Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Those Who Worship Death (1)
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From the results alone, the negotiations between the Empire and the Lost Empire had been concluded. And in a direction favorable to the Empire, no less.
The Lost Empire had promised to buy at least two months of time by waging war against the Alliance instead of surrendering outright.
Hearing that, Siegfried nodded. As expected of Blackguard—a perfect talent not just in war, but in negotiations as well.
"So, what conditions did the Lost Empire demand from us?"
"Well... they asked us to accept their surrender."
"...Pardon?"
However, not even the crown prince could have anticipated this. Their demand in exchange was to accept their surrender?
A simple-minded person might think it was purely a good thing. After all, they had gained a faction without spilling a drop of blood.
But there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. The Lost Empire was no exception—what exactly were they aiming for?
'I have no idea. Whatever happens, happens.'
Meanwhile, Cain, who was reporting to the crown prince, was already half-resigned. From the results alone, it was the best possible outcome.
On top of that, with the Lost Empire in hand, he could now devote all his remaining time to the necromancer.
Of course, that would mean suffering at the hands of that crazy woman afterward... but he could worry about that later.
In any case, since the results showed that they had indeed conquered the Lost Empire, the crown prince made the announcement.
Once again, the territory's residents cheered at the news of Cain Blackguard's victory, chanting his name in joy.
However, unlike the residents, the core leadership had many concerns about this matter. It was akin to embracing a bomb.
Thus, Morgana arranged a small meeting with those she could trust to discuss the territory's future without worry.
The attendees included, of course, Morgana and Cain, but even Anna and Scardi were present. Though, looking at them all gathered together, it felt a bit off.
He wondered if any man had this many women tangled around him. Already, there were five women around Cain alone.
'This won't do. If I don't establish some discipline in advance...!!'
"Your Highness."
"Ah, sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment..."
Morgana shook her head, setting aside her jealousy for the time being. Right now, they needed to address the important matter first.
The Lost Empire. Though they had surrendered all too easily, their intentions were completely inscrutable—especially that woman.
But before dwelling on that realization, there was something she needed to confirm with Cain first. Morgana looked at him.
"Sir Blackguard, when you encountered Scarlett before. You went for her throat or took an aggressive stance, didn't you?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Why did you go that far?"
An aggressive attitude wasn't inherently wrong. However, Cain's behavior back then had been far too radical.
It was bound to seem that way. Cain had endlessly endured Defeat Regression, resisting Scarlett's enchantment.
But to a third party unaware of that, it would look like he had suddenly flown into a rage, drawn his sword, and attacked.
"She is dangerous. If she uses her enchantment, almost anyone would fall under her spell."
"What do you mean by that? Are you saying she hadn't used her enchantment up to that point?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Hah..."
Hearing Cain's firm confirmation, Morgana was stunned. When she had faced Scarlett before, she had nearly lost her heart to her.
Of course, Morgana's heart was already filled with someone else, allowing her to ultimately resist the enchantment.
But if that hadn't even been Scarlett using her enchantment at full power? Could she have withstood it then?
"Sir Blackguard's actions always have their reasons. That's what I believe."
On the other hand, Anna fully trusted Cain Blackguard. He was a renowned general who had never once been defeated.
He occasionally took actions that were hard to understand, but she never doubted they were stepping stones to victory.
Scardi, who had been quietly listening with her arms crossed, raised her hand this time to voice her doubt.
"If she's that dangerous, wouldn't it have been better to just kill her then?"
"I'm probably the only one who could kill that woman. And even that wouldn't be easy."
"Oh...? Now that's the kind of talk that gets my blood boiling."
"That doesn't mean your skills are lacking. It means she's literally a monster that can't be killed with a sword."
Watching Scardi suddenly ignite with competitive spirit, Cain let out a sigh. In terms of raw power, she held the edge.
But Scarlett's power was no joke either. Of course, even so, she couldn't possibly win against two Masters.
