21-1 Part 1
Putting an End to the Civil War with a
Single Shovel
- The Eve of the Decisive Battle -
Translator : PolterGlast
Synopsis of the
Previous Chapter
Upon returning to Erin,
Ashley headed to the large cavity sleeping beneath the Fimbul
territory. When he returned the solar relic to the sky where it belonged in
that land, the dark large cavity was once again enveloped in light, and the
underground empire A-Zir, once called a paradise, was resurrected there.
First, they would gather soldiers from all over the world to that land,
intervene in the Empire's civil war with that military strength, and end the
battle with a surprise attack from underground. That was the ingenious scheme
provided by the solar relic and the underground tunnel built by his ancestors.
At that time, Ashley
learned that his older brother Georg was in a predicament and headed to
the land of Ratatosk with reinforcements. Upon arriving there, a mixed
force consisting of Prince Yord, the Imperial 5th Army, and the army of the
Abyss had besieged Ratatosk. There, when Ashley appeared
in Ratatosk from the underground, Georg proposed a surprise
attack on the enemy's main camp from the rear. The total force, excluding a
portion of the besieged unit, struck the back of the enemy army, realizing a
one-on-one duel between Prince Georg and Prince Yord. Yord
was struck down, leaving behind ominous words predicting Julius's
victory.
However, Yord's
prediction missed the mark. In the battle that took place south of the Imperial
Capital, the Southern Army led by Julius was winning overwhelmingly by
deploying their trump card, the Cherubim Armor, to the front lines, but
suddenly those armored dolls began killing their allies. To make matters worse,
the White Knight appeared and snatched away the Cherubim Armors they had gone
through the trouble of creating. The battle between the Northern Army and the
Southern Army, despite shedding much blood, is still far from over.
Meanwhile, Ashley
was moving to seal the entrance to the Abyss that had spawned in the
labyrinth of stakes in Ratatosk City. Reaching the deepest part with the
backing of adventurers, he found the White Duke who had turned into a monster. Ashley
didn't actively want to fight, but even so, he couldn't allow their resurrection.
While feeling a sense of guilt, Ashley defeated the ringleader of the
army of the Abyss and returned to the underground empire to end the
Empire's civil war. He just wanted to return to the heavens. There were no lies
in his words.
・
Final Chapter: The
Paradise Where the Gods Disappeared
Or the Conclusion
the Abominable Prince Reached at the End of His Wandering
21-1 Ending the
Civil War with a Single Shovel
- The Eve of the
Decisive Battle -
Upon returning from Ratatosk
City to the A-Zir underground empire, a shocking report awaited us.
Those Cherubim Armors, which were a handful even with just one, were snatched
away from the battlefield by the hands of the White Knight. To top it off, he
threw the battlefield—which was supposed to end with Julius's
victory—into chaos, causing both armies to fall into a stalemate. That last
part was good news for us too, but the whereabouts of those vanished armored
dolls weighed on my mind.
Almost all the
reinforcements temporarily stationed in the A-Zir underground empire
have already gathered in the land of Erin. It means that comrades from
all over the world gathered in this underground empire, passed through the
subterranean depths, and joined up in Erin. From here on, we will
declare war against the exhausted Southern and Northern Armies. First, we will
strike down the foolish royalty, have Georg-aniue take the
Emperor's throne, and restore the order disrupted by the civil war. The people
of the Abyss come after that. Even with their ringleader destroyed, they
likely won't give up on returning to the heavens.
「You're
not going, you say?」
「Umu,
I have an idea of where the people of the Abyss are heading. To have
snatched the Cherubim Armors means it's almost certainly that land...」
「Wait,
in that case, wait until the civil war is settled, and go together with me――」
「That
would be too late. While Wagahai acts as the gatekeeper over there, you
suppress the civil war, Father.」
I was forced to make
a choice. Even assuming her true identity is that giant dragon, I couldn't
possibly let a daughter who changed her attitude since that day and constantly
calls me 'Father' go alone. But...
「And,
the location is...?」
「The
royal castle of the old Elkia Kingdom's royal capital. The fateful land
where the door to the heavens was once pried open. They will definitely appear
in that land.」
「It
can't be helped, I'll go too. As long as I create a path for a surprise attack,
Aniue should be able to manage the rest.」
「Don't
say stupid things, that won't allow us to respond to unforeseen circumstances,
and moreover, it will delay our departure. Father, you should just stay quiet
and see Wagahai off.」
We were just about
to exhilaratingly checkmate them. And yet Zirant says she will buy time
by herself... With Zirant's wings, she would arrive in Elkia in
the blink of an eye and likely be able to fulfill her given role. Most likely,
in exchange for her life...
「You
talk big... That day I fought the Cherubim Armor, you stopped me, didn't you?
This is too reckless. Wait a bit, I'm going too!」
「I
refuse. Nuisances are unnecessary in a battle of the gods. If you insist on
participating no matter what, finish the battle over there, and come to the old
Elkia royal capital leading an army. With the White Duke gone, the army
of the Abyss is no enemy for Wagahai. I'll let you help hunt down
the remnants.」
「...A
power that can burn away the world slumbers in the heavens, right?」
「That's
right. Or perhaps an existence returning from the Abyss might become a
new god, give birth to new races, and persecute the old races.」
It's merely a
hypothetical possibility, but if it comes to this, was it a disaster that I
pierced the White Duke, who was the conscience of the Abyss...? But if
the civil war is left alone, it will turn into a three-way battle. There's a
possibility that the Imperial Capital or Erin will become places of
siege and be burned. A development that is common in war chronicle novels and
incredibly exciting is nothing but the worst in reality, isn't it... I want to
eat that kebab sandwich one more time...
