Chapter 17
Because Ivan had been possessed before he even started the game, his knowledge of ‘Lord of Empire’ was extremely limited.
Still, one thing was certain.
The Empire was overwhelmingly the strongest nation in the game, with no country even remotely comparable.
If this really were a game, he would have thrown himself at it without a second thought. He could just restart if things went wrong, so why hesitate?
But Ivan had ended up inside that damn game, and he had only one chance.
“···Are you insane?”
“Who knows? My mind is perfectly sound.”
The great chieftain's expression, however, was utterly calm. Did he even understand the meaning of what he had just said?
Veins bulged on Ivan's forehead.
“Do you even know what sort of place the Empire is? You'd have to be insane to say something like that···.”
“There is probably no one in the North who knows more about the Empire than I do. I saw it with my own two eyes.”
The great chieftain continued in an impassive voice.
“When I was young and foolish, I left the North and traveled the world. I learned how narrow the world I had known was, and how insignificant we were in comparison.”
His eyes held the look of someone recalling a distant past.
“The Empire was on an entirely different level. The only reason the North has survived is that it wasn't worth conquering. Once I realized that, I felt utterly ridiculous.”
“If you know that so well, why are you saying this?”
“Because this is our only chance to win.”
The great chieftain's voice grew rough.
A turmoil of emotions he had kept hidden for years came spilling out of his throat.
“I have devoted half my life to uniting the North, and you are the greatest warrior to appear since Valdor. If we let this opportunity pass as well, the Empire will one day swallow the North. Chains will be fastened around the warriors' necks, and their wives and children will be reduced to slaves.”
“Is the North worth that? If we don't provoke them, they have no reason to invade us.”
“Perhaps not. But begging for an enemy's mercy is not the way of a warrior. Even if we lose, Valdor will claim our souls, so what is there to fear?”
The great chieftain's eyes burned with calm conviction.
‘This guy's completely insane.’
There was no reasoning with a madman who had convictions. And when that madman was the leader of the North, it was a serious problem.
The great chieftain gazed at Ivan and asked,
“Choose wisely. Will you fight, or will you submit?”
It was a question whose answer had already been decided. Ivan did not even pretend to deliberate.
“I refuse. War, my ass.”
As the great chieftain had said, the Empire might invade and ravage the North someday.
If he truly considered the North's future, that might have been the best choice.
But Ivan had no intention of sacrificing his present happiness for an uncertain future, and he had the power to pursue his own will. That was sufficient.
“If you don't like it, fight me. If I lose, I'll think about it.”
The great chieftain stared at Ivan without saying anything for a while, then let out a small sigh.
He was not foolish enough to throw himself into a hopeless fight out of emotion.
“If that is truly your will, I'll pretend what just happened never did. But I have one condition.”
Ivan answered with slight irritation.
“What is it now?”
“Take my place.”
“······?”
“All of a sudden?” Ivan was so taken aback that he was briefly speechless.
“Are you joking? You don't seem ready to retire yet.”
“Do I seem that way? I···.”
In the middle of speaking, the great chieftain's face hardened, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
“I···won't live much longer. It seems I've come down with a rather terrible illness.”
“···Does Havel know?”
“No one but you knows. So, what is your answer?”
Knowing the chieftain would soon die, Ivan felt his resolve weaken a little.
Ivan thought for a moment before answering.
“I still refuse.”
“···I didn't expect you to refuse even this. Why?”
“I thought about it, and I don't think I'm the sort of person who should lead anyone. Havel would be much better at it.”
Anger crept into the great chieftain's voice.
“Great power carries an equal obligation. This is the responsibility you must shoulder. Are you going to cast even that aside?”
“Is being good at fighting a reason to stand above everyone else? I don't think so.”
The great chieftain glared at Ivan as though he wanted to kill him, but Ivan did not so much as blink.
Only then did the great chieftain fully understand the strange sense of dissonance he had felt all along while dealing with Ivan.
Their fundamental philosophies were completely different. Persuading one another was impossible; they could not even understand each other.
Ivan wore an indifferent expression.
“It seems we've said everything there is to say. May I leave now?”
“No, I still have something to say.”
From the beginning, this was not a problem that words could solve.
The great chieftain chose the simplest solution handed down in the North since ancient times.
“Once tomorrow is over, I will officially declare war on the Empire.”
“What does that mean···.”
“If you want to stop the war, challenge me and take the position of great chieftain from me. Good luck.”
The great chieftain smiled brightly, patted Ivan on the shoulder, and walked past him.
Left alone, Ivan stood blankly for a long while before muttering under his breath,
“That fucking madman···.”
***
This had grown too big for Ivan to decide on his own.
Ivan called in the two people he trusted most and explained the whole situation.
“So you're saying you have to kill the great chieftain···my father?”
“When you put it that way, I sound like a real piece of shit···. But to sum it up, yes.”
Even as he spoke, Ivan stole a glance at Havel's reaction.
After all, Havel had helped him out countless times.
Even aside from that, no one could casually say they were going to kill a friend's father.
Havel thought for a moment, then said,
“If it's to stop the war, it can't be helped. I support you.”
“I knew you'd say that···what?”
Ivan was stunned. Even so, how could Havel be okay with killing his own father?
“You weren't on bad terms with your father too, were you? Like he used to beat you for no reason···.”
“Of course not. He was very strict, but he was a good man.”
“Then why···?”
“A duel fought over the wills of two people is sacred in itself. Even if my father dies, Valdor will claim his soul, so what is there to fear?”
Ivan nodded, pretending to be more or less convinced. The sensibilities unique to barbarian warriors were still difficult for him to understand.
I suppose all he needed to know was that this was simply one kind of love.
“Still, I had hoped to send him off with my own hands someday. It's a shame that won't happen.”
“······.”
On second thought, maybe he really was a fucking bastard.
Suddenly, Elena, who had been quietly listening, tilted her head.
“Come to think of it, didn't my father also die at Ivan's hands? How strange.”
“There were circumstances···.”
“At this point, we could call you a father-killer.”
Elena gave him a playful smile.
Ivan couldn't think of anything to refute her with. Having suddenly become a fucking bastard, he silently lowered his head.
In any case, now that he had their permission, there was no reason to hesitate any longer.
As soon as day broke, Ivan went to the great chieftain and challenged him to a duel.
The rules were simple. Two people would fight, and one would survive.
The rumor spread quickly. Nearly everyone in the tribe gathered to watch the fight.
As the tension mounted, the great chieftain had someone bring three cups of liquor.
One cup was poured onto the ground. It was an offering to Valdor.
The great chieftain drank one of the remaining two cups, then held the last one out to Ivan.
“Drink. It is the rule of duels passed down through the generations.”
Ivan downed the liquor in one gulp, then hurled the cup to the ground. It tasted fucking awful.
“You'd better give it your all. I have no intention of going down easily.”
“I'll kill you with everything I've got, so you don't need to worry about that.”
He had no intention of letting his guard down. His opponent was a monster, one of the few to rank among the greatest in the North's long history.
Ivan gripped Hrundal tightly. A chill ran down his back.
The great chieftain grinned and said,
“As my final lesson, I'll teach you one thing. Carve it into your bones.”
“What kind of bullshit are you spouting all of a sudden···.”
Ivan frowned in the middle of speaking. A thin line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
The great chieftain whispered in a low voice,
“Never trust your enemy. Always be suspicious.”
“You dirty son of a···.”
The great chieftain swung his sword at Ivan.