Killing everyone.
Killing everyone.
As long as it was an enemy, even if it’s women or children, they shall be killed with no mercy.
“......”
That was how it turned out in the end.
He thought.
Just as he previously thought.
Sion Astal became the king, and that was how it turned out in the end.
“......”
That was what Lieutenant General Milan Froaude thought.
With beautiful raven-black hair. With a slender and delicate figure. And wearing a rare black ring on his long slender fingers.
Bearing a face with surprisingly well-ordered features, he possesses a gleaming pair of dark blue eyes that speaks of an unyielding cold darkness.
Those deep, dark-colored eyes seem to despise all they see, making them look like a curse was buried within them.
With those sharp-looking thin pupils of his, he was currently deep in thought on the current state of affairs of this country.
The perfect country that was created by the Hero King Sion Astal.
A beacon of light arising from the former messed-up Roland to guide this country.
He was the one who could reign supreme over this country, or rather, reign supreme over the whole world, that was what Froaude thought.
And he thought that he would be the one to bear upon himself all the necessary darkness in order to make this a reality.
However.
That was no longer necessary.
His Majesty...... in spite of having taken in the darkness of this entire world, has yet to lose his brilliance.
Killing women.
Killing children.
Resuming the human experiments.
Purging the rebellious nobles.
There was no longer anyone who could go against him or this country.
From another viewpoint, he was a tyrant.
A level of dictatorship that was unmatched previously. He already possesses a level of power that could only be acquired through losing himself.
He already possesses a level of power that can strike fear into the hearts of everyone.
And yet.
And yet, he continued on with the identity of a hero king.
A hero king whom, his people were madly in love with, whom his subordinates were cheering on, and whom even those soldiers created from the human experiments had found a reason to die for, Sion Astal.
That was some unbelievable power.
Charisma.
Popularity.
Reputation.
Fame.
All of these became his 'allies'.
A king born with these qualities.
A king born with the ability to carry both humongous levels of light and darkness.
From a dark corner, Sion Astal emitted a piercing gaze that seemed to be able to smash away all obstacles right in front of him, wherever he looked.
That’s why everyone could adore him, and follow him in his madness.
The people.
The country.
The world.
That’s why.
“...... that’s why I......”
He gazed outside the window.
At the corridor that led towards the throne room, the light from the morning sun was streaming in through the window.
It was as if it was shining on the man who was waiting for him further up front, shining on the future of this country.
Well.
“...... His Majesty may not think so though.”
As he said that, a thin cold smile floated on Froaude’s lips.
Because he, Sion Astal, was a troubled king.
The invasion of Nelpha must have caused him a tremendous amount of grief. One who looked upon his face could tell.
But that was just a feeling of pain in his heart.
It would not stop him from moving forward.
In spite of the pain in his heart, his determination would not waver.
The massacre of Nelpha was a thing of necessity. Knowing that, if he were a person who was unable to take on an absolute and convicted decision, he would not have been chosen by Froaude as his liege.
Especially ever since the obstacle Ryner Lute was removed, the determination of Sion Astal to move forward became even stronger. As expected, that Alpha Stigma monster was a cancer to Sion.
But that was removed.
With determination, Sion moved forward.
“......”
Froaude stopped there.
He had come to the end of the corridor, and was standing in front of the huge, spacious throne room. He bowed his head.
And inside the room.
The man sitting on the throne that could only be seated by the very king of this country, nodded.
“You’ve come.”
“Yes.”
Froaude raised his head. In front of him was the Hero King.
Bearing silver hair with a regal feel, and golden eyes that speak of an indomitable spirit which seemed to mesmerize all who look into them.
That light.
Froaude thought.
That light had the power to bury the deep darkness within me......
That was what he thought.
Froaude took a few steps forward and stood just before Sion, then bowed his head again.
“...... you seem to be in great spirits, Your Majesty.”
Sion shrugged his shoulders.
“Hardly.”
Froaude smiled faintly.
“I know.”
“Then, you said that in spite of knowing?”
“Yes.”
“A detestable person indeed.”
“That’s my role......”
“Haha. Is that something that one would say of himself?”
Froaude smiled again. But that was a terribly cold smile.
“And......”
Froaude said.
“I heard you called for me?”
Sion nodded.
“There’s something I want to ask of you.”
“Something you want to ask of me?”
At that moment, Froaude searched through his mind in an instant. What was it that Sion wanted to ask of him?
If it’s about the invasion of Nelpha, it had already been entrusted to the Field Marshal of this country, Claugh Klom. And if he was the one being entrusted, the task would no doubt be completed without any mishaps. He was a capable man. Hence it should not have anything to do with the issue on Nelpha, he thought.
Then, was it to discuss with him about plans for invading Runa? It should also be about time to think about the strategy with regards to Cassla, located to the north of this southernmost part of the continent.
Or could it be about the disposal of the remaining resisting puny group of nobles hidden in the shadows.
Or was it about the movements of the Gastark Empire, which is expanding southwards at an alarming rate.
But for each and every one of them, the appropriate countermeasures were already in progress.
If so,
“......”
Froaude stopped the flow of his thoughts and looked at the face of his king.
The troubled expression of his king, and he.
“...... is this about Ryner Lute?”
Sion nodded.
“Yes. With the aid of his comrade, he broke out of prison and escaped.”
