Volume 7, Chapter 2 - Holding Hope And Sunk In Sorrow, Part 3
9th March, 1024th year of the Imperial Calendar. Beirut territory in the northwestern part of the western region of the Grantz Empire.
The Six Kingdoms have withdrawn their troops from the Larix Plains, where they fought the Fourth Prince Hiro, and have once again lowered their front line to the border connecting the West and Felzen ― Beirut territory.
The reason for this is that they suffered more damage than expected in the battle against the Fourth Prince Hiro. The soldiers’ morale was high due to the victory over him, but they lost many of their commanders instead.
With a report detailing the damage, Lucia slammed her iron fan down on the desk.
“…What should I do?”
The army, which initially numbered 200,000, is now down to about 160,000. As she turned the page, she also read the report that the Grantz Army had prepared its forces. The number was 130,000.
It was less than she had expected. However, since they were able to gather such a large number in just two months, it was safe to assume that the Grantz Empire still had a lot of power left.
Thinking about it from a long-term perspective, the odds are even worse for the Six Kingdom side.
“I think it would be better to retreat to Felzen.”
Staying in the west and destroying the economy of the Grantz Empire may be interesting, but if they get too attached, they will lose the war. If they are reckless, they may want to attack the country’s central region, searching for achievements. If she wanted to do things carefully, staying in the west would be dangerous.
In addition, Lucia’s interest in the Grantz Empire had completely waned.
“I think it’s a good thing that we were able to take out Felzen.”
Lucia sighed tiredly and rubbed her brow to relieve it.
“The first thing we must do is to secure our safety. The stage is about to change.”
The wheels of events had begun to turn when she had let the “Ancient King” escape.
“Perhaps it’s payback for forgetting my position as queen and running around like a little girl.”
Leaning back in her chair, Lucia stared at the ceiling of the tent.
Just before the young man’s head was about to be cut off――,
――That’s when everything went wrong.
Everyone had been looking forward to that moment. They were waiting for the moment that would make their names in history.
It had been a long time since the cries of the enemy soldiers, who had shown desperate resistance, had ceased.
All that was left was to kill a living legend. But on the battlefield, there was no room for carelessness at any time.
Forgetting the most important thing, Lucia was carried away by a strange excitement.
It started with the horse’s neigh, followed by the roar of horses’ hooves, and she realized something was wrong.
Then a large amount of dust rose up in front of her, and she was distracted by the sound of creaking air.
After the fatal gap, Lucia noticed that something was wrong with Luca.
“Gaah――… Aaa!”
She was rolling around on the ground, struggling for breath. She was still clutching her sword, her eyes bloodshot as she tried to kill the “Ancient King.” But despite her efforts, the blade never reached him. The left half of her body was frozen in place.
“Fufu, there are so many gaps…”
A sudden murderous intent was felt.
Lucia’s right hand rose up as she twisted her body as quickly as she could and threw out her iron fan to her left hand.
“Kuh!?”
As the dust of war envelops the world, an Urpeth cavalryman jumps down from a horse. And then took off the helmet as if feeling hot and sweaty. The soldier shook the head, letting the purple-silver hair swing wildly in the air, and what appeared was a woman of immense beauty.
Despite possessing an interesting and pure atmosphere, she exudes a bewitching and beautiful scent despite her appearance. Even those of the same sex were attracted by the sharp beauty that made one feel a chill.
“Unfortunately, I can’t let this person die yet.”
The woman with purple and silver hair smiled elegantly as she sheltered the “Ancient King” who was dripping with fresh blood.
But then…
“Therefore, I’ll take care of him from here on out.”
She easily grabbed the “Ancient King” and threw him on the horses approaching from behind with her slender arms.
In a moment of stunned disbelief, Lucia immediately began to act.
“Wait!”
Lucia, who had unfolded her iron fan, tried to run.
However, an ice wall suddenly appeared to block her path. Just before reaching her body, Lucia felt an unpleasant premonition and stopped, but the cold air attacked her limbs and entangled them.
“What――!?”
When Lucia swung her iron fan, the cold air split into two, as if a waterfall were breaking. Lucia’s surroundings, including her feet, froze as the strange wind passed by.
“Fufu, are you surprised?”
The woman’s lips twisted in amusement as she stroked the crystal-clear blade.
“This is a magic sword called ‘Cannibalism.'”
Lucia instantly understood that it was not just a magic sword.
It’s a disastrous sign that can distort space. She recognized that a huge amount of “magic power” was flowing from the blade of that sword. It was so dense that it sucked in one’s consciousness, and in the face of such immense power, Lucia felt the hair on her body stand on end.
“……Well done.”
Lucia clicked her tongue lightly.
It’s because the horseman carrying the “Ancient King” was seen out of the corner of her eye as he galloped out of the dust.
But she never turned her eyes away from the purple and silver woman. She knew that if she turned her attention away, she would instantly be lured to her death.
“You… who are you?”
She knew the woman was no ordinary person because of the “magic power” that burned into her skin. But how did a person who doesn’t have one of the world’s five most treasured swords come to have such a powerful magical power?
