158. A Corrupted Dream
158. A Corrupted Dream
- 1 -
'It was enjoyable, but it wasn't enough.'
Arpina, once dead and now resurrected, hungered for deeper and more intense pleasures.
"She appeared again...!"
"How can she be alive!"
"The Dream Witch has returned...!!"
The northern part of the eastern continent was once again gripped by terror.
The witch who had been captured and executed by Abelus had come back, as if reincarnated as an immortal being.
Only a very small number noticed that her appearance was different from before, and it was around this time that many proverbs about witches began to point to the 'Dream Witch.'
But perhaps it was because she had tasted that ultimate power.
'More... entertain me more.'
She began to feed on people's dreams and memories again, but this time it was different.
She craved something more intense, a deeper climax.
Not the memories themselves, but the pleasure drawn from savoring memories and destruction.
Unable to accept that side of herself, she deceived herself with another purpose.
"The Archduke of the Demon Realm... with his power, I can take revenge on Abelus."
'And if the pleasure of seizing that power...!'
Her inner self was secretly transforming, but she herself did not realize it.
Before she knew it, the dream and obsession with 'perfection' that had once driven her had grown faint.
As if she had left it behind with the old body that had been executed.
- 2 -
"Hoo..."
The morning of November 9th, 214.
Frenzied movement could be observed near the border fortress established within the Fondonsi Forest, northwest of the Ironfield Margraviate.
People gathered one by one from early morning.
At a glance, they looked like ordinary travelers, hunters, mercenaries, or adventurers, but the equipment they pulled from prepared wagons seemed far from ordinary.
Cheolkeok
A heavy sound, then the clash of iron.
Those who finished donning their equipment revealed themselves from the shadowed forest.
Regardless of age or gender, all had transformed into knights heavily armed in plate mail.
Attendants bustled around them, adjusting armor or securing weapons to their harness.
"Is everyone ready?"
When the voice of the knight who appeared to be the commander rang out, his subordinates answered immediately.
"The 13th Knight Order, all present and ready."
"Let's go."
Cheolkeodeok -
Puhihing!
The scraping of steel, the neighing of horses.
They tried to muffle the noise as much as possible, but with so many on the move, it was inevitable that the quiet forest grew noisy.
At first, there was only one knight order, but as time passed, more soldiers emerged from all across the forest, and some brought out additional horses hidden in advance and handed them over to the knights.
And so, by the time they had become a single army and reached the border zone beyond the forest.
"..."
A single knight was already standing there.
A woman perfectly clad in black plate mail.
"... Please."
Her brown hair fluttered in the blowing wind, and between the strands, a faint black hue shimmered.
It was dawn, the sun not yet fully risen.
The female knight, leaking black mana from all over her body, looked like a goddess of the battlefield emerging from the darkness.
'Truly captivating...'
'She has grown so much more beautiful than before.'
'Is she perhaps crying...?'
The knights who had drawn close behind the female knight sensed an indescribable sorrow in her figure.
A fragility that seemed as if she might collapse at any moment, a deep and flowing grief.
Her delicate, slender frame only reinforced that impression.
But the knights who tried to approach her soon realized their judgment had been mistaken.
"Grant us victory."
The prayer that left her lips was harder than steel.
The knights who had rashly stepped forward to comfort her immediately knelt on the spot and planted their weapons into the ground.
"May God's blessing be upon us."
"Grant us the strength to carry out justice."
The knights also began to pray for victory, following her lead.
A prayer to the deity that the Holy Kingdom professed.
'O great master who will rule all of the continent.'
Yet the being the black-armored female knight prayed to was entirely different.
Her prayer was not directed at the heavenly god who presided over the continent, nor at the Demon King who ruled all demons, but at a single person.
'Lady Libertas.'
Simply the master she served.
Only that person occupied the throne of divinity within her heart.
"..."
Hwoooo...
In the silence, she opened her eyes and gazed at her spear.
The black glaive let out a cry, reacting to the killing intent and greed surging within her heart.
The demonic spear, 'Devourer of Sorrows.'
A demonic weapon that grew by devouring even its master's sorrow, returning a portion of that power to its master.
It was one of the powers her master had granted her.
This demonic weapon filled the gaps in her still insufficient strength.
Thanks to it, she was expected to soon stand shoulder to shoulder with Reinhardt and the renowned knights of the margraviate.
'Still overly generous an assessment.'
At the same time, it was a thing that would clearly become reality.
Under the will of the great master who sought to possess everything, nothing was impossible.
"Report your numbers."
Elena finally turned around and spoke.
Cutting through the cold dawn air, the heavy voices of the knight commanders rang out in hushed reports.
"The 13th, Iron Rose Knight Order. We have arrived."
The first to speak was a female knight wearing armor engraved with a gray rose emblem.
A special organization composed primarily of female knights. It was one of the elite knight orders counted among the finest in Ironfield.
"The 14th, Black Iron Knight Order. No issues."
Next, the knight commander whose emblem was a black shield bowed his head and spoke.
Their armor was black, like Elena's, and like their armor, they were a secretive knight order that handled dirty work on the front lines.
"The 8th, White Lion Knight Order. Present."
The knight commander wearing a helmet adorned with decorations resembling a white lion's mane delivered the final report.
'Excellent. As expected.'
The pride of Ironfield, the Iron Lion Knight Order.
It was composed of a total of 18 sub-orders.
Furthermore, each knight order was a complete military organization, outfitted with knights, attendants, and even administrators dedicated solely to that order.
Though some exaggeration was mixed in regarding allies, the internal assessment within the margraviate was that a single knight order alone could capture a small fortress.
