vengeance.”
With those words, Veron snapped his fingers in the air.
Then, a wind began to blow inside Benetic Stadium.
That wind… had color.
Streams of air in vivid hues flowed throughout the stadium.
Those currents made the surrounding space ripple, and through those ripples—
“…Akkion?”
“It’s been a while, Gideon.”
No, it wasn’t just Akkion.
More and more rippling spaces appeared nearby, and through them, countless beings of other races began stepping out.
Centaurs.
Birdmen, Harpies, and other winged folk.
Beastmen, Giants, Elves, Dwarves—
Every race I once knew was appearing in Benetic Stadium.
“Ah, come to think of it, the curse you cast upon us is completely gone now, isn’t it? Then… hey, Akkion. You should be the one to do it.”
“That thing, huh?”
“Yeah, that one. It suits you better than me. Besides… remember, Kaina once said she wanted to see you do it.”
“She did. Then… Gideon.”
Akkion stepped to my side and knelt down.
And as he did, all the other races behind him followed suit, bowing their heads.
“Gideon Kyrgram, descendant of the Pure-White Mainac… our leader. We have sworn to fight for you. So please, give us your command.”
Hundreds of other races knelt around me.
Smiling, I raised the Mistcatcher high.