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Chapter 271 part 3

「This should immobilize Natzag and the Rohan Empire for at least six months. With the Emperor incapacitated, surrounding enemy nations will likely seize this opportunity to encroach on Imperial territories.」

Yaheim chuckled lowly. Although his armor protected him from physical damage, he had sustained significant mental and spiritual exhaustion from enduring the Wolf God’s divine attacks. Despite appearing unscathed, he was far from his peak condition.

He kept his armor on to suppress Natzag’s lingering murderous intent, which, if unrestrained, would have threatened not only him but also the medics gathered for his healing, potentially causing more fatalities.

Zarhamera, Yaheim’s partner and right hand, reprimanded his overly cheerful demeanor. He was constantly massaging his brow as if he were suffering from a headache.

「Your Majesty, you’re in the same situation. The backlash from pushing your divine powers to the limit in the fight against Natzag has caused your weakening to be remarkable. You’ll need rest before engaging in normal combat activities.」

「You agree that he was a necessary opponent to exert such effort against, right? It’s said that invoking a god usually shatters one’s soul, yet that Emperor remains unscathed. There are hardly a handful in our army who could face Natzag when he’s in his guardian form.」

「It is as you say. However, even if that is the case, for the supreme commander to jump into a battlefield that could become a fatal one is like poison to the hearts of subordinates like us.」

「Forgive me for returning alive. It’s the nature of a descendant of the God of War. Due to our battle, the border region between Rohan and The Dark Wilderness has turned into an anomalous area where the divine energy and killing intent of both of us run wild.

That will serve as a wall, an inviolable wall for both us and them, allowing us to temporarily not worry about future threats. Use this time to advance south.

We’ll sweep through the Romal Empire and the Arkrest Kingdom. Beyond that there will also be the battle against the intruder and the evil god behind him.

The path of our battle is quite long. Proper rest should be encouraged, but do not neglect to assess the battle situation and gather information so that you are not caught off guard and tripped up.」

「Vengitta and Quince are already moving as per your orders. After the two of them investigate the situation, Zandarza and Galilius will head to the Romal Empire, and Vengitta and Quince go to the Arkrest Kingdom. However, with Quinsey gone, won’t this thin our defenses to the north?」

「Deploy Tarulu, the giants, and your direct troops. Use my imperial guards as well. They might not be as manageable as Quince, but in terms of fighting ability, they should be sufficient as replacements.」

「Isn’t it unwise to weaken our northern defenses?」

「Ah, Would you understand if I said that I had a feeling, or rather, something close to a revelation?」

Yaheim’s serious declaration made Zarhamera’s iron mask crack. It mended quickly, but the meaning of what Yaheim, who wielded divine power, called a revelation was highly significant, as were its dangerousness and importance.

「That’s not something we can ignore. If it’s a threat significant enough to warrant a revelation, ignoring it could lead to disastrous blunders. What a headache.」

「What, a life without turmoil lacks fulfillment. The greater the turmoil and difficulty, the more exhilarating and fulfilling it is to overcome them. You should keep that in mind and work even harder.」

「Our king is ever the optimist.」

「You can say I’m too carefree if you want to. Hahaha.」

With the Demon King’s carefree laughter that troubled his vassals, the decision to conquer the south for Mundus Carnus was reaffirmed. The future in which they would soon clash with the Romal Empire, Arkrest Kingdom, and eventually the Barony of Berne was set into motion.

*

It was raining. The rain, cold as ice, seemed to freeze not just the bodies but also the minds of those it touched. The relentless downpour appeared endless, like millions or even tens of millions of white thunder threads cascading simultaneously from pitch-black clouds.

In this rain-threaded weather, a battle had been unfolding. Or rather, it had unfolded.

Within the frozen ground blanketed in white snow covering rocks, soil, and flora stood a vast and magnificent fortress city. However, the city was surrounded by multiple layers of foreign armies, and various areas could be seen flickering with black smoke and flames, which were now dying out due to the heavy rain.