“I see.”
“And on top of that, Miller has been interfering with me.”
Froaude smiled.
“That’s because Major Miller has yet to know of the thing inside of Your Majesty.”
Well actually, Froaude was originally also not aware of that immense amount of power squirming inside of Sion.
But that was something to be expected.
That was a power that a king needed.
Sion Astal was a chosen one, and that’s why he was conferred with such a power.
That day.
That day which Sion showed it to Froaude.
And he understood it immediately.
The responsibility, the light, and the darkness that Sion was carrying was greater than what he had thought.
But this king still moved forward.
In order to change the world.
Froaude continued.
“So, for Ryner Lute......”
“Apprehend him.”
“...... on what grounds?”
“A fugitive traitor of the country.”
“Then shall I kill him?”
Sion’s expression did not change. But he could see that his heart was wavering.
Ryner Lute.
Ryner Lute. Ryner Lute. Ryner Lute.
Just as he thought, that man was a cancer. That was what Froaude thought.
Sion said.
“...... ah. It’s okay to kill him. But the best is to capture him alive.”
And Froaude,
“...... understood.”
He acknowledged.
He turned around after that.
“...... in that case, I’ll be on my way.”
He left the throne room.
Ryner Lute.
He was also, perhaps, a chosen one.
For him to bring this amount of distress to the hero king.
But, each and every person has a role to play in the grand scheme of this world.
Sion is one who will change the world.
And.
As food, as fodder, Ryner is one who will become a sacrifice.
It would be terribly troublesome for the fodder to move freely on his own.
After leaving the throne room, Froaude stood in the corridor for a while, and murmured.
“Now, what is the best course of action?”
To kill Ryner Lute.
Or to capture him alive.
While undertaking that mission, he might uncover some new leads.
What in the world is Sion Astal?
And what will we bring about to this world?
The investigation into those questions were mostly already underway.
And quite possibly, Major Rahel Miller must also have been gathering information regarding these matters. And because he must have reached the limits on what he could discover, he tried letting Ryner escape.
He recalled back to what Sion said a while ago.
“With the aid of his comrade, he broke out of prison and escaped.”
The comrade he was referring to was probably that woman known as Ferris.
And it was probably Miller who leaked Ryner’s whereabouts to her. Miller was making efforts in trying to discover Sion’s secret.
“...... such a roundabout manner was really unnecessary.”
Froaude smiled.
If he really wanted to know, he could just ask Sion. Since there was no longer any need to hide it anymore. But then again, Rahel Miller and his subordinate, Luke Stokkart, are the type of people who would cover up their tracks, and do things covertly. It was this shrewdness of theirs that put Sion in a favorable position to start the revolution to revive this country.
They are excellent men. Men of exceptional abilities.
However, this time round, what they did was indeed a little too indirect, Froaude thought.
Even without doing that.
“...... all they had to do was to ask. Isn’t that right? Lucile Eris-san.”
He murmured in a very soft voice that could hardly be heard by even someone who were to stand just beside him.
On saying that.
“...... that’s right.”
A voice replied.
And the voice came from right in front of him. In the center of the corridor right before him, where there was nothing to be seen.
There he was.
Invisible to the eye, there he was.
“......”
The monster.
Froaude smiled.
“Finally, we meet.”
“I’ve always been watching you though.”
“I see.”
“You are a splendid person. Even when Sion’s heart starts to waver, you will undoubtedly guide him back to his rightful path.”
Froaude shook his head.
“You flatter me too much. His Majesty...... even if I’m not around, he will definitely get back onto his rightful path and move forward.”
“Ah, you’re right. But even so, you’ve aided him quite a lot, haven’t you? You’ve said it right at the start, didn’t you? The time when you and Sion first met......”
I’ll shoulder your darkness.
That was what he said.
However, the Sion now seemed to be able to manage both sides of the light and darkness, without losing his brilliance.
Of course, that also meant that it had become much easier for Froaude to carry out his tasks but.
But Lucile said.
“From hereon, you will still continue to move forward right?”
Froaude laughed.
“You must be referring to how I’m going to deal with Ryner Lute, isn’t it?”
Lucile did not reply. However, Froaude felt his acknowledgement.
He continued.
“His Majesty said to either kill or capture Ryner. But are you...... Duke Eris, wishing for something else altogether?”
There was no response.
There was no sign of him.
It was indeed hard to communicate with a monster, Froaude smiled wryly. He put up with it and continued.
“That is of course something along the same line of what I was thinking. Since whenever it comes to the matter of that Alpha Stigma bearer, His Majesty’s sensibility gets clouded.”
That’s right. Whenever it came to the matter of dealing with Ryner Lute, Sion could never seem to think rationally.
Was it indeed because he was special in some way?
It was a history repeating itself since ancient times.
The hero and the sacrifice.
Was it due to the circumstances binding the light and the sad demon?
That was something that Froaude could not understand. Rather, there was no real need for him to understand. What he needed to do was just what he thought was necessary and required, well rather, at times something that goes beyond that, and then move forward.
Sion wished to kill Ryner Lute. In order to prevent him from becoming his fodder. In order to prevent him from becoming a sacrifice.
There was of course another method. To kill Ryner Lute, and to once again depend on another Alpha Stigma, this was another possibility.
