Chapter 138

Chapter 138: Reason for Pride

Chapter 138. Bragging Rights

The Crown Prince, Alexander Arken, was in a fit of rage.
The reporting deputy commander stuttered and responded once more.
— I-it is true. The order of knights attempted to break their momentum by attacking their flank, but ended up isolated instead…
— B-but what…?
How could they have been defeated so stupidly?
No matter how much Alexander thought about it, he could not understand it.
The staff officers who heard those words murmured like this:
— Tactics that even worked against the fiercest barbarian warriors of the North were crushed hopelessly…
— It should have been an operation with at least a 90% chance of victory…
Staff officers giving the impression that it was not their fault.
Alexander spoke with an irritated face.
— Enemy casualties?
— Estimated at 3,000. And even of those, 2,500 are Melted Ones.
— Even so, it’s a result, right? Isn’t it?
— …
— Why aren’t you speaking?! Stop hesitating and answer!
— I-it’s just that… the Melted Ones are practically just chunks of meat. The main combat strength is the beast-type monsters, and…
Killing things that are just chunks of meat is useless. The most important ones are the beast-shaped monsters, yet 80,000 are sacrificed while only 500 of them die.
It was enough to drive him mad.
80,000 in total, including non-combatants. They sent an entire legion, and all of them swung at empty air, does that make sense?
It was a tactic discussed by the brightest minds of the Empire gathered in the depths of the capital, an outcome approved by every department.
But this result occurred because they simply incorporated the monster race into the operations as slightly stronger monsters.
Above all, they sent more than 4 times the number, 2.5 times in pure troops, so they naturally thought it would be an overwhelming victory.
Alexander ground his teeth and said to the deputy commander:
— Send reinforcements! Push with numbers! Have the 2nd and 3rd Corps reestablish anti-monster tactics, and send reinforcements, I said!
— As you command, we must prepare reinforcements, but…
At the lukewarm response, Alexander lost his temper.
He threw the chess piece he held in his hand at the deputy commander’s head.
— What is the problem?! Huh?! There are 30 million in the Imperial Capital, can’t you fill the numbers?
— I-it’s that… all the commanders to be sent as reinforcements are… bedridden.
He was left speechless.
— All the commanders are bedridden?! Does that make sense?!
— Upon hearing the news of the annihilation, they contacted us first… Everyone is recuperating at home. It appears to be a contagious disease, so entry to their homes is currently prohibited…
Were they laughing healthily just this morning and suddenly contracted a contagious disease?
It is obvious.
They heard the news that not even 80,000 worked, and hid in their homes.
Because they don’t want to die.
80,000 died, would they have any brilliant plan?
They are washing their hands of it.
— T-these… these…
What incompetent bastards!
Did they act so brave and brag, but when actually needed, they pull this crap?
His face turned red and blue, but he suppressed his anger as much as possible.
Losing his temper would only be his defeat at this moment.
He thought that, but the situation unfolded cruelly for Alexander.
— News has arrived from the Far East unit.
— What are they doing there?
— They report having eliminated 6 colossal monsters that spawn monsters.
Six at once?
Alexander wore a blank expression, but the messenger continued excitedly without reading the room.
— They fought less than expected, so they are dividing forces again to pursue the monsters spreading toward the small village.
— Pursuit as well…?
— And they ask us to transmit that they will eliminate the remaining 6 within three days.
— In three days??
An impossible situation.
While the elite legions were in dire straits, an improvised army was performing feats; it was a story Alexander could not accept.
— T-there, how many casualties?
Alexander calculated internally.
Approximately 2,000 soldiers moved, faced hundreds of monsters, so at least 50%, 1,000, should have died.
If not, 20%, 400, would have died.
The messenger replied:
— 50.
But the prediction failed spectacularly.
He wondered if they had omitted a unit of a hundred or a thousand, but it wasn’t that either.
— 50? Only 50?
