Chapter 50 : War, Aftermath

Chapter 50: War, Aftermath

“There they are!”

“Kill every last one of them!”

Once they became routed soldiers, even the once-mighty army of Ailun could do nothing.

“I-I surrender!”

“P-please spare me.”

They ran around like petty ruffians, and the moment they were caught, they frantically threw away their weapons and armor to surrender.

Advance.

And advance again.

We marched endlessly forward.

Chasing, cutting down, never giving Haarun’s army a chance to regroup their formation.

Kalserik trailed behind me, grinning from ear to ear.

“Commander. This isn’t double, but triple—no, quadruple the reward, isn’t it? Who would’ve thought we’d actually beat Haarun?”

Kalserik showed his joy with his entire body.

Not just in his expression, but in his hand gestures, in the strength pressing against the horse’s flanks—joy spilled from every movement.

“Why? What do your brothers say?”

The Kalserik Brotherhood had all joined this battle.

They had merged with us right after the Border Suppression. Despite their short training time, they quickly absorbed my strategies and tactics, playing their roles to perfection.

Thanks to them, we managed to fill the gap in our lacking Expert forces. But thinking from their perspective, this war must have felt like a bolt from the blue.

They had entrusted themselves to me to earn steady riches, only to suddenly be told to wage war against one of the Five Kings? How absurd that must have sounded. Kalserik must have needed to persuade them strongly. And even then, there must have been lingering unease they couldn’t shake.

That was why I felt good, too.

Because I had been able to bring them victory.

“They must be thanking you, Kalserik?”

Looking at it in hindsight, the Kalserik Brotherhood had joined at the perfect moment.

They were warriors who had fought alongside us in the very first battle against the Five Kings. Founding contributors. They would be richly rewarded, just as I had promised.

That must have been why Kalserik was in such a good mood. Because he could gift his uneasy brothers with victory, and prove his decision right.

But the answer Kalserik gave me, with a hearty laugh, was slightly different from what I expected.

“Bwahahaha! That too, but more than that… I’m glad no one died!”

Kalserik’s face looked completely relieved.

“Some had their arms or legs blown off, sure, but they said they’ll retire and settle in Kushan City. Isn’t that the dream retirement? With all the rewards, they’ll be living large. Hahaha!”

What was this?

Not, “I’m glad we won.”

Not, “I look forward to how far we’ll rise.”

“No one died.” And “They’ll settle down and live.”

That was where Kalserik placed the weight of his words. A way of life that put his people first, even above profit.

That struck a strange chord in me.

As his lord. And as the ruler of the city.

It was faint, but it was a feeling close to being moved.

I was left speechless for a moment, then hid it and said calmly.

“From generation to generation, let them eat well and live well in my city. I’ll rule it so they can.”

“Bwahahaha! We trust only you, Count!”

With a broad grin, Kalserik said, “Then I’ll go sweep up the remnants! Hyah!” and rode off from my side.

It wasn’t just Kalserik. In groups of as few as ten or as many as a hundred, we chased down Haarun’s scattered, routed soldiers across all directions.

It was a brutal forced march.

But no one complained.

Everyone knew that the harder we pressed now, the more firmly we could secure our advantage against Haarun.

We hunted down the routed soldiers until nightfall, then rested, and at the crack of dawn the next day we resumed the pursuit.

And finally, we marched all the way to Kinalo.

“It’s Kinalo! We made it to Kinalo!”

“Wait—look, cavalry!”

“Isn’t Haarun there too?”

“They’re just running away right now, aren’t they?!”

Far off, the walls of Kinalo came into sight.

And the moment we entered their view, cavalry rode out through the back gate and fled.

There was little doubt Haarun himself was inside. But he must have fled, knowing he couldn’t hold me back with a siege in the city.

‘Looks like we won’t catch him.’

We killed or captured Haarun’s infantry in droves, but there was no way to catch up with the speed of the Ailun White Horses.

If I rode alone, maybe… but even then…

‘Haarun and his commanders would flee first anyway.’

That would just mean venting frustration on common soldiers.

The Ailun White Horses carrying commanders were among the finest steeds of all—they were simply too fast.

So rather than waste strength pointlessly, I chose to seize the gains right before my eyes.

Kinalo.

Creeeeak!

Just our approach made the gates of Kinalo swing open on their own.

