CH 115

Red blood sprayed upon the white snow that was beginning to cover the eastern territory. The Fourth Division’s forces were far from sufficient to block the large-scale looting and invasion that had simultaneously begun at the eastern front line. Countless refugees were flooding into Beldeve, but the Fourth Division had yet to fully recover and there was no one who was able to fill Hela’s vacant seat.

Juan fiddled with Talter’s short sword. In the meantime, Horhell brought a tactical map and noticed Juan staring at his short sword.

“Is there a problem?” Horhell asked.

“It seems like I didn’t take good enough care of this short sword.”

Horhell approached Juan and closely examined the condition of the short sword. To Horhell, the short sword still looked fine and balanced, with a sharp blade.

“I don’t know. It still looks good to me,” Horhell said.

Juan smiled. It was only natural that Horhell couldn’t notice the difference; the strength of Talter’s short sword depended on how much blood it consumed. The short sword had been useful until now since it had consumed enormous amounts of blood at the colosseum in Tantil, but it hadn’t been able to consume enough blood to maintain itself after Juan took possession of it—this was especially true in recent times. Juan had been feeling that the condition of the short sword was getting worse and worse each day.

Juan decided to place these thoughts to the back of his mind and turned his attention to the tactical map brought by Horhell.

“How many enemies do we have?” Juan asked.

“According to the report we got from the scouts, the number of enemies is estimated to be around fifty thousand. And there are around four thousand warriors of Arbalde among them.”

“There are around twelve thousand troops in the Fourth Division, right? I’d say we are ahead of the game, just based on the level of training and equipment, but the problem is the warriors of Arbalde. Ordinary soldiers won’t be a match for them at all. We need to come up with a good deployment strategy to…”

Juan closed his mouth before finishing the sentence. The problem they were facing was neither the training level of the troops nor their numbers—the real problem was that the position of the commander of the Fourth Division was still vacant after Hela’s death.

“Hela didn’t even pick a successor in case of her sudden death?” Juan asked Horhell with an annoyed expression.

It would be normal for the deputy to take over in local knight orders, but there was no knight order in the eastern territory.

The same was true of blood relatives—Hela Henna was the last of the Henna family’s blood. Hela’s son, who would have been her only heir, had died on the battlefield, and Hela was no longer able to get pregnant and continue the Henna family’s bloodline after her son’s death.

“She used to have one. His name is Pavan Peltere,” Horhell said.

‘Isn’t that the guy who betrayed Hela and went to work for the Order of the Capital?’ Juan grew even more irritated at the thought.

At the same time, Horhell continued speaking, “Then people have been secretly gossiping that I would be the next successor. But I have no practical experience in commanding on the battlefield, not to mention my lack of knowledge about the Order of the Capital. Duke Hela knew that, and that was the reason why she never officially declared me as her successor.”

“Well fuck you and the capital. Hela’s already dead, so there’s no other way. How can you always be flying so high in the sky, but not even develop some tactical skills?” Juan complained.

“I don’t have tactical skills, but you do, Juan,” Horhell said as he stared at Juan with a firm expression.

Horhell was aware of Juan’s identity. Of course, the only evidence that Juan had were his words. But just about anyone would believe Juan’s words if they were to listen to the stories he brought up in a calm manner. His appearance also further supported his claim.

Whatever the story behind it was, Juan was indeed the emperor himself. Standing in front of Horhell was the best tactician, warrior, and a magician in human history. No word other than ‘best’ could be used to describe a man who led the weakest race, which had been on the verge of extinction, against the almighty gods and achieved victory.

Juan’s lips twitched and he glared at Horhell.

“I can’t.”

“And may I ask you why you can’t?”

“Because I’m planning to kill everyone from Arbalde. The Fourth Division shouldn’t be moving with such a purpose. It should only be moving with a purpose of protecting the people and defending the territory. If I were to take command of the Fourth Division, I will make sure to kill all those rebelling assholes. But I can’t guarantee that the Fourth Division will remain intact. If you don’t mind that, I will lead the Fourth Division.”

Juan was firm. He fought with a mindset similar to when he had confronted the gods as an emperor. He had no choice back then; humanity would have been completely wiped out if Juan couldn’t kill the gods.

“The only reason I remained in Beldeve was to find out what Hela had been hiding. But now that she is gone, I am ready to leave at any time. I’ve already stayed here for too long anyway,” Juan said.

But Horhell did not back down.

“One thing I am sure of is that the Fourth Division and Beldeve will be completely wiped out and annihilated if you don’t lead us.”

