Chapter 239: The Civil War in the Principality (4)

“Oh, really?” Fran scoffed.

Seeing him react like this, Karyl considered breaking Fran’s other collarbone.

“What kind of stage are you trying to create?”

“One that allows me to end this war, so that innocent lives are not sacrificed in the petty games of idiotic nobles.”

“Innocent lives, huh... War, whether just or unjust, inevitably calls for blood,” Fran spoke in a low voice. “Are you trying to be a hero or something?”

“Well, something like that.”

Despite himself, Fran let out a hollow laugh at Karyl’s blunt answer.

“If that’s the case, there’s no need for us to fight. Our deal was to divert the empire’s attention until the civil war in the principality ended, wasn’t it? It’s not up to you to decide who the victor of the war will be.”

“You’re right. To be honest, I did have a bit of good will. After hearing about Lachiel’s betrayal, I was sure you were abandoned by the Wooden Cloud.”

“What...?”

“But I didn’t expect you to be so clueless. Sacrificing those who follow you, without even realizing you’ve been abandoned like a stray dog.”

Karyl lowered his head.

“It was Ledios who proposed this fake defeat to you, wasn’t it?”

Fran made no response.

Just as I thought...

And his silence was enough to confirm Karyl’s suspicion.

“If you think you’re the only one who knows, you’re mistaken. Right after his secret conversation with you, he came straight to us. And then Kamma, who was managing the Ravat Guild here, made contact with them.”

“...!!!”

“The reason I’m here? It’s not to lead you to victory. It’s to eradicate the Wooden Cloud from its roots. You should be grateful I’m sparing your life as a bonus.”

Karyl began to walk slowly.

“After returning from the White Bunker, Kamma reported that Tuli Lurein had close ties with the Wooden Cloud. It wasn’t that surprising, since I had somewhat expected it. But the problem came after that.”

He lightly tapped Fran on his other shoulder, which was enough to send a cold sweat down his spine.

“Come to think of it, you’re also part of the Wooden Cloud, aren’t you? Why would the Wooden Cloud wage war against itself? After all, the principality is an important stronghold for them.”

Karyl raised three fingers.

“There’s only one reason. There are too many minor roots. They need to cut out the unnecessary ones.”

“You... You think you can get away with this? You think it’s acceptable to come to another country and pull off something like this?!” Fran snarled.

Karyl chuckled at his reaction.

“Are you still trusting the Wooden Cloud? Well, with that kind of blind faith, it’s no wonder you accepted such a ridiculous proposition.”

“Changing the war? I know you’re strong, but do you really think you can fight a war all by yourself?”

“I never said I came alone,” Karyl corrected.

At that, Fran looked slightly flustered.

Could it be that he brought an army? No, that’s impossible. To get here, he would’ve had to cross the strait. And to end the war, he would need thousands—no, tens of thousands of soldiers. I would’ve known.

Fran could only conclude one thing.

He’s bluffing.

Sword Masters were indeed strong, and the five on the continent were key figures who could determine the outcome of a battlefield. But even so, they didn’t fight wars by themselves; no one could split themselves to appear on multiple fronts at the same time.

In the principality, there were thousands of troops clashing, among them knights and sorcerers.

No matter how strong he is, he can’t kill them all at once.

“Really? So where are these forces that can change the tide of this war at your whim?” Fran sneered.

“At the Brown Ant, the marshlands on the outskirts of West Cove, where Tuli’s forces are struggling, and at the Great Wall of Yoman, the gateway to the White Bunker.”

“...”

Fran’s face hardened at Karyl’s words. Indeed, those were the only two places that could currently deal a blow to Tuli’s forces.

“The Queen of Digon and the Archer of the Great Plains are heading to the Brown Ant, and the Ice Sorcerer raised in Antihum should be at Yoman for this battle.”

“...Three? That’s it? And what about the soldiers you brought?”

“No soldiers.”

Fran was stunned at first, but then a corner of his mouth curled up.

Is he mad? Acting all big with just three people?

Of course, he knew well enough about Miliana, the empress of Digon. If she, a Sword Master, were to intervene, it would undoubtedly influence the outcome of the battle at the Brown Ant.

But that battle is already decided.

The Brown Ant was the only battlefield where Fran’s army had begun to gain the upper hand. Yet ironically, Fran, who secretly wished for defeat, had not—and would not—send any more reinforcements.

The outcome of that battle is already decided. Even if they go, it won’t change the tide of the war.

What did bother him, though, was the Ice Sorcerer heading to Yoman. While he could guess that the Archer of the Great Plains was a barbarian, Fran had no idea who the other individual might be.

Who is it...?

Nevertheless, Fran was confident that the Great Wall would not easily be breached. Ironically,

because he is there.

Karyl stared intently at Fran, as though waiting for him to conclude his thoughts.

“You must have heard reports about the front lines at the mouth of Binfredo. I took care of that myself on my way here.”

“...Don’t tell me you have forces there as well.”

