He already expected that the Marquis will give him a reward, but he never thought he’d repay him with their only artifact that has been handed down from generation to generation.
In the novel “The Fallen Empire” there are several grades that classify each of the artifacts.
Among them, the “First Class” grade is so valuable that it was hard to compare it with either top or rare grade artifacts
Many technologies were lost as the brilliant ancient era was forgotten, and among them, was the way to produce “First Class” grade artifacts.
Now, some technologies have been restored, it was possible to manufacture some artifacts but it will take a lot of time and effort to make the process complicated and unimaginable.
There were only a few “First Class” grade artifacts despite the rich history of the Pilius Empire. Just from being the only artifact, it already shows its value.
“Is it okay to give it to me?”
“Everyone agreed.”
Suddenly, he was curious about the range of “everyone” on Marquis’ vocabulary, but Raymond shook his head and calmly opened his mouth in order to respond.
“I’m sure the Marquis knows what the First class artifact means.”
It meant that something too big was at stake to be given as a reward, but Marquis Crayer had no hesitation about this.
“I understand that. All the more reason to give this to His Highness the Fifth.”
“Marquis Crayer…….”
“Artifact finds its own owner, right? I don’t think that this is all a coincidence. Please, accept it.”
It was not polite to keep refusing him.
Raymond accepted the storage box containing the ring-shaped “Ice Spirit Guardian.”
“Have you heard of the Ice Spirit Guardian?”
“It’s a defensive artifact that protects the user from deathly blows…I think I’ve heard that.”
“I am surprised that you know that. But, do you know the story about this?”
Of course, Raymond knew. He had read the Novel.
But the Marquis Crayer seemed to want to explain it himself, so Raymond smiled and shook his head, pretending not to know.
“It’s not a big story. Our family started in ancient times and trained soldiers to protect the citizens from the Black Mountains full of evil. It was the “Ice Spirit Guardian” that the First Emperor bestowed on our family and allowed us to defend the empire from the Black Mountains for centuries.”
Raymond knew the story up to here.
“My ancestors really honor the dignity of being the shield of the Empire from the northern threats. We have this promise in our family that if someone protects us, we have to repay them with the Ice Spirit Guardian.”
This part… I didn’t know.
“Just as the Fifth Prince protected my life, now this ‘Ice Spirit Guardian’ will protect you.”
Marquis Crayer smiled broadly.
“Good for you.”
Raymond nodded at the Marquis’s explanation. He thought his reward was over, but he didn’t think that Marquis Crayer was not done yet.
“Also, if your Highness needs it, my family is willing to be under your flag.”
Now, the Marquis Crayer will stand behind Raymond, the Fifth Prince.
He is not alone. As the prestigious Knight Family of the Northeast, the other Noble families under his command will also follow his decision.
Saving the Marquis Crayer’s life let him gain half of the Northeast support behind him.
This was a very satisfactory result.
“Marquis Crayer, I will remember your loyalty.”
“Please call me when it’s time. Our families and knights will await for the order of the Fifth Prince.”
It will not be long before their power will be needed. As the time of tragedy was approaching, Raymond had no choice but to laugh bitterly.
* * *
Casillas, he was the commander of the Imperial Army who would always protect the Emperor and Imperial family of the Pilias Empire. He was also a distinguished knight, who rose to the rank of superior knight
Initially, he was somewhat disappointed when he first heard that he would be escorting the Fifth Prince.
If he were to escort an imperial family member, he wanted to stand by the First Prince, who is greatly supported by the military, rather than the Fifth prince, who is still rumored to be a scoundrel.
When he was preparing to escort the Fifth Prince, there were many people who thought that he was simply lucky to defeat the Moon Lord Invisible Blade.
TL: The previous TL called it, Dark Emperor Invisible Blade.But they were wrong. Casillas had changed his mind once he spent time together with the Fifth Prince as they began their journey to the northeastern border.
“If I stay in the carriage, It’ll slow down my march, so I’ll ride a horse. How can we delay ourselves when loyal soldiers of the Pilias Empire are being killed on the northeastern border?”
The Fifth Prince, Raymond, got out of the comfortable carriage and began to ride with his horse.
His carriage was now used to load the supplies, and Raymond has never slowed down until they entered the Northeast.
It would be his first time to leave the Imperial Capital City for a long trip. But he still used his horse without showing signs of exhaustion.
Casillas once served under the Third Crown Prince. Compared to the Fifth Prince, the Third Prince was quite harsh.
However, Raymond was young at that time, and now he is only in his late teens.
