Published at 20th of May 2023 11:29 pm

Volume 12, Chapter 2 – Demon Invasion, Part 4

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Against the setting sun in the western sky, a huge monster bird landed on the ground, spreading its wings.

With the flapping of its wings, grass and flowers scattered vigorously in the air.

Petals were fluttering in the sky, but they were scattered in all directions spectacularly by several smaller monster birds circling in the sky. The huge monster bird that landed first, perhaps a parent, was gouging the ground with its sharp beak while checking its surroundings, but it sensed the presence of something and shook its head from side to side and immediately took off, disappearing with its children into the clouds towards the east.

At the same time, the ground began to shake, and the weeds vibrated violently. From beyond the horizon, a horseshoe roar split the air and rushed through the ground.

West of the Great Grantz Empire―near Fort Tutelary.

Fort Tutelary was a key border point for the Grand Duchy of Drall, and its multiple-ring fortresses were renowned for their impregnability. However, its commander, General Bakish, was killed two years ago in a battle with the Six Kingdoms, and the fortress is now ruled by a civil official dispatched from the east in his place. It was thought that it would have the advantage in this battle against the Vanir Three Kingdoms, but they would not come to this location conveniently, and the planned battlefield was still to the south.

There was a large road near Fort Tutelary.

It was called the Great Highway of Schein and was one of the main roads in Grantz that connects the five major territories.

It was built in the early days of the Great Grantz Empire by the Schein family, the five great nobles of the time, and so the road was named in their honor. At regular intervals, there were structures called stations, from which stagecoaches regularly run, which was the usual scene on the Grand Highway of Schein.

However, running in place of the stagecoach now was a huge, writhing shadow that seemed to fill the horizon. Behind the shadow, a huge cloud of dust is rising and trying to cover the sky. The sound of horses’ hooves, occasionally mixed in with human voices and the scraping of metal, was heard from everywhere, and it was overlapping and hard to discern.

Its true identity was obvious as one approached. The huge black shadows were a group of people. At the same time, anyone who saw their boisterous attire was bound to run for cover. Everyone was dressed in heavy armor, some holding banners in their hands, some with spears in their hands, and even some with swords at their waists. They may have looked like a group of bandits, but the sense of unity and the fact that everyone was wearing fine equipment immediately identified them as the regular army of the Grantz.

On the Grand Highway of Schein, where the air was filled with a sense of excitement, a woman―Liz, the sixth princess of the Great Grantz Empire―looked around at the rear of the army that filled the land. Aura, the chief of general staff of the Grantz Army, was following her.

“We’re sending out the first units that are ready.”

Aura told her briefly, and Liz nodded in satisfaction.

“All right. Then, let’s go back to the tent.”

Ahead of Liz’s eyes, there was a simple tent with pillars on all four sides and a thin curtain.

Surrounding it were soldiers standing guard and a group of cavalrymen in formation to repel any intruders. On the way there, Liz spoke to Aura.

“How are things in the north?”

“The “monster” seems to be heading straight south toward the Imperial Capital.”

“To the heart of Grantz, huh? I see you’re not in a great deal of a hurry, so I wonder if you’ve taken care of the problem.”

“It’s not my plan. According to reports, the presence of the small country of Baum, the Raven Army, has been confirmed in the central.”

“So… Hiro’s on his way.”

“The Raven Army was quick to withdraw from the Six Kingdoms.”

“That means they noticed the collapse of the “Spirit Wall” before we did. Do you think so?”

“Or they could have read the movement of the ‘monsters.'”

“No way… Hiro can?”

As Aura said, Hiro probably knew that the “Spirit Wall” would collapse. He must have also known where the “monsters” were headed.

Liz and the others could not keep up with the depth of his thinking, wondering how far he was looking ahead and what his goal was.

“…I’ve been suspicious of him since before. From the moment I met him, I thought Hiro might be――”

Aura was about to say, but after letting out a small sigh, she shook her head.

“No, this is a stupid story, so let’s not talk about it.”

“…..Aura――”

Liz involuntarily almost told her the whole thing. But while on the verge of spilling it out, Liz stopped herself and chose bland words.

