Chapter 76

Chapter 76. Enriching the Nation, Strengthening the Army (3)

"Hell yeah~ So you're saying you dropped four expansions and built six forward barracks to mass-produce infinite units and steamrolled the Ching, right?"

The great figures of the Republic of Korea were always right.

The Patriot showered praise upon the achievements of King Sejong the Great.

"......Ex-expansions? Barracks?"

The great man himself, however, merely mumbled to himself with a dumbfounded expression.

"Come on, read my thoughts! You're the God of Words, you should get it right away!"

Yi Do—now called King Sejong the Great—gazed steadily at the Patriot.

Perhaps it was the deepening bond between them?

His innermost thoughts came through with vivid clarity.

'King Sejong dropped four expansions along the Yalu River, sucked up all the resources, then set up six forward barracks on the Tumen River side. That's how he wiped out every last Ching bastard.

He pressured the Ching's front yard hard as fuck, and some super marine named Kim Jong-seo definitely delivered the killing blow with overwhelming numbers!'

Having read the Patriot's "thoughts," Yi Do squeezed his eyes shut.

To think the man had understood the Four Garrisons and Six Forts like that.

'Setting aside that vulgar phrasing—.'

The future—the nation called the Republic of Korea was truly beyond imagination.

Yi Do had perceived the Patriot's thoughts as moving pictures—video.

"What is 'StarCraft'?"

"It's like a folk game."

Bizarre soldiers he'd never seen or heard of, and round structures flying through the sky.

A world where humans directed such things in mock battles—that was Yi Do's perception of the Republic of Korea.

As one of humanity's greatest intellects, Yi Do grasped the essence at once.

'The future of my descendants is truly bleak.'

The Patriot called warfare waged with that incredible technology a "game."

And his descendants, possessing such an advanced civilization, still faced existential catastrophe.

He couldn't even begin to imagine what that catastrophe was.

"So those Ching oppress your people that severely?"

"That's why King Sejong dropped expansions and pushed up too, right? The Ching bastards right now turned North Korea into a Polluted Beast paradise and are pulling all kinds of horrific shit!"

Conversation with the Patriot was exceedingly difficult.

Most of it operated at the level of his "common knowledge," making it impossible to learn the finer details.

Yi Do gave silent thanks for his own brilliant mind and organized the Patriot's words into a coherent picture.

'The Ming Dynasty...... the Jurchens.'

In the future, they had become one.

Bearing the arrogant name "China."

They waved a blood-soaked five-starred red banner and scattered catastrophe across the globe.

'So that is why I must live the life of a Constellation.'

Yi Do understood everything the Patriot had explained.

The problem was that "Yi Do" had not yet concretely established his own abilities.

What on earth did it mean to command the world through the Dominion of Words?

"How was it for the other Constellations?"

"Admiral Yi Sun-sin said the moment he boarded the carrier, it felt right and his memories came flooding back."

Yulgok Yi I had been grateful for being reminded how to operate a hundred-thousand-strong special force, and Cheok Jun-gyeong had rejoiced, saying he'd missed the feel of a lightsaber.

"Hm......"

Yi Do reflected.

The other so-called Constellations, intoxicated by power, hadn't asked for detailed explanations.

Yi Do fully understood that sentiment.

'My curiosity as a scholar......'

There was so much he wished to ask.

But he would not.

He could investigate after he entered the world under the name King Sejong rather than Yi Do.

"The Dominion of Words—I'm beginning to sense the power you speak of."

"Really? How's it feel?"

"Patriot, I believe the detailed memories will surface once you tell me more."

The Patriot grimaced and tilted his head.

"This memory thing with the Constellations is such a pain......"

He'd spent days telling him all sorts of things and yet this was still happening.

Among all the Constellations, King Sejong had the worst case of memory loss by far.

That made things all the more difficult.

'Ah, I know King Sejong is really fucking great, but I don't know a single detail.'

The Patriot's inner thoughts were audible, but Yi Do pretended not to notice and waited.

After a moment.

'King Sejong is a chubby dude. Definitely not a fighter. He just clicks with the Dominion of Words to get things done, that's why he's so fat.'

Unlike the twelve flying carriers, the "Dominion of Words" was a concept the Patriot found genuinely difficult to define.

He'd never even seen it in a webtoon, making explanation all the harder.

'But still......'

The fact that it could just "click" things into existence meant it was incredibly powerful.

'In that case......'

The Patriot recited King Sejong the Great's first Authority.

"It's like, you repel catastrophes with the Dominion of Words and tear monsters apart with a single command. Kind of like the Kill I throw, but way stronger!!! And you probably absorbed the power of whatever you killed with the Devouring Language and turned it into patriotic resources, right?"

"Y-yes, that sounds right. I do seem to remember that."

Yi Do gained the power to slay enemies through "words."

An Authority to absorb those enemies and convert them into "resources" was born.

