Kingdom of Kravendorn...
Markus:
— Greetings to His Majesty, King Gerald of the mighty Kingdom of Kravendorn.
Gerald(smiling slyly):
— Welcome, dear envoy Markus. It is a great pleasure to see you in my palace. Please, deliver the good news so we may celebrate with a feast.
Markus:
— Your Majesty, do not rush to prepare a feast. Things are not as you believe.
Gerald:
— I do not understand. What do you mean, Priest Markus!?
Markus:
— The Chaos Emperor Aeth did not surrender!
Gerald(laughing mockingly):
— Ha… ha… ha… ha… I thought it was something serious. The empire is ruled by ministers anyway. That incompetent fool is taken seriously by no one. Whether he surrenders or not does not concern me in the slightest. Tell me this instead — did the empire surrender!?
Markus:
— Your Majesty, you misunderstand me. Because Aeth did not surrender, the empire did not surrender either. As for the ministers — you are correct, they ruled the empire. However, Aeth executed thirty-three nobles. He slaughtered all his ministers in the throne hall. According to the information we possess, he did not stop there; he confiscated the estates of all prominent nobles and publicly executed them before the people. He also expelled the Claritas Temple entirely from the empire.
Gerald(furiously):
— Do you even believe what you are saying, Priest Markus!? Aeth could never do such things! These are acts only the demon armies would commit. If you had said that, I might have believed you. But I will never believe that wretch did all this.
Markus:
— Your Majesty, we ourselves would not have believed it, but all of this occurred in front of the Light Goddess Lisa. At one point, even Goddess Lisa's life was in danger. The most mysterious part is that he did all of this alone, without anyone's assistance!
Gerald:
— How is this even possible!? There is no need to wait any longer! I will immediately gather the army and attack the Chaos Empire!
Markus:
— Do not rush, Your Majesty. There are other matters you are unaware of!
Gerald:
— What are you trying to say, priest!?
Markus:
— At that same time, a Dragon General attacked Averlion. Aeth killed him. In other words, you will not be the only one attacking the Chaos Empire. The decision is yours, but if you attack at such a time, you may suffer heavy losses!
Gerald(thinking):
So it was the Dragon Domain. Now everything is starting to make sense. That incompetent Aeth awakened his powers by confronting a Dragon General. The priest is right — attacking now would be foolish. It is better to leave this matter to the demons and the dragons.
Gerald:
— So Aeth awakened his powers. The goddess and those present said nothing about this? Do you have any information on what kind of power it is?
Markus:
— According to what has been said and considering the events, it appears to be an aura. The goddess's warrior stated that he sensed a terrifying aura from him. We believe he awakened it after facing the dragon.
Gerald:
— Everything is clear. No matter how powerful his aura is, he cannot fight demons and dragons without assistance!
Chaos Empire – Capital Averlion...
Aeth enters the throne hall together with Fredrin. All the artisans, blacksmiths, and architects of the realm bow before the emperor.
Aeth:
— Give the sketches to the blacksmiths, Fredrin!
Fredrin hands Aeth's prepared sketches to the blacksmiths. They examine them and see modified versions of several weapons, becoming astonished. Out of fear, they say nothing to the emperor. They accept the sketches and request permission to begin work. It is not only the palace staff and blacksmiths — after the public executions of nobles and the earlier events, everyone now takes Aeth seriously and fears him. For someone who slaughtered nobles mercilessly without hesitation, executing others would be effortless. Yet these executions also calmed the people — not because of fear, but because previous coup attempts, assassinations, and riots had only brought heavy losses. Aeth ended it all in a single day. Thus, he also became the leader the people had long awaited.
Though rumors circulated claiming that he had once stood alongside those who oppressed the people, the populace had no desire to plunge into another uprising and an even bloodier massacre. In a time of war, such a resolute emperor was what they needed most. They were surrounded by enemies on all borders: to the south the Demon Kingdom, to the west the Dragon Domain and the impassable Spirit Plains, to the north the Kingdom of Kravendorn, and to the east the Forest of Dreaded Creatures. In short, only the north was accessible — yet Kravendorn had sealed its borders, trapping the empire as bait for the demon armies.