If Ryner Lute could be captured alive, it was also possible to conduct research on him to find a way to save him.
And after saving him, he could substitute another Alpha Stigma for him. That was also possible.
But by doing any of those, he would end up going through a large detour.
If that’s the case, then how about allowing Ryner Lute to escape to other countries?
In that situation, His Majesty would not be able to save him.
If he could not be saved.
If they were far apart from each other, and without a convenient way to save him, the time would come one day when everything ends.
Sion will devour Ryner and attain his true form.
But.
But that would be still too condoning of him.
Froaude thought.
There were still quite a number of major unknowns present. If assuming Ryner got killed by someone else in the meantime, the plan would fail.
If assuming Ryner discovers something that would allow him to pull Sion out of his current state, the plan would fail.
And if assuming Ryner......
“......”
Well, even though the chance of this happening is one in a million, it’s not completely impossible for him to gather strong allies to pose a threat against Sion Astal, or rather, against the entire Roland Empire.
All of that would be for the sake of saving Sion, and not for satisfying his own ego, which will make it not impossible for him to become a great threat.
To see him as not someone who was not just canon fodder for Sion, not just a sacrifice but something beyond that, Froaude shall not let him foil the plan.
Hence,
“...... I shall capture Ryner Lute.”
“I see.”
Lucile answered.
But without skipping a beat, Froaude continued.
“And I shall imprison him in some place beyond His Majesty’s sight, until that day comes. I shall cut his tongue off, and chop off his limbs.”
Definitely.
Definitely in such a situation, Ryner would not be able to interfere with Sion anymore.
“It would be fine if his life is spared, isn’t it?”
Froaude asked and Lucile replied.
“Yes. As long as he is alive, with his cursed eyes. He can still become the sacrifice in that state.”
“If so, he won’t need anything below his head.”
“You do say some scary things.”
But in response to Lucile’s words, I won’t want to hear that coming from you, a monster from which I could only feel an aura of death, Froaude thought.
Even though he did not say it aloud, his thoughts must have reached Lucile.
Lucile said.
“...... fufu. Am I scary?”
“Yes. You are scary indeed.”
Froaude answered honestly.
“Because you might get killed?”
“No, since the day I was born, I have never feared death.”
“...... then what do you fear of me?”
Froaude laughed at that question. He looked intently at the empty space in front of him and laughed coldly.
“What I fear is your weakness. Duke Lucile Eris. The you who has bestowed His Majesty his influence...... the you who possesses an absolute power...... the thing I really feared most...... is a weakness in you.”
“Horh?”
Lucile made a questioning sound as his curiosity was slightly aroused.
But Froaude thought that it was meaningless to continue this discussion. Whatever the case, in the end, there were too many things to predict, and some form of uncertainties are sure to exist. Knowing all that, if one could not have the last laugh, one could not claim the ultimate victory.
And Froaude, and Sion, intend to ultimately bring victory to this Roland.
No matter what the obstacles are.
Whether it is Ryner Lute, or Gastark, or even if this Lucile Eris is the one to interfere.
In the end, we will have the last laugh.
Hero King Sion Astal shall rule over the whole of this Menoris continent, and Roland shall have the last laugh.
Well, but until then.
“...... it has been a pretty long conversation. If I spend too much time here, the traitor will get away.”
Until then, this person...... this monster Lucile Eris, also has a usable value.
At the same time, in order to be prepared to treat him as an enemy, it is necessary to find a way to kill him.
The way to kill this monster who sees everything from within Roland.
“I shall take my leave here.”
Froaude started walking.
Forward.
In the direction from which Lucile’s voice resounded.
And in an instant, a cold killing intent was felt from behind him, but Froaude’s expression did not change.
Since he was not fearful of death anyway.
He continued walking forward.
“......”
Lucile did not say anything. But, he could feel it. He was not putting on a guard against Froaude. That’s to be expected of course. Towards such an insanely powerful monster, Froaude could not even come close to scratching him. He was no way a match for Lucile. That was what he could feel. As long as he continued to remain useful around the monster, it would be fine, that was all he could think of.
But.
“......”
That was fine.
That was no need for Lucile to be wary.
There was no need for him to put his guard on.
For him to think of Froaude as a worthless existence, that was fine in Froaude’s perspective.
While creeping around in the dark like a poisonous snake, there was no need for the monster to notice his fangs right now.
Anyway, in the end.
Since in the end, he would discover his fangs with a certain realization.
“......”
Without looking back, a smile floated on Froaude’s lips. With that smile, he revealed his white teeth for just an instant. A smile that was cold, like that of a devil.
At least for now, as long as he didn’t realize......
“......”
All of a sudden.
“...... you got it all wrong. Even I, am afraid of a human like you.”
From behind Froaude, Lucile whispered close to his ear. At a distance where he could almost touch him.
On the spur of moment, Froaude turned towards that direction.
As he did that, right in front of him, was a strikingly beautiful face of a man with blond hair. That monster, with a smile, was peering at Froaude.
He was peering into his heart.
He understood with just a single glimpse.
This man standing beside him did not seem like an untouchable apparition.
He looked nothing like a insanely powerful monster.
But still, those were his words. In a mocking manner. As if to ridicule him.
“That’s why I am putting my guard on. Against your strength. Against your fangs. Against your poison.”
Even though he said it lightly, he was serious.
