The World I Was Supporting Was Real - Chapter 107



107. The Events of That Day

* * *

Back when Eirene was still young.

In the lavishly decorated audience chamber of the Iguguodon Imperial City, the Emperor and a single vassal faced each other.

Seated on the throne, the golden-haired, blue-eyed Empress—Aisha von Einsberk—extended her hand, speaking to the kneeling head of the Euler family.

“Rengard von Euler. I grant you the opportunity to personally prove the existence of the ‘New Continent,’ spoken of in legend. I will spare no expense, providing you with five large sailing ships and the utmost support. Should you need anything more , speak before your departure. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty! I shall surely discover the New Continent and etch Your Majesty’s name into the annals of history!”

And so, Rengard, backed by Aisha’s absolute support, set sail toward the boundless world, cheered on by many.

The massive sails, catching the wind, guided them towards the unknown.

The long voyage was, in itself, a trial.

Despite the immense support, ensuring ample water and food, even livestock – chickens for eggs, and a few cows for fresh meat – kept in their own pen, Rengard remained unwavering in his extreme rationing.

“Your Grace, still stale biscuits and ale for today? Morale has hit rock bottom these past few days… wouldn’t it be wise to butcher a few beasts?”

“We don’t know how long we must sail. We must conserve everything we can. Our provisions could very well prove insufficient.”

Rengard’s words were certainly sound-

But endlessly sailing the open sea, surviving on bland food, was no easy feat.

If they continued to be so frugal, the sailors might well conspire, leading to a small revolt. This possibility could not be ruled out.

However.

The goddess of fortune, at least until that moment, had not abandoned Rengard.

“I see it! I see land!”

“We see the coastline, Your Grace!”

“oooh…!!”

Even though they’d planned for the worst, Rengard and Aisha had found land much sooner than expected.

The sailors, stepping off the ship, let out cheers that made it seem like they hadn’t endured any hardship at all.

“So, a continent really exists…!”

“This is a monumental discovery!”

“There might even be gold mines!”

Rengard immediately established a base camp near the coastline and began a full-scale exploration of the new continent.

First to venture out were the mages.

There was a reason. The mages had been the first to notice the unusual phenomenon.

“Mana doesn’t exist here? Does that mean we can’t use magic?”

“To be precise, it seems like there’s something here that’s *different* from the mana on our continent… Either way, it feels distinctly different from the mana we’re used to. I don’t know if it’s an issue with our spells or some other factor I’m not aware of…”

“I see…”

“But, thankfully, magi isn’t being detected either. We’ve found several caves that look like dungeons, but it’s the same there. It doesn’t seem like this is the place known as the ‘Demon Continent’.”

The main reason they’d even brought knights and fire-type mages from the Magic Tower along was to not rule out the possibility that they might arrive at the ‘Demon Continent’, one of the legendary lands.

If they were to encounter not just ordinary strangers, but demons, a fight would be inevitable.

“Yes. It’s a bit of a hasty assumption, but it’s our common knowledge that larger dungeons tend to be located near the coastlines. The fact that no magi were detected in the caves near the coast… makes me think there might not even be demons. Magi is also a kind of man, after all.”

“Does that mean we can breathe easy?”

“I’d say so, wouldn’t you?”

The Demon Continent didn’t exist, and without a Demon King, demons were inevitably constrained and half-sealed on certain continents. There was no way Rengard’s group could know this at the time.

Anyway, if that was the case, there was no reason to hesitate over the fact that there was no mana.

“Everyone, begin the exploration as soon as it’s light! We must discover something!”

Not long after, they were able to find what appeared to be a village.

And of course, they also encountered the people living there—

“×××!?”

“××××!!!!”

“×××. ××××××??”

Unsurprisingly, they couldn’t understand each other.

Of course, the inability to communicate wasn’t the biggest difference between them.

Ears.

Their ears were different.

Pointed and elongated, the ears were the clearest proof that they weren’t human, even if they otherwise looked remarkably similar.

Rengard cautiously tried to use body language.

Thankfully, their intelligence didn’t seem too different from humans.

Soon after, they were able to meet a being of considerable rank.

