Published at 20th of February 2023 9:16 pm

Volume 11, Chapter 4 – Cursed Thoughts, Part 2

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

On top of a white-tinted hill, a lonely place covered with dead trees with no sign of life.

A hand reached out from behind one of the trees. The snow that continued to fall from the sky was placed on the hand, but it became dew. The water dripped down the purple skin and fell to the ground but sank into the piled snow. The clenched hands were cold, partly due to the temperature. However, once he saw the scene below, he was attacked with heat, as if he were being burned by hellfire.

The city was burning brightly, the sound of the debris shook his eardrums, and the massive walls screamed.

“Sorry, General Hermes… I didn’t make it in time…”

The man hiding behind the trees―a pure-blood demon race said to be rare on the central continent – listened to the sounds of the collapsing city with a bitter expression on his face.

“You still intend to destroy it…? You really are nothing short of barbaric.”

A group of ‘monsters’ continued to destroy the uninhabited city. If these were humans, they would occupy the place and take it for themselves, but it seems that even the goods and treasures being trampled down were of no interest to them.

“It seems there are still some people alive.”

From the angry shouts mixed with the sounds of destruction, it seemed that some people were still struggling in various places, albeit sparsely. However, it was probably only a matter of time before they were destroyed.

Looking out from the shadows of the trees, a peculiar scene unfolded.

Before the overwhelming strength of the marked tribe, the trained soldiers were being killed with ease. Perhaps because of their intelligence, the ‘monsters’ and flesh-eaters were led to form an effective formation, and the soldiers were hunted down.

“I can’t believe it even when I see it with my own eyes. That a monster would follow orders is inconceivable.”

Compared to the human race, the ‘monsters’ lacked in skill and coordination. However, the ‘monsters’ had overwhelming power to make up for what they lacked. Even if skilled soldiers formed a formation, they could easily break through the center. Even when they released arrows, the momentum did not stall, and they came crashing in with a powerful impact. If what they had cultivated and honored so far was so easily destroyed, their morale would plummet to the bottom.

“Ghada-sama, how are you going to find General Hermes?”

If he was going to put his personal feelings on the line, he wanted to save him. He wanted to rescue not only Hermes but also the soldiers who were left behind on the battlefield, but they would not be safe. Even though the soldiers were equipped with spiritual equipment, it is obvious that there will be extensive damage. If he let the soldiers die needlessly here, it would hinder the future plan.

“I cannot send my men to a place where I know they will die. We must leave immediately. If they find us, it will be the end of everything.”

“Do we need to find out where the monster is going?”

“It seems that One-Eyed Dragon has already taken countermeasures. We will go to the destination as ordered.”

“Understood, sir.”

“And send out fast horses. Send them to One-Eyed Dragon, the second prince Selene… and Her Majesty Queen Claudia.”

Ghada handed three letters to his subordinate. The letter for Claudia was written directly by the Black Dragon King. After receiving the important letters, the subordinate bowed his head and quietly disappeared into the darkness without making a sound. Ghada once again looked at the crowd of ‘monsters’ but then immediately looked up at the sky.

“What are you going to do now…? You’ve read it wrong.”

His master, the Black Dragon King, had expected that the “Spirit Wall” would not collapse until he had delivered the spirit weapons to General Hermes. He had made preparations in advance in case of an emergency and was ready to respond either quickly or slowly to the invasion of the marked tribe. However, the marked tribe toppled the “Spirit Wall” at speed far faster than expected.

“The beast unleashed on the field is untouchable. It was only with the wall that we were able to fight them equally.”

The “Raven Army” could no longer stop the march of the ‘monsters’ alone. Whether or not the Black Dragon King could have foreseen this situation… there were several other minors but potentially deadly points that could have been avoided if he was not careful. It was impossible to predict all of them. Even the Black Dragon King may no longer be able to control the situation, Ghada thought out of fear.

