Kuh, Kill Me!
Kuh, Kill Me!
The elves of the Silver Barrier Mountains were preparing for war against the Unified Empire. This was the result of translating Rien's fluent yet clumsy command of the Common Tongue.
Hmm.
Was there such a plot in the original novel, <Splendid Days of the Golden Empire>?
I didn't know.
There was a possibility that the lore had passed by in a flash.
Because this was a timeframe one year before the prologue even began.
Elves, just like other non-human races, were treated merely as uncivilized beings of the Frozen Lands and met a tragic end alongside the barbarians. It was a development starkly contrasting with typical romance fantasies that featured non-human races as charming beings.
'Either the author felt an inferiority complex toward elves and beastmen who appeared with attractive looks... or they awkwardly wanted to introduce a uniqueness not found in ordinary romance fantasies.... Either way, only the non-human races of the Frozen Lands became pitiful. Compared to mere barbarians, they boasted a far higher civilization and tradition.'
Eat meals, then fight.
Wake up from sleep, then fight.
Fight, and fight again.
That was precisely the daily life of the barbarians.
The non-human races of the Frozen Lands, led by elves and beastmen, were all main players who had achieved brilliant traditions and civilizations at the center of the continent. However, ever since they were exiled to the Frozen Lands, they had fallen to the status of being lumped together and denounced along with ignorant savages.
"If the elves of the Silver Barrier Mountains invade the Unified Empire..., what do you think their chances of victory are?"
"They will suffer total annihilation, or at best, a fatal defeat."
"That's an immediate answer filled with confidence."
"In the beginning, they will gain the upper hand against the Unified Empire with their superior individual combat power, but as the war continues, they will be defeated due to the collective coordination the Unified Empire boasts."
Absence of tactics and command.
That was precisely the fatal flaw of the elves.
Their individual strength alone was superior.
However, they lacked collective unity.
It was the 'reason why they could never defeat the Unified Empire', shared equally with the savages of the Frozen Lands.
Reckless valor.
They would only die useless deaths.
If war broke out like this, the elves would suffer annihilative damage just as Milena had answered.
I felt a deep sense of responsibility to some degree.
Slave hunting.
The numerous chaotic events committed across the entire Frozen Lands.
Because the culprit behind it all was Boris Berkut, who was in collusion with the Unified Empire.
"Tsar! It's an emergency!"
"What is it?"
Just as I was pondering deeply,
An urgent voice resounded.
It was the chieftain of the White Bone Mace Tribe.
"The Unified Empire...! The forces of Grand Duke Winterhart are approaching! According to intelligence from the warriors sent out as scouts, it is said to be a cavalry of at least over 300 riders!!"
"Winterhart?"
The Grand Ducal House of Winterhart.
Protector of the Wall.
The executor who rules the harsh North.
A prestigious family of the Unified Empire and a founding meritorious house.
To the point of being mentioned numerous times in the original work <Splendid Days of the Golden Empire>, the Winterhart family was a prestigious house boasting mighty status and renown. Furthermore, they were also the symbol of terror that the warlike, belligerent barbarians feared uniquely.
As if proving that, the chieftain of the White Bone Mace Tribe reacted with utter terror.
"It seems..., their intention is likely to assassinate the Tsar."
"I think so as well. Since I slaughtered the entire envoy of the Unified Empire."
"We of the White Bone Mace Tribe will stop them with all our might! Is not the Tsar our benefactor who protected our White Bone Mace Tribe from the violent Frost Trolls?! Tsar, please hurry and flee with the Gray Wolf Tribe!"
"......."
We will protect you even if it costs us our lives.
The chieftain shouted with a determined voice.
The tribe warriors under his command also showed attitudes of accepting the role of a suicide squad.
It was a splendid ambition.
Should I say it was fitting for barbarians who valued loyalty?
I gave a bitter smile at the resolute determination of the White Bone Mace Tribe.
"Milena, we should show them a barbarian-style welcome."
"Of course."
She raised her glaive high into the air.
Then, Milena and the warriors of the Gray Wolf Tribe drew their daggers.
Clearly, Alexei Berkut was a harmless existence that posed no danger whatsoever to the Unified Empire or the Winterhart family.
It should have been reliable intelligence.
Because the rat who brought the intelligence was none other than Alexei Berkut's uncle.
How,
How on earth could a weakling Tsar like him—
Take such an extreme measure as annihilating the envoy of the Unified Empire?
An uneasy feeling crept over her.
It was an unknown terror stemming from the unfamiliar.
'Milena Eschfeldt.... I heard she is a tribe warrior comparable to an Expert peak-tier. And the tribe warriors of the Gray Wolf Tribe guarding the Tsar must possess combat power close to knights of the Unified Empire. Could he have murdered the envoy relying solely on the power of his royal guard?'
She didn't know.
She had no choice but to confirm it in person.
