The Beginning of Ruin
Countless soldiers stood arrayed before him. Clad in sturdy armor from head to toe, they stood in perfect formation under strict discipline. Their master, the absolute monarch who ruled this nation—Emperor Continus IV—spoke in a commanding voice.
“Behold! Valiant warriors of the Empire! For months we have known nothing but victory to reach this moment! The Demon King, lord of evil, has met his end at the Hero’s hand, and that vast demon realm has knelt before our blades. Yet the elves, ungrateful wretches, have dared to betray us in return. As sovereign of this empire and ruler of all mankind, I will not tolerate such treachery! As the one true monarch recognized by God, I hereby command the complete annihilation of those filthy elves!”
The Emperor declared war, then spread his arms wide and roared with authority.
“Go forth, warriors! Show the elves the true price of betrayal! Seize everything they possess and burn it to ash! As we have always done, we shall claim victory!”
“Uwaaaah!!!”
“Long live His Majesty the Emperor!”
“Long live the Utopia Empire!”
The imperial army responded with fervent cheers. With that, the soldiers turned and began their march. An enormous force of forty thousand troops. At their head marched the supreme commander of this campaign—the continent’s strongest warrior, the one who had slain the Demon King himself: Elise Nocturne, the Hero.
Mounted on a magnificent white steed, she carried the Holy Sword, the sacred relic bestowed by God and the blade that had saved the continent. Her imposing figure instilled in the soldiers a conviction even greater than the Emperor’s speech. No matter what happened, no matter how powerful the enemies that came, they would surely triumph.
Elise, the one upon whom so many placed their hopes and faith, showed not a single crack in her composure as she led the army from the front. Her face half-hidden beneath her usual helm, she kept her gaze fixed forward. Watching her, the dwarf warrior Rabida—riding beside her—felt relief rather than the admiration the others showed.
Thank goodness. She looked unwell yesterday, but today she seems steady enough.
Yesterday Elise had been visibly tense and anxious, even disappearing from her quarters at dawn with the Holy Sword in hand. It was a level of unease she had never shown during the expedition against the Demon King. Rabida, who was to fight alongside her, had been deeply worried, yet today the Hero displayed no obvious signs of distress.
Whatever it was, it seems resolved. No need to dwell on it now. The war ahead is what matters.
Honestly, war against the elves was not something Rabida welcomed. Though their bond had cooled recently, the thought of fighting her old friend Freeder of the Elf Holy Kingdom still left a bitter taste. Even so, she had no intention of letting personal sentiment jeopardize the mission. As the sister of Dwarf King Balin, she had a duty to aid her brother. Friendship mattered, but family ties and loyalty to one’s nation mattered more.
Carrying that bitter feeling, Rabida continued the march. Yet because of the hesitation in her heart, she failed to notice the murky shadow clouding the Hero’s eyes.
There’s nothing to fear… I am the Hero chosen by God… the only one who can make the Holy Sword shine… There is nothing I need to be afraid of…
*
After the expeditionary force departed the capital, Emperor Continus IV sat upon his throne and regarded the woman standing before him. Schula, the Red Knight and member of the Hero Party, had been ordered to remain behind. She bowed her head with her usual smile.
“Thank you for granting me this audience, Your Majesty.”
“Not at all. You are a hero who saved the continent, just as the Hero herself is. You have every right to seek a private meeting.”
“Your words honor me. Then, if I may be so bold as to ask a question…”
“Speak.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. Well then…”
At the Emperor’s permission, a thread of seriousness crept into Schula’s ever-present smile.
“I know Your Majesty favors horses. The most important things when raising one are providing the carrots it likes and a wide field in which it can run.”
“Indeed. Even the finest steed cannot thrive on poor feed and cramped quarters.”
The Emperor smiled quietly in agreement. Schula pressed on, her tone more earnest.
“Your Majesty, then why did you order me to stay behind during this campaign? I am a warrior of the Hero Party. You know better than anyone that a warrior belongs on the battlefield.”
“…”
Schula voiced her dissatisfaction at being excluded. The Emperor remained silent for a moment, then slowly curved his lips into a calm yet razor-sharp smile.
“…You are correct. Just as a horse belongs in the field, a warrior belongs on the battlefield. Had I allowed you to join, you would surely have achieved results comparable to those against the Demon King.”
“Then…”
“However, that holds true only if the horse obeys its master’s commands.”
“!…”
A chill settled over the room. Schula kept her smile, saying nothing.
“Horses are troublesome creatures. Usually they carry their riders faithfully, yet sometimes a trainer trying to swat a fly from its rump gets kicked to death. Even the very people who raised it from a foal like parents.”
“…A regrettable tale. But could it not simply be an accident? From the horse’s perspective, it was merely striking back at an unprovoked attacker.”
“Yes… perhaps.”
The Emperor’s smile vanished. He fixed Schula with a cold gaze.
“But listen. Accident or not, if such a thing occurs, I kill the horse. After all, it is the steed that carries this Emperor. I cannot tolerate a beast that fails to recognize even those who raised it and dares to kick.”
He slowly ran his fingers along the royal scepter. The atmosphere in the chamber shifted. The elite knights stationed by the pillars began to draw their swords.
“What do you think, Schula… or should I say, Master? How should I deal with a creature that dared to kick its master?”
“…”
The Emperor’s hostility was now naked. Schula remained silent. The knights advanced slowly. The Empire’s finest guards, they began to radiate mana as they prepared to carry out their sovereign’s will.
At that moment…
“…Hah… hah-hah… hahahaha.”
“…?”
Schula suddenly burst into laughter. The Emperor’s brow furrowed at the eerie, chilling sound.
“Have you already lost your mind? Only a madwoman would bare her teeth at me. Execute her.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The knights raised their blades at the Emperor’s command. Even if the target was the Red Knight Schula, executing an unarmed woman should have been simple. Yet as they swung—
-BOOM!!!
“!”
“Ugh…!”
The knights were hurled to the floor by a sudden explosion. Before the stunned guards stood Schula, now holding a spear that had not been there moments before.
“…You…”
“Did you really think I wouldn’t anticipate this? Unfortunately, I haven’t trusted you for a single moment since that day.”
“…? That day? What are you talking about?”
The Emperor looked confused. Schula—or rather, the Master of Kerks—kept her smile as she leveled the spear.
“Well, it’s probably something a great emperor like you wouldn’t even remember. After all, the deaths of a few insignificant citizens wouldn’t warrant your attention. But I’m not like you.”
With those words, she snapped her fingers.
-CRASH!!!
The window shattered with a deafening roar. A massive head thrust through the broken frame. For the first time, genuine alarm crossed the Emperor’s face.
“! Th-that… could it be…?”
He knew exactly what it was. The Red Dragon—the mightiest monster they had once captured, only to fail at taming it and ordering Schula to dispose of it. Now the creature was smashing through the palace window, and the Emperor’s shock quickly turned to fury.
“Why so surprised? It’s the very ‘horse’ you ordered put down. I simply repaired a broken-down mare that was already slated for slaughter.”
“Damn it! Seize her! Cut that filthy woman’s head off at once!”
The Emperor barked orders at his royal guards. Yet Schula flashed him one final smile, then spurred the dragon and shot out of the capital at blinding speed—already calculating how best to drive a dagger into the heart of the empire that could never be undone.