Skeleton Knight, in Another World (LN) - Volume 9 - Chapter Pr

Prologue 

THE SIANA MOUNTAIN RANGE shot high into the air off to the northeast of Tisheng, one of the many cities belonging to the Great West Revlon Empire. The city looked as if it were a natural expansion of the forests that rose up around the base of the mountains. 

Such monster-filled forests had long served as a natural border with Tisheng’s neighbor, the Holy East Revlon Empire. Though the city had enjoyed many years of uninterrupted peace, the residents now found themselves victims of the eastern empire and the army of monsters serving under them. 

Though Tisheng had managed to avoid war for much of its history, that didn’t mean it was lacking in defensive measures. It had, after all, been fending off monster attacks for generations. Alas, it had never anticipated a concentrated attack from military-controlled monsters, and its defenses had fallen in a matter of moments. 

At the center of Tisheng sat the estate of the local lord who oversaw Tisheng’s affairs. The estate was a rather elaborate—even gaudy—affair, which spoke of power and wealth resulting from the city’s proximity to the border. 

The lord had since been ousted, and the estate now belonged to the Holy East Revlon Empire, serving as their first toehold into the Great West Revlon Empire—the front line of a new war. 

Marked by his sharp nose, reddish-brown hair, and crisp military uniform, Domitianus Revlon Valtiafelbe, the young emperor of the Holy East Revlon Empire, gazed out the window of the former lord’s estate as he brought a cup of warm tea to his smiling lips. 

His attendant spoke up from the corner of the room. 

“Something amusing, Your Highness?” 

Domitianus glanced over at the man and let out a jovial snort. 

Under normal circumstances, the lord chancellor was a constant presence at the emperor’s side, making audacious observations and offering a derisive smile at the slightest remark. However, right now, he was back in the capital attending to political matters. 

Without him here, Domitianus felt as if a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He cheerfully gulped down the rest of his tea and then strode to the other side of the room, where he stopped in front of a large map hanging on the wall. 

Domitianus ran his gaze down from the center of the map, where Tisheng sat prominently, to the South Central Sea. 

Ever since the Revlon Empire had split in two, the eastern side had been fixated on gaining access to a port. They were finally almost there. 

“With Tisheng out of the way, the route to the Bay of Bulgoh is practically secured. The narrow section of land flanked by the Rhoden and Delfrent kingdoms no doubt has its own defenses in place, but without them being able to summon any reinforcements from the government, I predict that they too will fall under our onslaught.” 

His attendant offered a firm nod. “Even if those scoundrels to the west desired to take back their lost territory, they are in no position to mobilize their entire army—not with hostile forces pressing in on the capital of Asbania. Even if the local lords in the south were able to get out a plea for help, the nobility to the east and west would likely ignore such a request.” 

Domitianus drew his finger across the map. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to weaken their defenses as much as I would have liked. There’s simply no way that we can defeat them with the limited strength of our monster-reinforced troops. I suppose we can just leave the hydra behind while our soldiers retreat and let it tear into whoever’s left.” 

Domitianus snickered to himself as he shifted his gaze to the land south of the Great West Revlon Empire. His eyes landed on a country surrounded on three sides, a land that exerted great influence over the entire northern continent—the Holy Hilk Kingdom. 

This kingdom served as the home of the pontiff, the head of the Hilk religion, which had spread like wildfire even before the unified Revlon Empire had split. Even Domitianus had to proceed with caution when it came to the Hilk. 

However, Tohd Straus, the head of the empire’s Runeology Cloister, had brought some intriguing news when he’d met with Domitianus recently. 

“Assuming the rumors about the Holy Hilk Kingdom are true,” the emperor mused, “well, that would be absolutely fantastic.” 

Domitianus’s servant nodded. “If we can believe Straus, then it’s the church that may request we direct our forces toward Nohzan.” 

Domitianus furrowed his brow in annoyance. This seemed all too likely. 

Tohd Straus’s assertions had been quite astonishing, so Domitianus had dispatched several of his spies to the Holy Hilk Kingdom to ascertain the truth. 

According to the rumors, the Holy Hilk Kingdom had attacked all three of its neighbors. One of them, the Nohzan Kingdom, had struck back and killed the pontiff in a counterattack. 

If this were true, the church would lose nearly all of its influence. 

The Hilk leaders across the land would likely lay heavy criticism at the feet of the Nohzan Kingdom for its role in taking down the pontiff, but if the Holy Hilk Kingdom had indeed attacked first, then it would need to answer for such acts. 

Try as he might, though, Domitianus could think of nothing in the church’s recent conduct that might have led to these strikes. 

It was unclear what the pontiff had been thinking, but as long as no reasonable justification was offered to the public, the Nohzan Kingdom would avoid criticism. Alas, the Hilk church was unlikely to roll over so easily. 

Even if the pontiff was well and truly dead, it didn’t mean that the church had lost all of its influence. There would likely be calls from across the northern continent seeking retribution. It would be difficult for the local lords to ignore such calls, and the Nohzan Kingdom was hardly in a position to withstand a concentrated attack. 

Domitianus’s lips contorted into a grin as an idea came to him. “I really would prefer to avoid the church’s ambitions getting in the way of our march west. Besides, I think the Hilk have a much better enemy to spend their time fighting with.” 

He gave his attendant a knowing glance, but the other man only cocked his head in confusion. Domitianus could practically see the lord chancellor’s face and hear his laugh. Annoying though he might be, the lord chancellor was never more than a step behind. There was simply no way a mere attendant would be able to perform at the same level as the man who handled all levels of the political sphere. 

Domitianus spelled it out. “Though the innermost mechanisms of the church are rife with corruption, there must be some true believers among them. Perhaps we could offer our support in the name of creating a new Hilk. A unified Hilk.” 

The attendant swallowed hard. “You…you intend to divide the Hilk church, Your Highness?” 

An ominous smile broke out across Domitianus’s face as his companion finally understood. “I’m sure the people will support the true believers. It also provides us with an opportunity to rid ourselves of those corrupt officials who’ve been using the church’s power for their own benefit. If the pontiff really is dead, then the Holy Hilk Kingdom must be in a state of hysteria. I doubt they have the attention for anything outside their own borders.” 

The attendant looked up at the emperor with admiration in his eyes. “In that case, the people wouldn’t need to give up their faith. They could continue believing in a church that was more receptive to the words of His Highness. What a wonderful plan!” 

Domitianus chuckled at this praise before crossing the room and dropping into the chair behind his desk. 

Perhaps someday in the future, he could even dispatch an army to the Holy Hilk Kingdom in the name of taking back the holy lands. But that was a conversation for another time. Right now, he needed to reinforce his gains in the south and repel any counterattacks from the west. 

With that decided, Domitianus began to pen a letter to Lord Chancellor Velmoas, regarding his plans. He left out his ultimate objective, but given the intellect of the other man, Domitianus had no doubt that Velmoas would understand his intentions. 

The loss of the hydra was a painful one, but any losses were a drop in the bucket if it kept the church from directing its attention toward the empire. 

“This should certainly strengthen our base. We’ll just have to keep the west off-balance. The winds of fate are on our side, after all.” 

Domitianus smirked to himself as he imagined this not-so-distant future. Setting down the pen, he sealed the envelope with wax and handed it to his attendant.