Volume 5 5, 'We hoped for a miracle.”

Volume 5 Chapter 5, “We hoped for a miracle.”

The Middle Aged Merchant: “How much have we gathered?”

The Shrewd Accountant: “The movement of goods is about 80% done. At this rate, we have about a thousand wagons. If it weren’t for the giant automatic carriages of the Automatons, there would have been no way to transport all this.”

The Middle Aged Merchant: “We have to thank them for that.”

The Fire Dragon Lord: “How is it?”

The Middle Aged Merchant: “My lord… The depot is prepared, we just need to transport the goods now.”

The Dragon Minister: “We have given instructions for the nearby citizens to assist in the transportation of wheat and goods.”

The Fire Dragon Lord: “Good job.”

The Shrewd Accountant: “We will do our best.”

The Fire Dragon Lord: “They may be refugees from the City of the Gate, but they fled the violence of the battle into the forests of the Fairies or the mountains of us Dragons. We have them to thank for this expeditious work.”

Automaton Citizen: “We helped!”

Fairy Scout: “Is there anything else you need, merchant?”

The Fire Dragon Lord: “What is the situation?”

Fairy Scout: “The call to assembly was rather sudden, but we managed to scrape together two units. Everyone doesn’t want to get involved in the war after all…”

Peasant of the Pale: “The Pale…”

The Middle Aged Merchant: “Well, war is war. Even without swords, it’s still war.”

The Shrewd Accountant: “Indeed.”

The Fire Dragon Lord: “What shall we do.”

The Middle Aged Merchant: “The Young Merchant left instructions. We are to link up with the Southern Alliance near the portal. On top of that, we have to provide at least half our stocks as logistics support.”

The Shrewd Accountant: “We will be counting on you for the post-war efforts as well.”

The Fire Dragon Lord: “Post war… That is something we shall have to consider soon. What is that Merchant thinking? What sort of method does he have to end this war.”

The Middle Aged Merchant: “Colonisation.”

Automaton Citizen: “?”

The Middle Aged Merchant: “He plans to establish Human colonies in the Subterranean World. Compared to the Human World, the Demon World is more humid, and is suitable for the cultivation of certain crops. However, because of irrigation issues, the ground is dry and unsuitable for agriculture. As a result, the soil is lean and the amount of arable land is small.”

Peasant of Pale: “So? Isn’t that obvious?”

The Middle Aged Merchant: “In particular, the Red Wastes between the Portal and the City of the Gate, which belong to the Demons of the Pale, are especially unsuitable. However, that doesn’t mean its not suitable for colonisation. If we are able to construct canals, then we might be able to solve the water shortage. Do you know? There’s a large waterfall near the Portal? It is fed by small streams originating from the Human World, but these all join up to create a waterfall.”

The Fire Dragon Lord: “…Really?”

The Middle Aged Merchant: “I dreamt that this large wasteland may one day be a green plain. I foresee that it will be carpeted in fields of wheat. But for this, we will require a lot of labour. Thankfully, within the Holy Crusaders, there are many serfs who are being abused by the Church.”

The Shrewd Accountant: “In fact, the vast majority of the Crusaders are serfs. If we can take away the serfs, then their combat power declines significantly.”

The Fire Dragon Lord: “Wait, what.”

The Middle Aged Merchant: “Of course, this will be difficult. I wouldn’t necessarily plan to do this. While the Young Merchant came up with this, it can be difficult to effect.”

The Fire Dragon Lord: “I see… Then why would he resort to this, I don’t understand?”

The Middle Aged Merchant: “It might be just because he’s stupid.”

The Shrewd Accountant: “Ahem! Well, I’m sure the Councillor has considered our position and the various alternatives available.”

The Fire Dragon Lord: “…”

The Middle Aged Merchant: “I do not know our chances of success.”

The Fire Dragon Lord: “The Southern Alliance.”

Fairy Scout: “What are your instructions?”

