Chapter 138
Pride and Glory
Crown Prince Alexander Arken was furious.
The adjutant who had delivered the report stammered as he answered once more.
"So... that's correct, Your Highness. The knights attempted to strike the monsters from the flank to break their momentum, but they ended up isolated instead..."
"How... how could that happen...?"
Alexander simply couldn't understand it.
How could anyone be that incompetent?
The staff officers quietly muttered among themselves.
"Even tactics that worked against the savage warriors of the North failed completely..."
"It should have been an operation with at least a ninety percent chance of success..."
Their tone suggested that none of this was their fault.
Alexander glared at them in irritation.
"What were the enemy's losses?"
"We estimate... around three thousand. Of those, approximately twenty-five hundred were Melteds."
"So we achieved something, didn't we? Right?"
"..."
"Why aren't you answering?! Stop hesitating and speak!"
"W-Well... Melteds are essentially nothing more than walking lumps of flesh. The real core of the enemy's forces are the beast-type monsters..."
Killing walking meat sacks accomplished nothing.
The real threat was the beast-type monsters.
If only five hundred of them had been killed while forty thousand Imperial soldiers had perished...
It was enough to drive him insane.
Including non-combat personnel, he had dispatched a force of eighty thousand.
How could an entire legion accomplish nothing?
The Empire's greatest military minds had gathered to devise the strategy.
Every department had reviewed and approved it.
Yet it had all failed because they had treated monsters as though they were merely stronger versions of ordinary beasts.
More importantly, they had attacked with over four times the enemy's numbers—or two and a half times as many actual combat troops.
Victory should have been inevitable.
Grinding his teeth, Alexander turned to his adjutant.
"Send reinforcements! Crush them with numbers! Have the Second and Third Legions revise their anti-monster tactics and dispatch follow-up forces immediately!"
"We can prepare reinforcements, but..."
The hesitant response snapped the last thread of Alexander's patience.
He hurled the game piece in his hand at the adjutant's head.
"What now?! Huh?! There are thirty million people in the Imperial Capital! Are you telling me we can't even replace those losses?!"
"W-Well... all the commanders who were supposed to lead the reinforcements are... confined to bed."
Alexander was speechless.
"All of them are bedridden?! How is that even possible?!"
"We contacted them immediately after receiving news of the annihilation, but... every one of them claimed to be recuperating at home. It appears to be some sort of contagious illness, so access to their residences has been restricted..."
This very morning they had all been healthy.
Now they had suddenly fallen ill?
The truth was obvious.
They had heard that even an army of eighty thousand had failed...
...and hidden themselves at home.
They didn't want to die.
If forty thousand soldiers had already been lost, what could they possibly accomplish?
They simply wanted no part of it.
"These... these..."
Worthless cowards!
All that swagger and bravado—
Yet when the Empire truly needed them, this was how they behaved?
Alexander's face flushed red before turning pale with rage, but he forced himself to calm down.
Getting angry would only hurt himself now.
Unfortunately...
The situation only grew worse.
"A report has arrived from the Far Eastern Expeditionary Force."
"What about them?"
"They've eliminated all six colossal monsters responsible for the monsters' reproduction."
"...All six?"
Alexander stared blankly.
The messenger, oblivious to his mood, continued excitedly.
"They encountered far less resistance than expected, so they're dividing their forces again to pursue the monsters spreading toward the smaller villages."
"They're... pursuing them as well...?"
"And they've requested that we be informed they'll eliminate the remaining six colossal monsters inside the lair."
"...Inside the lair?"
It was absurd.
The Empire's elite legions were struggling desperately...
Yet this ragtag coalition army was achieving one victory after another?
To Alexander, it was inconceivable.
"H-How many casualties did they suffer?"
He estimated the numbers in his head.
Roughly two thousand soldiers had fought hundreds of monsters.
At least half should have died.
A thousand casualties, minimum.
Even in the best case...
Four hundred.
The messenger answered.
"Fifty."
Alexander's prediction shattered spectacularly.
For a moment he wondered whether the man had forgotten to say "hundred" or "thousand."
He hadn't.
"Fifty? Only fifty?"