— Casualties are 50, of which only 10 are dead. Overall, they are fine. And…
Crash!
He could not continue.
Alexander threw a crystal glass and shattered it against the messenger’s head.
— Get that damn bastard out of here!
Capturing the colossal monsters meant cutting off the supply of monsters.
However, it was news even more infuriating than the death of 80,000.
— If this continues… if this continues…
Everything becomes Alexander’s responsibility.
Not just responsibility, public opinion will boil over calling him incompetent.
That was the problem.
Failure is possible, but incompetence is not permitted.
For Alexander, already branded as an incompetent Crown Prince, it was the worst situation.
Alexander tried to squeeze out every bit of wisdom he did not possess.
Legion: crushing defeat.
Other army commanders who should send help: all washing their hands of it.
Then this operation falls upon the Second Prince.
Ureas, already colluding with mercenaries and gathering his own army, gains justification for his succession right.
The moment the incident ends and the reckoning begins, his imperial life will also end.
“Olivia.”
My damn sister, more beautiful than anyone.
You are trying to ruin me again like this.
“The Empire…”
Alexander clenched his fist tightly.
Nails dug into his palm, bright red blood dripping drop by drop.
Whatever the cost,
However it turns out,
“The Empire must be mine!”
That is why Alexander rose from his seat and stood up.
If only he could resolve this crisis, he was ready to sell his soul to a demon as well.
— Y-Your Highness the Crown Prince, where are you going?
Leaving behind the voices of those stunned staff officers, Alexander kept walking.
Thus, Alexander stood before a splendid door in the deepest part of the Imperial Palace.
That door had not opened even once in 15 years.
As if a demon were sealed inside.
Yet what is inside is not a demon.
Something even more imposing than a demon, an existence that not even the Crown Prince’s status can handle.
Everyone takes him lightly, but he is not light at all.
Alexander, who knew this to the core more than anyone, approached with utmost caution and knocked on the door.
— Father.
The only one he could call Father was the Emperor, Godfrey Arken.
No answer came from beyond the door.
— It is me. Your son, Alexander.
He bowed his head subserviently and continued:
— Monsters are approaching. I sent an army, but they report the army was annihilated and that they are heading toward the Empire.
— …
— And right now, no one will listen to me. If this continues, Ureas and Olivia will take everything.
— …
At the returning silence, Alexander choked up.
— Didn’t Father always say? That Olivia is Father’s best card. She is moving on her own now.
— …
— Surely she aims to seize political circles as Father said. Will you let that bastard have her way as she pleases?
He appealed over and over, but at the returning silence, Alexander finally lost his mind.
— After that, you call yourself a father?!
He erupted and screamed at the top of his lungs.
— You never had an interest in me since my birth! You are old; when your son came of age you should have quietly yielded the throne, but you have plotted to cling to it for decades?!
— …
— My rebellion against you is ancient history now! Isn’t tormenting me this much sufficient punishment for that crime?! How much more do you have to ruin your son to feel satisfied?! You won’t live forever! You rotten damn…!
Before he could even think of shouting more, a note appeared from beneath the door.
A document with writing as brief as the area of the paper.
Alexander saw the contents of the paper and trembled.
Inside, he murmured:
“As expected, choosing this damn bastard was the right answer.”
The world prattles on about incompetence or whatever, but he is a human who shines when it matters.
Alexander grabbed the paper and ran.
The Crown Prince didn’t even give thanks for that wisdom, and the bedroom door of Emperor Godfrey Arken remained firmly closed.
Around dawn, Ferda led the soldiers and set out.
The main operation consisted of splitting into two battalions, dispersing, and preemptively entering the advance paths of the monsters to fight defensive battles.
Hooves drummed the ground like a drum.
They would barely reach the first point if the horses did not stop moving.
As a result of spurring them on, the first point came into view.
The farmers who had come out early to check on their fields wore bewildered faces.
Seeing the attire of Ferda’s group, they realized they were high-ranking people, took off their straw hats, and approached.
