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'It's enjoyable, but not enough.'
Arpina, who had died once and come back to life, was starving for deeper and more intense pleasure.
"She's appeared again...!"
"How is she still alive!"
"The Witch of Dreams has returned...!!"
The northern part of the Eastern Continent was once again gripped by fear.
The witch who had been caught and executed by Abelus once had returned as if reborn as an immortal being.
Only a very few people noticed that her appearance was different from before, and it was during this period that numerous proverbs about witches came to refer to the 'Witch of Dreams'.
But was it because she had experienced the strongest power?
'More... make me feel more pleasure.'
She began to covet people's dreams and memories again, but it was different from before.
She wanted more intense and deeper climaxes.
Not the memories themselves, but the pleasure that comes from appreciating memories and destruction.
She couldn't accept herself like this and deceived herself with a different purpose.
"The demon realm Archduke... with his power, I can take revenge on Abelus."
'And if it's the pleasure of obtaining that power...!'
Her inner self was secretly changing, but she herself didn't realize it.
Before she knew it, her dream and obsession with 'perfection' were fading away.
As if she had left it behind with her old body that was executed.
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"Phew..."
The morning of November 9, 214.
Busy movements were observed near the border fortress set up in the Fondon Forest, northwest of the Ironfield Marquisate.
People gathering one by one from early morning.
At a glance, they looked like ordinary travelers, hunters, mercenaries, or adventurers, but the equipment they were taking out of their prepared wagons looked unusual.
Clank
Heavy sounds and the clash of metal pieces continued.
Those who revealed themselves from the shade of the forest after putting on all their equipment.
Regardless of age or gender, all had transformed into heavily armored knights in plate mail.
Around them, attendants were busy adjusting armor or attaching weapons to armor.
"Is everyone ready?"
As the voice of the knight who seemed to be the leader rang out, his subordinates immediately answered.
"All 13 knight orders present and accounted for."
"Let's go."
Clank-
Neigh!
The sound of steel rubbing, the horses' neighing.
Although they tried to minimize the noise as much as possible, it was inevitable that the quiet forest became noisy as many moved.
At first, there was only one knight order, but as time passed, more soldiers appeared from various parts of the forest, and some brought out additional horses they had hidden in advance and handed them over to the knights.
When they, now formed into an army, arrived at the border area outside the forest.
"..."
There was already one knight standing there.
A woman in perfectly fitted black plate mail.
"...Please."
Brown hair fluttered in the blowing wind, and between the strands, a black color shone softly.
She was standing with her eyes closed, leaning her forehead against her spear.
In the dawn before the sun had fully risen.
The female knight, emitting black magical power from all over her body, looked like a goddess of the battlefield emerging from darkness.
'She's truly enchanting...'
'She's become so much more beautiful than before.'
'Is she perhaps crying...?'
The knights who arrived close behind the female knight felt an indescribable sadness from her appearance.
A fragility as if she might collapse at any moment, and a deep flowing sorrow.
Her slender and delicate physique reinforced this impression.
But the knights who were about to approach her soon realized that their judgment was wrong.
"Victory to us."
The prayer that came from her lips was harder than steel.
The knights who had been approaching to console her prematurely immediately knelt down where they were and planted their weapons in the ground.
"May God's protection be with us."
"Give us the strength to carry out justice."
The knights also began to pray for victory following her.
A prayer to the main deity advocated by the Holy Kingdom.
'Great master who will rule everything on the continent.'
However, the object of prayer for the female knight in black armor was a completely different being.
Her prayer was directed not to the celestial god ruling the continent, nor to the Demon King ruling all demon races, but to one person only.
'Lady Libertas.'
Just the master she serves.
Only that person occupied the throne in her heart.
"..."
Whoosh...
She opened her eyes in silence and looked at her spear.
The black axe spear was making a crying sound, responding to the killing intent and greed swirling in her heart.
The magic spear 'Devourer of Sorrow'.
A demonic weapon that grows by devouring even its master's sorrow and returns part of that power back to its master.
It was one of the powers her master had bestowed upon her.
This demonic weapon filled in her lacking power.
Thanks to this, she was expected to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with Reinhardt and the famous knights of the Marquisate in the near future.
'That's still too generous an assessment.'
At the same time, it was clearly something that would become reality.
Under the will of the great master who desires to possess everything, there is nothing that cannot be achieved.
"Report the number of personnel."
Elena finally turned around and spoke.
Cutting through the cold air of dawn, the heavy voices of the knight commanders rang out in quiet reports.
"13th, Iron Rose Knight Order. Arrived."
The first to speak was a female knight wearing armor engraved with a gray rose pattern.
A special organization mainly composed of female knights. One of the elite knight orders counted among the best in Ironfield.
"14th, Black Iron Knight Order. All present."
Next, the commander of the knight order with a black shield as their emblem bowed his head and spoke.
Their armor was black like Elena's, and they were a secret knight order that handled dirty work on the frontlines, just like their armor.
"8th, White Lion Knight Order. Present here."
The knight commander wearing a helmet with decorations reminiscent of a white lion's mane finished the report last.
'Excellent. As expected.'
The pride of Ironfield, the Iron Lion Knight Order.
They were composed of a total of 18 small knight orders.
Moreover, each knight order was a perfect military organization equipped with knights, attendants, and even administrators dedicated to each knight order.
Although mixed with some exaggeration about allied forces, the assessment within the Marquisate was that even a single knight order could capture a small fortress.
