Chapter 22: Land of the Forgotten Knights (1)
"The Red tower master! What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"
Blue Tower, Lisefield Dior, raised his voice. Knowing what the Path of the Forgotten was like, Raymond could understand Lisefield's sensitive response.
It is the realm of the Ancient Souls that once they enter it, they cannot return back.
Many people went missing in the Black Mountains without any news. Most of them were eaten by animals, but some of them went missing without leaving any traces.
Those who liked to see and talk about these cases used to say that those who lost their lives in ancient tribal wars were buried here somewhere.
‘But that's the truth.’
"The Path of the Forgotten" is a territory where the original Knights who participated in the tribal war and fought against the devil are buried. But now they are now forgotten, and thus this was also called the "Forgotten Tomb" where the Soul sword reside.
Even those who believed in the existence of the Ancient souls did not believe that the intangible sword tempered with their resentful souls was here. So there was no mentions about the Soul Sword in every folk tales of the north.
‘But I know.’
He read it in the story's setting. In the beginning of the second volume, the protagonist met Cron, who became the Marquis, and acquired the "Soul Sword" in the Black Mountains. He also read the scene where the main character called for the resurrection of the almighty Knight.
If he could get a Soul Sword, he would have taken away three of the main character's powers, including "Spear of Sacrifice" and "Desia Heli," but he felt no guilt.
In order to survive inside the novel "The Fallen Empire" which has a brutal worldview for all the supporting and minor roles, he has to become the main character.
And what is the best way for a minor character like Fifth Prince Raymond, to become the main character?
‘Take away the main character's things.’
He had no regrets about this decision.
"What are you so nervous about?"
Raymond spoke in a dignified voice, but the fear in the faces of the two tower masters did not recede.
Looking at the imposing Fifth Prince, the two towers tried to calm down their anxiety, but it was not that easy.
As they progressed deep inside, the fog deepened and the darkness deepened.
Backing up didn't change anything, and the soldiers were getting tired little by little. With physical fatigue, anxiety began to rise in their own hearts.
It was because few of the soldiers on the northern border did know about the "Path of the Forgotten".
Anxiety spread much quickly due to soldiers telling about legends in which people who came here do not return even if they were familiar with the mountain.
"Fifth Prince, do you mind if you leave it at that? The morale of the soldiers is at rock bottom."
Gesteine approached carefully and expressed concern in a small voice. Raymond nodded silently and turned towards the soldiers.
"The soldiers of the Pilias."
He started with a calm voice. The soldiers, who were walking helplessly with their eyes down, stopped and raised their heads.
Amidst the thick fog, the Fifth Prince was shining brilliantly.
It maybe because he was wearing a golden armor, but for the exhausted soldiers they saw the light and thought the Fifth Prince might find the right answer and guide them at the right path.
The Fifth Prince, Raymond, opened his mouth with a bitter look on his face.
"Don't worry too much. The Pilias imperial family do not die in places like this."
It was a short declaration but also too short to be called a speech.
He was not good at talking, so he made the choice that talking long wouldn't have much impact, but this also worked.
Soldiers of the Pilias Empire began to nod and sympathize with the words of the Fifth Prince.
"Yes, the blood of the First Emperor cannot be lost in vain."
"Let's cheer up.”
"Yeah, Please pardon us for showing the ugly side of us, Your Highness the Fifth?"
This was a possible response because most of them were descendants of the soldiers of the Pilias Empire, who worshiped the Imperial Family calling them of God's blood.
"Do you really know how to do that?"
Lisefield, the Blue tower master, came close and asked in a small voice.
‘A way out of here? Of course I know.'
"Didn't the old man see me looking for anything with Desia?”
At Raymond's words, Lisefield recalled from his memory. Come to think of it, he remembered that Fifth Prince and Desia were especially looking around.
He thought it was just because he was nervous, but he guessed it wasn't because of that.
"May I ask what you're looking for?"
"The tombstone."
Suddenly, the Fifth Prince's gruesome response about the tombstone was frightening.
"Tomb, tombstone?"
"I don't care if it's not a tombstone, I am looking for a graveyard or a tomb or something similar to that. That will be the key to our escape from this ‘Ancient Path'."
"Then why didn't you tell the knights and soldiers?"
Raymond's shook his head with a dumbfounded look at Lisefield's comments.
"Old man, wouldn't I look crazy if I told them to find the grave in this situation?”
It was a short explanation, but it was enough to convince Lisefield. The old Blue tower Master nodded instead of answering.
"I'll help you, too."
"I'll look for it, too."
Gesteine and Berenus, who were listening silently by their side, also promised a good cooperation. And how long has it been?
It was also when the light of hope generated by the short speech was dying faintly.
Strolling among the exhausted soldiers, Gesteine found a small hill with an old sword in it. As he approached closely and looked through the eyes, he saw a tombstone buried in the soil.
"Commander?"
His subordinate approached Gesteine's sudden change and asked carefully.
Gesteine opened his mouth with a calm face, not taking his eyes off the monument.
"Bring your Majesty the Fifth."
"Yes, sir."
It was not long before the Fifth Prince, Raymond, appeared with the tower owners and the Secret Squad. Gesteine looked at his lord and bowed his head quietly.
"We found the Tomb."
Then he moved carefully to the side.
Raymond slowly stepped forward. He saw a tombstone buried right next to an old sword stuck in the ground.
"I didn't touch it just in case."
"Well done, if you touched it, you'd lose your mind for a day."
Strong magic boundaries were working as set.
