Chapter 443: I Knew She Could Do It (2)
The plains were stained red with blood. The river was clogged with the bodies of barbarian warriors, so much so that the water's flow had been obstructed.
Sixty thousand savages had perished here, annihilated to the last.
“Waaaah! We won!”
“Our lord is amazing!”
“Hail the Lady!”
The Raypold army, which had fought as if devoid of emotion, raised their weapons high and erupted into cheers at this moment.
To them, Amelia was truly the finest commander.
No individual hero had vanquished thousands of foes single-handedly. Instead, ordinary soldiers, guided by her strategies and tactics, had achieved an overwhelming victory.
It was only natural that they felt a sense of pride.
However, a slightly different cheer erupted nearby.
“Waaaah! We did it!”
“The strongest in the North!”
“Our Fenris is the best!”
When it came to pride, the people of Fenris were second to none. They shouted even louder to drown out the cheers of the Raypold army.
The accompanying Ferdium forces joined in, cheering along. After all, since Ghislain was set to inherit Ferdium, it was only natural for them to side with Fenris.
As the cheers from both sides reverberated, an awkward atmosphere suddenly arose. There was an underlying tension between the two groups.
Soon, the two factions were glaring at each other across the sea of barbarian corpses.
Kaor, casually leaning his twin swords on his shoulder, broke the silence.
“What? What are you staring at? You want us to wipe out Raypold while we're at it?”
The massive Vulcan bared his teeth in a savage grin.
“You cocky redhead. Maybe it’s time we toughened you up a little.”
“You’re a bandit, right? I’ve heard your name before. I was planning to hunt you down, but it seems you got lucky and tagged along here.”
“Never heard of you. Weaklings don’t interest me.”
“Ha, this guy. You really need a lesson, don’t you?”
One side was composed of former mercenaries, while the other side consisted of former bandits. With both groups known for their bad tempers, it was no surprise that their words were anything but polite.
The knights from both sides also adopted grim expressions, their hands drifting toward their weapons.
Neither side believed they would lose a fight.
Vulcan unleashed an intimidating aura.
“Are you acting up because of your lord? You think you’re in any condition to fight right now?”
No matter how skilled Ghislain was, he and his forces had fought against Riftspawn just before coming here. Their strength must have significantly diminished.
On top of that, their lord Amelia was no ordinary strategist. Even if a fight would result in heavy casualties, it seemed likely that their side would prevail, given their numbers.
Of course, Fenris had no intention of losing either.
Kaor gripped his twin swords and flashed a cruel smile.
“Do you really want to try? Do you even know what kind of battles we’ve been through before coming here?”
Raypold, holed up in the North, had less experience compared to them. They considered themselves an undefeated army.
With their lord present, they believed brute force alone would secure victory.
“Shall we settle this now, you pathetic mercenary?”
“Sure, let’s go, you oversized and useless bandit.”
With the two most trouble-prone individuals stepping forward, weapons were drawn from both sides. They were ready to fight without awaiting any orders.
“Enough.”
Amelia appeared on horseback, and the Raypold forces immediately stepped back. Her commands were absolute.
Only the indignant Vulcan remained, voicing his displeasure.
“Ah, my lady! That bastard started it!”
“Fall back.”
At her cold command, Vulcan glared at Kaor for a moment longer before reluctantly retreating.
Kaor, emboldened, made an obscene gesture at Vulcan, only to receive a smack on the back of his head from Ghislain, who had ridden over on his black steed.
“Ow! Why’d you hit me?!”
“You have no sense of the situation.”
Just as Kaor was about to retort, Gillian dragged him away, with Alfoi clicking his tongue in disapproval.
“Ugh, such an uncouth fool.”
Though an immediate brawl was avoided, the atmosphere between the two sides remained tense.
Ghislain and Amelia silently stared at each other without uttering a word.
This was far from a sentimental reunion of a former betrothed. It was more like two people forced to meet despite their mutual dislike.
As Ghislain gazed at Amelia, he thought to himself.
‘I knew she’d pull it off.’
Thanks to Amelia, they had managed to stop the barbarians quickly and with minimal losses.
She had held off an overwhelmingly larger force with great success. This would undoubtedly go down in history as one of the greatest battles.
No, it had to be recorded in history. The barbarian warriors who had plagued the northern part of the Ritania Kingdom were now utterly eradicated.
He had to give credit where it was due. Ghislain let out a faint smile before finally speaking.
“Thanks to you, we’ve managed to eliminate the northern menace in one fell swoop. For this, I thank you.”
“Didn’t we both do this because we had our own needs? I think you know what I want.”
“Of course, I know. And since it benefits me as well, I’ve let it slide.”
Amelia snorted.
“You seem confident. How long do you think you can keep running wild as you please?”
