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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Ruby
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The sun had completely set, and the night had grown deep.
The cries of wild insects echoed through the air.
Yuma stared at the man before him.
Marquis Tornel, who could be called the owner of the land Yuma was standing on, sat in front of him.
This was because Tornel had requested a meeting with Yuma.
Tornel looked directly at Yuma. Tornel’s mouth opened.
“Supreme Commander Yuma, I have drawn up a general peace treaty with Pineon’s Great Warrior Martes, whom you designated as the negotiation counterpart. Thanks to you overthrowing their Conqueror King, we were able to negotiate easily.”
Overthrowing Pineon’s Emperor Kamet.
That was the reason why Pineon’s warriors had no choice but to accept the outcome of being the defeated nation.
Displaying superhuman power played the biggest role in their acceptance.
“We plan to take two areas of Pineon’s territory closest to our empire. We’ve also agreed to receive grain and weapons as tribute for 20 years. They are also a powerful nation that has swallowed numerous kingdoms. They understand well the weight of treaties.”
All of these were compensations that should rightfully be received as the victorious nation.
“And we’ve secured a one-sided non-aggression treaty for 100 years. If Pineon side initiates an invasion against our country first, they will face a total offensive from our country and our allied kingdoms.”
“I see.”
Yuma nodded.
“But why are you reporting this to me?”
“Yuma. Because you are still the Supreme Commander of this battlefield. Appointed through the Imperial Family.”
Command and obedience.
A clear hierarchical relationship that required reporting.
Simply put, it seemed like Tornel was just talking about that point.
But within that simplicity lay Tornel’s clear intention.
“I, Marquis Tornel, swear from now on to actively support First Princess Brigitte.”
“The First Princess will be very reassured.”
Tornel let out a hollow laugh seeing Yuma speak so indifferently.
It was because Yuma didn’t seem to show much interest in his support for the First Princess.
Tornel decided to loosen his seriousness a bit and change the subject.
“You said you had business within Pineon territory. When do you plan to leave?”
Yuma answered without hesitation.
“Tomorrow morning.”
Even if it was the victorious nation’s tent, it belonged to the battlefield.
A place where there were corpses of imperial soldiers who died violent deaths.
A place where, if you went outside occasionally, there were soldiers and knights sobbing over the deaths of their comrades.
It wasn’t a place worth staying.
“With the same number of people as when you came here?”
“That’s right.”
There didn’t seem to be any need to add more people.
‘Maybe it would be better to have one guide.’
Although they just needed to pass through the Gelpiel Forest, which was an abandoned forest, not traverse the center of Pineon’s territory, it was still a foreign country.
Of course, having a guide would be more convenient.
But it wouldn’t be too late to find a guide after entering Pineon.
Swish
As Yuma left the tent, someone else blocked his path.
“Greetings! Divine Warrior!”
It was Highgelt, the Second Seat among the Empire’s Ten Seats.
The scar above Highgelt’s eyebrow twitched.
A fighting spirit flowed from his toes.
But he held back that fighting spirit.
After all, showing such feelings right after the war had ended would only be foolish.
“Are you going to the capital? Then it would be good to go together.”
“I still have some business to attend to.”
“Hmm, is that so? I’m curious about what business it is.”
Yuma recalled the background of the man in front of him.
Highgelt.
Leader of the Hollow mercenary group.
And the Empire’s Second Seat.
“Highgelt, are you going to support First Princess Brigitte?”
Highgelt raised the corner of his mouth at Yuma’s direct words.
“Oh ho, do you want me to support Her Highness Princess Brigitte?”
“That would be your choice.”
“Hehe, Yuma. If you continue to support Her Highness the First Princess, I’m fully willing to lend a hand. After all, you are the hero of this Astes.”
Although Highgelt was a battle maniac whose brain was filled with thirst for combat, his ability to calculate situations was not that lacking.
The balance of power in the struggle for the throne had already tilted too much.
Towards First Princess Brigitte.
Yuma’s biggest contribution to the victory in this war would add more weight to this result.
And the achievements he had made were too lofty.
There wouldn’t be many nobles who could turn against someone who could be called a one-man army, who had hunted a dragon alone and single-handedly reversed the tide of the battlefield.
“If His Highness the First Prince tries to do something reckless, I could protect Her Highness the First Princess with my mercenary group. The mercenary force I’ve brought here isn’t even all of it. Hollow’s flag is active throughout the empire. The connections I’ve built over my 60 years of life are quite extensive.”
“You’re quicker at calculations than I thought.”
Highgelt clicked his tongue and smiled slyly.
