NOVEL WEB Book 1: Chapter 2
The Earthworld Empire had been enjoying a golden age since its founding, spearheaded by a charismatic emperor and supported by his loyal officials and soldiers. The entire continent of Varno was well aware of their splendor. The people of the Empire were proud that they were a part of this glorious age and took it for granted that each successive day would shine brighter than the last.
But this vision came crashing down all too easily.
Following the Emperor’s death, Earthworld dissolved into complete and total mayhem, and the stormy clouds of uncertainty settled over their future. They depended on the civil officials to keep the Empire from stumbling in the crisis—but the Imperial Court transformed into a den of thieves overnight as all scrounged for more power. Losing their guiding sun, the officials revealed their true nature, unleashing their dark hunger for more power.
Of course, there were those who wished to put a stop to this.
Fyshe Blundell, who had returned home from the Kingdom of Natra, was one of them.
…Sadly, I’m much too spineless.
Exiting a room in the Imperial Court, she let out a stifled sigh.
Her aide rushed over to greet her from her post outside. “How did it go, Ambassador?”
“They’ve placed me under house arrest for the time being.”
The recent incident with the Kingdom of Natra was her own doing. This was the day they’d dole out her punishment.
“Thank goodness. They were more lenient than expected. I’m sure your track record was a deciding factor.”
“It’s safe to say it’s because they don’t want me meddling with their affairs anymore.”
The Kingdom of Natra may have pulled one over on her, but it was a minor country all the same. There were countless more important things to be done here in the Empire. Indeed, an untold number of things. Fyshe had plenty to do, of course.
But she somehow couldn’t let it go.
“Just when the Empire needs me most, and yet…”
It was incredibly frustrating. Ugh! Her heart filled to the brim with self-hatred.
“You mustn’t, Ambassador. If you do something while under house arrest, they’ll mete out a harsher punishment.”
“I’m well aware of that. I intend to behave myself,” she pledged. “But conducting research should be fine, right?”
“Research on…what, exactly?”
“The crown prince of Natra.”
Her aide looked concerned. “Ambassador, I understand that you were bested, but you must move on,” she urged.
“I don’t care about that. I’m neither angry nor upset with him.”
She was being honest. Sure, she’d have more peace of mind if she blamed everything on him, but she still held him in high regard. He’d held nothing back, and she accepted her defeat.
The past was in the past. Next time, she’d get him for sure.
“Based on intuition alone, he’s likely to have made rapid progress. It may be only a matter of time before he bares his claws at the Empire. I simply wish to prepare our country to ensure we nip it in the bud.”
“You may be overthinking matters… But if you insist, Ambassador, I will gladly assist.”
Fyshe smiled. “I appreciate your help. First, let’s research the time he spent studying in the Empire. I already know a decent amount, but we may uncover something new.”
“Understood. Well then, I’ll arrange for a thorough inspection of the archives,” the aide confirmed before running off to carry out Fyshe’s orders.
Fyshe peered out the window to look at the sky, connecting her to the West and the Kingdom of Natra.
“…I wonder what that little prince is doing right about now.” She chuckled as she strolled down the hallway with thoughts of a worthy adversary weighing on her mind.
It’d been two months since the Imperial army left the Kingdom of Natra.
Wein gazed down upon hundreds of his soldiers neatly lined up before him, operating as one living, breathing unit, precisely obeying the orders of their commanding officer. Each move was spirited. The mere sight of it was breathtaking.
“What do you think, Your Highness?”
“Excellent work,” he praised, nodding to his vassal in satisfaction as he watched the scene from his hilltop pavilion. “I was worried we might wander off course after losing Imperial guidance, but you’ve done a great job polishing them up so far. I was right to entrust them to you, Raklum.”
“Thank you!” belted out Raklum, respectfully bowing his head.
Though the man was tall with a solid build, he wasn’t the least bit intimidating. This was thanks to his unremarkable facial features, though one could perhaps consider his longer-than-average arms unique. He was one of the commanding officers of the Natra army and handpicked by Wein himself.
“Be that as it may, Your Highness, all I did was follow orders. I am not deserving of such high praise.”
“I know how hard it is to find vassals fit for this job,” Wein insisted. “The fact that it was done at all is thanks to you.”
“But Your Highness was the one who selected and assigned me to this esteemed post. My deeds are hardly worth a grain of sand,” Raklum said, pushing back.
“…Honestly, you never change,” Wein said with a sigh, causing his officer to bow his head even more deeply.
Then a charming giggle interrupted their exchange. “Tee-hee, you two are so funny!”
It was Wein’s younger sister, Falanya.
“Sorry, Falanya. Are you bored?”
“Not at all. It’s interesting to watch the soldiers move with such grace, and I enjoy listening to your conversations. But, Raklum, you really ought to receive his praise. I’m a bit jealous, to be honest. He hardly ever praises me.”
“You heard her, Raklum.” Wein looked over at him with a wry smile.
With a complicated expression, Raklum finally spoke up. “…I will carve Your Highness’s words into my heart.”
“Seems you can’t stand up against my little sister, either. Good work, Falanya. You deserve some praise for that.”
“Oh no. If you praise me for this, I’m afraid I’ll have to make Raklum act even more stubborn from now on,” she teased.
The siblings burst into laughter together. Even Raklum let out a small smile.
“By the way, Wein, I haven’t seen Ninym around recently. Is everything well?”
“Hmm? Ah, I had some business I could trust only Ninym with.”
After all, she’d been chosen at birth to serve Wein and had undergone special training for this role, making her incredibly capable of handling any job flawlessly.
“How rare. It may be for work, but I’m surprised you allowed her to leave your side,” Falanya admitted.
That was the truth. On the whole, Ninym never left Wein’s side.
“It couldn’t be helped. I couldn’t trust this with anyone else.”
He’d been reluctant, of course. With her help, it felt as though he could soar over a mountain instead of walk it. When he thought about his mounting piles of work for the day, he couldn’t help but groan a little in his mind.
