CH 508

In the lower reaches of Claudine River at Gabriels City (Sword Capital) of the Gabriel Empire (Nation of the Sword) lay the base camp of the Rebel Forces of Kalimans. The major army of the Gabriel Empire (Nation of the Sword) had organized tens of millions of coalition forces to attack the rebels in the empire’s capital. Participating in this joint operation were the three major families of the Gabriel Empire and the Three Grand Princes, as well as Duchess Bellina, who had joined midway.

Of all the forces participating in the battle, Duchess Bellina led the biggest troop, consisting of around six million Southern Confederate Army. As for the three princes of the empire, Prince Angus (the Emperor’s father-in-law), Prince Brad (the brother of the Emperor), and Prince Frauer (the younger brother of the Emperor), they each lead a troop of one million five hundred thousand. Renald, Johnston, and Ignaz, the three major families of the empire, led another half a million each, adding one million and five hundred thousand.

With the total number of rebels amounting to about ten million while the army of the imperial city was only around a few hundred thousand, the city should have been taken over a long time ago. However, the princes could not manage to penetrate the capital, regardless of their numbers advantage. So, they finally resorted to inviting Bella to join their troops. Currently, the leaders of all the parties were attending a meeting at the base camp of Kalimans.

Presiding over the meeting was Prince Daniel, who had previously escaped from the Elite Plains and was also the nominal heir to the throne. Prince Angus, the Emperor’s father-in-law, sat behind him as his supporter. By the position of their seat in the north, Prince Daniel would head the meeting.

At the east of the sitting was Prince Glenard, and next to him was where Princ Fauer (the younger brother of the Emperor) was seated. Meanwhile, at the opposite of him in the west was Prince Burdis, as well as the supporting Prince Brad (the Emperor’s brother).

Along with the three princes, the heads of the three major families were also there, seated at the south of the table. When the three of them, the patriarch of the Renald Family, Duke Reinabas, and his son Renald (the Emperor’s prospective son-in-law), united together, their status was equivalent to that of a prince.

As for the real leader of the conference, Bella was not seated at the four-party conference seat. Instead, she sat further away from them like an outcast audience. Right next to her on her right hand was the seat of the third princess of the empire, Princess Kriss. Aside from her, the rest of the four famous princesses were pressured by the Demon King Bella and couldn’t make it to the meeting.

Seated on Bella’s left hand was Dragon Knight General Olya, who no longer had a problem with Bella ever since Bella was confirmed to be the missing ninth princess, Princess Felia. On casual terms, Olya would still refer to her as Bella instead of Princess Felia. There would be many things for Bella to smooth out once she returned to Octavia (Knight) Empire.

As the meeting proceeded, Bella leaned back leisurely on her chair while dressed in a simple black noble attire without her armor. Instead of looking like the highest commander getting ready for battle, she looked like a noble lady going on an outing. In fact, Bella didn’t even carry her sword with her. However, she did bring along Mary Rose, a loli that was standing behind her. She was the God of Creation of the Darkness Dimension.

In fact, the chaos in Gabriels City (Sword Capital) was actually caused by the experimental subject No. 1 released by Mary Rose. Thus, Bella had summoned her to reclaim the subject. However, since they couldn’t reveal her identity as the God of Creation, she would only offer her advice. As she herself was also an entity produced by an experiment by the previous God of Creation, Bella had no plans of letting her into the action until her specific energy attributes were confirmed.

Bella planned to ask Mary Rose’s sister, Mary Lola, the God of Creation of the White Dimension, to help analyze Mary Rose’s attributes. Looking at the test materials at hand while the meeting was still in progress, Mary Rose had little interest in the content of the meeting. Rather, she was focused on the materials in her hand. This was the first time Bella had met a loli who loved to learn.

“It’s detestable that the rebels are actually using sorcery. One of our advancing troops has been annihilated from the city walls. Everyone, the future of the empire lies in our hands.”

