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Chapter 4: A Fish in Troubled Waters
AS a recently founded nation located in the southernmost region of the Lawful Continent, the Divine Nation of Lenea was connected geographically to the Dark Continent. Easy access to trade with the nations of the Dark Continent came hand in hand with a commensurate number of territorial disputes with those same nations. Unexpected conflict was inevitable, given the circumstances.
“You aren’t worth my time! Bring someone with more authority to discuss this! I can’t get anywhere with the likes of you!”
“I-I’m trying my best here…”
The High Paladin in charge of a platoon was at his wits’ end, trying to handle the overly self-assertive Phon’kaven representative harrumphing in front of him.
When did this nightmare begin?
Ẽn̂ů m̂ a.і d
The High Paladin vividly remembered how, not long after the turbulent days following the establishment of their new divine nation, a deluge of petitions came flooding in from the various settlements under their jurisdiction. The most urgent petitions concerned unusual monsters lurking around the territories connected to the Dark Continent.
The first petition to make mention of the monsters came from a peddler traveling between the two continents. Upon discovering the strange monsters near the gateway to the Dark Continent, the peddler promptly petitioned the Paladins to subjugate the threat. The High Paladin recalled his heart-stopping panic when he learned the monsters were discovered not far from a small settlement. While the information lacked verification, it suggested that the vicious creatures were a lethal threat to Lenea’s citizens.
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Monsters are posing a threat to our people as we speak, yet here I am, wasting my time on pointless politics! he lamented.
While the upper echelons were too busy managing the chaos accompanying the founding of their new nation, this High Paladin ran around recruiting any Paladin or soldier with a moment to spare to form a subjugation force. When they embarked on their mission, they found a sight straight out of a nightmare.
Prowling their border were abominations that tainted the mind just by looking at them. These gargantuan incarnations of evil shared few traits with any known creature. Looking like something that had sprung up from the dark depths of hell as described in the Holy Book, the abominations posed a greater threat than anticipated, requiring the Paladins to be prepared to die while subjugating them.
It was during this precarious moment that they coincidentally encountered this contingent from Phon’kaven, who claimed to have come to exterminate the monsters and restore peace to the borderlands just like the Paladins.
E nú m̌.á
“LIKE! I! SAID!” the Phon’kaven representative shouted, dragging out his vowels. “If we’re after the same thing, we should work together to quell the threat! What makes that so difficult for you to understand?! You’ll make me mad if you don’t start cooperating already!”
“As far as I see it, you’re already mad…” the High Paladin quipped.
“Well, duh! I feel like I’m talking to a wall!”
We’re up against a wall ourselves, thought every single Lenea Paladin. They had formed this platoon and came to the border to protect their citizens. From the start, their goal was to subjugate the unknown monsters, and all the preparations they had barely managed existed only for that end. They weren’t prepared for a political situation and wanted to avoid making any calls that might come back to bite them later.
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The Divine Nation of Lenea was a religious country that had branched off from the Holy Kingdom of Qualia. Their nation was founded on the rules and laws outlined in their Holy Books, so they needed to exercise the utmost caution when interacting with Phon’kaven, which had a unique religion centered around ancestral spirit worship.
“A-N-Y-W-A-Y-S! I don’t care if it’s in an unofficial capacity, just get me someone who can make things happen! If we let this go on, both your country and mine will suffer. Oh, actually, I’d like to become friends with a Saint if I can, so be a pal and call for a Saint!”
Ě ǹuṁa
Disgruntled voices started to rise from the High Paladin’s men, and he signaled them to quiet down behind him. He didn’t know what the Phon’kaven representative was thinking, but it was the height of arrogance to request one of God’s blessed Saints. The subjugation platoon’s anger was warranted, but doing anything about it was foolish. They needed to suppress their grievances and ire.
Phon’kaven was under the same pressure to subdue the threat to their people, which warranted some level of understanding and lenience.
Vividly recalling the bat-winged serpentine monster that he’d just fought, the platoon captain took a deep breath to regain his composure. No High Paladin was so incompetent that he’d cause unnecessary conflict and forget his holy mission. It also helped that he had an oddly favorable impression of the young boy who didn’t mince words…
“Our great Saints can’t just show up whenever they are called upon,” the High Paladin explained. “It’s a critical time for our nation, so it will be difficult for them to answer our summons. I’m sure you understand this as well, but we are running out of time. I believe we need to resolve this problem with the people present.”