The Fire Dragon Lord: “You’re about to send supplies to them right? Let’s meet with this King of theirs. Perhaps I will understand more when I meet these Humans face-to-face.”

—————— The Holy Crusaders, the Main Army

The Hero: “Demon Thrush!”

The Demon Thrush: “I am by your side.”

The Hero: “Where is the Demon King!?”

The Demon Thrush: “I do not know. However, one side of the wall has been broken and the Holy Crusaders are currently rampaging within the City.”

The Hero: “What’s the point of that promise we made!”

——Teleportation is forbidden. High-level spells are forbidden as well. So are the Hero’s legendary spells. In other words, you can’t use your powers as the Hero. This is what our enemies expect from you. Until the very final moment, you cannot use your powers. If you don’t… then nobody will be able to stop you.

The Hero: “Damnit! Gale!”

The Demon Thrush: “That’s…”

The Hero: “Just a minor weather effect. I have to use some magic to make things better. This should be fine.”

The Demon Thrush: “Then I will accompany you.”

The Hero: “You’re not good with cold, go first.”

The Demon Thrush: “Yes…”

(… Concentrate on condensing the water in the atmosphere. Ensure that the centre bit is colder, and you’ll get snow or hail, which will prevent the spell from working to its full potential. The key is to manipulate the flow of warm air to draw moisture from it.)

The Hero: “Thunder, I call forth the black clouds of your fight. Wrap the world in a fierce storm. “A Thousand Years of Rain”!”

——— The City of the Gate, the Holy Crusaders

Local Lord: “Go! Attack!”

Small King: “The walls are down, overwhelm them with numbers! Attack!”

Musketeer of Light: “Agghhhh! As the Spirit wills it!”

Spearman of Light: “We are winning! Winning! Food!”

Cannoneer: “Fire! The enemy are weak! Fire!”

Small King: “Captain, not a moment too late.”

Small Kingdom Captain: “Haha!”

Small King: “When the City of the Gate falls, we will take its riches, right? We’ve expended a lot of resources on this expedition. We have to take the city as quickly as possible to enjoy its spoils.”

Booom!

Local Lord: “Forwards! Forwards! I will be the Hero of this expedition! I will let my name be known even to the Holy Primarch, you serfs! Attack even if you die! Your bodies will pave the way! Forwards, forwards! Destroy these Demons with gunpowder!”

Boom!

Serf Spearman: “I’m done… I can’t take it.”

Serf Vanguard: “What are you trying to do?”

Serf Spearman: “Let’s break off and steal some food from the Lord’s stores.”

Serf Vanguard: “What!?”

Serf Spearman: “The Lord eats meat, milk and bread every single day. What have we been eating? The food that the Crown Prince Marshal managed to get for us has all gone to the noblemen, and they’ve just wasted it day after day.”

Serf Vanguard: “But that would be rebellion…”

Serf Infantry: “Really?”

Serf Spearman: “No it wouldn’t. At this rate we’re all just going to die in this war. If we’re going to die, I’d like to have some bread first…”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Serf Vanguard: “…”

Serf Spearman: “!”

Serf Vanguard: “!”

Serf Infantry: “What!? The cannons are still firing even though we’re here!?”

Serf Vanguard: “They don’t give a damn about us!”

Serf Infantry: “What! What! How could they! How!”

Serf Spearman: “Agghhhh!!”

——— The City of the Gate, the Holy Crusaders, a Lavish Pavilion

The Primarch: “…Moved.”

Attendant Bishop: “What?”

The Primarch: “Hurry, assemble the bishops. All of them. We must pray now.”

Attendant Bishop: “The prayer against the Black Knight?”

The Primarch: “Hurry.”

Attendant Bishop: “Is the Black Knight not the Hero?”

The Primarch: “… He is.”

Attendant Bishop: “This prayer, is rather like a spell…”

The Primarch: “…Bishop.”

Attendant Bishop: “Yes.”

