A Famous Traitor and Treacherous Genius

311 – To the Canyon (1)

The emperor declared war.

Although he made all sorts of reasons against me, both true and false, his declaration of war speech was quite different.

Simple and clear.

So that even a fool can understand.

So that everyone can understand that this war is just, that the empire has a cause, and that it is a war that must be won.

For the most obvious reason, the Empire refused to wear a pretentious mask.

‘Do you mean to carry on the shadow of the previous emperor?’

The previous emperor was a conquering monarch.

The number of countries destroyed by him exceeded double digits.

The descendants of those fallen countries even flowed into Nostrum.

The emperor seemed to dislike overturning the image of the previous emperor, his own father, but this will probably be recorded in history books.

Habsburg Emperor.

He created an atmosphere of peace with Nostrum, negotiated, and persevered, but made the decision to save the country in the face of Nostrum’s overflowing gold.

‘Is it the trend of history that wars ultimately occur?’

Even in a world shown by false gold.

Even in the world where the traitor Gray was.

And even now, the war has ended up happening.

‘Okay. We can tell the historians about the plausible reasons later. What’s really important is how to incite the people.’

Listen to your surroundings.

The emperor’s declaration of war, delivered through magic tools, ended quickly, and soon the citizens outside began to murmur.

“Wow, suddenly there’s a war! What do you mean?”

Those who are embarrassed by the war itself.

“Are you trying to kick off the beginning of the Thersian 6th century with war?…”

Those who are nervous that the war that will come someday is now actually approaching.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if we could get all the gold?”

Those who think about the spoils the empire will have after victory from the fragmentary information in the emperor’s declaration of war.

‘Everyone still has no choice but to think about fragmentary information.’

From the imperial perspective, there will be a lack of information.

That’s because, rather than setting up a wartime system a month or two in advance, they immediately declared war.

It is not a prepared war.

It all happened because Saint Geo Nostrum died, and because we learned that Nostrum’s gold would not disappear.

‘Is it because of me?’

Did it happen because I tried to get help from the empire in dealing with Saint Geo?

Or did the emperor himself prepare his mind to some extent before making a decision and proclaiming it today?

‘Let’s go back to the canyon first.’

Either way, it is clear that the entire empire is in chaos.

That the declaration of war was made without any warning can be seen just by looking at the citizens of the empire on the streets.

“Damn, what happens to us then? Do we have to go straight to the military base?”

“It’s crazy. The military uniform wouldn’t even fit… Ugh, no, more than that, a war like this all of a sudden…! It’s not like Nostrum has invaded somewhere…!”

The citizens of the empire are coming up with their own rules of behavior that citizens should follow during the wartime system.

However, the fact that the people themselves are panicking and looking for a way out like this is proof that this is a declaration of war that the country is not prepared for.

If it were the emperor, he would have already had war clouds in the air a month ago.

Like the era of traitor Gray, the atmosphere of war against Nostrum would have been leaked to the media starting from the New Year.

They would have had soldiers identify reserve forces, explain the rules of conduct in case of war in each house, and create an atmosphere of war by roaming the streets a week before the declaration of war.

So, on the day when war was declared, the people would have said, ‘It has finally come,’ and made the people themselves take up muskets and become soldiers.

Whether it is voluntary will, or conscription in a situation where it is the movement of the entire country and cannot be left out.

There is no such neatness.

Therefore, if I take advantage of the current chaos, I can quickly escape the empire.

‘I wonder if there will be.’

Taking advantage of the commotion, I head to the garage of a building that looks reasonably expensive.

Among the warehouses made of bricks, there is one place that has high windows, an iron door on one side of the brick, and a tightly closed door that looks like slate coming down from the top.

“Ahh! It’s war! How to get to work, no, the company isn’t the problem…! You have to pick up a gun instead of a pen…!”

“Damn it, can you fight with guns against those barbarians of Nostrum? They say they are human butchers who swing swords while deflecting bullets with their bare bodies…!”

“…”

I passed through the confused crowd, killed as many people as I could, and infiltrated what looked like a warehouse.

‘There is.’

Fortunately, as I expected, the expected item is in the warehouse.

‘Thanks to the wind stone engine, it has already been commercialized.’

It is rare to even see it in the Kingdom of Nostrum, but in the Empire, it can be found in the warehouses of wealthy people in industrial cities like this.

Mado Bike.

Perhaps it has gone beyond the level of commercialization and entered the realm of personal property and hobbies, so the exterior is painted red-

‘It’s not just red, it’s your father’s color?’

It is painted in bright red, or in imperial style, a red paint that would not be an exaggeration to say is a ‘crimson color’.

I don’t know who painted this bike this color, but once you find what you want-

Rattling, rattling.

“…”

Hide yourself.

Inside the warehouse wall, even when the magic fluorescent light on the ceiling shines, it hides itself in a blind spot from the direction of the sound.

Squeak.

“Damn, damn!”

With the sound of the door being opened roughly, a man came inside with an urgent voice.

“What a terrible thing is this…!”

