The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 217

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 217
Chapter 217
“It’s been quite a while since I’ve left the Imperial Palace.”
“Your Majesty, it’s dangerous. Please stay inside.”
“It’s been ages since I’ve gone out. Surely I can manage this much? Besides, if you’re going to worry about something like this, what’s the point of having the Imperial Guard? Wouldn’t you agree, Guard Captain?”
“I would offer my very heart to protect Your Majesty.”
“Ha ha, that’s our Guard Captain for you. Most reassuring indeed.”
Since the current Emperor had ascended to the throne, his outings could be counted on one hand.
And yet, this Emperor.
Had now ventured out for the first time in years.
With the Emperor moving personally, protocol would normally demand that every knight order from the Imperial Palace mobilize to protect him.
‘If the Knight Order abandons the front lines, who will defend the Empire? I am the Empire, and the Empire is me. You must hold the front.’
The Emperor had refused.
Of course, the Imperial Guard alone was such a formidable force that there was little cause for concern.
In any case, thanks to this decision, the Emperor was able to slip out of Labelt while remaining hidden from public view.
“We’ve fallen slightly behind schedule.”
In truth, the Emperor had wanted to set out immediately upon hearing of Mir’s situation.
But was he not, after all, the Emperor?
Finding time was not easy.
Especially with the Empire’s front lines in recent turmoil, the political situation deteriorating, and the nobles actively opposing the move.
Inevitably, preparations for departure had taken time.
“They say the sea in the Southern Continent is quite beautiful? Come to think of it, it’s been ages since I’ve seen the sea.”
Though this was a journey of duty rather than leisure, the Emperor’s heart felt remarkably at ease.
And why wouldn’t it? Never before had he set out on a campaign because he truly wanted to.
Not a vacation, yet his spirit was as unburdened as if it were.
As they pressed forward, a dense forest began to appear in the distance.
“That is the Swampland leading to the Southern Region, Your Majesty.”
“The Engineering Corps hid a passage through here, did they not?”
“Indeed, Your Majesty.”
The Swampland stretching toward the Southern Region.
They moved toward its entrance.
Creating a hidden path through this vast Swamp that avoided monster attacks was certainly a remarkable feat.
“This is it!”
“Hmm… it’s narrow.”
“To prevent discovery and destruction by monsters, this was deemed unavoidable, or so I’ve heard.”
The bridge was not particularly wide.
The Imperial Guard had formed a broad formation around the Emperor to protect him.
Following this path would make maintaining formation impossible.
And yet.
Creak—
A dull thud.
“…Is this really going to be alright?”
“Well, it seems the maintenance hasn’t been properly done since we halted the Southern Region expansion and cut off supplies.”
The bridges had rotted and crumbled in places due to monster collisions and the moisture of the Swamp.
Advancing further in this condition would be difficult.
A regular army would have simply repaired the bridges and pushed forward through sheer determination, but transporting the Emperor through such treacherous terrain was out of the question.
Moreover, without the Engineering Corps present, there was no way to repair the bridges in real time.
No matter how skilled the Imperial Guard were, they possessed no knowledge of bridge construction.
Therefore.
“Your Majesty, might it be wise to postpone this expedition…?”
The officials bowed deeply as they made their suggestion.
The Imperial Guard felt the same way.
Traversing such terrain risked sudden bridge collapses or monster attacks, dangers that could not be ignored.
While others might endure such risks, the Emperor could not be subjected to them.
“Hmm….”
The Emperor found himself in an equally difficult position.
He had already carved out precious time just to embark on this campaign.
If they postponed, when could he possibly set out again?
The thought that Mir’s commendation might fall through made my chest tighten already.
But then, at that moment.
“Your Majesty!”
“What is it?”
“It appears there is a new path ahead!”
“A new path? You mean a path other than the bridges our army constructed—a genuinely new path?”
“Yes, Your Majesty! Moreover, it appears to have been recently built, and its condition looks remarkably sound!”
“Then let us proceed that way.”
“As you command!”
Unexpected information had arrived.
A new path, no less.
The Emperor summoned his administrator to investigate, but no such path was marked on the Empire’s maps.
Since proceeding along the crumbling original path was impossible, the Emperor directed his forces toward the newly discovered route.
And there, they found.
“Remarkable! Such a sturdy path. Magnificent!”
“It appears to be a bridge constructed quite recently, Your Majesty.”
“Who in the world could have built such a path in this Swampland?”
A wide and solid-looking bridge had been constructed across the Swampland.
“How is this even…?”
The administrator could only stand bewildered.
Who could have built such a perfect bridge in the Swampland?
The timing was fortuitous, certainly, but this was no ordinary occurrence.
The Swampland was undeniably territory of the Continent, and a bridge built there without permission could be deemed an illegal structure.
As I was taken aback by this,
“Hmm, what’s that?”
In the distance.
I could see someone approaching across the bridge.
* * *
The bridge was completed far more quickly than I’d anticipated.
And not long after,
‘The Emperor.’
I could spot the Emperor approaching from Labelt, beyond the Swampland.
The timing was neither faster nor slower than expected—perfectly appropriate.
I’d already heard news of the Emperor’s visit, and I’d discussed with Ena how to prepare for this moment.