The Primarch: “The prayer…”

Attendant Bishop: “…”

The Primarch: “…The Spirit…wills it!!”

Attendant Bishop: “Yes! Right away!”

The Primarch: “Bishop.”

Observing Bishop: “Yes! Yes!”

The Primarch: “Draw the curtains, it is about to rain.”

Observing Bishop: “Oh, there is not a cloud in the sky though.”

The Primarch: “No, it is about to rain.”

Observing Bishop: “Y-yes. Understood.”

The Primarch: “The Spirit has shown me through her eyes. Her words pour from my lips. My tongue reflects nothing but my pure heart, purified by the blessings of her Light. Hahahahahaha!”

Observing Bishop: “I am sorry.”

The Primarch: “At this rate, we are but waiting for his death… Black Knight. I intended to open the City of the Gate with the head of the Demon King, but I will make do with yours. No, the Hero suits you better. I will show you that I too have power. We will trap you with this spell… and take your power.”

——— The Holy Crusaders, the Sky Above

The Hero: “Pressure’s dropping… It’s about to get cold.”

The Hero: “Rain! Pour!”

Rain pours

The Hero: “Alright— now it’s time for the lightning.”

The Hero: (I’ve got to aim for something worthwhile. What should I aim for?)

Sparkle.

The Hero: “Wh, what’s that…?”

The Hero: “My strength…”

The Demon Thrush: “Master! Master!”

The Hero: “Run away…”

The Demon Thrush: “Master! You’re going to fall at this rate! Fly! Or you’ll fall into the storm!”

The Hero: “…No…I can’t…It hurts…”

The Demon Thrush: “Master!”

The Hero: “…Demon King…”

——— The Demon World, the Rear of the Holy Crusaders, the Southern Alliance

The Disciple Soldier: “Hurry! We still have horses!”

The Lieutenant of Metal: “Maintain a distance of 50 paces between wagons. When we reach the front lines, do not forget to raise your shields. Your life depends on it!”

Seneschal: “The Medical units are in place.”

The Female Paladin: “…”

The Iron Fist King: “What’s wrong?”

The Disciple Soldier: “Is something wrong?”

The Female Paladin: “No. Nothing. It’s just…”

The Disciple Soldier: “?”

The Female Paladin: “My chest feels rather tight.”

Messenger: “Contact! The Crusader musketeers have begun firing. But the distance is too far, so their damage is minimal.”

The Disciple Soldier: “It’s just a scare tactic! Advance! We have the advantage!”

The Lone Winter King: “So it begins.”

The Iron Fist King: “Yes. Do not worry. He is a careful man. I do not think we will lose.”

The Lone Winter King: “You have much praise for him.”

The Iron Fist King: “Though he is weak to women.”

The Lone Winter King: “Hahahaha. So are you.”

The Disciple Soldier: “Alright. Stop the carts and link up!”

The Female Paladin: “…”

The Disciple Soldier: “Is that okay?”

The Female Paladin: “Ah, yeah, sorry.”

The Disciple Soldier: “…Teacher.”

The Female Paladin: “What?”

The Disciple Soldier: “Hand over command to me.”

The Female Paladin: “Eh?”

The Disciple Soldier: “You are distracted.”

The Female Paladin: “What…”

The Disciple Soldier: “I will make it happen.”

The Female Paladin: “…”

The Disciple Soldier: “I am the Disciple of the Female Paladin. This is front line of the Southern Alliance. As the Minister for Defence of the Kingdom of Metal, this is my place!”

The Female Paladin: “You…”

The Disciple Soldier: “Your place is in that City… He is definitely waiting for you in there!”

The Female Paladin: “You…”

The Disciple Soldier: “If you go now you will make it! My spirit is as strong as yours, and I have had good training! It will be fine.”

The Disciple Soldier: “Go!”

The Female Paladin: “Thank you! My Disciple! You still have much to learn when this is all over! So you better not die!”

