Chapter 206
Chapter 206
Kaichen and I arrived at the cliff where Haram had told us we would find the forest. As he had said, we could see the forest under the cliff, and even though it was foggy beyond it, we could clearly see the land.
“If we go straight ahead, will we reach the Suran Kingdom that we know of?” I asked.
“According to the ancient books, Suran isn’t a kingdom, but an empire,” Kaichen replied. “It’s a country that’s larger than the Kalhai Empire and has a long, unbroken history.”
“Oh… then why do we call Suran a kingdom in our empire?”
“We don’t want to acknowledge their long history. The Kalhai Empire expanded its territory by conquering other kingdoms through warfare, and gained its power that way. After its conquests, the Kalhai Empire declared itself the only empire on the continent. Its history isn’t very long, so as an empire, it doesn’t want to acknowledge the long history of the Suran Empire. That’s why we just call it a kingdom.”
I nodded slowly. Among the people of the Kalhai Empire, the Suran Empire was just known as a distant kingdom in the eastern continent.
“Aren’t you frustrated with Suran?” I asked. “They just trade, they don’t send envoys here or want friendship.”
“Suran is also ignoring the Kalhai Empire,” Kaichen pointed out. “It’s a long distance away, and can only be reached by sailing for more than a month by boat. It’s only natural that trade is carried out by a small number of merchants by boat. We don’t have much information about this elusive empire.”
It was known as the “Eastern Continental Suran Kingdom,” but it would be more accurate to call it the “Eastern Suran Empire.” If it were revealed that the eastern empire was connected to the Kalhai empire, the Kalhai Empire would no longer be considered the oldest and strongest empire. It must see Suran as a threat, otherwise, why would it only label Suran as a kingdom?
Suran is the eastern empire and Kalhai is the western empire. If a new map were to be made in the future, history would be written this way.
“If this becomes an official road, do you think we’ll be able to have a friendly relationship with Suran in the future?” I asked.
“It’s hard to say,” Kaichen replied.
I knew without having to ask that this was what Julius, the prince of Kalhai, wanted. When Kaichen read the ancient book and told him that the Suran Empire wasn’t just an eastern country, but an eastern empire on the same continent, Julius would have probably imagined forming friendly relations with them.
‘There must have been an episode like that in the second half of the story that I didn’t read.’
Then, the princess of the East would be one of the candidates to be Julius’s female lead. To be precise, it would be the princess of the Suran Empire. I didn’t even have to see her to know how much her presence would help.
Whing-
Standing on the cliff, looking at the land that was yet to be explored, I felt strange. I thought I might fall as the wind blew, but I wasn’t nervous because Kaichen was there, holding my hand tightly.
‘If this path opens up and we can form relations with Suran, it will definitely be a great help to Julius.’
Calling the Suran a kingdom, rather than an empire, revealed a sense of inferiority and hostility towards the long-standing empire. However, the people of the Kalhai Empire still admired the culture of Suran. They were envious of the flavorful spices and fabrics that couldn’t be produced in their own empire.
Suran was often depicted as the mysterious “Eastern Country” or “Eastern Continent” in ordinary fantasy novels.
It was a good sign that this recognition of Suran’s existence came as soon as I decided to be strong.
‘For things to work out, I’ll have to find that person as expected.’
I frowned and let out a deep sigh.
“Master, go back first. I’ll instruct Haram to carve out this path,” I said.
Kaichen teleported to Acrab without a word. His movement magic was as natural as breathing. The only magic that I could use with such ease was the basic magic that I had practiced for a hundred years.
‘He said that I had a talent for time magic. Could I use it like this if I practiced?’
But then I shook my head. Time magic was taboo and no one was allowed to use it. Of course, I couldn’t use or practice it since I didn’t have the necessary materials. I wondered if the only way for my stagnant magic to develop was to accept the memories I had ignored.
I thought I would go straight to the mansion, but I ended up teleporting to Acrab Square instead. It seemed that the news of my return had spread, as there were people gathered in the plaza. They weren’t surprised to see me and Kaichen suddenly appear, and they greeted us with smiles.
“Count, it’s a relief to see you healthy,” one of them said.
“I heard that you came back! Go and take a long break,” another added.
“Count, I heard that you made a great social debut in Heulin. Congratulations!”
It had been a long time since I was surrounded by the residents of Acrab like this, and it made me feel tense.
‘No, I told myself I could accept it just now.’
Swallowing nervously, I tightened my grip on Kaichen’s hand. Kaichen glanced at me, but I forced a smile and sincerely thanked those who greeted me.
“Count! I’m happy to see you return!” Jenny said, running up to us with a pretty smile.
Unlike in the past when she had given me crushed dandelions, she presented me with a bouquet.
“My dad said that the count is the prettiest in the capital. Is that true?” she asked.
“Um, I’m not the prettiest,” I replied.
“There’s someone prettier than the count?!” Jenny exclaimed, opening her eyes wide and covering her mouth with her hands.
Her pure and cute behavior brought a natural smile to my face.