Froaude seemed to shake at that.
It seemed like he was shaking from despair.
Even while he possesses such a level of power, there was no sign of haughtiness. There was no sign of arrogance. If so, what should he do? Perhaps, there was really no weakness attached to him.
If so, what should he do?
Froaude seemed to be shaking.
“......”
He seemed to be shaking.
However, that shaking certainly did not stem from fear.
It was from delight.
A feeling of delight from seeing a darkness that was deeper and darker than that of his.
Such a monster.
Such an incredibe monster.
“......”
Is he going to kill me......
As that thought floated in his mind, he appeared to shake with an uncontrollable sheer delight.
“...... haha. You must be joking. I’m not going to make an enemy out of you. If we were to come to blows, I would just get killed in the end.”
“Heh. Is that so?”
“Yes. That is so.”
But that was a lie.
I will one day kill him. It will be necessary for me to do so. The reason for that is because he will become an unnecessary existence.
This monster, such a monster; the world does not need the likes of him.
Therefore, I would be taking in the darkness present within him. I will bear even this darkness. It is just as I’ve said right at the start.
I alone shall shoulder all the darkness of the Hero King, Sion Astal.
“......”
That was what Froaude thought.
He would surpass this darkness, and stretched his hand towards a deeper, darker place.
Somewhere deeper, and darker.
As dark as he could, as deep as he could, in order to increase the brilliance of Sion Astal.
And that brilliance shall bury my darkness.
“...... I will not oppose you. It’s my principle not to do anything that is meaningless.”
“Fufu. Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Well, if that’s what you insist, then it’s fine for now.”
“Then, may I?”
“Sure.”
Froaude bowed his head once more, and started walking.
He could feel his gaze on him from behind.
The gaze of a monster.
But it’s not the time to turn around and look back.
It’s not the time to kill him yet.
Thus, without looking back.
“......”
He started thinking about another prey that he needed to hunt right now.
♦
The situation was at its worst.
Cruel. Dirty. Tragic. Despondent. Everything and anything in sight was so.
But that was not something out of the ordinary.
Since there was no battlefield that is free from those things.
“......”
He looked over the scenery before him, and grimaced.
It was a scene of piled-up dead bodies in a sea of blood.
There was no sign of life anywhere.
Since his orders were to spare no one.
That did not just apply to soldiers.
To kill all living, even women and children, those were his orders.
"In order to show the world the might of Roland, in order to let them know the consequences of opposing Roland, massacre them all."
Those were Sion’s orders, and as such, those were Claugh's very orders.
That’s why right before him, there was nothing but dead bodies.
Belonging to the angry soldiers, crying families, despaired lovers. The nobles, the populace, humans, animals, regardless of status or gender.
There was only death.
Even though this was the first time he had given out such thorough orders to kill everyone, he seemed to be at ease.
No, perhaps, it’s wrong to say so.
It was the same as always.
Whether it comes to killing children, adults, women, men, or anyone else, it was the same as always,
“...... disgusting......”
Claugh Klom seemed to be spitting out those words.
With flaming red hair, sharp red eyes. Donning a set of steel armor, and Roland’s military uniform.
The closest aide to the Hero King, Sion Astal, the Field Marshal of Roland Empire.
From within Roland to the neighbouring countries, there is none who has never heard of his name.
But that fame was not gained from his position as a Field Marshal, but rather as a death god who appears on the battlefield.
Whichever battlefield the death god goes to, a rain of blood will follow.
Riding like the wind through the enemy ranks, and soaking his right arm with the enemy’s blood, a man to be feared by all.
Just by seeing his figure on a battlefield.
Just by seeing the tattoo on his right arm, the enemy is bound to lose their morale and be thrown into confusion from the overwhelming fear arising from just that alone.
That’s the reason for that.
That’s the reason why even when told "for the Field Marshal to be at the frontlines, are you crazy?" in an attempt to stop him, Claugh just shook it off and came all the way here.
Since just by using his name, some of the enemy might lose their fighting spirit and flee, which would make it possible to minimize the sacrifices.
However.
“......”
Claugh looked over the land before him.
He looked over the piled-up bodies.
And with a sad look, he grimaced.
He was now pretty much north from the borders that divide Roland Empire and Imperial Nelpha, within the territory belonging to a noble known as Count Terens.
To be precise, he was now assaulting its largest town. And further up front, were Count Terens’s castle and fortress, where he was making his stand.
By the way, before this, Claugh had already taken over the land of two other nobles, and on top of that, within Terens’s territory, he had completely leveled five villages and two towns.
Thus, once this town and that fortress fall, the connected territory that leads all the way back to Roland, in other words, the defense lines that Nelpha had against Roland would have all crumbled.
All that had taken one week.
In just one week, Claugh had killed many of Nelpha’s populace.
The number of people killed during that period, was already something he didn’t want to think about.
The disparity in strength was evident, and there was no way Nelpha could stand up to Roland.
Rather, since the merger with Estabul Kingdom, there was no country in the south of this continent that could stand up to Roland Empire.
But even so, during this one year after the merger, Roland did not slow down in its pace to move forward.
Sion Astal had been preparing for the upcoming wars during this one year......
Well, rather.
It was not really for these wars, in fact it’s only starting now, all of those efforts in increasing military might were preparations to wage war against the entire world.