The Disciple Soldier: “The same goes to you… The people of that City are counting on us. We will meet again!”

——— The City of the Gate, the Holy Crusaders, a Lavish Pavilion

The Primarch: “He has fallen.”

Attendant Bishop: “Eh?”

The Primarch: “The Black Knight has fallen… The man you call the Hero.”

Attendant Bishop: “The Hero…”

The Primarch: “The Hero is a traitor of the Spirit of Light. As evidence, upon being exposed to the righteous prayers of our Holy Spirit, his body crumpled like a leaf and fell from the sky.”

Attendant Bishop: “What?”

The Primarch: “Leader!”

The Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: “Yes, your Holiness!”

The Primarch: “…The Hero tried to call a lightning storm upon us, but was prevented by our holy prayers…and has fallen somewhere on the battlefield… As long as our prayers continue, his strength is no more than a normal soldier… Use some of our holy muskets, and send some Chevaliers to capture him…”

Attendant Bishop: “The Hero…”

The Primarch: “We must capture him… Otherwise, kill him…but bring back his head…”

Attendant Bishop: “The Hero…”

The Primarch: “The Hero has fallen into darkness… he wears black armour, and considers the Demons his allies. He attempted to call lightning on the Holy Crusaders… With the name of the Spirit, we have bound his dark and heretical heart.”

The Leader of the Hundred Chevaliers: “Yes.”

Attendant Bishop: (…What? That’s weird… Has the Church gone insane? Is this really the right religion…? The Hero dedicated his life and his body to the salvation of the world, but we punish him. And now we condemn scores of peasants as heretics…)

The Primarch: “Hahaha… How delicious, the power…”

Attendant Bishop: (This is scary… The Primarch must be wrong… I’m sure he serves the Light, but this is scary…)

The Primarch: “Go! Go and spread the word of the Spirit.”

Attendant Bishop: “— I understand.”

The Primarch: “…I am the Primarch… I am the diviner of light and darkness… I will be the last one standing, ruling the world… my word is law… Hahahahaha!”

The Primarch: “Who is it!? Who! ‘Prayer of Destruction’!”

The Primarch: “…Oh it was a mouse. Hahahahaha.”

——— The Underground Fortress, Underground Lake

The Elder Sister Maid: “This image is…”

The Mage: “…A spell of scrying.”

The Elder Sister Maid: “Wh-what is that man!”

The Mage: “…”

The Elder Sister Maid: “No matter how I look at it, that’s not a person. Is that… the Demon King…? Why has he been hiding till now?”

The Mage: “Stain.”

The Elder Sister Maid: “Eh?”

The Mage: “…One Tribe’s mistake.”

The Elder Sister Maid: “What?”

The Mage: “…A long time ago, 1400 years ago, the Tribe of Librarians departed for the Human World. Their descendants… them.”

The Elder Sister Maid: “The…Tribe of Librarians? So humans descend from that Tribe?”

The Mage: “…I acknowledge the possibility. Based on numerous events, the probability of this is high. However, I cannot verify this.”

The Elder Sister Maid: “That’s…”

The Mage: “That is one side to being the Hero and the Demon King. They cannot open their eyes.”

The Elder Sister Maid: “…”

The Mage: “…To replace the crookedness, corruption, and sloth of humans, with generosity and goodwill. To arrive at this, requires the Inevitability of Revolution. The results of this, are what the Hero and the Demon King are probably trying to bring about.”

The Elder Sister Maid: “That’s why we cannot take a single step back. This would be death. It would mean corruption. They can’t possibly live for corruption.”

The Mage: “…”

The Elder Sister Maid: “Am I wrong?”

The Mage: “…Hypothetical blue organic light emitting diodes.”

The Elder Sister Maid: “What?”

The Mage: “…Eternal life, and eternal death, are both death. In other words, they stop. Only flickering images are alive. She was revived for the flickerings. In other words, by the permission of the flickering.”

