Chapter 122: The Collateral Offered…

When the crises and trials end and peace arrives.

For some, that peace will become another kind of hell.

And for others.

They will be cast aside without even knowing it was hell.

Then, at some moment, they will suddenly realize.

That the place where I stand.

Was none other than hell.

And that we were cursed from the moment we were born.

Whether they realize it late or early.

The result will not change.

====

The City Kingdom of Pacelan, situated on the border between the Eastern and Northern parts of the continent, possessed a capital city that could hold its own even when compared to the royal capitals of other kingdoms.

Long ago, a certain royal mage who operated under a hidden identity built a magic research institute here. Eventually, as the scale grew and mages and associates flocked to the magic tower, the area expanded beyond the size of a village and instantly became a city.

Naturally, a city of such scale was prone to drawing the ire of other nations, but the founder of the kingdom eventually became an Archmage and established what was literally a Magic Kingdom.

However, contrary to the ideal, while the Archmage may have been exceptional as a mage, governing a state was a different matter entirely.

Furthermore, as several wars broke out and conflicts persisted for over ten years, the First Mage King eventually threw up his hands in surrender. By treaty, he restricted the construction of any significant military facilities or bases in all territories except for the city where he resided. Consequently, the Kingdom of Pacelan became a nation that consisted of nothing but a single city.

As the borders became ambiguous, the surrounding nations naturally began to nibble away at its territory. Yet, using this as a pretext, the kingdom further solidified its central system.

They expanded the city’s size, widened trade routes, and extended their reach to grazing lands, fields, numerous orchards, and even the river. Eventually, the current city grew so massive that it had to be divided into seven districts.

In a sense, it had reached a point of self-sufficiency despite being a metropolis; it was certainly an unprecedentedly unbalanced structure.

Thanks to this, it became a crossroads and a mandatory trade hub for foreign merchant groups and traders traveling between the East and North.

Conversely, to ensure they did not become too dependent on these outsiders, they had to maintain a careful balance. Thus, talent in diplomacy, trade, and commerce emerged as the most important virtues and necessities for city administration.

…But mages have always been incomparably arrogant.

While they managed to maintain a balance as long as there were competent officials and prime ministers.

All that balance collapsed in an instant when the Demon King’s Army began its invasion.

The wise king of Pacelan, the Eleventh Mage King, was captivated by the Demon King’s honeyed words and threw himself into the Demon King’s Army, cooperating actively. Consequently, the downfall of the Demon King’s Army and the death of the Demon King turned into a stark retribution against them.

The Eleventh Mage King was not only deposed but executed, and he was succeeded by a new Mage King who shared no blood relation to him.

A middle-aged mage from Pacelan was elevated to the throne with the blessing and consent of both his own country and other nations, recognized for his achievements, merits, and character during the invasion of the Demon King’s Army.

However, his life did not last even ten years from that point.

A child born late in his life inherited the crown at a young age.

Unlike the Twelfth Mage King, this successor was incompetent and driven only by greed. He listened to the advice of sycophants and profiteers, leading a corrupt life steeped in pleasure from a young age.

Naturally, corruption began to run rampant.

Even if it had been well-managed, a City Kingdom was fundamentally in a precarious position.

Once this happened, the number of poor people in the city began to increase rapidly.

“…….”

The fact that the poor and the destitute swarmed every area except for District 3—out of the many districts of the City Kingdom—was a significant source of instability.

The power-holders knew this well, so they urged division among the poor through a thorough combination of fear and appeasement to manage and monitor them.

The reason Kariel set foot here was that this area was a waypoint on the road to his destination.

Additionally, he wanted to broaden his horizons by seeing how other cities and countries operated.

In that sense.

…Compared to the Empire, the environment here was constructed to be as close to hell as possible.

To be precise, it was the pinnacle of imbalance, where hell was guaranteed for some, and a blatant paradise was guaranteed for others.

On one side, alcohol and food overflowed to the point of being discarded.

And if one turned their head just a little, there were those who had nothing, scraping the ground for dust, licking up bits of fruit juice or meat drippings like flies, rats, dogs, or cats.

