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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Ruby
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From the southern wall, which offered a panoramic view of the central plains’ battle situation, the imperial soldiers who had reclaimed the wall witnessed three calamities etched into their eyes.
Three red storms that extended simultaneously.
A disaster that swept across the ground, devouring the forces of the barbarian nation Pineon.
Though it was clearly a disaster, its essence was not that of a calamity.
It was a slash.
It was the slash of a sword’s aura.
“Supreme Commander Yuma.”
Imperial Second Seat Haigelt, who bore a long sword scar above his right eyebrow as a medal, grinned widely, revealing his neat teeth.
“You truly are a monster…!”
The entire Hollow, the empire’s strongest mercenary group led by the Imperial Second Seat, trembled.
The members of the Dawn Revolution also stared at their leader, Commander Cassiela, with astonished faces.
Now that they had witnessed Yuma’s prowess, they finally began to understand why Cassiela had continuously referred to Yuma as the empire’s hope.
“As expected of Yuma…! That’s my captain!”
The crimson-haired cat-folk swordsman’s eyes sparkled.
Next to him, the black-haired, golden-eyed magic girl quietly reaffirmed to herself.
‘I must not disappoint…’
I have to make them feel that I’m a useful person.
Cloney clenched both hands tightly.
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“I am Yuma, Supreme Commander of the Astes Empire.”
Yuma surveyed the Pineon warriors who had laid down their weapons.
The fighting spirit of most of the 30,000 warriors had been completely lost.
A very small number still held onto their weapons.
Or rather, it would be more accurate to say they didn’t put down their weapons in order to survive.
After all, this was undoubtedly a battlefield.
“I have no intention of carrying out any further slaughter.”
The voice of the one who had slain the emperor echoed in the ears of the Pineon warriors.
Yuma scanned the battlefield he had created.
Where the red storm had swept through, numerous corpses lay.
Broken spears and swords were scattered about.
The scene created by the being who claimed to have no intention of further slaughter seemed far removed from that statement.
However, Yuma’s heart was sincere.
He had killed the Conqueror King Kament, who was at the very top, in order to end this war now.
Yuma began to move.
Step by step
He approached one of the kneeling Pineon warriors of large stature.
Judging by the shape of his armor and the banner on his shoulder, his visible rank seemed quite high.
“What’s your position in Pineon?”
The warrior trembled while still kneeling.
He raised his head and slowly opened his mouth.
“…I am Martes, the 4th Great Warrior Commander.”
“Would that be equivalent to a count or higher in the empire’s ranking?”
Martes’ neatly trimmed beard quivered.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Yuma slowly nodded.
The barbarian nation was a country of war maniacs.
That much was clear just from looking at the now cold corpse of the Conqueror King Kament.
The position of Great Warrior Commander must have held considerable standing.
Yuma stared at Martes, who was still kneeling.
“I meant it when I said I have no intention of further slaughter. I want to end this war as it stands. I think you can help with this conclusion.”
Martes’ gaze finally met Yuma’s eyes.
“Are… are you appointing me as the negotiation representative?”
Yuma lowered himself to eye level with the terrified Martes.
“Yes, since the Supreme Commander of the victorious Astes Empire has personally chosen you as the negotiation representative, the others from Pineon shouldn’t be able to raise any objections.”
It was a valid point.
Martes gulped.
Yuma continued speaking.
“I’ll have a place set up for war reparation negotiations.”
Yuma had no intention of sitting through tedious negotiations himself.
“You’ll have to give up some territory. We’ll need to sign a non-aggression treaty for several decades, but whatever the outcome, it’ll be better than continuing to shed blood.”
Martes felt the tension closing in around him.
“Personally, there’s only one thing I want from the barbarian nation.”
Yuma paused briefly to gather his thoughts, then continued.
“I have a destination I need to reach by passing through Pineon. What I want is to travel there without any interference.”
To be precise, he had business with the White Night clan beyond the Gelpiel Forest at the edge of Pineon, but there was no need to mention that.
“So, I need a pledge that no one will interfere with me while I’m on your land.”
As soon as Yuma finished speaking, Martes’ gaze shifted to Kament’s corpse.
“We will of course make that pledge, but there’s an even more definitive token we can offer.”
“A definitive token?”
Martes slowly rose from his kneeling position.
Since no fighting spirit could be sensed from Martes, Yuma quietly watched his movements.
