Chapter 157
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: For You and Me
"The Kingdom Alliance's wyverns are moving toward the border between Habis Kingdom and our territory?"
"That's correct. They departed from Gets Duchy. Based on the intelligence we've gathered, they should be crossing the Habis Kingdom border by now."
Seikre, the dark information broker left behind by the Black Fox.
The scrawny man with a gaunt, hardened face, clad in a gray robe, impassively gazed at the note in his hand as he informed me—not quite a report, but close enough.
"Not only that, but Emperor Poltviran of the Bazran Empire has personally issued a summons for 200 Imperial Guard Sky Knights, 800 imperial regular wing units, and the territory Sky Knights. They should assemble at our territory's border or the Rual Mountains in about a fortnight."
'Hell, this guy's really going all out.'
Poltviran, whom I'd thought I'd eventually give a good kick in the head to someday.
Before I could make the first move, he'd beaten me to the punch.
'A total of 1,600 wyverns. Damn...'
Even for me, that was way too many.
It wasn't like we were playing some game where he could spam boss-level monsters. Poltviran was unleashing an insane swarm tactic.
The sheer number of imperial wyverns, over a thousand strong, left me stunned.
The official Sky Knights in the territory right now numbered only 200.
Even with 400 wyverns, Sky Knights weren't something you could mass-produce like cannon fodder.
Even those who could handle mana needed at least a few months to master basic flight and sync with their wyverns.
"Not just wyverns, either. 5,000 regular knights from the Bazran Empire's knight orders, mounted cavalry, are also assembling in Habis Kingdom. And mages from the Magic Tower are providing support."
The info broker delivered the news in a calm voice, like he wasn't breaking any bad tidings.
'5,000 regular knights plus mages...'
Not just any cavalry—these were regular knights.
5,000 knights who could wield mana, backed by Magic Tower mages.
Nearly half of the Bazran Empire's forces were barreling down on my little territory.
'This is insane.'
After the Rabiter Empire backed off, now this guy was picking a fight with me.
Part of me wanted to capture and kill every single one that came, but that wasn't feasible.
Now that my tactics had leaked to some extent, they'd be prepared.
'What am I, the Eagle Five Brothers? How am I supposed to defend Neruman?'
I'd just settled into my spacious, ornate new office for a fresh start, and one piece of news shook me.
'What grudge do you have against me?'
I turned my head to gaze at the sky outside the window.
Just when life was getting bearable and I could breathe easy, waves of turmoil crashed in one after another.
It was clear I'd be losing sleep for a while.
"Thanks for the intel."
"Not at all. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help. If that's all..."
Seikre spat out perfunctory words, bowing his head as he moved to leave.
"Oh, there's one more thing I should mention."
".....?"
He turned back midway and added another word.
"The Kingdom Alliance's Sky Knights aren't thrilled about this war."
It was obvious.
No one affiliated with a kingdom would relish becoming the empire's sword fodder.
Creak.
Leaving those words behind, Seikre quietly vanished outside.
"M-my liege..."
Derbal, who had been listening silently, called out to me in a trembling voice.
Even he knew that no matter how much of a turnaround genius I was, this situation wouldn't resolve easily.
"What?"
Despite my heavy heart, I answered Derbal's call briskly.
"What should we do? 1,600 wyverns... That's an enormous force not mobilized for war in decades."
Derbal asked his liege for a plan.
"Haha, don't worry. If I were scared of a bunch of birdbrains with numbers, I wouldn't have survived this long. Trust me. Who am I? Your brave liege, right?"
No need to show weakness in front of Derbal.
"L-liege..."
Derbal called out quietly, knowing the source of my bravado.
"Hoh! The spring wheat harvest has already begun. The yield looks decent."
I turned to look at the documents Derbal had brought.
'How can I screw that bastard over so the whole continent hears about it? Might as well give him a tour of hell this time.'
My eyes scanned the reports, but my mind raced.
Neruman was barely enough for me to sustain alone.
And this conscienceless pig was baring his teeth at it.
I'd give him a taste of real spice.
On the honor of my name and the Kang family.
"This is Habis Kingdom territory! Even if it's an imperial order, this is..."
A Habis Kingdom Sky Knight trailed off, unable to finish.
Habis Kingdom had been on edge since hearing that Kingdom Alliance Sky Knights were gathering in Gets Duchy.
Without any proper notice, they'd crossed the border, so a group of Habis Sky Knights had pursued them to their camp.