Honestly, Cain was desperately hoping she'd die fighting the Alliance or at least suffer a mortal wound.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Cain Blackguard.
It hadn't been long since the Alliance had begun to regard that name with caution. At first, they had been quite cynical.
The last loyalist and renowned general of the kingdom, was it? How long could he hold out against the Empire?
[It'd be great if he could hold out as long as possible and inflict heavy damage on the Empire...]
[Ridiculous. How long do you think a kingdom could last against the Garon Empire?]
[We should ignore the kingdom and prepare for the Empire's invasion in advance.]
No one thought the kingdom would put up a good fight against the Empire. The gap between them was simply too vast.
But he was different. With the kingdom's meager forces—a mere handful—he bravely fought the Empire and ultimately emerged victorious. A true renowned general.
As a result, the Alliance had secretly attempted to contact and recruit Cain Blackguard. It was only natural.
[He captured that monstrous princess with nothing but that handful of kingdom forces?]
[Incredible strategy. At best, he's on par with that monster princess... no, considering the power gap, he's superior.]
[According to our spies, his personal martial prowess is outstanding as well... We need to recruit this talent.]
Despite their usual sluggishness in handling matters, the Alliance had unusually taken the initiative to recruit Cain this time.
Right up until the mad prince branded him a traitor and nearly cast him out. No one could have predicted it.
Who would have thought they'd discard Cain Blackguard—their lifeline—as a traitor? Did that even make sense?
At one point, the Alliance seriously wondered if the kingdom's leadership had been brainwashed by imperial mages.
But in any case, the sword had already been drawn. To survive, Cain fled the kingdom and ultimately defected to the Empire.
In the end, an excellent talent had become their enemy—due to the Alliance's own tardy intervention.
'Damn it, I have no idea how much that one man is making the Alliance dance to his tune.'
Master Arnold clicked his tongue. In fact, this Demonic Realm expedition had been hastily decided due to Blackguard's string of victories.
When Cain was first appointed lord of Renheim, the vast majority—save a tiny few—predicted his death.
And understandably so. According to the Alliance's investigations, Renheim was little more than a ghost territory that had lost most of its functions.
[So the Empire has finally decided to abandon Cain Blackguard...]
[For an abandonment, isn't an army of 50,000 too much support?]
[How could a mere 50,000 troops possibly restore Renheim?]
While acknowledging Cain's abilities, nearly everyone judged he would soon be devoured by the Demonic Realm.
But the results were beyond astonishing—they were shocking. In less than half a year, he had subjugated the Wyvern's present king,
and before the year was out, even the Seven Sea Kings had submitted. He had conquered two factions in under a year.
"At this rate, if we're not careful, the Empire will completely swallow up the Demonic Realm."
"See? Didn't I say from the start we should recruit Cain Blackguard?"
"What?! Are you saying this is my fault?!"
"Quiet, all of you!"
If not for the Alliance Leader, the rift would have grown far wider. But the Alliance wasn't one to take things lying down.
He calmly took immediate action. First, he resumed the Alliance's conquest campaign, which had been indefinitely postponed.
And to reclaim even a sliver of their lost advantage, he even sent envoys to the kingdom they had previously ignored.
"Denying what's already happened will only drag us deeper into their trap. We must stay calm and think of ways to regain our lost advantage."
"But will a kingdom without Cain Blackguard even be helpful?"
"The Empire is already ahead in the Demonic Realm conquest. To gain even a slight edge, we have no choice."
"If we'd known it would come to this, we should have intervened in the Empire-kingdom war from the beginning."
But complaining after the fact changed nothing. Who could have known the kingdom had a renowned general like Cain Blackguard,
let alone that he would achieve a decisive victory in the war against the Empire? However, there was one piece of unfortunate news:
Scarlett Royal Blood, the monarch of the Lost Empire, had decided for the first time in a very long while to take the field personally.
Truly, nothing came easy for the Alliance.