“Hm-mm… True that! All right, then! You seem high up enough to make things happen. Let’s decide upon a treaty between Qualia and Phon’kaven right here and now!” the boy declared with a big smile.
“I-I don’t have that level of authority! No one would stand for such an arbitrary decision! Also, we aren’t from Qualia—we’re Paladins from the Divine Nation of Lenea!”
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“Is that so? It doesn’t matter though, since I’ve got all the authority we need,” the boy claimed. “I mean, this whole thing is a big fat pain, so why don’t we just go ahead and formally establish diplomatic relations now? Shouldn’t be a problem if we keep it between us, don’t you think?”
“No, it will be a huge problem! Even if you’re okay with it, Lenea won’t be!” the High Paladin thundered, attempting to stop the boy before things got completely out of control.
“Stingy, aren’t you?”
The High Paladin assumed the boy was talking nonsense the way children do, but it was too dangerous to ignore him. Did he have the authority to make such a crucial decision as he claimed? In the unlikely event that this was the overreaching act of some politician’s spoiled son, the Paladins’ reputation would be tarnished. The High Paladin had entertained thoughts on how to protect himself if things did go south, which made him especially glad he didn’t have the authority or grounds to make the final decision.
Of course, even if they put their diplomatic response on hold, it did nothing to address the most pressing problem at hand—the unholy monsters plaguing the borderlands.
“I really don’t think it will be a problem, though…” the boy said. “But let’s be honest, we’re all pretty screwed right now, aren’t we? These monsters are stronger than they look. We’ve managed to defeat a few on our own, but from the looks of things, there’s more of them than us. Qualia’s villagers will be in grave danger if any stragglers make their way there…”
W е̊ b̈ n о̌v̀ еl Е́ ñü ḿ á
“We’re Lenea, not Qualia, thank you,” the High Paladin corrected him. “But you make a fair point. Hm…”
The Paladins in the platoon looked at the men serving under them as they listened to the boy—to Pepe’s side of the argument. The High Paladins and Mesial Paladins among their ranks were holding their own, but the Under Paladins and normal soldiers were running out of steam. Fortunately, no one had died or sustained critical injuries yet, but it was only a matter of time.
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While the territory bordering the Dark Continent was geographically confined to a narrow space, it was too vast to cover with their current forces. They’d significantly increase their odds of success if they joined forces with Phon’kaven.
Phon’kaven was in possession of what could only be described as unconventional weapons. They wielded what seemed to be a staff that shot tiny, fast-flying stones from the tip with a loud bang. Was it some sort of magical artifice? If it was one, it seemed odd their fifty-strong troop was fully equipped with one or more of the devices each. Judging from the sheer proficiency and power behind the weapons, the High Paladin assumed they were some sort of elite unit or an experimental one. Then again, he couldn’t make heads or tails of why such a military unit would be commanded by an overly familiar little boy like Pepe.
As the captain of the subjugation force, the High Paladin was torn over how to proceed. It would be easy to drive off the other country’s forces by saying they couldn’t work together. However, as a new nation with inexperienced leadership, Lenea was unstable in more ways than one.
For all their protection from the Saints and Arlos, not every problem was instantly solved for them. Their relationship with Qualia was strained, and they needed to be wary of how things would play out with El-Nah too. Adding to those problems was the confusing way instructions were being handed down from the higher-ups amid the turmoil accompanying the nation’s founding. Orders written in the name of the Saints and orders written in the name of the Paladin Commander tended to arrive separately, and the contents often countered each other.
W eb̌ ǹ оv el̇. Е̇ n̊ u m а
Even this subjugation force had taken action of their own accord and set out for the borderlands, prepared to be punished for it later. That, however, didn’t mean they should go about adding to their crimes, nor did their country have the freedom or resources to stir up trouble with other nations. Things were different now that they were no longer a part of a world power—they couldn’t openly look down on the Dark Continent nations and their inferior cultures anymore.
“How about we just work together to exterminate the monsters for now? I won’t tell nobody, so no one will know…” the boy persuaded in a mischievous whisper.
The Paladins and soldiers got caught up in the moment as they offered their opinions in equally secretive whispers.
“Captain…we should cooperate with them, even just temporarily. We should prioritize limiting potential victims by eliminating the monsters as soon as possible.”