“One-Eyed Dragon… I can’t deny the possibility that you’re falling off your leash…”

Ghada muttered to himself and took a deep breath to let out his anxiety. While maintaining a calm mind, he took one look at the dust created by the swarm of ‘monsters’ and then left the shade of the tree.

“There’s no point in staying here; we’re leaving. Act quickly.”

With the screams of the dying soldiers at his back, Ghada quickly sent out instructions to his men.

“Leave no trace that we were here. Their noses will sniff it out.”

“Understood.”

“Now we just have to hope that the second prince Selene will win against the Bromell family.”

The fall of the Spirit Wall was an unprecedented event, and yet they were fighting an ugly war amongst themselves. Power struggles blind people from seeing the real enemy. This was the very factor that would bring down the country, Ghada thought again.

“General Hermes, I am so sorry.”

He turned around, apologized, looked in the direction of the “White Silver Castle,” and began to walk forward with an expression as if he wanted to say something.

＊＊＊＊＊

People clased with fierce shouts. Shields held up, spears thrust out, swords swung down.

Hundreds of souls burst forth, thousands of blood flew, and tens of thousands of angry shouts mingled.

The dull, violent sound shook the ground, and the people’s fervor shook the air to show the sky the meaning of their existence.

Thousands of corpses lay in the nameless snowfield. The snow had turned from white to red and turned to mud by repeated trampling, and the mixture of the smell of iron rust gave off a strange odor.

November 8th, 1026th year of the imperial calendar.

One of the five great noble families of the Great Grantz Empire that ruled the north, the Scharm family, and the Bromell family, known as the three great families of the north, finally clashed.

There was no strategy of any kind. It began with a head-on, fair and square clash.

The Bromell family has sixty thousand men and the Scharm family forty thousand men, a difference in the strength of nearly twenty thousand, but not all of those who gathered on the battlefield were participating in the battle. There were commanders and nobles with a variety of emotions: some were watching, some were looking for an opportunity, and some were fearful. Among them, it was the army led by the Scharm family that fought most boldly. Their commander was in the main camp, reading the front line and giving orders with the staff in tow.

“Release arrows from the second line to cover the first line, then move the center of the first line back and advance the right and left flanks. There you will destroy the enemy that rushes forward.”

The second prince Selene. As the title attached to his name suggested, he was the second prince of the Great Grantz Empire. The person in this important position called out to his entourage without looking away from the front line.

“Proditos, howis the rest of the situation?”

“It’s a stalemate all over. The other people on the front line are looking at the situation. Only the Scharm and Bromell families are currently engaged in combat… I thought they would launch a more aggressive attack, but is there something they’re aiming for?”

“There are more reserves left over there than over here. I think we can’t be too careless with that possibility… but even so, I think their attack is a little weak.”

It’s like a skirmish in the name of an opening battle. Both sides were waiting to see how the other would react, and as one would expect, the game was not going to be settled at this level. It was thought that they would attack with their numbers, but they were surprisingly cautious or perhaps so weak as to be out of sync.

However, it could be said that this was effective for Selene and the others, who were short on time.

“We have sent a spy into the enemy’s main camp, but no information has come in yet.”

“Is it possible that the enemy is circling the perimeter?”

“We are sending out constant scouts, but there is no sign of the enemy.”

“Then, what’s their aim…? Have you heard anything from the White Silver Castle?”

“Not a word either, sir. The possibility of bypassing the castle and going after the castle is currently low, but we have not received any information from the scouts we have sent to various locations.”

“Well, they outnumber us, and if they don’t use tactics to take advantage of that… then I’m sure they have something to aim for.”

It was hard to read the thoughts of the head of the Bromell family. The Bromell family would not gain anything by buying more time. Both sides wanted a quick settlement, and the Scharm family wanted to reinforce the “Spirit Wall” as soon as possible. The Bromell family, on the other hand, had to settle the northern part of the country before the chaos in Grantz was over. As Selene ponders the situation, Helma, one of the twin wolf generals, arrives.

“Selene-sama.”

“Helma, what have you found out?”

“Yes, there seems to be some sort of commotion in the enemy’s main camp.”