Elena carefully examined the document handed over by the aide assigned by the Marquis.
'Just counting the formal knights, there are 180...'
The title of 'formal knight' was not something anyone could obtain.
It was a title that could only be obtained at least at the level of a mature upper-rank or above.
On top of that, just counting the number of 'high knights' above that, there were more than twenty, and there were at least five knights with more powerful strength than her, including the commanders of each knight order.
Adding apprentice knights, attendants, and regular cavalry, there were over 1,000 mounted soldiers.
All of them were skilled enough that they could receive at least an upper rank if they just registered with the Adventurers' Guild.
But there were some headaches as well.
'They all belong to different factions.'
The 8th Knight Order supported Reinhardt, the second son and legitimate heir, the 13th Knight Order was on the side of Adelaide, the first daughter and eldest child, and the 14th Knight Order had not yet decided which heir to follow.
And the strength of each knight order was almost equal.
Since everyone knew the importance of this matter well, there would be no conflict between factions.
Before the succession struggle, the Marquis's strong charisma bound them together.
'He must have composed it like this on purpose.'
But this was also a constraint at the same time.
The reason for siding with Adelaide was to keep Reinhardt in check, but in the current situation, that was impossible.
At least, not by her hands.
'That's right. Not by my hands.'
A faint smile lingered on Elena's lips.
The battlefield is an unpredictable place. No one knows what might happen.
In her mind, she was thinking of other forces she possessed.
The 'private army', and her master's support.
"My fellow knights."
Thump!
As Elena's low voice rang out, only the frontline knights responded with a foot stomp to avoid enemy reconnaissance.
A heavy vibration breaking the early morning silence.
Elena, standing on the hill, raised the Devourer of Sorrow and brought it down to the ground.
Dong-!
At that moment, black energy erupting from the magic spear enveloped the surroundings.
The knights thought it was a color that suited Ironfield perfectly.
"Yesterday dawn. Those insolent United Kingdom bastards crossed our border and harmed our compatriots."
Wooooo...!
As her magical power and voice spread out, the Devourer of Sorrow let out a cry.
At that moment, everything around fell into silence.
The birds in the forest, the beasts, even the sound of insects.
As if knowing that the shadow of death had fallen.
Swoosh!
Black smoke that only Elena could see rose from the spear tip.
The magic spear absorbed the surrounding sorrow and spewed out fighting spirit again.
The eyes of the knights who unknowingly accepted that power focused on her.
"Can you hear it?"
Feeling the rising fighting spirit around her, Elena whispered in a low voice.
"The screams and tears of our compatriots who cannot close their eyes."
Her calm voice pierced the ears of the knights.
Everyone gathered had the same thought.
That the sorrow contained in that calm voice made them feel an even deeper anger.
It was a sentiment that would have made Elena laugh if she had heard it.
In her heart right now, the mass of sorrow was very small.
Because the burning ambition and fighting spirit were too great for it to occupy a place.
"Today. We. From now on."
A voice that calmly but with increasing enthusiasm put strength into words while bringing down the spear.
"We go to teach those insolent United Kingdom bastards a lesson."
"Ohhh..."
"Dirty bastards...!"
The angry cries of some less-trained knights burst out.
Elena's speech moved their hearts, and the faint sorrowful aura she emitted - the charm exuded by the banshee of lamentation melted the boundary between reason and emotion.
Whether male or female, old or young.
Everyone present was captivated by her gaze.
"Men of Heisen. Sons of Ironfield."
Elena's voice rang out once again in their minds.
"Are you ready? Ready to make our enemies burst into tears and tremble in fear."
Thump-!!
As over a thousand soldiers stomped their feet in unison to answer, the sound reverberated through the forest like thunder.
"Then let's go. Heroes of Heisen."
Elena raises her spear and points to the other side of the border.
"To the fools of Xenota who dare to pretend not to know after invading first. And to this world."
The tip of her spear pointed precisely at Legannon Castle in the Dryaz Duchy.
"...Let's show our anger."
The trading base with Heisen and the first target of the war she would start, no, had started.
"Advance!"
-Advance...!
-Let's go!
The order was passed from mouth to mouth.
The sound of steel rubbing and horses neighing began to ring out.
Hearing this, Elena mounted her warhorse.
Neigh...!
Her warhorse was also not ordinary.
A flame-like energy flowed from the red eyes of this beast that had grown up eating the blood of demons.
This creature, more intelligent and stronger than any horse in this land, was another power bestowed by her master.
[A knight in unity with their horse is one of the most extreme forms of violence on the battlefield. I look forward to the day you will be called a flying general, Elena.]
Recalling the words of her respected master, Elena tied up her dark brown hair high and put on her helmet.
From the outside, her face was completely covered, but inside, thanks to magic, the front of the helmet became transparent, securing perfect vision.
Clang!
As she raised her spear, the knights and soldiers who were ready also raised their weapons.
The army began to advance.
They were advancing at a trot to conserve energy for now, but the moment the enemy's fortress came into view, they would charge towards the castle gate without hesitation.
That was.
'Soldiers who will bring victory for me... and for my master.'
A scene flashed before Elena's eyes.
In the past, she would have imagined herself receiving the Marquis's seal or sitting on her father's throne.
But now she saw herself kneeling before her master, wearing a decorative sword, and on her head was a crown signifying a human king.
That was the ultimate point her ambition was now aimed at.