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Chapter 262

The sun continued to shine as it had always done before and after the establishment of the Romal Empire. Even the outbreak of the civil war that shook the very foundations of the empire did not make it waver in the slightest. It cast its rays equally on all races before it set into the darkness and offered its place to the moon. It was an unending cycle.

Even on the day when the people of Elkeney saw off the Seven Fangs Army of 50,000 strong, the sun remained unchanging as ever. The Seven Fangs Army, an alliance of seven tribes, seemed to have made an effort to unify their armaments, but most of them were still in ethnic-specific accessories and attires.

Elken Az Nessa, the leader of the Seven Fangs, was at the forefront leading the army. Panz, a Leapardese man, flanked her along with the representatives from the other tribes. Countless people were sending off the army as they lined the city walls and streets beyond the city. Tears welled up in the eyes of the soldiers’ family members as they prayed for their safe journey to the doomed land, and some were even sobbing uncontrollably. Some were even waving their tribe banners and praying for a valorous battle, while others sang and played instruments to seek the blessings of their ancestors for the soldiers facing battle.

Gwandan, Lynette, Gundeus, and Kyrlinne were not among this army of 50,000, but Amria and her companions were seeing off the soldiers heading to battle.

Gwandan and the three maids were already nowhere to be seen in Elkeney. Amria and her companions had no close friends among the Seven Fangs Army, but they could not bear to let these soldiers head to their deaths without seeing them off.

Yachiyo and Fuuko stood guard beside Amria in the crowd gathered outside the city walls. Their faces were filled with concern as they glanced at Amria. This sheltered girl who had been so ignorant of the world still bore such overflowing kindness even after she had been freed from her cage. It hardly mattered whether the soldiers of the Seven Fangs or the Romal Empire lost their lives. Amria would be upset either way.

「Lady Ana, I’ve already told you many times. You should not feel a speck of responsibility or guilt for the deaths or injuries in this battle.」

「Hachi, I know that. I understand it, but, oh, why do I still feel so sad? Why must they take each other’s lives? Why can’t this strife be resolved through rational negotiations?」

For some like Yachiyo who had witnessed bloodshed and had her fair share of experiences in the world, Amria’s statements were far too naive and cosseted. Even so, Yachiyo could not find it in herself to laugh. How could she laugh skeptically when she knew that these words came from the bottom of Amria’s heart? How could she refute?

「Why do we lack the ability to stop conflict? Are we too weak or too foolish? Could I have stopped this if I had the power of the emperor coveted by the princess and the Grand Duke?」

Amria’s existence had not triggered this war. Rather, the vacancy of the emperor’s throne was the root of this problem.

The customs of the empire dictated that Amria was to be shunned, but she indubitably had the blood of the emperor running through her veins. She might not have been recognized as the legitimate heir to the throne, but she could very well have tipped the scales if she had come forward at the cusp of the civil war. Fuuko could clearly see that Amria was wondering if she could have caused a ripple, no matter how small, in the situation.

「It’s a rabbit hole of endless questions. There may be a clear answer, or there may not be, but I think it’s meaningful to keep probing. At least, that’s what I think. Also, those people have chosen to fight in the war out of their own will. Rebelling against the empire was also their choice. No one was “forced” or “selected” for this. Even if they lose their lives in the battle and their families are devastated, please do not think their decision was foolish. That’s all I sincerely ask of you.」

「A line that cannot be crossed even at the risk of one’s life. Something that takes precedence over one’s own life. In order to protect what’s important, one will fight with their life on the line. That’s what I see as a strength and weakness of making. Oh, I suppose that’s why we end up waging wars.」

「Indeed. People will fight as long as they have something that can only be protected, something that can only be gained with a blade in their hands. You’re free to respect or despise it as foolish, but a lost life can never be recovered. If folly is that which cannot be undone, then it’s a blunder committed by tens of thousands time and again. I do reckon it’s of utmost importance to seek compromise to the best of our abilities before resorting to violence.」

「I agree with Fuu. As an adventurer, I had no idea that such a war would break out. Getting engulfed in it like this was probably as far as a dream. I wonder if Mr. Gwandan and the others will be all right. They don’t seem like they’d suffer any injuries, but I can’t help but worry since they’re not around. Well, these are the people who dragged us into this dream. I hope they will bear responsibility for this until the very end.」

＊

The 90,000 troops of the Romal Empire had left Karplau Castle much earlier than the Seven Fangs had stepped out of Elkeney.

The imperial forces were facing a disastrous internal strife due to a number of reasons. The maneuvering of the Seven Fangs up to the present day, as well as the ideological differences among the lords that could be traced back to their ancestors were all part of this problem. Lurulias, Mezcal, and the others in command were doing their utmost best in this divided situation.

