Novel Full Chapter 177 : Chapter 177
Chapter 177. My goal is to pioneer the Great Forest (3)
The pioneering of the Great Forest.
Hearing those words, the Seven Sages reacted as if they were flabbergasted.
Did this brat even know what he was talking about?
“An absurd pipe dream.”
“Pioneering the Great Forest, you say….”
“Even for a young man, that’s too reckless.”
“He must be saying this because he doesn’t know. Because he doesn’t know….”
The Seven Sages all shook their heads in denial.
They were individuals who had accumulated a vast amount of knowledge in their minds, enough to earn the title of Sage.
That was why they knew better than anyone else on the continent.
Why the land known as the Great Forest had never been pioneered by anyone, and why all the nations of the continent used the Eastern Four Nations as a shield, sacrificing them.
They knew everything.
One of the Seven Sages, with a grim expression, spoke to Patrick.
“Double Dragon.”
“Speak.”
“How much do you know about the Great Forest?”
“My hometown is a place located on the outskirts of the Great Forest. I know as much as I need to.”
“No, you do not know.”
“……”
“I assure you. You have no idea what is inside the Great Forest. At best, you’ve only dealt with the monsters that have spilled out from the outskirts. That’s why you can say something as absurd as subjugating the Great Forest.”
“Does that mean you, the Seven Sages, know more about the Great Forest than I do?”
“That is correct.”
“……”
“I assure you. If you knew even half of what I know about the truth of the Great Forest, you would never have spouted such nonsense as pioneering the Great Forest.”
“It cannot be done. It absolutely cannot be done.”
“Hooooo….”
The Seven Sages sighed, shook their heads, and looked at Patrick with pity.
And one of them spoke again.
“You must at least know the tale of the Roman Empire, right?”
“Well. That….”
* * *
The Roman Empire.
It was a superpower that had ruled the continent a thousand years ago.
It had unified all the nations and races of the entire continent, and powerful knights and great mages had united as one under the emperor’s name.
It is still regarded as the superpower with the greatest national strength in the history of the continent.
It would have been inevitable for the emperor of that Roman Empire to mobilize a large-scale subjugation force to conquer the Great Forest.
Of course, it was not easy.
The expeditionary force, dispatched with full preparation, was a devastating loss.
But the emperor did not give up and continued to raise armies, challenging the Great Forest.
As if it were his life’s work.
The Roman Empire repeatedly challenged the Great Forest, and the number of attempts continued up to the 12th subjugation force. However….
The result that returned was a devastating failure.
90% of the expeditionary force did not return alive, the purely human losses exceeded 5 million, and even the knights and mages who were renowned as the strongest of their time had to lay their bones in the Great Forest.
It was a massive loss that would have made even the superpower Roman Empire stagger.
Eventually, the national strength declined, and the emperor of the Roman Empire lost his authority.
Nevertheless, the result of forcefully issuing a decree to organize a 13th expeditionary force was a simultaneous rebellion.
In the end, the Roman Empire, which had unified the entire continent, was torn into four and five pieces, and the continent returned to an era of warfare.
After that, a common perception arose among humanity.
The Great Forest.
It was a wall of despair and lamentation that humanity could never overcome.
A foolish one who challenges that wall will surely be met with a terrible price.
* * *
Patrick shrugged and said.
“The Knight Faculty may have few liberal arts classes, but I too have learned about the history of the Roman Empire. It’s common knowledge, after all.”
“Yes. And you still intend to try, knowing that?”
“That is correct.”
“Foolish.”
The Seven Sages were negative about Patrick’s plan.
He really doesn’t know.
He’s saying this because he doesn’t know.
It would have been difficult to properly know the truth about the Great Forest just from a history lesson learned superficially.
To the ears of the Seven Sages, who knew much more, Patrick’s words sounded like nothing more than the outlandish delusion of a child. But just then….
“So you’re backing out?”
He became defiant.
Patrick’s attitude, which had been polite until now, clearly changed.
At that sight, anger could be seen in the eyes of the Seven Sages.
“Watch your words. Double Dragon. Are you saying we have an obligation to help you?”
Facing the anger of the Sages, Patrick smirked. And he spoke in a somewhat wistful voice.
“When I was young.”
“……”
“The people of my fiefdom died from monster attacks almost every month.”
The Schneider fiefdom.
A place that was a powerless and poor rural fiefdom, struggling fiercely to survive against the Great Forest.
Patrick was born there.
“In my childhood, I thought every place in the world was like this. I thought this world was so dangerous and harsh that everyone lived day by day, fighting relentlessly just to get by.”
“What on earth are you trying to say?”
“Please hear me out.”
Patrick stared intently at the Sage who had snapped at him and continued.
“But as I grew a little older and saw the wider world, I came to understand.”
“……”
“It is only the weak of our Eastern Four Nations who shed blood against the monsters of the Great Forest.”
