Chapter 49: History of the Holy Roman Empire

At the end of the golden treasury, as expected, there was another passageway.

However, Rod didn't even get the chance to investigate it.

This was because, at the end of the passage, a nearly hundred-meter-long undead bone dragon lay dormant.

With just a single breath, it blew him away instantly.

Rod had intended to use his firestarter to control the two giant hounds to help deal with the undead knight in the second treasury.

With the strength of these two alchemical giant hounds, even if they couldn't defeat the undead knight, they could at least hold it off for a while.

That would be enough time for him to acquire the armor inside.

However, every time these two hounds approached the passageway, they resisted his commands.

No matter what, they refused to enter the passage.

Clearly, the black mage who had created these two alchemical creatures had left a safeguard in the guardians of the three treasuries.

This made Rod quite displeased.

Alchemical creatures are supposed to be entirely loyal to their master, obeying commands without question, even to the point of death.

This is an imprint left by the creator on the soul and body of the alchemical creature at the moment of its creation.

Since Rod was now the master of these two alchemical hounds, their defiance of his orders, for any reason, indicated that he did not fully control them.

What if the person who created these two creatures wasn't dead?

Wouldn't that mean they could betray him at any moment?

"As expected, disobedient things are best sacrificed," Rod muttered coldly as he looked at the obediently seated alchemical giant hounds in the treasury.

Although it felt a bit wasteful, since these creatures weren't entirely loyal to him, they had the potential to betray him.

Even if the chances of betrayal were one in ten thousand, he had to consider the worst-case scenario.

So, it was better to make use of them.

He could use the soul fragments within them to create completely loyal alchemical creatures.

Ones he could trust.

However, it would still be a bit difficult for him to sacrifice these two alchemical creatures right now.

That would have to wait for another time.

Rod looked at the firestarter in his hand. This magical tool not only controlled and summoned the three treasury guardians but also had a teleportation spell engraved on it with alchemy.

If he used magic to rub the firestarter, he could teleport directly into the treasury.

It was quite convenient.

Rod put the firestarter into his spatial storage and returned the way he came.

He climbed out of the tree hollow.

Then, he blew the silver whistle.

Thud, thud, thud!

Black mist surged, enveloping the surroundings.

Scarlet eyes appeared from the darkness.

A fully armored nightmare-like warhorse slowly emerged from the shadows, its steps heavy.

Its front limbs bent as it knelt on the ground.

Rod mounted the horse and picked a direction.

"A few kilometers ahead, and I should reach the kingdom's border," Rod muttered quietly as he gazed into the distance.

This world had countless nations.

Nobles above the rank of baron were entitled to build castles and become great lords with thousands of subjects.

Counts had even broader territories than barons, with lands spanning at least dozens of kilometers, and their subjects numbered in the tens of thousands or more.

Thus, the territories of nobles above the rank of count were also referred to as kingdoms.

The count was the king of such a realm.

Of course, even among kings, there were differences in territory, power, wealth, and status.

The lowest type of kingdom was one established by a count, with tens of thousands of subjects.

Above the count was the marquis.

The territory of a marquis was two to three times larger than that of a count, with subjects numbering at least in the tens of thousands, and in some cases, up to two or three hundred thousand.

Above them was the duke, the pinnacle of nobility.

As for the rank of prince, it was usually reserved for the direct descendants of the royal family or the husbands of royal princesses.

Although princes had a higher status than dukes, they often held little real power.

However, if the prince was already a powerful lord and married a royal princess, that was a different matter.

Such powerful princes might even have the right to vie for the imperial throne.

Though rare, such cases had occurred in the long history of the Holy Roman Empire.

When a reigning emperor had no heirs, or if his descendants were deemed unfit by the church and the empire's people, the church would, in the name of divine will, choose a suitable successor from among the princes and dukes to be crowned the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

The divine right of kings shows just how powerful and influential the church had become.

Of course, a few centuries ago, the church did not wield this kind of power.

Back then, the entire continent was ruled by the Holy Roman Empire.

The emperor was the sole ruler of this vast empire, his authority unshakable.

That was until the Holy Roman Empire produced a tyrant of an emperor who, for personal gain, inflicted various brutal methods on the common people.

Even the high-ranking nobles and the Senate of the Holy Roman Empire couldn't escape his enslavement.

Eventually, resistance from all levels sparked a rebellion.

The empire was overthrown, and the emperor's sacred status was trampled.

After countless wars, the Holy Roman Empire gradually split into two: northern and southern empires.

Though both claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Holy Roman Empire, inheriting its name and legacy, they were two completely different factions.

It was during this chaotic time that the church rose to its current position of supreme authority.