“Even if I can’t do as I please, it’s still better than those lunatics trying to destroy the world. Don’t you agree?”
Amelia had no retort to that.
The Salvation Church was truly insane. Compared to those spreading monsters across the continent, it was indeed better for him to become the king and rule.
As silence fell between them, the atmosphere grew awkward once again.
Amelia shook her head. She figured it was better to finish the main conversation and leave quickly.
“The spoils from this battle, as well as the eastern”
Before she could finish, Zwalter came running, panting heavily.
“Amelia!”
Amelia stopped speaking, placed her hand lightly over her chest, and bowed her head.
“It’s been a while, Marquis of Ferdium.”
“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
Zwalter spoke with tears welling in his eyes, his expression filled with emotion.
Having spent his entire life in the Northern Fortress without ever resting in peace, he had always pondered how to protect his territory and bring stability to the North.
For generations, his family had borne that responsibility. Zwalter himself could not escape that shackle of duty.
“Thanks to you, the people of my domain have been spared, and the North’s long-cherished wish has been fulfilled.”
The failure to subdue the barbarians until now was because the savages were spread far and wide across the northern wilderness.
Even Ghislain, when faced with such a problem in the past, could only resort to agreements that barely kept them at bay.
But this time, the barbarians had gathered on their own, and their entire massive force was annihilated. The only ones left in the North now were the elderly, women, and children. The warriors were gone.
With their custom of surrendering everything to the victor, the remaining barbarians would quickly assimilate into the Ritania Kingdom.
While Ghislain had played a significant role, the greatest credit undoubtedly went to Amelia.
Thus, Zwalter repeatedly expressed his gratitude.
Amelia understood his sentiments. However, she couldn’t accept his thanks with a pure heart.
‘I did this because I needed to...’
In truth, Amelia didn’t care what the Northern barbarians did. She had always thought she could subjugate them whenever she wanted.
She hadn’t cared about the impoverished Ferdium in the past. It was utterly unimportant to her.
This time, she only complied with Ghislain’s coercive proposal because it aligned with her ambitions.
That was why she couldn’t look directly into Zwalter’s earnest gaze.
Zwalter was one of the few people Amelia acknowledged as a man of integrity. Knowing his sense of duty and kind heart only made her discomfort grow.
“It was nothing. I did it because I had to.”
“No, no. Even if you had to, who would dare to fight against such a massive force? Thank you. Truly, thank you. And to achieve such a resounding victory remarkable.”
If it had ended there, the atmosphere would have remained warm. But Randolph, overcome with joy, said something foolish.
“Hahaha! Now that I think about it, the lady no, Count Raypold has exceptional military talent! Since we’re on this topic, perhaps we should consider reviving the engagement...”
Ghislain and Amelia both glared at Randolph with terrifying eyes. Even Randolph, who had no sense of subtlety, felt the intense hostility and quickly averted his gaze.
“Well, uh... it was just a joke. Forget it if you don’t like it...”
He didn’t know exactly what he’d done wrong, but he knew he’d messed up somehow.
As the mood turned sour, Amelia shook her head. She wanted to leave this uncomfortable situation as soon as possible.
She rejected Zwalter’s suggestion to rest briefly at the castle and turned to Ghislain.
“You’ll keep your promise, right? Half the spoils and support when I move to the East.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
“Hmph. Who’s worried? Let’s just leave it at that.”
As Amelia turned to depart, Ghislain suddenly asked as if something had just occurred to him.
“Is it fine if I take what’s left after you leave for the East?”
Amelia responded with a mocking smile.
“Do as you like. I’ll just take it back later.”
Ghislain smirked as well.
Once something fell into his hands, he had never let it go easily.
If she wanted it back, Amelia would have to risk a lot.
As he watched her trotting away with her horse, she suddenly stopped, spun around, and pointed her finger at Ghislain.
“Your Chief Overseer.”
“Hm? Claude? What about him?”
“When it comes to dividing the spoils or sending representatives, make sure he doesn’t run into my people.”
“Why?”
“He keeps demanding one gold coin every time. It’s incredibly annoying. Is that supposed to be a form of extortion?”
Ghislain clutched his forehead, laughing.
It seemed there were others besides himself who managed to irritate Amelia.
* * *
At the far western edge of the continent lay the Kingdom of Lombars.
At the westernmost point of the kingdom was a land known as the Land of Death.
No one dared approach it. Even the royal family of Lombars had abandoned and neglected it.
This was because a notorious figure resided there.
Step, step.
From that land emerged a figure clad in a dark gray robe, frayed at the hem.
They wore a necklace made of skulls and adorned themselves with various ornaments of apparent occult significance.
Beneath the hood of their robe, a shadowy darkness obscured their face.
