Warlord of Chaos

No matter how the various rulers felt about war, it was undeniable that war brought disaster, destruction, and death to the common people.

 Nicolas was an accomplished politician, but when it came to war, no one had the time nor effort to care about ordinary people; Nicolas was no exception. Besides, Nicolas’s military discipline was nowhere near stringent. After all, how could one make his subjects fall in love with war? Simple: entice them with gold and glory! The winning side often had the absolute power to plunder and abuse, and human morals often became powerless in that kind of situation. If a general cut down ten enemies by himself, he would be hailed as a hero by his own people, but his enemy would shun him as a demon.

 The world could never be described in simple black and white terms. Ever since ancient times, the debate about war had never once ceased. Everyone thought that they were the righteous ones and condemned their enemies. As for the truth, no one could say.

 Nicolas ran his kingdom with a citizenship system, which meant that all citizens enjoyed the same privileges nobles enjoyed, such as exemptions from taxes. Below that were plebians, and lastly slaves. No matter if you were a privileged noble or a lowly slave, you could always change your life. As long as you earned your merit in battle, slaves could become plebeians, plebians could become citizens, and citizens could become nobles. This hope of elevation was something very few could resist.

 Maybe it is because humans naturally focused on success that the people of the Kingdom of Light only recognized those that had become citizens, those that had become nobles, and oftentimes ignored the buried bones of those that failed. Thus, the whole kingdom stayed very enthusiastic about war.

 Nicolas also had the natural advantage of being an invader, and could destroy the old system from ground up. Others were not so lucky and had to rely on support from the old system to maintain their rule. If they tried implementing Nicolas’ policies, they would be removed by their own supporters before anything else.

 For the past several days, Han Jin had been protecting Louise. Of course, it was more comforting rather than protection, as Louise was a powerful professional herself. She had only felt a sense of panic after losing her only support, and Han Jin’s arrival had calmed her greatly. She finally understood why Archbishop Jeddes had entrusted such an important mission to him. The Archbishop had probably also been surprised by his deadly and mysterious magic, and he must have decided that Han Jin was powerful enough for this task. Louise really wanted to stir Han Jin into voluntarily going to Moonlight City to help her sister, but seeing that Han Jin avoided the topic of Moonlight City, she gave up on her unrealistic hope. He was only a messenger after all, and had no obligation to bleed for Moonlight City.

 They occasionally encountered refugees along the way, and human nature often revealed itself most when it was no longer bound by law. Some were weak and meek, some stayed to themselves, some robbed and stole, and some even became bandits. Louise sometimes interfered when she encountered them, but most of the time, she chose to ignore them. She couldn’t help everyone even if she wanted to, and it would only serve to slow down their journey.

 Panven also woke up from his coma. Two days before, Louise and him tried to seek help from another city ruler, but were met with a trap. The ruler greeted them warmly at first, but the meeting quickly turned into a deadly ambush in the blink of an eye. Louise and the other guards had survived because of their extraordinary reflexes, but Panven had not been so lucky. However, that was to be expected; if every magician had the same physical reflexes as warriors, there would be no warriors left on the continent.

 Han Jin was growing increasingly impatient to return. After all, no one could remain calm after witnessing the power Nicolas possessed. During the night, Han Jin, Louise, and Panven held a long discussion that lasted until dawn. Han Jin clearly indicated that he hoped Panven and Louise would come to Beitman if all else failed, and wait there until Nicolas shows his true colors before returning to turn the Knights Templar to their side. He also hoped that Louise would spread the message that Archbishop Jeddes was waiting for all priests and faithfuls in Beitman.

 Han Jin didn’t mention Black Raven City at all, solely because of its notorious reputation. Besides, he had faith in Ronning, and even if he couldn’t deal with Jeddes, there was still Guevara! The four independent castellans of Beitman were not his true concerns, and the only ones that posed threats were Zaganide and Dismark, as well as Depew City’s Lord Kassa and Cold Shadow City’s Lord Chesam. Actually, probably only one remained out of the later two, because if Chesam wanted to continue his conquest South, he must conquer Depew City. Since Kassa would never give up his territory, only one of the two could emerge victorious.

 Zaganide and Dismark, however, would not be so easily dealt with. Beitman was too close to Holy Crown City, and the rapid rise of a closeby power was bound to alert Dismark. Meanwhile, Han Jin had also captured Black Raven City and killed Zaganide’s eldest son and his two wives. Han Jin hadn’t simply angered Zaganide, he had also completely humiliated him! Compared to that, his hatred against Dismark suddenly seemed minor. After all, he was the one that had always held the upper hand, and Dismark should be the one hating him, not the other way around. Thus, Zaganide was very likely to switch targets to a rising power that has not yet established a foothold.

 Han Jin had also subtly hinted at his identity. He wasn’t sure if Louise had understood the hint, but Panven definitely had.

