Published at 16th of August 2023 10:48 am

Volume 13, Chapter 2 – Each Battle, Part 3

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The sky was blackened, the moon peeking through the clouds, moonlight falling.

In a world of encroaching darkness, yet the sun still hovered at the western edge as if resisting, and the ground was tinged with vermillion in the light of its rays.

Bathed in the faint setting sun, the armies of Grantz and the monsters began to separate.

A large number of corpses were buried in the gap between the two armies.

Even on a plain with a clear view, the ground was so full of death that there was no room to step on it, and if you did, you would immediately be flattened by broken swords, twisted spears, or some other obstacle.

That was why the living trampled down, retreating with all the strength they could muster in their legs so as not to fall.

Liz watched such a scene in silence.

Holding her sideburns, which were tossed by the wind, she stared at the army of monsters with a grim expression.

“…..Morale does not seem to be waning.”

It was doubtful that morality exists among monsters, but unlike humans, they had low intelligence and fought by instinct. If they were outnumbered and frightened, they would choose to flee. If they had the upper hand or were driven by anger, they would charge through without fear of death.

But there was one thing to understand about this battle. Apart from individual monsters, most of the monster army was made up of monsters that liked to herd together. If this could be broken, even the humans who were inferior in strength might be able to gain an advantage in the battle. This would be determined after Aura joined them. Surely, she would come up with a good strategy.

“Liz-sama!”

She turned around and saw Meteor standing there.

“I threw Hiro in jail. For now, I have confiscated the Black Princess Camellia…”

Then she handed her a black robe.

The black robe was a mysterious robe that has a will like the Five Emperors of the Spirit Sword―Meteor said that this was one of the Five Dragon and Phoenix Swords. It was said to have been made from the remains of the “Black Dragon King,” but it was not clear why it has a will. However, when Liz held it in her hand and felt its weight, she sensed the existence of an unknown power in Black Princess Camellia.

“I don’t think she will go wild unless Hiro orders her to, but… you should be careful.”

“There’s a lot of stuff mixed in here.”

She could “see” something at the bottom of a dark, deep abyss. But she could not comprehend what it was. If she stared at it for too long, she would be pulled into the darkness, and she could feel something like a strong resentment.

“It is better not to stare for too long. Because the Black Princess Camellia contains many curses… and there are many kinds of darkness. It can be cold or hot. Sometimes it is rejecting; sometimes it is welcoming. It can be ugly or beautiful. So if you are not careful, you will be attracted to the ‘darkness,’ and your heart will be broken.”

Meteor explained anxiously, as if worried about Liz, who was staring at the “Black Princess Camellia.”

To reassure her, Liz smiled and started to walk away.

“I guess so. Let’s go see Hiro first, shall we?”

“I understand. But I’m hungry…”

“You’ll have to be patient for a while.”

“Hmm… patience…”

Liz opened the door with a wry smile as Meteor tilted her head while patting her own stomach.

Now that only a few soldiers remained at Fort Caputo, where Hiro was stationed, Liz had moved her base to Fort Taoen, which was a little further away.

This was because Fort Caputo was too small and had weak defenses.

Moreover, Fort Taoen was also where the First Imperial Army was stationed.

Liz, who had once been assigned as a commander, decided that Fort Taoen was more user-friendly and better defended than Fort Caputo.

“It’s nostalgic. Do you remember, Cerberus? When we found Hiro in the Anfang Forest and brought him here.”

The air inside the fort was a bit chilly, but it would soon fill with heat as more soldiers would soon be coming and going.

“You looked miserable. You had to go over the mountain right away… and a lot has happened since then, but I’m surprised you’re still alive.”

“I know. But I lost so many.”

The only survivors of those who were there when they left Fort Taoen were now only three: Liz, Hiro, and Cerberus.

Tris, Dios, and the soldiers who followed them were all lost to the war. She would never forget the time she spent with them. That was why her heart was tightening.

Every day she wondered if she was able to be the sixth princess they had hoped for and if she wasted their deaths.

“It’s all right. Dios, Tris, and the others, if they saw Liz now, no one would complain.”

“I wish that were the case, but there are a lot of people who are surprisingly demanding, so I still have a lot of work to do.”

As Liz nodded, they reached the underground prison.

Security was tight. Soldiers were positioned where Hiro could be seen from any angle.

The only person these soldiers were watching was the twin-black boy.

“Hiro, I prepared a special room for you. Do you like it?”

Hiro, who had been lying face down, slowly raised his head.

