Chapter 158
Chapter 158
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: Finally, I Have Returned (3)
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The knights, their spirits reignited, raised their sword lights high and joined in singing the war song.
Rooooooo!
A horn blast echoed from somewhere.
Rooooooo!
What started as a single trumpet call swelled into dozens in an instant.
At that exhilarating sound of horns, Winter Castle, frozen in fear, awoke.
The rangers began singing Winter Castle's military anthem.
Creak, creak.
The cannons lifted their muzzles in unison.
Grrrrraaaaaaw!
The presence beyond the mountains roared once more.
But no one wavered any longer.
The surging morale stood firm like the castle walls, and the monster's roar could not breach them.
Arwen exhaled a thrilled breath, her face flushed red.
She could feel the change in the soldiers on her skin.
Her heart pounded at the prince's presence that blanketed the entire castle.
Suppressing the endless welling of heat and elation, she turned her body.
She tilted the tip of her raised sword and brought her legs close together.
Step, step.
The knights turned their backs to the snowfield and stood. Then, following her lead, they tilted their sword tips and closed their legs.
"Endless respects to His Highness the Prince, who has finally returned!"
At the thunderous greeting of the knights, the veteran rangers blew their horns with glee.
Just one man had returned, yet so much had changed.
The fear of the monsters swarming the snowfield, the dread of the unidentified beast lurking deep in the mountains—none of it remained.
The entire castle brimmed with vitality once more and began to stir.
"We welcome your return! Your Highness!"
The Lord of Winter Castle greeted the prince's return with a face overflowing with emotion.
To the respects pouring in from thousands of soldiers and knights,
Nod.
The 1st Prince nodded arrogantly.
There was not a shred of hesitation in his demeanor.
He accepted the homage as if it had always been his due from the start.
Arwen watched the prince without even blinking.
The boy, who until their last meeting had not shed his youthful awkwardness, had become a full-fledged man.
Gazing at his matured figure stirred old memories.
She had hated and despised him for the unbearable insults he had heaped upon her.
Even as she swore fealty, she could not shake off her contempt and loathing, treating him only with dutiful courtesy and formality.
She had believed she would never devote her heart, serve, or pledge true loyalty to the prince.
She had truly believed that.
Yet now, she rejoiced at his return more than anyone else here.
It filled her with unparalleled joy and a surprising sense of relief.
All this time, she had fought without rest, thinking she had to fill the void he left behind.
She had dashed along the narrow walls to ensure the seeds he had sown did not wither in vain.
But in the end, she had merely added one more sword.
Holding up the entire castle was beyond her power.
Now, at last, she felt liberated from the burden she had sensed, knowingly or not.
She had much she wanted to say. But she tucked all those words deep into her heart.
By displaying even a portion of the power she had finally obtained in full, she let it speak for the words she could not voice.
The prince's gaze, sweeping over the walls, lingered on her for a moment.
Smirk.
The prince smiled.
That was enough.
Voicing her inner feelings aloud did not suit her nature.
A reunion's greeting needed only respect and a smile.
Thud, thud.
The prince ascended the stairs to the walls. And at last, he reached the top.
Step.
Arwen naturally took her place behind the prince.
Her lips moved faintly.
She would never be left alone again.
As if hearing that whisper, the prince glanced back briefly.
But the prince said nothing.
He simply entrusted his back to her.
The prince headed to the center of the walls.
The one-eyed cavalry captain and the Lord of Winter Castle followed behind.
Arriving at the center, the prince faced the mountains.
His gaze was not on the monsters filling the snowfield.
It was directed farther beyond, to somewhere deep in those distant mountains.
**
The walls atop Winter Castle were filled with familiar faces.
Beloved Arwen and Vincent, one-eyed Quaen and Yorden, and the rangers besides.
But sharing the joy of reunion would come later.
He plucked one of Winter Castle's fluttering banners from nearby.