"Total casualties are fifty, and only ten of those are fatalities. Overall, the operation has gone very smoothly. And..."
Crash!
The messenger never finished.
Alexander had thrown a crystal goblet, smashing it against the man's head.
"Get that bastard out of my sight!"
Destroying the colossal monsters meant cutting off the monsters' source of reinforcements.
Somehow...
That infuriated Alexander even more than hearing that forty thousand Imperial soldiers had died.
"If this continues... if this continues..."
Everything would become Alexander's responsibility.
Not merely responsibility.
Public opinion would brand him incompetent.
That was the real problem.
Failure was one thing.
Being seen as incompetent was another.
For a man who had already been labeled a useless Crown Prince...
It was the worst possible outcome.
Alexander desperately searched for a solution.
His legion had been crushed.
The commanders who should have organized reinforcements were pretending to be sick.
At this rate, command of the entire campaign would inevitably pass to the Second Prince.
The Second Prince had already begun building his own private army with the help of mercenaries.
Now he would also gain legitimacy.
Once the war ended and achievements were evaluated...
Alexander's claim to the throne would be finished.
Olivia...
My beautiful, damned little sister.
So this is how you're trying to destroy me again.
The Empire...
Alexander clenched his fist so tightly that his fingernails pierced his palm, blood dripping onto the floor.
No matter what.
Whatever it took.
The Empire must become mine.
With that determination, Alexander abruptly stood.
If resolving this crisis required it...
He was prepared to sell even his soul to the devil.
"Y-Your Highness! Where are you going?"
Ignoring the bewildered cries of his staff, Alexander strode through the Imperial Palace.
Eventually, he stopped before an enormous, lavishly decorated door deep within the palace.
It had not been opened for fifteen years.
It was like the seal of some imprisoned demon.
But no demon lay behind it.
The being inside inspired even greater awe than any demon.
Someone even the Crown Prince could not command.
Everyone underestimated him.
But Alexander knew better than anyone that he was not to be underestimated.
Approaching with extreme caution, he spoke toward the closed door.
"Father."
There was only one man he could call that.
Emperor Godfrey Arken.
No answer came.
"It's me... your son, Alexander."
Lowering his head in humiliation, he continued.
"The monsters are coming. I sent the army to stop them, but they've been annihilated. The monsters are marching toward the Empire."
"And now no one will obey my commands. If this continues, Ureas and Olivia will take everything."
"..."
Silence.
The lack of any response made Alexander's anger boil over.
"Wasn't it you who always said Olivia was your greatest trump card? Well, that trump card is acting on her own now."
"Just as you predicted, she's trying to seize control of the political world. Are you really going to let her do whatever she wants?"
He pleaded again and again.
Only silence answered him.
Finally, Alexander snapped.
"Can you even call yourself my father?!"
His roar echoed through the corridor.
"You've never cared about me—not since the day I was born! You're old! Once your son has come of age, you're supposed to step aside and hand over the throne! How many more decades do you plan on clinging to it?!"
"..."
"My rebellion against you is ancient history! Haven't you punished me enough already?! How much longer are you going to torment your own son?! It's not like you're going to live forever! You damned old—!"
Before he could continue shouting—
A small slip of paper slid out from beneath the door.
Only a few words had been written on it.
Alexander read them.
His entire body trembled.
...
Something to Be Proud Of
As expected...
Choosing that damned bastard was the right answer.
The world could call him incompetent all it wanted, but when it truly mattered, he always delivered.
Alexander clutched the slip of paper and immediately ran off.
He didn't even bother thanking the source of that wisdom.
Behind him, the bedroom door of Emperor Godfrey Arken remained firmly shut.
***
At dawn, Ferda led his soldiers onward.
The plan was simple.
The force had been divided into two battalions, each moving ahead of the monsters' predicted routes to establish defensive positions before the creatures reached the villages.
The thunder of hooves pounded across the earth like war drums.
Only by riding without pause could they barely reach the first interception point in time.
Urging their horses onward, the village finally came into view.
The farmers inspecting their fields at daybreak looked bewildered.