An old man who looked quite aged at first glance, reached out a hand to Rengard and spoke.

“Greetings, strangers. It seems you are the representative of your kind.”

“……?! You can speak our language?”

Having been unable to communicate until now, and now suddenly hearing their mother tongue, he asked the question in shock—

“No. I cannot.”

The old man smiled a very benevolent smile.

Carefully, a finger points to the sky.

“The gods are merely working a miracle for us.”

“God…is it?”

“Indeed. Upon hearing word of your arrival from afar, they gifted us the temporary ability to understand your language. It is the use of ‘ki’.”

‘… Is this about the indigenous religion of this region?’

From noble mtl dot com

The reign of Emperor Aisha.

The Guodeon faith, the sole remaining religion on the continent, was on a path of decline.

For over 180 years, they hadn’t produced a saint, and due to their overly dogmatic atmosphere, most people thought it more reasonable to trust a mage than believe in religion.

Rengard, a person of this era, also lacked a faithful heart toward the Guodeon faith, so he didn’t bother attempting to ‘correct’ their god.

“Yes. Why have you come to this place?”

“Before that, there are a few things I would like to ask…”

“I will tell you within the bounds of what’s possible.”

Rengard pondered.

Truthfully.

The biggest reason for coming to the New Continent was a single one—the expansion of territory.

Emperor Aisha sought to further strengthen imperial authority by supporting nobles who shared his political aspirations.

However, in the Old Continent, already divided to its breaking point, there was no way to offer them a slice of the pie.

Even an emperor couldn’t be guaranteed safety if land was confiscated from powerful dukes without proper justification.

So then?

–If there isn’t land to distribute here, couldn’t we just find new land to grant?

It wasn’t just that. If a gold mine or something similar was discovered there, it would all be accumulated as assets of the Imperial Family by law.

If successful, his name would be etched into history. The thought that making the Ainsberg Empire a thousand-year empire wasn’t just a dream even crossed his mind.

There were many ancient texts and legends about the existence of other continents, but no one had actually attempted to reach them. He even began to think this might be an opportunity.

Rengard was also a prominent vassal of the pro-emperor faction, agreeing with Aisha’s intentions –

Which meant that, in a way, they were invaders to these long-eared strangers.

‘… .’

Rengard carefully organized what he’d observed about them over the past few days.

First, they certainly seemed to have a plausible civilization – but if you were to strictly judge their level, the Old Continent’s civilization was far more advanced.

Everything, from the level of agricultural tools to clothing and architectural styles, failed to meet the standards of the Old Continent.

They lived in houses made of simple wooden planks and were often seen performing bizarre customs that had long vanished in the Old Continent.

However, what was troubling was that some individuals used abilities that resembled magic.

It seemed they were using “something else” that the court mage had mentioned.

Perhaps it was the “Ki” power the old man was talking about?

In conclusion – in a situation where mages couldn’t be properly utilized, subduing these people who seemed to be using magic-like powers with just knights was a gamble.

He was in a position where he had to return to His Majesty the Emperor and deliver this news safely.

Therefore, it was time to put on a smiling face, conceal his true intentions, and present a safe and expected response.

“Our purpose was to find beings with whom we could establish new relations. And of course, we have successfully achieved that purpose.”

“Is that so?”

The old man smiled, seemingly amused.

For now… he did sense a degree of caution, but it seemed clear that they wouldn’t cause trouble unless provoked.

“Having crossed an ocean we hadn’t even dreamed of leaving, I don’t know what you might need from us… but feel free to look around.”

As the old man said, there wasn’t actually much in the way of remarkable artifacts the Rengard party could take.

Most of the goods didn’t even measure up to the standards of the Old Continent.

However, considering there were still quite a few places they hadn’t explored, the possibility of various resources being hidden…

‘I need to suggest to His Majesty, to organize an occupation force and return.’

That was Rengard’s initial, cold calculation—

but, as he spent weeks with them to recover from fatigue, that thought gradually began to change.

“I-Is it alright to treat us like this? Surely, you said that animal was sacred?”

Rengard asked in bewilderment, looking at the huge, horned bull meat served at the table for the first time—

“It is alright. It is our duty to give generous hospitality to new guests. Just as the gods have gifted us with ‘balloons,’ surely we must also give to strangers.”