Training soldiers. Conscripting soldiers. Magic research.
And the human experiments.
At any rate, Sion has acquired a considerable amount of power.
And thus there had been a fair amount of accomplishments within the country of Roland.
He had acquired from the former broken Roland, which previously existed merely for the pleasure of the nobles, a large amount of data on the unthinkable human experiments which were left behind, and above all else, put a stop to the tyranny of the nobles, brought back peace and freedom to the lives of the people who had suffered under the former rule.
Normally, the build up of military power would have placed a heavier burden on the people in taxation, but Sion instead funded it through the coffers of those nobles who had continued to indulge in their extravagant lifestyle.
And in the end, it was possible to amass a huge army to the benefit of the country.
Under the rule of a righteous king, Roland has become something else altogether, growing into a great powerful country.
“......”
And right here, right now, assembled an army with an extraordinary high morale.
These were not your everyday troops, but strength-enhanced soldiers from the human experiments, a product of the past one year of magic research and training, a hybrid army made up of both Roland and former Estabul’s soldiers.
There were ten thousand of them here.
However, with just that ten thousand alone, Claugh was ordered by Sion to decimate Nelpha’s eighty-eight thousand strong army.
And that was what he had been doing.
He was already close to annihilating Nelpha’s defense lines.
The casualties incurred on this side so far, was only two.
Faced with this abnormal army from Roland, Nelpha was already losing their will to fight.
Thus this war was already.
“...... it’s over.”
Claugh murmured.
Rather, it had to end. So far, it had been going according to Sion’s calculations, by demonstrating Roland’s might, and showing Nelpha the massacres, they had obtained surrender after surrender before Nelpha’s main force was sent out.
By doing that, even if the populace had to be killed initially, the loss of lives could be minimized at the end of the day.
This was the same as those human experiments.
Even if a large number of people had to be sacrificed for the human experiments, in the end, if it was possible to overwhelm other countries with merely ten thousand troops, the loss of lives could be reduced.
And the result of all that could already be seen.
This Count Terens served as a good example.
Even though up till this point in the territory, troops had been sent out for defense, the bulk of them had fled almost immediately. They fled and left behind the people they were supposed to protect. Count Terens must have already abandoned his fortress as well.
Abandoning the wailing commoners, he had fled.
Even so, Claugh would definitely not relax his attacks.
This was where it would be decided.
The killing of Nelpha’s people shall end here.
It definitely will end here.
Therefore,
“...... spare no one.”
Claugh said in a low, dark voice.
The order was passed down quickly. The troops moved in a perfect orderly manner. That is to say Roland’s troops.
Past the piled-up bodies, from the almost completely wrecked town, the soldiers moved forward.
Only four hours were probably needed for the entire castle and fortress to be overrun by Roland’s troops.
There would be more mountains of dead bodies created.
“...... really.”
Claugh, for another time, said.
“It’s really a disgusting way to fight.”
But, since it was necessary, he had to do it.
Sion had been for the past one year, fighting in this manner alone.
And now, together with his other subordinates, they had to answer to his resolve. As the king of Roland, Sion could have pushed all the dirty work to his subordinates.
Well, before the army was dispatched, when Claugh made that remark, Sion,
“If that’s the case, then why are you heading to the frontlines? You can just sit back from behind and leave the dirty work to your men, can’t you?”
And so on and so forth, he said.
And at the end, he said the following.
“...... sorry for making you do the dirty work.”
As he recalled Sion’s tired and sad looking face during that time, Claugh just smiled faintly.
“...... bummer. That idiot always tries to take on everything all by himself......”
At that moment, Claugh, for a single time, turned around and looked behind him.
Towards the south.
The south where Roland is.
Just as he thought, at this kind of distance, it was impossible to see Roland’s castle.
The sky was clear. Even though it seemed like from the southwest, dark clouds were floating towards here, well, before the rain comes, the battle in this land will have ended by then.
Claugh made a small sigh.
And at that moment.
“Your Eminence Field Marshal Claugh!”
The familiar voice came from northeast, the opposite direction he was looking at, and he turned towards there.
And there, was a horse galloping towards here, with a young official riding it.
He has golden hair, and a pair of intelligent looking eyes. Though he is not really tall, it was clear that he has a firm and toned body.
It was Shuss Shirazz.
While six years younger than Claugh at a young age of nineteen, Shuss was someone who had been through countless battles with him, a long-time trusted aide.
He was one who could analyze a situation calmly, and was in charge of gathering intelligence.
Even now, he had been investigating the reactions of Nelpha in response to this particular attack from Roland, and had finally returned.
Shuss stopped his horse before Claugh, got off, and knelt before him.
“I’ve returned, Your Eminence.”
Claugh frowned at him,
“Stop the ‘Your Eminence’ thing.”
“But.”
“That’s enough. How long have you been following me around? All soldiers are now out. So stop mimicking the behaviour of others.”
In response to those words, Shuss made a slightly troubled face.
“However, we are now on the battlefield...... Your Eminence.”
Claugh shook his hand in a fed-up manner.
This person has always been like that. His over-seriousness, is it a bad quality or a good quality, no, it definitely has to be a bad quality.
Claugh gave up and asked.
“And?”
“Yes sir. There are a total of four reports, one good, one bad, and two interesting ones.”