One glance at Ferda's group was enough for them to realize these were people of rank.
Removing their straw hats, they approached respectfully.
"You all look like high-ranking nobles... What brings you here?"
"Has nothing unusual happened here?"
"Nothing in particular..."
Looks like we've arrived ahead of schedule.
"Monsters! Monsters are coming!"
...Correction.
Right on schedule.
Ferda amplified his voice with magic.
"All units! Form ranks!"
Clank!
The synchronized sound of armored soldiers moving into formation stirred the heart.
The farmers recoiled in alarm.
A wolf monster was charging toward them.
It had spotted one of the farmers long ago and was relentlessly pursuing him.
An ordinary farmer could never outrun a monster wolf.
He would die before reaching the soldiers' defensive formation.
"Luri."
The moment Ferda called her name—
She vanished.
She had already leaped high into the sky.
Gripping her enormous battle axe with both hands, she drew it behind her head...
...and hurled it.
BOOM!
"AAAH!"
The earth shook violently, knocking the farmer flat on his face.
Confused, he looked back.
The ground had been completely torn apart.
At the center of the crater lay the monster's corpse, purple blood spilling everywhere.
A small figure landed beside the axe embedded in the earth.
As casually as if it weighed nothing, she pulled the massive weapon free and glanced toward the farmer.
Their eyes met.
Those chilling silver eyes sent a shiver through his entire body.
"Run."
"Human."
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
The farmer ran again.
The wolf monsters hesitated.
Creatures incapable of fear...
...had, for the first time, sensed the existence of something stronger than themselves.
If she swung that axe...
They would fall like wheat before the autumn harvest.
But instead, Luri simply turned around and walked back.
The wolves couldn't understand her actions.
That brief confusion lasted only a moment.
Instinct quickly took over.
Grr! Ruff!
The wolf monsters charged straight into the knights' shield formation, turning the battle into brutal close combat.
"Hold the line, brothers! We've got your backs!"
"Then stop standing back there and actually help!"
The knights barked even as they firmly held their ground.
Ferda was the only mage supporting them.
That alone was enough.
He used the three Third-Circle mages he had brought as living mana batteries, continuously drawing Mana Bolts from them.
Each time a wolf attempted to attack someone, Ferda disrupted its movement, creating a tiny opening.
That was all.
But it was enough.
The knights drove their swords into the wolves' hearts one after another.
In the end...
Without relying on offensive magic, the knights alone exterminated every monster.
"UOOOOOH!"
"Victory!"
The soldiers beat their breastplates with their fists as triumphant cheers echoed across the battlefield.
***
Ferda's 1st Pursuit Battalion numbered only 108 soldiers.
It consisted of five young noble heirs, their retainers, and the forces belonging to several noble ladies.
The 2nd Battalion, meanwhile, fielded 250 men—a difference of 142 troops.
On paper, the imbalance looked absurd.
Yet no one in the 1st Battalion complained.
They knew exactly what Luri was capable of.
She looked like nothing more than a young girl in a maid outfit.
But the sight of her carrying an axe far larger than her own body inspired absolute confidence.
Now she had departed for the rear, leaving them in greater danger.
Even so...
No one's morale faltered.
Ferda's command and support always came exactly when needed.
Thanks to that, they had defeated every monster without suffering a single casualty.
The young nobles who had fought on the front lines puffed out their chests proudly.
"I don't understand how the Imperial Army managed to get wiped out."
"Exactly. These things are surprisingly easy."
"Of course, without Regent Ferda's command and support, it might have been impossible!"
That wasn't an exaggeration.
Using such a tiny amount of mana to interrupt a monster's movements and create openings...
That level of finesse wasn't something ordinary people could replicate.
I've fought to capture monsters alive countless times.
He knew exactly where their weaknesses lay.
And knowledge like that didn't disappear simply because time had changed.
Regardless...
They had protected the village without relying on Dragon Spawn.
That was what mattered.
The villagers, who would have become monster food had they arrived only moments later, clasped their hands together in prayer.
"Oh, thank you, Sir Knight!"
"May we know your name?"
"Haha! Certainly! I am Dmitri Nazarov, the future heir to House Nazarov!"
