[WN] Emperor's Seventh Son : 17 - 2

17-2

Conquering the Wasteland of the Farthest End

Translator : PolterGlast

The next day, we proceeded west in the Aureus family's carriage.

「W-Wait, wait, wait! After all, something's strange, right!? What's going on!?」

「It's the usual.」

「Umu, I've gotten used to it too. It's the usual.」

The coachman and the knight Aureus were, naturally, suspicious of the carriage advancing at double the rapid speed. But this is just how it is.

「No, by 'the usual', what kind of daily lives are you guys living!?」

「Hmm... It's surely Zirant-sama's divine protection. Zirant-sama is cute like a singer in the Imperial Capital, but actually, she's a great god.」

Within my mind, Zirant raised a happy laugh. It seems being treated on the same level as a singer was a compliment to the self-proclaimed Evil Dragon.

「No, I don't get the meaning! This is incomprehensible to Ore-chan! No, no, no, no, no matter how you look at it, this is too fast, right!?」

「Yeah, roughly double the speed, I suppose.」

There is something I noticed after traveling together. This man named Aureus, somehow I can't hate him. He's cheerful, caring, and easy to interact with.

「What should we do, Aureus-sama...?」

「What do you mean, what should we do... We have no choice but to keep going like this... Ah damn, it stands out so damn much, damn it... Hahahahaha, but you know, it feels pretty good, damn it!」

There was a thrill to the carriage rushing about at double speed. The middle-aged knight, having opened up, finally raised a laugh and—

「Well, if it's the usual, it can't be helped...」

Threw common sense away. Me aside, it's a journey with Sigrun. Common sense has no value.

◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆

Thus, right before noon on the second day, we reached the Wasteland of the Farthest End. It is a barren land where hardly any plants or trees grow. A withered, lonely earth welcomed us.

「Aureus-sama, please be safe...」

「Yeah, thanks for bringing us this far. You be careful on the way back too.」

Proceeding further through the lonely earth, it was around the time the sun rose due south. The wasteland turned into a white desert area. Since the wheels would be swallowed by the sand and couldn't advance any further, we sent the coachman and the carriage back, and decided to proceed through the desert just by ourselves.

We advanced across the dry sand earth. The climate was mild, but the deep sand robbed us of our footing. The meaning behind why those middle-aged adventurers said they couldn't keep up, I finally understood it now...

「Heeh... So that bastard died.」

The topic shifted to the incident with the knight Codwall.

「Umu, it seems divine punishment fell upon him!」

「Ore-chan was also approached by him with investment talks, but before it even smelled fishy... It's sad, but there's no surplus money in our territory... That was my only interaction with him. However, why did that guy die?」

「That's the interesting part! One day, when he checked his storehouse... it was empty! Every single piece of his personal wealth, uprooted!」

「Uwa, scary... Thieves?」

「Not thieves, chivalrous thieves! The money that the bad guy earned through bad methods was snatched away by righteous chivalrous thieves!」

「Heeh... That's quite something. To put it mildly, that guy was a piece of shit, so it serves him right.」

It's somehow uncomfortable... Sigrun and Kachua were praising our crime. I certainly thought divine punishment should fall upon him, but that end was too miserable. That was probably because Yord was that crazy, affected by the magic sword he received from the Abyss Demon Noble, but...

「No, seriously, he was an unlikable guy... He was looking at the young folks in the Knight Order with weird eyes too, well, never mind that... Hey, ain't there any more interesting stories from the Imperial Capital?」

「Umu, leave it to me! Let's see... Tell him the story of Erin Port, Kachua!」

「That's leaving everything entirely to others!」

Suddenly, I became worried about the condition of that boy knight. Even if his body recovers, after receiving such abuse, the mental scars will remain. Will he be alright?

『Shinza, look ahead, enemies. The remnants that settled in the Wasteland of the Farthest End have appeared; warn them.』

So you're deliberately going out of your way to let me take the credit, huh. It feels calculated, but now isn't the time to be complaining about it.

「It seems enemies have appeared; we intercept.」

「Heeh... Oh, it's true, they've come.」

「Fuhaha, this is it, this! It really makes me feel like I've returned!」

「Such a hometown, I (Atashi) don't want it...」

When swords, bows, and Shovels were drawn and emitted light, the monsters of the Farthest End stopped hiding and revealed themselves. Bizarre wild monkeys affected by the Abyss, boars with three horns, and somethings resembling humans. The bodies of all of them were darkened, and every single one of them had an abnormal growth, with one extra or one less body part.