Most of the defending troops had already fled, and those who remained threw the gates wide, begging for their lives.

“W-welcome, my lord Count!”

Not only had they laid down their spears and swords, they’d even discarded their armor, running out with their heads bowed.

Behind them, the ruling class of Kinalo, the mages, lowered their heads as well.

Kushan. Kashu. Kinalo.

The moment had come when all three cities fell into my hands.

Only one thing…

The fact that Haarun had escaped weighed on my mind.

‘Though can he even survive?’

I wasn’t all that worried.

He would probably die.

The blood Haarun had poured out at the end was immense. His innards were likely torn to shreds.

Without an Elixir, he would die.

Almost certainly.

*         *         *

Kushan City.

The warriors had set up betting tables on whether Haarun or Ransen would win.

Among them was a warrior named ‘One-Shot.’

He firmly believed that life was always decided in a single strike. He never turned down a wager that came his way, and if someone spoke of a good money-making chance, he would sink his entire fortune into it.

This beastly, animal-like man’s nickname embodied his unstoppable charge.

Black Cow!

A man like a wild bison.

But he was not particularly lucky…

Most said that if he hadn’t become an Expert warrior, he would’ve gone bankrupt at least ten times over.

As always, a fellow called Tangle, who pretended to be his friend while constantly draining his money, mocked One-Shot.

“Hey. You really think Ransen’s gonna win? Seriously, you always chase that one big score… No wonder you’re still not married.”

“Shut it. The chance will come.”

“How much did you bet this time?”

“Four hundred Dallon!”

“You’re insane…! You bet your entire fortune?”

“Let’s gooo!”

An obstinate man who never listened to reason.

“The odds are nine to one right now! Are you crazy? That means there’s a ninety percent chance Ransen loses!”

“Tangle, are you stupid?”

“What?”

“That means if he wins, it pays out tenfold! Every true warrior bet on Ransen!”

“What the hell…”

“Let’s gooo!”

“Damn it… If you had that much stashed away, you could’ve invested in the deal I told you about…”

Tangle still regretted not being able to squeeze more money from him.

And finally—

A messenger arrived in Kushan City.

Bearing news of victory.

“Uwaaaaah!”

That day, the cry of a man like a black bison rang throughout Kushan City.

For the first time in his life—

He had struck the one great fortune he had always dreamed of.

“Four thousand Dallon!! I’m retiring!!”

One-Shot kicked off his desk and leapt about in joy.

“Ransen! Ransen!”

“He’s a god!!”

The warriors who had bet on the same side as him were the same.

Clambering onto tables, slamming shoulders into each other.

Some embraced, some shoved with elbows, some took punches to the face or kicks to the shins…

Pain?

They didn’t feel a thing.

“Uwaaaaah!”

Only pure euphoria overflowed.

*         *         *

Just before the victory news arrived—

Knight Burson and Ransen’s younger siblings had gathered together, waiting for word from the battlefield.

“Damn it…! Why isn’t there any news yet…! Aaargh…!”

Daisy chewed her fingernails and spun circles around the room.

She was so anxious that her red hair had become completely disheveled.

Burson tried to calm her.

“The more you thrash, the deeper you sink. When you’re underwater, you stay still. You relax.”

He meant: don’t be anxious.

But Daisy just scoffed at Burson’s heavy proverb.

“Old man! That doesn’t help at all!”

But Burson didn’t waver.

“Even if we’re left in the rear, we are still under Ransen’s command. Like the horn of a rhinoceros. Like a crouching tiger, we must be still…”

“Ugh, forget it! We don’t have horns or stripes, that’s why we were left behind in the first place!”

“Uh…”

Burson’s eyes shook. Moisture welled up at their corners.

For Burson, who had lost his Aura Core and with it his martial strength, the realization—‘I am too weak to do anything’—remained a deep wound.

But Burson quickly hid his expression.

He didn’t want the children to know his pain.

That was neither the duty of a guardian, nor of a vassal.

He simply endured.

As he always had.

“Uncle… what if we send scouts instead?”

Daisy was in her own state of panic.

She was worried sick about her older brothers and sisters who had gone to the battlefield.

Clutching Burson’s hand tightly, her eyes brimmed with tears.

Burson, feeling helpless because there was nothing he could do for her, only grew more heavy-hearted.

