The Sword Emperor Transmigrates

Cruella’s eyes widened at the words of the Archduke of Sword. Tone laced with curiosity, she said, “Honestly, it was already puzzling that he had a Dragon Heart… but were you seriously considering making him your successor?”

“Well, I can’t deny that he is the most promising candidate. Of course, I’ve never actually met him, so it’s all just hearsay,” Declan replied nonchalantly, though his thoughts drifted to a relative he had never seen face-to-face before.

Leonard. He was the child who had awakened the Dragon Heart, a mark of the family head’s authority. The Dragon Heart was passed down within the Cardenas bloodline, which possessed the unique Dragon Blood. The mere fact that someone from a collateral line had awakened the “Eye” was already unprecedented, but for him to have also awakened the “Heart”? Such a case had never occurred, not once in the family’s entire history.

From leading the charge to repel the Order of the Shadow which had invaded the Galapagos Island to persuading a majority of the Knight Commanders to rally to his side, his capabilities and talents were indisputable.

It’s understandable that someone like Demian and Grace, who act on whims, would align with him. But for Wade and Audrey to join too? That was unexpected.

Even within the Seven Great Orders, Wade and Audrey stood out as paragons of experience and skill. Despite being the Archduke of Sword and head of the Cardenas family, Declan would not dare to treat them lightly in private.

In terms of martial prowess, the gap between Declan and them could not have been significant. If they were to engage in an all-out battle, he would need to assume at least a thirty percent chance of failure.

If warriors of such caliber were united in their praise for the boy, Declan’s assessment couldn’t differ significantly.

“…Let’s get back to the main topic. We’ll begin with our Cardenas family’s report. Corbin?”

Corbin rose from his seat, blinking, with dark circles under his eyes. His frame was lean, almost gaunt, and he looked like someone caught in the liminal state between youth and adulthood. Despite his appearance, his talent and rapid growth were evident, given that aging slowed once one reached the Transcendence Tier, and halted entirely upon reaching the Demigod Tier.

“I am Corbin, the Light Dragon Commander. I’m responsible for the Cardenas family’s intelligence division. As you all are already aware, we received reports of irregularities involving the Outer God known as the Mocking Slayer in the recently conquered Corroded Realm, Nastrond.”

“Mhmm,” muttered the Grand Magus seated beside Cruella.

Though the face of the Grand Magus was obscured by the hat pulled low over his brow, the seriousness with which he regarded the situation was clear. Even Demian had abandoned his usual flippant demeanor.

Corbin said, “A being that descended after sacrificing two apostles just to laugh and vanish without doing anything? This doesn’t bode well.”

Declan nodded in agreement. “Titles like ‘Mocking Slayer’ don’t come without reason. The Outer God Nidhogg was called the Mocking Slayer because wherever he laughed, slaughter would inevitably follow.”

“That’s why we deployed the entire Order of the Light Dragon to search every corner of the imperial territory,” Corbin added.

Although this temporarily left the Cardenas’ intelligence network nearly paralyzed, preventing a potential crisis involving a top-tier Outer God took precedence. After fifteen grueling days of exhaustive mobilization, the results the Order of the Light Dragon achieved were simple, yet anticlimactic.

“We found no signs of his presence within the Arcadian Empire. From remote villages with only a few families to the marquis’s territory, we scoured everything. All we managed to catch were a few petty bandits—no Outer God worshippers or dark mages.”

“Were there any areas left unchecked or regions where progress was incomplete?”

“Only the territory of the Three Noble Houses and the empire’s direct grounds remain. Those are areas I have no authority to investigate.”

Even the Order of the Light Dragon, which served as the Cardenas family’s eyes and ears, could not intrude upon the domains of the other two noble houses without shattering the fragile trust between them.

As for the empire’s direct grounds, the situation was even more clear-cut.

Conducting a search there without the emperor’s explicit permission? That was treason. Even the Cardenas family, celebrated as a founding family and protector of the Empire, would not be forgiven for such an act.

As soon as Corbin finished speaking, Jehoia’s communication device buzzed, followed by a deep, resonant voice.

