Chapter 89 (2/2)
“How was it special?”
“The hero found out about the angel’s plan, and they killed each other in battle. You could say ‘two dogs fought over a bone and a third one carried it away.’ But these followers and fanatics had completely lost their minds seeing their hero and angel they wors.h.i.+ped fight against each other.”
“Wait. So this Ark Royale was originally followers and fanatic believers?”
“In that time, the Empire had taken a significant blow and needed a loyal armed force. That was how the Ark Royale was founded. In their blank state of mind, we replaced the image of the hero and angel with that of the Emperor and royal family.”
It now made sense to Isaac. This Ark Royale moved in such a peculiar way, too odd to be knights who protected the Emperor at his side. They were machines that moved as were programmed, without a shred of common sense or ability to read the mood. They never considered the consequences their actions would cause or any political reasoning. They only accepted and reacted to what they saw in front of them.
“So what do you mean by reprogramming?”
“Truth is, when the Ark Royale was first created, we needed them to be strong and single-minded in their objective, but that was the old days and not the present time. There have been many voices that complained that although they were necessary, they were too radical in their actions. And you Joon-young, I mean Isaac, shone a light to that problem, and the only way to resolve the situation was to reprogram them.”
“I hear the Ark Royale have been in service for a long time. How are they being sustained all this time?”
“That is why we fear the angels. Once brainwashed, these fanatics and followers care nothing but to be loyal to their chosen one. Even their reasoning to create a family is to continue the line of service across generations, all for the idol… So the children born under them are brainwashed and trained since young to become the next Ark Royales. There is no other life for them. If they lack the capabilities to become an Ark Royale or refuse, the father kills the child. The Empire had stayed quiet about it because it provided them with a powerful combat force for free. But as the generations pa.s.sed, their brainwas.h.i.+ng began to s.h.i.+ft in a strange way. They began disobeying the Emperor while simultaneously saying that it was for the good of the Emperor. This was why there were voices calling for their reprogramming, but there were arguments that their brainwas.h.i.+ng would be dispelled during the reprogramming. It was a problem that had been delayed until the decision was made to reprogram them because of you.”
Basically, they were used for generations just because they had their uses. Although pitiful, he had no urge to involve himself in it. It wasn’t something that concerned him, and he wasn’t the type to nose into someone else’s business. Isaac shrugged and spoke to Yoo-rah.
“So why did you call me?”
Yoo-rah boasted in response to Isaac’s question.
“There won’t be anyone who’d dare make light of you from now on.”
Isaac tilted his head in confusion, and Yoo-rah grinned as she continued.
“Now that you decided to work as part of Central, there was a lot of debate regarding which position you would have. So despite how busy I was, I flexed my authority somewhat. You are now Central’s Director of Security.”
“… What’s with that awful name? Sounds like the whole thing was made in a rush.”
Yoo-rah too slightly turned away with slight embarra.s.sment when Isaac responded with disappointment at its name.
“It is newly founded just for you, Isaac. You basically deal with the security of the Middle World.”
“What am I, some security guard…”
Isaac grumbled. Yoo-rah quickly added more to her explanation.
“Even the Dark Royale is just a part of the Directorate of Strategy on paper. Founding a whole new Directorate has never happened until now!”
Yoo-rah excitedly rattled off an explanation. To put it briefly, on top of three directorates which were Strategy, a.n.a.lysis, and Surveillance of Central, now there was the Directorate of Security was newly founded with Isaac at the head.
“How high is the seat of Director?”
“Since its founding, Central’s work has been distributed to three separate offices.”
“So on paper, I am the same rank as the other Directors?”
“Yes.”
“And there are only 3 Directors in all of Central?”
“Yes.”
“So it’s nepotism?”
“Well, you could say it like that but…”
Yoo-rah’s shoulders slumped at Isaac’s remark.
No wonder Mazelan was giving Isaac the evil eye. It was a logical reaction. Even if there was no real power, Isaac was still a Director on paper. No one would like it if someone who was their subordinate suddenly shot up the ranks, surpa.s.sing them.
Although most would simply ignore and even look down on his rank because of the lack of substance, what was important was that he was a Director on paper. There may be fools who’d throw their weight around using their t.i.tle before being ridiculed and put in their place. But Isaac was confident that he could put someone who irritated him in deep trouble just by using this t.i.tle alone. But he wasn’t going to use that card on anyone for now. Not only was it annoying, but he needed to make only a few examples to enforce obedience on the front at the very least, even if they still hate him in their heart.
“Well, it’s better to have as much power and as little responsibility.”
Yoo-rah burst out in shrill laughter. Isaac’s spine chilled watching Yoo-rah. He wasn’t that enlightened in the way of psychology, but he personally experienced how fragile a human mind is fighting in the war. Keeping her sanity after living for 300 years? Impossible. That was even more of a reason that the exaggerated laughter from Yoo-rah seemed so chilling.
“Was that the reason why you brought me here?”
Isaac asked, and Yoo-rah shot a mean look back at him.
“Are you even aware that the Empire almost split into two and was about to be embroiled in civil war because of you?”
“A civil war? I thought no one could ignore the might of Central?”
“There is one. A faction so strong that neither the Empire nor Central could interfere with.”
“Who is that?”
