Traditions of the Blood Alliance (1)
If the Mines Kingdom was the nation that had seized hegemony over the east, then the power that dominated the west was the Blood Alliance. The Blood Alliance was a confederation formed by various orc tribes, but in terms of politics alone, it would not be an exaggeration to call it the most backward state on the continent. Unlike the other nations where the concept of royal authority existed, the Blood Alliance had never truly moved beyond tribalism. It stubbornly clung to the form of a loose alliance of tribes.
The inefficiency of such a system was exhausting to even explain. While other nations at least provided their people with a sense of belonging to the same country, the Blood Alliance fostered intense pride in one’s own tribe above all else. And that was the problem. Because each tribe put itself first, conflicts over interests with other tribes were an everyday occurrence. It was as if the alliance had gathered every possible flaw of the system into one place.
At this point, one question was inevitable. The whole thing was such a mess that self-destruction would have been perfectly normal. So how in the world had they managed to seize control of the western territories?
The answer was simple. Their strength was so overwhelming that it could crush all those disadvantages combined.
While the tribes felt different degrees of loyalty and frequently clashed with one another, they at least shared the concept of being fellow orcs. Orcs might ignore or discriminate against other orcs, but they did not kill them. Other races, however, were a different story. To orcs, any species that was not orc was worthless garbage with no right to exist. The term supremacist ideology described it perfectly.
Yet once they acknowledged someone, even a member of another race, they would treat them with the same respect as their own kind. That was exactly what the Saintess was aiming for—recognition through traditional means.
To use the orcs, I’ll have to satisfy their desires first.
Her snow-white hair, the color of blank paper, was gathered into a ponytail that hung down her back. Above her flawless, spotless white skin sat a pair of eyes as sharp as blades. Anyone who knew her usual appearance would have mistaken her for a completely different person. Her expression today was nothing like her normal self. Where she usually wore a flower-like, beautiful smile, there now seemed to be a cold guillotine in its place.
She tapped her temple lightly with her index finger and quietly studied the map spread across the desk.
To keep the empire in check, an alliance with the Blood Alliance is essential.
Stopping the empire with the kingdom’s power alone was nearly impossible. But if they could borrow the strength of the Blood Alliance—which held hegemony over the west just as the kingdom dominated the east? Then it would be a fight worth having.
Originally, she had not planned to intervene so hastily. She had intended to slowly build relationships with the orcs of the Blood Alliance, granting their desires one by one until she had them thoroughly cooked. The reason she had rushed to the Blood Alliance was simple.
The Winter of the Apocalypse, which had been restraining the empire, had suddenly ended.
Wolfgang Leonhardt… the hero who ended the Winter of the Apocalypse that the Goddess said would last at least another thirty years. I’d love to see what kind of woman she is, but… the empire is too dangerous right now.
The appearance of heroes who had led the Winter War to victory, along with the veteran soldiers who had gained experience through that same war—the national power of the Bahamut Empire was at its peak. To stop such an empire, the strength of other nations was necessary. And if they could form an alliance with the Blood Alliance, the empire’s forces would inevitably be split down the middle.
To form that alliance, it was crucial to win the favor of Gartan, the Chieftain who was the Blood Alliance’s true ruler. What he valued above all was martial prowess.
Using someone’s desires was no easy task. You had to reshape yourself to fit their wants. And even then, the heart you won would slip away if you didn’t keep maintaining it.
Knock knock.
At the sound of knocking from outside the door, any normal person in her position—someone who could not afford to be seen like this—would have panicked. Yet she remained completely calm, as if she had expected it. She quickly undid her headband.
Her white hair cascaded down like flowers blooming brilliantly on a spring day, displaying its beautiful charm to the fullest. Only then did the man who had knocked enter.
He was a man with dazzling golden-yellow hair and deep blue eyes. He gave off a slightly more mature, wine-like atmosphere compared to Zaid. The woman smiled and spoke.
“Your Highness, what brings you here?”
“I was worried about you. Are you feeling all right?”