“Balloons…? What is that?”

As soon as he heard the word ‘balloons,’ the old man closed his eyes and knelt down.

Then, he started jumping up and down, making strange booming sounds.

At first, he was bewildered, but now Rengard understood. If comparing to Guerdonism, this was a form of ‘prayer’ to their god.

It seemed they believed that their god would only answer if they behaved so ridiculously.

“That is… it is a very holy thing. The love of god necessary to harness the ‘qi’ that exists in this world and that breathes with us—the great truth containing the world that only a very few can understand.”

“I see…”

Though they worshiped different entities, seeing that made him think of the dogmatic Guerdonist people.

The indigenous religions of the Old Continent that had once existed and disappeared were like this, and perhaps the act of worshiping a god always converged to a single point.

Regardless.

This excessive hospitality, coupled with the way these strangers, despite the language barrier, still treated him with such kindness—it was starting to shake Rengard’s resolve.

‘Is invading this place really the right thing to do?’

These people, so friendly to an outsider like him, could it truly be right to invade them, just for resources or territory?

If resources were needed, couldn’t they be obtained through peaceful exchange?

It was a problem worthy of deep thought, but in the end, his judgment rested on one thing.

It was Ayesha, their great Emperor.

‘It’s not too late to speak with Her Majesty and decide. I will try to persuade her, but if Her Majesty still commands the invasion… as a subject, I will simply obey.’

And so, after a few days,

“Are you sure it’s alright to leave without taking anything?”

“It’s alright. Next time, we will bring artifacts from our continent. We can trade then.”

“I understand. I will pray to our god that you return safely.”

With those words, the old man knelt again, bouncing and making strange sounds.

The scene felt less like a prayer and more like he was being harassed.

‘Do their gods force their followers to do such things?’ he wondered, but—

‘There’s no need to be prejudiced against their religion.’

Rengard, not particularly devout himself, didn’t feel a strong aversion towards them either.

“May the god’s balloon be with you.”

* * *

As he sailed back across the sea, Rengard’s heart was heavy.

Usually, he would feel proud and confident, like a returning triumphant general… but the closer they got to home, the more his heart felt clouded, as if wrapped in fog.

‘What am I supposed to do.’

Must I commit slaughter solely for profit?

Even if it is the Emperor’s will, wouldn’t it be better to persuade them as much as possible—it was in that moment of thought,

—that an incomprehensible, vulgar, and chilling voice reached my ears.

《Ah, brother! Thanks for the 30 balloon donation~! Alright! Let’s wipe out these stupid humans!!!》

“……What the hell?!”

Lengaard, bewildered by the bizarre sound echoing in his mind, was also met with:

“Y-Your Grace! The storm is turning vicious!”

“What? But just yesterday, it was clear――!”

*CRASH!*

“Ugh, uaaah!!!!”

As if someone had cast a spell, the weather suddenly changed drastically.

The raging waves swallowed the ships.

And then, what appeared in the sea… were whirlpools.

“S-Save me!”

“No way!”

The five ships began to crumble, completely helpless.

We were so close to home.

We were about to report the discovery of the new continent to the Emperor… … !!!!

More than that, what was that just now?

30 balloons, thanking the backer?

… … Balloons?

“Balloons…? What in the world are those?”

“They are… they are something very sacred. The divine power needed to operate the ‘qi’ that exists in this world, that breathes with us—a colossal principle encompassing the world, which only a select few can understand.”

“May the divine balloon be with you.”

‘No way…!’

—CRASH!

At that very moment, Rengard, struck by a board flying in from afar, lost consciousness.

Luckily, he miraculously managed to survive and set foot on the continent again, but the shock caused him to lose his memories, and he spent his days as a wild man, wasting his time—

* * *

“……Is that truly the case, Rengard?”

Airene, trembling and shocked, asked, and Rengard answered in a voice thick with resentment.

“Yes, Your Majesty! That unnatural storm back then… even the strange voice I heard in my head, everything! It seems I was deceived by them, Your Majesty…!”

—He finally regained his memories, but only after far too much time had passed.