"What's your rank?"
"I'm Baron Rumhar of the Habis Western Legion."
The knights from the three kingdoms were already swallowing their humiliation to join under the Bazran Emperor's orders—no need to make it worse.
They knew it themselves.
Invading another kingdom without notice was no way for knights to act.
"I'm Duke Hardaim of Kerper."
"Gasp!"
The Habis knights, who had come to protest the injustice, froze in shock at the words of the sturdy 50-year-old with striking red beard.
Even Habis knights knew the fearsome reputation of the "Red Dragon of the Battlefield."
"As you know, we don't want this any more than you do. Bear with us. Once this is over, I'll personally visit His Majesty the King to beg forgiveness."
When the renowned Duke Hardaim spoke with genuine apology, the Habis knights flushed red.
Did they not understand the situation?
But Habis had been reborn as a kingdom of hot-blooded loyal knights after purging corrupt nobles.
They knew, yet couldn't stomach the injustice and had come to challenge it independently.
"We'll report your words to the royal family."
"Thank you. We won't cause trouble while crossing your territory, so rest easy. We'll pay fair compensation for wyvern fodder too."
"Understood."
With that, there was nothing left to argue.
Baron Rumhar and the five Habis Sky Knights turned away with bitter expressions, mounting their own wyverns.
They circled the Habis plains occupied by the guests once before heading back to their legion.
"Did you really have to say that? That mere baron dares..."
The Kingdom Alliance forces were already on edge.
Marquis Cherban of Andain Kingdom snapped irritably.
Had Hardaim not stepped in, blood might have been spilled.
They called it an alliance, but they knew most were wounded pride hounds.
No one had any room for leisure.
"In the end, neither they nor we have done anything wrong. What can be solved with words doesn't need blood."
Duke Hardaim replied gravely to Marquis Cherban's words.
He glanced at the Sky Knights sprawled on his plains, squires absent, gnawing on jerky.
The listless figures of those dragged into a baseless war.
Even the kingdom's top elites, the Sky Knights, resented this conflict.
'Kayer, don't disappoint me.'
They'd reach the Habis-Neruman border by tomorrow morning.
And Hardaim intended to meet Neruman's lord.
The man who had massacred 500 Rabiter Empire Sky Knights just recently.
He hoped he'd gladly take the hand extended.
No, he had no choice.
Word was, over 1,500 wyverns were joining the assault.
An overwhelming force even an 8th Circle archmage couldn't stop.
Only one option remained.
To join forces.
'Haa, what a headache.'
I'd ridden Bebeto to the Neruman-Habis Kingdom border.
Before arriving, a message from Roshiate of Habis Kingdom had arrived via Lumikar.
The Kingdom Alliance forces under the empire had crossed the kingdom border without notice.
A short note apologizing for her powerlessness.
Brief, but I felt her helpless heart.
Even if Habis had full strength, they couldn't withstand the empires' pressure.
"Fighting at the border risks scattered enemy attacks, but defending deeper in means massive damage..."
The provisional fortress at the border.
The rough earthen walls were still incomplete.
I flew over the fortress, lost in thought.
'Asking the Temir tribe for help would endanger them too, and contacting the pirates would just waste time waiting...'
I hated relying on others, but this was a real crisis.
Poltviran wasn't mad; he was properly educated as emperor.
He wouldn't charge blindly.
Unless his head was just for show, he'd know my reputation across the continent.
"Asking the elves is weird too..."
I'd escaped Denfos in frustration, but no easy answers came.
If they'd assembled wyverns and knights at the border, joint operations were certain.
Using the Neruman highway, knights and wyverns would reach Denfos in two days.
"What the hell are the ghosts doing? Not snatching that clever bastard."
I blamed the innocent ghosts and turned Bebeto's reins.
Neruman's people, constantly in peril thanks to their unlucky lord.
Even on the way here, spotting me and Bebeto, they dropped their work to kowtow in utmost respect.
Their faces were vivid in my mind.
"There must be a way."
This was surely the last hurdle for a while.
Rabiter Emperor was preparing something like total mobilization against Neruman, but he wouldn't attack easily.
Troops beyond Bets Mountains were too far, and bordering kingdoms numerous.
They wouldn't blunder in unprepared like last time.
"Bebeto, why do we always get this? Just when life's good, daily bloodbaths... Your fate or mine, tsk tsk."