“I’m not quick at calculations. I just have high survivability.”
Yuma, who had even recruited Highgelt with his wide connections to prepare for any possible incidents that might happen to First Princess Brigitte, ended the conversation and entered his personal tent to get some sleep.
After all, from tomorrow, another forced march towards where the White Night clan was awaited.
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The hot sun of dawn rose.
Yuma walked to the entrance of the tent.
“…”
Someone was already waiting for him. Dawn Revolution leader Cassiela.
Her red hair was tied up tightly.
Yuma slowly opened his mouth.
“Take good care of the First Princess, Cassiela.”
Cassiela bowed deeply.
“Yes, Yuma.”
Cassiela would go up to the capital and add to First Princess Brigitte’s forces.
“Please return safely.”
Yuma slowly nodded.
“Yes, wait for me. In the capital.”
Cassiela smiled brightly at those words from Yuma.
As he came outside,
“Yuma! Are we leaving?”
The cat-folk swordsman, Hestia, approached with her ears twitching.
Yuma wore the red cloak over his black coat.
The red cloak that Conqueror King Kamet had worn, a symbol of the emperor who encompassed the vast land.
The red cloak fluttered.
“Yes, we’re departing.”
Yuma, Cloney, and Hestia.
The three headed towards the border area.
While being escorted by twenty knights.
A rather decent-looking tent, hastily set up for peace negotiations, came into view.
Swish
As Yuma opened the door and entered, someone quickly stood up.
It was Great Warrior Martes, who had become Pineon’s negotiation representative.
“Oh Divine Warrior…!”
Martes knelt without hesitation.
“Stand up.”
Martes hurriedly rose to his feet.
In a situation where 3 out of 5 Great Warriors had died.
The Conqueror King’s son was only 11 years old now.
Martes was a man who might possibly become the king of Pineon.
Leading the peace negotiations now, he could actually be seen as the most likely candidate.
But Martes had no intention of bringing out something like pride, at least not towards Yuma alone.
The more he recalled the majesty Yuma had displayed on the battlefield, the more his fear turned into reverence.
“All of Pineon’s warriors should have received an official notice. Not to touch the one wearing the emperor’s red cloak and his companions. And… please accept this.”
Martes held out two items.
One was a bronze tag with a lion engraved on it, and the other was a map.
“This bronze tag is carried by the kingdom’s Great Warriors. You can use this for identification within Pineon. And this is a map of the kingdom.”
Snap
Yuma unfolded the map he had received.
“I dare not guess what business you have in our country, but unless it’s the capital and its neighboring cities, there are significantly fewer developed areas.”
Yuma slowly scanned down the map.
“I hope you find a guide through the mercenary groups or information guilds located throughout the kingdom. I’d like to assign you an escort, but… they are far superior in performance as guides compared to knights or soldiers.”
Yuma had no intention of asking Martes to arrange a guide either.
Although many of Pineon’s warriors, including Martes, saw Yuma as a divine being rather than human, he was still clearly the king-slayer who had killed their king.
A guide contracted with money was much better than knights and soldiers.
“I understand.”
The map clearly marked Gelpiel Forest, Yuma’s destination, in the continent’s common language.
‘The path is quite convoluted.’
The oracle of the Saint saying that the White Night Clan was beyond the Gelpiel Forest.
The probability of the Saint’s oracle being wrong was extremely low.
‘I’ll need to find a guide who can lead us just to the entrance of Gelpiel Forest.’
After organizing his thoughts, Yuma neatly rolled up the map again and put it in his spatial pocket.
“Thank you, Martes.”
Martes bowed.
“Please visit this Martes once more before returning to the empire after completing your business.”
“Alright.”
We’ll have to see the situation then.
Yuma left the tent.
Martes kept his waist deeply bowed until Yuma had completely left the tent.
“Let’s go.”
Cloney and Hestia, who were outside the tent, approached Yuma.
“Yes, Yuma.”
“Mhm, Yuma.”
The border.
Nearly a thousand warriors of the barbarian nation were lined up in formation in front of the border.
Yuma stepped on the border without hesitation.
The Emperor’s red cloak worn over the black coat fluttered.
It was the cloak of the dead Conqueror King.
A thousand warriors simultaneously knelt on their right knee.
“Pay respects to the great warrior─!!”
“Pay respects to the great warrior─!!”
It was respect for the one who had overthrown their king.
It was an acknowledgment of defeat.
That’s why they took a posture of submission.
The barbarian nation Pineon, accustomed to subjugating others, now faced complete submission this time.
Yuma’s group entered Pineon.
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