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“I disagree! Paladins must set an example for the people. We can’t go around abusing our authority, even during a crisis! I strongly believe we need to receive permission from a Priest with the authority to make national defense decisions.”
“All of that can wait until we look into those strange weapons they use! We can’t turn a blind eye to them wielding such power. I suggest an immediate investigation into where those weapons come from!”
Ẽ n ū mȧ .і́ d́
Each person had wildly different opinions and approaches. For every Paladin among them, there seemed to be an entirely different suggestion. Due to the hasty formation of the platoon, it lacked leadership. Paladins are all elite warriors in their own right, but they often conduct solo missions, so they aren’t very useful in situations where sudden political decisions are necessary. The same applied to the High Paladin serving as the subjugation platoon’s captain.
He didn’t know if he was dealing with a politician’s child brandishing an army without permission. However, the perfectly ordered Phon’kaven troops staying on high alert behind Pepe as they waited for marching orders seemed like a far cry from the uncivilized reputation the Lawful Continent labeled them with. An outsider looking at both forces standing there would have a hard time telling who the truly uncivilized nation was. The High Paladin knew it was nothing to be proud of, but the high-pressure situation exposed his inherent prejudice toward his southern neighbors.
Blast it all! Why did these unholy monsters have to show up now? We could’ve easily handled them a month from now. Is it possible to officially turn down Phon’kaven’s offer to fight together with the notion that we will help each other out if something goes terribly wrong later? I hate to divide our forces, but we should be able to protect our people if we focus solely on defending the areas around the settlements and patrol the outskirts.
Still, Phon’kaven’s weapons pose a problem, he realized. On what principle does it work? Did their magical engineering produce those weapons? I’ve never heard of such a technology used in Qualia or El-Nah. A Paladin could take one on, but the same couldn’t be said of a normal foot soldier. It needs to be urgently investigated.
I need an equivocal response to somehow get us past this point and on to exterminating the monsters. Is there nothing I can say to make that happen?
The High Paladin was looking for a way to postpone the issue without saying yea or nay to working together. He wanted to quickly pick a course of action and concentrate his energy on subjugating the monster threat. Unfortunately, he took too long to come to a decision.
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“Enemy incoming!!”
“Already?!”
That warning cry came from a Phon’kaven soldier keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. His clear, resounding voice cut through the pensive silence, forcing everyone to switch to battle mode. One of the outlandish monsters they had seen prowling the borderlands came bounding toward them from the same direction the soldier had cried out to alert them.
“Saints have mercy! Draw your swords!” the High Paladin Captain ordered his platoon. “Mesial and High Paladins, take forward formation! Show them Arlos’s might!”
“Wowwie-wow! Battle positions, people!” Pepe bellowed in his boyish voice. “Be sure not to shoot anybody from Qualia!”
“We aren’t from Qualia!” the High Paladin barked. “We’re from the Divine Nation of Lenea!”
Ӗ ń ǔ m̀ǎ
With the monster’s spine-tingling roar as their signal, the Paladins from a holy nation and the warriors from a multiracial empire took aim at their mutual enemy. The boundary between the Lawful and Dark Continents was blurred due to the TRPG monsters the Game Master had created and summoned to suppress the Dark Continent. Those monsters had strayed from his surveillance and control, running equally amok in his own territory.
Chaos bred greater chaos, and the urgency of the situation led both sides to gradually take on a united front against the monsters. Paladins exist solely to fulfill their sworn mission—to be the people’s sword and shield. Their true nature was that of a warrior hero. And so, they couldn’t object to working together in this dire moment.
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No one could have guessed that Phon’kaven’s army would take advantage of the confusion to march right into Qualia’s former Southern Province—Lenea’s territory—and choose not to leave.
◇◇◇
“BWAAAGH!!”
In the wee hours of the night, the pained cry of an innocent and reckless young boy rang throughout ground camp for Phon’kaven’s Monster Subjugation Force.
Е nüḿ ӑ
“Why did ya move the army into action without asking, you foolish boy?! Are you so desperate to see our country ruined?! That’s the only reasonable explanation under the circumstances!!”