— You seem like an important person, but what business brings you around here…?
— Has anything happened here?
— If you mean whether something has happened, there’s nothing in particular…?
It seems we arrived ahead of schedule.
— Monster! Monsters are swarming!
Correction, we arrived just in time.
Ferda ordered with amplification magic:
— All forces! Battle formation!
Clac, clac!
The sound of armor moving in perfect synchronization resonates in the chest.
Grrr, grrr!
The startled farmer and the wolves lunging toward him.
The wolf monsters had spotted him a while ago and were chasing him.
The speed of an ordinary farmer cannot surpass that of a wolf.
Casualties occur even before they enter the battle formation created by Ferda’s battalion.
— Ruri.
At the call of that name, Ruri’s figure vanished.
She had leaped high into the sky.
Then she swung a massive axe with both hands, brandished it above her head,
— Hup!
And threw it straight downward.
Boom!
— Aaack!
The farmer fell forward from the vibration of the ground.
He looked back wondering what had happened.
The area was completely upturned, and in the center lay a monster corpse bleeding purple.
A small figure descends upon the axe embedded in the ground.
She lifts that heavy axe as if it were nothing and looks sideways at the farmer.
When those strange silver eyes meet his, a chill runs down his spine.
— Run quickly. Human.
— Y-yes, sir!
The farmer ran again.
The wolf monsters cannot move rashly.
Those creatures without the emotion of fear felt for the first time that they were before a superior.
If she swings that axe, they are existences that would be fleetingly mowed down like wheat fields in autumn.
Yet Ruri turned her feet and returned.
The wolves did not comprehend Ruri’s action.
But such reasoning lasted only a moment; soon they returned to their nature.
— Grrr! Grrr!
The wolves charged at the knights forming the battle formation, leading to close combat.
— Hold on! Brothers! We are behind you!
— Don’t just stay behind, help a bit!
Knights holding firm safely while shouting in anger.
The only one performing the role of a mage was Ferda.
Yet that alone was enough.
He utilized the three 3rd Circle mages he brought along as mana tanks, receiving mana discharges from them.
Ferda aimed at the moment the wolves tried to attack, restrained their movements, and created openings.
Just that, but just that was sufficient support.
They drove swords into the chest of each wolf monster and annihilated them.
In the end, without relying on the role of a mage, the knights alone managed to repel all the monsters.
— Waaaaah!
— We won!
They slam their plate armor and roar victory cheers.
Ferda’s 1st Pursuit Battalion numbered 108.
Five young masters (yeong-sik) and their subordinates, along with the forces of the young ladies (yeong-ae), moved together.
The 2nd Battalion was organized with 250, showing an overwhelming numerical difference of 142.
Only the numbers seemed surprisingly unbalanced, but the 1st Battalion had no complaints.
They knew Ruri’s true worth.
In a maid uniform, just a petite figure—she looked like an ordinary girl—yet seeing her carry an axe much wider than the area of her body on her shoulder, there was nothing more reassuring.
Even though she had retreated to the rear during danger, morale did not drop.
Because Ferda’s command and support were timely and appropriate, and thanks to that, they managed to repel the monsters without a single casualty.
The young masters who had fought on the battlefield strutted with triumphant faces.
— I don’t understand how the Imperial Army was wiped out.
— Right? They’re this easy.
— Of course, without Regent Ferda’s command and support, it would have been impossible!
In reality, it was impossible.
Making the monsters hesitate with little mana like Ferda to open gaps is not a technique ordinary people can perform.
“I have fought alone trying to capture them alive several times.”
He had learned what weaknesses they showed, and that acquired knowledge remained unalterable across time.
Regardless, he had protected the village without relying on a dragon hatchling.
That was the important point.
The villagers of the small village, who had come close to becoming monster food if they had arrived a bit late, clasped their hands and prayed.
— Oh, my, thank you, Sir Knight!
— May I dare ask your name?