‘At first, I was just a little surprised…….’
When they won the first victory in the Black Mountains, he felt that he was lucky to have come here with the Fifth Prince.
And when they defeated the Ghost Army and rescued the Marquis Crayer, Casillas was already on the Fifth Prince’s side. Acknowledging him and cultivating his loyalty.
“Did he have to become a scoundrel just to survive?”
Casillas came to think that Raymond’s boorish behavior for the past five years was just a camouflage he had shown to survive the fierce battle for the throne.
After rescuing the Marquis Crayer, Raymond and his Shadow Squad accepted the Marquis’ gratitude and rested in the Crayer Castle for several days.
The Imperial Army stayed in a mansion not far from the Crayer Castle.
The two soldiers of the Crayer Castle, stepped aside without saying a word when they saw the Imperial Army’s cape and the commander’s chest.
“Did you see where Gesteine has gone to?”
Casillas asked the soldier. The reason he visited the Crayer Castle today was because of his appointment with Gesteine.
“Yes, he was last scene sparring with His Highness the Fifth.”
“Oh? Why is he rude to the Prince?”
He was now quite dissatisfied with Gesteine sparring with the Fifth Prince. Raymond was the absolute lord to Casillas and he dared to spar with him.
But above all this unpleasant feelings, he was curious about the sword skills of the Fifth Prince, who recently learned how to emit Manasword.
“Did they restrict from anyone entering or leaving?”
The soldier shook his head when he was asked by Casillas.
“The Fifth Prince did not restrict anyone.”
Among the Imperial family or high-ranking Nobles, there were occasional cases in which they prevent anyone from entering the training center in order not to show their skills.
Casillas, however, thought this was unlike the nature of the Fifth Prince, and his predictions was actually accurate.
As soon as he heard the soldier’s answer, he hurriedly went to the training center where the Fifth Prince and Gesteine were sparring.
He really wanted to see the training of the Fifth Prince, who showed talent in swordsmanship and as well as for magic, so he walked faster and almost ran toward his destination.
Shortly after arriving at the gas station, he was able to see the Fifth Prince and Gesteine exchanging swords. They were also surrounded by a great number of knights.
The spar was now over, but it was enough time for Casillas, the High-ranking knight, to get a glimpse of the Fifth Prince.
“Good work, Gesteine.”
“Thank you your Highness.”
The Fifth Prince’s sword art was so exceptional, that they couldn’t believe that he had no hands-on experience of it until he went to the Black Mountains.
The Knights, including Casillas, clapped for their Lord deep inside them.
“I’m going to go rest now. Did you perhaps have an appointment previously? I’m sorry if I interrupted you.”
“No, your Highness. This was also a good time for me to check the progress of your swordsmanship.”
Gesteine replied with a slight bow. He really meant it without a single lie.
He was in deep despair when his left arm was cut off and his swordsmanships was lost. But now that he could teach someone, it was hard to express his joy with words.
“I’ll be on my way.”
After wiping his sweat with the towel, Raymond left the training center with Desia, the knights went away and focused on their own training.
“Sir Casillas. Have you waited long for me?”
Gesteine, who saw Casillas among the gathered knights, stepped down and approached him with a welcoming voice.
“No, I just got here.”
“Let’s go over there. I’ll just take a ten-minute break.”
“Thank you.”
High-ranking Knights are not common. It was fortunate to meet and get pointers from each other.
The 10-minute break was soon over and both of them begun to spar.
The spar did not last long because Gesteine also had to return to work as the Fifth Prince’s Shadow Squad Captain, and Casillas was also responsible of maintaining the Imperial Army.
“That’s enough for today.”
Gesteine said as he put down his wooden sword on the stand. Casillas also nodded.
“Sir Gesteine. May I ask you a question?”
He took off his training suit and wiped the sweat off from his face.
Casillas was unable to overcome his curiosity, he approached Gesteine and went to ask him carefully.
“If I can answer that.”
“Is His Highness a Wizard?”
Casillas’ attitude was both polite and cautious. It could have been a sensitive issue, but he really couldn’t contain his curiosity.
Rumor has it that the Fifth Prince defeated the Darkness by magic, and now he used the Manasword in the Black Mountains.
Back then, he thought the Fifth Prince was just wizard, so the sight of him wielding the Manasword was enough to surprise Casillas.
“What do you think, sir?”
Instead of a refreshing answer, Gesteine just asked him back.
“In the eyes of a knight, the swordsmanship shown by His Highness the Fifth in the Black Mountains was by no means coming from a novice. It was like an experienced knight. It didn’t fit in with the current young age of the Prince.”