Well, he could theoretically get someone else to take care of it—but it’d actually be pretty difficult. After all, Wein was the only one who could substitute for the king. With his father appointing the majority of the vassals, their allegiance lay with the king and nation—not Wein. So far, Ninym and Raklum were the only ones who’d pledged their loyalty solely to him and possessed enough talent to participate in high-level politics. Aside from assigning Raklum to carry out the drills, he had no one else to take care of important matters, other than Ninym.
“Could this work concern the Empire by any chance?” Falanya asked.
“Hmm? What makes you think that?”
“I hear you’ve been buying lots of weapons from the Empire lately.”
Hmm, noted Wein. Well, it wasn’t as though he’d been trying to hide anything.
But Falanya had apparently caught wind of it. Perhaps this crisis had finally sparked an interest in politics and a desire to help him out.
“I’m buying weapons—yes. But my mission for Ninym is a separate matter. Well, okay, it’s not totally separate, but…,” continued Wein as he petted his sister’s head.
An idea zapped into his mind.
“Say, Falanya, do you know why I’m buying weapons from the Empire?”
It wouldn’t hurt to make this a teaching moment. She’d shown interest in the matter, after all.
She apparently understood why he was asking her this, as she thought carefully before answering him. “…Because the Empire’s weapons are better in quality than Natra’s?”
“That’s one part of the answer. But ours aren’t particularly bad. It’s just that military powerhouses are bound to have weapons of higher quality. Anything else?”
“There’s more? Um…” She frowned in concentration but was at a loss for an answer, finally giving Wein a perplexed look.
The sight was so charming, it brought a small smile to his lips.
“I can’t go around telling everyone this, but the purchases are my way of apology to the Empire. Natra got more than its fair share in our transaction the other day.”
“Really? But everyone’s always praising you, Wein. They say you took down the Imperial ambassador a peg or two,” she bragged, as if she’d done it herself.
He shook his head. “In diplomacy, it’s no good if something’s one-sided. Especially when you’re negotiating with a nation more powerful than you. You want to avoid creating any unnecessary ill will. This is the second reason.”
She nodded but then tilted her head questioningly. “And the third reason?”
“Ah, that’s—,” started Wein.
“Pardon me!”
A messenger came flying into the pavilion, yelling so loud that anyone present could hear. “The Kingdom of Marden is advancing on us!”
Falanya’s eyes flew open.
“They’ve finally made their move,” Raklum whispered to himself.
And Wein avowed in a voice of indifference, “—because we’ll be needing to use them immediately.”
The Kingdom of Marden was directly to the west of Natra.
Though neighboring countries, their official relations were virtually nonexistent, limited to mostly private interactions. This was because Natra’s politics and ideology followed those of the East, even though it was in the center of the continent. This meant they didn’t have stellar relations with Western countries.
The two states were comparable in size, which was quite small. Their military strength was much the same—or rather, used to be. That was no longer the case.
The scales had tilted in favor of Marden ever since it had discovered a gold mine, leading it to emerge as a major power over the course of a few short years. On top of that, the mine was infuriatingly close to Natra’s borders. Wein couldn’t stand it. Oh, how he’d internally screamed and cursed at it.
DAMMIIIIIIT!
He’d seriously considered invading Marden once before, but in the end, the idea had fizzled away into nothing.
Now, Marden was trying to invade them.
It’d been decades since Natra had last gone to war with another country. In fact, there were quite a few soldiers without any experience outside of drills and keeping order within the nation.
Under the circumstances, it was natural for anyone involved to be ready to pack their bags and run for the hills—but that wasn’t the case. As they gathered in a room at the royal court, Wein and his military commanders showed no signs of backing down.
“Just as you predicted.”
“We are impressed by your foresight, Your Highness.”
They kept calm for one reason: Wein had already foreseen that Marden would invade in the near future and took proactive measures with his commanding officers.
“It wasn’t so difficult.” He wasn’t feigning modesty. It was the truth.
The current king of Marden had a truly poor reputation. The rumors of his violent reign of terror had even reached ears in Natra. This king had apparently surrounded himself with corrupt officials who turned a blind eye to his failures as a ruler, and then he kept banishing any who dared to speak out against him.
His behavior was setting the stage for a vicious cycle that would drive the country to ruin. With everything that had happened, even the gold mine was relegated to paying off major financial losses instead of contributing to the country’s well-being. With fond memories of their previous, more competent ruler in their hearts, the people were full of dissatisfaction and disappointment.
Considering Marden’s current state, the current conditions in Natra must have seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Imperial army was no longer a nuisance now that they had gone home after their nation had fallen from power. This was the best chance Marden had to bring home a straightforward win. Everyone understood the appeal of glory and the spoils of war.
Of course, this was all under the assumption they’d win—but Natra had prepared extensively to prevent that from happening.
“What about the garrisons at the border?”
“They’re avoiding battle and focusing on observing the enemy, as you instructed.”
“Very good. Well, what are we facing?”
“According to reports, they’re coming with a force of seven thousand,” one of Wein’s commanders commented.
“Less than ten thousand, eh? That was my most conservative estimate.”
“They must be wary of Kavalinu. That country is home to a hot-blooded bunch, after all.”
The Kingdom of Kavalinu was another country that directly bordered Marden. Like Natra, it also enviously eyed Marden’s rich ore deposits. Thanks to the constant threat of foreign invasion by its neighbors, Marden had to strike a delicate balance between offensive and defensive forces. This was a perennial issue among warring nations.
“We have six thousand soldiers prepared to engage the enemy. It seems we’ve fallen slightly short,” said another commander.
“We’ll be fine. Our weaponry and armor are in order, I take it?”
“Yes. As expected, the Empire’s equipment is all finely crafted. Marden stands no chance.”
Because they’d anticipated this attack, the war council was doing nothing more than hammering out details and making small, last-minute decisions.
Wein let his mind drift elsewhere as he listened to them chatter among themselves.
We’re well prepared. Luckily, we’ll be able to wrap this up before the Empire causes us additional headaches.
Natra’s fast track to subordination had been interrupted. As rumor had it, the Imperial Court was more preoccupied over which of the three Imperial princes would inherit the throne. Apparently, the divisions had worsened to the point that the various Imperial factions were on the brink of a civil war.