Their clothing consisted of rags that barely covered their private parts, with no distinction between men, women, young, or old.

On the other hand?

They draped themselves in all sorts of valuables and ornaments, and not a single piece of clothing they wore was ordinary.

As if competing to see who could be more flamboyant, they were dressed in clothes with extreme shapes, patterns, and designs.

…The gaze of the poor looking upon them, burning with a hatred that went beyond mere resentment.

In a way, that might be the natural order or a matter of inertia.

“There are places where post-war recovery proceeded normally after the Demon King’s death… but for the most part, the atmosphere is like this,” Mines said, her expression relatively calm, as if she had seen such things many times.

“Strong nations recovered by plundering weaker ones, and some hurried their recovery by squeezing their own citizens.”

Unlike the Western Continent, the Eastern and Northern regions were not in such a good position.

Although the Demon King’s Army first appeared in the Central region, the East was where the Demon King and his Legion Commanders first made their moves.

That was likely why it became the region with the most defectors.

In the case of the North, there were fewer defectors, but due to the combination of inherently harsh environmental factors, the Demon King had intentionally released Magic Beasts on a massive scale and established large-scale hatching grounds. As a result, the North and its vicinity remain famous today as the places where the most Magic Beasts dwell.

Some of the Magic Beasts acquired intelligence, and once they gathered to build their own power networks, it would not be an exaggeration to say that their current strength is equivalent to that of a single nation.

Furthermore, since they hid in high mountains, snowy peaks, areas with extreme climate change, or swamps… they were in rugged, remote areas where armies could not be led, making it extremely difficult to organize an expeditionary force.

…Moreover, since it served as both a border zone and a neutral zone.

That was where the ‘Mountain’s Ceiling,’ referred to as an unexplored and Forbidden Area, was located.

It soared so high it seemed to truly touch the sky.

The vast Land of Scorching Heat at the edge of the Eastern Continent, and the edge of the sky in the West, which served as a sturdy barrier for the Empire’s sea and the West.

And the end of the sea, known only to be beyond the Southern sea.

The north, south, east, and west of the continental map had such clear limits.

…However, since these were concepts established and defined hundreds of years ago, no one believed them literally anymore.

“It seems the Empire and the surrounding nations found it easier to unify because their enemies were clear.”

The enemies of the Empire, and those who viewed the Empire as an enemy.

Rather, the Eastern region, slightly removed from them, was another Lawless Zone where weaker nations were split into dozens, and chaos persisted.

In terms of the Empire, someone possessing a mere Baron’s fief could brazenly call themselves a king.

What mattered in the end was justification and roots.

Thus, they seemed to fabricate roots they never had to assert their legitimacy.

Therefore, those who claimed to be nobles or royalty in this area usually possessed various legitimate justifications by mixing multiple bloodlines.

Because of this, as long as their martial and military power was guaranteed, they seemed to have no hesitation in invading neighbors or countries just a bit further away.

That is why it was exceptional for this city-state to grow to such a scale.

It meant that the Mage King had been that impressive.

“I remember learning about this at the Academy.”

That it was a region where unification was difficult because the terrain and geography were rugged.

That many races were intertwined and scattered, and on the other hand, a deep-rooted blind faith in a single race or ethnicity existed.

“So… they said there was room for the Empire’s knight culture to take root.”

That if a single powerful king emerged, knights might flock under him and establish stability.

Of course, the king would be more of a mediator to prevent such knights from running amok, rather than an absolute monarch.

Was it said that the Berg Kingdom was such an existence in the past?

In that sense, the current Berg Empire… had successfully rooted the concept of a nation as a higher concept above race and ethnicity, so it would be fair to say it successfully expanded and established the state.

“That’s not entirely wrong. In some countries, they soothe their subordinates with the spirit of chivalry. And the advantage of such countries is that the interior is more stable compared to others.”

At least there is some level of trust.

The belief that the king or lord will protect them and listen to their petitions.

…Even the Empire, in its days of distrust, could not believe in just that, which is why they pointed spears and swords at each other despite being allies.

In that sense, this area, where enemies and allies are clear, might have a certain level of unity if even a small amount of trust is built.