Yoo-rah smiled mischievously as she answered.
“It’s a family you have a deep connection with. The Dukedom of Pendleton.”
“… I knew that dukedom was powerful, but it should still be nothing compared to the might of the Empire. And with the help of Central, wouldn’t their t.i.tle as a dukedom be effortlessly neutralized?”
“That would be the case if it were any other n.o.ble families. But the Dukedom of Pendleton is a land you cannot suppress with just might.”
“Why is that?”
“Because the founder of the Pendleton family was an invader.”
“… I don’t understand. How could the Empire simply watch and let an invader create a dukedom when they usually treat them like resources?”
“The Empire had let their guard down. It was the Empire who benefitted the most from the treaty regarding invaders because of my knowledge. But an incident lit a fire underneath their feet. One of the n.o.ble family members happened to be a type 2 invader.”
“If it’s type 2, they were born into this world with the memories of their previous lives, right?”
“Correct. That person showed no signs or evidence of that fact and simply grew as a bright and talented individual and was naturally recruited into Central. After going through the introduction you just went through, he declared his ident.i.ty as Type 2 invader on the spot and registered all of his knowledge. Not in the name of the Empire, but himself.”
“… That must have been chaos.”
“Of course. It was one of the Three Great Incidents that threw Central off its feet. Central is a confederation of sentient races. There was dissension between the races and fierce rivalries in the shadows to gain superiority over the other. There are, of course, many races that were envious of humans, who held the most power. Seeing that there was likely a civil war was about to happen between the humans, the other races decided to stay out of it. They used the treaty as their excuse and said that the humans should sort out their own mess. The Empire, of course, wanted to destroy that n.o.ble family on the spot, but the copyright treaty held them back. The invader possessed many pieces of information useful to the Empire. If the invader were to request a.s.sistance from other races to fight the Empire’s pressure, that other race would gain access to the information instead. Turns out the invader had a master’s degree in engineering. The Empire was put on a spot since it was a field completely outside my field of knowledge. Whilst the Empire was busy considering what to do, the invader made an offer.”
“An offer? They decided to a.s.sist the Empire?”
“That’s right. Instead of providing all of the information, he requested to become the 2nd seat in the Empire, and the Empire had no choice but to accept. It seems that this world is the same as ours; everyone goes green with envy at the sight of others’ success.”
“Is that how the Pendleton family came to be?”
“That’s right. The only dukedom that is inherited by blood. Using its grand fiefdom and knowledge, they started many merchandise lines to consolidate financial power. Their military power is equal to half of the Empire’s, having more than ten knightly orders serving under them. They are a kingdom n.o.body knows of.”
“The Empire simply let that happen? I’m sure they felt the back of their head tingle after this.”
“That is why the Pendletons used some of their knowledge as incentive to bring in Central. They asked for a new seat as well.”
“A seat?”
“Like I said before, Central is largely split into the Departments of a.n.a.lysis, Strategy, and Surveillance. The Empire holds the right to elect the Director of a.n.a.lysis, the Pendletons have the right to do the same for the Directorate of Strategy, and the remaining races choose the most suitable candidate to lead the Director of Surveillance. It is what you’d call a triumvirate.”
“So they rival each other. But what was the reason Central accepted the offer? Even if the Pendletons provided knowledge, doesn’t it need to be shared with all of the other races?”
“Do you know this saying? Humans are humans no matter where they are. There are many races that live for hundreds of years. There are survivors of the 7 Days of Calamity, which is but a mere legend to the humans. And these races that lived prior to the 7 Days of Calamity didn’t have great relations with humans. The current balance of power may make humans pa.s.sive for now, but they worry about what humans would do when the balance of power tips in our favour.”
“That’s something I can’t argue against.”
Humans being humans. It has many meanings inside it. The human world is where the good, the bad, and the strange are mixed together. They may be equals for now, but someday they may be hunted down and treated as slaves. Their proof was the expeditionary force. There was nothing to convince that the humans of this world were any different, which was why they distrusted the humans as a race.
“It was an offer the Empire couldn’t accept, but Central joined forces with the Pendletons. The more the humans fight one another, the safer it becomes to the other races. The Empire reluctantly accepted the offer under Central’s influence, but they couldn’t help but to engrave the lesson deep into their hearts. That humans are humans no matter where they are.”
“…”
“The Empire did not want a repeat of the Pendleton Crisis. They also felt the need to consolidate military power. Truth is, that was the reason why the Ark Royale was founded. The Empire continued in their efforts to strengthen the authority of the Emperor, which is why they are now treated as almost divine in power.”
“So how is that anything to do with me causing a civil war?”
Yoo-rah made a big smile in response.
“Because Rivelia was selected to watch and control you as Vice-Director.”
“…”
“And the current Duke Pendleton is well known for his overprotective personality. Honestly, you have no idea how difficult it was to calm and convince him; he threw a tantrum and declared war outright. So please, treat her well and don’t bully that cute damsel too much. I’m not joking when I say that Duke Pendleton is a man who will declare war if the conditions are met. And he has many va.s.sals who are just as loyal to him as the Ark Royale. It’ll be impossible to stop the Expeditionary Force if the Empire and Pendletons were to be embroiled in civil war. You know what will happen after that right?”
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