'An absolute Authority born from creating language, the will to exterminate the Ching, the ruthless philosopher-king mentality that deployed a mad scientist named Jang Yeong-sil—.'

The Patriot defined King Sejong the Great's second Authority.

"The Dominion of Words with infinite scalability. It turns people into Awakened and can even enhance those who've already Awakened."

"Indeed! My memories are definitely coming back now."

The Patriot believed King Sejong's power could multiply Awakened.

'Right, I can't just let him shove citizens into coffins.'

There was a reason he'd met King Sejong just as Si-woo's horrific scheme loomed!

The Patriot nodded and thought.

'Just one more!'

Finally—.

"With a single word, you mass-enhance the nation's strategic assets like four expansions and six forward barracks! You create a Transcendent Republic of Korea!"

King Sejong the Great's third Authority was defined.

"Indeed, that is how I strengthened Joseon. My memories have become very clear now."

Yi Do nodded firmly with wide-open eyes.

The power of the "Dominion of Words" as defined by the Patriot had begun to concretely blossom.

BOOOM———!!!

Having seized all that power, Yi Do reflected.

Having read every last thought and meaning behind the Patriot's words.

He was certain.

'Enriching the nation, strengthening the army......'

That the being called the Patriot.

Had not ceased, for even a single moment, to serve the Republic of Korea.

***

I returned to Pyongyang after wrapping up all my business.

A full day had passed, yet there was no sign of the Patriot returning.

"Did the trial warp inside the Tower?"

If time in the Tower was short, you'd return to the present world after twenty-four hours.

Conversely, the longer the time inside, the shorter the return delay.

Exceeding twenty-four hours meant an anomaly had occurred in the time ratio within the trial—.

'King Sejong the Great.'

It implied that the Patriot's new Constellation possessed formidable Authority.

In the meantime, I needed to solidify my own power as originally planned.

FLASH!

[Mystery reserves: 10,000 kg]

An overwhelming quantity of Mystery had been secured.

The original 1,000 kg I'd earned was left for Im Ji-a as betting capital.

Having swept up all the Coins, the least I could do was leave her the betting fund.

'She won it on pure skill this time, so I'll trust her.'

According to the prophecy from the tarot card she'd given me, the Patriot's new Constellation would be a great boon to me as well.

[A card depicting someone hammering King Sejong.]

Going by the image alone, it seemed to mean I'd beat up the Patriot's new Constellation. But Im Ji-a's interpretation was different.

"It means the beings born through King Sejong's Authority will be further enhanced by your power, Si-woo. The two Transcendents of Korea achieving harmony through each other's Authorities—is this not a grand purpose for the nation?"

She'd said that while making a coin gesture with her fingers.

She was asking for betting capital.

The Reading pleased me so much that I'd invested 1,000 kg of Mystery as her new fund.

'I have absolutely no idea how King Sejong is supposed to enhance humans, but......'

This wasn't Im Ji-a's problem—it was the Patriot's.

Nobody could predict what that man thought about King Sejong.

[Patriot Affairs Team Summary: The Patriot's Understanding of King Sejong]

1. Possessor of absolute Authority who created language.

2. A great and exalted Transcendent-class figure of the Republic of Korea.

3. A really fucking great king. Worship-worthy, yeah?

⋮

That was the Patriot Affairs Team's report.

Beyond creating Hangul, there were virtually no other achievements mentioned.

The small consolation was that the Patriot at least knew about Jang Yeong-sil's friendship with King Sejong, though.......

'He apparently thinks of Jang Yeong-sil as some kind of mad scientist?'

No matter how hard I racked my brain, I couldn't predict how King Sejong would manifest.

'Well, whatever......'

The Reading had pointed toward me and the Patriot cooperating, so there was no need to agonize over this.

I put the matter aside and surveyed my territory.

Two tasks needed immediate attention.

1. Fix the Gate spawn locations across the Pyongyang area.

2. Overlay the Imperial Citadel of the Ruzbella Empire atop Muratan's Inviolable Fortress.

First up was the Gate problem.

FLASH!

[Permanent fixation Mystery requirement: 2,000 kg]

[Period-based fixation—1 month: 30 kg]

Gates spawned at random.

But by utilizing Mystery within a Territory like this, the Gate coordinates could be pinned to specific locations.

Our capital Seoul had the same measures in place, keeping it safe from Gate floods.

Special cases like the dragon nest at Jamsil Lotte Tower were either precursors to a Black Gate or disasters from before the Patriot's arrival.

'The provinces use processed Mystery to redirect Gate locations......'

The first field the world had poured effort into after the Gate crisis was Gate coordinate relocation technology.

A Gate appearing in the middle of a capital meant catastrophe.

FLASH!

[2,000 kg of Mystery consumed to fix Gate coordinates across the Pyongyang area.]

I adjusted the Gate spawn locations for my territory.

