25
Chapter 25
Meanwhile, Grand Duke Kronor's army had their longbowmen stationed along the riverbank.
The longbows, crafted from a special yew tree found only in the North, boasted incredible range and destructive power—enough to strike enemies on the opposite bank.
"Fire!"
At the Grand Duke's command, the archers of the Grand Duchy unleashed a volley of arrows all at once.
Despite the distance, the magically enhanced arrows hit with devastating force. Even with a large number of heavy infantry and heavy cavalry, the Crown Prince's army was too intimidated by the rain of arrows to advance.
"You damn cowards! What are you afraid of? Advance, or I'll cut you down—"
The Crown Prince brandished his sword, ready to lash out.
"Your Highness."
Dian de Valboa calmly pushed the Crown Prince back and spoke.
"It would be a disaster if you were injured, as you are to be the future Emperor. Please, stay back."
"Dian..."
"All units! Focus on me!"
With those words, Dian spurred her horse and charged toward the enemy.
Countless arrows from the longbows rained down upon her. Yet, Dian wasn't hit a single time. She swatted them all away with a sword enveloped in an Aura Blade!
"Oh, look! That is..."
"The symbol of the Sword Master, the only one in the world!"
Indeed, the Aura Blade of Dian de Valboa—the world's sole Sword Master—was like a vision of fantasy to the soldiers.
The soldiers' morale surged in an instant. Dian shouted to them.
"Everyone, charge! Follow me!"
Only then did the hesitant soldiers begin to step into the river. Dian charged forward, relentlessly slashing through the falling arrows. Watching her, the Crown Prince realized something. He was lucky she was his subordinate. Lucky she wasn't serving someone else.
He learned that the way to move soldiers forward wasn't by threatening to cut their throats from behind. It was by shouting "follow me" from the front. Realizing this, the Crown Prince vowed to give Dian a great reward once the battle ended. And soon...
-KABOOM!!!
The vanguards of both armies clashed. With the fierce general Dian de Valboa leading the way, the Crown Prince's army began to tear through the enemy. Seeing this, Karl von Kronor grit his teeth.
"Dian de Valboa...!"
From Karl von Kronor's perspective, the Crown Prince wasn't actually a threatening opponent. He had the numbers and better equipment, but he was still just a Centraler. If a Northerner fought with the geographical advantage of the North, they could hold off Centralers even if they were outnumbered two or three to one.
But that one woman, Dian de Valboa, was the exception. She was simply too strong. Look at her now. Just because of her, the Crown Prince's army was charging ahead with renewed fervor.
"Damn it, do something! Kill Dian de Valboa!"
The moment that shout rang out, someone burst forward on horseback. It was Emilia von Kronor, the second daughter of Karl von Kronor and the most formidable swordsman in the North.
Emilia was the rising star of the second-year class at Arcadia Academy. If Princess Leonia was the prize of the first years, Emilia was undoubtedly the jewel of the second. Dian had even taught her tactics in the past, allowing her to recognize the galloping figure instantly.
"My own student! Have you come to seek more lessons?"
"I have long wished to test my blade against yours."
With those words, Emilia lunged. The two horses thundered toward each other, their riders closing the gap in an instant.
-Clang!
When their swords first clashed, it was Emilia who was thrown from her saddle.
"Posture: 100. Swordsmanship: 100. Horsemanship: 100!"
Dian charged toward the fallen girl. Emilia reacted with a desperate, full-body roll to evade the oncoming horse.
"But you are still far too inexperienced to face a Sword Master!"
Dian pivoted her horse again and again, relentlessly driving Emilia back. Each time, Emilia could do nothing but roll across the dirt, fighting for every inch of distance.
Emilia's pristine white cadet uniform was soon stained with mud. Then, Dian shouted.
"You were a promising student—perhaps as much as Charles Jean Rochefort. But consider it your misfortune to have encountered me here!"
Dian spurred her horse into a full gallop. But in the next heartbeat, a dense Aura Blade began to manifest on Emilia's sword.
"An Aura Blade?"
Sensing a density of aura far beyond what she knew of Emilia's capabilities, Dian leaped from her horse and rolled. In that same instant, Emilia's blade sliced through the horse's neck. Landing beside her, Dian gently stroked the head of her beloved steed, which shed a final tear as it expired.
"You've worked hard. I'll make sure to avenge you."
With those words, Dian stepped forward, her sword trailing in the dirt.
"When did you become a Sword Master? Have you been hiding your true strength until now?"
"Those who do not know the Goddess's mercy, like you, could never understand."
"Arrogant. You managed to kill a horse, nothing more. I am still standing!"
"I shall take your head as well."