「Guard Kachua for me.」

「Got it, bro! Wait, you guys are charging in!?」

「Yeah... Because those two are that kind of people...」

Kachua, please stop putting me in the same category as Sigrun. Sigrun took the right wing, I took the left wing, and we charged into the enemies in front of us. Instantly, the Valkyrie rampaged, and I could see the limbs of the monsters being blown away.

「Uwa... Ain't she stronger than Prince Georg...?」

Furthermore, Kachua's peerlessly accurate bow shot out the monsters' eyeballs and pierced their hearts. Against opponents not equipped with armor, it truly is a bow of death.

「Wait, the little miss too, what the hell is that!? It's beyond the level of just being good!?」

I was struggling to choose a tactic at first. These guys aren't my specialty opponents either. Just beating them down with brute force lacks finesse after all. So I thought about it. I will become an antlion pit myself here.

「What are these guys... They're the strongest, ain't they. Alrighty, Ore has to show my good side to bro too!」

It seems things are fine on Kachua's side. The bizarre monsters were increasing in number, but Aureus was reliably fulfilling his role as a guard. Normally, they are opponents you can't defeat one-on-one. Sigrun, surrounded by such folks, was hunting the enemies one after another, laughing and overcome with nostalgia.

「Nn, I don't see Shinza. Nn... Wh-what the hell is that?!!」

「Umu, this is also the usual!」

「Uwawa, the sand is swallowing the enemies!?」

Driven by rivalry, I also rampaged. Activating the 30x power of the Shovel, I simply dug the sand under my feet. Sand flows downwards. Aiming for the bait that is me, the bizarre monsters swarmed, but one after another they lost their footing and fell down towards me. Intercepting them according to the situation, once I had gathered enough of the bizarre creatures, all that was left was to bury them. I buried them one after another. With this, the clean sweep is complete.

「Are you done over there too?」

「Umu... To think you'd bury them all together... Shinza, right now, my heart is throbbing for you, I can't help it!!」

「No, the point where your heart throbs is kinda weird, Sigrun-sama!?」

When I finished my job, the mopping up of the remaining folks was also finished. According to Sigrun's explanation, the furthest end beyond this Farthest End of the world is connected to that Abyss. Therefore, living creatures affected by it inhabit this place in countless numbers like this.

「I see... A man who smashes through logic and causes miracles... Worth betting on, ain't he...」

We proceeded, aiming for the further Farthest End. To settle down next to such an Abyss, what kind of eccentrics are the people of Sigrun's hometown?

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

Along the way, around the time the red sun was setting, we were hit by a sandstorm.

「This is bad, let's hide behind the shadow of that sand dune! Uhyah, out of luck!」

「No, wait a little.」

So I decided to make a kamakura (snow hut) out of the desert sand. Normally it wouldn't harden, but by compressing the dry sand with all my might, I created a dome-shaped space with sufficient room. We somehow made it in time for the sandstorm. We evacuated inside, and since it was already late that day, we decided to spend the night there.

「With this power, you see, Shinza protected Corin Village from the Goblin army. Jumping out of the fort all by himself, becoming a decoy, drawing the leader Hobgoblin, and defeating it!」

Kachua happily showed off the incident at Corin Village with this. I was young back then...

「With that power, if he feels like it, he could build even a castle overnight... This is also amazing, I'd want one bro per household. As a military man, I feel infinite possibilities in bro.」

「Certainly! If war breaks out, he'd be a cheat-level pawn!」

Even with the scary noises of the sandstorm rampaging, with these cheerful people around, there was no anxiety. Eventually, as the sun set, the storm calmed down, and since it was a little cold, I slept using Kachua as a hot water bottle for the first time in a while.

◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆

When the morning sun rose and we slipped out of the sand kamakura, we saw a strange thing in the western distance.

「You're awake, Shinza! That's it, that right there is my hometown!」

That is apparently the village of the Horned race living at the Farthest End. Only around the village is there absolutely no dust floating. Unnaturally pure, a beautiful world surrounded by trees in the middle of the desert was there.