“...How delightful.”
What kind of magic had been used to make the voice resonate? It was unclear, but it was evident that he was truly delighted.
He strolled leisurely, taking in the scenery around him as he walked.
After walking for quite some time, he reached a city and took a deep breath.
"…What a fragrance."
People afflicted with the plague were dying. Corpses littered the surroundings.
This city had been abandoned. No, the same was true for other cities as well.
Unlike the Kingdom of Ritania, other kingdoms had suffered severe blows from the plague and the Rifts.
The world was racing toward destruction, and the stench of death wafted everywhere.
He found this atmosphere utterly delightful.
"…If only there had been more materials like this earlier."
He smiled at the sight of the corpses and resumed his steps. Despite his seemingly slow pace, his body moved forward rapidly.
There was a reason for his sudden increase in speed.
"…A Rift, is it?"
He was going to see the calamity that had swept across the continent.
He came to a halt as he spotted a unit of soldiers. They were the troops of the Kingdom of Lombars, struggling to hold back a Rift.
They appeared utterly exhausted, like defeated remnants. They were being steadily pushed back, unable to contain the Rift.
A soldier standing guard noticed him and approached, speaking cautiously.
"This is a dangerous area, you should leave."
"Hmm."
He tilted his head, and the soldier hesitated, stopping mid-sentence.
A worn gray robe, a necklace of skulls, various trinkets, and a face shrouded in darkness.
It was an appearance that had been drilled into him since childhood.
"No way…"
The soldier began trembling and stepped back. This man was infamous throughout the Kingdom of Lombars.
Even those who had never seen him before knew of his appearance; it was that well-known throughout the kingdom.
No one dared to mimic his look or even mention his name lightly.
He was a figure that inspired terror to such an extent.
"What is it? What's going on?"
The knight in charge of the sentries and other soldiers approached, but they too froze in place.
Instinctive fear forced everyone to maintain their distance. As a result, he easily entered the camp.
"T-that person is…"
"Could he really have come from the Land of Death?"
"Why…? No, surely not…"
Not just the commander but even the soldiers recognized him and backed away.
Their faces were filled with terror, and they avoided making eye contact with him at all costs.
They feared being captured by him and having even their souls enslaved.
Ignoring their fear, he continued walking. This was a rare, but familiar situation for him.
Slither…
As he drew closer to the Rift, a sinister energy began to creep up from the ground under his feet.
When he arrived in an area shrouded in blue mist…
Kraaaah!
Countless Riftspawn surged toward him.
"…How amusing. There are so many of them now."
Muttering to himself, he surveyed his surroundings.
The corpses of countless soldiers who had fought against the Rift lay scattered around.
As he observed the Riftspawn rushing toward him like a tidal wave, he waved his hand.
Creaaaak…
The corpses around him began to creak and rise, one by one.
Grrrrraaah!
The corpses let out soul-wrenching screams of agony.
Soon, they began picking up the weapons they had wielded in life and marched forward.
That wasn’t all.
Rumble, rumble!
Even the corpses buried underground clawed their way out. They were the remains of countless people who had perished on this land.
Rotting bodies and skeletons alike rose, advancing toward the Riftspawns.
Grrrrraaah!
Kraaaah!
Boom!
The undead clashed with the Riftspawn, engaging in a fierce battle.
The corpses fell easily. The Riftspawn were not only overwhelming in number, but also individually far more powerful.
However, he didn’t care.
As long as his magic endured, the undead would not stay down and would rise again.
Still, the sheer number of Riftspawn was daunting.
"…I made the right decision to come here. So many of these things have appeared. Truly, this must be the end of times."
He waved his hand again.
Guooooom!
Dozens of dark holes formed around him, exuding thick shadows.
Flash!
From those holes, knights clad in black armor burst forth, riding spectral horses cloaked in dark energy.
Death Knights and Phantom Steeds.
They were the pinnacle of undead, entities that only a high-ranking necromancer could command.
Vroooom!
With the arrival of dozens of Death Knights, the tide of battle began to shift.
Behind him, hundreds no, thousands of corpses continued to rise, charging toward the Riftspawns.
Grrrrraaah!
Zombies, ghouls, skeletons, and all manner of cursed entities kept appearing, clashing with the Riftspawns.
Rumble…
The bones of a massive beast emerged from the ground, intertwining and forming a throne for him. It was as if it were a throne made of bones.
Seated upon it, his eyes gleamed from the darkness.
Gazing at the approaching Riftspawns, he uttered words laden with meaning.
"As expected, I cannot make you my subordinates. Your souls are bound to another."
This man was none other than the one who, in Ghislain’s past life, had been counted among the Seven Strongest on the Continent.
The "Master of the Dead”.