“A commotion?”

“The cause is unknown, but there seems to be confusion. I have sent out a new spy, but it will be some time before we receive any information.”

“I guess we’ll have to wait and… try a few things.”

Selene pulled his horse up and straddled it. Helma rushed over to him in a panic.

“Wait a minute, where do you think you’re going?”

“I don’t know when the spy’s report will come back. I’ll do what I can before that time.”

“You don’t mean to tell me that you’re going to the front?”

“Yes, I’m going to destroy the first group of the enemy that falls for our plan and is out in front of us.”

After kicking the horse in the stomach, Selene runs toward the front line. Helma, left behind, looked at Selene with a stunned expression, but a horseman passed by next to him. The person on the horse was Proditos. Unlike her brother Helma, Proditos seemed to have read Selene’s actions.

“Selene-sama, it’s useless to stop you, isn’t it?”

“Naturally, will Proditos come with me?”

“Of course, my sword is dedicated to the Scharm family.”

“I see. Then, a hundred guard cavalrymen will be enough. That will be enough to crush the enemy on the front line.”

“Yes.”

Proditos nodded and moved away from Selene. The place where the guard was waiting was the place where she was headed. After watching her dependable back, Selene shouted out to one of the twins, who was still looking dazed in the back.

“Helma!”

“Y…yes!”

“Take care of the rest!”

“May the fortunes of war be with you!”

After saluting, Helma bowed his head, and Selene patted his beloved horse’s neck and tapped it a little harder.

“Now, let’s ride on the battlefield for the first time in a long time!”

Selene ran at full speed, and as soon as the soldiers cleared the way, the guard joined him. Proditos, a strong woman, was running alongside them.

Raised on the flag ias the “lion” emblem, the emblem of the Grantz Imperial Family. The cavalry approaching like lions sent the enemy army into a flurry of movement. There was no way Selene would have missed it. Drawing two swords from his waist, he decapitated one man and then another, killing them both. The enemy army could not hide their dismay at the sudden appearance of Selene, and the 100 guard cavalrymen took advantage of this opportunity to trample down the enemy with a wave of speed. The cavalry, which had gained momentum, was terrifying, and the enemy soldiers were cowed by the meandering 100 cavalries led by Selene. The enemy soldiers were so terrified by the unopposed advance that some of them even lay down with their heads held high as if waiting for the storm to pass. Then the first wave of the Scharm family rushed in to attack the enemy, and they poured out a relentless attack. This put the enemy’s front line in a complete state of panic. Selene, speeding up his horse even more, swung his sword to wipe out the blood and turned his attention to Proditos.

“Proditos, have there been any changes in the enemy’s movements?”

“No, sir. The enemy’s front line seems to have been abandoned.”

“Do you think it is because they have more numbers?”

“No, we are still at the beginning of the war. If the front line is destroyed here, it will affect morale in the future. Abandoning them is a bad idea.

“Then――”

As the second prince Selene was about to say this, he saw movement in the enemy. Drums were beating, and several banners were flying in the main camp of the Bromell family. In response, the enemy commanders in various locations began to shout in anger.

“It seems they have finally decided to send help. From the movement of the dust, it appears that the enemy’s second column has begun to move.”

“They are slow to make decisions.”

Selene shrugged his shoulders and turned his horse around to head for the main camp of the Scharm family.

“I’m going back, Proditos. There is no need to fight anymore.”

“Are you sure?”

“I have confirmed what I wanted to confirm. We will wait for the report of the spy, and then we will have our answers.”

“Yes.”

The words were not to the point, but Proditos, perhaps trusting Selene or perhaps still slightly surprised, sent instructions to her subordinates. With her out of the corner of his eye, Selene stroked his chin and looked up to the skies, sighing deeply.

“I wish it would come off… but I think I’d better take care of it.”

Ever since the Bromell family began to show signs of disquiet, he couldn’t shake the feeling of discomfort he’d been feeling.

Although this was about to be resolved here, there was no joy in Selene’s heart.

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