—The Outer God has not trespassed into Jehoia’s territory.

The Jehoia family, a descendant of the ancient Dvergr race, had inherited not only their ancestors’ lineage but also their governance system. Ruled by a council of ten elders through majority vote, the dwarf speaking via the communication device represented one of these elders.

Though the Jehoias were individually weak compared to the likes of the Cardenas or the Wickelines, the equipment and resources they supplied were indispensable to the Empire’s various front lines. Including Aeroship production and repairs—the foundations of the Order of the Blue Dragon’s aerial battles against the Celestials coming from the Celestial Gates—many warfare innovations were thanks to the Jehoia family.

—You all should be well aware of this, I’m sure. No one can infiltrate our territory. If an intruder appears, the earth and stone will whisper to us. Our detectors will detect any disturbance to the land’s shape or flow.

While the domains of the Cardenas and Wickeline families were similarly difficult to access, they paled in comparison to the Jehoia family, who burrowed hundreds of meters into the ground and built an underground city.

The people of Jehoia, who had inherited part of the ancient Dvergr’s abilities, became exponentially stronger underground. Reading ley lines and communicating with minerals was only the most basic of their talents.

“The Wickeline family is no different. We have layer upon layer of Class 9 barriers. How would anyone even get through? Even if there was an inside accomplice, it’d take at least two of the Pentagon to pull it off,” said Cruella with a dismissive look.

The other Grand Magus, whose mouth was the only visible feature beneath his hat, echoed her skepticism and remarked, “It’s a bold claim, but I agree. If someone did tamper with us, at least two Pentagon members would need to be involved.”

“And what are the chances of that?” Corbin asked.

Nicholas, the fifth seat of the Pentagon, contradicted his earlier statement and resolutely said, “None, as far as I can see. Outer Gods and mages fundamentally do not align. Even if a mage gains their favor, their lifetime of accumulated power and knowledge would be invalidated, and they’d be reduced to a mere heretic. It would be similar to throwing their life’s worth into the trash.”

—But couldn’t they seek immortality or deification?

“There are plenty of other ways to delay or avoid death. And deification? That only results in the loss of a person’s identity and mind, turning them into nothing more than monsters.”

Nicholas flatly dismissed Jehoia’s argument before turning toward the head seat, where the Archduke of Sword, Declan, was seated. “The same applies to the Cardenas family. With the inherent dragon gene in their bloodline, it would be difficult to tolerate beings from another dimension. Those entities would have no reason to scheme within Arcadia. It’s more likely they’re preparing their plans beyond the reach of our eyes.”

“Hmm, a reasonable conclusion,” Declan agreed, drumming his fingers against the armrest of his chair.

The Outer Gods had no reason to directly confront an empire that had successfully withstood centuries of defensive battles. Compared to the Arcadian Empire, the remaining kingdoms of the world were like decrepit shacks. Most couldn’t even manage to seal their Rifts in time, making it inevitable that their regions would deteriorate into Corroded Realms.

If high-difficulty incursions from an otherworldly dimension like the recent Corroded Realm, Nastrond, occurred simultaneously, even the Empire would struggle to contain them all.

“…If that’s all we have, it’s quite discouraging. Arcadia cannot afford to mobilize for total war without a clear direction or objective,” Declan remarked, his tone heavy.

The assembled people shared his sentiments and exhaled long and deeply.

“The peace maintained by ignorance is shaking once again.”

“If I had known this would happen, I would have just… No, that might have been even more unstable. Back then, it was the best choice available.”

“If we had just a hundred years—no, even fifty more years—we could have unified the entire world under the Arcadian Empire without discord.”

Even if they claimed to act under the guise of protecting the world from the Outer Gods, there was no way such reasoning would be accepted at face value.

The Arcadian Empire revealing its ambitions would only spark fear among the ignorant masses who didn’t even grasp a fraction of the truth. They would surely unite to declare war. While a single knightly order could crush them all, the chaos and disorder following such a defeat would only leave nations in greater disarray.