“I see. So, which one do you want to start with?”
Shuss seemed to think for a moment, and made a mischievious face.
“Then, I shall start with the good report.”
“Haha, so you want to save the bad report for the last, and leave me depressed? You have a surprisingly bad personality.”
Shuss smiled.
“Just like my superior.”
“Which superior are you referring to?”
“Hm, who is it again? I seem to remember him having red hair and an iron-like body.”
Shuss looked intently at the red-haired Field Marshal of Roland.
But Claugh,
“Who the heck has red hair hrm. Calne?”
What a thing to say, and Shuss smiled.
“No, I don’t remember Major General Kaiwal having anything like red hair...... well let’s leave that aside for now.”
“Yeah. We will do just that. That guy has a pretty bad personality. And on top of that, he’s a lecher who likes other people’s wives.”
“Haha. I won’t deny the fact that his overzealous interest in women is something undesirable though...... Major General Kaiwal probably is sneezing right now, don’t you think?”
“And that would get him dumped because it feels dirty to be sneezed on.”
“Yeah yeah.”
Both of them laughed.
By the way, the person known as Calne Kaiwal, like Claugh, has been a subordinate of Sion since the old militaristic days, and even right now, alongside with Claugh, is called the left hand of the Hero King, and even so, since he is around the same age as Shuss and they have known each other since back then while following Sion, they are on particularly good terms and can joke around with no reservations at all.
However, Calne is a Major General.
Shuss is still a Second Lieutenant.
The reason was because Shuss had rejected all promotions. In order to bear less responsibilities so that he could continue to serve Claugh, and that’s the reason why he’s here right now.
Claugh and Calne are serving Sion.
But, as for Shuss, he chose Claugh as the man he would follow to the bitter end.
And even this time round, he had chosen to follow Claugh to this dirty dishonorable battlefield.
Even though Claugh had told him that it was better not to come along, he just smiled and rejected the advice flatly.
“It was for this that I joined the army. This is my country. In order not to show this terrible scene to my dead family again. In order not to show the terrible scene that had befallen Roland before, I shall be the first to bear witness to all of these.”
What a thing to say.
You are an overly-serious man. If Claugh called him an overly-serious fool, Shuss would just respond in a joking manner,
“Ahaha. That’s quite true. I’m a very serious guy. In order to protect the superior who is even more serious and more foolish than me, and who would throw himself away like an ornamental stone, I’m going along. That’s because you are an important person that Roland cannot do without. I have to be there to save you from dying, at least for one time as a substitute.”
And when Claugh said don’t mess around with me, if you die before me, I’m gonna kill you, Shuss merely grinned.
"Haha. If I die, you won’t be able to kill me, right?"
And only smiled.
“......”
But he understood what this fool was saying.
He too wanted to dirty only his own hands.
If by doing that, they could save someone else, it’s enough.
For that to happen, that’s why we are here.
“...... and?”
Claugh asked.
“Well then, shall we start with the good report?”
Shuss nodded.
“The head of Imperial Nelpha...... has decided to surrender to Roland.”
“......”
That was a report that Claugh had been waiting for impatiently.
To make Imperial Nelpha surrender with the least number of sacrifices, and also to demonstrate Roland’s might to Cassla and Runa, which will give an advantage to Roland in the near future.
Regarding Nelpha’s expected surrender after this, everything should have been going according to plan.
However.
Claugh squinted his eyes.
Given the current circumstances, he did not get the feeling that everything would be going well for certain.
The truth was that Imperial Nelpha was currently split into two factions from within.
The first belonged to the benevolent king who had agreed to the alliance with Roland, Gread Nelphi, and the nobles who followed him.
The second was the Anti-Roland noble faction who see the act of Estabul Kingdom merging with Roland into a larger power as a threat. This faction was formed by the First Prince of Nelpha in order to increase his influence. And while King Gread Nelphi was bedridden from illness, in the name of the King, he might have moved his army southward to invade Roland if not for Roland’s preemptive strike.
Among these two factions, whose head was the one that decided on the surrender.
Well, one could make a guess.
“Was Gread Nelphi the one who put out the surrender?”
Claugh said, and Shuss nodded.
“Yes. Even though he is in his old age, he is still the one who has rebuilt Imperial Nelpha in just one generation.”
“He could immediately tell the difference in strength between Roland and Nelpha, and how unproductive it was to spill unnecessary blood. A wise monarch indeed.”
“Yes.”
“Then, this war is already over.”
Even as Claugh said that, his expression did not relax.
“But, you still have something bad to report right?”
Shuss nodded quietly.
“So, what’s the bad news?”
“King Gread Nelphi......”
On hearing just that, Claugh assumed a troubled expression.
“...... is he dead?”
“Yes. Immediately after declaring the surrender.”
“Because of old age?”
Even though Claugh didn’t really think that was the case, he asked anyway.
As expected, Shuss shook his head.
“He was killed.”
By who? But he didn’t bother asking. He must have been killed by his son from the opposing faction.
Shuss continued.
“King Nelphi offered his head, as well as the imprisonment of his successor, Prince Starnel, as a proposal to end this war but......”
By the way, Starnel was the one who formed the Anti-Roland faction, the prince who raised an opposing flag towards King Gread Nelphi.
“And Starnel didn’t really like the surrendering proposal put forth by King Nelphi right?”