 After he had said everything he needed to say, Han Jin was so eager to return that he only said a few more words of goodbye, before immediately shooting toward Yalina’s direction on his flying sword.

 　　* * *

 During the twenty days when Han Jin was missing, Yalina and the rest had not been idling around. There were more than one hundred Thunderbird hatchlings that needed to be taken care of, and Jeddes also required aid since he hadn’t fully recovered yet.

 Under the influence of Han Jin’s mysterious ‘magic’, the little Thunderbirds appeared especially energetic and had a huge appetite. Their curious and aggressive spirits caused much trouble during hunting trips. Everyone present were high-grade professionals who could hunt down a holy animal like they were taking a stroll in the park, but since the little Thunderbirds were always fighting among themselves, someone must constantly watch over them and stop them from hurting, or even killing, each other.

 It was really just the rules of nature. If the little Thunderbirds had hatched in a flock that had a king, they would be perfectly fine, but without a ruler, the little Thunderbirds would often fight to the death. This was also another reason why Thunderbirds lived in flocks: since every flock had a king, even if there were fighting, it was not among the hatchlings. In comparison, Thunderbirds that are born outside a flock face a darker fate: their offspring will often fight to the death until only one remains, which is disastrous for the continuation of the species.

 Jeddes had also stayed busy despite his health. He had an aspiration to spread the glory of the God of Light to every corner of the world, and he wasn’t about to let his wound stop him! Since Yalina always respected him and had nothing against the Church, Jeddes instead focused his attention on another stubborn heathen: Gibran!

 No one knew what Gibran had gone through as a child, but everyone knew how ruthless he was. Yet, like Winston, Gibran never went out of his way to bully or hurt someone unless they strike first. His adherence to his principles were honestly quite impressive during such a dark and chaotic time. Of course, he would never help anyone unless it was one of his friends, but he would also never take advantage of others’ misfortune, and would always watch from the sidelines with cold eyes.

 But that was not enough for Jeddes. In his view, the countless tragedies in this world were precisely caused by this lack of mutual assistance. To change this world, he had to change everyone. In reality, Gibran respected Jeddes, but he simply had no interest in his teachings. His worldview had already been cemented because he had experienced too much, and he wasn’t about to change after simply hearing someone’s words.

 One day, Winston, Saxon, and a few others dug new holes for the little Thunderbirds. The original hole was too shallow for the rapidly growing Thunderbirds, who would often escape and happily jump around. When that happened, everyone could only carefully chase from a distance. You couldn’t use too much strength, or the little Thunderbirds would be hurt; you couldn’t be too fast either, as that would scare them. On top of that, although the little Thunderbirds looked like chicks, their natural ferocity was already starting to show. Their beaks could easily penetrate holy animals’ hides, and they would become especially aggressive when they were startled. Saxon had learned that the hard way. He had let his guard down one time, and a little Thunderbird had immediately pecked through his boots and had left a bloody hole in his toe.

 As an elven archer, Julia’s sight and hearing were the best among the group. As she smilingly watched Jeddes torment Gibran with his sermons, she suddenly blinked and jumped down the tree before gleefully shouting, “It’s Raphael! Raphael is back!”

 Jeddes instantly ‘abandoned’ Gibran and abruptly stood up to look at the sky. Soon, a brilliant green light shot toward the horizon. There was no mistake. Only one person on the entire continent could fly like this.

 Jeddes’ expression looked complicated, with a mix of fear and hope. Humans were truly strange creatures. Even if they knew hope was slim, they still wished for miracles. Maybe that was why humans needed faith.

 The green light approached and soon buried itself on the ground. The next moment, Han Jin’s shape steadily landed on the ground. Jeddes’ face suddenly darkened when he noticed Han Jin’s expression. “Did…”

 “By the time I got there, Nicolas had already made his move,” Han Jin quietly said. He hadn’t intended to tell the truth so bluntly, but a lie would only require more lies and preparation. This was Jeddes, not a little kid; he was bound to find out the truth eventually.

 “I knew we couldn’t stop Nicolas.” Jeddes forced out a smile. “Did you encounter any danger?”

 Despite the bad news, Jeddes still asked about Han Jin’s safety. That greatly eased Han Jin’s mind, and he answered, “I met a Dragon Knight. Haha… it was the first time I’ve ever seen a Golden Dragon in my life, do you know who it was?”

 “Dragon Knight!?” Yalina screamed in shock.

 “Raphael, tell us about your trip! In detail!” Winston and Saxon also clamored up. They were equally interested in another region’s people and culture. Even the little Thunderbirds started chirping madly, as if to say they also knew Han Jin was back.

 “Sure.” Han Jin smiled. He also had many questions. The Demon Annihilator Crossbow, for example! He had never heard of a weapon so terrifyingly powerful that it could cause irreversible damage to a Giant Dragon! He didn’t want Louise and Panven to underestimate his power, so he had waited until he had returned to ask Jeddes instead.