Hersilia's indigo hair fluttered wildly in the mischievous frost wind. However, the War Maiden of the North endured the biting cold as she sprinted down the snow-swirling narrow path alongside her cavalry.
Dudu-dudu-.
Rough horseshoes pounded against the snowfield.
Before long, the cavalry of the Winterhart family reached the territory of the White Bone Mace Tribe.
-...There shouldn't be a need for you to step up personally, is it perhaps because of the Crown Prince?
Ggwa-ak-.
Her father's voice echoed amidst the sharp gale of the Frozen Lands.
It was an auditory hallucination brought on by hesitation.
Hersilia chewed on her father's question as she firmly gripped the reins.
"My Lady! We spotted the enemy at the front! I-It is definitely..., Alexei Berkut!"
"Mm!"
As they approached the village of the White Bone Mace Tribe,
She witnessed a young man gripping a glaive beyond the heavy blizzard.
Black hair.
Orange eyes resembling a bird of prey.
And a handsome appearance unbecoming of a barbarian.
No doubt about it.
It was Alexei Berkut.
The traitor of the Frozen Lands who dared to challenge the dignity of the Unified Empire and the pride of the Winterhart family. The Wall cavalry escorting the War Maiden of the Wall continued their furious charge as if they would slice the savage before their eyes into ragged minced meat at any moment.
Cheok-.
The barbarian raised his glaive.
Then, red spiral mana manifested on the sharp blade of the glaive.
"No!! Everyone, dodge──!!!"
They'll die.
They must never be caught in it.
The red spiral flashed.
It was a brilliance of violence carrying the monstrous strength of the Giant Hunter.
Hersilia, the first to sense the danger, let out a thunderous scream that burst forth.
Kwagwagwagwagwa──!!!
"Keuaak!"
"Protect the Young Lady...! Protect the Young Lady!!"
Knights clad in silver full plate armor,
Warhorses displaying a ferocious charge,
The knights of the Wall tumbled across the snowfield, engulfed in the radiance of violence.
An overwhelming physical force slammed down as if hit by a giant mace. Swept away by the monstrous strength of the Giant Hunter, knights and horses buried in the snowdrifts barely twitched their heads.
"Knights, assume battle stance at the rear! Cavalry, deploy a square formation to cover the knights! This is the ancestral power used by barbarians! I will take the lead!!"
Hersilia drew her hilt and commanded the knights and cavalry who had narrowly evaded the brilliance of violence.
150 riders.
Nearly half of her forces had fallen.
To none other than the person presumed to be the barbarian Tsar.
Chwa-ak-.
The blade held high by Hersilia radiated a bluish sword qi.
The War Maiden of the Wall was a master boasting the realm of Expert peak-tier, equivalent to a court knight of the imperial capital. As if proving it, Hersilia took the lead of the knights and confronted the barbarian Tsar.
"Knights of the Wall! Hunt down and slay the enemy of the Unified Empire!"
The dignified roar of the War Maiden resounded.
Upon that, the knights fully prepared for battle executed a charge as one body with the War Maiden.
It was valor imbued with intense nobility.
One could even feel the nobility held by the knights of the Wall.
Alexei held his glaive up high, deciding to answer the noble valor of the Wall.
First Divine Authority.
Giant Hunter (Jötnabani)
The bare upper torso of the barbarian Tsar was covered in grotesque tattoos.
Simultaneously, the radiance of the red spiral surged forth once again.
Noble valor,
Loyalty built up over the years,
Everything was utterly powerless before the ferocious might of overwhelming violence.
Ancestral power.
It was a taboo worshipped by barbarians.
All the knights of the Wall who were swept away by the red spiral of the Giant Hunter ended up buried in snowdrifts.
To protect her subordinates scattered in all directions, the War Maiden of the Wall chose the recklessness of taking on the barbarian Tsar single-handedly. It was an act in which one could feel a noble and elegant sense of responsibility as the Crown Princess of the Unified Empire and the only daughter of the Winterhart family.
"Keuk!"
A ferocious assault of the glaive poured down upon Hersilia.
Every time the blade of the glaive clashed, Hersilia had to groan under the superhuman strength.
He was playing with her.
As if dealing with a newly acquired toy.
It was truly a gap no different from a fight between an adult and a child.
Hersilia gritted her teeth tightly while igniting her final spark. However, no sharp sword strike of hers could parry the overwhelming strength.
"Keuk! Kill me!"
"Valiant. But—."
Fresh blood trickling down her forehead.
Cloak and armor tattered like a rag.
And a longsword on the verge of snapping.
Flashing her red eyes, the War Maiden of the Wall expressed her resolute determination. It was the pride of the Winterhart family: even if she were to lose her life to a mere savage this instant, she would never fear nor submit.
"Aaaaah!"
"Right, a wench should stay right there."
Alexei raised his foot and stomped down on Hersilia, who was struggling to stand up.
At that, Hersilia was forced to grovel at Alexei's feet.