Left alone, they'd have no reason to bother us, but these pig-like fools were itching for it.
They wanted to see it through over pride.
"Stand up after seven falls, Lilili croak croak Lilili..."
I hummed the theme from that frog cartoon, Frog with Goggles.
If a frog lived with such indomitable spirit, what couldn't a human body do?
I steeled my resolve and gripped the reins.
Neruman's plains stretched flawless in every direction.
This guy and I would share life and death.
Neruman.
It was the home of my heart, where I'd put down roots.
"Kekeke..."
Ssssssssss.
A massive underground chamber thick with the stench of blood.
A sinister chuckle slithered through the stagnant air.
"Now my power is fully restored. I've perfectly regained my lost 8th Circle mana power. Kekekekeke."
For this moment, the Destruction Black Magic Swordsman had parasitized a human body.
Chased from Haildrian, hiding on the continent for 200 years.
Even as an 8th Circle black magic swordsman, he'd endured vicious attacks, sacrificing life force for a soul sacrifice spell.
With his last strength, he'd teleported to coordinates in the Bets Mountains.
Hiding in the abandoned dragon lair where he'd once trained black magic, he'd sought a human to infect with his soul.
A parasitic black magic swordsman with barely enough spirit or magic to kill a monster, clinging to a tempting grimoire.
Decades passed, and one human entered.
He'd corrupted that greed-ridden soul, and just recently, expelled the last remnants to claim the body fully.
"Good... Perfect."
Even better was the host's position.
Surprisingly, not a commoner.
Not even a noble.
He was a prince who could sway the deafeningly mighty great empire.
Through that perfectly seized body, he'd fully reconstructed his 8th Circle mana.
Not his old body, so he'd unleashed grand black magic to steal knights' mana, forging a vessel for 8th Circle power.
"Hehehe. Now all will kneel before me! Kaliyan, I'll turn all that land into my dark world. Kahahahahahahaha!"
A venomous blood-red madness echoed in the darkness.
Flash flash.
Glowing blue eyes lit the chamber in response to the laughter.
Other souls stolen by the black magic swordsman.
Cursed into Death Knights, filling the cave.
Once proud knights loyal to the empire, now death erased all memory...
"I'm Kaiyer, lord of Neruman."
"I'm Duke Hardaim of Kerper Kingdom."
Late at night.
One man had come.
While installing additional large ballistae and defensive/offensive magic circles in Neruman Citadel to prepare for Bazran Empire invasion.
He called himself Duke Hardaim of Kerper Kingdom.
'Worthy of the Red Dragon moniker.'
I knew him well.
During my time at the Imperial Knight Academy, many trainees idolized Kerper's fierce general.
Over 50, yet his 2-meter frame, red beard, and red hair made him look far younger.
'His eyes are alive.'
Especially those large eyes of Duke Hardaim—brimming with vitality.
A fierce flame of will, unbowed by imperial orders, danced within.
"It's regrettable to meet the Battlefield's Red Dragon under these circumstances."
My rank was lower, but this was enemy territory.
No need for stiff courtesy.
"Sometimes life throws this at you. Even if I don't want to, for the kingdom's safety and a knight's honor, I must draw my unwilling sword."
I couldn't read his intent, but no hostility showed.
"I've not lived long, but I agree on that point."
"Haha... Thanks for understanding."
A sudden emergency communique from Gadein Citadel.
I had to leave the border and return to Denfos to face the enemy, but patrols weren't neglected.
Still, spotting a lone visitor like this was tough.
'He came to me himself, so his goal involves me.'
Not scouting intel, but boldly coming to Gadein Citadel demanding me—Duke Hardaim.
I sat on the office sofa, glancing around.
"Dwarves and elves helping out—it's true. Building a citadel like this in so short a time... I'm truly envious of your abilities."
Who wouldn't marvel at Neruman Citadel?
Especially one built not over decades, but mere months.
"It's embarrassing."
"Hahaha. If you're embarrassed, what about an old codger like me? The lord of Neruman whose name echoes across the continent."
Other high nobles would bristle at my casual speech, but Hardaim laughed heartily like he owned the place, showing no sign.
No ordinary man.
"But what brings you here so late at night..."
I stared at Hardaim and asked his purpose.
Those assembled in Habis could clash in hours if they wished.
Curious why this high enemy noble came.
"I've come to make a deal with you."
'A deal?'
The word didn't click immediately.
A deal from someone I'd never met.