Kneeling in the center of the tent with a large bump on the top of his head was Phon’kaven’s Commander—Staff Holder Pepe. Looming directly above him was his fellow Staff Holder and mentor, Tonukapoli. The cow-headed old woman was giving the boy, who always did the unthinkable, a piece of her mind and reproaching him for his actions yet again. She was even stricter with him than usual because of the gravity and peril accompanying his most recent exploit.
“What can I say? I’ve been wanting to expand our territory. The little devil on my shoulder was telling me now’s the time to strike!”
His blunt explanation left Tonukapoli speechless. That was not a good reason to advance a nation’s army into another nation’s domain. Things weren’t as simple as a child wanting a new toy and taking one from the kid sitting in the sand with them. Tonukapoli cradled her head in her hand and did her best to try to understand the situation he’d just slammed Phon’kaven into.
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Expanding our territory…is definitely of great importance to us! Phon’kaven has less land under its control now that we’ve given Dragontan to Mynoghra. The fertile lands on the Lawful Continent are especially appealing now that we have our defenses covered with the weapons Mynoghra provided. But that’s not a good enough reason to march into their territory right now.
Phon’kaven didn’t have much need to deliberately advance their armies into the Lawful Continent right now. As far as expanding their territory, the Dark Continent had vast untouched land. Of course, the terrain was barren and unsuitable for agriculture, so it was far from ideal. However, they could fully fertilize and cultivate that barren land if they used the Earth Mana and Earth Military Magic they were developing with Mynoghra.
Е̄ n u̇ ṁ а̃
They didn’t need to go playing with matches where they knew they would start a fire. The strange new monsters were concerning. Any phenomenon reminiscent of the Great Barbarian Invasion that once plagued Phon’kaven was an extremely urgent event requiring immediate investigation. But again, that was no reason for them to draw undue attention to themselves right outside the holy men’s backyard. No, they had actually brought their army right into their neighbor’s yard—there was no escaping the fallout now.
Pepe was a fool. He was foolish, careless, disrespectful of his elders, and always doing crazy things. But he wasn’t stupid.
On the contrary, he always made the best choices at key moments when leading Phon’kaven. Everything he seemed to do on the spur of the moment had greater significance to their nation than it first appeared. If that had been the case for all his decisions up until now, then it seemed likely that he had more in mind this time too. Considering how quickly he decided to move their army in, he clearly had a plan.
Hoping to figure out what that plan was, Tonukapoli prodded the boy for information. “Pepe, what are you thinking? Stop beating around the bush with me, boy. Tell me what you have in mind already, will ya?”
“Hm-mm…”
Pepe was a natural airhead with a rare talent for politics and governance. There was no way he was unaware of the dangers of invading another country. He should know it intuitively… As someone blessed with exceptional intuition, he had to have had a justifiable reason to push through this extremely dangerous course of action.
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Seeing how Pepe was biding his time with hms and hums, either he didn’t want to tell Tonukapoli or…he couldn’t. So Tonukapoli used her usual method to grease the boy’s wheels and get him talking.
“Mynoghra has its own problems right now. You don’t want to make things worse for them by making a wrong decision here, do you? I know you don’t want to upset your good friend and make him hate you, either. Have you given any thought to that?” she pressed.
“Oh, no worries. I asked my pal Takuto for advice and got his stamp of approval to do this,” Pepe revealed with a boyish smile.
Tonukapoli cradled her head with both hands this time. He’d just saddled her with a million worries.
Phon’kaven decided how to run and manage their country through a council of Staff Holders. Most everyone knew that the elderly Staff Holders were essentially retired and had entrusted foreign negotiations and the nation’s general direction to Pepe, their successor. Even so, there were more than a few problems with him just randomly deciding to take the nation in a drastically different direction.
If that wasn’t a big enough problem on its own, his advisor was the legendary King of Ruin. Tonukapoli wanted to berate him to at least report back to the Staff Holders about such crucial developments.
Wе́ b̆ ň о v е́ l̃ En̈ um а̊
Besides that, when did he get the chance to consult with King Takuto?! The king hasn’t been seen since the assassination attempt. His retainers refuse to tell us anything, leaving Phon’kaven in the dark about his whereabouts. Pepe’s babysitters haven’t said anything about seeing him meet with the king either. What the Spirits is going on here?
Doubts boiled over inside Tonukapoli. She tried to organize her thoughts first, before further questioning Pepe. As far as she knew, someone tried to assassinate King Takuto during the Dragontan Cession Completion Ceremony jointly hosted by Mynoghra and Phon’kaven. After that, Tonukapoli and Pepe were privately contacted by the Elfuur Sisters and informed their king was safe, but he had disappeared along with his closest aide, Atou, ever since.
