Chapter 159
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 159
The carrier pigeon was silent.
Kurak made no effort to hide his displeasure. A mana stone imbued with communication magic was connected, yet the other side remained quiet. The Pope always tried to bait him into speaking first.
"What is it?"
Only after Kurak spoke did a voice finally emerge from the mana stone.
[As partners in this holy war, surely we do not need a specific reason to contact one another.]
"..."
This time, Kurak remained silent. He had no particular desire to converse with the Pope. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he saw no reason to continue the conversation.
As if skipping the usual pre-negotiation mind games, the Pope’s voice immediately followed.
[I see you have retreated.]
"As the Legion Commander, I gave an order to my subordinates. Do you have a complaint?"
[I was merely curious, as one whose fate is bound to yours.]
The corners of Kurak's mouth curled upward in a silent chuckle. That statement was undoubtedly the real reason the Pope had reached out.
[Had you continued your march, you could have completely wiped out the Imperial Army. Why did you turn the legion back?]
It was just as Kurak had expected. The Pope doubted him.
Although Nilkumbal and the Empire's Papal Faction had joined hands, they never trusted each other. If anything, they openly kept each other in check.
For instance, the Pope had always communicated in this manner, never once showing his face to Kurak. It was a tacit admission that he harbored ulterior motives.
"Once the Empire falls, we shall divide the territory equally between us."
The covenant had indeed been made on those terms, but the Pope likely had no intention of honoring it. Of course, Kurak had no intention of doing so either. Each of them hid a dagger behind their back.
Once this war ended, the Papal Faction would be their next enemy. That was the very reason Kurak had ordered the legion’s retreat.
"Yes, had we pressed on, we would have won. That is an obvious fact."
Everyone knew it, including the Imperial Army. If another battle were to occur, the humans' defeat was a foregone conclusion.
Therefore, the humans had to make a decision within the small window of time he had granted them. Would they hold out, or would they flee?
"While our Orc army reorganizes, the Imperial Army will, in all likelihood, retreat to Riaze."
Most of the Imperial Army's main force was dead, and their morale had to be at rock bottom. Since holding their ground was impossible, the humans were left with only one choice: scrape together their remaining forces and make a final stand at their stronghold, Riaze.
"When the defeated Imperial Army returns to Riaze, the atmosphere within the city will become turbulent."
A massive wave of chaos would sweep through the capital. "Is that not what you wanted?"
[...]
Having grasped Kurak’s intention, the Pope fell silent.
From the beginning, their alliance was meant to be a pincer movement. Nilkumbal was tasked with striking the Empire from the outside, while the Papal Faction was responsible for collapsing it from within.
And yet, what had the Papal Faction done? They had deployed only a small force of paladins. Even as Orc soldiers died one after another, the Paladin Order remained strangely passive, as if conserving their strength.
"We Orcs have faithfully carried out our duty. But what about you? Did you not promise to stop the Hero in Riaze? Despite that, the Hero showed up here in broad daylight. Because of your blunder, our gatekeeper Nargu is dead, and our soldiers have fallen."
[...]
"Yes, if we had pushed forward without retreating, we would have certainly secured a victory against the Imperial Army. But we would have lost countless kin while you suffered no damage at all."
[We did our best as well. The Hero and his companions were simply far stronger than anticipated.]
"That does not matter. What matters is that you failed to keep your promise. That is why I, Kurak, am giving you this opportunity."
[...]
"I have sown chaos in Riaze as you wished. Now it is your turn to bring the city down from within."
With Kurak's final words, silence enveloped the tent once more. It stretched on for several long seconds.
Just as Kurak was about to speak again, interpreting the silence as a refusal, the quiet was broken by a loud laugh echoing from the mana stone.
[To think you were harboring such thoughts.]
Kurak stared at the mana stone, his face expressionless. He couldn't entirely conceal his anger, however, and a chilly aura settled over the tent.
Once again, the Pope's voice came through.
[What is it exactly that you want?]
"Eliminate the Hero. And as you promised, sow division within the Empire until the remaining Imperial Army is dismantled."
[Very well. I accept your terms.]
The reply was tinged with mockery, but despite his laughter, the Pope's tone was serious.
[It seems we lacked trust in each other. Must we not maintain a friendly relationship even after the Empire falls? I believe we need a bit more mutual faith.]
"..."
[I have clearly understood what you want. In that case, let us meet face-to-face in Riaze.]
With those final words, a sharp click sounded as the connection severed. The light radiating from the mana stone gradually faded.
Kurak stood up, his face still a mask. Daru placed the mana stone back into his pouch and sent the carrier pigeon flying out of the tent.
Once again, only Kurak and Daru remained.
"Reorganize the forces of the tribe that lost its chieftain," Kurak ordered. "The Imperial Army will soon retreat from the Annun Plains, and the Pope's lackeys will seize their only means of escape: the Teleportation Hub."
"Understood, Legion Commander."
"The next battle will be the final one, in Riaze."
Phase 4
What scheme is Hexabel plotting?
The White Mountains stretched across the cold northern region. Lately, Cradle Margar, a dragon's nest situated on the highest mountain ridge, had been bustling with activity.
The humans who had settled below the mountain range were extremely wary of these movements, but the dragons themselves had absolutely no interest in the mortals living below. They were moving so busily for one reason only: their Lord's command.
Their Lord—the Evil Dragon, Azi Dahaka.
Even inside the cave of the silver-white, snow-covered mountain, her smooth black hair was alluringly dark. She sat on the throne of her nest with her legs casually crossed, her limbs flawless and smooth. Higher up, however, her violet dragon eyes and black horns—features that could never belong to a human—were on full display.