“Yes.”
“Then, he killed his own father to save himself.”
Shuss nodded.
“Thinking that his imprisonment in Roland will undoubtedly lead to his death, in a frenzy, he killed his father, so it seems.”
“What a stupid prince.”
Claugh smiled wryly.
But the prince’s thinking was on the right track.
There was no intention of sparing any of the royal family in this war.
They were to kill all of the royal family and announced it.
Because Nelpha obstructed Roland and resisted, even if it’s only once, they would have to kill all of the royal family.
However, if right from the beginning Nelpha had surrendered, the royal family would be inducted into Roland’s nobility, and would be able to keep their lives and status.
This would have been a befitting result.
The decision to go to war or not lay with the nobles and the royal family. And if the royal family had decided to allow the invasion of Roland, thereby retaining their lives and status, what would then happen?
Making a choice that would be unlike that of the benevolent lord, Gread Nelphi, who can use his own life to protect his people.
In order to secure their own lives, they would definitely surrender.
Though that, in certainty, would reduce the fighting and deaths.
For now, in order to achieve the ultimate end where there is less loss of lives, I’m sorry but we have to make an example out of you, Nelpha.
The orders from Sion was to kill all who were related to the royal family within the order of the second degree.
And Gread Nelphi must have been aware of that. But apparently, he’s attempting to bargain against that. By offering his own head, he had hoped to bargain for his son’s life.
That’s why the surrender came so promptly.
Currently, only the frontline defense had fallen. Nelpha still has seventy thousand strong to be deployed.
By surrendering early, Nelpha has effectively helped Roland to display their overwhelming power to the entire world, so would Roland agree to the bargain?
That was indeed a wise judgement.
That would really help convey the right message.
In just two weeks, Nelpha had fallen to Roland’s invasion.
By surrendering early, it’s possible to secure one’s life and status which would have been taken away otherwise as long as one belongs to the royal family. It’s really better to surrender earlier...... that was the message that could be conveyed to other countries.
This would really have resulted in the best possible end of minimum life loss across the board.
Gread Nelphi has died. Killed by his own son, the prince who understood nothing and could only think of saving himself.
“So what did the foolish son do after killing his father?”
Shuss made a tired face to that question.
“He ordered ten thousand troops to retaliate against Roland......”
“I see. So you’re sacrificing ten thousand soldiers to slow us down while escaping on your own. A complete failure of a noble.”
But Shuss did not acknowledge that. He only looked at Claugh with a dark face.
“Well actually, Starnel has not escaped yet.”
“Oh, so what’s he up to then?”
As Claugh asked, Shuss took a deep breath, to find the right words.
And he said.
“He massacred......”
“What!”
Without thinking, Claugh exclaimed in shock.
But Shuss just continued on.
“...... he intended to kill all the people, and take what he could to make his escape northwards.”
“......”
Claugh had nothing to say to that.
That was the worst possible development.
To think that he couldn’t read his enemy up till here. Killing his own people, stealing from them and then making his escape, what a rotten way of doing things.
This will lead to even more sacrifices, more so than a straight-up assault into the capital.
On top of that, there is no one of authority left to make an official surrender to Roland. In other words, Nelpha will not be surrendering at all.
And because there is no official statement of surrender made, Roland can only continue its killing spree.
Killing those retaliating ten thousand soldiers who are well aware of their imminent deaths, killing the populace, and completely razing Nelpha.
Thinking of that, Claugh,
“......”
He was really at his wits’ end.
That’s why he hated wars.
Since as always, everything and anything about wars is merciless, dirty, tragic, and sad.
Even though they had already assumed the worst, this was something that was one step beyond that.
From now onwards.
From now onwards, it wasn’t possible to change the direction of the events. From hereon, there was still value in the razing of Nelpha and more slaughtering.
In order to reduce the loss of lives in future wars.
Even though this in itself was already a terrible war, it was all in the name of avoiding more terrible wars in the future.
There was no other choice. Shall we get on with this...... as Claugh was about to utter those words, Shuss continued on.
“However, to add on, there is something else that proved to be interesting.”
“Huh?”
Claugh looked at Shuss. Claugh recalled what Shuss said earlier, about one good report, one bad report, and two interesting ones.
“Something else that proved to be interesting?”
Shuss nodded at Claugh’s query.
“It’s about the earlier report on the ten thousand soldiers that were supposedly heading southwards.”
“Uh huh.”
“They aren’t coming here after all.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean by that?”
“Well...... for some reason, there is a rumor that a man by the name of Toale Nelphi is leading those soldiers eastwards......”
“Toale......?”
Claugh queried as he seemed to have heard the name from somewhere.
Shuss nodded.
“It’s Toale Nelphi. The grandson of the deceased Gead Nelphi.”
As he said that, Claugh remembered.
Froaude mentioned it before he marched his army.
"While there is hardly any talent existing in Nelpha that could pose a threat to Roland at this point in time, there is still one individual whom you must watch out for. His name is Toale Nelphi. He is the son of Prince Starnel and his commoner mistress, and though he is currently away from the center of power of this country, he is sympathetic to his country, and in the event where it seems likely that he would be given power and authority...... it is my recommendation that you crush him first."
That was what he said.
And because of what Froaude said about that Toale guy, he was wondering what kind of person is he, I see.