Martes briefly pressed his palms together in prayer while looking at Kament’s corpse, then gently turned the body over.
With a soft sound Martes pulled something from Kament’s back.
It was none other than a cloak.
A bright red cloak, the color of blood.
Martes held up the Conqueror King’s cloak, which was clearly of high quality, with both hands.
Then, kneeling again, he respectfully offered the cloak to Yuma.
“Please accept this cloak. If you wear this king’s cloak, no one living in the land of barbarians would dare think of touching you, Divine Warrior.”
A cloak made from lion’s skin.
The one who had defeated the Conqueror King Kament on the battlefield.
From the moment Kament departed this world, that meaning had been engraved upon this red cloak.
“Please, accept this cloak. Please take this symbol of the fallen king.”
His head was bowed deeply.
Both hands were raised reverently.
The trembling of Martes’ hands could be seen in the movement of the cloak.
Yuma carefully observed Martes. It didn’t seem like he was lying in this situation.
“Don’t call me Divine Warrior. Call me Yuma.”
Yuma said this as he accepted the cloak.
Then he casually draped it over his shoulders.
The red cloak fluttered on Yuma’s shoulders.
The Pineon warriors, who had only been kneeling until now, bowed their heads at the sight of Yuma with the barbarian king’s cloak fluttering.
They assumed a position of worship, pressing their palms against the plain.
“Pay respects to the… great warrior!”
One warrior at the front cried out in a highly excited voice.
That call spread rapidly like an epidemic.
“Pay respects to the great warrior!!”
“Pay respects to the Divine Warrior!!”
Extreme fear.
And reverence even stronger than that fear.
The barbarian warriors had no choice but to acknowledge the man who had killed the Conqueror King Kament, who had expanded their territory the most, with a single blow.
They had no choice but to pay respect to the might he had displayed.
Step by step
Yuma calmly headed back towards where the imperial army was.
“Marquis Tornel.”
He approached Tornel, who was still sitting down.
Yuma bent down to meet Tornel’s eye level before Tornel could even think about getting up.
And he said the same thing he had just told Martes.
That the only thing he wanted was to pass through the barbarian nation without any interference.
“If I can properly receive a pledge for this, I have no intention of getting involved in the rest of the negotiations. I’ll leave the aftermath of the battlefield to you, the original person in charge of the southern front.”
Just moments ago, Tornel had witnessed this man single-handedly defeat the Conqueror King.
The face of the man who had slaughtered the barbarian nation’s elite forces with disaster-like power was terribly calm.
As if the battle he had just fought was nothing at all.
“…Understood.”
“Then I’ll go get some rest.”
Tens of thousands of knights and soldiers stood at attention and saluted Yuma.
Yuma simply walked through their midst with a bored expression.
‘I’m dead tired.’
Yuma’s entire body was screaming.
Of course, to others, he appeared to be walking nobly.
“Let me support you.”
A knight commander appeared beside Marquis Tornel.
“That won’t be necessary.”
Clank!
Shaking his head, Tornel slowly rose to his feet.
It wasn’t that he had been unable to get up because he hadn’t recovered from Kament’s attack.
He had been too shocked by the martial prowess Yuma had just displayed to think about getting up.
After adjusting his armor, Tornel approached the barbarian nation’s Great Warrior Martes.
The knight commander quickly moved to guard him.
The knight commander’s dry lips parted.
“So it wasn’t an empty claim that he killed the Black Dragon… Everything he has accomplished until now was real.”
Tornel stood before Martes in silence.
It was to immediately and firmly establish at least one negotiation point, if nothing else.
That Yuma would not face any interference while crossing the barbarian nation of Pineon.
He intended to conclude this clause here and now, secretly and swiftly.
Before others could interfere and rumors could spread.
Divine Warrior Yuma.
‘He cannot be opposed.’
He cannot be opposed.
Absolutely not.
‘How great a blessing it is that he’s moving for the sake of the empire… The leadership, busy with the war for the imperial throne, still doesn’t fully realize it.’
Tornel stood before Martes.
“Your name and position. I am Marquis Tornel.”
The two commanders, both sporting stylish mustaches, began to converse.
“4th Commander, Great Warrior Martes.”
“Let’s properly conclude just one treaty for now. After that, we’ll set an exact appointment. At dawn tomorrow.”
Martes slowly nodded.
“Understood.”
Marquis Tornel, without realizing it himself, was becoming a loyal subordinate of Supreme Commander Yuma.
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