Gripping the flag, he squared his shoulders. Then, infusing it with mana, he hurled it forcefully.
Whiiiiiish!
With a deafening screech that pierced the ears, the banner soared over the snowfield.
And at last, it reached its destination.
In the midst of the snowfield where tens of thousands of monsters howled,
Boom!
The banner stabbed into the ground.
Mangled monster corpses splattered in all directions.
Ballerhard's bloodstained banner fluttered at its center.
"Do not cross that line."
The monsters, frenzied by the scent of blood, made a commotion and charged toward the castle.
But they could not approach.
I did not permit it.
"From the high places, from the solemn thrones, is there any not mine?" "There is none I cannot sit upon."
⟨ Overlord's Poem ⟩
I recited the [Overlord's Poem] in my mind.
I unleashed its dignity toward the snowfield.
The monsters groaned under the pressure and halted in place.
A warning to the invaders who had eyed my territory in my absence.
This was no empty threat. My feat of toppling an unnamed warlord and the dignity seized from him proved my will.
Seeming to grasp my intent fully, the monsters hesitated and retreated beyond the banner.
But the leader crouching beyond the mountains thought differently.
A colossal energy writhed from beyond the peaks.
Unlike the formless roar, this was vividly clear and tangible.
It was unmistakable hostility and rage.
The monsters, who had groaned and withdrawn, now unleashed eerie gleams from their eyes and began rampaging madly once more.
Where that madness was directed was all too obvious.
I raised my hand and pointed to the banner I had thrown.
"Cannons."
At my word, Vincent raised his hand.
Without even readjusting aim, he bellowed immediately.
"Fire!"
No sooner had the word left his mouth than the cannons roared.
Boom! Boom!
Astonishingly, every shell landed precisely along the boundary I had drawn.
I looked at Vincent.
When?
As I asked with my eyes, he replied with a sullen face.
The moment I threw the banner, he had already adjusted all the cannon angles.
"It's not like it's our first or second day. We move like clockwork."
I couldn't laugh or frown, just wrinkled my nose, when the one-eyed cavalry captain spoke to me.
"One hundred Black Spear Cavalry are all assembled before the gates."
"Why the cavalry?"
"You're going out, aren't you?"
I ended up laughing.
"Yeah. I'm going out."
I headed straight down from the walls.
As Quaen said, one hundred Black Spear Cavalry and two fully armed knight orders awaited below the gates.
My horse was even there.
"I wondered why you were rushing down alone so frantically."
Ilai had somehow arrived and stood amid the knights.
"Your Highness."
Adelia approached, handed me my helmet, and quietly checked the seams of my armor.
"Feels like I'm being pushed out there."
"So, you're not going?"
In lieu of an answer, I mounted my horse and pulled down the visor.
"The vanguard will be me, Ilai, and Adelia."
"I'll join you as well."
Arwen, leading her horse, quietly fell in behind me.
Ilai grinned widely.
"Lady Arwen."
Overcome with emotion as he called her name, he flapped his mouth, at a loss for words.
"You've grown a lot wiser in the meantime."
His eventual remark was truly something.
How would he know if her head had grown under the helmet?
"Reunion greetings after the battle."
Arwen replied somewhat curtly.
"Indeed. That's right. Your words are spot on."
Ilai responded airily.
"Not just steel—an ironclad knight!"
The one-eyed cavalry captain spouted nonsense. The knights, hearing it, chuckled as if it were hilarious.
Meanwhile, Vincent, finished with preparations, gave me a look.
I nodded, and he bellowed powerfully.
"Open the gates!"
Creak, creak.
The sound of pulleys rolling echoed.
Thud,
With a boom, through the widening gate parting from the ground, mad monsters came into view.
Click.
I lowered the visor.
The narrow helmet interior quickly heated with my breath.
Inhaling that hot air pleasurably, I drew my sword and aimed it yonder.
"Charge!"
"Yes, sir!"
The knights responded in unison.