But Wein still recognized the Empire as a powerful nation. The foundation of the Empire hadn’t been broken, and he was certain they would overcome this hardship, maintaining their position as the leading power in the East.
It was only a matter of time until he would have another chance to sell his country to the Empire. Until then, his job was to bolster power within Natra. After all, the more valuable his kingdom, the greater its price. In that sense, his actions would determine how much he’d be able to enjoy his early retirement.
Our soldiers have been trained to the Empire’s standards. This war’s perfect for proving our strength and value. It’ll also keep other countries in check. Though it comes down to whether we can win—
Wein and the others had drilled the soldiers, studied the geography, refined their strategy, and even collected intelligence on Marden’s army. There wasn’t the slightest chance of failure. At the very least, Wein was confident the soldiers would be able to repel the attack, opening the option of a quick reconciliation.
It was obvious the Kingdom of Marden was looking down on Natra, figuring this would be an easy victory. They wouldn’t come calling like this just to steal a plot of barren land.
It’s perfect…!
His former deal with the Empire had resulted in a pileup of unfortunate coincidences that caused his last scheme to fall through, but that had been nothing but a stroke of bad luck. This time, Wein predicted everything would go according to plan. He indulged himself with a jolly little victory dance in his mind.
If Ninym were around, she’d have advised him to be more aware of his surroundings. If she did, he might’ve noticed something unexpected brewing under the composed faces of his commanders.
To be frank, the Kingdom of Natra’s army was in a pitiful state before Wein’s ascension to the regency. It wasn’t that the king disregarded his army, but for a long time, Natra simply wasn’t involved in any warfare, and chances for the military to prove its worth were few and far between.
It was only natural that the military’s standing in the royal court suffered during these times, and it only got worse when foreign troops sauntered into the kingdom acting as if they owned the place. The shame the kingdom’s soldiers endured was intense.
It was from this point that Wein had turned things around for them. Not only had he persuaded the Empire to train them, but once an opportunity came, he also chased the Imperial troops out of Natra lands. He’d even helped the army procure weapons from the Empire.
Of course, they were well aware that Wein’s goal was to earn their goodwill, especially considering the kingdom’s recent political unrest. Even with this knowledge, the soldiers and officers were grateful for everything he did, more so than he’d ever imagined—and their devotion was well beyond the call of duty.
It was at this point that Marden launched its invasion.
“Let us fulfill our duty as the swords of Natra!”
“If we cannot meet His Highness’s expectations, then what sort of vassals are we, huh?!”
Their collective energy had boiled over and finally reached its peak.
Meanwhile, Wein remained as composed as ever—because he believed victory was assured—even though it was his first battle. The commanders knew it would be impertinent to keep shouting and cheering in front of him, so they settled down and forced themselves to at least seem calm on the surface.
No one showed their true emotion, which meant no one could’ve realized the massive gap in their expectations:
Let us bring glory and victory to His Highness!
Hurry up and get this over with! Retreat and reconcile!
Their intentions were mismatched.
The battle with Marden loomed on the horizon.
The Polta Wasteland was near Natra’s western border.
As the name suggested, it was a barren plot with nothing but sand and rocks, especially in the early spring. There was no snow now, unlike in the dead of winter, when it transformed into a dazzling world of silver.
At the moment, seven thousand Marden soldiers were marching through the region under the strict command of General Urgio. He was a man in his prime with harsh features and an even sharper gaze. He resembled a bird of prey.
“Hmph. It’s just as they say. There’s absolutely nothing here,” he grumbled from the top of his horse. “Those court pigs are incompetent beyond help. What’s the point of seizing this place?”
“I bet they’re just desperate to have us distract the masses from their failures,” suggested the adjutant with a dry smile.
Urgio let out an ugly little snort. “In that case, they should distribute the cost of this campaign to the people instead. That’d be a much simpler way to pull the wool over their eyes. If these fools don’t even understand that much, we’ve screwed ourselves by having them run our kingdom.”
“If they did that, those talentless hacks would go too far and end up giving away our very livelihoods.”
“We’ll roast those pigs whole if that ever happens. I doubt they’d be worth eating, though.”
As the two laughed bitterly, a soldier rushed up to them on horseback.
“I have a message! The Kingdom of Natra’s troops have been spotted twenty-five miles to the east! They’re advancing on us!”
“Ngh…” The general’s eyes flashed.
“It seems they move quicker than we thought.”
“Hmph. As expected of northern opportunists. They’re quick. I give them that much. That is, if they didn’t leave their spears at home in a hurry.”
“But, General, I heard their soldiers have recently been trained by the Empire. If we let our guard down, it may come back to bite us.”
“Eh, don’t worry. They’re about to find out firsthand that even if you teach a chicken how a hawk flies, it’ll always be nothing but a chicken. Move our men faster. Since their troops are in a hurry to put their necks on the chopping block, we’re going to finish this up right away.”
“Yes, sir!” The adjutant began barking out orders.
Giving him a sidelong glance, Urgio turned his attention toward the east, reminding himself that he’d been appointed commander of this war—the reason why didn’t matter. Natra was hardly a worthy enemy, but a victory was still a victory. He’d make sure to serve up their heads on a platter.
“Those weaklings better entertain me a little.”
He was eager to soak this desolate land with the blood of his enemies and gave a nasty grin to no one in particular.
Meanwhile, Natra army leaders were reviewing intel about the Marden troops again.
“Just what we expected.”
“Yes. Let’s move forward with our plan and advance to the hill,” agreed a mounted, elderly commander, nodding at Wein, who was reading a map on his own horse.
He was Hagal, the general of the Natra troops in the field.
Technically, the supreme commander of the army was Wein, but he had no interest in military exploits. The last thing he wanted was to steal credit for the victory from his officers, so ideally, he would’ve preferred sitting this entire thing out.
That said, this was their nation’s first war in a long time. There was no saying what might happen. He prudently suggested accompanying the troops—in case they needed him to massage out a diplomatic solution instead. That way, if the opportunity presented itself, he could pacify their opponents and bring the whole incident to an end as quickly as possible.