In a situation where facing as enemies was natural, it didn't fit.
"What do you mean by that?"
It didn't crystallize, but "deal" carried massive weight.
"First, I want to ask something."
The duke paused.
"What's your dream?"
Out of nowhere, my dream.
'Did this guy get shocked awake? Suddenly on about dreams.'
"Eat well, live well."
No need to dress it up.
No grand talk of continent's peace or justice.
If my family and I couldn't eat and live well, how could I dream bigger?
"Is that true?"
"It's sincere."
"Puhahahahahahahaha!"
At "sincere," Hardaim burst into belly laughs, forgetting decorum.
'Who’s the host here?'
I'd just finished drawing magic circles, so I was drained.
Even magic masters consumed massive mental energy on high-focus arrays.
"S-sorry... I didn't expect the man who makes empires tremble to have such a modest dream. Kekeke."
Was my dream of eating and living well that funny?
Born human, what better dream than that?
Only with a full belly and wealth could one scheme for the world.
People didn't get it.
Better to embrace reality, give your best, than chase mismatched grand ambitions.
"And your dream, Duke?"
I asked the duke, old enough to be my father.
Age didn't make adults.
Those living true lives, safeguarding body and family.
They were true adults.
That's why I asked his dream.
To see if he qualified to ask mine.
"Sweeping them away."
An even more absurd answer.
"Sweeping away all who oppress me, my respected kingdom, and His Majesty the King. That's my dream."
'A true knight.'
His knightly duty etched into his bones.
"Shall we try?"
Out of the blue.
But I grasped the implication.
"Possible?"
My tone shifted.
No longer foe, but guest.
And worthy of adult respect.
"If your dream is that, I'll deal with you."
"If your dream holds no more than that, I'll join hands."
The duke wanted to vent imperial grudges through his sword.
If he craved more, it could poison us.
I couldn't act now, but among my guests were Bazran's imperial heirs, princess and prince.
"Some price must be paid."
"That's not for me to meddle in."
The duke knew.
Imperial exiles bound to preserve Bazran lands were in my territory.
From "price," he guessed they had no intent to keep it intact.
"The immediate issue is smashing that mad emperor. I desperately need your help. No, prove it. I failed to convince other kingdoms. They're terrified of ending like Krantz Kingdom. Rather than live like dogs, they can't steel themselves for honorable death."
"How do I prove it?"
My ears perked.
1,600 vs. 1,000 was huge.
If enemies became allies, numbers evened.
"Attack the emperor."
'Huh?'
I'd love to, but near impossible.
How to know his flight path?
"Word is the hot-tempered emperor led the imperial guard Sky Knights and territory Sky Knights ahead. Destination: west Rual Mountains, perfect for striking Neruman. Once he arrives, orders via Lumikar for simultaneous attack. Crossing Habis border or Rual Mountains—same time to Denfos. Trailing: 5,000 regular knights and mages. Including 100 5th Circle+ Sky Knights from Magic Tower."
'Hell... 100 of them.'
Specifics drew a groan.
100 5th Circle+ Sky Knights.
No magic tricks against them.
"Not exact numbers, but wyverns around 800. Crush them for me. We'll handle the rest."
"Hmm..."
No easy task.
If this was a plot, I'd hand my territory to the enemy.
But couldn't refuse.
This could win without Denfos damage.
"If the emperor flees with tail tucked, each kingdom declares war on the empire. They hesitate now, but fear a lion without fangs?"
Easy yet hard.
Decision time.
Emperor arriving in days.
Needed firm answer now.
'Alright, life’s all or nothing.'
No choice.
I trusted my eyes.
My heart said those blazing eyes held no lies.
"Fine. I accept the deal."
"Haha, knew you would."
Hardaim boomed laughter, offering handshake.
I extended mine.
Crunch.
Grip tightened.
Felt the burning will of the man.
'Poltviran, wait. I'll smash that foul mouth for sure.'
God-given chance.
No way I'd miss it.
'Dangerous man.'
The hot aura from Neruman's lord via handshake.
Rumors true: Blade Master, high-circle magic swordsman mana.
'So young, yet such firm will... A tough foe if enemy.'
More than skill, those black eyes housed iron will.
Young, yet mountain-solid resolve, with unshakable dream.
'I'll trust you. For you and me...'
Last chance.
After conquering Neruman, arrogant emperor targets kingdom heart next.
Must behead mad emperor first.
For royalty and kingdom.