I spurred the horse's flanks. It neighed shortly and surged forward.
Thud thud thud thud.
The hoofbeats of hundreds followed right behind me.
Boom! Boom!
From atop the walls, the cannons thundered,
Hummm.
And before the gates, hundreds of swords resonated.
At my sword tip, the flames of soul purification flickered to life.
I recited the war song.
Humm, humm.
The knights' auras resonated, responding to my song.
Thump thump, thump thump.
My heart began pounding wildly.
"Assault!"
Into the midst of monsters where cannon fire rained down.
I spurred my horse toward the battlefield.
Monsters swept in madness screeched as they charged to meet us.
At the forefront was an orc legion clutching red banners.
Their grotesque protruding fangs and filthy dark green skin were so welcome that I laughed.
"Missed you, orcs."
I slashed down fiercely with the dusky blade wreathed in blue flames.
The orc warriors blocking the way collapsed in a heap.
"Hah!"
With a short kiai, I plunged into the orcs' midst.
Flash!
As I raised my sword high, Ilai's voice pierced my ear.
It was the [Full Moon Poem].
At the same moment, Ilai brushed past me.
Adelia followed, chanting the [Poem of Genesis] as she charged.
To the left, a pale sword gleam like moonlight rent the orcs; to the right, a golden radiance blazing like the sun shredded them.
What if moon and sun rose together? Such would it be.
I gazed at that cold and hot brilliance and let out a small sigh of admiration.
"Hah!"
In their midst, a starlight-like sword gleam plummeted.
Arwen, having overtaken me, was massacring the orcs.
I glanced at my sword.
The soul-purifying flames burning dimly seemed colorless.
"Going ahead!"
The one-eyed cavalry captain and the Black Spear Cavalry overtook me.
"Loose!"
The cavalry fired their crossbows in unison.
"Scatter! Throw!"
The knights, spreading wide in formation, hurled their throwing axes.
Kaboom!
At that instant, cannon blasts erupted in the monsters' midst.
Swish swish swish.
Thousands of arrows flew overhead.
Monsters struck by arrows screamed.
I widened my eyes. I sought enemies.
None. Only corpses lay before me.
We had burst out the gates with fanfare, yet at this rate, I wouldn't swing my sword more than a few times.
I spurred my horse harder, accelerating.
Gripping my sword tightly, I passed the three swordmasters.
I scattered my blade toward the foes ahead.
**
Silence fell atop Winter Castle's walls.
No one opened their mouth.
All stared blankly toward the distant snowfield.
The gathered monsters, great and small, numbered at least thirty thousand in total.
Yet knights fewer than one percent of them were tearing the monsters apart.
At the vanguard were four knights scattering dusky, auspicious, pale, and radiant sword gleams.
Before them, even ogres called kings of the mountains, ferocious troll packs, savage orcs could not hold for a moment.
Heads severed, hearts pierced—they simply met their end.
Cleaving the sea of monsters, they charged relentlessly.
And at last, they fully pierced the thirty-thousand-strong monster horde.
Everyone atop the walls gaped.
"Waaaaah!"
Cheers erupted belatedly.
All shouted in excitement at the astonishing feat achieved by a mere three hundred knights.
"After piercing the monsters like that, how do they plan to return?"
A ranger captain voiced his doubt in a cheeky tone.
The cheers cut off abruptly.
All on the walls looked far toward the knights.
The knight order that had pierced the monsters wheeled about, reforming their lines. Yet the spears and swords at their fore pointed to the monsters' center.
"No way?"
No sooner had he spoken than the reformed knights charged the monster legion again.
"Oh ho. So that's their method."
The doubting ranger captain nodded, newly impressed.
No one joined in his foolish admiration.
They watched the knights with wide eyes. The knights were slaughtering monsters as they retraced their path.
Slower than the first pass, but they succeeded in a second depth charge.
And thus, they returned at last.
The gates thudded shut.
Cheers resounded throughout the castle.