This were now visible to Raymond as he ascended to the level of intermediate sorcerer. But it wasn't enough for him to destroy it himself. It was just visible.
‘It takes at least a High-Tier wizard to destroy it.’
So what he should do? There are only two tower owners next to me, so should he used them?
Subordinates are beings that the monarch has to use.
"Desia Helly."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Fifth."
At Raymond's call, Desia stepped forward with a thin, beautiful voice.
She is also a high-tier wizard. She knew the level of boundaries and knew exactly what to do.
"I'll destroy the boundaries."
Desia was smart and quick to understand. It was good that I didn't have to explain.
As she pointed the staff with the stone at the headstone, the faint mana flowed out and danced. Then the erosion began.
Some "chir" began to sound from the monument. What's clear is that it's not pure mana.
"What the hell is this ominous energy!"
The blue tower master who saw the opaque gray energy, not blue, made a fuss.
The red tower master could not take his eyes off curiosity, and Desia's eyes were shaking nervously.
Only the Fifth Prince, Raymond, remained calm.
"Fifth Prince, what the hell is that?" Desia asked in a trembling voice.
Her Mana was colliding with a mysterious energy.
She thought the fifth prince would know. Desia trusted his mysterious knowledge after creating many miracles so far.
Raymond did not turn a blind eye to the trust at the end of her gaze.
"Soul, more precisely, the Ancient' Souls."
In his brief explanation, the curious eyes of the two tower Masters shined hearing the words Ancient Souls.
They may be an expert on magic and mana, but they lack knowledge on areas such as the Ancient spirit and soul.
"The Ancient souls…… interesting."
Desia also showed signs of interest.
She began to destroy the boundary by manipulating her Mana. The original souls resisted, but did not last long in front of the superior wizard's overwhelming mana.
She got pushed out and a spark popped out. Intense principles for the living did not transcend the walls of Mana. The blue light destroyed the opaque gray energy.
"I destroyed the boundaries.”
Desia said. Raymond nodded and reached for the monument. When the pile of dirt was removed, an inscription imprinted on the monument appeared.
[For oblivion will continue without truth, and it will be with us at the end.]
The monument is old, but it was not hard to read the inscription.
"What an inscription full of original ideas."
At the words of Lisefield, the Blue tower Master, Raymond nodded calmly and opened his mouth.
"Of course, they were all expected, but now their existence is forgotten. If they had a deep grudge, wouldn't I go down to hell?"
"Where in the world did the Fifth Prince come from? These are knowledge that is hard to find even in the ancient books of the tower….”
"Did you forget where we first met, old man?"
Imperial No.7 chamber. Where Old and rare historical books are kept, so he could have access to records of them.
Lisefield had no choice but to nod at Raymond's response.
"Your Highness the Fifth seems to know a way out of this hell."
Smiling at Berenus's question, the Master of the Red Tower, Raymond touched the monument and injected Mana. A way to escape the territories of these Ancestors?
Of course he know. Is that all?
"I pay my respects to you."
The monument resonated.
Now what more is needed here is imperial blood, and the vow. The main character in the novel had a hard time saving the blood of the royal family, but Raymond doesn't have to go through the rough patch because he's from the royal family.
"I swear to you on the lineage of the First Emperor."
He drew a dagger and cut his arm. The red blood of the Imperial family splashed on the monument. Everyone around him freaked out with their eyes wide open at the sudden sudden action of the Fifth Prince.
"The Fifth Prince!"
"Go, all of a sudden what…….”
He don't need a fuss. Raymond raised his left hand and opened his mouth to calm them down and continue his oath.
"You are no longer forgotten knights of obscurity, but you will be reborn as knights of a proud empire."
The ground shuddered.
"What's going on!"
"What the hell is this!"
The original souls howl.
Panicked soldiers pulled up weapons. Even when even the knights are scared, Raymond is still relaxed. Because he knows this isn't a hostile cry.
It's a cry of joy that they've regained their ‘name'.
-Precious lineage remembering ancient vows.
– When everyone forgets, you remembered the nameless knights alone.
A sad voice. The cry of the original spirits, Raymond and his men listened silently. The talkative tower owner also remained silent.
– Only the lineage of Pilius of the two imperial families, and the five royal families, proved their credentials, and the earth shuddered again and the tomb opened.
– Forgotten knights of 1,000, will give you the sword tempered with the sould.
The road to the Soul Sword is open.
"Lord!"
"The Fifth Prince!"
It was the cry of Gesteine and Desia.
However, the voice in his ear was too small to be shouted right behind him.
Raymond turned his head in the direction they were. Something opaque was blocking the front of the men.
In a sudden situation, Desia lost her intelligence, and the two tower master were at a loss.
"Lord, I'll save you!"
Gesteine swung the sword. However, even the high-ranking knight Mana sword failed to cut the boundaries created by the original spirits.
"Oh, my God! Your Highness the Fifth!"
"Calm down, Blue tower, and your Highness. Step back, please! I'm going to destroy these ghosts' ideas!"
The red tower master swung a fire meteor in place of the fussy blue tower master. The flames raged, but the walls of the grudge remain unshakable.
He must have misunderstood that this boundary was hostile. Their reaction gave a glimpse of pure loyalty.
A clear smile spread around Raymond's mouth.
"Oh, my God, Your Highness the Fifth. You can't laugh in this situation!"
The Blue tower Master made a fuss again. Meanwhile, Desia and the Red Tower Master analyzed the boundaries and were constantly wielding mana sword, which was created by drawing energy to the limits of Gesteine.
"Nothing's going to happen, so don't worry too much!"