“Emperor Daniel, our army is running low in rations for our people and our horses. For the sake of brotherhood, would you be able to lend me some? I promise that I will definitely pay you back after this battle.”

“Imperial Brother, as an elder brother, I would do my best to help, but we do not have enough horses and equipment as it is. Otherwise, I would have done my best to support you.” 

“Dear princes, the troops of our three families are not well trained for this. I’m afraid that we will only repeat our previous mistake by sending in more troops. This time, we are only able to support you from behind.”

As expected by Bella, without a doubt, all the three princes were trying to avoid taking responsibility. This here lied the flaw of the coalition army. When it came to stepping up, they would all shy away, but when it was time for rewards, they would even fight against each other for it. The real reason they couldn’t break through the imperial city had little to do with their strength. It was because the people of this world lacked the experience and knowledge in dealing with supernatural disasters.

The capital of the Gabriel Empire (Nation of the Sword), Gabriels City (Sword Capital), was an advanced city with close to thirty million residents. The experimental subject No.1 released by Mary Rose was an infectious entity. It was even able to infect the members of the Twelve Ancient Demon Kings. Needless to say, the ordinary human race in the city was not spared either.

Those that managed to escape the capital had informed Princess Kriss that many of the residents inside had been infected. With their blood-red eyes, these infected ones would rush to bite anyone in sight. Roughly half of the city’s population had already been infected, making up a total of nearly twenty million people. Even including the rebels, Bella’s total army would only come to around eleven million personnel. It would be hard for them to encircle the capital. As time passed, the infected count would only grow larger and larger until the whole city was wiped out.

The infection ravaging the city was unlike the Undead Scourge. This infection left no skeleton behind. The characteristics of the infected were not like any monster from Resident Evil. Instead of behaving like mindless zombies, the infected ones were more beast-like with increased power. Thus, according to the laws of the empire, they were still considered civilians. It meant that unless they themselves explicitly attacked the army, the armed forces were not allowed to make the first move. Otherwise, it would be considered a massacre of civilians.

Since the army was only allowed to fight under the pretense of self-defense, the advancing troops sent by Prince Daniel suffered a significant loss, as they were also largely infected. Without the detection of evil magic, the princes had no idea how they should inform the Radiant Church. Furthermore, as it was not a case of the undead, the Radiant Church might not be of much help either.

The princes argued among themselves for a long time before realizing that someone had remained silent all along. It was then they realized that Bella had already fallen asleep while leaning comfortably on Princess Kriss’s shoulder. Based on the sweet smile on her face, they could only imagine how good a dream she was having. Since she was able to sleep even during such an important meeting, the princes wondered if she was really that reliable.

“Princess Kriss, could you kindly wake up Duchess Bellina? We have some matter to discuss with her.”

“No… Don’t bother Kriss. I am awake. What is it that you would like to discuss?” 

“A-hem, Duchess Bellina, during the siege of the imperial city, could we depend on you to defend the south?”

Prince Daniel and the others asked Bella in a pleading tone. In these dire circumstances, even if they were the princes, they would need to accept the fact that whoever had the biggest army would be the one in charge. Since Bella’s Southern Confederate Army and airship fleet had more resources than them, they had no other means but to depend on her.  

The three princes of the empire had a complicated expression. The main entrance of the empire was located to the south, so Bella’s troops would be facing the infected as they escaped the city. This meant that Bella’s Southern Confederate Army would technically be leading the front. The rest of them were stationed in another direction, while the army of the three major families acted as the mobile backup force that would support any of the three princes when in need.

Regardless of how one looked at it, it was obvious that they were using her as cannon fodder. All they could do was hope that Bella would be willing to do so. If she was unwilling, they wouldn’t be able to force her either. Bella understood the implication, and she didn’t really mind it. However, that didn’t mean that she would not ask for anything in return. She rolled her eyes as she pondered on what to request as payment.

“I have no objection, but it would only be done under one condition. The Confederate Army will march in the name of Princess Kriss. If my request is denied, I’ll bring my troops back to the South.”