A middle-aged man with brown hair was carelessly stuffing his belongings into his travel bag and was looking for something as he looked toward the entrance of the warehouse he had entered.

“Damn it, I can’t be dragged away like this…!”

Something small that makes a clicking sound.

“You just have to hide until the war is over…! Yes, if you go south over there, then cross the sea and enter the island…!”

I found it.

“I’ve come this far just to fight the barbarians of Nostrum…Huh?”

And then, our eyes met.

“Who… “

Per-eok.

Lightly extend your fist.

When I stabbed him precisely in the solar plexus, the man’s expression twisted, and he immediately rolled over his eyes and fell to the side.

Well done.

I picked up a small object that fell next to the man.

Whether it was carved from gold or plated, the entire key was sparkling with gold.

‘There’s no need to feel guilty about borrowing something.’

I checked the warehouse again.

There is a crystal ball installed at the entrance of the warehouse, but I don’t have time to pay attention to details like that.

Even if my image was pictured there in the first place, it wouldn’t be spread through the Imperial Newspaper.

‘Even if they won’t help me, they will at least let me get back to the canyon on my own.’

The emperor did not capture me.

He knew that I would be the biggest variable in the war he was planning, but he only sent generals under him and did not attempt to capture me directly.

Maybe that’s-

‘It’s speculation. That can’t be possible.’

If the emperor is drawing the picture I think he has, the mere fact that he thought of it and carried it out is grounds for killing him.

“War hero…”

I grasped the key tightly, inserted it precisely into the keyhole of the Mado Bike, and twisted it.

Goo goo goo.

The engine sounds loudly.

At the same time, as soon as I hold onto the handle, magical energy flows from the end of the handle directly toward my skin.

Reverse detection.

Perhaps, what happens when the rider’s mana wavelength is checked and a person other than the owner rides is-

aaa!!

Loud alarm.

Although they are crying loudly about being stolen, the performance of the magic tool built into the magic bike is just up to par.

Vroom.

I put my foot on the pedal.

The garage door was tightly closed, but I picked up the long stick lying next to the bike and operated the bike.

‘What if it was a nostrum?’

If I were an Imperial and had to escape from Nostrum, I would have snuck into the stables, stolen a horse, and run.

But there are no words in the empire.

Instead of horses, there are only two-wheeled horse-driven vehicles that take the place of horses.

‘I heard you learned it well.’

Whether it’s Nostrum’s or the Empire’s, in the end, whatever you learn, there’s a place where you can use it.

Suddenly!

I swung the pipe and cut down the garage door, then rode my bike and ran outside.

aaa!

People who were rushing to hear the burglar alarm looked at me with surprised faces.

“…”

I paid no heed to their gazes, immediately lowered my upper body and injected mana back into the handle.

Goo goo goo.

The sound of the magic engine rolling became increasingly harsh.

Kwaaa!!

With an exhaust sound that sounded like an explosion, the bike’s wheels began to spin furiously.

“Uh, uh-“

The voices of the citizens of the empire passing by were not heard.

The only thing that can be heard is the nervous voices of the empire’s administrators coming through the magic speakers.

-Empires. Please act in accordance with the exhibition system. Rationally…

Rationally, d.

The act of war itself is a hotbed of irrational behavior, so can it really be judged rationally?

Some people might think they made a rational decision.

In that sense, the owner of this bike that I ride can also be said to be a rational human being, even if he cannot be said to be a citizen of the empire.

Individuals who fled from war.

If war breaks out, everyone will want to run away from it.

The only unfortunate thing was that I happened to be the owner of the garage I chose.

After a brief moment of silence for the man who was unable to escape after fainting and would be conscripted into the imperial army, I made a promise to him in my heart.

‘The price of the bike is paid by stopping the war.’

He will remain in my memory as one of the people who gave me the greatest help in preventing war.

Instead.

I can’t promise this.

aaa!!

“As expected.”

The promise that it will be returned in its entirety.

“Stop, you there!”

Behind me.

A steel carriage rolling on four wheels, not a bike, started running towards me.

“I’m going crazy.”

Do the people of Nostrum know?

Steel armored carriages have already been commercialized in the Empire and run on the Empire’s paved roads.

“When I return later, I’ll definitely have to tell Noir or Letard.”

And in the passenger seat, a man in military uniform pointed a musket at me and fired.

Ta-euang!

A magic bullet passed by the side of his head.

However.

‘Speed, maximum.’

It can’t be stopped.

Either the imperial army follows behind, or the imperial army blocks the front.

‘Run with all your might to the canyon.’

From memory, at this rate, I’m sure-

“Stop, I am a member of the 12th Defense Force-“

Wow.

I swung the pipe at the helmet of the person trying to put the magic car next to me from the front, and then stabilized the shaking bike.

“If it had been Nostrum, he would have been hit by a horse and died.”

An unknown member of the 12th Defense Corps rolls on the floor.

Thanks to his helmet, uniform, and safety gear, he just fell to the floor and rolled around.

“…After.”

Back.

Is it an illusion that more and more soldiers are chasing me?