The Elder Sister Maid: “I do not understand. But more importantly, what about the Demon King!? Or the Hero!?”

The Mage: “The Demon King is heading to her death. The Hero is already dying.”

The Elder Sister Maid: “What are you doing. You have to help them?”

The Mage stops.

The Elder Sister Maid: “Why have you stopped?”

The Mage: “I cannot go further.”

The Elder Sister Maid: “!”

The Mage: “The Hero has bet everything. He intends to pay the ultimate price. That is why I cannot go. You should search for a way back. I will fix this. That is my duty… Alright? It was impossible to begin with. Probability of zero. Even if the Demon King dies, even if the Hero dies, the probability is still zero.

Those two answered with a smile. They did not mind, and so they answered with a wager. Thus they will continue to live. No, they will be reborn even if they die. Even to that extent. It was impossible to begin with. The City of the Gate will be a graveyard. With the Hero and the Demon King’s powers as a focal point, the extinguishing of one life will bridge the skies. This is the Tower of Heaven. The death of one will trigger in the other the seal of that ancient spell, ‘the Canticle of Fairies’, imprinted with the mark of the tower spoken of so often in those ancient songs. This will be the final scene of the end. And yet, those two, will probably reject that ending.”

The Mage: “To begin with, it was a wager that required the assembly of five or six miracles. That is why I cannot move. Got it? The Hero expects a miracle from me. He needs a miracle. ‘Only you can do it,’ he said! That is why, Elder Sister Maid, you too cannot flee from death. This world is overflowing in miracles. The two of them said so, and so I believe it. But that is just such a ridiculous statement, that is why I need you to believe it too! We are going to need some unknown miracle from somewhere to save them!”

The Elder Sister Maid: “The Demon King said that?”

The Mage: “She did.”

The Elder Sister Maid: “I see. Alright then.”

The Mage: “…”

The Elder Sister Maid: “If the Demon King said it, then I understand. As a person who does not believe in miracles, she would be the kind of person to joke about it. She might have hoped to keep it in her heart, but it’s surely not something she would say out loud. She must mean it then.”

The Mage: “…”

The Elder Sister Maid: “Let’s believe in the Demon King. It’s my job after all, as her maid. I’m going to help her make a miracle happen.”

--

Explanation

Inevitability of Revolution: Whether the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, or the Chinese Revolution, all revolutions have been proceeded by a period of intense carnage, murder, and power struggle. In the history of the world, there have been no exceptions to this rule.

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——— The City of the Gate, the Wall at Night

Beast Soldier: “We’ve been saved.”

The Disciple Engineer: “Nah, I wonder why it started raining suddenly.”

Giant Engineer: “… Rare…”

Beast Soldier: “In any case, their torches seem to have gotten weaker in the rain. I guess they were weak to water to begin with.”

The Disciple Engineer: “Indeed… let’s take the chance to make some repairs.”

Giant Engineer: “Yeah.”

Volunteer Archer: “Done with sentry duty, whew.”

Human Engineer: “Sir, what do we do about the South Gate?”

The Disciple Engineer: “We can’t interfere with that area… even now, the Human Army is over there right?”

Giant Engineer: “Yeah… I saw them…”

Volunteer Archer: “There are numerous fires going on, and we can see them plundering too…”

Human Engineer: “… I’m sorry.”

Engineer of the Pale: “It’s normal in a war.”

Beast Soldier: “Are we ready for a night attack?”

The Disciple Engineer: “That depends on the Fortress Commander. In any case, we are to defend the walls and construct barricades. We’ll take turns to rest.”

Giant Engineer: “…Yeah.”

The Disciple Engineer: (Even though they’ve breached the city, the streets act like a divisive barrier, so we’ve managed to hold them back so far. But we can’t hold this enemy back forever. An army of 200,000 is no joke. Even with 10,000 soldiers, they could destroy our fortifications… It seems this City of the Gate will be rubble by tomorrow.)