“…I don’t have any problems, except for not being able to breathe fresh air. Still, I think I was treated better than before, but I don’t know if I’m missing anything in life.”

“I’m sorry. There are too many soldiers and not enough space. It won’t be the same as before. We have to be very careful because of the possibility of desertion.”

Liz said blankly and spread out the “Black Princess Camellia” for Hiro to see.

“I knew I couldn’t keep you locked up under normal circumstances, so I had to confiscate the Black Princess Camellia as well. Without her, you are like a bird without wings.”

“I can’t fly to begin with… But more importantly, I’d like to know. What is my crime?”

“I suppose it’s that you invited the armies of the Kingdom of Levering to Grantz without permission and caused unnecessary chaos.”

“Ara, that’s not very nice to hear.”

And it wasn’t Liz, nor was it Meteor. The sound of a third person’s voice caught the attention of Liz and the others. It was a woman sitting in a wooden chair at the end of the hallway.

“Why are you here?”

“I thought a tea party with a different atmosphere would be fun.”

Claudia Van Levering, Queen of the Levering Kingdom.

She sipped her tea elegantly, a smile on her face.

“And since it has been a noisy day, I wanted to have a cup of tea in a quiet place.”

Claudia’s words did not stop as she continued to excuse herself in a blatant manner.

“But it would be boring to have no one to talk to, wouldn’t it? So I asked His Majesty the Black Dragon King to accompany me. He looked very bored, so someone had to keep him company.”

She sipped her tea with a hint of sarcasm, and then Claudia began to speak again.

“As I mentioned earlier, the best way to stop the rebellion in the North with minimal damage would have been for a third party to intervene. If the hordes of monsters that broke through the Spirit Wall had invaded the second prince’s territory, the Northern nobles controlled by the Faceless King would have been able to gain momentum. If that happened, the inexhaustible flow of monsters from the North would have made it impossible for us to have a conversation like this.”

Claudia, who had said all this in one provocative breath, finished with a smile as if satisfied.

Indeed, as Claudia said, the only way to avoid a worst-case scenario was the intervention of a third party.

Only the Levering Kingdom could do that.

In retrospect, Hiro was not wrong to invite the Levering Kingdom to Grantz.

In fact, the rebellion in the North had ended, and the outstanding rebels were brought to this land by Claudia as prisoners of war. More than a few Northern armies pursued Claudia in an attempt to recapture such prisoners.

If they were incorporated into the army, and the captured men were placed under the command of units and commanders, the battle against the “Faceless King” would progress favorably.

“I understand that. But Hiro is not the fourth prince. He belongs to the small country of Baum, and he is also the king of another country. Regardless of the outcome, there were more than a few wounded in the battle against the Levering Kingdom. If another country were to take such an arbitrary action, the nobles of Grantz would not be pleased.”

Therefore, they imprisoned Hiro, who had carried out the operation on his own. This was to reduce the dissatisfaction of the Grantz nobles. Otherwise, they would have been dissatisfied and would not have been able to have a confrontation with the monsters.

“But it seems that you were able to convince them.”

“Yes, I am very grateful to the Levering Kingdom. You can expect a reward for your efforts.”

“Well, now that you’ve reassured me, I’ll leave you to it.”

Smiling happily, Claudia drank her tea without saying more.

As she started to leave, she glanced at Hiro but still walked up the stairs without saying a word.

“This is not the mood for talking.”

There was so much to talk about, but the time given to Liz was not infinite.

To question Hiro, it was difficult to find the time in Liz’s current position.

When Aura joined her, she would have a little more time.

She told herself that she would be able to talk to Hiro then.

“I’m sorry, but I also have a war council, Hiro; I’ll see you later.”

When Claudia and Liz were gone, Meteor let out a deep sigh.

It was filled with sorrow, dismay, and a variety of other emotions.

But she seemed calm and spoke to Hiro from behind the iron bars.

“It’s no use trying to escape. There are strings around this prison. If you make any strange movements, I will notice immediately, so don’t do anything strange.”

“I understand. Don’t worry about me; you can go help Liz.”

Hiro’s expression was as unreadable as ever, but it seemed unlikely that he would do anything at the moment.

The “Black Princess Camellia” was also on their side.

For now, there should be nothing he could do, but it would be a good idea to give him a warning.

“Then take a rest; you’ve worked too hard.”

With that, Meteor left after Liz.

Hiro banged his head against the wall and smiled to himself as he stared into the void.

“I’ve rested long enough. All I have to do now is wait for the will of the heavens.”

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