The young nobles eagerly seized the opportunity to announce their names.
Even if it was only a tiny village, having one's name spread among the people could greatly aid one's future career.
Watching them with open disdain, Luri asked,
"Aren't you going to join those fools and boast about your own name, Lord Ferda?"
"Is there any need?"
"If you aren't even going to do that, then why volunteer for such thankless work?"
She sounded genuinely puzzled.
"I needed something to be proud of."
"Proud of?"
When Olivia had proposed splitting the forces even further...
Ferda had thought exactly what everyone else had.
Sacrificing a few small villages was simply the natural course of war.
Like the other young nobles—
Perhaps even more than they—
He had cared little about those inevitable sacrifices.
But then...
Valdrova's image had quietly surfaced in his mind.
Would she calculate profits and losses in a situation like this?
Even if the world mistook her for an evil dragon...
She would still save everyone she could.
She loved them all.
That was her reason for living.
So Ferda answered quietly.
"Because she would never stand by and do nothing."
He had come here to do what Valdrova herself could not.
Which meant...
He couldn't stand by either.
At the very least, the next time they spoke...
He wanted to bring her good news.
I saved many people with my own hands.
He simply wanted to receive that pure, joyful smile from her.
That simple desire was what had moved him.
"So in the end..."
Luri snorted.
"You just wanted something to brag about to Mistress."
"That's right."
"How very dog-like."
Ferda turned toward her.
"Was that an insult all of a sudden?"
"You always call me a dog or a mutt and insist you aren't insulting me. Why is it an insult when I say it?"
"Because I don't normally think of you that way."
"I think of you as a masochist, Lord Ferda. Does that mean I can call you a perverted masochist?"
"...No."
"Why not?"
Not only was it completely untrue...
There was an even simpler reason.
"I'm the fiancé."
"You're the attendant."
"...Would you mind if I poked the spot Mistress's horn stabbed one more time?"
Her face twisted into a frightening expression as she aimed one slender finger at Ferda's chest.
Just then—
"An unexpected situation has arisen."
One of the communication mages serving as Ferda's mana battery hurried over.
"What happened?"
"The monsters have changed speed. They're advancing at full sprint toward the third interception point."
Ferda's next destination was also his primary objective—
The place where Helus Phobidas was staying.
Not only did the monsters have to pass through it...
Even if they rode at top speed, they would arrive too late.
There was only one realistic choice.
"We'll have to change the interception point and save the village behind it instead."
Some things simply couldn't be saved.
Cold as it was...
There was no alternative.
Nothing in this world could ever be perfect.
"That won't be necessary."
It was Luri.
Resting her axe on her shoulder, she spoke calmly.
"I'll handle that side myself."
"You?"
"I'm the only one who can reach it in time."
"And I can deal with it alone."
If Luri went...
The operation would proceed smoothly once more.
"Thank you."
"You don't need to thank me."
"I'm doing this for myself."
"For yourself?"
"You said you wanted to look good in front of Mistress, didn't you?"
She huffed proudly.
"Well..."
"I'd like to look good in front of her too."
In truth...
She didn't need to do any of this.
She was doing it for Ferda.
So that when he told Valdrova the story later...
He wouldn't have to say that one village had been abandoned.
He silently appreciated her thoughtfulness.
"Come back safely."
"You should worry about yourself, Lord Ferda. If you come back with even a scratch, I'll have to scrub you raw."
He had no idea what scrubbing him had to do with a scratch.
But it didn't matter.
It was simply Luri's way of saying she wanted him to return safely as well.
She unfolded the wings she had kept hidden.
With a single beat—
She shot into the sky like a silver comet.
"W-Wow..."
"So that's... a Silver Dragon Spawn...!"
Since Luri had never openly displayed her wings, horns, or tail before, the soldiers stood transfixed, staring at the trail she left behind.
There wasn't a moment to waste.
Looking back at them, Ferda shouted,
"We're moving too!"
More than a hundred horses thundered across the plains once again.
After riding for nearly two hours, they reached the next village before the monsters.
But waiting there...
Was someone they had never expected to meet.