Emperor of Steel - Chapter 49
Chapter 49: Reunion 3
That day, Luke and his party didn’t leave Brandon.
Luke took a room at the Inn where Princess Reina was staying and kept rewinding what she had said to him.
‘You don’t care about yourself for the purpose of saving your people?’
Luke gazed at the square through the Inn’s window.
The statue of the saint, who came to him 500 years ago had spoken the same words as Reina’s and was shining bright because of a lamp.
Luke was looking rather upset staring at the statue, and Rogers along with Philip were trying hard to persuade him.
“Young Lord, you don’t have to say anything much, you must refuse it.”
“Yes, I feel sorry for Princess Reina, and in the worst-case scenario we will have to fight with the greedy pig.”
The two entirely sympathized with the position of Princess Reina and the other refugees of Volga.
But they weren’t going to wage war with the Count Monarch for them.
It was because they had their own people to protect.
“We will have to fight a war?”
“Yes, young Lord. Please choose wisely.”
Luke finally made his decision. His eyes looked back and the tough decision he had taken, a decision he couldn’t turn back.
“We will accept the princess and the refugees.”
“Oh my god!”
“You can’t, young Lord!”
At the decision of Luke, Philip and Rogers tried hard to change his mind.
However, Luke’s heart didn’t change.
Was it because Reina reminded him of Katarina?
Honestly, it wasn’t like that didn’t influence his decision, what else could be the other huge reason for it?
500 years back, Saint Brandon knelt before him and begged him to save the people and ask the darkness legion to go back.
Luke had forgotten for a moment, but he later remembered that Brandon was the very person who saved him when his magic circle broke.
After he got healed, he was even there when the Veritas Magic Tower mercenaries were trying to take away Saymon’s life, he was a kind-hearted man.
“Look here, priest. You don’t wanna fight us.”
“I’ll fight as much as I can.”
“What did you say? You must have gone mad!”
“This man has asked me to save him. And I saved this man. I will save this man till the end!”
Brandon didn’t have a great divine calling or human conduct.
He just stated that people needed no reason to help others.
Luke wasn’t able to understand his stubborn belief.
After all, what mattered was that Saymon was able to live because of the very same beliefs.
And…
‘If people valued people so much, they wouldn’t need a reason to save or help people. Nor would they discriminate or let someone die.’
However, this world isn’t like that.
Luke was discriminated and Katarina chose death to keep her chastity.
Luke tried to destroy the unfairness of the world.
He vowed to wipe out the beast that lurks in a man’s heart, unable to see for themselves and for the others. A soul can never be saved once it falls for the darkness.
‘Which was why I fought a war against the beasts… and I seem to have forgotten that.’
In the midst of the 500 years, he lost due to the innocent death caused by the Holy Knight Rakan, wandering around the purgatory, Luke seemed to have forgotten his ideals and remembered only his hatred.
He kept his hatred close to his heart and disregarded what was precious to him.
‘Thank you, Brandon. Thanks to seeing you once again, I was able to get my thoughts straight.’
Luke thanked the saint who had passed away a long time ago.
In the meantime, the persuasion of the two knights continued,
“Young lord, please think about the future!”
“The words of the General is very true. After a few years of fight…”
Luke yelled at the two knights,
“Stop! You guys are the swords that protect the Rakan Viscount. But what am I to do if you’re going to hide your tails at the word of war?”
“Bu, but the power difference…”
“Silence! Since when did the scion of Rakan’s start fighting by calculating their power?! Aren’t we supposed to jump into boiling water or the dragon’s lair for justice?!”
“Even then…”
“There shouldn’t be a reason for a person to help another! Surrendering yourself to those beasts, you want to call yourselves human!”
At those words from Luke, Rogers was shocked.
The primitive beliefs he had forgotten for a while awakened again.
Philip was trying to convince him again, however, Rogers formally took Luke’s orders.
“I will do my best to support the young lord.”
“General!”
As Philip jumped out of shock, Rogers smiled.
“The war hasn’t even been confirmed. And we knights are to live on the border of death. If that is the Lord’s will, then we will fight hard to win.”
“Oh no, you are right…”
Though he was out of his wits, Philip eventually accepted Luke’s decision.
In spite of that, he didn’t like princess Reina and the poor refugees being taken in.
Luke went towards Reina and her party and shared his will.
“Young Lord, thank you very much.”
“I will not forget this grace until the day I die.”
“It is alright. Is there any way to bring in ten thousand of those refugees to our territory?”
Clearly, Count Monarch wasn’t going to stand still.
And even if he stands still, many refugees will have to be moved. Like food, a cart to move.
“That, that…”
Victor and Pavel scratched their cheeks with an awkward expression.
They asked for help with an unwavering heart, but they had no plan on what had to be done afterward.
However, unlike those two, Reina seemed to have thought of a plan.
She asked for a piece of paper and wrote down some rough notes.
“I plan to move the hardest people first. I’m going to disperse and move the patients and the older people who live close by the rivers and then place them on pre-made rafts. The boats wouldn’t be possible because of the current drought, however, the rafts would float.”
She explained about connecting the people’s rafts and then dragging them to the land using the horses or the trailers would be enough for reaching Rakan Viscount.
“Hmm, it’s good. Then what about the rest?”
Countless people couldn’t get out at once.
If they tried, it would get suffocating as the time increases.
And the best way to escape would be at night.
“I thought about getting a pilgrim pass from the El Kassel church, however, it won’t be of use if the Count interferes. So I feel it needs to be like a way to get in and out.”
Fortunately, the slums which were inhabited by the refugees were on the outside walls surrounding Lamer.
All they’d have to do was get a good time at night.
The moment they get on the raft, they won’t be any means to chase after them.
At the plan of Reina, Luke nodded.
In the meantime, he noticed a significant drawback to the plan.
“But wouldn’t there be a need for a lot of money to build the rafts or horses or for the trailers?”
“The money…”
At the same time, they were sought on asking Marquis Mayers for funds too.
But as things went, everything was destroyed.
“I still have some money left after buying the Gigant. With that money, make the raft first.”
Luke handed over 3,000 pesos to Princess Reina. As soon as he returned to the estate, he decided to send another 30,000 pesos.
That was the money which was left of the 210,000 pesos that he earned the last time.
“Thank you, young Lord. How am I supposed to repay the grace…”
Reina’s eyes were filled with tears.
She hadn’t expected Luke to help her so actively. Moreover, hadn’t he helped her twice already?
“Princess is the head of the refugees. Don’t cry, but lead them in a safe manner.”
Luke wiped her tears and said,
At that act, Reina blushed and bowed her head.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Reina, determined by the encouragement from Luke, lightly tapped her cheeks in a lively manner and tied her hair which was flowing down.
Hooo?!
‘This feeling, surely the one I felt that…!’
Luke was shocked as he watched her.
While Reina was plaiting her hair, he could feel a vast Mother Nature energy from her.
The energy had overwhelmed Luke for a moment and it vanished like a wind.
That was…
“Have you forgotten something?”
“Huh? what did you say just now?”
“Ah, nothing. Thought you remembered something…”
Luke, who was dazed, mumbled the answers when Reina asked him something.
The beautiful woman, known as the princess of persecution seemed to have a secret not recognized by the other but by herself too.
And Luke didn’t know what that was.
However, he knew that it would never be normal as he remembered the 9th circle magic of the past.
‘I’ll figure out what it is. Now is the time to bring the princess and the refugees to the estate.’
First of all, he had to deal with the urgent things.
Luke with all of them, discussed and began to develop a more detailed plan for the migration.