The position: beneath the Taedong River in Pyongyang.

Its southernmost point.

'Outside the Imperial Citadel's perimeter.'

Where the World Tree could never reach.

That satanic tree would never escape my territory.

SWOOOSH——.

I felt it.

The World Tree's sinister intent.

The moment I'd fixed the Gate locations, it was trying to redirect its roots.

Even without Transcending, I could detect this much now.

My power originated from my swords, and they were the foremost experts in handling the World Tree.

I'd inherited that same sensory awareness.

'I won't let that happen.'

The World Tree's presence, felt more vividly now.

Its roots were spreading at tremendous speed.

But they would never advance.

'I block it.'

I struck the world with my will.

The Inviolable Fortress was mine.

And so, by my will, its structure was altered.

BOOOM——.

Inviolable Walls encircled the underground of Pyongyang.

Ensuring the World Tree's roots could never break through, ensuring that even after the Imperial Citadel of the Ruzbella Empire appeared, the tree could never extend beyond its bounds.

TREMBLE———!

The World Tree shuddered.

Its roots halted.

Instead, the World Tree began devouring North Korea's contamination even more ravenously.

That was the desire to grow.

With the underground blocked, it would obviously try to grow upward.

'I'll block the sky too.'

How?

'By overlaying the Imperial Citadel of the Ruzbella Empire atop the Inviolable Fortress.'

Then the Emperor's Authority would envelop this world, and the satanic tree would never grow taller than that Authority.

Time to build the citadel.

***

FLASH!

[World-class structure—the Imperial Citadel of the Ruzbella Empire is manifesting.]

Circular walls rose outward to encompass the area known as the Pyongyang metropolitan district.

Layer upon layer of concentric walls closed in toward the city center.

KRRRRUMBLE——!!!

The imperial capital, divided into five districts from the outermost ring to the center, was the Imperial Citadel of the Ruzbella Empire.

"Citadel" was the name, but in reality, it was the imperial capital being summoned whole.

The fifth district on the outskirts held commoners' residences, while the closer one got to the first district at the center, the more one encountered the domains of nobility—mage towers, residences of the Imperial Transcendent Knights, and the like.

Within that grand transformation, Si-woo's Baby Sword glinted.

Scattering an intensely crimson light.

[Sword Master...... you're giving this maiden such a magnificent gift!]

Iris was overcome with emotion as she gazed at Sword Master Shin Si-woo.

Because an astonishing message had appeared before her eyes in the Sword Realm.

The single thread of regret that had remained even after witnessing the end of the world.

FLASH!

[The sole bloodline of the Ruzbella Empire confirmed. The last of the imperial family.]

[The Last Empress of the Ruzbella Empire—Iris Ruzbella.]

[You are granted the right to assert imperial authority.]

What authority could the last surviving royal assert within the Imperial Citadel?

None other than proclaiming herself Empress.

'This maiden is......'

Iris thought.

Was she truly the rightful ruler of this empire?

What was Our judgment?

'We are the Empress.'

But not just any ordinary empress.

She was, after all, a being with a master.

A being bound to Sword Master Shin Si-woo.

Then what was the Sword Master's world, to encompass even the mighty Ruzbella Empire?

'We are the Empress of a vassal state—one belonging to the Sword Master's world.'

Iris Ruzbella defined it thus.

Her citadel belonged to Sword Master Shin Si-woo's territory, and therefore it was fitting to call it a vassal state.

Then a question arose.

What manner of world was the Sword Master's, to encompass such a mighty empire?

Iris had a clear answer.

——The Absolute Empire.

A concept for Shin Si-woo's territory was born.

Simultaneously, a transformation occurred.

At the heart of Pyongyang, ringed by five layers of walls, colossal structures materialized.

Each one rivaled a small city in sheer size, and every building was imbued with unique Authorities, radiating formidable power.

'What a nostalgic sight.'

Mage towers piercing the sky.

A central imperial palace as vast as if it contained the cosmos itself.

Surrounding it, facilities like the Imperial Transcendent Knight Order barracks and Arcane Engineering Workshops appeared.

The imperial capital, recreated whole in reality.

By the Patriot's own estimation, its scale wouldn't lose to Seoul—the greatest city in the world.

Upon the great Imperial Palace's emergence, the world whispered.

<The vassal state of ■■■■—the Imperial Citadel of the Ruzbella Empire has appeared in the world.>

<Emperor—Sword Master Shin Si-woo. Empress—■■■ Ruzbella.>

The world declared this citadel belonged to something.

It also announced the existence of two rulers.

The world interpreted it thus:

Korea's Transcendent Shin Si-woo donned the emperor's uniform, built the Imperial Citadel, and proclaimed an empire.

And so—.

<Announcement: the world's second empire—the Ruzbella Empire—has appeared.>

<The pride of the British Empire trembles.>

Beneath the heavens, two empires now existed.