“There was no threat at all. Did something happen outside?”
The woman easily noticed that some commotion had occurred beyond the door. The young man who had been watching her smiled as if relieved and pulled her into his arms.
“There was a report that undead appeared at the orc checkpoint.”
“Undead, you say?”
“Yes. The Chieftain said he would handle it personally, but I came running just in case.”
“To think you would worry about me so much… I don’t know what to do with myself.”
Like the young man, she wrapped her arms around his back, but the expression on her face beyond his shoulder had frozen cold.
Undead appearing out of nowhere? What kind of omen is this?
From the empire’s perspective, the Blood Alliance was even more dangerous than the kingdom. Although they classified the kingdom as a potential enemy, humans could at least communicate with each other. The Blood Alliance offered no such luxury. There was no particular grudge between them, nor any meaningful exchange, but the orcs were the kind of creatures who might suddenly go mad and come charging in.
That was why the empire had wanted to intervene in the Blood Alliance somehow. At just the right moment, the kingdom had handed them a justification, and using that justification as an excuse, the empire had moved to interfere with the Blood Alliance. That was the decisive reason she was currently riding in a carriage bound for the Blood Alliance.
The carriage that had been racing at full speed finally came to a stop when the sun was sinking below the horizon. Thanks to running all day without rest, they had narrowly avoided having to camp outdoors. Of course, no matter how strong the horses were, maintaining several times the normal speed for half a day without rest should have been impossible.
That would be true for ordinary horses. But what was pulling this carriage was no ordinary horse.
Living bones with no flesh whatsoever, glowing with a blackish-green light. Anyone could see at a glance that they were undead. The problem was that even the relatively simple-minded orcs recognized them as undead the moment they saw them.
Thanks to that, the checkpoint guarded by the orcs had gone on high alert.
“Everyone, prepare for battle!”
“Death to the monsters who reject the laws of life!!”
And the person riding in that carriage was me.
Watching the orcs at the checkpoint standing in full combat readiness, Wolfgang felt a terrible headache coming on.
Who could she blame? It was her own fault for failing to properly supervise her subordinates. Fuck.
She had trusted them when they said to leave it to them. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined they would be using undead to pull the carriage. She had been so exhausted from working late into the night that she had simply let it slide, and now it had come back to bite her.
“Captain, please give the order.”
“If my sister allows it, I can kill them all!”
“Captain. Your orders.”
What made it even worse was that the group who had come as envoys were only thinking about fighting, without any regard for the bigger picture. Wolfgang let out a sigh and issued a stern warning.
“Just stay quiet.”
Despite how things looked, she had still come here representing the Bahamut Empire. With her diligent civil servant mindset, she had to prevent any larger incident from occurring here at all costs.
To put out the fire quickly, Wolfgang got down from the carriage and approached the checkpoint with both hands raised. Fortunately, one hand held a flag symbolizing the Bahamut Empire, so the orcs could not attack immediately. No matter how simple and violent orcs were, they surely understood what would happen if they attacked an envoy sent by the empire.
No matter the country, the ones who suffer the most are always the grunts.
Her best plan was to pressure the low-ranking soldiers with the name of the Bahamut Empire and resolve the situation peacefully. At least until someone fell from the sky.
A spinning kick, rotating like a cartwheel through the air and falling like a lightning bolt, flew straight toward Wolfgang’s head. She reacted instinctively, raising her arm to block the downward strike.
BOOOOM!
The ground shook violently as if an earthquake had struck. Gartan, the orc who had delivered the blow, could not hide his admiration when he saw his opponent standing perfectly fine despite such impact.
“Looks like the Bahamut Empire has some pretty decent warriors after all.”
“Attacking an envoy sent by the empire is…”
“What are you talking about? As the Chieftain, I’m just here to wipe out the undead that showed up in front of the checkpoint.”
“……”
The orc’s sudden answer was enough to leave Wolfgang stunned. What the fuck. Why the hell is the Chieftain showing up right after the grunts?