Volunteer Archer: “Sir, you’re looking really worried.”

The Disciple Engineer: “— Ah.”

Human Engineer: “Yeah, that’s true.”

Volunteer Archer: “He must be thinking about some pretty girl somewhere. I bet she told him that she’s waiting for him and now he’s all shy.”

Beast Soldier: “Hahahahaha.”

The Disciple Engineer: “Th, that’s not it! She’s not pretty, she’s more childish and annoying, and she’s even green…! Yeah! We’re more like brothers, so stop saying such stupid things!”

Giant Engineer: “… But…”

Volunteer Archer: “Is that so…”

The Disciple Engineer: “You insubordinate creatures. Enough talk, get back to walk! Hey, dirt over here!!”

Human Engineer: “Hahaha!”

The Disciple Engineer: (Where are you, Bard. Are you in the Human World? I just hope that wherever you are, it’s safe.)

——— The Demon World, the Rear Guard of the Crusaders

The Holy Imperial General: “Get the wounded evacuated to the tents!”

Scout: “The Southern Alliance have retreated to approximately half a mile away. They seem to be waiting for an opportunity to strike at our centre.”

The Crown Prince Marshal: “4,000 huh.”

The Strategist: “I apologise.”

The Crown Prince Marshal: “You’ve done enough. Rain?”

The Strategist: “Yes. As you know, the rain wets the gunpowder, which makes the muzzles fragile. The largest weakness of these muskets is their exposed shape.”

The Crown Prince Marshal: “Whether they’ve realised it or not, we have become so reliant on muskets that it forms the backbone of entire force. Not just me, but every single one of us.”

The Strategist: “I’ve had dry gunpowder brought up from our stores post haste. It should reach us by tomorrow.”

The Crown Prince Marshal: “…”

The Strategist: “What’s wrong?”

The Crown Prince Marshal: “No, nothing. — Armoured wagons. They clearly understand the properties of our muskets well. Easily salvaged and repositioned. Is the enemy commander the Female Paladin?”

The Strategist: “No, their frontline commander is the young Defence Minister from the Kingdom of Metal…”

The Crown Prince Marshal: “Defence Minister…”

The Strategist: “According to our reports, he served as the right hand of the Female Paladin during the war against the Demons of the Pale in the City of White Night, and ordered the fire attack. According to our reports, he was born into a lower class of knights, and spent most of his time around settlers and migrants. He’s very well respected within the Kingdom of Metal.”

The Crown Prince Marshal: “Hmm…”

The Strategist: “What shall we do?”

The Crown Prince Marshal: “While the nobility and royalty of us Crusaders launched a surprise attack against the resolute defenders of the City of the Gate, the South placed a new talent to command them… how cheeky. Are they trying to suggest that there is a great gulf between our talents?”

The Holy Imperial General: “Your Imperial Highness.”

The Crown Prince Marshal: “Yes?”

The Holy Imperial General: “We are reorganised.”

The Crown Prince Marshal: “Excellent. Give me a detailed report on our casualties suffered.”

The Holy Imperial General: “Understood!”

The Crown Prince Marshal: “Tell the soldiers who were involved in the battle to have a good rest. Reinsert the serf deserters into units based on food allocation. Gather up the Imperial Knights and reorganise them into full units. Time is of the essence.”

The Strategist: “Are we in a hurry?”

The Crown Prince Marshal: “Tonight. Before the night retreats, have them work on the constructions. Draw up a namelist, I want it sorted by skillset. We need the tents up, don’t we? Have the new troops joining us all allocated to workmen units. I want them constructing tents and sorting out food rations. The new troops are going to have no rest at all tonight. Once all the work is complete, then we’ll give them food to eat. Let’s not give them any room to think of unnecessary things.”

The Holy Imperial General: “Understood.”