This was the sight in Ryuuli, the imperial capital of the Lucisc Empire, a great nation that existed even further north of the Dark Wilderness, whose name was only known to the Arkrest Kingdom and the Romal Empire.

The imperial soldiers of Ryuuli clad in Blue Mithril and silver armor bravely fought the invaders. But now that the invaders’ hands had reached the palace where the imperial family lived, and the Ryuuli had fallen, there were more and more of them who could not find any meaning in continuing to fight back.

Although the empire had fallen, the kind of scenes that would normally be seen in such a situation were completely absent in this imperial capital.

For the people who had been too slow to escape and the soldiers who had surrendered, there were no assaults, massacres, looting, or rapes. The city was not further destroyed.

Not only that, the defeated imperial soldiers were approached by invader soldiers who disarmingly put away their weapons, showing smiles of affection that would be appropriate for close friends or relatives.

What was even stranger was that the imperial soldiers who were being shown this affection were also smiling back and returning the offered handshakes.

The wounded were treated equally, regardless of whether they were friend or foes. The people of the imperial capital who had been hiding so that they would not be found by the invaders showed themselves with expressions of complete relief. They all even started to help the soldiers and even showed their joy.

And so, the imperial soldiers who had been fighting to the death just a moment ago were now unexpectedly scraping and peeling off the emblems of the Lucisc Empire that were attached to their equipment.

That’s right, from the moment they shook hands with the invaders, they were no longer citizens of the Lucisc Empire. Their bodies and minds had been completely assimilated with the same group, society, and ideology as the invaders.

An invader soldier dressed not in armor but in a white cloth military uniform, which felt slightly off for a disciplined military, spoke:

「From today onwards, you are our friends, brothers, sons, and fathers. Nice to meet you, my new fellow.」

The former imperial soldier, who had been exchanging blows with the soldier in front of him just a moment ago, replied with a sense of joy and happiness from deep within:

「Yes, nice to meet you, my friends, brothers, fathers, and sons. From today, I am your fellow. Together, let’s spread our law, justice, and love to the ends of the world.」

Can this really be called mutual understanding? Can this be called friendship? Everyone who witnessed it could not help but be convinced that the two soldiers were not lying in the words they spoke as they exchanged a warm embrace.

It was not just them. All over the imperial capital, there were scenes of imperial soldiers and citizens exchanging words and embraces with the invaders without any hostility or resentment.

An elderly couple whose son had been killed in the war warmly embraced a female invader who was covered in blood and said:

「Oh, you must have been suffering and distressing so much.」

「But it’s alright now. We are now families, friends, fellows.」

A woman who tearfully bid farewell to her lover going to war spoke to a young invader of the same age:

「From today, we live under the same flag. When hardships befall us, let us support each other. Let us share our joys and happiness with each other..」

A young former soldier who had lost all of his comrades on the battlefield and had returned alone, severely wounded, and burning with hatred spread his arms wide and declared to the smiling invaders:

「I will offer my life to you just as you have offered yours. This blood, this flesh, these bones, this life, ah, they have the same value as yours and exist to be offered equally!」

Before long, all of the national flags that had been flying over the imperial capital and the palace were lowered, and in their place, the flags of the invaders were raised proudly.

The Lucisc Empire, long-reigning over the frozen winds, the all-encompassing snow, and the piercing cold of the frozen land, ended its history on this day as the rain threads pierced both cloud and earth.

On the same day that the imperial capital fell, the Lucisc Empire was transformed into a mere provincial city, and its name was changed to that of the invaders.

The name of the invaders’ homeland – the Holy Pope Empire of Defacracy.

It was raining. Rain that was not supposed to fall in this season was falling, drenching the imperial capital and its people.

Rain was falling. The rain that showered upon people’s bodies gradually soaked them. Occasionally, it slipped through their lips and into their bodies. The rain that arrived with the invaders seeped into people’s bodies and their hearts.

Rain…rain…It kept raining…