Casillas answered honestly without saying a single lie.
Even if he have good sword skills, if he lack experience, he will inevitably make mistakes in the real world.
But Raymond, the Fifth Prince, remained unwavering against the skilled enemies back in the Black Mountains.
He looked so close to perfection that Casillas suspected he had secretly gained hands-on experience from somewhere else.
‘Maybe a natural talent…….’
Casillas swallowed his dry saliva. Gesteine did not immediately respond. He opened his mouth only after calmly arranging his cloak.
“It is true. The Fifth Prince is a wizard.”
“I saw him have Manasword with my own eyes. I’m not a wizard, but I know that magic and swordsmanship cannot coexist.”
With the end of the brilliant ancient era, the dual sword and magic users ceased to exist. Back then they were considered possessing the Bloodline of the sword and magic user.
Tl: The raws in this part only used Devil’s Bloodline to say that they were considered Devils back then, to avoid confusion I used the name that would be most used in the next chapters which is Bloodline of the sword and magic user. Do you like Devil’s Bloodline more or it’s standard name to avoid confusion?Since then, not only the Pilias Empire, but also the Southern Magic tower Association, the Three Kingdom Alliance, and the Heifel Empire have tried to revive the Bloodline of the sword and magic user, but failed.
“Didn’t you see clearly? The Fifth Prince is struggling using both swordsmanship and magic.”
Casillas could not easily speak at Gesteine’s words.
“Resurrection of the Bloodline of the sword and magic user? I don’t think it’s impossible. The Fifth Prince has clearly shown me the possibility.”
In fact, Raymond was still more of a wizard than a Swordsman.
Manasword, his talent and experience in swordsmanship were all possible because of the presence of 1,000 Soul knights in the Soul Sword.
However, because of the collision between the sword and the magic power, Raymond was still unable to complete the desired level of balance between the manasword and magic.
Of course, this problem will be solved if he rises to the level of a High-ranking wizard and get the Sword and Magic blessing.
“I certainly haven’t served him for long, but he’s not like anyone else.”
Gesteine said. Casillas listened instead of answering.
“I believe in His Highness the Fifth, if he wants to do so, there must be a good result coming.”
***
He already expected that the Marquis will give him a reward, but he never thought he’d repay him with their only artifact that has been handed down from generation to generation.
In the novel “The Fallen Empire” there are several grades that classify each of the artifacts.
Among them, the “First Class” grade is so valuable that it was hard to compare it with either top or rare grade artifacts
Many technologies were lost as the brilliant ancient era was forgotten, and among them, was the way to produce “First Class” grade artifacts.
Now, some technologies have been restored, it was possible to manufacture some artifacts but it will take a lot of time and effort to make the process complicated and unimaginable.
There were only a few “First Class” grade artifacts despite the rich history of the Pilius Empire. Just from being the only artifact, it already shows its value.
“Is it okay to give it to me?”
“Everyone agreed.”
Suddenly, he was curious about the range of “everyone” on Marquis’ vocabulary, but Raymond shook his head and calmly opened his mouth in order to respond.
“I’m sure the Marquis knows what the First class artifact means.”
It meant that something too big was at stake to be given as a reward, but Marquis Crayer had no hesitation about this.
“I understand that. All the more reason to give this to His Highness the Fifth.”
“Marquis Crayer…….”
“Artifact finds its own owner, right? I don’t think that this is all a coincidence. Please, accept it.”
It was not polite to keep refusing him.
Raymond accepted the storage box containing the ring-shaped “Ice Spirit Guardian.”
“Have you heard of the Ice Spirit Guardian?”
“It’s a defensive artifact that protects the user from deathly blows…I think I’ve heard that.”
“I am surprised that you know that. But, do you know the story about this?”
Of course, Raymond knew. He had read the Novel.
But the Marquis Crayer seemed to want to explain it himself, so Raymond smiled and shook his head, pretending not to know.
“It’s not a big story. Our family started in ancient times and trained soldiers to protect the citizens from the Black Mountains full of evil. It was the “Ice Spirit Guardian” that the First Emperor bestowed on our family and allowed us to defend the empire from the Black Mountains for centuries.”
Raymond knew the story up to here.
“My ancestors really honor the dignity of being the shield of the Empire from the northern threats. We have this promise in our family that if someone protects us, we have to repay them with the Ice Spirit Guardian.”
This part… I didn’t know.
