Chapter 540-541: Escalation

Chapter 540-541: Escalation

The war was raging.

People were dying.

It had only been nearly three weeks since the war started but the casualties were sky-high and while Wratharis was the one mainly bearing the losses, Lustburg wasn’t spared either.

It had been nearly 16 years since the last truly great war. Children were now adults and adults were middle-aged or old.

This was a world used to war and skirmishes.

This was a world where people were used to losing those dears to them at any moment for any reason.

Even so. This did not mean that they were desensitized to death and the feeling of loss.

Looking at the report of all the people who died, Sol once again felt that being a king was something bothersome.

It was painful to know that all those people died because of him.

Children were orphaned, parents lost their children, and so on.

Death and death. All around all those deaths were on him without a shadow of a doubt. Even though Lupus was the one who started the war, Sol was the one who decided to change this war into his own play, manipulating everything for his own advantage even if it would cost the lives of many innocent people.

It would be hypocritical of him to act as if his hands were clean and free from stains.

“Do you regret it?”

“No. I am not hypocritical enough to start bawling and shaking and I realize the weight of my folly or whatever.”

He placed the document aside. He seemed like he was spending his life in the office nowadays but there was not much he could do about that.

“Prepare the documents for the noble title conferment of the White Knight’s descendant. Same for the soldiers who made great merits.”

Obviously, not everyone would receive a reward as big as the Knight. But they wouldn’t be left with nothing either. After all — Soon there would be much land of lustburg that would be free.

“How is the advancement of the armies?”

Clara, who was standing next to Milia, passed him a new document. We managed to steer the army of Wratahris toward a few noble territories that refused to comply and did not send all the soldiers required for diverse reasons.

“Hum... So they are currently besieged, right?”

“Yes. Our soldiers are giving support. But soon, a few of the olds nobles will face an accident and die honorably on the battlefield.”

“How magnificent. I guess they will be remembered as heroes.”

He let out a harsh laugh. Some of those nobles were bastards acting like kings in their own territories. Those at least were slightly acceptable but some others were literally traitors. They had allegiance with Wratharis and were promised some rewards.

Now though...They would die soon and new blood would be injected into the system of his country.

Using war to wipe out one own political opponent was a timeless strategy that worked 9/10. This was even more so since in this case, they had absolutely no chance of escaping.

“Milia, make sure the civilians are not affected too much.”

It was one thing for soldiers to die. This was war after all. But he had to be careful about civilian losses. Once this happened, the hatred between the two kingdoms would climb in crescendo and this would be detrimental to his future plans of unification.

He knew this was a cold way of looking at things. But if did not do so, he would never be able to rise.

Looking at his tired face, Clara and Milia hesitated about what to say. Sol was a Half Dragon. A powerful being with matchless stamina. Even fighting for a week would not be a problem for him.

It was clear that the current situation was more mental anguish than anything else. There were many things Milia wanted to say to comfort him.

But they would all sound hollow.

Sol was the King and in the future, he would become an Emperor.

His decisions affect millions of people and might affect billions later on. This was the burden of the crown.

Only Tyrants or Idiots admired the power that was given without dreading the weight and responsibilities that followed it.

Sol though was not as afflicted as they were thinking.

The main reason for his tiredness was the way the world was slowly changing in his eyes.

He was not just looking at the world but something beyond. He was observing the rules of the world.

“Relatively good. A few Gorfad managed to survive but the vast majority died on their first day. As for the rest of the children, they are slowly adapting.”

The Countess nodded. Not long ago, there was a large-scale attack in the capital which resulted in the addition of much-needed blood.

After all, few soldiers wished to be transferred to this place. They all knew how high the mortality rate was.

Thankfully, all generations of King had been wise and the rewards given were more than proportional to the level of risk. Thanks to this, Daredevil mercenaries who didn’t cherish their lives were a common sight.

“Do not forget. She will come soon. I want everything to be perfect. You hear me? Clean the blood, hide the prostitute and the alcohol as well as the casino. Hide everything. I want to make it clear that if there are any complaints, I will not take full responsibility.”

A few of the soldiers who were present, all people very close to her, chuckled and some of them even whistled at the mention of a brothel.

“Who is coming?”

“The daughter of the Queen.”

“Oh...”

The man seemed unfazed at first. But soon his eyes cleared up and he realized that this was indeed a shit solution.

“Holy fuck! Seriously? The Daughter of the Legend?”

For the citizens of Lustburg, Mars Luxuria was without a doubt the Hero and legend they worshiped. After all, he had done so much good for them;

In the case of the veteran soldiers though, Lilith had an overwhelming superiority in terms of popularity and recognition as well as admiration.

They all knew her story and they all knew how she, despite her origin, had to trudge from the lowest position in the army and slowly rise.

“Speaking of. Countess, you were a soldier under the command of the Queen back then, right? Will the Black Knight come? What about the queen herself?”

“You guys are thinking too much. If I had the skills and power I have now, I would have joined back then. But sadly, I did not and I am old now.”

She touched her face, she was not that advanced in age but already, small wrinkles were forming and her hair were graying. She had long since passed her prime and while she was now a Duke Rank in terms of power, she knew very well that she was at the very bottom when it came to raw power.

“The countess will be eternally the charming beauty of the eternal battlefield.”

She smiled and stood up. “Anyway, I called all of you guys for one simple reason. Since Her Highness is coming we need to protect her.”

It wasn’t as if members of the royal family never died on the battlefield. In fact, this was quite common.

But currently, there were only three members in the royal family and all the loyalists refused to let anything happen to those three members.

“From the reports I received, the princess should be close. So it’s time for us to welcome her. Make sure her stay in this place goes well.”

Some of the men frowned, “Did she come to rack in achievements?”

This was a common practice among nobles. Bring a kid, surround him with powerful soldiers, go to a few battlefields, get the kill and achievement, and finally leave the battlefield.

Such a thing happened so regularly in this place that it became one of the businesses supporting the economy. The Countess made use of the desire of a young noble who wished to brag about having ‘fought’ in the Eternal Battlefield.

This alone supported nearly 20% of the full funds. Which was quite astronomical.

“No. I do not think so. No matter how the princess never really made a name for herself, there is no way the Queen would do such a thing.”

Lilith might be younger than Rose, but for Rose, Lilith was akin to an Idol. A person she admired greatly.

“Then...Do you think she will be the second coming of the Sword Saint?”

Rose laughed and walked out, “The existence of her majesty is a miracle. Something that breaks all limits and all known facts. It is not the kind of thing that can be reproduced.”

She spoke with conviction and a clear-cut voice. But at the same time,

“But — If this girl really has the skill and potential to become a Second Sword Saint then — Lustburg will usher in a new age of Glory and it’s our duty to make sure this potential does not die on the battlefield. Do you understand? Be it your or my life, even if all of us were to be sacrificed, it still wouldn’t be as important as the life of one sword saint. Understood?”

“Yes!”

“Then, let’s meet the princess.”

She grinned and walked out.

This meeting would decide what she would do with her old bones.