Nonetheless, his soldiers were uneasy that he was nominally in charge. After all, he’d never set foot on a battlefield, and now he was leading an entire army.
This was why Hagal was the one truly in command. He was originally a high-ranking officer of a foreign military—renowned for his long military career and involvement in countless historic battles. It was quite curious how someone of his caliber was stuck in the backwater of Natra. But he had his reasons.
Threatened by Hagal’s brilliance and popularity, a lord of his previous land attempted to have him killed a few decades ago. Fleeing as far as he could, Hagal eventually wound up in Wein’s country.
Though the aging commander had recently stopped leading from the front, Wein know no one in their right mind would complain with Hagal in charge.
But, man, the military is a serious money-eating enterprise. Bye-bye, cash. Good-bye, funds.
With Hagal giving out orders to the army, Wein was relegated to a spectator role. Not that he had any complaints. He was treating this as a good chance to inspect the variety and quantity of goods consumed by the soldiers. This was the moment he’d realized exactly how much money it cost to mobilize his troops.
First and foremost, he had to pay them a salary. Then he needed to provide water and other provisions as well. On top of that, there were still the costs of the horses, their fodder, weapons, armor, and a mountain of day-to-day necessities.
After he added in sundry expenses and calculated the total amount it’d cost by the time they returned home, he nearly let out a harrowing moan. Ugaaaaah.
“Is everything all right, Your Highness?”
“Ah, yeah, yep… I was just wondering how fast we can put an end to this war.”
That was the only way to stop them from losing any more money. He’d heard of kings who relished war, but he figured they must be pretty terrible at math.
“What do you think, Hagal?”
“It’ll be difficult. War is a hard thing to predict before it actually begins… I take it you’re hoping to make this a quick battle.”
“I believe that’d be for the best—but there’d be no point in aiming for that if it’ll cost us victory. What I mean is… Yes, what I want is to be convinced. Even if it takes some time, I want a result that convinces me this battle was a good use of our time. What do you think, Hagal?”
“Please leave it to me.” The old man bowed reverently to the boy, who was young enough to be his grandson. “I vow this battle will be to your satisfaction.”
“Let’s hope for the best. Well, looks like we’re almost there.” Wein gazed ahead at the low hill as it came into view.
Six thousand soldiers fighting for Natra.
Seven thousand for Marden.
Across a barren wasteland strewn with rock and sand, the two armies faced each other. Though there was still quite a distance between the two hosts, the atmosphere of battle had already settled onto the scene.
From here on out, many men would be trying their best to kill one another.
“Your Highness, the troops are ready.”
From a tent on top of a hill, Wein nodded at Hagal. “And what about the Marden army?”
“It appears they’re prepared as well.”
“I guess all that’s left is to wait for the battle to start.”
“Yes, indeed. Would Your Highness say a few words to everyone before they set out?”
“I don’t mind, but is this really the time for a speech? I mean, will it do anything, Hagal?”
“Of course. A battlefield is the domain of death itself. In such a place, our hearts wear out faster than our bodies. A few words of encouragement will help keep them from breaking.”
Wein couldn’t argue with a seasoned commander. Besides, if he showed concern for the well-being of his men, it’d also lower the chance of a coup later on. But what should he say? As he continued to think, he walked over to stand in front of the entire army at the foot of the hill.
As he gazed over them, he made his decision: “Torace of Heinoy.”
It was someone’s name. In the center of their formation, one of the soldiers’ heads snapped up. He was surprised and confused to hear the crown prince call him by his name.
“Your spear. It’s upside down,” Wein remarked.
“Wha…? Oh.” The soldier looked down at his own hand.
Sure enough, the tip was sticking into the ground, and the wrong end faced up toward the sky. He fumbled, flipping his spear around, and quickly stood at attention again. By then, his face was beet red.
Someone burst into laughter, and it quickly spread across the army.
“Karlmann, Patess, Livi, Logli, it’s not that funny,” said Wein, piercing right through the din with his sharp warning.
The four names belonged to soldiers who were guffawing especially hard, and they shut their mouths with a start. This turned out to be just as comical, but the soldiers kept silent and limited the mirth to their quivering shoulders, knowing they might be called out if they laughed again.
Seems like they’ve managed to relax a little.
When he had observed them earlier, Wein had noticed they were tense. It was understandable. After all, it was the first time most of them would participate in a battle. Drills could help to a certain extent, but there were some things that had to be learned through real-life experience.
In any case, Wein had cleared the first hurdle. All that was left was to boost their morale.
“To this very day, people have called the army of Natra weak. To be fair, that was once true. And right now, those soldiers from Marden are looking down on us in the exact same way.” His voice boomed, echoing through the crowd. “But I know how you’ve endured soul-crushing training. I know each and every one of you has courage beyond compare. And I know that as you stand here to face those invaders, there is nothing but fire in your hearts. You have no reason to believe you’re weak anymore.”
The relaxed atmosphere from earlier was gone. Now, the soldiers were impetuous, seized by a fiery spirit.
Fanning the flames he had set, he shouted out to them, “This battle is where we show them that we are the dragons of the north! Let it ring throughout the continent: We are the greatest army to stalk the land! Let us conquer all! We will rewrite history—today!”
“YEAAAAAAAAAAH!” Their collective cries shook heaven and earth.
It seemed he somehow managed to succeed.
As he let out an internal sigh of relief, Hagal rode up to him. “You were magnificent, Your Highness. I couldn’t have sparked such fire in them.”
“At the very least, they won’t drop their weapons in fear,” Wein replied with a slight smile.
“Did you plant some soldiers you knew in the crowd?”
“Don’t be stupid. I was totally improvising.”
“And you happened to know their names?”
“Well, I memorized most of them. It’s not like we have hundreds of thousands of soldiers. If you add up the entire army, it comes to only ten thousand men.”
“……” A perplexed look spread across Hagal’s face.
As the feverish cries of their enemy reached his ears, Urgio clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“Ranting and raving like the opportunist scum they are,” he spat.
“General, our preparations are complete.”
“Good.”
He squashed his irritation back down before facing his men, knowing he couldn’t put his short temper on full display with thousands of eyes on him.