You’ve come forth to change the direction of the incoming troops.
The son of a commoner mistress.
By the way, that was the same for Sion.
“A weed growing in the wilderness...... is stronger?”
Shuss shrugged his shoulders at what Claugh said.
“But even if Sion-san grew up in the wilderness, he is more of a flower, isn’t it?”
“Right. He is like a pretty-looking, insect-eating plant?”
“Now ~. At the very least, can you compare him to a rose instead? A thorny one or something like that.”
“Yeah ~. Indeed, it is more apt to describe Sion as a rose. For the slip of my tongue, should I slap my lips?”
To those words.
For some reason, Shuss face contorted. He was shaking as if to keep something bottled up within him. In the end, he burst out laughing.
“Please, don’t say something weird! It brought a weird image to my mind.”
His face was bright red from the pent-up laughter directed towards Claugh.
With a sidelong glance, Claugh considered the situation.
It seemed like the situation was not as bad as it seemed.
According to Froaude, the guy called Toale has a high popularity and seems to be an able man.
"I once wanted to eliminate him. Well, thanks to a certain odd duo of a magician and swordswoman, I had to abort it......"
However, for now, Claugh was grateful to that magician and swordswoman. Since if Toale had been killed by Froaude then, this current development would not have been possible.
There still remained a path of less bloodshed to the end of this war.
If Toale became the king of this country and announced his surrender.
“......”
And then after that, if they have Toale killed.
With the head of Toale Nelphi, the war could be ended.
“...... in either case, there is still a lot more killing to be done.”
Claugh muttered to himself.
He had a sudden realization and looked in the direction of Shuss.
“...... but then again, you are pretty kind.”
Shuss was surprised by those words and asked.
“Huh? Why’s that?”
“About the reports.”
“Yes?”
“All in all, even though what we are about to do from now on is still something bothersome, thanks to the order of your reports, I could sense some glimmer of hope at the end.”
Shuss beamed at that.
“I’m most happy to be able to please Your Eminence.”
“Like I said, drop the ‘Your Eminence’.”
“Well, Your Eminence, there is still one more interesting thing to report though.”
“Like I said.”
But Shuss just ignored that and continued.
“And that is something concerning Your Eminence.”
“Huh? Concerning me?”
“Yes.”
“What’s that?”
Shuss then pointed at Claugh’s arm.
His right arm.
He pointed to his right arm, which was of an entirely pitch-black color.
It looked completely different from the former arm that was filled with red tattoos, the arm which earned him the nickname of ‘Crimson Finger Claugh Klom’.
That former arm was devoured by a monster bearing the Cursed Eyes known as Iino Dwoe.
That’s why the arm he has now is an artificial arm. A cursed artificial arm.
It was a special arm regrown from a <Forbidden Curse>.
Even though he has already grown accustomed to his new arm and could use it as if it were originally his own, normally, that arm covered in pitch-black would be attempting to kill its own host.
So to speak, it was something born out of one of the crazy human experiments carried out in Roland.
Even though the previous arm with red tattoos came from a similar origin, this time round, it was something even more powerful and more monstrous than before.
After looking at his own pitch-black arm, Claugh asked.
“So, what’s the thing about me?”
Shuss replied in an amused tone.
“Your nickname has changed.”
“Ah. Well, my arm isn’t red anymore. So, what has ‘Crimson Finger Claugh’ become? Did it become something that sounds more adorable?”
“Haha. An adorable name won’t really suit Claugh-san.”
“Well, it doesn’t really need to be adorable though...... but why the hell do I keep getting nicknames attached to my name?”
“Because you are popular, isn’t that so?”
But Claugh merely snorted laughingly.
“Don’t be foolish. It’s a murderer’s nickname. A name of notoriety. So, what has this name of notoriety changed to?”
After a mild laugh, Shuss said.
“The Black Hand Death God.”
Death God huh.
Claugh looked at his black arm again and thought.
Even though he had yet to release the cursed power of his arm on the battlefield, it amounted to the same thing.
This very arm had already taken tons of lives.
He, who did not wish to keep remaining in his current safe haven away from the direct fighting, was well aware of that.
While he was in his safe haven, people were dying. He had witnessed much of that.
And more of that was to come.
“...... hn.”
At that moment.
Claugh’s black arm, the one nicknamed Black Hand, moved in a flash.
That hand caught hold of a knife seemingly thrown from somewhere.
It’s not as if he was looking in the direction from which the knife was thrown. He merely sensed the flow of a killing intent and reacted accordingly.
If a normal person were to have seen this, he or she would have called him a monster.
A monster with flaming red hair donning steel armor.
The death god with a black hand who have appeared on the battlefield.
And then Claugh threw the knife back in the direction from which it came. His throw was powered with a force many times stronger than when it came flying towards him, with a deadly accuracy.
A cry was heard.
Then came the sound of a person falling to the ground.
However, he did not turn to see who it was.
Whether the culprit was a man, a woman, an adult, or a child, it did not matter.
In any case, he had only to kill.
From hereon, he had to keep on killing the people of Nelpha for a while longer.
That’s why he did not bother to look.
Because he thought there was no reason to do so.
He merely.
“......”
He merely, if only a little.
Made a tired and sad face.
“...... I’m sorry.”
The death god of the battlefield murmured with a strained voice.
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