“This… Duchess Bellina, by tradition, there has never been a woman leading the army. Perhaps you would like to make another request.”

“Prince Angus, I disagree with your opinion. There is no stipulation that states a woman cannot lead. In fact, the Confederate Army has recognized me as their leader. By saying so, are you questioning the position of the commander in chief of the Confederate Union Army?”

“Duchess Bellina, please don’t mind him. His Excellency Angus has not kept up with time. I have no problem with your request. What about you, Prince Brad?”

“We also don’t have any objections. Your Excellency Angus, in this dire time, you need to change that old mentality of yours.

“You two…  forget it. Just pretend that I have not said a word.”

Both Prince Brad and Prince Fauer rejected Prince Angus at once. Regardless of their internal dispute, the principle of the majority overruling the minority still stood, and since it was two against one, Prince Angus could only remain silent given the circumstances. Once Princess Kriss was publicly recognized as the leader by the other forces, she would share the same status as the three princes.

As a result, she would have fulfilled the prerequisites of ascending the throne. Bella was not part of the royal family, so others could easily frame her as the mastermind of a rebellion if she herself were to lead the army. By having Princess Kriss, a member of the royal family, lead the military, she could avoid all the gossip and trouble that might arise. Several other princes had already been planning behind the scenes. Prince Daniel and his companion were even at the forefront of it all. Bella’s purpose was to equip Princess Kriss with enough qualifications for her to compete for the throne.

At first, Kriss hesitated. Bella’s recommendation signified that she would be competing for the throne with a few of her brothers. Seeing her reluctance, Bella secretly extended her hand and held on to Kriss’s hand to encourage her. Bella’s comforting move gave her a piece of mind, and Kriss’s emotion became more stable.

Bella’s political move did not go unnoticed by the two princes, Prince Brad and Prince Fauer. However, they were confident that it would not succeed. Even if Princess Kriss had the right to the throne, there was a rule stating that the male heir should be prioritized before the female in terms of ascending order. As there were a few princes before her, it would be hard for her to sit on the throne.

On the other hand, Prince Angus was too rigid. Bella now commanded the biggest number of troops, and even Dragon Knight General Olya, who was the Special Envoy of the Imperial Union, seemed to be siding with her. Ever since the Hilikas Family, the first guardian family of the Gabriel Empire (Nation of the Sword), mysteriously disappeared, there was no one who could stand against the first guardian family of the Octavia (Knight) Empire.

“Your Excellency, Special Envoy Olya, is there any statement by the Imperial Union?”

“Prince Daniel, kindly understand that it is not convenient for the Imperial Union to meddle in your country’s political situation. I hope that your country will be able to resolve this small matter on your own. Since they are busy responding to the red tide, they won’t have the resources to intervene in your country’s rebellion problems.”

Technically, Dragon Knight General Olya did not lie when she answered Prince Daniel in an official way. The red tide did cause Bella and her companions to end the Twelve Academy Summer Joint Human Race Competition prematurely. Right after Bella and her companions left, the red tide went out of control. It attacked the eastern coastline of the entire continent, even launching a large-scale attack on the eastern arcana kingdom, the Aldridge Magic Empire.

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After being defeated by the sea monsters of the red tide, the Aldridge Magic Empire had turned on their full defense mode. All the energy of the Continental Empire Joint Council was focused on the east of the mainland to resist foreign invasion. These matters were far more superior in terms of priority than quelling some rebellion and dealing with civil strife. Prince Daniel felt a little disappointed at her answer. He was hoping that the Imperial Union would step in and recognize, as well as support him, as the only heir to the throne.

In the following political negotiations, Bella came up with a reason and excused herself, taking Kriss and Olya with her. God of Creation of the Darkness Dimension, Mary Rose also followed along. Bella had no interest in acting with these politicians. As soon as she was done with her own agenda and knowing her position in the war, she left the proceeding. Bella had managed to seduce the princes and the dukes of the three major families as well as their daughters.