The methods and preferences of each lord’s forces varied greatly, with some focusing on infantry, a portion placing an emphasis on cavalry, others on artillery and gunpower, and still others on the deployment of magic users.

There had been an initial proposal to unify the military units regardless of affiliation, but that plan was ditched because these lords had expressed extreme reluctance in entrusting the command of their soldiers to someone else. After all, these were fighters they had nurtured with great care and attention on their own.

Even on this decisive day of the battle, the chain of command was still in tatters. The lords with existing grievances with each other were left to their own devices as much as possible just to avoid any hesitations when an immediate decision was needed. Even a second of delay could lead to the pointless deaths of numerous soldiers, and this arrangement was the result of the sweat and tears of Lurulias and his comrades.

During a war, there were certainly moments when foolish and utterly unbelievable decisions were made. It was not surprising that some would start to consider the situation after the civil war and for opposing noble clans to plot each other’s downfall.

Lurulias and Mezcal were precisely troubled by the Seven Fangs and their propensity to stir a commotion out of the blue. A fear that the Seven Fangs would act to sway the hearts of these imperial forces haunted the two leaders.

It was a real headache that these enemy forces were not just competent, but they even had Merle—the strongest fighter in Arkrest Kingdom—as an ally. Moreover, she had lost all ability to make rational judgments after her daughter had been harmed.

One of their problematic allies, Verginten, had been deployed to the rear with his eldest daughter-in-law, Sectus, and his second daughter, Antax. With him were the 10,000 troops he had brought with him from this territory.

With each passing day, Lurulias hoped that bunch could cool their heads a little, but there were no signs of that happening each time they returned to Karplau Castle and were reminded of Adelaide’s tragic state.

As Lurulias swayed along with the horse trotting on ahead, he made an objective judgment that they would win in a head-on clash since they had outnumbered their enemy.

The Seven Fangs might be stronger than the individual soldiers of the Romal Empire, fuelled by their desire for centuries of vengeance through their rebellion, but that was not enough to overcome the difference of tens of thousands of troops.

Despite the major disadvantage of lack of coordination among the multiple commanders of the imperial forces, they had superior armaments. In particular, their firearms had been mass-produced with large sums of money, offering them a significant advantage over the Seven Fangs.

「With Strobero Plain as our battlefield, we’ll be able to maximize our artillery. If we end up in a melee, we’ll be at their mercy. As for the lords…」

「A message!」

A panting messenger rushed over to Lurulias as he was speaking of the battle’s potential developments in a crowd of strong guards.

「What’s going on?!」

「An emergency message to Lord Lurulias!」

The messenger reported while trying to calm the horse that had galloped at full speed here.

「Approximately 6,000 calvary troops of the Seven Fangs Army have been spotted. They’re advancing southeast in the vicinity of Peniks Forest!」

「Peniks Forest… Are they planning to bypass the forest and attack our flank? There’s also a possibility that they’ll target our artillery and put a dent in our firepower.」

As Lurulias attempted to predict the Seven Fangs’ tactics, Mezcal approached on his horse from nearby to offer advice. His soldiers had joined Lurulias’s army and had been deployed around the perimeter.

「In any case, it’s not a negligible number. We’re lucky to have detected them in advance. We’ll have to draw on forces to deal with them, but we should quickly send troops to intercept them.」

「6,000 calvary troops? We’ll need the fastest soldiers. Who’s best suited for this…」

Lurulias and Mescal were contemplating their options when the messenger added an uneasy piece of information to his report.

「I-I’m afraid that the Seven Fangs Army has a white dragonian with them…」

「…The one that Adelaide fought? No way.」

「Some of Count Verginten’s men were also present when the Seven Fangs were spotted. They should know about this by now.」

Of all people, Count Verginten’s subjects just had to be there. It was even more troubling that Count Verginten’s army was filled with cavalrymen who were swift and highly mobile. Their abilities made them the perfect choice to pursue the Seven Fangs’ detachment, and there would be no hesitation in selecting them if not for the incident with Adelaide.

That being said, perhaps Count Verginten was the best choice to entrust pursuit of the enemies right now. After all, he would definitely chase them to the bitter end.

It would not be a loss to dispatch 10,000 of Verginten’s forces to deal with the Seven Fangs’ 6,000 troops considering their numbers. On the other hand, 6,000 soldiers were definitely a much more significant dent in the Seven Fangs Army.

This detachment was definitely some kind of trump card for the Seven Fangs. In that case, this task could be left to Verginten…

As Lurulias struggled to make a decision, a messenger from Verginten arrived, as though giving him the final push for his plans.