“That’s none of my business. Let it happen.”

“Sorry?” Horhell had a dumbfounded look on his face.

“Well, the annihilation part can be avoided. The enemies are still quite a distance away, so have the Fourth Division retreat and hand over Beldeve to the enemies. I bet that those in the capital won’t be able to resist the urge and will send more troops to Beldeve. That’s when you strike back. You don’t have to worry about the farmland being taken away, given that the harvest season is already over. Those bastards won’t have any other ways once we retreat along with all our food reserves. That’s what Hela would have commanded if she was still here.”

“But if we are going to fight them anyway, wouldn’t it be better to face them from within the fortress…”

“I’m telling you to avoid the fight. Currently there is no proper command system and no dragon; the morale is low, and the opponents are crazy lunatics who get stronger just by singing. Do you seriously think that the eastern territory was able to hold out until now because of these fortress walls? This fortress was built to fight dragons, not humans.”

Horhell nodded his head, convinced.

“Then what should we do about the refugees? There’s no place for them to go in this cold winter, and neither do we have enough food to feed them all.”

“Do you think Hela would have been worried about the refugees?”

Horhell remained silent.

“What is it? I thought you only cared about your dragon; however, now it seems like you’re feeling responsible all of a sudden after becoming the head of the Fourth Division.”

“They might also end up being encroached upon by the Crack instead of simply dying. What happened in Arbalde might also happen in the eastern territory if it starts to spread…”

“When that happens, the Imperial Army will… Ugh… fine, fine. I get it. You’re not planning to step back, are you? You are being so annoying. This is why I prefer moving alone. Then let’s go back to the beginning, since leaving behind the fortress is no longer an option,” Juan sighed.

“Can’t a commander who is experienced in commanding on the battlefield, has been trained as a knight to become an officer, who is well-respected among ordinary soldiers and has a noble personality which won’t be looked down by the capital magically pop up in front of us?” Juan grumbled.

Horhell smiled bitterly upon hearing Juan’s ridiculous standards.

“There’s no way such a person would suddenly appear…”

At that moment, the door burst open and someone walked into the room.

“Horhell, the inspection of the sit-in castle weapons you requested is finished. And I thought we would have to make a change in the course of the search party, since the rebels moved toward the south. So I came up with new routes. There are two options: should we prioritize protecting the refugees, or should we prioritize searching for the enemy?”

Horhell and Juan stared at the person who appeared through the open door. Feeling perplexed at two gazes staring at her in silence, Sina groped her face with her hands.

“Is there something on my face?” Sina asked.

“What do you think, Horhell?”

“Not bad. Her appearance might remind the soldiers of Duke Henna as well.”

The next commander of the Fourth Division was decided on the spot.

***

Clop! Clop! Clop! Clop! Clop!

The soldiers backed away in a panic when they saw the war horses galloping at high speed on the wasteland covered with snow. For soldiers, backing away from the front line was unacceptable under any circumstances, but they had no other way to block the horses approaching them at high speed—it would be hard to find anyone who was capable of blocking Templars who were wearing silver armor that had been granted with His Majesty’s Grace.

The green flagpole carried on Velkre’s back flapped fiercely as he rode his horse. Velkre passed the warriors of Arbalde who were moving on their feet, and rode his horse at full speed to avoid Suvole just in case.

Just like that, the Order of the Evil Snake traveled from Arbalde to the fortress of Beldeve in just two days. The fortress of Beldeve looked busy, with people placing weapons and wooden fences, almost as if they were preparing for a sit-in.

Velkre grew curious upon seeing such a sight. Velkre had been thinking that there was a high chance that the Fourth Division would abandon the fortress. If that really happened, he had been planning on attacking Juan who would most likely have been in the retreat line—however, Beldeve preparing for a sit-in was completely unexpected.

‘Perhaps it’s because there’s no commander to come up with a proper plan.’

Velkre rode his horse to approach the closed gate and struck the ground with his flagpole.

“I’m Velkre, the captain of the Order of the Evil Snake! Person in charge, come out and show yourself!”

The ground rumbled due to the shock of the flagpole striking the surface, but the thick walls of the fortress of Beldeve remained stable without shaking in the slightest. However, the shock was enough to surprise the soldiers who were working on the top of the walls. Soon the soldiers working atop the wall disappeared, and someone stuck their head out the gate.

“Did you say the Order of the Evil Snake?”