Every time Bella saw them, she resisted telling them that their daughters were awesome! As these politicians were busy fighting for the throne, they had forgotten about their daughters that were not in their line of sight and had since been abducted. Bella did not bring over those beautiful young ladies. Instead, she settled them in the Southern Confederate base camp on the Claudine River’s lower reaches. They were at the center of the Belizegra Fortress and were protected by the ten million Darkness Sacred Region demons. 

Since the situation in the capital of the empire was unstable, Bella decided not to act rashly. She planned to improvise according to the changes, and if there came a chance, she would place Kriss on the throne as the ruler. As Bella herself was not of royal blood, she wouldn’t be able to succeed as the ruler, but Kriss would definitely make it. Even if Kriss had always been neglected, she still held the identity as part of the imperial family of the Gabriel Empire. No forces of any other imperial family would be able to deny that fact.

“Bella, I… I have never been a queen. How about we support…”

“Kriss, I think the ability of your brothers to govern the country is over-exaggerated. Even you know the military ability of Prince Daniel. He has more troops than anyone else, yet he was still defeated. The country will soon crumble if you hand it over to him.”

“Sister Kriss, the Imperial Union doesn’t care who’s ruling your country. Those old men in the House of Parliament are only interested in whether your country is able to continue producing enough food to provide for the other empires or not.”

Previously, Dragon Knight General Olya avoided the topic of who she supported because of her sensitive status as the Special Envoy of the Imperial Union. It made it hard for her to publicly express her bias for the throne unless she received specific instruction from the Imperial Union. However, once they were alone with Princess Kriss, she secretly showed Kiss her support.

The following political proceedings took longer. The rest of them were not like Bella, who commanded a vast number of soldiers with enormous resources. These people still needed to bargain for resource allocation. Bella and her group returned to the new station of the Confederate Army to defend Bulwell’s front line. After confirming her defense zone, the Confederate Army was dispatched in advance. While the others were still busy bargaining, Bella’s troops had started to act.   

The first line of defense at Bulwell was only a few kilometers away from the main gate of Gabriels City (Sword Capital). At the forefront of the battlefield, tens of thousands of advancing troops belonging to Prince Daniel were killed by the infected. When the Southern Confederate Army arrived, they could still find the abandoned camp left by Prince Daniel’s troops, who had fled in a hurry.

Not only were there camps left by the army of Prince Daniel. Bella and her companions also found the abandoned camp of Prince Glennard and Prince Burdis’s army. Way before the defeat of Prince Daniel’s forces, the unfortunate fate of the combined army of the two princes had already been sealed. 

Afraid of the mockery and embarrassed by their defeat, both the princes reached an understanding of not talking about the incident. Before the arrival of Bella’s soldiers, the army under the command of the three princes had already met with a bitter end. 

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At the gate of the military camp, Bella was stunned by the appearance of a beautiful girl only visible to her. The God of Creation of the White Dimension, Mary Lola, with whom she had been acquainted about a thousand and five hundred years ago, appeared again in front of her in the current time. Mary Lola was the elder sister of Mary Rose, The God of Creation of the Darkness Dimension.

Mary Lola had initially come to duke it out with the God of Creation of the Darkness Dimension, Mary Rose. However, once she sensed Bella’s presence, she immediately calmed down. The memory of their previous encounter was still vivid in her mind. She instantly recognized Bella as her master.

“Master Bella, are you here to punish this imposter. If so, I would not interfere with your actions.”

“Imposter? Sister Bella, that person over there has the same attributes as me, but why does she hate me at first sight? What have I done wrong?”

“What have you done wrong? You… the experimental entity you released has disrupted the balance of this dimension. I have a lot to deal with as it is, but now I have to clean up the mess you made.”  

“Sister Bella, she is angry at me. Help me please!”

“Let’s talk inside. We are all on the same side, so let’s not act rashly.”