At that very moment—

The door burst open, and the loud cry of a messenger pierced the room.

“Victory! Victory! We have won! A great victory!”

Daisy and Burson’s eyes snapped toward the messenger at once.

“Victory? Then…!”

“His Lordship the Count has ordered me to tell you that everyone is safe!”

“Wah…!”

Just as Daisy leapt up, about to explode with joy—

“Uwaaaaaaah!”

A huge wail swept through the room first.

It was Burson.

“Ughhh! Waaaaaah!”

He collapsed onto the floor, sobbing.

So happy.

So relieved.

More than the victory itself, he was overcome with relief that His Highness Ransen, and the Young Lord and Young Lady, were all safe.

Daisy stared blankly at him.

“…And you were the one just going on about rhinoceros horns and whatnot… Weren’t you the one trembling the most, Uncle?”

Burson, his breath ragged with sobs, hiccuped out a reply.

“Just… hic… because a tiger roars… hic! Doesn’t mean it’s crying… hic!”

“…Are you sure? About the tiger?”

“Uwaaaaaahhh!”

Another great sobbing roar came in response.

Originally, Daisy had planned to cry her heart out too… but seeing that overwhelming display right before her eyes, her own tears retreated.

“Ugh… Uncle, look at you.”

So Daisy simply—

Bent down,

And hugged the roaring tiger, patting him gently.

*         *         *

The news that Ransen had won a crushing victory over Haarun at the Hills of Tempests spread swiftly across all of Roberland.

“The mighty army of Ailun suffered a complete defeat?”

Everyone was shocked at the news, but the reports that followed shook them even more.

“Haarun might be dead? Ransen is that strong?”

One could argue that the outcome of a battle was a matter of tactics and strategy.

But the fact that Ransen’s martial strength had overwhelmed Haarun carried an entirely different meaning.

And now, the possibility that Haarun was dead…

“If Haarun dies here, what happens then?”

“No way, it must be a rumor. Even if Ransen’s strong, he’s only twenty-seven years old…”

“Right. A Grandmaster at that age? That’s absurd.”

“But if Haarun really is dead… Norberju will be drenched in blood.”

“Just Norberju? Haarun had no heir. If he dies in this situation… you think Jafar, the Sea King, will sit still?”

“True. No matter how strong Ransen is, his power base is still too small…”

“Then a true bloodstorm will come.”

Everyone kept their senses sharpened to Haarun’s fate. Countless messengers and spies moved in secret to confirm his condition.

But from Haarun’s palace, not a single piece of information leaked out.

The city of Ilunael.

Haarun’s palace.

Haarun, who had barely managed to escape, had locked himself in his chamber and did not come out.

No—more precisely, he could not come out.

“Ugh… urgh…”

He still had not recovered.

The truth was, it was a miracle he was even alive.

If not for his body having undergone Transcendence, he would have died long ago.

That was how terrible the internal injuries eating away at him were.

“Grrgh… Bri… Brida! Where are you! Brida!! Ugh…”

As soon as Haarun regained consciousness after groaning in a faint, he called out for his lover, Brida.

In his dazed mind, not knowing dream from reality, all he longed for was the warmth of Brida’s touch.

“What should I do…”

A maid, flustered and anxious, approached with a wet towel to wipe away his sweat.

“Get away!”

Haarun slapped her hand aside.

“Not you! Brida!!! Where is Brida!!”

The maid, rubbing her sore wrist, hesitated before finally speaking.

“Th-the thing is… Lady Brida… is no longer with us.”

“What? What do you mean… Ah… aaah…”

Only then did Haarun realize.

That Brida was dead.

He had never dreamed of it.

Never thought that the fact would carve into his chest like this.

Brida was gone?

That hand that used to stroke his hair, that warm love—he would never feel it again?

“Get out! Out at once! Get out!”

He shouted, driving the maids away, then clutched his chest, choking for air.

One side of his chest was so cold that no matter how he grasped and shook, it would not ease.

“…Ahh… aaahhh…”

Clawing at his aching heart too late, Haarun despaired.

Why hadn’t he realized? The closest, warmest presence by his side. The one who had given him the most comfort.

Now, in his hazy agony, only icy grief and regret filled his chest.

“Stupid… What now… what will you do now…”

Only his sobs and groans, hiccuping and broken, chilled Haarun’s palace.

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