“Just as the Fifth Prince protected my life, now this ‘Ice Spirit Guardian’ will protect you.”
Marquis Crayer smiled broadly.
“Good for you.”
Raymond nodded at the Marquis’s explanation. He thought his reward was over, but he didn’t think that Marquis Crayer was not done yet.
“Also, if your Highness needs it, my family is willing to be under your flag.”
Now, the Marquis Crayer will stand behind Raymond, the Fifth Prince.
He is not alone. As the prestigious Knight Family of the Northeast, the other Noble families under his command will also follow his decision.
Saving the Marquis Crayer’s life let him gain half of the Northeast support behind him.
This was a very satisfactory result.
“Marquis Crayer, I will remember your loyalty.”
“Please call me when it’s time. Our families and knights will await for the order of the Fifth Prince.”
It will not be long before their power will be needed. As the time of tragedy was approaching, Raymond had no choice but to laugh bitterly.
* * *
Casillas, he was the commander of the Imperial Army who would always protect the Emperor and Imperial family of the Pilias Empire. He was also a distinguished knight, who rose to the rank of superior knight
Initially, he was somewhat disappointed when he first heard that he would be escorting the Fifth Prince.
If he were to escort an imperial family member, he wanted to stand by the First Prince, who is greatly supported by the military, rather than the Fifth prince, who is still rumored to be a scoundrel.
When he was preparing to escort the Fifth Prince, there were many people who thought that he was simply lucky to defeat the Moon Lord Invisible Blade.
TL: The previous TL called it, Dark Emperor Invisible Blade.But they were wrong. Casillas had changed his mind once he spent time together with the Fifth Prince as they began their journey to the northeastern border.
“If I stay in the carriage, It’ll slow down my march, so I’ll ride a horse. How can we delay ourselves when loyal soldiers of the Pilias Empire are being killed on the northeastern border?”
The Fifth Prince, Raymond, got out of the comfortable carriage and began to ride with his horse.
His carriage was now used to load the supplies, and Raymond has never slowed down until they entered the Northeast.
It would be his first time to leave the Imperial Capital City for a long trip. But he still used his horse without showing signs of exhaustion.
Casillas once served under the Third Crown Prince. Compared to the Fifth Prince, the Third Prince was quite harsh.
However, Raymond was young at that time, and now he is only in his late teens.
‘At first, I was just a little surprised…….’
When they won the first victory in the Black Mountains, he felt that he was lucky to have come here with the Fifth Prince.
And when they defeated the Ghost Army and rescued the Marquis Crayer, Casillas was already on the Fifth Prince’s side. Acknowledging him and cultivating his loyalty.
“Did he have to become a scoundrel just to survive?”
Casillas came to think that Raymond’s boorish behavior for the past five years was just a camouflage he had shown to survive the fierce battle for the throne.
After rescuing the Marquis Crayer, Raymond and his Shadow Squad accepted the Marquis’ gratitude and rested in the Crayer Castle for several days.
The Imperial Army stayed in a mansion not far from the Crayer Castle.
The two soldiers of the Crayer Castle, stepped aside without saying a word when they saw the Imperial Army’s cape and the commander’s chest.
“Did you see where Gesteine has gone to?”
Casillas asked the soldier. The reason he visited the Crayer Castle today was because of his appointment with Gesteine.
“Yes, he was last scene sparring with His Highness the Fifth.”
“Oh? Why is he rude to the Prince?”
He was now quite dissatisfied with Gesteine sparring with the Fifth Prince. Raymond was the absolute lord to Casillas and he dared to spar with him.
But above all this unpleasant feelings, he was curious about the sword skills of the Fifth Prince, who recently learned how to emit Manasword.
“Did they restrict from anyone entering or leaving?”
The soldier shook his head when he was asked by Casillas.
“The Fifth Prince did not restrict anyone.”
Among the Imperial family or high-ranking Nobles, there were occasional cases in which they prevent anyone from entering the training center in order not to show their skills.
Casillas, however, thought this was unlike the nature of the Fifth Prince, and his predictions was actually accurate.
As soon as he heard the soldier’s answer, he hurriedly went to the training center where the Fifth Prince and Gesteine were sparring.
He really wanted to see the training of the Fifth Prince, who showed talent in swordsmanship and as well as for magic, so he walked faster and almost ran toward his destination.
Shortly after arriving at the gas station, he was able to see the Fifth Prince and Gesteine exchanging swords. They were also surrounded by a great number of knights.
The spar was now over, but it was enough time for Casillas, the High-ranking knight, to get a glimpse of the Fifth Prince.
