# Chapter 54
Familiar moisture.
Familiar air.
Familiar scent.
Everything was a memory.
The Black Forest, where darkness didn’t exist regardless of time, was bizarre and gloomy as most people described it.
But for Ion, the quiet aura of death that the forest emitted, the black thorn trees that filled his vision—everything only evoked the fragrance of the past.
Entering deep into the forest alone, Ion quietly gazed at the tent house before going inside and sitting down. Looking up at the bright sky barely visible through the wide-open tent door, he became increasingly lost in memories.
The Black Forest, which had been guarded by Caron Empire soldiers until just a few days ago, was now the property of the Delos Empire.
During the royal council before the expedition, the nobles suggested that if they aimed for their first territorial expansion, it would make sense to occupy the major adjacent cities first. But Ion wanted to seize the wasteland where the Black Forest stood first, as if he had no interest in any other place.
Emperor Tis also wore a rather displeased expression.
At the time, only Tis knew that Ion had completed the Immortal Army, and he hinted that he wanted to target the port cities of the Caron Empire first. It was natural, as the area Ion wanted was a desolate plain so useless that military rations spent on combat would be a waste.
Nevertheless, Tis had to approve Ion’s expedition to the wasteland because he had made a promise to him long ago. So he only casually suggested conquering a different region once, but then had no choice but to send Ion and his army without further comment.
The nobles, who found out about this belatedly, strongly opposed it because of the region Ion was heading to and the mere 5,000 soldiers he had, but they had to shut their mouths at the rebuke of Tis, who held formidable imperial power.
While everyone except Tis predicted a crushing defeat, the result was a clear victory.
It was only natural.
All of Ion’s soldiers were connected to him, receiving undeniable loyalty along with immortal bodies.
The records left by Former Empress Claudia, Ion’s mother, contained very concise and precise instructions on how to create an Immortal Army.
Creating an Immortal Army was too easy for Ion.
He would cut the patterned part of his left hand with a knife and make others drink the blood that flowed from it.
However, the recipient had to have died once before.
If you fed the blood flowing from the golden patterned area to someone whose life had just ended, they would open their eyes regardless of whether they wanted to or not. Moreover, in exchange for pledging infinite loyalty to the master who provided the blood of life, they received an immortal body.
The bodies of those who came back to life healed minor wounds in the blink of an eye, and even organ damage or amputation of body parts could be cleanly recovered in just a few minutes.
In the instincts of the resurrected immortal soldiers was deeply engraved a profound loyalty to the lord who had freed them from inevitable death. If Ion ordered them to jump into a fire pit, they wouldn’t hesitate, and even if their bodies were cut and broken all over, they showed no hesitation because they had no fear of death. As a result, as long as Ion personally commanded them, there seemed to be no problem with control.
A powerful immortal army that could rightly be called ‘monstrous’.
Proving this, they annihilated an enemy force ten times their size without losing a single soldier.
In the Delos Empire, people praised Grand Duke Ion Verdit, who had not only nonchalantly created the Immortal Army they had only heard about but also led them to a great victory.
On the other hand, there were also subtly concerned voices from nobles supporting Tis. This was because if Ion’s position not only solidified but far surpassed Tis, he, who even possessed imperial legitimacy, might aim for the throne.
‘I have no such intention at all.’
Ion smiled faintly, recalling their concerns that Tis had conveyed to him.
Tis had already had countermeasures for such a future even before purchasing Ion from the slave trader. It was not unreasonable for them to worry, as they didn’t know that the two had written an absolute contract to mediate conflicts between the imperial family members.
‘What I’ve always wanted is just one thing.’
Ion buried his face in his knees, raising and bringing his legs together like he was returning to his childhood. Perhaps because he was inside the tent that reminded him of Levi, even the cool sensation transmitted by the pure white armor reminded him of Levi’s touch.
After staying alone for a long time in the forest where not even insect sounds could be heard, Ion stood up and walked along the familiar path.
Passing through the thorn tree paths entangled like a winding maze, he arrived at the black pond that looked as if it had swallowed the deep night sky.