“No. I’ve only brought those three people with me.”

“Ugh... I felt it back then as well, but you truly are a rare breed of lunatic. I’m curious, what kind of people would follow someone like you? Besides, do you really think you can change the tide of the war with just three people?” Fran sneered, a chuckle escaping him. He seemed to have forgotten the precarious position he was in.

“I said I didn’t bring any troops, but I didn’t say there were

no troops

in the principality.”

“...What?”

It was then that Karyl took a small orb from his pocket and tossed it lightly into the air, catching it again.

Thud—

“...!!”

Then he threw it toward the seated Fran.

Thud, thud... Whrrr...

The orb bounced a few times on the floor before stopping in front of him. At that moment, Fran’s face distorted in shock—just the reaction Karyl had expected.

“Th-This is...!”

“Yes, that’s even better than when I cracked your collarbone,” Karyl sneered as he watched Fran stammer, unable to close his mouth properly.

“You... You...”

Fran struggled to form the words.

“I don’t need to explain what this is, right?”

“How did you get this...?”

Fran grasped the orb with trembling hands. It was a commander’s exclusive communication orb. The small magical runes on it were glowing, indicating it was active.

“Bringing unauthorized communication orbs in the principality is strictly prohibited. But you know this, right? This is used by your army. Naturally, it can pass through detection magic.”

“...”

“So let me ask you, where do you think I got this?” Karyl smiled.

“You, you didn’t...”

“Well, I won’t break your bones for not answering this one. Your face already gave me the answer.”

Fran’s lips quivered as he realized something was very wrong.

“Anthem,” Karyl uttered his name, barely above a whisper. “You’ve been listening, right?”

[...]

There was no reply, but the flashing light on the orb seemed to speak for itself.

“How could this...”

“Considering he saved thousands of lives by holding the defensive line at the mouth of the river, one orb is a small price to pay.”

Karyl brought the orb closer to Fran’s face, as if speaking to both of them.

“You think he betrayed you? Well, I think he wanted to find out how someone could be so foolish to just abandon his dying soldiers. That curiosity was stronger than any vague loyalty he may have had for you.”

“You... You fucking—!”

Fran tried to snatch the orb from Karyl’s hand, but the moment he raised his arm, a searing pain shot through his broken collarbone, and he crumpled forward.

Crack!

Then, as Fran rolled on the floor, Karyl crushed the communication orb under his foot. Now, Anthem couldn’t hear them anymore.

“Calm down. There’s no need for us to fight. We’re allies on the front now.”

“...What?”

“You will win the civil war in the principality. You’ll become a hero. Isn’t that great?”

“Wh-What does that mean...?”

“I’ll help you. Anthem is rallying the remaining troops. They will advance north from the mouth of Binfredo to the White Bunker, securing each battlefield,” Karyl whispered.

“Do you think that’s possible with just the troops of the defensive line?”

“What are you saying? We need to merge with your forces in Cove. And since there won’t be any more naval battles, we’ll start dismantling the remaining magic artillery from the fleet today.”

“Ridiculous. Even if you bring the Sea King, annihilating the entire Silverwing fleet without support is impossible. And now you’re talking about removing the fleet’s artillery immediately?”

“Yes.”

Fran was speechless at Karyl’s nonchalant answer.

Boom—!!

Crash—!

At that moment, a tremendous explosion shattered the windows, and debris rained down on them.

“...?!”

Fran quickly turned his head.

“It seems they’ve arrived. He really hates crossing the sea, you see.”

Listening to Karyl, Fran looked out the window at the burning Silverwing fleet.

The enemy that had surrounded Cove just moments ago was now reduced to ashes, sinking beneath the waves.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

“Haven’t you heard about the Twin Armor? If you saw the Sea King, you should have realized.”

Screech—!

“Roaaarrr!!”

In response to his words, a massive kraken gripping a ship with its giant tentacles and a serpent with sharp fangs tearing at the deck appeared.

“W-Water... King...”

The gigantic monster had never left the Fonein River, its domain, until now. As a result, the people of the principality, across the strait, were seeing it for the first time. Naturally, no one had factored these two monsters into their strategy for the war.

“The ships are sinking faster than I expected. They’re really just small fry compared to the Iron Fleet, don’t you think?”

“...”

Fran was utterly dumbfounded, but Karyl went on, “By tomorrow, there won’t be anyone left to fight. What now? Even if you want to stay in Cove, there will be nothing to do, so you won’t be able to stay.”

Karyl chuckled at Fran.

“If you lead the charge in the main attack, it will boost the soldiers’ morale. How happy will they be? The return of their awaited commander.”

Humm...

A faint mana flowed from Karyl’s hand. As the warm healing magic seeped into Fran, his shattered collarbone slowly healed.

“...”

Even the shallow cuts from the glass healed completely, restoring Fran’s face to its usual smoothness, although his eyes had long lost their vigor.

“You just need to stand there,” Karyl told him. “I’ll bring you victory, whether you want it or not.”