“…..If I find Hiro, I’ll make him tell me everything.”

Aura had been aware of Hiro’s true identity for some time.

No―she had been suspicious of him since they first met.

It was almost impossible for Hiro to conceal his true identity from her, who had a favorite book called “The Black Book” and had come this far because of her yearning for the “God of War.” But whether or not it was okay for Liz to reveal Hiro’s true identity, she was at a loss for words.

“Yeah, I’ll tie him up so he won’t run away and make him read the Black Book for three days.”

“…..That’s scary.”

Aura clenched her fists and got into the mood. Liz gave a wry smile and looked in the direction where the Imperial Capital was located. She could faintly sense the presence of Hiro. She didn’t need to look with her “eyes” to know. No matter how far away he was, she could tell. It was because Hiro’s high energy was wilder than before―more so than when he fought with Liz.

“It’s okay over there. Just leave it to me.”

Aura said to cheer Liz up. She must have been concerned about the fact that Liz had been staring in the direction where the Imperial Capital was located for a long time. Aura looked up at Liz with an air of confidence.

“Liz should just concentrate on the Vanir Three Kingdoms.”

Liz smiled wryly at Aura’s words. It was certain that Aura was doing something right up until Liz came to the west.

From time to time, a messenger would come running to her, and she would immediately give them a secret letter and send them off to various places.

In her own way, she was trying to get out of this situation. When Liz asked her what she was doing, she brushed off the question, saying that she wanted Liz to concentrate on the Vanir Three Kingdoms, as she had done earlier.

“It bothers me to leave everything to you… I think I have grown a little bit, too, you know?”

When Liz expressed her dissatisfaction, Aura tilted her head as if she was troubled.

“I am exploring different moves and will explain them to Liz when I am sure.”

When the shorter Aura looked at her, she would naturally have an upward glance. The gesture was intriguing and made you feel the urge to protect her, but her leaden eyes―which were cute and a little cold―had clear shadows around them. It was evident that she was not getting enough sleep. Considering the circumstances surrounding the Grantz, there was no time to sleep. However, Aura did not raise any complaints about the pain she was going through and took care of everything so that Liz could concentrate on the Vanir Three Kingdoms.

“Promise me one thing. Take a break when you can. There is no one to take your place.”

Liz was surprised at herself, wondering how she could have said that. If she could rely on herself more, there would be no problem. But, even in the vastness of Grantz, only Hiro could keep up with the depth of reading of Aura, who was known as the ‘War Maiden.’

No, there must be many talented people if she searched throughout the whole of Grantz. However, there was no time left to discover such talent. The only way was to find them during this long battle.

Until then, she was providing assistance to Aura in order to reduce her burden as much as possible. One of them was Skaaha, who was not with Aura at the moment. However, it was unlikely that she could find anyone who could read Aura’s intentions and make a decision to move on her own.

“Understood; I will rest for the rest of the trip.”

Upon hearing Aura’s reply, Liz opened the entrance to the tent.

The place where the tables were lined up was occupied by a woman chewing on a piece of meat.

“Oh, thanks for the good work. Are you eating the meat properly? You both look pale.”

A woman with her entire body wrapped in bandages held out a piece of meat with a bone in it that she did not know where she had procured it from. She is a muscular woman named Skadi, the supreme chancellor of the Republic of Steichen.

“Yes, yes, I’ve decided to go home.”

Liz raised her eyebrows dubiously at the abrupt declaration. Aura, behind her, was staring at Skadi with a similar expression. Seeing both of their reactions, Skadi began to speak eloquently.

“My country has become like this, too. Above all, the battle with the Six Kingdoms seems to be over, and now I have paid my debt. So I think I’ll go home.”

After saying that quickly, Skadi chewed on a piece of meat and looked at Liz as if asking for her agreement.

“I don’t mind.”

Although she gave her consent, she was still skeptical. It’s not like Skadi. She seems to love to fight. Her passion for the battlefield could be described as fanatical. When the odds were stacked against her, she became more and more absorbed in the battle, to the point where she could not stop laughing. When Skadi said she was leaving because she was injured, it was inevitable to have doubts.