「That's the village that birthed you? A convincing level of absurdity.」

「Wahahaha, this personality of mine is innate! It seems I've been like this since I was three!」

「I see... My sympathies to your parents then...」

「I have neither mother nor father. I am an orphan!」

Sigrun's upbringing was casually harsh, but there wasn't a speck of seriousness. Since she was three, this personality... there's probably no mistake about it...

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[WN] A Hero From a Remote Village : Chapter 276

Chapter 276

The Royal Capital After a Long Time

Translator : PolterGlast

During the week until the summons came, we devoted ourselves to interpersonal combat training without taking on any requests. Until now, I had been conducting mock battles with Ginia and Aoi as a swordsman, but during this week, I conducted mock battles by acting out various types of combatants. Dagger users and dual-wielders, of course, but also sword dancers with irregular movements, and a martial artist style fighting at ultra-close range. In addition, we also had mock battles with long-range attack styles such as archers, mages, and priests.

It felt like they were constantly forced to struggle against me as my style changed with every battle, but I believe there is meaning in the experience they gained. Truthfully, I wanted to help them get into the habit of winning as well, but in just one week, we couldn't reach that point. That being said, I think they were able to grow significantly during this interpersonal combat strengthening week.

And then――a letter of summons arrived for the Guild Master, and we came to the Royal Capital with the Guild Master for the first time in a long while.

「Hey, Graham! I can finally see the Royal Capital!」

「True. As expected, it takes time by carriage.」

「Because your legs are faster, Graham-san. ...A carriage is more comfortable, though, so I prefer traveling by carriage.」

「Me too! Traveling while being carried by Graham is way too fast, yet it has no stability!」

They're saying terrible things about it, but for me personally, there are no disadvantages other than getting tired. While letting the two's words slide, I fully enjoyed the cityscape of the Royal Capital for the first time in a while.

「Just like last time, we're heading to the Adventurer's Guild first, is that alright? I'm sure the guild has booked an inn for us, so I want to get the greetings out of the way first.」

「Of course it's alright. It's been a while since I've seen Saris too, so I'm looking forward to it.」

「That's right! We get to see Saris-san! I wonder if he's doing well?」

「I want to show him how much we've grown. We couldn't show him any good sides of us last time, after all.」

「I don't think that's true. It's true that Graham-san stood out way too much, but he was praising you and Aoi as well, Ginia.」

When we subjugated the monsters closing in on the Royal Capital, Ginia and Aoi had also played an active role. Just as the Guild Master said, Saris should definitely evaluate the two of them highly as well. While thinking such things, we arrived straight at the Adventurer's Guild.

Biodasdal's Adventurer's Guild is also splendid, but as expected, the Royal Capital's Adventurer's Guild is on another level. Partly because it was my first time seeing it in a while, I couldn't help but be impressed by its size even though it was my second time.

「I am Dwayne, the Guild Master of the Biodasdal Adventurer's Guild. I came after receiving a summons; is the Guild Master here?」

「Dwayne-sama, correct. He is in the Guild Master's office on the third floor, so I will guide you there.」

Saying so, the cute receptionist guided us to the Guild Master's office. Then, after knocking, we entered the room where Saris was waiting.

「I wondered who it was, and it's Graham. And Ginia and Aoi... Dwayne, it's been a while for you too.」

「Hey. Why was I, the one who was summoned, addressed last?」

「Don't sweat the small details. I can tell at a glance that Ginia and Aoi have grown stronger. As for Graham... I really can't tell.」

「Saris-san, it's been a while! You remembered our names, didn't you!」

「Thank you for remembering the names of mere adventurers.」

「You guys are by no means mere adventurers. We even had you save the Royal Capital, after all.」

「We didn't do anything. It's just that Graham-san is amazing.」

「Right, right! Graham also beat everyone in the mock battle tournament all by himself!」

In response to Saris expressing his gratitude, Ginia and Aoi made remarks that lifted me up. Since he could even tell that they had grown stronger, I think he truly remembered them properly, though.

「When I asked the Guild Master, his reaction was vague, but do you plan to hold a mock battle tournament this time as well?」

「That is the plan. I'm just worried about everyone being defeated by Graham alone again, though.」

「I'd appreciate it if it's held. Also, it's planned that not just me, but Ginia and Aoi will be the main ones fighting this time.」

「So you've been training them after all. They both looked like they've gotten stronger, so it's no surprise. I'll look forward to seeing them in action.」

Saying that with a laugh, Saris stood up from his chair and came over in front of us. I hadn't noticed while he was sitting, but I could see a large scar that wasn't there last time on his right arm.