The Holy Imperial General: (Getting them to work and complete the task before getting any food is the best way to keep them committed to the task. He truly has the will of the lower classes within his hands. There wouldn’t be any other way of getting them to operate this quickly even with the impending danger. But will threatening them with food really be enough…)

The Crown Prince Marshal: “Hahaha. Strategist, I’ll leave it to you.”

The Strategist: “Yes.”

The Crown Prince Marshal: “We are going to extirpate the current chain of command. Reinstate the new command system with haste.”

The Strategist: “How chaotic is this going to be?”

The Crown Prince Marshal: “Let’s try to keep it within reasonable limits. To begin with, the Crusaders have never been much of a unified force. With the destruction of the gate of the City of the Gate, we’re already seeing the reversion of the characters of these serfs back into beasts.”

The Strategist: “Indeed.”

The Crown Prince Marshal: “For them to attain their interests, victory is necessary. But for victory, we have to make sure their interests do not cloud their hearts. If we are victorious, we will have made a noble step forwards, but if we are defeated, this will be recorded in the history books forever.”

The Strategist: “Your Imperial Highness, perhaps it may be too much to push this onto the nobles.”

The Crown Prince Marshal: “I too am a tiger who would like to be fed these nobles.”

The Holy Imperial General: “Your Imperial Highness…”

——— The Demon World, the Holy Crusaders, the Tent of Kings

Knight of the Mist: “Green Ash King! Green Ash King!”

The Green Ash King: “You don’t have to shout, I can hear you.”

Knight of the Mist: “What happened, you are all bruised! I lost sight of you in the battle, and I thought… I would never see you again!”

The Green Ash King: “Stop crying. You call yourself a man!”

Nurse: “It’s not too bad. You haven’t broken anything. You have injured your muscles quite badly, and you’re going to need some rest. This will probably hurt for a few days.”

Knight of the Mist: “Where…and how?”

The Green Ash King: “I was up in the frontlines and I came across a really bad guy.”

Knight of the Mist: “A Demon?”

The Green Ash King: “That’s right.”

Knight of the Mist: “You have to hurry and call a military conference! Without you the frontlines have dissolved into chaos! The troops have become an ill-disciplined rabble, and are pillaging the city without regard for the enemy, streaming in and out of the City through the destroyed gates, it’s an absolute mess!”

The Green Ash King: “Damn.”

Knight of the Mist: “?”

The Green Ash King: “How much time did I spend on attacking those fortifications? How determined did they defend those incredible walls? It should have been over when the gate was destroyed. All they had to do was advance? What’s with this half-assed assault?”

Knight of the Mist: “In regard to that, the nobles launched a surprise attack while the gate was falling.”

The Green Ash King: “And did they manage to rout the enemy?”

Knight of the Mist: “That’s the thing, they seem to have gotten bogged down in our own forces.”

The Green Ash King: “…”

Knight of the Mist: “But, you can reassume command in the morning! We’ll get the frontlines back in order, and the City of the Gate must be incredibly shocked by now? Ah! I apologise! I will relay news of your immediate return!”

The Green Ash King: “Stop.”

Knight of the Mist: “W-why?”

The Green Ash King: “Hmph.”

Knight of the Mist: “—!”

The Green Ash King: “Conceal the news of my return. Not for long… Just till tomorrow.”

Knight of the Mist: “Is that alright?”

The Green Ash King: “… It is necessary.”

Knight of the Mist: “If this is what you say… I hope you have a good rest!”

The Green Ash King: “Yeah. It’s personal, it’s personal… How is it, Primarch. Is this the way you wanted it to be? Damn you. Is your chest festering yet… So you want to make this personal, do you? You want to force me to move?”

Knight of the Mist: “Huh? I will prepare quarters for you in the meantime.”

The Green Ash King: “It’s fine. Don’t do anything. Sorry.”

Knight of the Mist: “Please take care of yourself. If you go out like this into the cold, it will damage your body.”

The Green Ash King: “That’s nothing. In this hell, everyone has lost something important to them. — Or rather, there is only one person who doesn’t care how much others have lost.”