「You
seem to understand. We must overturn this situation where we can only choose
one of two options, and protect both the Imperial Capital and the heavenly
realm.」
「That's
unfair, Zirant... After calling me 'Father' so much, you plan to
disappear from before me?! It's going to be a problem for me if you die! I...
could fight like the protagonist of a story up until today because you were
watching over me from behind! If you weren't here, I'd still be living a
miserable life frightened of assassins right now! If you're going to give me
power, stay with me until my final moments!」
An uncharacteristic
mountain of words overflowed, surprising the daughter who yearns for me as her
father. No, after a while, Zirant was floating a good-humored smile.
「I
don't feel bad about it. However, I am the beloved daughter of the
dimension-crossing dragon Yulan and the First Emperor Ausar. Do not measure Wagahai
by the sturdiness of you humans. I will survive no matter what it takes, so
Father, hurry up and end the civil war. Got it, Ashley?」
Only for her final
words did Zirant return to her old tone, and turned her back to me.
「Understood...
I will definitely go, wait for me. ...No, with this kind of vibe, will it
become a death flag for you? Believe in my reinforcements, and run away if you
think it's dangerous. Let's crush them together.」
「Kukuku...
I'll wait for you without getting my hopes up. Farewell, Ashley.」
Making an ominous
promise to reunite, we parted ways. It's not that I don't believe in Zirant,
but it would definitely be a loss in my life if she were to die. It seems I
have no choice but to end the civil war with a blitzkrieg and go save her at
full sprint.
・
After that, I dashed
through the underground tunnel and returned to Erin in half a day,
accelerating the plans that Georg-aniue and Puis had
already solidified for me. Everyone gathered in Erin's dining hall, and Puis
explained the plan for the blitzkrieg to be executed tomorrow, which we had
moved up, in my stead.
「The
method is simple. First, Ashley-sama will dig an underground passage
connecting to Prince Julius's main camp by the end of today. Then, early
tomorrow morning, we will throw our main force against the Southern Army led by
Prince Julius, and just as we show the Northern Army that we are
overwhelming them, our most elite troops will simultaneously strike the main
camp from underground.」
「There's
no tactics to speak of, but it's the strongest. There is likely no one anywhere
who can beat the ability to directly attack the main camp.」
For the
reinforcements from Kaha, the Kaha King himself had come to
participate, claiming he was the strongest soldier. It would become an
international issue if he dies, but right now we only need to think about
winning quickly.
「Yeah,
yeah. Not only that, but Shinza can even create defensive walls in the
blink of an eye, so it's amazing.」
「If
only he didn't have this wandering habit, he would be perfect, deshu...」
Kachua, with her hundred-percent
accuracy, and Durin's medicine are also reliable military forces. In
particular, Durin refined Koruriha leaves, which heighten the fighting
spirit of beastmen, to create an even more effective liquid medicine.
「Moving
on. Arrangements have been made for Atomina-sama's husband, Jakelezas-sama,
and the knight Aureus, who belong to the Southern Army, to stage a
rebellion simultaneously. If the two of them incite the annihilation of the
main camp and a surrender, the Southern Army will likely surrender to us with
minimal casualties.」
「If we
devour and crush the Southern Army like that, the Northern Army, including Morac,
will surrender. Both Uncle and Aunt are those kinds of people...」
That's right.
Because Uncle is already afraid of Georg-aniue as it is.
「Well,
in other words, if we implant the impression that they cannot win against Georg-sama
and our multi-race allied army, the advice to surrender will succeed. As it is,
both armies over there are exhausted, and the war-weariness among both officers
and soldiers must be considerable. At this point in time, they already have no
chance of winning. What's left is how reliably we execute the checkmate.」
Then, wondering what
she was thinking, Sigrun raised her hand.
「Boring...
Won't that settle things in an instant!」
「Rest
assured, I'll have you accompany me to hell after this.」
「Ooh~♪
Then that's fine! Wahaha, I believed in you, Shinza~♪」
「Somehow,
that makes me curious in its own way... What do you plan to do, Shinza...?」
Carral used the sea route to
transport troops from the nearby seas and procure supply goods. The number of
soldiers is massive. Just feeding them requires a considerable amount of money.
Without Carral,
this plan wouldn't have succeeded.
「Well,
a lot happened. There's a place I have to go after the battle ends.」
「Yes,
we must clean this up first...」
Puis and Aniue
on my left and right patted my shoulders. I want to save Zirant, who
headed to the gates of the heavenly realm alone. That's why I begged the two of
them as soon as I returned to Erin, asking them to end the civil war
tomorrow.
There were questions
from the officers and soldiers, but no objections. The schedule was decided,
and we determined to end the civil war tomorrow morning. Zirant is
waiting. Let's put an end to the battle in the shortest time possible and go
save the self-proclaimed daughter who calls me 'Father'.
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