I stepped forward.
I immediately headed toward the Entrance of the Swampland to greet the Emperor.
The first to spot me and approach were, as expected,
“Who goes there!”
The Imperial Guard.
They drew their weapons and rushed toward me to protect the Emperor from outsiders.
Fortunately,
“Everyone, lower your swords. This is a noble of the Empire.”
The Guard Captain immediately recognized my identity.
The Imperial Guard members quickly acquiesced and sheathed their weapons, and
shortly after, a carriage emblazoned with a golden dragon came to a stop before me.
“Haha, it’s been a long time. Baron Mir.”
The Emperor of the Baltika Empire.
Drakeon Baltika.
He revealed himself.
“I had my suspicions, but did you indeed construct this bridge?”
To the question he posed upon our meeting,
“Yes.”
I nodded immediately in response.
At that moment, someone who was clearly a noble official rushed over urgently and interjected into our conversation.
“Regardless of your noble status, this is undeniably Imperial territory! Constructing buildings in a place that isn’t even your own Territory is clearly illegal!”
That’s right.
This was precisely what Ena and I had discussed.
While a portion of the Swamp in the Southern Region could be considered my territory, the entire Swampland was not my Territory.
If I built a bridge spanning from the Entrance to the Exit of the Swampland, it would become an illegal structure.
And Ena had devised a perfect answer to this, which she shared with me.
“Then were you planning to guide His Imperial Majesty across that crumbling bridge? Or were you intending to have him walk through the Swampland?”
“That is… well…”
Precisely: ‘For the sake of His Majesty the Emperor’.
It was an invincible phrase that could be deployed in nearly any situation.
Sure enough, the moment I invoked the Emperor’s name, I caught the Noble Official glancing nervously at the Emperor standing beside him.
Yet he seemed unwilling to lose this verbal sparring match.
“B-but if that were truly your intention, shouldn’t you have renovated and improved the existing bridge rather than constructing an illegal structure like this?”
Those were the words he uttered.
However, Ena had anticipated even this contingency, thoroughly reviewing all of the Empire’s legal codes and preparing responses accordingly.
I had committed every possible counterargument to memory.
In that regard, my response to this situation was:
“Isn’t that bridge one that the Imperial Army installed directly?”
“W-well, yes, but…”
“If one were to tamper with a structure installed by the Imperial Army without permission, wouldn’t that itself constitute a violation of Imperial law?”
“That would require obtaining permission first…”
“We received word that His Majesty the Emperor himself would be traveling this route—when would there have been time to obtain such permission? Moreover…”
“M-moreover?”
“That road had fallen into complete disrepair due to lack of recent maintenance. Furthermore, unlike before, it now lies within the migration path of monsters and is no longer a safe passage.”
This was precisely it.
When I first took action, the Imperial guide had assumed responsibility, allowing me to repair the bridge as I traveled.
But that was no longer the case.
In truth, no matter how one looked at it, I had technically violated the law—but who could possibly object when I claimed to have done it for the Emperor?
Ultimately, the Noble Official could offer no further rebuttal and flinched.
“Hahahaha!”
The Emperor’s laughter shattered the brief silence.
“This is truly appreciated. Building a new road for me, no less.”
“It was only natural.”
“Moreover, judging by its scale, we can now dispatch far greater numbers of troops and supplies to the Southern Region. We might even send adventurers to revitalize the south.”
“Of course. Since it is not my own territory, I constructed this bridge for Your Majesty and the public good. The Imperial Army and adventurers alike may use it freely.”
“Your loyalty to the Empire is truly commendable.”
Of course, the Emperor could hardly be unaware of my true intentions.
Young as he appeared, he saw through my schemes with the cunning of a fox.
Yet the Emperor, as always, remained favorably disposed toward me.
And so…
“Since this bridge must serve military purposes, I shall decree that the Empire henceforth maintain and garrison it, as Baron Mir suggests.”
The Emperor began dispensing exactly the answers I desired.
Though I had built the bridge and installed torches to drive back monsters, the threat of monsters and the potential for chaos from users or NPCs made a garrison essential.
However, the Kalbera Territory lacked sufficient combat-trained personnel to manage such a garrison.
The Emperor had just solved that problem for me.
“Furthermore, since this will accelerate troop movements and expedite the expansion of the Southern Region, I shall officially purchase the bridge in the Empire’s name.”
“Y-Your Majesty. How can the Empire purchase an illegal structure built on Imperial territory, not even Baron Mir’s own lands? Surely it would be better to forcibly…”
“Enough. If we scrutinize actions taken for my sake and for the Empire’s benefit in such a manner, how can we expect our citizens to step forward for the Empire?”
The Emperor himself covered the construction costs for the bridge.
Rather, since the bridge was built using only the resources of Kalbera Territory, the profits would surely exceed the construction expenses.
With this, I could acquire far more territorial funds than originally planned.
With the Emperor speaking so decisively, the Noble Official could no longer object and merely gaped, his frustration evident.
Given as much.
“But before that, I’m eager to see the beautiful sea of the Southern Region. Baron Mir, would you mind guiding me?”
The Emperor asked me to serve as his guide.
“Of course.”
I smiled at his cooperative response and nodded in agreement.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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