“I’m Claudia Van Levering, Queen of the Levering Kingdom.”
“Royalty, huh…? A near-pure-blooded “Demon race” with… looking at that skin tone… Elvenization, huh?”
“Fufu, you’re very knowledgeable.”
Lucia’s eyes fixed on Claudia, who put her hand over her mouth with happiness.
“You’ve come all the way from the northern frontier… but are you a descendant of King Rox?”
As a “Demon race” with strong characteristics, in addition to being elvenized, a descendant of the “Five Black Heavenly Generals,” there is a high possibility that she can compete with the holders of the “Five Great Treasures of the World.”
In fact, it’s probably not a wrong assumption, considering how powerful her magical power is.
However, there’s one thing that doesn’t add up.
“What is this weird “magical power”? It’s a mixture of various signs.”
“It’s the power of Cannibalism, the perfected form of the magical artifacts left behind by the Ancestor King Rox.”
Lucia remembered that her ancestors had written something like that in the documents they left behind. However, due to the great purge that took place during the time of the third emperor, many historical books were lost, and there were few descriptions in the documents left by her ancestors, so she had no interest in looking into them.
“A sword to kill one’s own kind, how could such an ancient relic have been left behind?”
“The Great Purge caused the loss of many documents… No, it would be better to say that they were intentionally hidden during the purge. That’s why no one could find it. It was right in front of my eyes, and no one noticed, so I guess you could call it a lighthouse.”
It was a cursed sword that had killed many demons, fed on their “demon stones,” and increased their power.
Although Lucia has no idea how effective it is, it’s easy to imagine that it’s a dangerous sword because simply confronting it like this shows how powerful its magic power is.
But even so, Lucia does not have the soft heart to retreat.
“Isn’t it about time you go after the Ancient King?”
It’s not too late. The soldier who took the “Ancient King” was disguised as an Urpeth cavalry, but running through a battlefield filled with soldiers from the Six Kingdoms was no easy task. If she chased after Claudia with all her might after striking her, she could secure the custody of the “Ancient King.”
As Lucia was pondering this, Claudia looked around and then looked at Lucia again.
“Right. It looks like I don’t have much time, so I’m going to leave like this.”
Claudia said casually, but there was no way she could make it through more than 30,000 soldiers unscathed. With one command from Lucia, she was trapped as if she were standing on a sheer cliff.
Lucia frowned at her quizzically but then noticed that something was wrong with her.
(Why is she constantly paying attention to her surroundings?)
Claudia, who had blocked Lucia’s path, did not make any further moves.
It was as if she was hesitant to launch an attack and was paying attention to avoid affecting her surroundings as much as possible. Why should Claudia be so concerned?
“Could it be… you…”
“Ara, did you notice it?”
Claudia swept one hand into the empty sky as if to stir the air. A large amount of dust is about to disappear due to the sudden wind that blew.
“Did you really think I would let you go?”
“If you had only realized it earlier, I wouldn’t have managed it.”
Claudia smiled happily, and then…
“Wha…”
When Claudia smiled happily, the high-pitched sound of a horn echoed throughout the battlefield.
“Now… thanks for the time that you’ve given me. You can do as you please from here on out.”
Claudia pulled on the horse’s reins and jumped into the saddle. She cut through the dust drifting in front of her and then glanced at Lucia.
“There is only one way to protect your honor.”
Claudia gave a mocking sneer and started running across the battlefield. The next thing that rang out was a shout of victory.
“Hiro Schwartz von Grantz has been defeated!”
Claudia said and disappeared in a cloud of dust.
“Victory for the Six Kingdoms! Let the entire battlefield know! Raise the big flag and let your voice ring out loud!”
As if in mockery, she sounded the drum and shouted loudly as she moved away.
“Tsk!”
Lucia clicked her tongue as she realized what the other party was planning. She looked around with an impatient look on her face and immediately slashed the neck of a soldier who had collapsed nearby.
She slammed it once on the blood-blackened ground to disguise the color of the hair. As the dust cleared, she raised the head to the sky in triumph.
“Hiro Schwartz von Grantz has been defeated!”
It was nothing short of pathetic.
The situation was so ridiculous that she could not help but laugh at the fact that she had hunted down her enemy and let him escape, leaving her no choice but to do what the enemy wanted.
Although she had thought she had put a lot of thought and effort into this war, it may have been a set-up from the beginning.
She thought she had been playing into Hiro’s trap even before this war began.
She had plotted to turn the central and western nobles over to her and had been buoyed by the fact that things were going her way. By the time she had cornered the “Ancient King,” she had thought she had surpassed the “God of War.”
But it was all just dancing in his palm.
“…It’s a shame, really. What is the big picture…? I can’t see anything.”
Just because of a moment’s slackness, she let him escape… even though she had him cornered to that point.
She must get rid of this grudge. She must not allow those who deny her existence. She must not let those who disgraced the dignity of the queen live.
She bit her lips hard in frustration, causing fresh blood to drip from her mouth. Even so, she was more controlled by anger than pain.
“I won’t forgive you. I’ll kill you for sure…”
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