“Listen up, warriors of Marden!” he blared, voice rumbling in the pit of his soldiers’ stomachs. “That over there is our pathetic little enemy! They’ve mistaken recklessness as courage and wish to oppose our advance! But no matter how many peasants they gather to make their ragtag army, there’s no way they will ever win against us!”
Urgio sharply drew out his sword, and the soldiers raised their weapons to the sky.
“Crush them underfoot! We will soak this wasteland with their blood! Troops! Forward march—!”
Howling up at the sky, seven thousand men stomped on the ground as one united front.
“So they’re here.”
Their enemy advanced—a human tsunami. Wein could feel their presence overpower him from his position at the headquarters.
“Troops, stand ready!” barked Hagal.
At his command, the army raised their shields and spears. With the Marden on the offense, the soldiers fighting for Natra were forced to take on the defense: ready to stand in place and beat them back.
If Marden was a tsunami, then Natra was a levee.
The rival army steadily approached them. The tension was palpable, setting their skin alight and seemingly whipping the very air around them.
Natra would win this battle. Victory was certain. But fear was a part of human nature.
Wein watched the encroaching army with feigned composure, desperately praying inside all the while.
Please—let this go well.
The two armies drew closer. The distance between them shrank. His heart raced faster and faster.
Until finally, the tsunami hit the levee—
““ Huh?””
Wein and Urgio couldn’t believe their eyes.
Whoa… Whoa, whoa, whoa…!
W-wait…?!
From their respective places, they gazed at the scene unfolding in front of them, united in a single thought: What in the world is going on…?!
On the battlefield, the soldiers of Natra were in a rather standard formation: From a bird’s-eye view, you’d see them in a rectangular shape spread out before the Marden army.
Their opponents had their own battle arrangement. Their men were concentrated in the middle of its formation, unlike their opponent’s uniform structure. The Marden were banking on breaking through the opposing center line, then turning around and destroying them in one go.
Humans are particularly vulnerable to attacks from the side and from behind. This principle can be applied to an entire army, too, meaning assaults from the rear are extremely advantageous.
To counter these attacks, the troops of Natra needed to focus on destroying the enemy soldiers in the center. That said, they were going against seven thousand men with an army of six thousand. If strength was in numbers, it was obvious which one had the advantage.
But war isn’t determined by that alone.
After all, victory depended on many unquantifiable factors, like skill.
“General Urgio! We have a request for backup from the left flank—Loshina Unit!”
“A message has come in! The Sanse Unit has been annihilated! The Tljii Unit is heading there as backup!”
“General, the right flank’s struggling as well!”
News from the battlefield hit them as one report after another came in: All reported the dire condition of the Marden army.
“No way…” Surprise spilled from Urgio’s lips in spite of himself.
But his words reflected the collective bewilderment of the Marden officers.
How the hell are their soldiers this strong…?!
Wait, Marden is weak as shhhiiiiiiiit?!
While Urgio and his staff were stiff with shock, Wein sat on the opposite side of the battlefield in disbelief.
What is this?! Huh?! Why are we beating the crap out of them?!
His words were no lie. The battle was completely one-sided.
The Natra and Marden men met in a zealous clash, but it was immediately evident which one was stronger—even before the impact of their initial collision died down.
The Marden troops brandished their weapons, single-mindedly focused on taking down the enemy in front of them. But their attacks weren’t coordinated or collaborative: It was every man for himself.
But Wein’s soldiers were different.
When Marden troops rushed in, some defenders raised their shields to stop the enemy assault, freeing up nearby allies to beat the attack back. On the other hand, when the enemy closed up their formation in self-defense, the Natra soldiers coordinated to break through it—all the while maintaining formation. Instead of fighting individually, the Natra army moved as one, with each soldier supporting the men beside him.
Though fewer in numbers, it was painfully clear that Natra had the overwhelming superior force.
“What’s the matter, Your Highness?” Hagal questioned, noticing his confusion.
“…I was surprised. We’re better than I thought.”
Not that he doubted they’d win, but this was well beyond his expectations.
“Did you know it’d turn out like this, Hagal?”
“Why, yes. After all, we all invent and refine things to fulfill a need. To illustrate my point, the Empire has a long history of battles. This is one of the reasons they’re able to train their soldiers so effectively. To be honest, even I was impressed when I observed their methods. Once we learned their ways, I knew we’d easily defeat a small country with nothing but minor skirmishes under its belt.” He broke into a wry smile. “But I’m a little surprised by how weak they are. It’s possible this is a setup, but I really don’t believe that to be the case by this point. But, Your Highness…”
“Yeah, I haven’t forgotten. We’ll just have to whittle ’em down while we still can…”
Just then, a huge shout erupted from the right flank. After halting the Marden advance, Natra soldiers had gone on the attack.
“Looks like Raklum has made his move.”
Roars and screams blared out of the crowd at the edge of the right flank.
Through strewn bodies and followed by the metallic scent of fresh blood, Raklum rode on his horse. Under his command, the officers spat out orders:
“Don’t break formation! Move together as a unit!”
“Shore up the defense! Dispatch reinforcements!”
“The Marden are gettin’ cold feet! Force ’em back!”
The soldiers at the front lines followed their instructions with a keen awareness that this battle was going in their favor, just as Wein had observed.
They were fighting well, and it was already affecting the enemy. In fact, the Natra soldiers were quickly overwhelming the enemy. Months of harsh training under the Empire’s tutelage were coming to fruition, and as the battle wore on, the men’s morale continued to rise. Thanks to Raklum’s commanding officers giving out precise orders and the soldiers speedily carrying them out, they were pushing back Marden more and more.
Right now, their army was in the zone. They no longer felt any doubt.
This was why the commanding officers made a proposal to their leader, Raklum.
“Commander Raklum, sir! This is our chance! Let’s launch a full-on attack!”
“At this point, we can smash through their defenses and take ’em from the rear!”
“Commander Raklum!”
Suggestion after suggestion whizzed past the captain’s ears, but his eyes were cast downward. He was unresponsive.
The commanders looked at one another. This was different from the Raklum they knew, the one who matter-of-factly issued orders during their drills. They’d never seen this side of him.