Those sharp, violet eyes gazed down coldly. Below her, two dragons who had returned from their mission knelt on one knee, their heads bowed.
"Report."
Only after the command was given did the two dragons raise their heads. The one on the left spoke first. Fearing he might make a mistake, the dragon spent what felt like an eternity reporting the gathered information in meticulous detail.
Throughout the long report, Azi Dahaka did not make the slightest movement. Even her cold, downward gaze remained unchanged.
When the dragon finally finished his explanation and bowed his head slightly, as if gauging her reaction, Azi Dahaka quietly parted her lips.
"You may go."
Only then did the two subordinates back away carefully and leave.
Once she was alone in the cave again, Azi Dahaka slowly furrowed her brow.
"Sigh."
Since the meeting at the Primordial Core had ended, Azi Dahaka had mobilized all the dragons of Margar, save for the elders, to gather information from various regions.
Her subordinates had scattered in all directions. The process was easy for dragons, who were adept at magic. They simply had to polymorph into creatures that could blend into their surroundings to gather intelligence.
The only place they couldn't properly monitor was the Primordial Core, thanks to the witch of Graphenia Forest, who could see through even their polymorphed forms.
Still, the results were clear. At the very least, she could get a general sense of how the main events were unfolding.
Swallow still showed no movement. Similarly, Bathory's Cheite Castle was quiet.
Although the tide of battle on the Annun Plains shifted by the minute, victory was clearly tilting toward the Orcs.
Kurak also showed no unusual movements on the battlefield. Contrary to her expectation that he would act differently after his secret meeting with Hexabel, he was pouring all his energy into the battle before him.
Well, since the fate of his race is on the line, that’s only natural.
None of this was particularly problematic. Yes, if she had only received reports up to this point, everything might have seemed fine.
"Lord, it is said that Hexabel has not yet returned to Sand Hell."
The problem was the report from the dragon sent to monitor the Great Evil Cave, Sand Hell. Hexabel was absent.
No matter how wingless Hexabel might be, it shouldn't have taken her this long to return.
In other words, after the meeting ended, Hexabel had gone somewhere other than her own dungeon.
Furthermore, the gatekeeper of Sand Hell did not hide the fact of Hexabel's absence. This meant the gatekeeper had received no specific orders to do so, indicating that Hexabel was keeping this a secret even from her own subordinates.
That was how critical her hidden agenda was.
"What on earth are you planning...?"
Something was amiss.
At the same time, the current situation was incredibly frustrating.
Bathory, as she had now confirmed, maintained a friendly relationship with that ancient monster, and Kurak had joined hands with Hexabel.
In short, transactions and alliances were taking place among the Great Evil Caves to maintain their respective positions, yet Margar stood idly by, completely in the dark.
Had Azi Dahaka not attended the meeting, she would have remained ignorant of these facts forever.
While everyone else was entangled in alliances, her Great Evil Cave remained isolated in its ignorance.
In such a situation, how was Azi Dahaka—how was the Great Evil Cave Margar—supposed to act?
"Sigh."
Feeling stifled by just sitting and thinking, Azi Dahaka rose from her throne and strode outside.
As she stepped out of the cave, she was greeted by the fierce blizzard of the snowy mountain.
She unfastened the cloak she was wearing. It was the very cloak the other dragons had practically begged her to wear for the sake of her dignity. Of course, she believed that her dignity could never be swayed by a mere piece of cloth.
The wind was strong; the moment she let go, the cloak was blown far away. Azi Dahaka watched it go before continuing to walk into the cold wind.
After only a few steps, she reached the end of the path—the edge of a steep cliff where one more step would send her plunging into the abyss.
She gazed down at the breathtaking view below for a moment.
"Sister!"
A bright voice called out as the Poison Dragon Fafnir approached from behind. Unlike Azi Dahaka, she was in her full dragon form. Because Fafnir was young and small even as a dragon, she could roam freely in any shape.
"Sister, what are you doing?"
"Getting some air."
Azi Dahaka replied stiffly. Tilting her head, Fafnir circled Azi Dahaka before taking a step forward.
Whoosh!
Fafnir plunged straight down the cliff, falling about ten meters before flapping her wings to rise back up. After her boisterous prank, she looked directly at Azi Dahaka.
"Hehe."
Azi Dahaka looked back at Fafnir. Her pupils were round, as usual. When Fafnir read someone's emotions, her pupils had a habit of dilating as if peering deep inside them. She wasn't reading Azi Dahaka's emotions right now.
Was it that obvious on my face? Azi Dahaka let out a small chuckle.
"I suppose you don't even need to read my mind to know what I'm thinking."
"Because you told me it's better not to use my ability on people I like, Sister!"
After spinning around Azi Dahaka, Fafnir polymorphed into the form of a young human child and landed on the ground.
"You're worried about something, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"I'm worried too." Fafnir pouted. Hexabel was incredibly suspicious. "That giant worm was definitely hiding something."
At the meeting of the Great Evil Caves, Hexabel had acted as if she had no particular business there. When Kurak declared he would start a war, she was the first to object, insisting the Empire could not be overthrown.
And yet, she had a secret meeting with Kurak right after.
If it were a simple lie, they could have let it slide. But among those Hexabel was deceiving, Swallow was surely included.
"Hexabel is close with Swallow. Since she knows Swallow better than we do, she must also know better than anyone just how powerful that ancient monster is."
What on earth was she trying to achieve, to go so far as to risk deceiving someone like Swallow?