「Saris-san. What happened with that scar on your right arm?」

「A strong monster appeared a little while ago. I was drafted to help at that time, but partly due to being out of practice, I pathetically ended up getting injured.」

「It's a bite wound, right? Did a monster that strong appear?」

「No, they weren't monsters that were all that strong. It was a pack of Venom Panthers, and I was just overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. I truly messed up because of my rustiness.」

Judging from how he was hiding the scar in embarrassment, it seems he truly was defeated by Venom Panthers. It's not certain information, but the subjugation of Venom Panthers should be an A-Rank request. I think things change when it's a pack, but I was honestly surprised that Saris sustained an injury.

「You don't look like you're out of practice to me, but were their numbers really that great?」

「Fufu, I started retraining from scratch after getting injured. I may not reach my prime, but I have the confidence to fight even an S-Rank adventurer one-on-one.」

Considerable confidence could be seen from the fearlessly smiling Saris. It's probably true that he retrained himself, and I'd like to try sparring with him if there's an opportunity.

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[WN] Jitsuwa 3-Domedatta : Chapter 364

Chapter 364

(Kyle Calendar Year 515: Age 22)

Northern Front ③ The Trampled Land

Translator : PolterGlast

Operation 'Messengers of Arrows'—this strategy was originally conceptualized by Takuhir, drawing upon the historical memories of Nishida, a past enthusiast of military history, and modeled directly after the tactical maneuvers of the Mongol army that once swept across the Eurasian continent, including the Islamic world and Europe. The Mongols, who conquered a mind-bogglingly vast expanse of land, were never afraid to divide their forces into smaller forces when invading hostile territory. By executing a decentralized advance, they successfully brought immense territories under their control. And, whenever the enemy military moved out to intercept them, they used the fluid timing of the battlefield to rapidly converge and reunite their forces, ensuring they always held the tactical upper hand to secure absolute victory.

The absolute linchpin of this coordinated strategy was the specialized intelligence network known as the 'Messengers of Arrows'. In an era completely devoid of long-range telecommunications, these operatives were entrusted with the vital burden of information synchronization. They traveled back and forth across vast war zones spanning up to a thousand kilometers, forging a flawless, unbreakable link between scattered divisions.

This specific tactic faced severe operational difficulties near the borders of the Kyle Kingdom, where the complex, interwoven terrain was continuously obstructed by the dangerous Demon Territory. However, the newly ceded lands of the Westlights Demon Territory Dukedom and the adjacent Empire domains consisted of gently rolling terrain, dominated largely by massive, sprawling plains. When subjected to foreign invasions, the newly acquired territory of the Dukedom suffered from a glaring structural weakness: its borders stretched so far horizontally that successfully defending every single coordinate was a physical impossibility.

Consequently, the high command had established the Izumo district as their absolute final line of defense, adopting a fundamental tactic of strategic retreat into that secure perimeter. Yet, such a passive stance could hardly be said to protect the civilian inhabitants living on the frontier. To serve as the aggressive counter-weight to that defensive limitation, Takuhir integrated a scaled-down adaptation of the Mongol military's fluid tactics, operating on the absolute premise of real-time, wide-area coordination between divisions.

After he conceptualized this as a brand-new intercept strategy, Commander Weiss meticulously refined the operational procedures. To make these fluid battlefield maneuvers humanly possible, the army had spent the last two years completely immersing themselves in rigorous, unyielding drills. To them, 'Messengers of Arrows' was not a proper noun referring to a single intelligence unit. Instead, it referred to a sweeping, wide-area campaign strategy: individual divisions would deploy independently, masquerading as meager, vulnerable forces to lure the enemy in, only to organically synchronize with rushing allied reinforcements to execute a devastating pincer attack and annihilate the foe.

Though operating on a vastly different scale, this tactic was fundamentally identical to the localized defeat-in-detail strategy that Sieghart had initially engineered in the southern front. Naturally, such an execution demanded an incredibly high level of real-time information synchronization, alongside the absolute finest situational awareness from the commanders and ironclad discipline from the troops. Therefore, while the activation of this operation strictly required highly flexible, elite officers, Takuhir's command was now fortunate enough to possess a constellation of brilliant talent. Beyond the veteran operational commanders personally forged under Commander Weiss over the years, the ranks were filled with highly capable mid-level officers who had been thoroughly hardened through deployments across the Frontier Knights’ branches and the Demon Territory Knights. It was no exaggeration to say that this sweeping maneuver was only made possible because of the caliber of these men.