“……”
“The ones with real power simply enjoy peace and prosperity at the cost of the blood we shed.”
At that, one of the Seven Sages flared up and shouted.
“Are you saying that’s our fault?”
“Well, since we are geographically located next to the Great Forest, it’s not your fault.”
“……”
“But you know, there is one strange thing.”
Patrick’s gaze turned fierce.
He looked at the eyes of each of the Seven Sages, hidden deep within their robes, and said.
“As you all say, the Great Forest is so dangerous that it’s hard to even approach, and the military strength of the Eastern Four Nations is the weakest on the continent….”
“……”
“Why haven’t we been destroyed?”
In that instant, a look of anguish appeared on the faces of the Seven Sages.
Because what Patrick had said pointed to the ugly truth of this continent that they had been trying to ignore.
* * *
It was certainly strange.
The Great Forest was not just a remote area with many monsters.
Sometimes, absurd monsters emerged from within it, causing a stir in the world.
The King Ogre that Patrick had defeated in his childhood was just like that.
Manticore, Fenrir, Goblin Lord, and so on….
As if soup were boiling over in a pot, the Great Forest periodically spewed out absurd monsters into the world.
And each time, the Eastern Four Nations, which shared a border with it, had to declare a national state of emergency and gather the nation’s entire military strength to fight back.
Just to survive.
Such times had continued for hundreds of years.
If one were to evaluate them coldly based on military strength alone, the Eastern Four Nations should have been destroyed long ago.
But the Eastern Four Nations still existed.
Atronia, Decator, Yusef, Flame.
While other nations of the continent repeated cycles of rise and fall, these four nations had been able to maintain their state for hundreds of years.
The reason was that whenever they were on the verge of destruction, the entire continent supported them.
To ensure that the nations would never disappear.
At first glance, it seems like a grateful thing.
But those who knew how ugly the reality was, knew.
The high society of the continent.
The intellectuals who study history.
And the Seven Sages of the Tower of Truth.
They knew.
They lived with their eyes closed and their gazes averted, even though they knew the meaning of this ugly truth.
Thorough scapegoats.
That was the existential value of the Eastern Four Nations on the current continent.
The continent’s support always arrived just before the Eastern Four Nations were about to be destroyed.
Before that, no matter how much they pleaded for help, they were ignored with various excuses.
And when it really seemed like they would be destroyed, the bare minimum of support was provided, somehow breathing life back into them to maintain the form of a nation.
This was something that had been repeated for a thousand years, going back to before the framework of the Eastern Four Nations was formed.
For a thousand years since the fall of the Roman Empire, all the nations of the continent had thoroughly used the Eastern Four Nations.
As a shield to block the Great Forest.
No, as a buffer zone to keep themselves at a distance from the danger that was the Great Forest.
In the process, no matter how much blood the people of the Eastern Four Nations shed, it was ignored.
As long as they ignored their blood and sacrifice, the rest of the people on the continent could distance themselves from the threat of the Great Forest and enjoy development and prosperity in a safe place.
Thorough scapegoats driven to protect the continent.
That was the reason why the Eastern Four Nations existed on the current continent without being destroyed.
* * *
Patrick’s gaze fiercely clawed at the Seven Sages.
You know full well what you’ve been doing all this time, yet you’re trying to back out as if it’s none of your business?
Is that the choice of you, who are called one of the three great powers?
Is that what those with power should do?
The Seven Sages could not dare to meet Patrick’s sharp gaze head-on.
It was the price of a thousand years of blood.
Until now, no one had been able to reprimand them like this in front of them, but now that they were actually facing it, they didn’t have the audacity to deny it.
Looking at the Seven Sages who were averting their gazes, Patrick let out a small sigh.
‘Come to think of it, the Murim was similar.’
The Shaolin of the Murim’s Mount Tai and Big Dipper.
The Namgung Clan, the number one clan under the heavens.
Wudang and Mount Hua, who vied for the title of the number one Taoist sect under the heavens.
These were the traditional powerhouses among the orthodox Murim factions with the strongest influence.
They were located in the safest places.
Not to mention Henan where Shaolin was located, but also Anhui where Namgung was, and even Hubei and Shaanxi….
Since they were all located in the safest and most prosperous places in the Central Plains, they were able to preserve their strength without great danger.
Even when they shed blood, they intervened late, shed the least amount of blood, and fully enjoyed their reputation.
It was not the same for the Tang Clan of Sichuan or Emei, who fiercely contested power with the Unorthodox Alliance.
Kunlun, which had to be at the forefront whenever the Demonic Cult went on a rampage.
The Moyong Clan, which always had to fight at the forefront against the northern foreign tribes.
There were others who fought the most desperately and shed more blood than anyone else.
And it was the same here.
At first, Patrick didn’t know either.
But as he studied at the Academy and gradually came to know the world, and as he came to know the larger world, the truth became visible.