One of them nervously reached out, wondering what was wrong. “Captain…?”
As he gingerly touched his shoulder, Raklum’s head snapped up. The commander stiffened in an instant.
Raklum had been crying.
Grown men shouldn’t cry—but tears poured from his eyes, heedless of his subordinates’ gaze.
“C-Commander Raklum, what in the world…?”
“UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!” blared Raklum in an agonizing, throaty voice.
This inhuman cry startled the Natra and Marden troops in the right flank, causing them to shake involuntarily and stop their movements.
They all turned toward the direction of the noise—Raklum.
“I… I’m sad,” he admitted. With all eyes on him, he moved his horse forward. “This is the very first battle of the glorious Prince Regent Wein Salema Arbalest… His first step of many on a brilliant journey…and yet…and yet…”
The tears transformed into unbridled fury, blazing out of his shy eyes.
The Marden soldiers shivered at the sight of his rage.
“What worthless trash… All we’re doing is clearing out weeds. It shouldn’t be like this… We should be offering up the blood of strong, cunning, renowned prey, worthy of His Highness’s splendor…”
Raklum suddenly dropped down from his horse and stomped across to the enemy, sauntering as though walking through an empty field. He finally came to a halt in front of the Marden soldiers, who were all frozen in place.
This was an unusual sight: an enemy leader standing before them alone, crying. It left them so dumbfounded, they didn’t dare move.
“Your Highness… Oh, please forgive your retainer for his unworthiness.”
Both of Raklum’s long arms lashed out, flashing through the air like whips.
With a loud pop, a soldier’s face split into two, and his body was callously tossed in the air.
“—At the very least, I vow to create a mountain of their dirty corpses.”
With that, everyone came to their senses.
“K-kill him—!”
“Follow Commander Raklum!”
Raklum swung his gauntleted fist as the Marden soldiers swarmed him.
“He’s pushing back the enemy! Their defeat is close at hand!”
Wein nodded in satisfaction at the messenger’s report.
He goes a little wild sometimes, but it looks like it’ll be okay this time. Good, good.
By handpicking Raklum as one of his officers, Wein had made the man unimaginably loyal to him. In truth, Wein had been a little concerned as to whether that might make things worse in a real battle. But considering how things were going, he figured everything would work out.
What the hell was he thinking, getting off his horse and bashing people himself? he’d come to think in hindsight over the coming days as detailed reports filtered in. Not that he had any way of knowing that at the moment.
But this is bad.
One after another, the messengers reported that they were at a major advantage. However, clouds of doubt continued to swirl inside his conscience.
Marden should just hurry up and cut their losses. If they don’t…
As Wein fretted, Hagal’s eyes glinted shrewdly. “Your Highness, our threads have begun to fray,” he reported.
Gah. Wein narrowly escaped saying that out loud, hurriedly swallowing it down. “You’re sure?”
“Yes… The battle conditions are changing again. Please prepare yourself, Your Highness.”
Wein gave a short nod as he looked on at the battlefield and remembered what Hagal had said before they had set off for battle.
“Wait, our soldiers won’t last long?”
“That’s correct,” Hagal had said frankly at the war council meeting. “By training hard, our soldiers are almost unrecognizable in strength and likely to dominate at the start of battle. But they’ll wear out after ninety minutes.”
“Why?”
“Because most of them are unfamiliar with war,” Hagal had explained. “The cold air, spilled blood and sinew, uncontrollable bloodlust… In battle, the heart gets worn down faster than the body. When that happens, your vision narrows and your ears start to close. This makes soldiers slow to come to the aid of their comrades or obey new orders. You could say it reduces the strength of our army by half.”
“Even after all their training?”
“No amount of training can change this,” he had said, nodding. “There are just too many things on the battlefield you cannot know unless you experience them yourself.”
“…So Marden has the upper hand in this regard. Their experience might consist mostly of smaller skirmishes, but they’ve experienced war before.”
“Yes. Unless their leader’s exceedingly foolish, he won’t overlook this opportunity. That means the deciding factor is how much you can whittle down their army until then.”
“Let’s hope he’s the dumbest, most unaware leader possible,” Wein had wished with a sigh.
But of course, his wish didn’t come true.
—The enemy is moving with less force! Almost immediately, Urgio sensed this sudden change.
“General!”
“I know! Give me ten seconds!”
At the start of battle, they had seven thousand of their men fighting against six thousand enemy soldiers. But despite their early advantage, they currently stood five thousand to five thousand—an even playing field.
With the Natra army’s movements slowing down, there was a chance to make a comeback.
But it was useless. That alone wouldn’t be enough. If the Marden army couldn’t beat them before sunset, their opponents would start to prepare for their next move, rest, and recuperate, meaning Urgio’s men would have to fight them all over again.
This is our chance. Now or never. We’ll have to—
This is bad.
On the other side, Wein’s patience was wearing thin. The reason wasn’t just the deteriorating condition of his army. It was because he’d pretty much hand-fed the Marden a way to turn things around.
It’d take time to prepare a counterattack. If the enemy started to move in before then—
I’m begging you not to notice…!
Wein sent a prayer to the heavens above.
But his prayers were in vain, for Urgio surveyed the battlefield and quickly spotted the epicenter of this change.
Are the front lines wearing thin…?
Though the Natra army was holding out and trying to keep formation, their center was weakening.
Why? The answer quickly sprang to mind.
To destroy the left flank of Urgio’s army, Natra had shifted soldiers from the middle of their formation to their right. Unfortunately, their manpower slowly petered out before they could follow through on the attack, and they’d entered a stalemate and a thin formation.
An image of victory flashed in front of him. They could do it.
This is the moment of truth, he screamed in his mind.
“Tell the leaders on both flanks to keep whatever enemy troops they’re fighting occupied—get the main forces back in formation!” he blared. “We attack as soon as everything’s ready!”
“Yes, sir! What’s the target?!”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Urgio looked into the distance as his eyes gleamed. “The head of their dear leader!”
Ugh, crap—hold on! We’re not freakin’ ready yet—
The center of the Marden formation had unleashed an attack on his men.