Elena received the documents from the adjutant assigned by the Margrave and examined them meticulously.
'Counting only full knights and above, that's 180 people...'
The title of 'full knight' was not something just anyone could obtain.
It was a title earned only upon reaching the fully matured advanced tier or higher.
On top of that, the number of 'senior knights' above that level alone exceeded twenty, and there were at least five knights who possessed greater strength than her, including the commanders of each knight order.
With apprentice knights, attendants, and regular cavalry added, there were over a thousand mounted soldiers present.
All of them were skilled enough to receive an advanced rank or higher simply by registering with the Adventurer's Guild.
But it was not entirely without its headaches.
'The factions are all divided.'
The 8th Knight Order supported the second son and legitimate successor candidate Reinhardt, the 13th Knight Order sided with the first daughter and eldest child Adelaide, and the 14th Knight Order had yet to decide which heir to follow.
And the military strength of each knight order was nearly equal.
Since everyone understood the gravity of this mission, there would be no conflict between factions.
Before the succession struggle, the Margrave's powerful charisma bound them all together.
'He must have deliberately arranged it this way.'
But at the same time, this was also a constraint.
The reason she had sided with the faction supporting Adelaide was to keep Reinhardt in check, but in the current situation, that was impossible.
At least, with her own hands.
'Right. With my own hands.'
A faint smile lingered at the corner of Elena's lips.
The battlefield was an unpredictable place. No one knew what might happen.
In her mind, the other forces she possessed were taking shape.
The 'private army,' and the support of her master.
"Gentlemen."
Kung!
As Elena's low voice rang out, only the knights at the very front stomped their feet in answer, mindful of enemy reconnaissance.
A heavy tremor shattered the early morning silence.
Standing on the hill, Elena raised the Devourer of Sorrows and struck the ground.
Tung - !
In that moment, the black energy pouring from the demonic spear enveloped the surroundings.
The knights thought to themselves. It was a color that suited Ironfield perfectly.
"At dawn yesterday. Those insolent bastards from the United Kingdom crossed our border and harmed our countrymen."
Ooooo...!
As her voice spread along with her mana, the Devourer of Sorrows let out a cry.
In that instant, everything around fell silent.
The birds in the forest, the wild animals, even the sound of insects.
As if they knew the shadow of death had been cast.
Swaak!
From the tip of the spear, black fate-energy that only Elena could see bloomed forth.
The demonic spear absorbed the sorrow around it, then spat out fighting spirit in return.
The eyes of the knights, who had unknowingly absorbed that power, focused on her.
"Do you hear it?"
Feeling the seething fighting spirit around her, Elena whispered in a low voice.
"The screams and tears of our countrymen who cannot close their eyes."
Her calm voice burrowed into the knights' ears.
All those gathered thought the same thing.
That the sorrow contained in that composed voice only deepened their rage.
A sentiment that would have made Elena burst into laughter had she heard it.
Right now, the mass of sorrow within her heart was very small.
For the burning ambition and fighting spirit were far too great to leave it any space.
"Today. We. From this moment onward."
A voice that struck down with her spear, calm yet laced with fervor, rising in pitch and putting force into each word.
"We are going to teach those insolent bastards of the United Kingdom a lesson."
"Ooooh..."
"Filthy bastards...!"
Angry shouts erupted from some of the less disciplined knights.
Elena's speech moved their hearts, and the faint aura of sorrow she exuded — the allure emitted by the banshee, fairy of lament — melted the boundary between reason and emotion.
Whether man or woman, young or old.
Everyone present was captivated by the look in her eyes.
"Men of Haisen. Stalwart sons of Ironfield."
Into their enraptured spirits, Elena's voice rang out once more.
"Are you prepared? Prepared to make our enemies burst into tears, to make them tremble in fear."
Kung - !!
As the soldiers, numbering over a thousand, answered by stomping their feet in unison, the sound echoed through the forest like thunder.
"Then let us go. Heroes of Haisen."
Elena raised her spear and pointed beyond the border.
"To the fools of Zenota, who dared to invade first and then play innocent. And to this world."
The tip of her spear was aimed precisely at Leganon Castle in the Driaz Duchy.
"... Let us show them our fury."
The trade outpost with Haisen, and the first target of the war she was about to start — had already begun.
"Advance!"
- Advance...!
- Let's go!
The order was passed from mouth to mouth.
The clash of iron and the neighing of horses began to ring out.
Listening to it, Elena mounted her beloved steed.
Pureureureung...!
Her warhorse was no ordinary beast either.
From the red eyes of this creature, raised on the blood of monsters, an energy like flames poured forth.
Smarter and tougher than any horse in this land, this living creature was another power bestowed by her master.
[A knight who is one with their steed is among the highest forms of violence that can occur on the battlefield. I look forward to the day you are called a Winged General, Elena.]
Recalling the words of her revered master, Elena tied her dark brown hair up high and pulled her helmet down.
From the outside, her face was completely hidden, but from the inside, magic rendered the entire front of the helmet transparent, securing a perfect view.
Chak!
When she raised her spear, the waiting knights and soldiers also raised their weapons.
The army began to advance.
They were still moving at a quick march to conserve stamina, but the moment the enemy fortress came into view, they would charge the gates without hesitation.
That was.
'Soldiers who will bring victory... for me, and for my master.'
A scene unfolded before Elena's eyes.
In the past, she would have envisioned herself receiving the Margrave's seal, or sitting upon her father's throne.
But now, she envisioned herself kneeling before her master, wearing a ceremonial sword, while upon her head a crown that signified a human king was being placed.
That, now, was the ultimate point toward which her ambition was directed.