The flowers that had been in full bloom when he was with Levi had all died due to the pond turning black. All that was scattered around were black grasses that had all their vitality sucked out, and occasionally, a withered, twisted black flower bud could be seen.
Ion sat down with one knee raised in front of the pond and removed the pure white glove that protectively wrapped his left hand. It was an Etlun leather glove that he usually wore to seal his ability and conceal the pattern on his palm.
What was peculiar was that, unlike the back of the hand, the palm area showed traces of a long time, making it look quite worn.
Despite being a grand duke who could easily obtain new white gloves made of Etlun leather, Ion couldn’t discard his current gloves. This was because when he grew too big for the children’s gloves Levi had given him, he had to disassemble and stitch them together.
He couldn’t throw away anything Levi had given him, nor did he ever want to.
Even the small pieces of memories Levi had engraved…
The fingertips of Ion’s bare left hand pointed toward the pond. The moment his left hand touched it, the black water magically became transparent, mixed with bright, shimmering light particles.
Ion, quietly looking down at the pond glowing uniquely in the Black Forest, remained motionless for a while.
❖ ❖ ❖
Due to the Immortal Army created by Grand Duke Ion Verdit, all countries on the continent except the Delos Empire were on high alert.
The small nations, which had only been wary, saying “surely not,” immediately held emergency meetings as soon as the undying soldiers were created, and they all decided to take a passive stance. It wasn’t just a rumor that they were “created”; the problem was that a force equivalent to one-tenth had annihilated 50,000 soldiers of the Caron Empire, the only nation that had stood as an equal to the Delos Empire.
Moreover, not a single one of them died.
Indeed, the Immortal Army was truly fearsome.
This was the same for the nobles of the Caron Empire. They rushed to propose a ceasefire to their young emperor. The military powers of both nations had been roughly equal, but now the opponent had an Immortal Army that faced a large force without losing anyone, so the outcome of a direct confrontation was obvious.
Even the plan to use small nations as a pretext for alliance was ruined. Knowing that an army ten times larger had been completely defeated, the small nations, busy protecting themselves, would hardly offer themselves to be trampled.
A single battle fought after maintaining a war in name only for a long time.
It was enough to shake the entire continent.
However, Emperor Raziel of the Caron Empire did not make any decisive judgment. He simply received opinions silently without considering a ceasefire or armistice, nor did he send his army directly for a counterattack.
Nothing was decidedly determined in the first stormy council meeting. It was natural since the emperor, who held the decision-making power, kept his mouth shut. The nobles could only hope that the emperor would make some kind of decision at the second council meeting tomorrow.
Raziel, who unlike his usual self maintained silence instead of making straightforward decisions, turned his steps toward his bedroom rather than his office after the meeting.
Passing his bedroom, Raziel stood in front of Levi’s room right next door. Until just three months ago, he had stationed guards in front of the door as a precaution, but now only an attendant to assist was waiting, with no one else.
Knock knock— After knocking, Raziel opened the door and entered. Levi, who had been standing by the window looking outside as if sightseeing with the window wide open, turned to look at him. His expressionless face was always the same, but today Levi seemed to be in quite a good mood.
Raziel had come to ruin Levi’s mood “as intended.”
“Grand Duke Verdit has finally created an Immortal Army.”
As soon as Ion was mentioned, Levi’s atmosphere changed drastically. A calmly settled hatred and anxiety began to creep up from the bottom.
“Not satisfied with trampling my army and taking part of my territory, he has swallowed your forest.”
The black hand of Levi gripping the window frame filled with strength. It seemed like he would break the window frame if he applied just a little more force.
“That man will soon burn everything here to the ground.”
“…It’s alright.”
A calm voice flowed from between Levi’s red lips.
“I won’t let Raziel die.”
For Levi, Raziel was someone who, like the young boy in his vague memories, desperately yearned for life. Moreover, he had said he wanted to live “together” with Levi, his brother.
Grand Duke Ion Verdit and his army were threats to Raziel’s life. Such people couldn’t be allowed to live.
Raziel approached Levi and stroked his head.
“Only you can stop his army.”
The corners of Raziel’s eyes drew a cold curve without Levi noticing. Until then, Levi continued to stack up hostility toward Ion.