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Almost immediately after those events, the Southern Province of the Holy Kingdom of Qualia seceded under the initiative of two Saints. Those Saints declared the founding of a new country called the Divine Nation of Lenea. And then monsters, unlike anything else, appeared on the borders between the Lawful and Dark Continents, almost as if to divide them.
Considering the response from Mynoghra, they haven’t told Phon’kaven the whole story yet. I thought that the assassination attempt on King Takuto, the political change in Qualia, and the monster outbreak were separate events, but maybe they’re connected?
Tonukapoli finally reached the heart of the matter. She’d believed that several disconnected problems were occurring at once, when in reality, they were connected. The scattered bits of information converged into a coherent image, like puzzle pieces finally coming together. Tonukapoli’s heart sped up, physiologically responding to the dangers her mind was becoming aware of.
She had come to a terrible conclusion.
Én̂ŭm̀ а.ĭ ḋ
The Divine Nation of Lenea was an emergent nation that had branched off from the Holy Kingdom of Qualia. Tonukapoli didn’t know what rules or principles this new country advocated, but it was obvious they believed in the Holy God Arlos. Anyone would think twice before targeting a country that worshipped the same god as the Holy Kingdom.
Qualia tended to treat the nations and peoples of the Dark Continent as inferior. Their bigoted and prideful clergy would never stand for another nation—especially one that didn’t worship Arlos—taking their god-given land. They wouldn’t sit still even if an offshoot of their own nation did the deed.
And it goes without saying that if Qualia were to move, their ally—the El-Nah Alliance of Elementals—would too. Attempting to expand into the Lawful Continent was the same as purposefully waking a sleeping giant.
Tonukapoli realized as much since she’d learned of what Pepe had done. That was why she lost her cool and went off at the boy leader worse than usual. It didn’t matter if they had a powerful ally in Mynoghra—they were as good as dead if they made enemies of both Qualia and El-Nah…
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There was only one way to overturn that premise. Say, a scenario where chaos was caused in the holy countries so severe that they couldn’t even afford to wage a retaliatory war. If such a scenario was playing out, then Phon’kaven would lose out if they didn’t make their move here. At the very least, they would sustain an untold negative impact if they were too slow to act.
That’s it! King Takuto’s not after the fertile northern lands, but the borderlands connecting the Lawful and Dark Continents! Is he trying to seal off the north?!
Е n ů m̌ а̃
Tonukapoli was suddenly reminded of the dread she’d felt the first time she met the King of Ruin and exchanged words with him. She remembered the indescribable fear that gripped her very soul and the reclusive insanity burning deep within the king’s eyes.
It might’ve slipped her mind since becoming allies, but they were dealing with someone destined to bring the end—the apocalypse-bringer.
How would the King of Ruin rule against his adversaries?
It didn’t take much thought to come to an answer.
He was not the kind of being to let his adversaries roam free.
He would not stop until every fiber of his adversaries’ very being was reduced to ash.
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That was the impression Tonukapoli got from the being known as Takuto Ira.
“Tell me. How much do ya know?” Tonukapoli asked in a quiet, unwavering voice. Her eyes stared straight into Pepe’s, putting on an unspoken pressure that dodging the question was out. She needed to know the big picture Pepe had—no, that the King of Ruin had planned out.
“Whoa there. Takuto and I might be buddies, but that doesn’t mean I know everything… A hedge between makes friendship green, as they say!”
“What do you know then?”
With that bit of pressure from Tonukapoli, Pepe finally raised his palms in defeat. Then he screwed up his face in a rare show of a complicated expression before saying, “What’s it called? The Divine Nation of Lenea? Anyway, my bet is that country won’t be around for much longer! Literally!”
The way Pepe said it, like it was already a done deal, made Tonukapoli dizzy with the realization that things were graver than she’d imagined.
Е̃n u m ӓ
The Lawful Continent where Qualia and El-Nah existed. And the Dark Continent, where Mynoghra, Phon’kaven, and several small and medium-sized nations existed. Right next to the place where these two continents connected, in the center of the two, the seeds of destruction were smoldering under the surface, ready to explode and engulf everything in their wake.
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