“I’m sorry. I wanted to cooperate with you. But I’m also concerned about the Free Peoples.”

This was a matter that had come up in the military discussion earlier. But Skadi’s concerns should have been dispelled at that time. The information about the attack by the Free Peoples on the Republic of Steichen had actually turned out to be a diversion, as Rosa had reported. When she told Skadi about this, she was extremely pleased. She was elated that she could still fight, and in fact, she returned some of the Republic of Steichen’s soldiers, including the injured, to their home countries. The fact that she is still here today means that she must have been willing to fight the Vanir Three Kingdoms.

What kind of change had occurred in her mind? There was no sense that she was hiding something. It would have been fine to take the time to find out what Skadi was really thinking, but it might have brought about unnecessary discord. Liz had no choice but to smile and throw in a few blunt words.

“No, I heard there was a skirmish, and I don’t think we know the extent of the damage yet, so you should check it out for yourself. It would make the people feel safer.”

“I appreciate you putting it that way. Well, they may come back soon.”

Skadi patted her knee and then stood up vigorously.

“This tent will probably be taken down, too. I guess I’ll be going home now.”

“Yes, thank you again――”

Interrupting Liz’s words, Skadi turned around, waving one hand in the air as she passed by.

“No need, no need. I didn’t come here to be thanked. I just followed my instincts.”

At that moment, she saw the color of Skadi’s heart for the first time.

Confident, full of fighting spirit, and with a fearless smile on her face, Skadi walked out of the tent.

“…..I wonder if something is wrong.”

Aura, who had moved next to Liz before she knew it, put her hand on her chin and tilted her head slightly.

“There have been no disturbing developments in the Republic of Steichen so far. So I thought she would stay, given her character. But the fact that she has returned means that she is looking beyond that. She may look like that, but she is also a monarch, and her priority is the benefit of her country.”

“Beyond that?”

“The battle is not over yet. The beastmen have an unparalleled sense of smell among the five major races in this regard. And if the opponent is the finest marbled beef, then――”

Aura picked up the bones with the meat removed from them that Skadi had left behind.

“Everyone wants to eat it.”

“Are you trying to tell me that the Republic of Steichen is going to pull some strings?”

“I don’t know. But it is better to be prepared for any emergency. For better or for worse, the beastmen do not go against their instincts. And that goes for the supreme chancellor, Skadi, too.”

“…..You’re right.”

The world was not so sweet that everyone could live in harmony. Killing their friends they used to laugh with, kicking down their brothers they grew up with, and sacrificing their families to rise above it all. There were many such people in this world. This was exactly what was going on in the northern region of Grantz at the moment, with the same Grantz people killing each other.

“And when you are the ruler of a country, if you show an opening, they will bite you.”

Running a nation was not a charitable business. As if to prove it, the neighboring countries were waiting for the Grantz to fall to their doom. Moreover, the Republic of Steichen was a council system, and if enough people wanted to go to war with the Grantz, even the supreme chancellor, Skadi, would be forced to do so.

“I’m sure big brother Selene will be fine, but have you heard anything about the battle in the north?”

“No, nothing at all. Information is probably being blocked due to the collapse of the Spirit Wall.”

“I see… Keep in touch with him too… And then the Six Kingdoms.”

“Queen Lucia is moving south.”

“She’s going to use the recent battle to take complete control of the Six Kingdoms.”

Now that she has been freed from the grip of the long-eared race, she probably intends to make good on the grudge she has accumulated over the years. Now that the Vanir Three Kingdoms, which had been intervening from behind the scenes, were concentrating on the Grantz, they will be able to obtain complete freedom. This was an opportune time to exterminate the long-eared race, which had penetrated into the heart of the Six Kingdoms. There was no way that the brilliant and cunning Lucia would have missed it.

“When we signed the truce agreement, the strength of her feelings for her country was extraordinary. You could say she was obsessed, but I could tell she was trying to protect something important.”

She seemed as cunning as a snake, thinking only of herself, but at the core of her heart was her love for her country. However, too strong a desire sometimes overpowers reason. When it becomes unstoppable, cruelty shows its face.

“Surely… It’s going to be rough.”

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