The single blow targeted their cavalry, taking a huge bite out of their weakened army.
But the Marden forces couldn’t be stopped. They pressed through the gap, worming their way through. There were no soldiers left to defend this opening on Natra’s side. And with men fervently fighting on both flanks, Wein couldn’t ask his troops to return to their original positions and block the new enemy advance.
Their opponents would burst through their main defense. There were about a thousand soldiers pushing through. When that happened, the only ones available for defense would be Wein, Hagal, and a hundred other guards on top of the hill.
“Your Highness, we must pull back. Quickly.”
“I know.”
There was only one path. Under Hagal’s order, Wein and the others hastily made their retreat.
“General! He’s escaping from their main headquarters!”
“How pathetic! He should just take the loss like a man. But there aren’t that many of them up with him! Go after him on horseback! Have the infantry hold their main forces in place!”
“Yes, sir!”
Urgio divided his infantry. He set out after Wein with a cavalry detachment four hundred strong. They launched upward toward the top of the hill and skidded to a halt near their main headquarters, seizing a few craggy mountains behind the hill. Hiding in one of the shadows was the prince’s personal guard.
“So you planned to run and hide again… Pity. Your heavy armor backfired on you!” he barked.
The guards in their enemy’s headquarters were nearly all foot soldiers equipped with spears and shields. They couldn’t outrun horses.
“Get them before they hide in the cliffs! Let’s go—!”
He issued the order and descended the hill with his cavalry. As they closed the distance between them, the guards stopped moving and turned around in what seemed like resignation, forming a line of defense to face the coming attack.
But it was much too thin. They could be broken in a single charge. Urgio raised a war cry, certain of victory—
“I told you not to come,” cursed Wein in a low voice no one could hear. Then he issued a command. “All right, let’s wrap this up…!”
Ninym Ralei ordered the soldiers, “—Archers, loose.”
From the top of the cliffs, a sea of arrows rained down on the Marden army.
“—Ambassador! Terrible news!” Fyshe’s door to her home flung open as her aide dashed in.
Fyshe glanced up from the reports on the battle between Natra and Marden. “Why are you so flustered?!”
“It’s about the crown prince! I’ve obtained some documents! You won’t believe what I’ve found! Feast your eyes on this!”
Fyshe caught the pages the aide thrust at her.
“Ambassador, didn’t you mention something was missing when you looked into the crown prince? I think this could be the answer!”
As Fyshe scanned the papers in front of her and listened to the excited, blubbering cries of her aide, her eyes widened in surprise. “He attended the military academy…?!”
“Yes! He studied at the Empire’s military academy for two years!”
Disbelief raged in her mind. But it was the truth. This evidence was undeniable.
“Our academy is full of national secrets. Why was the royalty of a nonvassal nation…?”
“I don’t know the details, but it seems he hid his title and passed himself off as a commoner. Though his teachers may have been aware…”
“How did he get admitted?”
“It seems a high Flahm official in the Empire recommended him. It could be because the Kingdom of Natra is famous for accepting his kind long before other lands. Even though he held a position of power within the Empire, he must have been predisposed to helping the royal family in Natra for their role in protecting his people.”
It seemed likely. The Flahm had an unbreakable bond. But there was something else Fyshe wasn’t satisfied with.
“But why was this information omitted? I mean, I suppose it might cause some problems, but it’s nothing too major.”
“That’s not all. Please read on.”
Pressed by her aide, Fyshe turned to the next page of the document. It was two years’ worth of test scores.
“This is…” She couldn’t believe her eyes.
Literature, history, math, fencing, military history… Every exam had excellent marks, taken by someone at the top of their class. The name was blacked out.
“It was already censored when I received it. It seems the name was intentionally redacted.”
Why would someone do such a thing?
The answer came to her in a flash.
“We have the reason right here,” Fyshe explained. “It was to hide the disgraceful fact that a foreigner—let alone a royal—was at the top of the class instead of a person from the Empire…!”
This was just unthinkable. How could something so foolish happen?
The Empire had created and nurtured an enemy—and now the claw it had created was pointed at its throat. And that claw’s name was…
“Wein Salema Arbalest…!”
Below them, the Marden troops were on the brink of destruction.
They might have been lauded as a strong army, but many of their men were ready to flee in the face of a surprise attack. How could anyone remain calm when assailed by a shower of arrows?
Well, if there was anyone, it would be well-trained commanding officers and soldiers, experienced in battle and ready to rush in to defend their leader. There were a few men swarming their general at that very moment.
Because of this, Ninym easily spotted him from her high vantage point.
“Archers, continue to hit the remaining enemy soldiers. Cavalry, we’re off.”
“Understood!”
At Ninym’s command, the cavalry charged down the hill all at once. The Marden troops were confused and helpless without their leader, and the Natra picked them off one after the other.
“It’s going well, Captain!”
“Of course. That was the plan,” Ninym responded coolly as she recalled how she’d arrived here in the first place.
“—Hide the troops?”
“Yep.”
It was a few weeks before Marden would begin their invasion, and Wein had just requested Ninym carry out a very specific plan in the meeting room.
“They’ll be attacking us soon. According to my estimations, we’ll be meeting each other right here in the Polta Wasteland.” He pointed at a map spread out on the desk. “It’s dotted with mountains and hills, an ideal place to hide soldiers. Keep them there and launch a surprise attack when the time comes. I want you to command them for me, Ninym. I’m already discussing it with my men.”
“…I have a number of questions.” She raised her hand. “First, are you absolutely certain when they’ll attack?”
“The reports from my spies confirm it. There’s no question they’ll attack within the month.”
“How many soldiers will we hide?”
“Pick those you trust the most—maybe seven hundred to a thousand. It’ll be hard to hide a force any bigger than that. And it’ll tip off the enemy if they see we have noticeably less manpower.”
“Okay, so just enough to carry out an attack.”
“Yeah. Lure out the enemy and attack from the side… That’s our best method, though it depends on how the battle plays out.”
“What about departing together? My soldiers can travel a bit faster to hide ourselves.”