※

At Alexis's signal, the decentralized divisions surged forward with high morale, advancing rapidly through the Third Prince’s Mandated Territory. Even excluding Viscount Durul’s army, if just two of the three detached divisions managed to converge, their combined numbers would instantly swell to roughly ten thousand troops.

Operating at near-equal numbers, the soldiers and commanders of the Dukedom—who had emerged victorious from countless brutal campaigns—massively outclassed the three-nation coalition in terms of raw morale and combat experience; they were fully capable of utterly dominating them in a straight fight. Furthermore, if they successfully executed a pincer attack, the ultimate trajectory of the battle would be glaringly obvious. If all three divisions managed to perfectly converge upon a single target, they could achieve a flawless defeat-in-detail, utterly annihilating the isolated enemy vanguard. Holding this absolute resolve for victory, the commanders surged toward the front lines…… Only to be slapped in the face by a staggering, horrific reality.

「 What do you mean we cannot launch an attack?! Explain the meaning of this! 」

Marquis Gorman raised his voice in pure fury upon receiving the latest scout report from the vanguard reconnaissance team, which had pushed out roughly half a day's march ahead of their position. The intelligence operative bowed his head in deep trepidation but forced himself to continue the report.

「 The enemy forces have rounded up the civilian populace captured from the occupied regions, bound them with ropes, and are forcing them to march at the absolute front of their vanguard to serve as human shields. Their numbers…… are estimated to be no less than five hundred souls, Sire…… 」

「 Insolent wretches! To think such a monstrous, spineless act is the official tactic of the Lute Kingdom! Shameless cowards who know absolutely nothing of the sacred laws of the battlefield! 」

The Marquis shook with pure, unadulterated rage at the enemy's merciless savagery. Emboldened by the ruthless, unchecked momentum of the Istoria Orthodox Theocracy, the Lute Kingdom had mirrored their horrific tactics. They seized innocent hostages and displayed them at the absolute front of their ranks as they advanced, openly mocking the defending forces as weak-willed cowards who wouldn't dare strike back.

「 Even granting them a single sliver of understanding, to those kingdoms, the Empire is an unyielding, sworn enemy that has subjected them to centuries of ruthless invasion. Historically, with only a few rare exceptions like the Roland Kingdom, the Empire systematically enslaved the populations of the lands it conquered. Consequently, those bastards likely feel a total absence of moral guilt or conscience. 」

「 Is that so……? Our own homeland was entirely untainted by the sins of foreign conquest. What's more, our own Archduke treats even the enemy soldiers he traded blows with just moments prior with the utmost dignity and respect. Even if their military traditions differ, this is an utterly infuriating, unpardonable atrocity! 」

「 How do you wish to respond, My Lord? 」

「 We have no choice! Dispatch fast-riding messengers to Commander Gail, who was slated to join our pincer movement, and to Marquis Solis, who is deploying across the western sector! Tell them: 『 The Third Army shall strictly commit to a defensive containment for the time being to halt the Lute Kingdom Army's advance. We shall link up with Marquis Solis's forces to utterly smash the Cain Kingdom Army in the center, after which we shall immediately pivot and strike the Lute Kingdom Army relentlessly from their rear! 』 」

「 Understood, Sire! Then…… 」

「 We begin our redeployment this instant! We shall execute a counter-clockwise flank, slipping past the western wing of the Lute Kingdom Army. 」

「 Understood! I shall arrange it at once. But Sire…… won't this essentially allow the Lute Kingdom Army to advance into our territory completely unchecked in the meantime? 」

「 This is a race against time! Those bastards are advancing at a snail's pace, entirely consumed by the ecstasy of plundering every village along their path. We shall use that exact window of distraction to utterly shatter the enemy's center. For safety, send swift heralds to every town and village lying along their projected path of advance—ensure their total, absolute evacuation is rigorously enforced! 」

「 Understood, My Lord! 」

※

Yet…… across the adjacent sector, the forces under Marquis Solis, who had just received the urgent dispatch from Marquis Gorman, were staring down the exact same horrific reality. The Cain Kingdom Army, which was pushing northward just slightly behind the Lute Kingdom's wing, had adopted a remarkably identical, sickening measure.