— Haha, of course! This body is Dmitri Nazarov, who will become the heir of the Count Nazarov family!
Young masters spreading their names at this very moment.
Even in a small village, once a name spreads, it helps enormously with advancement.
Ruri looks at them with a pathetic gaze and asks.
— Ferda-nim, aren’t you going to show off your name among those foolish things?
— Is there a need?
— If you aren’t even going to do that, why did you take on this dirty work?
Ruri asked grumbling.
— I need bragging rights.
— Bragging rights, you say?
Ferda had thought this when he said they would have to divide into two again.
That sacrificing small villages was natural.
Like the other young masters—no, he would have been even less interested in the sacrifice than they were.
Yet inside him, the figure of Valdrova came naturally to mind.
Would she calculate gains and losses in this situation?
Even if she were misunderstood as an evil dragon, protecting everyone—that was her reason for living, loving everyone in spite of everything.
That is why Ferda responded like this.
— She would never just stand by.
Ferda came here to do what Valdrova could not.
That is why Ferda couldn’t simply let it pass either.
At least when speaking with her again, he wanted to give her news, even if only slightly good.
That he had saved many people with his own hands.
He wanted to receive that emotion of pure joy as a gift.
Such a pure desire moved Ferda.
— So all of this was because you wanted to create bragging rights for Master.
— Yes.
— That is dog-like.
Ferda turned his head toward Ruri.
— Suddenly swearing?
— You always tell me I’m like a dog, like a dog-pig, you say it’s not an insult, but when I do it, it’s an insult?
— I usually didn’t think of you that way, did I?
— I think of Ferda-nim as a masochist, so can I call you a masochistic pervert?
— That is a no.
— Why not for me?
It wasn’t true, just a simple slander, and there was an even simpler reason.
— I am the fiancé, and you are the attendant.
— ……Can I poke the spot where Master’s horn pierced once more?
Veins popping on her face, a fierce expression.
Those slender fingers pointed at Ferda’s chest.
It was then that.
— An unexpected situation has occurred.
One of the messenger soldiers serving as a mana tank spoke urgently.
— What is happening?
— The speed of the spreading monsters has changed. They are moving to the third point at full speed.
Ferda’s next destination was where Helus Povidas was.
He would have to break through there and pass, and considering the speed of the horses, by the time they arrived, it would already be too late.
In moments like this, there is nothing to do but make the best decision.
— We will have to adjust the point and save the village behind it.
Abandon what cannot be saved.
Cold, but inevitable.
The world cannot be perfect in everything.
— That will not be necessary.
The one who interrupted was Ruri.
Ruri slung the axe onto her shoulder and said.
— I will go there.
— You?
— I am the only one who can reach there immediately, and I can handle it alone without issue, so there is no problem.
If Ruri intervenes, the operation proceeds smoothly again.
— Thank you.
— No need for thanks. This is for me.
— For you?
— Ferda-nim wanted to brag to Master, didn’t you?
Ruri snorted.
— I will also brag a little in front of Master.
Although she said that, for Ruri it was actually an unnecessary task.
This was for Ferda.
A consideration so that the story he would tell wouldn’t include having had to abandon a small village.
He was grateful for her consideration.
— Return safely.
— Take care of Ferda-nim’s body. If you get a single scratch, I will scrub you raw.
He didn’t understand how getting a scratch led to scrubbing, but it didn’t matter.
Because that meant Ruri also just wanted Ferda to be safe.
Ruri spread her hidden wings.
And with a single flap, her figure turned into a comet and flew away.
— Wooow…….!
— That is the Silver Dragon Hatchling……!
Since Ruri had never shown horns or a tail, the battalion members stared blankly at the path she had taken, their spirits dazed.
There was not a moment to lose. Ferda shouted, looking at them.
— We move as well!
Over a hundred horses raced across the plains once more.
Thanks to galloping for about 2 hours, they approached before the monsters entered.
Yet inside, an unexpected existence awaited to welcome them.