“That won’t work. There are probably a few enemy spies in our troops, so if we divide the army in two later on, they’ll rat us out. Then the attack will come to nothing,” he reasoned.
She nodded and saw no issues so far. But she was most concerned about something else.
“Last question: Why me?”
“Huh?! Can our Miss Ninym not handle this?! You’re always going around acting so high-and-mighty, looking like you can do just about anything, but I see! So you can’t do it! …Ah, Stop, stop, ow, ow—”
“Be serious.”
“Okay, okay, I get it. Stop twisting my fingers already!” Wein shouted, yanking his hand out of her grasp. “It’s simple. To pull this off, I need the right leader. After all, we need to keep a thousand soldiers hidden for a month. But if I assign one of my more competent leaders, it’ll hinder management of the main forces. And there’s always the possibly the Marden would get suspicious if a big shot military leader wasn’t around for the big battle. That’s why you’re commanding them: No one will see you as a military threat, right?”
“True.”
To the public, she was Wein’s aide and a civil official. No one knew she’d trained to lead an army. But the troops would treat her with a degree of respect, knowing her family had served the royals for generations.
“Well, basically, I don’t really trust anyone except you and Raklum. Those other guys made a vow of loyalty to my father and the country—not me. This is still a very delicate issue. I can’t assign these tasks to just any old officer.”
“The other vassals think highly of you, you know.”
“Nope, no way! If I’m careless for even a second, there’s gonna be a coup! History has all but proved that!”
His paranoia of enemies in plain sight made her shake her head internally. At this rate, it’ll be a long way off until they could build a bridge of trust between Wein and the other officials.
“Well, if it really looks like you can’t do it, I still have other ways of going myself… I’m sure you can handle government affairs while I’m gone.”
“I won’t…let that happen. If you’re not here, Wein, who will take command of the main army?”
“Ah, well, I intended to put Hagal in command from the very start. I don’t want to throw water on the soldiers’ long-awaited chance at glory.”
“…Is this really all right?”
“Don’t worry, old man Hagal is, like, ridiculously strong. Yerp. No need to worry. He’s especially insane on the battlefield. If I went head-to-head with him, I’d hightail it out of there—but that’s a separate conversation.”
Ninym nodded, returning to the issue at hand. “If that’s what you want, I guess I have to accept. Very well. I’ll take the soldiers and lie in wait.”
“I’m counting on you. Er, well, there’s about a fifty-fifty shot we’ll actually need you. As for me, I’d like to win, but not by too much.”
“You don’t want total surrender?”
“That kind of victory comes with its own problems… Well, there’s no way that’ll happen, so it doesn’t matter too much. Let’s hurry up and get started.”
Ninym nodded, calculating in the back of her head. She needed to choose and prepare an appropriate hideout, soldiers, and foodstuffs. There was plenty to do, all under a veil of secrecy, but she indulged herself in vocalizing one last fear.
“By the way…will you get any work done without me?”
Wein grinned. “Oh, it’ll be hell when you get back.”
…Just how much work did he put off?
She smiled bitterly, charging on horseback with her subordinates. They were aiming for a group of ten Marden soldiers attempting a retreat. In the center of the small unit was their leader—Urgio.
“Th-the enemy is coming!”
“Protect the general! Hold the line!”
They quickly gathered into a defensive position.
“—Your line is too thin,” Ninym noted.
With her at the forefront, the cavalry shot through their defenses and dashed in, routing any retreating Marden soldiers. Without breaking stride, they swung toward the center of the formation, facing Urgio with his brandished sword.
She cut off his arm as they raced past each other.
Spraying blood, he fell from his horse.
“G-GWAAAAAAAAH…!” he howled in anguish.
Turning her horse around, she gazed down at him as a ring of her men defended her. “You’re the leader, aren’t you?”
Soaked in his own sweat and blood, Urgio looked up as he writhed in agony, sweating. “Th-that voice…and that white hair…”
“Surrender. You can still be saved if you get immediate medical treatment,” she advised.
But that sent Urgio into a blinding rage. “Surrender… Surrender, you say…?! Don’t screw with me!” he howled.
Warm blood poured from the gaping wound in Urgio’s arm, and he breathed heavily, on the verge of death.
“I’m the general of the Marden army! Do you think I’ll submit to a woman, much less some ashy slave?!”
“I see.” She swung her blade and, with one smooth motion, sliced through his neck.
His head thudded onto the ground.
“Raise his head and spread the news. The enemy has been defeated… And do not let his dying words leave your mouths.”
“Understood: The enemy leader was silent up to his final moments.”
“Very well, then.”
The adjutant raised the bloodied head and gave a hoot of victory.
Their soldiers answered with a long war cry as the Marden troops fell silent, finally defeated.
Ninym’s eyes slipped past them, shifting her attention to the shadows of the mountain. There stood the soldiers from headquarters, those who’d lured out Urgio and his troops. Ninym turned toward the boy in the center of it all and gave a big wave.
“It seems to have gone well, Your Highness.”
“Sure looks like it.”
The Marden army fell out of formation, like clumps of baby spiders. The loss of their general robbed them of the will to resist any longer.
Though he’d suggested the surprise attack, it was beyond Wein’s expectations that they’d be able to successfully draw out and defeat the enemy leader.
“So I guess this battle’s pretty much decided?”
Hagal nodded. “Because their general was defeated behind the hill, their main troops on the other side aren’t aware the war is over. We must quickly spread the news of our safety and their leader’s death. Once we do so, they’ll retreat.”
“Got it. Let’s get going, then.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The men began to move under Hagal’s command.
Afterward, Wein joined Ninym and her troops and returned to the top of the hill, where they witnessed the news spreading: The prince had returned, and the Marden leader was dead. This gave heart to the Natra soldiers and soured their enemy’s morale.
With many of Urgio’s commanding officers killed and no one left to unite them, the Marden scrambled to their feet and scampered away.
In a little less than a day, the troops of Natra were the victors in this battle in the Polta Wasteland. Each and every soldier swelled with triumph, drunk on the strongest liquor of all—glory.
Well, all except one.
Sooooo what the hell do I do now…?
Wein was the only one thinking about the future—and the only one filled with dread.