The people's sole hope was a legendary hero. Aeth's slaying of Farnak and the execution of the cruel nobles were enough to ignite the small spark within their hearts into a blazing fire.
Aeth:
— You may begin your work now.
Vondak (Blacksmith):
— With Your Majesty's permission, we wish to begin immediately.
Aeth:
— Begin. But not in your own workshops. I have prepared a special area within the palace. All your needs will be provided by me personally. Working together will be more efficient — I believe this.
Blacksmiths:
— As you command, Your Majesty.
Aeth made this decision so everyone could work together more comfortably, and so he could personally oversee the weapon modifications until they were completed.
Aeth:
— Architects and artisans, your work will begin soon. You will be placed under palace protection. Await further orders.
Others:
— As you command, Your Majesty.
Aeth:
— Fredrin, report on the army's current status.
Fredrin:
— Our current forces consist of eighty thousand soldiers. Thirty thousand cavalry, fifty thousand infantry: twenty thousand regular soldiers, twenty thousand heavily armored troops, and the remaining ten thousand are palace guards. Of the twenty thousand soldiers, five thousand are archers.
Aeth:
— A force of seventy thousand is no small number, especially thirty thousand cavalry. In these times, assembling such a cavalry force is extremely difficult — perhaps impossible.
Fredrin:
— I fully agree, Your Majesty. The majority of this army consisted of troops nobles gathered to protect themselves. However, they were of no help when it mattered.
Aeth:
— Every individual within this empire is part of its people. I grant no noble the right to raise a private army and attempt a coup. Those who attempt such acts will be executed.
Aeth:
— As for the army, aside from the heavily armored units, all troops — including cavalry — will undergo archery training!
Fredrin:
— I will execute the order immediately, Your Majesty.
Aeth:
— Even so, this army is not enough. Everyone knows that considering the empire's population, this force is insufficient.
Fredrin:
— That is true, Your Majesty. Recent events have left the populace in dire condition. We could not gather more. Even if we did, training would take too long. For now, eighty thousand is our limit.
Aeth:
— That is precisely why the entire population must be registered immediately. Time is limited, so act swiftly. Distribute the lands of the executed nobles to the people for use. Half of the income will go to the state treasury. Those without land will be given land, and in return, they will contribute to the empire. I do not want to see a single unemployed person in my empire!
After registration, assign everyone to suitable positions. An idle person is the most dangerous kind — idleness breeds foolish thoughts. This will ease livelihoods and ensure the treasury does not stand empty. Use the remaining noble wealth for the army. Talented warriors will receive titles personally from me.
Aeth:
— The army will be classified as follows: Warrior, Chaos Knight, Chaos Executioner, and Chaos General. Each rank surpasses the previous. These titles will be awarded to those who distinguish themselves in the coming wars. Any warrior with a title will be recognized as a noble throughout the empire and receive a permanent stipend as long as they serve. Even a common citizen may rise to noble status through merit.
Aeth:
— I, Aeth, the current Chaos Emperor, declare that from this moment on, there are no fixed titles in this land. The history of this empire is being rewritten. Value this opportunity well — I offer you not only the chance to protect your families and lands, but to carve your names into history as nobles. Your battles will not be in vain; your victories will bring great rewards!
Fredrin(thinking):
This truly is not the Aeth I once knew — or perhaps I never knew him at all. A man with no achievements has stripped all nobles of their status and begun rewriting history. Even if he were not emperor, no one — myself included — could stop him from taking the throne.
Fredrin recalls Aeth's words:
"You were right, Fredrin. My rule will bring chaos — but not to this empire. To all the kingdoms that covet it."
Fredrin realizes he now serves under a truly powerful ruler, and his loyalty deepens further.
After Aeth concludes his speech and reforms, his words spread across the empire. The spark of hope within the people becomes an unextinguishable flame. The people are now truly convinced — above them stands not merely an emperor, but a legendary hero who will save them all.