“Good work, Gesteine.”
“Thank you your Highness.”
The Fifth Prince’s sword art was so exceptional, that they couldn’t believe that he had no hands-on experience of it until he went to the Black Mountains.
The Knights, including Casillas, clapped for their Lord deep inside them.
“I’m going to go rest now. Did you perhaps have an appointment previously? I’m sorry if I interrupted you.”
“No, your Highness. This was also a good time for me to check the progress of your swordsmanship.”
Gesteine replied with a slight bow. He really meant it without a single lie.
He was in deep despair when his left arm was cut off and his swordsmanships was lost. But now that he could teach someone, it was hard to express his joy with words.
“I’ll be on my way.”
After wiping his sweat with the towel, Raymond left the training center with Desia, the knights went away and focused on their own training.
“Sir Casillas. Have you waited long for me?”
Gesteine, who saw Casillas among the gathered knights, stepped down and approached him with a welcoming voice.
“No, I just got here.”
“Let’s go over there. I’ll just take a ten-minute break.”
“Thank you.”
High-ranking Knights are not common. It was fortunate to meet and get pointers from each other.
The 10-minute break was soon over and both of them begun to spar.
The spar did not last long because Gesteine also had to return to work as the Fifth Prince’s Shadow Squad Captain, and Casillas was also responsible of maintaining the Imperial Army.
“That’s enough for today.”
Gesteine said as he put down his wooden sword on the stand. Casillas also nodded.
“Sir Gesteine. May I ask you a question?”
He took off his training suit and wiped the sweat off from his face.
Casillas was unable to overcome his curiosity, he approached Gesteine and went to ask him carefully.
“If I can answer that.”
“Is His Highness a Wizard?”
Casillas’ attitude was both polite and cautious. It could have been a sensitive issue, but he really couldn’t contain his curiosity.
Rumor has it that the Fifth Prince defeated the Darkness by magic, and now he used the Manasword in the Black Mountains.
Back then, he thought the Fifth Prince was just wizard, so the sight of him wielding the Manasword was enough to surprise Casillas.
“What do you think, sir?”
Instead of a refreshing answer, Gesteine just asked him back.
“In the eyes of a knight, the swordsmanship shown by His Highness the Fifth in the Black Mountains was by no means coming from a novice. It was like an experienced knight. It didn’t fit in with the current young age of the Prince.”
Casillas answered honestly without saying a single lie.
Even if he have good sword skills, if he lack experience, he will inevitably make mistakes in the real world.
But Raymond, the Fifth Prince, remained unwavering against the skilled enemies back in the Black Mountains.
He looked so close to perfection that Casillas suspected he had secretly gained hands-on experience from somewhere else.
‘Maybe a natural talent…….’
Casillas swallowed his dry saliva. Gesteine did not immediately respond. He opened his mouth only after calmly arranging his cloak.
“It is true. The Fifth Prince is a wizard.”
“I saw him have Manasword with my own eyes. I’m not a wizard, but I know that magic and swordsmanship cannot coexist.”
With the end of the brilliant ancient era, the dual sword and magic users ceased to exist. Back then they were considered possessing the Bloodline of the sword and magic user.
Tl: The raws in this part only used Devil’s Bloodline to say that they were considered Devils back then, to avoid confusion I used the name that would be most used in the next chapters which is Bloodline of the sword and magic user. Do you like Devil’s Bloodline more or it’s standard name to avoid confusion?Since then, not only the Pilias Empire, but also the Southern Magic tower Association, the Three Kingdom Alliance, and the Heifel Empire have tried to revive the Bloodline of the sword and magic user, but failed.
“Didn’t you see clearly? The Fifth Prince is struggling using both swordsmanship and magic.”
Casillas could not easily speak at Gesteine’s words.
“Resurrection of the Bloodline of the sword and magic user? I don’t think it’s impossible. The Fifth Prince has clearly shown me the possibility.”
In fact, Raymond was still more of a wizard than a Swordsman.
Manasword, his talent and experience in swordsmanship were all possible because of the presence of 1,000 Soul knights in the Soul Sword.
However, because of the collision between the sword and the magic power, Raymond was still unable to complete the desired level of balance between the manasword and magic.
Of course, this problem will be solved if he rises to the level of a High-ranking wizard and get the Sword and Magic blessing.
“I certainly haven’t served him for long, but he’s not like anyone else.”
Gesteine said. Casillas listened instead of answering.
“I believe in His Highness the Fifth, if he wants to do so, there must be a good result coming.”
***