「 My Lord, our situation is entirely identical! The Cain Kingdom Army has lined up a massive convoy of supply wagons at the absolute front of their vanguard, and upon those wagons, they have erected wooden crucifixes, binding the civilian captives directly to them! They are showing absolutely no mercy, not even to the women and children……! 」

The scout reported with a deeply contorted face, his voice thick with unvarnished disgust.

「 Shameless, wretched cowards! To go so far as to crucify defenseless women and children just to wage war?! 」

Marquis Solis stamped his foot against the earth, shaking with pure, unbridled fury. After a brief, intense moment of tactical calculation, he opened his mouth once more.

「 Even so…… the territory they are currently invading is supposed to be the Mandated Territory governed by Count Astray. Setting aside the lands of our enemies (the First Prince's faction), why on earth were there still civilians left behind in these villages? 」

「 Report, Sire…… while it is merely a deduction, two distinct possibilities exist. The enemy has been advancing strictly along the outer perimeter of Count Astray’s domain, but this is all Empire soil. There are no physical borders or lines drawn across the earth. 」

「 So either through a slight navigational blunder or deliberate malice, they have actively raided the towns and villages belonging to the First Prince's own loyalist nobles…… that is highly plausible. 」

「 Indeed, Sire. However, the second possibility poses a profoundly severe crisis if true. A strict evacuation order was issued to every single domain under our alliance long ago. Yet, as the days passed by without immediate combat, the tension likely dissolved, prompting the farmers to slip back to check on the condition of their agricultural fields. Is that not likely? 」

「 A valid point…… 」 Marquis Solis grimaced. 「 At least ten days have passed by since the initial warning. The farmers must have been absolutely sick with worry over their crops. 」

「 How shall we counter this, My Lord? 」

「 Those shameless, dishonorable cowards must be subjected to a retribution that perfectly matches the gravity of their crimes. You are entirely certain the civilians have been displayed at the absolute front of their vanguard? 」

「 Yes, Sire! There is absolutely no mistake. 」

「 Then I shall personally select and command an elite vanguard of two thousand cavalry. Acting Commander Kira of the mercenary group shall take command of the remaining forces; take the infantry and move out ahead of us to lay a hidden ambush at the coordinate I designate. Run our couriers to the First Army, the Third Army, and the main central unit—relay our tactical adjustments to every corner of the battlefield at once! 」

Under Marquis Solis’s fierce command, his division began to shift, executing a bold, high-risk tactical maneuver.

※

Meanwhile, on the absolute far left wing of the frontier, Viscount Durul’s division found itself in a completely contrasting reality. The ten-thousand-strong Ville Kingdom Army deployed before his eyes had abruptly halted after pushing only a short distance northward. They had initially assumed a solid Square Formation to maintain a 360-degree defensive readiness against any angle of approach. However, the moment they confirmed the physical presence of the enemy army, they executed a flawless, instantaneous shift in their deployment.

「 They have beautifully abandoned the Square Formation, shifting into a lethal Crescent Moon Formation specifically tailored to mirror our approach…… It seems they were thoroughly prepared to counter any tactical angle from the very beginning. Those men are no greenhorn amateurs. Maintain absolute vigilance! 」

A veteran intuition forged through surviving countless bloody battlefields blared an intense warning inside Viscount Durul’s chest. This specific army was fundamentally different from the others; in all likelihood, the commander steering them was a battle-hardened legend. One look at their seamless, disciplined shift in formation and their profound aura of caution made it impossible to conclude otherwise.

「 They executed a flawless, perfectly synchronized tactical transition…… Tell me, have they deployed civilian shields at the front of their ranks like the reports from the other divisions indicated? 」

「 Report! No such activity has been observed within their ranks, Sire! 」

「 I see. To think our division would end up trading blows with the single most formidable opponent on this entire front…… Truly, this is the highest possible honor for a warrior! Unleash the couriers lent to us by Lord Alexis! 」

The eight thousand soldiers under Viscount Durul’s command steeled their souls with a grim, extraordinary resolve as they prepared to clash with the enemy unit. Tasked with holding the absolute westernmost line, they were granted zero luxury for failure, and pulling back was an absolute impossibility. For if their defensive wall were to shatter, the First, Second, and Third Armies would instantly find themselves semi-encircled, plunging the entire northern campaign into catastrophic ruin.

The battle that held the very life and death of both units was about to begin.

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