"By all means!"
Dian lunged, and their blades soon became a blur of steel. At first, it was a contest of pure technique; Dian wielded her sword in an intricate, shifting Sword Path that left Emilia struggling just to parry.
"Aura is useless if your skill cannot keep pace! You are still far from my level!"
Dian wasn't boasting. Her Sword Path was overwhelmingly faster and more complex, leaving Emilia disoriented and forced into a steady retreat.
'Is there really such a gap between us...?'
When she first attained the rank of Sword Master, Emilia believed she might finally be able to defeat Dian de Valboa. But she had miscalculated; even among Sword Masters, there were tiers of existence. But then...
"Goddess...?"
"Hmm? What was that?"
Emilia murmured, her gaze drifting toward the empty air. Then, a moment later.
-Whoosh!
With a single swing of her sword, the sheer force of the wind pushed Dian de Valboa back. Dian was stunned. Emilia was strong, but not this strong...
"You were still hiding your true power?"
Dian retreated, unable to withstand the sudden surge in Emilia's strength. Then, Emilia spoke.
"My child."
Dian was bewildered by the sudden remark.
"What? Child? What are you talking about, Emilia? I'm eleven years older than you."
"To think the child who trembled in terror under her covers every night has grown so strong."
Dian frowned. She couldn't understand why Emilia was suddenly saying these things.
"You have sublimated the fear etched deep within your heart into an obsession with martial arts. That the weakest among us has become this powerful is truly a cause for celebration."
"Emilia, I seriously doubt your sanity. Why don't you go see a doctor?"
"How much you suffered at the hands of your two brothers and their twisted hobbies. The sword you took up to escape them has now changed your fate; is this not a miracle? My child, I am proud of you."
In that instant, Dian froze. It was true. Dian hadn't started the sword for the same reasons as others. As a child, her two elder brothers had abused her, and Dian had learned the blade solely to protect herself. That survival instinct had evolved into a pure obsession with martial arts, eventually leading her to the rank of Sword Master.
But only a handful of people knew that truth. Who had leaked it? The head butler? Or other family members?
No, she didn't think that was possible. Her brothers would never speak of their own shame, and the head butler had no reason to tell someone as far away as Emilia.
"How on earth do you know that?"
"My child, you still do not realize what I am."
"Shut up, Emilia! I'll kill you!"
Dian's Aura Blade began to darken and intensify. The output was entirely different from before. It was a true aura, one that only manifested when she vowed to destroy her enemy with everything she had.
"My child, accept me. Then you too..."
"Shut up!"
Shouting, Dian raised her sword high.
"It seems you still have much to learn."
With a thin, chilling smile, Emilia sheathed her sword.
"What are you doing? Draw your sword."
"This is enough."
"Fine then. I'll kill you."
Dian lunged at Emilia. Her opponent's blade remained sheathed; although her hand was on the hilt, likely aiming to draw and strike at the exact moment of impact, a downward strike usually held the advantage over an upward one. Dian thought Emilia was a brilliant raw talent, but since she had touched upon her painful past, she had no intention of showing mercy. It was a shame to see such potential vanish, but it would be a fitting penance for disturbing her trauma.
"Emilia!!!"
With that thought, Dian charged forward toward Emilia.
"This is the end!"
Swoosh. Dian swung her blade from above, but the moment Emilia drew her sword, she sliced through Dian. In the next instant, it was Dian who collapsed. Regardless of the technical match-up between a mid-cut and a high-downward strike, Emilia's raw speed was simply on another level.
"What... what?"
Dian was bewildered. Ever since Emilia's manner of speaking had changed, she had grown exponentially stronger.
"How did you become this strong...?"
Thud.
Alongside that confusion, Dian collapsed, and Emilia's expression began to return to its usual calm.
The spectators who had watched the duel were collectively struck with horror.
"Dian... lost?"
"Emilia won?"
The Crown Prince and Kronor experienced opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. A battle between vanguard commanders was a pivotal factor in determining the flow of the war.
No one had imagined Emilia could defeat Dian; they had simply hoped she could stall for time until a result was reached.
But there was one person who had predicted this outcome.
That person was Charles Jean Rochefort.
While others were in the dark, Charles alone knew the future.
Just before the battle began, Dian de Valboa was known as the strongest in the world, but in truth, she was only second.
Then who was the true number one? The answer was simple.
The world's third strongest swordsman, Glacia Ehrenberg.
The world's second strongest swordsman, Dian de Valboa.
The strongest swordsman in the world, and the world's greatest lunatic—the daughter of the Northern Grand Duke, Emilia Kronor.
That was the information about the future that Charles possessed.