The dirty truth of the world, that while the people of his hometown were desperately struggling just to survive, there were others who enjoyed peace and prosperity at the cost of their blood.
‘This is probably why people need to learn.’
Patrick smiled bitterly.
It was probably from then on.
Patrick had seriously decided to pioneer the Great Forest.
And now.
Patrick had come to the Tower of Truth and was negotiating with the Seven Sages on an equal footing.
Just as he had planned from the moment he left the Academy.
Defeating other 7-star knights under the pretext of a knight’s training journey and making a name for himself was just one negotiation material to raise his position higher in this place.
Although there had been unexpected troubles in the process, in the end, it had gone according to plan.
For in this place now, Patrick was facing the Seven Sages with dignity.
Patrick spoke to the Seven Sages.
“Let me say this in advance, even if the Tower of Truth does not help, I will definitely pioneer the Great Forest. And I will free our descendants from the cursed fate of continuing their lives at the cost of blood and death.”
“……”
“And in that process, I will sort them out. Those who were with us, and those who were not….”
“……”
“You can look forward to how that difference will be revealed in the future.”
At Patrick’s words, the Seven Sages fell silent for a long time. And one of them spoke.
“Double Dragon.”
He spoke to Patrick as if it were difficult.
“I admit that the Eastern Four Nations have shed much blood for humanity over the years. I will not deny that the peace and prosperity we enjoy are built upon their sacrifice.”
His words had changed.
Although it was still a polite form of speech, it was not the condescending tone he had used with a subordinate just a moment ago.
Patrick stared at that Sage.
As if telling him to say more.
And he let out a small sigh and said.
“But to propose the pioneering of the Great Forest as the answer? It is too reckless. That is an impossible task.”
“In the end, we’re back to that again?”
“It is the most important fact.”
“……”
“Challenging something with not even a small possibility is not courage. It is merely recklessness.”
Pioneering the Great Forest is impossible.
As long as they did not deviate from this major premise, they would not join Patrick.
‘Is it not going to work?’
Patrick sensed that his attempt to draw in the Tower of Truth would end in failure. But just then….
The one who was speaking to Patrick added one more thing.
“So, will you try to prove it?”
At the question that felt like a sliver of possibility, Patrick’s eyes sparkled.
“What do you mean?”
“Just as I said. Show us the possibility.”
He fell silent for a moment, then continued.
“If there is a possibility, we too will seriously consider an alliance with you. We will also promise our full cooperation. But if you fail, you must give up. And….”
“And?”
“At that time, I hope you will obediently pay the price for your life. In the way we want.”
“The way you want….”
He had said it in a roundabout way, but it meant that if he failed, they would use Patrick freely as research material.
At that, Patrick smiled brightly and said.
“I like this a hundred times better than just talking in circles about an unsolvable problem.”
“Is that so?”
“What is the method?”
At that, the one who had spoken said.
“Inside our tower, there is a legacy of the Roman Empire.”
“Wait…. Don’t tell me?”
“Look here. 2nd Sage!”
“Are you in your right mind?”
At the words of the one called the 2nd Sage, the other Seven Sages were shocked.
It was the first time since this meeting began that a different opinion had emerged among the Seven Sages.
The 2nd Sage said with a smile.
“Is it not the most accurate method?”
“It would be the craziest method.”
“Are you planning to turn the Double Dragon into a cripple?”
“Reconsider.”
Despite the opposition from the other Sages, the 2nd Sage said with a faint smile.
“If there is a more accurate method of proof than this, please tell me.”
“……”
“……”
Everyone fell silent.
In the unusual atmosphere, Patrick spoke.
“First, please explain? What are you trying to make me do?”
“Hmm, among the ancient artifacts we have in storage at the Tower of Truth, there is a legacy of the Roman Empire.”
“What is it?”
“It is a recording device. The most accurate and detailed recording device in the world.”
“Hmmm….”
“That artifact contains information of the highest confidential level among the information collected by the past Roman Empire to conquer the Great Forest.”
“Is there such a thing?”
“Yes. It is the record of the 10th expeditionary force of the Roman Empire. It is the record of the Apostle.”
“Apostle?”
It was a word he had never heard before.
To the questioning Patrick, the 2nd Sage said.
“The ruler who reigns over the Great Forest. The Apostle of Kallaron, the God of Destruction. It is also the main reason why the powerful Roman Empire failed in its subjugation of the Great Forest.”
“Hoooo….”
This was something he definitely wanted to check.
Separately from the alliance negotiation materials, that is.
Isn’t knowing yourself and your enemy essential for victory?
As Patrick showed interest, the 2nd Sage said.
“Try to survive a fight with that Apostle.”
“…Fight, you say?”
“That is correct.”
“Is that possible? You said it was a recording device?”
“It is not an artifact from the Roman Empire era for nothing. I will explain the details as you see it for yourself.”
“……”
“Follow me.”