The abundance of stone buildings was likely because stone resources were plentiful in this area.

However, all of these were built quite a long time ago.

The condition of the unmaintained stone houses was incredibly unstable.

As if foretelling the unstable present and precarious future of this country.

And.

Kariel saw a massive blaze sweeping through this place.

It was nothing if he closed and opened his eyes.

But the moment he closed his eyes, it all became vividly engraved.

The sight of a giant Flame Demon devouring the entire area.

Also.

Woof! Woof! Grrrr!

While moving forward and checking the map drawn on leather.

Beyond their field of vision, they saw a black-furred puppy, the size of a small child but scrawny and pitiful, barking.

And behind it, a dirty and shabby child lay collapsed, clutching their stomach.

The puppy was barking desperately, as if protecting the child whose rags were torn and frayed into shreds.

“You filthy mutt!”

“Seriously, none of the brats around here are normal!”

“It makes me want to puke! What is this smell? Do these bastards not know how to wash?”

“If they did, would they eat the shit they leave behind?”

Ridicule.

Contempt.

Loathing.

…And ostentation.

A few men, and a young man leading them, puffing out his chest.

The others around him couldn’t be called clean either, but the young man in the blue robe looked particularly special.

He looked like someone who had been raised in luxury.

“He looks pretty enough, so I thought I’d grant him a favor, but what does a piece of trash like him think he’s doing?”

“Young Master. Do you think these savages could properly understand such a thing?”

“Ah, why does that dog keep barking? I’ll just—!”

As a man made a gesture to kick the dog out of bravado, the dog lunged instead.

“Agh!”

“Puhahaha!”

“What are you doing?”

“Is this thing crazy?!”

“Hey, hey! Get away, you’ll catch some disease if it bites you.”

However, the resistance of the powerless dog ended as a clumsy threat.

“How dare you!”

Emboldened by the dog’s sluggish movements, the man kicked the dog’s face, but because the man’s own movements were poor, he only grazed the bridge of the dog’s nose.

Grrr!

The dog stepped back once, but undeterred by the blow, it continued to stand firm in front of the girl.

“Pathetic fools.”

The young man clicked his tongue with exaggerated disdain and stepped forward, and the men stepped back as if they had been waiting for it.

“Oh my!”

“No way! For the Young Master to personally step in for something like this!”

“We could have just handled that!”

The flattery was appalling.

Soon, a small flame began to flicker in the young man’s palm.

Grrrr!

The dog must have clearly felt that this was no simple threat.

Indeed, its trembling hind legs and the small amount of yellow liquid leaking from between them proved it.

Nevertheless, it did not move.

It continued to bark fiercely, appearing ready to resist to the end.

But it looked exhausted at a glance.

What flew from its mouth were tiny droplets of saliva and murky foam.

Even those burst out haphazardly.

They were extremely meager.

Perhaps because its dry throat was completely cracked.

Even its barking sounded desperate.

“Tsk.”

The young man, casting a look of contempt as if even that was disgusting, finally aimed the flame in his hand toward the insolent four-legged beast…

Grab!

“……?”

The captured hand was thrust high into the air.

Before he knew it.

“Eh?”

“W-who?”

…….

Someone whose entire body flickered darkly.

With two eyes that were distant and absurdly deep, like molten gold.

That person slowly scanned them.

“W-what are you doing? Let go! Do you have any idea who I am…!”

He was released.

But why…

…Is my hand still held in that person’s grip?

No, more than that…

Why is my arm…?

“Eh…?”

Strange.

Why…

Does my left shoulder feel empty?

“??”

Then what is that thing held in that person’s hand?

“Aaaaaagh—!!”

Confusion and bewilderment.

The young man let out a reflexive scream at the agonizing pain that transcended both.

“…….”

And Kariel.

He looked down indifferently at the young man who had just collapsed and was clutching his left shoulder—now a one-armed man.

Until the moment the young man’s left arm, which he had been holding, was not just crushed, but crumpled, compressed, and vanished.

Around them, there were only the delayed reactions of those who were stunned, not knowing what had happened.