Velkre frowned upon seeing the person who stuck their head out the gate. It was a one-eyed, blonde female knight with a strange tattoo engraved on her other eye. Velkre knew that being one-eyed couldn’t be inherited, but for just a moment he thought that she might be Hela’s hidden daughter.

“I did! There was a report saying that an evil apostate was hiding here. As far as I know, I understand that you’re not in the best situation. If you promise to cooperate with us, the Church will reward you with enough…”

“Brother Velkre.”

At that moment, Nora hurried up to Velkre and whispered.

“That’s the knight who took the black-haired man. It’s Templar Sina Solvane who was with Horhell in the cabin.”

“What?”

Velkre looked up at Sina in haste. Sina didn’t answer Velkre and only stared down at him in silence.

“She’s a Templar? Are you sure about that?” Velkre asked Nora.

“She had a holy sword. If she’s not a Templar, it means she either stole it from someone or picked it up somewhere. But I’m sure she’s a Templar, considering her skills…”

Velkre was no longer listening to Nora. The information about the lost equipment of a Templar as well as a talented blonde-haired female knight immediately connected in his head.

‘The chaos that took place in Hiveden and the Elite Knight of the Order of the Blue Rose who was rescued by the Order of the White Crow.’

“Sina Solvane! Are you Sina Solvane?”

“I am, Captain Velkre. It seems to me that the reason you’re here isn’t to help His Majesty’s people who are in danger from the evil apostates,” Sina said.

“I have come here under the orders of His Holiness, something which is more important than protecting the people from the apostates! There was a report saying that Hela Henna had been hiding an apostate who may be able to pose a threat to the empire…”

“That’s not true.”

Sina replied even before Velkre could finish speaking. Velkre nodded his head; he had already expected her to deny it. He swallowed the next words he was about to say and continued speaking.

“Then let me search the inside of the…”

“No.”

Velkre’s words were cut off once again. Velkre frowned and raised his eyebrows.

“Why won’t you let me search the inside of the fortress if you’re not hiding anything?”

“This fortress is at war right now—I can’t just open the gate for someone who is armed, especially for personal reasons. This is based on the Regent Barth Baltic’s Imperial command,” Sina answered in a cold voice.

‘Using Barth Baltic as an excuse again, huh?’

It was true that the Regent Barth Baltic had announced the basic rules that must be followed by the Imperial Army. However, there were only a few Imperial Armies that adhered to the rules in the current era where the Church held such strong power. Even Barth Baltic didn’t really care that no one followed such rules.

“Are you telling me that Imperial command is more important than the orders of His Holiness who represents His Majesty’s words? How dare you call His Holiness’ order a ‘personal reason?’”

“The Imperial Army only obeys orders from their immediate superiors, and His Holiness’ private armed groups aren’t included in the Imperial command system. If you are going to mention the conscription rights, I would like to let you know that it only applies to soldiers who are off duty. We are preparing for a very important battle right now.”

“Did you just call our knight order a private armed group!?”

Velkre burst into a roar and struck the ground once again with the flagpole. Sina quickly held the railing of the wall in a hurry when the ground rumbled again due to the shock. But she continued to speak in a calm manner.

“I don’t know what else to call an armed group that is neither included in the Imperial military system nor stipulated in the law book created by His Majesty. If you don’t mind, I have to get going. I advise you to adjust your collar, since the winter wind is cold in the eastern territory.”

After saying he part, Sina disappeared over the wall even before listening to Velkre’s response. Velkre stared blankly at the wall; he had never been treated like this before in his life. The other Templars approached Velkre with a perplexed look on their faces.

“What should we do, brother Velkre? We can break through the gate if we use the Grace we have been granted or the power of the snake. There might be lots of enemies, but if we take advantage of the chaos to assassinate the black-haired man and quickly leave…”

Velkre turned his head and glared at the Templar who spoke.

“That’s your suggestion about what to do with a fortress under the possession of the Imperial Army? Does this mission look the same as burning a rural village or charging toward small remote cities?”

“But we can’t just step down in the face of this insult…”

“No, I was too generous to them. I was planning to help them if they decided to cooperate, since I felt bad that His Majesty’s people were going to be slaughtered by the apostates. But they are no different from apostates themselves if this is how they want to be.”

This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

Velkre glared at the fortress of Beldeve with cold eyes.

“They denied that the black-haired man was here. As long as we are here, they won’t be able to use that black-haired man in the battle anyway. If the black-haired beast doesn’t show up, it will be hard for them to hold out—especially when they are in a state of low morale.”