January 12th, 1024th year of the Imperial Calendar.
It was winter, and the rising sun did nothing to ease the dry, cold air. Still, this was the only day when people were not confined to their homes but were out in the heat of the day.
The central streets of the Grantz Empire were filled with cheering people.
Under a sky of mixed white and blue, confetti made of paper was flying through the air. The air was shivering with incessant applause and resounding cheers.
The crowds occupied both sides of the road, and marching in the center were a group of strong men.
Hiro, a descendant of the āGod of War, ā was leading the way,ā astride his swift dragon. He waved to the crowd with a cheerful smile on his face.
āGlory to the Great Grantz Empire!ā
āMay the twelve great gods of Grantz bless you!ā
The people spoke words of farewell to the fourth prince. They were combined with the graceful music played by the musicians to form a chorus. This heroic march inspired the hearts of everyone, including the soldiers.
The wind blows. It was a gentle breeze that seemed to bestow blessings on the soldiers who were going into battle. The flag that swept gracefully across the sky was the emblem of the black dragon ā the ādivine flagā that only the God of War could raise.
Sighs of admiration flew out of the mouths of the people. The eyes of those who gazed at the elegantly fluttering flag were filled with pure respect.
There was no such thing as high class or low class there.
The twin-black hero-king who built the foundation of the Grantz Empire.Ā
Soldiers of all ranks were saluting Hiro with the greatest of admiration.
The number of soldiers following Hiro was 20,000 ā made up of the private armies of the central nobility.
The soldiers mentioned earlier belonged to the eastern nobility and would not be accompanying Hiro on his mission.
The reason for this was that Hiro insisted on using only the central nobility in order to emphasize cooperation.
Hiro removed his gaze from the people and looked at the breastwork built above the main gate.
(ā¦..Iāve asked you to do the rest.)
The person who had opposed Hiroās argument until the very end was reflected in his eyes.
Itās Rosa.
She gave a small wave of her hand and a stiff smile. Itās an unusually melancholy attitude for someone who has always acted so stoutly.
Hiro narrowed his eyes and formed a caring smile, but she didnāt smile back.
He knows why. They even argued last night, which is a rare occurrence. At the end of the night, there was no way to convince her.
(When everything is overā¦ Iāll be back.)
Hiro felt his hair stand on end, but for now, he tried to look ahead and failed. The reason is that he spotted a curious sight out of the corner of his eye.
āThat girl isā¦ā
He couldnāt help but shout.
He spotted a girl in the crowd with her hands held up, and her voice raised.
He remembers it well. Itās an event he couldnāt possibly forget.
The first time he made his triumphant return to the Great Imperial Capital, she had presented Hiro with a red flower.
Today, the flower is in her hand again. However, there was no sign of her approaching.
He thought selfishly that she might have been put off by the noisy crowd, but then he realized that the atmosphere she wore was different from that time. She was staring at Hiro sadly ā or perhaps resentfully.
Hiroās whole body felt like it was burning at the sight of such an outpouring of emotion that was not typical of a child. But before he could speak to her, the girl disappeared into the darkness that pervaded the alleyway.
āā¦..Am I making the wrong decision?ā
As if asking someone, Hiro looked up at the sky and muttered to himself. But there was no one to answer him. Even he himself could not find a clear answer.
As Hiro smiled to himself, the swift dragon passed through the main gate.
A loud cheer erupted from behind him.
With a quiet fighting spirit, Hiro pulled out the āHeavenly Emperorā from his waist.
āGlory to the Great Grantz Empire, and may it be blessed in our path.ā
The brilliant radiance of the āHeavenly Emperorā shone down upon the ground, and the flowers and grass danced with joy.
(Until we meet againā¦ please be healthy.)
After saying goodbye to the girl he had in his mind, Hiro looked forward.
There is no stopping him when he starts to move. His heart is boiling, and he pursues the battlefield. His hungry heart yearns for war, where his flesh and blood boil and dance.
āItās an honor to be able to fight alongside the descendant of the God of War.ā
āYour Highness Hiro must have a plan, donāt you? It has already been rumored among the nobles that you will create a new legend that will rival that of your ancestor.ā
His mouth moved as if it had been greased, and Hiro was not happy with his brusque manner of speaking.
He canāt figure out how serious he is about thisā¦ frivolous attitude.
Itās endearing if heās just flattering Hiro for fame and achievementā¦ but thereās no way a man like that can rise to the level of the five great noble families. He must be planning something, for sure.
āEven if there is a groundbreaking plan to defeat 150,000 with 20,000, the chances of failure are higher. How can you come along with such a reckless battle?ā
Hiro made a light probe. Itās more of a check and balanceā¦
āIf thereās even a ten percent chance of winning, Iāll go along with it no matter what.ā
āItās a tightrope fight. If weāre not careful, weāll be wiped out.ā
āBut if we win, our name will be engraved on a page of history. The central nobility, who are dissatisfied with me as a newcomer, will gladly join my command.ā
āIs that your goal, to use this war to establish your positionā¦?ā
He may have meant it, but Hiro didnāt think heād revealed all of his innermost thoughts. He is still hiding something. How can Hiro fish out his true feelings that have sunk to the bottom of his dark belly?
āOf course. If there is no profit and only loss, no one will follow me. Everyone goes to war because of the potential for huge profits.ā
āSome of these soldiers care about their country. Not just people like you.ā
āYes, there are, but most of them want to make a name for themselves.ā
When they looked at the interrupting voice, Driks was running alongside them with a dumbfounded expression.
Heās a spy sent by Prime Minister Gils, and he has no intention of hiding it anymore. Or is it better to think that other spies are using him as bait to blend in?
Anywayā¦
āI would appreciate it if you wouldnāt question it in front of the soldiers. If word gets out that the commander and first officer donāt get along, it could affect morale in the future.ā
Itās a fair point, butā¦ they didnāt expect to be warned by him.
āIām sorry to hear that. Iāll be careful in the future.ā
āThereās nothing wrong with that. This is fineā¦ā
When he muttered as they passed each other, Driks raised an eyebrow as if he didnāt understand.
āMore importantly, how are the roads? Can we use it for the march?ā
āDue to the overflow of refugees, the army is not in a position to use them.ā
āItās still not possible, huhā¦?ā
But thatās to be expected. This is because there is a way to take advantage of an opponentās weakness by using an odd path rather than the right one.
āWe will continue into the west by deviating from the road. Before that, can you send out scouts to check the position of the enemy army?ā
In terms of alertness, the enemy is probably stronger than them. They should be able to see where gaps are being created. Hiroās army is still at the backfoot. The first thing they need to do is to get behind the opponent by avoiding the road, and they need to get a better position to catch up.
āUnderstood.ā
After hearing Hiroās order, Driks saluted on his horse and then left. His obsidian-like eyes were removed from his back, and Hiro looked up above him.
Looking at the clear blue sky, he let out a smile.
(Iām ready. I can see the path to victory. What remains to be seen is how my opponent will react.)
He must fight resolutely. Act cautiously so that the opponent does not understand.
āThen, Your Highness, Hiro, I will lead the advance party ahead of you.ā
The situation of having enemies both inside and outside is so funny that it makes him laugh.
(Now, if my prediction is correctā¦)
The Six Kingdoms will either retreat without a fight or retreat after two or three battles. Theyāll probably lure Hiro deep inside to make sure he canāt escape.
(Iāll use youā¦ as a springboard for all my goals.)
In order to make the millenniumās grand plan come true again, Hiro tightened his grip on the reins as if to show his determination.