In such chaos, the Outer God worshippers and the Demoniac followers would flourish, multiplying like swarms of ants. Arcadia’s enemies would grow endlessly, draining the Empire’s resources as it struggled to contain them.

“If we could strike swiftly and decisively to neutralize the threat, that would undoubtedly be the best option. But we have no way to locate their base,” Declan muttered, an involuntary bitter smile tugging at his lips.

“What a dilemma. Neither option feels right.”

Ever since succeeding as the family head, Declan had worked tirelessly without a single day of rest. Yet, the current predicament was unlike anything he had faced before.

If Arcadia openly hunted down the enemy, the already wary nations would unite in opposition. Crushing them would be simple enough, but suppressing the ensuing chaos completely would be impossible. On the other hand, if they continued to operate covertly, they could avoid war with the smaller kingdoms but risk failing to prevent—or even prepare for—the disaster hinted at by Nidhogg’s ominous laughter.

Between the two options, Declan’s choice was clear.

…I guess it’s war, then.

Weighing the merits and risks, preventing the disaster was too catastrophic to ignore. If the smaller kingdoms fell into chaos and sided with the Outer Gods or Demoniacs, Arcadia could still manage. But the alternative—allowing the world-ending calamity to proceed unchecked—was simply not an option.

“Hmm?”

The Hall of Dragons suddenly opened. No one had expected an additional attendee.

A presence rapidly approached, their aura fully exposed.

It did not take long for them to identify the newcomer: Grace, the Blue Dragon Commander.

Like Audrey, Grace was responsible for maintaining the operation of the front lines and had been excused from attending the meeting. She was not someone who could arbitrarily alter her schedule.

“This aura… Grace? What’s going on all of a sudden?”

“Looks like something unexpected has happened.”

“If it were about the Celestials reopening the Celestial Gates, we would’ve already received word, and Grace wouldn’t have come herself. Let’s hear it directly from her.”

The attention of everyone in the meeting room—seven beings at the Demigod Tier—focused on the entrance. The intense clash of their collective auras caused the very space near the doorway to quiver. The sheer pressure from their presence was so overwhelming that anyone below their level would likely have suffered a cardiac arrest on the spot.

“Uh, sorry I’m late?” Grace scratched the back of her head awkwardly as she walked in, appearing visibly flustered.

Declan chuckled quietly, while Wade furrowed his brow and fixed a sharp glare on Grace, silently urging her to explain her sudden arrival. Though she might seem absent-minded at times, Grace was not so clueless as to misunderstand the gravity of the situation.

“Blue Dragon Commander, Grace, reporting to the family head. I’ve returned temporarily due to an unusual development related to the Celestials.”

“What’s the confidential classification of the issue?”

“By my judgment, it’s definitely Level 1.”

Her prompt reply caused a ripple of unease to spread among the attendees.

Even the sudden appearance of a Demigod Tier being would typically only warrant a Level 2 classification. A Level 1 issue, however, was something capable of impacting the entirety of the front lines—a matter of extreme urgency.

Declan’s expression turned serious as he leaned forward, his playful demeanor vanishing. “Explain in detail.”

“Yes, sir.” Grace nodded and straightened her back. “Sigrdrifa, recorded as one of the leader-class Celestials, has approached us directly to request a treaty.”

Sigrdrifa, the Queen of the Valkyries, also known as Brynhildr. Her title spoke of both her unmatched strength and her divine authority over victory itself. Among the Valkyries, a race that had once served the gods, she was one of their top three strongest warriors.

If someone of her caliber approached the Cardenas family alone, it could only mean one thing: they were serious. No one would dare risk their life for a ploy like this.

“A treaty? Are they seeking a truce?”

“No.”

“Then what is it?”

The next words Grace spoke sent shockwaves through the room, her words completely unexpected: “The Celestials have decided to sever their ties to this world. They are planning to isolate the Celestial Realm from this dimension and execute a mass exodus to another plane of existence. To prevent any misunderstandings and interference during the migration, they wish to establish a non-aggression pact with us, and they are seeking recognition as envoys to negotiate the terms.”